Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that can reduce a load on processing related to provision of a print setting UI.SOLUTION: A host computer 101 comprises an application 201, an OS 202, and print data generation software 203. The print data generation software 203 generates PC according to a PT received from the OS 202. When the acquired PT does not include description of an AdvancedMode Property, the print data generation software 203 generates first PC including information on a print function that is a basic setting and not including information corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property. When the acquired PT includes the description of the AdvancedMode Property, the print data generation software 203 generates second PC including information on a print function corresponding to the PT, the information corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method for an information processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a printing system in which a user operates an information processing device equipped with Microsoft Windows (registered trademark) as the operating system (OS) to cause a printing device to execute a print process. An XPS (XML Paper Specification) printer driver provided in such an information processing device uses a print path that uses an XPS document. In this XPS print path, print function information called PrintCapabilities (hereinafter referred to as "PC") and print setting information called PrintTicket (hereinafter referred to as "PT") are used to determine the format of a printout. The PC and PT are written in XML. For example, in an information processing device, information is exchanged between an application or OS that provides a print setting UI and the printer driver using the PC and PT. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-74884 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To provide a print setting UI that allows the user to set various print functions, it is necessary to write more information about print functions that can be set on the information processing device to the PC or PT. On the other hand, if the amount of information to be written to the PC or PT increases, it takes more time to generate the PC and PT, and the processing load related to providing the print setting UI increases.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a program that can reduce the processing load related to providing a print setting UI. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device that generates print data to be used in executing a print process, and is equipped with a providing means that provides a print setting UI for setting print functions to be used in generating the print data, and a generating means that generates print function information indicating print functions that can be set in the print setting UI in accordance with instructions from the providing means, wherein, when the instruction does not include specified setting information, the generating means generates first print function information that includes information on one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction but does not include information corresponding to the specified setting information, and when the instruction includes the specified setting information, generates second print function information that includes information on one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction and information corresponding to the specified setting information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the processing load relating to the provision of a print setting UI. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a host computer as an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic software configuration of the host computer of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC generated in the host computer of FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen displayed on the display unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a booklet printing setting screen displayed on the display unit in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a PC generation process executed by the print data generation software of FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of adding a feature to the basic settings of the PC in step S805 of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 11] 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a PT generation process executed by the print data generation software of FIG. 2. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a basic setting Feature addition process of a PT in step S1105 of FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 15] 7 is a flowchart showing another procedure of the PC generation process executed by the print data generation software of FIG. 2. [Figure 16] 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of adding a feature to the basic settings of a PC in step S1505 of FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated in the host computer of FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC generated in the host computer of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of a host computer 101 as an information processing device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the host computer 101 includes an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, and an input / output interface 116.

[0011] The CPU 111 loads a program stored in the ROM 112 or the external storage device 114 into the RAM 113 and executes the loaded program. This realizes the functions of the host computer 101 described below and the processes related to the flowcharts described below. The ROM 112 stores an initialization program and the like. The external storage device 114 stores programs, applications, an OS, a printer driver, and various other data. The RAM 113 is used, for example, as a work memory for loading a program stored in the ROM 112 or the external storage device 114 when the program is executed. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110. In addition, a display device such as a display unit 119 is connected to the output interface 115. The printing device 102 is connected to the input / output interface 116. The host computer 101 communicates with the printing device 102 via the input / output interface 116. The printing device 102 performs a printing process based on print data received from the host computer 101, for example. In this embodiment, the host computer 101 and the printing device 102 are described as separate devices, but they may be configured as a single information processing device.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic software configuration of the host computer 101 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the host computer 101 includes an application 201, an OS 202, and print data generation software 203. These processes are realized by the CPU 111 loading a program stored in the ROM 112 or the external storage device 114 into the RAM 113 and executing the loaded program.

[0013] The application 201 is a software module that creates content (drawing data) to be printed, such as a word processing application or a spreadsheet application. The application 201 provides a print setting UI for setting print functions used in generating print data, such as a booklet print setting screen 601 in FIG. 6, which will be described later. When the application 201 receives a print request from a user, it issues a print instruction to the OS 202. The print instruction includes print setting information for instructing each operation of the print data generation software 203 and the printing device 102. The print setting information is also called a PT (PrintTicket), and is written in XML. The PT includes, for example, setting values ​​of the print functions.

[0014] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a PT generated by the host computer 101 in Fig. 1. In a PT 301 in Fig. 3, options are described in a hierarchical structure for each print function (Feature). For example, in a PT 301, a Plain Option is set in a PageMediaType Feature 302.

[0015] In this embodiment, the user sets the print functions on a print setting screen 501 in FIG. 5 or a booklet print setting screen 601 in FIG. 6, which are displayed on the display unit 119, and issues a print request. The print setting screen 501 and the booklet print setting screen 601 are displayed based on print function information generated by the print data generation software 203. The print function information is information indicating print functions that can be set on the print setting UI. The print function information is also called PC (PrintCapabilities) and is described in XML. The print setting screen 501 and the booklet print setting screen 601 include setting items (hereinafter referred to as "control items") for setting the setting values ​​of the print functions. The PC is determined by the print data generation software 203 based on the management information 204. The management information 204 is data for managing information related to the print functions, and includes all print functions that can be set by the print data generation software 203, their setting values, and information indicating the exclusive relationship between the setting values. The management information 204 is, for example, included in a configuration file of the print data generation software 203, and is stored as an unchangeable file in the external storage device 114. Note that the management information 204 may be configured to be dynamically generated by the print data generation software 203.

[0016] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a PC generated in the host computer 101 of Fig. 1. In the PC 401 of Fig. 4, options are described in a hierarchical structure for each print feature. For example, in the PC 401, a Plain Option and a PhotoPaper Option are set in a PageMediaType Feature 402. In addition, in the PC 401, DisplayName Properties 403, 404, etc., which indicate display names, are set as child elements (supplementary information) of each Option.

[0017] Returning to FIG. 2, the OS 202 is, for example, Windows (registered trademark) of Microsoft (registered trademark) and has a print support function. The OS 202 provides a print setting UI for setting print functions used to generate print data, for example, a print setting screen 501 in FIG. 5 described later. The OS 202 also generates intermediate data based on a print instruction received from the application 201, and passes this intermediate data to the print data generation software 203. The intermediate data includes drawing data, which is information on a picture to be formed on paper, and a PT generated based on a setting value set by the user. The print data generation software 203 converts the acquired intermediate data into print data that can be interpreted by the printing device 102, and transmits it to the printing device 102. The printing device 102 performs print processing based on the received print data.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen 501 displayed on the display unit 119 of FIG. 1. The print setting screen 501 is a screen for setting print functions such as the type of paper to be printed, the orientation of the paper, layout printing, single-sided / double-sided printing, etc. The print setting screen 501 is displayed on the display unit 119 by the OS 202 when a user instructs the application 201 to display the print setting screen 501. The OS 202 acquires the PC and PT generated by the print data generation software 203 from the print data generation software 203, and displays the print setting screen 501 on the display unit 119 based on the acquired PC and PT. In the control item 502 in the print setting screen 501, for example, "Plain Paper" and "Photo Paper" which are two Options of the Feature 402 in the PC 401 generated by the print data generation software 203 are listed. Furthermore, the print setting screen 501 is displayed in a state where, for example, "Plain Paper" is selected in the control item 502 based on the description of Feature 302 in PT 301 generated by the print data generation software 203. When the user changes the setting value of the control item 502 to "Photo Paper" on this print setting screen 501, the OS 202 changes the Option of Feature 302 of PT 301 to "Photo Paper."

[0019] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a booklet print setting screen 601 displayed on the display unit 119 of FIG. 1. The booklet print setting screen 601 is a screen for setting print functions related to booklet printing. When a user instructs the application 201 to display the booklet print setting screen 601, the application 201 displays the booklet print setting screen 601 on the display unit 119. The application 201 acquires the PC and PT generated by the print data generation software 203 from the OS 202, and displays the booklet print setting screen 601 on the display unit 119 based on the acquired PC and PT. The booklet print setting screen 601 displays a control item 602 for specifying a booklet binding method, a control item 603 for specifying a paper type, and the like. In booklet printing, printing is performed on both the front and back sides of the paper, so it is preferable that the control item 603 does not list types of paper that cannot be printed on both sides.

[0020] Incidentally, when the acquired PT does not include information for specifying the booklet binding method, information on whether double-sided printing is possible, etc., which are necessary for displaying the booklet print setting screen 601, the application 201 passes the PT 701 in FIG. 7 to the OS 202 in order to obtain this information (information for specifying the booklet binding method, information on whether double-sided printing is possible, etc.). The OS 202 passes this PT 701 to the print data generation software 203. The PT 701 has AdvancedMode Property 702, which is predetermined setting information for generating a PT and PC to which this information has been added, set therein. The print data generation software 203 turns on AdvancedMode based on the description of AdvancedMode Property 702 in the acquired PT 701. When AdvancedMode is turned on, the print data generation software 203 generates a PT and PC to which the above information (information for specifying the booklet binding method, information on whether double-sided printing is possible, etc.) has been added. Then, the print data generation software 203 passes the generated PT and PC to the OS 202, and the OS 202 passes these PT and PC to the application 201. In this embodiment, "ALL" is specified as shown in Fig. 7. Therefore, the print data generation software 203 returns to the application 201 a PT and a PC to which all information on functions that can be described in the PT and PC has been added. In other words, the print data generation software 203 generates a PT and a PC to which all information on functions that can be described in the PT and PC, including information specifying how to bind the booklet and information on whether double-sided printing is possible, is described. This enables the application 201 to display the booklet printing setting screen 601 on the display unit 119 based on the PT and PC to which the above information has been added.

[0021] Next, generation of the PC in the host computer 101 will be described.

[0022] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the PC generation process executed by the print data generation software 203 of Fig. 2. The PC generation process of Fig. 8 is executed when the user issues an instruction on the application 201 to display a print setting UI such as the booklet print setting screen 601. The user may also display the print setting screen 501 by operating the application 201. When the display instruction is issued, a PT (e.g., PT301 or PT701) is transmitted to the print data generation software 203 as an instruction to generate a PC to be used for generating the print setting UI.

[0023] In Fig. 8, first, the print data generation software 203 reads the acquired PT (step S801). The PT describes information in which the setting values ​​of all print functions are converted into binary data, called PageDevmodeSnapshot (not shown), and the setting values ​​of print functions that are not defined as Feature in the PT are read from there. Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether the acquired PT includes a description of AdvancedMode Property (step S802). For example, when the PT in Fig. 7 is received, the description of "AdvancedMode" is included, so the determination result in S802 is Yes.

[0024] If it is determined in step S802 that the acquired PT does not include a description of the AdvancedMode Property, the process proceeds to step S804, which will be described later. If it is determined in step S802 that the acquired PT includes a description of the AdvancedMode Property, the print data generation software 203 turns on AdvancedMode (step S803).

[0025] Next, the print data generation software 203 performs a consistency check of the setting values ​​of the print functions obtained by reading the PT in step S801 (step S804). Specifically, the print data generation software 203 checks whether a conflict occurs in the print setting values ​​described in the PT. If it is determined that a conflict occurs, the print data generation software 203 modifies the PT to one that does not cause a conflict. Next, the print data generation software 203 performs a basic setting feature addition process of the PC in FIG. 9 using the consistent setting values ​​(step S805) to add the basic setting feature to the PC. The basic setting feature is a print function feature corresponding to the consistent setting values, for example, a feature corresponding to a commonly used print function such as paper size or paper type. In this embodiment, the process of step S805 will be described using an example of a process in which the print data generation software 203 adds a PageMediaType feature corresponding to the print function of paper type to the PC as a basic setting feature.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process of adding a feature in the basic settings of the PC in step S805 of FIG.

[0027] 9, the print data generation software 203 adds the basic setting Feature corresponding to the consistent setting value to the PC (step S901). In step S901, the print data generation software 203 adds, for example, the node of PageMediaType Feature1002 excluding Plain Option1003 corresponding to the printing function of the paper type, Display Name Property1004, and Duplex Printing ScoredProperty1005 to PC1001 in FIG.

[0028] Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether all Options in the PageMediaType Feature 1002, which is the Feature added in step S901, have been added to the PC (step S902).

[0029] If it is determined in step S902 that any Option has not been added to the PageMediaType Feature 1002, the process proceeds to step S903. In step S903, the print data generation software 203 adds an Option that has not been added, for example, Plain Option 1003, as an Option to the PageMediaType Feature 1002. Next, the print data generation software 203 adds supplemental information to the Plain Option 1003 as necessary (step S904). In step S904, for example, the Display Name Property 1004 is added to the Plain Option 1003 as supplemental information. Note that the Display Name is information indicating the character string of the Option displayed in the print setting UI. Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether or not the Advanced Mode is on (step S905).

[0030] If it is determined in step S905 that AdvancedMode is on, the print data generation software 203 adds detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property to Option (step S906). For example, the print data generation software 203 adds Duplex Printing ScoredProperty1005 as detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property. Duplex Printing ScoredProperty1005 is vendor-specific supplemental information. For example, in FIG. 10, "Supported" is set as detailed supplemental information for the "Plain" Option. This means that "PlainPaper" is a type of paper that can be printed on both sides. Also, in FIG. 10, "None" is set as detailed supplemental information for the "PhotoPaper" Option. This means that "PhotoPaper" is a type of paper that cannot be printed on both sides. Next, the process returns to step S902. Thus, in this embodiment, if the acquired PT includes a description of AdvancedMode Property, detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property is added to the information on the printing function of the basic settings.

[0031] If it is determined in step S905 that AdvancedMode is not on, step S906 is not performed and the process returns to step S902. Thus, in this embodiment, if the acquired PT does not include a description of AdvancedMode Property, detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property is not added to the information on the printing function in the basic settings.

[0032] If it is determined in step S902 that all Options in PageMediaType Feature 1002 have been added, the process of generating a PageMediaType Feature ends. Then, the process proceeds to step S806 in FIG. 8. If there are multiple basic print functions, the above-described PC basic setting Feature addition process is executed for all basic print functions that correspond to the consistent setting values. In this way, all basic setting Features that correspond to the consistent setting values ​​are added to the PC. When all basic setting Features have been added to the PC, the process proceeds to step S806 in FIG. 8.

[0033] In step S806, the print data generation software 203 determines whether or not AdvancedMode is on. If it is determined in step S806 that AdvancedMode is on, the print data generation software 203 adds a Feature corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property to the PC (step S807). This Feature is, for example, a Feature other than the Feature of the basic setting among multiple print functions that can be set by the print data generation software 203, and is a Feature corresponding to the print function that the print data generation software 203 has permitted to be specified. As described above, "ALL" is described in the PT in FIG. 7. Therefore, the print data generation software 203 adds in S807 all Features other than the Feature of the basic setting that correspond to the print function that the print data generation software 203 has permitted to be described in the PC. As a result, for example, the print data generation software 203 adds Features other than the Feature of the basic setting, including the JobBookletStapleSide Feature 1006, to the PC 1001. Thereafter, this process ends.

[0034] If it is determined in step S806 that AdvancedMode is not on, the process in step S807 is not performed and this process ends.

[0035] According to the processes in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 described above, if the acquired PT does not include a description of AdvancedMode Property, a first PC is generated that includes information on the printing function of the basic settings and does not include information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property. Also, if the acquired PT includes a description of AdvancedMode Property, a second PC is generated that includes information on the printing function corresponding to the PT and that corresponds to the description of AdvancedMode Property. That is, a PC including information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property is generated only when there is a request from application 201 or OS 202. This allows print data generation software 203 to reduce the load of the generation process of the PC used to generate the print setting UI, and therefore reduces the load of the process related to providing the print setting UI.

[0036] 8 and 9, the second PC includes information on all basic print function settings included in the first PC. This reduces the amount of information included in the PC when there is no request from application 201, etc., and reduces the processing load related to providing a print setting UI. On the other hand, when there is a request from application 201, etc., a PC including all the information necessary to generate a print setting UI is provided to the requester.

[0037] Furthermore, in the processes shown in Figures 8 and 9 described above, the PT and PC are described in XML, so that the time required to generate the PT and PC, which takes a long time to generate as the amount of information described increases, can be reduced.

[0038] In this embodiment, the second PC may not include information on some of the basic print functions included in the first PC, or information on all of the basic print functions included in the first PC. For example, in the above-mentioned PC generation process, after step S804 is executed, the process proceeds to step S806. If it is determined in step S806 that AdvancedMode is not on, a process is performed to add information on the basic print functions, such as the basic feature, option, and supplementary information, to the PC. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S806 that AdvancedMode is on, a process is performed to add descriptions of the feature, option, supplementary information, detailed supplementary information, etc., corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property to the PC. At this time, the feature, option, and supplementary information of some of the basic settings included in the first PC may be added to the PC. By controlling in this way, it is possible to reduce the processing load related to the provision of a print setting UI in an application that requires information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property and does not require information on some or all of the basic print functions included in the first PC.

[0039] Next, the generation of a PT by the host computer 101 will be described.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the PT generation process executed by the print data generation software 203 of FIG. 2. The PT generation process of FIG. 11 is similar to the PC generation process of FIG. 8, and the following will particularly describe the contents different from the PC generation process of FIG. 8. The PT generation process of FIG. 11 is also executed when the user instructs the application 201 to display a print setting UI such as the booklet print setting screen 601, like the PC generation process of FIG. 8. The user may also display the print setting screen 501 by operating the application 201. When the display instruction is given, a PT (for example, PT301 or PT701) is transmitted to the print data generation software 203 as an instruction to generate a PT to be used for generating a print setting UI. The PT generation process of FIG. 11 may be executed in parallel with the PC generation process of FIG. 8, or may be executed consecutively with the PC generation process of FIG. 8. In a configuration in which the PT generation process and the PC generation process are executed consecutively, either the PT generation process or the PC generation process may be executed first.

[0041] 11, first, the print data generation software 203 reads the acquired PT (step S1101) in the same manner as in step S801. Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether the acquired PT includes a description of AdvancedMode Property (step S1102) in the same manner as in step S802.

[0042] If it is determined in step S1102 that the acquired PT does not include a description of the AdvancedMode Property, the process proceeds to step S1104, which will be described later. If it is determined in step S1102 that the acquired PT includes a description of the AdvancedMode Property, the process proceeds to step S1103. In step S1103, the print data generation software 203 turns on AdvancedMode, similar to step S803.

[0043] Next, the print data generation software 203 performs a consistency check of the setting values ​​of the print functions obtained by reading the PT in step S1101, as in step S804 (step S1104). Next, the print data generation software 203 performs a basic setting Feature addition process for the PT in Fig. 12 using the consistent setting values ​​(step S1105), and adds the basic setting Feature to the PT. In this embodiment, the process of step S1105 will be described using as an example the process in which the print data generation software 203 adds a PageMediaType Feature corresponding to the print function of paper type to the PT as a basic setting Feature.

[0044] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the basic setting Feature addition process of the PT in step S1105 of FIG.

[0045] In FIG. 12, the print data generation software 203 adds a Feature of the basic setting corresponding to the consistent setting value to the PT (step S1201). In step S1201, the print data generation software 203 adds, for example, a PageMediaType Feature 1302 corresponding to the print function of the paper type to the PT 1301 in FIG. 13. Next, the print data generation software 203 adds an Option, for example, a Plain Option, to the PageMediaType Feature 1302, which is the Feature added in step S1201 (step S1202). Next, the print data generation software 203 adds supplemental information to the Plain Option as necessary (step S1203). Note that there is no particular supplemental information for the Plain Option, which is the Option for the paper type, so nothing is added in step S1203. Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether or not the Advanced Mode is on (step S1204).

[0046] If it is determined in step S1204 that AdvancedMode is on, the print data generation software 203 adds detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property to Option (step S1205). Note that for the Plain Option, which is an Option for the paper type, there is no detailed supplemental information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property, so nothing is added in step S1205. After that, the process of generating PageMediaType Feature ends, and the process proceeds to step S1106 in FIG. 11.

[0047] If it is determined in step S1204 that AdvancedMode is not on, the process of generating the PageMediaType Feature ends without performing the process of step S1205, and the process proceeds to step S1106 in Fig. 11. Note that if there are multiple basic setting print functions, the above-described basic setting Feature addition process of the PT is performed for all basic setting print functions corresponding to the consistent setting values. In this way, all basic setting Features corresponding to the consistent setting values ​​are added to the PT. When all basic setting Features have been added to the PT, the process proceeds to step S1106 in Fig. 11.

[0048] In step S1106, the print data generation software 203 determines whether or not AdvancedMode is on. If it is determined in step S1106 that AdvancedMode is on, the print data generation software 203 adds a Feature corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property to the PT (step S1107). As described above, "ALL" is described in the PT in FIG. 7. Therefore, the print data generation software 203 adds all Features that correspond to the description of the AdvancedMode Property and that correspond to the printing functions that the print data generation software 203 has permitted to be described in the PT. As a result, for example, the print data generation software 203 adds a JobBookletStapleSide Feature 1303 to the PT 1301. Thereafter, the PT generation process ends. Thus, in this embodiment, when the description of the AdvancedMode Property is included in the acquired PT, a PT is generated that includes information on the printing functions of the basic settings and information corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property.

[0049] If it is determined in step S1106 that AdvancedMode is not on, the process of step S1107 is not performed and the PT generation process ends. Thus, in this embodiment, if the acquired PT does not include a description of AdvancedMode Property, a PT is generated that includes information on the printing function of the basic settings and does not include information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property.

[0050] The print data generation software 203 passes a PC generated by the PC generation process, for example, PC1001, and a PT generated by the PT generation process, for example, PT1301, to the OS 202. The OS 202 passes PC1001 and PT1301 to the application 201 that made the request.

[0051] The application 201 causes the display unit 119 to display a booklet printing setting screen 601 based on the acquired PC 1001 and PT 1301. The application 201 causes the control item 602 to list Left_or_Top and Right_or_Bottom, which are Options of Feature 1006 of PC 1001. In addition, the application 201 causes the display unit 119 to display the booklet printing setting screen 601 with Left (Left_or_Top) selected based on Feature 1303 of PT 1301.

[0052] Furthermore, the application 201 lists only Plain, which has a ScoredProperty 1005 of Supported, among Plain and PhotoPaper, which are Options of Feature 1002 of PC 1001, in a control item 603. Furthermore, the application 201 causes the display unit 119 to display a booklet printing setting screen 601 with Plain selected based on Feature 1302 of PT 1301. As a result, the booklet printing setting screen 601, which allows selection of setting values ​​suitable for booklet printing, is displayed on the display unit 119.

[0053] 11 and 12, if the acquired PT does not include a description of AdvancedMode Property, a first PT is generated that includes information on the print function of the basic settings and does not include information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property. If the acquired PT includes a description of AdvancedMode Property, a second PT is generated that includes information on the print function corresponding to the PT and that corresponds to the description of AdvancedMode Property. That is, a PT that includes information corresponding to the description of AdvancedMode Property is generated only when there is a request from application 201 or OS 202. This reduces the load of the process of generating the PT used to generate the print setting UI, thereby reducing the load of the process related to providing the print setting UI.

[0054] 11 and 12, the second PT includes all basic setting information included in the first PT. This reduces the amount of information included in the PT and reduces the processing load related to providing a print setting UI when there is no request from the application 201 or the OS 202. When there is a request from the application 201 or the OS 202, a PT including all the information necessary to generate a print setting UI is provided to the request source.

[0055] In this embodiment, the second PT may not include information on some of the basic print functions included in the first PT, or information on all of the basic print functions included in the first PT. For example, in the above-mentioned PT generation process, after step S1104 is executed, the process proceeds to step S1106. If it is determined in step S1106 that AdvancedMode is not on, a process is performed to add information on the basic print functions, such as the basic feature, option, and supplementary information, to the PT. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1106 that AdvancedMode is on, a process is performed to add descriptions of the feature, option, supplementary information, detailed supplementary information, etc., corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property to the PT. At this time, the feature, option, and supplementary information of some of the basic settings included in the first PT may be added to the PT. By controlling in this way, it is possible to reduce the processing load related to the provision of a print setting UI in an application that requires information corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property and does not require information on some or all of the basic print functions included in the first PT.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration for controlling the number of Feature items has been described, but this is not limiting, and the number of other items described in a PT or PC, such as Property or ParameterDef, may also be controlled.

[0057] In this embodiment, the basic print function may include a vendor-specific function. Also, the print function corresponding to the description of the AdvancedMode Property may include a print function defined by the OS 202 (public function).

[0058] In addition, in this embodiment, a print function corresponding to added information may be set as the Value of AdvancedMode Property in a PT as a generation instruction of a PC used to generate a print setting UI, as in PT1401 in Fig. 14. For example, "Booklet", which indicates the print function of booklet printing, is set as the Value in AdvancedMode Property 1402 of PT1401 in Fig. 14.

[0059] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing another procedure of the PC generation process executed by the print data generation software 203 of Fig. 2. The PC generation process of Fig. 15 is similar to the PC generation process of Fig. 8, and the following will particularly describe the contents different from the PC generation process of Fig. 8. The PC generation process of Fig. 15 is also executed when the user instructs the application 201 to display a print setting UI such as the booklet print setting screen 601. When the display instruction is given, a PT (e.g., PT1401) is transmitted to the print data generation software 203 as an instruction to generate a PC to be used for generating the print setting UI.

[0060] In FIG. 15, first, steps S1501 and S1502, which are the same processes as steps S801 and S802, are performed. Next, the print data generation software 203 acquires the value of the AdvancedMode Property. Next, the print data generation software 203 sets the acquired value as the setting value of AdvancedMode (step S1503). For example, if the PT read in step S1501 is PT1401, in step S1503, "Booklet", which is the value of AdvancedMode Property1402, is set. Next, step S1504, which is the same process as step S804, is performed. Next, the print data generation software 203 performs the basic setting Feature addition process of the PC in FIG. 16 using the consistent setting value (step S1505) to add the basic setting Feature to the PC. In this embodiment, the process of step S1505 will be described using as an example the process in which the print data generation software 203 adds the PageMediaType Feature corresponding to the printing function of the paper type to the PC as the basic setting Feature.

[0061] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process of adding a Feature in the basic settings of a PC in step S1505 in Fig. 15. Note that the process of adding a Feature in the basic settings of a PC in Fig. 16 is similar to the process of adding a Feature in the basic settings of a PC in Fig. 9, and the following will particularly describe the contents that differ from the process of adding a Feature in the basic settings of a PC in Fig. 9.

[0062] 16, first, step S1601, which is the same process as step S901, is performed. In step S1601, for example, a PageMediaType Feature 1702 node corresponding to the print function of the paper type is added to PC 1701 in Fig. 17. Note that in S1601, the PageMediaType Feature 1702 nodes excluding Plain Option 1703, Display Name Property 1704, and JobBookletStapleSide Feature 1705 are added to the PC.

[0063] Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether or not processing has been completed for all Options in the PageMediaType Feature 1002, which is the Feature added in step S1601 (step S1602).

[0064] If it is determined in step S1602 that the processing for any Option in the PageMediaType Feature 1702 has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S1603. In step S1603, the print data generation software 203 determines whether the setting value of AdvancedMode is “Booklet”.

[0065] If it is determined in step S1603 that the setting value of AdvancedMode is not "Booklet", steps S1604 and S1605, which are the same processes as steps S903 and S904, are performed, and then the process returns to step S1602. Note that S1604 and S1605 are executed when the setting value of AdvancedMode is not "Booklet" but "ALL" is specified. Also, if there is no description of the AdvancedMode Property, or if the setting value of AdvancedMode is not "Booklet" but "False", or if there is no description of AdvancedMode itself, steps S1604 and S1605 are not executed and the process returns to S1602.

[0066] If it is determined in step S1603 that the setting value of AdvancedMode is "Booklet", the print data generation software 203 selects one Option from among the Options that have not been added. Next, the print data generation software 203 determines whether the selected Option allows booklet printing (step S1606).

[0067] If it is determined in step S1606 that the selected Option does not support booklet printing, the print data generation software 203 does not add the selected Option to the PC 1701, and the process returns to step S1602. Thus, in this embodiment, when the setting value of AdvancedMode is "Booklet", an Option that does not support booklet printing is not added to the PC 1701.

[0068] If it is determined in step S1606 that the selected Option is booklet printing capable, the process proceeds to step S1607. In step S1607, the print data generation software 203 adds the selected Option, for example, Plain Option 1703, to the PageMediaType Feature 1702. Next, the print data generation software 203 adds supplemental information to the Option 1703 as necessary (step S1608). In step S1608, for example, Display Name Property 1704 is added to the Option 1703. Next, the print data generation software 203 adds detailed supplemental information corresponding to "Booklet", which is the setting value of AdvancedMode, to the Option 1703 (step S1609). Note that in the process of FIG. 16, only the Option capable of booklet printing is added to the Feature, so there is no need to add Duplex Printing ScoredProperty 1005, which indicates whether double-sided printing is possible, as detailed supplemental information, as in the process of FIG. 9. For this reason, nothing is added in step S1609. The process then returns to S1602.

[0069] If it is determined in step S1602 that processing of all Options in PageMediaType Feature 1702 has been completed, the processing for generating a PageMediaType Feature ends, and processing proceeds to step S1506. Note that if there are multiple basic print functions, the above-described PC basic setting Feature addition processing is executed for all basic print functions that correspond to the consistent setting values. In this way, all basic setting Features that correspond to the consistent setting values ​​are added to the PC. When all basic setting Features have been added to the PC, processing proceeds to step S1506.

[0070] In step S1506, the print data generation software 203 determines whether the setting value of AdvancedMode is "Booklet". If it is determined in step S1506 that the setting value of AdvancedMode is not "Booklet", the PC generation process ends. If it is determined in step S1506 that the setting value of AdvancedMode is "Booklet", the process proceeds to step S1507. In step S1507, the print data generation software 203 adds a Feature of the printing function corresponding to the setting value of AdvancedMode, "Booklet", to the PC. For example, JobBookletStapleSide Feature 1705 is added to PC 1701. Then, the PC generation process ends. Note that if it is determined in S1506 that the setting value of AdvancedMode is "ALL", S807 may be executed instead of S1507 in the flowchart of FIG. 15.

[0071] 15 and 16, in the PT as a generation instruction for the PC used to generate the print setting UI, the print function corresponding to the information to be added is set as the Value of the AdvancedMode Property. This makes it possible to control the information to be added to the PC to only the information of the print function set as the Value of the AdvancedMode Property, thereby reducing the processing load related to providing the print setting UI.

[0072] In the present embodiment, the case where "Booklet" indicating the print function of booklet printing is set as the Value of the AdvancedMode Property has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a print function other than booklet printing may be set as the Value.

[0073] In addition, in the present embodiment, a setting value indicating whether or not predetermined supplementary information is required may be set in the PT as a generation instruction of the PC used to generate the print setting UI. For example, even in the print setting UI displayed based on the PT and the PC, the displayed function name may be a name unique to the application 201 or the OS 202. In such a case, the DisplayName included in the PC becomes unnecessary, and it is preferable not to include a description corresponding to the DisplayName in the PC from the viewpoint of reducing the processing load related to the provision of the print setting UI. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a setting value indicating whether or not predetermined supplementary information such as a description corresponding to the DisplayName is required is set for the PT as a generation instruction of the PC used to generate the print setting UI. For example, the PT 1801 in FIG. 18 includes an AdvancedMode Property 1802 and an IsNeedDisplayName Property 1803. The IsNeedDisplayName Property 1803 is a description for specifying whether or not the function name added to the Feature, Option, etc. is included in the PC. The Value of the Property 1803 is set to "No", which means that the function name is not included.

[0074] 19, and returns PC 1901 to the application 201. Feature 1902 and Option 1903 of PC 1901 do not include a description of DisplayName.

[0075] In this way, by setting a setting value indicating whether or not specified supplemental information is required in the PT as a generation instruction for the PC used to generate the print setting UI, the load of the generation process on the PC can be reduced.

[0076] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0077] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) An information processing device that generates print data to be used in executing a print process, comprising: a providing means for providing a print setting UI for setting print functions to be used in generating the print data; and a generating means for generating print function information indicating print functions that can be set in the print setting UI in accordance with instructions from the providing means, wherein, when the instruction does not include specified setting information, the generating means generates first print function information that includes information on one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction but does not include information corresponding to the specified setting information; and, when the instruction includes the specified setting information, the generating means generates second print function information that includes information on one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction and information corresponding to the specified setting information. (Configuration 2) In the information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, the second printing capability information includes information on all printing capabilities included in the first printing capability information. (Configuration 3) The information processing device according to configuration 1, wherein the second printing function information does not include information on some of the printing functions included in the first printing function information, or information on all of the printing functions included in the first printing function information. (Configuration 4) An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the specified setting information includes a setting value indicating a printing function, and information corresponding to the specified setting information is information on the printing function indicated by the setting value. (Configuration 5) An information processing device described in any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the specified setting information includes a setting value indicating whether or not specified supplementary information is required, and when the specified setting information is included in the instruction, the generation means determines whether or not to include the specified supplementary information in the second printing function information. (Configuration 6) The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the first printing capability information and the second printing capability information are described in XML. (Configuration 7) An information processing device that generates print data to be used in executing a print process, comprising: a providing means for providing a print setting UI for setting print functions to be used in generating the print data; and a generating means for generating print setting information including setting values ​​of the print functions to be set in the print setting UI in accordance with an instruction from the providing means, wherein, when the instruction does not include specified setting information, the generating means generates first print setting information including information of one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction but not including information corresponding to the specified setting information; and, when the instruction includes the specified setting information, the generating means generates second print setting information including information of one or more print functions corresponding to the instruction and information corresponding to the specified setting information. (Configuration 8) In the information processing device according to configuration 7, the second print setting information includes information on all print functions included in the first print setting information. (Configuration 9) The information processing device according to configuration 7, wherein the second printing setting information does not include information on some of the printing functions included in the first printing setting information, or information on all of the printing functions included in the first printing setting information. (Configuration 10) The information processing device according to configuration 7, wherein the first print setting information and the second print setting information are described in XML. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 101 Host Computer 102 Printing device 111 CPU 201 Applications 202 OS 203 Print data generation software 501 Print setting screen 601 Booklet printing setting screen 1001 PC 1301PT 1701 PC 1901 PC

Claims

1. A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an information processing device, The control method for the information processing device includes: a first display step of displaying a first print setting screen including at least a first setting item when predetermined information is not received from an application program that generates image data; A program characterized by having a second display step of displaying a second print setting screen including at least the first setting item and a second setting item not included in the first setting item when the specified information is accepted.

2. The program described in Claim 1, characterized in that the first setting item includes the size of the sheet on which an image based on the image data is printed.

3. The program described in Claim 1, characterized in that the first setting item includes the type of sheet on which an image based on the image data is printed.

4. The program described in Claim 1, characterized in that the second setting item includes binding settings.

5. The control method for the information processing device further comprises: The program described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specified information is accepted, the second setting item is not included in the print capability for displaying the first print setting screen, and when the specified information is not accepted, the second setting item is included in the print capability for displaying the first print setting screen.

6. The program described in Claim 5, characterized in that the print capability is described in XML language.

7. The program according to claim 1, wherein the specified information is an AdvancedMode Property.

8. A control method for an information processing device, comprising: a first display step of displaying a first print setting screen including at least a first setting item when predetermined information is not received from an application program that generates image data; A control method characterized by having a second display step of displaying a second print setting screen including at least the first setting item and a second setting item not included in the first setting item when the specified information is accepted.

9. An information processing device, A display means; a display control means; the display control means, when not receiving predetermined information from an application program that generates image data, causes the display means to display a first print setting screen including at least a first setting item; An information processing device characterized in that, when the specified information is accepted, a second print setting screen including at least the first setting item and a second setting item not included in the first setting item is displayed on the display means.

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