JPH054686B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] The present invention relates to a control method for outputting and displaying system messages in an interactive information processing system. The aim is to eliminate the need for switching between systems and improve processing efficiency.The system consists of a message control section that centrally manages system messages, displays messages on request, and processes responses, and an interactive operation screen. In an information processing system that is equipped with an interactive screen control section that provides an interactive execution control means to the operator, messages and response information are exchanged between the message control section and the interactive screen control section. A message communication control unit for forwarding is provided, and when the message control unit outputs a message in an operating state where the interactive screen control unit is displaying an interactive operation screen, the message communication control unit outputs the message in an interactive mode. The message is transferred to the screen control section, and the interactive screen control section displays the message in a part of the dialog operation screen, and when a response operation is performed, the response information is sent to the message communication control section for message control. Configure the file to be forwarded to the department.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a control method for outputting and displaying system messages in an interactive information processing system.

In general, interactive information processing systems inform the operator of the processing menu, the current system status (for example, during communication or an error has occurred during processing, etc.), and the necessary operations (for example, loading a floppy disk, etc.). It has a function to output and display various messages prepared within the system in order to give instructions on how to operate the printer power supply procedure, etc. The present invention provides a control method for displaying such messages on the screen and enabling response operations.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional interactive information processing systems, system messages are displayed on a dedicated screen called a message screen, and responses can be input only in that screen state.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a message control method in such a conventional system. In the figure, 1 is a display/input device, 2 is a message control unit for displaying messages and managing responses, and 3 is a message management table.

For example, when a message output request is received from various functional units in the system during processing on an interactive operation screen, the message control unit 2 sequentially sets the message information in the free area of the management table 3. , a system-specific message window screen is set on the display screen of the display/input device 1, and the information of the earliest message set in the management table 3 is retrieved and output and displayed.

Figure 10 shows an example of displaying such a message, where 4 is the display screen of the display/input device, 5 is the display screen of the display/input device,
6 is an interactive operation screen, and 6 is a message window screen.

When the message control unit 2 detects a response operation performed by the operator, it performs response processing to the message output request source and deletes the information of the corresponding message from the management table 3.

If message information waiting to be displayed remains in the management table 3, the message control unit 2 executes similar processing one after another.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In conventional message control systems, system messages can only be displayed on the message screen, and response operations can only be performed on the message screen. Therefore, if an operator needs to output and display a system message while processing on the interactive operation screen, a message window screen is set on the processing screen, and the message display and response operations can be performed on that screen. After the processing is completed, the original processing screen is returned if possible, which poses a problem in that processing efficiency decreases.

An object of the present invention is to improve processing efficiency by eliminating the need for switching between an interactive operation screen and a message window screen when outputting and displaying system messages.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to enable both message output display and response operation on the interactive operation screen, the present invention provides an interface means that can send and receive messages and response information between the message control section and the interactive operation screen. It is.

Accordingly, the message control system of the present invention has a structure that includes a message control unit that collectively manages messages in the system, displays messages in response to requests, and processes responses, and Message communication control that transfers messages, response information, etc. between the message control unit and the interactive screen control unit in an information processing system equipped with an interactive screen control unit that provides an interactive execution control means for the message control unit. The message control section has a control function that divides the message display destination into a message-only screen or an interactive operation screen according to the message output environment, and the interactive screen control section displays the interactive operation screen. In this operating state, when a message is displayed on the interactive operation screen and the message control unit outputs the message, the message communication control unit transfers the message to the interactive screen control unit, and the interactive screen control unit outputs the message. The message is displayed in a part of the dialog operation screen, and when a response operation is performed, the response information is transferred to the message control section via the message communication control section.

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention.

In the figure, 11 is a display/input device capable of displaying message information and inputting responses thereto.

12 manages system messages collectively,
This is a message control unit that selects message information and processes responses in response to requests.

13 is a message management table.

Reference numeral 14 denotes an interactive screen control unit having an interactive function that manages the interactive operation screen, controls the output of display information, and identifies response inputs.

15 is a screen memory that stores display information.

16 is a message communication control unit that manages messages output by the message control unit 12, transfers them to the interactive screen control unit 14, and notifies the message control unit 12 when a response input is received.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a communication data buffer that holds message information transferred by the message communication control section 16 to the interactive screen control section 14.

[Effect]

In FIG. 1, when the interactive screen control section 14 is in an operating state in which it is performing interactive control by making the display screen of the display/input device 11 an interactive operation screen, the message control section 12 controls the When receiving a request to output a message from one of them, the message is set in the management table 13.

Next, the message control unit 12 controls the management table 1
3, and when a message to be output and displayed is detected, the message is sent to the message communication control section 16 if it is being processed on the interactive operation screen. The message communication control unit 16 stores the message in the communication data buffer 17, notifies the interactive screen control unit 14 of message transfer by interrupting,
Upon receiving a transfer request from the interactive screen control unit 14,
The message is transferred to the interactive screen control unit 14.
Furthermore, if processing is in progress on a screen other than the interactive operation screen, the message control unit 12 outputs the message to the message screen.

If multiple messages are set in the management table 13, similar processing is performed for each message.

The interactive screen control section 14 outputs and displays the message transferred from the message communication control section 16 in a predetermined area of the interactive operation screen.

The operator can respond to or put on hold the message displayed on the interactive operation screen, and if a plurality of messages are displayed, the operator can select and respond to one specific message.

When the interactive screen control section 14 receives a response to the message, it notifies the message communication control section 16 of the content of the response. Message communication control section 16
notifies the message control unit 12 of the content of the response.

The message control unit 12 notifies the requester of the notified response contents and deletes the corresponding message from the management table 13.

Since the display screen remains an interactive operation screen during the message response process, the operator can immediately continue normal operations after responding to the message.

〔Example〕

One embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, there are two screens on which messages can be displayed: a message screen and an interactive operation screen.
This can be determined based on the environment in which the program that sent the message was started (referred to as the message environment).

Each element shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the same reference numeral shown in FIG.

First, when a message display request is received from any message generation function in the system (for example, a menu management program or an error processing program), the message control unit 12 determines whether the message environment of the request source (for example, the program that sent the message is (Information as to whether it was started from a screen or from an interactive operation screen) is set in the management table 13 as control information.

Next, the message control unit 12 sets the message output by the requester in the management table 13. In the management table 13, control information and messages are associated with each other on a one-to-one basis and are managed using sequential numbers. The control information is set every time there is a message display request.

Next, the message control unit 12 determines the message environment of the control information for each message set in the management table 13, and if a message screen is set, directly outputs the message to the display/input device 11. , performs the response processing.

On the other hand, if an interactive operation screen is set as the message environment, the message sequential number and message are sent to the message communication control unit 1.
6 will be notified. Thereafter, the process returns to the message output request waiting state.

The message communication control section 16 stores the message sequential number and the message in the communication data buffer 17, interrupts the interactive screen control section 14 with a transfer notification, and sends the message to the interactive screen control section 14.
When a transfer request is received from 4, the message is transferred to the interactive screen control section 14 via the communication data buffer 17. When transferring a message, first the interactive screen control section 14 is interrupted, and when a transfer instruction is received from the interactive screen control section 14, the message is transferred. Note that a sequential number is used as a key for associating messages between the message control section and the interactive screen control section 14.

The interactive screen control unit 14 includes the display/input device 11
The message is output and displayed, and if there is a response input such as continue, abort, or hold, the message communication control unit 16 is notified.

The message communication control unit 16 identifies the message to which a response has been received, and returns its sequential number and response result to the message control unit 12.

The message control unit 12 returns the message response result to the request source, and deletes the corresponding message and its control information from the management table 13.

By setting appropriate information in the control information of the management table 13, if there are multiple messages in the management table 13, you can display and respond to them one by one, or simultaneously and in parallel. It is possible to control the display, selectively respond, or suspend responses.

The interactive screen control unit 14 sets a message display area in an empty area of the interactive operation screen. When displaying a plurality of messages at the same time, a specific message can be identified by each display position.

Next, details of the message response processing of the interactive screen control section 14 will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 8.

FIG. 3 is a functional explanatory diagram of the interactive screen control section 14.

When the interactive screen control section 14 receives a message together with a sequential number from the message communication control section 16 shown in FIG. 2 during processing on the interactive operation screen, control is transferred to the message display processing function 18. For example, when you request file processing,
Assume that a request to display a message saying "File not found" is returned from the file management of the OS.

The message display processing function 18 uses the screen memory 1
The message display area 20 is set in the empty area of 5, and the area management table 19 is created by associating the sequential number of the message with the area address.
, and write a message in the message display area 20. At the same time, information about the type of command necessary for responding to the message, such as "continue", "abort", and "hold", is also written.

The area management table 19 includes tables for the number of messages, in which sequential numbers, message information, and message response states (responsing, pending) are set.

The message and command type written in the screen memory 15 are output to the display/input device 11 shown in FIG. 2 and displayed on the screen. FIG. 4 shows a specific example of such a message display screen.

The user looks at the message on the display screen and, for example, uses the mouse cursor to issue the command “Continue”.
Point to either “Canceled” or “Hold”,
Respond by clicking.

The response detection processing function 22 detects a command to which the user has input a response (the command type can be identified from the cursor address in the screen memory 15 at the time of input), and notifies the response output processing function 23 . Also, appropriate markings are displayed to clarify the command input in response on the screen.

The response output processing function 23 indicates that the response content is “continue”.
or "abort", the response contents along with the sequential number of the message registered in the area management table 19 are notified to the message control section 12 via the message communication control section 16 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if "Hold" is input as a response (as in the example shown in FIG. 4), the response output processing function 23 notifies the message display processing function 18. The message display processing function 18 makes the pending message identifiable on the area management table 19, and at the same time
As illustrated in the figure, by changing the brightness of the message area, etc., the user can identify the pending messages.

When the message response is put on hold, the interactive screen control unit 14 enables interactive operations as shown in FIG. 5, and allows the user to perform other processing.

After that, when the message display processing function 18 receives a message again from the message communication control section 16 shown in FIG. 2, it displays the message in the same manner as the previous time. FIG. 6 shows an example in which a plurality of messages are displayed on the same screen in this manner.

On the screen shown in FIG. 6, if a response is made to "abort" the message while the message is being held, the content of this response is sent to the message control unit 12 via the message communication control unit 16 shown in FIG.
will be notified. The message control unit 12 notifies the requestor that the message has been "discontinued."

At this time, the response output processing function 23 of the interactive screen control unit 14 notifies the message display processing function 18 that the message has been "cancelled." As a result, the message display processing function 18 marks the message as processed on the area management table 19, and at the same time releases the message from the "hold" state, making it possible to input a response as shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 shows the screen after "Continue" is responded to in the message.

In this way, the interactive screen control unit 14 displays an arbitrary number of messages on the interactive operation screen and also performs response processing. The data of these display results is left in the screen memory 15, but if it goes off the screen due to scrolling etc.
5 to an appropriate external memory. however,
By making the screen memory 15 large-capacity, the need for evacuation can be reduced.

Furthermore, this allows the message response record off-screen to be called up on the screen at any time by scrolling or other operations.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, when a system message is output while the system is operating on an interactive operation screen, the message can be displayed immediately without switching the screen to the message screen, and a response can also be made on the interactive operation screen. Because it can be executed with
Improved operability and processing efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of one embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is a functional explanatory diagram of the interactive screen control section in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a message display screen. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the message response hold screen, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the multiple message display screen, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the pending message response recovery screen, and Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the message response recording screen. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the conventional method, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the conventional message window screen. In Fig. 1, 11...display/input device, 12...
Message control unit, 13... Management table, 14
...Interactive screen control section, 16...Message communication control section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A message control unit 12 that collectively manages messages in the system, displays messages in response to requests, and performs response processing; In an information processing system equipped with an interactive screen control unit 14 that provides execution control means based on a format, a message control unit 12 and an interactive screen control unit 14 are provided.
A message communication control unit 16 is provided to transfer messages, response information, etc. between has
In the operating state where the interactive screen control unit 14 is displaying the interactive operation screen, when the message is displayed on the interactive operation screen and the message control unit 12 outputs the message, the message communication control unit 16
The message is transferred to the interactive screen control section 14, and the interactive screen control section 14 displays the message in a part of the dialog operation screen, and when the response operation is performed, the response information is transmitted through the message communication. A message control method characterized in that the message is transferred to the message control section 12 via the control section 16.