JPH06337779A - User interface processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Object] The present invention relates to a user interface processing system for inputting and outputting using a screen, and interactively stores user interface description information and record definition information without requiring detailed knowledge of a window system. make,
The purpose is to allow the application program and the user interface to be designed and changed independently of each other. [Structure] Window definition information (position, size, etc.) 21 that is interactively input from the screen and designed, layout information (position, size, etc.) 22, such as parts and buttons,
A user who saves the process definition information 23 of the process and the process as the user interface description information 2 and saves the item name used at the time of inputting / outputting with the application program 5 as the record definition information 3 which is designed by interactively input from the screen. The interface generation function 1 is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a user interface processing system for inputting and outputting using a screen.

Nowadays, as computers are used in an increasing number of fields, computers themselves are becoming easier to use. In particular, the user interface part of the computer is the part that is in contact with humans, and it is easy to use because it is possible to input data to the computer and give instructions to the computer mainly from text and by selecting with a mouse such as a graphic icon. ing. However, as the user becomes easier to use, the burden on the program developer becomes heavier. It is difficult to develop a program for the GUI part (Graphical User Interface part) that realizes a user interface using graphics.
The current situation is that man-hours are spent on the development of the UI portion and the productivity of the program is significantly reduced. Therefore, there is a demand that user interface processing can be constructed as easily as possible and that it can be used from an application program.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a user interface process is described as a part of an application program as shown in FIG. Most of the description of this user interface processing is made by using the interface provided by each window system. The description required detailed knowledge of the window system and advanced programming knowledge to achieve simple things.

Recently, as shown in FIG. 11, there has been realized a tool kit called a toolkit, which can realize a GUI that is simple to some extent. Still, I could not use it unless I had a programmer with advanced skills.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a mechanism called a GUI construction tool for generating a program for a layout portion of the GUI has been realized. Once the target program was created, it was inevitable for the layout construction tool, and it was very inconvenient for the user.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when a language GUI development environment having a built-in GUI construction tool is used, the construction of the GUI can be done easily, but the part of data exchange with the application program, especially Application program and G
When communication intervenes with the UI environment, it is necessary to determine the interface and program the processing of the communication part, which requires a lot of labor.

[0007]

As described above, FIG.
According to 1), detailed knowledge of the window system is required to develop the GUI part.
There was a problem that it was necessary to make a change to the application program and create a user interface.

The present invention solves these problems by
The purpose is to interactively create user interface description information and record definition information without requiring detailed knowledge of the window system, and to independently design and change an application program and a user interface.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the user interface generation function 1 includes window definition information (position, size, etc.) 21 that is interactively input from the screen and designed, layout information (position, size, etc.) 22, such as parts and buttons,
And the process definition information 23 of the process are saved as the user interface description information 2 and the item names used when inputting / outputting with the application program 5 designed by being interactively input from the screen are saved as the record definition information 3. It is something to do.

The user interface execution section 4 displays a window on the screen according to the window definition information 21 of the saved user interface description information 2, displays parts and buttons in this window according to the layout information 22, and displays them. In response to an input / output request using the item name defined in the record definition information 3 from the application program 5 in the displayed state, input of the part or button displayed on the screen / selection of the selected part or button By processing according to the processing definition information 23, data is passed to the application program 5 with the item name, data is displayed at the position of the corresponding item name, and the like.

[0011]

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, window definition information (position, size, etc.) 21 designed by interactively inputting a user interface generation function 1 from the screen,
The layout information (position, size, etc.) 22 such as parts and buttons, and the process definition information 23 of the process are saved as the user interface description information 2 or the application program 5 designed by being interactively input from the screen. The item name and the like used at the time of inputting / outputting are stored as the record definition information 3.

Further, the user interface execution unit 4 displays a window on the screen according to the window definition information 21 of the user interface description information 2 stored in the window.
And the parts and buttons are displayed in this window according to the layout information 22 and displayed on the screen in response to the input / output request from the application program 5 using the item name defined in the record definition information 3. Input / input of parts or buttons Processing definition information 23 of the selected parts or buttons
By the processing according to the above, the data is passed to the application program 5 by the item name, or the data is displayed at the position of the corresponding item name.

Therefore, by creating the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 interactively without requiring detailed knowledge of the window system,
The application program 5 and the user interface can be designed independently of each other, and the user interface portion can be freely changed after the design. With these, the application program 5 having a user interface can be developed in a short period of time.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the construction and operation of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. Figure 1
2, the user interface generation function 1 interactively designs a user interface on the screen displayed on the display device 6 to generate and store the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 (FIG. 2). , See FIG. 3). The user interface description information 2 is
It is composed of window definition information 21, layout information 22, and process definition information 23.

The window definition information 21 defines a window to be displayed on the display device 6, and defines the position, size, title, etc. of the window (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6). ).

The layout information 22 is information defined by designing and defining the layout of buttons and parts to be arranged in the window (see FIGS. 4 and 7). Process definition information 23
Is information defining a process activated from a component or a button (see FIGS. 4 and 8).

The record definition information 3 is the application program 5
Defines the item name of the record used between the user interface and the user interface (see FIGS. 4 and 9). The user interface execution unit 4 analyzes (translates) the user interface description information 2 at the time of execution and executes a predetermined process, and uses the item name defined in the record definition information 3 with the application program 5 to execute data processing. And the like (see FIG. 10).

The application program 5 allows the user to use the item names defined in the record definition information 3 to request the user interface execution section 5 to input data from the screen and receive the input data. It performs various business processes.

The display device 6 displays a window 7 and the like. The window 7 is a window provided on the display device 6 and is used here for various input / output operations.

Next, the operation for designing and registering the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 in the configuration of FIG. 1 will be described in detail in the order shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, in S1, the operator designs a window. Here, as the window design, the window size, position, title, etc. are interactively input or selected from the screen (described in detail with reference to FIG. 6).

S2 holds information (size, position, title, etc.) of the window designed by the operator interactively inputting or selecting on the screen in S1. S3
The operator designs the parts. Here, as the design of the component, the size, position, echo and the like of the component (component such as editing component, list component, button) are interactively input or selected from the screen (see FIGS. 3 and 7). Will be used in detail).

In step S4, information (size, position, echo, etc.) of the part designed by the operator interactively inputting or selecting on the screen in step S3 is held. In S5, the operator designs the record. Here, in order for the application program 5 and the user interface execution unit 4 to exchange data, a data structure of a record is previously defined and designed, and a list of items of the record is provided.

In step S6, a record definition (a list of items for each record) designed by the operator interactively inputting or selecting on the screen in step S5 is held. S7 is
Instruct to register the information held by the operator.

In step S8, the user interface information 2 and the record definition information 3 are generated. As a result, as described on the right side: -User interface description information 2-Window definition information 21-Layout information 22-Process definition information 23 (Designed at the time of designing the component in S3, see FIGS. 7 and 8) The record definition information 3 has been registered.

In step S9, the record definition information 3 is linked to the application program 5. This allows the application program 5
Makes it possible to send and receive data by making an input / output request using the item name defined in the record definition information 3. Therefore, thereafter, the application program 5 uses the item names defined in the record definition information 3 to fetch data from the screen, display the data on the screen, and output the data to the outside. For example, the application program 5 can be created independently, so that the user interface description information inside the interface execution unit 4 need not be taken into consideration.

As described above, under the control of the user interface generation function 1, the operator interactively sequentially performs window design, component design, and record definition on the screen,
The user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 can be created. When these designs are completed, the application program 5 can perform input / output arbitrarily by using the item names in the record definition information 3 to independently describe and execute business processing, and execute the user interface. Under the control of the unit 4, the user interface description information 2 is interpreted / translated and executed, so that the user interface description information 2 is independently changed / added, and the function is changed / added independently. It becomes possible. The details will be sequentially described below.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the product design of the present invention. This is a detailed flowchart of the product design in S3 of FIG. In FIG. 3, S11 designs an editing component. With this, the operator interactively designs the edit parts such as the size, position, and echo control on the screen.

In step S12, the list parts are designed. With this, the operator interactively designs the list parts such as the size, position, and scroll bar control on the screen.

In step S13, button parts are designed. With this, the operator interactively designs the button parts such as the size, position, and process definition on the screen.

In step S14, the information interactively designed on the screen in steps S11, S12 and S13 is held. And
In step S7 of FIG. 2, the layout information 22 and the process definition information 23 of the user interface description information 2 are generated.

As described above, the operator interactively designs the edit parts, list parts, buttons, etc. on the screen,
The designed information is generated as the layout information 22 and the process definition information 23 of the user interface description information 2 in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an example of user interface description information / record definition information of the present invention. This is an example of the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 which are interactively designed on the screen according to FIGS. 2 and 3.

As the user interface description information 2, window definition information 21, layout information 22 and process definition information 23 are designed and defined as shown in the figure. This will be described below.

The window definition information 21 is defined as FRAME () {Window 1 = Window (position, size, title ...)}. This defines the position, size, and title of the window 1.

The layout information 22 includes: LAYOUT () {X1 = button (window 1, position, size, processing 1 ...) X2 = list (window 1, position, size ...) X3 = edit Parts (window 1, position, size ...)} The process definition information 23 is: process 1 () {item 1 = X3. DATA ... Sending} is defined. As described on the right side, this indicates the input data of the editing component X3, and the input data is passed to the application program 5 as item 1.

The record definition information 3 is designed and defined as shown. To explain, it is defined as RECORD () {record definition (record A, item 1, character) record definition (record A, item 2, numerical value). This defines item 1 as a character and item 2 as a numerical value in the list of record A. And this item 1, 2
Data is exchanged with the application program 5 using.

Next, a window / component design example will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the window 1, editing parts, list parts, and buttons are designed as shown on the screen of the display device 6.

The window 1 is designed for position, size, XX job (representing title), etc. (window definition information in FIG. 4, see FIG. 6). The window, position, size, etc. of the editing component are designed (see the layout information 22 of FIG. 4 and FIG. 7).

For the list parts, the window, position, size, etc. are designed (see the layout information 22 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7). The buttons design windows, positions, sizes, etc. (see the layout information 22 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7).

The above window and the editing parts, list parts, buttons, etc. arranged in the window are interactively designed on the screen. This will be described below. Figure 6
[Fig. 3] shows a window design explanatory diagram of the present invention. This is to enter window attributes interactively on the window attributes screen,
It is designed to be selected.

In the part name of, enter a name for identifying the part.・ Enter a unique number for the index number. In the title of ",""XXwork" is input as the title for performing the work of the window in the example of FIG.

For the position of, the upper left origin for displaying the window is input.・ For the size of, enter the width and height of the window. For the initial state of, select the state (standard, minimized, maximized) when the window is first displayed.

As the window style of, any one is selected from the following. -Size change: Resizeable-Horizontal scroll bar: Horizontal scroll bar presence-Vertical scroll bar: Vertical scroll bar presence-System menu: System menu usage-Maximize button: Maximize button With or without ・ Minimize button: With or without minimize button As above, the window attribute screen is displayed, and the operator inputs / selects from the window attribute on this screen to design. With these designs, the position, size, and XX job of the window 1 shown in FIG. 5 are designed, and the window definition information 21 of FIG. 4 described above is designed.

FIG. 7 shows a layout design explanatory diagram of the present invention. This is after creating a window with the design in Figure 6,
Design the layout of the parts to be placed in the window.

FIG. 7A shows how to input the position and size of a part on the editing window. The edit window is displayed as shown in the figure, and in the edit window, the cursor is positioned at the position where the component is to be placed, and the state where the cursor is clicked is dragged to input the size of the component.

FIG. 7B shows a button attribute screen.
This is to design by interactively inputting and selecting the attributes of buttons, which are parts, on the button attribute screen. For the part name of, enter "X1" here for the part name that identifies the button that is the part.

For the index number of, enter a unique number.・ For the color scheme, enter the color and internal style. This specifies the color and background color of the characters on the screen and parts, and the hatching pattern.

For the text of, the text to be displayed at the position of the button, "confirm" is input here.・ For the position of, enter the origin at the upper left of the button.

For the size of, enter the width and height of the button. For the initial state of, select the state (standard, minimized, maximized) when the window is first displayed.

As the processing definition of, CLICK is input. As described above, the edit window screen is displayed, and on this screen the operator inputs /
Select and design. With these designs, the button "confirm" in the window 1 shown in FIG. 5 is designed (the contents of the processing actually executed are defined in FIG. 8).

FIG. 8 shows a process definition explanatory diagram of the present invention.
This designs the actual processing for the processing definition defined in the button design of FIG. Here, button X1
For, the process is designed as shown below.

X1. CLICK ()-Retrieve "product A" from the editing part and assign it to item 1-Send This takes out the product A from the editing part, assigns it to item 1, and sends it to the application program 5. Then, the application program 5 takes out the merchandise A from the item 1 and takes it into the inside thereof to perform the business processing.

As described above, the process definition window screen is displayed, and the operator designs the process definition of the button on this screen. With these designs, the processing of the button "set" in the window 1 shown in FIG. 5 is designed as shown in the processing 1 of the processing definition information 23 of FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a record definition explanatory diagram of the present invention. This designs items for exchanging data with the application program 5. When the record definition screen is displayed and a record, for example record A, is selected in this screen, a list of items of the record A is displayed as shown in the figure. In this list, the item name and attribute to be newly defined are additionally input and defined as shown in the figure. As a result, the application program 5 and the user interface execution unit 4 can exchange data by substituting data for the item name.

Next, based on the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 designed interactively on the screen according to FIGS. 2 to 9, the application program 5 is displayed on the window 1 in FIG. The operation when the application program 5 issues a READ request will be described in detail as an example of inputting and outputting data between them.

In FIG. 10, in S21, the operator gives an operation instruction. At this time, the window file name “file A” is designated to give an operation instruction. S22
Is the user interface description information 2 from the "file A" specified by the user interface execution unit 4 in S21.
To display the window. For example, the window 1 (title “XX work) of FIG. 5 is displayed (the window 1 is displayed according to the window definition information 21 of FIG. 4).

In step S23, the parts are displayed according to the layout information. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, button, list part, and edit part are respectively displayed (the button, list part, and edit part are displayed according to the layout information 22 in FIG. 4).

In step S24, the application program 5 issues a READ request for record A in a state in which buttons, list parts, and edit parts are displayed in the window 1 in step S23 as shown in FIG.

In S25, the operator reads READ in S24.
In response to the request, input "commodity A" to the editing part.
In step S26, the editing component "product A" input in step S25 is held.

In S27, the operator presses the "confirm" button. S28 is a process of the "confirm" button "process 1"
To start. This activates the process 1 in response to the pressing of the "confirm" button of X1 of the layout information 22 of FIG.

In step S29, the process 1 started in step S28 is set as the process, and here, the held data "merchandise A" is set in the item 1 of the record A and sent to the application program 5. S30
In response to the notification, the application program 5 obtains data “item A” from item 1 of record A. Then, the application program 5 executes the business process based on the "product A" received in response to the issuance of this READ request.

As described above, in response to the operator designating the window file name, the window and the editing parts, list parts, and buttons are displayed according to the corresponding user interface description information 2. In this displayed state, in response to the application program 5 issuing an input / output request, here a READ request,
The "product A" input from the displayed window is held, and the "product A" held by the process 1 of the button "set" is held in response to the button "set" on the window being pressed. It becomes possible to set "item 1 of the designated record A" and pass it to the application program 5, and the application program 5 takes in "product A" passed from the item 1 of record A and perform business processing.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The user interface description information includes window definition information (position, size, etc.) 21 that is interactively input from the screen and designed, layout information (position, size, etc.) 22 for parts and buttons, and process definition information 23 for processing. Two
Saved as, and the item name used when inputting / outputting with the application program 5, which is designed by interactively input from the screen, is saved as the record definition information 3 and displayed on the window based on the saved information. Therefore, the user interface description information 2 and the record definition information 3 can be interactively used without requiring detailed knowledge of the window system.
The application program 5 and the user interface can be designed independently of each other, and the user interface portion can be freely changed after the design. As a result, the application program 5 having a user interface can be developed in a short period of time.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for generating user interface description information / record definition information of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a design flowchart of the component of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of user interface description information / record definition information of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a design example of a window / component of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a window design of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a layout design explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a process definition of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a record definition of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operational flowchart when the present invention is executed.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: User interface generation function 2: User interface description information 21: Window definition information 22: Layout information 23: Processing definition information 3: Record definition information 4: User interface execution unit 5: Application program 6: Display device 7: Window

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a user interface processing system for inputting and outputting using a screen, window definition information (position, size, etc.) (21) designed by interactively inputting from the screen (21), layout of parts, buttons, etc. An application program (5) designed by storing information (position, size, etc.) (22) and processing definition information (23) of processing as user interface description information (2) and interactively input from the screen. A user interface processing system comprising a user interface generation function (1) for storing the item name used at the time of input / output with and as record definition information (3). 2. A window is displayed on the screen according to the window definition information (21) of the saved user interface description information (2) and parts and buttons are displayed in this window according to the layout information (22), Corresponding to the input / output request from the application program (5) using the item name defined in the record definition information (3), input of the part or button displayed on the screen / selection of the selected part or button A user interface execution unit (4) for executing data passing by the item name to the application program (5), displaying data at the position of the corresponding item name, etc. by the process according to the process definition information (23).
The user interface processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: