JPH0734181B2 - Calculator with guide function - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a computer for error processing such as a user input error.
The present invention relates to a computer with a guide function for displaying an error message and performing input guidance by using user's input history information for exception processing.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

In the computer system, the same guide message and error message (collectively referred to as message) for the input error and the exception handling are displayed on the display unit for any user of the system, and the same operation is performed. . However, there are individual differences among users, and the message required for beginners and the message required for experienced users are essentially different. It is also preferable that the message at the time when the same error is made several times is naturally different from the message at the time when the same error is made for the first time. Because repeating the same error means that the user doesn't know about the function or misunderstandings.
Therefore, more detailed explanations and guide functions are required.

However, in the conventional computer, error processing and exception processing were incorporated in the utility function such as an editor, and a message was output depending on the system situation and circumstances. Therefore, even if the user repeated the same error, the message from the computer was often not understood. Eventually, users will make mistakes and stop using it, look at the manual, or learn from other familiar users.

As described above, there is a drawback in that the efficiency of the user is reduced because an appropriate message cover page and guide cannot be provided for each user having various individual differences and different proficiency levels.

[Object of the Invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide an appropriate message to a user by utilizing the input history information of the user when displaying an error message and a guide, and to provide a computer having an excellent user interface.

[Outline of Invention]

The present invention stores and saves a user's input history in a computer, and when a user makes an input error or an exception process, a message is not displayed only by the state of the system as in the past, but is used. While considering the input history of the person
It is possible to create a computer with a guide function that displays a message suitable for it. That is, input error,
In the past, when the utility detected the exception processing, the message was simply selected and displayed from the error table or the like, but in the present invention, this triggers the pattern in the related input history in the input history. Find out. By these several patterns, the background when the user inputs,
Contains information about usage status. This allows the user to display more appropriate information than before.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, the content of a message can be changed for a user who has repeatedly made the same error by tracing the input history information of the user at the time of input error / exception processing. . Therefore, since an appropriate message can be displayed according to the user's situation, the operability for the user can be improved. Also, the user can naturally learn the function.

Example of Invention

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

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a keyboard having character keys and function keys, or an input device such as a mouse or a light pen. Reference numeral 2 is a display device such as a CRT that displays an input character string, a guide message when performing a use function, an error message, and the like. Here, the function to be used means an editor, electronic mail, form processing, etc. performed by the computer.

An external storage device 3 stores programs, data, user input history matching rules, messages and filters for commands (which will be described later),
Reference numeral 4 is an internal storage device for temporarily storing the contents stored in the external storage device 3 and processing them, and reference numeral 5 is a control device for controlling them.

FIG. 2 shows files necessary for the present invention in the external storage device. 6 is an input history file for collecting and holding the input history of each user, 7 is a matching rule file for pattern matching each feature in the input history and applying a corresponding rule, 8 is a rule A message file in which each output message is collected, and 9 is a command file that describes the processing performed by applying the rules. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control device. Reference numeral 10 is a personal controller that controls the user interface, and 11 is a utility unit for each function such as an editor, electronic mail, and form processing.

FIG. 4 is a response message sent from the utilization function utility section to the personal controller. Where 12
Is a response message at the normal time (S).

13 is the error number at the time of error or exception processing (E),
It is a response message such as an exception processing number.

Reference numeral 14 is a response message at the time of termination and interruption (F).

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of processing of the personal controller of the control device. FIG. 6 shows an example of the contents of each file. Here, (a) is an example of the contents of the input history file.
Here, (b) is an example of a matching rule, which is an example of an input history for a line editor called ed.
(C) is an example of a message output from the display device,
(D) is a command and a command example.

The flow of processing in the personal controller of the control device will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, when the user inputs a user code (user number, password, etc.) for identifying the user from the input device 1 in FIG. 1 (step 15 in FIG. 5), the personal controller of the control device corresponds to this user code. The input history file to be opened is opened and the input history is collected (step 16 in FIG. 5). Here, the input history file is held for each user.

Each time the user inputs data from the input device (step 17 in FIG. 5), the personal controller reads it, temporarily stores it in the internal memory (4), and copies this input to the user's input history file (No. Step 1 in Figure 5
8). After this, use the input function utility section (Fig. 3
1)) (step 19 in FIG. 5). The usage function utility unit controls processing utilities such as an editor, electronic mail, and form processing according to a user's request. The utilization function utility unit returns the message of FIG. 2 to the personal controller after performing necessary processing on this input. When the processing is normally performed by the input, the flag (S) indicating the normality in FIG. 4 and the response message are returned. When an error or exception occurs due to input, a flag (E) indicating the occurrence of error (exception) in FIG. 4 and the error number are returned. If the input terminates or suspends the function, a flag (F) is returned.

The personal controller can be
It is monitored whether these responses are received (steps 20 and 21 in FIG. 5). When the response message does not come from the function utility part, after checking the existence of the response message again after entering the wait state. When a response message comes, the flag of the response message is normal (S) or incorrect (E)
Or the end (interruption) (F) (Fig. 5, step 2)
2). In the case of normal (S), a response message is output to the display device. If there is no response message, it is regarded as output. Then, the next input is read from the input device (FIG. 1).

When the personal controller receives the exception response (FIG. 13 in FIG. 4) from the utilization function utility section (error (E)), it knows the error number (exception processing number). This triggers each rule in the matching rule file in FIG. 2 to be compared with the history pattern in the input history file (step 26 in FIG. 5). This collating method will be described with reference to FIG. For example, in the case of an editor called ed, an example of the input history of the user is shown in FIG. 6 (a). On the right side, an explanation of the input command and whether the response from the utilization function utility section to it is normal (S), error (E), or end (interrupt) (F) are shown.

Where the user finally Consider a case where a command input error (E) is returned from the utilization function utility section at the time of inputting a carriage return). The error number is 1 here. The personal controller first identifies the error number. Then, the condition pattern corresponding to the history pattern of the input history file is found from the condition item of the rule of the matching file (step 26 in FIG. 5). The rules in the matching file are shown in FIG. 6 (b). Rules are generally expressed in the form of if [conditional pattern] then [applied message, applied command]. Here, the application message and application command of the rule whose input history pattern matches the condition pattern are executed. Here, there are cases where two or more rules can be applied by searching the matching file, but that case may be applied, or the one with the largest weight, which is appropriately weighted, may be applied. The last one may be applied, or the last one may be applied sequentially and the user may be judged.

In the matching rule of (b), P _N indicates the current (last) input of the input history file. Therefore, P _N ≠ q indicates that the last input is not equal to q. P _N-1 ≠ q
Means that the previous input is not equal to q. Similarly, P _N-2 ≠ q means that the input two before the present is not equal to q. Error number = 1 indicates that the error number is equal to 1. P _{N-2 to} P _N = 1 character indicates that the input before the current one, the input before the current one, and the current input are all [one character] input.

In the condition pattern, applied pattern, and applied command, ∧ and ∨ indicate AND and OR of the condition, respectively.

“That is, A∧B is equivalent to A AND B (A and B) and A∨B is equivalent to A OR B (A or B).” In the example of the input history file in (a) of FIG. It matches the condition pattern of the matching rule of b). Then, the applied message number (message a, message b, message c in the example) and applied command number (Prog 1 in the example) given by the condition pattern are obtained. The message corresponding to the applied message number given there is taken out from the message file (FIG. 2) and output to the display device (step 27 in FIG. 5).

Therefore, three messages corresponding to the message (a), the message (b), and the message (c) in FIG. 6C are output to the display device.

Next, the command corresponding to the applied command number is taken out from the command file (FIG. 2) and sent to the utilization function utility section for execution (step 28 in FIG. 5). After this is finished, the next input is read from the input device (FIG. 1).

When the flag of the response message is end (interruption) (F), the input history collection ends (step 25 in FIG. 5). After that, the personal controller performs the ending operation (step 29 in FIG. 5). In this way, a series of processes and operations are performed.

As described above, an appropriate message can be given to the user by utilizing the input history of the user when displaying the error message and the guide. Therefore, the number of mistaken operations is extremely reduced, and the operability is improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in FIG. 5, even if the flag of the response message file is normal, it is possible to search the applicable rule in the input history file and the matching file and display the guide message in addition to the response message. is there.
In the above embodiment, the input history is searched for the input file and the matching file when the response message is returned to the utilization function utility section. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the input information is changed without changing the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to search the matching file and the input history file before sending them to the functional utility section, search for applicable rules, and actually apply and execute those rules to perform pre-detection of errors.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of files necessary for the present invention in an external storage device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control device, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a response message sent from the utilization function utility unit to the personal controller, FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of the present invention (this shows a process flow in the personal controller of the control device), and FIG. 6 is the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of contents of an input history file used to explain the example of a matching rule, an example of a message, and an example of a command. 1 ... input device, 2 ... display device, 3 ... external storage device, 4 ... internal storage device, 5 ... control device, 6 ... input history file, 7 ... matching rule file, 8 ...
Message file, 9 ... Command file, 10 ...
Personal controller, 11 ... Utilization function utility section, 12-14 ... Response message of utilization function utility section, 15-19 ... Explanation of each step of the processing flow of the present invention.

Front page continued (72) Inventor Ken Aikawa 1 Komukai Toshiba-cho, Sachi-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Inside Toshiba Research Institute, Inc. (56) References JP 59-62955 (JP, A) JP 60- 179806 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Input means for inputting a user code and information, input history storage means for storing a history of input information for each user code, characteristic pattern of history of input information and this characteristic pattern. A matching rule storing means for storing a message corresponding to the above, and a history of the input information corresponding to the user code input from the input means is written in the input history storing means, and the use function is processed according to the input information. A control means and an output means for outputting a processing result by the control means are provided, and the control means responds to the user code in the input history storage means when an error or exception processing occurs due to the processing of the utilization function. The characteristic pattern matching the history of the input information stored in the matching rule storage means is searched, and the message corresponding to the characteristic pattern is searched. Guide function calculator for causing the over-di outputted from said output means.