JPH09282208A - Table generating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the data handling by defining the formats of file and record, extracting a character string corresponding to the record and determining the value of an item from the correspondent relation and the type of the item. SOLUTION: Record format and file format definition names are inputted and retrieved from a record format/file format definition table 109, a text file to be an object is inputted, and the character string is discriminated out of that file. The character string corresponding to the item is extracted from the discriminated character string. The value of the item is determined from the relation of correspondence among the extracted character string, item name and character string corresponding to the item and the type of the item. Thus, by inputting the formats of the file and the record without describing any program, a table can be generated from the text file in which plural items repeatedly appear.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of generating a table consisting of a plurality of records having a plurality of items from a text file in which a plurality of items repeatedly processed by a computer such as a workstation or a personal computer. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art E-mail archives, a list of document data consisting of author names, document names, journal names, issue dates, etc., a list of function specifications consisting of function names, argument names, argument types, functions, etc. A list of data of the same type consisting of multiple items is often saved as a text file on a computer. On the other hand, the use of spreadsheet software facilitates the operation of lists of data of the same type. For example, it becomes easy to sort by the value of a certain item, or to take out only those values of a certain item that meet certain conditions. However, the format of files that spreadsheet software can handle is fixed. To handle the above text files with spreadsheet software, combine all files into one file and put each item in a spreadsheet such as a comma. It is necessary to perform processing such as delimiting with characters specified by the software.

These text file processes are described in "Yabuki, Miyagi, Tomita, Emacs used for the first time, Technopress, 1
This can be done by using a text editor such as "995". Using the cut and paste function of the character string of the text editor, the user selects the character string to move or delete, cuts the selected character string, and in the case of moving, pastes the cut character string to the transfer destination.

Further, by using a programming language such as "Haruhisa Ishida, UNIX, Kyoritsu Shuppan Co., Ltd., 1983", a text processing program is written and the program is executed to obtain a required character string from a text file. You can just take out and convert it into a tabular data separated by commas or spaces.

[0005]

In the conventional method using the text editor, the user must select, cut and paste the text one by one. The larger the amount of data, the more user operations.

Further, in the method using a programming language, the user must understand the grammar of the programming language, and describe the program that matches the grammar and performs the processing desired by the user for each file type.

The present invention has been made to solve the above inconvenience, and an object thereof is to extract a record composed of a plurality of items from one or more text files and to compose a plurality of extracted records. It is to generate the table automatically. By manipulating a plurality of data having the same structure into a table format, data manipulation becomes easy. For example, it becomes easy to sort by the value of a certain item, or to take out only those values of a certain item that meet certain conditions.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the table generation method of the present invention uses a record format for identifying a file and a record format, that is, a character string corresponding to a record in the file. Character string pattern at the beginning and end, item delimiter string pattern for identifying the character string corresponding to the item in the character string corresponding to the record, item name that configures the record, item type, item name and text A step of inputting the correspondence relationship between the file attributes and a correspondence relationship between the item name and the character string corresponding to the item in the text file, the step of extracting the attribute of the text file to be processed, the extracted attribute, The step of determining the value of the item from the correspondence between the item name and the attribute of the text file and the type of the item, the target text file The step of force, according to the method of identifying the character string corresponding to the record, and extracts a character string corresponding to the record from the entered text step,
Extracting a character string corresponding to an item from the character string corresponding to the record based on the method of identifying the character string corresponding to the item of the record, the extracted character string, the item name and the character string corresponding to the item And the step of determining an item value from the item type.

Hereinafter, a character string representing an item is referred to as an item character string, and a character string representing a delimiter between items is referred to as a delimiter character string.

[0010]

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

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the table generation system of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a central processing unit, 111 is a main storage unit, and 102 is a central processing unit 101.
A display for displaying the processing result of the above, 103, 104 are a keyboard, a mouse, and 1 for receiving the input from the user.
Reference numeral 05 is an external storage device such as a hard disk. In the external storage device, a table generation program 106, a file format registration program 107, a text file 108 to be processed, a record format / file format definition table 109 which is a result registered by the file format registration program 107, and a basic control program. 110 is stored. The programs and data stored in the external storage device 105 are transferred to the main storage device 111 and transferred to the central processing unit 1.
01.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the processing flow of the table generation program 106. 3 shows the record generation step (step 209 and step 21 in FIG. 2).
It is a detail of the processing flow of 1). FIG. 4 shows details of the step (step 310) of reading one record from the file shown in FIG. 3 into the buffer. FIG. 5 shows details of the step (step 311) of dividing into the delimiter character string and the item character string in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a file format registration program 10.
7 is an example of the processing flow of No. 7.

FIG. 7 shows a file format registration program 10.
7 displays the record format / file format definition dialog (step 601).
It is a configuration example of a dialog displayed in. In FIG.
700 is a file format / record format definition dialog,
701 is a definition name input area, 702 is a selection button as to whether information of one record is included in one file or information of a plurality of records, 703 is an input area of the top pattern of the record, and 704 is an input in 703 of the record Selection button to select whether or not to include the pattern. 705 is the input area of the end pattern of the record, and 706 is the record 7
A selection button for selecting whether to include the pattern to be input in 05, 707 is a definition area for the arrangement of the delimiter character string and the item character string, and 710 is a selection of whether the arrangement order of the delimiter character string and the item character string is fixed or undefined. A button 711 is a record format and item identification method input area, a reference numeral 718 is an OK button for registering the input contents, and a reference numeral 719 is a CANCEL button for terminating the program without registering the input. Also, 7
07 is an input area 708 for the type of delimited character string or item name
(Enter either "item name" or "delimited character string pattern") and item name or delimited character string pattern input area 709. Item names are not continuously input to 707 (delimiter character strings are always inserted between item names).
An item name input area 712, an item type input area 713 (“integer type”, “floating point type”, “date type”, etc. are input) 711, an item determination method input area 714 (“from attribute”).
Or enter "from content"), attribute name input area 715
("Last updated date", "Creator name", "File name",
Or enter "directory name"), item determination method input area 716 ("from previous delimiter string", "from later delimiter string", or "from item string pattern")
Input)) and a list of character string pattern input areas 717. Note that reference numerals 703 to 706 are areas to be input only when a plurality of records in one file are selected in 702. Further, the attribute name input area 715 is input only when “from attribute” is input to the determination method 714. Also 716 and 717
Is input only when “From content” is input in 714 and when indefinite is selected in 710. In addition, the same name as the item name 712 of the item in which 714 is “from content” is set to 70.
Enter 8 The patterns 703, 705, 709, and 717 are input as regular expressions. For more information on regular expressions, see "Shinji Kono, Introductory Perl, pp46-54, ASCII Corporation, 1994".

FIG. 8 is a structural example of the record format / file format definition table 109. In FIG. 8, a record format / file format definition table 109 includes a definition name 801, a flag 802 indicating whether one file includes information of one record or information of a plurality of records (when only one record is included). TRUE, FALS when more than one is included
E), definition 803 of record head pattern, definition 806 of record end pattern, definition 810 of delimiter character string and item, pointer 81 to record format table 818
It is a list of lines consisting of four. Further, the definition 803 of the leading pattern of the record is the pattern 80 represented by the regular expression.
4 and flag 805 indicating whether or not the record includes the pattern (TRUE when the record is included, FAL when the record is not included)
SE). Similarly, 806 is also composed of a pattern 807 represented by a regular expression and a flag 808 (TRUE when the record includes the pattern and FALSE when the record does not include the pattern). The delimiter string / item arrangement 810 is a pointer 812 to the delimiter string / item name list 815, and a flag 813 indicating whether the order of the items is fixed or undefined (TRUE when fixed, FALS when undefined).
E). 803 and 806, 802 is FAL
Defined only for SE. The delimiter string / item name list 815 is a list of lines including a type 816 and an item name or delimiter string pattern 817. The type 816 identifies whether the content of 817 is an item name or a delimiter string pattern. In the record format table, 818 is the item name 819,
Item type 820, determination method 82 that indicates whether to determine the value of the item from the contents of the file or the attribute of the file
1. When the determination method 821 is “from attribute”, an attribute name 822 indicating which attribute among the “update date / time”, “creator”, “file name”, and “directory name” of the file to determine When the determination method 821 is “from content”,
Item determination method 8 showing how to determine the value of an item
23 (“by the delimiter string before”, “by the delimiter string after”, or “by the pattern of the item string”), a list of lines consisting of the delimiter string pattern or the item string pattern 824 used for determination is there.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a table generated by the table generating method of the present invention. The table 91 is a list of records 92 composed of items 93 having the item names 819 defined in the record format table 818.

FIG. 10 shows "step of dividing character string in buffer into delimiter character string and item character string" in FIG.
It is an example of the result of (step 311). The division result is
The delimiter character string 1001 and the item character string 1002 are connected.

Next, the processing flow of the table generation program 106 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a record format / file format definition name is input, and the record format / file format definition of the input definition name is retrieved from the record format / file format definition table 109 and read (step 201). Next, an empty table 91 including all the item names 819 of the record format table 818 indicated by the record format 814 is generated (step 202), and one or more text file names to be processed are input (step 203). Next, the following processing is performed for all the input file names. That is, it is determined whether or not all the files having the input file name have been processed (step 204), and if all the files have been processed, the process ends. Focusing on one of the unprocessed files (step 205), the last update date and time, the creator name, the file name, which are the attributes of the file,
The directory name in which the file is stored is stored (step 206). Next, it is determined by 802 whether there is one record in one file (step 207), 1
If the file contains multiple records, do the following until the end of the file: That is, it is determined whether or not processing has been performed up to the end of the file (step 20
8) When the processing is completed, the process returns to step 204. If not processed to the end, a record 92 is generated from the unprocessed part (step 209), and the generated record 92 is generated in the table 91 generated in step 202.
(Step 210) and returns to step 208.
If only one record is included in one file in step 207, the record 92 is generated from the file (step 211), and the generated record 92 is inserted into the table 91 generated in step 202 (step 2
12) and returns to step 204.

Next, details of the steps (step 209, step 211) for generating the record shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the determination method 8 of the record format table 818
It is determined whether or not all the rows in which 21 is "from attribute" have been processed (step 301). If all the rows have not been processed, the following processing is performed for one of the unprocessed rows.
That is, paying attention to one of the unprocessed lines in the record format table 818 (step 302), and if the attribute name 822 of that line is “last update date / time” (step 303), the last update date / time of the file is Item 9 with line item name 819
3 (step 304) and the process returns to step 301. If the attribute name 822 of the line is "file name" (step 305), the file name is set as the item 93 having the item name 819 of the line (step 306), and the process returns to step 301. If the attribute name 822 of the line is "directory name" (step 307), the directory name in which the file is stored is set as the item 93 having the item name 819 of the line (step 308), and the process returns to step 301. If the attribute name 822 in that line is none of the above, "creator name"
Therefore, the file creator name is the item name 81 of that line.
Item 93 having 9 (step 309), step 3
Return to 01. When all the rows in the record format table 818 in which the attribute 821 is "from attribute" are processed in step 301, the character string for one record is read from the file into the buffer (step 310), and the buffer contents are separated. It is divided into a delimiter character string 1001 representing the item and an item character string 1002 representing the item (step 311). next,
i is set to 1 (step 312), it is determined whether i is equal to or less than the number of item names in the delimited character string / item list 815 (step 313), and if not, the process ends. If it is the following, it is determined by 813 whether or not the order of items is fixed (step 314). If fixed, the i-th item character string of the character strings divided in step 311 is a delimited character string / item name list. The item having the i-th item name in 815 is set (step 315). If the order of the items is undefined, the i-th item name 817 in the delimited character string / item name list 815
Is set to N, and the row L in the record format table 818 having the same item name 819 as N is searched (step 316). If the item determination method 823 for L is “determined by previous delimiter character string” (step 317). , L of the delimiter string 1001 matching the character string pattern 824 is searched from the buffer divided in step 311, and the next item character string 1002 of the delimiter string 1001 is set as the item 93 having the item name N (step 318). ). If the L item determination method 823 is “determined by subsequent delimiter character string” (step 319), the delimiter character string 100 that matches the L character string pattern 824.
1 is searched from the buffer divided in step 311, and the item character string 1002 before the delimiter character string 1001 is set as the item 93 having the item name N (step 320). If the L item determination method 823 is other than the above, that is, "determined by the item character string pattern", the L character string pattern 824
The item character string 1002 that matches is searched from the buffer divided in step 311, and the item character string 1002 is set as the item 93 having the item name N (step 321). Next, i is incremented by 1 (step 322), and step 31
Return to 3. Note that steps 304, 306, 308, 3
In 09, 318, 320, and 321, when an attribute or an item character string is used as an item, it is converted into a type 820 of the record format table 818 to be an item. Next, details of the step (step 310) of reading from the file in FIG. 3 into the buffer for one record will be described with reference to FIG.

First, it is determined by 805 whether or not the record start pattern is included as the record information (step 401). If it is included, the file is skipped to before the character string matching the pattern 804 (step 40).
2). If it is not included, the character string that matches the pattern 804 is skipped (step 403). Next, it is determined whether or not the end pattern of the record is included as the record information (step 404), and if it is included, the file is read up to the character string matching the pattern and stored in the buffer (step 405). If not included, the file is read up to the character string matching the pattern and stored in the buffer (step 406).

Next, a step of dividing the contents of the buffer in FIG. 3 into a delimiter character string and an item character string (step 31
Details of 1) will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the cursor indicating the processing position in the buffer is set to the head of the buffer, and i and j are set to 1 (step 501). Next, it is determined whether or not the cursor is at the end of the buffer (step 502), and if it is at the end, the process ends. If it is not the last, it is determined by 813 whether or not the order of items is fixed (step 503). If fixed, the character string that matches the i-th delimited character string is set as the i-th delimited character string 1001 (step Fifty
4). If it is not fixed, it is the character string after the cursor position,
The first character string that matches any of the delimiter character strings in 815 is the i-th delimiter character string. Next, if i is 2 or more and the i-1 th delimiter string and the i th delimiter string are not continuous (step 506), the i-1 th delimiter string and the i th delimiter string. The character string between the two is the j-th item character string, and j is incremented by 1 (step 5
07). Next, the cursor is positioned immediately after the i-th delimited character string, and i is incremented by 1 (step 508).

Next, the processing of the file format registration program 107 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a record format / file format definition dialog is displayed on the display 102 (step 60).
1) Accept input from user (step 60
2) Input is select button (702, 704, 706, 7
If the button 10 is pressed (step 603), a mark indicating that it has been selected is added (step 604), and step 6
Return to 02. Input area (701, 703, 705, 70
8, 711) is a text input (step 60).
5) Display the input contents in the input area (step 6
06), and returns to step 602. Input is OK button 71
If the user presses 8 (step 607), the record format / file format definition table is updated from the input contents (step 607), and the process ends. If the input is other than the above, and the (CANCEL button 719) is pressed, the process ends.

In step 604, one line is added to the record format / file format definition table 109, and the value of each item is set as follows. The content of 701 is set to the value of 801.
If "1 file 1 record" is selected in 702, TRUE is set to FALSE if "1 file multiple records" is selected. Contents of 703 8
The value is 04. TRUE if "from" is selected in 704, and FALS if "after" is selected.
Let E be a value of 805. The content of 705 is set to the value of 807. If "kara" is selected in 706, TRUE is selected,
If “after” is selected, FALSE is set to a value of 808. The content of 707 is directly used as the delimited character string / item name list 815, and the pointer to it is set to the value of 812. If “fixed” is selected in 710, TRU
If E and "undefined" are selected, then FALSE is set to a value of 813. Record format table 81 with the contents of 711 as it is
8 and the pointer to it is the value of 814.

[0028]

According to the present invention, a table can be generated from a text file in which a plurality of items appear repeatedly by inputting a file format and a record format without writing a program in a programming language. The user only needs to input information in proportion to the number of items in one record, and if the format of the record does not change, the number of operations by the user does not increase even if the amount of data increases.

Further, according to the present invention, since the file format definition and the record format definition that have been input once can be saved, it is not necessary to repeatedly input definition information when processing files of the same format.

Further, according to the present invention, not only the contents of the text file but also the attributes of the file can be the items of the record.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration.

FIG. 2 is a processing flow of a table generation program 106.

FIG. 3 shows steps 209 and 211 in FIG.
Is a detailed processing flow of.

FIG. 4 is a detailed processing flow of step 310 in FIG.

5 is a detailed processing flow of step 311 in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a processing flow of a file format registration program 107.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of a record format / file format definition dialog.

FIG. 8 is a record format / file format definition table.

FIG. 9 is a table.

10 is an example of a result of step 311 in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

91 ... Table, 92 ... Record, 93 ... Item, 10
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Central processing unit, 102 ... Display, 103 ... Keyboard, 104 ... Mouse, 105 ... External storage device, 106 ... Table generation program, 107 ... File format registration program, 108 ... Text to be processed, 109 ... Record format / file format Definition table, 11
0 ... Basic control program, 111 ... Main storage device, 700
… File format / record format definition dialog, 815
Delimiter character string / item name list, 818 ... Record format table, 1001 ... Delimiter character string, 1002 ... Item character string.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A system for generating a table consisting of a plurality of records having a plurality of items from one or more text files in which a plurality of items appear repeatedly, and identifying a character string corresponding to a record included in the text file. Information, information for identifying a character string corresponding to an item of a record included in a character string corresponding to the record, a name of an item forming the record, an item type, a correspondence relationship between the item name and the attribute of the text file, And the step of inputting the definition of the format of the text file and record consisting of the correspondence between the item names and the character strings corresponding to the items included in the text file, the step of inputting the text file, and the attributes of the text file are extracted. Step, the attribute extracted in the step, the item name and the text file Determining the value of the item from the correspondence relationship of sex and the type of item, extracting the character string corresponding to the record from the input text based on the method of identifying the character string corresponding to the record, Extracting a character string corresponding to an item from the character string corresponding to the record extracted in the step based on a method of identifying a character string corresponding to an item of a record, and
A table generation method comprising: a step of determining a value of an item from a type of the item and a correspondence relationship between the extracted character string, the item name and a character string corresponding to the item. 2. A storage means for storing information, the step of storing the definition input in the step of inputting the format of the text file and the record in the storage means, and a plurality of definitions stored in the storage means. Selecting one of the items, determining the value of the item, extracting the character string corresponding to the record, extracting the character string corresponding to the item, determining the value of the item The table generating method according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing is based on the content of the selected definition. 3. The method of identifying a character string corresponding to a record in a file is a pattern of a character string at the beginning of the record and a pattern of a final character string of the record. The table generation method described in 1 or 2. 4. The information for identifying the character string corresponding to the item of the record in the character string corresponding to the record is a pattern of the character string delimiting the item.
The table generation method according to any one of 3 to 3. 5. The table generation according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the file is the date and time of the last update of the file, the name of the creator of the file, the name of the file, and the location where the file is stored. Method. 6. The correspondence between the name of an item and a character string corresponding to an item in a text file is a combination of a pattern of a character string delimiting an item before or after an item and an item name, or an item. 6. The table generating method according to claim 1, wherein the table generating method is a set of corresponding character string patterns and item names.