JP2002116857A - Menu display device, menu display method and computer readalbe recording medium recorded with program for allowing computer to execute the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain menu display capable of arriving at a desired command with the minimum key operations with the satisfactory retrievability of a command. SOLUTION: When another item is selected instead of a certain item in the same menu, the display position of the menu itself is changed so that the newly selected item can be displayed at the displayed position of the item which is selected until that moment. Therefore, the selected item can be always displayed at the same position on a screen. Also, the menu of each hierarchy is displayed by preliminarily selecting a command which is executed at last or a group including the command, and each selected item is displayed so as to be lined up in a straight line on the screen so that the previously executed command can easily be retrieved and executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a menu display device for displaying a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen.
The present invention relates to a menu display method and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A graphical user interface for inputting various commands by clicking an icon or the like displayed on a screen with a mouse is simple for a beginner, but is not easy for an operator who is accustomed to keyboard operation. On the contrary, it is often difficult to use.

An operator who prefers a keyboard to a mouse often directly executes a target command by pressing a shortcut key, but it is difficult to memorize the shortcut keys for all executable commands.
In this regard, “Ichitaro” of the document creation software manufactured and sold by the present applicant has a function of displaying / erasing a command list by pressing the “ESC” key for an operator who does not want to let go of the keyboard. ing. This list of commands is called an “ESC menu”.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the ESC menu in the above-mentioned conventional technology. Because not all executable commands can be displayed at once, ESC
The menu has a tree structure consisting of up to three layers. First, the first hierarchy 1800 displays the name of each group when those commands are largely classified according to the similarity in the nature of processing.

Here, for example, by pressing the “F” key, the details of the “format” group, that is, the second hierarchy 1900 of the ESC menu shown in FIG. 19 can be displayed. The commands in the “format” group are further classified into a plurality of groups. For example, when the “F” key is pressed, the details of the “character attribute” group, that is, the third hierarchy 2000 of the ESC menu shown in FIG. Can be displayed.

Then, by further pressing the "C" key, a "character attribute copy" command can be executed. With this command, for example, a plurality of character decorations (for example, underlines and side dots) applied to a certain character string can be copied to another character string.

[0007]

However, the above E
Since the SC menu sequentially switches and displays each layer on a specific path in the menu tree, it is difficult to understand where and how the user arrived at the desired command.

Therefore, for example, after executing the above-mentioned "character attribute copy" command, executing another command and executing the above-mentioned command again, the above-mentioned command is searched again from the ESC menu after obscure storage. There must be. The deeper the hierarchy in which the target command is located, the more time and effort it takes to search again.

In addition, for example, the first level 1 shown in FIG.
At 800, the command to copy the character decoration is misunderstood as being in the “decoration” group, not in the “format”, and “F”
When the “E” key is pressed instead of the key, the second layer 1900 shown in FIG.
The hierarchy 2100 is displayed.

[0010] Even if the user notices an error, the ESC menu does not have a function for returning to the next higher level, so that the second level 2100 is erased by pressing the "ESC" key once.
There is no choice but to display the first hierarchy 1800 again with the “ESC” key. The same applies to the case where the user knows that the key is in the “format” group, but presses the adjacent “D” key instead of “F” by mistake.

Further, it is difficult to grasp where and what commands are in the ESC menu and the entire command system. Therefore, for example, to add an underline to a character, it is convenient to use the “ESC” → “E” → “U” “underline” command. "ES
The "character attribute setting" command of "C" → "F" → "F" → "S" may be used continuously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a menu display device, a menu display method, and a menu display method which are excellent in command searchability and can reach a desired command with a minimum number of key operations. An object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the method is recorded.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a menu display device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a menu display device that displays a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen. First display means for highlighting and displaying an item; designation means for designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed by the first display means; And displaying the menu displayed by the display means at a position such that the display position of the item designated by the designation means is the same as the display position of the highlighted item. And a display means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the display position of the menu itself is changed so that the display position of the selected item is always constant regardless of which item is selected in the menu. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the menu display device according to the first aspect,
The specification means may specify an item immediately before or immediately after the highlighted item from a menu displayed by the first display means.

According to the present invention, the display position of the menu is changed step by step by one item.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the menu display device for displaying a menu including a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of the commands on a display screen, the menu display device is associated with each menu. And stores any one of the items in the menu indicating the command executed last from the commands executable from the menu or the items in the menu indicating the group including the command executed last. Storage means, first display means for displaying the menu and highlighting the items stored in the storage means in association with the menu, and the first display means Instructing means for instructing display of a menu associated with an item, and a menu designated by the instructing means. A second display means for displaying an item in a position where the item stored in the storage means in association with the menu and the item highlighted and displayed by the first display means are aligned on a straight line. , Is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in each menu, an item indicating a command executed last from commands executable from the menu or an item indicating a group including the command is previously selected. Are displayed in such a manner that the items selected in each menu are arranged in a straight line.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the menu display device according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising: selected character data or image data in the document. When data is hidden by a menu displayed by the first display means or the second display means, a third display means for scrolling the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu is provided. It is characterized by.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a selected character string in a document that has once been behind a menu is moved to a position that does not overlap the menu by scrolling.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a menu display method for displaying a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen, wherein the menu is displayed and any one of the items in the menu is displayed. A first display step of highlighting and displaying, and a designation step of designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed in the first display step; Displaying a menu displayed in the display step at a position such that the display position of the item specified in the specification step is the same as the display position of the highlighted item; And a display step.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the display position of the menu itself is changed so that the display position of the selected item is always constant regardless of which item is selected in the menu. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a menu display method according to the fifth aspect.
In the specification step, an item immediately before or immediately after the highlighted item is specified from the menu displayed in the first display step.

According to the present invention, the display position of the menu is changed step by step by one item.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a menu display method for displaying a menu consisting of a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of the commands on a display screen. Highlighting any of the items in the menu indicating the last executed command among the commands executable from the menu or the items in the menu indicating the group including the last executed command. A first display step of displaying, an instruction step of instructing to display a menu associated with the item highlighted in the first display step, and a menu instructed in the instruction step. An item in this menu indicating the last executed command among the commands executable from the menu or this item. A second display in which any one of the items in the menu indicating the group including the last executed command and the item highlighted and displayed in the first display step are arranged in a straight line. 2 display steps.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in each menu, an item indicating a command executed last from commands executable from the menu or an item indicating a group including the command is previously selected. Are displayed in such a manner that the items selected in each menu are arranged in a straight line.

The menu display method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the menu display method according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, further comprising selecting selected character data or image data in a document. A third display step of, when the data is hidden by the menu displayed in the first display step or the second display step, scrolling the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu; It is characterized by.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a selected character string in a document that has once been behind a menu is moved to a position that does not overlap the menu by scrolling.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects. Can be read by a computer, whereby the method according to any one of claims 5 to 8 can be performed by a computer.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a menu display device, a menu display method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Will be described in detail.

(Embodiment 1) First, a hardware configuration of a menu display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus, 102 denotes a ROM storing a basic input / output program, and 103 denotes a RAM used as a work area of the CPU 101.

An HDD (hard disk drive) 104 controls reading / writing of data from / to an HD (hard disk) 105 under the control of the CPU 101. An HD 105 stores data written under the control of the HDD 104. Each is shown. Further, reference numeral 106 denotes F
An FDD (floppy disk drive) 107 controls read / write of data from / to a D (floppy (registered trademark) disk) 107. A detachable recording medium 107 stores data written under the control of the FDD 106. FD are shown respectively.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a display for displaying various data such as cursors, menus, windows, and characters and images. Reference numeral 109 denotes a display connected to the network NET via a communication line 110, and
The network boards functioning as an interface with U101 are shown. Reference numeral 111 denotes a keyboard having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc., and 112 denotes a mouse for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, and the like. ing.

Reference numeral 113 denotes a scanner for optically reading characters and images; 114, a printer for printing characters and images under the control of the CPU 101; 115, a CD-ROM as a removable recording medium; CD-R
CD-R for controlling data read from OM115
The OM drive 100 and a bus or a cable for connecting each of the above components are shown.

Next, a functional configuration of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing a configuration of a menu display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a menu image storage unit, which holds a file storing menu images (images) of each layer. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image of each menu stored in the menu image storage unit 200. In each image, a character string indicating the name of a command or a character string indicating the name of a group including a plurality of commands is arranged in a rectangular area surrounded by a frame line, and an arrow is displayed on the right side of the character string. The symbol with the symbol is the latter,
Those not arranged indicate the former.
However, below, without distinguishing them,
Both are simply called "items".

A symbol such as “F” placed at the head of each item indicates an access key. The access key is embedded as a character string in the item like “File (F)” in the conventional drop-down list, but it is a little inconspicuous, so in the first embodiment, the access key is uniformly placed before each item. , Are displayed vertically.

Reference numeral 201 denotes a menu system storage unit, which holds a menu system table 201a in which the upper / lower relationships of each menu are described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of the menu system described in the menu system table 201a. The menu system table 201a indicates which menu is below which menu (more specifically, which menu is associated with which item of which menu), which menu is above which menu, Alternatively, it may have any structure as long as it can be understood which item is arranged in which menu and in what order.

Reference numeral 202 denotes a history storage unit which holds a history table 202a. FIG. 5 shows the history storage unit 202.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a history table 202a stored in the storage device. In the figure, the left column shows the name of each menu, and the right column shows (a) the last (or most recent, the same applies hereinafter) command that can be executed from each menu. An item indicating a command or (b) an item indicating a group including the last executed command among commands executable from the respective menus is shown.

For example, the last executed command is “Correct (red)” in “Correction (red)” under “tool menu” under “initial menu” shown in FIGS. Assuming that the command is a “start” command, first, for the “correction (redlining) menu” at the bottom, the “correction (redlining) start” and “cancel” executable from the menu
Of the five commands of “reflection”, “information display”, and “option”, an item “start correction (redlining)” indicating the command executed last is written in the history table 202a (see (a) above). Case).

The commands that can be executed from the "tool menu" one level above include "hyphenation" and "word registration" in addition to groups such as "correction (red box)" and "rank". All the commands are included. Here, the item indicating the group including the "correction (redlining) start" command executed last in the commands, that is, "correction (redlining)" is added to the history table 202a. Written (in the case of (b) above).

Further, all commands can be executed from the "initial menu" one level higher than the initial menu. Here, the "initial correction (red line) start" command which is executed last among these commands is included. An item indicating a group,
That is, “tool” is written in the history table 202a (in the case of (b) above).

The history storage unit 202 updates the contents of the history table 202a every time a command is executed. The history storage unit 202 corresponds to a “storage unit” in the claims.

Reference numeral 203 denotes an instructing unit, which will be described later. The instructing unit 203 issues an instruction to display or delete a menu, an instruction to select a specific menu from a plurality of displayed menus, and an instruction to switch selection items in the selected menu. Output to the display unit 204. The instructing unit 203 corresponds to “designating means” and “instructing means” in the claims, and one of the processes performed includes the “designating step” and the “instructing step” in the claims.

A display unit 204 displays a menu on the screen according to an instruction from the instruction unit 203, deletes the menu from the screen, and highlights a selected specific menu or specific item. The menu is rearranged so that the items highlighted in each menu are aligned, or a character string hidden in the menu is moved around the menu. A specific display example will be described in each flowchart described later.

The display unit 204 indicates which menu is currently displayed on the screen, where each menu is displayed on the screen, and which menu is selected from the plurality of menus. Or detailed information on the menu being displayed, such as which item is selected in each menu, etc.
a.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of the detailed information on the displayed menu stored in the displayed menu storage section 204a. Each time a new menu is displayed, the display unit 204 secures a storage area 600 for the menu in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, and displays the name of the menu in the name column 600a and the screen of the menu in the display position column 600b. Coordinate of the starting position above, vertical width column 60
0c is the vertical width of the image stored in the menu image storage unit 200, the horizontal width is in the horizontal width column 600d, and the selection item column 600 is
e in the history table 202a in association with the menu.
Write the items held in

Each time the item selected in the menu is switched, the item in the selection item column 600e is rewritten with the newly selected item. Alternatively, it may be said that the item written in the selection item column 600e is the item currently selected in the menu.

When the initial menu is displayed, the display unit 204 secures a selected menu storage area 601 in the displayed menu storage unit 204a. In the selected menu storage area 601, the name of any currently selected menu among the displayed menus is written. Alternatively, the menu written in the selected menu storage area 601 may be said to be the currently selected menu.

When deleting any menu being displayed, the display unit 204 deletes and releases the storage area 600 reserved for the menu. To delete all displayed menus, the entire area in the displayed menu storage unit 204a is deleted and released.

The display unit 204 corresponds to the “first display means”, the “second display means”, and the “third display means” described in the claims, and includes a claim in the processing performed. Items include “first display step”, “second display step”, and “third display step”.

The menu image storage unit 200, the menu system storage unit 201, the history storage unit 202, the instruction unit 203, and the display unit 204 are stored in the RAM 1 from various recording media such as the HD 105, the FD 107, and the CD-ROM 115.
The functions of each unit are realized by the CPU 101 or the like executing the instruction processing in accordance with the document creation software read out in step 03, specifically, the instructions described in “Ichitaro” manufactured and sold by the present applicant. Is what you do.

Next, the menu display processing of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, specifically (1)
Initial menu display / all menu deletion processing, (2) lower menu display / selection processing, (3) upper menu selection processing,
The (4) item selection switching process and the (5) editing document scrolling process immediately after each of the above processes will be sequentially described.

(1) Initial menu display / all menu deletion processing FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the initial menu display / all menu deletion processing of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In step S701, the instruction unit 203 determines whether an instruction to display an initial menu or an instruction to delete all menus has been input, specifically, whether the “ALT” key on the keyboard 111 has been pressed. If it is determined that the “ALT” key has been pressed (Yes at Step S701), Step S70 is performed.
The processing shifts to processing of 2 or less.

In step S702, the display unit 204, which has been notified that the menu display / deletion instruction has been input from the instruction unit 203, first determines whether it is an initial menu display instruction or an all menu delete instruction. Is determined.
More specifically, if the initial menu is already displayed on the display 108, a delete instruction is issued. If the initial menu is not displayed, a display instruction is issued. Therefore, the initial menu is currently displayed on the screen by referring to the displayed menu storage unit 204a. Is determined.

When the "initial menu" is being displayed (Yes at step S702), all the contents of the displayed menu storage unit 204a are deleted at step S703, and the menus of all the layers displayed at step S704 are deleted. Is deleted from the screen, and the processing according to this flowchart ends. If the “initial menu” is not being displayed (No at Step S702), the process proceeds to Step S705.

In step S705, the display unit 204 secures a storage area 600 for the "initial menu" in the displayed menu storage unit 204a and writes necessary items such as names. At this time, in the selection item column 600e, an item stored in association with the “initial menu” in the history table 202a, here, of all commands executable from the “initial menu”, the last executed command Write the group “Tools” including “Start Correction (Redlining)”. Further, in step S706, the display unit 204
Secures the selected menu storage area 601 in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, and selects the menu name “initial menu”.
Write.

Then, in step S707, the display unit 204
Stores the “initial menu” image in the menu image storage unit 20
Obtain from 0 and display on screen. At this time, selection item column 6
The item "tool" written in 00e is highlighted and displayed by inversion or the like. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen immediately after the “initial menu” of the first hierarchy is displayed by pressing the “ALT” key according to the above flowchart.

(2) Lower Menu Display / Selection Process FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the lower menu display / selection process of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The process according to this flowchart can be executed at any time between the time when the menu is displayed in step S707 of FIG. 7 and the time when the menu is deleted in step S704.

Here, by the processing shown in FIG. 7, when the menu is displayed as shown in FIG. 8, the display or selection of the lower menu associated with the selected item of the selected menu, Here, it is assumed that the display of the lower menu associated with the item “tool” in the “initial menu” is instructed.

In step S901, the instruction unit 203 determines whether a display instruction or a selection instruction of a lower menu has been input, specifically, whether the “→” key of the keyboard 111 has been pressed. When it is determined that the “→” key has been pressed (Yes at step S901),
The process moves to step S902 and subsequent steps.

In step S902, the display unit 204 notified of the input of the lower menu display / selection instruction from the instruction unit 203 firstly displays the displayed menu storage unit 204a.
With reference to the menu system table 201a, it is determined whether a lower-level menu exists in the currently selected item of the currently selected menu.

If it is determined that there is no lower menu (No at Step S902), Step S9 is performed.
After an error notification is given to the operator by a notification sound or the like in 03, the processing according to this flowchart ends. If it is determined that there is a lower menu (Yes at Step S902), the process proceeds to Step S904. Here, regarding the “initial menu” written in the selection menu storage area 601 in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, the item “tool” written in the selection item column 600e has a lower menu “tool” written in the menu system table 201a. Menu "is determined to be present.

In step S 904, the display unit 204 replaces the lower menu, here “tool menu”, with the above menu written in the selection menu storage area 601, here “initial menu”, instead of the above menu. Write to area. Then, in a step S905, it is determined whether or not the lower menu is already displayed on the screen.

When the processing according to this flowchart is performed immediately after the processing in the flowchart of FIG. 11 described later, the lower menu may already be displayed on the screen. As described above, when the menu newly selected in step S904 is already displayed (Yes in step S905), the detailed information of the menu has already been written in the displayed menu storage unit 204a. It moves to step S911.

If the menu newly selected in step S904 is not yet displayed (step S904).
In step S906, the storage area 600 for the menu is secured in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, and necessary items such as a name are written in step S906. At this time, the item stored in the history table 202a in association with the menu is written in the selection item column 600e.

Here, since the "tool menu" has not been displayed on the screen yet, after the determination in step S905, the storage area 60 for the "tool menu" is determined in step S906.
0 is secured, and a group “correction (red box)” including the last executed command “correction (red box) start” of all commands executable from the menu is written in the selection item column 600e. .

In step S907, the display unit 204 refers to the menu system table 201a and determines whether another menu located at the same level as the selected menu, here, the “tool menu” is being displayed on the screen. Is determined. Another menu located at the same level as the “tool menu” is, specifically, all menus at the second level,
For example, there are a "range designation menu" under the item "specify range" of the "initial menu", a "file menu" under the item "file", and the like. When the processing of this flowchart is performed after the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 11 described later is once performed, such a menu may be already displayed on the screen.

If another menu on the same level is being displayed (Yes at Step S907), Step S908 is performed.
In the menu storage section 204a being displayed, all the storage areas 600 reserved for the menu and the menus below it in the menu storage section 204a are erased / released, and step S
At 909, those menus are deleted from the screen. Also,
If another menu in the same hierarchy is not displayed (No at Step S907), the process directly proceeds to Step S910.

In step S 910, display unit 204 acquires the image of the selected menu, that is, the “tool menu” from menu image storage unit 200 and displays it on the screen. Further, the items in the menu held in the selection item column 600e, that is, “correction (red box)” are highlighted and displayed by inversion or the like. Note that the display position of the menu is set so that the item selected in the menu and the item selected in the immediately higher menu are aligned on a straight line. Here, the item "tool" of the "initial menu" and the item "correction (red box)" of the "tool menu" are aligned.

Then, in step S911, the display unit 204
Moves focus to the selected menu.
Specifically, the frame of the menu that has been selected so far is made thinner, and the frame of the newly selected menu is made thicker. Alternatively, the background color of the newly selected menu may be darkened, or the menu that has been selected may be grayed out. That is, the menu currently selected is displayed in some form emphasized as compared with other unselected menus, and then the process according to the present flowchart ends.

FIG. 10 shows that the “→” key is
By pressing this button twice, the lower menu display processing shown in FIG. 9 is repeated twice, and the screen when the “tool menu” on the second hierarchy and the “correction (red line) menu” on the third hierarchy are displayed It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of. The focus is located on the last displayed "correction (red box) menu".

In the first hierarchy "initial menu", "tool" is used, in the second hierarchy "tool menu", "correction (red)" is used, and in the third hierarchy "correction (red)" menu. The “Start correction (redlining)” command is selected by default and highlighted. Then, the menu of each layer is displayed at a position where these are arranged in a straight line.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1000 denotes an area indicating hints such as an operation method and the like, which is displayed as necessary. When the selected item of the selected menu is a command,
As shown in the figure, pressing the "Insert" key from the current state indicates that the shortcut to the selected command can be registered in "Frequently Used Menu" under "Initial Menu" I do. By registering frequently used commands collectively in the “frequently used menu” on the second level, it is possible to reduce the number of keystrokes for executing commands.

(3) Upper Menu Selection Process FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the upper menu selection process of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The period from when the menu is displayed in step S707 of FIG. 7 until when the menu is deleted in step S704,
The process according to this flowchart can be executed at any time.

Here, the processing shown in FIG.
When the menu is displayed as shown in,
It is assumed that an instruction is given to switch the selection from the selected “correction (red box) menu” to the upper-level menu “tool menu”.

In step S1101, the instruction unit 203
It is determined whether an instruction to select a higher-level menu has been input, specifically, whether the “←” key of the keyboard 111 has been pressed. If it is determined that the “←” key has been pressed (Yes at Step S1101), Step S1101 is performed.
The process moves to 1102 and below.

In step S1102, the display unit 204, which has been notified that the higher-level menu selection instruction has been input from the instruction unit 203, first refers to the displayed menu storage unit 204a and the menu system table 201a to select the currently selected menu. It is determined whether the upper menu of the menu of is already displayed on the screen. If the upper menu of the selected menu is not displayed (step S110)
2 No), an error notification is given to the operator by a notification sound or the like in step S1103, and then the processing according to this flowchart ends.

If the upper menu is displayed (Yes at step S1102), the upper menu is written to the selected menu storage area 601 in the displayed menu storage unit 204a at step S1104. Here, instead of the “correction (red box) menu” selected until immediately before, a “tool menu”, which is a higher-level menu thereof, is newly written in the selection menu storage area 601. Then, in step S1105, the menu newly selected in step S1104, here, the "tool menu"
Move focus to. Thereafter, the processing according to the present flowchart ends.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen when the upper-level menu selection processing shown in FIG. 11 is performed by pressing the “←” key once from the screen of FIG. The focus has been moved from the "correction (red box) menu" to the "tool menu" one level higher,
Even if the focus is lost, the displayed "correction (red box) menu" is not deleted.

This is deleted when the display of another menu located in the same hierarchy is instructed, and more specifically, in step S909 in FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the screen when the “←” key is pressed again on the screen of FIG. 12 to switch the selection from the “tool menu” to the “initial menu”.

(4) Item Selection Switching Process FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the item selection switching process of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The period from when the menu is displayed in step S707 of FIG. 7 until when the menu is deleted in step S704,
The process according to this flowchart can be executed at any time. Here, when the menu is displayed as shown in FIG. 13 by the processing shown in FIG. 11, the selected item is switched from “tool” to “format” in the “initial menu” being selected. Shall be.

In step S1401, the instruction unit 203
It is determined whether an instruction to switch the selection of an item in the same menu has been input, specifically, whether the “↑” key or the “↓” key of the keyboard 111 has been pressed.
If it is determined that the “↑” key or the “↓” key has been pressed (Yes at Step S1401), the process proceeds to Step S1402 and subsequent steps.

In step S1402, the display unit 204, which has been notified that the item selection switching instruction has been input from the instruction unit 203, refers to the menu system table 201a in step S1403 and presses the “↑” key. Is the item immediately below the selected item of the selected menu (not the item above it), or if the pressed key is the “↓” key, the selected item is The upper item (not the lower item) is written in the selection item column 600e of the currently selected menu.

Here, assuming that the “↓” key is pressed, the item “navi” immediately above is replaced by the “initial menu” instead of the selected item “tool” of the selected “initial menu”. Item column 6 of the storage area 600 reserved for
00e.

Then, at step S1403, the display unit 20
Step 4 calculates a new display position of the selection menu after switching the item selection. More specifically, when “↑” is pressed in step S1401, the height of one item (= the vertical width of the menu / the vertical width of the menu) is determined from the Y coordinate of the start position of the menu stored in the display position column 600b. Number of items).
Conversely, if “↓” is pressed in step S1401,
1 is added to the Y coordinate of the menu start position in the display position column 600b.
Add the height of the item. Then, the new start position calculated in this way is written back to the display position column 600b.

In step S1404, display unit 204 displays
The menu currently selected is displayed at the new display position calculated in step S1403, and the item newly selected in the menu is highlighted. Step S1
When the key pressed in step 401 is the “↑” key, the menu being selected is displayed as if it had been raised by one item, and therefore the same as the item that had been selected up to that point was displayed. , The newly selected item is displayed.

Conversely, as in the above example, step S1401
If it is the “↓” key that has been pressed, the currently selected menu, here the “initial menu”, is displayed as if it were pulled down by one item, and the newly selected item “ "Navi" is displayed at the position where the previously selected item "tool" was displayed.

Next, at step S1405, the display unit 20
4 refers to the menu system table 201a to determine whether or not a lower-level menu exists in the selected item of the selected menu. If there is a lower menu (Yes at Step S1405), Step S140 is performed.
In step 6, as in step S906 of FIG. 9, the storage area 600 for the menu is secured in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, and necessary items are written.

Further, steps S1407 to S1409
As in steps S907 to S909 in FIG. 9, if another menu in the same hierarchy is displayed, the menu and the menu following it are deleted. Then, step S1
At 410, the lower menu is displayed at a position where the selected item is aligned with the selected item of the selected menu.

Then, the process returns to step S1405, and it is determined whether or not there is a lower-level menu among the selection items of the menu displayed in step S1410. Here, if there is still a lower menu, the process returns to step S1405 through the processing of step S1406 and subsequent steps. In this way, as long as there is a lower menu, steps S1405
The process of S1410 is repeated, and if it is determined in step S1405 that there is no lower menu, ie, that all lower menus have been displayed (No in step S1405), the process according to this flowchart ends.

FIG. 15 shows that the item selection switching process shown in FIG. 14 is repeated three times by pressing the “↓” key three times from the screen of FIG. It is an explanatory view showing an example of a screen when switching from “” to “format”.

As compared with FIG. 13, the “initial menu” is 3
It is displayed in a position where it has been lowered by the number of items. Note that the focus remains at the “initial menu”. In the "Format menu" one level below, the last command executed from this menu, the item "Character size" indicating the group containing "Double height" is highlighted. In the “Character size menu” that is one level below, the item “double height” indicating the command is highlighted. The menus are arranged in such a way that the items that are highlighted in the three menus are aligned on a straight line.

Here, from the screen shown in FIG.
When the “reduction” command is selected and executed by pressing the “回” twice and the “Enter” key once, the history storage unit 202 stores an item corresponding to the “initial menu” in the history table 202a. Is rewritten from “tool” to “format”, the item corresponding to “format menu” is left as it is, and the item corresponding to “character size menu” is rewritten from “double height” to “reduced”.

As a result, once the "ALT" key is pressed once to delete all menus and the "ALT" key is pressed again, the "initial menu" displayed has the "format" reversed from the beginning. And from here on "→"
"Format menu" displayed by pressing the key once
In "Format", which is displayed by pressing the "→" key once, "Reduction"
Each is highlighted from the beginning. Therefore, at the time of re-execution, after the initial menu is displayed, the “reduction” command can be reached only by pressing the “→” key twice.

In the above description, the selection of items is sequentially switched by pressing the “↑” key or “↓”. For example, in the screen of FIG. The screen of FIG. 15 may be obtained at a stroke by pressing the key once.

(5) Scrolling process of document during editing Now, when a menu is displayed or the display position of the menu is changed by each of the above processes (1), (2) and (4), a command of There is a case where a character string to be executed is hidden.
For example, if you select a character string and display "Initial menu", "Format menu" and "Character size menu" to reduce the character size, the selected character string is displayed behind one of the menus. It is hidden.

When the object to be processed becomes invisible as described above, while searching for a desired command from the menu, the user may forget what processing he intends to perform, thereby lowering the work efficiency. Therefore, the above (1)
Immediately after the processing of (2) or (4) is completed, the document being edited is scrolled as necessary.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a document scroll process during editing in the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 7, 9 and 14
Immediately after the end of each process shown in (1), the process according to this flowchart is started on the display unit 204.

First, in step S1601, the display area of the character string or the like selected in the document being edited is compared with the display area of each displayed menu, and whether or not they are overlapped, that is, selected. It is determined whether the displayed data is hidden by the menu. The display area of each menu can be calculated from the start position of each menu held in the displayed menu storage unit 204a, and the vertical width and the horizontal width.

If not hidden (step S
1601 No) The process according to this flowchart ends as it is, but if hidden (Yes at step S1601), at step S1602, the Y coordinate Y0 of the center of the selected data and the minimum Y of the menu hiding the selected data
The coordinate Y1 and the maximum Y coordinate Y2 are obtained. For example,
When the selected character string 1700 is hidden in the menus 1701 and 1702 in the state shown in FIG.
Y1 and Y2 are the Y coordinates of each point as shown in FIG.

Then, in step S1603, the inequality Y
It is determined whether 0 <Y1 + (Y2-Y1) / 2 holds. If this inequality holds (Yes at step S1603), it means that the center of the selected data is above the center of the menu that hides the data, so the flow shifts to step S1604 to select the maximum Y coordinate of the data. Is scrolled toward the end of the document to a position where is less than or equal to Y1, that is, a position where the data appears on a menu that hides it.

Conversely, if the above inequality expression does not hold (No at step S1603), it means that the center of the selected data is below the center of the menu that hides the data, and the process moves to step S1605, Scroll toward the beginning of the document to a position where the minimum Y coordinate of the data is greater than or equal to Y2, that is, a position where the data appears below the menu that hides it.

In the example of FIG. 17, the character string 1700 is relatively lower than the menus 1701 and 1702 that hide the character string 1700.
It will reappear just below 702. When the scroll in step S1604 or S1605 is completed, the display unit 204 ends the processing according to the flowchart.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, a certain command and a group including the command are arranged in a horizontal line on the screen. Rather than following the items selected in the menu in a zigzag manner, the location of the command and the route to reach the command can be easily understood. Also,
Since there is no need to raise or lower the viewpoint between menus at different levels, fatigue of eyes and shoulders can be reduced.

Further, even if the selection items are switched within the same menu, the menu itself moves, and the focused item is always displayed at the same position. Therefore, a plurality of items are scanned without moving the viewpoint. As described above, fatigue of eyes and the like can be reduced.

Further, the lower menu once displayed can be returned to the upper menu. At this time, the lower menu is not erased unless there is an instruction to display another menu in the same hierarchy. In addition to this, it is possible to execute a command from an arbitrary hierarchy and return to an arbitrary hierarchy to select a command or a group again.

The item highlighted by default when each menu is displayed is the item held in the history table 202a, that is, the last command executed among the commands executable from the menu, or This is whether or not the command is included in a menu that follows. In other words, of the commands that can be executed from the menu, the item on the path following the last executed command is selected by default, and the trouble of searching when re-executing the previously executed command is reduced. It is reduced.

The commands used by a certain user are generally fixed, and the commands used before are often used repeatedly. Therefore, the commands are displayed in a conspicuous manner as described above, and the minimum key operation is performed. The probability that the item that can be reached is a command intended by the user or a group including the command is increased. In the first embodiment, the history table 202a holds the last executed command or the group including the command. However, the number of executions of each command is counted, and the most frequently used command has been recorded so far. May be held in the history table 202a.

Further, when a large number of menus are opened, there is a disadvantage that the document being edited becomes invisible behind them, but in the first embodiment, at least the currently selected
That is, since the character data and image data of which the user is currently focused are not hidden in the menu, the user does not forget what was searched during the search for the command.

(Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 2,
The contents related to the screen scroll will be described. As a conventional scrolling method, in the case of a horizontally written document, a scroll bar prepared on the right side of the screen is used. However, in order to execute scrolling, it is necessary to move the mouse cursor on a scroll bar, click a mouse button, and move the mouse upward or in the direction in which the mouse button is clicked.

Here, the operation of moving the mouse cursor to a predetermined portion of the scroll bar is complicated. In particular, in the case of a track pad (touch pad) provided in a notebook computer, it is necessary to move the mouse cursor to the scroll bar instantaneously. Had problems such as requiring skill. Therefore, simply move the mouse cursor to any position in the margin of the displayed document screen, click the mouse button at that position, and move the mouse upward in the clicked state to move it downward. Perform scrolling.

On the other hand, by moving the mouse downward, scrolling upward is executed. That is, instead of the operation of moving the scroll bar up and down, the same operation is performed in the margin of the document screen.

Further, by clicking the mouse button in the margin, the shape of the mouse cursor may be changed so that the operator can easily be notified that scrolling is possible.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the screen can be scrolled easily and efficiently without performing an accurate operation of moving the mouse cursor to the scroll bar.

Note that the method described in the above embodiment is
This is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is HD, F
It is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as D, CD-ROM, MO, and DVD, and is read out from the recording medium and executed by the computer. Further, this program can be distributed via the above-mentioned recording medium via a network such as the Internet.

[0118]

As described above, the menu display device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a menu display device that displays a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen. First display means for highlighting and displaying any one of the following items:
A designation unit for designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed by the first display unit; and a menu displayed by the first display unit, by the designation unit Second display means for displaying the designated item at a position where the displayed position is the same as the displayed position of the highlighted item;
, So no matter what item is selected in the menu,
The display position of the menu itself is changed so that the display position of the selected item is always constant. This eliminates the need to move the viewpoint to search for a desired command from the menu, and improves the searchability of the command. There is an effect that an excellent menu display device can be obtained.

[0119] The menu display device according to the second aspect of the present invention is the menu display device according to the first aspect of the present invention.
Since the designating means designates an item immediately before or immediately after the highlighted item from the menu displayed by the first display means, the menu display position is set to 1
The items are changed step by step, so that there is no need to continuously raise and lower the viewpoint in order to search for a desired command from the menu, so that a menu display device with excellent command searchability can be obtained. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the menu display device for displaying a menu including a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of the commands on a display screen, the menu display device is associated with each menu. And stores any one of the items in the menu indicating the command executed last from the commands executable from the menu or the items in the menu indicating the group including the command executed last. Storage means, first display means for displaying the menu and highlighting the items stored in the storage means in association with the menu, and the first display means Instructing means for instructing display of a menu associated with an item, and a menu designated by the instructing means. A second display means for displaying an item in a position where the item stored in the storage means in association with the menu and the item highlighted and displayed by the first display means are aligned on a straight line. , So that each menu is displayed by previously selecting an item indicating the last executed command of the commands executable from the menu or an item indicating a group including the command, and displaying each menu. The items selected in are displayed in a position where they are aligned in a straight line. This allows you to easily find the desired command that has been executed before and reach the command with a minimum of key operations. This has the effect of providing a simple menu display device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the menu display device according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising: selected character data or image data in the document. When the data is hidden by the menu displayed by the first display means or the second display means, the third display means scrolls the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu. Once a selected character string in a document that has fallen behind the menu is scrolled, it is moved to a position that does not overlap the menu, so that the target of the command is always displayed while the command is selected. There is an effect that a menu display device that can perform the above is obtained.

A menu display method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a menu display method for displaying a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen, wherein the menu is displayed and any one of the items in the menu is displayed. A first display step of highlighting and displaying, and a designation step of designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed in the first display step; Displaying a menu displayed in the display step at a position such that the display position of the item specified in the specification step is the same as the display position of the highlighted item; Display step, the display position of the menu itself is changed so that the display position of the selected item is always constant regardless of which item is selected in the menu. It is not necessary to move the viewpoint to find a desired command from the menu, there is an effect that the menu display method excellent searchability command is obtained.

Further, the menu display method according to the present invention as set forth in claim 6, is a method according to claim 5, wherein
In the specifying step, the item immediately before or immediately after the highlighted item is specified from the menu displayed in the first display step, so that the menu display position is changed step by step by one item. Thus, it is not necessary to continuously raise and lower the viewpoint in order to search for a desired command from the menu, so that a menu display method excellent in command searchability can be obtained.

A menu display method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is a menu display method for displaying, on a display screen, a menu including a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of the commands, wherein the menu is displayed. Highlighting any of the items in the menu indicating the last executed command among the commands executable from the menu or the items in the menu indicating the group including the last executed command. A first display step of displaying, an instruction step of instructing to display a menu associated with the item highlighted in the first display step, and a menu instructed in the instruction step. An item in this menu indicating the last executed command among the commands executable from the menu or this item. A second display in which any one of the items in the menu indicating the group including the command executed last and the item highlighted in the first display step are arranged in a straight line 2), each menu is displayed by previously selecting an item indicating a command executed last from commands executable from the menu or an item indicating a group including the command. At the same time, the items selected in each menu are displayed in such a position that they are arranged in a straight line, so that a desired command that has been executed before can be easily found, and the command can be added to the command with a minimum of key operations. There is an effect that a menu display method that can be reached can be obtained.

The menu display method according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the menu display method according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, further comprising selecting the selected character data or image in the document. When the data is hidden by the menu displayed in the first display step or the second display step, the method includes the third display step of scrolling the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu. , The selected character string in the document that once entered behind the menu is moved to a position that does not overlap with the menu by scrolling,
This has the effect of providing a menu display method capable of always displaying the execution target of the command during selection of the command.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects. Can be read by a computer, thereby providing an effect that a recording medium capable of executing the method according to any one of claims 5 to 8 by a computer is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a menu display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram functionally showing a configuration of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image of each menu stored in the menu image storage unit 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a menu system described in a menu system table 201a according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a history storage unit 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a history table 202a held in No. 2;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of detailed information on a displayed menu stored in a displayed menu storage unit 204a according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of initial menu display / all menu deletion processing of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a menu display of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of lower menu display / selection processing of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the menu display of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a higher-level menu selection process of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the menu display of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the menu display of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an item selection switching process of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the menu display of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a document scroll process during editing in the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the meaning of the inequality in the document scrolling process during editing of the menu display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a first hierarchy of an ESC menu in the related art.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a second layer of the ESC menu in the related art.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a third hierarchy of the ESC menu in the related art.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the second hierarchy of the ESC menu in the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Bus or cable 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 HDD 105 HD 106 FDD 107 FD 108 Display 109 I / F 110 Communication line 111 Keyboard 112 Mouse 113 Scanner 114 Printer 115 CD-ROM 116 CD-ROM drive 200 Menu image storage unit 201 Menu system storage unit 201a Menu system table 202 History storage unit 202a History table 203 Instruction unit 204 Display unit 204a Display menu storage unit

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A menu display device for displaying a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen, wherein: a first display means for displaying the menu and highlighting one of the items in the menu; Designation means for designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed by the first display means; and designation of the menu displayed by the first display means by the designation means. A second display means for displaying the displayed position of the highlighted item at the same position as the displayed position of the highlighted item, the menu display comprising: apparatus. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means designates an item immediately before or immediately after said highlighted item from a menu displayed by said first display means. Menu display device as described. 3. A menu display device for displaying, on a display screen, a menu consisting of a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of commands, the command being executed last among commands executable from the menu in association with each menu. Storage means for storing any of the items in the menu indicating the executed command or the items in the menu indicating the group including the last executed command, and displaying the menu and corresponding to the menu First display means for highlighting and displaying the items stored in the storage means; and an instruction for instructing display of a menu associated with the item highlighted by the first display means. Means, and a menu designated by the instruction means is stored in the storage means in association with the menu. Menu display device, characterized in that the item to the first item that is highlighted by the display means is provided with a second display means for displaying the position as aligned in a straight line, the. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected character data or image data in the document is displayed on the first display means or the second display means.
And a third display means for scrolling the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu when the data is hidden by a menu displayed by the display means. The menu display device according to any one of the above. 5. A menu display method for displaying a menu including a plurality of items on a display screen, wherein: a first display step of displaying the menu and highlighting one of the items in the menu; A designation step of designating an item different from the highlighted item from the menu displayed in the first display step; and a designation of the menu displayed in the first display step in the designation step. A second display step of displaying a displayed item at a position where the displayed position of the highlighted item is the same as the displayed position of the highlighted item. Method. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the specifying step, an item immediately before or immediately after the highlighted item is specified from a menu displayed in the first display step. Menu display method described. 7. A menu display method for displaying, on a display screen, a menu including a plurality of items indicating a command or a group of the commands, wherein the menu is displayed and a command executed last among commands executable from the menu is displayed. A first display step of highlighting and displaying any of the items in the menu indicating the command or the item in the menu indicating the group including the last executed command; and the first display. An instruction step of instructing to display a menu associated with the item highlighted in the step; and a command executed in the last instruction among commands executable from the menu, the menu instructed in the instruction step Item in the menu or the group that contains the last executed command. A second display step of displaying at least one of the items in the menu and the item highlighted in the first display step in a line. Menu display method. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected character data or image data in the document is displayed in the first display step or the second display step.
And a third display step of scrolling the document to a position where the data is not hidden by the menu displayed in the menu displayed in the display step. The menu display method according to any one of the above. 9. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 5 is recorded.