JPH1185453A - Window display processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a large processing area in a window, by showing a small designed menu or icon and then enlarging them when a mouse pointer is set at a display area or its nearby position. SOLUTION: In a window, a small pull-down menu B and a small icon C are placed at the upper part to execute an application function and to operate the window itself, so that a processing area is increased. Thus, an application processing area A is secured. When a mouse pointer (mouse cursor) is moved up to the menu B shown at an upper part of the window and overlaps the menu B, the small menu B is enlarged into a large menu B'. At the same time, a menu B1 is also enlarged into a menu B1 '. As a result, an operator can easily and accurately operate the mouse pointer on the menu B'.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a human interface of a computer, and more particularly to a method for displaying a menu or an icon for operating an application in a window system in a window.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art General-purpose computers, such as personal computers and workstations, use basic software (O / O).
The mainstream is that a system based on a window system is used for (S: operating system). The window system is a kind of GUI (Graphical User Interface) and is a human interface for easily operating a computer.

In a window system, a unit for performing a single process is displayed as a window on a screen, and a plurality of such processes are displayed at a time, so that various types of processes can be simultaneously performed or referred to. it can. FIG.
2 shows a basic application window form in the window system. A pull-down menu B for executing an application function and an icon C for operating the window are provided around an application processing area A.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which a plurality of windows are simultaneously displayed and different processes are performed. In this figure, the window D of the word processor application and the window E of the spreadsheet application are partially displayed.

In such a window system, as a method of operating a window on a screen, it is usual to execute an operation using a mouse or a command using a menu. The mouse operates a pointer on the screen with a mouse function so that operations such as position and size of a window and closing of the window can be easily performed.

FIG. 5 shows an example of operating a window with a mouse. In the figure, when one menu is clicked on the pull-down menu B, a menu B1 representing a related process is displayed below the menu, and the process can be executed by selecting _{one of the} menus. The window can be closed or maximized by selecting the icon button of the icon C.

[0007] In addition, various menu commands can be executed without inputting commands from the keyboard. There are several types of menus,
A pull-down menu, a pop-up menu, an icon, and the like are used depending on the purpose.

[0008]

A conventional computer includes a graphic board for displaying a screen on a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal (hereinafter referred to as a CRT), a CRT, and the like.
Due to restrictions on the display performance of the RT and the like, there are restrictions on the display area of the CRT screen. Display a window within this restriction,
The screen of the word processor, spreadsheet or graphic software is displayed in the window area.

Here, in order to increase the amount of information to be displayed at a time by making the processing area in these windows as large as possible, pull-down menus arranged in the windows and icons for operating the windows themselves are made small. I tend to design.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pull-down menus and icons are designed to be small, it may be difficult to accurately position the mouse pointer on the menus and icons in order to operate the menus and icons. In this case, the easy operation, which is a feature of the GUI, is impaired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a display processing method in which the display area of a menu or an icon is reduced and the selection operation with a mouse is facilitated.

[0012]

According to the present invention, in order to increase the processing area in an application window in a window system, menus and icons for operating applications arranged in the window are displayed in a small design. When the mouse pointer is positioned on or in the vicinity of the display area, it is enlarged and displayed to accept a mouse operation, and is characterized by the following method.

In a window system for displaying a menu or an icon for operating an application together with an application processing area, the menu or the icon is designed to be small and displayed on a screen, and a mouse pointer is superimposed on the menu or the icon. The menu or the icon is enlarged and displayed when the mouse operation is performed or when the mouse or the mouse is located near the menu.

[0014]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a screen display of a window system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a window is an application that performs some processing. The window includes a pull-down menu B for executing the function of the application and an icon C for operating the window itself in order to increase the processing area.
Are placed small at the top. As a result, a processing area for the application can be secured.

When the mouse pointer (mouse cursor) is moved to the pull-down menu B at the top of the window to execute the function of the application, if the mouse pointer overlaps the menu, it is displayed in a small space. The displayed menu B is displayed as a menu B ′ enlarged near the mouse pointer on the screen. The menu B _{1 is} also displayed as an enlarged menu B ₁ ′. The mouse operation on the menu B 'of the enlarged display is accepted.

The enlarged display is performed when the mouse pointer is near the menu or overlaps the menu.

When the menu B is enlarged and displayed,
The operator can easily operate the mouse pointer by pointing the mouse pointer on the menu B ′.

FIG. 2 shows another example of screen display. In the figure, in order to operate the window itself, the mouse pointer is moved close to an icon C for operating the window. As in the case of the menu display, the icon C is enlarged and displayed as the icon C ′ near the mouse pointer,
The operation can be performed accurately.

Therefore, usually, menus and icons are displayed without occupying a place, and when the mouse pointer is brought close to use them, an enlarged screen is displayed and the mouse pointer is used to perform the operation accurately. Will be able to

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, menus and icons are displayed in a small design, and when the mouse pointer is positioned on this display area or in the vicinity thereof, the display is enlarged and the mouse operation is performed. Has the following effects.

(1) In a window system, a processing area in a window for displaying an application can be widened.

(2) Even if the menus and icons for executing the functions of the application are designed to be small, they are enlarged and displayed when the user needs them, and the operability is not impaired.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a screen display example (part 1) showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a screen display example (part 2) showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a basic window configuration.

FIG. 4 is a screen example in a plurality of windows.

FIG. 5 is an example of a window operation using a mouse.

FIG. 6 is a design example of a window, a menu, and an icon.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: application processing area B, B ₁ ... pull-down menu B ', B ₁ ' ... enlarged pull-down menu C ... icon C ': enlarged icon

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A window system for displaying a menu or an icon for operating an application together with an application processing area, wherein the menu or the icon is designed to be small and displayed on a screen, and a mouse pointer is placed on the menu or the icon. A display processing method for a window, wherein the menu or icon is enlarged and displayed when a mouse operation is received when the menu or the icon is positioned near the window.