GUI application creation support apparatus, GUI application creation support method, and program

Abstract

To provide a GUI application creation support apparatus, a GUI application creation support method, and a program with which a screen can be created more efficiently.SOLUTION: A GUI application creation support apparatus 3 includes a simple component acquisition processing unit 32 and a screen creation processing unit 33. The simple component acquisition processing unit 32 acquires one or more simple components corresponding to one or more components to be arranged on a frame and to be lower in data processing load than the one or more components. The screen creation processing unit 33 creates a screen by arranging the one or more simple components on the frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a GUI application creation support device, a GUI application creation support method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As a related technique, a GUI device that selectively displays a plurality of screens and transitions the displayed screens as necessary is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The GUI device according to the related technique has a display function for each GUI component (button, status bar, etc.) on a screen displayed on a display unit, and a display function for basic components that make up the GUI components (various graphic components such as polygons and arcs, various texts, various images, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-175142 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above related technologies, the processing load involved in drawing components when creating a GUI screen is large, and depending on the device specifications and screen configuration, the time required for processing may be long, which may result in low efficiency in screen creation.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a GUI application creation support device, a GUI application creation support method, and a program that enable screens to be created more efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A GUI application creation support device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a simple component acquisition processor and a screen creation processor. The simple component acquisition processor acquires one or more simple components corresponding to one or more components to be arranged on a frame and having a smaller data processing load than the one or more components. The screen creation processor creates a screen by arranging the one or more simple components on the frame.

[0007] A GUI application creation support method according to another aspect of the present invention includes obtaining one or more simple components that correspond to one or more components to be placed on a frame and that have a smaller data processing load than the one or more components, and creating a screen by placing the one or more simple components on the frame.

[0008] A program relating to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following operations: obtaining one or more simple parts that correspond to one or more parts to be placed on a frame and that have a smaller data processing load than the one or more parts; and creating a screen by placing the one or more simple parts on the frame. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a GUI application creation support device, a GUI application creation support method, and a program that enable more efficient screen creation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image processing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the image processing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the image processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a frame used in the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a simple component created by the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a creation screen used in the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen created by the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen created by the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a creation screen used in the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the GUI application creation support device according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) [1] Overall configuration of image processing device First, the overall configuration of an image processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] The image processing device 10 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a multifunction device having multiple functions such as a scanning function for acquiring image data from an original, a printing function for forming an image based on image data, a facsimile function, and a copy function. The image processing device 10 only needs to have an image processing function including at least one of a function for forming an image and a function for acquiring image data, and may be a printer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a copy machine, or the like.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing device 10 is roughly divided into a main body 1 (main unit) and an extension device 2 (enhancement unit). The main body 1 has an image processing function (at least one of a function of forming an image and a function of acquiring image data). The "extension device" in this disclosure is a device that is removably connected to the main body 1, and is an enhancement that adds various extension functions to the image processing device. The main body 1 and the extension device 2 are used in a state of being electrically and mechanically connected. That is, the image processing device 10 can realize various extension functions desired by the user by combining the main body 1 with the desired extension device 2 while based on the functions of the main body 1. Specific examples of the extension device 2 include devices such as a stapler, a folding machine, an inserter, a booklet folder, and a mail folder. These extension devices 2 perform post-processing such as stapling on sheets on which an image is formed by the main body 1, for example.

[0015] In the present embodiment, as an example, the image processing device 10 includes a finisher having a function as a stapler as the extended device 2, and further includes any extended device 2 selected from a folder, an inserter, a booklet folder, a mail folder, etc. In other words, the image processing device 10 is capable of connecting one or more extended devices 2 to one main body 1.

[0016] 1, the main body 1 of the image processing device 10 includes an automatic document feeder 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a paper feed unit 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, a control unit 17, and a storage unit 18. The automatic document feeder 11 is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), and is therefore written as "ADF" in FIG. 1, and will also be referred to as "ADF 11" in the following description.

[0017] The ADF 11 transports an original document whose image is to be read by the image reading unit 12. The ADF 11 includes an original document setting unit, a plurality of transport rollers, an original document pressing unit, and a paper ejection unit.

[0018] The image reading unit 12 reads an image from a document and outputs image data corresponding to the read image. The image reading unit 12 includes a document table, a light source, a plurality of mirrors, an optical lens, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and the like.

[0019] The image forming unit 13 forms an image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method based on image data output from the image reading unit 12. The image forming unit 13 also forms an image on a sheet based on image data input from an information processing device external to the image processing device 10, such as a personal computer. The image forming unit 13 has four image forming units corresponding to four colors, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), an optical scanning device, an intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer roller, a fixing device, and the like. The image forming unit 13 may be configured to form an image on a sheet by an image forming method other than the electrophotographic method, such as an inkjet method, for example.

[0020] The image forming unit 13 forms an image on a sheet using toner as a developer. When the image forming unit 13 forms an image by an inkjet method, ink (another example of a developer) is supplied instead of toner. Examples of toner supplied to the image forming unit 13 include toner of multiple colors, such as C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). After the image is formed in the image forming unit 13, the sheet is discharged (supplied) to an extension device or the like for post-processing.

[0021] The paper feed unit 14 supplies a sheet to the image forming unit 13. The paper feed unit 14 has a paper feed cassette, a manual feed tray, a sheet transport path, a plurality of transport rollers, etc. The image forming unit 13 forms an image on the sheet supplied from the paper feed unit 14. The sheet supplied to the image forming unit 13 is paper as an example, but is not limited to paper and may be, for example, a resin film, etc.

[0022] The display unit 15 is a user interface for presenting (displaying) information to a user in the image processing device 10. The display unit 15 displays various information in response to a control instruction from the control unit 17. As an example in the present embodiment, the display unit 15 includes a liquid crystal display, and displays a display screen including various information on the liquid crystal display.

[0023] The operation unit 16 is, for example, a user interface for accepting operation input by a user to a display screen displayed on the display unit 15. The operation unit 16 accepts various operations by a user, for example, by outputting an electrical signal according to the user's operation. As an example in this embodiment, the operation unit 16 has a switch, a touch panel, or the like.

[0024] Furthermore, the image processing device 10 may include, in addition to or instead of the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16, for example, an audio output unit and an audio input unit, etc., as a user interface.

[0025] The control unit 17 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories, and performs overall control of the image processing device 10. In the image processing device 10, the one or more processors execute programs to realize the functions of the control unit 17. In this embodiment, as an example, the control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0026] The program may be pre-recorded in one or more memories, or may be provided via a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by recording it in a non-transitory recording medium readable by a computer system, such as a memory card or an optical disk. The one or more processors are composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit. Furthermore, the computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. The control unit 17 may be a control unit provided separately from a main control unit that comprehensively controls the image processing device 10.

[0027] The storage unit 18 includes one or more non-volatile memories, and stores information such as control programs for causing the control unit 17 to execute various processes in advance.

[0028] The image processing device 10 further includes a communication unit and a storage unit, etc. The communication unit is an interface that executes data communication between the image processing device 10 and an external device connected via a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0029] [2] Details of the control unit Next, each functional unit included in the control unit 17 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 1. The control unit 17 has a display processing unit 171. That is, the image processing device 10 has the display processing unit 171 as one function of the control unit 17.

[0030] The display processing unit 171 executes display processing for displaying various screens on the display unit 15. In this disclosure, a "screen" refers to an image (picture) displayed on the display unit 15, and includes icons, figures, photographs, text, videos, and the like. That is, the display processing unit 171 is capable of generating various screens and displaying them on the display unit 15. Here, when a screen includes a video or the like, the screen does not include a fixed image, but includes an image that changes from moment to moment.

[0031] Here, the display processing unit 171 is configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI) screen on the display unit 15 and to be able to accept user operations on the screen at the operation unit 16. That is, the display processing unit 171 configures a GUI that displays, for example, buttons, figures, icons (images), messages (text), and the like on the screen and accepts operations (including selections) of buttons and the like on the screen. In other words, the display processing unit 171 is a GUI application for embedded devices.

[0032] As an example of the present embodiment, the display unit 15 is integrated with the operation unit 16 and configures a touch panel display together with the operation unit 16. Therefore, the operation unit 16 is configured to be able to accept user operations such as touch (tap), swipe, or drag on the screen displayed on the display unit 15.

[0033] The display processing unit 171 displays on the display unit 15 a screen (GUI screen) for accepting operations for controlling the image processing device 10. As an example, as shown in Fig. 3, a screen G1 displayed on the display unit 15 by the display processing unit 171 includes a plurality of parts P10 to P19. In the present disclosure, a "part" is an object that is arranged and displayed on the screen G1, such as a button, a figure, an icon (image), a message (text), or a combination of these.

[0034] The screen G1 illustrated in FIG. 3 accepts an operation for setting the staple function of the image processing device 10. Specifically, the component P10 is a component that displays a message ("Staple" in FIG. 3) indicating that the screen G1 is a setting screen for the staple function. The component P11 is a button for turning off the staple function. The components P12 to P17 are buttons for setting details of the staple function such as the staple position. The component P18 is a button for applying the setting for the staple function, and the component P19 is a button for canceling the setting for the staple function. When the user operates any of the components P11 to P19 while the screen G1 is displayed on the display unit 15, the control unit 17 activates a function corresponding to the operated component P11 to P19.

[0035] In the drawings showing the screens such as Fig. 3, the dashed lines, leader lines and reference symbols representing areas are merely added for the purpose of explanation and are not actually displayed on the display unit 15. In addition, the design, arrangement and size of objects on the screens described below are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate. Objects or areas on the screens may or may not be clearly separated by boundaries.

[0036] [3] GUI application creation support device Next, a GUI application creation support device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "creation support device") 3 that supports the creation of a GUI screen to be displayed on the display unit 15 by the display processing unit 171 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. That is, the creation support device 3 according to this embodiment is used in the creation of a GUI screen such as screen G1 illustrated in Fig. 3, and supports the creation of the GUI screen by a user (operator).

[0037] 3 is developed (created) for each device (image processing device 10 in this embodiment) in which the GUI application is to be installed, depending on the specifications (including configuration and functions) of the device. The created GUI screen is stored in the storage unit 18, for example, and is displayed on the display unit 15 by the display processing unit 171 (control unit 17).

[0038] Meanwhile, a GUI device that selectively displays a plurality of screens and transitions between the displayed screens as necessary is known as a related technique for this type of creation support device. The GUI device according to the related technique has a display function for each GUI component (button, status bar, etc.) on a screen displayed on a display unit, and a display function for basic components (various graphic components such as polygons and arcs, various texts, various images, etc.) that constitute the GUI components.

[0039] In the above related technologies, the processing load involved in drawing components when creating a GUI screen is large, and depending on the device specifications and screen configuration, the time required for processing may be long, which may result in low efficiency in screen creation.

[0040] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a creation support device 3 that can create a screen more efficiently is realized by using the configuration described below.

[0041] That is, as shown in Fig. 4, the creation support device 3 according to this embodiment includes a simple component acquisition processing unit 32 and a screen creation processing unit 33. The simple component acquisition processing unit 32 acquires one or more simple components P100-P105 (see Fig. 8) which correspond to one or more components P10-P15 (see Fig. 9) arranged on a frame F1 (see Fig. 5) and have a smaller load related to data processing than the one or more components P10-P15. The screen creation processing unit 33 arranges the one or more simple components P100-P105 on the frame F1 to create a screen G10 (see Fig. 8).

[0042] In short, the screen creation processing unit 33 that creates a GUI screen such as the screen G1 illustrated in Fig. 3 creates the screen G10 by arranging one or more simple components P100-P105, which have a smaller data processing load than the one or more components P10-P15, on the frame F1. In this way, by using one or more simple components P100-P105, which have a smaller data processing load, in creating the screen G10, it is possible to reduce the processing load related to drawing the components when creating the GUI screen G10. As a result, it is possible to realize a creation support device 3 that can create screens more efficiently.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the creation support device 3 according to this embodiment further includes, in addition to a simple component acquisition processing unit 32 and a screen creation processing unit 33, a frame designation processing unit 31, a simple component memory unit 34, a frame memory unit 35, a component memory unit 36, a screen data memory unit 37, a simple component creation processing unit 38, a replacement processing unit 39, and an operation display unit 41.

[0044] In this embodiment, as an example, the creation support device 3 is mainly composed of a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories. In the creation support device 3, the one or more processors execute programs to realize the functions of a frame designation processing unit 31, a simple component acquisition processing unit 32, a screen creation processing unit 33, a simple component storage unit 34, a frame storage unit 35, a component storage unit 36, a screen data storage unit 37, a simple component creation processing unit 38, and a replacement processing unit 39.

[0045] The programs executed in the creation support device 3 may be pre-recorded in one or more memories, or may be provided via a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium readable by a computer system, such as a memory card or an optical disk. The one or more processors are composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit. Furthermore, the computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0046] The frame designation processing unit 31 executes a frame designation process for designating a desired frame F1 in accordance with a user's operation. Specifically, the frame designation processing unit 31 acquires data of the designated frame F1 from the frame storage unit 35. In this disclosure, a "frame" refers to the framework of the screen G10, and includes the arrangement of a plurality of subframes when the screen G10 is divided into a plurality of subframes.

[0047] The simple part acquisition processing unit 32 executes a simple part acquisition process to acquire one or more simple parts P100-P105. The simple part acquisition processing unit 32 acquires one or more simple parts P100-P105 desired by the user in accordance with the user's operation. Specifically, the simple part acquisition processing unit 32 acquires data of one or more simple parts P100-P105 from the simple part storage unit 34.

[0048] The screen creation processing unit 33 executes a screen creation process for creating GUI screens such as screen G1. The screen creation processing unit 33 creates screen G10 by placing one or more simple parts P100-P105 acquired by the simple part acquisition processing unit 32 on a frame F1 specified by the frame designation processing unit 31. Here, the screen creation processing unit 33 places one or more simple parts P100-P105 at any position on the frame F1 in accordance with a user operation.

[0049] The simple part storage unit 34 stores data on a large number of simple parts including the above-mentioned simple parts P100 to P105. The data on a large number of simple parts is created in advance and written in the simple part storage unit 34. The data on parts stored in the simple part storage unit 34 can be updated at any time.

[0050] The frame storage unit 35 stores data of a plurality of frames including the above-mentioned frame F1. The data of the plurality of frames is created in advance and written to the frame storage unit 35. The frame data stored in the frame storage unit 35 can be updated at any time.

[0051] The part storage unit 36 ​​stores data on a large number of parts including the above-mentioned parts P10 to P15. The data on a large number of parts is created in advance and written in the part storage unit 36. The part data stored in the part storage unit 36 ​​can be updated at any time.

[0052] The screen data storage unit 37 stores data of a plurality of screens including the screen G11 (see FIG. 9) created by the screen creation processing unit 33. That is, the GUI screen created using the creation support device 3 is stored in the screen data storage unit 37, read out from the screen data storage unit 37, and output appropriately to the image processing device 10, etc.

[0053] The simple component creation processing unit 38 executes a simple component creation process for creating data of simple components such as the above-mentioned simple components P100-P105. The simple component creation processing unit 38 creates one or more simple components P100-P105 in association with one or more components P10-P15. Here, the simple component creation processing unit 38 creates the simple components P100-P105 based on the regular components P10-P15 by, for example, data compression. The simple component creation processing unit 38 writes the data of the created simple components P100-P105 in the simple component storage unit 34, thereby storing the data of the simple components P100-P105 in the simple component storage unit 34. By providing such a simple component creation processing unit 38, it is possible to create the simple components P100-P105 as appropriate.

[0054] The replacement processing unit 39 executes a replacement process to replace one or more simple components P100-P105 on the screen G10 with one or more corresponding components P10-P15. That is, for the screen G10 created by the screen creation processing unit 33 arranging one or more simple components P100-P105 on the frame F1, the replacement processing unit 39 replaces one or more simple components P100-P105 with one or more corresponding components P10-P15, respectively. This makes it possible to obtain a screen G11 (see FIG. 9) in which regular parts P10-P15 are arranged on the frame F1, instead of the simple components P100-P105.

[0055] The operation display unit 41 is a user interface for presenting (displaying) information to a user and accepting operation input by the user in the creation support device 3. In the present embodiment, as an example, the operation display unit 41 has a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and an operation device such as a switch or a touch panel.

[0056] [4] GUI application creation support method Next, a GUI application creation support method (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "creation support method") executed by the creation support device 3 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0057] The GUI application creation support method of this embodiment includes obtaining one or more simple parts P100-P105 that correspond to one or more parts P10-P15 to be placed on a frame and have a smaller data processing load than the one or more parts P10-P15, and creating a screen G10 by placing the one or more simple parts P100-P105 on a frame F1.

[0058] The procedure for creating a (GUI) screen using the creation support method will be described below with a specific example. The creation support device 3 uses an operation display unit 41 as a user interface to support a user (operator) in creating a GUI screen. The format of the created (GUI) screen is, for example, XML (Extensible Markup Language), but is not limited to this.

[0059] First, the frame designation processing unit 31 obtains data of a desired frame F1 from the frame storage unit 35, and displays the frame F1 on the operation display unit 41, as shown in Fig. 5. The frame storage unit 35 stores data of a plurality of frames with frame names such as "Frame1", "Frame2", "Frame3", ..., and here, as an example, it is assumed that the frame F1 of "Frame2" is designated.

[0060] Frame F1 includes multiple subframes SF1, SF2, and SF3. Subframe SF1 is given the subframe name "Frame2-1," subframe SF2 is given the subframe name "Frame2-2," and subframe SF3 is given the subframe name "Frame2-3." At this time, on the operation display unit 41, only ruled lines separating the multiple subframes SF1, SF2, SF3, etc. are displayed as frame F1, and the subframe names such as "Frame2-1" shown in FIG. 5 are internal values ​​and are not actually displayed on the operation display unit 41.

[0061] Next, the screen creation processing unit 33 requests the simple component acquisition processing unit 32 for components to be placed in each of the multiple sub-frames SF1, SF2, and SF3 of the frame F1. At this time, the simple component acquisition processing unit 32 acquires one or more simple components P100-P105, which have a smaller data processing load than the one or more components P10-P15, from the simple component storage unit 34. The simple component acquisition processing unit 32 outputs the simple components P100-P105 acquired from the simple component storage unit 34 to the screen creation processing unit 33.

[0062] Here, the simple parts P100 to P105 are created in advance by a simple part creation processing unit 38 based on regular parts P10 to P15 stored in the part storage unit 36, as shown in Fig. 6, and stored in the simple part storage unit 34. The regular parts P10 to P15 are created in advance by a user and stored in the part storage unit 36. Fig. 6 shows, as an example, simple parts P101 and P110 corresponding to part P11.

[0063] That is, the part P11 has outline information (frame information) constituting its external shape (framework), icons A1 and A2, messages (text) A3 and A4, and background image A5. The outline information includes information on the size and shape of the part P11, and the icons A1 and A2, messages (text) A3 and A4, and background image A5 include information on their respective sizes, shapes, and arrangements. Based on the part P11 stored in the part storage unit 36, the simple component creation processing unit 38 creates, separately from the part P11, a simple component P101 that holds only the outline information of the part P11, or a simple component P110 that holds only the outline information of the part P11 and information on the messages A3 and A4, etc., which have little effect on the processing speed.

[0064] In this embodiment, when creating one or more parts P10-P15, the simple component creation processing unit 38 automatically creates one or more simple components P100-P105 corresponding to the one or more parts P10-P15. That is, for the parts P10-P15 stored in the part storage unit 36, the corresponding simple components P100-P105 are automatically created and stored in advance in the simple component storage unit 34. As a result, the user only needs to create the regular (original) parts P10-P15, and the corresponding simple components P100-P105 are automatically created, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0065] These simple parts P101 and P110 are both associated with the part P11 and stored in the simple part storage unit 34. In this way, the simple parts P101 and P110, which have only the minimum information required to create the screen G10, have a smaller data size than the original part P11, making it possible to keep the processing load small.

[0066] Then, the screen creation processing unit 33 displays the simple parts P100 to P105 acquired by the simple part acquisition processing unit 32 on the operation display unit 41 together with the frame F1 acquired by the frame designation processing unit 31. As an example, the screen creation processing unit 33 displays the simple part P101 and the frame F1 side by side on a creation screen G100 as shown in Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 7, the simple parts P101 and the part P11 are arranged as a "parts list" on the left side of the creation screen G100, and the frame F1 is arranged as a "screen" on the right side of the creation screen G100. Furthermore, a replacement button B1 labeled "replace part" is arranged below the frame F1 on the right side of the creation screen G100.

[0067] The user performs an operation to place an arbitrary simple part P101 on the frame F1 on the creation screen G100, and the screen creation processing unit 33 creates a screen G10 as shown in FIG. 8 in response to this operation. As an example, the user performs a move operation to move the simple part P101 in the "parts list" onto the frame F1 in the "screen" by an operation such as drag and drop, thereby placing the simple part P101 at an arbitrary position on the frame F1. At this time, the simple part P101 that holds only the outline information of the part P11, or the simple part P110 that holds only the outline information and information such as the messages A3 and A4, has a smaller processing load for the move operation than the part P11, and if the performance (spec) of the creation support device 3 is the same, the screen G10 can be created more quickly. Alternatively, the simple part P110 can efficiently create the screen G10 even if the creation support device 3 has a lower performance (spec) than the part P11.

[0068] When a screen G10 in which simple parts P100-P105 are arranged is created on the creation screen G100 as shown in Fig. 8, the user then operates the replace button B1 on the creation screen G100. When the replace button B1 is operated, the replacement processing unit 39 replaces one or more simple parts P100-P105 on the screen G10 with one or more corresponding parts P10-P15 to obtain the original screen G11 as shown in Fig. 9. That is, when a replacement instruction is given, such as pressing the replace button B1, after the screen G10 using the simple parts P100-P105 is created, the replacement processing unit 39 executes the replacement process to replace the simple parts P100-P105 with the original parts P10-P15.

[0069] In this way, when there is a replacement instruction for screen G10 including one or more simple parts P100-P105, the replacement processing unit 39 replaces the one or more simple parts P100-P105 with one or more parts P10-P15. Therefore, by giving a replacement instruction (trigger) at a timing desired by the user, it is possible to convert the temporary screen G10 using the simple parts P100-P105 into the original screen G11.

[0070] Moreover, in this embodiment, by operating the only replace button B1 on the creation screen G100, the multiple simple parts P100-P105 on the screen G10 are collectively replaced with the multiple original parts P10-P15. That is, the replacement processing unit 39 collectively replaces the multiple simple parts P100-P105 with the multiple parts P10-P15. This makes it possible to replace the multiple simple parts P100-P105 more easily and in a shorter time than in the case where the multiple simple parts P100-P105 are replaced one by one.

[0071] Finally, the screen creation processing unit 33 stores (preserves) the data of the completed screen G11 in the screen data storage unit 37.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the creation support device 3 of this embodiment, it is also possible to edit an existing screen G11 (see FIG. 9) on which original parts P10 to P15 have already been arranged on the creation screen G100. When editing the existing screen G11, the screen creation processing unit 33 causes the operation display unit 41 to display the creation screen G100, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0073] In the creation screen G100 shown in Fig. 10, one or more parts P10 to P15 in the existing screen G11 are all replaced with one or more corresponding simple parts P100 to P105, and are displayed as screen G10 (see Fig. 8). This allows the user to edit (recreate) the screen G10, such as by replacing and changing the arrangement of the simple parts P100 to P105, on the temporary screen G10 using the simple parts P100 to P105 in the creation screen G100.

[0074] At this time, it is preferable that the screen creation processing unit 33 displays, as reference information C1, a capture of the existing screen G11 on which the original parts P10 to P15 are arranged, on the creation screen G100. The reference information C1 is image data that cannot be edited. This allows the user to efficiently edit (recreate) the screen G10 by referring to the reference information C1. The display position of the reference information C1 is not limited to the example of FIG. 10.

[0075] Then, after editing screen G10, the user operates the replace button B1 on the creation screen G100, which causes the replacement processing unit 39 to replace one or more simple components P100 to P105 on screen G10 with one or more corresponding components P10 to P15 to obtain the original screen G11.

[0076] Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the creation support device 3 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Here, steps S1, S2, etc. in the flowchart shown in Fig. 11 each indicate the number of a processing procedure (step) executed by the creation support device 3.

[0077] <Steps S1, S2, S3> In step S1, the frame designation processing unit 31 acquires data of a desired frame F1 from the frame storage unit 35 in accordance with a user's operation. In step S2, the simple component acquisition processing unit 32, which has been requested by the screen creation processing unit 33 to select components to be placed in the frame F1, acquires one or more simple components P100-P105, which have a smaller data processing load than the one or more components P10-P15, from the simple component storage unit 34. In step S3, the screen creation processing unit 33 causes the operation display unit 41 to display a creation screen G100 including the one or more simple components P100-P105 and the frame F1.

[0078] <Steps S4 and S5> In step S4, the screen creation processing unit 33 places the simple parts P100 to P105 acquired by the simple part acquisition processing unit 32 on the frame F1 in accordance with the user's operation, and creates the screen G10. In step S5, the replacement processing unit 39 determines whether or not a replacement instruction has been issued. When the replacement button B1 in the creation screen G100 is operated, the replacement processing unit 39 determines that a replacement instruction has been issued (S5: Yes), and shifts the process to step S6. On the other hand, if the replacement button B1 in the creation screen G100 has not been operated, the replacement processing unit 39 determines that no replacement instruction has been issued (S5: No), and shifts the process to step S4.

[0079] <Steps S6 and S7> In step S6, the replacement processing unit 39 executes a replacement process to replace the simple parts P100-P105 in the screen G10 using the simple parts P100-P105 with the original parts P10-P15, thereby obtaining the screen G11. In step S7, the screen creation processing unit 33 stores (saves) the data of the completed screen G11 in the screen data storage unit 37.

[0080] The above-described procedure is merely an example, and the order of the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 may be changed as appropriate.

[0081] [5] Variations The multiple components included in the creation support device 3 may be distributed across multiple housings. For example, at least one of the frame designation processing unit 31, the simple component acquisition processing unit 32, the screen creation processing unit 33, and the simple component storage unit 34 may be provided separately.

[0082] Furthermore, the display unit 15 is not limited to a liquid crystal display, and may include a display such as electronic paper or a projector instead of or in addition to an organic EL display.

[0083] Furthermore, the GUI screen created using the creation support device 3 of this embodiment is not limited to being used for the image processing device 10, and may be used for various devices (including devices, equipment, and systems) other than the image processing device 10.

[0084] [Appendix to the invention] The following will provide an overview of the invention extracted from the above-described embodiment. Note that the configurations and processing functions described in the following supplementary notes can be selected and combined as desired.

[0085] <Appendix 1> a simple part acquisition processing unit that acquires one or more simple parts corresponding to one or more parts arranged on a frame and having a smaller load related to data processing than the one or more parts; a screen creation processing unit that creates a screen by arranging the one or more simple parts on a frame, A GUI application creation support device.

[0086] <Appendix 2> a simple part creation processing unit that creates the one or more simple parts in association with the one or more parts, 2. A GUI application creation support device according to claim 1.

[0087] <Appendix 3> the simple part creation processing unit, when creating the one or more parts, automatically creates the one or more simple parts corresponding to the one or more parts; 3. A GUI application creation support device as described in appendix 2.

[0088] <Appendix 4> a replacement processing unit that replaces the one or more simple parts on the screen with the one or more corresponding parts, 4. A GUI application creation support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[0089] <Appendix 5> the replacement processing unit, when a replacement instruction is received for the screen including the one or more simple parts, replaces the one or more simple parts with the one or more parts; 5. A GUI application creation support device according to claim 4.

[0090] <Appendix 6> The replacement processing unit replaces a plurality of the simple parts with a plurality of the parts at once. 6. A GUI application creation support device according to claim 4 or 5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 3. GUI Application Creation Support Device 32 Simple parts acquisition processing unit 33 Screen creation processing section 38 Simple parts creation processing section 39 Replacement Processing Unit F1 Frame G1,G10,G11 screen P100~P105,P110 Simple parts P10~P15 Parts

Claims

1. a simple part acquisition processing unit that acquires one or more simple parts corresponding to one or more parts arranged on a frame and having a smaller load related to data processing than the one or more parts; a screen creation processing unit that creates a screen by arranging the one or more simple parts on a frame, GUI application creation support device.

2. a simple part creation processing unit that creates the one or more simple parts in association with the one or more parts, 2. The GUI application creation support device according to claim 1.

3. the simple part creation processing unit, when creating the one or more parts, automatically creates the one or more simple parts corresponding to the one or more parts; 3. The GUI application creation support device according to claim 2.

4. a replacement processing unit that replaces the one or more simple parts on the screen with the one or more corresponding parts, 4. The GUI application creation support device according to claim 1.

5. the replacement processing unit, when a replacement instruction is received for the screen including the one or more simple parts, replaces the one or more simple parts with the one or more parts; 5. The GUI application creation support device according to claim 4.

6. The replacement processing unit replaces a plurality of the simple parts with a plurality of the parts at once.

5. The GUI application creation support device according to claim 4.

7. acquiring one or more simple parts corresponding to one or more parts to be arranged on a frame and having a smaller load on data processing than the one or more parts; and creating a screen by arranging the one or more simple parts on a frame. A method for supporting the creation of GUI applications.

8. acquiring one or more simple parts corresponding to one or more parts to be arranged on a frame and having a smaller load on data processing than the one or more parts; creating a screen by arranging the one or more simple parts on a frame; A program for executing the above on one or more processors.

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