JPH02287614A - Window managing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the decision of a window by deciding the window to which display data stored in some pixel position of a frame memory belongs by discrimination data in the corresponding position of a management memory. CONSTITUTION:A display control circuit 8 transfers display data in a window to a frame memory 5 from a window memory 6 for the purpose of a window display. Subsequently, in a position of a management memory 7 corresponding to each pixel position of the memory 5, discrimination data for showing the window to which display data stored in each pixel position of the memory 5 belongs is stored. When a mouse 10 is operated and one point on one window is instructed by a cursor, the circuit 8 reads out the discrimination data of a position corresponding to the instructed pixel position on the memory 5 from the memory 5. Subsequently, by the discrimination data, it is decided easily that the position in which window is shwon by the position instructed by the cursor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a window management method when displaying a plurality of windows on a display, and particularly relates to the management of windows that are allowed to be displayed in an overlapping manner.

(B) Prior Art Conventionally, multi-window display, in which a plurality of windows are displayed simultaneously on one screen, has been used in displays using bitmap memory. Usually, overlapping window display in which windows overlap each other is allowed (Computer Science Q' b! I J Kyoritsu Shuppan (m 19
(See March 1987, Vol. 1.19, No. 3, article "Special Feature - Window System," pages 4 to 48).

In order to enable overlapping window display, systems such as workstations store display data output in each window in memory (
window memory). By doing this,
Free overlap between windows, window movement,
It enables complex operations such as changing the vertical relationship between windows.

Now, a cursor indicating the position is displayed on the display, and in the window display, a pointing cursor indicating the pixel position is displayed.

When overlapping window display is allowed, determining which window the position pointed to by the cursor (pointing cursor) belongs is determined by checking whether the position pointed to by the cursor is included in all set windows. This is done by checking the history and detecting the window that is set at the top of the windows that includes the position indicated by the cursor.

In addition, there is a window display on a display that allows overlapping window display. .

In this clipping drawing, in order to avoid drawing in a part that is not displayed because it is partially covered by another window, the window to be drawn should be It is divided into several rectangular areas depending on the state, and if each pixel position to be drawn belongs to one of the rectangular areas, it is determined that that pixel position is set to the highest position and the Pixel (−
There is one that does drawing on the i71.

(Problem to be solved by the invention)However, in order to determine which window a certain pixel position indicated by a cursor on the display screen of the display screen belongs to, it is difficult to It was necessary to check all the windows, and it took a lot of time to make the determination1.Also, when performing clipping drawing, when dividing the window into rectangular areas and determining the pixel position to draw, it is necessary to divide the window into rectangular areas. It was necessary to process the division and judge whether the pixel position of interest was included in each rectangular area, which still required a considerable amount of time.Furthermore, in this case, the window shape is rectangular. It's limited.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to speed up processing by easily determining the window to which a window of interest belongs.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention includes a frame memory that stores display data in correspondence with the display screen of a display, and a window memory that stores display data within a window, so that display data can be displayed overlappingly on the display. is a window management method for managing windows that are allowed to be displayed, and in which identification data indicating a window to which display data stored in the frame memory belongs is stored in a position corresponding to each pixel position of the frame memory. The window to which the display data stored at a certain pixel position in the frame memory belongs is determined based on the identification data at the corresponding position in the management memory.

(e) Since the display data of the window at the top of the action is stored in the frame memory for display on the display, the identification data of the window to which the display data stored in the frame memory belongs is stored. , the topmost window can be easily managed by storing it in the management memory at a position that is one center point from the pixel position of the frame memory.

(f) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(1) is a control circuit that controls the entire device including the CPU; (2) is a main memory circuit that stores various data such as configuration programs in ROM and RAM; (3)
is an external storage device such as a magnetic disk device.

(2) is a display that displays in a bitmap format, and this display (2) uses a panel display such as liquid crystal or plasma, or a CRT.

3) is a frame memory that stores display data corresponding to the display screen of this display (4), and (6) is a window memory that stores display data in the window for displaying a window on the display (4). , (7
) is a management memory that manages the highest window that stores data in positions corresponding to each pixel position of the frame memory (5). These frame memory (5), window memory (6) and management memory (7) are controlled by a display control circuit (8).
The information is displayed on the display (4).

(9) is a keyboard as an input means, and (10) is a mouse as a pointing device. By operating the mouse, the cursor (pointing cursor) displayed on the display (4) can be moved or the position pointed by the cursor can be moved. The position information is supplied from the display control circuit (8) to the control circuit (lj) to perform icon selection and clipping drawing processing.These keyboard (9) and mouse (lO) are connected via the input interface (11). The control circuit (1) and the display control circuit +18)l:f are connected.

It is now assumed that three windows A, B, and C are set, and the display data for each window is stored in the window memory (6) for each window. These windows are displayed on the display (4), and as shown in Figure 2, window A and window B are lined up, and window C is displayed by partially covering windows A and H. There is. FIG. 2 shows the display screen of the display (4) as well as the storage state of window display data in the frame memory (5).

After transferring the display data in the window from the window memory (6,) to the frame memory (7) for window display, the display control circuit (8) transfers the display data from the window memory (6,) to the frame memory (7).
Identification data indicating the window to which the display data stored in each pixel position of the frame memory (5) belongs is stored in a position of the management memory (7) corresponding to each pixel position of 5). That is, as shown in Figure 3, the display (
The display state of the window in 4) is changed to the management memory (7).
).

When you use the mouse (lO) to specify a point on one of the windows with the cursor, the display control circuit (8) displays the specified point on the frame memory (3) corresponding to the xel position. Management memory (7)
). Then, based on the read identification data, it is easily determined in which window the position indicated by the cursor corresponds.

After determining the position indicated by the cursor and which window the position belongs to, the display control circuit (8) sends the determination result to the control circuit (1).

The control circuit (1) performs a process determined based on the determination result.

Also, for example, two points in window B (points a and b in Fig. 4)
), the display control circuit (8) determines which window each pixel position on the line connecting two points specified on the frame memory (5) belongs to. The identification data at each location in the management memory (7) is read and determined. Then, predetermined drawing data is written to the pixel position of frame memory (5)-h whose pixel position is determined to belong to window B. As shown in FIG. 4, straight lines are clipped and drawn only within the area of window B.

In this case, even if the shape of the window is arbitrary, the area of the window can be determined, and windows with various shapes can be set, so that the functionality can be improved.

(G) Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides a management memory that stores identification data of a window to which display data stored in a frame memory belongs in a position corresponding to a pixel position of the frame memory. By referring to this management memory, it is determined which window a certain pixel position in the frame memory belongs to.Therefore, for all the windows that are set, one
There is no need to find out which window the pixel position you are looking at belongs to and which window is set at the top of the windows. Therefore, the speed of the determination process can be increased.

Furthermore, since the shape of the window to be set is not limited to a rectangle, the degree of freedom in display is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of windows in a frame memory, and FIG. 3 is a window memory corresponding to the frame memory in FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of clipping drawing. 1) ・Control circuit, (2) ・Main memory circuit, (3) ・
Tato part storage device, (,1)...Display, (
5) -Frame memory, (6)...Window memory, (79...Management memory, (8)...Display control circuit, (9)...Keyboard, (10)...?mouse,
(11) Input interface. Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Equipped with a frame memory that stores display data corresponding to the display screen of the display and a window memory that stores display data within the window, and manages windows that are displayed and allowed to overlap on the display. In the window management method, a management memory is provided at a position corresponding to each pixel position of the frame memory for storing identification data indicating a window to which display data stored in the frame memory belongs, and the display data stored in the frame memory is stored at a certain pixel position. A window management method characterized in that a window to which display data belongs is determined based on identification data at a corresponding location in a management memory.