JPH064259A - Item input method for display screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use a mouse to easily and surely perform the input operation with a small extent of movement even in the case of an input column and an input item distant from each other on a screen with respect to the item input method for display screen where the mouse is used to input items to plural input columns on the display screen. CONSTITUTION:A menu 16 provided with input column designating icons 14-1 and 14-2 which selectively desisgnate input items 12-1 to 12-3 and input colums 10-1 to 10-3 is displayed on the display screen, and a mouse cursor 18 is moved to input column designating icons 14-1 and 14-2 in the menu 16 to perform the selecting operation of input columns 10-1 to 10-3. Next, the mouse cursor 18 is moved to one of input items 12-1 to 12-3 in the menu 16 to perform the input operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for inputting items on a display screen for inputting items into a plurality of input fields on the display screen using a mouse. With the recent spread of workstations and personal computers, a mouse input method that allows anyone to easily operate on a display screen is required. Since keyboard input gives the meaning of the operation to the key, it is often necessary to practice the operation while looking at the operation guide, while mouse input can be done by clicking the icon (meaning area) on the screen. It can be said that the operation method is suitable for everyone.

In the screen input, it is general to input a plurality of items on one screen, but the mouse operation of moving the mouse cursor on the screen for each of the input field specification and the input content specification is complicated, It is desirable to simplify mouse input.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional method of inputting items on a display screen using a mouse, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of input fields 10-1, 1 are provided on the display screen.
0-2, 10-3 and a plurality of input items 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 displaying the input contents A, B, C are displayed,
Move the mouse cursor 18 to enter the input fields 10-1 to 10
Click on any one of -3, then mouse cursor 18
Is moved and one of the input items 12-1 to 12-3 is clicked.

In the case of FIG. 11, after inputting the content C of the input item 12-3 in the input field 10-1, the input field 10-2 is designated and the content B of the input item 12-2 is input. Shows. In this case, move the mouse cursor from the input field 10-1 to the input field 10-2 and click, move the cursor from the input field 10-2 to the input item 12-2 and click, and the operation is required. Become.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional display screen item inputting method using a mouse, the movement amount of the mouse cursor when designating an input field and an input item is large, Usually, since the periphery of the display device is narrow, there is no space for moving the mouse largely, and if the movement amount of the mouse cursor is large, it is difficult to operate the mouse.

Further, if the amount of movement of the mouse cursor when clicking on the input field and input item is large, there is a problem that even if the click operation is performed, it is difficult to hit 100% due to a slight misalignment, and the operation cannot be performed easily and accurately. . The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an item input method for a display screen, which enables easy and reliable input operation using a mouse with a small amount of movement even if an input field and an input item are separated from each other on the screen.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention. First, the present invention relates to one or a plurality of input fields 10-1 to 10 displayed on a display screen using a mouse.
-3, the item input method of the display screen for selecting the contents of one or a plurality of input items 12-1 to 12-3 prepared on the display screen and inputting and displaying the selected items in the field.

In the present invention as such an item input method for the display screen, the input items 12-1 to 12-
3 and the input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 for selectively designating the input fields 10-1 to 10-3.
Is displayed on the display screen, and the mouse cursor 18 is first moved to the input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 in the menu 16 to select the input fields 10-1 to 10-3. It is characterized in that the cursor 18 is moved to any of the input items 12-1 to 12-3 in the menu 16 to perform an input operation.

Here, the input field 10-1 in the menu 16
Input field 1 selected when the selection operation of 10-3 is performed
0-2 is color-changed or reversed so that it can be distinguished from the background color. Further, as input field designation icons in the menu 16, a first icon 14-1 for sequentially selecting the input fields 10-1 to 10-3 in a predetermined direction and a second icon 14-2 for sequentially selecting in the opposite direction are provided.

Further, as the input field designating icons in the menu 16, the input fields 10-1 to 10-3 are sequentially selected only in a predetermined direction, and after reaching the final field, the single icon 14 returning to the first field is displayed. It may be provided. Furthermore, an end icon for instructing the end of the input operation may be provided in the menu 16.

[0011]

According to the method of inputting items on the display screen of the present invention as described above, the menu 1 having the input items 12-1 to 12-3 and the input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 is provided.
By moving and clicking with the mouse cursor 18 in a narrow range within 6, the input fields 10-1 to 10-10 located at distant positions
-3 is specified, the contents A of the input items 12-1 to 12-3,
B and C can be input, the mouse operation can be simplified, the alignment accuracy can be improved, and a click can be surely hit, and the operability of mouse input can be greatly improved.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment showing a hardware structure for implementing the item inputting method of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the device for performing the item input method using the mouse of the present invention is composed of an input / output device 20, a processing device 22 using a CPU and the like, and a storage device 24. CR in the input / output device 20
Color display device 26 such as T or liquid crystal, mouse 2
8, a keyboard 30 and a printer 32 are provided. In addition, an input item designation table 34, an input column designation icon table 36, and an input column coordinate table 38 are registered in the storage device 24 in order to implement the item input method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the color display device 26 of FIG.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of the present invention displayed on the screen. In FIG. 3, the display screen 2
On the left side of 5, there are three input fields 10 in this embodiment.
-1, 10-2, 10-3 are provided. An area for the menu 16 is provided on the right side of the display screen 25. In the menu 16, for example, three input items 1
2-1 to 12-3 are provided, and A, B, and
C is displayed.

Below the input items 12-1 to 12-3 are provided an input field designation icon 14 displaying a downward arrow and an end icon 15 displaying "end". Further, on the display screen 25, the mouse cursor 18 which is moved by operating the mouse 28 is displayed. The operation of item input on the display screen 25 of FIG.
Follow the steps in.

The mouse cursor 18 is moved to the input field designation icon 14 in the menu 16. Mouse cursor 1 moved to input field designation icon 14
When 8 is clicked, a color different from the background color indicating the currently specified state, for example, yellow 10-2 to the input field 10-3 below it.
, The input field 10-2 returns to the background color, and the input field 10-
3 changes to yellow indicating selection. Each time the mouse is clicked, selection is designated in the order of the input fields 10-1 to 10-3,
The next selection made when the input field 10-3 at the bottom is returned to the input field 10-1 at the top.

The mouse cursor 18 is moved from the position of the input field designation icon 14 to the input item 12-in the same menu 16.
1 to 12-3, for example, the input item 12-
2. Move as shown in FIG. When the mouse cursor 18 moved to the input item 12-2 is clicked, for example, the input field 1 currently in the selection designation state
The input content “B” of the input item 12-2 clicked with the mouse on 0-2 is input and displayed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of each table registered in the storage device 24 of FIG. 2 used for the item input processing using the display screen 25 of FIG. FIG. 4A shows the input item designation table 34. The input item 12- of FIG.
Input item icon coordinate M indicating each coordinate of 1 to 12-3
Input item content V corresponding to (1), M (2), ...
(1), V (2), ... Are registered, and in FIG. 3, input item contents A, B, ... Are registered as icon examples.

FIG. 4B shows the input field designation icon table 36 shown in FIG. 2, in which the input field designation icon 14 is registered as the icon coordinate MC and the end icon 15 is set as the icon coordinate as shown in FIG. Registered as ME. Further, FIG. 4C shows the input field coordinate table 38 of FIG. 2, and the input field coordinate tables 10-1, 10-2, ...
The coordinates Z (1), Z (2), ... Corresponding to are registered. The number of input fields of the input coordinate table 38 is indicated by N.

In the display screen 25 of FIG. 3, the number of input fields and the number of input items are three, which is the same as each other. However, any number can be set as necessary. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an input processing operation in the item input method of the present invention.

In FIG. 5, first, in step S1, the input field designation counter i is initialized to zero. Then step S2
Read the coordinates (x, y) at which the mouse was clicked with
In step S3, the mouse coordinates are converted into integers. The mouse coordinates are converted into integers, as shown in FIG.
1 as an example, the mouse cursor 18 is displayed in the input field 10-1.
Boundary coordinate values (x1, y1) of the input item 10-1 that predetermine the read coordinates (x, y) when the user moves and clicks
And (x2, y2) determine whether or not it falls within the shaded area defined by (x2, y2), and if it falls within this range, the integer value K indicating the input field is set to K = 1.

Referring again to FIG. 5, when the mouse coordinates are converted into integers in step S3, it is determined in next step S4 whether the read coordinates K match the coordinates MC of the input field designating icon 14. At the beginning of the input operation, since the mouse cursor 18 is aligned with the input field designating icon 14 for selecting the input field, it is determined that the read coordinates and the input field designating icon coordinates MC match, and the process proceeds to step S5. Then, the input field designation counter is incremented by one.

Subsequently, in S6, it is determined whether or not the value of the input field designation counter i is equal to or more than the number N of input fields shown in FIG. 4C, and if it is less than the number N of input fields, the process directly proceeds to step S8.
If the number of input fields is N or more, the last last input field Z (i)
Has been specified, the flow advances to step S7 to initialize the input field specification counter i to 1 so that the top field Z (1) can be specified, and the process advances to step S8.

In step S8, the coordinate Z (i) of the input coordinate table 38 designated by the input column designation counter i at that time is sent to the output buffer, and at the same time, a yellow display for designating the input column is displayed. Information is also sent, and the input field Z (i) designated in step S9 is displayed in yellow. On the other hand, if the input field is specified after the input field is specified,
Since the mouse click coordinate K in step S4 does not match the input field designation icon coordinate MC, step S1
The process proceeds to 0, and it is determined whether the input end icon coordinate ME matches or does not match.

At this time, if the mouse cursor is moved to the input item and the mouse is clicked, it does not match the input end icon coordinate ME either, and the process proceeds to step S11.
FIG. 4 designated by mouse click coordinates K at that time
The input item content V (K) of the input item icon coordinate M (K) of the input item specification table 34 of (a) is read and transferred to the output buffer.

Subsequently, in step S12, the input item content V specified in the input field Z (i) specified in step S9.
(K) is displayed and the input operation of the input item in the input field is completed. Of course, mouse cursor 1 on the end icon 15
If 8 is moved and clicked, it is determined in step S10 that the mouse coordinate K coincides with the input end icon coordinate ME, and the series of processes is terminated.

FIG. 7 is a screen explanatory view showing a concrete example of the item inputting method of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the area of the menu 16 is provided in the lower right corner of the display screen 25, and the numbers 0 to 9 in the center of the area of the menu 16 are input items.
A wide area is provided on the side of the input content creation unit 13. Below the input item 12, a clear icon 17, a line feed icon 19, an input field designation icon 14-1 for selecting an input field in the upward direction, an input field designation icon 14-2 for sequentially selecting the input field in the downward direction, and further. An end icon 15 is provided.

On the display screen 25 other than the menu area 16, a sentence corresponding to the title "Confirmation of development constraint" and nine input fields indicated by a frame in the sentence are displayed. Figure 7
The display screen 25 indicates the state in which the input field designated by the black line in the eighth line is designated by moving the mouse cursor 18 to the input field designation icon 14-2 of the menu 16 and clicking.

When the mouse cursor 18 is moved to the input item 12 in the designated state of the input field and one of the numbers 0 to 9 in the input item 12 is selected and the mouse is clicked,
The selected number is moved to the input content creation unit 13, and 0-60
You can make any value in seconds. When the input content is created in this way, when the mouse cursor 18 is moved to the input content creation section 13 and clicked, the content created in the input content creation section 13 is entered in the currently designated input box filled with black. It

FIG. 8 is a screen explanatory view showing another specific example of the present invention. In this embodiment, the menu 16 is displayed in the upper right corner of the display screen 25. Input items 12-1 to 12-6 are provided in the menu 16,
The names of the personnel involved in the project system are displayed as input contents. Below the input items 12-1 to 12-6, input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 are provided, and further, a cancel icon 17 and an end icon 15 are provided.

In the display screen 25 shown in FIG.
It shows a state in which the mouse cursor 18 is also clicked on the input field designation icon 14-2 to designate the input field of the project leader at the center of the screen. In this state, the mouse cursor 18 is used to input items 12-1 to 12-. If you move to any of 6 and click, the name of the designated personnel is entered in the entry field of the designated project leader.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a screen showing another specific example of the present invention, in which three input items 12 are included in the menu 16.
-1 to 12-3 are provided, and input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 and an end icon 15 are provided below them. The display screen 25 shown is the display screen 2
After designating the highlighted input field at the bottom of the table in 5, the mouse cursor 18 is moved to the input item 12-1 and clicked, and the content of the input item 12-1 "primary" is specified in the designated input field. Shows the state where is input.

FIG. 10 is a screen explanatory view showing another specific example of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the menu 16 provided in the lower right corner of the display screen 25, [input] [process] [output] is selected. Separated input items 12 are provided, and input field designation icons 14-1 and 14-2 and an end icon 15 are provided below them. In the display content indicated by the title “Process Design” on the display screen 25, each illustrated symbol constitutes an input field.

In the illustrated display screen 25,
Move the mouse cursor 18 to "Creation / Reorganization" in the center of [Process] after designating the input field highlighted by "A2" that is highlighted in black with the input field designating icon 14-1 or 14-2. It shows the state you tried to click. As is clear from the specific examples of FIGS. 8 to 10, the area of the menu 16 where the mouse cursor 18 is moved and clicked is much smaller than the input field displayed using the entire screen. It is limited to a part of the area, and the mouse cursor 18 can be moved only within this menu 16 to specify the input field and the input items to be input in the specified input field. Is small, and you can move the mouse 28 even in a narrow place such as on a desk.
The mouse cursor 18 can be moved within the position 6, and the mouse cursor can be easily moved to the desired icon and aligned in a short time.

The input field and menu 1 in the present invention
The forms of the input item and the input field designation icon in 6 are not limited to those in the above embodiment, but can be appropriately determined as necessary. In addition, an appropriate control icon can be provided in the menu 16 if necessary.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately specify an input field and an input item by looking at a display screen with a minimum of mouse operation.
The time required for input operation using a mouse is shortened, and it greatly contributes to the improvement of the man-machine interface of workstations and personal computers.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the principle of the present invention.

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

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen used in FIG.

4 is an explanatory diagram of various tables used in the input processing of FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing the input processing operation of FIG.

6 is an explanatory diagram of converting mouse coordinates into integers in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a screen explanatory view showing a specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a screen explanatory view showing another specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a screen showing another specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a screen showing another specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10-1 to 10-3: input field 12-1 to 12-3: input item 13: input content creation unit 14, 14-1, 14-2: input field designation icon 15: end icon 16: menu 17: clear Icon 19: Line feed icon 18: Mouse cursor 20: Input / output device 22: Processing device 24: Storage device 25: Display screen 26: Color display device 28: Mouse 30: Keyboard 32: Printer 34: Input item specification table 36: Input field Designated icon table 38: Input field coordinate table

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A one or a plurality of input fields (10-1 to 10-3) displayed on a display screen using a mouse,
Similarly, in the item input method of the display screen for selecting and displaying one or more input items (12-1 to 12-3) prepared on the display screen in the field, the input item (12- 1 to 12-3) and a menu (16) provided with input field designation icons (14-1, 14-2) for selectively designating the input fields (10-1 to 10-3)
Is displayed on the display screen, and the menu (16) is displayed first.
Move the mouse cursor (18) to the input field designation icon (14-1, 14-2) in the input field (10-1 to 1)
0-3) is selected, and then the mouse cursor (1
8) the input items (12-1 to 12-1 in the menu (16)
12-3) A method of inputting items on a display screen, characterized by moving to any one of 12-3) and performing an input operation. 2. The method for inputting items on a display screen according to claim 1, wherein the input field (1
0-1 to 10-3), the input field (10-2) selected when the selection operation is performed is color-changed or highlighted so as to be distinguishable from the background color. Item input method. 3. The method for inputting items on a display screen according to claim 1, wherein the input fields (10-1 to 10-3) are sequentially selected in a predetermined direction as the input field designation icons in the menu (16). A method for inputting items on a display screen, comprising: a first icon (14-1) for performing selection and a second icon (14-2) for sequentially selecting in the opposite direction. 4. The display screen item inputting method according to claim 1, wherein the input boxes (10-1 to 10-3) are sequentially arranged only in a predetermined direction as the input box designating icons in the menu (16). A method for inputting items on a display screen, comprising a single icon (14) for selecting and returning to the first column after reaching the last column. 5. The method for inputting items on a display screen according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the menu (1
6) An item input method for a display screen, characterized in that an end icon for instructing the end of the input operation is provided in 6).