JPH1165804A - Information display device and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information display device which makes the list of all items with a simple operation and can select the desired item without increasing a tab display area displaying an item name even if the number of the items increases in the information display device displaying information of the plural items. SOLUTION: In a screen selecting the desired item from a data base and displaying it, item list tabs A1 and A2 are displayed at the upper/lower parts of tabs where the individual item names are arranged. When one item list tab A1 or A2 is selected and it is clicked by a mouse, the list LST of the item names is displayed on the screen. The arbitrary item can be selected from the list and substance information corresponding to the selected item is displayed on an information display area R. Since all the item names are not displayed from the beginning, the screen is effectively used and the item list is displayed according to need. Thus, the specified item can be selected while the whole items are viewed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information display device for displaying information selected from a group of information classified into a plurality of items, and a program for causing a computer to function as such an information display device. The present invention relates to an information recording medium having stored therein.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In software such as an OS (operating system) and application software on a computer system, an operator provides information related to necessary items from information classified into a plurality of items (categories). There are cases where you want to select and display. For example, if you want to display information about a category that contains a setting to change that setting,
For example, the information of the database is displayed for each classification item.

[0003] In recent years, in general, an interface having an enhanced graphic function has been widely used so as to be easily operated by an operator. Also in the above case, such an interface is used, and “tab display” is one of the displays using such an interface. Here, “tab” means a protruding index area that displays an item name for classifying information. According to the tab display, a necessary item can be selected from the item names displayed in a plurality of indices, such as an indexed binder in the real world, and information on the item can be efficiently obtained.

However, in the tab display, when the number of items increases, there may be a case where the number of tabs corresponding to the number of items cannot be displayed in the tab drawing area. In such a case, how to display the items to be displayed on the tabs within a limited range of screens becomes a problem. To cope with this problem, there are a slide display and a multi-stage display. These will be described below.

<Slide Display> FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a slide type display 50 on a display. However, FIG. 13 shows an example in which a desired class is selected in the animal classification database, and a description of the selected class is displayed. In the slide type display 50 in this example, three tabs 51 that always display item names are displayed.
53 are displayed, and slide tabs 54 and 55 are arranged on both left and right sides. By clicking one of the slide tabs 54 and 55, the operator slides the three item names of the tabs 51 to 53 that always display the item names to the left and right, and the tabs 51 to 53 are displayed.
Can display other item names.

When a desired item name is displayed on any of the tabs 51 to 53, the operator can click on the item to select it. Then, information on the item selected in this way is displayed in the information display area R.
By adding a mechanism for sliding the item name displayed on the tab in this way, a desired item can be selected from many items.

<Multi-level display> In the multi-level display, all tabs are displayed in a multi-level tab drawing area.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of the display 60 in a multi-stage format. As shown in FIG. 14, in the display 60 having a plurality of rows,
When tabs (six tabs 61 to 66 in the illustrated example) corresponding to all item numbers cannot be arranged and displayed in one row, all of these tabs 61 to 66 are displayed in a plurality of rows.

[0008]

As described above, there are known two types of formats in which a large number of item names are displayed by tabs. Of these, in a slide display, the user can select all items. You can't tell at a glance how many there are and what kind of items you have. Also, the user is anxious about how far he can slide to reach the target item.

On the other hand, according to the multi-stage display, all items can be checked at a glance. However, as the number of tabs to be displayed increases, the tab display area increases, and the ratio of the tab display area in the screen increases. This may cause a problem such as a decrease in the information display area R, particularly when the display size is small.

In this multi-stage display, a stage including the selected tab is moved to a position close to the information display region R in order to connect the information display region R arranged below the tab to the selected tab. There is. For example, when “fish” is selected in the example of FIG. 14, three items including “fish” are moved to the lower row adjacent to the information display region R as shown in FIG. However, in this case, it is necessary to newly check the position of the tab by moving the line of sight, and the workability of the operator may deteriorate.

As described above, there is a problem in visibility and operability in both the slide display and the multi-stage display.

In view of the above problem, the present invention provides a simple operation for listing all items without increasing the item name display area for displaying item names even when the number of items increases. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information display device capable of selecting a desired item.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, information designated through selection of an item name among a group of information each having an item name is displayed on a display. An information display device for selectively displaying on a screen, wherein (a) a first list of a predetermined number of item names among a group of item names corresponding to the group of information is displayed on the screen. Display control means, (b) second display control means for displaying an item list listing all of the group of item names on the screen in response to a predetermined operation input, and (c) predetermined selection In response to any of: i) selecting one item name from the predetermined number of item names; and ii) selecting one item name from the item list. Table 3 for displaying the information corresponding to the item name on the screen And a control unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information display device according to the first aspect, the predetermined number of item names are arranged and displayed in a predetermined index area set on the screen. The second display control means includes: (b-1) a means for displaying a predetermined operation area on the screen at an end of the array of the index areas; and (b-2) a specification operation of the operation area. Means for displaying the item list on the screen in response.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information display device according to the second aspect, in the index area,
A first direction in which characters describing each item name are arranged and a second direction in which the predetermined number of item names are arranged mutually are substantially perpendicular.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information display device according to the second or third aspect, the item list is displayed near the operation area.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the information display device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the predetermined number of item names are displayed as an array of tabs in the index area. The operation area is a dummy tab displayed at an end of the tab array.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the information display device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the third display control means includes: (c-1) one of the items in the item list.
When the item name is selected as a selection item, the item list is deleted from the screen, information corresponding to the selection item is displayed on the screen, and the item name of the selection item is included. As described above, there is provided a means for updating the list of the predetermined number of item names.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, as a typical usage of the information display device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the group of information is a database in which predetermined types of data are accumulated. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the information display device according to the first aspect.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<A. First Embodiment><Outline of Apparatus> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system in which an information display apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is realized using a computer. As shown in FIG. 1, in this system, an input / output device 11, a CPU 12, a memory 13,
The storage unit 14 and the interfaces 15 and 16 are mutually connected via a bus line BL. I / O device 11
Means flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-R
This is an apparatus that reads data from a computer-readable portable recording medium D such as an OM and writes data to the data. The CPU 12 is a processing unit that performs arithmetic processing. The memory 13 is a device for temporarily storing and holding data, and the storage unit 14 is a computer-readable fixed recording medium such as a magnetic disk. The interface 15 further includes a display 1 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display.
The interface 16 is connected to operation input devices such as a keyboard 18 and a mouse 19.

As described above, the information display apparatus according to the present embodiment can be implemented by a general computer having an internal CPU.
A device 12 is realized by executing a program having a function of switching and displaying the classification information on the display 17. The classification information is stored in the memory 13 and the storage unit 1
4 and at least one of the portable recording media D. The program may be read from the portable recording medium D, or may be stored in the storage unit 1 in advance.
4 may be stored. That is, it does not matter whether the target in which the program is stored is a portable recording medium or a fixed recording medium.

<Display Screen> The display screen of the information display device of the present embodiment will be described below. Each display in the following description is displayed on the screen of the display 17 in FIG. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each classification information is switched and displayed in a database classified into a plurality of items.

Further, as shown in FIG.
This database contains "birds", "mammals", "reptiles", "amphibians", "fish", "insects", "crustaceans", "cephalopods", "spiders", "brachipods", It is assumed that each item of “sea urchins” and “squirts” has entity information classified in this order. The list of these item names and the entity information of each item can be associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 14 or the portable recording medium D in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a display image 1 displayed on the display 17 in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a display image 1 is defined in a window frame 2, and an image body 3 is displayed in the window frame 2. Here, there are a case where the window frame 2 is displayed on the entire screen of the display 17 in FIG. 1 and a case where it is displayed on a part thereof. Most of the image body 3 is a rectangular information display area R, and the right end of the information display area R has a tab array TA in which a plurality of tabs are arranged in a vertical direction.
It has become. This array TA has six individual item tabs T
It is divided into a vertical arrangement of 1 to T6 and item list tabs A1 and A2 arranged at upper and lower ends thereof. These tabs T1
The area where T6, A1, and A2 are displayed is the "index area" in this embodiment.

The individual item tabs T1 to T6 are indexes for displaying item names one by one in the internal area, and the six individual item tabs T1 to T6 exemplified here are continuous in each classification item. The item names of the six items are displayed. Note that the number of individual item tabs need not be six, but is generally a plurality.

Each of the individual item tabs T1 to T6 has a horizontal length longer than a vertical length.
The plurality of individual item tabs T1 to T6 are displayed in the information display area R.
Are arranged in the vertical direction on the right side. As described above, since the longitudinal direction in which the character strings are arranged in each of the individual item tabs T1 to T6 and the direction in which the plurality of individual item tabs T1 to T6 are mutually arranged are substantially perpendicular, a large number of tabs can be formed. It can be arranged along the side of the information display area R.

In the information display area R, entity information corresponding to the item selected by positioning and clicking the pointer (cursor) P of each classification item is displayed. In FIG. 2, the entity information on the item “amphibian” whose item name is displayed on the individual item tab T3 is displayed in characters in the information display area R. This information display is not limited to characters, and may include an image display and a sound reproduction display. The currently selected individual item tab T3 is connected to the information display region R and has no border line. This is to indicate that the information currently displayed in the information display area R is the entity information corresponding to the item “amphibian” displayed on the individual item tab T3.

The individual item tabs T1, T2, T4 to T6 above and below the individual item tab T3 include items of "mammals", "reptiles", "fishes", "insects" and "crustaceans". Each name is displayed, but "amphibians"
Is selected, the entity information corresponding to these five individual item tabs T1, T2, T4 to T6 is not displayed in the information display area R.

The item list tabs A1 and A2 are respectively located above the individual item tab T1 and the individual item tab T6.
, And is represented by an image of a dummy tab as if a plurality of tabs were shifted little by little and overlapped. As described later, when the pointer P of the mouse 19 shown in FIG. 1 is pointed at one of the item list tabs A1 and A2 and the button of the mouse 19 is clicked, an item list LST (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 described later) is displayed. Is displayed. In the item list LST, all the item names included in the specified database are arranged in a predetermined order, and all or a part is displayed. By using the item list LST, the operator selects a desired item from a number of items exceeding the number of individual item tabs T1 to T6 (six in this example), and assigns the selected item to that item. Related entity information can be displayed in the information display area R.

<Operation> Next, the operation of the information display apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8 and along the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S1 in FIG. 9, an initial display is performed. In the initial display, information on the item selected when the use of the database was last ended or the item set as the default is displayed in the information display area R. FIG. 2 described above illustrates an example of this initial display state. As described above, in the example of FIG. 2, the entity information regarding the item “amphibian” is displayed in the information display region R.

In this initial state and the following states, the first one of the array of the group of item names (FIG. 7)
2 is displayed as one of the individual item tabs, the item list tab A in FIG.
The upper item list tab A1 of A1 and A2 is not displayed (see FIG. 3). This is to make it easier to visually recognize that "birds" is the first item name. Similarly, when the item name corresponding to the last item name ("sparkling" in the example of FIG. 7) is displayed as one of the individual item tabs, the lower item list tab A2 is not displayed. is there.

Next, it is assumed that the operator wants to access information on other items from the initial state of FIG. In this case, the operation differs depending on whether the information item to be accessed exists in the individual item tabs T1 to T6 in the initial state or not.

First, consider a case where an item of information to be accessed exists in the individual item tabs T1 to T6 in the initial state. When the operator wants to display the entity information of “insects”, the pointer (cursor) of the mouse 19 is placed on the individual item tab T5 displaying the item name of “insects”.
Match P and click. In step S2, when the selection of the individual item tab by clicking the mouse 19 is detected, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the entity information displayed in the information display region R is changed, and the item displayed on the newly selected individual item tab T5, that is, the entity information on “insects” is displayed in the information display region R. (See FIG. 4). At this time, the selected individual item tab T5 is connected to the information display region R.

Next, consider a case where the item of information to be accessed does not exist in the individual item tabs T1 to T6. In this case, the pointer P of the mouse 19 is positioned at any one of the item list tabs A1 and A2 and clicked (FIG. 5). Then, the item list LST is displayed as shown in FIG. 6, and by using the item list LST, it is possible to select from all items. This will be described in detail below.

In step S3, item list tab A
When it is detected that either A1 or A2 is selected,
This selection is recognized as an instruction to display the item list LST, and the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the item list LST shown in FIG. 6 appears in response to this instruction. The item list LST is a list in which all the item names are arranged in a vertical direction and enumerated, and is displayed by a pull-down or pop-up operation.
In the illustrated example, all the item names are displayed in the item list LST. However, if the number of items exceeds a predetermined number, all the item names may not be displayed in the window frame. . When all the item names cannot be displayed in the window frame, some of the item names are displayed, and all the item names are displayed by the scroll operation. The item list LST is displayed in the vicinity of the clicked one of the item list tabs A1 and A2, preferably so as to partially overlap the area where the clicked one of the item list tabs A1 and A2 is displayed. ing.
However, in the example of FIG. 6, since there are many item names in the item list LST, the item list LST is displayed so as to partially overlap both of the item list tabs A1 and A2. As described above, the item list LST is displayed below or near the position of the pointer P of the mouse 19 when the item list LST is selected. can get.

When the item list LST is displayed, the selection mark M is added to the item whose entity information was displayed in the information display area R immediately before that, ie, in the example of FIG. 6, “amphibians” in FIG. Is displayed. Therefore,
Even if the item list LST is displayed on the group of individual item tabs, the operator does not have to worry about not knowing which individual item tab is currently selected.

Next, after the item list LST is displayed in step S4, it may not be necessary to select a new item because the desired item is not in the list. In this case, it is possible to delete the item list LST without selecting any item and return to the operation input waiting state. For example, item list L
In a state where ST is displayed, the operator can move the pointer P of the mouse 19 to a position other than the item list LST and click a mouse button.
Further, the escape key of the keyboard 18 may be pressed. These operations mean an instruction to delete the item list LST, which is detected in step S5, and in the next step S6, the item list LST is deleted.
Is erased.

If there is no such an erasure instruction, an item name is selected from the item list LST. For example,
The case where the operator wants to display entity information related to “cephalopods” in the information display area R will be described (FIG. 7).
The operator moves the pointer P of the mouse 19 to the item list L.
By moving the mouse in the ST, the pointer P of the mouse 19 is set to the position of “cephalopods”, and “cephalopods” can be selected by clicking the button of the mouse 19. In step S7, it is detected that this item has been selected, and the process proceeds to the next step S8.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display image after the display is changed by the processing in steps S8 and S9 after the operator clicks the button of the mouse 19. When the selection of the item is detected in step S7, it is not necessary to display the item list LST.
Therefore, it is considered that an instruction to delete the item list LST has been issued, and the item list LST is deleted in the next step S8.

Subsequently, in step S9, the information of the selected item "cephalopod" is displayed in the information display area R, and the item name of the selected item "cephalopod" is displayed near the center. Is displayed on the individual item tab T3. The individual item tabs T1 and T2 on the upper side and the individual item tabs T4 on the lower side are displayed.
In T6 to T6, there are two item names immediately before and immediately after "cephalopod" in the item list LST, "insects", "crustaceans" and "spiders" and "brachipods".
Display "Sea urchins".

After the display is changed in step S9 and the like, the process returns to step S2, so that the selection of a new item and the display of the entity information corresponding to the new item can be repeated. To exit this loop, the user may select "end" or "close" from a menu (not shown) on the screen to end the database.

<B. Second Embodiment> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display image according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The hardware configuration of the device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1). The difference from the first embodiment is that three individual item tabs T11 to T13 are arranged in the horizontal direction. And the item list tabs B1 and B2 are arranged on the left and right sides. In this case, a relatively small number of tabs can be included in the tab array TB as compared with the first embodiment, but menus such as file operation, editing, search, and help are usually displayed at the upper end of the screen. The second embodiment has the advantage that the moving distance of the pointer P from the menu array to the tab array TB can be relatively small.

The operation flow when any one of the individual item tabs T11 to T13 is selected and the operation flow when the item list tabs B1 and B2 are operated are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates a display state of the item list LST when the item list tab B2 is operated. When "reptile" is selected from the item list LST and the mouse 19 is clicked, the display is displayed in the information display area R. The changed entity information is changed to the entity information of “reptile”.

<C. Modifications> In each of the above embodiments, in order to display an item list list, item list tabs A1, A2 (B1, B2) represented in the form of dummy tabs as operation areas for the display command. ) Was used, but an area other than the tab may be set. FIG. 12 is such an example,
The operation areas C1 and C2 displayed as "all kinds" are set in an area different from the arrangement with the array TC of the individual item tabs. Any one of these operation areas C1 and C2 is selected with the mouse 19. By clicking the item list, the item list LST is displayed in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. As an alternative to, or in combination with, positioning and clicking with the mouse 19, the menu may include a selection of "display all items".

Also, when using a mouse,
The instruction for displaying and erasing the item list LST can be executed by another operation mode. For example, when the mouse 19 has a two-button or three-button format, a menu that appears when the mouse 19 is right-clicked includes a selection for displaying the item list LST, and the user selects the mouse and moves the mouse 19 to the left. By clicking, it is also possible to modify so as to select a desired item.

Also in this case, immediately after selecting a new item from the item list LST, the item list LST
Is deleted, and information related to the selected item is displayed in the information display area R.

Alternatively, the operation input by the mouse in the above-described embodiment can be performed by operation input means such as another pointing device and a keyboard. For example, by assigning a predetermined operation of a mouse to a predetermined key, the operation can be performed also by a keyboard. When a transparent touch panel is stacked on the display, tab selection may be performed by touch panel operation.

Further, there may be a case where a change is made to an item such as a database displayed on the information display device. For example, increase / decrease in the number of classification items, correction of item names, replacement of item order, and the like. In this case, the items displayed in the item list LST are changed according to the change.

[0051]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the item list is not displayed at the time of normal operation, but is displayed only when necessary according to the operator's request. Is done. As a result, even when the number of items increases, the display area of the item names does not increase,
In addition, all items can be listed by a simple operation, and a desired item can be selected.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the operation area for displaying the item list is set at the end of the array of the index area for selecting the individual item, the display shifts to the display of the item list. You do not need to travel long distances for the operation.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the number of items that can be displayed in the index area can be increased, so that a larger number of items can be listed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the item list is displayed near the operation area for calling the item list, an operation for quickly selecting a specific item from the item list is performed. It is possible to move on.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the item name enumeration using the tab, the operation area for calling the item list is also shaped like a tab, so that the operator can easily understand. .

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when a desired item is selected from the item list, the entity display corresponding to that item is displayed in the same manner as if it were selected via the individual item tab. It is displayed in a simple format, so that the handling is unified and it is easy for the operator to understand.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the above-mentioned configuration is applied to a database which is used in many cases, in particular, selection from a large number of pieces of information, effective use of a screen and selection performance from a large number of items can be achieved. This is especially useful.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the functions of the first aspect of the present invention can be realized on a computer by causing the computer to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration of an information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial state of a display image according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial view showing an example of an image when an individual item tab includes a first individual item.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a selection display using an individual item tab.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a selection display using an item list tab.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of an item list.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing an example of an array of an item list.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example after a new item is selected through an item list.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an operation of the information display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial state of a display image according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of an item list according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a slide-type tab display screen according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a tab display screen in a multi-stage format according to the related art.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing arrangement switching on a multi-level tab display screen according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 input / output device 12 CPU 13 memory 14 storage unit 15, 16 interface 17 display 18 keyboard 19 mouse 1 display image 2 window frame 3 image body R information display area T1 to T6, T11 to T13 individual item tabs A1, A2, B1, B2 Item list tab LST Item list

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An information display device for selectively displaying, on a screen of a display, information designated through selection of an item name from a group of information each having an item name, wherein: (a) First display control means for listing and displaying a predetermined number of item names on the screen among a group of item names respectively corresponding to the group of information; (b) in response to a predetermined operation input, Second display control means for displaying an item list listing all of the group of item names on the screen; (c) by a predetermined selection operation: i) one item from the predetermined number of item names Selection of names;
And ii) a third display control means for displaying information corresponding to the selected item name on the screen in response to any of selecting one of the item names from the item list. An information display device comprising: 2. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of item names are arranged and displayed in a predetermined index area set on the screen, and the second display control means includes: (B-1) means for displaying a predetermined operation area at an end of the array of the index area; and (b-2) displaying the item list on the screen in response to a designation operation of the operation area. An information display device comprising: 3. The information display device according to claim 2, wherein in the index area, a first direction in which characters describing each item name are arranged, and a second direction in which the predetermined number of item names are arranged mutually. Are substantially perpendicular to each other. 4. The information display device according to claim 2, wherein the item list is displayed near the operation area. 5. The information display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined number of item names are displayed as an array of tabs in the index area, and the operation area is An information display device, which is a dummy tab displayed at an end of an arrangement of tabs. 6. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the third display control means includes: (c-1) one item name in the item list as a selection item. When selected, the item list is deleted from the screen, information corresponding to the selected item is displayed on the screen, and the predetermined number of items are selected so that the item name of the selected item is included. An information display device, comprising: means for updating an enumeration of item names. 7. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the group of information is a database in which predetermined types of data are accumulated. 8. A first display control means for causing a computer to: (a) list a predetermined number of item names among a group of item names respectively corresponding to the group of information on a screen of a display; and (b) Second display control means for displaying, on the screen, an item list listing all of the group of item names in response to a predetermined operation input; and (c) a predetermined selection operation: i) the predetermined number Selection of one item name from among the item names of
And ii) selecting one of the item names from the item list, and displaying information corresponding to the selected one of the item names on the screen,
A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for functioning as a computer is recorded.