JP2005063320A - Document editing method, and document editing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reflect contents after editing without changing a layout, when editing is carried out in regard to contents of an incorporated original document, in a book binding application capable of editing only the layout in units of page. <P>SOLUTION: In a document containing a text 1 and a text 2, when the text 1 is edited by an editing application corresponding to it, a content of the edited text 1 after editing is converted into an image and captured in units of page. When doing so, in a layout of the page, a layout applied to the text 1 before editing is handed over and applied to the edited text 1. In the text 2, its content and layout are maintained without change. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document editing apparatus and method, and more particularly to a document that can edit the layout of a document and retain the edited layout after editing the contents of the document in a system including an information processing and printer such as a personal computer. The present invention relates to an editing method and a document editing apparatus.

  There is a print layout application (hereinafter referred to as a bookbinding application or a print control application) in which various original documents created by an application program are collected as one document and management of the document itself and output management are facilitated (hereinafter referred to as a bookbinding application or a print control application). 1 etc.).

  In the bookbinding application, normally, after the original document to be printed is captured as the text, the captured text is fixed and the text of the original document cannot be edited. With the bookbinding application, it was possible to perform only editing related to the appearance of the document, such as setting the layout, adding finishing information, adding annotation data, etc., with the body text fixed.

  FIG. 13 shows the contents of a conventional work file (corresponding to an edit information file and a save file in the embodiment) created by a bookbinding application that can edit the layout at the time of printing. This work file has attributes such as “layout state”, “finishing setting”, and “annotation information”, and these can be changed by an editing operation by the bookbinding application. However, since the text image information (corresponding to the page data of this embodiment) 1301 is fixed as an image, it cannot be changed.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a process until a work file is created. The steps up to here are the same in the conventional case and the case of the present invention. First, create a data file that is the source of the text in a general application. This file may be one or plural. The same application or different applications may be used. Next, the bookbinding application captures this data and converts it into an image for each page. This image is saved as a work file after layout editing.

FIG. 15 shows a step of editing the text (page data) included in the work file created in the step of FIG. The text cannot be edited for a conventional work file. Therefore, the original document file created by a general application is edited. Since work files created before the change of the body text can no longer be used, everything from importing the newly edited body text to layout editing work must be redone. FIG. 15 shows this.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-091518

  In this way, when editing the contents of the text becomes necessary, the layout and other information set up to that point are discarded and the original document is edited by the application that created the original document to edit the text again. Therefore, it was necessary to import the edited document as the main text and recreate the data from the beginning. For this reason, the efficiency of the work accompanying the change of the content has been reduced.

  As described above, since the text data once taken into the bookbinding application cannot be changed, the change of the contents involves the re-creation of the entire document, resulting in a loss of work and extremely low productivity.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and in order to reduce such work loss, a layout that has already been created even when text data is changed in the middle of layout editing work or the like. Document editing device that improves workability and productivity by maintaining the work state before changing the text by keeping the appearance information such as annotation and annotation, and connecting the created information with the newly edited and created text And to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following arrangement.

A document editing method capable of editing document data including page data, which is an image of a page unit, and an association between the original document data as a source and layout information of the page data,
Starting an editing program for original document data associated with page data included in the document data;
A page data generation step for generating page data from the original document data edited by the editing program;
A replacement step of replacing the page data generated by the page data generation step with the page data associated with the original document data that is the source of the page data.

  More preferably, in the replacement step, when the number of pages before and after replacement is the same and when the number of pages after replacement is reduced as compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is replaced. Inherit to page data.

  More preferably, in the replacement step, when the number of pages after replacement is increased compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is inherited by the page data after replacement, and the increment is increased. For the page data, the layout information at the end of the page data to be replaced is copied and inherited.

  More preferably, it further includes an editing step for allowing the user to edit the layout of the document data.

  Even if the imported text is changed in the middle of the layout creation work in the print layout application, the layout creation work can be returned to the latest work state with a few modifications without starting over from the beginning. Is improved.

  The present invention relates to a printing method and apparatus. In particular, the present invention is implemented as software in a print layout application in a system including information processing such as a personal computer and a printer, and is executed when editing print data.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Outline of Document Processing System of this Embodiment]
The outline of the document processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this document processing system, a data file created by a general application is converted into a storage file by a print data storage driver. A print control application (sometimes called a bookbinding application) provides a function for editing the electronic document file. For the save file edited by the print control application, an edit information file associated with the save file is generated and saved. Then, the content of the saved file is read out by a print application (also called a despooler) via the print control application and used for printing. In this example, the general application, the print data saving driver, the print control application, and the print application are shown separately to clarify the functions, but the packages provided to the user are limited to these. Instead, it may be provided as an application or graphic engine combining these. Details will be described below.

<Hardware Configuration Example of Document Processing System of this Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the document processing system according to this embodiment. As long as the function of the present invention is executed, a system in which processing is performed by being connected via a network such as a LAN or WAN, whether it is a single device or a system composed of a plurality of devices. Even so, the present invention can be applied.

  In the figure, a host computer 100 includes a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, and the like. The CPU 201 executes document processing in which graphics, images, characters, tables (including spreadsheets), and the like are mixed based on a document processing program stored in the program ROM of the ROM 203 or the external memory 211. The CPU 201 comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 204. The ROM 203 program ROM area or external memory 211 stores an operating system program (hereinafter referred to as OS) as a control program of the CPU 201, and the ROM 203 font ROM area or external memory 211 stores the above-mentioned document processing. Font data used for the above-described processing is stored, and various data used when the document processing is performed is stored in the data ROM area of the ROM 203 or the external memory 211. The RAM 202 functions as a main memory, work area, and the like for the CPU 201.

  A keyboard controller (KBC) 205 controls key input from a keyboard 209 or a pointing device (not shown). A CRT controller (CRTC) 206 controls display on a CRT display (CRT) 210. A disk controller (DKC) 207 controls access to an external memory 211 such as a hard disk (HD) or a floppy (registered trademark) disk (FD). The external memory 111 stores a boot program, various applications, font data, user files, editing files, a printer control command generation program (hereinafter referred to as a printer driver), and the like. A printer controller (PRTC) 208 is connected to the printer 107 via the bidirectional interface (interface) 21 and executes communication control processing with the printer 107.

  Note that the CPU 201 executes, for example, outline font development (rasterization) processing on the display information RAM set on the RAM 202 to enable WYSIWYG on the CRT 210. The CPU 201 opens various windows registered based on commands instructed by a mouse cursor (not shown) on the CRT 210 and executes various data processing. When printing, the user opens a window related to print settings provided by the printer driver, and can set the print processing method for the printer driver, including printer settings and print mode selection.

  The printer 107 is controlled by the CPU 312. The printer CPU 312 outputs output information to a printing unit (printer engine) 317 connected to the system bus 315 based on a control program stored in the program ROM area of the ROM 313 or a control program stored in the external memory 314. Output image signal. Further, a control program for the CPU 312 is stored in the program ROM area of the ROM 313. Font data used when generating the output information is stored in the font ROM area of the ROM 313, and in the case of a printer without the external memory 314 such as a hard disk in the data ROM area of the ROM 313, a host computer Information used above is stored.

  The CPU 312 can communicate with the host computer via the input unit 318 and can notify the host computer 100 of information in the printer. The RAM 319 is a RAM that functions as a main memory of the CPU 312, a work area, and the like, and is configured such that the memory capacity can be expanded by an optional RAM connected to an expansion port (not shown). The RAM 319 is used for an output information expansion area, an environment data storage area, NVRAM, and the like. Access to the above-described external memory 314 such as a hard disk (HD) or IC card is controlled by a memory controller (MC) 320. The external memory 314 is connected as an option and stores font data, an emulation program, form data, and the like. Reference numeral 318 denotes a switch for operation on the operation panel described above, an LED display, and the like.

  Further, the external memory 314 is not limited to one, and a plurality of external memories 314 are provided so that a plurality of external memories storing an option card and a program for interpreting a printer control language having a different language system in addition to the built-in font can be connected. May be. Further, an NVRAM (not shown) may be provided to store printer mode setting information from the operation unit 321.

<Software Configuration Example of Document Processing System According to this Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a software configuration of the document processing system according to the present embodiment.

  The document processing system is realized by a digital computer 100 (hereinafter also referred to as a host computer) which is a preferred embodiment of a document processing apparatus (information processing apparatus) according to the present invention. The general application 101 is an application program that provides functions such as word processing, spreadsheet, photo retouching, drawing or painting, presentation, and text editing, and has a function of requesting a printing process from the operating system (OS). ing. These applications use a predetermined interface provided by the OS when printing application data such as created document data and image data. That is, the application 101 issues an output instruction in a predetermined format to the OS output module that provides the interface in order to print the created data. Upon receiving the output instruction, the output module converts the command into a format that can be processed by an output device such as a printer, and outputs the converted command. Since the format that can be processed by the output device varies depending on the device type, manufacturer, model, etc., a device driver is provided for each device. The OS uses the device driver to convert commands and print data. A print job is generated by generating and enclosing in JL (Job Language).

  When using Microsoft Windows (registered trademark) as an OS, a module called GDI (Graphic Device Interface) is used as an output module. Then, the application 101 calls a GDI function using the created data as a parameter in a format compatible with GDI. By doing so, the above-described output instruction is sent to the OS.

  The print data storage driver 102 is an improvement of the above-described device driver, and is a software module provided for realizing the document processing system. However, the print data storage driver 102 is not intended for a specific output device, and converts the output command into a format that can be processed by the print control application 104 and the printer driver 106 described later. The format converted by the print data storage driver 102 (hereinafter referred to as “storage file format”) is not particularly limited as long as it can represent the document structure and the document in page units in a detailed format. As a format for expressing a document in page units, for example, a PDF format by Adobe Systems, an SVG format, or the like can be adopted as a storage file.

  In the present embodiment, the storage file 103 and the extended editing information file 111 are separate files. However, these files are integrated as an archive file in order to maintain their integrity when the file is not opened. It may be said. In this description, the save file 103 and the extended editing information file 111 may be collectively referred to as an electronic document file. The print data saving driver may be called an electronic document writer in the sense of a program for generating an electronic document file.

  In the system shown in FIG. 1, processing can be performed on the contents of data stored in the storage file 103. As a result, it is possible to realize functions that the application does not have, such as enlargement / reduction or printing by reducing a plurality of pages into one page with respect to print data from the application. For these purposes, the system shown in FIG. 1 has been extended to a conventional system such as spooling with intermediate code data. In order to process the print data, settings are made from a window provided by the normal print control application 104, and the setting contents are stored in the RAM 202 or the external memory 211.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this expanded processing method, first, print data from the application 101 is saved on the system as a save file 103 via the print data saving driver 102. The storage file 103 is also called an intermediate file, and includes content data of printed matter, setting data for printing, and the like. The content data of the printed matter is data obtained by converting data created by the user on the application into an intermediate code, and the setting data for printing is data describing how the content data is output (output format etc.) . In addition, application extension data called an extended editing information file for providing a user interface for allowing the user to edit the contents of the saved file and output instructions by the print control application is included. The extended editing information file 111 stores not only extended data for providing a user interface but also print setting data that cannot be stored in a save file. Therefore, for example, when a standardized format is used as the storage file, print settings that cannot be stored in that format can be stored in the extended editing information file 111.

  Further, the extended editing information file 111 includes link information to the original document file that is the source of the electronic manuscript file, in addition to the electronic manuscript file itself to be edited by the print control application 104. In the present embodiment, the original document file itself is also included. However, the original document file itself may not be included in the extended editing information file 111. The original document file includes general application such as a document data file created by a document creation application, a table data created by a table creation application, a drawing data file created by a drawing application, and digitized photo data. Document data created by the user 101 and input to the print data storage driver 102 is included.

  The print control application 104 reads this save file 103. The print control application 104 expands the contents of the save file 103 as a table in the memory, and if the extended editing information file 111 includes specific settings not included in the save file, the settings are stored in the memory. It is reflected in the table expanded. Then, the output format of the contents can be changed, displayed, saved and printed in the read saved file 103. The printing application (despooler) 105 actually performs processing for printing. A print application (despooler) 105 that has received a print command from the print control application 104 inputs data to the graphic engine 121 in a predetermined format, such as a GDI function, according to the output format set by the print control application 104. The graphic engine 121 converts the input data such as the GDI function format into a DDI function, and outputs the DDI function to the printer driver 106. The printer driver 106 generates a printer control command including a page description language based on the DDI function acquired from the graphic engine 121 and outputs the printer control command to the printer 107 via the system spooler 122.

<Data format example of saved file>
Before referring to details of the print application 104, the data format of the storage file will be described. The save file includes data of each original page (page unit data generated by an application, also referred to as a logical page) as content data, and includes, for example, data in a format called a job ticket as print setting data. In addition, an extended editing information file 111 that is independently referred to by a print control application 104 (to be described later) is also stored along with the save file 103. In the save file 103, the document page data in PDF format and the data in the format called job ticket are intermediate data.

  In the saved file, the manuscript page data is defined in, for example, the PDF format, and includes character font and color designation, layout information such as characters and graphics in the manuscript page, and the like.

  The job ticket stored as a storage file is data having a structure in which a document page is a minimum unit. The structure in the job ticket defines the layout of the manuscript page on the paper. One job ticket corresponds to one print job. There is a node for the entire document at the top, and attributes of the entire document, such as double-sided printing / single-sided printing, are defined. Below that is included information indicating the structure of the document and the settings for each component. Specifically, a sheet bundle node belongs, and includes attributes such as an identifier of a sheet to be used and a designation of a paper feed port in the printer. Each sheet bundle node includes a node of a sheet included in the sheet bundle. One sheet corresponds to one sheet. A print page (physical page) belongs to each sheet. For single-sided printing, one physical page belongs to one sheet, and for double-sided printing, two physical pages belong to one sheet. Each physical page has an original page arranged thereon. The physical page attribute includes the layout of the original page. The document page includes association information (link information) to document page data which is the substance of the document page.

  An example of the data structure of the job ticket is shown in FIG. In printing data, a document is composed of a set of sheets, and each sheet is composed of two sides, a front side and a back side. Each side has an area (physical page) for laying out a document, and each physical page. Is composed of a set of manuscript pages which is the minimum unit. Reference numeral 1101 denotes data corresponding to a document, which includes data relating to the entire document and a list of paper information constituting the document. The paper information 1102 includes information related to paper such as paper size and a list of surface information arranged on the paper. The surface information 1103 includes data specific to the surface and a list of physical pages arranged on the surface. The physical page information 1104 includes information such as the physical page size and header / footer, and a list of manuscript pages constituting the physical page. The manuscript page information 1105 includes manuscript page settings and a link to page data representing the contents of the page.

The setting of the entire document includes the following information, for example.
(1) Document page layout information on a physical page (referred to as a sheet surface of a print medium) (so-called N-up (N-up) printing setting for arranging N pages on one physical page) and order
(2) Document name
(3) Whether both sides can be specified
(4) Availability of variable printing (technology that embeds and prints data prepared in advance with the contents of a predetermined field)
(5) Number of manuscript pages included
(6) Color type
(7) Number of copies
(8) Water mark (ground pattern to be overlapped on the original page or printed page)
(9) Printer status
(10) Media type
(11) Logical page number list on the sheet
(12) Printing quality etc.

The following parameters can be set for print settings for each sheet bundle.
(13) Specifying N-up printing
(14) Color type
(15) Paper source.

The print settings for each sheet belonging to each sheet bundle can be set as follows.
(16) Setting for duplex / single-sided printing.

The following settings can be made for the print settings for each physical page (surface) belonging to each sheet.
(17) Color type
(18) Specification of whether to correspond to either front or back.

The following settings can be made for the print settings for each document page arranged on each physical page.
(19) Start coordinates
(20) Size
(21) Order.

  As described above, the job ticket is data having a hierarchical structure in which the manuscript page is the minimum. Many of the print settings defined by these job tickets are common to each hierarchy set in document units, but some of them are common between hierarchies such as N-up settings and color types. Some exist. As for the common setting, the lower layer inherits the value of the same setting in the upper layer in principle. However, in the case where attributes common between layers have different values, the value set for the target layer is used as the value of the attribute. For example, the color type can be set for the entire document, a sheet bundle (sheet wrapping), and a physical page (also called a surface or a print page). The color type is a setting for specifying a mode in the printing apparatus, and print data is generated so that printing is performed in monochrome by the printing apparatus when the monochrome mode is set, and printing is performed in color when the color mode is set. .

<Document structure managed by extended editing information file>
The print control application 104 is a program that provides a user interface for allowing a user to specify data included in the storage file 103 by various methods and for changing print settings. Although the save file itself is a file having the above-described structure, the print control application 104 manages the above-described extended editing information file 111 separately from the save file 103 in association with the save file. Based on the editing information included in the extended editing information file, the print control application 104 manages the document with a management structure independent of the storage file 103, for example, the document defined by the job ticket. The management structure is a hierarchical structure similar to a job ticket, but unlike a job ticket, it has a hierarchy of “book”, “chapter”, and “original (logical) page” from the top. Of these, the manuscript page is the same as the manuscript page in the job ticket. A chapter corresponds to a sheet bundle (sheet punching).

  The document file displayed as the user interface is temporarily constructed for the user interface when the user changes the print setting of the storage file 103 or prints an instruction using the print control application 104. Therefore, the print control application 104 opens the save file 103 together with the corresponding extended edit information file 111, expands a despool table (described later) having a structure defined by the edit information from the save file, and stores it on the memory. Based on this, the structure of the document file and the preview screen are displayed as a user interface as will be described later. A document file constructed by the print control application (bookbinding application) 104 based on the storage file 103 and the extended editing information file 111 is referred to as a book file. At that time, if there is a setting item unique to the extended editing information file, the user can change the print setting while referring to the book file via the user interface. The changed setting is reflected in a table (despool table) on the memory, and is stored in the storage file 103 and the extended editing information file 111 when a storage instruction is given.

<Extended editing information file format example>
Before mentioning details of the print control application 104, a data format of a book file, that is, an extended editing information file will be described. The book file has a three-layer hierarchical structure that imitates a paper medium book. The upper layer is called a “book”, imitating one book, and attributes related to the whole book are defined. The middle layer below it corresponds to the chapter in the book and is also called “chapter”. For each chapter, attributes for each chapter can be defined. The lower layer is a “page” and corresponds to each page defined by the application program. You can define attributes for each page. A book may contain multiple chapters, and a chapter may contain multiple pages.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a book file format. The book, chapter, and page in the book file of this example are indicated by corresponding nodes. One book file contains one book. Since a book and a chapter are concepts for defining a structure as a book, the defined attribute values and links to lower layers are used as entities. The substance of the page is manuscript page data in PDF format or the like included in the save file 103. That is, the extended editing information file only defines the format and attributes of the book file, and does not include the original page data itself. The page has data for each page output by the application program as an entity. Therefore, the page includes an original page entity (original page data) and a link to each original page data in addition to the attribute value. Note that a print page when outputting to a paper medium or the like may include a plurality of document pages. This structure is not displayed by a link, but is displayed as an attribute in each hierarchy of a book, chapter, and page.

  In FIG. 3, since the book file does not have to be one complete book, “book” is generalized as “document”. Information relating to a document is generally referred to as document information, information relating to a chapter is referred to as chapter information, and information relating to a page is collectively referred to as page information.

  In FIG. 3, first, document information 401 is held at the top. The document information 401 can be roughly divided into three parts 402 to 404. The document control information 402 holds information such as a path name in the file system of the document file. The document setting information 403 holds layout information such as page layout and printing apparatus function setting information such as stapling, and corresponds to a book attribute. The chapter information list 404 holds a set of chapters constituting a document in a list format. The list holds chapter information 405.

  The chapter information 405 can be roughly divided into three parts 406 to 408. The chapter control information 406 holds information such as a chapter name. The chapter setting information 407 holds page layout information and stapling information unique to the chapter, and corresponds to chapter attributes. By having setting information for each chapter, it is possible to create a document having a complicated layout such that the first chapter has a 2UP layout and the other chapters have a 4UP layout. The page information list 408 is held in the form of a collection list of manuscript pages constituting each chapter. The page information list 408 indicates page information data 409.

  The page information data 409 is roughly divided into four parts 410 to 412 and 414. The page control information 410 holds information such as page numbers to be displayed on the tree. The page setting information 411 holds information such as page rotation angle and page layout position information, and corresponds to an original page attribute. The page link information 412 is document data corresponding to a page. In this example, the page information 409 does not directly have document data, but has only link information 412, and actual document data is held in the page data 413.

  The original document link 414 holds link data to the original document including the page information. In the present embodiment, this link is not unidirectional but includes a reverse link from the original document to the page information. Since the original document is not necessarily divided into pages, a link from a plurality of page information to one original document may be formed. In FIG. 3, the two page information has links to the original document 1 and the original document 2 that are different from each other. If these two page information are generated from one original document, These links point to one original document.

  FIG. 4 is a list showing an example of book attributes (document setting information 403). Normally, for items that can be defined overlapping with the lower layer, the attribute value of the lower layer is preferentially adopted. Therefore, for items included only in the book attribute, the value defined in the book attribute becomes a valid value throughout the book. However, items that overlap the lower layer have meanings as default values when they are not defined in the lower layer. However, in this example, as described later, it is possible to select whether to give priority to the attribute value of the lower layer. Each item illustrated does not specifically correspond to one item, but may include a plurality of related items.

  Items unique to the book attributes are six items: printing method, bookbinding details, front / back cover, index paper, slip sheet, and chapter break. These are items defined throughout the book. As the printing method attribute, three values of single-sided printing, double-sided printing, and bookbinding printing can be designated. Bookbinding printing is a method of printing in a format that enables bookbinding by bundling a separately designated number of sheets into two and folding the bundle. As the bookbinding details attribute, when bookbinding printing is designated, the spread direction, the number of sheets to be bundled, and the like can be designated.

  The front cover / back cover attribute includes designation of adding sheets to be a front cover and a back cover when printing a storage file to be collected as a book, and designation of print contents on the added sheet. The index sheet attribute includes designation of insertion of index sheets with ears separately prepared in the printing apparatus as chapter breaks and designation of print contents in the index (ear) portion. This attribute can be used when a printing device used by an inserter having an insert function for inserting a sheet prepared separately from the printing sheet into a desired position, or a plurality of paper cassettes can be used. Effective in some cases. The same applies to the slip sheet attribute.

  The slip sheet attribute includes designation of insertion of a sheet supplied from an inserter or a sheet feed cassette as a chapter break, and designation of a sheet feed source when a slip sheet is inserted.

  The chapter break attribute includes designation of whether to use a new sheet, use a new print page, or do nothing in particular at the chapter break. During single-sided printing, the use of new paper and the use of a new print page have the same meaning. In double-sided printing, if “use new paper” is specified, consecutive chapters will not be printed on one sheet, but if “use new print page” is specified, consecutive chapters will be 1 It may be printed on the front and back of a sheet of paper.

  FIG. 5 is a list showing chapter attributes (chapter setting information 407), and FIG. 6 is a list showing page attributes (page setting information 411). The relationship between chapter attributes and page attributes is the same as the relationship between book attributes and lower layer attributes.

  As for chapter attributes, there are no items specific to chapters, and all items overlap with book attributes. Therefore, normally, if the definition in the chapter attribute is different from the definition in the book attribute, the value defined in the chapter attribute has priority. However, in this example, as described later, it is possible to select whether to give priority to the attribute value of the lower layer.

  Items common only to the book attribute and chapter attribute are five items: paper size, paper orientation, N-up printing designation, enlargement / reduction, and paper discharge method. Among these, the N-up print designation attribute is an item for designating the number of document pages included in one print page. Examples of arrangements that can be specified include 1 × 1, 1 × 2, 2 × 2, 3 × 3, and 4 × 4. The paper discharge method attribute is an item for designating whether or not stapling is performed on the discharged paper, and the validity of this attribute depends on whether the printing apparatus to be used has a stapling function.

  Items unique to the page attribute include a page rotation attribute, zoom, layout designation, annotation, and page division. The page rotation attribute is an item for designating a rotation angle when placing an original page on a print page. The zoom attribute is an item for designating the scaling factor of the original page. The scaling factor is specified with the size of the virtual logical page area as 100%. The virtual logical page area is an area occupied by one manuscript page when the manuscript page is arranged in accordance with designation of N-up or the like. For example, if it is 1 × 1, the virtual logical page area is an area corresponding to one print page, and if it is 1 × 2, each side of one print page is an area reduced to about 70%.

  Attributes common to the book, chapter, and page include a watermark attribute and a header / footer attribute. A watermark is a separately designated image or character string that is printed over data created by an application. The header / footer is a watermark printed on the upper margin and the lower margin of each page. However, items that can be specified by variables, such as page numbers and date / time, are prepared in the header / footer. The contents that can be specified in the watermark attribute and the header / footer attribute are common to the chapter and the page, but the book is different from them. In the book, the contents of the watermark and header / footer can be set, and how the watermark, header and footer are printed throughout the book can be specified. On the other hand, for a chapter or page, whether or not to print a watermark or header / footer set in the book can be specified for the chapter or page.

<Example of Operation Procedure of Document Processing System of Present Embodiment>
The extended editing information file 111 has the structure and contents as described above. Next, a procedure for creating the extended editing information file 111 and the storage file 103 by the print control application 104 and the print data storage driver 102 will be described. Creation of the extended editing information file 111 is realized as part of the editing operation of the extended editing information file 111 by the print control application 104. FIG. 7 shows a procedure when the print control application 104 opens the saved file 103 and the extended editing information file 111 and expands them on the memory.

  First, it is determined whether the extended editing information file 111 to be opened is to be newly created or is an existing one (step S701). In the case of new creation, an extended editing information file that does not include a chapter is newly created (step S702). The newly created extended editing information file is a book node in which no chapter node linked to the chapter information list 404 exists, as shown in the example of FIG. As the book attribute, a set of attributes prepared in advance for new creation is applied. Then, a user interface (UI) screen for editing the new extended editing information file is displayed (step S704). FIG. 8 shows an example of a UI screen when a book file is newly created. In this case, since the book file has no substantial content, nothing is displayed on the UI screen 800.

  On the other hand, if there is an existing extended editing information file, the designated saving file and extended editing information file are opened (step S704), and the data is expanded according to the structure, attributes, and contents of the saving file and extended editing information file, and the user Displays an interface (UI) screen. FIG. 9 shows an example of this UI screen. The UI screen 900 includes a tree portion 901 that shows the structure of the book and a preview portion 902 that displays the printed state. The tree portion 901 displays chapters included in the book and pages included in each chapter so that a tree structure as shown in FIG. 3 can be seen. A page displayed in the tree portion 901 is a manuscript page. In preview portion 902, the contents of the print page are reduced and displayed. The display order reflects the structure of the book. Note that the data developed in the RAM 102 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. The attributes included in the nodes of each hierarchy are also expanded in the RAM 102 in the format shown in FIGS. For example, the structure of these attribute items is realized by using a pointer or the like, and the item in the attribute can be identified by an identifier or the like for each item.

  Now, the original page data can be added as a new chapter to the opened extended editing information file 111 by the print data storage driver 102. This function is called an import function. By importing the application data into the extended editing information file newly created by the procedure of FIG. 7, the manuscript page data is associated as belonging under the chapter of the extended editing information file, and the entity is stored in the extended editing information file. Given. This function is activated by dragging and dropping application data on the screen of FIG. FIG. 10 shows the procedure of import processing.

  In FIG. 10, first, the application program that generated the specified application data is started, the print data storage driver 102 is specified as the device driver, and the application data is printed out, so that intermediate format data (for example, PDF format) is obtained. (Step S801). When the conversion is completed, it is determined whether or not the converted data is image data (step S802). This determination can be made based on the file extension of the application data under the Windows (registered trademark) OS. For example, if the extension is “bmp”, it is Windows (registered trademark) bitmap data, if it is “jpg”, it is determined to be jpeg-compressed image data, and if it is “tiff”, it is determined to be image data in the tif format. it can.

  If it is not image data, the intermediate data generated in step S801 is added as a new chapter to the currently opened book of the extended editing information file 111 (step S803). That is, a new chapter and a new manuscript page belonging to it are added by import. In each page node, link information for the actual document page is written. The original page entity generated by the print data storage driver 102 is used.

  When imported, as the chapter attributes, the values of the book attributes are copied for those that are common to the book attributes, and the chapter attributes are set to preset values prepared in advance. In addition, it is possible to inherit the same attributes as the entire document of the saved file.

  If the imported application data is image data, in principle, no new chapter is added, and one file of image data is added as one original page to the designated chapter (step S804). However, if the extended editing information file 111 is a newly created empty file, a new chapter is created and image data is added as a manuscript page belonging to that chapter. In this case, the page attribute is given an attribute value for the attribute common to the upper layer attribute, and is given for the attribute that is inherited by the storage file 103 from the attribute defined in the application data. For example, when N-up designation or the like is made in the application data, the attribute value is taken over. In this way, a new extended editing information file is created or a new chapter is added.

  The imported document is saved together with the extended editing information file 111 as an original document. In step S803 and step S804, for the added original page, link information to the stored original document file is written in the original document link included in the page information.

  As for the save file 103, the added original page data is newly added and saved if the data generated by the print data saving driver 102 is added to the existing save file 103. At this time, if the print settings specified by the application 101 are reflected in the data generated by the print data storage driver 102, the print settings can be reflected in the storage file 103.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating the save file 103 by the print data saving driver 102 in step S801 of FIG. First, a new saved file 103 is created and opened (step S901). An application corresponding to the designated application data is started, and an output command is transmitted to an OS output module (for example, GDI of Windows (registered trademark)) using the print data storage driver 102 as a device driver. The output module converts the received output command into data of a predetermined format (for example, PDF format) by the print data storage driver 102 and outputs the data (step S902). The output destination is the saved file opened in step S901. It is determined whether the conversion has been completed for all the designated data (step S903). If the conversion has been completed, the save file is closed (step S904). The save file generated by the print data save driver 102 is a file called a job ticket that includes the structure shown in FIG. 12 and the actual document page data.

<Edit extended editing information file>
As described above, the extended editing information file 111 and the storage file 103 can be created from the application data. With respect to the generated extended editing information file 111, the following editing operations can be performed on chapters and pages.
(1) New addition (2) Delete (3) Copy (4) Cut (5) Paste (6) Move (7) Rename chapter (8) Rename page number (9) Insert cover (10) Insert paper Insert (11) Insert index paper (12) Page layout for each document page.

  In addition, an operation for canceling an editing operation once performed and an operation for redoing the canceled operation are possible. With these editing functions, for example, integration of multiple extended editing information files, rearrangement of chapters and pages in the extended editing information file, deletion of chapters and pages in the extended editing information file, change of manuscript page layout, slip sheet and index Editing operations such as inserting paper are possible. When these operations are performed, the operation results are reflected in the attributes shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 or in the structure of the save file 102 and the extended editing information file 111. For example, if a blank page new addition operation is performed, a blank page is inserted at a specified location. This blank page is treated as a manuscript page. If the layout of the original page is changed, the changed content is reflected in attributes such as a printing method, N-up printing, front / back cover, index paper, slip sheet, and chapter break. The layout editing is reflected in the structure of the job ticket of the saved file 103.

  In the editing operation, the job ticket once stored in the storage file 103 is expanded in the memory as data in the form of a despool table reflecting the structure, and the attributes unique to the extended editing information file 111 are further stored on the despool table. Reflect. The page data itself need not be expanded. The structure of the document developed on the memory as the despool table is the target of the editing operation described above.

  The despool table includes a structure similar to that of the original job ticket, print settings in each layer, and association with document pages. That is, under the print settings effective for the entire document such as the number of copies, color type, and duplex / single-sided printing, there are valid print settings for sheet bundles (sheet wrapping) such as N-up printing. Each sheet belongs to print settings such as double-sided / single-sided designation, and each physical page (side) belonging to each sheet has print settings such as designation of color type or front / back side. The print settings for each layer include items that can be set. The despool table setting is specified on the physical page according to the device specifications.

  Then, after editing, the despool table is saved according to the user's operation. The save format is a save file 103 and an extended editing information file 111. That is, the despool table is close to the job ticket itself developed in the memory, but includes print settings that can be held only as attributes of the extended editing information file. Therefore, the despool table is first stored as the save file 103 except for such attributes. At the same time, the layout of the document represented in the structure and the setting of each node are stored in the extended editing information file 111. However, in order to save the structure represented in the despool table as an attribute, it is necessary to grasp the structure of the despool table. Therefore, in order to make it unnecessary to grasp the structure, the editing result may be reflected in the despool table and the editing result may be recorded as data matched with the attributes defined in the extended editing information file 111. By doing so, it is possible to save the edited result in the extended editing information file independently of the structure of the despool table.

<Output of extended editing information file>
The extended editing information file created and edited as described above has the final purpose of print output. When the user selects a file menu from the UI screen 900 of the print control application shown in FIG. 9 and selects print from there, printing is output by the designated output device. At this time, first, the print control application 104 creates data called the despool table described above from the currently opened extended editing information file and the corresponding saved file (for example, job ticket), and passes the data to the print application 105.

  The print application 105 converts the despool table into parameters to be passed to the graphic engine 121.

  The print application 105 converts the saved file 103 into an OS output command, for example, a Windows (registered trademark) GDI command, and calls a GDI function, which is a graphic engine, using it as a parameter. The graphic engine 121 causes the designated printer driver 121 to generate a command suitable for the device (for example, a printer) and transmits the command to the device.

  Here, the graphic engine 121 loads the printer driver 106 prepared for each printing device from the external memory 211 to the RAM 202 and sets the output to the printer driver 106. The graphic engine 121 converts a GDI (Graphic Device Interface) function into a DDI (Device Driver Interface) function and calls a DDI function provided by the printer driver 106. Based on the DDI function called from the output module, the printer driver 106 converts it into a control command that can be recognized by the printer, for example, PDL (Page Description Language). The converted printer control command is output as print data to the printer 107 via the interface 21 via the system spooler 122 loaded into the RAM 202 by the OS.

(Example of preview display)
As described above, when the book file is opened by the print control application, the user interface screen 900 shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In the tree portion 901, a tree indicating the structure of an open document (hereinafter referred to as “target book”) is displayed. In the preview section, three display methods are prepared according to the user's designation. The first is a mode called a document view that displays a document page as it is. In the document view mode, the content of the document page belonging to the book of interest is reduced and displayed. The layout is not reflected in the preview display. The second is a print view mode. In the print view mode, the document page is displayed on the preview unit 902 in a form that reflects the layout of the document page. The third is a simple print view mode. In the simple print view mode, the contents of each original page are not reflected in the display of the preview portion, but only the layout is reflected.

<Overview of print layout processing>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the steps until the editing information file and the save file are created in the present embodiment. This process is the same as in the conventional case. First, create a data file that is the source of the text in a general application. This file may be one or plural. The same application or different applications may be used. Next, the bookbinding application 104 captures this data and converts it into an image for each page. After performing layout editing on this image, the edited document is stored as an editing information file 111 and a storage file 103.

  FIG. 16 shows the contents of the work file of the bookbinding application 104 according to the present invention. In addition to the conventional contents, original document data 1601 and the like created by the application that is the source of the text are taken in as information. By using this data, it is possible to change the image information of the text.

  FIG. 17 shows a step of editing the text from the editing information file and the save file 1701 created in the step of FIG. The original data of the text included in the edit information file and the save file 1701 is edited by the application. When this is saved after editing, the layout edited in the previous process and the new text are automatically combined to create a combined state of the new text and the previous layout edit. Save this to complete the work. Compared to conventional processes that all had to be redone, the efficiency has been greatly improved.

  However, even in the case of FIG. 17, if the number of pages of the body data has changed, or if the pages have been changed during layout editing, manual correction by the user may be necessary after automatic composition. However, it is still more efficient than doing everything again.

  FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram of user interface operation by the bookbinding application according to the present invention. When opening an edit information file and a save file, first, based on the extended edit information file 1800, a screen 1801 that allows the user to select text editing or layout editing is first opened. This display is performed by the bookbinding application 104 in this embodiment. However, it may be executed by a program other than the bookbinding application. When the icon 1801a is selected and opened, the user can perform normal layout editing in the window 1802 provided by the bookbinding application, assuming that layout editing is selected, and save the edited data. be able to. A window 1802 corresponds to the window 900 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when editing the text, the user selects a file to be edited from the icons of the original document file displayed in the window 1801. The selected file is associated with an application that has edited and generated the selected file, and a corresponding general application is activated by selecting an icon. An editing operation by the corresponding application is performed in a window 1803. This screen can be edited by the user through a user interface that is exactly the same as the user interface used by an application program that is usually on the market.

  After the editing of the main text by the general application is completed, the new main text is converted into image data and replaced with the old one when the application is terminated after being saved. This processing is performed by the bookbinding application 104 in this embodiment. However, if the window 1801 is displayed by a program other than the bookbinding application other than the bookbinding application, the edited text is captured by the program.

  After that, the bookbinding application displays the new text in a form that reflects information such as the previously set layout. In this way, composition of the text and layout is realized. If there is no problem in the synthesized result, the user can save it as it is, and if it needs correction, the user can correct the layout and save it.

<Description of editing procedure>
Processing of the bookbinding application extended according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 19 to 23, the configuration of the editing information file in FIG. 3, and the configuration of the job ticket in FIG. 12. Note that, as described above, the processing in FIGS. 19 to 23 can be executed not by the bookbinding application but by a separately provided program.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a processing procedure in which the bookbinding application 104 according to the present embodiment displays the window 1801 in FIG. 18 and branches to processing according to the operation by the user. This procedure is activated when an extended bookbinding information file is designated as an editing target after the bookbinding application is activated, or when an extended editing information file is designated and opened by the application. Hereinafter, the portion of the extended editing information file excluding the original document link and the linked original document file is referred to as an editing information file.

  First, in step S1901, the original document file included in the designated extended editing information file is displayed together with the editing information file. This display is performed as shown in a window 1801 in FIG. 18 by displaying a symbol such as an icon indicating a file and a list of the file names.

  Here, an operation by the user is awaited (step S1902), and when the editing information file 1801a is instructed to be opened (step S1903-Y), the editing information file is opened. This procedure is as shown in FIG. Alternatively, when the opening of the original document file 1801b is instructed (step S1904-Y), an application associated with the designated original document file (referred to as an original document compatible application) is activated to perform editing processing. Start. This association may be performed independently by the bookbinding application. However, in the Windows (registered trademark) operating system and the like, the application is associated with the file name extension and saved, and the information can be used. . Before starting the original document compatible application, the number of pages of the document to be edited and the update date and time are stored in association with the document. The update date and time is normally recorded as a file attribute, but the number of pages cannot always be acquired without opening the file. However, as shown in FIG. 3, since the original document and each page information are linked, and in this embodiment, there is also a reverse link from the original document to the page information, the number of links is the number of pages of the original document. You may remember as.

  Since the editing of the original document is performed by a procedure unique to the application for editing the original document, details thereof are omitted here. FIG. 20 shows the processing by the bookbinding application when editing of the original document is completed. The bookbinding application 104 waits for the occurrence of an event that the application corresponding to the original document ends, receives the message that reports the occurrence of the event, and starts the processing of FIG. Such interprocess messages are usually supported by the operating system.

  In FIG. 20, first, for an original document file created and saved by an original document compatible application, a temporary save file including page data, for example, converted to PDF for each page is created (step S2001). Here, the storage file is created by the print data storage driver 102 as shown in FIG. However, the purpose here is to create page data for each page, and it is not necessary to give the document a structure as in the import process of FIG.

  Next, the page number of the electronic original page data created in step S2001 (data of each page created in a predetermined format), the number of pages of the original document stored before starting the original document corresponding application, and Are compared (step S2002). If they match, there is no change in the structure of both the save file and the edit information file. Therefore, the page data of the original storage file is replaced with the page data of the temporary storage file (step S2004). The same applies to the editing information file 111 as well as the storage file 103. However, when page data is shared by two files, the replacement is performed only for the shared page data.

  The page data link values of the original page information 1105 (see FIG. 11) of the existing storage file 103 and the page information 409 (see FIG. 3) of the editing information file 111 indicate the page data after replacement. Not limited to this, since the link to the page data has not been established, in step S2004, the page data link is reconfigured for the storage file 103 and the edit information file 111. In both the save file 103 and the edit information file 111, the original page information 1105 and the page information 409 correspond to leaves of a tree structure, and when only the leaves are scanned, the pages are arranged in the order in which the pages are arranged in the document. For example, the page data list 413 of FIG. 3 is described in the page order from left to right, because the page information 409 is arranged in the page order from left to right. The same applies to the save file 103. Therefore, if page information and document page information are sequentially linked in the order from the first page to the last page of the page data after replacement, reconfiguration of the page data link or document page data link can be realized.

  Note that the procedure in FIG. 20 is performed only for the edited original document file. In other words, in the case of a document created by a bookbinding application (ie, an electronic manuscript), if no change is made to the part created by another original document compatible application, only the part of the original document file to be edited is displayed. 20 processes are performed, and other parts are maintained as they are. Even if the “part of the original document file to be edited” is discontinuous in the original document (that is, the electronic manuscript), the page from the original document file is displayed by, for example, the original document link (reverse link) shown in FIG. Information can be identified. Then, the above replacement and reconstruction can be performed on the page data specified by the page data link from the specified page information. In this case as well, page data is extracted in order from the top of the page of the temporary storage file without replacing the page in the original document and the page in the document (that is, the electronic manuscript), and replaced with new page data. .

  Note that the date and time of creation and update of the original document file before starting up the original document-compatible application is recorded and compared with the update date and time after starting up the original document-compatible application. You may make it branch to.

  Further, the page order may be changed or the page may be deleted by the bookbinding application. In such a case, the operator needs to perform the same operation again.

  In step S2005, as shown in the window 1802 in FIG. 9 or FIG. 18, the editing information file is opened by the bookbinding application, and a preview image is generated and displayed. In this state, the user can edit and print the displayed document.

  If the number of pages before and after editing does not match in step S2002, the process branches to step S2100 in FIG. Here, it is determined whether the number of pages after editing is greater than that before editing. This determination can be made using the same data as in step S2002.

  If it is determined that the number has increased, the page data of the original saved file and the editing information file are replaced with the page data of the original page of the temporary protection file (step S2101).

  Then, the page data link of the page information is reconfigured for the editing information file 111 (step S2102). This reconstruction is the same as the processing performed for the editing information file in step S2004. However, since the page data is increased here, the page data at the end increment cannot be linked to the page information.

  Therefore, page information corresponding to the increased page data of the manuscript page is newly added to the editing information file (step S2103). At the time of addition, the page information corresponding to the last page of the original document before editing is duplicated including the page attributes by the number corresponding to the increased number of pages.

  The editing information file to which these page information is added is reconstructed in step S2104. First, the duplicated page information is linked to a page information list 408 (see FIG. 3) of the same chapter information as the original page information. Therefore, page information belonging to the same chapter and having the same attribute is added to the editing information file by the increased number of pages.

  The page information added in this way is linked to the remaining page data. That is, the remaining page data is associated with page information according to the page order. The page information is arranged from left to right in the example of FIG. Therefore, the association is also performed in that order (that is, the order of pages in the editing information file). The associated page information and page data are linked by a page data link.

  Note that the original document link information included in the page information is also reconfigured in units of original documents. That is, since the process shown in FIG. 21 is performed in units of original documents, all the page data added to the editing information file in step S2103 is generated from the same original document file. The newly added page information is a copy of the page information corresponding to the last page of the original document before editing. Therefore, the original document link information is also reconstructed at the same time by copying the original document link information. Is done.

  Finally, the job ticket stored in the save file 103 is reconfigured (step S2105). This procedure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2100 that the number of pages after editing is less than the number of pages before editing, the process branches to step S2106, and the original storage file and the original storage file and the page data of the original page of the temporary storage file are The page data of the editing information file is replaced (step S2106). This procedure is the same as step S2101.

  Then, the page data link of the page information is reconfigured for the editing information file 111 (step S2107). This reconstruction is performed in the same manner as in step S2102, the same processing as that performed for the editing information file in step S2004. However, since the page data is reduced here, the page information corresponding to the decrease at the end cannot be linked to the page data.

  Therefore, the page information corresponding to the page data of the reduced manuscript page is deleted from the editing information file (step S2108). For this, it is only necessary to delete the page information in which the link to the page data is lost. When deleting, if there is chapter information in which there is no page information linked by the deletion, the chapter information is also deleted. Finally, the job ticket stored in the save file is reconstructed (step S2105).

  FIG. 22 shows the procedure of job ticket reconfiguration processing in step S2105 of FIG. Since the job ticket represents the layout of the page by its tree structure, addition or deletion of page data must be performed according to the structure.

  First, in step S2200, it is determined whether the number of pages after editing is greater than that before editing. This determination can be made using the same data as in step S2002.

  If it is determined that there is no change or a decrease, the original page data after editing the original document is replaced with the original page data before editing, and the original page link of the original page data is changed. Reconfiguration is performed (step S2201). The job ticket has a tree structure, and the manuscript page information corresponds to the leaf. The leaves are arranged in page order in a certain scanning direction. Therefore, the edited document page data is sequentially replaced with the corresponding document page data before editing. Then, the original page data link is reconnected to the original page data after replacement. If the number of manuscript pages has not changed, the process ends here. Step S2202 and subsequent steps may not be performed.

  If the number of pages is reduced by editing, the manuscript page information is full, and thus manuscript page information without a link destination to manuscript page data is deleted (step S2202). Then, the physical page information to which the deleted original page information is linked is referred to, and when there is no original page information linked to the physical page information by deleting the original page information, the physical page information is also deleted ( Step S2203). In this case, the surface information to which the physical page to be deleted is linked is referred to, and if there is no physical page information linked to the surface information due to the deletion of the physical page information, the surface information is also deleted (step S2204). In this case, the sheet information to which the surface information to be deleted is linked is referred to, and if there is no surface information linked to the sheet information due to the deletion of the surface information, the sheet information is also deleted (step S2205). .

  In this way, the job ticket is reconstructed after the number of pages is reduced. The job ticket is also reconfigured in units of original documents to be edited. Therefore, in order to specify the original page data (and original page information) to be replaced, deleted, or added by editing the original document, when the page data is shared between the save file and the edit information file, A link between the original document file and the page information in the editing information file 111 can be used. That is, in this case, since the corresponding page data can be specified from the original document file, the original page information of the job ticket linked to the page data can be specified. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a reverse link from the original page data to the original page information in the saved file. By following the link, the original page data to be replaced can be specified.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2200 that the number of pages after editing is larger than the number of pages before editing, the process branches to step S2301 in FIG. 23 to reconstruct the original page data link of the job ticket. However, since the current number of document page information is smaller than the number of document page data after editing, reconstruction is performed in accordance with the document page information in the step S2301. That is, similarly to step S22014, the edited document page data is sequentially replaced with the corresponding document page data before editing, and the document page data link is reconnected to the replaced document page data.

  Next, the original page information of the current last page is duplicated by the increased number of pages, and a link to the original page data is created (step S2302). Of course, the last page means the last page of the manuscript page corresponding to the edited original document file. As described above, the link between the original document file and the page information in the editing information file 111 can be used to specify the manuscript page corresponding to the original document file.

  In step S2303 and subsequent steps, processing is performed to link the increased document page data to the job ticket. First, attention is paid to the original page information that links the page data with the first page order among the page data that cannot be linked to the job ticket due to the increase. This is not yet linked to a job ticket. Then, attention is focused on the page data belonging to the original document file that has been changed by editing, and the page data currently linked to the job ticket. That is, pay attention again to the original page data linked to the original page information that became the copy source in step S2302 (hereinafter, the nodes such as physical page information and paper information to which the last page data belongs directly or indirectly are added. (Referred to as the “tail” node). Then, it is determined whether new document page information can be linked to the physical page information to which the last document page data belongs, that is, the last physical page information (step S2303). This determination is made with reference to the physical page setting of the physical page information 1104 and the number of links to the document page. From the physical page setting, the number of manuscript pages that can be linked to the physical page is known. For example, if N-in-1 layout is set in the physical page setting, the number of manuscript pages that can be linked to the physical page is N. Then, the number is compared with the number of links to the current document page information. If the number of document pages that can be linked is larger, it is determined that the link is possible.

  In that case, the document page information of interest is linked to the physical page information at the end thereof (step S2304). Then, pay attention to the next original page information (step S2305), and repeat from step S2303.

  On the other hand, if there is no margin in the end physical page information, it is determined whether or not new physical page information can be linked to the end surface information to which the physical page information is linked (step S2306). This determination is also made with reference to the surface setting of the surface information 1103 and the number of links to the physical page. The number of physical pages that can be linked to the surface information is known from the surface setting. For example, if both sides are set in the side setting, the number of physical pages that can be linked to the side information is two. Then, the number is compared with the number of links to the current physical page information. If the number of linkable physical pages is larger, it is determined that the link is possible.

  In that case, the physical page information at the end is copied and linked to the surface information at the end (step S2307), and the process branches to step S2303. After the branching, step S2304 is executed, and the document page information of interest is linked to the new copied physical page information at the end.

  If there is no room to link the new physical page information to the end face information, it is determined whether the new face information can be linked to the end sheet information to which the face information is linked (step S2308). This determination is also made with reference to the sheet setting of the sheet information 1102 and the number of links to the surface information. From the sheet setting, the number of surface information that can be linked to the sheet information is known. For example, if bookbinding is set in units of a certain number of sheets in the sheet setting, the number of surface information that can be linked to the sheet information is the number of bookbinding units. Then, the number is compared with the number of links to the current surface information. If the number of surface information that can be linked is larger, it is determined that the link is possible.

  In that case, the end face information is copied and linked to the end paper information (step S2309), and the process branches to step S2303. Step S2307 is executed after the branching, and the new physical page information is linked to the copied new end face information. Thereafter, step S2304 is executed, and the document page information of interest is linked to the copied new last physical page information.

  If there is no room to link the new sheet information to the last sheet information, the last sheet information is copied and linked to the document information (step S2310), and the process branches to step S2303. As a result, new surface information and new physical page information are added to the job ticket, and the document page information of interest is incorporated into the job ticket. The job ticket is reconstructed as described above.

  As a result of the processing shown in FIGS. 19 to 23, the edited original document is converted into page data in the form of a storage file by the print data storage driver, and the contents of the page are updated. Nevertheless, since the attributes held by the document, such as page attributes, are unchanged, there is no need to reconstruct a new electronic manuscript file, reducing the labor involved in document editing and improving productivity. Can be planned.

  (1) The eDOC (electronic manuscript file) created by the bookbinding application is expanded to hold the original document itself, editing of the original page is permitted by an instruction from the bookbinding application, and the edited eDOC (electronic manuscript file) ). (2) When re-docking after editing, attributes (print attributes such as watermark, header / footer, etc.) for the page before editing can be inherited as they are.

The following points are raised as features in the processing of the present embodiment.
(1) A document creation application document, a table creation application document, a graphic drawing application document, and an image file document are each newly generated as one document.
(2) An electronic manuscript is an original document, an electronic manuscript for a bookbinding application converted from the original document, and a job in which composition information of the composite electronic manuscript (FIG. 3) and print settings are described in a hierarchical structure. Ticket (FIG. 11).
(3) When the original document is edited and stored, an electronic document (eDOC document data) is generated again by causing the print data storage driver to process the edited original document, and the old document data is replaced. Is called.
(4) The editing process using the original document of the original page itself is permitted and the page attribute is reflected after the editing.

[Other Embodiments]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  In addition, an object of the present invention is to supply a system or apparatus with a storage medium (or recording medium) that records a program code of software for executing the procedures of FIGS. 19 to 23 that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments. However, this can also be achieved by the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reading and executing 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 embodiments, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  Further, 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. A case where part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing is also included.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. This includes a case where the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the stand-alone type document processing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a host computer and a printer in the document processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the book file which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the book attribute which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the chapter attribute which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the page attribute which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure which opens the book file which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the user interface screen at the time of opening a new book file. It is a figure which shows an example of the user interface screen at the time of opening the existing book file. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure which imports a preservation | save file to a book file based on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the procedure which converts application data into a preservation | save file based on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of a job ticket. FIG. 6 is a diagram simply showing a format of a conventional print layout work file. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process from creation of a text by a general application to creation of a work file whose layout is edited by a print layout application. It is the figure which showed the conventional work process when wanting to edit the text part of a work file (telegraph manuscript file). FIG. 5 is a diagram simply illustrating a format of a print layout work file according to an embodiment. It is the figure which showed the work process in this invention when it wants to edit the text part of a work file. It is the schematic of the user interface of embodiment. It is a flowchart of the procedure at the time of starting edit of an electronic manuscript file or an original document file. It is a flowchart of the reconstruction procedure of the edit information file after completion | finish of edit of an original document. It is a flowchart of the reconstruction procedure of the edit information file after completion | finish of edit of an original document. It is a flowchart of the reconstruction procedure of the preservation | save file after completion | finish of edit of an original document. It is a flowchart of the reconstruction procedure of the preservation | save file after completion | finish of edit of an original document.

Claims (10)

A document editing method capable of editing document data including page data, which is an image of a page unit, and an association between the original document data as a source and layout information of the page data,
Starting an editing program for original document data associated with page data included in the document data;
A page data generation step for generating page data from the original document data edited by the editing program;
A document editing method comprising: replacing the page data generated by the page data generation step with page data associated with original document data that is the source of the page data.   In the replacement step, when the number of pages before and after replacement is the same and when the number of pages after replacement is reduced compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is changed to page data after replacement. The document editing method according to claim 1, wherein the document editing method is inherited.   In the replacement step, when the number of pages after replacement is increased compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is inherited by the page data after replacement, and the page data for the increase 2. The document editing method according to claim 1, wherein the layout information of the last page data to be replaced is copied and inherited.   The document editing method according to claim 1, further comprising an editing step for allowing a user to edit the layout of the document data. A program for causing a computer to edit document data including page data, which is an image in page units, and an association between the original document data as a base and layout information of the page data,
By computer
Starting an editing program for original document data associated with page data included in the document data;
A page data generation step for generating page data from the original document data edited by the editing program;
A program that, in the document data, executes a replacement step of replacing the page data generated by the page data generation step with the page data associated with the original document data that is the source of the page data.   In the replacement step, when the number of pages before and after replacement is the same and when the number of pages after replacement is reduced compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is changed to page data after replacement. The program according to claim 5, wherein the program is inherited.   In the replacement step, when the number of pages after replacement is increased compared to before replacement, the layout information of the page data before replacement is inherited by the page data after replacement, and the page data for the increase 7. The program according to claim 6, wherein the layout information at the end of the page data to be replaced is copied and inherited.   A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon the program according to any one of claims 5 to 7. Storage means for storing document data including page data, which is an image of a page unit, and association between original document data as a source and layout information of the page data;
Means for starting an editing program for original document data associated with page data included in the document data;
Page data generating means for generating page data from original document data edited by the editing program;
A document editing apparatus comprising: replacement means for replacing page data generated by the page data generation means with page data associated with original document data that is the source of the page data.   The document editing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storage unit further stores the original document data in association with the original document data.

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