JPH06342358A - Menu display method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To confirm even an original menu even after a new menu is displayed by menu selection. CONSTITUTION:A menu controller 9 when driven reads a menu 12 out of an external storage device 8 and stores it in a menu display graphic memory 5, and its contents are displayed at a display part 2. Once an item in the menu is specified, the target menu is read out of the external storage device 8 and displayed at the display part 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of displaying a menu in which a plurality of selection items are arranged and displayed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Personal computers and office computers have been rapidly developed in recent years because they can perform desired processing by exchanging programs, that is, by loading execution programs. Programs executed on these computers are produced and sold in various fields.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned program is not limited to a single process, but many programs perform a plurality of processes. In particular, a program for processing accounting, planning, etc., is designed to perform menu management with a hierarchical structure because it has many target processing and necessary classification items. For example, in a planning program in a factory, first, a menu for selecting each section of development, manufacturing, and purchasing is displayed. Then, when the development is instructed, a menu of work contents such as research, design, and trial production is displayed next. When manufacturing is instructed, a menu for each process such as assembly, wiring and adjustment is displayed. If it is a purchase, a menu such as a product parts list, a parts order list, a delivered parts list, and an inventory list is displayed. The above-described menu items are, for example, menus for factory management of one product, and necessary processing is executed by designating the items for each menu.

FIG. 5 is a menu hierarchical structure diagram showing a menu in a hierarchical structure in the above-described factory management planning processing. Menu A represents a large category of menus and corresponds to the above-mentioned menus representing development, manufacturing, purchasing, and the like. Then, middle classification menus G, B, and J are provided in a layer below the large classification menu A.
These menus G, B, and J are menus for displaying surveys, designs, prototypes, assembling, wiring, and adjustment in the aforementioned development, as well as a product parts list, a parts order list, a delivered parts list, and an inventory list. Then, sub-classifications and item menus H to K are provided under the middle classification, and menus D and F are provided below the sub-classifications. Each of the menus A to K shown in FIG. 5 is designed such that one menu is displayed on the entire screen of the display device.

[0005]

When the above-mentioned conventional hierarchical structure menus are sequentially selected, the operator always remembers which position of the hierarchical structure the menu currently displayed on the display device is. I had to keep it. For example, if the operator does not memorize the selection of the menu whether it is a menu showing the parts relations provided in the lower layer of the prototype of development or a menu showing various lists in purchasing, it is displayed now. It becomes unclear where in the hierarchy the displayed screen is located.

Further, even when there is a selection error in the menu, the position of the incorrect selection cannot be known unless backtracking (returning to the menu in the upper hierarchy) is performed at the time when the selection error is noticed. Therefore, conventionally, in the case of such an erroneous selection, there has been a problem that it is necessary to clear all the selections made so far and to start again from the beginning.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to confirm the original menu even after a new menu is displayed by the menu selection.

[0008]

The means of the present invention are as follows. A method of displaying a menu in which a plurality of selection items are arranged and displayed, wherein a predetermined first menu is displayed in a first display form on a display screen, and an arbitrary selection item is selected from the first menu. , When displaying the second menu corresponding to this selection item on the display screen, changing the display position of the first menu, or changing the display form thereof to the second display form, It is characterized in that the display is controlled.

[0009]

The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows. A predetermined first menu is displayed on the display screen at a predetermined display position in the first display form, and when an operator selects an arbitrary selection item from the first menu, the second menu corresponding to the selection item is displayed. The menu is displayed on the display screen. At this time, the display control of the first menu is performed by changing the display position or changing the display form to the second display form.

Therefore, even after the new menu is displayed by the menu selection, the original menu can be confirmed, and the newly displayed menu and the original menu can be immediately identified on the display screen.

[0011]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of the embodiment. A display unit 2, a key input unit 3, a mouse 4, a menu display graphic memory 5, and a processor (CPU) 6 are connected to the input / output control device 1. When a key (not shown) provided in the key input unit 3 is pressed, the key information of the key input unit 3 is added to the input / output control device 1, and the input / output control device 1 is encoded and output to the processor (CPU) 6. For example, if the pressed key is a command for executing a program such as factory management, the processor (C
PU) 6 is a processor (C
The target program is read from the external storage device 8 connected to the PU) 6 and executed. When the read program is a program having a hierarchical menu display, the processor (CPU) drives the menu control device 9 connected to the processor (CPU) 6. The menu control device 9 is connected to a current pointer 10, a control table 11, a menu display graphic memory 5, and an external storage control device 7 in addition to the processor (CPU) 6. When the menu control device 9 is driven, first, the first menu data 12 of the target hierarchical structure stored in the external storage device 8 is read. The read data is directly applied to the menu display graphic memory 5 from the external storage control device 7 without passing through the menu control device 9. As a result, the first menu data is stored in the menu display graphic memory 5. The input / output control device 1 has a circuit that converts the menu data stored in the menu display graphic memory 5 into video data and outputs the video data to the display section 2. This circuit converts the menu data described above into video data. Displayed on the display unit 2 (Fig. 2 (a))
To be done. Menu A is the highest-level menu, and at this time, there are no higher-level menus, so only menu A is displayed.

Next, when the operator who operates this device depresses the key corresponding to the item of menu A or the item displayed by the mouse is designated, the input / output control device 1 is operated in the same manner as described above. Coded by and added to the processor (CPU) 6. Processor (CP
U) 6 outputs a control signal for displaying the next menu to the menu controller 9 based on the input code data. The menu control device 9 receives target menu data from the external storage device 12 according to a control signal applied from the processor (CPU) 6.
It is read out and stored in the menu display graphic memory 5 is controlled. The menu data is directly stored in the menu display graphic memory 5 by the external storage control device 7. Then, it is displayed on the display unit 2 (FIG. 2 (b)).

On the other hand, the data stored in the above-mentioned menu display graphic memory 5, that is, the data of the current menu is the image data corresponding to the dots displayed on the display unit 1 in a ratio of 1: 1. For display, the menu control device 9 also performs control to display the selected and displayed menu above the current menu that is currently displayed. A control table 11 and a current pointer 10 are connected to the menu control device 9, and the history of the currently displayed current menu and the menus selected so far are stored by this control table.

FIG. 3 is a relationship diagram showing the relationship among the control table 11, the current pointer 10, the external storage device 8 and the menu display graphic memory 5. The control table 11 includes a menu name column 11-1, option number column 11-2, disk management pointer column 11-3,
Menu display Graphic memory pointer column 11-
It is composed of four. FIG. 3 shows the contents of the table when menu B is selected in menu A and menu C is selected in menu B. The menu name column 11-1 stores the names of the above-mentioned menus A to C. The option number column 11-2 is, for example, menu A
Or the number of the item selected in the menu B is stored. The disk management information pointer column 11-3 indicates the storage start position of each menu in the external storage device 8, and the menu display graphic memory pointer column 1
Each of 1-4 stores the start address selected and stored in the display graphic memory. Selection number column 11-2 each time each item in the menu is selected
The number of the selected item is stored in, and at the same time, the start address of the disk management information 13 in which the storage position of the menu to be displayed next is stored is referred to by the external storage device 8 by referring to the disk management information pointer column 11-3. Read more,
Based on this, the menu control device 9 reads out new menu data from the external storage device and stores it in the menu display graphic memory 5. By repeating this selection, the history data of the sequentially selected menu is stored in the control table 11.

The menu display graphic memory 5 is provided with a plurality of divided areas (5-1 to 5-n) for displaying the history menu at positions corresponding to the upper part of the display screen. The divided areas (5-1 to 5-n) are areas for displaying the history menu. Area 5-X is a current menu area for displaying items to be selected.

Each time the menu control device 9 displays a new menu selected by the key input unit or the mouse, the menu control device 9 is placed in a position following the previously displayed menu in the above-mentioned area (5-1 to 5-n). The menu immediately after that is reduced and stored. 2 (b) shows menu A and menu B.
Is displayed, and the menu B is displayed, and a small menu A is displayed at the top. Fig. 2 (c) shows the display screen after selecting menu C in menu B. Fig. 2 (d)
Shows the display screens after selecting menu D in menu C. The menu hierarchy shown in FIG. 2 has the hierarchical structure shown in FIG.

The menu control device 9 operates so as to add a circle mark on the screen to the number of the item selected in the reduced menu displayed at the top. On the other hand, it may be necessary to make corrections such as changing the selected item due to an operator's operation error or the like. In such a case, the present invention is configured so that it is possible to move to any menu displayed in the past, that is, up to now by moving the cursor key or the like and moving the ↑ mark with the mouse, and further pressing the change key, for example. ing. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (e), when the ↑ mark is moved to the menu B with the mouse and the change key is pressed, the input / output control device 1 detects which region the ↑ mark exists, and The menu number is detected and that number is stored in the current pointer 10. Then, the menu immediately before the position pointed by the current pointer 10 from the head of the control table is displayed in the menu display graphic memory 5
The menus at the positions designated by the current pointer 10 are stored and displayed in the menu display graphic memory 5-x as the current menus while being stored and displayed in -1 to 5-n. FIG. 2 (f) shows a case where the ↑ mark is moved by the mouse 4 and the menu B is selected. At this time, the menu B is displayed and a small menu A is displayed above the menu B. This display is made by adding the current pointer 10 as described above. Then, when 3 is selected in menu B (menu E), menu E is displayed and menus A and B are reduced and displayed on the upper part thereof (FIG. 2 (g)).
). Furthermore, when 3 is selected in the menu E (menu F), the menu F is displayed and the menus A, B, and E are reduced and displayed above the menu F (FIG. 2).
(h)). When the above-mentioned selection is made, each time it is selected, the menu name column 11-1, the option number column 11-2,
The disc management information pointer column 11-3 and the menu display graphic memory pointer column 11-4 store the respective menu names, selection numbers, disc management information pointers, and menu display graphic memory addresses.

The disk management information pointer represents an address where necessary information corresponding to a menu is stored in the external storage device 8, and from this address value corresponds to each item in a specific area. The next menu data, the storage address of the processing program and the like at the time of processing are stored.

In the above-described embodiment, the history menu is simply displayed on the upper part of the display screen in a reduced size. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the menu currently displayed, that is, the menu above the current menu is displayed. Since the selection history is displayed, it is possible to display more menu selection histories by displaying the menus in an overlapping manner.

[0020]

According to the present invention, the original menu can be confirmed even after the new menu is displayed by the menu selection, and the newly displayed menu and the original menu are displayed on the display screen. Can be identified immediately.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a selection menu and a history menu according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a relationship diagram showing a relationship among a control table, a current pointer, an external storage device, and a menu display graphic memory according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another display example.

FIG. 5 is a menu hierarchical structure diagram showing a menu in a hierarchical structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 display unit 5 menu display graphic memory 8 external storage device 9 menu control device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for displaying a menu in which a plurality of selection items are arranged and displayed, wherein a predetermined first menu is displayed in a first display form on a display screen, and any one of the first menus is displayed. When the second selection menu item is selected and the second menu corresponding to the selection item is displayed on the display screen, the display position of the first menu is changed or the display form is changed to the second display. A menu display method characterized in that display control is performed by changing to a form.