JP3263904B2 - Window display method and device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of displaying a plurality of windows evenly overlaid on a display screen when the entire area of a plurality of windows to be displayed does not fit in the display area. Window display method and equipment
About the installation .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a system for automatically opening a window and displaying information, when a window cannot be displayed in a display area of a display device, a new window covers an already displayed window. That happens. For this reason, the user has to manually move the windows one by one and arrange them so that the windows can be seen.

In order to avoid such a situation, a method of scrolling a display screen has been used.

[0004]

However, in the above-described method, the display screen is cut off by scrolling, and it is difficult for the user to grasp the entire display screen.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a window display method and apparatus capable of easily grasping the entire display information on a screen in view of such a conventional problem.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a window display method for displaying a plurality of windows in response to an instruction from an instruction means .
Determines whether the sum of each width is greater than the display width of the display screen
Judgment step, and the judgment
As a result, the sum of each width of multiple windows is displayed on the display screen
If judged to be larger than the width, overlap each window
Calculating the width and calculating the width
Overlap each window based on the calculated overlap width
A display processing step of displaying in conjunction with the display screen,
Adjacent are superimposed display by processing of the display processing steps
And a changing step of changing an overlapping width of the windows . According to the window display device of the present invention, each width of the plurality of windows is
To determine whether the sum of is greater than the display width of the display screen
Determining means for determining a plurality of windows;
Judgment that the sum of each width of the dough is larger than the display width of the display screen
Calculation method to calculate the overlap width of each window
Based on the step and the overlap width calculated by the calculation means,
A display processing means for superimposing each window on the display screen and displaying the adjacent window superimposed by the display processing means
Changing means for changing the overlapping width of matching windows .

[0007]

The window display method and the window having the above configuration are provided.
In c the display device, when the entire area of the plurality of windows to be displayed does not fit in the display area, each window
Calculate the overlap width and, based on the calculated overlap width,
The windows are superimposed and displayed in the display area. In this case, the adjacent windows are
The overlap width between the doughs can be changed. Further, each window displayed in a superimposed manner can be scrolled according to an instruction from the instruction means.

[0008] In this way, all the windows can be seen at once, even if only a little, so that the user can easily grasp the entire display information on the screen. Therefore, the user can efficiently view a large amount of information.

In addition, by displaying the windows slightly shifted in the vertical direction, the user can understand at a glance that the windows are displayed in an overlapping manner.

Further, since the overlapping width of the windows can be changed on the screen, the overlapping windows can be expanded as necessary. Also, by changing the overlapping width of the windows, it is possible to move a plurality of windows at once.

Displayed on the display screen by the instruction means
By specifying the position and length of the scroll bar in the slide frame, the user can easily change the display position of the window, and which window portion among all the windows is displayed on the screen. Can be grasped intuitively.

[0012]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a window display system showing an embodiment of a window display method according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes an instruction input unit, and a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard is used as the instruction input unit 21. Here, as for the change of the display position, the change of the display position is instructed by operating the display position changing device on the screen of the display unit 25 with the pointing device. As for an instruction to display all windows, an instruction to display all windows is made by, for example, clicking a mouse button that is not used to change the display position.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a type of change, a designated moving direction, and a change direction to the display position setting unit 23 in response to an instruction from the instruction input unit 21.
This is an input determination unit that transmits the amount of change in the length and position of the scroll bar.

The display position setting unit 23 sets the moving direction and the moving amount of the window and the moving direction and the moving amount of the screen based on the values of the variables supplied from the input determining unit 22. The display position setting unit 23 has an overlap setting unit 23a and a scroll setting unit 23b. The overlap setting unit 23a
The overlap width C of the window is calculated, and the display position of the window is determined. The scroll setting unit 23b determines the scroll direction and the scroll amount of the screen.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a display control unit for performing display on the display unit 25 based on information from the display position setting unit 23. Reference numeral 25 denotes a display unit such as a CRT display.

Next, the overall operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the window display system of FIG. 1 according to the present invention.

When there is an input from the instruction input unit 21 (step S31), the display position setting unit 23 displays all windows (step S33) and changes the overlap width (step S34) based on the output from the input determination unit 22. , Scrolling (step S35), and selecting one window (step S36), the corresponding flow operation is performed, and the corresponding display is performed on the display unit 25 via the display control unit 24.

(1) When an instruction to display all windows is given from the instruction input unit 21 (steps S31 to S3)
3) will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram on a screen of a display unit showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of full window display showing one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a slide frame 12 is provided (displayed) in a lower portion of the screen 11 of the display unit 25,
In the slide frame 12, a scroll bar 13 having a length that can be extended and reduced (variable) is provided (displayed). The slide frame 12 and the scroll bar 13 are connected to the display position changing device 1.
7 is constituted. Overlap width change buttons 14 and 15 are provided (displayed) on both left and right ends of the scroll bar 13. Further, a display area 16 is provided in an upper portion of the slide frame 12 of the screen 11. This display area 16
Let the x, y coordinates at the upper left corner of (1) be (0, 0) and the x, y coordinates at the upper right corner be (Lmax, 0). Here, the x-axis is taken in the horizontal direction and the y-axis is taken in the vertical direction. W1 to Wn are windows to be displayed, and L1 to Ln are windows W
The width of 1 to Wn and C (≧ 0) is the overlapping width of the windows.

When an instruction to display all windows is received from the instruction input unit 21 (step S11), the overlap setting unit 23a of the display position setting unit 23 sets the n windows W to be displayed.
1 to Wn and the sum Sum (L1.
It is checked whether or not n) is larger than the width Lmax of the display area 16 (step S12). Overlap setting unit 23a
When Sum (L1... Ln) ≦ Lmax, the window overlap width C = 0 (step S13), and the process proceeds to step S15. In addition, the overlap setting unit 23a
When Sum (L1... Ln)> Lmax, the window overlap width C is calculated by the following equation (1) (step S14). Thus, the overlap width C is determined. C = {Sum (L1... Ln) -Lmax} / (n-1) (1)

Next, the upper left corner of the window W1 is set to the coordinates (0,
0), the coordinates of the upper left corner of the windows W2 to Wn are calculated such that the overlap width of the windows becomes the overlap width C obtained (determined) earlier (step S15). In this case, the windows W2 to Wn are slightly shifted in the vertical direction (the y coordinates of the upper left ends of the windows W2 to Wn are slightly shifted).

The display position setting unit 23 displays the windows W1 to Wn on the display unit 25 via the display control unit 24 as shown in FIG.
Is displayed. That is, the upper left corner of the window W1 is aligned with the upper left corner (0, 0) of the display area 16, and the windows W2 to W2
n is displayed based on the upper left coordinates obtained earlier. Therefore, the windows W2 to Wn are sequentially displayed so as to be evenly overlapped by the overlap width C (step S1).
6).

(2) Next, when there is an instruction to change the overlap width from the instruction input unit 21 (steps S31, S32, S
34) will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of changing the overlap width of windows according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration on a screen of a display unit showing another embodiment of the present invention.
6, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts as in FIG.

As described above, the display position changing device 17 is displayed on the screen 11 of the display unit 25 together with the window as shown in FIG. 6A (in the case where n = 7 in FIG. 1). You. In the display position changing device 17, the ratio of the length of the slide frame 12 to the length of the scroll bar 13 is the sum of the widths when all windows are arranged at an arbitrary overlap width C (the entire width) and the actual screen width. It corresponds to the ratio of the total window width being displayed (here, it corresponds to the width Lmax of the display area 16).

Before describing the operation flowchart of FIG. 5, the operation of changing the window overlap width will be described. To change the overlap width of the window, one of the left and right overlap width change buttons 14 and 15 is selected with a pointing device, and the overlap width change button 14 or 15 is moved inward (or outward). By this operation, the scroll bar 13 is expanded (or reduced) by the moving amount of the overlap width changing button 14 or 15. At this time, the overlap width C of the window is changed according to the ratio of the length of the slide frame 12 to the length of the scroll bar 13 (FIG. 6).
(A) → FIG. 6 (b), FIG. 6 (c)). For example, if the overlap width change button 14 or 15 is moved outward, the overlap width C of the window increases, and conversely, the overlap width change button 1
By moving 4 or 15 inward, the window overlap width C decreases.

The display position of the window when the overlap width C in FIG. 6A is changed in this way is fixed by fixing the window W1 at the left end of the display area 16 of the screen 11 by the change in the overlap width C. When another window is shifted to the right (hereinafter, referred to as fixed to the left) (FIG. 6B)
And the other window is shifted to the left by the change in the overlap width C while fixing the window W7 at the right end of the display area 16 of the screen 11 (hereinafter, referred to as right fixed) (FIG. 6)
(C)) can be selected. Regarding this selection method, when the right overlap width change button 15 is selected with the pointing device, the window is moved rightward by the change in the overlap width C (FIG. 6B). When the left overlap width change button 14 is selected with the pointing device, the window is moved leftward by the change of the overlap width C (FIG. 6C).

Next, the operation of changing the window overlap width will be described. The user operates the display position changing device 17 with a pointing device such as a mouse as the instruction input unit 21 to give an instruction to change the overlap width as described above (step S51). The display position setting unit 23 is supplied with information (the type of change, the instructed moving direction, the length of the scroll bar 13, and the amount of change in the position) based on the instruction from the instruction input unit 21 from the input determination unit 22. You. Overlap setting section 23a of display position setting section 23
Is the total window width S (C ′) obtained by subtracting the overlapping portion when the images are displayed (arranged) regardless of the display area 16 with the overlapping width C ′ of the windows, and S (C ′): Lmax =
(Length of the slide frame 12): (Length of the scroll bar 13), that is, S (C ') / Lmax = (Length of the slide frame 12) / (Length of the scroll bar 13) (Step S52). . Next, the overlap setting unit 23a calculates the overlap width C 'of the window from the following equation (2) (step S53). C ′ = {Sum (L1... Ln) −S (C ′)} / (n−1) (2)

It should be noted that S (C ') = Sum (L1 ... L
n)-(n-1) C '. Therefore, S (0) = Su
m (L1... Ln).

Next, the overlap setting unit 23a operates the instruction input unit 2
Based on whether or not the overlap change button 15 or 14 of the display position changing device 17 is selected by the pointing device as 1, it is determined whether the case is fixed to the left or the case fixed to the right (step S54).

When the left is fixed, the overlap setting unit 23a sets the left end coordinates on the screen of the window W1 currently displayed on the left end of the display area 16 of the screen 11 in FIG. The arrangement of the windows is calculated based on the overlap width C ′, and the windows are displayed on the display area 16 of the screen 11 of the display unit 25 via the display control unit 24 as shown in FIG. 6B (steps S55 and S57).

When the right side is fixed, the overlap setting section 23a sets the right end coordinate on the screen of the window W7 currently displayed at the right end of the display area 16 of the screen 11 in FIG. The window layout is calculated using the overlap width C ′, and the screen 11 of the display unit 25 is displayed via the display control unit 24.
A window is displayed on the display area 16 as shown in FIG. 6C (steps S56 and S57).

(3) Next, when there is a scroll instruction from the instruction input unit 21 (steps S31, S32, S3
Step 5) will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 is a scroll operation flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention.

A scroll instruction is given by a pointing device as the instruction input unit 21 (step S7).
1). Here, the scroll instruction by the pointing device is performed as follows. That is, in the slide frame 12, the overlap width change button 1 of the scroll bar 13 is set.
By instructing a position other than 4 and 15 with the pointing device, the entire scroll bar 13 is moved in parallel so that one of the overlap width change buttons 14 and 15 comes to that position. For example, when a position 61 is indicated by a pointing device in the state of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6C, the entire scroll bar 13 is moved so that the button 15 of the scroll bar 13 comes to the position 61 as shown in FIG.
The parallel movement from the state shown in FIG. 6B to the state shown in FIG.

Scroll setting section 2 of display position setting section 23
3b calculates the scroll direction and the scroll amount of the screen 11 based on the output information (the movement direction and the movement amount of the scroll bar 13) from the input determination unit 22, and then calculates the scroll direction and the scroll amount of the screen 11 via the display control unit 24. Display area 16 of screen 11
Is scrolled as instructed (step S7).
2, S73). For example, as described above, when an instruction is given to the position 61 with the pointing device in the state of FIG. 6B, the screen 11 is scrolled to the left, and thus the window is scrolled to the left. ). The state in FIG. 6C is the same as the display corresponding to step S56 in FIG.

(4) Next, when there is an instruction to select one window from the instruction input unit 21 (steps S31 and S31).
32, S36) will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of one window selection showing another embodiment of the present invention.

When one window selection is instructed by the instruction input unit 21, the display position setting unit 23 causes the display area of the screen of the control unit 25 to display a pop-up display of the specified window via the display control unit 24 (see FIG. 2). Step S
82).

As can be understood from the above description, by allocating the overlapping width C of the windows W1 to Wn as shown in FIG. Can easily grasp the entire display information on the screen 11. Therefore,
The user can see a large amount of information efficiently. Further, by displaying the windows W2 to Wn slightly shifted in the vertical direction, the user can understand at a glance that the windows W1 to Wn are displayed in an overlapping manner.

The window W1 shown in FIG.
Since the overlapping width C of the windows W1 to W7 can be changed on the screen, the overlapping windows W1 to W7 can be changed as needed, as shown in FIG.
It can be expanded as shown in (c). FIG.
By changing the overlapping width C of the windows W1 to W7 in FIG.
(B) and (c) can be moved collectively.

The visual display position changing device 17 in which the scroll bar 13 and the overlap width changing device (overlap width changing buttons 14 and 15) are integrated allows the user to easily change the display position, and to change the display position of all windows. It is possible to intuitively grasp which window part is displayed on the screen.

The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various applications and modifications can be considered without departing from the gist of the present invention. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a multi-level menu display, a previewer that allows a plurality of pages to be viewed at a time, and the like.

[0042]

According to the window display method and apparatus of the present invention as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since all the windows can be seen at once in the display area on the screen even if they are little by little, the user can easily grasp the entire display information on the screen. Therefore, the user can efficiently view a large amount of information.

(2) By displaying each window slightly shifted in the vertical direction, the user can understand at a glance that the windows are displayed in an overlapping manner.

(3) Since the overlap width of the windows can be changed on the screen, the overlapped windows can be expanded as needed.

(4) By changing the overlapping width of windows, a plurality of windows can be moved collectively at one time.

(5) By instructing the position and length of the scroll bar in the slide frame displayed on the display screen by the instruction means, the user can easily change the display position of the window. It is possible to intuitively grasp which window portion is displayed on the screen among the windows.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram on a screen of a display unit showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a window display system showing an embodiment of a window display method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the window display system of FIG. 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of all window display showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart for changing the overlap width of windows according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram on a screen of a display unit showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a scroll operation flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of one window selection showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 screen 13 scroll bar 14, 15 overlap width change button 16 display area 17 display position changing device 21 instruction input unit 23 display position setting unit 23a overlap setting unit 23b scroll setting unit 25 display unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/00 G06F 3/14-3/153 G06T 11/00-11/40 G06T 15/00-15 / 60 G06T 17/00-17/30 G09G 5/00-5/14

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A window display method for simultaneously displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen , wherein each width of the plurality of windows is changed according to an instruction of an instruction means.
Determines whether the sum of is greater than the display width of the display screen
And the result of the determination by the processing of the determining step,
The sum of the widths of the windows is larger than the display width of the display screen
If it is determined that the window is
A calculating step of calculating, and the overlap width calculated by the processing of the calculating step
A display processing step of superimposing each of the windows on the display screen based on the display processing step, and, in response to an instruction from the instructing means, performing a display processing step of the display processing step. A changing step of changing an overlap width. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the changing step scrolls each window displayed in a superimposed manner.
The described window display method. 3. A window display device for simultaneously displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen , wherein each of the widths of the plurality of windows is changed according to an instruction of an instruction means.
Determines whether the sum of is greater than the display width of the display screen
A judging means for, of the determination by said determining means that said plurality of windows
Is determined to be greater than the display width of the display screen.
Is calculated, the overlap width of each window is calculated.
Output means and the overlap width calculated by the calculation means.
Display processing means for superimposing each of the windows on the display screen, and displaying the adjacent windows superimposed by the display processing means.
Changing means for changing the overlapping width of the windows.