JPH04230517A - Hierarchical menu processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arbitrarily change part of the existing menu picture file without preparing a new menu picture file. CONSTITUTION:A fixed disk device 16 is equipped with plural menu picture files with a preliminarily designed hierarchical menu structure. In a floppy disk device 17, the other menu picture file different from the menu picture files in the fixed disk device 16 is stored. When the arbitrary position with the hierarchical menu structure is designated by a key input part 13, a program processing part 19 changes part of the hierarchical menu structure by inserting the menu picture file in the floppy disk device 17 to the designation position.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hierarchical menu processing device in an office computer or the like.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an office computer or the like that employs a menu selection method in which menus having a hierarchical structure are sequentially selected has a plurality of menu screen files having a hierarchical menu structure. Here, the menu screen file consists of the item names of subordinate menu items, etc., and when any menu item is specified from this menu screen file, the specified menu item is a selection that instructs the selection of the subordinate menu. If it is a menu, display the menu screen file corresponding to the menu item,
If the execution menu instructs execution of a process, the process is executed according to the program corresponding to the menu item.

[0003] Incidentally, there are cases where a system engineer or the like wants to change the menu structure that has been designed in advance for the system. , insert a new menu screen file at any position in the menu structure to change the menu screen, and if necessary, input and create a processing program corresponding to the new menu screen file and set it in the program memory. was.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, changing the menu structure as described above is a specialized task and is extremely difficult for general users. Therefore, when changing the menu structure, it is clear that if a part of the menu structure can be arbitrarily changed without creating a new menu screen file, even general users can easily change the menu structure. be.

An object of the present invention is to enable a part of the menu structure to be changed arbitrarily without creating a new menu screen file.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The means of the present invention are as follows. The external storage medium 1 (see the functional block diagram in Fig. 1; the same applies hereinafter) is a floppy disk that stores other menu screen files different from the plurality of menu screen files forming a hierarchical menu structure prepared in advance at the time of system design, etc. A new menu screen file is supplied to a hierarchical menu processing device such as an office computer using a disk or ROM pack. Note that the external storage medium 1 may also store its processing program in addition to the menu screen file. Furthermore, the external storage medium 1 is not limited to storing one menu screen file, but may store a plurality of menu screen files in a hierarchical structure. The position specifying means 2 is a keyboard or the like that specifies an arbitrary position in a hierarchical menu structure, and specifies the change position when changing a part of the menu structure. The menu changing means 3 changes part of the hierarchical menu structure by inserting the menu screen file in the external storage medium 1 at the position specified by the position specifying means 2. In other words, inserting a new menu screen file into the existing menu structure,
Change part of the menu structure by transposing and inserting.

[0007]

[Operation] The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows. Now, we have multiple menu screen files that form a hierarchical menu structure, and when we specify any menu item from among these menu screen files, even if the specified menu item is a selection menu that instructs the selection of a lower menu. For example, if it is an execution menu that displays a menu screen file corresponding to the menu item and instructs the execution of a process, a hierarchical menu processing device that executes the processing program corresponding to the menu item may partially edit the menu structure. When changing, first, the external storage medium 1 is set in the hierarchical menu processing device, and an arbitrary position in the hierarchical structure to be changed is specified using the position specifying means 2. Then, the menu changing means 3 changes part of the hierarchical menu by inserting the menu screen file in the external storage medium 1 at the position specified by the position specifying means 2. Note that by inserting a menu item name for designating a new menu screen file into the existing menu screen file at the position to be changed, the existing menu screen file and the new menu screen file are linked. Therefore, part of the menu structure can be arbitrarily changed without creating a new menu screen file.

[0008]

[Embodiment] An embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the hierarchical menu processing device. The CPU 11 controls various operations of this hierarchical menu processing device according to the system program stored in the ROM 12, and a key input section 13, a display section 14, and a printing section 15 are connected to the CPU 11 as peripheral devices. and a fixed disk device 16
, a floppy disk device 17 are connected.

In addition to the operating system, the ROM 12 has a fixed memory that stores a program for loading the operating system into the RAM 18 at the time of system startup, an input/output control program, character font data, and the like. The key input unit 13 is provided with a setting key PK that is operated when changing a part of the hierarchical menu structure prepared in advance at the time of system design, in addition to the normally provided numerical keys and various function keys. . The fixed disk device 16 stores a group of processing data files, a group of menu screen files, and a group of program files. Here, the processing data file group includes various files F1 such as sales slip files and purchase slip files.
, F2, F3, etc., the program processing section 19 updates the file based on the slip data etc. input from the key input section 13. In addition, the menu screen file group includes a plurality of menu screen files A and B1 forming a hierarchical menu structure.
, B2 . Ba,
If it is an execution menu that displays and outputs a menu screen file corresponding to the menu item and instructs the execution of a process, the program file corresponding to the menu item is loaded from the fixed disk device 16 to the RAM 18, and the program is executed according to this program file. Execute predetermined processing. The program file group also includes various processing program files P1, P2, P corresponding to the execution menu items.
The program processing unit 19 updates the processing data file, etc. according to this processing program.

FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the floppy disk device 17, and shows a menu screen file different from the plurality of menu screen files previously stored in the fixed disk device 16, that is, a menu screen file for changing the existing menu structure. A new menu screen file used for this purpose is stored, as well as a program file corresponding to this menu screen file. When this floppy disk device 17 is set, the program processing section 19 17, the program file is read together with a new menu screen file, and the menu structure is changed.

As shown in FIG. 4, each menu screen file is configured to store item names, types, and file names of lower menus in correspondence with item numbers "1", "2", and so on. Note that the type "m" indicates a selection menu that instructs to select a lower menu, and the type "j" indicates an execution menu that instructs execution of a process.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hierarchical menu processing device. First, fixed disk device 1
6, the top menu screen file among the menu screen files forming a hierarchical structure is loaded into the RAM 18 (step S1). A menu is displayed (step S2). Figure 6
shows an example of menu display, and in addition to the file name "Accounting System" of the top menu screen file, item names "Voucher Input", "File Update", etc. are displayed corresponding to the item numbers. Next, the state becomes ready for key input (step S3
), in order to specify an arbitrary menu item from the menu display screen, when the item number is input using the numeric keys, the program processing section 19 refers to the menu screen file loaded on the RAM 18 and selects the input item number from the menu display screen. The type of menu item corresponding to the item number is determined, and it is checked whether it is an execution menu "j" that instructs execution of a process or a selection menu "m" that instructs selection of a lower menu. here,
If the selected menu is "m", the menu screen file corresponding to the file name is loaded from the fixed disk device 16 (step S5), and the menu is displayed (step S2). On the other hand, if it is a run menu, the program file corresponding to that file name is stored on the fixed disk device 16.
(Step S6) and execute the program (Step S7). Then, return to step S2,
Thereafter, the above-mentioned operation is repeated.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the hierarchical menu structure, in which the diagonally shaded files represent execution menus (program files), and the white files represent selection menus (menu screen files). There is. Now, top menu screen file A is defined as shown in Figure 4, so if you enter item number "1" while this file is displayed as a menu, the type corresponding to this menu item will be "m". , since the file name is "B1", the menu screen file B1 is displayed next. Here, since the menu screen file B1 is defined as shown in FIG. 4, when the item number "1" is input, the display is switched to the next menu screen file C1. On the other hand, if the item number "2" is input while the top menu screen A is displayed as a menu, the program file P1 is executed. Also, when menu screen file C1 is displayed as a menu, item number "1"
, "2", or "3", the corresponding program file P5, P6, or P7 is executed.

[0014] When changing part of the hierarchical menu structure as described above in order to cope with changes in business processing, etc., the setting key PK is first operated. Then, the process advances to step S8, and the setting screen is switched and displayed. FIG. 8 shows a display example in this case, in which the contents of the currently loaded menu screen file are displayed as they are as a setting screen. Then, a message is displayed to the effect that a change position in the hierarchical menu structure should be specified (step S9). Now, in the setting screen, input an arbitrary item number and specify a change position (step S10). A message to the effect that the floppy disk device 17 should be set is displayed (step S11). Now, when the floppy disk device 17 is set (step S12), an error check is performed to check whether the set floppy disk device 17 is the floppy disk device 17 for menu change (step S13). Here, if you detect an error,
After sending an error message (step S14), step S is executed to make the setting key PK non-functional.
Return to 3. On the other hand, if the floppy disk device 17 is for changing the menu, the process advances to step S15 to check whether an existing menu item exists at the designated position, that is, whether it is a new addition or a replacement. Now, menu item file B
1 is loaded and its setting screen is displayed, it is assumed that item number "2" is input and the change position is designated. In this case, since there is an existing menu at the specified position, this menu item (program file P3) is deleted from the menu screen file B1 in step S16, and then the process proceeds to step S17.
When the item number "3" is input, since there is no existing menu item at the specified position, the process proceeds to step S17 without deleting the file, and the floppy disk drive 17
The first menu screen file is read from and newly set in the fixed disk device 16, and the item name, type, and file name are used to specify the menu screen file read from the floppy disk device 17 to the setting item position in the menu screen file B1. Set.

As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of menu screen files (four in this embodiment) having a hierarchical structure are stored in the floppy disk device 17.
When newly inserting the contents of the floppy disk device 17 into a part of the existing hierarchical menu structure (the part surrounded by the broken line in the figure), the data specifying the first menu screen file X1 is not included in the existing menu screen file B1. It is designated at the position corresponding to item number "3" (see FIG. 4). and,
Another menu screen file (in the case of FIG. 7, menu screen file has program file P1
00, P101) and set it in the fixed disk device 16 (step S19). After that, step S20
After switching to and displaying a new menu screen, the process returns to step S3. In this way, in this example,
By inserting the contents of the floppy disk device 17 into any specified position in the menu structure, it is possible to make the menu structure have the desired contents.

Note that it may be possible to rewrite a part of the existing menu structure with the contents of the floppy disk device 17 and then return to the original menu structure. in this case,
If you save and store the original data to be replaced, you can freely restore the original menu structure.

[0017]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a part of the menu structure can be arbitrarily changed without creating a new menu screen file, so even general users can easily change the menu structure. This makes it extremely easy to make changes, especially for multiple machines or users who require the same changes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a hierarchical menu processing device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of the floppy disk device 17 shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of a menu screen file.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the hierarchical menu processing device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a menu display.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a hierarchical menu structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a setting screen when changing the menu structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 CPU 12 ROM 13 Key input section 14 Display section 16 Fixed disk device 17 Floppy disk device 18 RAM 19 Program processing section

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A selection that has a plurality of menu screen files forming a hierarchical menu structure, and when an arbitrary menu item is specified from among the menu screen files, the specified menu item instructs selection of a lower menu. If it is a menu, the menu screen file corresponding to the menu item is displayed, and if it is an execution menu that instructs the execution of a process, the hierarchical menu processing device that executes the processing program corresponding to the menu item, an external storage medium for storing a menu screen file different from the menu screen file; a position specifying means for specifying an arbitrary position within the hierarchical menu structure; and a position specified by the position specifying means on the external storage medium. A hierarchical menu processing device comprising: menu changing means for changing part of a hierarchical menu structure by inserting a menu screen file in the hierarchical menu.