JPH04239317A - Data processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an operator from overlooking a message and also to reduce the fatigue of the operator by displaying the message at a place in the vicinity of an item to be inputted by the operator. CONSTITUTION:A message display position acquiring part 205 obtains the position and the size of an item to be inputted by the operator and also the size of the message to be displayed from an item information table received from a message display pert 206. Then the part 205 obtains 8 message display position that is close to the input item and does not overlap the input item and its related items. Furthermore the part 205 acquires another message display position that does not overlap other displayed messages and returns this message display position to the part 206 to show the message on a display 201.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data processing system using an electronic computer, and more particularly to a data processing method that allows easy-to-read messages to be displayed.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, data processing systems that input data while interacting with an operator using an electronic computer, when the operator attempts to input data into a data item,
It is configured to make it easier for the operator to input data by displaying a guidance message or displaying an error message if the input data is invalid.

[0003] As a conventional technology related to this type of data processing system, for example, "Hitachi Personal Workstation 2020 OFIS/FORM Training Course Text 2020-63-895-01 (Hitachi, Ltd.) pp. 96-110”, “Hitachi Creative Workstation 2050 OFIS/FORM-
EV Grammar/Operation Manual 2050-3-018 (Hitachi, Ltd.), pp. 62-65'' are known.

This prior art relates to OFIS/FORM guidance messages and error messages, and the display positions of these messages are fixedly determined.

[0005] Therefore, in this prior art, guidance messages and error messages are displayed at a distance from the input item that the operator is attempting to input, and there is a high possibility that the operator will miss the messages. Ta.

Furthermore, in the prior art, since the input position and the message display position are separated, the operator has to move his/her line of sight every time he/she reads a message.

[0007] Hereinafter, message display according to the prior art will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show the OFI, respectively.
It is a figure which shows the example of a guidance message and an error message in S/FORM.

[0009] The message "Enter ? to refer to the code table" 801 in FIG. 13 is an example of a guidance message displayed when attempting to input into the product code input field 802, and the message in FIG. “The product code is incorrect.” 901 is an example of an error message that is displayed when the input data to the product code input field 902 is invalid.

As shown in these examples, the display position of the message in the case of the prior art is fixed on the screen, in this case at the top of the screen, and the data input/output performed according to the instructions by the message The location is far from the location of

[0011] Further, the above-mentioned conventional technology
When the M code list (selective input) was displayed, related items to the data item that the operator was attempting to input were sometimes hidden in the message.

Furthermore, in the prior art, when the operator attempts to input data items, the headings of the input items and related items may be hidden by the displayed message.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of a code list in the OFIS/FORM-EV, in which a code list 1001 is displayed on the input screen 1 on which input is attempted.
This shows that the related items of 002 are hidden, and the code list 1001 hides the headings of the data items and related items that are about to be input.

[0014] Furthermore, as another conventional technology related to a display method in a data processing system, for example, ``MS-WI
MS-WINDOW in “NDOWS Application Style Guide (Shoeisha Co., Ltd.)” (pp.84-90)
A technique described as a message box of S is known.

[0015] In this prior art, when a new message is displayed while another message is already being displayed, the previously displayed message may be hidden by the newly displayed message.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of a message box in the MS-WINDOWS, and shows that a newly displayed message box 1101 hides a previously displayed message 1102.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a data processing system according to the prior art. In FIG. 12, 7
01 is a display, 702 is a keyboard input device, 7
03 is a mouse input device, 704 is a data input processing unit, 7
05 is a message display section.

The illustrated data processing system includes a display 701 such as a CRT for displaying data, and a keyboard input device 702 used by an operator to input data.
and a mouse input device 703 and a data input processing unit 704
and a message display section 705 that executes display control.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing an example of the data structure of an item information table commonly used in a data processing system, and both figures are connected by a broken line to show one table structure. .

In FIGS. 7 and 8, each item in the item information table includes the item number 301, heading start row 302, heading start column 303, number of heading rows 304, and heading column of each data item in the data processing system. number 316
, heading 305, item start row 306, item start column 307
, number of item rows 308, number of item columns 317, input/output type 3 indicating whether the data item is an input item or an output item.
10, Related item number 311, Guidance message 31
2, and an error message 315.

When an operator attempts to input data using the data processing system shown in FIG. Whether the message is a guidance message 312 or an error message 315
The message display unit 705 is called with the display message type indicating whether the message is displayed or not as an argument.

The message display section 705 searches the item information table using the item number of the input item given as an argument from the data input processing section 704 as a search key, and further retrieves information from the data input processing section 704. Depending on the display message type given as an argument, the guidance message 312 and the error message 3
15 and display them on the display device 701.

[0023]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The prior art described above is
When a message is displayed when an operator attempts to input an input, the message is displayed at a fixed position on the display screen, so the message may be separated from the input item the operator is attempting to input. The problem is that the message is displayed in a location where there is a high possibility that the operator will miss the message.

[0024] Furthermore, in the prior art, since the message is displayed at a location away from the input item, the operator is forced to move his/her line of sight every time he/she views the message.
This has the problem of being one of the causes of operator fatigue.

[0025] Furthermore, in the prior art, items related to the data item that the operator is attempting to input may be hidden in the message, and the operator can obtain clues about the input value from the values of the related items. The problem is that it cannot be done.

[0026] Furthermore, in the prior art, the headings of input items and related items may be hidden by the message displayed when the operator attempts to input.
This poses a problem in that the operator cannot obtain clues about input values from the headings.

Furthermore, in the prior art, when a new message is displayed while another message is already being displayed, the previously displayed message may be hidden by the newly displayed message. The problem is that it is not possible to obtain clues about the input value from the received messages.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, and to provide a data processing system in which data input is performed while interacting with an operator using an electronic computer, so that the operator does not miss a message. It is an object of the present invention to provide a data processing method that can minimize the amount of movement of an operator's line of sight when looking at an image, and can perform display that reduces operator fatigue.

Another object of the present invention is to enable an operator to obtain a clue as to the input value from the values of related items when the operator is about to input data into a data item; An object of the present invention is to provide a data processing method that performs a display that allows clues about input values to be obtained from the headings of items.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a display in which, when a new message is displayed while another message is already being displayed, a clue as to the input value can be obtained from the previously displayed message. The purpose of this invention is to provide a data processing method that performs the following.

[0031]

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, the object is to determine, from an item information table, the position and size of the input item that the operator is attempting to input, and the size of the message that the operator is attempting to display. and near the input field,
This is achieved by providing means for determining a message display position that does not overlap with the input item, and by providing means for determining the position and size of the related item and determining a message display position that does not overlap with the related item.

[0032]Furthermore, the purpose is to obtain the position and size of the heading of the input item that the operator is attempting to input and related items, and to determine the position and size of the heading of the input item that the operator is attempting to input and the related item. By providing means for determining a message display position that does not overlap with the heading of the message, the position and size of the message that is already being displayed is determined from the currently displayed message table, and the message display position that does not overlap with the message that is currently being displayed can be determined. This can be achieved by providing a means for determining the

[0033]

[Operation] Messages such as guidance messages/error messages are displayed near the input item that the operator is attempting to input, and at a position that does not overlap the input item. Furthermore, the message is displayed in a position that does not overlap with an item related to the input item that the operator is attempting to input.

Furthermore, the message is displayed in a position that does not overlap with the heading of the input item and related items that the operator is attempting to input. Also, a new message
Displayed in a position that does not overlap previously displayed messages.

According to the present invention, the amount of movement of the operator's line of sight when viewing a message can be minimized so that the operator does not miss the message.
Further, it is possible to display information that reduces operator fatigue.

[0036]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the data processing system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, 201 is a display device, 202 is a keyboard input device, 203 is a mouse input device, 204 is a data input processing section, 205 is a message display position acquisition section, and 206 is a message display section.

One embodiment of the present invention is a system configuration example in which the present invention is applied to a data processing system in which data is input while interacting with an operator.
The operator inputs data using the keyboard input device 202 and mouse input device 203 while looking at the display device 201 .

The data input processing section 204 receives input from the operator through the keyboard input device 202 and mouse input device 203, determines the item to be input next and the message to be displayed, and calls the message display section 206.

The message display unit 206 calls the message display position acquisition unit 205 in order to acquire the message display position. In this case, the message display position acquisition unit 205 executes processing according to the flows shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, which will be described later.
When calling the message display position acquisition unit 205, the current item number, the item information table, the message type indicating whether the message to be displayed is a guidance message or an error message, and the display indicating the message being displayed. The medium message table is passed to the message display position acquisition unit 205 as an argument.

FIGS. 1 to 5 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the message display position acquisition unit 205, FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams explaining the data structure of the item information table, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data structure of the currently displayed message table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a message display position determination table, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Each item in the item information table shown in FIG.
As already explained in the prior art section, item number 301
, heading start row 302, heading start column 303, number of heading rows 304, number of heading columns 316, heading 305, item start row 306, item start column 307, number of item rows 308, number of item columns 317, the data item requires input. Input/output type 310 indicating whether it is an item to be performed or an item to be output, related item number 311
, a guidance message 312, and an error message 315.

The message display position determination table shown in FIG. 10 consists of two items: line number 501 and line usage status 502.

Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 11, the message display position acquisition unit 20 follows the flow shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.
The operation of step 5 will be explained.

(1) When the message display unit 206 provides the current item number, the item information table, the displayed message type, and the currently displayed message table, the message display position determination unit 205
In order to determine the display position of the message, the position of the first item of the item information table is set in the item pointer (step 101).

(2) Next, it is determined whether all items in the item information table have been processed for the item pointer (step 102).

(3) If it is determined in step 102 that processing has not been completed for all items, then the item number 301 of the item information table is compared with the current item number, and the It is determined whether the item number of the item pointed to by the item pointer is equal to the current item number (step 103).

(4) If it is determined in step 103 that the item number of the item pointed to by the item pointer is not equal to the current item number, compare the related item number 311 of the item information table with the current item number. Then, it is determined whether the item pointed to by the item pointer is a related item to the current item (step 104).

(5) If it is determined in step 104 that the item pointed to by the item pointer is a related item to the current item, the item start line 306 and item of the item pointed to by the item pointer are determined from the item information table. Number of lines 30
8 in the message display position determination table.
An identifier indicating that a related item exists is set in the line usage state 502 of the message display position determination table for the number of lines indicated by the number of item lines 308 from the item start line 306 of the item pointed to by the item pointer (step 105)
.

(6) Next, from the item information table,
The heading start line 302 of the item pointed to by the item pointer
and obtains the number of heading lines 304, and sets an identifier indicating that a heading exists in the row usage state 502 of the message display position determination table for the number of lines indicated by the number of heading lines 304 from the heading start line 302. (Step 106).

(7) On the other hand, in step 104 of determining whether the item pointed to by the item pointer is a related item to the current item, if it is determined that the item pointed to by the item pointer is not a related item, step 105
, 106 is not executed, and the position and size of the item are not set in the message display position determination table.

(8) Furthermore, in step 103 of determining whether the item number of the item pointed to by the item pointer is equal to the current item number, the item number of the item pointed to by the item pointer is equal to the current item number. If it is determined that they are equal, obtain the item start line 306 and the number of item lines 308 of the current item from the item information table,
An identifier indicating that the current item exists is set in the row usage state 502 of the message display position determination table for the number of lines indicated by the number of item lines 308 from the item start line 306 of the current item (step 107).

(9) Next, from the item information table,
Obtain the heading start line 302 and the number of heading lines 304 of the current item, and add the number of lines indicated by the heading line number 304 from the heading start line 302 of the current item to the line usage state 502 of the message display position determination table. sets an identifier indicating that a heading exists; further, obtains a message string indicated by the message type of the current item from the item information table; obtains the length of the message string; Find the number of message lines of the message from the number of characters in the line (Step 1
08, 109).

(10) When the item pointed to by the item pointer in the item information table has been processed, the position of the next item in the item information table is set in the item pointer, and the processing starts from step 102. By repeatedly executing , the next item is processed (step 110).

(11) If it is determined in step 102 that processing has been completed for all items in the item information table, next, in order to determine the currently displayed message table, move the message pointer to the currently displayed message table. A head position is set, and it is determined whether all messages in the currently displayed message table have been processed for the message pointer. Note that, as shown in FIG.
(steps 111, 11
2).

(12) If it is determined in step 112 that processing has not been completed for all messages, obtain the message start line 401 and number of message lines 402 from the currently displayed message table for the message pointed to by the message pointer. Then, the number of message lines is 4 from the message start line 401 pointed to by the message pointer.
An identifier indicating that a heading exists is set in the row usage status 502 of the message display position determination table for the number of lines indicated by 02 (step 113).

(13) Next, the position of the next message in the currently displayed message table is set in the message pointer, and the processing for the next message is executed by repeating the processing from step 112 (step 114). .

(14) If it is determined in step 112 that processing for all displayed messages has been completed, next, in order to determine the line on which the message can be displayed, the line number is set to the item start of the current item. line 306, and further includes a line number counter, a message start line 1 indicating the start line number of a message displayable area that exists above the current item on the screen, and a message start line 1 that indicates the starting line number of the area that can display a message that exists below the current item on the screen. Initialize message start line 2, which indicates the start line number of the message displayable area, to "0" (
Step 115).

(15) Next, in order to find the area above the current item on the screen where a message can be displayed, subtract 1 from the line number, and assuming that the line number on the screen starts from 1, In order to determine whether all the rows above the current item have been processed, it is determined whether the row number has become smaller than 1 (steps 116 and 117).

(16) If it is determined in step 117 that the line number is greater than 1, the line usage status 502 of the position pointed to by the line number in the message display position determination table is determined, and related items and headings are , and if none of the displayed messages are being used, the line number is set in the message start line 1, and 1 is added to the line number counter (steps 118, 119).

(17) Next, it is determined whether the line number counter has exceeded the message line number, and if the line number counter is smaller than the message line number, the process from step 116 is repeatedly executed. Then, the determination for the next row is repeated (step 120).

(18) Furthermore, if it is determined in step 120 that the line number counter has exceeded the message line number, the item start line 306 and item line number 308 of the current item are added to the line number. In addition, the value obtained by subtracting 1 is set (step 123).

(19) On the other hand, in step 118,
In the line usage state 502 at the position indicated by the line number in the message display position determination table, related items;
If it is determined that either the heading or the message being displayed is in use, the line number counter and the message start line 1 are set to "0", and further, step 116
By repeatedly executing the processes from 1 to 3, the next line is repeatedly determined (step 121).

(20) On the other hand, even though all the lines with line numbers smaller than 1 and existing above the current item on the screen were processed in step 117,
If a line on which a message can be displayed is not found, "0" is set in the message start line 1, and the process proceeds to step 123 described above (step 122).

(21) If the above-mentioned processing has caused the line number counter to be equal to or greater than the message line number, or if processing has been completed for all lines above the current item on the screen, the screen In order to find the message displayable area that exists below the current item, add 1 to the line number set in step 123 and process all lines that exist below the current item on the screen. In order to determine whether or not the message line number is smaller than the line number at the bottom of the screen minus the number of message lines (step 12
4, 125).

(22) If it is determined in step 125 that the line number is smaller than the line number of the bottom line of the screen minus the number of message lines, then the line number of the message display position determination table is Determine the row usage status 502 at the pointed position, and display related items, headings, and
If none of the displayed messages are in use, 1 is added to the line counter (steps 126, 127).
).

(23) Next, in step 127, it is determined whether the value of the line number counter added by 1 is greater than or equal to the message line number, and if the line number counter is smaller than the message line number, , by repeating the process from step 124, the process of repeating the determination of the next line is further executed (step 128).

(24) Furthermore, if it is determined in step 128 that the line number counter has exceeded the message line number, the message display position determination table determination process is terminated, and the process proceeds to step 131, which will be described later. .

(25) In step 126, in the judgment of the line usage status 502 of the position indicated by the line number in the message display position judgment table, it is determined that any of the related items, headings, and messages being displayed is in use. If so, set the line number counter to "0", set the message start line 2 to a value equal to the line number plus 1, and repeat the process from step 124.
Further, a process of repeating the determination of the next line is executed (step 129).

(26) If it is determined in step 125 that the line number is greater than the line number of the bottom line on the screen minus the number of message lines, that is, the line that exists below the current item on the screen If no line on which a message can be displayed is found even though all of the lines have been processed, "0" is set in the message start line 2 (step 130).

(27) If the above-mentioned processing has caused the line number counter to exceed the number of message lines, or if the processing for all lines below the current item on the screen has been completed, Determine whether the value of the message start line 1 is “0” (step 13
1).

(28) In step 131, if the value of message start line 1 is not "0", then it is determined whether the value of message start line 2 is "0". As a result, if the value of both message start line 1 and message start line 2 is "0", it is not possible to find a message display position that is near the current item and does not overlap with the current item. As a result, return the position of the center of the screen as the return value and terminate the process (
Steps 132, 133).

(29) On the other hand, if the message start line 2 is not "0" in step 132, it is assumed that there is no area above the current item on the screen where the message can be displayed, and the return value is Returns the message start line 2 and ends the process (step 134)
.

(30) If the message start line 1 is not "0" in step 131, it is determined whether the message start line 2 is "0" (step 135).

(31) In step 135, if message start line 2 is not "0", the number of lines from the item start line 306 of the current item to the message start line 1, and the item of the current item. The result of adding the number of item lines 308 of the current item to the start line 306 and subtracting 1 is compared with the number of lines up to the message start line 2, and the message start line closest to the current item is determined by It is determined whether it is message start line 1 or message start line 2, and the start line is set as the return value (step 136).

(32) Furthermore, in step 135, if the message start line 2 is "0", it is assumed that there is no area below the current item on the screen where the message can be displayed, and the return value is The message start line 1 is returned as (step 137).

The message display position acquisition section 205, which performs the processing according to the procedure described above, determines the display position of the message through the processing described above, and returns it to the message display section 206 as a return value.

[0078] The message display section 206 thereby displays the following information.
A message is displayed on the display device 201 at the position indicated by the return value of the message display position acquisition unit 205.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a display screen in the data processing system, and when the operator is about to make an input to the number input item 602 on the output instruction form input screen 601, the A state in which a message is displayed at a message display position 603 determined by the message display position acquisition unit 205 is shown.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a message can be displayed near the input item that the operator is attempting to input.

[0081]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, a message can be displayed near the input item that the operator is attempting to input, so that the operator does not miss the message. In addition, it is possible to reduce operator fatigue due to movement of the line of sight when viewing messages.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, since a message can be displayed in a position that does not overlap with related items, clues about the input value can be obtained from the values of the related items of the input item that the operator is attempting to input. Obtainable.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the message can be displayed in a position that does not overlap with the heading of the related item, the message can be displayed from the input item that the operator is trying to input and the heading of the related item. You can get a clue about the value.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, when another message is already displayed, a new message can be displayed in a position that does not overlap with the previously displayed message, so that You can get clues about the input value.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart (1) showing a processing procedure of a message display position acquisition unit.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart (2) showing the processing procedure of a message display position acquisition unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart (3) showing the processing procedure of a message display position acquisition unit.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (4) showing the processing procedure of a message display position acquisition unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart (5) showing the processing procedure of the message display position acquisition unit.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 7] Diagram explaining the data structure of the item information table (
1).

[Figure 8] Diagram explaining the data structure of the item information table (
2).

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a currently displayed message table.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of a message display position determination table.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a data processing system according to the prior art.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a guidance message in the prior art.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of displaying an error message in the prior art.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of a code list according to the prior art.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of a message box in the prior art.

[Explanation of symbols]

201 Display device 202 Keyboard input device 203 Mouse input device 204 Data input processing section 205 Message display section 206 Message display position acquisition unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A data processing system in which data is input while interacting with an operator using an electronic computer, characterized in that a message is displayed at a position near an input item that the operator is attempting to input. data processing method. [Claim 2] In a data processing system that inputs data while interacting with an operator using a computer, the position and size of the input item that the operator is attempting to input is determined from the item information table of the data item. , and means for determining the size of the message to be displayed, and determining a message display position near the input item and not overlapping the input item, and displaying the message at the determined display position. Characteristic data processing method. 3. The data processing method according to claim 2, further comprising means for determining the position and size of a related item and determining a message display position that does not overlap with the related item. 4. The method further comprises means for determining the position and size of a heading of a related item, and determining a message display position that does not overlap with the heading of the input item and the heading of the related item. The data processing method described in 2. 5. The method further comprises means for determining the position and size of a message that is already being displayed from the currently displayed message table, and determining a message display position that does not overlap with the message. The data processing method described in 4.