Document processing apparatus and document processing method

Abstract

To support creation or browsing of a document.SOLUTION: A graphical user interface is displayed on a display device. The graphical user interface includes a format selection portion configured to select a format for the character from a plurality of formats. In a case where a first format is selected by an operation of a format selection unit in a state in which a first character string including one or more characters is selected in a text area that is displayed on a display device and represents at least a part of content of a document, a first application process of applying the first format to the same character string as the first character string in the document is executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification relates to a technique for assisting in creating or viewing a document. [Background technology]

[0002] Various documents are created, such as reports, contracts, papers, instruction manuals, and patent applications. Users who create documents review the content of the document, revise the sentences, and find and correct errors and other defects. Creating appropriate documents places a significant burden on users, and techniques have been proposed to reduce this burden. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a computer extracts codes from a document, extracts character strings adjacent to the codes, sorts records that treat the codes, their extracted positions, and the extracted character strings as a single entity, using the codes as a key, and displays and outputs character strings of a certain length or less adjacent to the codes, along with the codes and their extracted positions, in the order of the sorted records. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-259148 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A user who creates a document pays attention to various matters. The matters to be considered when creating a document may differ depending on the document, such as the content of the document or the purpose of the document. Furthermore, the matters to be considered when creating a document may differ depending on the user who creates the document. In this way, document creation may include various matters to be considered. Similarly, a user who views a document pays attention to various matters. Viewing a document may include various matters to be considered. There is room for improvement in assisting document creation or document viewing.

[0005] This specification discloses a technique for assisting in creating or viewing a document. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The techniques disclosed in this specification can be implemented in the following application examples.

[0007] [Application example 1] A program for document processing, comprising: a display function for displaying a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a first operation unit, a second operation unit, a third operation unit, and a fourth operation unit; a first search function that searches for a first keyword backward from a current processing position in a document when the first operation unit is operated; a second search function that searches for the first keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the second operation unit is operated; a third search function that searches for a second keyword backward from the current processing position when the third operation unit is operated; a fourth search function that searches for the second keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the fourth operation unit is operated; A program that enables a computer to achieve this.

[0008] According to this configuration, by operating the first operation unit, the second operation unit, the third operation unit, or the fourth operation unit, the first keyword can be searched for forward or backward from the current processing position, and the second keyword can be searched for forward or backward from the current processing position, so that the user can easily refer to the part of the document related to the first keyword or the second keyword.

[0009] [Application example 2] A program for document processing, comprising: a first type object search function that searches a document for a first type object character string adjacent to a cursor indicating an editing position in the document, the first type object character string being formed by one or more first type characters, the first type characters including characters of a predetermined kanji group and characters of a predetermined katakana group; a first reference search function that searches for a first reference string formed by one or more first characters from a first target range of the document when the first target string is found, the first reference string including the first target string; a first change function for changing the first object string adjacent to the cursor to the first reference string when the first reference string is found; A program that makes the computer realize the above.

[0010] According to this configuration, the first type object character string adjacent to the cursor is changed to the first type reference character string, thereby reducing the burden on the user to input the first type reference character string.

[0011] [Application example 3] A program for document processing, comprising: a display function for displaying a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats; a first application function that, when a first format is selected by operating the format selection unit in a state where a first string including one or more characters is selected in a text area displayed on the display device and the text area represents at least a part of the content of a document, executes a first application process that applies the first format to a character string in the document that is the same as the first character string; A program that enables a computer to achieve this.

[0012] According to this configuration, the first format selected by operating the format selection unit is applied to a character string that is the same as the selected first character string, making it easier to visually find a character string that is the same as the first character string in a document.

[0013] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various forms, such as a document processing method and a document processing device, a computer program for realizing the functions of the method or device, a recording medium (e.g., a non-temporary recording medium) on which the computer program is recorded, and the like. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data processing device that is an example of a document processing device. [Figure 2] 1A is a diagram illustrating an example of a window of an editing application, and FIG. 1B is a flowchart illustrating an example of initial processing. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of document processing. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first change process. [Figure 5] 10A to 10D are diagrams illustrating an example of document processing using a first change process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second change process. [Figure 7] 10A to 10D are diagrams illustrating an example of document processing using the second change processing. [Figure 8] 10A to 10D are diagrams illustrating an example of document processing using the second change processing. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a selected format application process. [Figure 10] 10A to 10G are diagrams showing an overview of the selected format application process. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a multiple search process. [Figure 12] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing examples of GUIs. [Figure 13]10A to 10E are diagrams showing an example of a search process performed by operating the GUI 500. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A. Working Example: A1.Device configuration: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a data processing device, which is an example of a document processing device. The data processing device 900 is, for example, a personal computer. The data processing device 900 includes a processor 910, a storage device 915, a display unit 940, an operation unit 950, and a communication interface 970. These elements are connected to each other via a bus. The storage device 915 includes a volatile storage device 920 and a non-volatile storage device 930.

[0016] The processor 910 is a device configured to process data, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a system on a chip (SoC). The volatile storage device 920 is, for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and the non-volatile storage device 930 is, for example, a flash memory.

[0017] The display unit 940 is a device configured to display images, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The operation unit 950 is a device configured to receive operations by a user, such as a button, a lever, or a touch panel overlaid on the display unit 940. The display unit 940 and the operation unit 950 may form a so-called touch screen. The user can input various requests and instructions to the data processing device 900 by operating the operation unit 950. The display unit 940 may display operation elements (e.g., buttons, sliders, etc.), and the displayed elements may be operated through operation of the operation unit 950.

[0018] The communication interface 970 is an interface for communicating with other devices (for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or Thunderbolt interface ("THUNDERBOLT" is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.)). In this embodiment, a keyboard 992 and a mouse 994 are connected to the communication interface 970. By operating the keyboard 992 and the mouse 994, the user can input various requests and instructions to the data processing device 900, just as when operating the operation unit 950.

[0019] The non-volatile storage device 930 stores data for an application 931, a program 932, and a data file 939. The application 931 is a word processing application program. The word processing application may be any of various applications configured to edit documents (hereinafter, simply referred to as an editing application). In this embodiment, the editing application is Microsoft Word (trademark) by Microsoft Corporation. The program 932 is a program configured to add functions to the editing application. The program 932 may be any of various programs applicable to the editing application. If the editing application is Microsoft Word, the program 932 may be a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) program for Microsoft Word ("VISUAL BASIC" is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation). Alternatively, the program 932 may be an add-in configured using Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) ("VISUAL STUDIO" is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation). The application 931 may be pre-installed on the data processing device 900. Alternatively, the application 931 may be installed by a user in the data processing device 900. The program 932 may be installed by a user in the data processing device 900. The data file 939 will be described in more detail below.

[0020] A2. Document Processing: The user can input various instructions to the data processing device 900 by operating the operation unit 950, the keyboard 992, or the mouse 994. Here, the user inputs an instruction to start an editing app to the data processing device 900. In response to the instruction, the processor 910 starts the editing app in accordance with the application 931. The processor 910 displays a window of the editing app on the display unit 940.

[0021] 2A is a diagram showing an example of a window of an editing application (hereinafter, the window of the editing application will be referred to as application window 100). The application window 100 includes a user interface display area 105 (referred to as UI display area 105) and a text area 190.

[0022] The UI display area 105 displays various graphical user interfaces (hereinafter, the graphical user interfaces are referred to as GUIs). A user can operate the various GUIs via a mouse pointer 185. A user can operate the mouse pointer 185 by operating a mouse 994 (FIG. 1). The operation of the mouse pointer 185 may be controlled by an operating system (not shown) running on the data processing device 900.

[0023] The text area 190 represents at least a portion of the document's contents, and a cursor 180 indicates an editing position within the document. In this embodiment, the cursor 180 has the shape of a vertical bar. Alternatively, the cursor may have various shapes, such as a rectangle or an underscore.

[0024] The program 932 (FIG. 1) is configured to be incorporated into the editing app when the editing app is launched. In this embodiment, the program 932 is configured to execute initial processing when the editing app is launched. FIG. 2(B) is a flowchart illustrating an example of the initial processing. In S110, the processor 910 incorporates a GUI into the UI display area 105 (FIG. 2(A)). In this embodiment, the processor 910 incorporates a first GUI 110 and a second GUI 120 into the UI display area 105 in accordance with the program 932. The first GUI 110 includes a check box 112, a pull-down menu 114, and buttons 116 and 118. The second GUI 120 includes a button 122. Details of the GUIs 110 and 120 will be described later.

[0025] The UI display area 105 may be configured in various ways to display multiple GUI components (such as buttons and pull-down menus). For example, the UI display area 105 may be configured to use tabs to switch between multiple sets of GUI components to be displayed. In this case, when a user selects a tab, the processor 910 displays the set of GUI components associated with the selected tab in the UI display area 105. GUI components are also called interface parts.

[0026] After launching the editing application, the user edits the document by inputting instructions into the data processing device 900 while viewing the document displayed in the text field 190. The user inputs various instructions into the data processing device 900, such as inputting characters, moving the cursor 180, selecting a character string, and deleting a selected character string. The processor 910 executes the process associated with the instruction in accordance with the instruction. The user can also input instructions for executing a process in accordance with the program 932. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processes executable in accordance with the program 932. Hereinafter, a group of processes executable in accordance with the program 932 will be referred to as a process group PG. In this embodiment, the process group PG includes processes S160, S170, S180, S183, S186, and S190. Each of the processes S160, S170, S180, S183, S186, and S190 included in the process group PG is associated with an instruction for execution. The method for inputting the instructions for execution may be any method. In this embodiment, the first change instruction for the first change process S160 and the second change instruction for the second change process S170 are different keyboard shortcuts. The selected format application instruction for the selected format application process S180 is the operation of the pull-down menu 114 of the first GUI 110 (FIG. 2(A)). The format release instruction for the format release process S183 is the operation of the release button 116 of the first GUI 110. The all format release instruction for the all format release process S186 is the operation of the all release button 118 of the first GUI 110. The multiple search instruction for the multiple search process S190 is the operation of the button 122 of the second GUI 120. The keys assigned by the keyboard shortcuts may be determined by the user through a setting function of the editing application.

[0027] In S140 (FIG. 3), the user inputs an instruction for a desired process to the data processing device 900. In S150, the processor 910 executes the process associated with the instruction (e.g., any one of processes S160, S170, S180, S183, S186, and S190). Then, the processor 910 ends the process of FIG. 3. The processor 910 executes the process of FIG. 3 every time an instruction is input.

[0028] A2-1. First change process: When a first change instruction is input in S140 (FIG. 3), in S150, the processor 910 executes a first change process S160. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the first change process. In the first change process, when a document contains a character string representing a name, a part of the character string of the name input at the cursor position can be changed to a character string representing the entire name. For example, when a document contains the character string "conversion process," the first change process can change the character string "processing" in front of the cursor to the character string "conversion process." Note that, in this specification, a character string refers to a set of one or more consecutive characters. One character string may be formed by one character, or may be formed by two or more consecutive characters. In other words, the total number of characters forming one character string may be various values ​​greater than or equal to one.

[0029] 5(A) to 5(D) are diagrams showing an example of document processing using the first change process. Each diagram shows a text area 190 of the application window 100. The text area 190 shows at least a portion of the content of the document. The document may contain character strings representing names, such as common nouns and proper nouns. The document DC in FIG. 5(A) contains multiple names, such as "display device" and "user area."

[0030] A name may be followed by a reference symbol (hereinafter, the reference symbol will be simply referred to as a symbol). For example, the "30" in "Display device 30" included in document DC in FIG. 5(A) is an example of a symbol. A document, such as a paper, an instruction manual, or a specification in a patent application, may refer to a figure to explain elements in the figure. Although not shown, elements may be assigned symbols in the figure. A name representing such an element may be followed by a corresponding symbol. The symbol may be formed, for example, using one or both of the English alphabet and Arabic numerals.

[0031] A document may include either or both of sentences including symbols and sentences without symbols. In the example of Fig. 5(A), document DC includes sentences SEa including symbols and sentences SEb without symbols. For example, a patent application document may include both sentences including symbols (e.g., a specification) and sentences without symbols (e.g., claims). Other types of documents (e.g., reports, contracts, instruction manuals, etc.) may similarly include either or both of sentences including symbols and sentences without symbols.

[0032] In Fig. 5(A), cursor 180 is positioned immediately after the character string "area" in document DC. In this state, the first change process (Fig. 4) is started. For example, in order to re-input a name that has already been input, such as "first type name display area" or "tentative candidate name list display area," the user inputs a partial character string of the name (here, "area") instead of inputting all the characters of the name. Then, the user inputs a first change instruction.

[0033] In S210 (FIG. 4), the processor 910 searches the document for a first-type target character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 in the document. A first-type target character string is a character string formed by one or more first-type characters. The first-type characters include characters from a predetermined kanji group and characters from a predetermined katakana group (details will be described later). As shown in FIG. 5(A), a name is formed, for example, using one or both of kanji and katakana. A first-type target character string matches a character string representing a name or a part of a name. Characters different from both kanji and katakana (for example, English alphabets, Arabic numerals, hiragana, commas, periods, etc.) may be placed before and after the name. The processor 910 searches for the longest first-type target character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180. In the example of FIG. 5(A), the processor 910 finds the character string 240 for "kiiki" (area) adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 as a first-type target character string. The character before the first character "region" is a comma (,) which is different from both kanji and katakana. Therefore, "region" is the longest first-class target character string. Hereinafter, the character string 240 will be referred to as the first-class target character string 240.

[0034] A Chinese character group may be a group of characters and may be various groups including a plurality of Chinese characters. The Chinese character group may be formed by a plurality of some of all the Chinese characters that can be used by an editing application. The Chinese character group may be formed by characters included in, for example, the Unicode range "Yi - Yue". The Chinese character group may include the third - level Chinese characters and the fourth - level Chinese characters defined by JIS X 0213. The Chinese character group may include other types of Chinese characters such as Chinese characters represented by surrogate pairs. A katakana group may be a group of characters and may be various groups including a plurality of katakana. The katakana group may be, for example, a group of characters included in the Unicode range "A - Vu".

[0035] The search method for the first - type target character string may be any method. For example, the processor 910 may search for the first - type target character string using a regular expression. Note that the processor 910 may search for the first - type target character string by other methods such as wildcards instead of using a regular expression.

[0036] If the first - type target character string is not found (S220: No (Figure 4)), the processor 910 ends the first - type change process. If the first - type target character string is found (S220: Yes), in S230, the processor 910 searches for a first - type reference character string formed by one or more first - type characters from the first - type target range of the document. The character string formed by one or more first - type characters matches the name in the same way as the first - type target character string in S210. Hereinafter, the character string formed by one or more first - type characters is called a name character string. The first - type reference character string is a name character string including the first - type target character string (for example, "area" in Figure 5(A)). The first - type target range of the document may be various ranges. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first - type target range is the entire document.

[0037] 5B shows an example of a name string found in a document. Each character string enclosed in a dotted-line rectangle represents a name string. The processor 910 selects, among these name strings, a character string that includes a first-type target character string 240 (here, "area") as a first-type reference character string.

[0038] The method for searching for the first type reference string may be the same as the method for searching for the first type target string. For example, the processor 910 may use a regular expression to search for a name string from the first target range of the document. Then, the processor 910 may search for a first type reference string, which is a string containing the first type target string, from the found name string. Alternatively, the processor 910 may directly search for the first type reference string from the first target range of the document using a regular expression that is formed by one or more first type characters and matches a string containing the first type target string. The processor 910 may search for the first type reference string using other methods, such as wildcards, instead of regular expressions.

[0039] It is possible that the same first type reference character string is detected from different positions in the document. The processor 910 generates a list of first type reference character strings that does not have duplicates.

[0040] If no first type reference character string is found (S240: No (FIG. 4)), processor 910 ends the first change process. If a first type reference character string is found (S240: Yes), processor 910 determines in S250 whether the total number of found unique first type reference character strings is two or more. If the total number is two or more (S250: Yes), processor 910 displays a list of first type reference character strings on display unit 940 (FIG. 1) in S260.

[0041] 5(C) shows an example of a displayed list of first type reference character strings. In this embodiment, the processor 910 displays a window 270 on the display unit 940. The window 270 shows a vertically arranged list of found first type reference character strings 270a-270e, and a mark 260 indicating one of the first type reference character strings that can be selected (in this embodiment, the mark 260 is a rectangle that surrounds one first type reference character string).

[0042] In S270 (FIG. 4), the processor 910 selects one first-type reference character string in accordance with a user instruction. In this embodiment, the processor 910 moves the mark 260 (FIG. 5(C)) in accordance with a user instruction. For example, in response to pressing an up arrow key or a down arrow key (not shown) on the keyboard 992 (FIG. 1), the processor 910 moves the mark 260 in the direction of the arrow of the pressed key. The processor 910 may further move the mark 260 in response to pressing a space key (not shown). The processor 910 confirms the selection made by the mark 260 in response to pressing an enter key (not shown). Then, the processor 910 proceeds to S280.

[0043] If the total number of found non-overlapping first type reference character strings is 1 (S250: No), the processor 910 skips S260 and S270 and proceeds to S280.

[0044] In S280, the processor 910 changes the first type target character string adjacent to the cursor to a first type reference character string. Document DC1 in FIG. 5(D) represents the updated document when the first type reference character string 270b in FIG. 5(C) is selected. As shown, the first type target character string 240 (here, the "area" (FIG. 5(C)) has been changed to the first type reference character string 270b (here, the "tentative candidate name list display area"). Various methods may be used to change the character string. For example, the processor 910 may replace the first type target character string 240 with the first type reference character string 270b. Alternatively, the processor 910 may input the remaining portion of the first type reference character string 270b, excluding the first type target character string 240, into the document. After S280, the processor 910 terminates the first change process.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S210 (FIG. 4), the processor 910 searches the document for a first-type target character string adjacent to the cursor 180 indicating the editing position in the document (for example, the first-type target character string 240 adjacent to the cursor 180 in document DC in FIG. 5A). A first-type target character string is formed by one or more first-type characters. The first-type characters include characters from a predetermined kanji group and a predetermined katakana group. If a first-type target character string is found (S220: Yes), in S230, the processor 910 searches the first target range of the document for a first-type reference character string formed by one or more first-type characters (for example, the first-type reference character strings 270a-270e in FIG. 5C). A first-type reference character string is a character string that includes the first-type target character string. In this embodiment, the first target range is the entire document. If a first type reference character string is found (S240: Yes), in S280, processor 910 changes the first type target character string adjacent to and in front of cursor 180 to a first type reference character string. In the examples of Figures 5(C) and 5(D), processor 910 changes first type target character string 240 to first type reference character string 270b.

[0046] In this way, by executing the first change process, the processor 910 can change a character string to a character string of an already-inputted name that includes the character string. Therefore, the processor 910 can reduce the burden on the user for entering a name. For example, the first type reference character string 270b in FIGS. 5(C) and 5(D) is formed of 13 characters. Entering each character of such a long name is a significant burden for the user. In this embodiment, the processor 910 can change a partial character string of a long name (e.g., "area") to the entire character string of the name (e.g., "tentative candidate name list display area"). The user can enter all characters of a long name into a document by entering only a portion of the name without entering all of the characters.

[0047] One possible method for converting a partial character string of a name into the entire character string of the name is to register the correspondence between the partial name and the entire name in a conversion dictionary for character input (e.g., a dictionary of a kana-kanji conversion system). However, this method requires an operation to register the correspondence, which increases the burden on the user. Furthermore, when a new name is written in the document, the correspondence must be re-registered, which further increases the burden on the user. In this embodiment, the processor 910 searches for a first type reference character string from the first target range of the document and changes the first type object character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 to the found first type reference character string. Therefore, operations such as registering and re-registering the correspondence can be omitted, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0048] Furthermore, a name may appear repeatedly in a document. In this embodiment, after the name is input once, it is possible to omit re-inputting all characters of the name. All characters of the name can be input by inputting a partial character string of the name and executing the first change process. In this way, the burden on the user of repeatedly inputting the name is significantly reduced.

[0049] In addition, the user may input a typo. Also, kanji can be converted from kana by kana-kanji conversion. A plurality of different kanji (e.g., homophones) may be associated with the same kana. Even when the correct kana is input, the input kana may be converted to incorrect kanji. For example, for "こうしょう", a plurality of terms such as "工匠" and "工商" are associated. When the name includes "工匠", the input "こうしょう" may be erroneously converted to "工商". When the name is a proper noun such as a person's name or a company name, a misspelling of the name can be a serious error. When the name is a technical term, a misspelling of the name can change the meaning of the sentence to a meaning different from the intended meaning. In this embodiment, after the user inputs the correct name once, the user can input the correct name by inputting a partial character string of the name and executing the first change process. Thus, the possibility of misspelling the name is significantly reduced.

[0050] Furthermore, the document may include a character string representing a name and a symbol following the name, such as the "first type name display area 40A (FIG. 5B)." In such a case, in S230 (FIG. 4), the processor 910 finds a character string with a name that does not include a symbol, as shown in FIG. 5C (e.g., the "first type name display area" that is the first type reference character string 270c). In this way, when the first target range of the document includes a first type reference character string and one or more second type characters following the first type reference character string, the processor 910 finds a first type reference character string that does not include one or more second type characters. Here, the second type characters include English alphabets and Arabic numerals. With this configuration, the processor 910 can change the first type object character string adjacent to the cursor 180 to a first type reference character string suitable for a sentence without symbols. For example, a patent application document including a "specification" section and a "claims" section may be edited. The "claims" section may contain the same name as an element included in the "specification." Here, even if a symbolic name is described in the specification, the name entered in the claims may not require a symbol. In such a case, the processor 910 can change the first-type target character string adjacent to the cursor 180 to an appropriate first-type reference character string without a symbol. In this way, the possibility of mistakenly entering a symbolic name into a sentence that does not require a symbolic name is reduced.

[0051] 3, in this embodiment, processor 910 executes first change processing S160 (FIG. 4) in response to a first change instruction from the user. That is, processor 910 executes a search for a first type target string (S210), a search for a first type reference string (S230), and a change to the first type target string (S280) in response to the first change instruction. According to this configuration, when a first change instruction is entered after a new name is written in a document, processor 910 can change the character string adjacent to and in front of cursor 180 to the new name.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described in S270, S280 (FIG. 4), FIG. 5(C), FIG. 5(D), etc., when a plurality of mutually different first-type reference character strings are found, the processor 910 changes the first-type target character string to a first-type reference character string selected by the user from the plurality of first-type reference character strings. For example, in the examples of FIG. 5(C) and FIG. 5(D), a plurality of first-type reference character strings 270a-270e are found, and the first-type target character string 240 is changed to the first-type reference character string 270b selected by the user. In this way, the processor 910 can change the first-type target character string to a first-type reference character string that suits the user's intention.

[0053] Note that the method for distinguishing one first type reference character string among the selection candidates from the other first type reference character strings may be any method other than the method using the mark 260 ( FIG. 5(C) ). For example, the processor 910 may set one or both of the background color and the character color of one first type reference character string among the selection candidates to a color different from the colors of the other first type reference character strings. Furthermore, the method for allowing the user to select one first type reference character string from a plurality of first type reference character strings is not limited to the above method and may be various methods. For example, the processor 910 may display a plurality of first type reference character strings one by one in sequence on the display unit 940. The user may input a selection instruction to the data processing device 900 while the first type reference character string to be selected is displayed. The processor 910 may use the first type reference character string that is being displayed when the selection instruction is input.

[0054] A2-2. Secondary change process: When a second change instruction is input in S140 (FIG. 3), in S150, the processor 910 executes a second change process S170. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the second change process. In the case where a document contains a character string representing a coded name, the second change process can change a part of the character string of the coded name input at the cursor position to a character string representing the entire coded name. For example, in the case where the document contains the character string "first type name display area 40A," the second change process can change the character string "area" in front of the cursor to the character string "first type name display area 40A."

[0055] 7(A) to 7(D) are diagrams showing an example of document processing using the second change process. Each diagram, like FIGS. 5(A) to 5(D), shows the text area 190 of the application window 100. The document DC in FIG. 7(A) is the same as the document DC in FIG. 5(A). The document DC includes multiple coded names such as "display device 30" and "first type name display area 40A."

[0056] In Fig. 7(A), similar to Fig. 5(A), cursor 180 is positioned immediately after the character string "area" in document DC. In this state, unlike the example of Fig. 5(A), the second change process (Fig. 6) is started. For example, in order to re-input a previously inputted numbered name such as "display device 30" or "first type name display area 40A," the user inputs a partial character string of the numbered name (here, "area") instead of inputting all the characters of the numbered name. Then, the user inputs a second change instruction.

[0057] In S310 (FIG. 6), processor 910 searches the document for a second type of target character string adjacent to and in front of cursor 180. In this embodiment, the second type of target character string is any one of a first type of character string, a second type of character string, and a third type of character string, which will be described below.

[0058] <Type 1 character string> The first type character string is a character string representing a name or a part of a name. Similar to the first type object character string 240 described in FIG. 5(A), the first type character string is formed by one or more first type characters. As described above, the first type characters include characters from a predetermined kanji group and characters from a predetermined katakana group.

[0059] <Type 2 character string> A second-type character string is a character string representing a code or a part of a code. For example, "40A" in the "first-type name display area 40A" is an example of a second-type character string. A second-type character string is formed by one or more second-type characters. The second-type characters include characters from a predetermined English alphabet group and characters from a predetermined Arabic numeral group (details will be described later). As described above, a code can be formed using one or both of the English alphabet and Arabic numerals. Note that the English alphabet group may be a group of characters and may be a variety of groups including multiple English alphabets. For example, the English alphabet group may be formed by characters included in the Unicode range "AZ" and characters included in the Unicode range "az". The Arabic numeral group may be a variety of groups of characters and may be a variety of groups including multiple Arabic numerals. For example, the Arabic numeral group may be formed by characters included in the Unicode range "0-9".

[0060] <3rd type character string> A third type character string is formed by a character string representing a name or a part of a name, and a code or a character string representing a part of the code following the character string. For example, "first type name display area 40A" and its part, "area 4," are examples of a third type character string. A third type character string is formed by one or more first type characters and one or more first type characters followed by one or more second type characters. In other words, a third type character string is formed by the above first type character string and the above second type character string following the first type character string.

[0061] The processor 910 searches for the longest second type target character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180. In the example of FIG. 7(A), the processor 910 finds the character string 245 "kiiki" adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 as a second type target character string. The character string "kiiki" adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 is a first type character string, and the character before the initial character "ryo" is a comma "," which is different from both kanji and katakana. Therefore, "kiiki" is the longest second type target character string. Hereinafter, the character string 245 will be referred to as the second type target character string 245.

[0062] Note that multiple types of character strings can be found before the cursor 180. For example, assume that the character string "The user, area 40A" is adjacent to the cursor 180. The character string "40A" adjacent to the cursor 180 is a second-type character string. The character before the first character "4" is "area", which is different from both English alphabets and Arabic numerals. Therefore, "40A" is the longest second-type character string. Also, the character string "area 40A" adjacent to the cursor 180 is a third-type character string. The character before the first character "area" is ",", which is different from both Chinese characters and katakana. Therefore, "area 40A" is the longest third-type character string. When multiple types of character strings are found in this way, the processor 910 adopts the longest character string (in this case, "area 40A").

[0063] The method for searching the second-type target character string may be any method. For example, the processor 910 may search for the first-type character string, the second-type character string, and the third-type character string using the corresponding regular expressions respectively. Then, the processor 910 may adopt the longest character string among the found character strings as the second-type target character string. Instead of this, the processor 910 may search for the second-type target character string using a regular expression that matches none of the first-type character string, the second-type character string, and the third-type character string. The processor 910 may search for the second-type target character string by other methods such as wildcards instead of regular expressions.

[0064] If the second type target character string is not found (S320: No (FIG. 6)), the processor 910 ends the second change process. If the second type target character string is found (S320: Yes), the processor 910 searches for a second type reference character string from the second target range of the document in S330. The second type reference character string is a character string representing a coded name and including a second type target character string (for example, "area" in FIG. 7(A)). Like the third type character string in S310, the second type reference character string is formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following the one or more first type characters. The second target range of the document may be various ranges. In this embodiment, the second target range is assumed to be the entire document. Hereinafter, a character string formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following the one or more first type characters will be referred to as a coded name character string.

[0065] 7B shows an example of a coded name string found in a document. Each character string enclosed in a dotted-line rectangle in sentence SEa represents a coded name string. Processor 910 selects, among these coded name strings, a character string that includes a second-type target character string 245 (here, "area") as a second-type reference character string.

[0066] The search method for the second type reference string may be the same as the search method for the second type target string. For example, the processor 910 may use a regular expression to search for a signed name string from the second target range of the document. Then, the processor 910 may search for a second type reference string, which is a string containing the second type target string, from the found signed name string. Alternatively, the processor 910 may use a regular expression that matches signed name strings containing the second type target string to directly search for the second type reference string from the second target range of the document. The processor 910 may search for the second type reference string using other methods, such as wildcards, instead of regular expressions.

[0067] It is possible that the same second type reference character string may be detected from different positions in the document. The processor 910 generates a list of second type reference character strings that does not have duplicates.

[0068] If no second type reference character string is found (S340: No (FIG. 6)), processor 910 ends the second change process. If a second type reference character string is found (S340: Yes), processor 910 determines in S350 whether the total number of found unique second type reference character strings is two or more. If the total number is two or more (S350: Yes), processor 910 displays a list of second type reference character strings on display unit 940 (FIG. 1) in S360.

[0069] 7(C) shows an example of a displayed list of second type reference character strings. In this embodiment, the processor 910 displays a window 280 on the display unit 940. The window 280 shows a vertically arranged list of found second type reference character strings 280a-280c, and a mark 265 indicating one second type reference character string as a selection candidate (in this embodiment, the mark 265 is a rectangle surrounding one second type reference character string). In this embodiment, the window 270 shows a list of pairs of second type reference character strings and character strings representing codes located near (here, to the left of) the second type reference character strings.

[0070] In S370 (FIG. 6), processor 910 selects one second type reference character string in accordance with a user instruction. The method for selecting one second type reference character string using mark 265 is the same as the method for selecting one first type reference character string using mark 260 described in FIG. 5(C). After selecting the second type reference character string, processor 910 proceeds to S380.

[0071] If the total number of non-overlapping second type reference character strings found is 1 (S350: No), the processor 910 skips S360 and S370 and proceeds to S380.

[0072] In S380, the processor 910 changes the second type target character string adjacent to the cursor to a second type reference character string. Document DC2 in FIG. 7(D) represents the updated document when the second type reference character string 280a in FIG. 7(C) is selected. As shown, the second type target character string 245 (here, "area" (FIG. 7(C)) has been changed to the second type reference character string 280a (here, "first type name display area 40A"). The method of changing the character string in S380 is the same as the method of changing the character string in S280 (FIG. 4). After S380, the processor 910 ends the second change process.

[0073] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S310 (FIG. 6), the processor 910 searches the document for a second type target character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 (for example, the second type target character string 245 adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180 in the document DC of FIG. 7(A)). The second type target character string is any one of a plurality of types of character strings including a first type character string, a second type character string, and a third type character string. The first type character string is formed by one or more first type characters. As described above, the first type characters include characters from a predetermined kanji group and characters from a predetermined katakana group. The second type character string is formed by one or more second type characters. The second type characters include characters from a predetermined English alphabet group and characters from a predetermined Arabic numeral group. The third type character string is formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following one or more first type characters. If the second type target character string is found (S320: Yes), the processor 910 searches the second target range of the document in S330 for a second type reference character string formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following the one or more first type characters (for example, the second type reference character strings 280a-280c ​​in FIG. 7C). The second type reference character string is a character string that includes the second type target character string. In this embodiment, the second target range is the entire document. If the second type reference character string is found (S340: Yes), the processor 910 changes the second type target character string adjacent to the cursor 180 to the second type reference character string in S380. In the examples of FIGS. 7C and 7D, the processor 910 changes the second type target character string 245 to the second type reference character string 280a.

[0074] In this way, by executing the second change process, the processor 910 can change a character string to a character string of an inputted coded name that includes the character string. Therefore, the processor 910 can reduce the burden on the user of inputting a coded name. For example, the second-type reference character string 280a in FIGS. 7(C) and 7(D) is formed of 12 characters. Inputting each character of such a long coded name is a significant burden for the user. In this embodiment, the processor 910 can change a partial character string of a long coded name (e.g., "area") to the entire coded name (e.g., "first-type name display area 40A"). The user can input all characters of a long coded name into a document by inputting a partial character string without inputting all characters of the long coded name.

[0075] As explained in S310 (FIG. 6), the second-type target character string (i.e., a character string that is a part of a coded name) is not limited to being a part of a name, but may also be a part of a code. FIGS. 8(A)-8(D) are diagrams showing an example of document processing using the second change process. Each diagram shows the text area 190 of the application window 100, similar to FIGS. 7(A)-7(D). The difference from the examples in FIGS. 7(A)-7(D) is that the "area" adjacent to the cursor 180 has been changed to "4." In S310 (FIG. 6), the processor 910 acquires the character string "4," which is a second-type character string, as the second-type target character string 245b (FIG. 8(A)). In S330, the processor 910 finds coded names containing "4" (here, the "first-type name display area 40A" and the "first-type name display area 40B") from among the multiple coded name character strings (FIG. 8(B)), as the second-type reference character string. In S360, the processor 910 displays a window 290 showing a list of these second-type reference character strings 280a, 280b on the display unit 940 (FIG. 8(C)). In S370 and S380, the processor 910 changes the second-type target character string 245b to a second-type reference character string (here, "first-type name display area 40A") selected by the user from these second-type reference character strings 280a, 280b (FIG. 8(D)). In this way, the user can input all the characters of a long, coded name into a document by inputting part of the code.

[0076] Furthermore, the coded name may appear repeatedly in a document. In this embodiment, after the coded name is input once, it is possible to omit re-inputting all characters of the coded name. All characters of the coded name can be input by inputting a partial character string of the coded name and executing the second change process. In this way, the burden on the user of repeatedly inputting the coded name is significantly reduced.

[0077] As described above, the user may input a misspelling of the name. The user may also input a misspelling of the symbol. In this embodiment, after the user inputs the correct symbol name once, the user can input the correct symbol name by inputting a partial character string of the symbol name and executing the second change process. In this way, the possibility of making a misspelling of the symbol name is significantly reduced.

[0078] 3, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the second change process S170 (FIG. 6) in response to the second change instruction from the user. That is, the processor 910 executes a search for a second type of target string (S310), a search for a second type of reference string (S330), and a change to the second type of target string (S380) in response to the second change instruction. According to this configuration, when the second change instruction is input after a new coded name is entered in the document, the processor 910 can change the character string adjacent to the cursor 180 to the new coded name.

[0079] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, processor 910 can execute a process selected by the user from a first change process and a second change process in accordance with a user instruction. The first change process can change the character string in front of cursor 180 to a name without symbols, as shown in Figs. 5(A) to 5(D), and the second change process can change the same character string in front of cursor 180 to a name with symbols, as shown in Figs. 7(A) to 7(D). The user can proceed with the appropriate change of the character string depending on the type of sentence to be input (symbolized or unsymbolized).

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described in S370, S380 (FIG. 6), FIG. 7(C), FIG. 7(D), etc., when multiple different second-type reference character strings are found, the processor 910 changes the second-type target character string to a second-type reference character string selected by the user from the multiple second-type reference character strings. For example, in the examples of FIG. 7(C) and FIG. 7(D), multiple second-type reference character strings 280a-280c ​​are found, and the second-type target character string 245 is changed to the second-type reference character string 280a selected by the user. In this way, the processor 910 can change the second-type target character string to a second-type reference character string that suits the user's intention.

[0081] The method for distinguishing one second type reference character string among the selection candidates from other second type reference character strings may be any method other than the method using mark 265 (FIG. 7(C)). For example, a method similar to the method for distinguishing one first type reference character string among the selection candidates from other first type reference character strings described in FIG. 5(C) may be adopted.

[0082] A2-3.Selected format application process: When a command to apply the selected format is input at S140 (FIG. 3), at S150, the processor 910 executes a selected format application process S180. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the selected format application process. The selected format application process applies a format selected by the user to the same character string as the selected character string.

[0083] Figs. 10(A) - 10(G) are diagrams showing an overview of the selection format application process. Figs. 10(A) and 10(B) show the text area 190 of the application window 100. The text area 190 represents the content of document DC3. Document DC3 includes a plurality of terms, specifically, "first control unit", "second control unit", "third control unit", "first process", "second process", "third process", "fourth process", "fifth process", "sixth process". Among these terms, the first characters are the same, "first". After "first", a one-character Chinese numeral follows. After the Chinese numeral, the character string "control unit" or "process" follows. Thus, the document may include a plurality of terms that are similar to each other.

[0084] Here, the user decides to reread the text related to a specific term (hereinafter, the specific term is referred to as the first term. For example, "first control unit"). The user can find the text related to the first term by visually searching for the first term from document DC3. However, there is a possibility of false detection and a possibility of missed detection in the visual search for the first term. If document DC3 includes terms similar to the first term, the possibility of false detection and the possibility of missed detection can be high. Similarly, if document DC3 is long, the possibility of false detection and the possibility of missed detection can be high. In this embodiment, the selection format application process makes it easier to find the first term in the document by setting the format of the same character string as the character string of the first term selected by the user to the format selected by the user.

[0085] First, the user selects a first character string representing a first term in a document in the text area 190 displayed on the display unit 940. In the example of FIG. 10(B), the character string Txs1 of "first control unit" has been selected (hereinafter, the character string Txs1 will be referred to as the first character string Txs1). In this embodiment, the editing application allows the user to select a character string. The selected character string can be used for various editing processes, such as copying the selected character string, deleting the selected character string, and changing the format of the selected character string. In this embodiment, the editing application expresses the selected character string in a specific format 180s. The specific format 180s includes, for example, a background color (e.g., gray) that is darker than the original background color (e.g., white). The user may select the character string by operating the cursor 180. Alternatively, the user may select the character string by operating a mouse pointer (not shown).

[0086] With the first character string Txs1 selected, the user inputs an instruction to apply the selected format to the data processing device 900. In this embodiment, the instruction to apply the selected format is the selection of a format by operating the pull-down menu 114 (FIG. 2(A)).

[0087] FIG. 10(C) shows an example of the pull-down menu 114 displayed on the display unit 940 (FIG. 1). When the pull-down menu 114 is operated (e.g., clicked), the processor 910 displays a list of multiple options 114a-114e on the display unit 940. In this embodiment, the multiple options 114a-114e are highlighted in different colors. When highlighting is applied to a character string, the background color of the character string is set to the highlight color. In this embodiment, the highlighting function is incorporated into the editing application. The user can select one option by operating the mouse pointer 185. In the example of FIG. 10(C), the third option 114c (bright green) is selected. Selecting an option corresponds to inputting an instruction to apply the selected format. In response to inputting the instruction to apply the selected format, the processor 910 executes the selected format application process (FIG. 9).

[0088] In S410, the processor 910 acquires information about the selected format. In this embodiment, the processor 910 acquires information associated with the highlight color selected by operating the pull-down menu 114 (FIG. 10C). In the example of FIG. 10C, the processor 910 acquires information associated with the third option 114c.

[0089] In S420 (FIG. 9), the processor 910 determines whether or not a character string has been selected. If a character string has not been selected (S420: No), the processor 910 ends the selected format application process. If a character string has been selected (S420: Yes), the processor 910 determines in S430 whether or not the processing target is the entire document. In this embodiment, the check box 112 (FIG. 2(A)) indicates whether or not the processing target is the entire document. If the check box 112 is checked, the processing target is the entire document. If the check box 112 is not checked, the processing target is the selected character string. The user can set the state of the check box 112 before operating the pull-down menu 114.

[0090] If the processing target is the entire document (S430: Yes), in S440, the processor 910 applies the selected format to the character string in the document that is identical to the selected first character string Txs1. FIG. 10(D) shows a text region 190 to which the selected format has been applied. The processor 910 applies the selected format (here, a bright green highlight) to all character strings Tx1 in document DC3 that are identical to the first character string Txs1 (here, "first control unit"). The processor 910 may apply highlighting to the character string by calling a highlighting function built into the editing application. After S440 (FIG. 9), the processor 910 terminates the selected format application process. The user can easily find the character string Tx1 (i.e., the first term) that is identical to the first character string Txs1, and ultimately, sentences related to the first term, by visually searching for parts of document DC3 that are formatted as selected by the user.

[0091] Although not shown, if the processing target is a selected character string (S430: No), in S450, the processor 910 applies the selected format to the selected first character string Txs1 in the document. Unlike S440, the format of other character strings Tx1 is not changed. After S450, the processor 910 ends the selected format application process.

[0092] After applying the formatting at S440, the user may compare a sentence related to the first term with a sentence related to a second term different from the first term. For example, the user may compare a portion of the document related to the first term with a portion of the document related to the second term to refine the document. In such a case, the user may use the selective formatting application process to make the second term in the document as easy to find as the first term.

[0093] First, the user selects a second character string representing a second term in the document. FIG. 10(E) shows the text area 190 with the second character string selected. In the example of FIG. 10(E), the character string Txs2 of "second control unit" has been selected (hereinafter, the character string Txs2 will be referred to as the second character string Txs2). The second character string Txs2 is expressed in a specific format 180s.

[0094] With the second character string Txs2 selected, the user inputs a selected format application instruction into the data processing device 900. FIG. 10(F) shows an example of the operation of the pull-down menu 114. In the example of FIG. 10(F), the user selects an option (here, the fourth option 114d (light blue)) for the first term that is different from the third option 114c (FIG. 10(C)). In response to the selection of the option, i.e., the input of the selected format application instruction, the processor 910 executes the selected format application process (FIG. 9).

[0095] The processor 910 executes the selected format application process for the second term (FIG. 9) in the same manner as the selected format application process for the first term. Here, it is assumed that the processing target is the entire document (S430: Yes). At S440, the processor 910 applies the selected format to character strings in the document that are identical to the selected second character string Txs2. FIG. 10(G) shows a text region 190 to which the selected format has been applied. The processor 910 applies the selected format (here, light blue highlighting) to all character strings Tx2 in the document DC3 that are identical to the second character string Txs2 (here, "second control unit"). After S440 (FIG. 9), the processor 910 terminates the selected format application process. Unlike the text region 190 in FIG. 10(D), in the text region 190 in FIG. 10(G), the character string Tx1 of the first term and the character string Tx2 of the second term are expressed in different formats (in this embodiment, different color highlighting). Therefore, by visually searching for the portion of document DC3 in the format selected by the user, the user can easily find the character string Tx1 of the first term (and therefore the sentence related to the first term) and the character string Tx2 of the second term (and therefore the sentence related to the second term). The user can easily compare the portion of the document related to the first term with the portion of the document related to the second term.

[0096] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S110 (FIG. 2B), the processor 910 displays the first GUI 110 (FIG. 2A) on the display unit 940. The first GUI 110 includes a pull-down menu 114. As shown in FIG. 10C, the user can select one format from a plurality of formats associated with a plurality of options 114a-114e by operating the pull-down menu 114. The pull-down menu 114 is an example of a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats. When one format is selected by operating the pull-down menu 114, the processor 910 executes a selected format application process S180 (FIG. 3). In S180, the processor 910 executes the processing of FIG. 9. 10(A)-10(D) show an example of processing when a first string Txs1 containing one or more characters is selected in the text area 190 displayed on the display unit 940, and the first format (here, the third option 114c) is selected by operating the pull-down menu 114 (S420: Yes (FIG. 9)). Here, it is assumed that the check box 112 (FIG. 2(A)) is checked (S430: Yes). In this case, in S440, the processor 910 executes a first application process that applies the first format to a string Tx1 in document DC3 that is the same as the first string Txs1.

[0097] In this way, processor 910 applies the first format selected by the format selection unit (here, pull-down menu 114) to a character string Tx1 that is the same as a selected first character string Txs1, thereby making it easier to visually find character string Tx1 in a document. For example, even if document DC3 includes a character string similar to character string Tx1, the user can easily find character string Tx1 by visually searching for the portion of the document in the first format. Since the user only needs to focus on the first format rather than character string Tx1, the user can easily proceed with the visual search. Furthermore, if document DC3 is long, the user may visually search for character string Tx1 while scrolling document DC3 in text area 190. In this case, too, the user can easily find character string Tx1 by visually searching for the portion of the document in the first format.

[0098] Furthermore, the processor 910 applies the first format to a character string Tx1 that is the same as the selected first character string Txs1 in the document. Let us assume that a character string entered by the user on the setting screen separately from the document (e.g., text area 190) is used as the character string to which the first format should be applied. In this case, the burden on the user to enter the character string on the setting screen increases. Furthermore, the character string entered on the setting screen may contain a typographical error. If the character string entered on the setting screen contains a typographical error, the first format cannot be applied to the intended character string. In this embodiment, the possibility of these problems is reduced.

[0099] Additionally, pull-down menu 114 (FIG. 10C) allows the user to select a format preferred by the user. Processor 910 can apply the first format preferred by the user (e.g., a format that is easy for the user to find) to a string Tx1 that is the same as first string Txs1.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the first application process of applying the first format to a character string Tx1 that is the same as the first character string Txs1, the following process is executed in accordance with the program 932. FIGS. 10(E)-10(G) show an example of the process when a second character string Txs2 containing one or more characters is selected in the text area 190 displayed on the display unit 940, and the second format (here, the fourth option 114d) is selected by operating the pull-down menu 114 (S420: Yes (FIG. 9)). Here, the second character string Txs2 is a character string different from the first character string Txs1. The second character string Txs2 does not contain the first character string Txs1, and the first character string Txs1 does not contain the second character string Txs2. The second format is different from the first format. Furthermore, the check box 112 (FIG. 2(A)) is checked (S430: Yes). In this case, the processor 910 does not change the first format of the string Tx1, which is the same as the first string Txs1 in the document DC3, and in S440 performs a second application process that applies the second format to the string Tx2, which is the same as the second string Txs2 in the document DC3.

[0101] In this way, the processor 910 applies the second format selected by the format selection unit (here, the pull-down menu 114) to the character string Tx2 that is the same as the selected second character string Txs2, thereby making it easier to visually find the character string Tx2 in the document. Furthermore, when a second format different from the first format is selected, the character string Tx1 that is the same as the first character string Txs1 and the character string Tx2 that is the same as the second character string Txs2 are expressed in different formats. Therefore, by visually searching the parts of the first format and the parts of the second format in the document, the user can easily distinguish and find the character string Tx1 that is the same as the first character string Txs1 (i.e., the first term) (and therefore, the sentence related to the first term) and the character string Tx2 that is the same as the second character string Txs2 (i.e., the second term) (and therefore, the sentence related to the second term). This allows the user to easily compare the parts of the document related to the first term and the parts of the document related to the second term.

[0102] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the user can edit a document displayed in the text area 190 while the pull-down menu 114 is displayed on the display unit 940. For example, the user can select character strings Txs1 and Txs2 as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10E. After selecting the character string, the user can easily operate the already displayed pull-down menu 114. Assume that after selecting the character string, another operation is required to display the pull-down menu 114. For example, assume that a settings window including the pull-down menu 114 is displayed by operating a button (not shown). In this case, an operation is required to display the settings window. Furthermore, the user must search for the pull-down menu 114 in the newly displayed settings window. If the selected format application process is performed multiple times during document editing, these operations place a significant burden on the user. In this embodiment, the possibility of such a problem is reduced.

[0103] In this embodiment, the multiple formats selectable using the pull-down menu 114 (FIG. 10(C)) include multiple formats that display different highlight colors. Highlighting creates a visual effect that makes the text jump out from the screen by setting the background color of the text to a color different from the standard color (e.g., white). A user can easily find a target text string by visually searching for a background color different from the standard color in document DC3. In particular, if a text string Tx1 that is the same as a first text string Txs1 and a text string Tx2 that is the same as a second text string Txs2 are displayed in different highlight colors, the user can easily distinguish and find these text strings Tx1 and Tx2.

[0104] A2-4. Format removal process: When the cancel button 116 (FIG. 2(A)) is operated (e.g., pressed) in S140 (FIG. 3), that is, when a formatting cancel instruction is input, the processor 910 executes formatting cancel processing S183 in S150. The formatting cancel processing S183 is processing for setting the format of a character string that is the same as a selected character string in a document to the standard format (in this embodiment, no highlighting). Although not shown, the processor 910 sets the format of a character string that is the same as a selected character string to the standard format by processing similar to that of FIG. 9. For example, in S410, the processor 910 adopts the standard format as the selected format. In S420-S450, the processor 910 applies the standard format, as in the case of applying highlighting. After the user changes the format of a character string by the selected format application processing S180 (FIG. 3), the user may execute formatting cancel processing S183 for the same character string. This allows the processor 910 to return the changed format to the standard format. The multiple formats selectable by operating the pull-down menu 114 (FIG. 2A) may include the standard format, in which case the cancel button 116 may be omitted.

[0105] A2-5. Complete formatting cancellation process: When the all-clear button 118 (FIG. 2(A)) is operated (e.g., pressed) in S140 (FIG. 3), that is, when an instruction to clear all formats is input, the processor 910 executes a all-clear format process S186 in S150. The all-clear format process S186 is a process for setting the format of the entire document to the standard format. For example, the processor 910 selects the entire document and applies the standard format to the entire document. As described above, various formats can be applied to various character strings by operating the pull-down menu 114. The application of such a format may be temporary for creating the document. The user can return the format of the entire document to the standard format by operating the all-clear button 118.

[0106] A2-6.Multiple search processing: When a multiple search instruction is input in S140 (FIG. 3), in S150, processor 910 executes multiple search processing S190. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the multiple search processing. In the multiple search processing, each of multiple keywords is searched for through the same GUI.

[0107] In S510, the processor 910 acquires search keywords from a data file 939 (FIG. 1) prepared in advance. The data file 939 may be, for example, a text-format data file. The user may enter one or more keywords to be searched in the data file 939 in advance. Hereinafter, it is assumed that three keywords, "fifth process," "sixth process," and "essential," are acquired from the data file 939. Note that the total number of keywords included in the data file 939 may be zero. In other words, no keywords need to be acquired in S510.

[0108] In S515, processor 910 displays a GUI on display unit 940 (FIG. 1). FIGS. 12(A) to 12(C) are diagrams showing examples of GUIs. FIG. 12(A) shows GUI 500 displayed in S515. GUI 500 includes two text fields 511 and 512, a preprocessing button 520, and an instruction area 530. Text fields 511 and 512 are areas for inputting search keywords. Preprocessing button 520 is a button for executing preprocessing (details will be described later). Instruction area 530 is an area for displaying an instruction panel for each keyword. In S515, instruction area 530 is blank. As will be described later, processor 910 displays an instruction panel in instruction area 530 through preprocessing.

[0109] Note that GUI 500 may be displayed by a window separate from application window 100 (FIG. 2(A)). In this case, the window displaying GUI 500 may be a modeless (also called non-modal) window. A modeless window allows operation of other windows of the same application (e.g., application window 100) while the modeless window is open. This allows the user to operate text area 190 while GUI 500 is displayed. Alternatively, GUI 500 may be included in application window 100. For example, GUI 500 may be incorporated into UI display area 105.

[0110] In S520 (FIG. 11), the processor 910 executes a process associated with the user's operation. In this embodiment, any one of the processes of S532, S542-S544, S552, and S562 is executed. The processor 910 repeats S520 until the GUI 500 is closed.

[0111] Before preprocessing, the user may input a keyword into the text fields 511 and 512 (FIG. 12(A)). FIG. 12(B) shows an example of the GUI 500 in a state in which a keyword has been input. The character string "first control unit" is input into the first text field 511, and the character string "second control unit" is input into the second text field 512. In response to the input of the keyword, the processor 910 accepts the input keyword in S532 (FIG. 11). In this embodiment, the processor 910 stores data of the input keyword in the volatile storage device 920 and retains the stored data without deleting it. Note that input of a keyword into one or both of the first text field 511 and the second text field 512 may be omitted.

[0112] After the keyword preparation is complete, the user operates (e.g., clicks) preprocessing button 520 (FIGS. 12A and 12B). In response to the operation of preprocessing button 520, processor 910 executes the processes of S542 to S544 in FIG. 11.

[0113] In S542, the processor 910 counts the total number of each keyword included in the specific range of the document. For example, the processor 910 counts the total number of each keyword by searching for each keyword within the specific range. The keywords to be searched are the keywords acquired through S510 or S532. The specific range of the document may be various ranges. In this embodiment, the specific range is assumed to be the entire document. Hereinafter, the keywords to be searched are assumed to be five keywords: the three keywords acquired in S510 ("fifth process," "sixth process," and "essential") and the two keywords entered in text fields 511 and 512 ("first control unit," "second control unit").

[0114] In S544, the processor 910 displays an instruction panel for each keyword in the instruction area 530 (FIG. 12(B)). FIG. 12(C) shows the GUI 500 displayed in S544. In the example of FIG. 12(C), the instruction area 530 displays five instruction panels 531-535 corresponding to five keywords. Each instruction panel 531-535 includes a total number area 5N and a keyword area 5K. The total number area 5N represents the total number of keywords, and the keyword area 5K represents a keyword. In this embodiment, the processor 910 arranges the instruction panels for the keywords from top to bottom in descending order of total number. The instruction panels 531-534 associated with a total number of 1 or greater further include a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN. The previous search button 5BP and the next search button 5BN are omitted from the instruction panel 535 associated with a total number of zero.

[0115] After the instruction panel is displayed, the user operates the previous search button 5BP or the next search button 5BN. Figures 13(A) to 13(E) are diagrams showing an example of search processing by operating the GUI 500. Figure 13(A) shows the text area 190 of the application window 100. Document DC3 in Figure 13(A) is the same as document DC3 in Figure 10(A). Cursor 180 is located in the middle of document DC3.

[0116] FIG. 13(B) shows the instruction panel to be operated. In the state of FIG. 13(A), it is assumed that the next search button 5BN of the first instruction panel 531 is clicked with the mouse pointer 185 (hereinafter, the keyword associated with the first instruction panel 531 is referred to as the first focus keyword KW1). In response to the operation of the next search button 5BN, the processor 910 executes the process of S552 (FIG. 11). In S552, the processor 910 searches backward from the current editing position (here, the position of the cursor 180) in the document DC3 for the keyword associated with the operated next search button 5BN. As a result of this search, the display of the text area 190 changes from the state of FIG. 13(A) to the state of FIG. 13(C). The processor 910 searches backward from the current position of the cursor 180 (FIG. 13(A)) for the first focus keyword KW1 (here, the "first control unit") associated with the operated next search button 5BN. As shown in FIG. 13(C), the processor 910 selects the first character string Tf1 that is the same as the first attention keyword KW1 and that is found (i.e., the character string Tf1 that is closest to the original position of the cursor 180). The selected character string Tf1 is expressed in a specific format 180s. The user can easily obtain information related to the first attention keyword KW1 by reading the text surrounding the found character string Tf1. Note that if a character string identical to the first attention keyword KW1 is not found by searching backward from the current editing position, the processor 910 may display a message on the display unit 940 indicating that the first attention keyword KW1 is not found.

[0117] After this, the user may operate a button on another instruction panel. FIG. 13(D) shows the operated button. Assume that in the state of FIG. 13(C), mouse pointer 185 clicks previous search button 5BP on second instruction panel 532 (hereinafter, the keyword associated with second instruction panel 532 is referred to as second attention keyword KW2). Processor 910 executes the process of S562 (FIG. 11) in response to the operation of previous search button 5BP. In S562, processor 910 searches for the keyword associated with the operated previous search button 5BP, moving forward from the current editing position in document DC3. This search changes the display of text area 190 from the state of FIG. 13(C) to the state of FIG. 13(E). When a character string is selected as in FIG. 13(C), the selected range of the character string indicates the editing position in the document. For example, when new text is input, the text is inserted at the position of the selected range (the character string in the selected range is replaced with the input text). The processor 910 searches forward from the selected range (here, the character string Tf1) in FIG. 13(C) for the second attention keyword KW2 (here, "second control unit") associated with the operated previous search button 5BP. As shown in FIG. 13(D), the processor 910 selects the first found character string Tf2 that is the same as the second attention keyword KW2 (i.e., the character string Tf2 that is closest to the original selected range). The selected character string Tf2 is expressed in a specific format 180s. The user can easily obtain information related to the second attention keyword KW2 by reading the sentences surrounding the found character string Tf2. Note that if a character string identical to the second attention keyword KW2 is not found by searching backward from the current editing position, the processor 910 may display a message indicating that the second attention keyword KW2 is not found on the display unit 940.

[0118] If document DC3 is long, text area 190 may display only a portion of document DC3. The character string found by the search may be included in the non-displayed portion of document DC3. In this embodiment, the editing application displays the portion of document DC3 that contains the character string found by the search in text area 190. The user can read the surrounding text of the found character string by observing text area 190. In steps S552 and S562, processor 910 may search for keywords using a search function of the editing application.

[0119] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S544 (FIG. 11), the processor 910 displays the GUI 500 (FIG. 12C) on the display unit 940. The GUI 500 includes a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN for each of the multiple keywords. In the example of FIG. 12C, the GUI 500 includes a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN for the first attention keyword KW1, and a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN for the second attention keyword KW2.

[0120] When the next search button 5BN for the first focus keyword KW1 is operated, the processor 910 searches for the first focus keyword KW1 backward from the current editing position in the document DC3 in S552 (FIG. 11) (FIGS. 13(B), 13(C)).

[0121] When the previous search button 5BP for the first attention keyword KW1 is operated, the processor 910 searches for the first attention keyword KW1 (not shown) from the current editing position in the document DC3 forward in S562 (FIG. 11).

[0122] When the next search button 5BN for the second attention keyword KW2 is operated, the processor 910 searches for the second attention keyword KW2 backward from the current editing position in the document DC3 in S552 (FIG. 11) (not shown).

[0123] When the previous search button 5BP for the second focus keyword KW2 is operated, the processor 910 searches for the second focus keyword KW2 from the current editing position in the document DC3 forward in S562 (FIG. 11) (FIG. 13(D), FIG. 13(E)).

[0124] In this way, the processor 910 can search for the first attention keyword KW1 forward or backward from the editing position, and can search for the second attention keyword KW2 forward or backward from the editing position, depending on the user's button operation. The user can easily observe parts of the document related to the first attention keyword KW1 by referring to the search results for the first attention keyword KW1. The user can easily observe parts of the document related to the second attention keyword KW2 by referring to the search results for the second attention keyword KW2. The user can easily compare parts of the document related to the first attention keyword KW1 and the second attention keyword KW2. The user can also select a preferred search direction from either before or after the editing position. The user can easily obtain search results from parts of the document that interest him or her. The GUI 500 also includes a set of a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN for the first attention keyword KW1, and a set of a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN for the second attention keyword KW2. The user can proceed with the search for the first attention keyword KW1 and the search for the second attention keyword KW2 in any order without re-inputting the first attention keyword KW1 and the second attention keyword KW2.

[0125] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S542 (FIG. 11), the processor 910 counts the total number of first attention keywords KW1 and the total number of second attention keywords KW2 included in a specific range of the document DC3. In this embodiment, the specific range is the entire document. In S544, the processor 910 displays the total number of first attention keywords KW1 and the total number of second attention keywords KW2 on the GUI 500 (FIG. 12(C)). The total number of each keyword included in a specific range of the document can indicate the strength of relevance of each keyword to the document. The processor 910 can provide such information to the user.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the GUI 500 ( FIG. 12(A) ) includes text fields 511 and 512 that accept input of keywords. As shown in FIG. 12(C) , the first attention keyword KW1 may be a keyword entered in the first text field 511, and the second attention keyword KW2 may be a keyword entered in the second text field 512. That is, the first text field 511 is an example of a first input section that accepts input of the first attention keyword KW1, and the second text field 512 is an example of a second input section that accepts input of the second attention keyword KW2. In this way, the processor 910 can provide the GUI 500 that allows easy search for each of the multiple keywords KW1 and KW2 entered in the multiple text fields 511 and 512.

[0127] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processor 910 executes the following processing in accordance with the program 932. In S510 (FIG. 11), the processor 910 acquires keywords from a data file 939 prepared in advance. The total number of acquired keywords may be two or more. If the total number is two or more, in S544, the processor 910 displays, on the display unit 940, a GUI 500 including an instruction panel for each of the multiple keywords acquired from the data file 939. For example, as shown in FIG. 12(C), the GUI 500 includes two instruction panels 533 and 534 associated with the two keywords. The configuration of the instruction panels 533 and 534 is similar to the configuration of the instruction panels 531 and 532 for the two keywords KW1 and KW2 described above. For example, the instruction panels 533 and 534 each include a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN. In this way, processor 910 can provide GUI 500 that allows the user to easily search for two keywords retrieved from data file 939 in the same way as keywords KW1 and KW2. Also, instruction panels 533 and 534 each include a total number area 5N. Processor 910 can provide the user with information indicating the strength of association between each of the two keywords retrieved from data file 939 and the document.

[0128] Depending on the type of document, terms that are considered inappropriate may be predetermined. The user may enter the inappropriate terms in advance in the data file 939. By referring to the search results for inappropriate terms, the user can easily obtain information related to the use of inappropriate terms in the document. In this embodiment, the GUI 500 (FIG. 12(C)) also includes a total number area 5N for each keyword. By observing the total number area 5N of inappropriate terms, the user can easily determine whether or not an inappropriate term is included in the document.

[0129] B. Variations: (1) The configuration of the GUI for searching for multiple keywords is not limited to the configuration of GUI 500 shown in FIGS. 12(A) to 12(C), and various configurations may be used, including a first operation unit and a second operation unit for searching for a first keyword and a third operation unit and a fourth operation unit for searching for a second keyword. The first operation unit and the third operation unit are operation units for searching for a keyword backward from the current editing position, respectively. The second operation unit and the fourth operation unit are operation units for searching for a keyword forward from the current editing position, respectively. These operation units are not limited to buttons such as search buttons 5BN and 5BP, but may be any GUI component operable by the user. For example, the GUI may include a pull-down menu for each keyword. This pull-down menu may provide the user with multiple options, including an option indicating a backward search (examples of the first and third operation units) and an option indicating a forward search (examples of the second and fourth operation units). When the user operates (e.g., clicks) one option, processor 910 may execute processing associated with that option.

[0130] Furthermore, the input section (e.g., text fields 511, 512) that accepts keyword input may be omitted. In this case, processor 910 may acquire the keyword from data file 939 (FIG. 11: S510). Alternatively, acquisition of the keyword from data file 939 (S510) may be omitted. In this case, processor 910 may acquire the keyword input into the input section (e.g., text fields 511, 512) (FIG. 11: S532).

[0131] (2) The process of searching for multiple keywords is not limited to the process of FIG. 11 , and may be various processes including a process of searching for a first keyword forward or backward from the editing position and a process of searching for a second keyword forward or backward from the editing position. For example, the specific range of the document referenced to count the total number of keywords in S542 may be a portion of the document (e.g., a predetermined portion such as a section of a patent application document) instead of the entire document. The processor 910 may use a range specified by the user as the specific range. Note that the display of the total number of keywords may be omitted. In S515, the processor 910 may display on the display unit 940 a GUI including operation units for searching for each keyword (e.g., a previous search button 5BP and a next search button 5BN) regardless of the total number of each keyword included in the document. In this case, the preprocessing button 520 (FIGS. 12(A)-12(C)) and S542 and S544 of FIG. 11 may be omitted.

[0132] (3) The process of changing a first-type target string into a first-type reference string is not limited to the process of Fig. 4 and may be various processes. For example, the first target range of a document referenced to search for a first-type reference string in S230 may be a part of the document (e.g., a predetermined portion such as the claims section of a patent application) instead of the entire document. Processor 910 may use a range specified by the user as the first target range.

[0133] When multiple different first type reference strings are found, the processor 910 may change the first type target string to a first type reference string selected according to another rule, instead of the first type reference string selected by the user. For example, the processor 910 may change the first type target string to the first type reference string that appears most frequently in the document among the multiple first type reference strings.

[0134] The instruction to execute the first change process is not limited to a keyboard shortcut and may be any instruction. For example, in S110 (FIG. 2(B)), processor 910 may incorporate a button for executing the first change process into UI display area 105 (FIG. 2(A)). Processor 910 may execute the first change process in response to an operation of this button. Furthermore, processor 910 may execute the first change process when no operation state continues for a predetermined time (e.g., one second) after character input has stopped. In this case, the continuation of no operation state for the predetermined time is an example of an instruction to execute the first change process.

[0135] (4) In S230 (FIG. 4), the processor 910 may search for second-type reference character strings in addition to first-type reference character strings. For example, in the examples of FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C), the processor 910 may extract both the first-type reference character string "first-type name display area" and the second-type reference character string "first-type name display area 40A" from the description of "first-type name display area 40A" in the document DC. In S260, the processor 910 may display a list including the first-type reference character strings and the second-type reference character strings on the display unit 940 (FIG. 1). The user may select a desired character string from the list including the first-type reference character strings and the second-type reference character strings.

[0136] (5) In the embodiment of FIG. 4 , in S210, the processor 910 searches for a first-type target string formed by one or more first-type characters (kanji and katakana). Here, the processor 910 may search for a first-type specific string including a predetermined specific string in addition to the first-type target string. The specific string may include characters different from the first-type characters (e.g., hiragana, English alphabet, Arabic numerals, etc.), such as “thickness,” “GPU,” or “first temperature.” Such a specific string may be used as a name. The user may predetermine the specific string. The first-type specific string includes, in addition to a string identical to the specific string, a string in which one or more first-type characters are connected before and / or after the specific string. For example, if the specific string is “thickness,” examples of the first-type specific string include “first thickness,” “thickness determination unit,” and “paper thickness measuring device.” In S210, the processor 910 may search the document for a first-type target string and a first-type specific string adjacent to the cursor 180 in the document. The processor 910 may then adopt the longest string among the found strings as the string to be modified.

[0137] If the string to be changed is a first-type specific string, in S230, the processor 910 searches for a first-type specific reference string that includes the string to be changed. A first-type specific reference string is a string that is the same as the string to be changed, or a string in which one or more first-type characters are connected to either or both of the beginning and end of the string to be changed. For example, if the string to be changed is "thickness measurement," examples of first-type specific reference strings include "first thickness measurement," "thickness measuring device," and "first thickness measuring device." In S240-S280, the processor 910 may change the string to be changed to the found first-type specific reference string. If multiple different first-type specific reference strings are found, the processor 910 may change the string to be changed to a first-type specific reference string selected according to a predetermined rule (e.g., user selection, etc.).

[0138] (6) The process of changing the second-type target string to the second-type reference string is not limited to the process of Fig. 6, and various processes may be used. For example, the second target range of the document referenced to search for the second-type reference string in S330 may be a part of the document (e.g., a predetermined portion such as a section of the specification of a patent application) instead of the entire document. Processor 910 may use a range specified by the user as the second target range.

[0139] When multiple different second type reference strings are found, the processor 910 may change the second type target string to a second type reference string selected according to another rule, instead of the second type reference string selected by the user. For example, the processor 910 may change the second type target string to the second type reference string that appears most frequently in the document among the multiple second type reference strings.

[0140] The instruction for executing the second change process is not limited to a keyboard shortcut and may be any instruction. For example, in S110 (FIG. 2(B)), the processor 910 may incorporate a button for executing the second change process into the UI display area 105 (FIG. 2(A)). The processor 910 may execute the second change process in response to an operation of this button. Furthermore, the processor 910 may execute the second change process when no operation state continues for a predetermined time (e.g., one second) after character input has stopped. In this case, the continuation of no operation state for the predetermined time is an example of an instruction for executing the second change process. Note that the instruction for the second change process is preferably different from the instruction for the first change process.

[0141] (7) In the embodiment of FIG. 6 , in S310, the processor 910 searches for a second-type target string. Here, the processor 910 may search for a second-type specific string that includes a predetermined specific string in addition to the second-type target string. As described above, the specific string may include characters (e.g., hiragana, English alphabet, Arabic numerals, etc.) different from the first-type characters, such as "thickness," "GPU," or "first temperature." The second-type specific string may be either a specific name string or a specific-signed name string, which will be described below.

[0142] <Specific name string> A specific name string is a string that represents a name (or part of a name) that includes a specific string. A specific name string is a string that is the same as the specific string, or a string in which one or more primary characters (kanji and katakana) are connected to either or both the front and back of the specific string. For example, if the specific string is "thickness," examples of specific name strings include "first thickness," "thickness determination," and "paper thickness measuring device."

[0143] <Specific signed name string> A specific-coded name string is a string that represents a name (or part of a name) that includes a specific string, followed by a code (or part of the code). A specific-coded name string is a string formed by the above-mentioned specific name string and one or more secondary characters (English alphabet and Arabic numerals) that follow the specific name string. For example, if the specific string is "thickness," then "first thickness 10," "thickness determination unit 2," and "paper thickness measuring device 3" are examples of specific-coded name strings.

[0144] In S310, the processor 910 may search the document for a second type of target character string and a second type of specific character string (i.e., a specific name character string or a specific signed name character string) that are adjacent to and in front of the cursor 180. Then, the processor 910 may adopt the longest character string among the found character strings as the character string to be changed.

[0145] If the character string to be changed is a second type specific character string (i.e., a specific name character string or a specific code-attached name character string), in S330, processor 910 searches for a second type specific reference character string that includes the character string to be changed. A second type specific reference character string is a character string formed by a name portion and a code portion following the name portion.

[0146] If the character string to be changed is a specific name character string (e.g., "thickness determination"), the searched second-type specific reference character string represents a name containing the character string to be changed and a code following the name. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination", "first thickness determination unit 200" is an example of a second-type specific reference character string. In this way, a name containing the character string to be changed may be a character string in which one or more first-type characters (kanji and katakana) are connected to either or both the front and back of the character string to be changed. Alternatively, a name containing the character string to be changed may be the same as the character string to be changed. The code following the name is formed by one or more second-type characters (English alphabet and Arabic numerals).

[0147] If the character string to be changed is a name string with a specific symbol (e.g., "thickness determination unit 2"), the name portion of the searched second-type specific reference character string may be the portion of the character string to be changed that represents the name. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," the name portion may be "thickness determination unit." Alternatively, the name portion may be a character string in which one or more first-type characters (kanji and katakana) are connected before the portion of the character string to be changed that represents the name. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," the name portion may be "first thickness determination unit." The code portion of the second-type specific reference character string may be the portion of the character string to be changed that represents the symbol. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," the code portion may be "2." Alternatively, the code portion may be a character string in which one or more second-type characters (English alphabet and Arabic numerals) are connected after the portion of the character string to be changed that represents the symbol. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," the code portion may be "200." Thus, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," then "first thickness determination unit 200" is an example of a second type specific reference character string that may be found.

[0148] As described above, various character strings may be found as second-type specific reference character strings. For example, if the character string to be changed is "thickness determination unit 2," various character strings such as "thickness determination unit 2," "first thickness determination unit 2," "thickness determination unit 200," "first thickness determination unit 200," and "second thickness determination unit 220" may be found as second-type specific reference character strings. In S340-S380, processor 910 may change the character string to be changed to the found second-type specific reference character string. If multiple different second-type specific reference character strings are found, processor 910 may change the character string to be changed to a second-type specific reference character string selected according to a predetermined rule (e.g., user selection, etc.).

[0149] (8) Character groups such as the Kanji group, Katakana group, English alphabet group, and Arabic numeral group may be defined using other character codes (for example, Shift-JIS character codes) instead of Unicode ranges.

[0150] (9) In the selected format application process (FIG. 9), the format applicable to a character string that is the same as the selected character string in the document is not limited to a highlight color but may include various formats. For example, if the selected highlight color is a dark color, the processor 910 may set the character color to a color lighter than the highlight color. In this way, the format may include a combination of a highlight color (i.e., a background color) and a character color. Note that the editing application does not need to have a highlight function. In this case, the processor 910 may set the background color of the character string to the color of the selected format. Furthermore, the multiple selectable formats are not limited to different highlight colors but may exhibit any different characteristics. The format may exhibit one or more characteristics arbitrarily selected in advance from, for example, a highlight color (background color), a character color, a font (e.g., Gothic, Mincho), a character size, a style (e.g., normal, italic, bold), and an underline (e.g., none, single line, double line).

[0151] (10) The format selection section displayed as a GUI for applying a format is not limited to the pull-down menu 114 (FIGS. 2(A) and 10(C)), but may be any GUI component configured to select a character format from multiple formats. For example, the format selection section may include multiple radio buttons each associated with a multiple format. The user can select one format by clicking one radio button.

[0152] In either case, the format selection unit is preferably configured to allow selection of a character string in a text area (e.g., text area 190 (FIG. 10(B)) while the format selection unit is displayed on a display device (e.g., display unit 940 (FIG. 1)). For example, as in the embodiment of FIG. 2(A), the format selection unit (here, pull-down menu 114) and the text area 190 may be included in the same window (here, application window 100). Alternatively, the format selection unit may be included in a separate window that is different from the window that includes the text area 190. In this case, the format selection unit is preferably configured to allow selection of a character string in the text area 190 while the format selection unit is displayed. For example, the window that includes the format selection unit may be a modeless window. This allows the user to select a character string in the text area 190 while the format selection unit is displayed.

[0153] The processor 910 may display a GUI including a format selection section on the display device after selecting a character string in the text area. For example, the editing application may have a function to display a pop-up menu representing an editing menu for the selected character string on the display device in response to the selection of a character string. The program 932 may be configured to incorporate the format selection section into this pop-up menu.

[0154] The GUI for applying a format may have various configurations including a format selection section instead of the configuration of the first GUI 110 in Fig. 2(A). For example, the all-cancel button 118 (and thus the all-format cancel process S186 in Fig. 3) may be omitted. Also, the check box 112 in Fig. 2(A) (and thus S430, S450 in Fig. 9) may be omitted.

[0155] (11) The processes executable in accordance with the program 932 (FIG. 1) may be various processes. For example, the program 932 may cause the processor 910 to execute one or more processes arbitrarily selected in advance from processes S160, S170, S180, S183, S186, and S190 in FIG. 3. For example, the program 932 may cause the processor 910 to execute one, two, three, or four processes arbitrarily selected in advance from the five processes of the first change process S160, the second change process S170, the selected format application process S180, the all format release process S186, and the multiple search process S190. One or more processes arbitrarily selected in advance from processes S160, S170, S180, S183, S186, and S190 may be omitted.

[0156] Furthermore, the processing group, which is a group of processing that can be executed according to program 932, is not limited to the processing of each of the above-described embodiments and modifications, and may include various processing. For example, the processing group may include a pre-selection processing that selects a portion of a document before a cursor (e.g., cursor 180 (FIG. 2(A))), and a post-selection processing that selects a portion of a document after the cursor. A user may copy or delete a portion of a document before or after the cursor. In such cases, the pre-selection processing or post-selection processing can reduce the burden on the user.

[0157] The processing group may include a line break deletion process that deletes line breaks from selected character strings. A user may copy text from another document, such as PDF (Portable Document Format) data or a web page, and paste the copied text into a document they are editing. Here, the pasted text may contain unnecessary line breaks. In such cases, the line break deletion process can reduce the user's burden of deleting the line breaks. The processing group may include a string deletion process that deletes specific character strings from selected character strings. The character strings to be deleted may be various character strings, such as spaces, "," (comma), or character strings specified by the user. Text copied from another document may contain unnecessary character strings. In such cases, the string deletion process can reduce the user's burden of deleting the unnecessary character strings.

[0158] The processing group may include a Chinese character conversion process that converts Chinese characters in the Kangxi Dictionary style in the document into common Chinese characters. For example, the processor 910 may convert Chinese characters in the Kangxi Dictionary style in the document into common Chinese characters according to a predetermined correspondence. The Chinese character conversion process can improve the readability of older documents.

[0159] The processing group may include a reassignment process for figure numbers. When a document references multiple figures, each figure may be assigned a figure number. For example, a document such as a patent application or a paper may contain one or more drawings. Each drawing may be identified by a consecutive number starting with 1. Within a document, each drawing is referenced by a figure number such as "Figure 1," "Figure 2," etc. Here, the order of the drawings may be changed during the creation of the document. For example, Figure 3 may be moved after Figure 5. In this case, the original Figures 4 and 5 are changed to Figures 3 and 4, respectively, and the original Figure 3 is changed to Figure 5. In this manner, figure numbers are reassigned. Figure numbers are also reassigned when a figure is moved, deleted, or a new figure is inserted. The reassignment process may include, for example, the following processes: The processor 910 creates a correspondence between the original figure number and the new figure number according to a figure operation selected by the user from three figure operations: "moving a figure," "deleting a figure," and "inserting a new figure." The processor 910 changes the figure numbers in the document in accordance with the created correspondence. This reassignment process can reduce the burden on the user of reassigning figure numbers.

[0160] In either case, each process included in a process group is preferably associated with a different instruction for execution.

[0161] (12) The editing application may be any of various applications configured to edit documents (for example, Ichitaro by JustSystems Corporation ("Ichitaro" is a registered trademark of JustSystems Corporation)). The program 932 may be any of various programs that run on the editing application. For example, the program 932 may be a macro that runs on the editing application. The program 932 may also be part of the program of the editing application. That is, the editing application may be configured to execute each process included in the process group described above. In addition, in each of the above embodiments and modifications, a viewing application may be used instead of the editing application. The viewing application or a program that runs on the viewing application may be configured to execute various document processes. The document processes executed using the viewing application may include, for example, one or more processes arbitrarily selected in advance from processes S180, S183, S186, and S190 in FIG. 3. In processes S180, S183, and S186, the format for displaying character strings may be changed. The editing application and the viewing application may indicate the processing position in the document (e.g., the editing position or the focus position for viewing) by a cursor (e.g., cursor 180 (FIG. 13(A))) or a selection range of a character string (e.g., the range of the selected character string Tf1 (FIG. 13(C))). In S552 of FIG. 11, a keyword may be searched backward from the current processing position in the document. In S562, a keyword may be searched forward from the current processing position in the document. In either case, if a GUI is not used for document processing, the display of the GUI for document processing may be omitted.

[0162] (13) The document processing device may be various other devices (e.g., a smartphone, a server device, etc.) instead of a personal computer such as data processing device 900 (FIG. 1). Furthermore, multiple devices (e.g., computers) that can communicate with each other via a network may share portions of the document processing functions of the document processing device and collectively provide the document processing functions (a system including these devices corresponds to a document processing device). A user may input various instructions to the document processing device by operating a terminal device (e.g., a personal computer) connected to the document processing device (e.g., a server device) via the network. The document processing device may display various information on a display unit of the terminal device via the network.

[0163] In each of the above embodiments, part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, part or all of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware.

[0164] Furthermore, when some or all of the functions of the present disclosure are realized by a computer program, the program can be provided in a form stored on a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The program can be used in a state stored on the same or a different recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) from when it was provided. The "computer-readable recording medium" is not limited to portable recording media such as memory cards and CD-ROMs, but can also include internal storage devices within a computer, such as various ROMs, and external storage devices connected to a computer, such as a hard disk drive.

[0165] The above-described examples and modifications can be combined as appropriate. The above-described examples and modifications are provided to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0166] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in the following aspects. [Aspect 1] A program for document processing, comprising: a display function for displaying a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a first operation unit, a second operation unit, a third operation unit, and a fourth operation unit; a first search function that searches for a first keyword backward from a current processing position in a document when the first operation unit is operated; a second search function that searches for the first keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the second operation unit is operated; a third search function that searches for a second keyword backward from the current processing position when the third operation unit is operated; a fourth search function that searches for the second keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the fourth operation unit is operated; A program that enables a computer to achieve this. [Aspect 2] The program according to aspect 1, further comprising: a counting function for counting the total number of the first keywords and the total number of the second keywords included in a specific range of the document; a total number display function that displays the total number of the first keywords and the total number of the second keywords on the graphical user interface; A program that enables a computer to achieve this. [Aspect 3] The program according to aspect 1 or 2, the graphical user interface further includes a first input unit and a second input unit for accepting input of a keyword; the first keyword is a keyword input to the first input unit, The second keyword is a keyword input to the second input unit. program. [Aspect 4] The program according to aspect 1 or 2, further comprising: A program that causes a computer to realize an acquisition function of acquiring the first keyword and the second keyword from a data file prepared in advance. [Aspect 5] 1. A document processing device comprising: a display unit that displays a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a first operation unit, a second operation unit, a third operation unit, and a fourth operation unit; a first search unit that searches for a first keyword backward from a current processing position in a document when the first operation unit is operated; a second search unit that searches for the first keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the second operation unit is operated; a third search unit that searches for a second keyword backward from the current processing position when the third operation unit is operated; a fourth search unit that searches for the second keyword from the current processing position toward the front when the fourth operation unit is operated; A document processing device comprising: [Aspect 6] A document processing method comprising: A document processing method comprising a step of causing a computer to execute each function of the program according to any one of aspects 1 to 4. [Aspect 7] A program for document processing, comprising: a first type object search function that searches a document for a first type object character string adjacent to a cursor indicating an editing position in the document, the first type object character string being formed by one or more first type characters, the first type characters including characters of a predetermined kanji group and characters of a predetermined katakana group; a first reference search function that searches for a first reference string formed by one or more first characters from a first target range of the document when the first target string is found, the first reference string including the first target string; a first change function for changing the first object string adjacent to the cursor to the first reference string when the first reference string is found; A program that makes the computer realize the above. [Aspect 8] A program according to aspect 7, comprising: The first type reference search function finds the first type reference string that does not contain the one or more second type characters when the first target range of the document includes the first type reference string and one or more second type characters following the first type reference string, and the second type characters include English alphabets and Arabic numerals; program. [Aspect 9] 9. The program according to aspect 7 or 8, the first type target search function, the first type reference search function, and the first type change function respectively execute a search for the first type target string, a search for the first type reference string, and a change of the first type target string in response to a first instruction from a user; program. [Aspect 10] 10. The program according to any one of aspects 7 to 9, the first type changing function changes the first type target string to a first type reference string selected by a user from the plurality of first type reference strings when a plurality of different first type reference strings are found; program. [Aspect 11] The program according to any one of aspects 7 to 10, further comprising: a second type object search function that searches the document for a second type object character string adjacent to the cursor, wherein the second type object character string is any one of a plurality of types of character strings including a first type character string formed by one or more first type characters, a second type character string formed by one or more second type characters, and a third type character string formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following the one or more first type characters, and the second type characters include characters from a predetermined English alphabet group and characters from a predetermined Arabic numeral group; a second type reference search function that searches a second type reference string formed by one or more first type characters and one or more second type characters following the one or more first type characters from a second target range of the document when the second type target string is found, the second type reference search function including the second type target string; a second change function for changing the second object string adjacent to the cursor to the second reference string when the second reference string is found; A program that makes the computer realize the above. [Aspect 12] 12. The program according to claim 11, The second type target search function, the second type reference search function, and the second type change function respectively execute a search for the second type target string, a search for the second type reference string, and a change of the second type target string in response to a second instruction from a user. program. [Aspect 13] 13. The program according to aspect 11 or 12, the second type change function changes the second type target string to a second type reference string selected by a user from the plurality of second type reference strings when a plurality of different second type reference strings are found; program. [Aspect 14] 1. A document processing device comprising: a first type object search unit that searches a document for a first type object character string adjacent to a cursor indicating an editing position in the document, the first type object character string being formed by one or more first type characters, the first type characters including characters of a predetermined kanji group and characters of a predetermined katakana group; a first type reference search unit that searches a first type reference string formed by one or more first type characters from a first target range of the document when the first type target string is found, the first type reference search unit including the first type target string; a first type change unit that changes the first type object character string adjacent to and in front of the cursor to the first type reference character string when the first type reference character string is found; A document processing device comprising: [Aspect 15] A document processing method comprising: A document processing method comprising a step of causing a computer to execute each function of the program according to any one of aspects 7 to 13. [Aspect 16] A program for document processing, comprising: a display function for displaying a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats; a first application function that, when a first format is selected by operating the format selection unit in a state where a first string including one or more characters is selected in a text area displayed on the display device and the text area represents at least a part of the content of a document, executes a first application process that applies the first format to a character string in the document that is the same as the first character string; A program that enables a computer to achieve this. [Aspect 17] The program according to aspect 16, further comprising: a program that causes a computer to realize a second application function that, when a second string including one or more characters and different from the first string is selected in the text area after the first application process and a second format different from the first format is selected by operating the format selection unit, executes a second application process that applies the second format to a string in the document that is the same as the second string, without changing the first format of the string that is the same as the first string in the document. [Aspect 18] 18. The program according to aspect 16 or 17, the format selection unit is configured to allow the first character string in the text area to be selected while the format selection unit is displayed on the display device. program. [Aspect 19] 19. The program according to any one of aspects 16 to 18, the plurality of formats include a plurality of formats showing different highlight colors; program. [Aspect 20] 20. The program according to any one of aspects 16 to 19, the graphical user interface further includes an operation unit; The program further comprises: causing the computer to realize a function of setting the format of the entire document to a standard format when the operation unit is operated; program. [Aspect 21] 1. A document processing device comprising: a display unit that displays a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats; a first application unit that, when a first format is selected by operating the format selection unit in a state where a first string including one or more characters is selected in a text area displayed on the display device and the text area represents at least a part of the content of a document, executes a first application process that applies the first format to a character string in the document that is the same as the first character string; A document processing device comprising: [Aspect 22] A document processing method comprising: A document processing method comprising a step of causing a computer to execute each function of the program according to any one of aspects 16 to 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 5BN...Next search button, 5BP...Previous search button, 5K...Keyword area, 5N...Total number area, 100...Application window, 105...User interface display area (UI display area), 110...First GUI, 112...Check box, 114...Pull-down menu, 114a-114e...Selections, 116...Cancel button, 118...All cancel button, 120...Second GUI, 122...Button, 180...Cursor, 185...Mouse pointer, 190...Text area, 240...First type target string, 245, 245b...Second type target string, 260, 265...Mark, 270, 280, 290...Window, 270a, 270b, 270c...First type reference string, 280a...Second type reference string, 511...First text Field, 512...second text field, 520...preprocessing button, 530...instruction area, 531-535...instruction panel, 900...data processing device, 910...processor, 915...storage device, 920...volatile storage device, 930...nonvolatile storage device, 931...application, 932...program, 939...data file, 940...display unit, 950...operation unit, 970...communication interface, 992...keyboard, 994...mouse, DC, DC1, DC2, DC3...document, KW1...first attention keyword, KW2...second attention keyword, S160...first change processing, S170...second change processing, S180...selected format application processing, S183...format cancellation processing, S186...complete format cancellation processing, S190...multiple search processing

Claims

1. A program for document processing, comprising: a display function for displaying a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats; a first application function that, when a first string including one or more characters is selected in a text area displayed on the display device and the text area represents at least a part of the content of a document, executes a first application process that applies the first format to a character string in the document that is the same as the first string, when the first format is selected by operating the format selection unit; A program that enables a computer to achieve this.

2. The program according to claim 1, further comprising: a program that causes a computer to realize a second application function that, when a second string including one or more characters and different from the first string is selected in the text area after the first application process and a second format different from the first format is selected by operating the format selection unit, executes a second application process that applies the second format to a string of characters in the document that is the same as the second string without changing the first format of the string of characters that is the same as the first string in the document.

3. 3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, the format selection unit is configured to allow the first character string in the text area to be selected while the format selection unit is displayed on the display device. program.

4. 3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, the plurality of formats include a plurality of formats showing different highlight colors; program.

5. 3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, the graphical user interface further includes an operation unit; The program further comprises: causing the computer to realize a function of setting the format of the entire document to a standard format when the operation unit is operated; program.

6. 1. A document processing device comprising: a display unit that displays a graphical user interface on a display device, the graphical user interface including a format selection unit configured to select a character format from a plurality of formats; a first application unit that, when a first format is selected by operating the format selection unit in a state where a first character string including one or more characters is selected in a text area displayed on the display device and the text area represents at least a part of the content of a document, executes a first application process that applies the first format to a character string in the document that is the same as the first character string; A document processing device comprising:

7. A document processing method comprising:

3. A document processing method comprising the step of causing a computer to execute each function of the program according to claim 1.

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