JPH06195192A - Window display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify window operations and to improve the efficiency of a picture display space. CONSTITUTION:When a window 1 is desired to move to the front surface in the state of displaying an icon menu 22 of the window and a window title 'W4' of the window W4 in a title bar 21 of the window W4 displayed on the front surface, the window W1 is moved and displayed on the front surface by clicking the 'W1' (the same name as the title of the window W1) of the icon menu 22 with the operation of a mouse or the like. At such a time, the icon menu 22 displayed on the title bar 21 of the window W4 is moved and displayed on a title bar 21 of the window W1 displayed on the front surface.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a window display device, and more particularly to a window display device suitable for controlling a window display position in a window system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in information processing apparatuses such as computer systems, window systems have been developed and used as a graphical user interface (hereinafter referred to as GUI) that facilitates operations.
In this window system, a window screen is displayed, various application programs and commands are displayed as icons on the window screen, the cursor is moved to the desired icon by mouse operation, and the mouse is specified. By clicking the button, the application program or command processing is executed.

As such a conventional window system, for example, there is one that displays a plurality of window screens hierarchically as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5 (a), first, the window W1 is displayed on the screen of the CRT, then the window W2 wider than the window W1 is opened on the window W1, and in FIG. 5 (b),
Further, a window W3 wider than the window W2 is opened on the window W2, and finally, a window W4 wider than the window W3 is opened on the window W3. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the order opposite to that of FIG. 5 (window W4 → W3 → W2 → W1)
It is also possible to open a narrow window one by one.

However, when the wide windows are sequentially opened in this manner, the narrower window is hidden under the wide window, and the user can always see only the frontmost window and tries to input the window. If is below, you need to bring the window to the front. Data can be entered without moving it to the front, but it is not practical because the entered data cannot be confirmed.

Conventionally, there are the following three methods for moving the window to the foreground.

(1) A method of sequentially opening windows by opening a pop-up menu and clicking a menu in the pop-up menu with a mouse.

(2) A method similar to that of (1), except that the windows are sequentially changed by operating the keys instead of the mouse.

FIG. 6 shows windows W1, W2, W3 and W4 which are sequentially opened by the methods (1) and (2).
Shown in.

(3) A method of displaying icon menus as shown in FIG. 7 and sequentially opening corresponding windows by clicking the icon menus with a mouse.

[0010]

However, the window screen switching display method in such a conventional window system has the following problems in terms of operability.

That is, in the conventional method of displaying the windows of (1) and (2) on the foreground, for example, two mouse or key operations are required to move the window W2 to the foreground. Yes, the more windows, the more time-consuming the operation.

In the conventional method (3) for displaying the window on the foreground, the desired window can be displayed on the foreground by clicking the mouse once on the window icon. However, there is a problem in that the area for displaying the icon menu is additionally required and the display efficiency on the screen is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to simplify the window operation and increase the efficiency of the screen display space.

[0014]

The means of the present invention are as follows.

In a window display device that manages the display positions of a plurality of windows and displays the plurality of windows on the display in an overlapping manner, another window is displayed in the title display area of the window displayed on the top of the display. When the icon display means for displaying the icon corresponding to the window, the instruction means for instructing the point on the display, and the icon displayed in the title display area are designated by the instruction means, the icon corresponding to the designated icon Display control means for displaying the window on the foreground on the display.

[0016]

The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows.

According to the present invention, in a window display device that manages the display positions of a plurality of windows and displays a plurality of windows on the display in an overlapping manner, the icon display means displays the window in the foreground. Icons corresponding to other windows are displayed in the title display area of the selected window,
When the icon displayed in the title display area is designated by the instruction means, the display control means causes the window corresponding to the designated icon to be displayed on the foreground on the display.

Therefore, the operation for displaying the desired window on the foreground can be simplified without separately providing a display area for the icon, and the window display efficiency on the screen can be improved.

[0019]

EXAMPLES Examples will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 to 4 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a window system to which the window display device of the present invention is applied.

First, the structure will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the window system 1. In this figure, a window system 1 includes a keyboard 2, a keyboard control device 3, a mouse 4, a mouse control device 5 and a CPU.
6, window management table 7, overlap control device 8, display control memory 9, window display device 10, bit mover 11, window memory 12, display memory 1
3, a display control device 14 and a CRT 15.

The keyboard 2 outputs various data and commands input by a key operation by an operator to the keyboard control device 3, and the keyboard control device 3 outputs various data and commands input from the keyboard 2 to predetermined signals. It is converted into a form and output to the CPU 6.

The mouse 4 is a pointing device, and designates a display position of a window displayed on the CRT 15, cursor movement, icon designation, etc., and outputs the designation information to the mouse controller 5, and the mouse controller 5 The designation information input from the mouse 4 is converted into a predetermined signal form and output to the CPU 6.

The CPU 6 executes a window manager program, which will be described later, on the basis of various data, commands and designation information input from the keyboard control device 4 and the mouse control device 5, and display control information and management necessary for window display. The information is stored in the window manager management table stored in the window management table 7, control information for controlling the overlap state of the window being displayed is output to the overlap control device 8, and the window being displayed is displayed. The data is output to the window memory 12.

The window management table 7 stores a window manager management table for storing management information necessary for window display input from the CPU 6, and the window manager management table includes window IDs, as shown in FIG. Each management information of the window title, coordinates, size, and display pointer is stored. The management information stored in this window manager management table is read and used by the overlap control device 8.

The overlap control device 8 determines the window being displayed on the basis of the control information input from the CPU 6 for controlling the overlapping state of the windows and the management information read from the window manager management table in the window management table 7. Display control data for displaying the overlap state and addition of a title bar displayed in the frontmost window is temporarily stored in the display control memory 9, and the stored control data is displayed in the window display device 10 at a predetermined display timing. While outputting
A timing signal for controlling the window display timing and the like is output to the window display device 10.

The display control memory 9 is composed of a RAM or the like, and forms a memory area for temporarily storing the display control data input from the overlap control device 8.

The window display device 10 displays the window display data input from the window memory 12 to the bit mover 11 based on the display control data input from the display control memory 9 and the timing signal input from the overlap control device 8. Output to the display memory 13.

The bit mover 11 is the window memory 1
The window display data input from 2 is sequentially output to the display memory 13 at the output timing from the window display device 10. The window memory 12 is composed of a RAM or the like and forms a memory area for storing window display data input from the CPU 6.

The display memory 13 is composed of a RAM or the like, and forms a memory area for sequentially storing the window display data input from the bit mover 11. The display control device 14 sequentially reads the window display data stored in the display memory 13 at a predetermined display timing, converts the window display data into a predetermined display signal, and outputs the display signal to the CRT 15.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, the basic structure of the window screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the icon display area is reduced, and the icon menu is displayed in the title bar of the window displayed in the foreground (display area added to the top of the window) to perform a single operation. The desired window can be moved to the foreground without using a useless display area.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the window icon menu 22 on the title bar 21 of the window W4 displayed in the foreground and the window W thereof.
The window title "W4" of No. 4 is displayed. To move the window W1 to the foreground in this display state, click "W1" (the same name as the title of the window W1) in the icon menu 22 by operating the mouse 3 or the like, as shown in FIG. , The window W1 is moved and displayed in the foreground. At this time, the window W4 is displayed in the title bar 21 of the window W1 displayed in the foreground.
The icon menu 22 displayed on the title bar 21 is displayed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the icon menu is additionally displayed on the title bar of the window which is always displayed on the foreground, and the user can click the desired window icon in the icon menu to display the icon on the foreground. You can change the window display.

The operation of this window is controlled by the window manager program executed by the CPU 6. This window manager program will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the window manager program is started, first, an event, that is, a user's key operation on the keyboard 2 or movement of the mouse 4 is awaited (step S1), and whether the event content is a window generation or not. Is determined (step S2), and when the window is generated, the management information (window ID, window title, coordinates, size, etc.) for generating the window is stored in the window manager management table in the window management table 7 (step S3). ). Then, an icon menu is added to the title bar of the generated frontmost window to display it, and the process returns to step S1 (step S4).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the event content is not window generation, it is determined whether or not the window is moved (step S5). When the window is moved, a process for moving and displaying the window designated for movement to the foreground is executed (step S6), an icon menu is added to the title bar of the moved foreground window, and the window is displayed. Return to processing (step S
4).

On the other hand, in step S5, if the event content is not the window movement, it is determined whether or not the icon menu of the window is clicked (designated) (step S7). When the icon menu is clicked, a window for which an icon is designated is searched from the window manager management table, and a process of moving and displaying it in the foreground is executed (step S8), and the icon menu is displayed in the title bar of the moved foreground window. Is added and displayed, and the process returns to step S1 (step S4). If the event content is not a click on the icon menu in step S7, the process returns to step S1.

In the above processing, the icon menu displayed on the title bar of the window sequentially moved backward after the occurrence of an event is erased.

Therefore, since the window icon menu is always displayed on the title bar of the foreground window, the desired window can be moved and displayed on the foreground by a single operation. Operation mistakes can be prevented. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a dedicated display area for displaying the icon menu, it is possible to improve the display efficiency of the window on the screen.

[0042]

According to the present invention, when an icon corresponding to another window is displayed in the title display area of the window displayed in the foreground on the display, and the icon displayed in the title display area is designated. , Since the window corresponding to the designated icon is displayed on the foreground on the display, it is possible to simplify the operation for displaying the desired window on the foreground without separately providing a display area for the icon. , The window display efficiency on the screen can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a window system to which a window display device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a window manager management table stored in the window management table of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example of a window displayed by a window manager program of the present embodiment.

4 is a flowchart of a window manager program executed by the CPU of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a display example of a window which is operated and displayed by a conventional window system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a window displayed by operating a popup menu of a conventional window system.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a window displayed by icon operation of a conventional window system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 window system 2 keyboard 3 keyboard control device 4 mouse 5 mouse control device 6 CPU 7 window management table 8 overlap control device 9 display control memory 10 window display device 11 bit mover 12 window memory 13 display memory 14 display control device 15 CRT

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A window display device for managing display positions of a plurality of windows and displaying the plurality of windows on a display in an overlapping manner, wherein a title display area of the window displayed on the front of the display is displayed. Icon display means for displaying an icon corresponding to another window, instruction means for instructing a point on the display, and when the icon displayed in the title display area is designated by the instruction means, the designated icon is displayed. A window display device comprising: a display control unit that displays a corresponding window on the foreground on the display.