Importance

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Abstract

A hypermedia-based navigation system includes a plurality of information providers and one or more clients. Databases of available hyperlink targets are maintained by the information providers. Each of the databases is searchable by means of one or more query attributes supported by the database and relating to the available hyperlink targets. A hypermedia document might contain a soft hyperlink, consisting of a query formulation specified in terms of query attributes and of values for said query attributes. A client resolves a soft hyperlink by querying at least one of the databases with the query formulation to locate one or more hyperlink targets having attributes and attribute values that satisfy the query formulation. The soft hyperlink can additionally contain executable rules. The client executes these rules prior to submitting the query formulation to the database. Each rule, when it executes, potentially adds search predicates to the original query formulation. Execution of a particular rule is conditioned upon a set of mandatory attributes associated with the rule. The rule will be executed if and only if its mandatory attributes are bound to actual values by the particular client attempting to resolve the soft hyperlink.

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First Claim