JPH09134305A - Method for displaying hyper-media document configuration list - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily grasp document structure much more by optionally arranging plural referring destination pages in plural output areas which are secured in the neighborhood of the page in a list-displayed hyper-media document to display it. SOLUTION: When a list display generating part 202 requests information required for generating a list display based on an input from an input condition control part 201, a hyper-media document control part 203 obtains information requested from a hyper-media document storage part 220 or a list display generating part 202. The list display generating part 202 generates list display information based on information given from the hyper-media document control part 203 and a display control part 205 displays it in a display part. Here, when a certain page in the hyper-media document is arranged in list display, the outputs areas of the plural referring destination pages which are referring possible from the page are secured in the neighborhood of the page the plural referring destination pages are optionally arranged within the areas so as to execute display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hypermedia for graphically displaying a list of hypermedia documents, particularly a relation between pages, which is made up of a plurality of pages and is constituted by associating each page with a pointer. Regarding a method for displaying a document structure list.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various components such as text, graphics, images, etc. are laid out in a specific window called a page on a computer, and the components on the page are associated with another page so that they are different from each other. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a system for handling a hypermedia document that enables reference to a hypermedia document, a so-called hypermedia system.

Conventionally, as a hypermedia system for handling such a hypermedia document, the document "HyperTex" has been used.
t: An Introduction and Survey (IEEE Computer, 19
85-9) ”, and recently World-W.
ide Web (Reference “Mosaic and the World-Wide Web (IEE
E Computer, 1994-10) ”, distributed across many networks and distributed over many computers,
Systems for handling a large amount of hypermedia documents are becoming popular.

As the amount of hypermedia documents increases, it becomes difficult to grasp the overall structure, and it becomes difficult to find the page desired by the user from the hypermedia documents.

Therefore, it is necessary to graphically display the entire structure of the hypermedia document. It should be noted that the hypermedia document is a document composed of a plurality of pages and configured by associating each page with a pointer. Therefore, the constituent elements arranged on the page are not limited to various constituent elements such as text, graphics, and images as described above, but may be only text, for example.

When the size of the hypermedia document is small, it is possible to diagram the entire structure manually. However, with the increase in capacity of hypermedia documents,
It has become difficult to diagram the entire structure by human hands. This is true both in terms of work volume and in terms of maintaining actual document structure and consistency.

Therefore, it is necessary to have a mechanism to automatically diagram the entire structure of the hypermedia document by a computer.

Conventionally, in order to automatically diagram the entire structure of this hypermedia document, conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 33, each page is arranged in a tree structure, and the reference relationship between them is indicated by an arrow. Was taken.

However, in such a conventional method, since all reference relationships are displayed by arrows, many line segments intersect each other on the list display, which makes it difficult to intuitively grasp the configuration. There was a problem.

Further, the conventional method has a problem that it requires a large display area in order to display all the reference relationships with arrows and is not suitable for displaying a list of relatively large hypermedia documents. Further, since all the reference relations of the hypermedia document are handled the same, it is difficult to grasp the details of the document structure, and the display becomes redundant, so that there is a problem that a larger display area is required.

On the other hand, displaying a list of hypermedia documents is subject to physical restrictions such as the area of the display. Therefore, it is required that many document structures can be easily displayed in a limited display area. .

[0012]

As described above, the conventional method for automatically schematizing the overall structure of a hypermedia document is mainly to arrange each page in a tree structure,
Since the reference relationship between them is indicated by an arrow, it is difficult to intuitively grasp the configuration and there is a problem that a large display area is required. This problem was more remarkable as the volume of hypermedia documents increased. Needless to say, it is inevitable that a larger display area is required as the volume of hypermedia documents increases, but it has been demanded that the document structure can be viewed with the smallest display area possible. .

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between pages (especially, a hypermedia having a directional reference relationship between pages). It is to provide a hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of documents in a limited display area so that more document structures can be easily grasped.

[0014]

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a first aspect of the present invention relates to a method of displaying a certain page in a hypermedia document in the vicinity of the page when the page is arranged on the list display. A reference destination page output area for arranging a plurality of reference destination pages that can be referenced from a page is secured, and the plurality of reference destination pages are arranged vertically and horizontally in the area and displayed.

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a method for displaying a certain page (first page) to another page (second page) in a hypermedia document.
When the second page makes a dereference to a page on the route that has been currently followed, the route of the route to the second page is displayed on the list display. It is characterized in that a symbol expressing a reverse reference is added.

The hypermedia document structure list display method according to the third aspect of the present invention has a plurality of reference pages that can be referenced from a certain page in the hypermedia document.
When a reference relationship also exists between at least two reference pages of the plurality of reference pages, the reference relationship between the reference pages on the list display is different from other reference relationships. It is characterized in that a display form is applied.

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for displaying a list when a reference page whose physical or logical location satisfies a predetermined condition exists in a hypermedia document. In the display,
It is characterized in that a display mode different from other reference relationships and reference destination pages is applied to the display of the reference relationship and the reference destination page on the reference source page of the reference destination page.

In the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, reference is made from a certain page to a page whose physical or logical location satisfies a predetermined condition in the hypermedia document. If there are existing pages and the number of pages to be referenced exceeds the reference value, a specific symbol is added to the certain page on the list display, and the reference relationship is displayed differently from other reference relationships. It is characterized by applying a form.

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the first aspect, wherein the reference relation between pages of the hypermedia document is in a plurality of layers. In the case of straddling, a reference destination page output area is secured for each page of the focused layer, and a group of pages traceable from the page is collectively arranged and displayed in the area.

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the sixth aspect, wherein Within the reference destination page output area for arranging the reference destination page group that can be referenced from the pages of a certain layer, the reference destination page output area for arranging the reference destination page group that can be referenced from the page of a certain layer It is characterized by securing in.

In the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when the target page of the display position determination in the hypermedia document is referred to by a plurality of other pages in the document, the target page is displayed. Based on the method of referencing the target page in the referencing page and the degree of close proximity of the target page and the referencing page, the most relevant referencing page is determined, and according to the result of the determination It is characterized in that the display position of the target page is determined.

A hypermedia document structure list display method according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a reference expression form described on a certain page of a referred page group that can be referred to from a certain page in the hypermedia document. It is characterized in that the display forms of the reference page groups are distinguished on a group basis on the list display. Here, as an example of the method of grouping, for each of the referenced pages, it is sequentially checked whether the referencing method from a certain page has changed, and when the referencing page with the changed reference method is detected, a new group is created. The method of using the reference page at the head of is applicable.

In the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the hypermedia document has a hierarchical structure having a plurality of series, a different display form for each series on the list display (for example, for each series). Color or shade) is applied.

In the hypermedia document structure list display method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, when the reference relationship between pages of a hypermedia document spans a plurality of layers, the hierarchy is divided into a certain number of layers in the depth direction. For each top page of the division hierarchy, set a division list page in which that page and the group of pages that can be traced as the root page in the division hierarchy are placed, and the list is divided by pages. It is characterized by displaying.

According to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the first aspect, a plurality of reference pages that can be referenced from a certain page are displayed on the document structure list display.
Since it is displayed vertically and horizontally in the reference page output area secured near that page, the amount of redundant relations displayed can be reduced, and the display area can be saved. The more effective the arrangement, the more effective it is), and the relations forming the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document can be distinguished from other relations, and the structure of the hypermedia document can be easily grasped.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the second aspect, it is possible to trace the reference relationship from a certain first page to another certain second page. When the second page dereferences a page on the route currently followed, a symbol (icon) representing the dereference of the route is added to the second page on the list display. Therefore, in the hypermedia document, it is not necessary to explicitly indicate the dereference relation, which is an auxiliary structure, by using an arrow, etc., and the list display is organized, and the dereference relation is related to other relations. It becomes possible to distinguish and display, and the structure of the hypermedia document can be easily grasped.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the third aspect, there are a plurality of reference destination pages that can be referred to from a certain page, and at least two of the plurality of reference destination pages are referred to. If a reference relationship also exists between the referenced pages, the display of the reference relationship between the referenced pages on the list display is different from that of other reference relationships (for example, an arrow connecting both pages). Since the display form (such as changing the length or width of a document, etc.) is applied, in the hypermedia document, the relation that joins the front and back of the related document that is a supplementary structure It becomes possible to display the contents in a concise manner by distinguishing them from each other, the display is organized, and the structure of the hypermedia document can be easily grasped.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the fourth aspect, when the physical or logical location of the page to be referred to satisfies a predetermined condition, for example, on the network, In the case of a page (external page) managed by the computer, the reference relationship on the page that is the reference source of the reference page and the display of the reference page in the list display, other reference relationships and reference destinations. Display form different from page (for example, display form in which the display area is divided into internal page and external page)
Is applied, it is possible to distinguish the relationship in the hypermedia document currently referenced from the external relationship.
Further, it becomes possible to visually grasp the distribution of the actual hypermedia document, the display is organized, and the structure of the hypermedia document can be easily grasped.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the fifth aspect, from a certain page,
When there is a reference to a page (specific page) that has a physical or logical location that satisfies certain conditions and the number of pages that reference exceeds a certain reference value, a specific symbol is displayed for that page on the list display. (Icon) is given, and a display form different from other reference relations is applied to the display of the reference relations (for example, a display form in which an arrow indicating the reference relation is hidden) is applied. Group of
It becomes possible to easily understand a page including a lot of relations to, and to limit the display of the arrow indicating the relation between pages to generate an easy-to-understand list display.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the sixth aspect, when the reference relationship between pages of the hypermedia document spans a plurality of layers,
A reference page output area is secured for each page of the layer of interest, and a group of pages that can be traced from that page are arranged and displayed collectively in that area. Therefore, the multi-layer structure of the hypermedia document is occupied by the screen. It is possible to suppress and express.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the seventh aspect, a reference destination page that can be referred to from a page of a certain hierarchy in a page group that can be traced from the page of the noticed hierarchy. Since the reference page output area for arranging the group is secured in the reference page output area for arranging the reference page group that can be referred to from the pages in the upper layer, the multi-layer of the hypermedia document The structure can be more efficiently represented in a limited display area.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the eighth aspect, when a page (target page) is referred to by a plurality of pages in the hypermedia document, the target page is referred to. Based on the method of referencing the target page on the source page (for example, whether it is a bulleted reference or not), and the degree of closeness (coincidence) of the relative location of the target page and the referencing page, Since the reference source page having the highest degree of relevance is determined and the display position of the target page is determined according to the determination result, the structure of the hypermedia document can be correctly represented on the list display.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the ninth aspect, the reference page group that can be referred to from a certain page in the hypermedia document is
Pages that are displayed on the list display because they are grouped according to the expression form of the reference written on the certain page and the display form of the referenced page group is distinguished on the list display in group units. It is possible to reduce the number of arrows indicating the relation between them, simplify the list, and easily understand the classification structure according to the contents of the hypermedia document.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method of the tenth aspect, when the hypermedia document has a hierarchical structure having a plurality of series, a different display for each series is displayed on the list display. Since the form is applied, each series of the hypermedia document can be easily distinguished, and the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document can be easily grasped.

Next, according to the hypermedia document structure list display method according to the eleventh aspect, when the reference relationship between pages spans multiple layers, the list display is also divided into several pages. , Because the user does not need to refer to a large list display unnecessarily, and it is possible to select only the page of the necessary list display.
It is possible to suppress network traffic such as document reference via the network.

[0036]

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

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a system to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, a central processing unit 11 at the center of a system (a computer in this case) has a storage device 12 such as a magnetic disk device, an output device 13 such as a CRT display device and a liquid crystal display device, and an input such as a keyboard. A device 14, a coordinate input device 15 such as a mouse, and a communication line 16 are connected.

The storage device 12 stores a document, which is composed of a plurality of pages and is constituted by associating each page with a pointer, that is, a hypermedia document. The input device 14 and the coordinate input device 15 are used to request a list display of the document configuration of the hypermedia document.

The central processing unit 11 has a function of processing a request for displaying a list of hypermedia document configurations from the input device 14 and the coordinate input device 15 and displaying a list of hypermedia document configurations on the display screen of the output device 13. Have.

In addition to this, depending on the case, a hypermedia document managed on a remote computer may be referred to through the communication line 16. Further, the list display request and display may be performed by remote control through the communication line 16, and the system configuration is not limited to that of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, the input condition management unit 201, the list display creation unit 202, and the hypermedia document management unit 20.
3, each functional element of the network management unit 204 and the display management unit 205 is realized by the central processing unit 11 in FIG.

To the input condition management unit 201, an instruction such as the list display request from the user is input from the input unit 210 (implemented by the input device 14 and the coordinate input device 15 in FIG. 1). The input condition management unit 201 includes the input unit 21
When an instruction from the user (various instructions necessary for list display such as display format and number of layers to be displayed) input from 0 is received, the data is converted into a data structure that can be processed by the list display creation unit 202, if necessary. Then, the list display creation unit 202
Pass to.

The list display creation unit 202 requests the hypermedia document management unit 203 for information required to create the list display based on the input from the input condition management unit 201. The hypermedia document management unit 203 stores a hypermedia document (implemented by the storage device 12 in FIG. 1), or a hypermedia document storage unit 220 (implemented by the communication line 16 in FIG. 1). The information requested by the network management unit 204 that manages the network 230 is acquired and passed to the list display creation unit 202.

The list display creation unit 202 creates optimum list display information based on the information passed from the hypermedia document management unit 203, and issues a display request to the display management unit 205. Upon receiving this request, the display management unit 205 displays a list of hypermedia document configurations on the display unit 240 (implemented by the output device 13 in FIG. 1).

The network 2 in the configuration of FIG.
The functional configuration of the system to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, for example, 30 is not always necessary.

In the present embodiment, the list of the document structures of the hypermedia documents which are the targets of the list display by the conventional method shown in FIG. 33 is shown in FIG. Comparing the list display example of FIG. 3 with the list display example of the conventional method of FIG. 33, a large amount of information can be presented with a smaller display area, and the document structure of the hypermedia document can be more easily grasped. become able to.

The details of the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document in this embodiment will be described below.

First, in the present embodiment, when displaying a list of document configurations of hypermedia documents, the first to tenth list display rules can be applied as described below.

(1) List Display According to First List Display Rule FIG. 4 shows an example of the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the first list display rule, which is the title 1 (title) in FIG. A case where a hierarchical relationship between a page and each page of the titles 1-1 to 1-5 (title) referred to from the page is displayed in a list will be described.

In the list display of FIG. 4, a parent page (reference source page) 4 on the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document is displayed.
For example, an area (reference page output area) 402 surrounded by a rectangular frame is secured below 01, for example, and a child page (reference page) referenced from a parent page (reference page) 401 in the area 402 is secured. ) 403 are arranged vertically and horizontally close to each other.

As described above, in the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the first list display rule, a certain page (reference source page) has a plurality of children having a hierarchical parent-child relationship in the document structure. Pages (reference pages) can be displayed collectively, for example, in a column shape.
Therefore, the hierarchical parent-child relationship of the hypermedia document can be displayed as a list in a relatively small area, and it becomes possible to support the understanding of the document structure.

Next, regarding the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the first list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 16 and 17.

The list display creation unit 202 in FIG. 2 first displays a page (reference page, child page) referenced from a designated page (reference page) in the hypermedia document requested by the user. Previous page output area (40
The number of columns in 2) is set in step 1601. The number of columns may be fixed in advance in the system, automatically set according to the page width, or specified by the user. . In the example of FIG. 4, the number of columns = 3.

Next, the list display creating unit 202 performs step 1
At 603 and 1604, display processing relating to the referencing page (corresponding to page 401 in FIG. 4) is performed.

Then, in step 1605, the list display creating unit 202 calls the column display processing routine with the list of referenced pages as an argument.

In the column display processing routine, step 1
In 702 to 1705, the total (TOTAL) of the height of the referred page (the height on the screen) is calculated, and then the total is divided by the number of columns to output the referred page output area (40
2) Height (column height) is determined (step 17)
06). On the other hand, the width of the reference page output area (402) is assumed to be predetermined. Step 170
“TOTAL + = height of unprocessed page” in 5 is “T
It represents “OTAL = TOTAL + height of unprocessed page.” As described above, in the present embodiment, the expression “A + = B” represents “A = A + B”.

Next, in the column display processing routine, in steps 1707 to 1713, each reference page in the reference list is set in the reference page output area (402) (for example, the upper left corner of the area is the X, Y coordinates). (As a reference point) is arranged in columns and columns and displayed. Here, each referenced page is sequentially arranged downward at the head column position (the leftmost column position in FIG. 4), and when the lower end of the area is reached, the column positions are switched and arranged similarly. . Then, the reference page that exceeds the lower end of the output area of the reference page is divided into upper and lower parts, and the lower part is arranged from the upper end of the next column position like the page of the subject 1-4 in FIG. Display between columns is performed (step 1710).

(2) List display according to the second list display rule In a hypermedia document having a hierarchical structure, two pages are dereferenced in order to return from a page in a deep hierarchy to a page in a hierarchy above it. Is often used. These associations are auxiliary ones provided for the convenience of navigational operation, and have little utility value in displaying a list of document configurations. In the conventional method, such associations are also displayed using line segments such as arrows like other associations. Therefore, when a large amount of back-references such as those described above are used, browsing the list display There was a problem that the sex was impaired.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the above-described auxiliary association is represented by a symbol such as an icon by displaying a list of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to the second list display rule.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to the second list display rule.
The topics 1-2, 1-of each page of the topics 1-1 to 1-5 whose reference relationships can be traced from the homepage in FIG.
It shows a case where each of pages 3 and 1-4 dereferences the home page.

In the example of FIG. 5, a reference mark (icon) 501 is attached to the home page, and the titles 1-1 to 1-
A reference mark (icon) 502 is attached to each page of the titles 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4 out of each page of No. 5. As a result, the user can see that the page with the referenced mark 501 and the page with the reference mark 502 are
It is possible to visually recognize that they are related by the reverse reference.

As described above, in the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document which complies with the second list display rule, since the reference by the reference is expressed by the symbol such as the icon, it is expressed by the arrow as in the conventional case. Unlike the case, the display is not difficult to see due to the line segment, which helps to grasp the document structure.

Although the example of FIG. 5 is premised on the list display by the columnar arrangement according to the first list display rule, the list display by the tree-like arrangement as shown in FIG. 33 may be used. However, the drawbacks caused by the tree-shaped arrangement cannot be eliminated.

Next, regarding the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the second list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 18 and 19.

First, the list display creating unit 202 in FIG. 2 selects a page to start the search from the hypermedia document (step 1802). Here, the home page which is the root page of the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document is selected as the start page.

The list display creation unit 202 sets the start page in the search list and also sets the search end condition (depth of the layer to be searched) (steps 1803 and 1804).
Then, current page = start page, depth of hierarchy =
The search processing routine is called with 1 and the search list as arguments (step 1805).

In the search processing routine, it is checked whether or not the referenced page from the current page (initially the start page) exists in the search list (step 190).
3, 1904), if it does not exist, the referenced page is added to the search list (step 1907). In this way, the search list is set with pages whose reference relationships can be traced from the start page.

When the referenced page is added to the search list, the search processing routine is recursively called with the current page = referenced page, hierarchy depth + = 1, and the search list as arguments (step 1908). .

Therefore, in the example of FIG. 33, when the page of the subject 1 is selected as the reference page from the home page, the page of the subject 1 is added to the search list (steps 1903, 1904, 1907). The search processing routine is recursively called with the page of the subject 1 as the current page (step 1908).

Then, the page of the subject 1-1 is first selected as the reference page of the page of the subject 1, and the page of the subject 1-1 is added to the search list (steps 1903, 1904, 1907). The search processing routine is recursively called with the page of the subject 1-1 as the current page (step 1908). Where 1-
Assuming there is no referenced page for page 1, subject 1
The search processing routine in which the -1 page is set as the current page ends (steps 1903 and 1910).

Then, the process returns to the original search processing routine in which the page of the subject 1 is the current page, and the page of the subject 1-2 is selected as the reference page of the page of the subject 1 and added to the search list. (Steps 1903, 19
04, 1907). Then, the search processing routine is recursively called with the page of the subject 1-2 as the current page (step 1908).

Now, there is a home page as a reference page of the page of the subject 1-2 which is the current page. If this home page is selected as the referenced page of the page of the subject 1-2, the home page exists in the search list (as the start page) (step 190).
4) The reference mark is set on the page of the subject 1-2 which is the current page, and the referenced mark is set on the home page which is the reference page (steps 1905, 190).
6).

Similarly, when the search processing routines are called with the pages of the subjects 1-3 and 1-4 as the current page, the above steps 1905 and 1906 are similarly performed.
The reference mark is set on the pages of the subject 1-3 and 1-4, and the referenced mark is set on the home page.

The case where the home page (root page) is used as the start page has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a page of an arbitrary hierarchy on the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document is used as the start page (starts the search). It is also possible to specify it as a page).

In any case, when the reference relationship can be traced from the start page to another page in the lower hierarchy, the another page is on the path traced from the start page. When a page (a page on the search list) is dereferenced, a reference mark is attached to the other page and a reference mark is attached to the dereferenced page. In the above, it is not necessary to explicitly indicate the dereferenced relation, which is a supplementary structure, by using arrows, etc., and the list display is organized, and the dereferenced relation can be distinguished from other relations. it can. The second list display rule in this embodiment is effective when used in combination with the first list display rule (or the sixth list display rule described later) that realizes the list display in the columnar arrangement.

(3) List Display According to Third List Display Rule A plurality of pages have a structure that can be referenced from a certain page, and the certain page and other referenced pages have a hierarchical parent-child relationship. In one hypermedia document, for example, between adjacent pages of each sibling reference page,
Cross-reference techniques are often used. These associations are auxiliary ones provided for the convenience of navigational operation, and have little utility value in displaying a list of document configurations. In the conventional method, such associations are displayed using line segments such as arrows like other associations. Therefore, when a large amount of cross-references such as those described above are used, browsing the list display There was a problem that the sex was impaired.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, by displaying the list of the document configurations of the hypermedia documents in accordance with the third list display rule, the above-described auxiliary association can be performed by a symbol such as an arrow whose width or length is changed. It is expressed by and is distinguished from other relationships.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the list display of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the third list display rule, in which each referenced page having a sibling relationship is referred to from the subject 1 in FIG. 1 to 1-5, and there is a reference relationship (here, a cross-reference relationship) between the referenced pages.

In the example of FIG. 6, adjacent topics 1-1, 1
-2 between pages, between titles 1-2 and 1-3, between titles 1-2 and 1-3, and between titles 1-3,
A bidirectional arrow 601 indicating that there is a cross-reference relationship between pages having sibling relationships between both pages 1-4.
Is displayed. It should be noted that the arrow 601 is displayed so as to connect the edges of adjacent pages.

Conventionally, an arrow indicating a reference relationship has a reference relationship between pages in a parent-child relationship (between parent-child pages) and a reference relationship between pages in a sibling relationship (between sibling pages) (for example, before and after a related document). The relations to be combined) are also displayed so as to connect the centers of both relevant pages, and the difference in the reference relations cannot be identified. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when there is a reference relationship between sibling pages, an arrow (601) is displayed to connect the ends of the sibling pages, as shown in FIG. , Can be distinguished from the reference relationship between parent and child pages. Moreover, in the example of FIG. 6, since the reference relationship between parent and child pages is expressed by the list display according to the first list display rule without using arrows, the list display can be performed in a relatively small area, and the document structure It is even more effective because it is easy to understand. However, if the only purpose is to distinguish the reference relationships, a list display with a tree-like layout as shown in FIG. 33 is applied to the expression of the reference relationships between the parent and child pages. You may connect the centers with an arrow. In addition,
The thickness of the arrow connecting the pages having the reference relationship may be changed only depending on the type of the reference relationship.

Next, regarding the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the third list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21.

First, the list display creation unit 202 in FIG. 2 selects a target page in the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document as a processing page, and refers to the page (the processing page is referred to as the processing page). All parent pages (child pages) are set in the referenced page list (step 2002).

Next, the list display creation unit 202 checks the reference relationship between pages for all pages (pages in sibling relationships) in the referenced page list (step 20).
04), pages that do not have a reference relationship (reference relationship between sibling pages) are added to the normal page list (step 2008). Also, a page having only one reference relationship is added to the end page list (step 20).
05, 2006), and other pages, that is, pages including a plurality of reference relationships are added to the intermediate page list (step 2007). This is because even if sibling pages refer to each other, there is no page before the beginning or after the end of sibling pages, and there is no reference relationship. Pages are set in the end page list. The title 1-
In the example of 1 to 1-5, each page of the subject 1-1 and 1-5 is set in the terminal page list, and the subject 1-2, 1-3, 1
-4 pages are set in the intermediate list.

Next, the list display creating unit 202 determines if there is an undisplayed page in the end page list (step 21).
01), the end page (first page) referred to first among the undisplayed pages is set as a display waiting page, and the display waiting page is displayed (step 210).
2).

Next, the list display creating unit 202 checks whether or not there is a reference to an undisplayed page in the reference page list in the display waiting page (step 210).
3) If it exists, the page (reference page) is set as a new display waiting page, and the display waiting page is displayed (step 2104). Then, the list display creation unit 202 checks whether or not the reference relationship between both pages checked in step 2103 is a cross reference, and if it is a cross reference, a bidirectional arrow is drawn between both pages, and otherwise. Display a one-way arrow (steps 2105-2)
107).

The list display creating unit 202 performs the above steps 2103 to 2107 on a new display waiting page.
Until it is detected that there is no reference to an undisplayed page in the referenced page list (step 2103), that is, while following the reference relationship between sibling pages, the sibling page having this reference relationship is searched. In the process of sequentially displaying, it is repeated until the reference relationship cannot be traced.

If it is detected that there is no reference to an undisplayed page in the reference page list in the display waiting page, the list display creating unit 202 makes a step 2101.
Return to The list display creating unit 202 then proceeds to step 21.
The operations of 01 to 2107 are repeated until there are no undisplayed pages in the end page list.

When there are no undisplayed pages in the end page list in this way, the list display creating unit 202 selects the end page in the end list (the first or last page among siblings). While following the reference relationship between sibling pages (in the referenced page list) from the page that first appears in (the first page here),
The process proceeds to step 2108, assuming that the process of sequentially displaying the sibling pages having the reference relationship has been completed. Then, the list display creation unit 202 displays pages that are not displayed and have other reference relationships (here, pages set in the normal page list).

The flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21 do not take into consideration the case where there is a reference relationship from the head to the end of the sibling page and vice versa. In such a case, in the processing of FIGS. 20 and 21, since an undisplayed page remains in the intermediate page list, it is necessary to add a processing part for displaying this. This is step 21
This can be easily realized by adding a process in which the part related to the end page list of the processes of 01 to 2107 is replaced with the intermediate page list.

(4) List display according to the fourth list display rule The hypermedia documents stored in the hypermedia document storage unit 220 of the system (computer) of FIG.
Some have a page having a reference relationship with a page in a hypermedia document managed by another computer on the network 230. Here, the pages of the hypermedia document stored in the hypermedia document storage unit 220 are internal pages, and the pages managed by another computer on the network, that is, physically or logically different from the internal pages. The page will be called an external page. Such an internal page and an external page may be distinguished not only by the computer difference described above but also by the difference in the server managing the hypermedia document or the difference in the network in which the server managing the hypermedia document is placed. I do not care.

In the conventional method, the relation between the internal page and the external page, that is, the relation between pages having different physical or logical locations is treated the same as the internally closed relation. There were mixed relationships. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp the structure of the hypermedia documents themselves displayed in the list and the relationship with the outside.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the external page is displayed separately from the internal page by the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the fourth list display rule, and the external structure is prevented from being mixed with the internal structure. I am trying.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents that comply with the fourth list display rule.

In the example of FIG. 7, in addition to the display area (internal page display area) 701 of the configuration list in the hypermedia document which is currently being referenced, it is associated with the page (internal page) arranged in the area 701. A region (external page display region) 702 for displaying the external page being displayed is secured.

For the list display on the internal page display area 701, a columnar arrangement (based on the sixth list display rule which will be described later) according to the first list display rule is applied. Further, in the external page display area 702, the external 1
An external page described as “etc.” is arranged. For example, an external 1 page and a child page of the page of the subject 1-1 arranged in the internal page display area 701 are connected by an arrow indicating a reference relationship. According to such a list display, the external structure does not coexist with the internal structure, and the connection with the external is easy to understand. The external page display area 7
When the external page arranged in 02 has a hierarchical structure, by applying the first list display rule (or a sixth list display rule described later) to the external page (external structure), It is possible to display a list that allows more detailed understanding of external relationships.

Next, regarding the list display creating process of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the fourth list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 22 and 23.

First, in steps 2202 to 2205, the list display creating unit 202 in FIG. 2 refers to the list of all pages (all page list) constituting the hypermedia document to be displayed as a list, and sets all pages to internal pages. And the process of dividing into external pages (referenced from internal pages). Here, the internal page and the external page are distinguished by the difference of the computer that manages the page, and the page (the page stored in the hypermedia document storage unit 220) managed by the system (computer) of FIG. ) Is an internal page, and a page managed by another computer on the network is an external page. The internal page is subjected to display processing according to the first list display rule, for example (step 2204). External pages are added to the external page list (step 220).
5).

When the list display creating unit 202 performs the above processing for all pages in the all page list, step 2
In 206 to 2111, preprocessing for classifying each external page in the external page list at that time by its existing area (physical or logical existing area) is performed. In this embodiment, the position information of the external page is changed to “Heade
r: //CCC.BBB.AAA/DDD/EEE/FFF.html ". Here, in "CCC.BBB.AAA", set the domain name (machine name) (which manages the page) to "DD
D / EEE ”, the directory name (where the page resides),
The file name is represented by "FFF.html". Similar to the Western style address notation, the domain name uses a description format in which the rear part represents a global area and the front part specifies a smaller area. Therefore, in this embodiment, the domain names are changed in reverse order (step 221).
0), the former is unified so as to represent a global region. As a result, the above step 22 is performed for the position information.
When the processing of 07-2111 is performed, the reference name list of the corresponding external page (a list of the positional information of the external page referenced from the internal page) is as shown in "{AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE}". Become. However, such processing is not limited to the above embodiment because it depends on the expression format of the reference relationship (positional information).

The list display creation unit 202 performs steps 2207-2 for all external pages in the external page list.
When the processing of step 111 is performed and the reference name list of the external page is acquired for each external page (step 2206),
For external page display processing, which will be described later, the external pages in the external page list are sorted, for example, in ascending order by the number of items in the corresponding reference name list (step 2212), and X,
The Y coordinate is initially set to the coordinate of the display start position (here, the upper left end) of the external page display area (702) (step 2213).

Thereafter, for each external page in the external page list, the list display creating unit 202 checks the number of items in the reference name list of the external page, and determines the width (indent width) predetermined for the number of items. ), The display position of the external page is shifted in the X direction (right side in the example of FIG. 7), and the Y coordinate is updated by the height of the external page (step 2302). 23
04).

Here, since the number of items in the reference name list reflects the depth of the existing position of (the file of) the corresponding external page, it depends on the number of items in the reference list as in the present embodiment. By changing the display position of the external page in the X direction, the hierarchical structure of the external page can be expressed. Note that this external page display method can be combined with the display according to the first list display rule, and is not limited to this embodiment.

When the list display creating unit 202 performs the above operation (steps 2302 to 2304) for all external pages in the external page list (step 2301),
The list display creating process according to the fourth list display rule is ended.

Although omitted in the above processing,
As in the conventional case, an arrow is displayed between the external page and the internal page that refers to the external page, as in the example of FIG. 7.

(5) List Display According to Fifth List Display Rule FIG. 7 shows a hypermedia document actually constructed.
In many cases, like pages with diagonal lines, there are pages for managing references to the outside by consolidating them into one page. In such a case, as in the example of FIG. 7, arrows are displayed from one page to a large number of external pages on the list display, which makes the list very difficult to see.

Therefore, in this embodiment, by displaying a list of document configurations of hypermedia documents in accordance with the fifth list display rule, the above-mentioned external references are integrated into a page.
Schematic symbol (icon called external reference aggregation mark)
By adding and indicating that it is an aggregation of external references,
It is possible to hide the display of the arrow indicating the relationship. In this case, it is possible to reduce the number of arrows as a whole and realize a list display that is easy for the user to understand.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document which complies with the fifth list display rule.
The following shows the case of applying to the list display of the document configuration of the same hypermedia document.

In the example of FIG. 8, the pages shaded in FIG. 7 (here, the number of external references is 2 or more).
The external reference aggregation mark 801 is displayed on the screen, and the arrow display for the reference number indicating the reference to the external page is hidden.

Next, with respect to the list display creating process of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the fifth list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the list display creating unit 202 in FIG. 2 checks whether or not the number of external references from an internal page (processing page) to be processed exceeds a specified value (for example, 2). (Step 2402). If the number of external references exceeds the specified value, the list display creation unit 202 sets a flag indicating that there are references of the specified value or more on the corresponding page (step 240).
3). That is, the list display creation unit 202 is a page (reference management page) provided for the sake of convenience in order to efficiently manage the reference to a large number of external pages, which is an internal page in which the number of external references exceeds the specified value. Assuming that, the flag indicating that effect (reference management page flag) is set to the internal page.

When displaying the internal page, the list display creation unit 202 checks whether or not the reference management page flag is set for the page, and the internal page (external page) for which the reference management page flag is set is checked. For an internal page having a reference number of 2 or more), an external reference aggregation mark 801 is displayed as in the example of FIG. 8, instead of displaying an arrow indicating a reference to an external page. It should be noted that, in addition to the display form in which the arrow display indicating the reference from the internal page with the reference management page flag set to the external page is hidden, for example, from the internal page without the reference management page flag set to the external page It is also possible to apply a display form in which an arrow of a color or shade that is less noticeable than the arrow indicating the reference is displayed.

(6) List Display According to Sixth List Display Rule In a hypermedia document, the reference relationship between pages often spans multiple layers. If such a reference relationship across a plurality of layers is independently displayed as a list by applying the first list display rule, a large display area is required, so that a large number of pages can be displayed. It will be difficult.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the reference relationship between pages spans a plurality of layers, a list of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to the sixth list display rule is displayed.
On the list display, different layers are collectively displayed in the same area (reference page output area). With this display method, even in a multi-layered hypermedia document, the document structure can be displayed in a list with a relatively small display area.
For example, even when using the display device having the same resolution, more pages can be displayed in a list.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the list display of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the sixth list display rule.

In the example of FIG. 9, the titles 1-1 to 1-1 of the hierarchy one level lower than the page referred to from the page of the subject 1 are referred to.
Pages 1-5 are collectively arranged and displayed in the reference page output area 901. Also, the subject 1-1 to 1-
The reference destination page output area 902 in which each page in the layer one level lower than the page referred to by each page 5 is secured in correspondence with each page of the subjects 1-1 to 1-5
Will be placed together. Referenced page output area 902 corresponding to each page of the subject 1-1 to 1-5
Are secured in the referenced page output area 901.

Next, regarding the list display creating process of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the sixth list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 25 and 26.

First, the list display creation unit 202 in FIG. 2 starts a display processing routine called multi-column display processing from a page that is the root of the hierarchy of the hypermedia document to be displayed as a list, that is, a home page (step). 2502).

In this multi-column display processing routine, the list display creation unit 202 recursively calls the same column display processing routine as shown in FIG. Display is performed in the form as shown (steps 2602 to 2605).

Here, the hypermedia documents to be displayed in the list are displayed with the titles 1 to 3 referenced from the home page.
Each page of 3 and the subject 1 referenced from the subject 1 page
-1 to 1-5, a page group referred to from each page of the subject 1-1 to 1-5, and a page group referred to from each page of the subject 2 and 3 It is assumed that

In this case, as a result of the above processing, the first subject
Area for arranging the top page of the subject 1-1 and the reference page group of the page of the subject 1-1 among the pages of the subjects 1-1 to 1-5 referred to from the page Page area) is secured and added to the display page area list. Similarly, for the pages of the titles 1-2 to 1-5, areas for arranging the pages and the reference page group of the pages are secured in order and added to the display page area list.

Next, the column display processing routine (step 2605) is recursively called for each area corresponding to each page of the subjects 1-1 to 1-5 in the display page area list. As a result, subject 1-i (i = 1 to 5)
The page (reference page) is displayed in the area corresponding to the page. Further, a reference page output area 902 (see FIG. 9) is secured in the area, and the area 9
In 02, the reference page group of the page of the subject 1-i is displayed vertically and horizontally. After that, the page is displayed in the area corresponding to the page of the subject 1, and the subject 1-1 to 1
-5 pages and reference page output area 902 (for each of the pages of titles 1-1 to 1-5) are arranged (title 1
A referenced page output area 901 (for the page (s)) is reserved.

Thereafter, the same processing as described above is performed for each page of the subject 2 and 3.

(7) List Display According to Seventh List Display Rule In some hypermedia documents, an attribute indicating the purpose of the relation between pages may not be specified. Even in such a case, it is possible to realize the list display as shown in FIG. 3 to some extent by using a method such as breadth-first search (search that gives priority to pages in the same hierarchy) from the page corresponding to the top layer of the hypermedia document. Is possible.

However, this method alone may cause a discrepancy with the logical structure of the actual hypermedia document. For example, consider a page as shown in FIG. First, it is assumed that the character strings 1101 to 1105 in FIG. 10 relate to another page. Here, 1
The character strings indicated by 101 to 1104 are related to the pages of the subject 1-3, and the character string indicated by 1105 is the subject 2
To the page. Further, if the relationship written as “detailed content” is a detailed explanation of the content of each item in FIG. 10, it can be considered that this is a structural relationship (on the document format). it can. On the other hand, regarding the relation to the “related page”, FIG.
Although it is a topic different from the content of, it can be thought of as having a high degree of relevance, which can be thought of as a reference structure.

Now, assume that a list of hypermedia document configurations as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed by the list display according to the seventh list display rule. In the example of FIG. 12, the page 1201 is referenced by both the page 1202 of the subject 1-3 and the page 1203 of the subject 2.

Here, from page 1202 to page 120
The relation to 1 is like 1101 in FIG. 10, and the relation from page 1203 to page 1201 is 11 in FIG.
If it is 05, it is considered that the page 1201 should be displayed below the page 1202 as in the example of FIG. However, depending on the display order, the relation from the page 1203 may be found first. In this case, only the sixth list display rule causes an erroneous display as shown in FIG.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the seventh list display rule is applied, and for a certain page (target of display position determination) (for example, page 1201), the page is a plurality of pages (for example, pages 1202 and 1203). When referred to from, the reference form to the page in the referencing page and the degree of closeness of relative location of both pages (degree of coincidence of physical positions of both pages), that is, By determining the optimum display position of the page based on the document structure in the page, the document structure of the hypermedia document can be correctly displayed as a list as in the example of FIG.

The example of FIG. 12 is premised on the list display according to the sixth list display rule (based on the columnar arrangement according to the first list display rule), but the tree display as shown in FIG. It may be a list display by arrangement. However, the drawbacks caused by the tree-shaped arrangement cannot be eliminated.

In many cases, the hypermedia document is hierarchically managed for each content of the document by the directory management on the computer. In such a case, the physical location of the hypermedia document indicated by the directory (positional information) can be used to determine the correct display position.

Next, with regard to the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the seventh list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the list display creation unit 202 in FIG. 2 selects a page for which the display position is to be determined from the hypermedia document (step 2702), and selects all pages (pages selected) that refer to the page (selected page). The reference source page is set in the reference source page list (step 2703).

After that, the list display creating section 202 carries out the following operation for each processing page with all the referencing pages in the referencing page list as processing pages.

First, the list display creating unit 202 determines, as the degree of structural association in the document format between the processing page and the page selected in step 2702, the degree of coincidence of the physical positions (locations) of both pages, for example, both pages. The number of characters indicating how many characters in the character string constituting the position information are matched is checked, and the value is set as the score (evaluation value) of the processing page (step 2705).

Next, the list display creation unit 202 refers to the selected page from the processing page by referring to 1001-10 in FIG.
It is checked whether or not it is based on itemized items such as 04, that is, the reference method when referring to the selected page from the reference source processing page (step 2706). Usually, in the document structure of the page, tag information indicating which part is due to itemization is set, so that the above step 2706 can be checked by referring to this tag information. .

The list display creation unit 202 raises the score of the processing page by a predetermined value (bullet score) only when the reference from the processing page to the selected page is by bullets (step 2707). .

The list display creating unit 202 repeats the above operation for all reference source pages in the reference source page list (step 2704), and then returns each reference source page (processed page) obtained up to that point. The reference page with the highest score is determined as the parent page of the selected page (assuming that the page has the highest degree of association with the selected page) (step 270).
8).

As a result, in the subsequent processing, only this relation is treated as a relation representing the main structure of the hypermedia document, and other relations are treated as reference relations to the related document.

In the flowchart of FIG. 27, in checking the reference method when referring to the selected page (target page of display position determination) from the reference source page, the judgment criterion is only whether or not the reference is by itemization.
This is not the case because a hypermedia document that can handle a larger number of structures can take into account many of these criteria.

(8) List Display According to Eighth List Display Rule For example, when a list of related structures of pages having the structure shown in FIG. 10 is displayed as a list, items are described by items such as 1101 to 1104. Relationships and relationships embedded in a document, such as 1105, are preferably semantically distinguished. However, if only the list display is performed by applying the first list display rule, such a relation that should have a different document structure is treated the same, and the document structure (page Can no longer be reflected correctly.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the eighth list display rule is applied, the reference expression form (reference method) written on the page is checked for the reference page group that can be referred to from a certain page, and The display method of the referenced page group is distinguished on the list display according to the difference.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to the eighth list display rule. In the example of FIG. 13, the area in which the page group referenced from the page 1301 of the subject 1 is arranged (referenced page output area) is defined as areas 1302 and 1304 in which the pages referred to by the itemized association are arranged. , Area 13 where the page referenced by the relation embedded in the sentence is placed
It is displayed separately from 03. Therefore, the document structure (related structure) of the page 1301 of the subject 1 can be correctly reflected on the list display.

Note that the example of FIG. 13 is premised on the list display by the columnar arrangement, but the list display by the tree-like arrangement as shown in FIG. 33 may be used. However, the drawbacks caused by the tree-shaped arrangement cannot be eliminated.

Next, with respect to the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the eighth list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The list display creation unit 202 in FIG. 2 selects a page for which a list of related structures is to be displayed from the hypermedia document, and empties the list of processed pages (steps 2802 and 2803). Then, the list display creation unit 202
Performs the following operations to arrange and display a group of pages (reference pages) that can be referenced from the selected page in a column.

First, the list display creating unit 202 takes out one reference page and adds it as a page being processed to the processing page list (step 2805), and then step 28.
It is checked whether the reference method to the next reference page (of the processing page) from the page selected in 02 (selected page) changes (to a method different from the reference method to the processing page) ( Step 2806). This change in the reference method means, for example, from a reference from within a document (as shown by 1005 in FIG. 10) (1001 in FIG. 10).
For example, when the reference is changed to a bulleted list (as indicated by 1004) or vice versa.

If the method of referring to the next referred page changes, the list display creation unit 202 is set in the processing page list at that time (the same group referred to by the same reference method). The reference page group is targeted and the column display processing routine shown in FIG. 17 is called to perform processing of arranging on the column, and the processing page list is emptied (steps 2807 and 2808). On the other hand, if the reference method to the next reference page does not change, steps 2807 and 2808 are not performed.

The list display creation unit 202 repeats the above operation for all reference pages that can be referred to from the selected page (step 2804), and is then set in the processing page list (for the last group).
A process of calling the column display processing routine shown in FIG. 17 and arranging in a column for the reference page group is performed (step 2809), and the process ends.

The list display as shown in FIG. 13 is realized by the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the eighth list display rule described above.

In the flowchart of FIG. 28, it is checked whether the reference method from the selected page to the next reference page (of the page being processed) is changed. It may check whether the reference method to the (reference page) changes. However, in this case, the processing of step 2805 for adding the page being processed to the processing page list is
If it is determined that the reference method changes, step 280
Immediately after step 8, if it is determined that there is no change, it must be performed immediately after that determination. Further, the determination part in step 2806 is a part that depends on the expression capability of the hypermedia document, and is not limited to this. The point is that it may identify the related structure of the page.

(9) List Display According to Ninth List Display Rule The hypermedia document can be classified into some themes for each content. Here, it is called a series.

In the present embodiment, the ninth list display rule is applied and each series of hypermedia documents is displayed in different colors as shown in FIG. 14 (in the figure, the difference in color is represented by the difference in shade). By doing so, the series of hypermedia documents can be easily grasped.

Although the example of FIG. 14 is premised on the list display by the columnar arrangement, the list display by the tree-like arrangement as shown in FIG. 33 may be used. However, the drawbacks caused by the tree-shaped arrangement cannot be eliminated.

Next, regarding the list display creation processing of the document structure of the hypermedia document according to the ninth list display rule,
This will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 29 and 30.

First, in step 2902, the list display creating unit 202 in FIG. 2 executes a display method selection processing routine for distinguishing the series by hue from the home page as a base point.
Processing page (= home page), hue value (= 128),
Call the hue width (= 256) as an argument.

In this display method selection processing routine, in step 3002, the hue of the background color of the page currently being processed (home page first) (first hue value = 128) is determined, and in steps 3003 to 3005, the page concerned is determined. An initialization process for determining the background color of the reference destination is performed. In this initialization processing, the number of reference pages of the page being processed (processing page) is used as the number of divisions, and the hue width (= 256) indicating the hue range is divided by the number of divisions. It is set as the hue width. The sub-hue width indicates a step size of hue when distinguishing each series by hue, and has a smaller value as the number of referenced pages increases.

Next, in steps 3007 to 3009, the hue width given by the argument (sub-hue width after the second time)
And from the number of referenced pages (of the page currently being processed),
The hue of the background color of each referenced page is determined, and the display method selection processing routine is recursively called. Here, the hue value is determined as the sub-hue value represented by the following equation in step 3008.

Sub-hue value = 0.5 × sub-hue width × (2 × number of processed pages + 1) The number of processed pages in the above equation is an initial value of 0, and the sub-hue value (hue value ) Is added each time the display method selection processing routine is called. Therefore, the hue value of the background color of each referenced page is the center value of each range obtained by equally dividing the initial hue width (= 256) by the number of referenced pages. Further, in the present embodiment, the initial hue value (the hue value of the background color of the home page) has an initial hue width (= 25).
The central value (= 128) of 6) is used.

In the example of FIG. 14, the above operations are performed by referring to a group of pages referred to by the home page (each page of subjects 1 to 3), subject 1 in the hypermedia document having the document structure shown in FIG.
Is performed for each reference page group (each page of the subject 1-1 to 1-5), and a list display is performed according to the sixth list display rule by using the hue value determined for each page by this operation. This is the case where

In this embodiment, the background color is discriminated by selecting the hue, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the discrimination may be made by selecting the brightness or a completely different display method. The numerical values shown in the flowchart of FIG. 30 can also be selected depending on the number of colors that can be handled by the system, and the present invention is not limited to this example.

(10) List Display According to Tenth List Display Rule As described above, according to the list display according to the sixth list display rule, even in the case of a multi-layered hypermedia document, FIG.
As shown in, the document structure can be displayed in a list with a relatively small display area. However, this alone may not fit on the screen in the case of displaying a list of large-scale hypermedia documents, and it may be necessary to refer to it using a technique such as reduced display or scrolling.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the tenth list display rule is applied and the reference relationship between pages extends over a plurality of layers, the list display is also performed on some pages (divided list pages).
It is possible to display a list of large-scale hypermedia documents by dividing and displaying.

FIG. 15 shows an example of applying the tenth list display rule to display the same hypermedia document as in FIG. 9 in page divisions.

In the example of FIG. 15, the home page of the highest layer and the subject 1 of the next hierarchy referenced from the home page
~ Each page of the subject 3 is collectively displayed on one division list page. In addition, the pages of the subject 1-1 to 1-5 of the next hierarchy referred to from the subject 1, and the subject 1-1 to 1
-5 and each page of the next hierarchy referenced from the page,
The pages of the subjects 1-1 to 1-5 are collectively displayed on independent windows (hereinafter referred to as split windows) 1501 on independent split list pages. Each divided window 15 in page units of this subject 1-1 to 1-5
01 is displayed so as to be partially overlapped with each other.

With such page division display, it is possible to realize a large-scale list display of hypermedia documents in a limited display area. Further, by turning the page by selecting a window such as a mouse operation, it is possible to refer to the list display in the same manner as a page turning of a normal book using a paper medium, so that the operability is improved. Also, if the necessary part is a part of the divided list page divided into multiple, it is only necessary to refer to the necessary divided list page.
For example, when transferring and displaying a list of hypermedia documents via a network, only the necessary divided list pages need to be transferred, which helps reduce the network load.

Note that the example of FIG. 15 is premised on the list display according to the sixth list display rule (based on the columnar arrangement according to the first list display rule), but the tree form as shown in FIG. It may be a list display according to the arrangement of. However, the drawbacks caused by the tree-shaped arrangement cannot be eliminated.

Next, the list display creation processing of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the tenth list display rule will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 31 and 32.

First, in step 3102, the list display creating unit 202 in FIG. 2 sets the number of division layers indicating how many layers the list display is divided, and in step 3103, each list display after division is set. The list division list for saving the page that is the root of the division list page (division start page) is empty. Then, in step 3004, the list display creating unit 202 executes a list display division processing routine for displaying the list display by dividing the list display into several divided list pages.
The initial values of the processing page and the layer depth (here, processing page = home page, layer depth = 0) are called as arguments.

In this list display division processing routine, in steps 3202 and 3203, it is checked whether the page of which layer is being processed, and if the remainder obtained by dividing the depth of the layer by the number of divided layers is 0. , The processing page is added to the list division list as a layer to be divided (boundary). On the other hand, if the remainder is not 0, the processing page is not added to the list division list.

Next, for each reference page of the processed page, the list display division processing routine is recursively called in steps 3204 and 3205 to process all pages of the hypermedia document. After this processing, the list display creation unit 2
Reference numeral 02 denotes each page in the list division list as a root page in the division list page to be displayed, and performs list display (here, division list display) according to the sixth list display rule for each root page. Here, there is a hierarchy between the division list pages, and the division list pages of the same hierarchy (the root page and the division list page of the same hierarchy) are arranged in independent division windows, respectively, and partly as in the example of FIG. Are shifted and displayed in layers. In this division list display (display of division list page), the end condition of the list display is set based on the number of division layers. Note that FIG.
In this example, the number of division layers is set to 2 and the same hypermedia document as in FIG. 9 is displayed in page division.

In the above-described embodiment, the second to fifth list display rules and the seventh to tenth rules (excluding the combination with the first or sixth list display rules) are used independently. However, at least two of them may be used together.

[0172]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a plurality of pages that can be referred to from a certain page are secured in the vicinity of the display position of the certain page on the document structure list display. Displaying them vertically and horizontally in the output area reduces the amount of redundant relationships displayed, saves display area, and distinguishes the relationships that make up the hierarchical structure of a hypermedia document from other relationships. This makes it easy to understand the structure of the hypermedia document.

Further, according to the present invention, when it is possible to select a certain first page and trace the reference relationship from there to another certain second page, the second page is currently traced. When a page on the route that has been dereferenced is dereferenced, a symbol that expresses a dereference of the route is added to the second page on the list display, so that a supplementary supplementary code is provided in the hypermedia document. It is not necessary to explicitly indicate the relationship of dereference, which is a structure, by using arrows, etc., and the list display is organized, and the relationship of dereference can be displayed separately from other relationships. You can easily understand the structure of the document.

Further, according to the present invention, when there are a plurality of pages which are referred to from a certain specific page and a reference relationship exists between at least two of them, the reference between the pages is displayed on the list display. By applying a display form different from other reference relations to the display of the relations, a supplementary structure in the hypermedia document, for example, a relation that joins before and after related documents is displayed on the list display. It is possible to display the information in a concise manner, distinguishing it from other relationships, and to organize the display and easily understand the structure of the hypermedia document.

Further, according to the present invention, the referenced page is
Classify according to its physical or logical location (for example, classify into internal page and external page), and display the reference relationship on the reference page and the reference page in the list display according to the classification result. As a result, it is possible to distinguish the relationship in the currently referenced hypermedia document from the relationship with the outside, and it is possible to visually grasp the distribution of the actual hypermedia document, and the display is organized. In addition, the structure of the hypermedia document can be easily understood.

Further, according to the present invention, when there is a reference from a certain page to a page (specific page) whose physical or logical location satisfies a certain condition, and the number of pages referred to exceeds a certain number, In the list display, a certain symbol is given to the certain page, and a display form different from other reference relations is applied to the display of the reference relation, so that many relations to the specific page group are included. In addition to making it easy to understand the pages, it is possible to limit the display of arrows that indicate the relationships between the pages and generate a list display that is easy to understand.

Further, according to the present invention, when the reference relationship between pages extends over a plurality of hierarchies, a page group traceable from each page of the noticed hierarchy is collected in one area on the list display. By arranging and displaying them, the multi-layered structure of the hypermedia document can be expressed while suppressing the screen occupancy. Here, by ensuring an area in which a reference page group that can be referenced from a page of a certain hierarchy is arranged in a layout area of a reference page group that can be referenced from a page of a higher hierarchy, it is possible to increase the number of hypermedia documents. The hierarchical structure can be more efficiently expressed in a limited display area.

Further, according to the present invention, a certain target page is
When referring to multiple pages in a hypermedia document, refer to the method of referencing the target page in the referencing page of the target page and the degree of the relative location of the target page and the referencing page. Based on the above, the reference source page having the highest degree of relevance is determined, and the optimum display position of the target page is determined accordingly, so that the structure of the hypermedia document can be correctly displayed.

Further, according to the present invention, a group of reference pages that can be referred to from a certain page is classified according to the expression form of the reference written on the certain page, and a list display is made for each classified unit. By distinguishing the display form of the referenced page group, it is possible to reduce the arrow indicating the relation between pages displayed on the list display and simplify the list, and it is easy to understand the classification structure according to the contents of the hypermedia document. Become.

Further, according to the present invention, when the hypermedia document has a hierarchical structure having a plurality of series, the series of the hypermedia document can be easily displayed on the list display by changing the display form for each series. It is possible to make a distinction, and it becomes easy to understand the hierarchical structure of the hypermedia document.

Further, according to the present invention, when the reference relationship between pages extends over a plurality of layers, the list display is divided into several pages, so that the user needs to refer to the large-scale list display unnecessarily. In addition, since it is possible to select only the required page of the list display, it is possible to suppress the network traffic such as the document reference via the network.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a list display example in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a first list display rule.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a second list display rule.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a third list display rule.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a fourth list display rule.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a fifth list display rule.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a sixth list display rule.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a reference by a bulleted relation and a reference by a relation embedded in a sentence.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a list display example in the case where a discrepancy occurs with the logical structure of an actual hypermedia document.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a list display example of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a seventh list display rule for preventing a discrepancy with the logical structure of an actual hypermedia document.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to an eighth list display rule.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a ninth list display rule.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents according to a tenth list display rule.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the first list display rule.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a column display processing routine (step 1605) in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the second list display rule.

FIG. 19 is a search processing routine (step 18 in FIG. 18);
The flow chart for explaining 05).

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of a document configuration of a hypermedia document according to a third list display rule.

FIG. 21 is a view showing the rest of the flowchart for explaining the list display creation processing of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the third list display rule.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of a document configuration of a hypermedia document according to a fourth list display rule.

FIG. 23 is a view showing the rest of the flowchart for explaining the list display creation processing of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the fourth list display rule.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the fifth list display rule.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the sixth list display rule.

26 is a flowchart for explaining a multi-column display processing routine (step 2502) in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the seventh list display rule.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the eighth list display rule.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the ninth list display rule.

30 is a flowchart for explaining the display method selection processing routine (step 2902) in FIG.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart for explaining a list display creation process of the document configuration of the hypermedia document according to the tenth list display rule.

32 is a flowchart for explaining a list display division processing routine (step 3104) in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a list display of document configurations of hypermedia documents by a conventional display method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Central processing unit, 12 ... Storage device, 13 ... Output device, 14 ... Input device, 15 ... Coordinate input device, 16 ... Communication line, 202 ... List display creation unit, 203 ... Hypermedia document management unit, 204 ... Network Management unit, 210 ... Input unit, 220 ... Hypermedia document storage unit, 230 ... Network, 240 ... Display unit, 402, 901, 902 ... Reference page output area, 501 ... Referenced mark, 502 ... Reference mark, 801 ... External reference aggregation mark.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein a page in the hypermedia document is listed. When arranging on the display, secure a reference page output area for arranging a plurality of reference pages that can be referenced from the page in the vicinity of the page, and vertically and horizontally dispose the plurality of reference pages in this area. A method for displaying a hypermedia document structure list, which is arranged and displayed in the. 2. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein a first page in the hypermedia document is displayed. To another second page, and when the second page dereferences a page on the route that has been currently followed, on the list display, the second page is displayed. A method for displaying a hypermedia document structure list, characterized in that a symbol expressing a dereference of a route is added to the second page. 3. A hypermedia document structure list display method for displaying a list of document structures of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relation between the pages, wherein a reference is made from a page in the hypermedia document. When there are a plurality of reference pages that are possible and there is a reference relationship between at least two reference pages of the plurality of reference pages, the reference relationship between the reference pages is displayed on the list display. In addition, a method for displaying a list of configurations of a hypermedia document characterized by applying a display form different from other reference relationships. 4. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein the hypermedia document contains physical or logical information. When there is a referenced page whose target location satisfies a predetermined condition, other references are displayed in the reference relationship on the page that is the reference source of the referenced page in the list display and the display of the referenced page. A method of displaying a hypermedia document configuration list, characterized in that a display form different from the relation and reference page is applied. 5. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein from a certain page in the hypermedia document , If there is a reference to a page whose physical or logical location satisfies a predetermined condition and the number of pages to be referenced exceeds a reference value, a specific symbol for the certain page is displayed on the list display. Is added to the display of the reference relationship,
A hypermedia document structure list display method characterized by applying a display form different from other reference relationships. 6. A group of pages that can be traced from the referenced page output area secured for each page of a layer of interest when the reference relationship between pages of the hypermedia document spans multiple layers. 2. The hypermedia document configuration list display method according to claim 1, further comprising: arranging and displaying all of them in the area. 7. A reference destination page output area for arranging a reference destination page group that can be referred to from a page of a certain layer among pages that can be traced from the page of the target layer is a page of a higher layer. 7. The hypermedia document configuration list display method according to claim 6, wherein the reference destination page output area for arranging a reference destination page group that can be referred to from is secured. 8. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein a display position in the hypermedia document is determined. When the target page is referred to by a plurality of other pages in the document, the method of referring to the target page in the reference source page of the target page, and the relative location of the target page and the reference source page. A hypermedia document configuration list display method, characterized in that a reference source page having the highest degree of association is determined based on the degree of size, and the display position of the target page is determined according to the determination result. 9. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relationship between the pages, wherein a reference is made from a page in the hypermedia document. With respect to possible reference page groups, it is divided into groups according to the expression form of the reference written on the certain page, and on the list display, the display form of the reference page group is distinguished in group units. How to display the hypermedia document structure list. 10. A hypermedia document structure list display method for displaying a list of document structures of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and reference relationships between the pages, wherein the hypermedia document has a plurality of series. In the case of having a hierarchical structure, in the list display, a different display form is applied to each of the series, and a hypermedia document configuration list display method. 11. A hypermedia document configuration list display method for displaying a list of document configurations of a hypermedia document composed of a plurality of pages and a reference relation between the pages, wherein a reference relation between pages of the hypermedia document. If the file spans multiple hierarchies, the hierarchy is divided in the depth direction in units of a certain number of hierarchies, and for each top page of the divided hierarchy, the page and the page in the divided hierarchy are traced as a root page. A hypermedia document configuration list display method characterized by setting a division list page in which a group of pages that can be processed is set and displaying the list by dividing the page.