JP2010128682A - Graphic component search system, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that a graphic component intended by a user cannot be reused without requiring extra work in graphic component search. <P>SOLUTION: The graphic component search system is used for searching for the graphic component in which graphic elements which are the components used for editing graphics and the element constituting the graphics are combined. The graphic component search system includes a graphic component extraction means to extract, among the graphic components registered in advance, the graphic component according to conditions indicated by a search key which is a key for searching for the graphic component, and includes the graphic element, and a search results generating means to generate search result graphic element information which is the graphic component replacing the graphic element among the graphic element contained in the extracted graphic component and unmatched with the graphic element contained in the search key with the graphic element contained in the search key. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a graphic component search system, a graphic component search method, and a graphic component search program for searching for a graphic component used for drawing creation.

  A drawing composed of a figure such as a rectangle or a circle, a connection between figures, and a text accompanying the figure or the connection may be created. As an example of such a drawing, there is a UML (Unified Modeling Language) diagram. In addition, the figure, connection, and text which comprise drawing are hereafter called a graphic element.

  In order to create such a drawing, it is necessary to combine graphic elements. However, a combination of graphic elements must be registered in advance as a part, and this part can be selected and reused when creating a drawing. As a result, the drawing creation work can be made more efficient. Hereinafter, such parts are referred to as graphic parts.

  The advantages of reusing graphic parts are as follows. First, when creating a complex drawing, a large amount of work is required to create and arrange a large number of graphic elements. On the other hand, by reusing graphic parts, it is possible to create a complex drawing with a small amount of work. In addition, drawings usually require high quality such as easy-to-understand contents, but in order to create high-quality drawings, knowledge and know-how of notation methods are required. There will be a difference. On the other hand, even a beginner can create a high-quality drawing by patterning a drawing created by an expert and reusing it as a graphic part.

  An example of a graphic part search system is described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2. As shown in FIG. 13, the system described in Patent Document 1 includes an input device 10, a data processing device 20, a display device 30, and a graphic part information storage unit 40. The data processing device 20 further includes an input information analysis unit 21, a graphic information comparison / determination unit 22, and a search result display unit 23.

  The system described in Patent Document 1 having such a configuration operates as follows. First, when the user inputs one or more pieces of graphic element information as a search key (hereinafter, information used as a search key in a graphic part search is referred to as a search key) by the input device 10, the input information analysis unit 21 inputs Analyze the contents. Subsequently, the graphic information comparison / determination unit 22 compares the graphic element information serving as the search key with the graphic component stored in the graphic component information storage unit 40, and includes the graphic component including the graphic element information serving as the search key, or A graphic part having a high degree of similarity is set as a search result (hereinafter, information indicating a result of searching based on a search key in the graphic part search is referred to as a search result). Finally, the graphic result display unit 23 displays the search result on the display device 30.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the system described in Patent Document 2 includes a terminal 51, a computer 52, and an auxiliary storage device 54. Further, the computer 25 further includes a main storage device 53, an editing processing unit 55, an editing information registration processing unit 56, a screen pattern registration processing unit 57, a target screen display processing unit 58, and an editing screen switching processing unit 59. Including.

  The system described in Patent Document 2 having such a configuration operates as follows. First, registration of parts is performed as follows. When the user creates a graphic using the editing processing unit 55, the editing information registration processing unit 56 generates editing information from information on the existing graphic adjacent to the same graphic and the same on the main storage device 53. Register in the editing information table 53a. At the end of drawing editing, the graphic pattern registration processing unit 57 generates drawing information by associating the editing information with the drawing identification information, and registers the drawing information in the drawing information file 54 a on the auxiliary storage device 54.

  Subsequently, the search and use of parts is performed as follows. When the user designates a partial area of the drawing being edited as a search key, the target screen display processing unit 58 reads (extracts) all the drawings having the same graphic configuration as the designated area from the drawing information file 54a. Display on the screen. When the user selects one of the displayed drawings, the editing screen switching unit 59 replaces the content of the editing information table 53a with the content of the editing information table 53a of the selected drawing, thereby changing to the drawing being edited. To reflect.

  As described above, in the systems described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, one or more graphic elements can be designated as a search key during editing of a drawing, and registered with the search key. Those that satisfy a certain search condition from the group of graphic parts can be extracted and displayed as search results.

  In the system described in Patent Document 2, the user can select a desired one from the displayed search results, and by reflecting the information of the selected result on the drawing, the graphic part can be displayed. It can be reused. Here, in any of the systems described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a graphic element is designated as a search key when searching for graphic parts. This eliminates the need to separately specify information such as keywords when registering or searching for graphic parts. This reduces the amount of work required for graphic part registration / search and solves the problem that it is difficult to appropriately set keywords for successful search.

  In the case of using a graphic element as a search key in this way, in general, first, a set of graphic elements that correspond between the graphic element group included in the search key and the graphic element group included in the graphic part is first determined. locate. If the type and number of correspondences found satisfy a specific condition, the corresponding graphic part is included in the search result. Actually, in any of the systems described in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, the same processing is performed at the time of retrieval.

JP-A-7-271810 JP 7-296046 A

  In the mapping of graphic elements when searching for graphic parts, if it is determined that even if the graphic elements are not completely matched but can be matched partially, the graphic elements in the drawing can be re-used by reusing the graphic parts. The contents of items may be overwritten.

  In finding a correspondence between graphic elements in a graphic part search, it is more practical to associate graphic elements even if all items of the graphic elements do not completely match. This is because it becomes difficult to search for a target graphic part if it is necessary to specify exactly the same contents as the contents of the graphic part when searching. For example, when considering the matching of graphic element types and the matching of graphic element colors, the type matching is considered to have a higher priority than the color matching. If they match, it is better to consider that both correspond.

  It is conceivable that the system described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 is configured to use a search method that considers such partial matching. However, since it is not configured to display and reuse search results, conscious of which items specifically match, display and display all the information held in the graphic parts of the search results. We are reusing. That is, regardless of the editing contents so far, the contents of the graphic parts are rewritten uniformly. As a result, even if an item that did not match when the graphic part was reused and incorporated into the drawing, the content of the item that the graphic part had was overwritten, and the result specified by editing the drawing so far Will be overwritten.

  For example, if a graphic element on a drawing specified as a search key is associated with a graphic element with a graphic part by matching an item other than color, and the corresponding graphic part is reused, the color information The set color is changed even though it is overwritten with the contents of the item of the part and there is no need to change the color. In such a case, it is necessary for the user to manually restore the color, and extra work occurs.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a graphic component search system, a graphic component search method, and a graphic component search program capable of reusing a graphic component intended by a user without causing unnecessary work. Objective.

  A graphic component search system according to the present invention is a graphic component search system for searching a graphic component which is a component used for editing a graphic and is a combination of graphic elements constituting a graphic, and is registered in advance. A key for searching for a graphic part and a graphic part extracting means for extracting the graphic part in accordance with a condition indicated by the search key including the graphic element, and a search key among the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part And a search result generating means for generating search result graphic element information which is a graphic part obtained by replacing a graphic element which does not match the graphic element included in the graphic element included in the search key.

  A graphic component search method according to the present invention is a graphic component search method for searching for a graphic component that is a component used for editing a graphic and that is a combination of graphic elements that constitute a graphic, and is registered in advance. A graphic part extraction step for extracting a graphic part according to a condition indicated by a search key including a graphic element, which is a key for searching for a graphic part, and a search key among the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part A search result generation step of generating search result graphic element information which is a graphic part obtained by replacing a graphic element which does not match the graphic element included in the graphic element included in the search key.

  A graphic component search program according to the present invention is a graphic component search program for causing a computer to search for a graphic component that is a component that is used for editing a graphic and that is a combination of graphic elements that constitute a graphic. A graphic part extraction process that extracts a graphic part from the registered graphic parts according to the conditions indicated by the search key including the graphic element, which is a key for searching the graphic part, and the graphic element included in the extracted graphic part A search result generation process for generating search result graphic element information which is a graphic part obtained by replacing a graphic element included in the search key with a graphic element included in the search key. Is.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reuse a graphic part intended by a user without generating extra work.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a graphic parts retrieval system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the graphic part search system includes a drawing editing means 1, a search key storage means 2, a graphic part extraction means 3, a graphic part storage means 4, a search result generation means 5, and a correspondence result storage. Means 6, search result storage means 7, search result display means 8, and search result reuse means 9 are included. The graphic component search system is specifically realized by an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer. Note that the graphic component search system may be realized by one information processing apparatus or may be realized by using a plurality of information processing apparatuses.

  In the present embodiment, the drawing component retrieval system is applied to, for example, an application for developing object-oriented software using UML. For example, the present invention may be applied to uses such as drawing creation using CAD software.

  Specifically, the drawing editing unit 1 is realized by a CPU of an information processing apparatus that operates according to a program and an input device such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch panel. The drawing editing means 1 has a function of performing processing for creating and editing a drawing in accordance with a user operation. When the user specifies a part or all of the graphic elements on the drawing, the drawing editing means 1 inputs information indicating the graphic element specified by the user as a search key for searching for graphic parts, and stores the search key. A function to be stored in the means 2 is provided.

  Specifically, the search key storage means 2 is realized by a storage device such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The search key storage unit 2 stores the search key input by the drawing editing unit 1.

  Specifically, the graphic component extraction means 3 is realized by a CPU of an information processing apparatus that operates according to a program. The graphic part extraction unit 3 extracts (extracts) a search key from the search key storage unit, and extracts a graphic part that can be associated with the extracted search key from each graphic part stored in the graphic part storage unit. It has. Further, the graphic part extracting unit 3 has a function of storing the result (hereinafter referred to as a correspondence result) in the correspondence result storage unit 6.

  Moreover, if there are a plurality of correspondence methods between the search key and the same graphic component, the graphic component extracting means 3 has a function of handling them as separate items. For example, when the graphic element having the search key can be associated with a plurality of graphic elements in the same graphic part, the graphic part extracting unit 3 extracts a corresponding result when the graphic elements are associated with each other. .

  In the system described in Patent Literature 1 or Patent Literature 2, there are a plurality of correspondence methods between search keys and the same graphic component (hereinafter, the combination of the search key and the same graphic component is referred to as the correspondence method). Even in this case, the result corresponding to each handling method is not displayed. Therefore, there is a problem that the graphic part cannot be selected and reused, and the reuse method intended by the user is not realized.

  For example, a case can be considered in which a single graphic element included in the search key has a plurality of graphic elements associated with the graphic element in the same graphic component. In this case, the method of reusing graphic parts differs depending on which graphic element in the graphic part the graphic element included in the search key corresponds to.

  The system described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 does not consider the existence of such a plurality of corresponding methods when searching for graphic parts. Do not show. Therefore, the reuse method cannot be selected, and only a specific method can be implemented by the system. In this case, a reuse method different from the user's intention is implemented.

  In the present embodiment, in the process of generating the search result, the graphic part extracting unit 3 extracts how to correspond with the search key when extracting the graphic part. For this reason, in the present embodiment, even for the same graphic part, each combination of a search key and a graphic part with different handling methods is extracted as a different extraction result. Therefore, even when there are a plurality of correspondence methods between the search key and the same graphic part, they can be handled based on each correspondence method.

  Specifically, the graphic component storage means 4 is realized by a storage device such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The graphic component storage means 4 stores graphic components. The graphic parts stored in the graphic parts storage means 4 are registered in advance, for example, when designing a UML tool or CAD software.

  Specifically, the correspondence result storage means 6 is realized by a storage device such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The correspondence result storage means 6 stores the correspondence result extracted by the graphic part extraction means 3. Specifically, the correspondence result storage unit 6 stores the search key and the graphic part in association with each other as the correspondence result.

  Specifically, the search result generation means 5 is realized by a CPU of an information processing apparatus that operates according to a program. The search result generation unit 5 combines the information included in the search key with respect to items that do not match the search key among the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic component in the correspondence result stored in the correspondence result storage unit 6. It has a function for generating information (search results) on graphic elements. For example, the search result generation means 5 compares the graphic element included in the graphic part with the graphic element included in the search key. Then, the search result generation means 5 is a search result that is a graphic part in which a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key among the graphic elements included in the graphic part is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key. Generate graphic element information. That is, the search result generation means 5 generates, as a search result, a graphic element included in the graphic component that does not match the search key and is replaced with the search key information. In addition, the search result generation unit 5 has a function of storing the generated search result in the search result storage unit 7. Further, the search result generation means 5 has a function of generating a search result for each corresponding method.

  Specifically, the search result storage unit 7 is realized by a storage device such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The search result storage unit 7 stores the search result generated by the search result generation unit 5. The search result storage means 7 stores the search results for each corresponding method generated by the search result generation means 5.

  Specifically, the search result display means 8 is realized by a display device such as a display device. The search result display means 8 has a function of displaying the search results stored in the search result storage means 7 on a display device and presenting them to the user. The user can select an arbitrary search result from the displayed search results.

  The search result reuse unit 9 uses the search result selected by the user among the search results displayed by the search result display unit 8 to reflect the graphic element information in the drawing being edited. It has a function to implement the application. That is, the search result reuse means 9 selects a search result to be replaced in accordance with the user's selection operation, and replaces the drawing element in the drawing with the selected search result.

  Next, an example of the operation of the graphic part search system according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the graphic component search system.

  In order to search for a graphic part, the user uses the drawing editing means 1 to perform an operation of designating a part or all of the graphic elements on the drawing (the graphic element at a location where the graphic part is desired to be used) as a search key. Perform (step S1 shown in FIG. 2). Then, the drawing editing means 1 stores the graphic element information to be the designated search key in the search key storage means 2 according to the user's operation (step S2 shown in FIG. 2).

  Subsequently, the graphic component extraction unit 3 extracts the search key stored in the search key storage unit 2. Then, the graphic component extraction unit 3 extracts a graphic component that can be associated with the extracted search key from the graphic component storage unit 4. Then, the graphic part extraction unit 3 stores the extracted search key and the graphic part in the correspondence result storage unit 6 as a correspondence result (step S3 shown in FIG. 2).

  Subsequently, the search result generation means 5 refers to the search key stored in the search key storage means 2 and the correspondence result stored in the correspondence result storage means 6, and uses a graphic element obtained by combining both pieces of information as the retrieval result. It is generated and stored in the search result storage means 7 (step S4 shown in FIG. 2).

  Subsequently, the search result display means 8 refers to the search result stored in the search result storage means 7, displays it on the display device and presents it to the user (step S5 shown in FIG. 2).

  Subsequently, the user performs an operation of selecting any one of the search results displayed by the search result display unit 8 (step S6 in FIG. 2). Then, the search result reuse means 9 executes a process of incorporating the search result selected by the user into the drawing according to the user's operation (step S7 shown in FIG. 2).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the correspondence of the graphic elements when searching for the graphic parts, the graphic parts are re-established when it is determined that the graphic elements are not completely matched but partially matched. Even in use, information that is not included in the association among the information on the graphic elements on the drawing is maintained without being overwritten.

  The reason is that, when the search result generating means 5 generates the search result, the search key information is combined with respect to the item that does not match the extracted graphic part, so that the conventional information is not obtained for the non-matching item. This is because it is maintained.

  In this embodiment, even when there are a plurality of correspondence methods between the search key and the same graphic part, the reuse method based on each correspondence method can be individually displayed and selected, so that the user can The intended reuse method can be implemented.

  The reason is that, in the process of generating the search result, the graphic part extraction means 3 extracts the graphic parts together with how to correspond to the search key when extracting the graphic parts. Even so, if the handling method is different, it is handled as a different one.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. An example of a search key in the graphic part search system will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search key using a UML class diagram. As shown in FIG. 3, the search key includes three graphic elements: a class graphic 60 to which the text “A” is added, a class graphic 61 to which the text “B” is added, and a connection line 62 indicating a generalization relationship therebetween. Including.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which an example of the search key is displayed as a graphic. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the search key storage unit 2 stores the search key shown in FIG. FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing a class graphic, and includes items of ID 70, type 71, text 72, position 73, and size 74. FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing the connection 60, and includes items of ID 75, type 76, start point 77 indicating the graphic as the start point, end point 78 indicating the graphic as the end point, and position 79. These contain enough information to display on the drawing.

  Next, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are used to show examples of graphic parts in the graphic part search system. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a graphic part. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the graphic component storage means 4 stores the graphic component shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the graphic part includes the same items as the search key.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correspondence result created by the graphic component extraction unit 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the correspondence result is the same in ID 80 of the correspondence result, search key 81 indicating the ID of the graphic element on the search key side, graphic part 82 indicating the ID of the graphic element on the graphic part side, and both graphic elements. A matched item 83 that identifies the selected item.

  FIG. 7A shows the search key 81 and the graphic part 82 in which class A and class X and class B and class Y shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are associated with each other. FIG. 7B shows the correspondence between class A and class X and class B and class Z shown in FIGS. As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 7, two correspondence methods are conceivable, and IDs 1 and 2 are assigned as ID80, respectively.

  In this way, in this embodiment, when there are a plurality of correspondence methods between the search key and the graphic part in the graphic part search, each of them is displayed individually as a search result, To be able to select from. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that the reuse method intended by the user cannot be selected.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a flag is set for each item of the search key, and this flag is set when the graphic part extracting means 3 extracts the graphic part (for example, in FIG. 12). It is also possible to extract only the matching graphic parts for the item (circled in the example shown). As a result, it is possible to specify essential information in the search, and it is possible to prevent the number of search results from increasing more than necessary due to partial correspondence. This flag may be set for each item of each graphic element.

  Next, search results will be described. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of search results in the graphic parts search system. The search results shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be created by executing the following procedure for each correspondence result.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the search result generation process. As shown in FIG. 10, first, the search result generating means 5 creates a new table by copying the information of the graphic parts related to the correspondence result (step S10 shown in FIG. 10).

  Subsequently, the search result generating means 5 takes out information other than the information described in the “matched item 83” of the correspondence relationship from each search element and overwrites each graphic element included in the search key (FIG. 10). Step S20).

  By doing so, it is possible to generate a search result by using the information of the graphic part for the matched item and the search key information for the non-matched item. As for the ID, similarly to the information such as text and position, the search result is generated using the information of the graphic part for the matched item and the information of the search key for the non-matched item. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, N1 in the second row and N2 in the third row in FIG. 8A have graphic parts 82 corresponding to the search key 81, respectively. N1 and N2. However, since the figure part 82 corresponding to 81 does not exist in the fourth line of FIG. 8A, the ID X3 corresponding to the figure part is used as it is. Similarly, the IDs of the graphic parts are used as they are in the third and fourth lines in FIG. At this time, the graphic part that exists only in the graphic part and is not included in the search key (for example, X3 shown in FIG. 8) remains as it is, but the position is appropriately adjusted so that it does not overlap with other elements. ing.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, it is referred to which item specifically matches in the reuse of the graphic component when the partial match between the graphic elements is adopted in the graphic component search. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to solve the problem that items that do not match are overwritten with information held by the graphic component.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a flag is set for each item of the search key, and a flag is set for an item that does not match in the search result generation means 5 (for example, in FIG. The search key information can be used only in the case of (circled in the example shown). Accordingly, it is possible to cope with a case where it is desirable that an item is overwritten by a graphic component, and more flexible reuse is possible depending on the situation. This flag can also be provided separately from the above flag. It can also be set for each item of each graphic element.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of search results. The example shown in FIG. 11 is displayed using the search results shown in FIGS. By viewing this display, the user can select which reuse method to adopt. Further, the search result reuse means 9 executes processing for incorporating this content into the drawing. Therefore, the user can obtain the same result as that displayed on the drawing.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the correspondence of the graphic elements when searching for the graphic parts, the graphic parts in the case where it is determined that the graphic elements are not completely matched but can be matched even partially. Even in the reuse, information not included in the association among the information of the graphic elements on the drawing is maintained without being overwritten.

  The reason is that, when the search result generating means 5 generates the search result, the search key information is combined with respect to the item that does not match the extracted graphic part, so that the conventional information is not obtained for the non-matching item. This is because it is maintained.

  Further, according to the present invention, even when there are a plurality of correspondence methods between the search key and the same graphic part, the reuse method based on each correspondence method can be individually displayed and selected. Can implement the intended reuse method.

  The reason is that, in the process of generating the search result, the graphic part extraction means 3 extracts the graphic parts together with how to correspond to the search key when extracting the graphic parts. Even so, if the handling method is different, it is handled as a different one.

  Next, the minimum configuration of the graphic part retrieval system according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram illustrating a minimum configuration example of the graphic component search system. As shown in FIG. 15, the graphic part search system includes a graphic part extraction unit 3 and a search result generation unit 5 as minimum components.

  According to the minimum configuration graphic part search system shown in FIG. 15, the graphic part extraction means 3 extracts a graphic part from a plurality of graphic parts prepared in advance according to a condition indicated by a search key having a plurality of items. . Then, the search result generating means 5 operates so as to create search result graphic element information by combining search key information regarding items that do not match the extracted graphic parts. Therefore, instead of simply using a graphic part satisfying the search condition as a search result, an inspection result is generated by referring to the search key information in consideration of the association method. Accordingly, the graphic part intended by the user can be reused without causing the user to manually perform extra work such as restoring the color.

  In the present embodiment, the characteristic configuration of the graphic parts retrieval system as shown in the following (1) to (5) is shown.

  (1) A graphic component search system is a graphic component search system for searching for a graphic component that is a component used for editing a graphic and that is a combination of graphic elements that constitute a graphic, and is registered in advance. A search key (for example, a graphic part shown in FIG. 5) for searching for a graphic part and including a graphic element (for example, type 71, text 72, position 73, size 74, etc.) FIG. 3 and FIG. 4), a graphic part extracting means for extracting a graphic part according to the condition indicated (for example, realized by the graphic part extracting means 3), and among the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part, A search result generation unit that generates search result graphic element information that is a graphic part in which a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key. (E.g., as implemented by the search result generation unit 8), characterized in that it comprises a.

  (2) In the graphic component search system, the graphic component extraction means may be the same graphic component if the graphic element included in the search key can be associated with a plurality of graphic elements included in the same graphic component. Depending on whether the graphic element included in the search key is extracted in association with which graphic element included in the same graphic part, the graphic part is extracted as a different extraction result, and the search result generation means includes the graphic part When the extraction means extracts a plurality of extraction results for the same graphic part, even if it is the same graphic part, a plurality of search result graphic element information may be generated based on the plurality of extraction results. Good.

  (3) In the graphic part search system, the search result graphic element information selected by the user's operation from the plurality of search result graphic element information generated by the search result generation means is incorporated into the drawing to edit the drawing. By performing the above, it may be configured to include search result reuse means (for example, realized by the search result reuse means 9) for reusing the search result graphic element information.

  (4) In the graphic component search system, the graphic component extraction means is based on information (for example, realized by a flag shown in FIG. 12) indicating whether or not matching is required for each graphic element included in the search key. It may be configured to extract a graphic part that satisfies the condition of the graphic element indicated as matching in the information.

  (5) In the graphic part search system, the search result generation means is based on information (for example, realized by a flag shown in FIG. 12) indicating whether or not to overwrite when the graphic element included in the search key does not match. Only when it is indicated that the information is to be overwritten when the information does not match, the graphic element included in the graphic part extracted by the graphic part extracting means is searched for a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key. The search result graphic element information which is the graphic part replaced with the graphic element included in the key may be generated.

  The present invention can be applied to the use of creating drawings such as UML.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the graphical component search system by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process example which a graphical component search system performs. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a search key using the class diagram of UML. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the search key storage means 2 stored the search key shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a graphical component. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the graphical component storage means 4 stored the graphical component shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the correspondence result which the graphical component extraction means 3 produces. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the search result in a graphical component search system (the 1). It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the search result in a graphical component search system (the 2). It is a flowchart which shows an example of a search result production | generation process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of a search result. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the search key which the search key storage means 2 stores. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system described in Patent Document 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the system described in patent document 2. FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the minimum structural example of a graphical component search system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drawing editing means 2 Search key storage means 3 Graphic part extraction means 4 Graphic parts storage means 5 Search result generation means 6 Correspondence result storage means 7 Search result storage means 8 Search result display means 9 Search result reuse means 10 Input device 20 Data Processing device 21 Input information analysis unit 22 Graphic information comparison / determination unit 23 Search result display unit 30 Display device 40 Graphic part information storage unit 51 Terminal 51a Mouse 52 Computer 53 Main storage device 53a Edit information table 54 Auxiliary storage device 54a Drawing information file 55 Editing processing unit 56 Editing information registration processing unit 57 Drawing pattern registration processing unit 58 Target drawing display processing unit 59 Editing drawing switching processing unit 60, 61 Class figure 62 Connection 70, 75, 80 ID
71, 76 Type 72 Text 73, 79 Position 74 Size 77 Start point 78 End point 81 Search key 82 Graphic part 83 Matched items

Claims (15)

A graphic part search system for searching for a graphic part that is a part used for editing a graphic and is a combination of graphic elements that are elements constituting a graphic,
A graphic component extraction means for extracting the graphic component according to a condition indicated by a search key including a graphic element, which is a key for searching the graphic component from pre-registered graphic components;
Of the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part, the graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key to generate search result graphic element information. A graphic parts retrieval system comprising: retrieval result generation means. If the graphic element included in the search key can be associated with a plurality of graphic elements included in the same graphic part, the graphic part extraction means can include the graphic element included in the search key even if the graphic element is the same graphic part. Depending on which graphic element included in the same graphic part is extracted, the graphic parts are extracted as different extraction results,
When the graphic part extraction unit extracts a plurality of extraction results for the same graphic part, the search result generation unit obtains a plurality of search result graphic element information based on the plurality of extraction results even for the same graphic part. The graphic part retrieval system according to claim 1. The search result graphic is edited by incorporating the search result graphic element information selected by the user's operation from the plurality of search result graphic element information generated by the search result generating means into the drawing. The graphic part retrieval system according to claim 2, further comprising retrieval result reuse means for reusing element information. The graphic part extraction means extracts a graphic part that satisfies the condition of the graphic element indicated as matching in the information, based on information indicating whether or not matching is required for each graphic element included in the search key. The graphic component retrieval system according to claim 1. Based on the information indicating whether or not the graphic element included in the search key is overwritten when the graphic element included in the search key does not match, the search result generating unit extracts the graphic part extracting unit only when the information is indicated to be overwritten when the information does not match. A search result graphic element information is generated that is a graphic part in which a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key among the graphic elements included in the graphic part. The graphic component search system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A graphic component search method for searching for a graphic component that is a component used to edit a graphic and that is a combination of graphic elements that are components constituting a graphic,
A graphic component extraction step for extracting the graphic component in accordance with a condition indicated by a search key including a graphic element, which is a key for searching the graphic component from pre-registered graphic components;
Of the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part, the graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key to generate search result graphic element information. And a search result generation step. When the graphic element included in the search key can be associated with a plurality of graphic elements included in the same graphic part in the graphic part extraction step, the graphic element included in the search key is the same graphic part. Depending on which graphic element included in the same graphic part is extracted, the graphic parts are extracted as different extraction results,
In the search result generation step, when a plurality of extraction results are extracted for the same graphic part in the graphic part extraction step, a plurality of search result graphic element information is obtained based on the plurality of extraction results even for the same graphic part. The graphic part retrieval method according to claim 6. Reusing the search result graphic element information by editing the drawing by incorporating the search result graphic element information selected by the user's operation from the plurality of generated search result graphic element information into the drawing. The graphic component search method according to claim 6, further comprising a search result reuse step for performing the search. In the graphic part extraction step, based on the information indicating whether or not matching is required for each graphic element included in the search key, the graphic part that satisfies the condition of the graphic element indicated as matching in the information is extracted. The graphic component search method according to any one of claims 6 to 8. Based on the information indicating whether or not to overwrite if the graphic element included in the search key does not match in the search result generation step, extraction is performed in the graphic component extraction step only when it is indicated that the information is to be overwritten if the information does not match Search result graphic element information is generated that is a graphic part in which a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key among the graphic elements included in the displayed graphic part The graphic component search method according to claim 6. A graphic part search program for searching for a graphic part that is a part used for editing a graphic and is a combination of graphic elements that are elements constituting the graphic,
On the computer,
A graphic component extraction process for extracting the graphic component in accordance with a condition indicated by a search key including a graphic element, which is a key for searching the graphic component from pre-registered graphic components;
Of the graphic elements included in the extracted graphic part, the graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key to generate search result graphic element information. Graphic part search program for executing search result generation processing. On the computer,
If the graphic element included in the search key can be associated with a plurality of graphic elements included in the same graphic part in the graphic part extraction process, the graphic element included in the search key is the same graphic part. Depending on which graphic element included in the same graphic part is extracted, the graphic parts are extracted as different extraction results,
In the search result generation process, when a plurality of extraction results are extracted for the same graphic part in the graphic part extraction process, a plurality of search result graphic elements are obtained based on the plurality of extraction results even for the same graphic part. The graphic part search program according to claim 11, wherein a process for generating information is executed. On the computer,
Reusing the search result graphic element information by editing the drawing by incorporating the search result graphic element information selected by the user's operation from the plurality of generated search result graphic element information into the drawing. The graphic part search program according to claim 11 or 12, wherein search result reuse processing is executed. On the computer,
In the graphic part extraction process, based on the information indicating whether or not matching is required for each graphic element included in the search key, the graphic part that satisfies the condition of the graphic element indicated as matching in the information is extracted. The graphic component search program according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the program is executed. On the computer,
Based on the information indicating whether or not the graphic element included in the search key is overwritten when the graphic element included in the search key does not match in the search result generation process, extraction is performed in the graphic part extraction process only when the information is indicated to be overwritten when the information does not match Search result graphic element information is generated that is a graphic part in which a graphic element that does not match the graphic element included in the search key is replaced with the graphic element included in the search key among the graphic elements included in the displayed graphic part The graphic component search program according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the processing is executed.

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