Methods and systems for representing breadcrumb paths, breadcrumb inline menus and hierarchical structure in a web environment

摘要

A method of a navigational path includes enabling a user to successively display a plurality of web pages; maintaining a full breadcrumb path that includes a link to each of the previously displayed pages; displaying a shortened breadcrumb path on a current page, the shortened breadcrumb path including fewer links than the full breadcrumb path, and displaying the full breadcrumb path only upon request. A method of representing a current location within a hierarchical structure of a web site or web application includes maintaining a hierarchical map of the web site or web application; generating a web page that has a predetermined level within the hierarchical map; displaying a hierarchical structure selector on the web page, and when the displayed hierarchical structure selector is selected by a user, displaying an indication of the predetermined level and a link to each hierarchically higher level of the generated web page.