A method for assisting a computer operator to retrieve information from a database that is related to text in a document, the method comprising the steps of: (1) using a first computer program to analyze the document, without direction from the operator, to identify text in the document that can be used to search for related information, (2) using a second computer program and the text identified in step (1) to search the database and to locate related information, and (3) inserting the information located in step (2) into the document. view more

A computer implemented method for information handling, the method comprising: providing access to a contact database that can also be separately accessed and edited by a user and wherein the contact database includes at least three fields for storing contact information associated with each of one or more contacts, each of the at least three fields within the contact database being specific to a particular type of contact information selected from the group consisting of name, title, address, telephone number, and email address; analyzing in a computer process textual information in a document configured to be stored for later retrieval to identify a portion of the document as first contact information, without user designation of a specific part of the textual information to be subject to the analyzing, wherein the first contact information is at least one of a name, a title, an address, a telephone number, and an email address; after identifying the first contact information, performing at least one action from a set of potential actions, using the first contact information previously identified as a result of the analyzing, wherein the set of potential actions includes: (i) initiating an electronic search in the contact database for the first contact information while it is electronically displayed in order to find whether the first contact information is included in the contact database; and when a contact in the contact database includes the first contact information, if second contact information in the contact database is associated with that contact, electronically displaying at least a portion of the second contact information, wherein the second contact information is at least one of a name, a title, an address, a telephone number, and an email address; (ii) initiating electronic communication using the first contact information; and (iii) allowing the user to make a decision whether to store at least part of the first contact information in the contact database as a new contact or to update an existing contact in the contact database; wherein the computer implemented method is configured to perform each one of action (i), action (ii), and action (iii) using the first contact information previously identified as a result of the analyzing; and providing for the user an input device configured so that a single execute command from the input device is sufficient to cause the performing. view more