JPH06131299A - Command and application execution control system of work station - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the time required to actuate the execution environment of each work process while providing a standardized man-machine interface. CONSTITUTION:A man-machine interface control part 10 and an execution part 20 operate independently of each other and a communication file 40 is used for a communication between the both. Each execution control part has an individual communication file. The man-machine interface control part 10 refers to a work process attribute information table 30 at a user's process request and outputs communication data to the corresponding communication file as to the execution control part corresponding to the requested work process. The execution control part 20 monitors the communication file 40 and controls the execution of the work process according to the communication data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a command and business application execution control method in a workstation environment, and in particular, a unified man-machine interface, such as a menu screen, provides an application or general-purpose application in a command interpreter type language. The present invention relates to an execution control method of an application that operates under a unique execution environment that cannot be incorporated in a man-machine interface process, such as a search tool processing catalog.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to spread and expand the use of workstations and personal computers to people who have little or no knowledge of computers, it is a major premise that the application software that one wants to use can be used easily. However, not only the contents of the application software but also the starting methods thereof are various, and the user cannot easily remember them. To solve this problem, list each application software and start it by user's selection,
There is a so-called menu system. In this menu system, a uniform man-machine interface controller is prepared,
By controlling the processing of each application, each business processing can be used without the user having to know the activation method or various commands.

In a conventional workstation, a uniform man-machine interface control unit of this kind sorts processes according to the contents selected by the user and activates the corresponding business process. For example, a device procedure for performing TSS processing in a workstation or for using application software is stored, and the man-machine interface unit performs processing according to the procedure.

Regarding the command execution control system,
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-222057 discloses an example of batch release command control of allocation files.

[0005]

In the above conventional method, since the man-machine interface control unit and the execution control unit operate in the same process as one processing unit, they are created by, for example, a command interpreter type language. For processes such as cataloging application programs and general-purpose search tool commands that have been created, you must first start your own execution environment such as the command interpreter or general-purpose search tool, and then execute business processing. However, there is a problem that it takes time to start the business process and the total response time increases. Also, since the execution control unit does not have an independent process, the exchange of business processing is one-to-one between the man-machine interface control unit and the execution control unit, and the man-machine interface control unit is executed until the executed work ends. Since control is not returned to, there was a problem that only sequential input and sequential execution could be performed, that is, reservation processing could not be performed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a uniform man-machine interface relating to execution instructions even if the specification tool for creating an application and the language are different, and at the same time, the time required to start the execution environment of each business process. Reduce
To shorten the response time. Another object of the present invention is to realize reservation execution of business processing by setting start time and time.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention operates a man-machine interface control unit and an execution control unit independently of each other in a workstation environment, and A contact file is provided for exchanging necessary information between the man-machine interface control unit and the execution control unit.
The interface control unit outputs the process selected or input by the user and the condition related to the execution to the communication file, and the execution control unit monitors the communication file, and if there is a process waiting for execution, It is characterized by executing processing.

In addition to the process selected or input by the user and the condition related to its execution, the man-machine interface control unit may execute the process at the execution start time or until the execution start according to a request from the user. The time information is output to the communication file, and the execution control unit starts the process according to the time or the time information.

[0009]

Since the man-machine interface control part and the execution control part operate independently, each execution control part has an environment necessary in each process, for example, an interpreter part in the case of an application in an interpreted language. It is possible to activate the tool that accompanies the execution of the catalog by the general-purpose search tool or before the processing request arrives.

Further, since the communication between the man-machine interface control section and each execution control section is performed via the communication file, the man-machine interface control section is always able to carry out regardless of the processing state of the execution control section. It can process requests from users and write them in the contact file. Furthermore, by adding the execution start time or the time until the execution start to this processing request, it is possible to control the execution of the processing according to the time / time specified by the user, not in the order of writing to the file (order of reception). (Reservation process)

[0011]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the equipment configuration of a workstation, which comprises a processing device 1, a display device 2, a keyboard 3, a printer device 4, a hard disk storage device 5, and a floppy disk 6 connected to the processing device 1.
A plurality of processes can operate independently on the processing device 1. In the embodiment of the present invention, the process 0 is in charge of the man-machine interface control unit, and the processes A to N are
Is responsible for each execution control unit. The processing device 1 further includes a timer for monitoring various times. The storage device 5 stores a business process attribute information table, a contact file, and a business process module for execution, which will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a system for controlling work processing in a workstation environment according to the present invention. 10 is a man-machine interface control unit, and 20 is a man-machine interface control unit.
Is an execution control unit, 30 is a business process attribute information table, 40
Is a contact file, and 50 is an execution work processing module. The communication file 40 exists for each execution control unit (execution process). Business process attribute information table 30
Is a table defining which execution control unit the man-machine interface control unit 10 should contact in response to a user's processing request.

Man-machine interface controller 10
And each execution control unit 20 operates independently. man·
The machine interface control unit 10 refers to the business process attribute information table 30, and writes the process selected or input by the user and the condition related to its execution in the contact file 40 corresponding to the execution control unit of the contact. . The contact data from the man-machine interface control unit 10 includes the business process execution start time and time. Each execution control unit 20 monitors the contact file 40, activates the execution business processing module 50 according to the requested business processing, its start time, and controls the execution of the business processing. Then, when the processing ends, each execution control unit 20 writes an end notification in the communication file 40. The man-machine interface control unit 10 monitors the contact file 40 and notifies the user of the normal end or abnormal end of the business process.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the data structure of the business process attribute information table 30. For each business process, a field 31 showing the process number, a field 32 showing the execution process name, a field 33 showing the execution command name and arguments are shown. It is composed of a field 34 indicating a format.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the data structure of the contact file 40. In response to a processing request from the user, a field 41 showing the serial number and a field 4 showing the command name are shown.
2, a field 43 indicating an execution start time, a field 44 indicating an argument, and a field 45 indicating a status flag.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of one embodiment of the man-machine interface control unit 10 according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of the execution control unit 20 as well. The operation of this workstation will be described below with reference to FIGS.

When the processing of this workstation is started, first, the man-machine interface control unit 10 which controls the menu processing is activated (steps 100, 10).
2). At the same time, the execution control unit 20 is also activated (steps 200 and 202).

Man-machine interface controller 10
When activated, displays a menu screen as shown in FIG. 7 on the display device 2 and waits for input (step 1
04). Then, whether or not there is an input in the area 700 of the menu screen of FIG. 7 is monitored for a certain period of time (step 10
6) If there is an input, it is checked whether the input parameter has the correct format (step 108). If it is not correct, a message to that effect is output to the display device 2 (step 170), and the input of the menu screen is awaited again. If it is correct, it is judged whether or not the end selection has been made (step 110).
The process of (1) is ended (step 180).

In cases other than the end selection, the business process attribute information table 30 is referred to (step 112), and it is checked whether there is the same process as the input request process (step 114). The format of the business process attribute information table 30 is as shown in FIG. 3, and the numbers stored in the field 31 and the numbers entered in the area 700 of the menu screen of FIG. 7 are compared. 2 is displayed (step 172). If the process selected by the user is registered in the business process attribute information table 30, the execution process name (32 field), the execution command name (33 field), the argument format (34 Field) is obtained (step 116). And
Based on the argument format, the condition setting screen as shown in FIG. 8 is assembled and output to the display device 2, and the keyboard 3
The input is awaited (step 118).

Areas 800, 80 of the condition setting screen of FIG.
When a condition is input to 2, the condition is checked to see if the condition matches the argument format (step 120), and if not, it is output to the display device 2 (step 174), and the input of the condition setting screen is waited again. Become. If they match, it is judged whether or not there is an input to the area 804 for designating the reserved execution time (step 122). If there is an input, the reserved execution specified time is set in the parameter of the execution start time (step). 124). If the reserved execution time is not entered in the area 804, the current time is set in the execution start time parameter (step 126).
Then, the contact file 40 is selected from the execution process names acquired from the business process attribute information table 30 (step 128), and as shown in FIG. 4, a serial number (field 41) and an execution command name (field 42). "Unprocessed" is written as the execution start time (43 field), the argument (44 field), and the status flag (45 field) (step 130).

When the writing to the contact file 40 is completed, the entry of the execution work process is completed, and the display device 2 displays the menu screen again (step 104).

Input on the menu screen is monitored for a certain period of time (step 106), and if there is no input, the execution state of the business process notified to the execution control unit 20 through the contact fill 40 is confirmed. That is, the contact file 40 is referenced (step 132), and it is checked whether the status flag is "normal end" or "abnormal end" (step 134). If it is "normal end" or "abnormal end", normal / abnormal is judged (step 136), and a corresponding message is output to the display device 2 (steps 138, 140). When there is no finished message and after the message of termination is output, the menu screen is ready for input again.

On the other hand, the execution control unit 20 starts monitoring the contact file 40 immediately after starting. Contact file 4
When 0 is referred to (step 204) and it is determined that the end instruction is written from the man-machine interface controller 10 (step 206), the operation of the execution controller is ended (step 230).

[0025] In case of other than end instruction, contact file 4
It is checked whether any of the processes entered in 0 are waiting to be executed (step 20).
8). This is done by checking whether the status flag (45 field) of the entry of the contact file 40 shown in FIG. 4 is "unprocessed". If there is no process waiting to be executed, the process loops to monitor the contact file 40, and if there is, the execution start time of the entry (field 43).
Checks whether the current time has passed (step 210). If it has not passed, again contact file 4
It loops to 0 monitoring, and if it has passed, the status flag (field 45) of the entry in the contact file 40 is updated to "execution" (step 211), and the command name (field 42) and argument An activation parameter is created in (44 field) (step 212), and the execution work processing module 50 is activated from the storage device 5 (step 214).

The work processing module 50 outputs, for example, a form to the printer device 4, and returns a return code to the execution control unit 20 when it finishes. The execution control unit 20 refers to this and determines whether or not the process has ended normally (step 2).
16). If it has ended normally, set "normal end" to the return code that updates the status flag (step 2).
18) If abnormal termination has occurred, "abnormal termination" is set in the return code (step 220), and the status flag of the communication file 40 is updated with the contents of this return code (step 222). After that, the execution control unit 20 loops again to monitor the execution waiting process of the contact file 40.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the contact file 40 can be replaced by the floppy disk 6. In the description of the embodiment,
Although it has been stated that the application business process is started by the menu method, it can be similarly applied to the control system program by the command.

[0028]

According to the present invention of claim 1, since the execution environment of the application program started by the menu or the like can be started in advance as the execution control unit, the normal execution environment is started. The method leads to a reduction in start-up time, and a response time from the user selecting a menu or the like to obtaining a result can be shortened. This is particularly effective in the case of an application written in an interpreter type language. For example, in a case where a process that normally takes a response of about 2 minutes and the time required to start the interpreter is about 1 minute, the present invention The response time will be reduced to about 1 minute.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the execution start time / time can be designated, the process which cannot be executed unless a certain fixed time is entered in the contact file in advance. With this, reservation processing can be realized,
You will be able to process even unattended.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a workstation and peripheral devices.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a mechanism of business process control in a workstation environment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a business process attribute information table.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of a contact file.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a processing procedure of the man-machine interface control unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a processing procedure of the execution control unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example of a menu screen output when the man-machine interface control unit prompts the user to select a process.

FIG. 8 is a condition setting screen in which the man-machine interface control unit prompts the user to input processing conditions.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Man-Machine Interface Control Unit 20 Execution Control Unit 30 Business Process Attribute Information Table 40 Contact File 50 Business Process Module for Execution

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Seiichi Ueda 6-81 Onoue-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kanayo Miyake 890, Kashimada, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 12 Hitachi Information Systems Division (72) Inventor Sansho San 12 Hitachi Information Systems Division 890, Kashimada, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A man-machine operating independently of each other.
It has an interface control unit and an execution control unit,
A contact file is provided for exchanging necessary information between the machine interface control unit and the execution control unit, and the man-machine interface control unit is responsible for processing selected and input by the user and execution thereof. A command and application execution control in a workstation, characterized in that conditions are output to the communication file, the execution control unit monitors the communication file, and if there is a process waiting for execution, the process is executed. method. 2. The man-machine interface control unit, in addition to the process selected or input by the user and the condition related to the execution thereof, executes the execution start time or the execution start time of the process according to a request from the user. The command and application execution control method in the workstation according to claim 1, wherein time information is output to the communication file, and the execution control unit starts the processing in accordance with the time or time information.