JP2001175450A - Method for displaying window - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently operate an inter-window cooperative work, by designating the display area of the other window at a part, where the other window and a main window are overlapped at referring to the other window from the main window for operating the work by displaying plural windows. SOLUTION: At referring to a window (B) 73 by using a window (A) 74 as a main window, a sub-window 72 is prepared and displayed at a part, where the window (B) 73 is overlapped with the main window. Thus, the omission of the display of the main window is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a window display method for displaying a plurality of windows.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-26652.
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7, the layout display of another window is performed on a window having a high work priority.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when referring to another window from a main window which is a main work among a plurality of windows, when the main window is hidden by the other window, another window is used. Instead of displaying all of the windows in the foreground, select the area to be hidden with a pointing device (for example, a mouse) and only display the necessary part as a subwindow in the foreground.

[0004]

At this time, the information of the sub-window is stored as the management table information as the relevant information of the main window, so that when another window is selected again, the sub-window is extracted from the management table information. The display eliminates the need to redo the specification of the selection range. By providing the main window with a plurality of information as a set of information on the other window and information on the sub-window, the display of the sub-window can be performed even when switching from the main window to a plurality of other windows. it can.

In order to distinguish between switching the main window itself and switching to another window while maintaining the main window, each window has information for fixing the main window, and the information is stored in a management table. I do.

In addition, by storing the operation time of each window in the management table, when the windows are switched using the keyboard, the display order of the windows to be switched can be set in the order of the longest operation time.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are flowcharts showing an embodiment of a processing procedure when the present invention is applied to a display device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the display device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a data structure diagram of a management table for managing window information, and FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are examples of window display.

In FIG. 3 and FIG.
Performs a window switching input.

The mouse 32 creates a window and changes the size of the display area. The storage device 33 stores a management table 40. The management table 40 includes storage areas for a window name 41, a main window fixed flag 42, a counter 43, and sub window information (1) 44. Further, the sub window information (1) 44
A storage area is provided for a window name 45 to be displayed as a sub-window, a sub-window display position 46, and a counter 47 for holding the operation time on the sub-window.
A set of these three sets constitutes a plurality of sub-window information (n) 4
Eight storage areas are provided. The end of the sub window information is represented by setting a NULL code.

The display unit 34 is, for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, and displays a window and a mouse cursor. The timer 36 monitors the time during which the window is operated. The control device 30 takes out data from these devices, stores information, and controls the operation of these devices, and controls the operation of the devices according to a program stored therein.

Next, the operation of each part shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, the user displays the window (A) 50 and the window (B) 52 shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 34, and uses the window (A) 50 as a main window (step 100, step 101). at the time,
The window (A) is added to the management table 40 of the storage device 33.
The window information of the window 50 and the window (B) 52 is registered. By clicking the main window mark 51 with the mouse 32 (step 102), the main window fixing flag in the row A of the window name 41 of the management table 40 is set, and at this time, another main window fixing flag 42 is set. If so, the flag is reset (step 103). When the main window is switched by operating the keyboard 31 (step 10)
4) Check whether the main window fixing flag 42 of the window before switching is set (step 105). When the main window fixing flag 42 is set, the windows are displayed in descending order of the counter 47 from the sub window information 44, and all the windows registered in the sub window information 48 from the sub window information 44 are displayed. Thereafter, if a further switching request is made from the keyboard 31, windows are displayed in descending order of the counter 43 (step 106).
When the target window is displayed, the selection of the keyboard 31 is stopped to determine the window (step 107). The determined window is sub-window information 4
4 is checked (step 108). If the information has been registered, the value of the timer 35 is added to the counter 43 in the column of the main window A to initialize the timer 35 (step 113). Secondary window display position 46
And display the sub-window on the main window
(Step 114). For example, when the screen 60 is displayed on the display unit 34, after setting the main window mark 62 of the window (A) 61 with the mouse 32 and selecting and determining the window (B) 63, the management table 40 is displayed.
Since the window (B) is registered in the sub-window information from the column A of the window name 41, the screen of the display unit 34 is as shown in a screen 70 of FIG. The window (A) 74 extracts the sub-window information stored in the sub-window information 44 because the main window mark 71 is valid, and sets the sub-window 72 related to the window (B) 73 to the window (A). ) 74.

If the selected and determined window is not registered in the sub-window information 44 at step 108, a request to create a sub-window is determined (step 10).
9) If there is a sub-window creation request, the display position of the sub-window and the size of the display area are designated by the mouse 32 to create the sub-window. Thereafter, the selected and determined window information and the created sub-window information are stored in the sub-window information 44 (step 112). After storing,
A sub-window display process is performed (steps 113 and 11).
4). If there is no sub-window creation request, the timer 35
Is added to the counter 43 of the main window and the timer 3
5 is initialized (step 110). The selected and determined window can be operated while the main window is displayed on the foreground (step 111).

If the main window is not in the fixed state in step 105, the windows are displayed in descending order of the counter 43 (step 115). When the target window is displayed, the selection by the keyboard 31 is stopped to determine the window (step 1).
16). Set the value of the timer 35 to the counter 4 of the main window.
3 and the timer 35 is initialized (step 11).
0). The selected and determined window is displayed on the foreground of the display unit 34 and becomes a new main window.

In the state where the operation is transferred to the sub-window by switching the window (step 200), the same operation as in a normal window can be performed in the sub-window (step 201). A request to change the display area of the sub-window is determined (step 202). For example, when the size of the display area is changed with the mouse 32 (step 206), the new display position is stored in the sub-window display position (step 2).
07). When a request to move from the secondary window to another window is made (step 203), the value of the timer 35 is added to the counter 47 and the timer 35 is initialized (step 204). The window intended for movement is made effective (step 205).

As described above, according to the present invention, when another window is displayed with respect to the display of the main window of the operation, the user can previously determine an area necessary for displaying the other window. And the order of switching to other windows is in the order of the operation time of each window, so that the efficiency of switching to other windows and the area of the main window that is hidden when switching is minimized. And work efficiency can be improved in a work environment requiring a plurality of windows.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a plurality of windows can be displayed, and when a certain window is hidden by another window, the hidden portion of the window can be displayed in the foreground.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a processing procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a processing procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of a window display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data table showing an embodiment of a processing procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen display example showing the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen display example showing the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen display example showing the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 30: control device, 31: keyboard, 32: mouse, 3
3. Storage device, 34 Display unit, 35 Timer, 40
Window management table, 42: Main window fixed flag, 43: Counter, 44: Sub window information, 51:
Main window mark.

Claims (3)

[Claims] When displaying a plurality of windows, means for displaying only a necessary area of a display portion of a window to be switched, when a window is switched, for a portion overlapping a display region of a window to be switched before a window is switched, A window display method comprising means for holding a plurality of pieces of information on the necessary area for each window. 2. The window display method according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing a size of the required area. 3. A window display method in which a plurality of windows are displayed, when switching windows, the order of selecting windows to be switched is set in the order of the operation time of each window.