JPH0743641B2 - Window display control method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a window control device, and more particularly to a window control for displaying a plurality of windows by switching the display order under the multi-window control for simultaneously displaying a plurality of windows on a screen such as a CRT display. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a window control device capable of simultaneously displaying a plurality of windows on the screen of a CRT display. This type of window control device creates windows corresponding to different jobs that are simultaneously processed in parallel by the processor, and displays a plurality of windows corresponding to these individual jobs on the screen at the same time. It becomes possible to monitor the status of job processing at the same time.

By the way, when some operation such as key input is performed on a plurality of windows on the screen of the CRT display, the current window control device operates only on the window displayed on the forefront of the screen, that is, the active window. To be able to do. Therefore, when an operation is performed on a window that is not currently displayed on the forefront of the screen, the display order of the windows must be changed so that the window is displayed on the foreground, and the screen must be changed. Conventionally, this screen switching operation has been performed using a mouse device. That is, when it is desired to switch the screen and change the active window, it is necessary to move the mouse cursor to the window that should be the active window and press the mouse button. Such a conventional technique is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-77977.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional window control device, the mouse device is used for switching the screen. However, the operator uses the mouse device less frequently than the keyboard. For example, in the processing of business such as issuance of slips, most of the operations are performed by operating keys on the keyboard. For this reason, it is very inconvenient for the operator to operate the mouse device each time the operator takes his or her hand out of the keyboard only for switching screens, which impairs operability and work efficiency, and affects the throughput of the processor. There was a problem of affecting. An object of the present invention is to easily switch window screens without impairing operability and operation efficiency.

[0005]

The means of the present invention are as follows. A method for changing a window display order in a device for displaying a plurality of windows whose display positions are individually determined in a display form in which the windows are superposed in accordance with the display order determined for each window. Is provided with an instruction means for instructing to sequentially update in the order according to the display order, and when the instruction operation by the instruction means is performed, the display order of the window of the second or lower display order at that time Are displayed one by one, and at that time, the display rank of the window with the first display rank is updated to the lowest rank, and the overlapping display form of each window is changed and displayed. , When the instruction operation is performed again by the instruction means, at that time,
The display order of windows with the second or lower display order is 1 each
It is updated so that the display rank of the window with the first display rank becomes the lowest at that time, and the overlapping display form of each window is changed and displayed. The change of the overlapping display form of the windows is controlled by updating each time the instruction operation by the instructing means is performed, based on the display order of the windows when the operation is performed. To do.

[0006]

The operation of the means of the present invention is as follows. When an instruction operation is performed by the instruction means for instructing to sequentially update the display order of each window in the order according to the display order, the display order of the windows having the second or lower display order at that time is respectively. The display order is changed so that the display order of the window with the first display order becomes the lowest at the time, and the overlapping display form of each window is changed and displayed. When the instruction operation is performed again by the instruction means, at that time, the display order of the windows having the second or lower display order is increased by one, respectively, and at that time, the first display order is displayed. The display order of each window is updated to the lowest rank, the overlapping display form of each window is changed and displayed, and the change of the overlapping display form of each window is changed by the instruction means. Every time the operation is performed is controlled by sequentially updated based on the display order of each window when the operation. Therefore, the overlapping display form of a plurality of windows displayed on the display screen can be sequentially changed in the order according to the display order of each window,
Furthermore, this change can be made easily and in order simply by repeatedly performing an instruction operation by the same instruction means.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a window control device according to an embodiment. In the figure, a read only memory (ROM) 11, a keyboard 1, a CRT buffer 13 and an arbitrary access memory (RAM) 15 are connected to a microprocessor 10 via a bus (not shown). A control program for controlling the microprocessor 10 is stored in the ROM 11. Keyboard 1
The screen switching key 16 and the shift key 17 are provided, and the windows displayed on the screen of the CRT display 2 can be switched by these keys. CRT
The buffer 13 stores control data and display data for displaying windows and the like on the screen of the CRT display 2. The CRT display 2 is a display device connected to the CRT buffer 13 and capable of displaying a plurality of windows corresponding to each job on the screen according to the contents of the CRT buffer 13. The RAM 15 is allocated with a window buffer area for storing window information of a plurality of generated windows, a work area for temporarily storing a processing result of the processor 10, a system area used for controlling the processor 10, and the like. ing. Although not shown, the window buffer area stores window information such as the address of the CRT display 2, the address of display data, and the size of the window.

The screen switching key 16 of the keyboard 1 is a key for switching the active window displayed on the screen of the CRT display 2 in the forward direction by pressing it alone. The shift key 17 of the keyboard 1 is used in combination with the screen switching key 16, and the screen switching key 16
This is a key for switching the active window displayed on the screen of the CRT display 2 in the opposite direction by pressing and simultaneously. Here, the active window is a window displayed on the foreground of the screen as described above, and means a window that can be directly operated by a key input (not shown) from the keyboard 1. Also, FIG.
As shown in, switching to the forward direction means that the window W1 is currently displayed on the screen of the CRT display 2, the windows W2, W3, W4 are displayed next, and the window Wn is displayed on the rear surface. (I.e., the window W1 has the highest priority determined by the order in which the windows are generated, and then W2, W3, W4
Continuation window Wn is the lowest), the window W2 displayed next to the foremost window W1 is displayed on the foreground, and the window W1 is displayed on the last screen (at this time, the priority order). Is window W
2 is the highest, followed by W3, W4 and the following window W
1 is the lowest). On the other hand, switching in the opposite direction means switching the rearmost window Wn to the foreground and the window W1 to be displayed after the window Wn (at this time, the priority of the window Wn is 1). The highest, followed by W1, W2, W3, ...
, Followed by Wn-1).

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the four windows W1, W2, W3, and W4 are generated in this order on the screen.
When two windows W1, W2, W3, W4 are displayed and the window W1 is displayed in the foreground and is the active window, if the screen switching key 16 is pressed alone from the keyboard 1, as shown in FIG. The window W2 displayed next to the window W1 is displayed in the foreground, this becomes the active window, and the window W1 displayed in the foreground until now is displayed in the rearmost surface. Also, in the state as shown in FIG. 4,
When the screen switching key 16 and the shift key 17 are simultaneously pressed from the keyboard 1, the window W4 which has been displayed on the rearmost surface until now is displayed on the frontmost surface as shown in FIG.
Will be displayed next to the window W4.

FIG. 6 shows the link structure of each window buffer in the window buffer area created in the RAM 15. As shown in FIG. 3, four windows W1
, W2, W3, W4 are displayed on the screen, the window buffers WB1, WB2, WB3, W corresponding to these windows are stored in the window buffer area.
B4 is provided respectively. Each of these window buffers is a management table WTB of the window buffer area.
It is managed by L, the start buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL stores the start address of the window buffer of the window displayed in the foreground of the screen, that is, the active window, and the last buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL stores the screen. The start address of the window buffer of the window displayed on the last side of is stored. Window buffer WB1
, WB2, WB3, WB4 have buffer pointers NBP1, NBP2, NB pointing to the start address of the window buffer of the next window.
Areas P3 and NBP4 are provided respectively, and window information Wi of each window is provided after these areas.
Areas for storing NF1, WiNF2, WiNF3, and WiNF4 are provided respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the window W1 is displayed in the foreground, then the windows W2, W3 are displayed, and the window W4 is displayed in the last surface, the top buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL is displayed.
Points to the start address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1, and the final buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL points to the start address of the window buffer WB4 of the window W4. Further windows W1, W2, W3, W
4 window buffers WB1, WB2, WB3,
The link relationship between WB4 is the window buffer WB1.
Buffer pointer NBP1 stores the start address of the window buffer WB2 of W2 which is the next window, and the buffer pointer NBP2 of window buffer WB2 stores the start address of the window buffer WB3 of W3 which is the next window, and window buffer WB3 Buffer pointer NBP3 stores the start address of the window buffer WB4 of the next window W4, and the buffer pointer NBP4 of the window buffer WB4 stores a code NULL indicating that there is no next window, so that the buffer pointers NBP1 and NBP2 are stored. , NBP3 are window buffers WB2, WB3, WB of the next window, respectively.
It is achieved by making 4 point.

When the screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed, the screen switching key 16 of the keyboard 1 is depressed to change the state shown in FIG.
In order to display the windows W3 and W4 and to display the window W1 on the rearmost surface as shown in FIG. 7, the link relationship between the window buffer area management table of the RAM 15 and the window buffers WB1, WB2, WB3 and WB4 is shown in FIG. Must be as shown in. That is, the head buffer pointer W of the management table WTBL
The FRP and the last buffer pointer WLTP point to the start address of the window buffer WB2 of the window W2 and the start address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1, respectively, and the window buffer WB2
, WB3, WB4 buffer pointers NBP2,
NBP3 and NBP4 are made to point to the start addresses of the window buffers WB3, WB4 and WB1 of the next window, respectively, and the window buffer WB1
The code NULL must be stored in the buffer pointer NBP1 of the.

When the screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed, the screen switching key 16 and the shift key 17 of the keyboard 1 are simultaneously pressed to display the window W4 on the foreground as shown in FIG. , Then windows W1, W
2 is displayed and the window W1 is displayed on the rearmost surface, the management table of the window buffer area of the RAM 15 and the window buffers WB1, WB2, WB are displayed.
The link relationship between 3 and WB4 must be as shown in FIG. That is, the first buffer pointer WFRP and the last buffer pointer W of the management table WTBL
The LTP points to the start address of the window buffer WB4 of the window W4 and the start address of the window buffer WB3 of the window W3, and the buffer pointers NBP4, NBP1 and NBP2 of the window buffers WB4, WB1 and WB2 respectively indicate the next window. Window buffers WB1, W
The buffer pointer N of the window buffer WB3 is set so as to point to the start addresses of B2 and WB3.
The code NULL must be stored in BP3.

The operation of the window control device having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

Now, when the screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the CRT display 2, that is, the window W1 is displayed in the foreground, and then the windows W2, W3.
Is displayed and the window W4 is displayed on the rear surface, the screen switching key 16 is pressed from the keyboard 1, or the screen switching key 16 and the shift key 17 are simultaneously pressed. At this time, a signal indicating that the key has been pressed is notified to the processor 10 via a bus (not shown), and when the processor 10 receives this interrupt signal from the keyboard 1, the processor 10 performs processing for the pressed key. A key processing routine shown in 9 is executed.

In the processing routine shown in FIG. 9, in order to determine the type of the key pressed from the keyboard 1, it is determined whether the pressed key is the screen switching key (step S).
T1). If the pressed key is not the screen switching key 16, it does not relate to the window forward or backward switching process, and therefore the process branches to another process routine, that is, step ST2 of another process. When the pressed key is the screen switching key 16, it is determined whether or not the shift key 17 is simultaneously pressed in order to determine whether the process is the forward switching process or the backward switching process of the window (step ST3). ). Shift key 17
When is not pressed, the process proceeds to the forward direction switching process as shown in FIG. 10 to perform the window forward direction switching process (step ST4). On the other hand, when the shift key 17 is pressed, the process proceeds to the reverse direction switching process as shown in FIG. 11 in order to perform the reverse direction switching process of the window (step ST5).

In the forward switching process shown in FIG. 10, for example, the window W1 is displayed in the foreground as shown in FIG.
Next, the windows W2 and W3 are displayed and the window W4 is displayed on the rearmost surface, as shown in FIG. 4, the window W2 is displayed on the frontmost surface, and then the windows W3 and W4 are displayed on the rearmost surface. The screen is switched so that the window W1 displayed on the foreground is displayed.

In order to display the window currently displayed on the foreground after the window currently displayed on the last surface, first, a buffer pointer (currently the code NULL is stored in the window buffer of the window currently on the last surface). The contents of the head buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL are transferred (step ST).
7). Since the head buffer pointer WFRP stores the head address of the window buffer of the window that has been displayed in the foreground, the buffer pointer in the window buffer of the window that is currently in the back surface is currently displayed in the foreground. Stores the start address of the window buffer of the current window.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the window W1 is stored in the buffer pointer NBP4 (see FIG. 6) of the window buffer WB4 of the window W4 currently on the last side.
The leading address of the window buffer WB1 is stored, and the leading address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1 currently in the foreground is pointed to as indicated by STL7 in FIG.

Then, in order to change the content of the last buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL from the window buffer start address of the window currently on the last side to the start address of the window buffer of the window which will become the last side window, the management table WTBL Paying attention to the fact that the window buffer top address of the window which should become the window on the last side is stored in the top buffer pointer WFRP, the contents of the top buffer pointer WFRP are changed to the final buffer pointer WLTP.
(Step ST8).

On the side shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the starting address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1 which is the final window is stored in the final buffer pointer WLTP, and as shown by STL8 in FIG. Point to the start address of the window buffer WB1.

Next, in order that the top buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL points to the window buffer top address of the window which should be the frontmost window this time, the buffer point of the window currently displayed on the top is set. Paying attention to the fact that the window buffer start address of the window to be the foreground is pointed to next time, the contents of the buffer pointer of the window buffer currently pointed to by the start buffer pointer WFRP are transferred to the start buffer pointer WFRP (step ST9). ). At the same time as the above processing, in step ST9, a code NULL indicating that there is no window to be linked next is stored in the buffer pointer of the window buffer that should be the last window, that is, the window on the foreground.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the start address of the window buffer WB2 of the window W2 which is the frontmost window is stored in the top buffer pointer WFRP, and at the same time, the window of the current frontmost window W1 is stored. The code NULL is stored in the buffer pointer NBP1 of the buffer WB1, and STL9 is stored in FIG.
As shown by, the head buffer pointer WFRP points to the head address of the window buffer WB2 of the window W2, and the window buffer W of the window W1
Make sure that the buffer pointer NBP1 of B1 does not point to any of the following windows.

This completes the creation of the window buffer area in the RAM 15 for displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 4 on the CRT display 2, and the step ST6 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 for displaying the screen on the CRT display 2. Proceed to.

On the other hand, in the reverse switching process shown in FIG.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the window W1 is displayed in the foreground, then the windows W2, W3 are displayed, and the window in which the window W4 is displayed on the last surface is displayed on the last surface as shown in FIG. The window W4 previously displayed is displayed in the foreground, and then the windows W1 and W4 are displayed.
2 is displayed, and the screen is switched so that the window W3 is displayed on the rearmost surface.

In order to display the window currently displayed on the foreground after the window currently displayed on the last screen, in the same way as step ST7 of the forward switching process described above, first, the window of the current last screen is displayed. Buffer pointer in the window buffer of
The contents of the head buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL are transferred to (where the ULL is stored) (step ST10).

As a result, in the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the start address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1 is stored in the buffer pointer NBP4 (see FIG. 6) of the window buffer WB4 of the window W4 currently on the rearmost surface, and FIG. Then, as indicated by STL10, the head address of the window buffer WB1 of the window W1 currently in the forefront is pointed.

Next, in order to change the contents of the top buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL from the window buffer top address of the currently foreground window to the window buffer top address of the window which should become the foreground window now, Paying attention to the fact that the buffer buffer WLTP stores the window buffer start address of the window that should be the frontmost window this time, the final buffer pointer WLTP
Is transferred to the head buffer pointer WFRP (step ST11).

In the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the start address of the window buffer WB4 of the window W4 to be the foreground is stored in the start buffer pointer WFRP, and as shown by STL11 in FIG. 8, the start buffer pointer WFRP. Point to the start address of the window buffer WB4.

Next, in order to make the last buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL point to the window buffer start address of the window which should be the last side, the window buffer of the window of the last side that has been displayed so far has been pointed to. The window buffer is sequentially searched and detected from the top buffer pointer WFRP (step ST12). In step ST12, following the above processing, the code NULL indicating that there is no window to be linked next is stored in the window buffer pointer of the window to be the last surface, and the last is stored in the last buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL. Stores the start address of the window buffer of the window to be the surface.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the code NUL is set in the buffer pointer NBP3 of the window buffer WB3 of the window W3 which is the window on the rearmost side.
At the same time that L is stored, the window buffer WB3 is stored in the final buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL.
, The final buffer pointer WLTP points to the start address of the window buffer WB3 of the window W3, and the buffer pointer N of the window buffer WB3, as shown by STL12 in FIG.
Make sure that BP3 does not point to any of the following windows.

This completes the creation of the window buffer area in the RAM 15 for displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 5 on the CRT display 2, and the step ST6 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 for displaying the screen on the CRT display 2. Proceed to.

After assembling a link structure for performing forward or reverse switching processing in the window buffer area in the RAM 15 and further storing window information such as CRT display address, display data address, window size, etc., Based on these link structures and window information, the processor 10 sequentially displays windows on the screen of the CRT display 2 from the last window pointed by the last buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL to the foremost window. So-called screen redisplay processing is performed (step ST
6).

More specifically, this screen re-display processing is performed by using the window information of the window buffer of the window of the last surface pointed by the final buffer pointer WLTP of the management table WTBL via the bus to the CRT buffer 13.
First, it is converted into appropriate control data and display data and then stored. Next, in order to transfer the window information of the window immediately before the last-side window to the CRT buffer 13, the window buffers pointing to the last-side window buffer are sequentially searched from the top buffer pointer WFRP of the management table WTBL. And ask. When a window buffer pointing to the window buffer on the last side is detected, the window information of the window immediately before the last side is stored in this window buffer, and this is transferred to the CRT buffer 13.
When the above procedure is sequentially repeated and the window information of the foremost window buffer pointed to by the head buffer pointer WFRP is completely transferred to the CRT buffer 13,
All windows are ready to be displayed on the screen of the CRT display 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, the window W1 or W3 on the rearmost surface switched to the forward or reverse direction is first displayed on the screen, and the previous window W4 or W2 is displayed thereon. Then window W3 or W1 is displayed,
Finally, the foreground window, that is, the active window W2 or W1 is displayed, and the new active window can be operated by key input from the keyboard 1.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the window adjacent to the current active window is switched to the forward or reverse direction to form a new active window. However, the window W1 shown in FIG. When it is desired to switch the window W3 to the active window when the window is the active window, the screen switching key 16 is pressed alone to first display the window W2 as the active window, and then the screen switching key 16 is pressed alone. The window W3 may be displayed as an active window, or in the state of FIG. 4, the screen switching key 16 and the shift key 17 are simultaneously pressed to display the window W4 as an active window, and then the screen switching key 16 and the shift key. Press 17 and at the same time to open window W It may be displayed as the active window.

[0036]

According to the present invention, the overlapping display form of a plurality of windows displayed on the display screen can be sequentially changed in the order according to the display order of each window. By simply performing the pointing operation by the same pointing means, it is possible to change the order easily and in order. In particular, the ability to change the overlapping display form of each window in the order according to the display order of each window as described above means that the display of each window can be performed while maintaining the order relation between the windows constant. This means that the order can be changed, which is particularly effective when it is desired not to break the initial order relationship between the windows. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to sequentially switch and display each of the plurality of windows displayed in the overlapping display form in the order of the overlapping display form, that is, in the display order, the first window is displayed. Each window can be sequentially switched to the first-ranked window in the order of the overlapping display form by simply repeating the instruction operation by the instruction means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system structure diagram of an embodiment of a window control device.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a forward or backward switching order of active windows.

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a display state of a window screen.

[Figure 6]

[Figure 7]

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a link relationship between window buffers of windows.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a key processing routine.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a forward screen switching processing routine.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a reverse screen switching processing routine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Keyboard 10 ... Microprocessor 11 ... ROM 12 ... CRT display 15 ... RAM 16 ... Screen switching key 17 ... Shift key

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of windows whose display positions are individually determined.
The dough is displayed according to the display order determined for each window.
In a device that displays as a superposed display form.
A window display order of how to change, above each window
The display order of is updated in order according to the display order.
The above-mentioned instructing means is provided.
When the instruction operation is performed, the second rank and below are displayed at that time.
The display rank of the rank window will increase by one.
And at that point in the window with the first display rank
Update so that the display order is the lowest, and
Displayed by changing the display mode superposition of the dough, the instruction
When the instruction operation is performed again by means,
So, the display order of the windows with the second or lower display order is
Each one should go up one by one, and at that time, the table of the first place
Change the display order of the display order window to the lowest
Newly, change the overlay display form of each window
To the display, the display mode superposition in each of the aforementioned window
Change every time the instruction operation by the above-mentioned instruction means is performed,
Based on the display order of each window when it is operated
The feature is that it is controlled by sequentially updating
The method of controlling the window display.