JP2807117B2 - Window display control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a window display control device and, more particularly, to window window movement control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In personal computers and the like,
2. Description of the Related Art A multi-window display device that drives a plurality of tasks simultaneously, such as a single-user multi-task, and switches and uses a display screen when necessary is often used.
As a result, the user of the personal computer can execute a plurality of processes simultaneously while switching screens.

A single program displays a menu of a plurality of processes such as editing and registration, and manages the display of each process in a display screen unit. Some have been simplified.

In a system that requires a plurality of display screens as described above, a window system that uses one screen as a window and manages each window in order to display the information on one display device is often used. I have.

In a conventional window system, a window menu is selected using a coordinate input device such as a mouse. For example, when the window menu in the display screen is displayed, move the mouse,
Point the desired item in the window menu with the cursor. Then, when a button switch provided on the mouse is pressed (clicked), a window corresponding to a target item is displayed.

The above-mentioned window is not limited to a single window. When a plurality of target processes or the like exist, a plurality of windows need to be displayed. The method of displaying a plurality of windows is roughly classified into two types according to the arrangement of the windows. An overlapping type in which a plurality of windows are displayed in an overlapping manner, one screen is divided, and each window is prevented from overlapping. There are tile types that are arranged and displayed.

In such a window system,
The size of the display screen (physical screen) of a display device, for example, a CRT, is equal to the logical screen size of the window system, and the window cannot be moved beyond the size of the display screen.

In order to solve this drawback, there is a window system in which a virtual plane larger than a display screen of a CRT is provided in a memory, and a logical screen is provided in the virtual plane.
In this window system, the logical screen can move freely within the virtual plane, and the display screen of the CRT corresponds to one rectangular area of the virtual plane. An area corresponding to the display screen of the CRT in this virtual plane is defined as a scope.

FIG. 9 shows a display method of such a window system. As shown in the figure, the display screen 1 of the display device
The virtual plane 11 of a rectangular area larger than the size 5 is set, and a movable logical rectangular area for displaying respective data of characters, graphics, and image media on the virtual plane 11, that is, a character logical screen 12a, a graphic logic A screen 12b and an image logic screen 12c are provided. Then, the inside of the scope 13 which is a rectangular area movable on the virtual plane 11 is set, and the data of the character logical screen 12a, the graphic logical screen 12b, and the image logical screen 12c mapped in the scope 13 are used as a window 14 as a CRT. Is displayed on the display screen 15.

[0010]

There are the following two operation methods for moving the logical screens 12a, 12b, 12c within the display screen 15 as described above. (A) The character logical screen 12a, the graphic logical screen 12b, and the image logical screen 12c are moved by a mouse, and the respective logical screens are moved in accordance with the amount of movement of the mouse. (B) A method of displaying the layout of the character logical screen 12a, the graphic logical screen 12b, and the image logical screen 12c on the virtual plane 11, and moving the respective logical screens on the layout screen on the virtual plane 11.

However, in the method described in the above item (a), the movement of the logical screens 12a, 12b, and 12c is instructed by moving the mouse. It is difficult to know to which position the screen has moved on the virtual plane 11, and when the logical screen pops out of the display screen 15 by careless mouse operation, an operation of enlarging the scope 13 is performed. There is a disadvantage that the logical screen cannot be restored unless an operation for moving the logical screen is performed in the enlarged screen.
In the method shown in (b), the logical screen 1 on the virtual plane 11 is
In order to perform the layout display of 2a, 12b, and 12c, the screen must be switched, and the operation time must be long. Further, since the size of the logical screen is reduced in the layout display, there are many drawbacks such that the logical screen cannot be moved accurately.

An object of the present invention is to prevent a situation in which, when a logical screen exits a display screen, the movement of the logical screen is stopped immediately before exiting, and an operator accidentally brings the logical screen out of the display screen. is there.

[0013]

The means of the present invention are as follows. The display device has a display screen of an arbitrary size.
For example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display device. The window movement instructing means is means for instructing the movement of the display position of the window on the display screen, and includes a coordinate input device such as a mouse and a trackball. The display control means moves the display position of the window based on instruction information added from the window movement instruction means, and stops the movement just before the window goes out of the display screen.

[0014]

The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows. For example, when the movement of the display position of the window on the display screen of an arbitrary size of the display device is instructed by the window movement instructing unit such as a mouse or a trackball, the display control unit adds The display position of the window on the display screen is moved based on the display position.
At this time, if the instruction information is moving out of the display screen, the window is stopped immediately before the window goes out of the display screen, and a process such as leaving a part of the window on the display screen is performed. Are not moved out of the display screen. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the operator erroneously operates the window movement instructing unit to move the window out of the screen, so that the window cannot be restored.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of one embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a mouse 19 is a simple type of coordinate input device. For example, when an operator slides the surface of a desk with the mouse 19, vector data corresponding to the amount and direction of the movement are converted to a mouse control device. Join 20. The mouse control device 20 converts the position coordinates of the mouse cursor displayed on the display screen 15 of the display device 18 such as a CRT using the vector data obtained by the sliding operation of the mouse 19, and converts the converted position data into a micro data. It is added to a processor (CPU) 21.

The mouse 19 has a button switch 19a. When the operator presses the button switch 19a, the button switch 19a is pressed (clicked).
The switch information indicating that the operation has been performed is applied to the microprocessor 21 via the mouse control device 20.

The microprocessor 21 writes a cursor pattern in, for example, a graphic display memory (not shown) based on the position information applied from the mouse controller 20 described above, and displays the display data stored in the display memory 30 via the display controller 31. At the same time, it is displayed on the display screen of the CRT 18. As a result, the CR corresponding to the movement of the mouse 19 is
The mouse cursor moves in the display screen at T18.

On the other hand, the button switch 19a of the mouse 19
When is pressed, the microprocessor 21 recognizes the current position of the mouse cursor, detects, for example, which icon on the display screen 15 is pointed, and executes processing corresponding to the pointed icon. For example, when the "move window" icon in the menu is designated, window movement processing is performed. The microprocessor 2 is connected to the microprocessor 21 via the keyboard controller 23.
2 is connected, but the key data from the keyboard 22 also allows menu instructions, window processing, and input of other data. That is, in the present embodiment, data input from the mouse 19 and the keyboard 22 is possible.

The window memory 27 is a memory for storing all the window display data created on the virtual plane 11 by the operation of the keyboard 22 and the mouse 19 by the operator. The information stored in the window memory 27 is an image. , Characters, figures, etc., but does not have data related to window control.

The window management unit 25 determines the size, X, and size of each window located on the virtual plane 11.
It has information such as the position in the Y and Z directions, controls the window, and manages generation and disappearance of the window.

The scope management device 26 manages information data on a scope which is a rectangular area corresponding to a display image (physical screen) of the display screen (physical screen) of the display device 18 on the virtual plane 11. From this scope information, the window display device 28 cuts out data so that windows (logical screens 12 a to 12 c) scattered on the virtual plane 11 are displayed on the display device 18.

The overlap management device 24 determines the overlap relationship between windows based on information such as the size and position of the windows managed by the window management device 25 and cuts out data to be displayed on the display device 18.

The window display device 28 converts the window display data stored in the window memory 27 based on information obtained from the overlap management device 24, the window management device 25, and the scope management device 26 into the bit mover 2.
The control device transfers the data to the area corresponding to the display screen (physical screen) of the display device 18 in the CRT display memory 30 through the CRT display memory 9, and writes the display data corresponding to the display screen in the CRT display memory 30.

The bit mover 29 is a window display device 2
Window memory 27 based on the control information output from
Is transferred to the CRT display memory 30.

The CRT display memory 30 is a bitmap type frame memory for storing display data of each dot on the display screen of the display device 18. Further, the display control device 3
1 reads out the display data at the raster scanning position from the CRT display memory 30 in synchronization with the raster scanning, converts the read out display data into an analog image signal, adds it to the display device 18, adds it to the display device 18, and displays the multi-window screen on the display device 18. Is a control device for displaying.

The method of displaying a multi-window according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2A, a virtual plane 41 is considered as in FIG. The virtual plane 41 is displayed on the display screen 15 of the display device 18.
A larger logical space. A logical screen, that is, four windows A, B, C, and D are generated as the windows 42 on the virtual plane 41. At this time scope 4
3 is set as shown by the broken line, this scope 43
A, B, and C of the windows 42 in the display device 1
8 is displayed on the display screen 15 as shown in FIG. D in the window 42 is not displayed on the display device 18 because it is outside the scope 43.

FIG. 3 shows the positional relationship between the scope 43 and each window 42 set on the virtual plane 41 shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (A). With the origin O at the upper left of the virtual plane 41, the logical positional relationship between the windows 42 and the scope 43 is determined. The x-axis coincides with the horizontal direction of the display device 18 and A
XA, xb, xc, xd, and Xs indicate the distance in the x-axis direction from the starting point of each window 42 and the scope 43 represented by 〜D to the origin O of the virtual plane 41.

The y-axis coincides with the vertical direction of the display screen 15 of the display device 18, and each window 42 represented by A to D
The distance in the y-axis direction from the starting point of the scope 43 to the origin O of the virtual plane 41 is represented by ya, yb, yc, yd, and Ys.

Further, the z-axis defines the order of superposition of the windows 42. The Z values Za, Zb, Zc, Zd
Are smaller, they are located on the front side of the display screen 15. In this way, the x-axis and y-axis of the scope 43 and the x, y, and z-axes of each window 42 are set on the virtual plane 41, and each generated window is shown in FIG. It is managed by the window management table 53.

A window management table 53 is provided for each window 42 indicated by A to D, and includes an x coordinate AX on the virtual plane 41, a y coordinate AY on the virtual plane 41, a z coordinate AZ on the virtual plane 41, a window The width WW of the window 42, the height WH of the window 42, the x coordinate SX on the scope 43, the y coordinate SY on the scope 43, a pointer FP (hereinafter referred to as a forward pointer) to the next window, a pointer BP of the previous window ( (Hereinafter referred to as backward pointer).

In FIG. 5, A, B, C, D shown in FIG.
Of the window management tables 53a and 53, respectively.
b, 53c and 53d. The base pointer BASE is a pointer that indicates the start address of the first management table 53a managed by the window management device 25.

As shown in the figure, the window management tables 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d are bidirectionally chained by a forward pointer FP and a backward pointer BP. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the forward pointer FP of the management table 53A of the window A indicated by the base pointer BASE indicates the start address of the management table 53d of the window B, and the forward pointer FP of the window B indicates the management table 53 of the window C.
c in the management table 53 of the window C.
The forward pointer FP of c indicates the start address of the management table 53d of the window D. The backward pointer BP points to the start address of the management table 53 of the front window 42. First, the backward pointer BP of the management table 53d of D, which is the last window 42, is read out, and the previous window is sequentially read. By referring to the backward pointer BP of the management tables 53c and 53b of 42, it is possible to trace to the management table 53a of the foremost window A. Therefore, all the windows 42 generated on the virtual plane 41 can be managed by the management tables 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d.

The scope management device 26 shown in FIG. 1 manages the position of the scope 53 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 on the virtual plane 41. The scope 53 on the virtual plane 41 is operated by operating the mouse 19. Is instructed to move the position of the window management table 5 based on the instruction information.
The correction of the x coordinate SX and the y coordinate SY on the scope in 3 is performed. The overlap management device 24 determines the order of superposition of the windows 42 based on the value of the z coordinate on the virtual plane 41 in the management table 53 of each window 42, and the display device 18 of the display device 18 cut out from the window memory 27. The information of the data to be displayed on the display screen 15 is displayed on the window display device 2.
8 in addition.

The operation of this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG.
The windows C shown in FIGS. 2A and 2A are shown in FIGS.
An operation method for excluding outside the display screen 15 as shown in (D) will be described.

First, by moving the mouse 19, the mouse cursor is set to the “move window” icon of the window C displayed on the display screen 15 of the display device 18, and the button switch 19 a of the mouse 19 is pressed (clicked). Select "Move window".

After selecting the movement of the window C as described above, the user moves the window C while holding down the button switch 19a of the mouse 19 (this operation is defined as a window moving operation in the present embodiment). Is performed. When the mouse 19 is moved while the button switch 19a is kept pressed (when a window moving operation is performed), movement vector information indicating the movement amount and direction of the mouse 19 is generated by the mouse control device 20 and added to the microprocessor 21. Based on the movement vector information of the mouse, the microprocessor 21 coordinates the coordinates (AX, AY) on the virtual plane of the window management table 53d (see FIG. 4) of the window C in the window management device 25 and coordinates (SX) on the scope 43. , SY)
To change. The overlap management device 24 stores the AX, AY, SX, S stored in the window management table 53c.
Since the display data of the window C is cut out from the window memory 27 based on Y, the window C moves on the display screen 15 of the display device 18 by the window moving operation.

That is, by the window moving operation, the moving vector (Δx, Δy) of the window C proportional to the moving amount of the mouse 19 from the mouse control device 20 is added to the microprocessor 21, and the moving vector (Δx, Δy) is the coordinates A on the virtual plane 41 of the window C in the window management table 53c.
X, AY, and the coordinates SX, SY on the scope 43 are added. That is, the microprocessor 21 determines the x, y coordinates, A
X, AY are changed to AX ′ = AX + Δx AY ′ = AY + Δy (1) x, y coordinates SX, SY on the scope 43 are changed to SX ′ = SX + Δx SY ′ = SY + Δy (2) I do. The modified AX ', AY', SX ',
The overlap management device 24 cuts out the screen based on SY ′, and the window display device 28 transfers the display data of the window C from the window memory 27 to the CRT display memory 30 via the bit mover 29 based on the cutout information. . As a result, the window C moves on the display screen 15 in real time.

In FIG. 6, when an operation related to window control is performed by the mouse 19, the microprocessor 21
3 shows a flowchart of window control performed by the control. When the operation of the mouse 19 is performed (process ST ₁ ), the icon selected by the operation of the mouse 19 is determined (process ST ₂ ). According to the determination, the window moving process (process ST ₃ ) or other operations is performed. Is performed (processing ST ₄ ).

FIG. 8 shows a detailed flowchart of the window moving process performed under the control of the CPC 21.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining variables used in the flowchart of FIG. As shown in the figure, Xs: the address of the scope 43 in the x-axis direction on the virtual plane 41 Ys: the address of the scope 43 in the y-axis direction on the virtual plane 41 Xw: the x-axis direction of the window 42 on the virtual plane 41 Address Yw: y-axis direction address on virtual plane 41 of window 42 Sw: length of x-axis direction of scope 43 Sh: length of y-axis direction of scope 43 Ww: length of x-axis direction of window 42 Wh: the length of the window 42 in the y-axis direction, Δx: the amount of movement of the window 42 in the x-axis direction, Δy: the amount of movement of the window 42 in the y-axis direction, Rx: an instruction to move the window 42 out of the display screen 15. Is performed, the movement of the window 42 is stopped, and the length of the window 42 in the x-axis direction is temporarily left on the scope 43. Ry: a finger that moves the window out of the display screen 15. When the indication is made, the movement of the window 42 is stopped and the variable is set as follows:

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 8 will be described. First, it is determined whether or not the operation of moving the mouse 19 has been completed and the pressing (clicking) of the button switch 19a of the mouse 19 has been stopped (process STP1). . If the pressing of the button switch 19a is stopped, the process is terminated, but if the pressing is not pressed, the moving amounts Δx and Δy of the window 42 are input from the mouse control device 20 (processing STP).
2). Note that Δx and Δy are positive values when the x and y coordinates increase.

Next, processing STP is performed based on Δx and Δy.
₃ to processing STP ₉ are performed to determine the moving direction of the specified window 42. A) ア Δx <0, Δy <0, and | Δx | <| Δy
|｝ Or ｛Δx> 0, Δy> 0, and | Δx | <|
If Δy |｝, it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 in the upward direction (the negative direction of the y-axis) has been given. B) ｛Δx <0, Δy <0, and | Δx |> | Δy
|｝ Or ｛Δx <0, Δy <0, and | Δx |> |
If Δy |｝, it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 to the left (negative direction of the x-axis) has been given. C) ｛Δx> 0, Δy <0, and | Δx |> | Δy
|｝ Or ｛Δx> 0, Δy> 0, and | Δx |> |
If Δy |｝, it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 to the right (positive direction of the x-axis) has been given. D) ｛Δx> 0, Δy> 0, and | Δx | <| Δy
|｝ Or ｛Δx <0, Δy> 0 and | Δx | <|
If Δy |｝, it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 downward (the positive direction of the y-axis) has been given.

If it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 upward has been given, A = Ys + Ry,
The calculation of B = Yw + Δy + Wh is performed (processing STP ₁₀ ),
If it is determined that an instruction to move the window 42 to the left has been given, A = Xs + Rx, B = Xw + ΔX + W
Calculation of w is performed (STP ₁₁ ). If an instruction to move the window 42 to the right is issued, step ST
In _{P 12, A = Xw + Δx} , performs calculation of B = Xs + Sw-Rx, at step STP ₁₃ when an instruction to move the window 42 in the downward direction has been made, A = Yw + Δy, B
= Ys + Sh-Ry. After the above process STP ₁₁ to process STP _13, when moving the window 42 to determine whether the value of the variable A calculated in the above-described processing STP ₁₁ to process STP ₁₃ is less than the value of B window 42
It is determined whether or not a part of is displayed in the scope 43.

That is, B calculated in the processing STP ₁₀ and the processing STP ₁₃ is the y coordinate of the moving position of the window 42 specified by the moving operation of the mouse 19, and is calculated in the processing STP ₁₁ and the processing STP ₁₂ . B did
The x coordinate of the movement position of the window 42 specified by the movement operation of the mouse 19.

B calculated in the processing STP ₁₀ and the processing STP ₁₃ is the same as that of the window 42 in the first window moving operation.
There minimum on movable scopes 43, the maximum y-coordinate, respectively A which is calculated by the processing STP ₁₁ and processing STP ₁₂ in the first window moving operation, the window 42 is the smallest on the scope 43 movable, maximum x Coordinates.
Processes STP ₁₀ to STP ₁₃ are processes performed when the window moves upward, leftward, rightward, and downward, respectively, and determines whether the window 42 moves outside the display screen 15. the scope 4 calculated by the above processing STP ₁₀ ~STP ₁₃ according to the moving direction of the window
The comparison can be made by comparing the x coordinate (A) and the y coordinate (B) of the four corners of No. 3 (in the case of the upward or leftward movement, see FIG. 7B).

Then, processing STP₁₄A is more immediate than B
That is, even if the window 42 moves,
If it is determined that the part is displayed on the display screen,
According to equations (1) and (2), A
Rewrite X, AY, SX, SY and overlap
The management device 24 stores the rewritten window management data.
Of the window 42 on the display screen 15 based on the
Display (Process STP) _Fifteen).

As described above, if the mouse 19 is moved while the button switch 19a is pressed after the movement selection (mouse move operation), the button switch 1
The window 42 selected and moved until the pressing of 9a is stopped moves on the display screen 15 of the display device 18 in real time.

Meanwhile, the processing STP ₁₄ by A or B, that when moving the window 42 to the position designated by the movement operation of the mouse 19, the window 4
2 is out of the display screen 15, that is, FIG.
When the window 42 moves outside the display screen 15 of the display device 18 as in the window C shown in (C), the window is not drawn and the button switch 19a of the mouse 19 is turned off within a predetermined time. It is monitored whether it is (process STP ₁₆ ). When the button switch 19a of the mouse 19 is turned off, an off signal of the button switch 19a is applied from the mouse control device 20 to the CPU 21. Then, when there is an input of the OFF signal of the button switch 19a within a predetermined time (processing STP ₁₇₎ Next, whether or not made the selection of the window movement by again icon, an input signal from the mouse controller 21 (ST
P ₁₈ ), when an operation signal for window selection and window movement operation is applied from the window control device 20, the movement of the window management table 53 is selected in accordance with the movement amount of the window 42 selected and moved from the mouse control device 21. The addresses AX and AY on the virtual plane 41 and the addresses SX and SY on the scope 43 relating to the window 42 are changed (STP ₁₉ ; see equations (1) and (2)). That is, the window 42 selected and moved according to the moving amount of the mouse 19 is moved, and if the moving instruction of the window 42 is an instruction to the outside of the display screen 15, FIG.
The window 42 (window C) completely moves out of the scope 43 on the virtual plane 41 as shown in FIG.

It is preferable that the moving speed of the window 42 in the process STP ₁₉ be the same as the moving speed of the window 42 before the stop of the movement. In this way, the operator does not feel uncomfortable.

Even when the operation of moving the window out of the display screen is performed in this manner, the window is not moved out of the display screen at once, and the window is moved once immediately before the window leaves the display screen. The window is moved out of the display screen only when the movement is stopped and the move operation for moving out of the display screen is performed again.

As described above, when the window goes out of the display screen, a warning is given to the operator once, and the window is moved out of the display screen only when the operator confirms the warning and moves the window out of the display screen again. , It is possible to prevent a situation in which a window is accidentally moved out of the display screen, thereby improving operability.

[0052]

According to the present invention, when an instruction to move a window out of the display screen is issued, for example, the movement of the window is stopped at a corner of the display screen, so that even if the mouse or the like is operated erroneously. The window does not disappear from the display screen. Therefore, the operability of the window moving operation in the window system in which the window moving is instructed by the input device such as the mouse is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an embodiment.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are explanatory diagrams of the operation. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between windows.

FIG. 4 is an internal configuration diagram of a window management table.

FIG. 5 is a chain state diagram of a window management table.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating window control.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of variables.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a window moving display performed under the control of the CPU 21 when a window moving operation is performed.

FIGS. 9A to 9C are schematic diagrams illustrating a conventional multi-window display method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18 display device 19 mouse 21 microprocessor 22 keyboard 27 window memory

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A display device having a display screen of an arbitrary size; a window movement instructing unit for instructing a movement of a window display position on the display screen; and the display based on instruction information added from the window movement instructing unit. A display control unit that moves a display position of a window on a screen, wherein the display control unit stops moving immediately before the entire window goes out of the display screen. Window display control device. 2. The display control means moves the window out of the display screen when the movement of the window is stopped immediately before the window goes out of the display screen, and further when an instruction to move the window is issued. 2. The window display control device according to claim 1, wherein