JP2013206275A - File management device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically generate data for file search in a short time.SOLUTION: The file management device includes: an acquisition part (file acquisition part 21 and position information acquisition part 22) for acquiring the file name of an arbitrary file and position information showing the storage place of the file in a hierarchical structure from a storage part 40; and a tag data generation part 23 for extracting, as tags for search, all folder names of each hierarchy from the most significant hierarchy to the least significant hierarchy in a hierarchical relation in database folder names included in the acquired position information for each acquired file name, and for associating the tags for search with the file names in parallel to generate tag data.

Description

  The present invention relates to a file management apparatus that hierarchically manages a plurality of electronic file data stored in a storage unit using a group of folders having a hierarchical structure, and in particular, automatically searches for file search data in a short time. The present invention relates to a file management device to be generated. The present invention also relates to a program for realizing the file management apparatus by a computer.

  Conventionally, there has been a file management device (or system) that hierarchically manages a plurality of electronic file data (hereinafter simply referred to as “files”) stored in a storage unit using a group of folders having a hierarchical structure. It was.

  In this file management apparatus, a user classifies each file as appropriate and stores each file in a folder of the corresponding hierarchy. Thus, the file management apparatus manages the storage location of each file based on the hierarchical structure of the folder group.

  This file management apparatus is widely used, and is used in, for example, a database that stores a large number of files. However, the initial-type file management apparatus has poor file search performance, and in particular, when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group becomes large and complicated, it may be difficult to search for files.

  Therefore, as an improved file management device (or system), in order to improve file search performance, a technique for managing file storage location by adding file search data to the file itself, or file search data An apparatus (or system) that employs a technique for managing a file storage location using table data that associates a file with a file has been proposed and is widely used. However, since the improved file management apparatus is configured to manually set file search data, it takes time to set.

  Therefore, as a further improved file management apparatus (or system), an apparatus (or system) that automatically generates metadata as file search data has been proposed and is widely used (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).

  This further improved file management apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “conventional file management apparatus”), when storing a file in the storage unit, uses file search data (based on position information indicating the storage location of the file). (Metadata) is automatically generated.

  Specifically, the conventional file management apparatus includes the file search information (metadata) generated separately according to the file type information and the file position information in the file position information. The specified database folder name is set as an attribute of the corresponding file search data (metadata). As a result, the conventional file management device generates file search data (metadata). Note that the “database folder name” has a structure in which the folder hierarchy in which the file is stored is the lowest hierarchy, and all folder names from the highest hierarchy to the lowest hierarchy are connected. ing.

JP 2010-67094 A

  However, as described below, the conventional file management apparatus has a problem that it takes time to generate data for file search when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is large.

  For example, when a conventional file management apparatus generates file search data (metadata) for a file already classified in an arbitrary folder, first, according to a control program stored in advance in a storage unit Then, the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is grasped, and then a file search data (metadata) generation rule is individually created according to the file type information and the file position information. The file location information used at this time is information indicating the storage location of the file, and corresponds to the location in the hierarchical structure of the folder into which the file for which the file search data (metadata) is generated is classified. doing. Then, the conventional file management device generates file search data (metadata) based on the generation rule.

  However, since the conventional file management apparatus takes time to grasp the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is large, it is necessary to create a rule for generating file search data (metadata). take time. As a result, in this case, the conventional file management apparatus takes time to generate file search data.

  As described below, the conventional file management apparatus has a problem that the file search performance is likely to deteriorate when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is large.

  For example, a conventional file management apparatus generates file search data (metadata) based on a generation rule. The generation rule is individually created according to the file type information and the file position information. Moreover, in the file search data (metadata) generated based on the generation rule, the database folder name included in the file location information is set as an attribute. The “database folder name” is configured such that the folder hierarchy in which the file is stored is the lowest hierarchy, and all folder names from the highest hierarchy to the lowest hierarchy in the hierarchical relationship are linked. Yes. Therefore, in the conventional file management apparatus, the file search data (metadata) to be generated changes according to the file type and the position in the hierarchical structure of the folder storing the file. As a result, the file search performance of the conventional file management apparatus is likely to be lowered when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is large.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a file management apparatus that automatically generates file search data in a short time, and a program that realizes the file management apparatus by a computer The main purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention is a file management apparatus that hierarchically manages files stored in a storage unit using a group of folders having a hierarchical structure, wherein an arbitrary file is stored in the storage unit. And a database folder included in the acquired location information for each of the acquired file names, and an acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the storage location of the file in the hierarchical structure Tags by extracting all the folder names of each hierarchy from the highest level to the lowest level in the name as search tags and associating each search tag in parallel with the file name A tag data generation unit that generates data is provided. Here, “in parallel” means a state that is not connected to other search tags and can be searched independently from other search tags.

  In this file management apparatus, the acquisition unit acquires a file name of an arbitrary file from the storage unit and position information indicating the storage location of the file in the hierarchical structure, and the tag data generation unit performs the file search. Tag data is generated as file search data used in the process.

  At that time, the tag data generation unit, for each file name acquired by the acquisition unit, among the database folder names included in the location information acquired by the acquisition unit, from the highest to the lowest in the hierarchical relationship All the folder names up to each level are extracted as search tags, and tag data is generated by associating each search tag with the file name in parallel. As described above, “in parallel” means a state that is not connected to other search tags and can be searched independently from other search tags. For this reason, the tag data has a configuration that does not depend on the file type or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group.

  Therefore, this file management apparatus can generate tag data as file search data without depending on the type of file or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group. Therefore, this file management device differs from the conventional file management device in that it grasps the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group, and the file search data generation rules individually according to the file type information and file position information. The tag data as the file search data can be generated without performing the operation of creating the file. As a result, the file management apparatus can automatically generate tag data as file search data in a short time without man-hours.

  In the first invention, the tag data as the file search data is configured not to depend on the file type or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group. Therefore, this file management apparatus can perform a file search that does not depend on the type of file or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group when the file search is performed using the tag data as the file search data. As a result, the file management apparatus can suppress a decrease in file search performance even when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group is large.

The second invention causes a computer having a storage unit storing files to function as a file management device that hierarchically manages files stored in the storage unit using a group of folders having a hierarchical structure. An acquisition unit for acquiring a file name of an arbitrary file from the storage unit and position information indicating a storage location of the file in the hierarchical structure, and the acquired file name For each database folder name included in the acquired location information, all folder names in each hierarchy from the highest level to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship are extracted as search tags, and the file name The tag is configured to function as a tag data generation unit that generates tag data by associating each search tag in parallel.
This program can realize the file management apparatus according to the first invention by a computer.

  According to the present invention, file search data can be automatically generated in a short time.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the file management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the hierarchical structure of the folder group used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart (1) illustrating an operation of the file management apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart (2) which shows operation | movement of the file management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the tag data used in Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the other example of the tag data used in Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the search screen used in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the file management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the hierarchical structure of the folder group used in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the file management apparatus according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the tag data used in Embodiment 2.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Each figure is only schematically shown so that the present invention can be fully understood. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. Moreover, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the common component and the same component, and those overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

[Embodiment 1]
<Configuration of file management device>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the file management apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a file management apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  The file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment uses a folder group having a hierarchical structure to hierarchically store a plurality of electronic file data stored in the storage unit 40 (specifically, a file storage unit 42 described later). It is a device to manage automatically. Hereinafter, the electronic file data is simply referred to as “file”. The file stored in the storage unit 40 is referred to as a “stored file”.

  The file management apparatus 1 has a function for generating tag data (for example, tag data 200 shown in FIG. 5, tag data 200 </ b> A shown in FIG. 6) provided to the control unit 10. “Tag data” is file search data used when searching for a desired file. Details of the “tag data” will be described later.

  The generated tag data is registered in a tag table (for example, the tag table 1000 shown in FIG. 5 or the tag table 1000A shown in FIG. 6). Hereinafter, when distinguishing the generated tag data from the tag data registered in the tag table, the generated tag data is referred to as “generated tag data”, and the tag data registered in the tag table is referred to as “registered tag data”. ". Further, here, description will be made assuming that the tag data is configured as the tag data 200 shown in FIG. 5 and the tag table is configured as the tag table 1000 shown in FIG. The registered tag data means the tag data 200 registered in the tag table 1000 shown in FIG. The tag data 200 can be transformed, for example, like tag data 200A shown in FIG.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the file management apparatus 1 is configured by a single computer such as a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS) will be described. However, the file management apparatus 1 may be configured as a file management system by being divided into a first computer having a tag data registration unit 20 to be described later and a second computer having a file search unit 30 to be described later. Is possible. In this case, the first computer and the second computer are configured to be communicably connected via a communication line such as a LAN.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the file management apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 40, an input unit 51, an output unit 52, and a communication unit 53.
The control unit 10 is a component that controls the operation of the file management apparatus 1. The control unit 10 is realized by the CPU executing the control program 2 stored in advance in the storage unit 40. In the control unit 10, an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) is operating. The OS is a basic program for managing the overall operation of the file management apparatus 1 and providing a use environment common to various application programs.

  The storage unit 40 is a component that stores various programs and data. The storage unit 40 includes a RAM, a ROM, an HDD, and the like. The RAM temporarily stores data and the like necessary for executing various application programs on the OS. The ROM stores an activation program for activating the OS and various application programs stored in the HDD. The HDD stores an OS, various application programs, data, and the like. The HDD can be additionally provided outside the file management apparatus 1. In addition to the HDD, the file management apparatus 1 can use a storage device such as an optical disk device as a storage unit.

The input unit 51 is a component that inputs data to the file management apparatus 1 such as a keyboard and a mouse.
The output unit 52 is a component that outputs data, such as a display or a printer.
The communication unit 53 is a component that performs communication with other devices.

  The CPU as the control unit 10 executes the control program 2 stored in advance in a program storage unit 41 described later, whereby a file acquisition unit 21, a position information acquisition unit 22, a tag data generation unit 23, and a tag data confirmation unit 24. , Function as an input / output management unit 31 and a tag data search unit 32.

  The file acquisition unit 21 is a functional unit that acquires the file name of an arbitrary file from the hierarchical information storage unit 44 described later. The file acquisition unit 21 is based on the hierarchical information stored in the hierarchical information storage unit 44 to be described later, and all files included in the folder group 100 (see FIG. 2) of the system to be acquired in the hierarchical structure. The file name 151 (see FIG. 2) is retrieved and acquired. For example, the file acquisition unit 21 can search for all folder names by using a “DIR / S” command, a “TREE / F” command, or the like. Hereinafter, the file name acquired by the file acquisition unit 21 is referred to as “acquired file name”. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure of a folder group used in the first embodiment. “Hierarchy information” is information representing the hierarchy structure of the folder group 100 used in the first embodiment. The hierarchical structure of the folder group 100 will be described later.

  The location information acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that acquires location information associated with the acquisition file name based on the acquisition file name acquired by the file acquisition unit 21. “Position information” is information indicating the storage location of the file 151 (see FIG. 2) in the hierarchical structure. The “position information” includes a database folder name. The “database folder name” is the lowest level of the folder 101 (see FIG. 2) in which the file 151 is stored, and all the levels from the highest level (root directory) to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship. The folder names are concatenated.

  The “acquisition unit” described in the claims is a general term for the file acquisition unit 21 and the position information acquisition unit 22. The “acquisition unit” composed of the file acquisition unit 21 and the position information acquisition unit 22 is a file name of an arbitrary file 151 from the storage unit 40 (for example, a hierarchical information storage unit 44 described later), and the file in the hierarchical structure. The position information indicating the storage location 151 is acquired.

  The tag data generation unit 23 is a functional unit that generates tag data 200 (see FIG. 5) as file search data based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22. For each acquired file name (file name 201 (see FIG. 5)), the tag data generation unit 23 is the highest level (root directory) in the hierarchical relationship among the database folder names included in the acquired location information. The tag data 200 is generated by extracting all the folder names of each hierarchy from the lowest to the lowest as search tags 203 (see FIG. 5) and associating the respective search tags 203 in parallel with the acquired file names. To do. Here, “in parallel” means a state that is not connected to other search tags 203 and can be searched independently from the other search tags 203.

  The tag data confirmation unit 24 confirms whether the same tag data 200 as the tag data 200 generated by the tag data generation unit 23 is registered in the tag table 1000 (see FIG. 5) (that is, generated tag data). To confirm whether or not the same registered tag data is registered in the tag table 1000). When the same registered tag data as the generated tag data is not registered in the tag table 1000, the tag data confirmation unit 24 registers the generated tag data in the tag table 1000 as registered tag data.

  The file acquisition unit 21, the location information acquisition unit 22, the tag data generation unit 23, and the tag data confirmation unit 24 constitute a tag data registration unit 20. The tag data registration unit 20 is a functional unit that generates tag data 200 as file search data and registers it in the tag table 1000.

The input / output management unit 31 is a functional unit that controls the input unit 51, the output unit 52, and the communication unit 53.
When the tag data search unit 32 receives a search request for the file 151 (see FIG. 2) from the input / output management unit 31, the tag data search unit 32 refers to a file to be searched from the tag table 1000 (hereinafter referred to as “search target file”). ) Is a functional means for searching the tag data 200 including the search tag 203 (see FIG. 5) associated with.

  The input / output management unit 31 and the tag data search unit 32 constitute a file search unit 30. When a search for designating a folder name of an arbitrary hierarchy is instructed by the user, the file search unit 30 uses the specified folder name from the tag table 1000 (see FIG. 5) as a search tag (FIG. 5). By searching the tag data 200 (see FIG. 5) associated with each other as a reference), the function means for searching the file 151 stored in the folder of each hierarchy below the folder having the designated folder name as a search target file. It is.

  Specifically, the file search unit 30 of the file management apparatus 1 is designated by the input / output management unit 31 when a search for specifying a folder name of an arbitrary hierarchy is instructed from the input unit 51 by the user. A search request based on the folder name (hereinafter referred to as “designated folder name”) is output to the tag data search unit 32.

  In response to this, the tag data search unit 32 sets the file 151 associated with the designated folder name as the search tag 203 (see FIG. 5) as a search target file, and from the tag table 1000 to the search target file. The tag data 200 including the associated search tag 203 is searched.

  The search tag 203 is composed of a part of information extracted from the database folder name. Therefore, the tag data search unit 32 of the file search unit 30 searches for a search target file only for a part of information extracted from the database folder name as the search tag 203. Since the tag data search unit 32 of the file search unit 30 searches for a search target file only for a part of information extracted as the search tag 203, the search target is a database folder name. The search target file can be searched faster than the file search.

  The tag data 200 includes file name information (hereinafter, simply referred to as “file name”) 201 representing a file name as well as the search tag 203. Therefore, the tag data search unit 32 can search the file name of the search target file at the same time by searching the tag data 200 including the search tag 203 associated with the search target file.

  When the tag data search unit 32 searches the tag data 200 including the search tag 203 associated with the search target file, the input / output management unit 31 uses the tag data 200 of the search target file found by this search as a search result. Output to. The input / output management unit 31 displays the search result on a display (not shown) as the output unit 52.

  For example, when the user operates the input unit 51 to instruct the reading of a predetermined file 151, the file search unit 30 receives the file from the file storage unit 42 to be described later. 151 can be read out and displayed on a display (not shown) as the output unit 52. Further, the file management apparatus 1 can also transmit the read file 151 to an external apparatus via the communication unit 53.

The storage unit 40 includes a program storage unit 41, a file storage unit 42, a tag data storage unit 43, and a hierarchy information storage unit 44.
The program storage unit 41 is a storage area in which the control program 2 is stored in advance.
The file storage unit 42 is a storage area in which files 151 (see FIG. 2) managed hierarchically are stored.

The tag data storage unit 43 is a storage area in which the tag table 1000 (see FIG. 5) is stored.
The hierarchical information storage unit 44 is a storage area in which hierarchical information representing the hierarchical structure of the folder group 100 (see FIG. 2) is stored. In addition to the hierarchy information, the hierarchy information storage unit 44 also stores position information of the file 151 (see FIG. 2) that is the generation target of the tag data 200 in the hierarchy structure. The position information of the file 151 is set by the user before the tag data registration unit 20 starts generating the tag data 200.

When the file management apparatus 1 is configured as a server, the input unit 51 such as a keyboard and a mouse and the output unit 52 such as a display and a printer are excluded.
When the file management device 1 is configured as a server, the communication unit 53 transmits and receives data to and from an external device via a communication line such as a LAN. In this case, for example, the file management apparatus 1 can transmit an image instructing file operation to an external apparatus and receive an instruction as a response from the external apparatus.

<Structure of folder group hierarchy>
As described above, the file management apparatus 1 hierarchically manages a plurality of files 151 (see FIG. 2) stored in the storage unit 40 using the folder group 100 (see FIG. 2) having a hierarchical structure.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure file group used in the first embodiment as described above. FIG. 2 shows a hierarchical structure of a folder group 100 composed of a plurality of folders 101.

  The folder 101 can have a plurality of different folders 101 within itself. The folder 101 has another folder 101 inside itself, thereby forming a folder group 100 having a hierarchical structure.

  For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the folder group 100 includes a folder 101 a of the highest hierarchy, a type folder 101 a whose type is “document”, and a type folder 101 a whose type is “document”. It is the composition which includes.

  A type folder 101a whose type is “document” includes an annual folder 101b whose year is “2008”, an annual folder 101b whose year is “2009”, And an annual folder 101b whose year is “2010”. Further, each annual folder 101b has one or a plurality of business folders 101c whose business types are “business A”, “business B”, “business C”, and the like.

  Further, the type folder 101a whose type is “material” has a business folder 101c under which the type of business is “business A”.

  Then, the file 151 a with the file name “file 1” is stored in the folder 101 whose type is “document”, annual is “2008”, and whose business type is “business A”. Has been. That is, the file 151 a with the file name “file 1” is stored in the folder 101 with the type “document”, the year “2008”, and the business type “business A”. Note that the relative position information of the file 151a is configured as “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1”.

  In addition, a file 151b whose file name is “file 2” is stored in the folder 101 whose type is “document”, annual is “2008”, and whose business type is “business B”. Has been. That is, the file 151b with the file name “file 2” is stored in the folder 101 with the type “document”, the year “2008”, and the business type “business B”. The relative position information of the file 151b is configured as “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business B ¥ file 2”.

  In addition, a file 151c whose file name is “file 3” is stored in the folder 101 whose type is “document”, annual is “2009”, and whose business type is “business A”. Has been. That is, the file 151c with the file name “file 3” is stored in the folder 101 with the type “document”, the year “2009”, and the business type “business A”. The relative position information of the file 151c has a structure of “¥ document ¥ 2009 ¥ business A ¥ file 3”.

  In addition, in the folder 101 whose type is “material” and whose business type is “business A”, a file 151 d whose file name is “file 4” is stored. That is, the file 151d with the file name “file 4” is stored in the folder 101 with the type “material” and the business type “business A”. It should be noted that the relative position information of the file 151d is configured as “¥ material ¥ work A ¥ file 4”.

<Operation of file management device>
Hereinafter, the operation of the file management apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, description will be made assuming that the hierarchical structure of the folder group 100 has the configuration shown in FIG.

  3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The operations of the file management apparatus 1 are mainly classified into operations at the time of tag data generation and operations at the time of file search. FIG. 3 shows the operation of the file management apparatus 1 when generating tag data, and FIG. 4 shows the operation of the file management apparatus 1 when searching for files.

  Note that the file management apparatus 1 operates based on the time measured by a timer (not shown). The operation of the file management apparatus 1 is defined by the control program 2 stored in advance in a readable manner in the program storage unit 41 of the storage unit 40 and executed by the control unit 10. In addition, each data is temporarily stored in the storage unit 40 so as to be readable, and then output to a required component for performing subsequent processing. Hereinafter, since these points are conventional means in information processing, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Operation when tag data is generated)
When generating the tag data 200 (generated tag data), the file management apparatus 1 registers hierarchical information representing the hierarchical structure of the folder group 100 in the hierarchical information storage unit 44 in advance.

  The registration of the hierarchy information is performed as follows, for example. For example, the user causes the file management apparatus 1 to execute an arbitrary application program. Thereby, the file 151 as the execution result is generated. The user operates the input unit 51 of the file management apparatus 1 so that the generated file 151 is stored in the predetermined folder 101, and the generated file 151 is stored in the file storage unit 42 ( (See FIG. 1).

  At this time, the file management apparatus 1 identifies the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100 and registers hierarchical information representing the hierarchical structure in the hierarchical information storage unit 44. At this time, the file management apparatus 1 specifies the position in the hierarchical structure of the folder 101 in which the file 151 is stored (that is, the storage location of the file 151), and the position information (relative to the relative position of the folder 101). Position information) is registered in the hierarchical information storage unit 44 in association with the folder 101.

  Thereafter, the file management apparatus 1 starts the generation operation of the tag data 200 at a predetermined timing. Here, a description will be given assuming that the generation work of the tag data 200 is performed for the folders 101 in each hierarchy below the type folder 101a (see FIG. 2) whose type is “document”. Hereinafter, the type folder 101a whose type is “document” is referred to as a ““ document ”folder”.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the file management apparatus 1, first, the file acquisition unit 21 generates the tag data 200 from the hierarchical information registered in the hierarchical information storage unit 44 in order to identify the generation target of the tag data 200. The position in the hierarchical structure of the folder that is the starting point of work (hereinafter referred to as “starting folder”) is specified, and then the starting folder is set as the current folder, and the starting folder that is the current folder is selected from the folder group 100. The file name of each file 151 stored in the following folders (that is, the origin folder and the folder below the origin folder) 101 is searched (S110). The “current folder” means a folder used as a target when performing a file operation or the like.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the file acquisition unit 21 first specifies the hierarchy of the “document” folder as the hierarchy of the origin folder based on the hierarchy information, and then, below the “document” folder as the origin folder. Are searched for the file names of the files 151 stored in the folders 101 (that is, the “document” folder and the folder below the “document” folder) 101. To do.

  As a result, in the first embodiment, the file acquisition unit 21 has the file names (here, “file 1”, “file 2”, and “file 3” of the three files 151a, 151b, and 151c (see FIG. 2). )). The tag data registration unit 20 of the file management apparatus 1 performs the generation operation of the tag data 200 for each file 151a, 151b, 151c having the file name acquired at this time.

  Here, it is assumed that the tag data 200 is generated for the “document” folder. Therefore, at this time, a folder of a type other than “document” (here, a folder whose type is “document”) is excluded from the generation target of the tag data 200. Hereinafter, a folder whose type is “material” is referred to as a ““ material ”folder”. Therefore, at this time, the file 151 (in the example shown in FIG. 2, the file 151 d with the file name “file 4”) stored in the folder 101 at each level below the “data” folder is the tag The data 200 is excluded from the generation target. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 does not acquire the file name of the file 151d (here, “file 4”) and does not generate the tag data 200 of the file 151d.

  As described above, the file management apparatus 1 does not set all the files 151 stored in the folder group 100 as the generation target of the tag data 200, but a folder that needs to generate the tag data 200 depending on the operation. The tag data 200 is generated only for the file 151 (in the first embodiment, the files 151a, 151b, and 151c) stored in the “document” folder in the first embodiment. can do.

  In this case, the file management apparatus 1 stores the file 151 (file 151d in the first embodiment) stored in a folder (the “material” folder in the first embodiment) that does not require generation of the tag data 200. On the other hand, the operation of generating the tag data 200 can be omitted.

  As a result, in this case, the file management apparatus 1 can shorten the generation time of the tag data 200 and simplify the generated tag data 200. In addition, since the generated tag data 200 is simplified, the file management apparatus 1 can also shorten the search time when searching for a file.

  In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the generation work of the tag data 200 is performed on the folders 101 in the respective layers below the type folder 101a (see FIG. 2) whose type is “document”. . Therefore, in the file management apparatus 1, the file acquisition unit 21 uses the “document” folder arranged in the highest hierarchy in the entire folder group 100 as the starting folder, and the folders 101 in each hierarchy below the “document” folder. Are searched for the file name of each file 151 stored in the folder 101. At this time, the file acquisition unit 21 acquires the file names of “file 1”, “file 2”, and “file 3”. Thereafter, the tag data registration unit 20 generates the tag data 200 for each of the files 151a, 151b, and 151c having the file names acquired at this time.

  However, the generation operation of the tag data 200 can be performed on another folder 101. For example, the generation operation of the tag data 200 can be performed on the folders 101 arranged in the intermediate hierarchy or the lowest hierarchy in the hierarchical relationship in the entire folder group 100 shown in FIG.

  Specifically, the file management apparatus 1 includes an annual folder 101b (hereinafter referred to as “'2008” folder ”) whose year is“ 2008 ”in the entire folder group 100 shown in FIG. The generation operation of the tag data 200 can be performed on the object. In this case, in the file management apparatus 1, the file acquisition unit 21 uses the “2008” folder arranged in the middle hierarchy in the entire folder group 100 as a starting folder, and folders in each hierarchy below the “2008” folder. (In other words, the “2008” folder and the folder below the “2008” folder) 101 are searched for the file names of the files 151 stored in those folders 101. At this time, the file acquisition unit 21 acquires the file names “file 1” and “file 2”. Thereafter, the tag data registration unit 20 generates the tag data 200 for each of the files 151a and 151b having the file names acquired at this time.

  After S110, the file acquisition unit 21 selects one file name from the one or more file names searched in S110, and uses the file 151 of the selected file name as an acquisition file from the file storage unit 42. Obtain (read) (S115).

  After S115, in the file management apparatus 1, the location information acquisition unit 22 acquires location information associated with the acquisition file from the hierarchical information storage unit 44 based on the acquisition file acquired by the file acquisition unit 21 ( S120).

  The “location information” is a database folder name in which the hierarchy of the folder 101 in which the file 151 is stored is the lowest hierarchy, and all the folder names of the hierarchy from the highest level to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship are connected. It is configured to include. That is, the “location information” includes character string information in which the folder names of all folders 101 that have a hierarchical relationship with the file 151 and the file names of the file 151 are linked in one line. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the “relative position information” of the file 151 a having the file name “file 1” has a configuration of “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1”. In step S120, the file management apparatus 1 acquires the relative position information.

  After S120, the tag data generation unit 23 generates the tag data 200 based on the relative position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 (S125). At this time, for each acquired file name, the tag data generating unit 23 selects all the hierarchical levels from the highest level to the lowest level in the database folder name included in the acquired relative position information. The tag name 200 is generated by extracting the folder name as the search tag 203 and associating each search tag 203 in parallel with the acquired file name.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of tag data used in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a state in which a plurality of tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the tag data 200 has three independent pieces of information: file name information (file name) 201, position information (file storage location) 203, and search tag 203. Further, the tag data 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d shown in FIG. 5 correspond to the files 151a, 151b, 151c, and 151d shown in FIG. 2, respectively.

The tag data generation unit 23 sets the acquired file name acquired by the file acquisition unit 21 as the file name 201.
Further, the tag data generation unit 23 sets the relative position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 in the position information 202.
Further, the tag data generation unit 23 selects all the folder names (ie, for the file 151) in each hierarchy from the highest level to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship among the database folder names included in the relative position information. Folder names of all folders 101 having a hierarchical relationship) are set in the search tag 203.

  Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the tag data generation unit 23 sets the information “file 1” to the file name 201 for the file 151 a whose file name is “file 1”. The relative position information “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1” is set in the location information 202, and the information ““ document ”” 2008 ”“ business A ”” is set in the search tag 203. To generate the tag data 200a. However, depending on the operation, the tag data generation unit 23 can set only the relative position information of the folder 151 below the “origin folder” as the position information 202.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the tag data 200 has a configuration in which a plurality of folder names are listed in parallel in one item when a plurality of folder names are set in the search tag 203. However, the tag data 200 can be changed to other formats, for example, as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of tag data used in the first embodiment.

  The tag data 200A shown in FIG. 6 is different from the tag data 200 shown in FIG. 5 in that the search tag 203 is changed to a search tag 203A. The search tag 203 </ b> A includes a plurality of independent items, “search tag 1”, “search tag 2”, and “search tag 3”. Each of these items is set with one folder name. The contents of the tag data 200A shown in FIG. 6 are the same as the contents of the tag data 200 shown in FIG.

  The contents of the tag data 200 shown in FIG. 5 and the contents of the tag data 200A shown in FIG. 6 are handled when the tag data 200 and 200A are registered in the tag table 1000 and when the registered tag data 200 and 200A are used. It is affected by the treatment of the change.

  After S125, in the file management apparatus 1, the tag data confirmation unit 24 refers to the tag table 1000 stored in the tag data storage unit 43 and refers to the tag data 200 (registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000). (S130), it is determined whether or not the same registered tag data as the tag data 200 (generated tag data) generated by the tag data generating unit 23 is registered in the tag table 1000 (S135). “Registered tag data that is the same as the generated tag data” means that the file name is the same as the generated tag data, and the position of the folder 101 storing the file 151 in the folder group 100 is the same as the generated tag data. It means that there is.

  If it is determined in S135 that the same registered tag data as the generated tag data is registered in the tag table 1000 (in the case of “Yes”), the process proceeds to S145. In this case, the tag data generation unit 23 does not register the generated tag data in the tag table 1000.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S135 that the same registered tag data as the generated tag data is not registered in the tag table 1000 (in the case of “No”), the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000. Therefore, the generated tag data generated by the tag data generating unit 23 is registered in the tag table 1000 (S140).

  If it is determined in S135 that the same registered tag data as the generated tag data is registered in the tag table 1000 (in the case of “Yes”), or after S140, the file acquisition unit 21 determines in S110. It is determined whether or not a file 151 for which tag data 200 has not yet been generated exists among the plurality of searched file names (S145).

  If it is determined in S145 that there is a file 151 for which tag data 200 has not been generated yet (in the case of “Yes”), the process returns to S115. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 repeats the processes of S115 to S145.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S145 that there is no file 151 for which tag data 200 has not yet been generated ("No"), tag data 200 is generated for all the searched files 151. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 ends the generation of the tag data 200.

(Operation when searching for files)
In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the file management apparatus 1 starts a file search operation by instructing the file management apparatus 1 to perform a search for designating a folder name of an arbitrary hierarchy.

  The user operates the input unit 51 to input, for example, a display instruction for the search screen 600 shown in FIG. In response to this, the file management apparatus 1 displays the search screen 600 on a display (not shown) as the output unit 52.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search screen used in the first embodiment. A search screen 600 shown in FIG. 7 includes a search tag input field 601, a search execution button 602, a search result display field 603, and a search end button 604. The search screen 600 has a format that uses a general graphical user interface (GUI) in a PC or the like.
The search tag input field 601 is a field in which a search tag is input.
A search execution button 602 is a button for instructing execution of a search.
The search result display column 603 is a column in which search results are displayed.
A search end button 604 is a button for instructing the end of the search.

  While viewing the search screen 600, the user operates the input unit 51 to input arbitrary character string information related to the file 151 (search target file) to be searched into the search tag input field 601. For example, when the file 151 related to the job A is searched as a search target file, the user inputs character string information “job A”. The character string information input at this time is displayed in the search tag input field 601. Therefore, the user can check the contents of the character string information. Further, the user can correct or delete the contents of the character string information.

  In the file management apparatus 1, when the character string information is input to the search tag input field 601, the input / output management unit 31 detects the input of the character string information (S205). Hereinafter, the input character string information is referred to as an “input tag”.

  When the input of the character string information is completed, the user presses the search execution button 602. Then, the input / output management unit 31 of the file management apparatus 1 detects pressing of the search execution button 602 (S210).

  After S <b> 210, the input / output management unit 31 acquires the character string information input in the search tag input field 601 as an input tag and outputs it to the tag data search unit 32. In response to this, the tag data search unit 32 uses the input tag to search for registered tag data having a search tag 203 that matches the input tag from the tag table 1000 stored in the tag data storage unit 43. Search for. Accordingly, the tag data search unit 32 acquires registered tag data having a search tag 203 that matches the input tag as a search result (S215).

  For example, when searching for registered tag data having a search tag 203 that matches the input tag from the tag table 1000 shown in FIG. 32 obtains the registered tag data of the files 151a, 151c, 151d (see FIG. 2) having the character string information “operation A” as the search tag 203 as a search result. Thereafter, the tag data search unit 32 outputs the registered tag data as the acquired search result to the input / output management unit 31.

  After S215, when the registered tag data as the search result is input from the tag data search unit 32, the input / output management unit 31 displays the registered tag data as the search result in the search result display field 603 of the search screen 600 ( Output) (S220).

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the “file name” and “file storage location” of the files 151 a, 151 c, and 151 d are displayed in the search result display field 603 as search results. Specifically, relative to the file 151a, the file name “file 1” and the relative storage location information “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1” are stored in the search result display field 603. It is displayed. For the file 151c, the file name “file 3” and the relative storage location information “¥ document ¥ 2009 ¥ business A ¥ file 3” are displayed in the search result display field 603. Yes. In addition, for the file 151d, the name “file 4” as the file name and the relative position information “¥ material ¥ work A ¥ file 4” as the file storage location are displayed in the search result display field 603.

  The search result displayed (output) in the search result display field 603 is in a state where the user can select. The user selects desired registration tag data from the search results. Here, it is assumed that “selection” is performed by clicking (pressing) desired registration tag data twice. When the user selects desired registration tag data from the search results, the input / output management unit 31 detects the selection (S225). Hereinafter, the selected registered tag data is referred to as “selected tag data”.

  In response to this, the input / output management unit 31 associates the selected tag data from the file storage unit 42 based on the relative position information displayed on the display (not shown) as the “file storage location” of the selected tag data. The read file 151 (hereinafter referred to as “selected file”) is read and displayed on a display (not shown) as the output unit 52 (S230).

  At this time, in addition to opening and displaying the contents of the selected file, the input / output management unit 31 opens and displays the folder in which the selected file is stored, thereby enabling the user to use the selected file. You may do it.

  After S230, the user can search for another file 151. When the user searches for another file 151, the user operates the input unit 51 again while looking at the search screen 600 to search for arbitrary character string information related to the file 151 (search target file) to be searched. Input to the search tag input field 601. On the other hand, when the user ends the search of the file 151, the user presses the search end button 604.

  The file management apparatus 1 determines whether or not the input / output management unit 31 has detected the input of the next search tag (S235). If it is determined in S235 that the input of the next search tag is detected (in the case of “Yes”), the process returns to S210. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 repeats the processes of S210 to S235. On the other hand, when it is determined in S235 that the input of the next search tag has not been detected (that is, pressing of the search end button 604 has been detected) (in the case of “No”), the file management device 1 Ends the search operation of the file 151.

  In this configuration, in the file management apparatus 1, the file acquisition unit 21 acquires the file name of an arbitrary file 151 from the hierarchical information storage unit 44 of the storage unit 40, and the position information acquisition unit 22 acquires the position information of the file 151. 202 (see FIG. 5) is acquired, and the tag data generation unit 23 generates tag data 200 as file search data.

  At that time, the tag data generation unit 23 sets the database folder name included in the position information 202 (see FIG. 5) acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 for each file name acquired by the file acquisition unit 21. All the folder names in each layer from the top to the bottom in the hierarchical relationship are extracted as search tags, and each search tag 203 (see FIG. 5) is associated in parallel with the file name. Thus, tag data 200 (see FIG. 5) is generated. The tag data 200 has a configuration that does not depend on the type of the file 151 and the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100 as described above, because the search tags 203 are associated with the file names in parallel.

  Therefore, the file management apparatus 1 can generate the tag data 200 without depending on the type of the file 151 and the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100. Therefore, the file management apparatus 1 differs from the conventional file management apparatus in that it can grasp the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100 and the file search data individually according to the type information of the file 151 and the position information of the file 151. The tag data 200 as the file search data can be generated without performing the operation of creating the generation rule. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 can automatically generate the tag data 200 as file search data in a short time without man-hours.

  Further, since the tag data 200 is configured not to depend on the type of the file 151 or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100, the file management apparatus 1 performs a file search using the tag data 200 as file search data. In this case, a file search independent of the type of the file 151 and the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100 can be performed. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 can suppress a decrease in the search performance of the file 151 even when the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group 100 is large.

  As described above, according to the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the folder group 100 is generated by generating the tag data 200 that does not depend on the type of the file 151 or the hierarchical structure of the entire folder group as the file search data. The file search data is automatically acquired without performing the work of grasping the entire hierarchical structure, and the creation of the file search data generation rule individually according to the type information of the file 151 and the position information of the file 151. Can be generated. Therefore, according to the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, file search data can be automatically generated in a short time without man-hours.

[Embodiment 2]
As will be described below, the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, when the user moves or deletes the file 151 in the hierarchical structure after the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000, the file 151 May not be able to search correctly.

  For example, the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is registered in the tag table 1000 when the user moves or deletes the file 151 in the hierarchical structure after the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000. The contents of “file storage location” and “search tag” of tag data 200 (registered tag data) become inaccurate. Therefore, in this case, the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment may not be able to search the file 151 correctly because the content of the search tag 203 for registered tag data does not match the actual storage location of the file 151. There is. As a result, the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment reads the selected file corresponding to the selected registered tag data from the file storage unit 42 even if the user selects desired registered tag data from the search result. May not be possible.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, even when the user moves or deletes the file 151 in the hierarchical structure after the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000, the file 151 can be correctly searched. A file management apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “file management apparatus 1B (see FIG. 8)”) is provided.

<Configuration of file management device>
The file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment stores the actual file 151 when the content of the search tag 203 of the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000 is different from the actual storage location of the file 151. A function of automatically updating the registered tag data in accordance with the place is given to the control unit 10B (see FIG. 8). Hereinafter, the configuration of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a file management apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  The file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 8) is compared with the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) in order to realize a function of automatically updating registered tag data. The change confirmation unit 26, the tag data deletion unit 27, and the update time storage unit 46 are different. The change confirmation unit 26 and the tag data deletion unit 27 constitute a tag data registration unit 20B.

  The change confirmation unit 26 is a functional unit that confirms whether or not the storage location of the actual file 151 has been changed for the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. The “tag table 1000” is stored in the tag data storage unit 43. Further, “location information of the file 151” indicating “storage location of the file 151” is stored in the hierarchical information storage unit 44.

  Based on the update time information registered in advance in the update time storage unit 46 by the user, the change confirmation unit 26 periodically registers the actual file 151 for the registered tag data every time the update time elapses. Check if there is a change in the storage location. In this confirmation, the change confirmation unit 26 reads the tag table 1000 from the tag data storage unit 43 and also reads the position information of the file 151 from the hierarchical information storage unit 44 to target the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. This is done by determining whether or not the storage location of the registered tag data matches the storage location indicated by the location information of the file 151. Here, “update time information” means information representing the update time for causing the change confirmation unit 26 to operate periodically.

  When the change of the storage location of the file 151 is confirmed, the change confirmation unit 26 outputs the registered tag data of the file 151 (hereinafter referred to as “already changed tag data”) to the tag data deletion unit 27, The tag data deletion unit 27 is caused to delete the changed tag data from the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. Here, “when the change of the storage location of the file 151 is confirmed” means that the difference between the contents of the search tag 203 included in the registered tag data and the actual storage location of the file 151 is confirmed. It means that.

  Further, the change confirmation unit 26 outputs the file name of the file 151 (hereinafter referred to as “changed file”) associated with the changed tag data to the file acquisition unit 21, and sends the file name to the file acquisition unit 21. A storage file that matches the file name of the already-changed file is searched from all the storage files stored in the file storage unit 42.

  If a storage file that matches the file name of the already-changed file is found from all the storage files by this search, the storage file becomes a generation target of the tag data 200. In this case, in the file acquisition unit 21, the tag data registration unit 20B of the file management apparatus 1 performs the generation work of the tag data 200 for the storage file discovered at this time.

  The tag data deletion unit 27 is a functional unit that deletes registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. When the changed tag data is input from the change confirmation unit 26, the tag data deleting unit 27 deletes the registered tag data corresponding to the changed tag data from the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. .

  The update time storage unit 46 is a storage area in which update time information (information indicating an update time for periodically operating the change confirmation unit 26) is registered in advance.

  In the second embodiment, for example, a case where the user moves the file 151b from the storage location illustrated in FIG. 2 to the storage location illustrated in FIG. 9 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 9 will be described. . FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure of a folder group used in the second embodiment.

  Here, the file management apparatus 1B has already generated the tag data 200 for the hierarchical folder group 100 shown in FIG. 2, and registered the tag data 200 shown in FIG. Explain that it is.

As described above, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the user moves the file 151b from the storage location shown in FIG. 2 to the storage location shown in FIG.
Therefore, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the file 151b before movement is stored in a storage location where the relative position information is “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business B ¥ file 2”. That is, in the file 151b before movement, the “2008” folder is arranged under the “Document” folder, the “Business B” folder is arranged under the “2008” folder, and the “Business B” folder is arranged. Is stored inside.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the moved file 151b is stored in a storage location whose relative position information is “¥ document ¥ 2010 ¥ business B ¥ file 2”. That is, in the moved file 151b, the “2010” folder is arranged under the “Document” folder, the “Business B” folder is arranged under the “2010” folder, and the “Business B” folder is arranged. Is stored inside.

  As a result, the registered tag data of the file 151b registered in the tag table 1000 does not match the actual storage location of the file 151b. Therefore, the file management apparatus 1B needs to update the registration tag data of the file 151b.

  Therefore, the file management device 1B periodically stores the storage location of the file 151 for the registered tag data every time the update time elapses based on the update time information registered in the update time storage unit 46 in advance. Confirm. When the storage location of the file 151 is changed (including the case where the file 151 is deleted), the file management apparatus 1B updates the registration tag data corresponding to the file 151.

  For example, it is assumed that a value “1 hour” is registered in the update time storage unit 46 in advance as the update time. In this case, the change confirmation unit 26 of the file management apparatus 1B operates every hour to confirm the storage location of the file 151 for the registered tag data.

  At this time, the change confirmation unit 26 first reads the tag table 1000 from the tag data storage unit 43 and confirms registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. For example, the registration tag data of the file 151a (see FIG. 9) whose file name is “file 1” is stored in a storage location whose relative position information is “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1”. Therefore, the change confirmation unit 26 reads the position information of the file 151 from the hierarchical information storage unit 44, and confirms whether the file 151a exists in the storage location based on the position information of the file 151. In the example shown in FIG. 9, since the file 151a exists in the storage location, the change confirmation unit 26 determines that the file 151 corresponding to the registered tag data has not been moved (or deleted).

  The change confirmation unit 26 similarly confirms other registered tag data. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the file 151b whose file name is “file 2” has been moved. Therefore, the file 151b (see FIG. 9) is stored in the storage location where the relative position information is “¥ document ¥ 2008 ¥ business A ¥ file 1” in the registered tag data. Is not stored in its storage location. Therefore, the file management apparatus 1B regards the registration tag data of the file 151b as invalid data for which the corresponding file 151 does not exist.

  As a result, in the file management apparatus 1B, the change confirmation unit 26 outputs the registration tag data of the file 151b to the tag data deletion unit 27, and the tag data deletion unit 27 stores the registration tag data of the file 151b from the tag table 1000. Let the data be deleted.

  Thereafter, in the file management apparatus 1B, the tag data registration unit 20B reads the location information of the file 151 from the hierarchical information storage unit 44, and searches the file group 151b from the folder group 100 based on the location information of the file 151. When the file 151b is found, the tag data 200Bb (see FIG. 11) of the file 151b is generated, and the generated tag data 200Bb is registered in the tag table 1000 as registered tag data.

As a result, the tag table 1000 shown in FIG. 5 is updated to the contents shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of tag data used in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 shows an example of the updated tag table 1000. The tag data 200Bb of the file 151b shown in FIG. 11 has a content that matches the actual storage location of the file 151b.
Note that the file management apparatus 1B performs the same processing for other registered tag data.

<Operation of file management device>
The operation of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment is different from the operation of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that the registered tag data is automatically updated.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, the operation at the time of updating the registered tag data of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the file management apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 shows an operation at the time of updating the registration tag data of the file management apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  The operation at the time of tag data generation and the operation at the time of file search of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment are the same as the operation at the time of tag data generation (see FIG. 3) and the file of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. This is the same as the operation during search (see FIG. 4).

  Here, the operation of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the operation different from that of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and the same operation as that of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As for (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4), the operation of the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is replaced with the operation of the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment periodically updates the tag data registration unit 20B every time the update time elapses based on the update time information registered in advance in the update time storage unit 46 by the user. The registration tag data update operation is started.

  Here, the case where the user has set the update time to “1 hour” in advance will be described. Therefore, here, update time information representing the update time of “1 hour” is registered in the update time storage unit 46. As a result, in the file management apparatus 1B, the tag data registration unit 20B starts updating the registered tag data every time one hour elapses.

  Note that when the update time information is not registered in the update time storage unit 46 (that is, when the user does not set the update time in advance), the tag data registration unit 20B does not operate. Therefore, in this case, the file management apparatus 1B does not update the registered tag data.

  When the file management apparatus 1B starts the update operation of the registered tag data, as shown in FIG. 10, the change confirmation unit 26 has one or a plurality (usually a plurality) of registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. One tag data 200 is selected from the list and acquired as acquired tag data (S305). Here, description will be made assuming that the configuration of the registered tag data and the configuration of the acquired tag data are the same as the configuration of the tag data 200 (see FIG. 5).

  After S305, the change confirmation unit 26 in the folder of “file storage location” (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding folder”) specified by the position information 202 (see FIG. 5) included in the acquired tag data. Then, it is confirmed whether or not the file 151 corresponding to the acquired tag data exists (S310). Then, the change confirmation unit 26 determines whether or not the file 151 corresponding to the acquired tag data exists in the corresponding folder (S315).

  When it is determined in S315 that the file 151 corresponding to the acquired tag data does not exist in the corresponding folder (in the case of “No”), the file management apparatus 1B registers the registered tag registered in the tag table 1000. The registered tag data corresponding to the acquired tag data is deleted as invalid tag data 200 from the data. In this case, in the file management apparatus 1 </ b> B, first, the change confirmation unit 26 outputs the acquired tag data to the tag data deletion unit 27. In response to this, when the acquired tag data is input, the tag data deleting unit 27 deletes the acquired tag data from the registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000 (S320).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S315 that the file 151 corresponding to the acquired tag data exists in the corresponding folder (in the case of “Yes”), the process proceeds to S325. In this case, the acquired tag data is not deleted.

  If it is determined in S315 that the file 151 corresponding to the acquired tag data exists in the corresponding folder (in the case of “Yes”), or after S320, the change confirmation unit 26 includes the acquired tag data in the acquired tag data. In step S325, it is determined whether there is acquired tag data for which confirmation of whether the folder exists is not completed.

  If it is determined in S325 that there is acquired tag data that has not been confirmed (if “Yes”), the process returns to S305. As a result, the file management apparatus 1B repeats the processes of S305 to S325.

  When it is determined in S325 that there is no acquired tag data for which confirmation has not been completed (in the case of “No”), the search is included in all registered tag data registered in the tag table 1000. Since the confirmation of the match or difference between the contents of the tag 203 and the storage location of the actual file 151 is completed, the process proceeds to S110a. As a result, the file management apparatus 1B performs the processes of S110a to S145a.

  The processing of S110a to S145a is processing for generating the tag data 200 that is not registered in the tag table 1000. The processing of S110a to S145a is the same as the processing of S110 to S145 shown in FIG. Therefore, the description is omitted here.

  In such a configuration, in the file management apparatus 1B, the tag data registration unit 20B periodically updates the registered tag data. Thereby, the file management apparatus 1B can automatically update the registered tag data in which the content of the search tag 203 is different from the actual storage location of the file 151. Therefore, the file management apparatus 1B can automatically keep the registration tag data in the latest state. As a result, after the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000, the file management apparatus 1B correctly searches for the file 151 even when the user moves or deletes the file 151 in the hierarchical structure. Can do.

As described above, according to the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment, the file search data can be automatically generated in a short time as in the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.
In addition, according to the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment, even if the user moves or deletes the file 151 in the hierarchical structure after the tag data 200 is registered in the tag table 1000, the file 151 search can be performed correctly.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the file management device 1 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) and the file management device 1B according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 8) are configured by a single computer.
However, as described above, the file management apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is divided into the first computer including the tag data registration unit 20 and the second computer including the file search unit 30, so that the file management system It can be configured as.
Similarly, the file management apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment is configured as a file management system by dividing into a first computer having the tag data registration unit 20B and a second computer having the file search unit 30. Is possible.

In this case, the first computer and the second computer are configured to be communicably connected via a communication line such as a LAN.
Further, in this case, the file search unit 30 can exchange data with other devices via a communication line such as a LAN in addition to inputting / outputting data between the input unit 51 and the output unit 52. Transmission and reception can be performed, and a configuration that operates based on data received from another device can be provided.
In this case, either or both of the first computer and the second computer may be configured such that the input unit 51 such as a keyboard and a mouse and the output unit 52 such as a display and a printer are excluded. is there.

1,1B File management device (PC, WS, etc.)
2,2B control program 10,10B control unit (CPU)
20, 20B Tag data registration unit 21 File acquisition unit 22 Location information acquisition unit 23 Tag data generation unit 24 Tag data confirmation unit 26 Change confirmation unit 27 Tag data deletion unit 30 File search unit 31 Input / output management unit 32 Tag data search unit 40 , 40B Storage unit (RAM, ROM, HDD, etc.)
41 Program storage unit 42 File storage unit 43 Tag data storage unit 44 Hierarchical information storage unit 46 Update time storage unit 51 Input unit (keyboard, mouse, etc.)
52 Output unit (display)
53 Communication Unit 100 Folder Group 101 Folder 101a Type Folder 101b Annual Folder 101c Business Folder 151 (151a, 151b, 151c, 151d) File 200, 200A Tag Data (File Search Data)
201 File name information (file name)
202 Position information 203, 203A Search tag 600 Search screen 601 Search tag input field 602 Search execution button 603 Search result display field 604 Search end button 1000, 1000A Tag table

Claims (6)

In a file management apparatus that hierarchically manages files stored in a storage unit using a folder group having a hierarchical structure,
An acquisition unit that acquires a file name of an arbitrary file from the storage unit, and position information indicating a storage location of the file in the hierarchical structure;
For each of the acquired file names, among the database folder names included in the acquired location information, all the folder names of each layer from the highest level to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship are used as search tags. A file management apparatus comprising: a tag data generation unit that generates tag data by extracting and associating each search tag in parallel with the file name. The file management apparatus according to claim 1,
The storage unit stores a tag table in which the tag data is registered,
Further, when a search for specifying a folder name of an arbitrary hierarchy is instructed by the user, the tag data in which the specified folder name is associated as the search tag is searched from the tag table. A file management apparatus comprising: a file search unit that searches for the file stored in a folder of each hierarchy below the folder having the designated folder name as a search target file. The file management apparatus according to claim 2,
Further, when the tag data is generated by the tag data generation unit, the tag table is checked for the same registered tag data as the generated tag data, and the same registered tag data exists. A file management apparatus comprising: a tag data confirmation unit that registers the generated tag data in the tag table if not. The file management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And a change confirmation unit for confirming whether or not the storage location of the file has been changed,
The change confirmation unit periodically confirms whether or not the storage location of each file is changed,
The file data management apparatus, wherein the tag data generation unit generates the tag data for a file whose change of the storage location is confirmed by the change confirmation unit. The file management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
The file confirmation apparatus, wherein the change confirmation unit confirms whether or not the storage location of the file has been changed at every update time designated by update time information registered in the storage unit in advance. A program that causes a computer having a storage unit in which files are stored to function as a file management apparatus that hierarchically manages files stored in the storage unit using a group of folders having a hierarchical structure,
The computer,
An acquisition unit that acquires a file name of an arbitrary file from the storage unit, and position information indicating a storage location of the file in the hierarchical structure;
For each of the acquired file names, among the database folder names included in the acquired location information, all the folder names of each layer from the highest level to the lowest level in the hierarchical relationship are used as search tags. A program that extracts and functions as a tag data generation unit that generates tag data by associating each search tag in parallel with the file name.

Images