System and method for filtering and organizing items based on common elements

摘要

In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items with metadata properties, a method of filtering items comprises representing a plurality of items on the display. The individual items within the plurality of items have metadata properties and a metadata property is a category of metadata and a metadata value is the entry in a metadata property for a specific item. The method further comprises determining a common metadata property that is associated with at least two of the plurality of items; selecting a first metadata value from an item having the common metadata property as a filter term; representing the filter term on the display; receiving a user selection of the filter term; and responsive to the user selection, reducing the items that are represented on the display by representing on the display only those of the items that have the common metadata property that corresponds to the filter term.