Form creation system

Abstract

To provide a business form creation system capable of achieving PDF automatic combination business form output which has not been achieved before.SOLUTION: A business form creation system 1 generates output data by combining DB data with a business form design template. The user terminal 10 includes a storage unit 16 that stores the DB data, a registration unit 15 that registers the form design template, a rule setting unit 12 that sets a rule for combining the DB data and the form design template, a combining unit 13 that combines the DB data and the form design template in accordance with the rule, and an output unit 14 that outputs the output data obtained by combining the DB data and the form design template.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a form creation system. [Background technology]

[0002] Form layouts vary from user to user, and there are many requests for customization. As a result, there is a greater need for customization than with forms provided as standard with the system.

[0003] For example, scattered Excel spreadsheets, complicated emails, piles of paper documents, disjointed systems, etc. make work inefficient. Specifically, when outputting data, it is necessary to transcribe it into Excel (registered trademark) or Word (registered trademark), and once the data has been exported, it is necessary to import it into an external system, which takes a lot of time.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a solution to this problem. Patent Document 1 stores information on form layouts used in various transactions, and enables users to easily change the form layout through operation.

[0005] Specifically, in order to create a report for an ASP server service, the computer stores in a storage device a report template created in advance and definition information that associates each piece of data in the ASP server's database to be output for each item in the report template, and in the report issuance processing unit, the report definition processing means analyzes the stored definition information in response to input instructions to create the report.

[0006] Then, each piece of data in the database of the ASP server to be output for each item in the form is extracted, and output in association with each item in the form, thereby creating the form instructed to be created. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-098878 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, for example, it is not possible to position data or graphs as desired. It is also not possible to create "variable" forms. Furthermore, it is not possible to use highly expressive fonts. It is not possible to output pages with the information you want formatted properly. It is also not possible to print multiple invoices at once. Furthermore, even if you create a list of customer addresses, it is difficult to print labels.

[0009] On the other hand, in recent years, cloud services (report creation systems) have also emerged that provide apps such as Kintone (registered trademark) that can solve problems that make work inefficient, such as scattered Excel files, complicated emails, piles of paper documents, and disjointed systems.

[0010] Kintone (registered trademark) and other services provide designated services by communicating with cloud sites that have database systems necessary for daily operations such as customer management, case management, and inquiry management, and that provide advanced report design and output services.

[0011] On the other hand, PDF (registered trademark) is often used in recent years. For example, when receiving data such as an invoice, it is often necessary to overlay the PDF (registered trademark) frame, edit it, and then print it, which takes time.

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a form creation system that can automatically output PDF (registered trademark) forms from DB data obtained from Kintone (registered trademark) or the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and is characterized in that (1) a report creation system that generates output data by multiplying DB data with a report design template, wherein a user terminal comprises a memory unit that stores the DB data, a registration unit that registers the report design template, a rule setting unit that sets rules for multiplying the DB data with the report design template, a multiplication unit that multiplies the DB data with the report design template based on the rules, and an output unit that outputs the output data obtained by multiplying the DB data with the report design template.

[0014] (2) In the above (1), the rule for combining the DB data with the form design template is characterized in that the form design template is set in the DB data for each page.

[0015] (3) In the above (2), the page setting can be selected from among all pages, odd-numbered pages, even-numbered pages, specified pages, first page, last page, and not applicable.

[0016] (4) In the above (1), the user terminal is characterized by having a means for outputting the output data in PDF format.

[0017] (5) In the above (1), the user terminal is connected to a DB data providing server that generates the DB data via a communication system.

[0018] (6) In the above (1), the setting of the rules for combining the DB data in the user terminal with the form design template can be performed by installing a combination application.

[0019] (7) In the above (5), the DB data providing server is a cloud service that allows the creation of applications that systematize and streamline business operations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to automatically output PDF (registered trademark) forms, which was not possible with Kintone (registered trademark) etc. Furthermore, even if forms with different frames span multiple pages, the user can easily output DB data to a user template and output the form. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a form creation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an example of automatic page up. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) of an example of a page-up setting function. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (2) of an example of a page-up setting function. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (3) of an example of a page-up setting function. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (4) of an example of a page-up setting function. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (2) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (3) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (4) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 11] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (5) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) of an example of automatic page break. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (2) of an example of automatic page break. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (3) of an example of automatic page break. [Figure 15] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (6) of an example of an automatic page setting function. [Figure 16]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (1) of an example of the end of the automatic page-up process. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (2) of an example of the end of the automatic page-up process. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (1) of an example of an automatic page break rule. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (2) of an example of an automatic page break rule. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (3) of an example of an automatic page break rule. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (4) of an example of an automatic page break rule. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this example, a description of already known technologies will be omitted. Furthermore, the structures and methods for embodying the technical idea of ​​the invention are merely examples, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to those described below. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. In particular, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product. The embodiments show the most preferred forms of the invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0023] 1 is a schematic diagram of a form creation system 1 according to this embodiment. The form creation system 1 according to this embodiment is a system in which a user terminal 10 (personal computer or smartphone) that operates the form creation system 1, a DB data providing server 20 that generates DB data to be entered in forms, and a cross-combination application providing server 30 that downloads and provides cross-combination applications are connected via a communication network (such as a cloud network) 50. The DB data providing server 20 is connected to a personal computer or the like.

[0024] The user terminal 10 has a control unit 11 that controls the form creation system 1. The control unit 11 has a rule setting unit 12, a multiplication unit 13, an output unit 14, a registration unit 15, and a memory unit 16. The control unit is made up of a computer and has a CPU, memory, RAM, ROM, etc. (not shown). The rule setting unit 12 sets rules for multiplying DB data with form design templates. The multiplication unit multiplies DB data with form design templates based on the set rules. The output unit 14 outputs output data in PDF format that is the result of multiplying DB data with form design templates. The registration unit 15 registers multiple form design templates. The memory unit 16 stores DB data obtained from the DB data providing server 20.

[0025] The DB data providing server 20 has a service program (an app such as Kintone (registered trademark)) that streamlines work and provides (transmits) data without the need for programming knowledge, without coding. Here, the form creation system according to the present invention targets CRM (customer relationship management) tools such as Kintone (registered trademark) and Salesforce (registered trademark), as well as various internet services.

[0026] In other words, it has the means to provide programs that allow you to create apps that systemize and streamline business operations without using any coding.

[0027] The cross-platform application providing server 30 provides a cross-platform application to the user terminal 10. This cross-platform application is configured from various software.

[0028] For example, automatic page setting displays multiple PDF form design templates on the right side of the screen of the user terminal 10, and displays output data (PDF) on the left side that is created by combining the selected PDF form design template with DB data to be drawn.

[0029] See Figure 2. Here, PDF form design templates (e.g., form design 1, form design 2) are displayed on the left side of a computer screen, and multiple PDF output data are obtained on the right side of the screen by combining them with DB data imported from a database. The rule setting unit 12 sets a rule that the first page will be form design 1 and all remaining pages will be form design 2.

[0030] See Figure 3. There are seven types of page up that the rule setting unit 12 can set in the form design template: all pages, odd pages, even pages, specified page, first page, last page, and not apply. By applying it to each form design page, it is determined which form design template will be applied to which page when the final PDF is output. In addition, the best style can be selected to match the form format, including the character size, horizontal alignment direction, vertical alignment direction, font, character spacing, etc. required for the form's presentation.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 4. The operation of the rule setting unit 12 is shown below. In step S1, click on a blank area on the stage to deselect any objects. In step S2, upload a multi-page PDF to be used as a form design template. In step S3, select the form design template you want to set. In step S4, the settings of the currently selected form design template are displayed. By repeating these operations, the form design template to be combined with the DB data is determined.

[0032] See Figure 5. This is a function for setting multiple form design templates. In step S10, you select the application rule (this "application rule" is the rule used for page calculation when actually generating the PDF). In step S20, as mentioned above, there are several types of application rules, and you specify how the rules will be applied when DB data is imported into the currently selected form design template and the number of pages increases. Finally, in step S30, you click the Save button.

[0033] See Figure 6. This is an example of a function that allows you to set multiple form design templates. Form design template 1 is applied to the first page of the PDF, and form design template 2 is applied to the second and third pages of the PDF. As the amount of data increases, the number of form design templates 2 is automatically increased.

[0034] See Fig. 7. This is a pattern in which the same form design template 1 is applied to all pages by the rule setting unit 12. That is, the form design template 1 is multiplied with DB data by the multiplication unit 13, and output data for pages 1 to 8 is generated by the output unit 14.

[0035] See Figure 8. This is a pattern in which only the first page is the cover, and the second and subsequent pages are detail pages, with the number of pages changing dynamically according to the amount of DB data. In other words, the first page is form design template 1. The remaining pages are form design template 2. As a result, page 1 is form design template 1, and the remaining pages 2 to 8 are form design template 2.

[0036] See Figure 9. The rule setting unit 12 sets only the first page as the cover, the second page and onwards as detail pages, and the last page as a specified form design template, so that the detail page portion changes dynamically according to the amount of DB data. As a result, the multiplication unit 13 multiplies form design template 1 on page 1, form design template 2 on pages 2 to 7, and form design template 3 on the final page 8.

[0037] See Figure 10. The rule setting unit 12 has made only the first page a cover, the second and subsequent pages detailed pages, and the last page also has a specified design. If the detailed page is an even number, form design template 3 is applied; otherwise, form design template 2 is applied. This is a pattern in which the detailed page portion changes dynamically according to the amount of data. As a result, the multiplication unit 13 applies form design template 1 to page 1, form design template 3 to pages 2, 4, and 6, form design template 2 to pages 3, 5, and 7, and form design template 4 to the final page, page 8.

[0038] See Figure 11. The rule setting unit 12 sets only the first page as a cover, the second and subsequent pages as detail pages, and the last page also has a specified design. However, the specified form design template 2 is set only for the third page. For the other pages, the detail page portion changes dynamically according to the amount of data. As a result, the multiplication unit 13 multiplies the first page with form design template 1, the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh pages with form design template 2, the third page with form design template 3, and the final eighth page with form design template 4.

[0039] See Figure 12. There are standards (rules) for "increase pages or stop processing without increasing pages" in the automatic page-up process. These standards vary depending on the form design template and the amount of DB data remaining to be output. Figure 12 shows an example of basic processing. That is, the number of data items written in the form design template is six, data No. 1 to data No. 6. In contrast, the number of data items is ten, product 1 to product 10. As a result, product 1 to product 6 are written on the first page by the output unit 14, and then a page break is performed and the remaining product 7 to product 10 are written on the second page.

[0040] See Figure 13. When the amount of data to be drawn in one form design template is reduced, the number of pages to be output automatically increases. The number of pieces of data written in the form design template is four, data No. 1 to data No. 4. In contrast, the number of pieces of data is ten, product 1 to product 10. As a result, the output unit 14 writes product 1 to product 4 on the first page, then turns to a new page and writes the remaining products 5 to 8 on the second page. Then turns to a new page and writes product 9 and product 10 on the third page.

[0041] See Figure 14. Even if multiple pieces of data are mixed, page-up calculations are performed until all the data is output. The number of pieces of data written in one form design template is six, data No. 1 to data No. 6. On the other hand, it is data No. 1 to data No. 3, which are of different types. In contrast, the number of pieces of data in one form is ten, product 1 to product 10. On the other hand, it is data No. 1 to data No. 5, which are of different types. As a result, the output unit 14 writes product 1 to product 6 of one piece of data and item 1 to item 3 of the other piece of data on the first page, then turns to a new page and writes the remaining product 6 to product 10 of one piece of data on the second page, along with item 4 and item 5 of the other piece of data.

[0042] See Figure 15. With the automatic page-up setting, the number of items drawn in a form design template changes depending on which form design template is applied to which page. The form creation system 1 automatically calculates the page design and the remaining data being drawn, and outputs the final PDF. That is, the multiplication unit 13 multiplies form design template 1 on the first page. Form design template 2 is multiplied on all pages. Form design template 3 is multiplied on only page 3. Form design template 4 is multiplied on the last page. The DB data is products 1 to 10, items 1 to 5, and items 1 to 3. As a result, form design template 1 is multiplied on page 1, form design template 2 is multiplied on pages 2, 4, and 5, form design template 3 is multiplied on pages 3 and 6, and form design template 4 is multiplied on the last page. The same rule is used to multiply form design templates on items 1 to 5 and items 1 to 3.

[0043] See Figure 16. To utilize the automatic page-up function, an object for drawing DB data is required. If the form design template does not contain an object for drawing DB data, an attempt will be made to draw using a template with attributes set for all pages, but since the object does not exist, the automatic page-up process will end at that point.

[0044] See Figure 17. Automatic page up ends when the data to be drawn for the first group has been drawn. Automatic page up will not occur even if another group is scheduled to be drawn on the next template page. However, if the "Force add next page" check box is checked on the form page, a page will be added regardless of whether there is data on the next page or not.

[0045] Referring to Figure 18(a), no page break conditions are set by default. Once all objects have been drawn according to the page design, the next page is automatically generated. Referring to Figure 18(b), if you set a "key field" in the page break rule, specific items such as "category" will be checked and a page break will occur automatically when the data changes. Referring to Figure 18(c), if you set a "data condition" in the page break rule, the contents of the specified item will be checked and a page break will occur automatically when data that meets the condition is generated.

[0046] See Figure 19. Using the page break rule function, it is possible to include a process that automatically breaks pages in response to changes in specific items in the data. The output unit 14 automatically checks for changes in categories 1, 2, and 3 of the target key field from top to bottom, and if there is a change, a page break occurs. As a result, the first page will contain data for products 1 to 4 in category 1, the second page will contain data for products 5 to 7 in category 2, and the third page will contain data for products 8 to 10 in category 3.

[0047] See Figure 20. Using the page break rule function, it is possible to include a process that automatically breaks pages in response to changes in specific items in the database data. In this example, if the data is products 1 to 4, a subtotal, and products 5 to 9, a page break will occur because the subtotal is heterogeneous data. As a result, the first page will contain data for products 1 to 4 and the subtotal. After a page break, products 5 to 9 will be listed on the second page.

[0048] Referring to Figure 21, several conditional (judgment) expressions can be used for drawing judgment. For example, if the judgment content is "If the specified field does not contain 'Tanaka'", the conditional expression "!!Tanaka" can be used; if the judgment content is "If the specified field is 'Tanaka'", the conditional expression "=Tanaka" can be used; if the judgment content is "If the specified field is not empty", the conditional expression "!=" can be used; and if the judgment content is "If the specified field (numeric value) is greater than 100", the conditional expression ">100" can be used.

[0049] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine all or some of the components of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1. Report creation system 10 User terminal 11 Control section 12 Rule Setting Section 13 Multiplication section 14 Output section 15 Registration Department 16 Memory section 20 DB data providing server 30 Cross-platform application server 50 Communication Network

Claims

1. A form creation system that generates output data by combining DB data with a form design template, A report creation system characterized in that the user terminal comprises a memory unit that stores the DB data, a registration unit that registers the report design template, a rule setting unit that sets rules for combining the DB data and the report design template, a multiplication unit that multiplies the DB data and the report design template based on the rules, and an output unit that outputs the output data obtained by multiplying the DB data and the report design template.

2. 2. The form creation system according to claim 1, wherein the rule for combining the DB data with the form design template is to set the form design template in the DB data for each page.

3. 3. The form creation system according to claim 2, wherein the page setting can be selected from among all pages, odd pages, even pages, specified pages, first page, last page, and not applicable.

4. 2. The form creation system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal has a means for outputting the output data in PDF format.

5. 2. The form creation system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal is connected to a DB data providing server that generates the DB data via a communication system.

6. The form creation system according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the rules for combining the DB data and the form design template on the user terminal can be performed by installing a combination application.

7. 6. The form creation system according to claim 5, wherein the DB data providing server is a cloud service that enables the creation of applications that systematize and streamline business operations.

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