JP2010067063A - Information processor, information processing method, program therefor, and recording medium recorded with the program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To edit and display setting items of a UI (User Interface) of a printer driver by the same method without degrading usability regardless of whether or not the printer driver is installed. <P>SOLUTION: An information processor includes: a display part for providing information to a user, and for receiving the input information of the user; and a display part for controlling the display information of the display part. A prescribed parameter and the generation functions of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) module are stored in a dependence setting information storage part 19 as dependence setting information, and in response to a request from a display control part 15, a dependence setting management part 16 reads the prescribed parameter and the generation functions of the GUI module from the dependence setting information storage part 19, and transfers it to the display control part 15. Then, the display control part 15 generates the GUI module by setting the prescribed parameter to the generation functions of the GUI module received from the dependence setting management part 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that is connected to an image forming apparatus such as a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP), a digital copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and the like via a communication line and performs various information processing, and an information processing method therefor The present invention relates to a program for causing a computer (CPU) to execute the function of the information processing apparatus and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  Conventionally, an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer and an image forming apparatus such as a printer are directly connected via a cable or connected via a network so that they can communicate with each other.

  Under such an environment, the information processing apparatus generates print data such as document data corresponding to an operation of a keyboard or the like on the display screen by using, for example, a document creation application (application software). When a print request is made by operating the keyboard or the like, the printer driver (printer driver program) converts the print data into a language (such as PDL) that can be decoded by the image forming apparatus, and the converted print data and print conditions are converted. A print request including the print request is transmitted to the image forming apparatus to perform printing.

  Today, printer functions are diversified. As a result, printer setting items are more complex and complex than other devices. Along with this, the setting items of the user interface (UI) of the printer driver on the information processing apparatus side that makes various requests to the printer are increasing and becoming complicated. In addition, regarding the functions of the printer, those related to billing (for example, monochrome / color, duplex / single-sided, aggregation) and those related to information security are said to be restricted or forced to be used by the user. There is also a demand.

In order to reduce such complexity and to restrict or enforce function settings, it is hoped that the setting items of the UI of the printer driver will be customized, and various technologies have been developed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling display / non-display of UI setting items related to each function for the purpose of customizing UI setting items without installing a printer driver.

JP 2006-309725 A

  However, in such a conventional technique, the layout of the user interface (UI) setting items is determined by default, and the UI setting items are not displayed for each function at the time of customization. There is a problem that the display of setting items becomes uneven on the entire screen, and the usability is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and the layout of the setting items of the user interface of the printer driver can be customized (edited) in the same way before and after the installation to improve the usability. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention provides a user with information and receives user input information, a display control unit that controls display information on the display unit, A dependency setting information storage unit for storing parameters and a GUI module generation function as dependency setting information; and reading a predetermined parameter and a GUI module generation function from the dependency setting information storage unit in response to a request from the display control unit A dependency setting management unit to be passed to the display control unit, wherein the display control unit generates a GUI module by setting a predetermined parameter in a generation function of the GUI module received from the dependency setting management. To do.

The generation function of the GUI module is, for example, a list of GUI modules constituting the screen for each screen, and the predetermined parameters include, for example, the type or type of the GUI module, the function name, layout information, and the like.
Furthermore, the printer function management unit for managing specifications corresponding to the function names of the GUI module is further provided, and the display control unit receives the functions from the printer function management unit based on the function names set in the generated GUI module. The specification corresponding to the name may be acquired, and the display information may be controlled so as to display according to the specification.

  In addition, the dependency setting information storage unit is a first dependency setting information storage unit that can be rewritten and used only by the information processing apparatus, and another information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus via a network A second dependency setting information storage unit that can be used also from the first, and when the dependency setting management unit determines that the dependency setting information of the first dependency setting information storage unit has been updated, the first dependency setting information storage unit You may make it have a function which updates the dependence setting information of a said 2nd dependence setting information storage part with the dependence setting information of a dependence setting information storage part.

  In this case, a printer driver having a user interface driver, a graphic driver, and a printer driver data storage unit is provided, and the display control unit, the dependency setting management unit, and the first dependency setting information storage unit are provided in the user interface driver. The second dependency setting information storage unit may be provided in the printer driver data storage unit.

Further, the information processing method according to the present invention comprises a storage means for storing information (dependency setting information storage section), a reading means for reading information from the storage means (dependency setting management section), and display information to be displayed on the display section. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus comprising display control means for controlling, characterized by comprising the following steps.
Storing the predetermined parameter and the generation function of the GUI module in the storage means as dependency setting information.
The reading means reads out the predetermined parameter and the generation function of the GUI module from the storage means.
The display control unit generates a GUI module by setting the predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading unit, and causes the display unit to display based on the GUI module. Controlling display information.

A program according to the present invention includes a storage unit (dependency setting information storage unit) that stores a computer as an information processing apparatus as predetermined setting parameters and a GUI module generation function as dependency setting information, and the predetermined parameter from the storage unit. And reading means (dependency setting management unit) for reading out the GUI module generation function;
A display for controlling the display information so that the GUI module is generated by setting the predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading means, and the display unit performs display based on the GUI module. It is a program for making it function as a control means.

  The recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  According to the present invention, the layout of the setting items of the user interface (UI) of the printer driver in the information processing apparatus can be customized in the same manner before and after the installation (model support by the development department, customer support by the service department, etc.) Editing), and usability is improved.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
Here, the user interface (UI) is an interface for exchanging information between the computer and its user. Depending on the expression format, it is broadly classified into CUI (Character User Interface), GUI (Graphical User Interface), and PUI (Perceptual User Interface). Among these, the GUI is a graphic user interface that presents information by computer graphics and promotes intuitive operations. A software module that implements the GUI is called a GUI module.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.
The information processing apparatus 1 is realized by a personal computer, for example, and includes a control unit 3 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the whole as shown in FIG. The control unit 3 includes, via a control bus 8, a storage unit 4 including a ROM (Read Only Memory), an operation input unit 5 including a keyboard and a mouse, a communication unit 6 including a communication interface, and a liquid crystal display. Etc., and is connected to a display unit 7 composed of, for example. The control unit 3 can read the application 9 and the printer driver 10 stored in the storage unit 4 and execute them on an operating system (OS) 11.

The printer driver 10 of the control unit 3 includes a UI driver 12, a graphic driver 13, and a printer driver data storage unit 14, as shown in FIG.
The UI driver 12 is a software module that provides a print setting screen related to various print settings during printing. The graphic driver 13 is a software module that converts document data received from the application 9 into print data that can be interpreted by a printer that prints the document data. The printer driver data storage unit 14 as information storage means holds data necessary for the UI driver 12 and the graphic driver 13 to execute each function.

The UI driver 12 is one of the characteristic parts of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1C, the UI driver 12 includes a display control unit 15 as a display control unit, a dependency setting management unit 16 as a reading unit, a term management unit 17 as a term management unit, and a printer function management unit. A printer function management unit 18 as a storage unit, a dependency setting information storage unit 19 as a storage unit, and a term information storage unit 20.

The display control unit 15 performs control so that user interface setting items in the printer driver are generated according to the current setting state and displayed on the display unit 7. In addition, the setting change of the setting item of the user interface by the user from the operation input unit 5 and the display unit 7 is accepted, and the setting item of the user interface is customized based on the setting change.
Further, the display control unit 15 manages a GUI module that realizes display of setting items of the user interface in units such as a combo box and an edit box.

In response to a request from the display control unit 15, the dependency setting management unit 16 reads the dependency setting information stored in the dependency setting information storage unit 19 and passes it to the display control unit 15.
The dependency setting information storage unit 19 stores predetermined parameters and GUI module generation functions as dependency setting information.

  The display control unit 15 performs initial setting of the GUI module based on the dependency setting information. Specifically, the dependency setting information stored in the dependency setting information storage unit 19 describes a list of GUI modules constituting each screen for each screen. The setting of the GUI module includes setting of GUI module type (kind) information, function name, and layout information. The layout information is a concept including information such as coordinates and size.

The term management unit 17 reads the term identified by the term identifier requested by the display control unit 15 from the term information storage unit 20 and supplies it to the display control unit 15. Also, terms in an appropriate language are read from the term information storage unit 20 based on the regional information of the execution environment and supplied to the display control unit 15. The term information storage unit 20 holds a term identifier and a term as pair information, and holds a term by region.
The printer function management unit 18 manages specification information and performance information corresponding to printer function names.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a network system using the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG.
In this network system, an information processing apparatus 1 such as a personal computer is communicably connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses 2 such as an MFP, a digital copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile apparatus via a network 3.

  In such a configuration, the information processing apparatus 1 is a PDL or the like that allows the image forming apparatus 2 to decode the print data by the printer driver 10 when a print request is made by operating the operation input unit 5 such as the keyboard shown in FIG. The language is converted into a language, and a print request including the converted print data and printing conditions is transmitted to any of the image forming apparatuses 2 to perform printing.

  FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram related to the characteristic processing of the present invention by the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. This is because a request for a DrvDocumentPropertySheets (function) from the operating system (OS) 11 to the display control unit 15 of the UI driver 12 of the printer driver 10 (a request to “generate a screen and return its handle”). It shows the processing that is performed when it is made.

  When the operating system (OS) 11 requests DrvDocumentPropertySheets from the display control unit 15 of the UI driver 12 of the printer driver 10 in step S1, the display control unit 15 sends the document_property_sheets to the dependency setting management unit 16 in step S2. Request screen name list acquisition. At that time, as an actual request, a predetermined module name and path such as “dcument_property_sheets / params.sheet_names” are designated.

  In step S3, the dependency setting management unit 16 reads the screen name list from document_property_sheets.json of the dependency setting information storage unit 19 according to the module name and path requested from the display control unit 15 (same as reading), and performs display control. Pass to part 15. In FIG. 3, the flow of acquired information is indicated by broken-line arrows. A description example of the document_property_sheets.json (screen name list information) is shown in FIG. In this example, an array of three character strings “sheet1”, “sheet2”, and “sheet3” is returned to the display control unit 15. Here, the JSON format is taken as an example, but XML or YAML may be used.

  In step S4, a screen module having the name of the screen name list acquired by the display control unit 15 is generated, and the handle is returned to the OS 11. This screen module contains the procedure for each screen. In this example, three screen modules, sheet1, sheet2, and sheet3, are generated. However, modules such as combo boxes and edit boxes that compose each screen are not generated.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram related to display processing when a property sheet (any one of the three screen modules of sheet1, sheet2, and sheet3) is opened by the user in the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that sheet1 is opened.

  In step S <b> 11, the operating system (OS) 11 issues a sheet 1 screen initialization command to the display control unit 15 in the UI driver 12 of the printer driver 10. This request is called as a WM_INITDIALOG message for the screen module procedure of sheet1 registered in the sequence at the time of the DocumentPropertySheet request described in FIG.

  In step S12, the display control unit 15 requests the dependency setting management unit 16 to initialize the screen of sheet1. In step S13, the dependency setting management unit 16 reads the PropertySheet module having the name sheet1 from the dependency setting information storage unit 19. A description example of sheet1.json representing the configuration of the user interface of sheet1 is shown in FIG. In this example, type information “type”, function name “name”, and layout information “config” are set.

  In steps S14 to S16, the dependency setting management unit 16 sequentially generates the GUI modules defined in the module of sheet1.json. That is, in step S14, a duplex conbox is generated, in steps S15, a “copies” spin box is generated, and in step S16, a Jobname edit box is generated.

More specifically, in the dependency setting management unit 16, the function name of the GUI module and the generation function of the GUI module are registered in advance as a pair. When the dependency setting management unit 19 finds a function name of a predetermined GUI module from the JSON file, the dependency setting management unit 19 calls a predetermined generation function using values defined in “name” and “config” as parameters. “Config” mainly includes layout information of the GUI module, but it is needless to say that other parameters can be set.
In this way, the display control unit 15 generates the designated GUI module based on the designated parameter. Details of this generation will be described later.

  According to the series of processes described above, the screen name (sheet name) list is dynamically acquired at the time of processing based on the DrvDocumentPropertySheets request, and the sheet configuration is acquired at initialization. Later, the JSON file can be edited in a similar manner to customize the GUI layout configuration (ie, UI items).

  Next, generation of the GUI module by the display control unit 15 of the information processing apparatus 1 described above will be described in detail with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG. Here, the creation of a duplex combo box will be described, but the same applies to the creation of a spins for copies and an edit box for Jobname.

In step S21 in FIG. 7, the dependency setting management unit 16 instructs the display control unit 15 to generate a combo box having a “duplex” function.
In step S <b> 22, the display control unit 15 acquires function information identified by “duplex” from the printer function management unit 18. Also in FIG. 7, the flow of acquired information is indicated by broken line arrows. A description example of the function information of the duplex is shown in FIG.

  The display control unit 15 recognizes that the function is given by the “option” from the “type” and “pickone” of the function information shown in FIG. That is, it is recognized that a combo box that is a GUI representing an option can be generated. The display control unit 15 also recognizes a list of identifiers representing options from “elements” of the function information illustrated in FIG. 8. In this example, options are displayed in a combo box in the order of “off”, “leftbind”, and “topbind”. Also, the currently selected option is recognized by “current”. In FIG. 8, since “off” is selected, the value is selected. Further, “enabled” recognizes whether the display is valid or invalid, and if it is invalid (false), the GUI is displayed in gray.

  Therefore, in step S23 shown in FIG. 7, the display control unit 15 instructs the term management unit 17 to acquire the term “duplex” based on the previously acquired identifier in order to display the acquired function information. Then, in step S24, the term management unit 17 inquires the term information storage unit 20 according to the instruction of the display control unit 15. When an appropriate language is determined, an appropriate term is obtained by combining the language name and the term identifier, Is returned to the display control unit 15. In this way, the display control unit 15 acquires the term “duplex”.

  Next, in step S25, the display control unit 15 instructs the term management unit 17 to acquire “off” option terms of “duplex”. Then, in step S26, the term management unit 17 inquires the term information storage unit 20 in accordance with the instruction of the display control unit 15. When an appropriate language is determined, an appropriate term is acquired by combining the language name and the term identifier, It is returned to the display control unit 15. In this way, the display control unit 15 acquires “off” option terms of “duplex”.

  Next, in step S27, the display control unit 15 instructs the term management unit 17 to acquire the “leftbind” option term of “duplex”. Then, in step S28, the term management unit 17 inquires the term information storage unit 20 according to the instruction of the display control unit 15. When an appropriate language is determined, an appropriate term is obtained by combining the language name and the term identifier, Is returned to the display control unit 15. In this way, the display control unit 15 acquires “leftbind” option terms of “duplex”.

  Next, in step S29, the display control unit 15 instructs the term management unit 17 to acquire the “toptbind” option term of “duplex”. Then, in step S30, the term management unit 17 inquires the term information storage unit 20 according to the instruction of the display control unit 15, and when an appropriate language is determined, an appropriate term is obtained by combining the language name and the term identifier, Is returned to the display control unit 15. In this way, the display control unit 15 acquires “topbind” option terms of “duplex”.

A description example of the term information is shown in FIG.
The default language is set in the term information “default”. In this example, “english” is set. In “lang_ids”, a list of LANGIDs of Windows (registered trademark) matching each language is set. The term management unit 17 inquires Windows about LANGID and searches for a matching ID from each language. If a match is found, that language is used, and if no match is found, the language set to “default” is used. Once an appropriate language is determined, that language will be used even if a subsequent query for term acquisition is made.
In FIG. 11, the term information is described as one file, but it may be divided for each language.

In this way, the display control unit 15 generates a GUI module using the acquired terms and the layout information received from the dependency setting management unit 16.
The above is a sequence for generating a duplex combo box, but the following function information is used when generating a spins box for “copies” and an edit box for “Jobname”.

FIG. 9 shows a description example of function information of “copies” which is a function given by “numerical value”.
The display control unit 15 recognizes that the function is a function given by “numerical value” from “type” and “value” of the function information. Then, the input range of numerical values is recognized from “range”. In the example shown in FIG. 9, it is recognized that the input from 1 to 999 is possible. Also, the current numerical value selected from “current” is recognized. In this example, “1” is selected, so that value is selected. Furthermore, it recognizes whether the display is valid or invalid from “enabled”, and if it is invalid (false), the GUI is displayed in gray. In the example shown in FIG. 9, it is valid (true).

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of function information of Jobname, which is a function given by “character string”. The display control unit 15 recognizes that the function is given by “character string” from the “type” and “pickone” of the function information. Then, the range of the number of characters that can be input from the “range” is recognized. Also, the currently selected character string is recognized from “current”. In the example shown in FIG. 10, it is “” (blank). Furthermore, it recognizes from “enabled” whether the display is valid or invalid, and if it is invalid, the GUI is displayed in gray. In the example shown in FIG. 10, it is invalid (false).

In the example shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, each function information is described in the JSON format, but it is needless to say that it may be described in other formats. Further, since the interface between the display control unit 15 and the printer function management unit 18 is considered to be a normal function call, a C / C ++ structure or the like may be used.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a graphic user interface (GUI) displayed on the display unit 7 of the information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 based on the GUI module generated by the above-described processing.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. Since the configuration of each part of the information processing apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the following description will be given using the reference numerals of the respective parts in FIG. Omitted.

  The information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment stores dependency setting information in a second dependency setting information storage unit that can be rewritten and used only in the information processing apparatus 1 in the printer driver data storage unit 14. It is said. Therefore, in Point & Print, when the layout information of the user interface is customized by an external file by remote access on the server side provided in the manufacturer or the like, the setting is inherited on the information processing apparatus 1 side. In this case, the dependency setting information storage unit 19 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a first dependency setting information storage unit that can be used from other information processing apparatuses connected to the information processing apparatus 1 via a network.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure related to updating the dependency setting information by the display control unit 15 of the UI driver 12 in the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment.
Here, it is assumed that dependency setting information is stored in the printer driver data storage unit 14 (second dependency setting information storage unit), and data is acquired from the printer driver data storage unit 14 during normal use. .

When this process is started, first, in step S41, the display control unit 15 of the UI driver 12 shown in FIG. 1 acquires information on the last update date and time of the dependency setting information from the printer driver data storage unit 14.
Next, in step S42, information on the last update date and time is acquired from the dependency setting information of the external file in the first dependency setting information storage unit 19. Information on the date and time when the external file was last updated can be acquired by an application program interface (API) of an operating system (OS) 11 (for example, Windows: registered trademark).

Then, in step S43, it is determined whether or not the last update date / time stored in the printer driver data storage unit 14 is older among the last update date / time of each dependency setting information acquired in steps S41 and S42. It is determined whether or not the dependency setting information has been updated.
As a result, when it is determined that the last update date / time information stored in the printer driver data storage unit 14 is not older (newer), this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the last update date and time information stored in the printer driver data storage unit 14 is older, the process proceeds to step S44.

In step S44, the dependency setting information of the external file is copied to the printer driver data storage unit 14 (second dependency setting information storage unit). As a result, the dependency setting information is updated.
In step S45, the last update date and time of the printer driver data storage unit 14 is changed. In this way, a series of processing is completed.

  The dependency setting information is updated by the dependency setting management unit 16 from the dependency setting information storage unit 19 according to the screen name list acquisition request by document_property_sheets in step S2 of FIG. 3 described in the first embodiment. You may make it carry out at the time of reading.

  FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram related to characteristic processing by the information processing apparatus in that case. Here, the operating system (OS) 11 makes a request (“request to generate a screen and return its handle”) to the display control unit 15 of the UI driver 12 in the printer driver 10 using the DrvDocumentPropertySheets. The processing executed at the time is shown. Furthermore, it is assumed that the dependency setting information of the external file in the (first) dependency setting information storage unit 19 has been updated.

In step S51, the operating system (OS) 11 sends a request to the display control unit 15 in the UI driver 12 of the printer driver 10 using DrvDocumentPropertySheets. Thereby, the display control unit 15 requests the screen name list from the dependency setting management unit 16 in step S52.
When requesting this screen name list, a predetermined module name / path is designated by “dcument_property_sheets / params.sheet_names”.

  In response to the request, the dependency setting management unit 16 first updates the dependency setting information in step S53. Therefore, the last update date / time information of the dependency setting information is acquired from the printer driver data storage unit 14 and the dependency setting information storage unit 19, respectively. Then, the last update date and time of the dependency setting information is compared. If the last update date and time of the dependency setting information in the printer driver data storage unit 14 is older, it is determined that the update has been performed. Update all dependency setting information. Then, the last update date and time of the printer driver data storage unit 14 is changed.

  Thereafter, in step S54, the dependency setting management unit 16 lists the JSON data screen names of document_property_sheets from the second dependency setting information storage unit of the printer driver data storage unit 14 according to the module name / path requested from the display control unit 15. Is returned to the display control unit 15. A description example of document_property_sheets.json is as shown in FIG. Although the JSON format is given as an example, XML or YAML may be used.

  Thereby, the display control unit 15 generates a screen module having the name of the acquired screen name list in step S55, and returns the handle to the operating system (OS) 11. This screen module contains the procedure for each screen. Modules for multiple screens are generated, but modules such as combo boxes and edit boxes that compose the screen are not generated. A screen module is generated by such a series of processes.

  FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram related to display processing when the property sheet is opened by the user in the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment. Here, it is assumed that sheet1 is opened.

  First, the operating system (OS) 11 issues a screen initialization command for sheet 1 to the display control unit 15 in the UI driver 12 of the printer driver 10 in step S61. This request is called as a WM_INITDIALOG message for the screen module procedure of sheet1 registered in the sequence at the time of the request by DocumentPropertySheet in FIG.

  In step S62, the display control unit 15 requests the dependency setting management unit 16 to initialize the screen of sheet1. Then, the dependency setting management unit 16 reads the PropertySheet module having the name sheet1 from the printer driver data storage unit 14 in step S63. A description example of sheet1.json representing the configuration of the user interface of sheet1 is shown in FIG. The processing in steps S64 to S66 is the same as that in steps S14 to S16 in FIG.

  According to the series of processes described above, the sheet name list is dynamically acquired at the time of processing based on the request by DrvDocumentPropertySheets, and the configuration of the sheet is acquired at the time of sheet initialization. It is possible to edit the JSON file by the same method and customize the layout configuration of the graphic user interface (GUI).

  The first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above. According to the present invention, the layout information of the user interface is expressed in a text format, and the layout information of the user interface is dynamically interpreted and executed when the user interface is displayed. be able to.

As described in the above embodiments, the information processing method according to the present invention is a storage means for storing information (dependency setting information storage section 19 or printer driver data storage section 14), and a read operation for reading information from the storage means. This is an information processing method in the information processing apparatus 1 including means (dependency setting management unit 16) and a display control unit 15 that controls display information to be displayed on the display unit 7, and includes at least the following steps.
Step 1: Predetermined parameters and GUI module generation functions are stored in the storage means as dependency setting information.
Step 2: The reading unit reads a predetermined parameter and a generation function of the GUI module from the storage unit.
Step 3: Display information is generated so that the display control unit generates a GUI module by setting a predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading unit, and causes the display unit to display based on the GUI module. To control.

  The generation function of the GUI module is a list of GUI modules constituting the screen for each screen. The predetermined parameter includes the type or type of GUI module, the function name, and layout information.

The program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer such as a personal computer to function as the information processing apparatus shown in FIG.
For this reason, the computer comprises a program for causing the computer to function as at least the following means.
1. Storage means for storing a predetermined parameter and a GUI module generation function as dependency setting information.
2. Reading means for reading out predetermined parameters and a generation function of the GUI module from the storage means.
3. Display control for controlling the display information to generate a GUI module by setting a predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading means and to cause the display unit to display based on the GUI module means.
Program to make it function.

  A computer-readable recording medium (floppy disc, optical disc, CD-ROM, memory card, memory stick, memory chip, etc.) on which this program is recorded is also provided.

  An information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to the present invention include not only a printer but also an image forming apparatus such as an MFP, a digital copying machine, a facsimile machine, etc. This can be applied when connected via a network. By applying the present invention, the display items of the customized user interface can be easily edited and displayed, and convenience is improved.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the network system using the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram in connection with the characteristic process of this invention by the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a description of the information of the screen name list in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram related to display processing when a property sheet is opened by a user in the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the example of description of sheet1.json showing the structure of UI of sheet1 in FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram related to generation of a GUI module by a display control unit of the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a description of the function information of "duplex" in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of description of the function information of "copies" which is the function given by the numerical value. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a description example of function information of “Jobname” that is a function given by a character string. It is a figure which shows the example of description of term information. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a graphic user interface (GUI) displayed on a display unit of the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in connection with the dependence setting information update by 2nd Example of the information processing apparatus by this invention. It is also a sequence diagram relating to the characteristic processing of the present invention according to the second embodiment. Similarly, in the second embodiment, it is a sequence diagram related to display processing when a property sheet is opened by a user.

Explanation of symbols

1: Information processing device 2: Image forming device 3: Control unit 4: Storage unit
5: Operation input unit 6: Communication unit 7: Display unit 8: Control bus
9: Application 10: Printer driver
11: Operation system (OS) 12: UI driver
13: Graphic driver
14: Printer driver data storage unit (second dependency setting information storage unit)
15: Display control unit 16: Dependency setting information management unit
17: Term management unit (reading means) 18: Printer function management unit
19: Dependency setting information storage unit (first dependency setting information storage unit)
20: Term information storage unit

Claims (10)

A display for providing information to the user and receiving user input information;
A display control unit for controlling display information by the display unit;
A dependency setting information storage unit that stores predetermined parameters and a generation function of the GUI module as dependency setting information;
A dependency setting management unit that reads the predetermined parameter and the generation function of the GUI module from the dependency setting information storage unit in response to a request from the display control unit and passes the function to the display control unit;
An information processing apparatus, wherein the display control unit generates a GUI module by setting a predetermined parameter in a generation function of the GUI module received from the dependency setting management.   The generation function of the GUI module is a list of GUI modules constituting the screen for each screen, and the predetermined parameter includes the type or type of the GUI module, the function name, and layout information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   A printer function management unit that manages specifications corresponding to the function name of the GUI module, and the display control unit receives the function name from the printer function management unit based on the function name set in the generated GUI module. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information corresponding to is acquired and the display information is controlled so as to perform display according to the specification. The dependency setting information storage unit is a first dependency setting information storage unit that can be rewritten and used only by the information processing device, and also from other information processing devices connected to the information processing device via a network. A second dependency setting information storage unit that can be used;
When the dependency setting management unit determines that the dependency setting information in the first dependency setting information storage unit has been updated, the second dependency setting is performed according to the dependency setting information in the first dependency setting information storage unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of updating the dependency setting information of the information storage unit.   The display management unit further includes a term management unit that manages terms, and the display control unit is configured to acquire and display appropriate terms from the terms managed by the term management unit based on regional information of the execution environment of the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus has a function of A printer driver having a user interface driver, a graphic driver, and a printer driver data storage unit;
The display control unit, the dependency setting management unit, and the first dependency setting information storage unit are provided in the user interface driver, and the second dependency setting information storage unit is provided in the printer driver data storage unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. In an information processing method in an information processing apparatus comprising storage means for storing information, reading means for reading information from the storage means, and display control means for controlling display information to be displayed on the display unit,
Storing a predetermined parameter and a generation function of a GUI module in the storage unit as dependency setting information;
The reading means reading the predetermined parameter and the generation function of the GUI module from the storage means;
The display control unit generates a GUI module by setting the predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading unit, and causes the display unit to display based on the GUI module. An information processing method comprising: controlling display information.   The generation function of the GUI module is a list of GUI modules constituting the screen for each screen, and the predetermined parameter includes the type or type of the GUI module, the function name, and layout information. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein: A computer that is an information processing device
Storage means for storing predetermined parameters and generation functions of the GUI module as dependency setting information;
Reading means for reading out the predetermined parameter and the generation function of the GUI module from the storage means;
A display for controlling the display information so as to generate a GUI module by setting the predetermined parameter in the generation function of the GUI module read by the reading means, and to cause the display unit to display based on the GUI module A program for functioning as a control means. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 9 is recorded.

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