Grouping annotating and filtering history information in VKB

Abstract

History mechanisms available in hypertext systems allow users access to past interactions with the system and help users incorporate those interactions into the current context. The history information can be useful to both the system and the user. The Visual Knowledge Builder (VKB) creates spatial hypertexts - visual workspaces for collecting, organizing, and sharing. It is based on prior work on VIKI. VKB records all edit events and presents them in the form of a "navigable history" as end-users work within an information workspace. My thesis explores attaching user interpretations of history via the grouping and annotation of edit events. Annotations can take the form of a plain text statement or one or more attribute/value pairs attached to individual events or group of events in the list. Moreover, I explore the value of history event filtering, limiting the edits and groups presented to those that match user descriptions. My contribution in this thesis is the addition of mechanisms whereby users can cope with larger history records in VKB via the process of grouping, annotating and filtering history information.