JP3084106B2 - Screen output switching method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a screen output switching method for executing a plurality of application programs in parallel in an information processing apparatus such as an electronic computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional screen output switching method, a user such as a computer inputs a code for switching a screen from an input device such as a terminal keyboard or an item input device. When the switching code is input, an operating system (hereinafter abbreviated as “OS”), a driver program, and the like perform screen switching control.

FIG. 6 shows the concept of a conventional screen output switching method. A plurality of application programs 1,
2 and 3 operate based on OS4. The OS 4 includes an output driver 5 and a cathode ray tube (hereinafter referred to as “CR
T ") and an output device 6 such as a printer. The OS 4 also includes an input driver 7, and processes input from an input device 8 such as a keyboard or an item input device.

The procedure for switching the screen output is as follows.
A screen switching code is input from the input device 8. The driver 7 rewrites the screen table in response to the screen switching code. The driver 5 refers to the screen table and
Application programs 1, 2, 3 to be displayed on the screen
Create a screen buffer for The driver 5 reads out the contents of the screen buffer and outputs it to the output device 6 as display data.

For example, an application program 1
Controls the input device 8 and the output device 6,
The operation when the user performs the screen output switching so as to display the output information of the application program 2 via the output device 6 will be described. The user inputs a screen switching code to the input device 8. The driver 7 analyzes the screen switching code, rewrites the information in the screen table, and
And that the application program exclusively occupying the input device 8 has been switched from 1 to 2 in the system memory. Thereafter, the driver 7 uses the input data from the input device 8 as input to the application program 2
Give to S4. OS4 is for applications 1, 2, 3
Is output to the driver 5. The driver 5 refers to the screen table, extracts only the output information of the application program 2 from the screen buffer, and outputs it to the output device 6.

In a conventional screen output switching method,
Unless the user of the computer inputs the screen switching code from the input device 8, the application program exclusively used for the input device 8 and the output device 6 cannot be changed.

A program that does not display a screen usually has a small need to display the screen. However, when a program reaches a specific stage, for example, when the program ends, or when an error occurs in processing, a screen display is performed. Need to go and communicate the information to the user. When the screen display cannot be switched unless the screen display code is input from the user, the user cannot obtain information for switching and cannot take appropriate measures. For example, when a program that is not displaying a screen ends, another program can be started if necessary, but other programs cannot be started without knowing the end of the program. Multiple program processing that makes the most of the information processing device cannot be performed.
If an error state cannot be known when a program that does not display a screen is in an error state, the error state cannot be canceled, and the error stop state continues to reduce the overall efficiency.

An object of the present invention is to provide a screen output switching method capable of preferentially switching a program to be output to a display screen as needed during execution of the program.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a screen display in which a plurality of programs executed in parallel on the same operating system output screen information output to a buffer memory by the operating system and output to a display screen. in the output switching method it has been activated image
If the program is not displayed on the screen, the processing ends or an error
Notify users when certain stages are reached, including the occurrence of
To display the information to be displayed on the screen in a state that can be seen by the user
Wherein the screen output switching request to the operating system, the operating system, when the screen output switching is requested, the screen information from the requested program displays a screen for the program is read from the buffer memory in, A screen output switching method characterized by outputting the read screen information to the displayed screen.

[0010]

According to the present invention, a plurality of programs are executed in parallel on the same operating system. this
The plurality of programs output image information to the buffer memory. Currently activated but screen display
Programs not shown may terminate processing or generate an error.
When certain stages are reached, including life, should be communicated to users.
Requesting the operating system to switch the screen output in order to display the current information on the screen in a state visible to the user .
When the screen output switching request is received, the operating system displays a screen for the requested program on the display screen, reads screen information from the requested program from the buffer memory, and displays the screen information on the screen. Output. In other words , the screen information to be output on the display screen is
There is no output screen on the current display screen (display screen
There are no screens for the corresponding program at the top
Had not) and can be switched by a request to the operating system from a program, the program screen required to (e.g., termination and error processing originating
When certain stages are reached, including life, should be communicated to users.
Required to display information on the screen in a visible state to the user.
When (need) occurs, the screen is switched immediately.
As a result, the user can know the operating state of the program that has requested the switching, based on the information displayed after being switched, and thereby can quickly take necessary measures.

[0011]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic electrical configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. A central processing unit (hereinafter abbreviated as “CPU”) 10 includes a system memory 11 and a user memory 1.
2 via a bus circuit 13. The system memory 11 provides a work area for the operation of the CPU 10 and a screen buffer area. In the user memory 12,
An application program is stored. An address signal, a data signal, and various control signals are transmitted to the bus circuit 13. The CPU 10 controls an output (display) device 16 and an input device 18 via a bus circuit 13.
As an output device, a CRT, a liquid crystal display element (abbreviated as “LC
D ") and a printer. The input device 18 includes a keyboard, an item input device, a mouse, and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a software configuration for implementing the screen output switching method according to the present invention in the hardware configuration shown in FIG. The plurality of application programs 21, 22, and 23 operate on the same OS 24. In the OS 24, processing programs and the like commonly required by the plurality of application programs 21, 22, and 23 are prepared in advance. The application programs 21, 22, and 23 can use programs prepared in the OS 24 according to a predetermined procedure. Drivers 25 for controlling the output device 16 and drivers 27 for controlling the input device 18 are included in programs commonly prepared in the OS 24.

FIG. 3 shows a data structure of a screen table used by the drivers 25 and 27 in FIG. The screen table is provided in the system memory 11 shown in FIG. As the screen table 12, two pointers 31 and 32 are provided at predetermined addresses. The first pointer 31 stores the contents of a pointer that points to application data currently occupying the input / output device. In the second pointer, the content of the pointer indicating the application data that was started last is stored. 2
4 indicated by two pointers 31 and 32
0, 50, and 60 are set by the OS 24 in the system memory 11 shown in FIG. Tables 40, 50, 6
0 is activated as needed, and is intended to utilize the memory space in the system memory 11 efficiently. Since the second pointer indicates the application data that was started last, the OS 24 looks at the second pointer to determine whether or not a table can be added. Set up a simple table.

Each of the tables 40, 50, and 60 has an OS 2
4, a minor number 41 as an identification number for identifying whether the data is output data from the application program,
51 and 61 are provided. Output data from each application program is stored in screen buffers 42, 52, and 62, which are buffer memories. Screen buffer 4
Since the required memory space of 2, 52, and 62 is larger than other data, the system memory 11 can be effectively used by dynamically arranging the tables 40, 50, and 60. The tables 40, 50, and 60 further include pointers 43, 53, and 63 that point to the next data. Pointer 43 pointing to the next data in table 40
Indicates the head address of the table 50, and similarly the tables 40, 50, and 60 are connected by a pointer.
The pointer 63 pointing to the last next data indicates the start address of the first table 40.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of the driver 25 shown in FIG. Starting from step a1, in step a2, it is determined whether or not a screen switching code has been input from the driver 27. When the screen switching code is input, the contents of the pointer 31 of the current data shown in FIG. 3 are rewritten to the contents of the pointer 43 indicating the next data in the table 40 indicated by the pointer in step a4.

When it is determined in step a3 that the code is not a screen switching code, in step a5,
It is determined whether the command is a screen switching command from the application program. In the case of a screen switching command, in step a6, the pointer 31 of the current data is rewritten to a pointer indicating data having the minor number in the command. The search for the minor number is performed by using the table 4 shown in FIG.
Chaining by the pointers 43, 53, 63 of 0, 50, 60 is traced.

If it is determined in step a5 that the command is not a screen switching command, the process proceeds to step a7, and the minor number assigned to the command is referred to. In step a8, the display data is stored in the screen buffer corresponding to the minor number.

When step a4, step a6 or step a8 is completed, the operation proceeds to step a9. Step a
In step 9, the contents of the screen buffer indicated by the current data pointer are displayed on the output device 16, and the process ends in step a10.

FIG. 5 shows a process for creating a new screen buffer from the application program to the OS 24. When a predetermined code is input, step b
The process is started at 1 and the minor number is referred to at step b2. At step b3, it is determined whether or not the minor number is unused and appropriate. In step b4, a table similar to the tables 40, 50, and 60 shown in FIG. 3 is secured in the system memory 11 shown in FIG. In step b5, it is determined whether the table has been secured.

If it can be secured, in step b6, the pointer indicating the data next to the last table up to that point indicates the new table, and the original contents are moved to the pointer indicating the data next to the new table. The start address of a new table is set in the last pointer 32 shown in FIG. The process ends at step b7.

When it is determined in step b3 that the minor number is in use or inappropriate, or in step b5
If a table cannot be secured in step (b), error processing is performed in step b8.

In the above embodiment, the external recording device and the like are omitted, but the application programs 21, 22, 23 and the OS 24 can be loaded from the external recording device such as a prop-disk. is there.

As the application programs, there are programs such as a word processor and an editor which the user needs to operate while looking at the display screen, and programs which do not need to be continuously displayed on the screen, such as a print spooler and a communication program. Translation programs such as compilers and assemblers do not need to be displayed during translation. According to the present embodiment, such a plurality of programs can be combined and executed in parallel, and efficient multiplex information processing can be performed.

[0024]

According to the present invention as described above, according to the present invention, parallel among the runs Tei there are multiple programs, from a program that has not been screen display, so as to perform screen display as required screen output Can be switched . For example,
A plurality of programs are operating in parallel, and the screen on which the output from one of the programs should be displayed is not on the display screen.
That screen does not display anything) even when, because the operating system by the output request from the <br/> program displays a screen for the program to display and output the screen information from the program , the user can operate state also expedite <br/> quickly and accurately grasp the program according to the screen can not be seen at all. In other words, this professional
When a gram reaches a certain stage, for example,
Start the next program immediately,
When an error occurs, the fact can be communicated, and efficient information processing can be achieved when the user performs a processing operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration for executing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a software configuration for executing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a data configuration of a screen table used in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a conventional screen output switching method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 CPU 11 System memory 12 User memory 13 Bus circuit 16 Output device 18 Input device 21, 22, 23 Application program 24 OS 25, 27 Driver 31, 32 Pointer 40, 50, 60 Table 51-53 Screen buffer

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-19917 (JP, A) JP-A-3-126127 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A screen information in which a plurality of programs executed in parallel on the same operating system output to the buffer memory, the screen output switching method for outputting to the display screen by switching the operating system, are activated Programs that are not displayed on the screen
A particular stage has been reached, including the end of processing or an error
Information that should be conveyed to the user
Requesting the operating system to the screen output switching in order to screen, the operating system, the screen for the case where the screen output switching is requested, the program screen information from the requested program is read from the buffer memory And outputting the read screen information to the displayed screen.