Program and Information Processing Device

Abstract

To provide a program that can support database printing and improve the convenience of database printing.SOLUTION: A printing application 22 causes a label printer 3 to execute database printing. The printing application 22 generates, on receipt of an instruction to generate cross data, copy data which are duplicates of cable data read from a cable DB23, and generates cross data by replacing a character string before a delimiter by a character string after the delimiter regarding the copy data including the delimiter in the middle of the character string, out of the generated copy data. The printing application 22 generates, in database printing with the cross data, label data by writing objects for each text data included in a text data group which is composed of the read cable data and the cross data, and causes the label printer 3 to perform printing based on the label data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program for editing data to be printed on a label printer and an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technique of a program for editing data to be printed on a label printer, a function called "database printing" is known. In database printing, a database file is specified and the database file is associated with a text object. Then, when a print instruction is given, for each text data in the database file, label data in which the text data is written into the text object is generated, and printing based on the generated label data is performed on the label printer. As a document disclosing such a technique related to database printing, for example, there is Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Labels may be required in pairs in which the order of two character strings is swapped based on a specific character (for example, " / "), such as "ABC / XYZ" and "XYZ / ABC". When creating a label used in such a pair by database printing, text data corresponding to each character string is required, whereas the database file may only have text data of one of the pairs, such as only "ABC / XYZ", and there is a problem that the pair of labels desired by the user may not be obtained.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The program created for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems is a program executable by the computer of an information processing device, which causes the computer to perform a specification process to specify a database file containing multiple text data, an association process to associate the database file specified in the specification process with a text object, and a specific printing process to generate label data by writing the text data to the text object for each of the text data contained in the database file, and to cause a label printer to print based on the generated label data, and further causes the computer to perform a first operation based on the first text data which is the text data contained in the database file, the first text The system is configured to perform a duplication process that generates a second text data which is a copy of the text data, and a swapping process that, for the second text data generated in the duplication process that contains a specific character in the middle of the string constituting the second text data, swaps the string before the specific character with the string after the specific character. Furthermore, the system is configured to instruct the computer that, in the specific printing process, if the second text data exists, for each of the text data included in the group of text data composed of the first text data and the second text data, generates label data by writing the text data to the text object, and causes the label printer to print based on the generated label data.

[0006] According to the program disclosed herein, based on a first operation, second text data is generated from first text data contained in a database file, and if a specific character is included in the second text data, the preceding and succeeding characters are swapped based on that specific character. Then, in a specific printing process, the program uses the group of text data consisting of the first text data and the second text data based on the first text data to cause a label printer to print based on each text data. As a result, a pair of labels is output from a single first text data, consisting of the label of the first text data and the label of the second text data in which the characters contained in the first text data have been swapped. Therefore, even if only one of the text data in a pair is provided, the labels of the pair can be obtained.

[0007] The information processing device that executes the above program, the control method for realizing the program's functions, and the computer-readable storage medium that stores the program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The technology disclosed herein provides a program that supports database printing and enables technology that improves the convenience of database printing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the printing system. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram showing the label creation procedure. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cable database. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the label editing screen. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a database display screen. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cable database after a copy has been added. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cable database after pair sorting. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the database display screen after adding cross-data using pair sorting. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cable database after group sorting. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the database display screen after adding cross-data using group sorting. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print screen. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a settings screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes in detail an embodiment of the program with reference to the attached drawings. This specification discloses a program that runs on a portable terminal that can be connected to a label printer.

[0011] The portable terminal 1 included in this printing system 100 comprises a controller 10, which includes a CPU 11 and memory 12, as shown in Figure 1. The portable terminal 1 is an example of an information processing device. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The portable terminal 1 also comprises a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Figure 1 is a general term for the hardware and software used to control the portable terminal 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the portable terminal 1. Note that the example of an information processing device is not limited to a portable terminal, but may also be a personal computer.

[0012] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operations. The memory 12 stores various programs and various data. The memory 12 is also used as a work area when various processes are executed. The buffer included in the CPU 11 is also an example of the memory 12. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built in the mobile terminal 1, and may be a storage medium that can be read and written by the CPU 11, for example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.

[0013] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware for receiving operations by the user. The user IF 13 of the mobile terminal 1 includes a touch panel having a display function and an input reception function. Note that the user IF 13 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a hardware key having an input reception function.

[0014] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the label printer 3. The communication standard of the communication IF 14 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The mobile terminal 1 may be provided with a plurality of communication IF 14 corresponding to a plurality of communication standards.

[0015] The memory 12 of the mobile terminal 1 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, a printing application program (hereinafter referred to as "printing app") 22, and a cable database (hereinafter referred to as "cable DB") 23. The OS 21 is, for example, iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark).

[0016] The printing application 22 is a program that, for example, receives a user's instruction via the user IF 13 and, based on the received instruction, edits an image to be printed and transmits a print instruction to the label printer 3. The printing application 22 is an example of a program. The cable DB 23 is a database in which cable information is stored. The cable DB 23 is a file created by the user and is not stored in the memory 12 when the mobile terminal 1 is shipped from the factory. The cable DB 23 is an example of a database file. Details of the printing application 22 and the cable DB 23 will be described later.

[0017] The label printer 3 of this embodiment has at least a printing function and a communication function. The printing method of the label printer 3 is, for example, a thermal transfer method, an inkjet method, or an electrophotographic method. When the label printer 3 receives a print instruction and label data to be printed from an external device such as the mobile terminal 1 via the communication function, it executes printing based on the label data to create a label.

[0018] The label printer 3 can accommodate, for example, roll-shaped label paper and has a function of printing an image on the label paper to create a label. The roll-shaped label paper is a printing medium in which label paper is overlapped and wound on a continuous strip of release paper. The label paper may be a continuous long tape or a die-cut label that has been cut into a predetermined shape in advance. Further, the label printer 3 of this embodiment has a function of cutting and discharging the printed portion after printing.

[0019] Next, the procedure for creating cable labels to be attached to cables will be explained with reference to the sequence diagram in Figure 2. The procedures and processing steps of each program described below basically represent the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in each program. That is, processes such as "judgment," "decision," "acquisition," and "reception" in the following explanation represent the processing of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the OS 21 API. In this specification, the description of OS 21 will be omitted when explaining the operation of each program. Also, "acquisition" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0020] The printing application 22 in this form can perform database printing based on a database file containing text data. In database printing, the printing application 22 accepts the specification of a database containing the text data to be printed, the specification of text objects to be placed in the label data, and instructions to associate the specified database with the text objects.

[0021] When the printing application 22 receives a command to execute database printing, it creates label data by writing the text data contained in the specified database into placed text objects, and then instructs the label printer 3 to print based on the created label data. The printing application 22 sequentially creates label data for each text data contained in the database, writing each piece of text data into a text object, and passes these to the label printer 3, thereby creating multiple labels on which each piece of text data from the database is printed.

[0022] This specification describes a procedure for creating cable labels using database printing. Cable labels are labels that are affixed to each end of a cable, for example, to distinguish between multiple cables used in wiring. The cable labels to be created using the procedure described herein are, for example, labels on which information indicating the end to which the label should be affixed and information indicating the other end are printed on a single sheet for each cable.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, a user who wants to create cable labels creates a cable DB23, which is a database for storing data to be printed (S01), and stores the cable DB23 in the mobile terminal 1 (S02). In this configuration, the cable DB23 includes, for example, multiple cable data 231, 232, etc., written in the same format, as shown in Figure 3. Each cable data 231, 232, etc., represents a single cable, and is, for example, a string consisting of two strings representing both ends of each cable, separated by a delimiter. The delimiter is, for example, " / ", and is a character determined in advance by the printing application 22. The user determines the cable data for all cables to be printed and creates the cable DB23.

[0024] Cable DB23 is, for example, a CSV file. Users may create Cable DB23 using a table creation application program, or they may create it as a text file containing text representing cable data. The printing application 22 may be able to support database files in formats other than CSV files. Users may also create Cable DB23 on their mobile terminal 1, or they may store a file created on another device on their mobile terminal 1.

[0025] After creating the cable DB23, the user inputs a command to start the print application 22 on the mobile terminal 1 (S11). Upon startup, the print application 22 displays a label editing screen 30 that accepts instructions for creating labels on the user IF13, for example, as shown in Figure 4 (S12). The mobile terminal 1 then becomes capable of accepting user input on the displayed label editing screen 30.

[0026] The label editing screen 30 is a screen that includes a label area 31 and buttons for receiving various instructions, as shown in Figure 4, for example. The label area 31 is an area that displays the print image of the label to be printed. The exit button 32 is a button that receives an instruction to exit the print application 22. The save button 33 is a button that receives an instruction to save the label data of the label to be printed that is displayed in the label area 31. The print button 34 is a button that receives an instruction to execute printing.

[0027] The user generates the label data for the cable label to be created on the label editing screen 30. To do this, the user places the object 311 of the label to be created in the label area 31 on the label editing screen 30 (S15). The printing application 22 has several types of objects that can be placed in the label area 31, such as text, marks, and photos. The user who wants to create a cable label places the object 311 for the cable label in the label area 31. The object for the cable label is a text object on which text data is written.

[0028] The printing application 22 may also include multiple templates to facilitate the creation of various types of labels. If the printing application 22 includes a template for cable labels, the user can select the template for cable labels, at which point the printing application 22 will place the object 311 for the cable label in the label area 31.

[0029] When an object 311 for cable labels is placed in the label area 31, the print application 22 becomes capable of receiving instructions to print the database. As shown in Figure 4, the print application 22 displays buttons 35 and 36 that accept the selection of the database to be used for database printing. Button 35 accepts the instruction to select the database to be printed from the CSV file stored in the mobile terminal 1. Button 36 accepts the instruction to create a new database. The user may also create the cable DB 23 by operating button 36 instead of S01 and S02.

[0030] The user selects button 35 and specifies the previously created cable DB23 from the displayed list of CSV files (S16). S16 is an example of the specification process. The print application 22 reads the specified database, cable DB23 (S17).

[0031] When the cable DB 23 is specified, the printing application 22 displays a data display screen 40 containing the cable data for each cable in the read cable DB 23 to the user IF 13 (S18), for example, as shown in Figure 5. The data display screen 40 is a screen that includes a data display field 400 and various buttons that accept user operations. The data display field 400 displays all cable data 231 to 235 (see Figure 3) contained in the read cable DB 23, within the displayable range.

[0032] The "Add Copy Data" button 41, the "Create Cross Data" button 42, and the "Cut Group" button 45 are toggle switches that can be turned on and off by swiping left or right, and in Figure 5, all are shown in the off state. The "Create Cross Data" button 42, the "Sort" instruction buttons 43 and 44, and the "Cut Group" button 45 are buttons that can be operated when the "Add Copy Data" button 41 is turned on, and in the off state shown in Figure 5, they are grayed out and do not accept operation.

[0033] The Cancel button 46 accepts an instruction to cancel the operation received on the data display screen 40 and return to the label editing screen 30. The Complete button 47 accepts an instruction to complete the generation of the database, with each cable data displayed in the data display field 400 as the target for printing. When the Complete button 47 is pressed, the print application 22 stores the database generated by the operation received on the data display screen 40 and returns to the label editing screen 30.

[0034] The Add Copy Data button 41 is a button that accepts an instruction to create a database by generating and adding copy data, which is a duplicate of all cable data 231-235 contained in the read cable DB 23. The user turns on the Add Copy Data button 41 by swiping it to the right in the state shown in Figure 5 (S21). Turning on the Add Copy Data button 41 is an example of the second operation.

[0035] When the Add Copy Data button 41 is turned ON, the print application 22 creates copy data, which is a duplicate of each cable data in the cable DB 23, and adds it to the database (S22). S22 is an example of the duplication process. Each cable data in the cable DB 23 is an example of first text data, and the copy data is an example of second text data. The print application 22 places each created copy data immediately after each cable data, for example, as shown in Figure 6.

[0036] Furthermore, when the print application 22 receives a request to add copy data, it is preferable to first create a database file for a copy of the currently displayed cable DB 23, and then perform processing such as adding the copy data to the copy database file. In this way, even if the process of adding copy data based on the user's instruction is canceled, the print application 22 can easily display the original cable DB 23.

[0037] When the Add Copy Data button 41 is turned ON, the print application 22 becomes capable of accepting operations on the Create Cross Data button 42. The Create Cross Data button 42 is a button that accepts instructions to change each added copy data into cross data. Cross data is data in which the string before and after the included delimiter has been swapped for the target text data. For example, if the delimiter is " / ", the cross data for "A / B" is "B / A".

[0038] When the cross-data creation button 42 is turned ON (S23), the print application 22 creates each cross-data by swapping the strings of each copy data added in S22 (S24). The delimiter is an example of a specific character, and S24 is an example of the swapping process. Turning ON the cross-data creation button 42 after turning ON the copy data addition button 41 is an example of the first operation.

[0039] Note that the delimiter is not limited to " / " but can be any other character, and multiple types of characters can be set. Also, the printing application 22 may or may not distinguish between full-width and half-width characters for the delimiter. Note that in this form, the printing application 22 converts the copied data into cross-data if the delimiter is included in the middle of the target copied data, that is, if text is included both before and after the delimiter. "Middle" does not mean the center, but rather any part other than the beginning and the end.

[0040] On the other hand, the printing application 22 may either leave copy data containing delimiters at the beginning or end as is without converting it to cross data, or it may delete it. Also, the printing application 22 may delete cable data containing delimiters at the beginning or end from the database, or it may create a database that contains only cable data and does not include copy data or cross data.

[0041] After the execution of S24, the print application 22 sorts the created cross data according to which of the sort instruction buttons 43 or 44 is selected, and displays the cable data and cross data in a list on the user IF13 (S25). The sort instruction buttons 43 and 44 are buttons that specify the sorting order of the cable data and cross data, and are selection buttons that can only select one at a time. Immediately after the cross data creation button 42 is turned ON, the print application 22 sets the sort instruction button 43 to selected.

[0042] The print application 22 can accept operations on the sort instruction buttons 43 and 44 when the cross-data creation button 42 is turned ON, and creates different databases according to the user's selection. S25, which sets the sorting order of cable data and cross-data depending on whether sort instruction button 43 or 44 is selected, is an example of an order setting process and an example of a sorting process. S25 is an example of a list display process.

[0043] When the sort command button 43, which instructs pair sorting, is selected, the print application 22 creates a database in which the cross data corresponding to each cable data is arranged after the individual cable data, as shown in Figure 7. As a result, the data display area 400 of the data display screen 40 displays the database in which the cable data and cross data are arranged in pairs, as shown in Figure 8. S25 when the sort command button 43 is selected is an example of pair sorting. Pair sorting is an example of the first order.

[0044] If the sort command button 44, which instructs group sorting, is selected, the print application 22 creates a database in which all cable data is arranged first, followed by all cross data, as shown in Figure 9. In this case, the print application 22 arranges all cable data in the order of the original cable DB 23, and then arranges each cross data corresponding to each cable data in the order of the corresponding cable data. By aligning the order of the cross data with the order of the cable data, when labels are created based on this database, the labels for the cable data and the labels for the cross data will be created in the same order, thus reducing the likelihood of misusing labels.

[0045] As a result, as shown in Figure 10, the data display area 400 of the data display screen 40 displays a database in which groups of cable data and groups of cross data are arranged side by side. S25 when the sort instruction button 44 is selected is an example of group sorting. The group of cable data is an example of the first group, and the group of cross data is an example of the second group. Group sorting is an example of the second order.

[0046] As shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10, the data display area 400 displays the contents of the database sorted by the specified sorting method for cable data and cross-data. The sorting order of the cross-data can be selected using the sort instruction buttons 43 and 44, allowing labels to be created in an order suitable for the user's needs. Furthermore, since the sorting results are displayed, the user can verify the order of the generated cross-data and printed labels using the data display area 400. Note that the database may also be editable on the data display screen 40.

[0047] Furthermore, in this form, the printing application 22 can accept operation to the batch cut button 45 when cross-data is created. When operation to the batch cut button 45 is accepted (S31), the printing application 22 adds cut information to the database information and stores it (S32). The cut information is information about cutting the labels after printing.

[0048] The label printer 3 in this configuration can perform both a full cut, which separates the front and back labels by cutting the sheet including the label paper and release paper, and a half cut, which cuts only the label paper and not the release paper, leaving the front and back labels connected by the release paper. A half cut is one example of a process to separate one label from the other. The printing application 22 can instruct the label printer 3 on how to cut the labels after printing by adding cut information to the label data and sending it.

[0049] Group cuts, as shown on the right side of Figure 7 or Figure 9, are instructions to cut data in groups by combining half cuts (shown by dashed lines) and full cuts (shown by solid lines). Specifically, group cuts in pair sorting, as shown in Figure 7, are instructions to make a half cut between the cable data and cross data of a pair, and a full cut between the preceding pair and the following pair. Group cuts in group sorting, as shown in Figure 9, are instructions to make a half cut between each data point of the cable data or cross data, and a full cut between a group of cable data and a group of cross data. The printing application 22 may also display the cut locations for the two types of cuts on the data display screen 40 currently being displayed.

[0050] Once the database creation is complete, the user operates the "Complete" button 47 on the data display screen 40 shown in Figure 8 or Figure 10 (S33). When the "Complete" button 47 is operated, the print application 22 terminates the display of the data display screen 40 and displays the label editing screen 30 shown in Figure 4 (S34). In this case, the print application 22 associates the database that was displayed on the data display screen 40 with the object 311 located in the label area 31 of the label editing screen 30. S34 includes an example of the association process. The print application 22 then displays a print image in the label area 31 of the label editing screen 30, showing the first data of the completed database written to object 311.

[0051] The user initiates printing by operating the print button 34 on the label editing screen 30 (S41). When the print button 34 is operated, the printing application 22 displays the print screen 50 shown in Figure 11 on the user interface 13 (S42). The print screen 50 accepts the selection of the printer to print on and the number of copies to print.

[0052] The print screen 50 includes, for example, cut instruction buttons 51-53 that accept cut selections, a cancel button 54, and a print button 55. Cut instruction button 51 accepts a cut instruction to cut both the label paper and the release liner for each label. Cut instruction button 52 accepts a cut instruction to cut the label paper but not the release liner for each label. Cut instruction button 53 accepts a cut instruction to cut only the trailing edge of the last printed label, without cutting between labels.

[0053] When the printing application 22 receives an operation on any of the cut instruction buttons 51 to 53, it prioritizes the operation on the cut instruction buttons 51 to 53, even if it has already stored cut instruction information. For example, if the application receives a selection on cut instruction button 51, the printing application 22 adds cut information to the print instruction to cut each label individually.

[0054] When the print button 55 is pressed on the print screen 50 (S51), the print application 22 sends a print command, label data, and cut information to the label printer 3 based on the created database (S52). S52 is an example of a specific print process. Specifically, the print application 22 sequentially creates label data for each text data contained in the database by writing each text data stored in the created database to an object 311, and sends these sequentially to the label printer 3. The label printer 3 executes printing based on the received label data and creates labels. If cut information is attached to the print command, the label printer 3 cuts the printed sheet based on that cut information.

[0055] For example, when printing is performed based on the pair-sorted database as instructed by the sort command button 43, printouts based on each cable data contained in the original cable DB23 and printouts based on their cross-data are created sequentially, and labels are created for all pairs. Creating a label for each pair makes it easier to attach labels to each cable, further enhancing the convenience of database printing.

[0056] Furthermore, if cut information is added to perform a full cut between pairs, the labels will be cut for each pair, allowing labels to be obtained on a pair-by-pair basis, thus reducing the likelihood of misusing labels. Additionally, if cut information is added to perform a half cut between labels within a pair, it becomes easier to separate the labels within a pair after obtaining them on a pair-by-pair basis, making each label easier to use.

[0057] Furthermore, for example, when printing is performed based on the database after group sorting as instructed by the sort instruction button 44, all printouts based on each cable data contained in the original cable DB23 are created, and then printouts based on each cross-data are created individually. Since labels are created on a group basis, it is easier to attach labels to one end and the other end of multiple cables separately, further enhancing the convenience of database printing.

[0058] Furthermore, if cut information is added to perform a full cut between groups, the labels will be cut for each group, allowing labels to be obtained on a group basis and reducing the likelihood of misusing labels. Additionally, if cut information is added to perform a half cut between labels within a group, it becomes easy to separate the labels within each group after obtaining them on a group basis, making each label easier to use.

[0059] Furthermore, after adding copy data in S22, the print application 22 can accept an operation to the complete button 47 on the data display screen 40 (see Figure 5) without accepting the instruction to create cross data in S23. In that case, the print application 22 displays a database containing cable data and copy data, as shown in Figure 6, on the label editing screen 30 in Figure 4. Moreover, if the print button 34 is pressed on the label editing screen 30, the print application 22 displays the print screen 50 (see Figure 11) with the database containing cable data and copy data as the print target and can accept an instruction to execute printing. In other words, the print application 22 can also perform database printing without creating cross data.

[0060] Up to this point, it has been assumed that the characters used as delimiters by the printing application 22 are predetermined, and that the user is required to create a database containing cable data using those delimiters. However, the printing application 22 may also be able to accept user instructions to set the delimiters. For example, when the printing application 22 receives an operation on the cross-data creation button 42, it may display a selection screen 60 as shown in Figure 12, allowing the user to select from several pre-prepared delimiters. The process of accepting the specification of a delimiter via the selection screen 60 is one example of a character setting process.

[0061] In this case, the print application 22 creates cross-data by using the character selected on the selection screen 60 as a delimiter and swapping the characters before and after it. By allowing users to set the delimiter, it becomes possible to create labels that suit the user's purpose and preferences. The print application 22 may also accept settings for multiple characters to be used as delimiters.

[0062] Furthermore, the printing application 22 may, for example, include delimiter information in the cable DB 23. If delimiter information is included, the printing application 22 may determine the delimiter based on the information in the cable DB 23.

[0063] As explained in detail above, the print application 22 in this configuration generates copy data from the cable data contained in the cable DB 23 based on the operation of the cross data creation button 42, and then generates cross data by swapping the strings before and after the delimiter. When the print application 22 receives a print command, it is configured to generate label data for each text data contained in the text data group of cable data and cross data, and to have the label printer 3 print them.Therefore, a label for the cable data and a label for the cross data are created from a single cable data, and even if only one of the text data for a pair is available, the labels for the pair can be obtained, increasing the convenience of database printing.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the printing application 22 of this form, for example, when printing labels to be attached to both ends of a cable, if a pair of labels is needed with the order of the delimiter characters reversed at both ends, the pair of labels can be easily created using a database that registers only the cable data for one of the pairs.

[0065] This embodiment is merely illustrative and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from its essence. For example, the printing medium of the label printer is not limited to roll-shaped label paper, but may also be fanfold paper or cut-sheet-shaped label paper.

[0066] Furthermore, the configurations of each display screen illustrated in the attached diagrams are not limited to the illustrated examples and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the arrangement and shape of each button are not limited to the illustrated examples. The database after adding cross-data may also be exportable, in which case the print application 22 should be able to display a button to accept export instructions.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, cross-data is created by issuing an instruction to add copy data (S21) followed by an instruction to create cross-data (S23). However, the print application 22 may accept these instructions together in a single operation. Specifically, the print application 22 may not display the copy data addition button 41, but instead make the cross-data creation button 42 operable once a database is specified, and then create and add the cross-data after accepting an operation on the cross-data creation button 42.

[0068] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes the procedure of creating cross-data from copy data (S24) and then sorting the cable data and cross-data (S25), steps S25 and S24 may be performed in reverse order. In other words, the print application 22 may sort the copy data as is and then create the cross-data.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an instruction to add copy data (S21) is received, the respective copy data is added after each cable data. However, all copy data may be placed after all cable data, the order of cable data and copy data may be reversed, and the user may be allowed to select the order. If all cable data and all copy data are placed separately, the order of the copy data may or may not match the order of the cable data.

[0070] Furthermore, in this configuration, when the cross-data creation button 42 is turned ON, the print application 22 initially sets the sort order to a pair sort, similar to when the sort instruction button 43 is selected, in S25. However, it may also set the sort order to a group sort, similar to when the sort instruction button 44 is selected. In addition, the print application 22 may accept user settings for the default sort order.

[0071] Furthermore, the process of separating one label from the other is not limited to half-cutting; for example, it could also involve perforating the label or printing a cut line.

[0072] Furthermore, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of any multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel, as long as no inconsistencies arise in the processing content.

[0073] Furthermore, the processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Also, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be implemented in various forms, such as a recording medium or method that stores a program for executing the process. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0074] 1. Mobile device 3. Label printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface

Claims

1. A program executable by a computer of an information processing device, To the aforementioned computer, A specification process that specifies a database file containing multiple text data, The association process involves associating the database file specified in the above-mentioned specification process with a text object, A specific printing process that generates label data by writing the text data to the text object for each of the text data contained in the database file, and causes a label printer to print based on the generated label data, Make it run, Furthermore, the computer, based on the first operation, A replication process that generates a second text data which is a copy of the first text data, based on the first text data which is the text data contained in the database file, Of the second text data generated by the replication process, for the second text data in which a specific character is included in the middle of the string constituting the second text data, a swapping process is performed to swap the string before the specific character with the string after the specific character. Make it run, Furthermore, the computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object for each of the text data included in the group of text data composed of the first text data and the second text data, and the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data. A program configured in such a way.

2. In the program described in claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, For each text data in the text data group composed of the first text data and the second text data, a pair sorting process is performed to arrange one of the first text data and the second text data generated based on the one first text data as a pair, and then sort each pair. In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the pair sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, and the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data. A program configured in such a way.

3. In the program described in claim 2, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the pair sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, the label printer is made to print based on the generated label data, and the label printer is made to cut the sheet between the printing based on the preceding pair and the printing based on the subsequent pair. A program configured in such a way.

4. In the program described in claim 3, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the pair sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data, the label printer is instructed to cut the sheet between the print based on the preceding pair and the print based on the subsequent pair, and the label printer is instructed to separate one label from the other between the print based on the first text data and the print based on the second text data within the pair. A program configured in such a way.

5. In the program described in claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, For each text data in the text data group composed of the first text data and the second text data, a group sorting process is performed to arrange the first text data as the first group and the second text data as the second group. In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the group sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, and the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data. A program configured in such a way.

6. In the program described in claim 5, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the group sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data, and the label printer is instructed to cut the sheet between printing based on the preceding group and printing based on the succeeding group. A program configured in such a way.

7. In the program described in claim 6, To the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated for each text data included in the text data group, in the order sorted by the group sorting process, by writing the text data to the text object; the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data; the label printer is instructed to cut the sheet between printing based on an earlier group and printing based on a later group; and the label printer is instructed to separate one label from the other between printing based on an earlier text data within a group and printing based on a later text data. A program configured in such a way.

8. In the program described in claim 5, To the aforementioned computer, In the group sorting process, for each text data in the group of text data composed of the first text data and the second text data, the first text data is treated as the first group, the second text data as the second group, and the data is sorted by group. Furthermore, the order of each second text data in the second group is aligned with the order of the first text data in the first group that corresponds to each second text data. A program configured in such a way.

9. In the program described in claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, The system executes an order setting process to set the order of the text data to either the first or second order. Furthermore, the computer, For each text data in the text data group composed of the first text data and the second text data, if the first order is set in the ordering process, one of the first text data and the second text data based on that one first text data are paired together, and each pair is sorted. If the second order is set in the ordering process, the first text data are grouped into a first group, the second text data into a second group, and a sorting process is performed to sort each group. Furthermore, the computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object in the order sorted by the sorting process for each text data included in the text data group, and the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data. A program configured in such a way.

10. In the program described in claim 1, Based on a second operation different from the first operation, the computer is instructed to perform the following actions: The replication process is performed to generate the second text data, and the replacement process is not performed on the generated second text data. A program configured in such a way.

11. In the program described in claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, The character setting process that sets the aforementioned specific character is executed, Furthermore, the computer, In the swapping process, for the second text data generated in the duplication process, if the second text data contains the specific character set in the character setting process in the middle of the string constituting the second text data, the string before the specific character and the string after the specific character are swapped. A program configured in such a way.

12. In the program described in claim 1, To the aforementioned computer, After the replacement process is performed and before the specific printing process is performed, a list display process is executed to display the first text data and the second text data constituting the text data group in a list on the user interface of the information processing device. A program configured in such a way.

13. User interface and Computers and, An information processing device comprising, The aforementioned computer, A specification process that specifies a database file containing multiple text data, The association process involves associating the database file specified in the above-mentioned specification process with a text object, A specific printing process that generates label data by writing the text data to the text object for each of the text data contained in the database file, and causes a label printer to print based on the generated label data, It is possible to do this, Furthermore, when the first operation is performed via the user interface, the computer will A replication process that generates a second text data which is a copy of the first text data, based on the first text data which is the text data contained in the database file, Of the second text data generated by the replication process, for the second text data in which a specific character is included in the middle of the string constituting the second text data, a swapping process is performed to swap the string before the specific character with the string after the specific character. Execute, Furthermore, the aforementioned computer, In the aforementioned specific printing process, if the second text data exists, label data is generated by writing the text data to the text object for each of the text data included in the group of text data composed of the first text data and the second text data, and the label printer is instructed to print based on the generated label data. An information processing device configured in such a way.

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