JP2710720B2 - Icon display management method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing device such as a workstation, which displays an object such as a document or a program on a screen in an easy-to-understand manner using icons.
The present invention relates to an icon display management method for enabling an operation on a displayed icon object.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional processing device having a function of operating an object on a screen by using an icon, the icon is an attribute of the object, such as a Japanese document or a table, a business procedure, or the like. Was displayed.

FIG. 6 shows a display management method of icons in such a conventional processing apparatus. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes an object storage device, 2 denotes a folder which is a file management unit of an object, and 5 denotes an icon display / display. An operation control function, 6 is a display device, 7 'is a folder displayed on the screen using icons, and 8 is a correspondence table in which correspondence between icon patterns and object attributes is registered.

[0004] The folder 2 is created for each group of certain objects, and the illustrated example shows that the objects belonging to one folder are A, B, C, D and E (A to A). E is the object name). Here, the attributes of objects A and B are Japanese documents, the attributes of objects C and D are tables, and the attribute of object E is business procedures.

The correspondence table 8 is created in advance. In this case, the object attributes: Japanese document, table, and business procedure are associated with the icons for each pattern: ●, ★, and ◎.

When a request to display a list of the folder 2 is made, the icon display / operation control function 5 checks the object attribute of each object belonging to the folder 2 and obtains an icon pattern corresponding to the object attribute from the correspondence table 8. Then, an icon and information for identifying the object (for example, a title character) are displayed as a pair at a predetermined position on the screen of the display device 6 for each object.
In this case, the same icon "●" is displayed for objects A and B having the same attribute.

The user can instruct a predetermined operation on the object by selecting an arbitrary displayed icon with a cursor. However, objects A and B must be distinguished by the displayed title characters. When detecting that a certain icon is selected, the icon display / operation control function 5 knows the corresponding object in the folder 2 from the display position of the icon, and executes a predetermined operation on the object.

[0008]

In the conventional icon display management method, when an object is displayed as an icon,
Object attributes could only be displayed with the same icon. For this reason, even if the object attributes are the same, the icon cannot be displayed with the icon that matches the content, and it must be identified by the title character added to the icon, and the advantage of the icon with good visibility cannot be fully utilized. .

It is an object of the present invention to enable a user to set, display, and operate an arbitrary icon according to the individual contents of an object.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying an image on a screen.
Corresponding icon by selecting the icon
Performs the specified operation on the attached object
In a processing device with a specified icon control function,
A group of objects managed by one folder
For each object, one for each object
Icon management book common to users who register icons
And one corresponding to each object in the icon management book
Icon registration function for registering two icon patterns
And objects according to the contents of the icon management book
Is displayed as an icon, and icon display / operation
Operation control function, and the user can use the icon registration function
To assign any object to each folder using
One icon can be set in the above icon management book.
The icon display / operation control function includes the icon
One icon for each object set in the management book
Can be displayed and operated in common to all users
Is to do so.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an object storage device in which objects are stored using folders as file management units.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a folder containing exemplary objects A to E. An icon management book 3 is created for each folder and registers the corresponding icon pattern for each object, and is managed in the same folder as the object.

An icon registration function 4 enables registration of an arbitrary icon pattern in the icon management book.
Reference numeral 5 denotes an icon display / operation control function for displaying an icon based on the folder 2 and the icon management book 3 and performing an object operation using the icon.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a display device. Reference numeral 7 denotes a folder in which an icon is displayed.

[0015]

In FIG. 1, the user easily accesses the icon management book 3 via the icon registration function 4, and registers (including deletion and change) an icon of an arbitrary pattern with respect to an arbitrary object. Can be. However, it is possible to associate an icon with an object regardless of its attribute, but for objects for which the corresponding icon has not been registered, an icon based on the object attribute is used as before. Correspondence may be performed.

Basically, any one object can be associated with any one icon associated with the contents of the object, regardless of the attribute of the object, and the pattern of the icon may be arbitrary. The user can freely define an icon pattern with good visibility.

[0017]

FIG. 2 shows an icon display management method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes an icon master file, in which icon patterns defined by the user are managed in association with icon numbers for respective types, and the user registers the icon patterns in the icon management book 3. In this case, the icon pattern is copied from the icon master file 8.

The icon management book 3 is provided for each folder and gives a correspondence between an object name and an icon pattern, and the correspondence is managed using the object name as a key. No other special number information is used.

FIG. 3 shows an icon pattern definition operation method. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 9 denotes an icon editor screen. When activated, a list of user-defined icons in the icon master file 8 is displayed. Reference numeral 10 denotes an icon editing screen, which is started when a new icon is created or updated, and in which an icon dot pattern is created or changed. The created and changed icon patterns are registered in the icon master file 8.

FIG. 4 shows an object moving / copying process. In FIG. 4, the object “OB” of folder 2
J01 "is moved or copied to folder 2 '
The icon data corresponding to the object name "OBJ01" in the icon management book 3 is moved or copied to the icon management book 3 'in the folder 2'. As a result, the registration / movement of the icon data can be
The copying is performed at the same time, and the consistency between the two is always maintained.

FIG. 5 shows an icon display process of the icon display / operation control function. As shown, icon display /
The operation control function 5 first reads the object information of the designated folder, and then reads the icon management book.
Based on this information, the icon to be displayed for each object is determined and displayed. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 2, it is also possible to display an object attribute (such as a document) together with the icon.

[0022]

According to the present invention, one icon can be defined for each object irrespective of the attribute of the object such as a document or a business procedure, so that the contents of the object can be immediately identified. The operability is improved, and the operability of the object is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an icon display management method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an icon pattern definition operation method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an object moving / copying process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an icon display / operation control function in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional icon display management method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Object storage device 2 Folder 3 Icon management book 4 Icon registration function 5 Icon display / operation control function 6 Display device 7 Icon displayed folder

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing apparatus having an icon control function for designating an operation defined for an object associated with an icon by selecting an icon displayed on the screen, wherein the processing is managed by one folder. It provided for each group of objects to be one for a single object
According to the contents of the icon management book, the icon management book common to the users who register the icons, the icon registration function for registering one icon pattern corresponding to each object in the icon management book, display the object as an icon, and an operable in the icon display / operation control function, the user folder basis by using the icon registration function
To any one icon for any object
It can be set in the icon management book, and the icon table
The display / operation control function stores the object in the icon management book.
Each icon set in the correspondence is given to all users
Icon display management method, characterized in that displayed on the common, to manipulate for.