CONTROLLING DISPLAY OF WINDOWS

Abstract

A system controls the display of windows in accordance with designation of a user. The system includes a reference detecting unit for detecting a reference relation between a designated window and respective one of other windows, the reference relations being a relation where a content displayed on one window includes a reference to a content displayed on the other window. The system may also include a priority computing unit for computing and assigning to the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has been detected a higher display priority than the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has not been detected and a display control unit for displaying the windows on a screen in accordance with the display priorities.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of information processing system 10;

FIG. 2 shows a first display example of screen 25;

FIG. 3 shows a second display example of screen 25;

FIG. 4 shows a functional configuration of web server 40;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for controlling display of windows based on reference relations;

FIG. 6 shows details of processing in S510;

FIG. 7 shows details of processing in S600 and S630;

FIG. 8 shows details of processing in S520;

FIG. 9 shows a display example of screen 25 after the arrangement of the windows is changed; and

FIG. 10 shows an example of hardware configuration of information processing apparatus 800 that functions as web server 40.

Claims

1. A system for controlling display of windows in accordance with designation of a user, comprising: a reference detecting unit for detecting a reference relation between a designated window and respective one of other windows, the reference relation being a relation where a content displayed on one window includes a reference to a content displayed on the other window;a priority computing unit for computing and assigning to the window for which the reference relation with the designed window has been detected a higher display priority than the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has not been detected; anda display control unit for displaying the windows on a screen in accordance with the display priorities.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit for receiving from a user an input to the windows displayed on the screen, wherein the reference detecting unit, in response to reception of an input designating one of the windows by the input unit, detects the reference by scanning a content displayed on the designated window and contents displayed on the other windows.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reference detecting unit further detects the reference relation between the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has been detected and the window for which the reference relations with the designated window has not been detected, andthe priority computing unit computes and assigns to the window reachable from the designated window via the reference relation a higher display priority than the window not reachable from the designated window via the reference relation.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the reference detecting unit further detects the reference relation between one window not reachable from the designated window via the reference relation and respective one of the other windows, andthe priority computing unit computes and assigns to the one window and to the window for which the reference relation with the one window has been detected a display priority next higher to the display priority of the window reachable from the designated window via the reference relation.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit displays respective one of the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation in an area on the screen that is wider than an area in which respective one of the windows for which the reference relation with the one window has been detected is displayed.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the priority computing unit computes and assigns to respective one of the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation a higher display priority on the condition that the window is a reference target of the reference than in the case that the window is a reference source of the relation.

7. The system according to claim 3, wherein the priority computing unit computes and assigns to respective one of the windows reachable form the designated window via the reference relation a display priority determined in accordance with a type of the reference for which the window serves as one of a reference source and a reference target.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein in the case where a first window and a second window among the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation display a content of a first web page and a content of a second web page, respectively.the plurality computing unit, on the condition that the reference relation from the first window to the second window corresponds to a relation where the second web page is displayed in response to manipulation of a manipulating object displayed on the first web page by a user, computes and assigns to the first and second windows display priorities higher than in the case of the reference relation of another type.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein in the case where a first window and a second window among the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation display an operation content of a first program and an operation content of a second program, respectively,the priority computing unit, on the condition that the reference relation from the first window to the second window corresponds to a relation where the second program is activated in response to execution of the first program, computes and assigns to the first and second windows display priorities higher than in the case of the reference relation of another type.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein in the case where a first window and a second window among the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation display a content including definition of a variable and an operation content of a program, respectively,the priority computing unit, on the condition that the value of the variable defined in the first window is changed in accordance with the operation of the relevant program, computes and assigns to the first and second windows display priorities lower than in the case where the window is displayed in response to the manipulation of the manipulating object by the user and higher than in another case.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein in the case where a first window and a second window among the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation display a content of a first web page and a content of a second web page, respectively.the priority computing unit, on the condition that one of the first and second web pages is referred to by a hyperlink of the other, computes and assigns to the first and second windows display priorities lower than in the case where the value of the defined variable is changed in accordance with the operation of the program and higher than in another case.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein in the case where a first window and a second window among the windows reachable from the designated window via the reference relation display a content including definition of a variable and an operation content of a program, respectively,the priority computing unit, on the condition that the value of the variable is referred to by the relevant program, computes and assigns to the first and second windows display priorities lower than in the case where the value of the defined variable is changed in accordance with the operation of the program and higher than in another case.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the windows on the screen in a stacked manner such that the window higher in the display priority hides at least a part of the window lower in the display priority.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein each of the windows is configured toshow a web page or a program,display an identifier of a variable defined in the web page or the program to the left of a row and display a value of the variable to the right of the row, anddisplay an identifier of the web page or the program near an upper side of the window, andthe display control unit displays the designated window at the center of a circle and the other windows along a periphery of the circle, in descending order of the display priority, in a counterclockwise direction from a position near the right of the designated window.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein in the state where icons capable of identifying windows are displayed instead of the windows, the display control unit displays the windows in accordance with computing of the display priority, at positions based on display positions of the icons, corresponding to the display priority.

16. A method for controlling display of windows in accordance with designation of a user, comprising: detecting a reference relation between a designated window and respective one of other windows, the reference relation being a relation where a content displayed on one window includes a reference to a content displayed on the other window;computing and assigning to the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has been detected a higher display priority than the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has not been detected; anddisplaying the windows on a screen in accordance with the display priorities.

17. A computer program product causing an information processing apparatus to function as a system that controls display of windows in accordance with designation of a user comprising: a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:computer usable program code configured to detect a reference relation between a designated window and respective one of other windows, the reference relation being a relation where a content displayed on one window includes a reference to a content displayed on the other window;computer usable program code configured to compute and assign to the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has been detected a higher display priority than the window for which the reference relation with the designated window has not been detected; andcomputer usable program code configured to display the windows on a screen in accordance with the display priorities.