JP2000259400A - Device and method for automatic generation of software and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a software automatic generating device in which productivity and the quality of software development are remarkably and the efficiency of the maintenance is improved and with which the form that a user desires is efficiently and easily obtained. SOLUTION: A sheet 111 of specific spread sheet software is used as a form and a program which actualizes the data processing of parts means corresponding to GUI parts 112a and 112b pasted on the sheet 111 is automatically generated. The generated program is run to automatically print data for the form and outputs them on the sheet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention particularly relates to an automatic software generating apparatus for generating and outputting a form, a method for automatically generating the software, and a computer readable storage of processing steps for executing the method. It relates to a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various forms such as invoices and delivery notes have been used, and printing on these forms has been performed by handwriting or Japanese type. However, with the spread of personal computers and the like in recent years, printing by a printer has been frequently performed. In the case of printing by a printer, a printing program according to the format of a form to be printed out is incorporated in the system, so that printing on the form by the printer becomes possible. The printing program at this time is
It is created by a programmer who is an expert in program creation (programming), and it is now possible to save forms in electronic form instead of on paper media (electronic form). Circulating. However, the format of the form to be printed is various, and even if the format is the same,
There is a problem that it is difficult to perform unified data processing, such as a different number of lines of data to be printed for each form. Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-254984 discloses a form creation method for solving the above problem. Here, the form disclosure method reads an image of a form to be printed by an image scanner, displays the image on a screen, and calculates an actual print position on the form based on a print position designated by a user on the screen. Similarly, data corresponding to a print item specified by the user is obtained from a prepared database, and print format data is automatically generated from the calculated print position and the obtained data. . As a result, it is possible to easily design a print screen for a designated form without requiring special knowledge for program creation.

On the other hand, Microsoft's MS-Exce
Various information management is performed using spreadsheet software such as l. For example, in the conventional application, as shown in FIG. 6, the user has defined a predetermined cell of the Excel sheet 810 (S901).
The number of digits and the global (G
The management information 821 of the host side 820 is automatically generated from information such as the (local) name (S902a), and the management information 831 of the terminal side (CRT side) 830 is generated (S9).
02b). Therefore, the host side 8
02, print data that has been subjected to processing such as collection, processing, and global setting (S903), based on the management information 821 automatically generated by this application, the terminal side 8;
30 (S904). The terminal side 830,
Based on the management information 821 automatically generated by this application, the print data from the host 820 is subjected to print processing and printed out (S905, S90).
6) Yes. Here, in this application, it is necessary to program (code) a program for executing processing (S903) such as print data collection, processing, and global setting on the host side 820. The transmission of print data on the host side 820 (S904) and the print processing on the terminal side 830 (S905) are packaged.

On the other hand, when displaying text, graphs, and the like on the screen of a display device, a GUI (Graphical US) is used.
A technology has been proposed in which a desired screen can be visually created by pasting various icons having functions such as graph display and the like on a display screen by using an er Interface). For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-2
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 00278. FIG. 7 shows an outline of the technology described in the above publication.
As shown in FIG. 7, here, first, several types of HMI parts 911a, 911b,... Having functions such as text display, graph display, and graphic display are created. These HMI parts 911a, 911b,...
Is composed of a program of a subroutine 910 having a function of an arithmetic processing and a database access processing for executing one grouped task for data display. That is, the HMI (Human Machine Interface) components 911a, 911b,..., In addition to the basic data processing function of displaying certain data in some form, when this is pasted on the display screen 920. In addition, a program including a function of a database access process such as a place on the database 930 from which data necessary for the attached HMI parts 921a and 921b is acquired. Such an HMI component 91
1a, 911b,... Are created by a professional programmer and are typically provided with several HMIs at the time of product shipment.
Parts are available. Therefore, when the user actually creates a desired screen, the user pastes a desired one of various prepared HMI parts 911a, 911b,... On the display screen 920. Go. As a result, the respective HMI components 921a and 921b pasted on the display screen 920 fetch necessary data from the designated location on the database 930 according to the data processing and database access processing programs provided for each. The captured data is displayed as a graph at the position where the HMI parts 921a and 921b are attached.

[0005]

However, against the background of the prior art described above, Microsoft's MS
-Spreadsheet software such as Excel and GUI
There has not been a technology for automatically generating software for creating a sheet with spreadsheet software as a form and printing out the sheet by combining the parts with the components described in the above. That is, JP
The conventional form creation method described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 0-254984 and the like automatically generates only a form for printing a form. Also, Microsoft's MS-Ex
The conventional technology for generating management information using spreadsheet software such as cel generates management information directly from information defined for cells on a sheet, and collects print data based on the management information. For the processing for processing, it is necessary to create a program for that by a programmer, and to print out the print data, it is necessary to use packaged printing software.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and by automatically generating software for creating and outputting a form using spreadsheet software and GUI parts, the productivity of software development and the efficiency of software development have been improved. An automatic software generation apparatus and software that can dramatically improve quality and improve maintenance work efficiency, and can efficiently and easily obtain desired forms for users. It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable recording medium storing an automatic generation method of the above and a processing step for executing the method.

[0007]

For such a purpose,
According to a first aspect of the present invention, display means for displaying a sheet composed of (m rows × n columns) of cells by predetermined spreadsheet software as a form on a screen, and a program having a predetermined data processing function corresponding to a GUI component The component means stored and stored, a component attaching means for attaching the GUI component to an arbitrary position on the sheet displayed on the screen by the display means, and a component attaching means for attaching the GUI component on the sheet. By taking data into the component means corresponding to the GUI component and performing the data processing, print data corresponding to the pasted GUI component is created, and the print data is stored in the pasting position of the pasted GUI component on the sheet. Program generating means for generating a program for realizing corresponding output.

[0008] In a second aspect based on the first aspect,
The predetermined functions of the component means include a minimum function required for the data processing, and a source and a destination of data required for the data processing and a transfer function of the data required for the component means corresponding to the pasted GUI component. The program generating means further includes attribute defining means for defining attribute information relating to processing conditions, wherein the program generating means fetches data into component means corresponding to the pasted GUI component based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining means. A program for realizing the above data processing is generated.

[0009] In a third aspect based on the first aspect,
The predetermined function of the component means includes a function of adjusting a cell configuration on the sheet based on the print data when the print data is output on the sheet.

In a fourth aspect based on the third aspect,
The cell configuration on the sheet to be adjusted includes at least one of a column width and a row width of the cell.

According to a fifth aspect, in the second aspect,
The program generation means is characterized in that it generates a program that makes access to the same migration source at one time based on the attribute information defined by the attribute definition means.

[0012] In a sixth aspect based on the second aspect,
The program generating means includes: an extracting means for extracting attribute information defined by the attribute defining means; an analyzing means for analyzing the attribute information extracted by the extracting means to obtain an algorithm of the program; Generating means for generating the program based on the result of the analysis.

[0013] In a seventh aspect based on the second aspect,
Information on the data processing conditions includes data extraction conditions,
At least one of the processing condition, the adoption condition, and the information on the output mode on the sheet is included.

According to an eighth invention, a predetermined function of data processing is performed on an arbitrary position on a sheet composed of (m rows × n columns) of cells by predetermined spreadsheet software displayed on a screen as a form. Attaching a GUI component corresponding to the component means storing the program having the program, and performing the data processing by loading data into the component means corresponding to the GUI component attached on the sheet by the component attaching step. A program generating step for generating print data corresponding to the pasted GUI component and outputting the print data corresponding to the pasting position of the pasted GUI component on the sheet; And characterized in that:

According to a ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect,
The predetermined functions of the component means include a minimum function required for the data processing, and a source and a destination of the data necessary for the data processing and a The program generating step further includes an attribute defining step for defining attribute information relating to a processing condition, wherein the program generating step acquires data into a component means corresponding to the pasted GUI component based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining step. And generating a program for implementing the data processing.

In a tenth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the predetermined function of the component means is such that, when the print data is output onto the sheet, a cell on the sheet is based on the print data. It is characterized by including a function of adjusting the configuration.

In an eleventh aspect based on the tenth aspect, the cell configuration on the sheet to be adjusted includes at least one of a column width and a row width of the cell.

In a twelfth aspect based on the ninth aspect, the program generating step includes a step of accessing the same migration source at one time based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining means. Generating.

In a thirteenth aspect based on the ninth aspect, the program generation step includes an extraction step of extracting attribute information defined by the attribute definition step, and analyzing the attribute information extracted by the extraction step. And an generating step of generating the program based on a result of the analysis by the analyzing step.

In a fourteenth aspect based on the ninth aspect, the information on the data processing condition includes at least one of data extraction condition, processing condition, adoption condition, and information on an output mode on the sheet. It is characterized in that at least one is included.

According to a fifteenth aspect, a processing step for creating and outputting print data for a form using a sheet composed of (m rows × n columns) cells by predetermined spreadsheet software as a form, A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the processing step includes a processing step of the automatic software generation method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is applied to, for example, an automatic form printing software generating apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. This automatic generation apparatus 100 uses Microsoft MS-Excel as spreadsheet software, and prints data such as text and graphs from parts 112a, 112b,... And automatically generates software for creating and outputting it on a form. That is, the automatic generation device 100 is configured to control the sheet 1 including the cells of m rows × n columns.
11 is used as a form, and based on the parts (HMI parts) 112a, 112b,... Affixed to the form, software for creating and printing out the form is automatically generated, as shown in FIG. And sheet 111
The property information extraction unit 12 extracts property information described below from the above HMI parts 112a, 112b,.
0 and the HMI components 112a, 112 based on the property information extracted by the property information extraction unit 120.
b,..., and a program automatic generation section 160 for automatically generating a program based on the analysis result of the definition information analysis section 140, This program automatic generation unit 1
The print data on the form is created by the program automatically generated at 60, and this is printed out by the printer 190 or displayed on the screen by the display device 110.

As described above, the automatic generation apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the sheet 111 of the spreadsheet software as a form, and the HMI parts 112a and 112 pasted on the sheet 111 by the user.
From b,..., a program for creating and outputting print data on a form is automatically generated.
This is the most characteristic configuration of the present embodiment.
The next feature of the present embodiment resides in the HMI components 112a, 112b,... Attached on the sheet 111 as described below.

First, as the parts to be pasted on the sheet 111, the above-mentioned conventional parts, parts having a subroutine function, and the like may be used. In addition to the attribute information such as the character size, a component that can define information such as the storage location of print data and processing conditions at the time of output (hereinafter referred to as “data extraction processing condition information”) as property information I do. Such components in the present embodiment are roughly classified into two types: text-related components and graph-related components. Text-related components include components that output fixed data (labels), components that output variable data (text), and rows on the sheet 111 according to information defined for each component. Includes components (table components) that automatically adjust the column width, row width, and the like of cells in units and columns. Also, the parts related to graphs are
Outputting a line graph, outputting a bar graph, outputting a radar chart, and outputting an XY graph,
Including such parts.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the automatic generation apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 including the definition of information for parts and the configuration for pasting parts.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic generation device 10
0 is an HMI component attaching section 220 for attaching components on the sheet 111 in addition to the configuration of FIG.
Property information definition unit 2 for defining property information for the component pasted by component pasting unit 220
30.

Further, in FIG.
Are HMI components to be pasted on the sheet 111 by the user, and an HMI component group 210 including these HMI components 211a, 211b,... A collection of unique HMI parts. Individual HMI parts 211a, 211b,...
Has only the minimum functions necessary for certain data processing. For example, as described above, outputting a text, outputting a graph (line graph, XY graph, bar graph, etc.), outputting a graphic (radar chart, etc.), outputting a form, adjusting a cell of the sheet 111 This is a general-purpose part that has only programs of basic functions such as, and does not program any at all with respect to conditions for access processing to the database and fine line types and line colors. Accordingly, in FIG. 2 described above, the HMI component attaching section 220 causes the HMI component 2
11a, 211b,..., Two HMI parts 2
11a and 211b are selected, and these are the HMI parts 11
2a and 112b are attached to the sheet 111.

By the way, the conventional HMI shown in FIG.
Parts have the following problems. First, the conventional HMI
Each of the components individually has a database access processing program. Therefore, when a plurality of HMI parts are pasted on the display screen, data acquisition for each HMI part is performed by each HMI part individually accessing the database. For this reason, it is necessary to access the database many times before all the HMI parts acquire and output the data, and there is a problem that the responsiveness is deteriorated. In addition, H which can be used by the end user
The MI components are limited to several basic types prepared in advance. That is, in the conventional HMI component, detailed data processing and database access processing are preliminarily created as a subroutine program. For this reason, when it is desired to output a screen display in a completely different form, or to display a screen display output of the same form by changing a line type, a line color, or the like, the HMI is required in accordance with those requirements.
You will have to create new part programs or recreate existing ones. However, as described above, the HMI parts are created by a programmer who is an expert, and it is extremely difficult for an end user who has various requirements to create the HMI parts. Therefore, it is very difficult for a conventional HMI component to create or modify a desired component for each user, and thus the user has to accept the use of HMI components having limited functions prepared in advance. There is a problem that does not get.

As described above, the conventional H shown in FIG.
MI parts are used in addition to the basic output processing.
The database access processing corresponding to the To information was also created from the beginning as a subroutine program. On the other hand, HMI components 211a and 21 provided in HMI component group 210 in the present embodiment are provided.
1b,..., Only the basic output processing is programmed, and the HMI parts 211a, 211b perform the sheet access on the From-To database access processing.
After being pasted on 11, it can be arbitrarily defined as property information. Furthermore, this Fr
In addition to the om-To information, information on various processing conditions can be arbitrarily defined. That is, the property information in the present embodiment is obtained by pasting a series of access processing such as reading data under what conditions and under what conditions, processing the data, and loading it into the sheet 111. This is information that is collectively defined for each of the HMI components 112a and 112b that have been set.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show examples of the definition screen of the above-described property information. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the property information in the present embodiment defines various types of information in a table format. For example, M is spreadsheet software of Microsoft Corporation.
The definition according to the Excel format is performed using S-Excel. Thereby, each row of the tables shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Information about To and processing conditions is input.

More specifically, in FIG. 3, from the HMI components 112a and 112b affixed to the sheet 111, the From information indicating which data is to be extracted from where is displayed as "Origin (From)". Column.
The contents defined in this column are primarily HMI parts 11
2a and 112b indicate the source of the data to be used. The reason why "source" is displayed is that the contents of this column are the source information for generating a graph, a graphic, or the like later. is there. In addition, To information on where to read the read data is defined in a column where “Generation destination (To)” is displayed. Although the contents defined in this column uniquely indicate the destination of the extracted data, the "generation destination" is displayed here because the contents defined in this column are This is because it becomes the original information when a graph, a figure, or the like is generated later.

The data as the “generation source” includes data stored in a table of the database 180,
And data generated by program components such as subroutines. The above tables refer to several tables 181a, 181b,... Which store various data and exist in the database 180, as shown in FIG.

When data is to be extracted from the tables 181a, 181b,..., Which item in which table to extract data is defined by information such as a table name, an item name, and a data type. When extracting data generated by a program component, a target component name is defined instead of the information such as the table name, item name, and data type.

Here, as an example of the database 180, a relational database (RD) in the form of a table is used.
B) is assumed and data to be extracted is stored in some tables 181a, 181b,... Constituting the RDB. However, if any data can be uniquely specified, the It does not have to be stored orderly. Therefore, the database 180 is not necessarily R
It does not need to be a DB.

Table 1 is used instead of program parts.
81a, 181b,..., The processing conditions such as how to extract the data and how to process the data are further defined. Here, the extraction condition defines what condition data is to be extracted, for example, such as extracting the latest value from some data counted from a designated read start point. Further, the processing condition is defined as what processing (total value calculation, average value calculation, maximum value selection, minimum value selection, etc.) is performed on a plurality of data when they are read, for example.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, for example, when the sheet 111 displayed on the screen of the display device 110 is used as a form for operation analysis in process control actually operating on the online system, Print data used by the HMI parts 112a and 112b pasted on the data 111 (data to be extracted from the database 180 and the like)
Changes dynamically according to the conditions of the running process, so there is a case where the same data need not be read in a certain state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in what state data is extracted or not required to be extracted (external state around the extraction) is defined as “employment condition”. In FIG. 4 described above, information on “conditions” indicating which items of data in which tables are to be extracted under what conditions, and whether to use the data extracted based on the conditions are determined. And information relating to “judgment” necessary for the application.

When data is read out when the above-mentioned employment condition is satisfied, the output form after data processing, such as what condition to output the data, is defined as "designation when the employment condition is satisfied". . For example, when the HMI component is a component for outputting a graph, conditions such as presence / absence of output, a line type, a line color, and a line width are defined. Also, the colors and patterns of the markers representing the plot points of the graph (（, Δ, □,...)
Etc.) Further, when the pasted HMI component is a component for text output, the conditions for blink specification such as the internal color of the text, the font color, and blinking are defined. Therefore, when the above-described table component is pasted on the sheet 111, a graph, a text, or the like is displayed on the sheet 111 in accordance with the information defined as “designation when the adoption condition is satisfied”. The column width and the row width of the sheet 111 are automatically adjusted so that the sheet 111 is output in an appropriate form.

As described above, the HM in the present embodiment
In the I-part, information on data processing conditions including extraction conditions, processing conditions, adoption conditions, designation when the adoption conditions are satisfied, and the like can be defined in addition to the From-To information of the data. This is the display device 1 of the online system.
HMI parts 11 actually operating on ten sheets 111
Regarding the processing of 2a and 112b, it is determined whether or not to read out certain data according to a defined condition, and when it is read out, it is appropriately processed and the result of the processing is displayed under the specified condition. In addition, the flow from extraction of data to be output to visualization is equivalent to being defined in the definition documents shown in FIGS.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the automatic generation apparatus 100 using the above-described components.
Hereinafter, the operation of the automatic generation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

Step S301: First, the user sets the HM
An operation for selecting a desired HMI component from a group of HMI components 210 prepared and prepared in advance by a specialized programmer or the like and pasting the HMI component to a desired position on the sheet 111 is performed by the I component pasting unit 220. . HM here
The I component pasting unit 220 is for the user to select a desired component from the HMI component group 210 and paste it at a desired position on the sheet 111.
The HMI component group 210 is displayed as a menu on the display device 110, and the HMI component designated by the user by a drag and drop operation of a mouse or the like (not shown) is pasted on the sheet 111. In the above FIG.
Two HMI parts 211a from the MI parts group 210,
The figure shows a state where the user has selected 211b and pasted them on the cell 111 as HMI parts 112a and 112b.

Step S302: Next, it is determined whether or not all necessary HMI parts have been pasted, and the flow returns to step S301 to repeat the same processing until the pasting is completed.

Step S303: If it is determined in step S303 that all necessary HMI parts have been pasted on the sheet 111, then the user uses the property information definition unit 230 to execute the HMI pasting on the sheet 111.
Define the property information about the part. As described above, the property information definition unit 230 here stores the sheet 1
HMI parts 112a and 112b pasted on 11
When fetching data necessary for creating and outputting form print data, information about From-To such as which data is input to which HMI component and information about processing conditions of the data to be fetched are stored in a sheet. It is defined as property information for the HMI components 112a and 112b pasted on the 111.

Step S304: Next, it is determined whether or not the definition of property information has been completed for all the HMI parts affixed on the sheet 111. repeat. Here, the property information is defined after all necessary HMI parts have been pasted, but the property information for each HMI part may be sequentially defined each time one HMI part is pasted.

Step S305: If it is determined in step S304 that the property information has been defined for all the HMI parts affixed on the sheet 111, then the user sends an automatic program Instruct generation. Thereby, the property information extraction unit 120
Extracts the property information for each part defined by the user from each part, and also extracts the pasting position (address) on each sheet 111.
Then, the property information extraction unit 120 stores the extracted property information and the attachment position for each component in the memory 130 for each component. At this time, the property information extraction unit 1
20 also performs a process of converting the property information described in the Excel format into a format in which subsequent processes can be easily performed.

Step S306: Definition information analyzer 140
Is extracted by the property information extraction unit 120 and stored in the memory 1
From the property information of each component stored in the H.30, based on the From-To information of each data included in the information and the information of the processing condition, the H pasted on the sheet 111.
An analysis is performed on the flow of print data to be output to the positions of the MI components 112a and 112b, the output form thereof, and the like. Further, the definition information analysis unit 140 associates the attachment position of each component stored in the memory 130 with the output destination position of the print data when each component outputs the print data (address mapping). This is used as management information. Then, such various analysis results are stored in the memory 150 as program generation information.

Step S307: The program automatic generation unit 160 generates a main program 170 (VBA) for outputting print data (display output or print output) based on the program generation information stored in the memory 150, A subroutine program 171 for extracting and processing the print data executed at 170 is automatically generated. That is, the program automatic generation unit 160
Extracts the necessary data based on the information of the analysis result in the definition information analysis unit 140 and
a, 112b to generate a program for creating and outputting (display output or print output) of the form print data. At the time of generation, first, a source code is generated, and the source code is compiled and linked, so that a main program 170 (VBA) for outputting print data (display output or print output) and the main program A subroutine program 171 for extracting and processing the print data executed at 170 is generated. The print data extraction and processing subroutine program 171 generated by the program automatic generation unit 160 analyzes the property information of the plurality of HMI components attached to the sheet 111 and accesses the database 180. This is a program that minimizes the number of times. That is, the program automatic generation unit 160
Regarding access to the same table under the same conditions, a program is generated that reads data with a single access even if the destination of the extracted data is a different HMI component. At this time, one sheet 11
One program 170, 171 is generated for one.

As described above, in the present embodiment, conditions for extracting print data from the database 180 or the like, creating print data, and outputting the print data on the sheet 111 are included in the property information. By analyzing the contents of the property information, the algorithm of the data processing in the programs 170 and 171 to be generated by the program automatic generation unit 160 can be easily grasped. Can be generated. Therefore, by changing the definition of the property information in various ways, one general-purpose H
Programs 170 and 171 under various conditions can be easily generated from MI components.

Step S308: After the programs 170 and 171 are generated by the program automatic generation unit 160, when the user instructs to execute the programs, the programs 170 and 171 are executed. Thereby, the database 18 as the extraction source defined in the property information
From 0 or the like, data to be output is read out according to the determined conditions, and is processed (edited) as defined by the property information, and is used as print data.

Step S309: Then, program 1
By executing steps 70 and 171, the edited print data is transferred to the HMI component on the sheet 111 and displayed according to the output condition specified by the property information.
Further, when a print request is made by the user, the image of the sheet 111 is printed out from the printer 190 as a form. Therefore, in the display device 110 or the printer 190, each of the parts 112a, 112b,... Pasted on the sheet 111 is placed in the pasting position in accordance with the information defined for each part. The corresponding print data (text, graph, etc.) is output. At this time, the row width, the column width, and the like on the sheet 111 are automatically adjusted by the above-described table components so as to be optimal according to the information defined by the user.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet 111 in the spreadsheet software is used as a form, and the property information defined for parts such as texts and graphs pasted on the sheet 111 is used. Then, it creates print data for display output and print output, and automatically generates software for screen output and print output. In other words, software is automatically generated to develop the components pasted on the sheet 111 into cells of the sheet 111 in accordance with the property information defined by the user for the parts. By executing the software, print data such as a text and a graph corresponding to each part is output in a form desired by the user in accordance with the attached position of the part attached to the sheet 111. This makes it possible to automatically create and output not only text but also various print data such as graphs on a form. Therefore, it is possible to provide a form that satisfies the user without restricting the required specification of the form to the user, and to promote the operation for this purpose. In addition, even a general user can easily create a form for operation analysis, report, and the like (form development (EUC)), and can improve work efficiency. Furthermore, since software that realizes these effects can be automatically generated, productivity and quality of software development can be dramatically improved,
It is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the operation mode in a timely manner. Thereby, the efficiency of maintenance work can be improved.

In this embodiment, since a general-purpose HMI component having only basic output functions such as graph output and text output is used, the HMI component is The program 171 and 171 for creating and outputting print data on a form can be automatically generated only by defining in a table format property information relating to an extraction source and a migration destination of data to be output and processing conditions of the data. It is also possible to automatically create a form corresponding to the property information and output it on a screen or print it out. Thus, for example, when it is desired to display the graph by changing the line type or line color of the graph, when it is desired to display the extracted data by changing the processing method, or when it is desired to display the text by changing the font or the like, In response to a simple change request, a form of an image intended by the user can be easily created simply by rewriting the content of the property information in accordance with the request. In other words, the end user can easily perform the form development (EUC) or the like without being an expert such as a programmer, and can flexibly and timely cope with a change in the operation mode. Also, if changing the property information is not enough,
For example, even in the case of a request to output a type different from the output function of a general-purpose HMI component prepared in advance, a newly created HMI component has a basic output function that meets the requirement. You only need to have a program. Therefore, compared to a conventional HMI component having a database access function in addition to the output function, addition, modification, and the like of the HMI component itself can be performed very easily.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the programs 170 and 171 that are automatically generated are designed so that the number of accesses to the database 10 is minimized. Database 10
Are performed collectively for each sheet 111. On the other hand, in the related art, even in the same extraction source (for example, the same table), each HMI component individually accesses the database. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the number of accesses at the time of data extraction can be significantly reduced as compared with the related art, and the responsiveness of data display can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, a general-purpose HMI component having only basic output functions such as graph output and text output is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a conventional component or a component having a subroutine function may be used.

Each of the above-described embodiments is merely an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limited manner. It must not be. That is, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which necessary data is read from the database 180 and displayed on the sheet 111 and printed out by the printer 190. Conversely, the HMI component is printed on the sheet 111. Can be applied to the case where the screen image set by pasting is written in the database 180. In this case, the functional configuration and operation of the automatic generation device 100 may be as described above, and the From
The information and the To information may be reversed from those in the above-described embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the HM
For example, the I component may have only a basic function related to data calculation. In this case, for the part, a subroutine for performing some data processing is created by defining property information such as a data extraction source and a migration destination necessary for the calculation, or data processing conditions. Become. As a result, various types of subroutines can be easily created from general-purpose parts having only one function calculation function, and productivity and quality of software development can be dramatically improved. .

Further, the automatic generation device 100 according to the above-described embodiment includes a computer CPU or MPU,
It is composed of RAM, ROM, etc.
It can be realized by operating a program stored in the OM. Therefore, a program that causes a computer to perform the above functions is, for example, a CD-RO
This can be realized by recording the data on a recording medium such as M and reading it into a computer. As a recording medium, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk, a nonvolatile memory card, or the like can be used other than the CD-ROM. When the computer executes the supplied program, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) or other application software running on the computer. In the case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized jointly, or all or a part of the processing of the supplied program is performed by the function expansion board or the function expansion unit of the computer, Even when the functions are realized, such a program is included in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention, a sheet in predetermined spreadsheet software is used as a form, and corresponds to a GUI part (a part for outputting a text or a graph) pasted on the sheet. A program for realizing data processing of the component means is automatically created, and by executing the created program, print data (text, graph, etc.) for the form is created,
It will be done automatically on the sheet.
As a result, print data such as texts and graphs corresponding to the respective GUI components is output in accordance with the positions of the GUI components attached to the sheet. With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically create and output not only text but also various print data such as graphs on a form. Therefore, it is possible to provide a form that satisfies the user without restricting the required specification of the form to the user, and to promote the operation for this purpose. In addition, even a general user can easily create a form for operation analysis, report, and the like (form development (EUC)), and can improve work efficiency. Furthermore, since software that realizes these effects can be automatically generated, productivity and quality of software development can be remarkably improved, and a change in operation mode can be flexibly and timely responded. As a result, the efficiency of maintenance work can be improved.

Further, for example, predetermined attribute information is defined for a component means having only a minimum necessary function for data processing such as an output function, and data processing in the component means is performed based on the defined attribute information. If it is configured to generate a program for actual execution, it is only necessary to define attribute information for a component that has only a very basic data processing function. The form can be automatically generated, and a form matching the defined attribute information can be easily created. This allows a user who is not a program expert to easily create a form that suits his or her tastes and requirements. Further, by changing the definition of the attribute information according to the request, various forms can be easily created from one basic component means, and it is possible to respond flexibly and timely to the change of the request. it can.

Further, when generating a program, a program is created that allows the same source to be accessed at one time based on attribute information corresponding to at least one or more GUI parts pasted on a sheet. With such a configuration, it is possible to minimize the number of accesses to the data migration source, and to improve the responsiveness of data processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic software generation device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration for attaching a component and defining the component in the automatic generation device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a property information definition screen in the automatic generation device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a property information definition screen in the automatic generation device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the automatic generation device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of management information generation using conventional spreadsheet software.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing programming using conventional components.

[Description of Signs] 100 Automatic software generation device 110 Display device 111 Sheet 112a, 112b HMI component 120 Property information extraction unit 130 Property information memory 140 Definition information analysis unit 150 Program generation information memory 160 Program automatic generation unit 170, 171 Form creation and output program 180 Database 181a, 181b Table 190 Printer 191 Print output result 210 HMI parts group 211a, 211b HMI parts 220 HMI parts pasting part 230 Property information definition part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Hideharu Yonekura 20-1 Shintomi, Futtsu-shi F-term in the Technology Development Division of Nippon Steel Corporation (reference) 5B076 DD06 DD10

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A display means for displaying a sheet composed of (m rows × n columns) of cells by predetermined spreadsheet software as a form on a screen, and a program having a predetermined data processing function associated with a GUI component. The stored part means, a part sticking means for sticking the GUI part to an arbitrary position on the sheet displayed on the screen by the display means, and a part stuck on the sheet by the part sticking means. G
By taking the data into the component means corresponding to the UI component and performing the data processing, print data corresponding to the attached GUI component is created, and the print data is converted to the attached GUI component.
An automatic software generation apparatus, comprising: a program generation unit configured to generate a program for realizing output of an I component in accordance with a pasting position on the sheet. 2. The predetermined function of the component means includes a minimum function required for the data processing, and a source and a destination of data required for the data processing are provided to the component means corresponding to the pasted GUI component. And an attribute defining means for defining attribute information relating to a processing condition of the data, wherein the program generating means includes a component corresponding to the pasting GUI component based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining means. 2. The automatic software generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a program for realizing the data processing by taking data into the means is generated. 3. The predetermined function of the component means includes a function of adjusting a cell configuration on the sheet based on the print data when outputting the print data on the sheet. The automatic software generation device according to claim 1. 4. The automatic software generation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cell configuration on the sheet to be adjusted includes at least one of a column width and a row width of the cell. 5. The program according to claim 2, wherein said program generating means generates a program which makes an access to the same migration source at one time based on the attribute information defined by said attribute defining means. Automatic generation device for the described software. 6. The program generating means includes: extracting means for extracting attribute information defined by the attribute defining means; and analyzing means for analyzing the attribute information extracted by the extracting means to obtain an algorithm of the program. 3. The software automatic generation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a generation unit configured to generate the program based on a result of the analysis by the analysis unit. 7. The information on the data processing condition includes at least one of data extraction condition, processing condition, adoption condition, and information on an output mode on the sheet. An automatic software generation device according to claim 2. 8. A program having a predetermined data processing function for an arbitrary position on a sheet composed of (m rows × n columns) cells by predetermined spreadsheet software displayed on a screen as a form. A component attaching step of attaching a GUI component corresponding to the stored component means, and performing the data processing by importing data into the component means corresponding to the GUI component attached on the sheet by the component attaching step. Generating a print data corresponding to the pasting GUI component, and generating a program for realizing outputting the printing data corresponding to the pasting position of the pasting GUI component on the sheet. A software automatic generation method characterized by the following. 9. The predetermined function of the component means includes a minimum function required for the data processing, and provides a source and a destination of data required for the data processing to the component means corresponding to the pasted GUI component. And an attribute defining step for defining attribute information relating to a processing condition of the data, wherein the program generating step includes the attaching GUI based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining step.
9. The automatic software generation method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of generating a program for realizing the data processing by taking data into a component means corresponding to the component. 10. The predetermined function of the component means includes a function of adjusting a cell configuration on the sheet based on the print data when the print data is output onto the sheet. The method for automatically generating software according to claim 8. 11. The automatic software generation method according to claim 10, wherein the cell configuration on the sheet to be adjusted includes at least one of a column width and a row width of the cell. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the program generating step includes a step of generating, based on the attribute information defined by the attribute defining means, a program for accessing the same migration source at one time. Item 10. Automatic software generation method according to Item 9. 13. The program generating step includes: an extracting step of extracting attribute information defined by the attribute defining step; an analyzing step of analyzing the attribute information extracted by the extracting step to obtain an algorithm of the program. 10. The automatic software generation method according to claim 9, further comprising a generation step of generating the program based on a result of the analysis by the analysis step. 14. The data processing condition information includes at least one of data extraction condition, processing condition, adoption condition, and information on an output mode on the sheet. An automatic software generation method according to claim 9. 15. Using a predetermined spreadsheet software (m
A sheet composed of cells of (row × n columns) is used as a form,
15. A computer-readable storage medium storing processing steps for creating and outputting print data for the form, wherein the processing steps include automatically generating software according to any one of claims 8 to 14. A storage medium comprising the processing steps of the method.