Method and system for combining prefix and first character searching of a list

A method in a computer system for searching a list containing list elements, each list element having a sequence of characters and a position in the list, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a plurality of search characters;
• performing a prefix search of the list to find a list element whose prefix matches the received search characters;
• determining whether each of the search characters is the same character;
• when it is determined that each of the search characters is the same character, performing a first character search of the list to find a list element whose first character matches a search character;
• when only one list element is found, selecting that found list element;
• and
• when two different list elements are found, selecting one of the found list elements based on its position relative to the position of a predetermined list element.

A method in a computer system for searching a list, the computer system having a user input device and a user input buffer for holding search characters, the list containing list elements, each list element having a position in the list, the method comprising repeating the following steps:

• receiving user input from the user input device until a search character is received;
• adding the search character to the user input buffer;
• comparing the search characters in the user input buffer with the prefix of each list element until either finding a prefix search list element whose prefix is the same as the search characters in the user input buffer or detecting that no list element has a prefix which is the same as the search characters in the user input buffer;
• determining whether the user input buffer contains more than one search character;
• when it is determined that the user input buffer contains more than one search character,
• determining whether each of the search characters in the input buffer is the same;
• when it is determined that each of the search characters in the user input buffer is the same, comparing a search character in the user input buffer with the first character of each list element until finding a first character search list element whose first character is the same as a search character in the user input buffer or detecting that no list element has a first character that is the same as a search character in the user input buffer;
• when both a prefix search list element and a first character search list element are found, selecting one of the found list elements based on its position relative to the position of a predetermined list element;
• and
• when only a prefix search list element or only a first character search list element is found, selecting the found list element.

A method in a computer system for detecting whether to execute a prefix search or a first character search, the computer system having a list containing list elements with one list element designated as a search starting point, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining whether a prefix search would find a list element and a first character search would find a different list element;
• when the prefix search and first character search would find different list elements, determining whether the prefix search or the first character search would find a list element closer to the search starting point;
• when the prefix search would find a list element closer to the search starting point, performing the prefix search;
• and
• when the first character search would find a list element closer to the search starting point, performing the first character search.

A computer system with an input device, an output device, a list containing list elements, an input buffer, and a combined search engine, the system comprising:

• means for receiving a plurality of search characters from the input device;
• means for storing the received search characters in the input buffer;
• means for performing a prefix search based on the search characters in the input buffer using the combined search engine;
• means for determining whether each of the search characters in the input buffer is the same;
• means for performing a first character search when it is determined that each of the search characters in the input buffer is the same;
• means for selecting a found list element when at least the prefix search or the first character search finds a list element;
• and
• means for displaying the selected list element on the output device.

A method in a computer system for selecting a list element in a list, each list element having a sequence of characters and a position in the list, the computer system having a plurality of search characters and a combined search system for performing searches, the method comprising:

• performing a prefix search of the list using the combined search system to find a list element with a prefix that matches the search characters starting from a predetermined position in the list;
• determining whether each of the search characters is the same;
• when it is determined that each of the search characters is not the same and the prefix search found a match, selecting the result of the prefix search;
• and
• when it is determined that each of the search characters is the same,
• performing a first character search of the list using the combined search system to find a list element whose first character matches a search character starting from the position following the predetermined position in the list;
• when only the first character search found a list element, selecting the found list element;
• when the prefix search and the first character search both found the same list element, selecting that list element;
• and
• when the prefix search and the first character search each found a different list element, selecting the result of whichever search found a list element whose position is closer to the predetermined position in the list.

A method in a computer system for selecting a list element in a list, each list element having a sequence of characters and having a position in the list, the computer system having a user input buffer containing a plurality of search characters, the method comprising:

• searching for a list element with a prefix that matches the search characters in the user input buffer;
• determining whether each of the search characters is the same character;
• when it is determined that each of the search characters is the same character, searching for a list element whose first character matches a search character;
• when the searching finds either a list element with a prefix that matches the search characters or a list element with a first character that matches a search character, selecting the found list element;
• and
• when the searching finds a list element with a prefix that matches the search characters and a different list element with a first character that matches a search character, then selecting one of these found list elements based on its position relative to the position of a predetermined list element in the list.

A computer-readable storage medium containing computer instructions that cause a computer system to:

• receive a plurality of search characters;
• perform a prefix search of a list to find a list element starting at a search starting point, the list containing list elements, each list element having a sequence of characters and a position in the list;
• determine whether each of the search characters is the same;
• when it is determined that each of the search characters is the same, perform a first character search of the list to find a list element starting at the position of the list element following the search starting point;
• when only one list element is found, select the found list element;
• and
• when two list elements are found, select one of the found list elements based on its position proximate to the search starting point.

A computer-storage medium containing computer instructions that cause a computer system to:

• determine a first position of a list element in a list that would be found using a prefix search, the list having a plurality of list elements, each list element having a position in the list;
• determine a second position of a list element in the list that would be found using a first character search;
• and
• select the list element whose determined position is closer to the position of a predetermined list element.