15. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising a step of selecting the database from a plurality of databases depending on search predicates specified in and added to the query formulation.
9. A method of resolving a hyperlink, comprising the following steps: receiving a hyperlinked document from a remote server, the hyperlinked document containing one or more hyperlinks, at least one of the hyperlinks containing a query formulation; in response to selection of said at least one of the hyperlinks by a user, reading the query formulation from the selected hyperlink; maintaining a list of bound attributes on an individual computer; identifying one or more executable link rules that are specified in the selected hyperlink, wherein an identified link rule is associated with a set of mandatory attributes; executing any particular link rule if and only if all of its mandatory attributes are in the list of bound attributes maintained on the individual computer, wherein executing a link rule potentially adds search predicates to the query formulation depending on said bound attributes maintained on the individual computer; querying a database of available hyperlink targets with the query formulation to locate one or more hyperlink targets that satisfy the query formulation.