Patent ID: 7246127

Claim:
A recording apparatus comprising: an operating portion for receiving a predetermined input command from a user, the operating portion having a display portion for displaying a reproduced picture and an index portion for displaying index data, wherein the predetermined input command includes enabling a user to select a previous folder in a hierarchy in the display portion, select a next folder in the hierarchy in the display portion, and change the index portion between displaying an original data hierarchy or a favorite information hierarchy; creating means for creating an index file having a plurality of areas assigned unique identifiers respectively; and recording means for recording the index file to a recording medium, wherein the creating means is correlatively storing a plurality of files recorded on the recording mediums and a plurality of pieces of excerpted information thereof to the plurality of areas, wherein each of the areas contains attribute information having first information and second information, the first information identifying whether the area is a folder for storing a collection of pieces of the excerpted information or stores at least a piece of the excerpted information, the second information representing a folder to which the area belongs, and wherein the attribute information has third information, the third information identifying whether the area contains at least a piece of the excerpted information or favorite information, the favorite information referencing at least a piece of the excerpted information.