JPH0527961A - Window system for computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a flexible mechanism to easily utilize desired various tools at the window system. CONSTITUTION:This system is equipped with an exclusiveness managing means to inspect plural tools and the existence of exclusiveness in the case of simultaneous activation among the respective plural tools and a data converting means 8 to match data with the tool having no data consistency, and when the start request of a certain tool is applied, the exclusiveness managing means 6 inspects the exclusiveness between the tool at the destination of the start request and the started tool, when the tool is not excluded, the data converting means 8 is selected for matching the data with the tool, and the data to be inputted/ outputted between the window at the source of the request and the tool at the destination of the request are matched in the case of execution.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a window system in a computer. In recent years, the use of window systems has become widespread in computers, and integrated tools have emerged that allow a set of tools such as an editor and a compiler to be handled graphically on a window. In such integrated tools, individual tools such as editors are built in from the beginning, and it is not possible to easily change to another tool for the convenience of the user. The present invention provides a means to facilitate modification of embedded tools in integrated tools.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional window system. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 25 is an OS kernel for controlling each window, 26, 27 and 28 are windows forming independent processing spaces, and 29, 30, and 31 are integrated tools linked to the respective windows.

The integrated tools 29, 30 and 31 have different editors A, B and C and compilers D, E and F, respectively.
And so on. Each window 26, 27, 2
8 is displayed on the display screen under the control of the kernel 25, and it is possible to input a command from an input device such as a mouse.

The link relationship between the window and the integrated tool is fixed in the system configuration, and matching is guaranteed. Therefore, when the user requests the processing using the editor on the window 26, the editor A in the integrated tool 29 linked to the window 26 is called,
Editor B and Editor C linked to other windows
Can not be called. Also, some tools cannot be started simultaneously with other specific tools.

[0005]

In the conventional window system, even if the user desires to use another tool of the same type having better performance than the tool incorporated in the integrated tool for processing a window, Since it was not easy to change the built-in integrated tools, it was usually impossible to actually implement them.

Even if such a tool can be installed and changed, there is a problem that it is difficult to use because the operation method is generally different for each tool. The present invention is
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible mechanism that allows various desired tools to be easily used in a window system.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, each tool is pooled and managed without incorporating individual tools in the form of an integrated tool in each window of a window system. Check the exclusivity with the tool that has been started at that point, and if it can be started, link it by interposing a data conversion means for matching the data to that tool to select the tool. It is flexible and reliable.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a display such as a CRT.

Reference numeral 2 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. Reference numeral 3 is a window control device having an OS function such as multi-window control and dialogue control.

Reference numerals 4 and 5 are tools such as an editor and a compiler, and can include various tools of the same kind.
Reference numeral 6 is an exclusivity management means for inspecting the presence or absence of exclusivity of the tool requested to be activated.

Reference numeral 7 is an exclusivity definition file in which data relating to exclusivity between tools is registered, and is referred to by the exclusivity management means 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a data conversion means that is started when the tool requested to be started does not have data consistency with the window side and matches input / output data with the tool.

Reference numeral 9 is a data conversion definition file in which the definition of the data conversion content executed by the data conversion means 8 is registered in advance.

[0013]

In FIG. 1, the window control device 3 creates, manages, controls the execution of a window according to a command input from the input device 2, and makes it disappear.

A start request can be issued to any one of the tools 4 and 5 in any running window of the user. The window control device 3 checks the exclusivity of the tool requested to be activated by the exclusivity management means 6
Ask. The exclusivity management means 6 refers to the definition data of the exclusivity definition file 7, checks the exclusivity of the tool, and notifies the window control device 3.

When the requested tool is locked, the window control device 3 makes an error. When the tool is not locked, the window control device 3 designates the corresponding data conversion content, activates the data conversion means 8, and selects the requested tool. To convert data between.

The data conversion means 8 reads definition data required for data conversion from the data conversion definition file 9 and converts bidirectional data between the tool and the window based on the read definition data.

As a result, the user can freely use any tool without being limited to the conventional integrated tool for each window. Further, addition or change of tools can be easily handled by updating the contents of the exclusivity definition file 7 and the data conversion definition file 9.

[0018]

EXAMPLES Next, examples of the present invention will be described. The term “device” used in the following description means a functional unit, and is realized by software or a combination of software and hardware. Tools are also called "external devices" in the sense that they are external to the system.

In FIG. 2, 11 is a display for outputting windows and the like, 12 is an input device such as a keyboard, and 1
3 is an image output control device for controlling output to the display 11, 14 is a command analysis device for receiving and analyzing a command input from the input device 12, 15 is an external device group such as an editor, compiler, debugger, etc., 16 is an external device. External device input / output device for inputting / outputting data to / from the group 15, 1
Reference numeral 7 is a data filter that converts input / output data of an external device into internal data and internal data into input / output data of an external device, 18 is a data management device that manages input / output data for external devices, and 19 is between each external device. An exclusivity management device for managing exclusivity, 20 is an exclusivity definition file containing definition data necessary for managing exclusivity, 21 is an exclusivity registration device for registering definition data in the exclusivity definition file 20,
22 is a data filter definition file that defines the contents of each data filter 17 and which external device it corresponds to, and 23 is a data filter registration file that registers the contents of the data filter 17 in the data filter definition file 22. The devices 24 are central control devices for controlling each device and processing data. Next, the operation will be described.

A window or the like requested to be output from the central controller 24 is displayed on the display 11 via the image output controller 13. The command input from the input device 12 is analyzed by the command analysis device 14 and passed to the central controller 24.

When activating a new external device, the exclusivity with the already activated external device group 15 is checked. Therefore, the exclusivity management device 19 checks by referring to the exclusivity definition file 20, and the result is obtained by the central controller 24.
Return to. When it is necessary to change the exclusivity definition data, the exclusivity registration device 21 causes the exclusivity definition file 20
To update.

The external device input / output device 16 inputs / outputs data between the window and the external device group 15, and the data management device 18 inputs / outputs internal data. The data filter 17 converts the data format between internal data and external data. There are a plurality of data filters 17 corresponding to each external device, and they are selectively used according to the partner's tool when inputting / outputting data.

When newly registering an external device, it is necessary to newly register a data filter as well, which is executed by the data filter registration device 23. Further, the change of the correspondence between the data filter and the tool is also performed by updating the data filter definition file 22 by the data filter registration device 23.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the exclusivity definition file. In the figure, the line is the ID of the external device for which activation is requested,
The column shows the ID of the activated external device. A cross mark at the intersection position is definition data that indicates that activation is possible (without exclusion) and a cross symbol indicates that activation is not possible (with exclusion).

The exclusivity management device 19 refers to the intersection of the row of the external device for which activation is requested with the column of the activated external device in FIG. . If a plurality of external devices are activated, even if one of them is marked with X, it cannot be activated. For example, in FIG. 3, when the external devices A and B have been started and the external device C is to be started, the data at each intersection of A, B, and C are marked with a circle, and therefore, can be started.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the starting process. When there is a request to start an external device, refer to the exclusivity definition file in Fig. 3 to determine whether activation is possible or not as described above. If activation is impossible, error processing is performed to terminate, and activation is possible. For, select the applicable data filter and activate the external device.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the range of external devices that can be used can be greatly expanded, and the only parts that depend on external devices (tools) are those related to exclusivity definition data and data conversion definition data. Therefore, it can be managed as a file, external devices can be added, changed, and deleted easily, and the usability of the window system can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration example of an exclusivity definition file.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an external device activation process.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional window system.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 display 2 input device 3 window control device 4,5 tool 6 exclusivity management means 7 exclusivity definition file 8 data conversion means 9 data conversion definition file

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. In a window system of a computer, a plurality of tools, an exclusivity management means for checking whether or not there is exclusivity between the plurality of tools at the time of simultaneous activation, and data consistency. When there is a request to start a certain tool, the exclusivity management means causes the tool of the start request destination and the tool that has been started to have data conversion means for matching data with a tool that does not have Between the request source window and the request destination tool at the time of execution by selecting the data conversion means for matching the data for the tool, if the exclusion is not excluded. A computer window system characterized by the following.