JPS62140171A - Editing system for document layout - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To edit a quick and effective layout by editing the document layout within a layout window. CONSTITUTION:A display controller 16 develops data stored in a window memory 15 to a frame buffer 17 in the form of a type that can be displayed. A layout window 50 includes the layouts 51 and 54 of a text data part, a layout 52 of a graph data part, a layout 53 of a display data part, and a layout 55 of an image data part. When the layout 52 is moved slightly to the upper left side, an operator moves a cursor 57 to the position where the layout 52 is indicated by means of a cursor indicating device 12. The black dots are displayed on the contour of the layout 52 selected by a switch of the device 12. Then the layout 52 is moved with shift of the cursor 57. Therefore, the contour of the layout 51 including the moved layout 52 is drawn again with editing so that the area of the layout 51 is equal to that secured before its shift.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a document creation device equipped with a display device having a plurality of data display areas (hereinafter referred to as windows). This relates to a document layout editing method.

(Prior Art) In recent years, in novel computers or workstations, multiple windows are installed on the display screen, each window is used as a virtual display screen, and multiple windows can be displayed on one display. The number of systems that run applications has increased.

Still, in devices such as word processors that perform processes such as document creation, correction, editing, and storage, the types of data handled are not only text (character data), but also graphics, graphs, and tables. It has also spread to so-called multimedia, such as image images (hereinafter simply referred to as image images), which are two-dimensional bit strings used in facsimile machines, and are being commercialized as document creation devices.

The various data that make up these documents are:

For example, graphs are created using two separate application programs, such as selecting the type of graph, inputting numerical data, writing the graph name, inputting coordinate values, etc., using an application program dedicated to graph creation. be done. In the above-mentioned document creation device, a document is created by collecting and pasting together various data that have been created separately. In other words, within one document, there are multiple areas (hereinafter referred to as areas) having various data attributes.

Conventionally, layout editing work in such a document creation device has been accomplished by modifying/changing various data constituting the document itself and changing the position of the various data on the document.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional document layout editing method described above, after - times of editing operations (for example, moving the position of a graph),
The document creation device must redisplay the document () with the new layout.

At this time, especially when multiple types of data attributes are included in the document, there is a drawback that it takes a considerable amount of time to redisplay because many calculations are required for each attribute and layout. In addition, there is no fixed method for layout, and it strongly depends on the individual operator's sense and the content and nature of the document, so a lot of trial and error is required, so the time it takes to redisplay is This will have a big impact on efficiency.

An object of the invention is to obviate one or more such disadvantages.

The purpose is to provide an operator with a quick and efficient document layout editing method.

(Means to solve problems) The document layout editing method of the present invention is as follows.

Mainly multiple data display areas (windows) on one screen
A cursor pointing device that controls the cursor on the display, a data input device that inputs data such as text, numerical values, commands, and images, and a file device that stores and stores the input data. Create a document using multiple types of data such as text, figures, graphs, tables, images, etc. as document configuration data 1. In the editing and storage device 2. Layout information of the created document The type of data included in the document means for concisely displaying the layout information in a layout window separate from the document so that each document can be identified; and the layout information is displayed on the layout window using the cursor pointing device and the data input device.

It has the means to directly modify or change it.

(Example) Next, two aspects of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a document creation device representing an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, 10 is a processing device such as a microprocessor, 11 is a main memory that stores the entire system or application programs, data, etc., and 12 is a memory for indicating the cursor position on the display screen and inputting its coordinates. 13 is a data input device for inputting data or operation commands; 14 is a file device for storing programs, document configuration data, etc.; 15 is a window for storing data to be displayed on the window. A memory 16 is a display control device for developing the data in the window memory 15 into the frame buffer 17 in a displayable format, and 18 is a display for constantly displaying the data developed in the frame buffer 17.

In order to explain the functions of this embodiment, FIG. 2 shows an example of the data structure of a document divided into n areas. The entire document has format information for the entire document 20. Format information for area 1 21. Internal data of area 1 22. Area 2 formant information 23. This is followed by the internal data 24 of area 2, and finally the format information 25 of area n. It is composed of internal data 26 of area n. The format information of each area is the data attribute 30, as shown in the format information of the area in Figure 3.
．． Area coordinate data 31. Other format information 3
Consists of 2.

In order to explain the features more specifically, FIG. 4 shows a display example of the document window. In this example, 40 indicates the outline of the document window, and its contents are the first text data section 41. Graph data section 42, table data section 43. Second
The image data section 45 includes a text data section 44 and an image data section 45 representing picture or photograph data. The area other than the above area is a blank portion 46, and in this figure, the cursor 47 is currently indicating the blank portion 46. Furthermore, although broken lines are shown in the two figures to represent the boundaries of each area, they are not necessarily necessary in reality.

The first of each area. Second text data section 41.4
4 is to occupy as much of the remaining area in the document as necessary.

It cannot be expressed in a rectangular area. The other areas are rectangular, and the area coordinate data 31 in the area formant information represents the coordinate data of the upper left end and the upper right end. As for text data, only the upper left corner, that is, the coordinates of the start end of the text, corresponds to this.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a display example of a layout window corresponding to the document window of FIG. 4.

Reference numeral 50 indicates the outline of a layout window, which corresponds to each data area in FIG. 4, and includes a first text data section layout 51. Graph data section layout 52, table data section layout 53. Second text data section layout 54
．． An image data section layout 55 is included. Cursor 57 is now.

The graph data section layout 52 is specified.

The graph data section layout 52 is diagonally lined at the lower right so that the operator can see the difference in data attributes at a glance.

The table data section layout 53 has a diagonal line at the lower left, and the image data section layout 55 has a rectangular section filled with each pattern of dots. Second text data section) 51.5
4, only the outline is displayed. This layout window can be displayed much faster than the document window because it only involves drawing a rectangle and a pattern within the rectangle.

The operator can use this layout window to layout the document. An example of layout operation is shown below.

In order to move the graph data section layout 52 located at the center right in the fifth fW (a) slightly upward to the left, the operator moves the cursor 57 using the cursor pointing device 12 shown in FIG.
is moved to a position where the graph data section layout 52 is indicated, and the switch attached to the cursor pointing device 12 is used to select it. A black dot indicating the selected state is displayed on the outline of the selected graph data section layout 52.

Thereafter, by moving the kernel 57, the graph data section layout 52 is also moved. All areas other than the text data section can be moved.

Overlapping of these areas is prohibited.

In this example, since the graph data section layout 52 has been moved within the first text data section layout 51, the outline of the first text data section layout 51 is redrawn so that it is the same as before the two areas were moved. , the result is shown in FIG. 5(b). Repeat the above operations to edit the layout, and when completed, transfer control to the original document window and redisplay the document to obtain a new document with the edited layout. The instruction to display the layout window and complete the layout editing operation may be given by a command from the data input device 13 shown in FIG. 1 or by selection from a command menu displayed on the screen. Although it is desirable that the layout window be displayed as a multi-window at the same time as the document window, this is not a requirement of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a display control device for displaying a layout window. This figure shows the window memory 152 display control device 16 of FIG. It corresponds to the frame buffer 17, and particularly shows an example of the inside of the display control device 16. When displaying a layout window, a command instructing this is sent to the display control circuit 60 and the window memory 15
Format information for each area is sent out from the document data contained within. If the data attribute in this format information indicates something other than text data, the formant information is sent to the rectangular area drawing circuit 61, and this circuit draws a rectangle corresponding to the area size and an internal pattern determined from the data attribute. For this purpose, data is sent to the frame buffer 17. If the format information has the attributes of text data, the format information is sent to the text portion contour drawing circuit 62, which determines the area of the area to be the same as the previous area calculated from the other formant information. Moreover, the outline of the text part is displayed so that it does not overlap with other areas.

When displaying a document window, all format information and internal data are sent to the document data rendering circuit 63. The layout window display timing is activated not only when the layout window display is first instructed, but also every time a layout operation is performed.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has the advantage that the layout of a document can be displayed concisely and the layout can be edited quickly and efficiently by operating on the display.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an example of the data structure of a document, Figure 3 is area format information, Figure 4 is an example of document window display, Figure 5 is a layout window display example, and Figure 6 is a display for layout window display. It is an example of a control device. 10... Processing device, 11... Main memory, 12...
input instruction device, 13... data input device, 14.
... File device, 15... Window memory, 16.
・Display control bag! , 17... Frame/gutsuffa, 18... Display, 20... Format information of the entire document, 21... Formant information of area 1, 22... Internal data of area 1, 23...
・Format information of area 2, 24...internal data of area 2, 25...format information of area n,
26... Internal data of area n, 30... Data attribute, 31... Area coordinate data, 32... Other format information. 40... Outline of document window, 41... First text data section, 42... Graph data section, 4
3... Table data section, 44... Second text data section. 45... Image data section, 46... Blank section,
47...Cursor, 50...Outline of layout window. 51... first text data section layout, 52...
...Graph data section layout, 53...Table data section layout, 54...Second text data section layout, 55...Image data section layout, 57.
... Cursor, 60... Display control circuit, 61... Rectangular area drawing circuit, 62... Text section outline drawing circuit. 63...Document data drawing circuit. Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Mainly, a display device with multiple data display areas (windows) on the screen, a cursor pointing device that controls a cursor on the display, text, numerical values,
It consists of a data input device that inputs data such as commands and images, and a file device that stores and stores the input data.
In devices that create, edit, and store documents using multiple types of data such as images as document configuration data, the layout information of the created document is separated from the document so that it can be identified by data type included in the document. means for displaying the layout information concisely on a layout window; and means for directly modifying or changing the layout information on the layout window using the cursor pointing device and the data input device;
A document layout editing method characterized by editing the layout of the document within the layout window.