Patent ID: 8898198

Claim:
A system, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor including objects; a display monitor; and a computer storage device including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising: maintaining different attribute tree views providing different hierarchical arrangements of a set of objects wherein each attribute tree view organizes the objects in different hierarchical arrangements according to a different attribute type of the attribute types associated with the objects, wherein at least one object is associated with different attribute tree views; receiving selection of one object in one of the attribute tree views; receiving user selection to display one of the attribute tree views; displaying the objects in the hierarchical arrangement of the selected attribute tree view that organizes the objects according to the attribute type associated with the attribute tree view; receiving selection of one attribute instance in the displayed attribute view; associating the selected attribute instance with the selected object by indicating the selected attribute instance with a metadata record for the selected object, wherein the associated attribute instance for the selected object is accessible in views in which the selected object with which the attribute instance is associated is accessible, and wherein the selection of one of the objects within one of the views enables the user to select attribute instances to associate with the selected object; receiving, for the object, selection of attribute instances from different attribute tree views for different attribute types; associating the selected attribute instances for the different attribute types selected from the different attribute tree views with the selected object; receiving selection of a folder from a folder tree view for the selected object to associate the selected folder from the folder tree view with the selected object, wherein the selected object may only be included in one folder but be included in multiple views; and indicating the selected folder in which the selected object is to be included in the metadata record for the selected object.