JPS61278887A - Terminal virtual application system for multiwindow display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a display method for a display having a plurality of display areas (multi-windows) on a display screen. It relates to a display method that can handle multiple windows (document processing, e-mail, electronic files, etc.).

(Prior art) In recent years, in office automation terminals (workstations), the area on the screen is divided into multiple rectangular areas (
Multi-window displays are often used, where images are divided into multiple windows (windows). Multi-window display allows multiple service programs to display documents and graphics on one display screen at the same time, allowing the user to operate those services simultaneously from the screen, improving processing efficiency.

Also, in the past, even for services that use multiple displays, there is an advantage that only one display can be displayed by displaying multiple windows.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, regarding the conventional multi-window display control method, the display method that relies on document processing services (Patent Application No. 57
113886, Japanese Patent Application No. 57-116773), it has the disadvantage that it cannot be used when various other services for office automation (e-mail, electronic files, etc.) use windows.

As described above, in the conventional technology, there has been no method for controlling the display of a plurality of windows (multi-window) from various service programs for office automation (document processing, e-mail, electronic files, etc.).

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, to make it possible to execute display control of multiple windows from a service program having various processing purposes for office automation, and to facilitate interaction processing with users. The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-window display control method that is efficient and economical.

(Means for solving the problem) The present invention treats the logical screen as if it were one display screen, the position specified by the pointing device is the coordinate within the logical screen, and the input data from the keyboard is input for each logical screen. By summarizing the data, the window can be seen as a virtual terminal with one input/output function, and this embodiment has the following configuration.

(1) Text and graphics from the service program.

Defining multiple finite two-dimensional areas (referred to as logical screens) in which data containing mixed images is drawn.

(2) Provide a function for specifying or moving the range to be displayed within each logical screen (referred to as a logical scope) from the service program.

(3) A screen in which each logical scope is displayed in a one-to-one correspondence at an arbitrary position on the screen (a logical scope displayed on the screen is called a window), a screen in which each logical scope is hidden, To provide a service program with a function to change the order of superposition.

(4) The position (coordinates) on the screen specified by a pointing device such as a mouse is converted to the coordinates on the logical screen attached to that window via the window on which the specified position is placed. shall have a function to notify the service program.

(5) Input data from the keyboard is accumulated in a data storage buffer prepared for each window, and a mechanism is provided to physically assign one keyboard to one of multiple windows (called activation). It also has the function of inputting data from the keyboard into each window according to the user's active designation, and returning the data for each window to the service program.

(Function) As described above, according to the method of the present invention, each window has virtual (having input/output functions) on one physical screen, pointing device, keyboard, etc. It is assumed that a plurality of terminals exist, and by operating these windows from various service programs, a multi-window display can be realized, and various interactive processes with users can be efficiently supported.

(Example) FIG. 1 provides a detailed explanation of the invention.

In the figure, 1 is a service program that uses multiple windows, 2 is a virtualized terminal screen corresponding to each window, 3 is a gee board and pointing device input device that is virtualized for each window, and 4 is a window A corresponding two-dimensional area for output (logical screen), 5 is a range that specifies the area to be displayed on the logical screen (logical scope), 6 is a window memory area that holds multiple logical screens, 7 is a logical scope What is transferred and displayed one-to-one on the screen (physical scope), 8 is a rectangular area on the screen that combines the physical scope and frame (window), 9 is the physical display screen, 10
11 indicates a keyboard, and 11 indicates a pointing device such as a mouse. The user program draws text and one graphic image for one window 8 on the corresponding logical screen 4, and specifies the range to be displayed on the screen using the logical scope 5. Furthermore, input from the keyboard is buffered for each window as three input devices, and input from a pointing device is virtualized as a position within the logical screen using three input devices. In this way, the service program can access one window as a virtual input/output terminal, and can use multiple windows for general purposes.

Fig. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the present invention. is a secondary storage device that stores large-capacity files, etc.;
The components up to n are collectively called the main processor section,
5 is a display processor that controls the window and draws text and graphics 2 images; 26 is a window memory that stores a two-dimensional drawing area (logical screen) for each window;
n is a frame memory for storing data to be displayed on a display screen, A is a screen such as a CRT, 4 is a keyboard for inputting text, DD is a pointing device for indicating the cursor position on the screen, 31 is 5 to 30 24 is a bus for data transfer between the main processor section and the display control section.

FIG. 3 shows a module configuration of software running on the configuration shown in FIG. 2. In the figure, 31-2 is a service program that operates multiple windows, 32 is a basic component (O8) that controls the system, and 33 is a window control unit that provides the function of realizing each window as one virtual terminal. is the data transfer bus shown in Figure 2, and Kuzu is the display control software that draws multi-window operations, text, and two graphic images on the logical screen. 36, 37, 38,
39 is the same window memory, keyboard, pointing device, and display screen as in FIG.

A method for handling one window from a service program as a virtual terminal with input/output functions will be described below.

(1) Output function: The basic software 32 in Figure 3 issues commands to the service program to create/disappear multiple logical screens and perform various window operations (logical scope operations, physical scope settings, etc. to be described later). providing. When the service program issues a command to the basic software to generate one logical screen, the window control unit (33, Fig. 3) creates management information that associates the service program with the logical screen. Display control software (35
, FIG. 3), the same command is issued again. When the display control software receives this command, it stores the window memory (3
6. Allocate a logical screen area on the screen (Figure 3). Figure 7 (a
) shows this flow. The service program regards this logical screen as a two-dimensional finite area, and uses the coordinate system for this area to create various figures (text, straight lines, two circles, etc.).

Basic software (32
, Figure 3). Upon receiving this command, the window control unit (33, FIG. 3) issues a drawing command to the window to the display control software. The display control software uses the window memory (
36, Fig. 3) and stores it in bit expansion. Figure 7 (
This flow is shown in b). In this way, the service program regards one logical screen as, for example, one page of a document, and as the document is created, the document image is stored as dot information on the shielded memory 36 by the display control software 35. . The logical screen is an area for storing graphic images, etc. described from the service program as described above, and in order to display these on the screen, the following operation commands are performed. These commands are passed to the display control software through the same flow of commands as the drawing commands described above. The display control software controls the display by transferring data from the window memory to the display (39, FIG. 3) in accordance with these display control commands.

(1) Logical scope setting: Specify the range to be displayed on the logical screen (referred to as logical scope).

This setting is maintained for each window within the display control software.

(ii) Physical scope setting: Set where on the screen the logical scope should be displayed. A logical scope expanded on the screen is called a physical I-scope.

(Source) Physical scope display control: Controls whether the physical scope is displayed or hidden on the screen.

(]V) Superimposition control of physical scopes: Controls the superposition of physical scopes on the screen.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship among the logical screen, logical scope, physical scope, and display screen. In the figure, 40 and 43 are window compatible logical screens, 41 and 44 are logical scopes, 42 and
45 is a physical scope, and 46 is a display screen. The service program determines the position and size of the window to be displayed on the screen using the operation commands (i) to (1) above.

Overlapping can be specified.

In this way, the display control software manages information for each of a plurality of windows, and one window is shown to the service program by virtualizing each display area of one terminal.

(2) Input function: The following method is used to obtain keyboard and mouse input data from the service program.

(1) Keyboard The number of input character codes from the human crab keyboard is one. In multi-window/window display, an independent service program for windows runs and waits for input from the keyboard. Therefore, in order to allocate one piece of input data to each window, the window control unit (Fig. 32
), as shown in FIG. 5, a buffer is prepared for each window to hold input data.

The flow of data input from the keyboard is shown in FIG. 8(a). The input data allocation is specified by the user using the mouse. FIG. 8(b) shows a flow for obtaining input data for a window from a service program. In FIG. 5, 51 is a service program that requests input data, 52 is a window control unit that performs allocation, 53 is a buffer compatible with windows, and 1 is a keyboard.

(++) Coordinate input from the mouse crab mouse is converted from the position on the screen to the coordinates within the window's logical screen,
Notify service program. The input trigger for the mouse position is created by the event generated by the mouse button,
The coordinate values are also the same as input data from the keyboard.
Data is held for each window by the window control unit. FIG. 6 shows an outline of the coordinate transformation. In the figure, 60 is a logical screen, 61 is a logical scope, 62 is a physical scope, 6
3 is a cursor, 64 is a mouse, 65 is a display screen, and 66 is a coordinate value within the logical screen corresponding to the cursor position. The service program is notified of the coordinate values (x, y) in the diagram.

Using the methods shown in (i) and (it) above, virtualization of input functions is realized by allocating input from one keyboard and mouse to each window.

By simultaneously managing the output and input functions to the windows shown in (1) and (2) above for each window using the window control unit, one window can be used as a virtual terminal with input/output functions. It becomes possible to make the service program aware.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, in a plurality of rectangular areas (windows) displayed on the screen, each window is provided with an input/output function, thereby converting the window into one virtual input/output function. It can now be treated as an output terminal, and has the following effects.

(1) It is easy to develop service programs because it provides a function that can universally handle multiple windows from various service programs for OA.

(2) By providing an input mechanism that accumulates input from input devices such as a keyboard and mouse for each window, and by integrating output control and input control to the window, it is possible to This makes it possible for the system to provide the control that previously existed, improving processing speed. Therefore, responsiveness is also improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a software module configuration diagram that is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an output operation to a window. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram in which input data from the keyboard is accumulated for each window. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating input coordinates from the window. FIG. 7 shows the flow of issuing commands from the service program to the display control software, and FIG. 8 shows the flow of receiving input data from the keyboard to the service program. 1... Service program, 2... Virtualization terminal, 3
...Input device, 4...Logic screen, 5...Logic scope, 6...Window memory, 7...Physical scope, 8...Window, 9...Display screen, 10... Keyboard, 11... Pointing device, 20...
- Main processor, 21... service program,
n...Secondary storage device, B...Main processor section,
24...Main bus, 5...Display processor, 26...Window memory, n...Frame memory, Road...CRT screen, 29...Keyboard, add...
...Pointing device, 31...Display control unit, 31-2...Service program, 32...
・O3, 33... Window control unit, 34... Transfer bus, A... Display control software, 36... Window memory, 37... Keyboard, Seki... Pointing device, 39...・Display screen, 40
, 43...Logic screen, 41, 44...Logic scope, 42, 45...Patent scope, 46...Display screen, 51...Service program, 52...Window control unit, 53... ...wind buffer, 54...
・Keyboard, mark...Logic screen, 61...Logic scope, 62...Physical scope, 63...Cursor,
64... Mouse, 65... Display screen, 66... Coordinate values in logical screen, 70... Logical screen generation command issuing function, 71... Management information creation function, 72... Logic screen generation command issuing function, 73... Logical screen area reservation function, 74... Graphic drawing function, 75... Graphic drawing issuing function, 76... Bit expansion function, 80... From keyboard 81... Data allocation to window is a function, 82... Data input function from the service program, 83... Data notification function to the service program.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a multi-window display system that has multiple display areas on the display screen, each service program can write text, graphics, and image data to each window, and can also write input data from pointing devices including a keyboard and mouse. Each window is accompanied by a two-dimensional logical screen in which one logical text, figure, or image data can be written. Provides the service program with controls for stacking multiple windows, moving windows within the screen, changing window size, temporarily displaying or hiding windows, and displays the screen specified by the pointing device. It has a function that does not return the position as in-screen coordinates, but converts it into logical in-screen coordinates and notifies the service program. Keyboard input data is accumulated for each window, and the service program associates the keyboard with the window. A terminal virtualization method for multi-window display that is characterized by virtualizing one physical screen, keyboard, and pointing device into multiple terminals by freely configuring settings.