Contact picker interface

In an application programming interface on a computing system that is connected with a display device, a method for intuitively providing contact information to an application from at least one contact information directory, the method comprising;

• receiving a request from an application for a contact picker dialog to provide a list of one or more contacts having related contact information that can be used by the application to perform a desired function, the request from the application specifying one or more required characteristics that each of the one or more contacts must possess in order to be listed by the contact picker dialog;
• in response to the request, generating a list of contacts that each possess the one or more required characteristics and that are obtained from at least one contact information directory;
• displaying the list of contacts in an order that is based on a likelihood of selection criteria;
• and
• in response to a user input selecting at least one of a contact and the contact information related to the contact, providing the contact information to the application;
• wherein the one or more required characteristics comprises installation of particular software on a contact's computing system.

A method in a computing system that is connected with a display device and that includes a user interface that is configured to display contact information at the display device, a method for intuitively obtaining contact information from at least one contact information directory, the method comprising:

• detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at the display device, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;
• automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory;
• and
• wherein the listed contacts are displayed with two visually distinct groupings of contacts, including a first grouping of contacts and a second grouping of contacts, and wherein the grouping of contacts determined to contain contacts that are the most likely to be selected contacts is displayed above the second grouping of contacts.

A method in a computing system that is connected with a display device and that includes a user interface that is configured to display contact information at the display device, a method for intuitively obtaining contact information from at least one contact information directory, the method comprising:

• detecting focus input directed at a type-in line that is displayed at the display device, the type-in line being configured to receive desired contact information for enabling a desired function to be performed with the contact information, wherein the focus input comprises at least one of tabbing a prompt into the type-in line or hovering a pointer over the type-in line;
• automatically in response to detecting the tabbing of the prompt into the type-in line or the hovering of the pointer over the type-in line, and prior to receiving any input typed into the type-in line, obtaining and displaying a list of expected contacts based on a likelihood of selection criteria, each of the listed expected contacts being obtained from the at least one contact information directory;
• and
• wherein the list of expected contacts comprises a first list of expected contacts and wherein the method further comprises an act of automatically displaying a second list in response to receiving input selecting a first selected contact from the first list of expected contacts and wherein the second list comprises a plurality of contact information associated with the first selected contact and that is displayed with the first list.