Patent ID: 7512904

Claim:
A method of displaying on a computer display a list of selectable items in a program launch menu of an operating system executing on a computer system, comprising steps of: receiving a user-initiated indication to display a default program launch menu by actuating a button on a taskbar; displaying on a computer display device the default program launch menu of an operating system, said default program launch menu having a predefined area for displaying regions and a selection control, wherein the regions comprise a first region for presenting pinned items and a second dynamic region for presenting a first plurality of selectable items, and wherein the pinned items remain in a fixed location within the first region regardless of user-initiated actions with respect to selecting items; presenting a listing of views in proximity to the selection control that allow a user to select at least one view, wherein the listing of views includes the at least one view that, when selected, changes which selectable items are presented in the second dynamic region; receiving a user-initiated selection of the presented at least one view; identifying a selected launch program menu based on the selected at least one view; displaying on a computer display device a second plurality of selectable items associated with the selected program launch menu of an operating system, said selected program launch menu occupying the same second dynamic region within the predefined area as the default program launch menu previously occupied, wherein the plurality of selectable items are arranged according to a hierarchy, wherein the predefined area presents a nested tree view of at least as portion of the plurality of selectable items, and wherein items of the plurality of selectable items comprises one of expandable items and launchable items based a type of the selected program launch menu; initially displaying in the second dynamic region a first subset of the second plurality of selectable items, wherein each selectable item in the first subset is at a top level of the hierarchy; and when the second program launch menu directs that the items of the second plurality of selectable items are the expandable items, responsive to a user selecting a first expandable item in the first subset, rearranging items within the second dynamic region to provide room to hierarchically display therein a second subset of the second plurality of selectable items, the second subset including one or more children items of the first expandable item, and responsive to user input selecting a second expandable item in the second subset, rearranging items within the second dynamic region to provide room to hierarchically display therein a third subset of the second plurality of selectable items, the third subset including one or more children items of the second expandable item.