JP2009134578A - Document processor, document processing program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable output of an optimal table appearance by solving the problem that since the scale of a container in each sub-template varies as the result of layout processing in a variable print processor for performing dynamic layout to store data to a plurality of sub-templates on flow layout, it is not possible to output the table appearance. <P>SOLUTION: Actual content is stored, and the adjustment of a container size is performed between sub-templates, and the result is stored as a virtual container. The layout adjustment of the virtual containers is performed in flow layout, and the template is decided, and data are stored, and the optimal table appearance is output. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus, a document processing program, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a document processing method.

  In recent years, the need for CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and One-to-One marketing has attracted attention due to factors such as the shortening of product life due to the increase in product variety and the orientation of consumer customization services due to the widespread use of the Internet. Has been. These methods aim to increase customer satisfaction and to cultivate and retain customers.

  One-to-one marketing is a type of database marketing that creates a database of personal attribute information such as customer age, gender, hobbies, preferences, purchase history, etc., analyzes the content, and makes proposals that meet customer needs It is. A typical example is variable printing. Recently, with the advancement of DTP (desktop publishing) technology and the spread of digital printing devices, a variable print system that customizes and outputs documents for each customer has been developed to optimally lay out different amounts of content for each customer. It came to be demanded.

  Conventionally, a variable print system has been achieved by creating a layout on a document using a container or the like and associating the layout with a database. However, the size of the text and image containers was fixed, so when the data in the database was inserted into the container, if the amount of data was larger than the container size, text overlap and image clipping occurred, and the data If the amount is smaller than the container size, there is a gap. In order to solve the problem, an automatic layout system has been invented. The automatic layout system can variably set the container size of text and images. Software that implements this automatic layout system includes Pageflex (registered trademark) of Pageflex, Inc., and the size of the container is variable, and the size of the container is changed according to the amount of data to be inserted. In addition, in the case of text, when data that does not fit within a fixed container size is inserted, there is a technique for reducing the font size of the text and displaying all the text in the container. However, when the size of the container increases, there arises a problem that it overlaps with other containers on the same document. In addition, when adjusting the font size, if the amount of text is large, there is a problem that the font size becomes too small.

  As a further automatic layout technique for solving this problem, a technique for reducing the size of an adjacent container when the size of a container increases is disclosed in “Layout Design Device” of Patent Document 1.

  In addition, in the conventional variable print system, not only a technique for laying out one record into one document but also a multi-record technique for laying out multiple records into one document is known. With this technology, the number of data to be laid out can be different for each customer, and more customized documents can be created for each customer.

  Then, a mechanism called a layout area is further introduced to the “layout design apparatus” as described above, and a plurality of sub-templates having a basic shape are allowed to flow inside the layout area. A technique of causing a number of similar items to flow within a certain area in a page is disclosed in “Automatic layout system including layout area setting means” in Patent Document 2.

Further, a technique for changing the size of the sub-template itself according to the content size in the sub-template is disclosed in “Layout adjustment method and apparatus and program” of Patent Document 3.
JP 7-129658 A (0049, FIG. 8) JP 2005-216182 A JP 2006-74226 A

  However, in the conventional technology described above, when realizing a variable print system that takes into account the fact that the number of items in the table format changes dynamically, it is difficult to use the automatic layout technology, and the user is inconvenienced. It was. This is because the sub-templates are independent of each other, and the container of the own sub-template is not affected and changed by the container of the other sub-template. In addition, when a fixed template is used, it is natural that the layout of the face can be designed, but the user cannot enjoy the advantages of the automatic layout such as plasticity and fluidity.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

  It consists of an information processing device such as a personal computer, and when creating a document by inserting text and image data from data such as a database into the container area, the container's It is possible to change the size, and by setting the relationship between containers, it has an automatic layout system that can be changed while maintaining the interval, and set the area where the template flows on the page A means for setting a plurality of sub-templates to be laid out in the area, a container in the first sub-template, and a container in the second sub-template are automatically related to the size of text and images. At the same time, change the container size and temporarily A means for saving as a virtual container in the template, a means for changing and saving the virtual container in the temporary sub-template in accordance with the size of the virtual container in the temporary sub-template, and a template flow on the page A document processing apparatus, wherein the temporary sub-template is applied to an area, and the container size in each sub-template is aligned on a side in a row or column direction.

  The document processing method of the present invention is changed by the container of its own sub-template being affected by the container of the other sub-template. Therefore, it is possible to provide a variable print system that takes into account that the number of items in the table format changes dynamically, and there is an effect that convenience for the user is enhanced. In addition, the ability to design a layout with a plastic appearance and fluidity is advantageous in that the user can enjoy the merits of an automatic layout.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  An embodiment suitable for applying the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  Before describing an embodiment of the present invention, a system configuration and an application configuration to which the present invention can be applied will be described.

<System configuration diagram>
FIG. 1A illustrates a system 100 for printing a variable data document. The method shown therein is practiced with the general purpose computer module 101 described in detail in FIG. 1B. The process described in FIG. 1B is executed in the computer module 101, and is executed by the whole or a part of software such as the layout editing application program 121 that can be executed on the system 100. In particular, layout editing and inevitably printing steps are performed by software instructions executed by the computer 101. The software is stored in a computer readable medium including a storage device as described below, for example. The software is loaded into the computer from the computer readable medium and executed by the computer 101. A computer readable medium having a computer program recorded on such software or medium is a computer program product. The use of the computer program product on the computer desirably provides an advantageous apparatus for document layout editing and variable data printing.

  The computer module 101 connects input devices such as a keyboard 132 and a pointing device such as a mouse 133, and connects a display device 144 and an output device including a local printer 145 depending on the situation. The input / output interface 138 can connect the computer module 101 from the network connection 107 to connect to other computer devices in the system 100. A typical network connection 107 is a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

  The computer module 101 typically includes at least one processor unit 135, eg, a memory unit 136 comprised of a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) or read only memory (ROM), and an INPUT / OUTPUT (I / O) including a video interface 137. ) Interface, I / O interface 143 for keyboard 132 and mouse 133 is included. The storage device 139 typically includes a hard disk drive 140 and a flexible disk drive 141. Although not shown in the figure, a magnetic tape drive may also be used. The CD-ROM drive 142 is provided as a nonvolatile data source. The computer module 101 is connected to the interconnect bus 134 in a manner consistent with the operating system, typically in accordance with the operating system, or according to a conventional operating mode of the computer system formed of what is known in the relevant arts. The components 135 to 143 of the computer module 101 that communicate with each other are used.

  In the example of the arrangement computer described in the figure, an IBM compatible PC, a SUN Sparc Station, or a computer system including them can be considered.

  The layout application program 121 typically resides on the hard disk drive 140 and is executed, read and controlled by the processor 135. Data fetched from the media storage device of the program 121 and the network 1020 uses the semiconductor memory 136 in response to the hard disk drive 140. In some instances, the application program 121 is encoded on a CD-ROM or flexible disk, read through the corresponding drive 142 or 141, and provided to the user. Alternatively, the application program 121 may be read by the user from the network connection 107. In addition, the software can record information on magnetic tape or ROM or integrated circuits, magneto-optical disks or wireless or infrared communication between computer module 101 and other devices, computer-readable cards such as PCMCIA cards, and e-mail communications or recorded information on WEB sites. It may be loaded into the computer module 101 from other appropriately sized computer readable media, including the Internet or an intranet it has. The foregoing is merely an example of related computer readable media. Other computer readable media may also be used.

  An application 121 named layout editing instructs to perform variable data printing (VDP) and includes three software components. The first of these components is the layout engine 105, which is a software component for calculating the positions of rectangles and lines according to the restrictions and sizes given within the rectangle. The second component, the user interface 103, provides a mechanism for allowing a user to create a document template and associate it with a data source within the document template. The UI model analyzer 104, which is the third component, converts the user interface elements provided by the user interface 103 and user interface elements such as anchors, sliders, and links into an internal format that can be recognized by the layout engine 105. In other words, the UI model analyzer 104 can easily replace the user interface 103 with another display / input format user interface without changing the layout engine 105.

  The user interface 103, UI model analyzer 104, and layout engine 105 communicate via communication channels 123 and 124. The data source for document generation is a typical database 119 residing on a database server 117 that is typically configured by another computer running a database application. Host computer 101 communicates with database server 117 by means of network connection 107. The variable data printing application 121 generates a document template stored in the file server 115 configured by the host computer 101 or generally another computer. The variable data printing application 121 generates a document composed of a document template merged with data. These documents are stored in the local file system of the host computer 101, stored in the file server 115, or printed directly on the printer 113. The print server 109 is a computer that provides a network function to a printer that is not directly connected to the network. The print server 109 and the printer 113 are connected via a typical communication channel 111.

  FIG. 2 is a similar view of FIGS. 1A and 1B, including an isolated version 225 of the layout engine 105, with the addition of an engine server 227. FIG. The engine server 227 is a typical computer. The document template stored in the file server 115 can be combined with data stored in the database 119 to generate a document by the layout engine 225 when printing or for other purposes. Such an operation is requested via the user interface 103 or only certain records are required to be printed.

[Application configuration diagram]
[Main window]
As shown in FIG. 3, the user interface 103 includes a user interface formed by an application window 301 displayed on the video display 144 during operation. The window 301 can be hidden, moved to various locations on the screen, a menu bar 302 and a tool bar 303, a work area 306 which can be moved by the position and operation of the mouse 133, and an optional Characterized by a palette 311 and a cursor / pointer device 313.

  The menu bar 302 has a number of menu items 304 that extend below the menu options hierarchy, as is known in the art.

  The toolbar 303 has a number of tool buttons and widgets 305 that can be hidden or displayed depending on the particular mode of the application.

  An optional ruler 308 is used to indicate the position of a pointer, page, line, margin guide, container or object within the work area.

  The palette 311 is used to access additional functions such as a variable data library. The palette 311 has a window control 312 for moving, resizing, and closing. The palette 311 is optional and is displayed in front of the work area or hidden behind the object. The palette 311 is restricted from being displayed only within the range of the application window 301, or partially or entirely allowed to be displayed outside the application window 301.

  See FIG. The toolbar area 303 has at least the following “button” that can be selected by the user.

  Selection tool button 403: used to select, move, resize, resize, and lock / unlock container edges. Containers allow multiple selection by dragging a selection box around the (multiple) containers or by holding down the CTRL key while selecting multiple containers.

  Image container tool button 405: used to create a container having a static or variable image.

  Text container tool button 404: used to create a container with static or variable text.

  Link tool button 406: used to create a link that controls the distance between containers.

  These buttons are implemented as tooltips of icons that change according to the operation status, as is well known in the art.

[Document Template]
A work area 306 is used to display / edit the design of the document template. This allows the user to design an overview of the pre-printed document and understand how the merged document will change based on the amount and size of the variable data.

  If an external data source is linked to the template, variable text and images are displayed in their containers so that you can preview the current document.

  Visual cues that depict the document structure and variable data container are displayed whenever the cursor is moved over the container or when a container is selected.

  The work area 306 is characterized by a scroll bar 307, an optional ruler 308, and a document template 309. The document template 309 can indicate that there are a plurality of pages.

  The page size of a given document template is specified by the user as a well-known technique. The actual number of pages in each document may vary depending on the variable data. If it fails to fit within a page, an additional page is created automatically.

  The border within each page is an optional page margin 310 that indicates the maximum width of a printable object on the page.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of objects that can be displayed on the document template 309 of one page. They have a plurality of containers 407 and 408, an anchor icon 409 to be applied arbitrarily, an unfixed side 410, a link 412, and a slider 413.

[container]
A container is a space having a fixed or variable text image in a document template, and is laid out with other containers and objects. The container is moved, resized and recreated as shown in the user interface using the pointer 313 with mouse 133 movement.

  More precisely, a container has a collection of settings, a visual representation, and interaction and editing operations. The following is the full part of the container definition.

  Containers have fixed or variable content. Variable content is dynamic in the sense that it comes from a data source and may be different for different documents. Variable content is not intended to include content that changes or animates when it is not printed. Similarly, fixed content is displayed in the same way for all documents generated using the container. However, depending on the behavior of the variable container, the fixed content may be different in each document.

  The container has a decoration function such as a text setting such as a background color, a border, and a font style applied to the content.

  The container is merged with data from the data source when the document is generated. The decoration function is typically visible in the printed output, as is any fixed content. Variable content results in the display of specific data from the data source. This representation of the container can be printed or displayed on the screen 144, or both.

  Containers have a user interface, for example an interactive GUI for container editing and display settings. Interface elements are typically displayed on the screen 144 but not printed on the document. The user interface 103 displays some of the container decoration functions such as the background color and font, and adds a function to allow editing and display of the container settings. Examples of special purposes for user interface features include borders, corner icons for interactively changing and displaying the size and position of containers, or container behavior when containers are merged with data from a data source. There are overpainted numbers, lines, icons, and text to show. One overview of the current announcement is a collection of new direct editing techniques and display methods with container GUI components.

[Container constraints]
According to known techniques, containers have constraints that control how the content displayed in each document is linked. These constraints (as well as linking fixed and variable content with containers) are the primary way for users to control the generation of multiple documents from a single document template. An example of a constraint is “The maximum content height of this container is 4 inches. ]. Another constraint is “The left edge of the container contents must be displayed in the same horizontal position in each document. ]. The content described here is a variety of ways to display and edit such constraints using the GUI.

  Content placeholders that specify the placement of fixed content so that the image has a defined location on the page are well known in digital printing technology. In the discussion below, containers have a position and size, which may be assumed to be edited and displayed in a manner known in the art. Instead, the current study focuses on display / editing in a method specialized for variable data printing.

  The container allows the user to specify the size and position of the content of the document. Since several documents are generated from a single document template, the container must use a user interface to specify and display a number of possibilities and constraints.

  An edge of one container defines a virtual border where the associated content is displayed in the document. Thus, discussing the left side of a container in this patent is the same as discussing the leftmost side where the associated content can be displayed in any document. Similarly, discussing container height is understood as discussing content height constraints associated with the generated document. In this patent specification, this distinction will be clarified when discussing the side or size of the container with reference to the user interface 103.

  In the discussion below, the term “fixed” that defines some values used to restrict the display of content is the same for all documents.

  • If the container width is fixed, the width assigned to the associated content will be the same for all documents.

  If the container height is fixed, the height assigned to the associated content will be the same for all documents.

  • If the distance constraint is fixed, the specified distance is a constraint for all documents.

  If the left and right sides of the container are fixed, it means that the horizontal position of the side is the same for all documents with respect to the page, but the height or vertical position of the container may change. For example, if the left side of the container is fixed, the associated content will appear near the top of the page in one document and close to the bottom of the page in the other document, but the left side will be the same horizontal in all cases Position.

  • If the top and bottom edges of the container are fixed, it means that the vertical position of the edge is the same for all documents with respect to the page, but the width or horizontal position of the container may change.

  The vertical axis of the container is an imaginary vertical line located in the middle and parallel to the right and left sides of the container. If the container's vertical axis is fixed, the average horizontal position of the left and right sides of the container is the same for all documents. With this constraint, the width of the container may vary, documents with different left and right sides, may be the furthest or closest to the vertical axis, but the axes are in the same horizontal position in all documents. The height and horizontal position of the container are not affected by this constraint.

  • Similarly, if the horizontal axis is fixed, the top and bottom edges of the container are constrained to be positioned vertically, but the height is not affected by this constraint.

  • If both the horizontal and vertical axes are fixed, it means that the center position of the container is fixed, but the width and height are not affected by this constraint.

  • If the corner of the container, the middle position of the container edge, or the center position of the container is fixed, it will be displayed in the same location in all documents and in the same location associated with the container. For example, if the upper left corner of the container is fixed, it means that the upper left position of the arranged container is the same for all documents.

  The vertical side or axis is fixed in association with the left side, right side, left page margin, right page margin, or other horizontal position of the page. Similarly, the horizontal side or axis is fixed in relation to the top or bottom side or margin of the page or other vertical position. The refinement of the term "fixed" is only important when the page size changes between documents, since these possibilities do not differ in document generation if the page size is the same for all documents.

  The opposite of "Fixed" is "Variable" which means that edges, axes, corners, intermediate positions, or document constraints may vary between documents, but need to do so in specific settings of the document There may not be. For example, there are other external constraints, such as the actual preferred location of the edge due to the change, but if no external constraint is applied, the edge position can be changed because the edge is labeled as unfixed .

[Container display / edit]
[How to create a new container]
Containers are described in two types: text containers and image containers. A text container has text and an embedded image. An image container has only images.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a new text container and an image container are created on the document template 309 by clicking the text container tool 404 or the image container tool 405 with the mouse 133 and dragging a rectangle to the template 309. Is done.

  Instead, the container is simply created by clicking on the document template 309 after activating the appropriate tool 404, 405. A default size container is inserted, or a dialog box or other prompt is provided to enter the dimensions of the new container. Some containers are created and arranged automatically by predefined or calculated schemas. Other alternatives may be considered.

[Container display method]
Each of the 36 edge states previously described is preferably drawn in a graphical representation. Some edge states may be less than 36 graphic displays to share the representation in some situations.

  5A-5D illustrate exemplary edge rules for containers.

  The application 121 draws a side with a solid line (item 503) or a dotted line (504) to represent the state of the side, and anchors (lines as shown by 506, 507, 509 drawn near the side, Shape, icon), handle (side to move, modify, control point drawn near the shape, 502), slider (short parallel lines drawn on both sides of the side, 413 in FIG. 4), scaling icon (505) and has color as a feature.

  The rules for the container display method of FIGS. 5A-5D are as follows.

  1. Draw with a solid line to fix each side.

  2. If the width is fixed, draw the left and right sides with a solid line.

  3. If the height is fixed, draw the top and bottom edges with a solid line.

  4). The axes are not drawn.

  5). For all sides that have not yet been drawn, an enlargement / reduction icon is drawn near each side and becomes a dotted line.

  6). For each pair of vertical sides or axes, if both are fixed, an anchor is drawn at the intersection.

  7. For each fixed edge, if no anchor is drawn anywhere on the edge, a slider is drawn at the center of the edge.

  8). For each pair of vertical sides or axes, if no anchor or slider is drawn, a handle is drawn at the intersection.

  The lines guaranteed by rule 1, rule 2 and rule 3 are drawn with dotted lines if they are fixed or restricted. The variable side guaranteed by rule 5 is drawn with a dotted line. Fixed points guaranteed by rule 6, rule 7 and rule 8 display anchors, some fixed edges display sliders, others display handles.

  In the above, the edge needs to be drawn only once, but if the rule affects the edge to be drawn, then the subsequent rule will not affect the edge to be drawn again. If it is convenient to do so, for example if the container is very small and the icons overlap each other or obscure other display functions, the icons may be drawn differently or omitted. .

  The location where the variable side is drawn depends on the content of the container. As will be described later, “dynamic proofing” is used, which means that content is merged into a document template and made visible in the user interface. Alternative execution means can be used in the content area of the container that is averaged over all documents, or other means of determining where variable edges should be laid out in the user interface.

  These content representations provide a graphical means for displaying the state of a container edge. The interpretation of the expression is as follows.

  As shown by the side 410 in FIG. 4, the dotted line indicates the position of the side in the document depending on the contents of the container.

  A filled line means a restricted side because the side is fixed (side 414) or the width and height of the container are fixed (both are fixed in the container 408).

  ・ Anchor means that the place where the side and axis intersect is fixed. Therefore, anchor points will appear at the horizontal and vertical positions of all documents. Of course, the anchor is fixed. The icon 409 in FIG. 4 is an example of an anchor icon intended to have the intersecting sides 414 fixed.

  • A slider means that the associated edge is fixed, but the container is positioned at many positions along the edge “slide length”. For example, in FIG. 4, slider 413 may display the contents of container 408 to the left or right of the position represented by a particular diagram in the document.

  Some or all of these icons / edges may or may not be drawn depending on which tool, which container is selected, highlighted or activated. In general, the sides and icons of a container are not drawn on a printed matter because they help to design a document template.

  Settings for minimum and maximum width and height are displayed in a secondary dialog window.

  In FIG. 5A, the container 501 is not fixed in both width and height. The fixed side 503 is represented by a solid line. The variable side 504 is represented by a dotted line. The enlargement / reduction icon 505 is an additional or alternative indicator indicating that the adjacent side 504 is variable.

  In FIG. 5B, the container 501 is variable in both width and height. Anchor icon 506 additionally or alternatively indicates that both intersecting sides 503 are fixed.

  In FIG. 5C, the container 501 is variable in both width and height, with the container expanding or contracting spreading evenly around the center point as indicated by the optional anchor icon 507.

  In FIG. 5D, the container 501 is variable in both width and height except that the upper side 508 is fixed. An anchor icon 509 shown to be positioned at the center of the upper side 508 is fixed, and the left and right sides of the container are enlarged and reduced around a central axis (vertical axis) drawn vertically through the icon. Indicates to do.

[Link]
The link indicates the relationship between containers. “Relation” indicates a distance between containers, and containers associated by a link are affected by each other's layout change and calculate a layout. What is indicated by 412 in FIG. 4 is a link. In this figure, containers 407 and 408 are associated with each other. A link setting method and a layout calculation method for containers associated with the link will be described later.

[Link setting method]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a link setting method. 7A to 7C show UI examples. A method for setting a link in a container using them will be described.

  First, in order to set a link, containers (at least two) for setting a link are created (0601). FIG. 7 shows an example in which two containers are created and links are set. Next, the above-described link tool 406 is selected (0602). FIGS. 7A to 7C show an operation of creating a container and setting a link from a state in which the link tool is selected. 7A to 7C will be described in order.

  Reference numerals 0701 and 0702 in FIG. 7-A are the same as 407 and 408 in FIG. 4 described above and mean fixed sides. Also, 0703 and 0704 are the same as 409, meaning anchors. 0705 indicates a mouse pointer. First, one container for setting a link is clicked to select it (0603). Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the mouse pointer is moved to the other container and clicked (0604). Reference numeral 0706 in FIG. 7B denotes a line connecting the clicked position in FIG. 7A and the moved mouse pointer. The UI indicates to which position a link is set. After the processing 0604 is completed, a link UI indicated by 0707 is displayed at the set location (0605). The container is in the state shown in FIG. Further, the UI of the container is automatically changed by setting the link (0606). Reference numeral 0708 denotes a side indicated by a dotted line, and indicates a variable side as described above. The state of the side of the container has changed as shown in FIG. 7-C because it is necessary to make the side of the container variable by setting the link. This is an automatic process to prevent the contradiction that the edges are fixed. Reference numeral 0709 is the same as 505 in FIG. 5, and is a sign that visually indicates to the user the direction in which the container can be changed by setting a link. In the example of FIG. 7C, the right side of the left container and the left side of the right container are variably changed. However, this is an example, and the right container is changed to a setting having a slider indicated by 413 in FIG. It doesn't matter.

[Layout calculation method (overall flow)]
FIG. 8 shows a flow of layout calculation.

  First, the preview mode is selected (0801). The automatic layout system described above has a layout mode in which containers are created and associated with each other to create a layout. Furthermore, it has a preview mode for inserting a record into the created layout and previewing the layout result after the record is actually inserted. In this preview mode, the actual record is inserted and the layout is calculated. However, the preview mode is a layout calculation on the display. Even in actual printing, a record is inserted to calculate the layout. The calculation method at that time is the same. In the preview mode, a record to be previewed is selected and inserted (0802). When a record is inserted, calculations are performed to lay out the record. (0803). The layout calculated in the process 0803 is displayed (0804). It is determined whether or not to preview other records (0805). If it is determined in process 0805 that there is no need to preview another record, the preview mode is terminated (0807). If the preview is to be performed for another record, the other record is selected, the layout calculation is performed again, and the preview is performed (0806). When printing not in the preview mode, the layout is calculated in order for all the records to be printed. Therefore, the processes 0805 and 0807 do not exist. The process ends when printing is completed for all records.

[Layout Calculation Method (Detailed Flow)]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of layout calculation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a UI display example at that time.

  First, a set of containers for calculating the layout is obtained (0901). In the layout calculation, the associated containers are calculated as one set. For example, referring to FIG. 11, four containers are laid out on the page, and an association is set for each container. In this case, container A and container B, and container C and container D are associated by a link. Accordingly, containers A and B are set 1 and containers C and D are set 2. As described above, 1101 is an anchor, 1102 is a fixed side, 1103 is a controller, 1104 is an arrow indicating a change direction of a variable side, 1105 is a variable side, 1106 is a link, and 1107 is a slider. Is shown.

  Next, one is selected from the set of containers obtained in 0901 in order to calculate the layout (0902). Then, the layout of the selected set of containers is calculated. Here, the layout is optimized so that the size of the container to be laid out is as small as possible with the actual content size (0903). Layout optimization is such that the difference between the size of the inserted content and the size of the layout is the same as much as possible in the associated containers so that the size can be changed dynamically. Done. When the layout is optimized and the rule is violated, the calculation is performed again so as not to violate the rule (0904). The rules described here are restrictions set by the user when creating a layout, such as the size and position of a container, the length of a link, and the like. Once the layout is calculated so that it does not violate the rules, the set layout is completed. Then, the steps 0902 to 0904 are applied to all the sets on the page, and the layout of the entire page is calculated (0905).

  FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C are UI examples at the time of layout calculation.

  FIG. 10A shows a state in which a certain record is inserted and a layout is determined. 1001 and 1002 are anchors, 1003 and 1004 are fixed sides, 1005 is a variable side, 1006 is an arrow indicating the change direction of the variable side, and 1008 is a link. In this state, the record is changed and contents of different sizes are inserted. FIG. 10-B shows the size of the new content superimposed on the state of FIG. 10-A. Reference numeral 1009 denotes the size of content inserted in each container. Then, layout calculation is performed. FIG. 10C shows the result of layout calculation. The size of each container after the calculation is calculated so that there is a difference equivalent to the size of the content that is actually inserted, and is calculated so as not to violate the rules described above. As shown in FIG. 10C, the inserted content size (1009) and the calculated content size (1010) shown in FIG. 10-B have the same difference in both.

[Variable link settings]
FIG. 12 shows a general variable link state. As in FIG. 4, there are an application window 301 and a toolbar 303, and a container 1203 and a container 1204 exist on the document template 309. Each container typically includes an anchor icon 1201, an anchor icon 1202, a fixed side 1205, and a side 1206. There is a variable-size link 1209 between the edge containers 1203 and 1204, which connects the containers. Since a link is set between the container 1203 and the container 1204, the right side 1207 and the left side 1208 are represented by dotted lines. Therefore, an indicator 1210 and an indicator 1211 are displayed in each container, which indicates that the sides 1207 and 1208 are variable.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a dialog window 1401 in which information of the link 1209 is set. This dialog typically includes a title bar 1402, a tool button 1403, a button 1404 for opening / closing the dialog window, and an area 1409 for setting various information. In this dialog window, the link type is variable (1407) or fixed (1406), and if it is variable, the maximum value (1410) and minimum value (1412) of the link length and the current value (1411) are set. it can.

  FIG. 13 is based on the above link setting method, for example, operations from the state of the fixed size link 1503 stretched between the containers A and B of FIG. 15 to the state of FIG. 12 showing the variable size link 1209. Represents a transition. The link 1503 is clicked with the mouse and selected (1302). A property dialog window 1401 of the link 1503 selected by right-clicking the mouse or a specific key on the keyboard is displayed (1303). In this state, since the link size is not variable but fixed, Fixed Length 1406 is selected in Link Type 1405. In order to change the link from the fixed size to the variable size, the Flexible Length 1407 for setting the link size to be variable is selected in the Link Type 1405 (1304). As a result, the Max. Distance 1412, Min. The distance 1410 and the distance 1411 are activated, and numerical values can be set. Therefore, in order to set the variable size of the link, the maximum value of the link length is set to Max. Distance 1412, the minimum value is Min. Distance 1410, the current value is set in distance 1411 (1305). When the setting is applied by a general dialog window open / close button 1404, the UI display of the link changes to a state like the link 1209 in FIG. (1306) The setting information of this dialog window 1401 is stored in the memory.

  FIG. 15 shows a layout result when a fixed-size link is used. The layout calculation method is performed as described above. For example, when different sizes of data are inserted into the container 1203 and the container 1204 in FIG. 12, each container considers that the data size is optimum, and the container 1203 has a frame 1504 (optimum container) that has the inserted image size. The size of the container 1204 increases to the right in order to approach the (size), and similarly, the size of the container 1204 increases slightly to the left in order to approach the frame 1505 (optimum container size) that becomes the inserted image size. However, if a fixed-size link is set between the container 1203 and the container 1204, the left side 1212 and the right side 1213 cannot be moved by the anchor 1201 and the anchor 1202, respectively. The size to be larger than the link size. Since the link size is fixed, it is preferentially calculated at the time of layout calculation, so the sizes of the containers 1203 and 1204 are changed. As a result, the container 1203 and the container 1204 cannot secure the optimum size according to the data, and finally the optimal size (frame 1504, frame 1505) like the container 1501 and the container 1502 in FIG. It gets smaller. Since the size of the link 1503 is fixed, the container 1501 and the container 1502 do not achieve the optimum size.

  FIG. 16 shows a case where the link has a variable size. In this case, if a variable size link is set between the container 1203 and the container 1204 as shown in the above example, the link size is reduced when the size of the container 1203 and the container 1204 is changed. Thus, the sizes of the container 1203 and the container 1204 can be larger than the above example. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve the optimum size according to the data size to be inserted, or to calculate the container frame closer to the insertion data size (optimum size). The result is a container 1601 and a container 1602 in FIG. As a result of the layout calculation, the variable link 1209 is in the size state of the variable link 1603. In this case, the container 1601 and the container 1602 are optimal sizes (sizes suitable for the data size).

[Multi-record]
An outline of multi-record will be described.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an outline of a multi-record and its layout method.

  Reference numeral 1701 denotes a document, 1702 denotes a page, 1703 denotes a sub-template, and 1704 denotes a database. Looking at the database indicated by 1704, data Nos. 1 to 7 are displayed. In the variable print of one record and one document, there are seven records. In this case, seven documents are created. However, in the variable print that supports multiple records of multiple records and one document, the following processing is performed. First, the user arbitrarily designates a column for designating a multi-record. In this example, it is assumed that field name: Name is designated. Then, a record with the same field name is recognized as a record laid out in one document. In this example, the records No. 1 to 4 are laid out in the same document because the name is Tom, and the records of Nos. 5 to 7 are laid out in the same document different from that for Tom because the name is Nancy. This is a normal multi-record.

[Overall flow]
18 and 19 show the overall flow of the sub-template of the present invention and its explanation UI.

  Each step of the flow of FIG. 18 will be described with reference to the UI diagram of FIG. First, when an icon 1903 in FIG. 19 is pressed, the mode is shifted to the area creation mode (1801). A rectangle is drawn by dragging the mouse in the page margin area 1902 (1802). The drawn rectangle is recognized as a flow area (1803). Reference numeral 1906 denotes a flow area. Reference numerals 1904 and 1905 denote text containers and image containers that exist outside the flow area. These containers are not related to the flows in the flow area. The flow area can be easily visually recognized by the user by making the rectangular UI such as color and line type different from those of the containers. Next, it is determined whether various settings are made for the created flow area (1804). If the property is to be set, a property dialog is displayed by clicking the mouse pointer in the flow area (1805). Then, setting is performed using the displayed property dialog (1806). The property dialog and setting method will be described in detail later. When the creation and setting of the flow area is completed, it is confirmed whether or not to preview the layout (1808). If previewing, transition to preview mode. Then, layout calculation is performed (1809). This layout calculation performs the same processing as the flow shown in FIG. Next, the layout calculation of the set flow area is performed (1810). This process will be described in detail later. Finally, the layout result is displayed (1811).

[Property setting flow]
FIG. 20 shows an example of a setting dialog for performing various settings (property settings) of the flow area. This is a UI example of a dialog that is displayed at step 1806 in the flowchart of FIG.

  Note that sub-templates in the sentence will be described later.

  As a designation method, the user first selects whether a sub-template or a conditional expression is associated with a flow area by using a radio button 2002. After that, the sub-template used in the flow area is displayed from the list box indicated by 2003, or the conditional expression used in the flow area is indicated from the list box indicated by 2004, and then displayed. The sub-template and the conditional expression can be set by each unique UI means in the document template being edited. As another method, the file is stored in a separate file, and can be selected and specified by specifying the file from this setting dialog. In this embodiment, a plurality of sub-templates and conditional expressions can be created in the document template. However, all of them should be designed so that they all have a unique name and can be identified from the property of selecting from the list box. is there.

  In addition, from this setting dialog, it is possible to select the flow direction when the sub-template is flowed from 2005, and set the flow interval as 2006 for the vertical and 2007 for the horizontal.

  To confirm the above settings, an OK button indicated by 2008 is pressed. Further, when a cancel button 2009 is pressed, all designated settings are canceled.

[Sub template]
The outline and layout flow of the sub-template described above will be described. 21 and 22 show a layout example and layout flow of the sub-template, respectively.

  The sub-template refers to an image container and a text container arranged in an arbitrary number and stored as a template in a state in which data (field) of a record is assigned to the container. This is useful if you use the same layout many times in one document. The containers arranged in the sub-template are the same as the image container and the text container, and a link can be set between the containers. Therefore, the layout size can be changed optimally depending on the data to be laid out. FIG. 21 shows a layout example of the sub-template. 2102 and 2105 are image containers, 2103 and 2106 are text containers, and 2107 is a link. Since the image and text content sizes are different, an optimum layout is calculated for each different record and the layout is changed.

  The calculation flow of this layout is as shown in FIG. First, data to be laid out is acquired (2201). Next, the size of data to be laid out is passed to each container (2202). Then, layout calculation is performed in each container based on the passed data size (2203). Then, the layout is optimized (2204). The optimization method is as described above. An optimized layout is determined (2205), data to be laid out is flowed (2206), and displayed (2207).

[Flow area over multiple pages]
Automatic including a method of laying out a sub template in the flow area and automatically generating a new page with the same flow area when overflowing outside the area, and laying out the overflowed sub template continuously Explain the layout system.

  According to the method of Patent Document 2, the flow area is limited to a range of one page, and a layout result corresponding to a document with a limited page space, such as a postcard, by performing a process of placing a sub template within the range of one page. The purpose was to realize. Therefore, it is not considered to lay out the sub template over a large number of pages. However, the need to create customized documents for each customer does not limit the number of pages, but there is a scene of creating a document with free pages depending on the range of customer interests. To do.

[Repeated page in multiple pages]
FIG. 23 shows an example of a setting dialog UI that is called when a flow area is inserted into a document having a plurality of pages. On / off of the flow area is selected from the radio button 2302, and when it is ON, a page number for arranging the flow area is set in the text box 2303. Here, the input should be limited by the UI so that the start page is 1 or more and the end page is less than the maximum page of the document. Further, from the flow area arranged in the text box 2304, a repeated page range in which repeated instances are generated and the sub-template flows is set. The repeated page will be described later. Here, the input should be restricted by the UI so that the start page of the repeated page is not less than the start page of the flow area and the end page is not more than the end page of the flow area. Also, at least one page should be restricted to be a repeated page.

  When OK is pressed in the setting dialog, a flow area is inserted into each page according to the set page range. The initial position and size of the flow area to be inserted are fixedly held by the system, and can be changed to a position and size desired by the user after the insertion by position control described later.

[Flow area position control]
A flow area arranged over a plurality of pages can occupy each position and size in each page.

  FIG. 24 shows an example UI for adjusting the position and size of the flow area in each page. As described above, the margin area 2401 and the flow area 2404 are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner with different expressions from normal containers depending on the line type and color. As shown in FIG. 24, the size of the flow area can be changed in the layout editing area by a size change handle 2403 that is known and generally used in graphic drawing software. In the flow area, it is appropriate to limit the possible area within the margin area.

[Repeated page]
FIG. 25 is a conceptual diagram of a state in which a flow area is arranged over a plurality of pages in one document and a state in which a layout-completed page is generated when actual data is inserted into the flow area.

  Reference numeral 2502 in FIG. 25-A denotes a repeated page. Although 2501 and 2503 are not repeated pages, they are pages in which a flow area exists. Reference numeral 2504 denotes a flow area. Reference numerals 2505 and 2506 represent ordinary containers. These normal containers are not related to the flow area. Although the flow area extends over a plurality of pages, it is handled by the application as one continuous area. Therefore, when actual data is inserted, all the records in the database are arranged using the entire 3 pages of the flow area in this figure.

  FIG. 25-B shows a state in which actual data is inserted into the flow area set as shown in FIG. 25-A and a laid-out document is obtained. Reference numeral 2507 represents one sub-template. However, for the sake of simplicity, the details of the sub-templates and containers that are actually flowed are omitted. FIG. 25-B shows that the second page in FIG. 25-A is automatically generated and repeated according to the number of records.

  When a flow area exists across a plurality of pages as described above, it is effective in improving the expressiveness of the document if it is possible to set which page is repeatedly set according to the nature of the page. In the example of FIG. 25, for example, the flow area of the first page may include a customer name in a normal container part and a greeting to the customer. After that, the multi-record record data is displayed in the flow area, and after processing a large number of record data on the repeated page, the sales person's name is entered in the flow area on the third page, and a closing greeting can be posted. Conceivable. In this way, it is possible to give diversity to the contents of a plurality of pages while taking the form of a document in which many similar record data are arranged.

[Flow of the entire flow area across multiple pages]
FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a flow area extending over a plurality of pages. This flowchart describes a method of arranging a sub template in a flow area composed of a plurality of pages.

  First, the number of sub-templates arranged in the flow area is acquired and substituted for n (2601). If n is 0 (2602), there is no need to lay out in the flow area, and the process is terminated without processing (2603). The variable k is initialized to 1 (2604).

  It is acquired whether there is a page having a flow area that is not a repeated page at the beginning of the document, and the start page that is not the repeat page is substituted for s, and the end page, that is, the page immediately before the repeat page is substituted for e (2605). Next, sub-templates that fit in order from the top are sequentially flowed to the pages s to e (2606). At the end of the flow, the number of sub-templates that fall within s to e is obtained and set to t (2607). At this time, t is substituted for k (2608), and k and n are compared (2609). If k is less than n, go to Step 2610. If k has reached n, all the sub-templates have been flowed, and the process ends.

  In step 2610, the current number p of layout pages is first stored. Next, the page number where the flow area that is not a repeated page exists is acquired from the tail of the document, and the start page is substituted for s and the end page is substituted for e (2611). The sub-templates that fit in order from the top are sequentially flowed in the pages of s to e (2612). When the flow processing is completed, the number of sub-templates that fall within s to e is acquired and set to t (2613). Next, k + t and n are compared (2614). If k + t is less than n, the process proceeds to step 2615. If k + t has reached n, it means that all the sub-templates have been flowed, so the processing is terminated.

  In step 2615, since all the remaining sub-templates do not fit in the page that is not the last repeated page, first, the instance of the laid-out page after p that has flowed first is discarded (2615). From there, the flow is repeatedly performed on the page. First, the page number of the repeated flow area in the document is acquired, and the s end page is set as e (2616). Sub templates that fit within the range s to e are flowed to the flow area (2617). The number of sub-templates that fall within s to e is acquired and substituted for t (2618). Further, t is added to k and substituted for k again (2619). Here, k and n are compared (2620). If k is less than n, the process returns to step 2610 again to continue the process of flowing the remaining sub-templates to the document. If k has reached n, all the sub-templates have been flowed, and the process ends.

[Multiple sub-templates in the flow area]
FIG. 27 shows an example as a premise of a sub-template to which the present invention is applied. In this example, if the entire FIG. 27 is a flow area, sub-templates 2701, 2702, and 2703 are arranged. The sub templates hold containers 2704 to 2706, 2707 to 2709, and 2710 to 2712, respectively. Each container is connected by a variable link 2713. In this example, since the sub-templates 2701 to 2703 are independent from each other, the operation of arranging the containers 2704, 2707, and 2710 is not performed, and the output in the table format is not considered. In other words, the operation that the container of its own sub-template is affected by the contents of other sub-templates has never been done. Hereinafter, a method for enabling the output of the table format by adding the settings to the flow area and the sub template will be described.

[Setting the appearance of multiple sub-templates]
FIG. 28 shows a setting UI example for a flow area to which the present invention can be applied. The setting screen 2801 includes a repeatable number in page 2802 and a container alignment setting 2803. When an OK button 2804 is pressed, the settings are reflected, and when a cancel button 2805 is pressed, the settings on 2801 are discarded. In 2803, it is set whether or not to align the containers in the sub-template of the flow area (whether or not to make a face appearance). In addition, in the case of 2803, it is possible to select whether to align in rows or columns. On the template editor, a container 2808 and a link 2809 that are constituent elements of the sub-template are displayed in the flow area 2806. Further, it is possible to notify the user of a mark such as 2807 so that the direction in which the containers are aligned can be known.

[Overall flow for layout layout]
FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 are an overall flow and a partial flow in which the present invention can be applied to perform the layout of the face appearance. In step 2901, the number of sub-templates that flow into the flow area is acquired. In step 2902, the number of sub-templates per page in the flow area is acquired. In step 2903, the number of sub templates acquired in step 2901 is compared with the number of sub templates acquired in step 2902. If the number of sub-templates acquired in step 2901 is larger, the width of each sub-template is calculated with the value set in 2802 in FIG. 28 in step 2904. If the number of sub templates acquired in step 2902 is larger, the width of each sub template is calculated based on the width of the flow area in step 2905 and the number of sub templates acquired in step 2902. Step 2906 indicates that the number of containers existing in the flow area is repeated. Step 2907 indicates that the number of subtemplates in the page is repeated. In step 2908, the content to be inserted is acquired, and in step 2909, it is stored in the virtual container generation area. In step 2910, layout adjustment is performed on the content in the virtual container generation area, and the container of the layout adjustment result in step 2910 is stored as a virtual container in step 2911. Step 2912 indicates that the number of virtual containers in the flow area is repeated. Step 2913 shows a process of arranging each virtual container in the final adjustment area. Step 2914 shows processing for adjusting the layout between the virtual containers arranged in step 2913. Step 2915 shows processing for temporarily storing the result of layout adjustment in step 2914 as a final template. Step 2916 shows a process that is repeated for the number of sub-templates to be flowed into the flow area. Step 2917 shows processing for acquiring a record to be inserted into the sub-template. Step 2918 shows a process that is repeated for the number of containers in the sub-template. Step 2919 shows processing for acquiring content to be poured into the container. Step 2920 shows processing for arranging the content acquired in step 2919 using the confirmed template stored in step 2915. FIG. 30 is an excerpt of FIG. 29, and steps 3001 to 3006 correspond to 2906 to 2911 in FIG. 29 and show a flow of storing a virtual container. Steps 3007 to 3010 correspond to 2912 to 2915 in FIG. 29, and show a flow for saving a template adjusted based on a virtual container.

[Create Virtual Container]
FIG. 31 shows a virtual container generation flow to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 32 is a conceptual diagram visually representing generation of a virtual container to which the present invention can be applied. A method for creating a virtual container will be described with reference to these two diagrams. Step 3101 in FIG. 31 shows processing that is repeated for the number of contents for which virtual containers are to be generated. Taking FIG. 32 as an example, since there are three sub-templates and there are three pieces of content to be aligned, 3201, 3202, 3203 are repeated three times. Step 3102 shows a step of newly creating a container that matches the size of each content. Step 3103 shows processing for determining whether or not the content in which the container has been created is the first one. If 3103 is Yes, the processing is continued, and if No, a step of creating a new link between the immediately preceding container and the sides is shown. Taking FIG. 32 as an example, a link between the bottoms like 3204 is newly created from the container 3202 to the container 3201. Similarly, links between the bottoms like 3204 are newly created for the containers 3203 to 3202. With this setting, as a result of layout adjustment between containers, the sizes of the target containers are the same. Step 3105 shows processing for adjusting the layout between containers. This indicates a step of saving a container as a result of layout adjustment (negotiation) 3201 to 2033 in FIG. 32 as a virtual container in the temporary area 3205 as 3206. As a specific calculation example, the case where the height set in the container 3201, the container 3202, and the container 3203 is set to 100 will be described. When the height of the content Content A1 corresponding to the containers 3201, 3202, and 3203 is 170, the height of the content Content A2 is 85, and the height of the content Content A3 is 105, stress occurs in each container. The stresses applied to the container 3201, the container 3202, and the container 3203 are 70, −15, and 5, respectively. The stress is leveled according to the characteristics of the layout means in the document processing apparatus of the present invention, and calculated as 26.6. Therefore, the height of the virtual container as a result of the negotiation is 126.6, and is stored as 3206 in the temporary area 3205.

[Confirm template]
FIG. 33 is a conceptual diagram for creating a fixed template by laying out virtual containers to which the present invention can be applied. The virtual container 3302 arranged on the temporary area 3301 performs layout adjustment according to the link 3303. The result of the layout adjustment is temporarily stored as a confirmed template 3304. In this example, the final template is composed of three containers 3305 having the height as a result of layout adjustment.

[Example of layout results]
FIG. 34 shows an example of a result of laying out content again in the flow area using a final template obtained by laying out virtual containers to which the present invention can be applied. This is the result of inserting the sub-template contents 3402, 3403, and 3404 into the flow layout 3401, and the appearance is such that Content A, Content B, and Content C are aligned. As a result, even when a plurality of sub-templates that are not related to each other are flowed into the flow layout as shown in FIG. 27, the containers in the sub-templates are influenced by each other, and the appearance as a table can be arranged.

[Example of appearance on facing pages]
FIG. 35 shows a flow of the layout of the face appearance on the spread page to which the present invention is applicable. FIG. 36 is an example of a layout result when the flow of FIG. 35 is executed. Step 3501 indicates a process that is repeated for the number of sub-templates arranged in the flow area. In step 3502, data of each container in the sub template is acquired. In step 3503, it is determined whether the data acquired in step 3502 belongs to the same spread page. If step 3503 is Yes, a virtual container is generated in step 3504 by the method described above. If step 3503 is No, a confirmed template is generated by the method described above at step 3505 using the virtual container stored at step 3504. In step 3506, layout processing is performed on the spread page by using the fixed template. In step 3507, the final template generated in step 3505 is discarded for the next spread page. With this processing, it is possible to obtain a layout result as shown in FIG. In this example, the flow areas 3601 and 3602 constitute a spread page, and the result of flowing a sub-template with the appearance of the spread page is 3605. In addition, in the flow layouts 3603 and 3604 constituting the next spread page, a result 3606 can be obtained in which sub-templates with the same appearance are poured into the spread pages.

  In the present invention, a storage medium (or recording medium) storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the medium.

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

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the storage medium provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the case where the CPU of the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  In addition, the present invention distributes the program code of software that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments via a network, so that storage means such as a hard disk or memory of a system or apparatus, CD-RW, CD-R, etc. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reading and executing the program code stored in the storage means or the storage medium. Absent.

(A) shows a computer system configuration diagram of the present invention. (B) shows a schematic diagram of the computer module in FIG. 1A of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the present invention in which an engine server is added to the computer system of FIG. 1A. Fig. 2 shows a typical application main window including a menu bar, toolbar, work area and floating palette of the present invention. One side of a typical container having links, anchors, and sliders between containers of the present invention is shown by a screen, a tool, and an icon. Fig. 4 illustrates a typical container rule of the present invention. 3 shows a flow for creating a link of the present invention. The UI figure example at the time of link creation is shown. 2 shows an overall flow of layout calculation in the present invention. The detailed flow of the layout calculation in this invention is shown. 10 is a UI example corresponding to the flow of FIG. 9 in the present invention. The figure explaining the collection of containers at the time of layout calculation of this invention is shown. Fig. 5 shows a container arrangement with a typical variable link of the present invention. The operation transition to the state of FIG. 12 of this invention is represented. Fig. 5 illustrates a typical link settings dialog window of the present invention. The layout result by the fixed link of this invention is shown. The layout result by the variable link of this invention is shown. The figure which showed the outline | summary of the multi-record of this invention and its layout method is shown. The whole flow which applied the subtemplate in the present invention is shown. FIG. 19 shows the explanatory UI of FIG. 18 in the present invention. 4 illustrates an example UI of a flow area setting dialog according to the present invention. The example of the layout of the sub template in this invention is shown. The layout flow of the sub template in the present invention is shown. 2 illustrates an example of a UI for setting a flow area extending over a plurality of pages in the present invention. The UI example which changes the position and size of the flow area in this invention is shown. The flow area with repetition in this invention and the conceptual diagram when data are inserted in it are shown. The flow which lays out a sub template in the flow area over a plurality of pages in the present invention is shown. The example used as the premise of the subtemplate to which this invention is applied is shown. An example of a setting UI for a flow area in the present invention is shown. The overall flow which performs the layout of the surface appearance in this invention is shown. The partial flow which performs the layout of the surface appearance in this invention is shown. The flow of generating a virtual container in the present invention is shown. The conceptual diagram which expressed the production | generation of the virtual container in this invention visually is shown. The conceptual diagram which lays out the virtual containers in this invention and produces a definite template is shown. The example of the layout result to which this invention is applied is shown. The flow of the layout of the surface appearance in the facing page in this invention is shown. The example of the layout result at the time of performing the flow of FIG. 35 in this invention is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 General-purpose computer module 103 User interface 104 UI model analyzer 105 Layout engine 119 Database 121 Layout application program 124 Communication channel 132 Keyboard 133 Mouse 143 I / O interface 144 Video display 301 Application window 303 Tool bar 313 Cursor / pointer 406 Link tool button 407, 408 Container 409 Anchor icon 410 Unfixed side 412 Link 1703 Sub template 1906 Flow area 3301 Final template 3303 Virtual container

Claims (5)

  Consists of a personal computer information processing device. When creating a document by inserting text and image data from database data into the container area, the container size is changed to match the text and image size during preview. And an automatic layout system that can be changed by setting an association between containers by setting an association between containers, and means for setting an area for performing a template flow on a page; The means for setting a plurality of sub-templates to be laid out in the area, the container in the first sub-template, and the container in the second sub-template are automatically associated to match the size of the text and image, Change the size of the container A means for saving as a virtual container within the rate, a means for changing and saving the virtual container in the temporary sub-template in accordance with the size of the virtual container in the temporary sub-template, and a template flow on the page A document processing apparatus, wherein the temporary sub-template is applied to an area, and the container size in each sub-template is aligned on a side in a row or column direction.   The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temporary sub template is created for each of the same spread pages.   A document processing program for controlling the document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program can be controlled by a computer, and the document processing module of the document processing step can be read by the computer .   4. The document processing program according to claim 3, wherein a temporary sub template is created for each of the same spread pages.   A storage medium storing the document processing program according to claim 3 or 4 in a form readable by a computer.

Images