Internet-enabled portfolio manager system and method

Claim 2

The system of claim 1, further comprising: a user interface that is configured to: display said portfolios, including the projects composing said portfolios, in a consistent fashion that is independent of location of said portfolios and projects; and enable user interaction with said portfolio methods so that the user can determine and manipulate the displayed portfolio using said portfolio methods.

Claim 3

The system of claim 2, wherein a subset of said user-selectable portfolio methods comprises at least one of: a create portfolio method that is used by said portfolio manager to create portfolios; an import method that is used by said portfolio manager to import existing portfolios; a choose portfolio method that is used by said portfolio manager to designate which one of said portfolios to work with; and a remove portfolio method that is used by said portfolio manager to remove portfolios.

Claim 4

The system of claim 3, further comprising: a project manager including a set of user-selectable project methods that are configured to process said projects based on said project attributes in project files respectively associated with said projects; said Web browser being further configured to download to said portfolio manager system selected remote project files from the Internet as said selected remote project files are needed by said portfolio methods and said project methods to process said projects; and said user interface being further configured to enable user interaction with said project methods so that the user can determine and manipulate displayed projects using said project methods.

Claim 5

The system of claim 4, wherein a subset of said project attributes comprises at least one of: a project name field; a project type field; a project administrative information field; a contents field; and a run page URL field.

Claim 6

The system of claim 5, wherein said project type field has a value that is selected from a group of predefined values including: "APPLET", signifying that said contents represent a Java applet; and at least one of: "STANDALONE", signifying that said contents represent a standalone executable program compiled to run on said first computer; "PACKAGE", signifying that said contents represent a Java class library; "IMAGE", signifying that said contents represent a data file; and "REMOTE", signifying that said contents represent a remote applet.

Claim 7

The system of claim 6, wherein said contents field comprises at least one of: (a) at least one reference to a group of embedded project files; and (b) contents of the project associated with said project file.

Claim 9

The method of claim 8, wherein said software development methods associated with said portfolio manager object comprise at least one of: a portfolio create method; a portfolio choose method; a portfolio import method; and a portfolio remove method.

Claim 10

The method of claim 9, wherein, (a) when said selected option is associated with said portfolio create method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: enabling said user to enter a new name and new location for a new portfolio; and creating a new portfolio file corresponding to said new portfolio, said new portfolio having a name and location derived from said new name and new location; (b) when said selected option is associated with said portfolio choose method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: displaying a choose submenu including a list of user-selectable portfolios; and upon said user selecting a particular portfolio from said choose submenu: when said particular portfolio is remote, downloading a remote portfolio file corresponding to said selected portfolio via the Intemet and enabling said user to work with projects referenced in said remote portfolio file; and when said particular portfolio is local, accessing a local portfolio file corresponding to said selected portfolio and enabling said user to work with projects referenced in said local portfolio file; (c) when said selected option is associated with said portfolio import method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: enabling said user to enter a name and location for an imported portfolio, said location being selected from remote or local; when said location is remote, accessing a remote portfolio file corresponding to said imported portfolio via the Internet and making said imported portfolio available to said user; and when said location is local, accessing a local portfolio file corresponding to said imported portfolio and making said imported portfolio available to users; and (d) when said selected option is associated with said portfolio remove method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: displaying a remove submenu including a list of user-selectable portfolios; and upon said user selecting a particular portfolio from said choose submenu, making said particular portfolio unavailable to users.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8, wherein said software development methods associated with said project manager object comprise at least one of: a project create method; a project import method; a project choose method; a project edit method; a project remove method; a project run method; a project copy method; and a project paste method.

Claim 12

The method of claim 11, wherein, (a) when said selected option is associated with said project create method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: displaying a project create menu on which said user enters attributes of a new project, said attributes including a project type name and location, said project type being selected from a predefined set of values including applet and at least one of standalone program, Java package, image file and remote applet; writing said attributes to a new project file having a project file name and location that are derived from said project name and location; when said project type is selected from said applet, standalone program or Java package values: enabling said user to enter source code links to source code files associated with said new project; and writing said source code links to said new project file; and writing into a particular portfolio file associated with a particular portfolio of which said project is a component, said project name and project location so that said project can be accessed via said particular portfolio by said portfolio and project methods; (b) when said selected option is associated with said project import method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: enabling said user to enter a name and location for an imported project, said location being selected from remote or local; when said location is remote, accessing a remote project file corresponding to said imported project via the Intemet; when said location is local, accessing a local project file corresponding to said imported project; and adding a reference to the imported project's project file to a particular portfolio file associated with a particular portfolio of which said imported project is a component so that said imported project can be accessed from said particular portfolio by said portfolio and project methods; (c) when said selected option is associated with said project copy method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: copying contents of a first user-selected project to a clipboard; (d) when said selected option is associated with said project paste method, said step of executing said associated method comprises: pasting contents of said clipboard into a second, user-specified project; such that, when said first user-selected project has a project type of applet and said copying step is following by said pasting step, said pasting step comprises writing said clipboard contents to said second project using an HTML applet tag; (e) when said selected option is associated with said project run method, said stop of executing said associated method comprises: enabling a user to select an executable project to be run; and when said executable project has a project type value of applet and has an associated project file that does not specify a run page URL for an HTML page that is configured to execute said executable project, generating a new HTML page containing an applet tag with tag attributes and tag parameters based on said project attributes of said executable project.

Claim 13

In a set of networked computers connected to the Intemet that includes a first computer and a subset of remote computers, a computer-readable memory configured to direct said first computer to process software portfolios that can be located on said remote computers and whose components, or projects, can be distributed across said remote computers, said computer-readable memory comprising: a set of portfolio files, each of a subset of said set of portfolio files representing one portfolio and including respective references to members of a set of project files, said references being selected from a file name when said project file member is local to said first computer or a URL when said project file member is remote from said first computer; each member of said set of project files respectively specifying project attributes of one member of a set of projects, said set of projects being the projects associated said one portfolio; an executable portfolio manager object including a set of user-selectable portfolio methods that are configured to direct said first computer to process said portfolios based on information in said portfolio files; and an executable browser object that is configured to direct said first computer to download selected remote portfolio files from the Internet as said selected portfolio files are needed by said portfolio methods.

Claim 14

The computer-readable memory of claim 13, further comprising: an executable user interface object that is configured to: direct said first computer to display said portfolios, including the projects composing said portfolios, in a consistent fashion that is independent of location of said portfolios and projects; and direct said first computer to enable user interaction with said portfolio methods so that the user can determine and manipulate the displayed portfolio using said portfolio methods.