JP2001056727A - Film list display device and method, and data display device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a file list display device capable of intuitively and sensitively grasping the whole image of a file or data group and facilitating the selection of a file or the like by displaying respective indexes on a display while arranging them in the order of editing dates/time with a reduction scale ratio almost proportional to the order of editing dates/time related to the file. SOLUTION: Icons 2a and 2b are functioned as the indexes of respective files for file selection. The respective files are divided into groups for each period of editing dates/time and the correspondent icons 2a and 2b are arranged for the unit of each group on rings 3a and 3b. Besides, the respective icons 2a and 2b are expressed with the reduction scale ratio common for each group and the reduction scale ratio is almost proportional to the order of lateness for the period of that group. The sizes of the rings 3a and 3b are arranged in the order of lateness for the period of the group. As a result, the feeling of depth is generated and it seems the indexes are just conceptually displayed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a file list display device and method for displaying a file list or data, and a data display device and method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A file management system has been proposed to efficiently handle a large number of files on a computer. Such a file management system is provided with a function of displaying a file name of a file managed by the file in a list format so that a user can easily select a desired file. FIG. 2 shows an example of a display screen when such a file is selected. The screen is roughly divided into three areas, a directory is displayed in the leftmost area, and a list of file names is displayed in the central area.

On the other hand, since a file name is usually given a very simple name, it is easy for a user to forget which file name is given to which file. Therefore, a method of displaying some information on the file along with the file name is generally adopted. For example, in the display example of FIG. 2, the editing date and time of each file name are displayed in the rightmost area.

The display of the editing date has the effect of making it relatively easy for a user to select a file.
This is because the order of the edit date and time is relatively likely to remain in the user's memory. In other words, even if the user does not clearly remember the file name, the user often remembers the file creation date or modification date vaguely and intuitively, and stores it while comparing it with the editing date and time of other files. This is because it is relatively often possible to specify a target file by tracing.

[0005]

However, even if the date and time of editing the file and the like are written in the file name, it is not easy to select the file simply by displaying the file in a list format. It's hard to say. For example, regarding the case where the editing date and time are described together, it is not clearly known whether the files displayed at the top and bottom are very close date and time or apart from each other. For this reason, the user looks at the reference display such as each date and time, imagine the time interval in the head, close or near, far away, and compare it with my own memory Then, the user must search for the desired file. The same applies to the case where desired data is selected from a list of data shown on the display in various database systems or schedule application software (scheduler).

For example, in a database system,
In a case where desired data is selected from a data group of a certain person displayed in order of date of birth, continuous data is
Even if the difference is only 1 year old or 10 years old, it is still displayed as a continuous order, and the user checks the date of birth for each data by number and imagines the degree of separation in the head It is necessary to advance the data selection while doing so. In particular, it is more difficult for the user to understand the overall tendency that there are many people of a certain age and few people of a certain age, and it is more difficult to display the date of birth by age. And try to graph them, you can finally grasp the overall tendency. In short, a system that allows the user to more intuitively and intuitively grasp the entire image of the file group is desired.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for selecting a file and selecting data, so that the user can intuitively select
It is an object of the present invention to provide a file list display device and method, and a data display device and method that can grasp the whole image of a file or a data group intuitively and can easily select the file or the like.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a file list display device for displaying a plurality of file headings associated with an editing date and time, wherein each of the headings is associated with the file associated with the file. A file list display device is provided, comprising means for arranging in the order of the edit date and time at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the edit date and displaying the same on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display device for displaying a plurality of file headings associated with an editing date and time, wherein the file group is displayed at predetermined intervals of the editing date and time. Means for setting, and means for commonly setting a scale ratio of the heading that is substantially proportional to the order of the period in the group unit, and each heading in the order of the period by the scale ratio in the group unit. A display means for arranging and displaying on a display.

In this device, a judging means for judging whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold, and when it is judged that the number of the files exceeds the predetermined threshold, the file belongs to the group. Setting means for newly setting a plurality of groups for each file for each predetermined period of the editing date and time, and further for the group newly set by the setting means, the determining means and the setting means. Means for applying.

The apparatus may further comprise means for simultaneously and continuously changing each of the scale ratios.

The apparatus may further comprise means for determining whether or not the number of the groups displayed on the display has exceeded a predetermined threshold, wherein the display means has a function to determine if the number has exceeded the predetermined threshold. In such a case, the number of the groups exceeding the number may not be displayed.

In this apparatus, the display means displays the heading on a ring for each group, and displays the size of the ring according to the order of the period of the group of the ring. And each of the rings can be arranged substantially concentrically.

[0014] In this device, the display means may display the ring of the group newly set by the setting means in a color different from the rings of the other groups.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display device for displaying headings of a plurality of files, wherein a means for assigning a priority to each of the files, Means for arranging in a priority order at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order and displaying the information on a display.

Also, according to the present invention, there is provided a data display device for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information, wherein each of the data is substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information relating to the data. Means for arranging the date and time information in order of the reduced scale ratio and displaying the date and time information on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a data display device for displaying a plurality of data, wherein a means for assigning a priority to each of the data, and the data are referred to as the priority related to the data. Means for arranging in a priority order at a proportional scale ratio and displaying the data on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display method for displaying a plurality of file headings associated with an editing date and time, wherein each of the headings is arranged in the order of the editing date and time relating to the file. A file list display method is provided, wherein the file list is arranged in the order of the edit date and time and displayed on the display at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the file size.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display method for displaying a plurality of file headings associated with an editing date and time, wherein the file group is displayed at predetermined intervals of the editing date and time. A step of setting, and a step of commonly setting a scale ratio of the heading that is substantially proportional to the order of the period in the group unit, and setting each heading in the group unit in the order of the period by the scale ratio. And a display step of arranging and displaying on a display.

In this method, a determining step of determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups has exceeded a predetermined threshold; and, if it is determined that the number of the files has exceeded the predetermined threshold, belonging to the group. For a file, a setting step of setting a plurality of groups for each new period of the editing date and time, and further performing the determination step and the setting step for a group newly set in the setting step. And applying step.

The method may also include a step of simultaneously and continuously changing each of the scale ratios.

The method may further include the step of determining whether the number of the groups displayed on the display has exceeded a predetermined threshold. In the displaying step, it is determined that the number of the groups has exceeded the predetermined threshold. , The excess number of the groups may not be displayed.

Further, in this method, in the displaying step, the heading is arranged and displayed on a ring for each of the groups, and the size of the ring is determined in the order of the period of the group for the ring. , And each of the rings may be arranged substantially concentrically.

Further, in this method, in the displaying step, the ring of the group newly set by the setting means may be displayed in a color different from the rings of the other groups.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a file list display method for displaying a plurality of file headings, wherein a step of assigning a priority to each file, and a step of assigning the headlines to the priority order related to the file A step of arranging the files in the order of the priorities at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority order and displaying the files on a display.

According to the present invention, there is provided a data display method for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information, wherein each of the data is substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information relating to the data. A data display method is provided, in which the date and time information is arranged in the order of the reduced scale ratio and displayed on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a data display method for displaying a plurality of data, wherein a step of assigning a priority to each data, wherein the data is referred to as the priority related to the data. And arranging the data in a priority order at a proportional scale ratio and displaying the data on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, in order to display the headings of a plurality of files associated with the editing date and time, the computer makes the respective headings substantially proportional to the order of the editing date and time relating to the file. A storage medium is provided that stores a program for functioning as a means for displaying on a display, arranged in the order of the editing date and time at a reduced scale ratio.

According to the present invention, in order to display the headings of a plurality of files associated with the editing date and time, the computer sets the group of the files for each predetermined period of the editing date and time. Means for commonly setting the scale ratio of the heading, which is substantially proportional to the order of the period, in the group unit, each heading is arranged in the group unit, in the order of the period according to the scale ratio, and displayed on a display. There is provided a storage medium in which a program for functioning as display means for displaying is recorded.

In this storage medium, the program causes the computer to determine whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups has exceeded a predetermined threshold. The determination means has determined that the number has exceeded the predetermined threshold. In this case, for a file belonging to the group, setting means for newly setting a plurality of groups for each predetermined period of the editing date and time, and further for the group newly set by the setting means, It may also include a program functioning as a means and a means for applying the setting means.

In this storage medium, the program may include a program for causing a computer to function as means for simultaneously and continuously changing the respective scale ratios.

[0032] In this storage medium, the program includes a program that causes a computer to function as means for determining whether or not the number of the groups displayed on a display exceeds a predetermined threshold. The means may not display the exceeded number of the groups when it is determined that the predetermined threshold is exceeded.

In this storage medium, the display means displays the heading on a ring for each of the groups and displays the size of the ring, and determines the size of the ring during the period of the group of the ring. The size is substantially proportional to the order, and each of the rings may be arranged substantially concentrically.

In this storage medium, the display means may display the ring of the group newly set by the setting means in a different color from the rings of the other groups.

According to the present invention, in order to display the headings of a plurality of files, a computer is provided with means for assigning priorities to the respective files, and the headings are substantially proportional to the priorities of the files. A storage medium is provided that stores a program that functions as means for arranging the images in the order of priority at a reduced scale and displaying them on a display.

Further, according to the present invention, a computer for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information is prepared by converting each of the data at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information relating to the data. A storage medium is provided that records a program that functions as means for arranging the date and time information in order and displaying the information on a display.

According to the present invention, in order to display a plurality of data, a computer is provided with means for assigning a priority to each data, and the data is converted into a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the data. Thus, there is provided a storage medium in which a program that functions as means for arranging in the priority order and displaying on a display is recorded.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display device for displaying a heading of a plurality of files, wherein a means for assigning a priority to each file is provided. Means for setting a group, determining means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold, and files which belong to the group when it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold. Setting means for newly setting a plurality of groups based on the priority order, and displaying each heading in the group unit in the order based on the priority order and displaying the headings on a display. Means for providing a file list display device.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a file list display method for displaying a heading of a plurality of files, wherein a step of assigning a priority to each file; Setting a group, determining whether the number of the files belonging to each group exceeds a predetermined threshold, and determining if the number of files belonging to the group exceeds the predetermined threshold. A setting step of newly setting a plurality of groups based on the priority order, and displaying the respective headings in the group unit in an order based on the priority order and displaying them on a display. And a method of displaying a file list.

According to the present invention, in order to display headings of a plurality of files, a computer is provided with means for assigning a priority to each file, and means for setting the group of the files based on the priority. Determining means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold, and when it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, for a file belonging to the group,
Newly setting means for setting a plurality of groups based on the priority, display means for arranging the respective headings in the group unit in an order based on the priority, and displaying them on a display. A storage medium storing a program to be operated is provided.

[0041]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a configuration of a personal computer system as a file list display device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 17, 3
01 is a computer system main body, 302 is a display for displaying data, 303 is a mouse, which is a typical pointing device, 304 is a mouse button, 30
5 is a keyboard.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of software and hardware in the file list display device shown in FIG. In FIG. 18, 509 is hardware, 505 is an operating system (OS) operating on the hardware 509, and 504 is OS5
Application software operating on the application software 05. Note that, of the blocks constituting the hardware 509 and the OS 505, blocks that are not directly needed for describing the present embodiment, for example, a CPU, a memory, a memory management system as an OS, and the like are not illustrated.

In FIG. 18, reference numeral 515 denotes a hard disk for physically storing files and data. 508
Is a file system constituting the OS, and has a function of enabling application software to input and output files without being aware of hardware. 514
Is a disk IO interface for the file system 508 to read from and write to the hard disk 515. A drawing management system 507 has a function that enables application software to perform drawing without being aware of hardware.

Reference numeral 513 denotes a video interface for the drawing management system 507 to draw on the display 302. Reference numeral 506 denotes an input device management system included in the OS, which has a function of enabling application software to receive a user's input without being aware of hardware. Reference numeral 510 denotes a keyboard interface for the input device management system 506 to receive input from the keyboard 305.

Reference numeral 512 denotes an input device management system 50
Reference numeral 6 denotes a mouse interface for enabling input from the mouse 303 to be received. 501
Is a date and time data browser, and 502 is date and time management means for managing data in date and time order. 503
Is a data display means for displaying data managed in the order of date and time and in the order of time.

An example of a file list displayed on the display 302 in the file list display device having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. This file list can be created by selecting a certain directory and then selecting the display format of the present embodiment. In this file list display device, the display date and time of the file are adopted as the priority order, so that the display is performed in accordance with the user's sense of time, and since the time is continuous, the file is displayed continuously. Can be displayed.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a display screen on which icons (2a, 2b, etc.) represented by squares are displayed. The icon (2a or the like) functions as a heading of each file for selecting a file, and represents, for example, a file name, a file type, and the like. In FIG. 1, for convenience, FIG. .

Each file has its editing date and time (creation date and time,
(Update date and time, etc.), and the corresponding icon is a ring (3a, 3b) for each group.
Etc.). That is, the icons arranged on the same ring are the icons of the files common to any of the day, hour, and minute periods. The edit date and time
It is automatically added when each file is created or updated, and includes information of at least one of the year, month, day, hour, and minute of the creation as required.

Each icon (2a, 2b, etc.) is represented by a common scale ratio for each group, and the scale ratio is substantially proportional to the order of the newness of the period of the group. In this embodiment, a scale ratio such that the icon is displayed large for a file belonging to the group of the newest period, and a scale ratio such that the icon is displayed small for a file belonging to the group of the old period Is assumed.

The size (diameter) of the ring (3a, 3b, etc.)
Are approximately proportional to the order of freshness of the period of the group, and are arranged substantially concentrically so that they are arranged in the order of freshness of the period of the group. As a result,
From the periphery of the screen toward the center, a sense of depth of the icon and the ring is generated, and a user who sees this display can be made to feel as if the icon is being displayed toward the past (or the future). it can. In the present embodiment, the back is the past direction and the near side is the current direction, but this direction may be arbitrarily switched by the user.

The file list display device has a zoom operation function for simultaneously and continuously changing the scale ratio and ring size of each icon. For example, when the user wants to display the back icon larger, the zoom operation can be performed.

In the zoom-in operation, the icon is displayed larger and the diameter of the ring is displayed larger. On this occasion,
Rings and icons that cannot be displayed are deleted from the screen. For example, the icon 2b increases continuously with the ring of 3b, and the icon 2a and the ring 3a protrude from the frame of the screen and disappear.

Conversely, when performing a zoom-out operation, the displayed icons become smaller and the diameter of the ring becomes smaller, so that the icons are gathered smaller and more at the center of the ring, and from the outside of the screen, the future is displayed. The (or past) icon and ring will appear.

FIG. 4 shows a display example at the time of a zoom operation. In the display example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the back side is displayed in the past and the near side is displayed in the future. Reference numerals 40a to 40d denote display screens, and reference numerals 42 (a to d) denote rings whose sizes change.
Reference numeral 1 denotes an icon of which size changes on the ring.

As shown in FIG. 4, when zooming in (looking at the past data continuously), first, 41a,
As shown at 42a, a small image appears in the center of the screen, and the zoom-in operation is continued, so that 41b, 42b, and 41
c, 42c, and 41d, 42d are displayed in large size. In 41d, the icon is displayed large and only a part is displayed. When the zoom-in operation is further performed, the ring 42d and the icon 41d disappear from the screen. When zooming out, the display is reversed.

Actually, in the state of the screen 40a, there is a larger ring outside the ring 42a, which is a time zone one step ahead of the ring 42a, and further outside the ring 42a is another one step future. There is a larger ring that is in the time zone. In the case of the screen 40d, there is actually a smaller ring inside the ring 42d, which is a time zone one step before the ring 42d, and inside the ring 42d, a time zone one step further past. There are smaller rings.

Therefore, the display as shown in FIG. 1 is realized as a whole. In this manner, icons are arranged in the order of editing date and time of the file, displayed, and continuously displayed by zooming in and out, thereby realizing a data display close to the user's memory feeling, and from the time axis. Can be intuitively grasped, such as the tendency of the data set. That is, according to the file list display, the user can intuitively and intuitively grasp the entire image of the file.

When an icon related to a desired file is found, the contents of the file are opened in another window by double-clicking the displayed icon with a mouse or the like, and the contents of the file are confirmed. Or edit it.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the icons, which are the file headings, are arranged in the front and depth directions in the order of editing date and time, and are continuously enlarged and reduced according to the zoom-in and the zoom-out. be able to.

Here, when a file is searched and displayed in the order of the editing date and time, there are places where the file is dense (where a large number of files are concentrated) and places where the file is sparse with respect to the editing date. At this time, if the icons are displayed at exactly the same tempo, the display of the icons will be overlapped where the files are dense. In addition, the user goes ahead without sufficient time to see the icon. In a sparse place, you will have to wait until the icon is displayed large.

Therefore, it is basically desirable to display at a constant time interval, but it is desirable to display slowly at a dense place and to explicitly display that the time is slow.

To realize this, the files belonging to the time zone are managed in units obtained by dividing the editing date and time at smaller time intervals. When a file belonging to one unit is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the unit is divided into a plurality of units in a finer time zone, and the file is managed in the divided unit. When displaying icons, by displaying data in each of these units, icons are displayed slowly without overlapping in time periods when data is concentrated, and at a constant speed in places where they are not. Will be displayed. For this purpose, the present embodiment employs the following file structure.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of the file structure in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the files are grouped in chronological order and hierarchically according to the editing date and time.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 50 denotes each date (in the figure,
10/6, 10/7 and 10/8 represent dates. ) Indicates the structure of the file group 51.
Hereinafter, the delimiter for each date is referred to as a date cell. Each cell is associated with a file group 51 having an edit date and time associated with that date. That is, for each date cell, a file group 51 having the edit date and time of that date is hanging from the cell. When displaying the file list, in principle, following this date cell, one ring is drawn for each date cell, and an icon of the file group 51 hanging on the date cell is drawn on the ring. You. In the case of a zoom operation, the date cell is moved rightward or leftward to display an icon as a file heading.

On the other hand, when there are a large number of files hanging in each date cell, it is difficult to draw the icon on one ring in terms of space. Also,
If there are many files hanging in a certain date cell, it takes time to check the files (icons) on the ring, so it is desired that the zoom operation be performed slowly even when performing a zoom operation. Therefore, in this file structure, each date cell is further divided into time zones and hierarchized.

Specifically, in a specific time zone on a certain date,
When a large number of files belong, that is, when the number of files hanging in the date cell is larger than a predetermined threshold that the cell can have, the date cell is referred to as a cell in a finer time zone (hereinafter, referred to as a time cell). ). This threshold can be equal to the maximum number of data to be displayed on one ring. In the display example of FIG. 1, a maximum of eight icons are placed on one ring, and therefore, as shown in FIG.
For files belonging to dated cells,
Furthermore, it is divided into four time cells every six hours.
Among them, since a large number of files are hanging in the time cell of 12:00 to 18:00, this is further divided into hour cells every hour.

Thus, according to the number of files,
The cell can be divided every 10 minutes, every minute, every second, and so on until the number of data belonging to one cell becomes equal to or less than the threshold value. In the present embodiment, a cell based on the day (date cell) is adopted as the cell having the longest period, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the cell can be arbitrarily set, such as month or year.

When the file list is displayed, the display is performed by following these hierarchical cells. Specifically, when a time cell is located below the date cell, one ring is formed by a group of files hanging from the time cell.

As a result, date cells in which files are concentrated are displayed in a plurality of rings.
At the time of the zoom operation, the file group related to the date cell is displayed substantially slowly. Therefore, the user can slowly select each file by looking at each icon.

Here, in order to explicitly show the user that the display is made in units of time cells, in the case of display in units of time cells, the color of the ring is different as it goes down to lower time cells. Colors, for example, colors can also be displayed lightly. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the colors of the rings are displayed lightly, and icons for each ring are omitted for convenience. Reference numeral 60 denotes a display screen, and a ring 61 is provided at the outermost part of the display screen. The ring 61 indicates a date cell in FIG. 5 and is displayed in the darkest color.

Next, the rings 62a and 62b are the lower-order time cells, that is, the time cells of 6-hour units (0: 00-
6:00 and 6: 00-12: 00).
It is shown in a lighter color than the ring 61. In addition, ring 6
3a and 63b are time cells (12: 00-
13:00 and 13: 00-14: 00) and are shown in a lighter color than 62a and 62b.

In the date / time display column 64, the time zone of the outermost ring at that time, that is, 61 rings in FIG. 6 is displayed. According to the display method described above, the user can view the data in a sufficient time while recognizing the change in the time interval even in a portion having a large amount of data.

Next, the data structure of each cell described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure (cell list 70) of each cell. The cell list 70 first has a cell attribute 71 indicating the attribute of the cell.

The cell attribute 71 stores a cell level 71-1 indicating which layer this cell belongs to.
For example, since the date cell in FIG. 5 is the uppermost basic cell, the cell level is set to 0. In addition, the time level of every lower 6-hour time cell of the date cell is set to 1. Hereinafter, similarly, as the process proceeds to lower layers, the cell level is changed to 2
3. . . And

The cell attribute 71 stores a cell unit 71-2 representing a unit of time (time interval) of the cell. For example, in the case of the date cell in FIG. 5, the time is set to 24 hours, and in the case of the lower time cell of every 6 hours, the time is set to 6 hours, and so on. In the cell attribute 71, a cell number 71-3 indicating the number of lower cells belonging to the cell is stored. In the cell attribute 71, a ring color 71-4 indicating a color of a ring when a list of files related to the cell is displayed is stored. This ring collar 71
-4 is black (V (0)) when the cell level is 0, for example.
= 0), and as the cell level increases, V (N) =
(255-V (N-1)) / 2.

The cell attribute 71 stores a pointer 71-5 for returning the cell to a higher-order cell (hereinafter, also referred to as a parent cell). It should be noted that there is no higher-order cell for the cell whose cell level is 0, so nothing is entered in this pointer 71-5.

Next, the lower cells 1, 2, 3,. . . (72a, 72b, 7
2c. . . ) Are arranged.

Each lower cell 1 or the like has a start time, an end time, and the number of files included in the cell. The file list 73 includes, as file information 74 of each file, an icon 74-1, a file path name 74-2, and time information 74-3.
The icon 74-1 can be a bitmap image obtained by reducing file data and the like as shown in 75a. Then, from the path name 74-2, actual data of a file on a storage device such as a disk can be referred to. The time information 74-3 is, for example, a file creation date and time or a file modification date and time.

When the number of files becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value (the maximum value of the number arranged in one ring), when adding a new file to this file list, it is necessary to check the number of files to know. Can be done. That is, when the number of data becomes larger than eight in the display example of FIG. 1, a child cell list 74 for further dividing this cell is generated. The structure of the child cell list is the same as the cell list described above. When this child cell list is generated, the data contained in the cell is moved to the data list in the child cell after 74-3 data times, and is deleted from the cell 72a. Therefore, when there is a data list in a cell, there is no child cell list, and when there is a child cell list, there is no data list. The child cell attribute includes a value obtained by increasing the cell level by one, and a ring color that is a lighter color.

Next, a display algorithm for displaying a file list will be described. FIG. 8 shows a display step list 80 (a) showing a data structure for display management and a ring display mode example (b). In the case of the zoom display, FIG.
As shown in the example of the display form of (b), the ring is moved in steps of 32 steps, and during that time, the drawing of the icon is updated every 8 steps.

The size of the ring at each step,
The display step list 80 (a) indicates the position and the size of the icon drawn on the ring. This is a list corresponding to the previous 32 steps, and contains step information 81a, 81b, and the like for each step. Each step information includes the rectangle 82 of the ring of the step (upper left coordinates (x1, y1) and lower right coordinates (x2, y2)). Further, an icon rectangle list 83 is included.

The size of the ring is an ellipse in contact with the ring rectangle 82, and the size of the icon is such that it is inscribed in an icon rectangle (not shown) in the icon rectangle list 83 while maintaining the aspect ratio of the icon.

In the present embodiment, since the number of icons displayed on one ring is eight, the icon rectangle list 83 has eight data rectangles and has size information including the display position. The size of the ring and the size of the display of the icon are set so as to gradually increase from the minimum ring to the maximum ring. This is to make a table so that it is not necessary to calculate the size and position during zoom operation, such as to increase linearly, to make it appear to increase suddenly from the middle, or to be able to change various settings I have. Although FIG. 8 shows an example in which each step of 32 steps is equalized, FIG.
, Only the outermost steps can be made very small.

By constructing each step information according to this step width, only the outermost display can be slowly moved during zooming. Since the place where the user pays the most attention is considered to be the outermost ring in which the data is displayed in the largest size, a display system that is easy for the user to see can be configured by showing this ring more slowly than others.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for acquiring a cell to be displayed in the outermost ring. In step S1, the selected date and time are acquired. this is,
In principle, this is the date and time when the display of the file list was requested. However, if the user explicitly specifies the date and time, the specified date and time can also be used. In step S2, a cell list of cell level 0 is obtained as an initial value. In step S3, a time interval of 71-2 in the cell list,
72a Get start time of first cell.

At step S4, the cell number corresponding to the designated date and time is calculated from the information, and the cell is obtained at step S05.

In step S6, it is checked whether or not there is a child cell in the cell. If there is a child cell, step S
In step 07, the child cell list is obtained, and then the process returns to step S03. If there is no child cell, the specified date and time are included in the cell currently focused on, and the process ends.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of the first display processing. In step S10, the count value is set to an initial value 0. In step S11, cells to be displayed in the outermost ring acquired in the flowchart of FIG. 9 are held. In step S12, count value * eighth step information is obtained from the display step list. At first, since the count value = 0, 81a step information 0
Will be obtained.

In step S13, a ring rectangle 82 is obtained from the acquired step information. At the same time, the ring color 71-4 of the cell is also acquired. Then, a ring is drawn based on the obtained color of the ring color and the position and size of the obtained ring rectangle. In step S14, icons are taken out one by one from the cell file list in order, and the icons are drawn at the drawing positions indicated by the icon rectangles so as to fit within the size of the icon rectangle 83. This means, for example, that a maximum of eight pieces are drawn in a clockwise order from the upper position.

In step S15, the count value is increased by one. In step S16, it is checked whether or not the number of displayed rings has reached the number to be drawn at a time (here, five rings). If the drawing of up to five has been completed, the process proceeds to step S20, where Step = 0 is set as a value used in the next figure, and the process ends.
If not finished, the process proceeds to step S17, and it is checked whether or not the current drawing is the end of the cell list of interest. If not the last, proceed to step S18,
Get the next cell. If it is at the end of the cell list, the process proceeds to step S19, returns from the pointer 71-5 to the parent cell to the parent cell, and acquires the next cell in the cell list. Thereafter, the process returns to step S12. Next step S1
In the case of 2, since the count value = 1, the eighth step information is obtained. This is for displaying each ring at a distance of 8 steps. Thereafter, the same is repeated as described above. Thus, the first drawing is performed.

Next, an algorithm during the zoom operation will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process during a zoom operation. First, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user can switch the zoom-in / out speed to eight levels, and this designation is made at the position of the mouse cursor. Pressing the left mouse button zooms in while pressing the right mouse button zooms out. If the position of the mouse cursor during this operation is in the center of the screen, it is the fastest, and if it is the periphery, it is the slowest.

In step S30, the speed is calculated. When the distance of the cursor position from the center of the screen is d, Skip = 8-int ((d / distance from center to end))
* 8) Find the speed with.

In step S31, if the left button is pressed, it means that the user is zoomed in, so the process proceeds to step S32. Otherwise, zoom out, so step S
The process proceeds to the zoom-out processing of 46. This corresponds to step S3
Since the reverse of the zoom-in processing of the second and subsequent steps is described, it will be briefly described later.

The processing from step S32 to step S41 is basically the same as the processing from step S10 to step S19 in FIG. The difference is step S3
4 is that drawing is performed at count * 8-Step number. This step has an initial value of 0 from step S20 in FIG.
It is incremented by p. As a result, the data is zoom-displayed in units of the specified speed (Skip).

In step S33-1, if count
If the * 8-Step number is smaller than 0, the outermost ring has already disappeared from the screen, and the process proceeds to step S37 without performing the drawing process. In the processing from step S32 to step S41, all the rings and icons to be displayed are displayed.

In the processing after step S42, processing for the next zoom operation is performed. First, Step is incremented in Skip units. Therefore, when the cursor is at the center of the screen, Skip = 8, and the Step increases by 8 units. When the cursor is at the end, Skip = 1, and the process proceeds one step at a time. This allows the user to easily view the icon at a desired zoom speed in accordance with the appearance of the icon. If the user wants to take a closer look, the user can release the mouse button and no event occurs in the flowchart of FIG. 11, so that the user can take a closer look without updating the display.

In step S43, if Step is 8 or more, the process proceeds to step S44, the remainder obtained by dividing Step by 8 is entered in Step, and thereafter, the process proceeds to step S45, in which the cells of the outermost ring are shifted one by one. . Ste
If p is smaller than 8, the process directly waits for an event.
If the left mouse button is kept pressed, the same event occurs again immediately and the above processing is repeated.

Next, a part of the zoom-out process that is different from the zoom-in process will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the zoom-out processing. The zoom-out processing is basically the reverse of the zoom-in processing, but the difference is as follows. Steps in FIG. 12 denoted by the same step numbers as in FIG. 11 mean the same processing.

In step S33-1b, count * 8
If the + Step number is 32 or more, the ring is too small to be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S37. count *
If the (8 + Step) th is less than 32, step S34
The process proceeds to step b, and count * 8 + Step-th step information is obtained. In step S45b, the cell of the outermost ring is newly set as the immediately preceding cell.

Next, an algorithm for adding a file will be described. FIG. 13 shows a flowchart. In step S50, when the file is newly created, the creation date and time are acquired, and when the file is modified, the modification date and time are acquired. In step S51, the cell at that date and time is acquired. This can be obtained by the processing from step S02 to step S07 in FIG.

In step S52, the number of data in the acquired cell is checked, and it is checked whether this is less than eight. If it is less than 8, the process proceeds to step S53 to calculate how many places to be displayed are available. afterwards,
Proceeding to step S54, a random number from 0 to 9 is obtained. This is a random number, for example, by taking the last digit of the second of the time at the time of the operation. In step S55, from this random number, the number of empty space to be filled with data is calculated by the following formula.

P = int (random number / 10 * number of empty spaces) In this way, the file is not stored from the beginning of the file list, but is randomly entered at the display location of eight data. Become. This means that when displaying, the icon of the first file in the file list is displayed on the ring, and it is decided to display it clockwise thereafter, so if you always store the file from the beginning of the file list, This is because many icons are displayed at a fixed display position, and the size of the screen cannot be used effectively. In addition, there is a method of displaying the data at random when displaying the data. However, the user may store frequently used data at the display position. Therefore, it is preferable that the data is fixed as the position. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the above method is used.

In step S57, the file list is searched for free space, and the P-th place is set in step S56.
Write the icon, file path name, and file time information obtained in step 2.

In step S52, if the number of files is already eight and full, a child cell is created in this cell to transfer the file data. Step S58
Then, a child cell list is generated using the cell as a parent cell. In step S59, a child cell attribute and a child cell are generated. In step S60, one file data is obtained from the parent cell. In step S61, the time information 74-3 is acquired.
Then, the file data is inserted into the corresponding child cell.

In step S62, it is checked whether the above processing has been performed for all the files in the file list. When the processing is completed, the process proceeds to step S63, the file list is deleted from the parent cell, and the process again proceeds to step S51, where a new process is performed. Register the file.

Next, an algorithm for displaying the date and time of the ring currently being viewed will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, there is a date and time display 4, which indicates the date and time of the outermost ring 3a. And
The date and time display 4 and the ring 3a are represented by a different color (for example, red) from the colors of the other rings in the sense that they indicate the same date and time. The date and time display 4 displays the date when the ring is in units of days, and displays the date + time when the ring is in units of hours.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, instead of arranging rings in a nested manner and displaying headings (icons) as in the first embodiment described above, icons are arranged in a belt shape as shown in FIG. The lower band displays icons larger and the upper band displays smaller icons, which can be displayed by zooming. Since the second embodiment can be realized in a form similar to the first embodiment, only differences will be described.

FIG. 20A is a display step list in the second embodiment, and FIG. 20B is a display example. As shown in FIG. 20 (b), again, from the small band to the large band, a total of 32 steps in 8 steps are provided.
The display position is updated in steps. When step widths are taken at equal intervals as indicated by a scale 8201, all data is moved uniformly and zoomed. When the largest band is set to have a small step width as shown by the scale 8202, the largest band moves slowly, so that a display system that is easy for the user to see and that can easily determine data can be configured.

If the step width is set to 0 for the largest band, only the largest band is stopped and displayed during zooming. The display step list includes step information 0 to N, and each step information includes information 8204 indicating the position and size of the band instead of the ring rectangle 82 in the first embodiment described above, and (x1 ,
y1) and (x2, y1) coordinate information are recorded. In 8205, the position and size of each icon rectangle are recorded. Other than the above, the first
This is performed in the same manner as in the embodiment.

First, a description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 in the second embodiment is an algorithm for acquiring a cell to be displayed in the lowest band. Step S
In 01, the selected date and time are acquired. This is basically the date and time at that time, and if the user explicitly specifies the date and time, the date and time is the specified date and time. In step S02, a cell list of cell level 0 is obtained as an initial value. In step S03, the time interval 71-2 in the cell list
Then, the start time 72a of the first cell is obtained.

In step S04, from these information,
It calculates what cell the designated date and time will be, and acquires that cell in step S05. In step S06, it is checked whether or not there is a child cell in the cell. If there is a child cell, the child cell list is obtained in step S07, and this is repeated from step S03. At the point in time when there is no child cell, the specified date and time are included in the cell currently focused on, so the process ends.

The first display algorithm in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In step S10,
Set the count value to the initial value 0. Step S11
Then, the cell to be displayed in the lowermost band acquired in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is held. In step S12, count * 8th step information is obtained from the display step list. Since the count value is initially 0, 81a
The content of the step information 0 is obtained. In step S13, band position and size information 8204 is obtained from this step information.
Get. The cell ring color 71-4 is also acquired and used as the color of the line on the background of the band. And draw the band line,
This is performed based on the acquired color of the ring color and the position and size of the line of the acquired band.

In step S14, icons are taken out one by one from the cell file list in order, and icons are drawn at the drawing positions indicated by the icon rectangles so as to fit within the size of the icon rectangle 83. This is for example
Up to eight are drawn in order from the upper position in the clockwise direction.

In step S15, the count value is increased by one, and in step S16, the number of bands to be drawn at one time is 5
Check to see if you have not gone to pieces. If the drawing of up to five has been completed, the next FIG.
Step = 0 is set as the value to be used in the above, and the processing ends. If it has not ended, it is checked in step S17 whether or not the current drawing is the end of the cell list of interest, and if not, the next cell is obtained in step S18. If it is the end of the cell list, in step S19, the process returns to the parent cell from the pointer 71-5 to the parent cell, and acquires the next cell in the cell list. Then, step S
Return to 12.

In step S12, since the count value is the eighth step information, the eighth step information is obtained. This is for displaying each band at a distance of 8 steps. Thereafter, the same is repeated as described above. Thus, the first drawing is performed.

Next, the algorithm during the zoom operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in the second embodiment, the user can switch the zoom-in / out speed to eight levels, and designate this at the position of the mouse cursor. Pressing the left mouse button zooms in while pressing the right mouse button zooms out. If the position of the mouse cursor during this operation is in the center of the screen, it is the fastest, and if it is the periphery, it is the slowest. Therefore, in step S30, the speed is calculated. When the distance of the cursor position from the center of the screen is d, Skip = 8-int ((d / distance from center to end))
* 8) Obtain with.

If it is determined in step S31 that the left button has been pressed, it means that the user has zoomed in, and the process proceeds to step S32. Otherwise, it is zoomed out, so step S4
This is the zoom-out processing of No. 6. Since this is the reverse of the zoom-in process from step S32, it will be briefly described later.

Steps S32 to S41 are basically the same as steps S10 to S19 in FIG. The difference is that step S34
This is the point where drawing is performed at count * 8-Step. This Step has an initial value of 0 from Step S20 in FIG. 10, but is incremented by Skip in accordance with this zoom operation. As a result, the data is zoom-displayed in units of the specified speed (Skip). In step S33-1, if count * 8-
If the Step number is smaller than 0, the lowermost band has already disappeared from the screen, and the process proceeds to step S37 without performing the drawing process. From step S32 to step S
In the part up to 41, all the band lines and icons to be displayed are displayed.

After step S42, processing for the next zoom operation is performed. First, Step is incremented in Skip units. Therefore, when the cursor is at the center of the screen, S
Since kip = 8, Step increases by 8 units. When the cursor is at the end, Skip = 1 and 1
It will proceed step by step. Thus, the user can easily view the data at a desired zoom speed according to the appearance of the data. If the user wants to take a closer look, the user can release the mouse button and no event occurs in the flowchart of FIG. 11, so that the user can take a closer look without updating the display.

If Step is 8 or more in Step S43, the remainder obtained by dividing Step by 8 in Step S44 is St.
ep, and the cell in the lowest band is shifted to the next one in step S45. If Step is smaller than 8, the process directly waits for an event. If the left mouse button is kept pressed, the same event occurs again immediately and the above processing is repeated.

Next, the difference between the zoom-out processing of the second embodiment and the zoom-in processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Basically, the reverse of the zoom-in process is performed, but the difference is as follows. In step S33-1b, count * 8 + Ste
If the p-th is 32 or more, the band is too small to be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S37. count * 8 + Step
If the th is less than 32, in step S34b,
t * 8 + Step-th step information is acquired. In step S45b, the cell in the lowest band is newly set as the immediately preceding cell.

Next, an algorithm at the time of adding a file in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S50, when the file is newly created, the creation date and time are acquired, and when the file is modified, the modification date and time are acquired. In step S51, the cell at that date and time is acquired. This can be obtained by the method from step S02 to step S07 in FIG.

In step S52, the number of data in the acquired cell is checked, and it is checked whether this is less than eight. If it is less than 8, in step S53, it is calculated how many places to be displayed are available. Then, in a step S54, random numbers from 0 to 9 are obtained. This is a random number, for example, by taking the last digit of the second of the time at the time of the operation. From this random number, in step S55, the number of empty spaces to be filled with data is calculated by the following formula.

P = int (random number / 10 * the number of vacancies) In this way, the files are not stored from the beginning of the file list, but are randomly stored in the display locations of the eight files (icons). Will enter.
This means that when displaying, the first file (icon) in the file list is displayed at the left end of the band, and it is determined that it is displayed sequentially in the right direction. This is because when storing the icon, many icons are displayed at a predetermined display position, and the size of the screen cannot be used effectively. In addition, there is a method of displaying at random when displaying, but the user,
Since the frequently used file may be stored at the display position, it is desirable that the position is fixed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the above method is used.

In step S57, the file list is vacated, and the icon, file path name, and time information acquired in step S56 are written in the p-th place.
In step S52, if the number of files is already eight and full, a child cell is created in this cell and data is transferred.

In step S58, a child cell list is generated using the cell as a parent cell. Then, step S5
At 9, a child cell attribute and a child cell are generated. Step S60
Then, one piece of data is acquired from the parent cell, and the file time 7
From 4-3, data is inserted into the corresponding child cell in step S61. In step S62, it is checked whether the above processing has been performed on all the files in the file list. When the processing is completed, in step S63, the file list is deleted from the parent cell, and the process returns to step S51 to register a new file. I do.

Next, FIG. 14 shows an example of displaying the date and time of the currently viewed band. In FIG. 4, the date and time display (98/1
0/01), which represents the date and time of the lowest band.
The date and time display and the lowermost band indicate the same date and time, and are represented by a color (for example, red) different from the line color of the other bands. In the date and time display, the date is displayed when the band is in units of days, and the date + time is displayed when the band is in units of hours.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.
The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the maximum number of data in one band is set to 1 and the size of each icon is all the same. This is shown in FIG. Since the size of each icon is the same, when performing the above-described zoom operation, it appears to scroll vertically rather than to zoom. Here, if the display step width is set as a scale 8202 in FIG. 20, 1501 in FIG.
Is the lowest band in the second embodiment, so that only this 1501 can be displayed slowly or stopped during scrolling.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.
When displaying the icons, for example, the background color of the screen may be changed to green in spring, blue in summer, brown in autumn, and white in winter according to the season of the editing date and time. In that case, you can experience more time. 4th
In this embodiment, the color of the background screen is changed according to the date and time, and this will be described along with the first embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the outermost ring date and time is from December to 2
Until the moon, the background screen color is white, from March to May, the background screen color is green, from June to August, the background screen color is blue, and from September to November, Change the background screen color to yellow. To realize this, step S11 in FIG.
The portion for acquiring the outermost cell in step S33 of FIG. 11 and step S33 of FIG. 12 is realized by being extended as shown in the process of FIG.

In step S101 of FIG. 16A, the outermost cell is obtained. In step S102, date and time are obtained from the cell, and month information is obtained. In step S103, color information is acquired via the table 1699 in FIG. 16B, and in step S104, the background screen is painted with the color. As described above, the user can intuitively understand when the data is being viewed just by looking at the color of the screen. In addition, when data is accumulated for a long period of time and the data is zoomed in and viewed, the data can be browsed while experiencing a temporal change, which is effective. In the present embodiment, the case of the seasonal unit has been described. However, the case where the background color is changed every month, the case where the color is changed every year, or the case where the color is changed every time can be realized by the same method.

The same applies to the scheduler, and desired contents can be obtained in accordance with the storage time. Also in a database system, data can be browsed in order by, for example, displaying the date of birth.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a new search / display system, which has never existed, is realized by a zoom operation and a zoom display so that file headings are arranged in chronological order and the time can be grasped intuitively. Can be constructed.

This not only searches for and displays desired data determined in advance, but also looks at the entire file to pick up favorite data from among the files, and displays the tendency of the entire data to be collected. It is possible to realize a highly flexible search and display system that has never been grasped.

In addition, the display of the icon of the file of interest is displayed slowly or stopped compared to other data during zoom or scroll display, thereby realizing a search / display system that is easier for the user to see.

Furthermore, in addition to the nested ring display,
By arranging the data in a band shape and adding a display for zooming in and out, it is possible to provide a variation as a display system. In addition, by changing the background color according to the date and time, a display system that can intuitively understand when data is being viewed is realized.

In the present embodiment, an icon indicating the file is adopted as a heading of the file. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a file name or the like that specifies the file can be adopted. When only the file name is adopted, the scale ratio of the character of the file name is changed.

When the present invention is applied to a database system or a scheduler, the data itself may be used as a heading of each data.

For example, in the case of a personnel management database, data as shown in FIG. 3, which is each data itself, can be adopted instead of the icons described above. In this case, as a substitute for the editing date and time, the date of birth of the person related to the data can be adopted as the date and time field.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, the scale ratio and the display order of the headings are set based on the date and time of editing of the file. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and appropriate priorities such as alphabetical order of the headlines are used. , The scale ratio and the order of display may be set.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a storage medium (or a recording medium) that records software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment, by using a system. Alternatively, it is needless to say that this can be achieved by supplying the program code to the device and causing the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device to read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. By executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where some or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. Needless to say, the CPU included in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0143]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The user can intuitively and intuitively grasp the whole image of the file or the data group, and thus can easily select the file or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a display example of a file list display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a conventional file list.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a database system.

FIG. 4 shows a display example at the time of a zoom operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing cells for managing time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the color of a ring is displayed lightly.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data structure of each cell.

FIG. 8 shows a display step list.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for acquiring a cell to be displayed in the outermost ring.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a first display process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process during a zoom operation.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a zoom-out process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a file addition process.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display system for arranging a file list in a belt shape.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system in which file headings are arranged in a fixed size and scrolled for display.

FIG. 16A is a flowchart for changing a background color according to date and time. (B) It is a figure showing table 1966.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a personal computer system according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a hierarchical data management system including software and hardware.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating steps for slowly moving the outermost data from FIG. 8;

FIG. 20 (a) is a display step list in the second embodiment. (B) A display example corresponding to FIG.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B082 EA10 GC01 5E501 AA02 AC33 BA03 BA05 BA09 DA08 FA44 FA48 FB04 FB12 FB44

Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A file list display device for displaying headings of a plurality of files associated with editing dates and times, wherein each of the headings is reduced in scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the editing dates and times of the files. And a means for arranging them in the order of the editing date and displaying them on a display. 2. A file list display device for displaying headings of a plurality of files associated with an edit date and time, wherein: a means for setting the file group for each predetermined period of the edit date and time; Means for commonly setting the scale ratio of the heading, which is substantially proportional to the order of the period, in the group unit; each of the headings is arranged in the order of the period according to the scale ratio in the group unit; A file list display device, comprising: display means for displaying. 3. A determination means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups has exceeded a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined that the number of the files has exceeded the predetermined threshold value, Setting means for newly setting a plurality of groups for each predetermined period of the editing date and time; means for further applying the determining means and the setting means to the group newly set by the setting means The file list display device according to claim 2, comprising: 4. The file list display device according to claim 2, further comprising means for simultaneously and continuously changing each of the scale ratios. 5. A device for determining whether the number of groups displayed on a display exceeds a predetermined threshold value, wherein the display means, when it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold value, exceeds the predetermined threshold value. The file list display device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the group is not displayed for the number of groups. 6. The display means displays the heading by arranging the heading on a ring for each group, and the size of the ring is substantially proportional to the order of the period of the group for the ring. The file list display device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein each of the rings is disposed substantially concentrically. 7. The file list display according to claim 6, wherein the display unit displays the ring of the group newly set by the setting unit in a different color from the rings of other groups. apparatus. 8. A file list display device for displaying headings of a plurality of files, a means for assigning a priority to each file, and displaying the headings on a scale substantially proportional to the priority of the files. Means for arranging the files in the order of priority in a ratio and displaying them on a display. 9. A data display device for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information, wherein each of the data is displayed at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information related to the data. Means for arranging in the order of date and time information and displaying the information on a display. 10. A data display device for displaying a plurality of data, comprising: means for assigning a priority to each data; and displaying the data at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the data. Means for arranging the data in the order of priority and displaying the data on a display. 11. A file list display method for displaying headings of a plurality of files associated with editing dates and times, wherein each of the headings is scaled in proportion to the order of the editing dates and times of the files. A file list display method, wherein the files are arranged in the order of the edit date and displayed on a display. 12. A file list display method for displaying headings of a plurality of files associated with an editing date and time, wherein the step of setting the file group for each predetermined period of the editing date and time; A step of commonly setting the scale ratio of the heading that is substantially proportional to the order of the period in the group unit; Displaying a file list. 13. A determining step of determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold. If it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, for the files belonging to the group, A setting step of newly setting a plurality of groups for each predetermined period of the editing date and time, further applying the determination step and the setting step to the group newly set in the setting step The file list display method according to claim 11, further comprising: 14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of simultaneously and continuously changing each of said scale ratios.
2. The file list display method described in 2. 15. A method for determining whether the number of the groups displayed on the display exceeds a predetermined threshold. In the displaying step, when it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, the number of the groups is exceeded. 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the number of the groups is not displayed.
File list display method described in section. 16. The display step, wherein the heading is arranged and displayed on a ring for each group, and a size of the ring is substantially proportional to an order of the period of the group related to the ring. The file list display method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein each of the rings is arranged substantially concentrically. 17. The file list display according to claim 15, wherein, in the displaying step, a ring of the group newly set by the setting unit is displayed in a color different from a ring of another group. Method. 18. A file list display method for displaying a heading of a plurality of files, a step of assigning a priority to each file, and a step of setting the heading to a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the file. And arranging the files in the priority order and displaying them on a display. 19. A data display method for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information, wherein each of the data is displayed at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information relating to the data. A data display method, wherein the data is arranged in the order of date and time information and displayed on a display. 20. A data display method for displaying a plurality of data, wherein a priority is given to each data, and the data is displayed at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the data. Displaying the data on the display in the order of the priorities. 21. In order to display the headings of a plurality of files associated with the editing date and time, the computer displays each of the headings at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the editing date and time of the file. A storage medium storing a program for functioning as means for displaying on a display arranged in the order of date and time. 22. A computer, comprising: means for setting a group of the files for each predetermined period of the editing date and time in order to display a plurality of file headings associated with the editing date and time; Means for commonly setting the scale ratio of the headline in proportion to the group unit, as the display unit for arranging the respective headlines in the order of the periods according to the scale ratio in the group unit and displaying them on a display. A storage medium on which a program for functioning is recorded. 23. The program according to claim 23, wherein
Determining means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups has exceeded a predetermined threshold value; Setting means for setting a plurality of groups for each predetermined period of time, and a program for functioning as a means for applying the determining means and the setting means to a group newly set by the setting means. 23. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein: 24. The computer-readable storage medium storing the program
24. The storage medium according to claim 22, further comprising a program functioning as means for simultaneously and continuously changing each of the scale ratios. 25. The program, comprising:
Means for determining whether or not the number of the groups displayed on the display has exceeded a predetermined threshold value, the display means including, when it is determined that the predetermined threshold value has been exceeded, 25. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein the number of the groups is not displayed. 26. The display means, wherein the heading is arranged and displayed on a ring for each of the groups, and the size of the ring is substantially proportional to the order of the period of the group for the ring. 26. The storage medium according to claim 22, wherein each of the rings is disposed substantially concentrically. 27. The storage medium according to claim 26, wherein the display unit displays the ring of the group newly set by the setting unit in a different color from the rings of other groups. 28. A computer for displaying headings of a plurality of files, means for assigning a priority to each file, and displaying the headings at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the files. A storage medium that stores a program that functions as a unit that is arranged in the order of order and displayed on a display. 29. A computer for displaying a plurality of data associated with date and time information, wherein each of the data is arranged in the order of the date and time information at a scale ratio substantially proportional to the order of the date and time information relating to the data. A storage medium that stores a program that functions as means for displaying on a display and disposed on the display. 30. A computer for displaying a plurality of data, means for assigning a priority to each of the data, the data being displayed in a scale ratio substantially proportional to the priority of the data in the order of the priority. A storage medium storing a program to be arranged and functioning as means for displaying on a display. 31. A file list display device for displaying headings of a plurality of files, comprising: means for assigning a priority to each file; and means for setting a group of the files based on the priority. Determining means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold; and when it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, for the files belonging to the group, Setting means for setting a plurality of groups based on priority, and display means for arranging the respective headings in the group unit in an order based on the priority and displaying them on a display. A file list display device, characterized in that: 32. A file list display method for displaying a heading of a plurality of files, a step of assigning a priority to each file, and a step of setting a group of the files based on the priority. A determining step of determining whether the number of the files belonging to each of the groups exceeds a predetermined threshold; and if it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, for the files belonging to the group, A setting step of setting a plurality of groups based on priorities; and a display step of arranging the respective headings in the group unit in an order based on the priorities and displaying them on a display. A file list display method characterized by the following. 33. A computer, comprising: means for assigning a priority to each file to display headings of a plurality of files; means for setting a group of the files based on the priority; Determining means for determining whether or not the number of the files belonging to the file exceeds a predetermined threshold; if it is determined that the number exceeds the predetermined threshold, a plurality of files are newly added to the file belonging to the group based on the priority order. A storage medium storing a program that functions as display means for arranging the headings in the group unit in an order based on the priority order and displaying the headings on a display.