One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for viewing a plurality of objects on a graphical display. The graphical display includes space for displaying objects and a sink that contains objects that are not visible on the graphical display. The system operates by receiving a command from a user of the graphical display. When the command is a compress command, if an object is inside the sink, the system moves the object a level deeper into the sink. If the object is located outside the sink on the graphical display, the system moves the object closer in a radial direction towards the sink. If the object moves very close to the sink, the object leaves the graphical display and enters the sink. When the command is an expand command, if the object is located inside the sink, the system moves the object a level higher in the sink. If the object is already at a highest level of the sink, the object leaves the sink and enters the graphical display at a location near the sink. If the object is located outside the sink on the graphical display, the system moves the object in a radial direction away from the sink. Objects that move past the boundaries of a graphical display are no longer visible, but may become visible again after subsequent compress operations.
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