JP2010122893A - Variable printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of variable printing, wherein an automatic layouting system for proper layouting of a content of different size has a function for proper layouting according to a template after defining the template, but, if a form (A4, B5, US Letter size, and the like) or size of paper is changed at the automatic layouting, a container cannot be held at a position (for example, arranged at the center) relative to the paper. <P>SOLUTION: A relative position container is prepared which keeps a position relative to a paper at the automatic layouting. The relative position container, when the form or size of paper is changed, adjusts size or layout relative to other container while keeping the position relative to the paper. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus / medium and a layout method in a variable print system including an automatic layout system.

  In recent years, the product life cycle has been shortened due to the increase in the number of products, and the use of the Internet has become popular. And the necessity of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and one-to-one marketing attracts attention from those factors. These methods aim to increase customer satisfaction and to cultivate and retain customers.

  One-to-one marketing is a kind of database marketing. Personal attribute information such as customer's age, gender, hobbies, preferences, purchase history, etc. is made into a database, its contents are analyzed, and proposals that meet customer needs are made. Is. A typical example is variable printing. Recently, with the advancement of DTP (desktop publishing) technology and the spread of digital printing apparatuses, a variable print system for customizing and outputting a document for each customer has been developed. Furthermore, it has become necessary to optimally lay out different amounts of content for each customer.

  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, since the sizes of the text and image containers are fixed, when the data in the database is inserted into the container, if the amount of data is larger than the container size, text overlap and image missing occur. Conversely, if the amount of data 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 size of text and image containers. There is software that realizes this automatic layout system, and can change the size of the container to be variable and increase the size of the container 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. Also, when adjusting the font size, if the amount of text is large, there may occur 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 a container adjacent to a container when the size of the container becomes large is disclosed in “Layout Design Device” of Patent Document 1. ing.

  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 flow area is further introduced into the “layout design apparatus” as described above, and a sub-template having a basic shape is made to flow inside the flow area. As a result, a technique of causing a plurality of similar items to flow in a certain area in a page is disclosed by “Automatic layout system including flow area setting means” in Patent Document 2.

Moreover, the technique of arrange | positioning several flow areas on 1 page about a flow area is disclosed by patent document 3 and patent document 4, and also links between the several flow areas and makes it size-adjust mutually. Is disclosed in Patent Document 5.
JP 2000-48216 A JP 2005-216182 A JP 2006-221582 A JP 2005-216182 A JP 2006-74226 A

  Recently, it has become possible to output to a paper whose size is different from the form (A4, B5, USLetter size, etc.) or size of the paper selected by the template.

  However, in some output products, it is desirable to place content at a position relative to the paper. Previously, there was no change in the form and size of the paper, so the position of the container was fixed. However, output to a different form and size has become possible, so a container that maintains the relative position is required. It was. Also, it is not necessary to align the entire content to the left or the center, and it is necessary to maintain a relative position based on layout adjustment with other containers.

  A variable print system capable of dynamically changing the layout according to the size of the content to be laid out, a means for creating a template serving as a reference for layout, a means for obtaining the page size, and the contents of the database And a means for arranging a container that holds a relative position on a page when the template is created in the variable print system capable of dynamically laying out the content with respect to the template, and A means for performing layout while maintaining a relative position of the page during the dynamic layout is provided.

  When the form or size of the paper is changed, or when dynamic layout adjustment is performed, the relative position of the container with respect to the page can be maintained.

  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.

  FIG. 1 illustrates a system configuration 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. The process described in FIG. 2 is executed in the computer module 101 and 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. By using the computer program product in the computer, it can operate as an apparatus advantageous 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, a memory unit 136, a video interface 137, and an INPUT / OUTPUT (I / O) interface 143. The memory unit 136 includes, for example, a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The I / O interface 143 is an interface for connecting a keyboard 132, a mouse 133, and the like. 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 or the like may also be used. The CD-ROM drive 142 is provided as a nonvolatile data source. The computer module 101 uses components 135 to 143 of the computer module 101 that communicate via the operating system and the interconnection bus 134.

  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 intermediate storage device of the program 121 and the network 107 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. Further, the software may be loaded into the computer module 101 from various computer readable media. Examples of computer readable media include magnetic tape, ROM, integrated circuits, magneto-optical disks, computer readable cards such as PCMCIA cards. Further, a medium such as wireless, infrared communication between the computer module 101 and other devices, e-mail communication, the Internet or an intranet having recorded information on a WEB site is also included.

  An application 121 named layout editing instructs to perform variable data printing (VDP) and includes two 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 user interface 103 and the layout engine 105 communicate via a communication channel 123. 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. 3 is a similar view of FIGS. 1 and 2 including a separate version 325 of the layout engine 105 except for the addition of the engine server 327. The engine server 327 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 325 when printing or other purposes are present. Such an operation is requested via the user interface 103 or only certain records are required to be printed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the user interface 101 includes a user interface formed by an application window 401 that is displayed on the video display 144 during operation. The window 401 is characterized by a menu bar 402, a tool bar 403, a work area 406 that can be moved by the position / motion of the mouse 133, an optional palette 411, and a cursor / pointer device 413.

  Menu bar 402 is a well-known technique and has a number of menu items 404 that extend below the hierarchy of menu options. The toolbar 403 has a number of widgets 405 such as tool buttons that can be hidden or displayed depending on the particular mode of the application. An optional ruler 408 is used to indicate the position of a pointer, page, line, margin guide, container or object within the work area.

  The palette 411 is used to access additional functions such as a library that reads and displays variable data. The palette 411 has a window control 412 for moving, resizing, and closing. The tool bar area 403 has at least the following “button” that can be selected by the user.

  Selection tool buttons: used to select, move, resize, resize, lock and 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: used to create a container with a static or variable image.

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

  Link tool button: used to control the distance between containers.

  A work area 406 is used to display / edit the design of the document template. This allows the user to design an overview of the 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 a container on the template 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 406 is characterized by a scroll bar 407, an optional ruler 408, and a document template 409. The document template 409 can indicate that there are a plurality of pages in the template.

  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, additional pages may be created automatically. The border within each page is an arbitrary page margin 410 that indicates the maximum width of a printable object on the page.

  FIG. 4 includes examples of objects that can be displayed on the document template 409 of one page. They have a number of containers 451, 452, unsecured sides 453, and links 454.

  A container is a space having fixed or variable text and images in a document template, and is laid out while interacting with other containers and objects. Containers are shown in the user interface using a pointing device 413 and can be moved, resized and recreated.

  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 can be different content in different documents when retrieved from a data source. It is not intended that variable content includes time-varying content such as animation because it is not suitable for printing. Similarly, fixed content is displayed the same in all documents generated using a container. However, due to the influence of the layout operation of the variable container, the position on each document may be different even for fixed content.

  The container has decoration functions such as text settings such as background color, border, and font style applied to the content. The container is merged with data from the data source when the document is generated. Variable content displays specific data obtained from a data source. This display of the container can be printed, displayed on the screen 144, or both, for example.

  The container has a user interface, for example, an interactive GUI for editing the container and setting the display. Interface elements are typically displayed on the screen 144, but they are not printed on the document. The user interface 103 displays some of the container decoration functions such as background colors and fonts, and also displays interface elements that allow editing and display of container settings.

  According to the current announcement, 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 presentation of many documents from a single document template. An example of the restriction is “the content height of this container is a maximum value of 4 inches”. Another example of the constraint is “the left edge of the container contents must be displayed in the same horizontal position in every document”. The contents described below are various methods for displaying and editing 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, it may be assumed that containers have a position and a size that are edited and displayed in a manner known in the art. Instead, this study focuses on display and 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. In order to generate multiple document layouts from a single document template, the container is used as a user interface to specify and display a number of layout possibilities and constraints. The display and layout operation will be described later.

  Containers are described in two types: text containers and image containers. A text container has fixed and / or variable text received from a database. An image container has an embedded image or a variable image received from a database.

  The new text container is created on the document template 409 by dragging a rectangular area with the text container tool and the new image container with the image container tool. The text container tool and the image container tool are enabled by clicking and selecting them from the widget 405 with the mouse 133.

  Alternatively, the container may be simply created by clicking on the document template 409 after activating the appropriate tool as well. In this case, a default size container is inserted or a dialog box is provided to enter the dimensions of the new container.

  The sides of the container define a virtual boundary line when the associated content is displayed in the document. When using a container as a user interface, for example, the left side of the container is treated as the leftmost side where the associated content can be displayed in any document. Similarly, the height of a container may be understood as a limitation on the height at which the associated content can be displayed in the generated document. In the present invention, it is assumed that the side or size of the container is changed through the user interface 103.

  The following defines some user interface and layout relationship rules that are used to limit content layout.

  If the left and right sides of the container are solid lines, the width of the container is fixed. If the container width is fixed, the width assigned to the associated content is the same for all documents. However, the height of the container can change. If the top and bottom sides of the container are solid lines, the height of the container is fixed. If the container height is fixed, the height assigned to the associated content is the same for all documents. If the distance constraint is fixed, the specified distance will be the same for all documents. If a container constraint is connected to the side of the solid line of the container, the container may be pushed by another container connected by the constraint and change its position. Constraints on the upper and lower sides cause a change in position in the vertical direction, and constraints on the left and right sides cause a change in position in the horizontal direction.

  The opposite of fixed is variable, meaning that the edge, position, or document constraint may change from document to document. A rule indicating the relationship between the user interface and the layout for realizing the variable is, for example, as follows.

  If the left and right sides of the container are dotted lines, the width of the container is variable. If the container width is variable, the width assigned to the associated content will vary from document to document.

  If the top and bottom sides of the container are dotted lines, the height of the container is variable. If the height of the container is variable, the height assigned to the associated content varies from document to document. If the distance constraint is variable, the specified distance can vary from document to document. By setting the distance restriction, it is possible to perform a layout in which the container distance is adjusted within the limits of the maximum length and the minimum length. If a container constraint is connected to the dotted line side of the container, the container may push another container connected by the constraint and change its position. Constraints on the upper and lower sides cause a change in position in the vertical direction, and constraints on the left and right sides cause a change in position in the horizontal direction.

  In FIG. 5A, the container 501 has a variable width. In this case, the side 503 is represented by a solid line, and the variable side 504 is represented by a dotted line. The enlargement / reduction icon 505 is an optional indicator indicating that the adjacent side 504 is variable.

  In FIG. 5B, the width and height of the container 501 are variable.

  In FIG. 5C, the container 501 is also variable in both width and height.

  FIG. 6 shows a UI example of a link setting method.

  First, in order to set a link, containers (at least two) for setting a link are created. An example in which two containers are created and links are set is shown. Next, the link tool described above is selected. FIG. 6 shows an operation of creating a container and setting a link from a state in which the link tool is selected. 6A to 6C will be described in order.

  6601 in FIG. 6A is the same as 451 and 452 in FIG. 4 described above, and means fixed sides. Reference numeral 0603 denotes a mouse pointer. First, click to select one of the containers to set the link. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the mouse pointer is moved to the other container and clicked. Reference numeral 0604 in FIG. 6B indicates a line connecting the clicked position in FIG. 7A and the moved mouse pointer, and is a UI indicating to the user where the link is set. After the second click in FIG. 6B is finished, a link UI indicated by 0605 is displayed at the set location, and the container is in the state shown in FIG. 7-C.

  Reference numeral 0606 denotes a side indicated by a dotted line, and indicates a variable side as described above. In such a design, the left container 0601 can have a variable size in the right direction. The right container 0602 can have a variable size in the left direction. By connecting with a link between them, the left and right containers operate so as to variably adjust their sizes while maintaining the distance between them.

  FIG. 7A shows a flow of layout calculation.

  First, the preview mode is selected (0701). The automatic layout system described above can be divided into a layout mode for creating a layout and a preview mode for previewing a layout result. In layout mode, containers are created and associated with each other. In the preview mode, the actual data record on the database is inserted into the created layout, and the layout result after the data value is actually inserted can be previewed. In this preview mode, the actual record is inserted and the layout is calculated. The preview mode is a layout calculation on the display, but the layout is calculated by exactly the same processing when printing.

  In the preview mode, a record to be previewed is selected and inserted (0702). When a record is inserted, calculations are performed to lay out the record. (0703). The layout calculated in the process 0703 is displayed (0704). In the preview mode, it is determined whether or not the preview is switched to another record by the user input (0705). If it is determined in process 0705 that no preview is required for other records, the preview mode is terminated (0707). 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 (0706). When printing not in the preview mode, the layout is calculated in order for all the records to be printed. Therefore, the processes 0705 and 0707 do not exist. The process ends when printing is completed for all records.

  FIG. 7B is a flowchart showing in detail the layout calculation of the processing 703 described above. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a UI display example at that time.

  First, a set of containers associated with each other for calculating the layout is obtained (0710). In the layout calculation, the containers associated by the links are calculated as one set. From the set of containers obtained in 0710, one is selected for calculating the layout (0711). 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 (0712). Layout optimization is as similar as possible to the difference between the size of the inserted content and the size of the layout result in the associated containers so that they can be dynamically resized. To be done. When the layout is optimized and the rule is violated, the calculation is performed again so as not to violate the rule (0713). The rules described here are constraints set by the user at the time of layout creation, such as the size and position of a container, the state of a side, 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 0711 to 0713 are applied to all the sets on the page, and the layout of the entire page is calculated (0714).

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a UI at the time of layout calculation.

  FIG. 8A shows a state in which a certain record is inserted and the layout is determined. Reference numerals 0801 and 0802 denote fixed sides, 0803 denotes a variable side, 0804 and 0805 denote arrows indicating change directions of the variable side, and 0806 denotes a link. In this state, the record is changed and contents of different sizes are inserted. FIG. 8B shows the new content size superimposed on the state of FIG. 8-A. 0807 represents the size of the content inserted into each container. Then, layout calculation is performed. FIG. 8C 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. 8C, the inserted content size (0807) shown in FIG. 8-B and the calculated content size (0808) are equivalent to each other.

  An outline of multi-record will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of a multi-record and its layout method. Reference numeral 0901 denotes a document, 0902 denotes a page, 0903 denotes a sub template, and 0904 denotes a database. Looking at the database indicated by 0904, 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.

  FIG. 10 shows 16 states of the sides of the container based on the rules described in FIG. In general, the state of the side of a container is an element that is displayed as an aid for designing a document template, and thus is not drawn on a printed matter. The set values of the minimum value and the maximum value of the width and height set as the constraints of the container are displayed in a secondary dialog window 411.

  The basic pattern of the relative position container and the operation during layout will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a pattern of relative position containers. In order to determine the relative position with respect to the page, it is necessary to set a reference point on the container. The reference point setting types are listed by pattern. Reference numeral 1110 denotes a relative position container having the center of the container as a reference point (1111). Reference numeral 1120 denotes a relative position container based on the side of the container, and shows an example based on the upper side. When the side is used as a reference, the center of the side becomes the reference point (1121). Reference numeral 1130 denotes a relative position container having a corner as a reference point, and shows an example in which the upper left corner is a reference point (1131). Reference numeral 1140 denotes a relative position container having an arbitrary point as a reference point (1141). The reference point 1141 can be set as an arbitrary point in the frame including the frame line of the container 1140.

  FIG. 12 shows a rule at the time of layout related to the relative position container 1110 having the center as a reference point. The relative position container 1110 can be fixedly sized, or can be enlarged or reduced symmetrically in the vertical and horizontal directions around the reference point 1111. A dotted line container 1201 is an example in the case of enlargement, and a dotted line container 1202 is an example in the case of reduction. In the case of a fixed size, the position is fixed at 1110. A line 1203 is an auxiliary line indicating symmetry in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  FIG. 13 shows a rule at the time of layout regarding the relative position container 1120 based on the side. In the relative position container 1120, sides other than the reference side can be expanded and contracted. A dotted line container 1301 is an example in the case of enlargement, and a dotted line container 1302 is an example in the case of reduction. An arrow 1303 is an auxiliary symbol indicating the direction of expansion / contraction. When expanding and contracting in the horizontal direction, in order to maintain a relative position with respect to the upper side, it expands and contracts while maintaining a right / left ratio so that the reference point 1121 is at the center. When the upper side or the lower side as shown in FIG. 13 is used as a reference, the horizontal direction is maintained while maintaining the left / right ratio. However, when the left side or the right side is used as a reference, the upper / lower ratio is maintained in the vertical direction. Expand and contract.

  FIG. 14 shows rules at the time of layout related to the relative position container 1130 with the corner as a reference point. The relative position container 1130 can be expanded and contracted on sides other than the two sides sandwiching the reference corner. A dotted line container 1401 is an example in the case of enlargement, and a dotted line container 1402 is an example in the case of reduction. An arrow 1303 is an auxiliary symbol indicating the direction of expansion / contraction.

  FIG. 15 shows a rule at the time of layout related to the relative position container 1140 having an arbitrary point as a reference point. The relative position container 1140 can be enlarged or reduced with a fixed size or with a ratio of up, down, left and right around the reference point 1141. A dotted line container 1501 is an example in the case of enlargement, and a dotted line container 1502 is an example in the case of reduction. In the case of a fixed size, the position is fixed at 1140. A line 1203 is an auxiliary line indicating that the ratio of up / down / left / right is maintained.

  FIG. 16 shows a relative position container setting dialog in the template creation application. The dialog 1600 is displayed in the same manner as the dialog window 411 in FIG. A property 1601 indicates the size of the container in terms of width and height. A property 1602 is a combo box for setting a relative position container pattern. Setting items of the combo box 1602 include center / upper side / bottom side / left side / right side / upper left corner / upper right corner / lower left corner / lower right corner / user designation. A property 1603 indicates the position of the reference point on the X axis, and the left length and the right length from the reference point are displayed. When the left and right lengths are added, the length is obtained by removing the margin from the paper width. A property 1604 indicates the position of the reference point on the Y axis, and an upper length and a lower length from the reference point are displayed. When the upper and lower lengths are added, the length is obtained by removing the margin from the paper height. Properties 1603 and 1604 are automatically calculated and displayed based on the positions and reference points arranged on the application. However, only when the user designation is set in the combo box 1602, the lengths of the property 1603 and the property 1604 can be input. When an OK button 1605 is pressed, the settings are applied and the dialog is closed. When a cancel button 1606 is pressed, the dialog is closed without applying the settings.

FIG. 17 shows an example of creating a template including a relative position container. The template is created by the template creation application described in FIG.
Reference numeral 1700 denotes a template paper image. A re-layout process is performed when the paper size is changed at the time of output, but a reference paper size is designated at the time of template creation. Reference numeral 1701 denotes a page container. The size of the page container is equal to the print area excluding the specified margin from the paper size. During output, the page container functions to adjust the print area when the paper size is changed. The page container and the internal container are connected by a page connector (1702), and the layout of the internal container is adjusted by affecting the size change of the page container. Reference numeral 1703 denotes a container, and 1704 denotes a connector that links containers.

  Reference numeral 1705 denotes a relative position container based on the upper side. The relative position container is linked to another container by a connector.

  Next, layout adjustment that is dynamically performed will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of layout adjustment processing including a relative position container.

  When outputting data, first, a paper size and a margin size are designated (S1801). The specification method varies depending on the operating environment. For example, a case where a user inputs data on a client PC in a client application or a case where a data attribute stored in a server is referred to in a server application can be considered.

  When the paper size and margin are specified, the size of the page container 1701 is determined (S1802).

  When the size of the page container is determined, the container position is adjusted with respect to the size variation (S1803). The position of the container is adjusted by the page connector within the frame of the page container. The adjustment operation of the page connector is basically the same as that of the connector, but the edge on the page container side is always handled as a fixed edge, and the edge on the container side is always handled as a variable edge. There are two types of page connectors and connectors: fixed and variable. When the page connector is fixed, the position of the container side edge is determined according to the distance specified for the connector. Relative position containers are linked to page containers by relative reference points rather than page connectors. In accordance with the size change of the page container, the position of the reference point is moved in consideration of the ratio of up / down / left / right.

  Next, content data is poured into the container (S1804), and container layout adjustment is executed. In the layout adjustment, the relative position container is adjusted first. This is because the position of the reference point of the relative position container is fixed in the processing of S1803, and the entire layout adjustment can be developed based on the relative position container.

  The relative position container layout adjustment (S1806) is performed based on the operations described with reference to FIGS. If the content does not fit in the relative position container (S1807), processing is performed to reduce the content or determine that an error has occurred and end layout adjustment (S1808). Examples of reducing the content include a method of reducing the font size for text, a method of reducing the image while maintaining the aspect ratio, and a method of reducing the content according to the container size. Examples of determining an error include an example of displaying an error message dialog on the screen of the client PC and an example of outputting a log on the server PC.

  There may be a plurality of relative position containers. Therefore, layout adjustment is performed for a plurality of relative position containers (processing from S1805 to S1811). If the relative position containers overlap each other (S1809), processing is performed to further reduce the content or determine that an error has occurred and end layout adjustment (S1810).

  After the layout adjustment of the relative position container is completed, the other containers and connectors are adjusted (S1812). The layout adjustment in S1812 is performed based on the layout adjustment method described with reference to FIGS. However, if the relative position container and the container overlap, the same processing as in S1810 is performed.

  In some embodiments, the overlap prevention processing in S1809 and S1810 is not performed. In such a case, the vertical relationship when overlapping is defined. A template may have a layer. When defined in different layers, layout adjustment is performed in each layer, so that content may be output in an overlapping manner in the output result.

  An output image related to the relative position container will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. 19 and 20 are images output using the template of FIG. Note that the frame lines of the containers are shown for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 19 is an image output to A4 vertical paper similar to the template paper. The image 1901 stored in the relative position container maintains the same position as the template. For other text containers, the container size is adjusted according to the content size.

  FIG. 20 is an image output to a sheet of A4 landscape. The image 2001 stored in the relative position container keeps a relative position with respect to the paper and is arranged at the upper center. The text contents 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 move to the left and right by changing the size of the page container 1701 and adjusting the relative position container 2001 and the connector. The text contents 2006 and 2007 are arranged in the left and right spaces by the process of preventing the size of the page container 1701 from being changed and overlapping with the relative position container 2001. Regarding the overlap prevention processing, it is possible to set an interval between containers by setting a margin between containers in advance. The content 2008 is defined as a fixed-size container and is connected to the page container 1701 by a fixed page connector. For this reason, the page container 1701 moves to the lower right as the size changes.

(Other examples)
In the first embodiment, an example in which the paper size is adjusted at the time of output has been described. Since the content data is not set, there are no steps S1804, S1807, and S1808 in the flowchart of FIG. According to the rules of the container, the layout is performed so that the resizing of the container is minimized.

The network block diagram of this invention. The computer system block diagram of this invention. Schematic of the computer module of the present invention. The template creation application example in this invention. Exemplary container rules of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a UI diagram example for creating a link of the present invention. Flow of layout calculation in the present invention. 8 is a UI example corresponding to the flow of FIG. 7 in the present invention. The schematic diagram of the multi-record in this invention. 16 patterns of container representation according to an example interface of the present invention. The pattern of the relative position container in this invention. The rule of relative position container (center point designation) in the present invention. Rule of relative position container (side designation) in the present invention. Rule of relative position container (corner designation) in the present invention. The rule of relative position container (arbitrary point designation) in the present invention. The relative position container setting dialog in the present invention. The template creation example in this invention. The flowchart of the layout adjustment in this invention. An output example after layout adjustment in the present invention (A4 length). An output example after layout adjustment in the present invention (A4 horizontal).

Claims (3)

An automatic layout system that can dynamically change the layout according to the size of the content to be laid out, means for creating a template serving as a reference for layout, means for obtaining the page size, and database contents And a variable print system capable of dynamically laying out the content with respect to a template,
A variable print system comprising: means for arranging a container that holds a relative position on a page when the template is created; and means for performing layout while maintaining the relative position of the page at the time of the dynamic layout. .   The container that holds the relative position can designate a center point of the container, a center point of the side, a corner of the container, or an arbitrary point in the container area as a point for determining the relative position. The variable print system according to claim 1.   The variable print system according to claim 1, wherein the layout is performed so that the container that holds the relative position and other containers do not overlap during dynamic layout.

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