JP2009048485A - Information processor, information processing method, information processing program and storage medium recording the information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: an information processor that achieves an application function flexibly responding to a user's intended use or a purpose of use by extending the function range by which one function of an application can be achieved; an information processing method; an information processing program; and storage medium for recording the information processing program. <P>SOLUTION: The information processor 100 comprises sub-function-based information processing means 41 which respectively achieve a plurality of sub-functions constituting one function of the application, wherein the information processor 100 achieves the function of the application by executing the information processing means 41 in accordance with a predetermined execution order. The information processor further comprises a branch processing execution means 43 which performs branch processing according to the execution result of the information processing means 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a desktop application, and particularly to an information processing apparatus that realizes one function of an application by executing a plurality of small functions (minimum unit functions) according to a predetermined execution order.

  Even for the same application, the purpose of use and usage vary depending on the user who uses the application.

  Therefore, for companies that develop applications and provide them to users, whether or not the provided applications can sufficiently meet the purpose and application of the users, that is, their applications can obtain high customer satisfaction from users. Whether or not is important in selling applications.

  Therefore, in many applications, a basic function (hereinafter referred to as “basic function”) provided in common to all users in advance so that necessary functions can be expanded on the user side, It is developed separately for functions that can be expanded when necessary (hereinafter referred to as “extended functions”), and is provided to users.

  As a result, the user installs the program for the “extended function” provided in a form different from the program of the application main body to the information processing apparatus in which the application having the “basic function” operates as necessary. As a result, the function can be expanded according to the purpose of use and application.

  Such a program for “extended function” developed to realize function expansion is called “plug-in”.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes a function of connecting each DB to perform data communication with a plurality of document management DBs (Data Base) included in the system as a program of document management software (application main body). An integrated document management system configured as a separate program (DB connection function plug-in) has been proposed.

  In this way, by configuring an integrated document management system, when a user performs a document operation via a UI (User Interface), the user can operate without being aware of the type of DB that the system has. Even if there is a change in specifications related to data communication between DBs, DB design changes, or addition of new DBs, the development side needs to respond to the changes in plug-in units, so customization is possible. The effect is easy.

  However, when the application functions are expanded using the plug-ins as described above and a series of processing is performed by combining the functions provided by the plug-ins, for example, the user must instruct execution of each function each time. There is a problem that the operation until the end of a series of processing becomes complicated.

Currently, in order to perform a series of processes more easily, an application that implements a series of processes as one function by executing small functions, which are extended minimum unit functions, according to a predetermined execution order has been proposed. ing.
JP 2001-51840 A

  However, in the conventional “application that realizes one function by executing a plurality of small functions according to a predetermined execution order”, it is necessary to determine in advance the small functions to be executed in a series of processes and the execution order thereof. is there. For this reason, it is not possible to dynamically determine a small function to be executed from now on according to the execution result of the already executed small function. That is, the branch process according to the execution result could not be performed.

  For example, when the user prints image data that has been subjected to predetermined image processing, and wants to switch between color printing and monochrome printing according to the color characteristics of the image data (color image or monochrome image) It is necessary to determine in advance a color printing function, a monochrome printing function, a small function to be executed for each printing function and an execution order thereof, and color printing or monochrome printing in one printing function. Cannot be branched.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the above-described problems of the conventional technology, the function range realized by one function of an application can be expanded, and an application function that can flexibly cope with the user's purpose and application can be realized. An object is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing program, and a recording medium for recording the information processing program.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus of the present invention has information processing means for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions constituting one function of an application. An information processing apparatus that realizes the function of the application by executing in accordance with an execution order, and includes a branch process execution unit that performs a branch process according to an execution result of the information processing unit.

  As a result, the information processing apparatus of the present invention performs a branch process according to the execution result of the small function, and dynamically determines the small function to be executed next, thereby reducing the function range realized by one function of the application. It is possible to realize an application function that can be expanded and flexibly cope with the purpose and application of the user.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes branch condition information indicating a condition for performing branch processing according to an execution result of the information processing means, and information processing means executed after branching. A definition data generating unit configured to generate definition data defining execution order information indicating an execution order and processing target information indicating data to be processed by an information processing unit to be executed after branching; The branching process is performed based on the definition data generated by the definition data generation means.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the definition data generation means includes identification information for identifying the information processing means for realizing the small function in the branch condition information of the definition data. The attribute information of the information processing means is defined.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing method of the present invention has an information processing procedure for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions that constitute one function of an application. An information processing method for realizing the function of the application by executing according to an execution order, wherein when the information processing procedure is executed according to the predetermined execution order, an execution result obtained by executing the information processing procedure is obtained. It has a branch process execution procedure for performing a branch process accordingly.

  As a result, the information processing method of the present invention performs a branch process according to the execution result of the small function, and dynamically determines a small function to be executed next, thereby reducing the function range realized by one function of the application. It is possible to realize an application function that can be expanded and flexibly cope with the purpose and application of the user.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing program of the present invention has information processing means for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions constituting one function of an application. An information processing program that implements the function of the application by executing according to an execution order, and causes a computer to execute a branch process according to an execution result of the information processing means.

  Accordingly, the information processing program of the present invention can cause the computer to execute a branch process for determining a small function to be executed next in accordance with the execution result of the small function.

  Therefore, the information processing program of the present invention can expand the functional range realized by one function of the application, and can realize an application that can flexibly respond to the user's purpose and application.

  According to the present invention, the branching process according to the execution result of the small function is performed, and the small function to be executed next is dynamically determined, so that the function range realized by one function of the application is expanded and used by the user. It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing program, and a recording medium for recording the information processing program that can realize an application function that can flexibly cope with the purpose and application.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Hardware configuration of information processing device>
First, the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 11, a main storage unit 12, an auxiliary storage unit 13, a network I / F 14, an external storage device I / F 15, an external device I / F 16, An output device I / F 17 and an input device I / F 18 are included.

  A control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 11 controls each device included in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, such as a main storage unit 12, an auxiliary storage unit 13, and a network I / F 14 described below. . The control unit 11 is a device that executes a program stored in the main storage unit 12 or the auxiliary storage unit 13. The control unit 11 receives data from an input device or a storage device, calculates and processes the data, Output to a storage device (for example, display characters entered on a keyboard on a display).

  A main storage unit (ROM: Read Only Memory, RAM: Random Access Memory) 12 is a device for storing (including temporarily holding) a program executed by the control unit 11 and related data. The ROM stores a program executed by the control unit 11 and related data, and the stored program and related data are expanded (loaded) onto the RAM as needed by the control unit 11 and expanded. The (loaded) program and related data are calculated and processed by the control unit 11.

  The auxiliary storage unit (HD: Hard Disk) 13 stores an OS (Operating System) that is basic software, an application program including an information processing program according to the present embodiment, a plug-in for function expansion, and the like together with related data. It is. The auxiliary storage unit 13 stores various information (for example, definition information defining execution conditions and execution order of plug-ins) managed by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. (File System) etc.

  The network I / F 14 is a peripheral device having a communication function connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) constructed by a data transmission path such as a wired and / or wireless line. For example, this is an interface between the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and other information processing apparatuses and image forming apparatuses.

  The external storage device I / F 15 is an interface between an external storage device (for example, a storage media drive) connected via a data transmission path such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) and the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment. It is.

  The external device I / F 16 is an interface between an external device (for example, an external HD or a USB memory) connected via a data transmission path such as USB and the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment exchanges various types of data (transmission / reception and reading / writing) with the outside via these interfaces.

  The output device I / F 17 includes an output device (for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)) connected via a data transmission line such as a dedicated cable, and the information processing device according to the present embodiment. 100 interface.

  The input device I / F 18 is an interface between an input device (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) connected via a data transmission path such as USB and the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  As described above, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 11 expands (loads) the information processing program according to the present embodiment stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 onto the RAM of the main storage unit 12. By executing the expanded (loaded) program, a “desktop application that can flexibly respond to the purpose and application of the user” described below is realized.

<Software configuration of information processing device>
Next, the software configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, software related to the desktop application 20 implemented in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a desktop application 20, a function plug-in 30, and a core program (core module group) 31. .

  The desktop application 20 includes definition data 21, a UI plug-in (UI part) 22, and an application process 23.

  The definition data 21 is data in which information related to operations such as execution conditions and execution order of plug-ins necessary for realizing the processing performed by the desktop application 20 is defined according to a predetermined format. ).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the definition data 21 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (when there is no conditional branch).

  The data shown in FIG. 3 is an example of definition data 21 described in a markup language called XML (Extensible Markup Language).

  XML is one of markup languages for describing the meaning and structure of documents and data by a specific character string called a tag, and a user can specify a unique tag.

  Due to such language characteristics, the definition data 21 according to the present embodiment has its own “definition start tag” (for example, “<Tag>”) and “definition end tag” (for example, “</ Tag>”). , By defining information about the operation (for example, Proc_1) (for example, “<Tag> Proc_1 </ Tag>”, etc.). Therefore, the above-mentioned “predetermined format” means a format in which information regarding the operation is arranged between the start tag and the end tag.

  Further, in the definition data 21 according to the present embodiment, the data structure to be defined is hierarchized from the “start tag” and “end tag”. For example, “Start tag” and “End tag” of definition B are embedded between “End tag” of definition A corresponding to “Start tag” of definition A, and further correspond to “Start tag” of definition B When the “start tag” and “end tag” of definition C and the “start tag” and “end tag” of definition D are embedded between the “end tag” of definition B to be defined, the components of definition A Becomes definition B, and the components of definition B are definitions C and D. In this way, by defining another tag in a nested manner between a pair of tags, the data to be defined can be hierarchized.

  The information related to the operation defined in the definition data 21 is mainly necessary to realize “information related to a function” when processing performed by the desktop application 20 is defined as one function and processing performed by the desktop application 20. There are three types of information: “information about execution conditions and execution order” of the function plug-in (small function) 30 and “information about processing target” of the function plug-in (small function) 30.

<< Function information >>
(A) Definition name (function name)
Information indicating a definition name when processing performed by a plurality of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 is defined as one function (function name realized by executing a plurality of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 Information).
(B) Definition type Information indicating the type of a defined function (for example, a system-side function or a user-side function).
(C) Menu name Information indicating a menu name corresponding to a defined function displayed as one of the menu items of the desktop application 20.
(D) Menu item area Information indicating the area of the menu item to be displayed among the corresponding menus when the defined function is displayed as one of the menu items of the desktop application 20.

<< Information about execution conditions and execution order >>
(E) Execution conditions Parameters for controlling processing when processing is performed by the information processing means 41 (function plug-in (small function) 30).
(F) Execution order The order in which a plurality of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 are arranged (the order in which they are described (process A and process B in FIG. 3)).

<< Definition of processing target >>
(G) Processing Target Information indicating the name of data to be processed by the function plug-in (small function) 30 and the name of the function plug-in (small function) 30 that output the data.

  In the definition data 21 shown in FIG. 3, these pieces of information are defined by “start tag” and “end tag” corresponding to each information.

  Therefore, the definition data 21 includes data 71 that defines “information related to functions” and data 72 that defines “information related to execution conditions, execution order, and processing targets”.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the UI plug-in (UI part) 22 is a program (minimum unit function (small function) that configures the UI) of the desktop application 20, and includes a plurality of programs (module groups). It is configured.

  The application process 23 is a program that executes processing upon receiving an allocation of a usable memory area on the RAM of the main storage unit 12 from the OS. The process executed by the application process 23 includes, for example, a drawing process for displaying a UI on an output device such as a CRT or an LCD using a UI plug-in (UI part) 22, operating conditions defined in the definition data 21, These include plug-in execution processing for instructing the operation of the function plug-in (small function) 30 according to information related to the operation such as the operation order, and definition data generation processing for generating the definition data 21 based on information related to the operation received from the UI.

  The function plug-in 30 is a program for performing predetermined information processing in order to realize the function of the desktop application 20, and is configured by a plurality of programs (module groups). The “predetermined information processing” here refers to a desktop application 20 such as “file selection”, “resizing (scaling)”, “color printing”, “monochrome printing”, “message display”, and the like. Means a process for realizing a minimum unit function (small function) constituting the function.

  The minimum unit functions (small functions) realized by the function plug-in 30 mainly include processing for performing image processing on input data input to the information processing apparatus 100 (image processing function), input data, and / or Processing to output data after image processing (output function), and processing to notify the user of information such as execution status and execution result via output devices such as CRT and LCD when performing image processing and output processing Any one function included in the three function classifications (information notification function).

  Such a function plug-in (small function) 30 is stored in the nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 by the installer when the desktop application 20 is installed in the information processing apparatus 100 or additionally installed as necessary. Stored in a predetermined storage area. Here, the “predetermined storage area” means a storage area indicated by a storage destination address (for example, a directory path or a folder path) designated by the installer.

  The core program 31 executes a function plug-in (small function) 30 in accordance with an operation instruction from the application process 23, and a data interface between the application program and the plug-in module (hereinafter referred to as “data I / F”). .) A program called a program that is shared between an application program and a plug-in module, and is composed of a plurality of programs (module groups).

With the above configuration, the software related to the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment operates as follows. This operation is an example when the user “selects the menu item of the desktop application 20”.
(1) A function operation instruction is received from the user via the UI.
(2) The application process 23 passes the operation instruction received from the UI to the core program 31 via the data I / F.
(3) The core program 31 specifies the definition data 21 in which information related to the operation of the instructed function is defined in accordance with the operation instruction received from the application process 23 (from the plurality of definition data 21 on the UI The definition data 21 associated with the menu item is specified based on, for example, the file name of the definition data 21 or “information about the function” defined in the definition data 21). The core program 31 executes the function plug-in (small function) 30 in accordance with information related to the operation such as the defined execution condition and execution order based on the specified definition data 21.

  As described above, the software related to the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment expands the above-described program and data in the memory area on the RAM of the main storage unit 12 allocated from the OS according to the user's functional operation instruction ( Loaded) and the expanded (loaded) program is executed by the control unit 11 to realize one function of the application.

<Means for configuring main functions of information processing apparatus>
In the desktop application 20 realized by the hardware configuration of FIG. 1 and the software configuration of FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs branch processing according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30. Each means which comprises the main function for performing this is demonstrated using FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of means constituting the main functions of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the desktop application 20 included in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, main functions for performing branch processing according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 are the information processing unit 41 and the definition data generation unit. 42 and a branch processing execution means 43. Hereinafter, each means will be described.

  The information processing means 41 performs predetermined information processing in order to realize the function of the desktop application 20 and is performed by executing the function plug-in (small function) 30 described in FIG. .

  Therefore, in the information processing means 41, the function plug-in (small function) 30 stored in advance in a non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 is stored in the main memory as required (in response to user operation designation). The functions (small functions) of the minimum unit constituting the functions of the desktop application 20 are realized by being loaded (loaded) on the RAM of the unit 12 and executed by the control unit 11.

  In FIG. 4, as an example, information processing means 41a (file selection plug-in) that performs processing of “file selection” that is an image processing function and information processing means 41b (resizing plug-in) that performs “resizing (magnification)”. In addition, information processing means 41c (color printing plug-in) for performing “color printing” as an output function, information processing means 41d (monochrome printing plug-in) for performing “monochrome printing”, and “message” as an information notification function Information processing means 41d (message display plug-in) that performs “display” is shown.

  Next, the definition data generation means 42 provides information on the operation such as the execution conditions and execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30 necessary for realizing the processing performed by the desktop application 20 as shown in FIG. Definition data 21 is generated by definition according to a predetermined format.

  The definition data generating means 42 generates a plurality of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 (for example, FIG. 4) by generating definition data 21 that describes the meaning of information related to operations according to a predetermined format using a unique tag. Are defined as one function of the desktop application 20 (a function composed of a plurality of small functions).

  For this reason, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, one of the desktop applications 20 is defined by defining, in the definition data 21, information related to operations such as execution conditions and execution order of processing that the user wants to perform with the desktop application 20. It can be executed as a function.

  In the definition data 21 shown in FIG. 3, after the process A performed by the function plug-in (small function) 30, the process B performed by another function plug-in (small function) 30 is executed unconditionally. An example of data in which an execution order for realizing a series of processes for realizing one function is defined is shown.

  For example, after performing the process A and the process B, the user may want to dynamically switch the function to be performed later according to the execution result of the process A or the process B.

  In such a case, in the conventional desktop application 20, the execution order of the process A and the process B is defined as many as the number of process patterns that are originally intended to function dynamically after the process B is executed. The definition data 21 is defined separately from the definition data 21, and after the process B is executed, the user himself / herself can execute the process A or the process A from the plurality of definition data 21 defining the execution order of the processes performed after the process B is executed. According to the execution result of the process B, appropriate definition data 21 must be selected to realize the function.

  Therefore, in the definition data generation means 42, “information related to functions” desired to be performed by the desktop application 20, “information related to execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” of the function plug-in (small function) 30 for realizing the functions, etc. Further, definition data 21 defining “information related to branch processing” for performing branch processing according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 is generated. At this time, the definition data generation means 42 follows the same method as when defining “information about functions” and “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target”, that is, according to a predetermined format using a unique tag. Define information related to branch processing.

The definition data generation means 42 generates definition data 21 that defines “information related to branch processing” based on a policy for defining branch processing described below.
(Policy 1) A group of processes performed by one or more function plug-ins (small functions) 30 in accordance with a predetermined execution order is regarded as one “processing state” (hereinafter referred to as “state”).
(Policy 2) The branching process is defined by the state transition shown in (Policy 1).

  For example, after the user performs the process A and the process B, the process combining the process C and the process D and the process combining the process E and the process F are performed according to the execution result of the process A or the process B. When it is desired to switch between functions, the flow of processing is as shown in the flow of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example (part 1) of a data structure defining branch processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 5, a predetermined branch process is performed according to the execution result of the process A or the process B already executed in the state 1, and when the execution result corresponds to the branch condition 1, the process C and the process D from the state 1 are performed. If the execution result corresponds to the branch condition 2, the process after the branch is dynamically switched by transitioning to the state 3 in which the process E and the process F are performed. The flow of is shown.

  Therefore, the definition data 21 generated by the definition data generation means 21 is composed of data defining “information relating to state” and data 73 defining “information relating to branch processing”.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of data 73 in which “information related to branch processing” is defined based on the flow of processing shown in the flow of FIG.

  As can be seen from the data 73 in which “information related to branch processing” shown in FIG. 5 is defined, the definition data generation means 42 defines “information related to state” and “information related to branch processing” using the following unique tags. To do.

<< Tag that defines the state >>
<State name = "State N"> ... </ State>
Start / end tags that define “state N”, which is a group of processes performed by the function plug-in (small function) 30.

<< Tag defining branch process >>
<Choose name = "branch name"> ... </ Choose>
Start / end tags that define branch processing.
<When test = "conditional expression (branch condition 1 or 2)"> ... </ When>
Start and end tags that define the state transition when the conditional expression branch condition is satisfied.
<Otherwise> ... </ otherwise>
Start / end tags that define the state transition when the branch condition of the conditional expression is not satisfied.
<Next State> State X </ Next State>
Start and end tags that define "state X" that is transitioned by branch processing.

  Further, the definition data generation means 42 defines a conditional expression for branch processing in accordance with a predetermined rule as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in the [<When>] tag shown above.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the conditional expression 52 in the conditional branch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the comparison operator 51 of the conditional expression 52 in the conditional branch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the conditional expression 52 in which whether or not the value “PropertyValue” of the execution result of the process B in the state 1 is “X” or more is defined as a branch condition.

  Here, the “value of the execution result of process B in state 1” shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The function plug-in (small function) 30 according to the present embodiment has attribute information indicating the property of the object handled in the plug-in process. For example, when the object is image data, it has color information (Color), width (Width), height (Height), and the like as attribute information. In the function plug-in (small function) 30, “what attribute information has” specifically depends on the plug-in, and is handled in the function plug-in (small function) 30 by the developer providing the function. Set according to the nature of the object.

  In this embodiment, since the function is realized by the function plug-in (small function) 30 having the attribute information, the attribute information of the object handled in the function plug-in (small function) 30 is being processed. The execution result is referenced at the time of conditional branching to realize branch processing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the definition data generation means 42 includes “value of attribute information (value of execution result) of function plug-in (small function) 30” and “comparison operation” in the definition data 21 to be generated. The “child” and the “comparison condition value” are set as branch conditions according to a predetermined rule.

  Based on the above points, generation of definition data including branch conditions by the definition data generation means 42 will be described below.

  The definition data generation means 42 includes the value of the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 (“state 1. process B. PropertyValue”), the comparison operator 51 (“&gt; =”) shown in FIG. A character string ("state 1. process B. PropertyValue &gt; = X") concatenated with the comparison condition value ('X') is generated.

  Next, the definition data generation means 42 concatenates the generated character string (“State 1. Process B. PropertyValue &gt; = X”) to the character string (“FuncRet: //”) indicating the conditional expression 52, A conditional expression 52 as shown in FIG. 6 is generated.

  The generated conditional expression 52 is embedded in the “<When>” tag by the definition data generating means 42.

  As described above, the definition data generation unit 42 uses the above-described method to generate “information about functions”, “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target”, “information about status”, and “information about branch processing”. Then, definition is made according to a predetermined format, and definition data 21 as shown in FIG. 8 is generated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the definition data 21 according to the first embodiment of the present invention (when there is a conditional branch).

  FIG. 8 shows the state 2 or process in which the process C and the process D are performed from the state 1 according to the execution result of the process A or the process B from the state 1 in which the process A and the process B are performed. An example of the definition data 21 that defines the flow of the branch processing that transitions to one of the states 3 to perform E and processing F is shown.

  The definition data 21 generated by the definition data generation means 42 includes “function information” and “state information” between a definition start tag [<CookFlowRecipe>] and an end tag [</ CookFlowPecipe>]. Defined.

  Further, in the “information about the state”, states (states 1 to 3 in FIG. 8) necessary for realizing the function are defined.

  The states defined between the start tag [<State>] and the end tag [</ State>] include a state including a branch process (state 1 in FIG. 8) and a state transitioning after the branch process (FIG. 8). Then, there is state 2 or state 3). In a state including branch processing (state 1 in FIG. 8), “information regarding execution conditions and execution order” and “information regarding branch processing” of the function plug-in (small function) 30 are defined. In the state (state 2 or state 3 in FIG. 8), “information regarding execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” of the function plug-in (small function) 30 is defined.

  In addition, in the state (state 2 or state 3 in FIG. 8) that changes after the branch process, a “data name” indicating data to be subjected to predetermined information processing after the branch process and the predetermined information process that generated this data are indicated. “Information about process target” including “process name” is defined.

  Then, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, “how to set the information regarding the execution conditions, execution order, and branch processing of the process that the user wants to perform is defined by the definition data generation unit 42. Hereinafter, “whether the data 21 is generated” will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the following description, the user performs the scaling printing process that the user performs “color printing when the image data after resizing (after scaling) is a color image, or monochrome printing when the image data is a monochrome image”. In this example, the function is defined in the definition data 21 as one function (magnification printing function).

<< Definition of information about functions >>
First, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, a method in which the user defines “information related to functions” will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when generating definition data related to the image processing function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  When the desktop application 20 is activated by the user, the information processing apparatus 100 displays an application window 61 having a UI as shown in FIG. 9 on an output device such as a CRT or LCD by the application process 23.

  The application window 61 includes a function information setting area 62 as a UI area for setting “information related to functions”.

  The function information setting area 62 displays a text box 62a for inputting “definition name (function name)”, a pull-down menu 62b for setting “definition type”, and a function that is defined as one of the menu items of the desktop application 20. A pull-down menu 62c for setting the “menu name” corresponding to the text box, and a text box for setting the “menu item area” to be displayed among the menus corresponding when the defined function is displayed as one of the menu items of the desktop application 20. 62d, and a [Confirm] button 62e for confirming definition information regarding information regarding functions, execution conditions, and information regarding execution order.

  The user inputs a setting value (text data) from an input device such as a keyboard into the text boxes 62a and 62d provided in the function information setting area 62 described above, and selects the setting value from the pull-down menus 62b and 62c. Information necessary for generating the definition data 21 (data 71 defining information related to the function) is defined by the definition data generation means 42.

  In FIG. 9, the user, through each of the above-mentioned UIs, “definition name (function name)” is “magnification printing”, “definition type” is “user command”, “menu name” is “file”, “ An example in which “menu item area” is set to “Output” and the scaling printing function is set as one function of the desktop application 20 is shown.

  As a result, the definition data generation means 42 is set between the start tag [<RecipeProperty>] and the end tag [</ RecipeProperty>] shown in FIG. 3 based on the setting value set by the user via the UI. , “Definition name (function name)”, “definition type”, “menu name”, and “menu item area” and corresponding values (for example, character strings and numerical values) according to a predetermined format Arrange and generate data 71 defining information about the function.

<< Definition of information related to execution conditions, execution order, processing target, and branch processing >>
Next, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, a method in which the user defines “information related to execution conditions, execution order, and processing target”, “information related to branch processing”, and the like will be described.

  The application window 61 shown in FIG. 9 includes an execution order setting area 64 for setting “execution order and information about processing targets” as a UI area for setting “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing targets”, and “execution execution”. And an execution condition setting area 65 for setting “information on conditions”.

  The application window 61 also includes a plug-in selection area 63 for selecting a function plug-in (small function) 30 to be set when setting “execution conditions, execution order, and information on processing target”. I have. As shown in FIG. 9, in the plug-in selection area 63, a function plug-in (small function) 30 that is currently installed in the information processing apparatus 100 (stored in a non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13). A list of will be displayed.

  When the user sets the “information regarding the execution order”, in order to realize the processing desired to be performed by the desktop application 20 from the plug-in selection area 63 in which a list of selectable function plug-ins (small functions) 30 is displayed. The function plug-in (small function) 30 necessary for the selection is selected (“drag” in the case of a mouse) via a pointing device such as a mouse, and the selected function plug-in (small function) 30 is moved to the execution order setting area 64 while being selected. Execution necessary for generating the definition data 21 (the data 72 defining the information regarding the execution conditions, the execution order, and the processing target) by the definition data generation means 42 by canceling (“drop” in the case of a mouse) Set the order. In the following description, it is assumed that a mouse is used as the pointing device used by the user.

(A) Definition of Image Processing When setting the image processing function of the function plug-in (small function) 30 installed in the information processing apparatus 100, the user first sets a function related to the image processing function in the plug-in selection area 63. In order to display a list of plug-ins (small functions) 30 (plug-in selection area 63a for image processing functions), click the [Image processing] tab in the area.

  Next, a necessary function plug-in (small function) 30 is dragged from the displayed list of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 related to the image processing function, and dropped in the execution order setting area 64.

  In FIG. 9, the resize plug-in 41 b corresponding to the “resizing (scaling)” process performed after the “file selection” is performed by the user in order to realize the resizing (scaling) process of the image data. Dragging from the function plug-in selection area 63a, and in the execution order setting area 64, an area positioned in the process to be performed next to the process of the file selection plug-in 41a for performing the "file selection" process ([Current file] in the figure) An example of dropping ([Resize] in the figure) is shown below.

  As described above, when the context of the function plug-in (small function) 30 is one-to-one in the execution order, the data processed by the function plug-in (small function) 30 performed later, that is, the processing target performed later is clear. Therefore, it is not necessary to set “information regarding the processing target”.

  Some function plug-ins (small functions) 30 can set execution conditions (control parameters). As shown in FIG. 9, the application window 61 can be executed from a text box, pull-down menu, or the like. An execution condition setting area 65 for setting control parameters) is provided.

  When setting the “information regarding the execution order”, the user sets the value of the execution condition (control parameter) from the text box or pull-down menu in the execution condition setting area 65 (in the case of the text box, the value is set from the keyboard). In the case of a pull-down menu, the corresponding menu item is selected with the mouse.) By the definition data generation means 42, definition data 21 (data 72 defining information on execution conditions, execution order, and processing target) Set the execution conditions necessary when generating

  In FIG. 9, in order to change the image data to 75%, the user inputs “75” in “Resize (%)” indicating the resize (magnification) magnification, and the execution condition of the resize plug-in 41b An example in which the value of (control parameter) is set is shown.

(B) Definition of Output Processing When setting the output function of the function plug-in (small function) 30 installed in the information processing apparatus 100, the user selects the plug-in selection area 63 as in the case of the image processing function. In order to display a list of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 (output function plug-in selection area 63b) related to the output function, click the [Output] tab in the area.

  Next, a necessary function plug-in (small function) 30 is dragged from the displayed list of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 related to the image processing function, and dropped in the execution order setting area 64.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when generating definition data related to the output function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 10, in order to realize a switching process between color printing and monochrome printing based on image data after resizing (after scaling), the user performs “color” which is performed next according to the execution result of the resizing plug-in 41 b. The color printing plug-in 41c or the monochrome printing plug-in 41d corresponding to the processing of “print” or “monochrome printing” is dragged from the plug-in selection area 63b of the output function, and the processing of the resizing plug-in 41b in the execution order setting area 64 The example ([Monochrome printing] and [Color printing] in the figure) dropped in the area (under [Resize] in the figure) located in the processing to be performed next is shown.

  When the context of the function plug-in (small function) 30 in the execution order becomes 1 to n by the branch process, the data processed by the n function plug-ins (small functions) 30 performed after the branch process, that is, the process In order to clarify the target, it is necessary to set “Information about processing target”.

  Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the user performs a function plug-in (small function) to be performed after the branch process via the execution order setting area 64 used when setting the execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30. Data to be processed at 30, that is, a processing target is set.

  When the user sets the “information regarding the processing target”, the drag point indicating the data of the function plug-in (small function) 30 that is arranged in the execution order setting area 64 and is performed before the branch processing (filled black in the drawing). The definition data generating means 42 drags and drops it on the block area ([color printing] or [monochrome printing] in the figure) indicating the function plug-in (small function) 30 to be performed after branch processing. A processing target necessary for generating the definition data 21 (data 72 defining information related to execution conditions, execution order, and processing target) is set.

  FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which the user sets image data that has been subjected to predetermined image processing by the resize plug-in 41b as a processing target to be processed by the color printing plug-in 41c or the monochrome printing plug-in 41d that is performed after the branching process. Has been.

  At this timing, it is necessary to set a branch condition for branch processing in which the next processing to be performed is either “color printing” or “monochrome printing” according to the execution result of the resizing plug-in 41b.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the user sets the branch condition via the execution condition setting area 65 used when setting the execution condition of the function plug-in (small function) 30.

  When setting the “information regarding branch processing”, the user sets the conditional expression 52 of the branch condition from the text box of the execution condition setting area 65 (in the case of the text box, the value is input from the keyboard). A branch condition necessary for generating the definition data 21 (data 73 defining information related to branch processing) by the definition data generation means 42 is set.

  In FIG. 10, the user uses the attribute information of the image data resized (scaled) by the resizing plug-in 41b in order to realize the switching process of “color printing” or “monochrome printing” based on the color information of the image data. A character string (“Color> 2”) expressing a branch condition indicating whether or not the value of certain color information “Color” is greater than 2 is input as an execution result value, and branch processing performed after execution of the resizing plug-in 41b An example in which a branch condition is set is shown. When the branch condition is set in this way, the definition data generation means 42 makes “Plug-in name. Attribute information (color information:“ Color ”)”, “Comparison operator ('<')”, “Comparison Based on the condition value ('2') ", a conditional expression 52 for the branch condition is generated and defined in the definition data 21.

(C) Definition of Information Notification Process When setting the information notification function of the function plug-in (small function) 30 installed in the information processing apparatus 100, the user selects the plug-in as in the case of the image processing function. In order to display a list of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 (information notification function plug-in selection area 63c) related to the information notification function in the area 63, click the [Notification] tab in the area.

  Next, a necessary function plug-in (small function) 30 is dragged from the displayed list of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 related to the image processing function, and dropped in the execution order setting area 64.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when generating definition data related to the information notification function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 11, a “message display” process performed after “color printing” or “monochrome printing” in order to realize a printing result notification process in which the user notifies the result after performing color printing or monochrome printing. The message display plug-in 41e corresponding to is dragged from the plug-in selection area 63b of the information notification function, and in the execution order setting area 64, the process to be performed next to each of the color printing plug-in 41c and the monochrome printing plug-in 41d. An example ([message box] in the figure) dropped in the position area (under [color printing] or [monochrome printing] in the figure) is shown.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the message display plug-in 41e can set execution conditions (control parameters).

  In FIG. 11, in the text box of the execution condition setting area 65, the user executes an execution result character string (“color printing is completed” as a “message” displayed when the color printing plug-in 41 c is performed after branch processing. "), And the execution function string (" Color Print ") is entered as the" title "indicating the title of the message window, and the execution condition (control parameter) value of the message display plug-in 41e is entered. A set example is shown.

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment generates definition data via a GUI (Graphical User Interface) such as the execution order setting area 64 and the execution condition setting area 65 provided in the application window 61 of the desktop application 20. Various information necessary for generating the definition data 21 (information related to the execution condition, execution order, processing target, branch processing of the function plug-in (small function) 30 for realizing the function) can be set by the means 42.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the definition data generation unit 42 selects the “execution condition, execution order, and execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30 based on the information set by the method described with reference to FIGS. The definition data 21 is generated using a unique tag that defines “information related to processing target”, “information related to branch processing”, and the like.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the definition data 21 generated according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The variable generated by the definition data generation means 42 is set by various information settings shown in FIGS. This is definition data 21 for the double printing function.

  The definition data 21 as shown in FIG. 12 is temporarily stored in the RAM of the main storage unit 12 after being generated by the definition data generation means 42. The definition data 21 temporarily held in the RAM of the main storage unit 12 is stored in a nonvolatile storage such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 when the [OK] button 62e of the application window 61 shown in FIG. 11 is selected by the user. For example, “definition name (function name)” is stored as a file name in a predetermined storage area of the apparatus.

  Further, in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, by selecting the [Execute Flow Test] button 66 before selecting the [Confirm] button 62e of the application window 61 shown in FIG. It is possible to check whether the definition data 21 temporarily stored in the RAM is data that can be processed by the desktop application 20. For example, after the execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30 defined in the definition data 21 executes the plug-in (small function) 30 of the output function, the plug-in (small function) 30 of the image processing function is executed. If the execution order has been reached, the user is notified that the definition of the execution order is incorrect (cannot be processed by the desktop application 20).

  Returning to FIG. 4, the definition data generation unit 42 is a unit that is executed by the control unit 11 executing the application process 23 described in FIG. 2.

  As a result, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment relates to operations such as the execution conditions and execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) necessary for realizing the processing desired by the user. In addition to information, information related to branch processing can be defined as data according to a predetermined format.

  When the definition data 21 is generated by the definition data generation means 42, it is displayed in the menu item of the desktop application 20 as shown in FIGS.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams showing an example (part 1 and part 2) of a display screen when a new menu item is added according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the file name of the definition data 21, the “definition name (function name)” defined in the definition data 21, etc. are newly added functions as the toolbar 81 and the desktop application 20. It is displayed in the menu item area 92 of the menu 91.

  In this way, when the “definition name (function name)” displayed on the toolbar 81 or the menu item area 92 of the desktop application 20 is selected by the pointing device such as a mouse by the user, the UI plug-in (UI part) 22 The core program 31 (means for executing the function) is requested to operate the selected function.

  The core program 31 (means for executing the function) that has received the function operation request first selects the UI plug when the “definition name (function name)” displayed in the toolbar 81 or the menu item area 92 is selected by the user. Definition data 21 corresponding to a function selected from a plurality of definition data 21 stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 based on the function name received from the in (UI part) 22 (Definition data 21 having the same file name as the function name instructed to execute, or definition data 21 having the same “definition name (function name)” defined) is identified.

  Next, the core program 31 (means for executing the function) uses the program that can interpret the language in which the definition data 21 is described (for example, in the case of XML, an XML parser). Parse.

  As a result, the core program 31 (means for executing the function) executes branch processing by the branch processing execution means 43 based on “information related to branch processing” among the information obtained by the syntax analysis.

  The branch processing execution means 43 first extracts the value of the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30, the comparison operator 51, and the comparison condition value from the character string of the conditional expression 52, and extracts the extracted comparison operation The branch condition is determined based on the child 51. For example, when the extracted comparison operator 51 is “> =” or “gt; =”, “whether or not the value of the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 is equal to or greater than the comparison condition value”. It is determined that the branch condition is said.

  Next, the branch process execution unit 43 determines whether or not the value of the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 satisfies the branch condition of the conditional expression 52.

  Based on the determination result of the branch condition, the branch process execution means 43 identifies the function plug-in (small function) 30 to be executed after the branch process from the “information about the state”, and the “execution condition, The operation is instructed to the function plug-in (small function) 30 specified according to the “execution order and information on processing target”.

  As a result, the function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) that has received the operation instruction from the branch process execution means 43 is transferred from the non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage section 13 to the RAM of the main storage section 12. It is expanded (loaded) and executed by the control unit 11.

  The branch process execution means 43 is a means executed by executing the core program 31 described in FIG.

  Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can execute the function of the desktop application 20 including the branch process according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30.

  The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a process of “performing a branch process according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30” by the above-described units operating according to the following procedure. Is realized.

(Procedure 1) Setting of information related to branch processing The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is used to realize processing desired to be performed by an application from the user via the UI plug-in (UI part) 22 of the desktop application 20. In addition to information regarding operations such as execution conditions and execution order of necessary function plug-ins (small functions) 30 (information processing means 41), “information regarding branch processing” is set as necessary.

(Procedure 2) Generation of Definition Data 21 The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the definition data generation unit 42 to set “information regarding execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” and “ Definition information 21 defined in accordance with a predetermined format is generated for “information relating to branch processing”.
The information processing apparatus 100 uses a unique tag for the definition data 21 in which “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” is defined, and a conditional expression generated based on a setting value set by the user 52 and the like are arranged, and “information regarding branch processing” is defined.
The information processing apparatus 100 stores the definition data 21 that is temporarily stored in the RAM of the main storage unit 12 after being generated in a predetermined storage area of a nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13.

(Procedure 3) Execution of Definition Data 21 The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the comparison operator 51 based on the “information related to branch processing” defined in the definition data 21 by the branch processing execution means 43. According to the determination result of the determined branch condition, the specified function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) is instructed to operate.
As a result, in the information processing apparatus 100, the function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) instructed to operate is moved from a predetermined storage area of a non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 to the main storage unit. 12 is loaded (loaded) on the RAM 12 and executed by the control unit 11.

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment realizes “branch processing according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30” by (procedure 1) to (procedure 3) described above. is doing.

<About basic processing procedure of information processing apparatus>
A specific processing procedure of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment described so far will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, for example, expands (loads) an information processing program that performs processing of the “desktop application 20” stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 on the RAM of the main storage unit 12, and controls the control unit 11.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when generating definition data in the desktop application 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment waits until the [Flow setting] tab shown in FIG. 9 is selected by the mouse and receives a request for generating new definition data from the user (while S101 is NO).

  When the information processing apparatus 100 receives a new definition data generation request from the user (when S101 is YES), the information processing apparatus 100 uses the application process 23 to define a process that the user wants to perform as one function of the desktop application 20 Necessary for realizing the processing desired by the user from the function plug-in (small function) 30 already stored in the non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 or the function information setting area 62 for setting information regarding A plug-in selection area 63 for selecting a function plug-in (small function) 30, an execution order setting area 64 for setting the order in which the function plug-in (small function) 30 is executed, and a function plug-in (small function) 30 to be executed To configure a UI section for setting, such as an execution condition setting area 65 for setting execution conditions (control parameters) Required UI plug running (UI parts) 22, the user, the UI for generating the definition data 21, drawing on the display screen of the output device such as a CRT or LCD (S102).

  The information processing apparatus 100 renders a setting UI necessary for generating new definition data, and then implements processing desired by the user according to the function definition setting instruction received from the user via the UI by the application process 23. Definition data 21 is generated (S103).

  The information processing apparatus 100 waits until receiving an instruction from the user to confirm the contents of the definition data 21 (while S104 is NO). For example, the process waits until the user accepts an instruction to confirm the contents of the definition data 21 by clicking the [Confirm] button 62e in the function information setting area 62 shown in FIG.

  When the information processing apparatus 100 receives an instruction to confirm the content of the definition data 21 via the UI (when S104 is YES), the application process 23 stores the definition data 21 in a nonvolatile storage such as the auxiliary storage unit 13. The data is stored in the device (S105).

  The information processing apparatus 100 performs nonvolatile storage such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 by the application process 23 at the timing of redrawing the application window 61, such as when the [Browse Test] tab illustrated in FIG. The menu display is updated based on the definition data 21 stored in the apparatus (S106).

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment realizes the generation of the definition data 21 by the processing procedures S101 to S106 illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of definition data generation processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Processing procedures S201 to S204 illustrated in FIG. 16 are processing procedures of the definition data generation processing performed in the processing procedure S103 described with reference to FIG.

  First, the information processing apparatus 100 uses the application process 23 to generate data 71 that defines “information about a function” among the definition data 21 to be generated. The application process 23 sets “information about a function” (for example, “definition name (function name)” indicating a defined function name, “definition type” indicating the type of the defined function, and menu items 92 set via the UI. Based on each setting value of “menu name” and “menu item area”, etc., which are display position information when displayed on the screen, unique tags corresponding to each information (definition “start tag” and “end” The setting value is arranged in accordance with a predetermined format together with the tag “), and data 71 defining“ information related to the function ”is generated (S201).

  Next, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or not “information about branch processing” is set via the UI (S202).

  When “information related to branch processing” is set (when S202 is YES), the information processing apparatus 100 stores data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” among the definition data 21 generated by the application process 23. Generate. Based on the setting value of “information related to branch processing” (for example, conditional expression 52 indicating a branch condition) set through the UI, the application process 23 has a unique tag (definition of the definition) corresponding to each information. A set value is arranged in accordance with a predetermined format together with “start tag” and “end tag”), and data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” is generated (S203).

  In addition, when “information regarding branch processing” is not set (when S202 is NO), the information processing apparatus 100 proceeds to processing procedure S204.

  The information processing apparatus 100 uses the application process 23 to generate data 72 defining “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” of the function plug-in (small function) 30 among the definition data 21 to be generated. In the application process 23, the order in which the user drops the necessary function plug-ins (small functions) 30 in the execution order setting area 64 and arranges them (for example, the order of the flow shown in the execution order setting area 64 in FIG. 11). Based on the name of the processing target of the function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) (the name of the data to be processed by the function plug-in (small function) 30 and the one immediately before the output of the data) A function plug-in (the name of the small function) 30), a tag for defining the processing target, a condition value (control parameter value) set in the execution condition setting area 65 and a tag for defining the execution condition as required. Data 7 that defines “execution conditions, execution order, and processing target information” by repeating the number of function plug-ins (small functions) 30 that are arranged and executed according to the format. To generate a (S204).

  The information processing apparatus 100 uses the application process 23 to define data 71 that defines “information about functions”, data 72 that defines “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target”, and “information about branch processing”. Based on the defined data 73, final definition data 21 is generated, and the generated definition data 21 is temporarily stored in the RAM of the main storage unit 12.

  As described above, the definition data 21 temporarily stored in the RAM of the main storage unit 12 is stored in the nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 by the application process 23 as described in the processing procedure S105 of FIG. Stored in

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when the desktop application function is executed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment waits until receiving a function operation request from the user, such as menu selection with a mouse (S301 is NO).

  When the information processing apparatus 100 receives a functional operation request from the user (when S301 is YES), the application process 23 receives the functional operation request from the user received via the UI via the data I / F. A definition in which definition data 21 ("definition name (function name)" corresponding to "definition name (function name)" displayed in the menu item 92 is defined by the core program 31 that has passed to the core program 31 and received the request. Data 21) is read from a non-volatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 stored therein, and a program (for example, XML parser in the case of XML language) that can interpret the language describing the definition data 21 is read from the core program 31. It starts and parses the read definition data 21 (S302).

  The information processing apparatus 100 instructs the function plug-in (small function) 30 identified by the syntax analysis by the core program 31 (S303).

  Further, the information processing apparatus 100 determines whether or not the core program 31 has instructed the operation to all the function plug-ins (small functions) 30 necessary for realizing the processing desired by the user according to the execution order. (S304).

  When an operation is instructed to a necessary function plug-in (small function) 30 (when S304 is YES), the information processing apparatus 100 executes an execution condition according to the function plug-in (small function) 30 that has received the operation instruction. And predetermined information processing is executed based on the data to be processed, and the execution result is displayed on the display surface of an output device such as a CRT or LCD (S305). For example, a message notifying the execution result is displayed in a window different from the application window 61. After the display, the process returns to the processing procedure S301 and again waits for a function operation request from the user.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 100 returns to the processing procedure S303 when the function plug-in (small function) 30 that has not been instructed to operate still remains (when S305 is NO), and is acquired when the definition data 21 is read. The function plug-in (small function) to be executed next in accordance with the execution order of the function plug-in (small function) 30 in the information related to the operation (the result of syntax analysis by a program interpretable by the language describing the definition data 21) ) 30, the processing after the processing procedure S303 is performed.

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is necessary for realizing the process desired by the user (required for realizing one function of the application) by the processing procedures S301 to S305 illustrated in FIG. N) Execution of the function plug-in (small function) 30 is realized.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of definition data execution processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Processing procedures S401 to S404 illustrated in FIG. 18 are processing procedures of the function plug-in (small function) execution processing performed in the processing procedure S303 described with reference to FIG.

  The information processing apparatus 100 describes information about the operation of the function plug-in (small function) 30 that is defined in the definition data 21 by the core program 31 and is necessary for realizing the processing that the user wants to perform (description of the definition data 21) It is determined whether or not there is data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” in the result of parsing by a language interpretable program (S401).

  The information processing apparatus 100 sets the execution condition (control parameter) of the function plug-in (small function) 30 by the core program 31 when there is no data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” (when S401 is NO). The processing target name of the value and function plug-in (small function) 30 is referred to (S402), and the function plug-in (small function) 30 is based on the setting value of the execution condition and the processing target name (data name to be processed). Is instructed to operate (S403).

  In addition, when there is data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” (when S401 is YES), the information processing apparatus 100 refers to the conditional expression 52 that is a branch condition of the branch processing, and sets the conditional expression 52 Then, transition is made to the state specified according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30, that is, the group of processes of the function plug-in (small function) 30 performed after the branch process (execution order after the branch process) (S404). ). After the state transition, the information processing apparatus 100 proceeds to processing procedure S402.

  As described above, after the state transition, the execution is performed by referring to the set value of the execution condition (control parameter) of the function plug-in (small function) 30 performed in the transitioned state and the processing target name of the function plug-in (small function) 30 Based on the set value of the condition and the name of the processing target (data name to be processed), an operation is instructed to the function plug-in (small function) 30 performed in the transitioned state.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen (in the case of a variable magnification printing function) when executing a function according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  For example, in the scaling printing function exemplified in the description of FIGS. 9 to 11, the information processing program described in FIGS. 15 to 18 is executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. An operation result as shown in FIG. 19 is obtained.

  In FIG. 19, image data that is a color image displayed in the data browsing area 82 is selected, and the menu item 92 of “magnification printing” displayed on the task bar 81 is clicked with the mouse, and then, as shown in FIG. 12. In accordance with the definition data 21, color printing is executed after scaling the color image, and the message “color printing has been completed” is notified to the application window 61 by the message display plug-in 41e to notify the end of printing set in the execution conditions. The example displayed in the message window 83 which is another window is shown.

  As described above, the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment executes, in the control unit 11, the information processing program in which each processing procedure shown in FIGS. 15 to 18 is coded in the programming language suitable for the operating environment (platform). It is realized by doing. Therefore, the information processing program (program for realizing the desktop application 20) according to the present embodiment can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

  As a result, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment reads the information processing program from this recording medium via the external storage device I / F 15 and installs (predetermined storage in a nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13). By storing in the area, the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment can function.

<Examples of desktop application functions using branch processing>
In the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, various functions can be realized by using branch processing in addition to the “magnification printing function” described as an example of one function of the desktop application 20.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image display switching function using the definition data 21 in which branch processing is defined according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 20 shows an example in which branch processing is performed according to the similarity of image data, and the display format of the image data is switched between display style A in which image data can be edited or display style B in which image data cannot be edited. It is shown.

  In such a case, the conventional desktop application 20 can only define information related to a series of operations of the function plug-in (small function) 30 in the definition data 21, so that the editable display style A is not editable. Separate definition data 21 is generated in each display style B (definition data 21 is generated in a series of operation units), and display style A and display are displayed by the user based on the similarity determination result of the image data. It is necessary to switch between and use style B (use a combination of a plurality of definition data 21 depending on conditions), and information on the operation of the function plug-in (small function) 30 that can be defined in the definition data 21 is limited. It was. As a result, in the desktop application 20, functions that can be executed using the definition data 21 can be realized only in a limited function range.

  However, the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment performs a branch process according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 based on a preset branch condition, and then executes a function plug-in ( By dynamically determining the (small function) 30, information regarding the operation of the complex function plug-in (small function) 30 in which a series of operations are linked can be defined in the definition data 21.

  FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 are diagrams illustrating examples (part 2 and part 3) of the data structure defining the branch processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  For example, by using data 73 that defines “information related to branch processing” as shown in FIG. 21, predetermined information processing (in the diagram in the diagram) is performed only when a certain condition (branch condition 1 in the diagram) is satisfied. Process C and process D) can be performed. By this branch processing, exception processing (error processing) can be realized in the functions of the desktop application 20.

  Further, by using data 73 defining “information related to branch processing” as shown in FIG. 22, it is possible to give a predetermined range to the branch condition and perform predetermined information processing corresponding to the range of each condition. it can. By this branch processing, multistage branch processing can be realized in the functions of the desktop application 20.

  As described above, in the desktop application 20 according to the present embodiment, the functional range realized by one function of the application is expanded, and it is possible to flexibly cope with the purpose and application of the user.

<Summary>
As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment says that “branch processing is performed according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30”. The function is realized by the following processing procedure.

(Procedure 1) Setting of information related to branch processing The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is used to realize processing desired to be performed by an application from the user via the UI plug-in (UI part) 22 of the desktop application 20. In addition to information regarding operations such as execution conditions and execution order of necessary function plug-ins (small functions) 30 (information processing means 41), “information regarding branch processing” is set as necessary.

(Procedure 2) Generation of Definition Data 21 The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the definition data generation unit 42 to set “information regarding execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” and “ Definition information 21 defined in accordance with a predetermined format is generated for “information relating to branch processing”.
The information processing apparatus 100 uses a unique tag for the definition data 21 in which “information about execution conditions, execution order, and processing target” is defined, and a conditional expression generated based on a setting value set by the user 52 and the like are arranged, and “information regarding branch processing” is defined.
The information processing apparatus 100 stores the definition data 21 that is temporarily stored in the RAM of the main storage unit 12 after being generated in a predetermined storage area of a nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13.

(Procedure 3) Execution of Definition Data 21 The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment uses the comparison operator 51 based on the “information related to branch processing” defined in the definition data 21 by the branch processing execution means 43. According to the determination result of the determined branch condition, the specified function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) is instructed to operate.
As a result, in the information processing apparatus 100, the function plug-in (small function) 30 (information processing means 41) instructed to operate is moved from a predetermined storage area of a nonvolatile storage device such as the auxiliary storage unit 13 to the main storage unit. 12 is loaded (loaded) on the RAM 12 and executed by the control unit 11.

  As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs the branch process according to the execution result of the function plug-in (small function) 30 according to the above (procedure 1) to (procedure 3), and then executes it. The function plug-in (small function) 30 can be determined dynamically.

  Therefore, the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can provide an application function that can flexibly respond to a user's usage purpose and application by expanding the functional range realized by one function of the application.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the first embodiment, the “definition data 21” of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is generated by the method described in the present embodiment. For example, editing may be performed using editor software included in the information processing apparatus 100 in accordance with a language specification describing the definition data 21.

  In addition, the “conditional expression 52” of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured by the comparison condition value by the numerical value described in the present embodiment, for example, the processing state and the processing result. It may be used as a comparison condition.

  Further, the “definition data 21” of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 described in the present embodiment, and is also stored in the memory via the external storage device I / F 15. You may store in other non-volatile storage devices, such as a card | curd.

  Finally, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown here, such as combinations of other elements with the shapes listed in the above embodiments. With respect to these points, the present invention can be changed within a range that does not detract from the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the software configuration of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (when there is no conditional branch) of the data structure of the definition data which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the means which comprises the main functions of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (the 1) of the data structure which defines the branch process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the conditional expression in the conditional branch which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the comparison operator of the conditional expression in the conditional branch which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (when there exists a conditional branch) of the data structure of the definition data concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen at the time of the definition data generation regarding the image processing function which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen at the time of the definition data generation regarding the output function which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen at the time of the definition data generation regarding the information notification function which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (in the case of a variable magnification printing function) of the definition data produced | generated concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (the 1) of the display screen at the time of the new menu item addition which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (the 2) of the display screen at the time of the new menu item addition which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence at the time of the definition data generation in the desktop application which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the definition data generation process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence at the time of the desktop application function execution which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the definition data execution process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (in the case of a variable magnification printing function) of the display screen at the time of the function execution which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the image display switching function using the definition data in which the branch process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention was defined. It is a figure which shows an example (the 2) of the data structure which defines the branch process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example (the 3) of the data structure which defines the branch process which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Control unit (CPU)
12 Main memory (ROM, RAM)
13 Auxiliary memory (HD)
14 Network I / F
15 External storage device I / F
16 External device I / F
17 Output device I / F
18 Input device I / F
20 Desktop application 21 Definition data 22 User interface (UI) plug-in (UI parts)
23 Application process 30 Function plug-in 31 Core program (core module group)
41 Information processing means (function plug-in)
41a Information processing means (file selection plug-in)
41b Information processing means (resize plug-in)
41c Information processing means (color printing plug-in)
41d Information processing means (monochrome printing plug-in)
41e Information processing means (message display plug-in)
42 definition data generation means 43 branch processing execution means 51 comparison operator 52 conditional expression 61 application window 62 function information setting area 62a definition name (function name) input text box 62b definition type setting pull-down menu 62c menu name setting pull-down menu 62d Menu item addition area input text box 62e Definition information setting confirmation button 63 Plug-in selection area 63a Image processing function plug-in selection area 63b Output function plug-in selection area 63c Information notification function plug-in selection area 64 Execution order setting Area 65 Execution condition setting area 71 Data defining information on function 72 Data defining execution condition, execution order, and information on processing target 73 Data defining information on branch processing 81 Toolbar 82 Data browsing area 83 Message window (message box)
91 Menu 92 Menu item area 100 Information processing apparatus

Claims (6)

Information that has information processing means for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions that constitute one function of the application, and that realizes the function of the application by executing the information processing means according to a predetermined execution order A processing device comprising:
An information processing apparatus comprising branch processing execution means for performing branch processing according to an execution result of the information processing means. The information processing apparatus
Branch condition information indicating a condition for performing branch processing according to an execution result of the information processing means, execution order information indicating an execution order of the information processing means executed after branching, and information processing means executed after branching Having definition data generating means for generating definition data defining processing target information indicating data to be processed in
The branch process execution means includes:
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the branching process is performed based on definition data generated by the definition data generation unit. The definition data generating means
The identification information for identifying the information processing means for realizing the small function and the attribute information of the information processing means are defined in the branch condition information of the definition data. Information processing device. Information that has an information processing procedure for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions that constitute one function of the application, and that realizes the function of the application by executing the information processing procedure according to a predetermined execution order A processing method,
When executing the information processing procedure according to the predetermined execution order,
An information processing procedure comprising a branch process execution procedure for performing a branch process according to an execution result obtained by executing the information processing procedure. Information that has information processing means for each small function that realizes each of a plurality of small functions that constitute one function of the application, and that realizes the function of the application by executing the information processing means according to a predetermined execution order A processing program,
Computer
An information processing program to be executed so as to perform a branching process according to an execution result of the information processing means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the information processing program according to claim 5 is recorded.

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