JP2010009240A - Display device and help message display program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance operability when an operator performs operation. <P>SOLUTION: This display device has: a storage device storing setting information including at least help messages each showing operation contents to an icon, a button, or a hyperlink included in a window displayed on a display screen, each displayed associatively to the icon, the button, or the hyperlink, and position coordinates of display positions in each of which a message display area including the help message is displayed, in each icon, button, or hyperlink; and a means associating the window and each of the message display areas such that the position coordinates of the display position wherein the message display area including the help message is displayed and the position coordinates read from the storage device accord with respect to all the icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window and making them be displayed when a help button for making the operation contents to the icon, the button, or the hyperlink included in the window be displayed is selected by the operation of the operator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, for example, an operating system such as Windows (registered trademark) or MacOS (registered trademark) and application software such as Word (R registered trademark) or Excel (registered trademark) are installed and displayed on the display screen. A terminal device that displays a help message, which is a message for explaining an operation content for an icon, button, or hyperlink included in the window WD, on the display screen described above, and all buttons included in the screen displayed on the display screen The present invention relates to a display device and a help message display program including at least an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, a FAX, or a copier that displays a help message.

  Conventionally, a pointer is displayed at an arbitrary position on the display screen in response to an operation on the computer, and an operation displayed on the display screen based on a moving direction and a moving speed of the displayed pointer on the display screen A display device capable of selecting any one of images is known (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, help guidance necessary for setting various functions is displayed only in an active area set to be switchable among a plurality of divided areas on the display screen, and the operation of the active area is explained. There is also known a display device that displays guidance with a position shifted from an active area (see Patent Document 2).

  Furthermore, when a help request is received from the operator, a help message is displayed according to the information related to the executed application program by using a help table in which information related to the application program executed by the operator is sequentially updated and stored. A display device for displaying on a screen is known (see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-212727 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-117789 Japanese Patent No. 2776907

  However, since the display device of Patent Document 1 is a device that enables selection of an operation image displayed on the display screen according to the moving direction and moving speed of the pointer displayed on the display screen, This technique cannot be applied as it is when displaying a help message, which is a message for explaining an operation content for an icon, a button, or a hyperlink included in the displayed window, on the display screen described above.

  Further, the display device of Patent Document 2 displays guidance for explaining the operation of the active area only with respect to a predetermined active area out of the plurality of areas divided on the display screen. Therefore, it is possible to display a message for explaining the operation contents of these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks for all the icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed window. Absent.

  Further, in the display device of Patent Document 3, only one help message corresponding to the application being executed is displayed, so these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed window are all displayed. It is not possible to display a message for explaining the operation contents for the icon, button, or hyperlink.

  Further, in such a display device, only one help message corresponding to the information related to the application program executed by the operator is displayed on the display screen, so that the help message required by the operator may be overlooked.

  According to the detailed consideration of the display device of the present inventor, the operation contents for these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks will be described for all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed window. By displaying the help message for the operator, it is possible to prevent the operator from overlooking the help message that the operator needs, and to improve the operability when the operator operates. There is an increasing demand from industry for display devices and help message display programs.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a display device and a help message display program that can improve operability when an operator operates.

  The essence of the present invention is that “when the help button is selected by the operation of the operator, the setting information including the first help message is read from the setting information storage unit for each icon, button or hyperlink, and the help display is displayed. Improve operability when operating by the operator with the configuration that displays all the icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the target screen in association with the display screen of the help display target and the message display area. It is to achieve a specific effect that makes it possible to achieve.

  Now, the gist of the present invention as described above is specifically achieved by taking the following means.

  1st invention shows the operation content with respect to the icon, button, or hyperlink contained in the display means and the help display object screen displayed on the display means, and is displayed in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink. Setting information storage means for storing at least a first help message for each icon, button, or hyperlink, and an operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen A help message reading means for reading setting information including the first help message from the setting information storage means for each icon, button, or hyperlink when a help button for selecting is selected by an operator's operation; and display All the help display target screens displayed on the means Icons, buttons, or relates to the hyperlink, a display device that includes a first display control means for displaying on the display unit in association with each of the help display target screen and a message display area.

  In the display device according to the first aspect, when the help button is selected by the operation of the operator, the setting information including the first help message is displayed on the display unit for each icon, button, or hyperlink. Setting information including at least a first help message for displaying the operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen and displaying the operation in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink. All icons, buttons, and buttons included in the help display target screen read by the help message reading means from the setting information storage means stored for each button or hyperlink and displayed on the display means by the first display control means, Or, for hyperlinks, help display target screen and message display And the respective frequency is displayed on the display unit in association.

  As a result, in the display device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation contents for these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks are explained for all the icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed help display target screen. Since the message for doing so can be displayed, it is possible to prevent the help message required by the operator from being overlooked.

  Therefore, according to the display device of the first invention, it is possible to improve the operability when the operator operates.

  A second invention is a help message display program installed in a display device provided with a display means, wherein a computer of the display device is displayed with an icon, button, or hyper included in a help display target screen displayed on the display means. Help that displays setting information including a first help message for each icon, button, or hyperlink when a help button for displaying an operation content for a link is selected by an operator's operation. Setting information including at least a first help message for indicating an operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the display target screen and displaying the operation in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink is an icon, button, Or setting information storage means stored for each hyperlink The help message reading means to be read out and the help display target screen and the message display area are associated with each other and displayed on the display means with respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means. A help message display program for functioning as a first display control means.

  In the help message display program according to the second invention, when the help button is selected by the operation of the operator, the first help message and the first help message are displayed for each icon, button or hyperlink. The setting information including the position coordinates of the display position to be displayed indicates the operation contents for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means, and is associated with the icon, button, or hyperlink. The setting information including at least the first help message to be displayed is read from the setting information storage means stored for each icon, button, or hyperlink, and all icons, buttons, Or for hyperlinks, help display target screen and message display area And the each are displayed on the display unit in association.

  As a result, in the help message display program of the second invention, the operation contents for these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks for all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed help display target screen. Can be displayed, so that it is possible to prevent the help message required by the operator from being overlooked.

  Therefore, according to the help message display program of the second invention, it is possible to improve the operability when the operator operates.

  Here, from the viewpoint of simplifying the description, only the invention expressed as “display device” and “program” of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the gist of the present invention is changed. Needless to say, it may be expressed as an arbitrary category such as “display method” and “recording medium” within the range not to be.

  In addition, when the invention is expressed as a “method”, the word “means” in the description of the invention of the “apparatus” is the word “process”, “stage”, “stroke”, or “step”. Shall be read as

  Further, when the invention is expressed as a “recording medium”, the term “program” in the description of the invention of the “program” is replaced with the phrase “computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded”. To do.

  In the present invention, when a help button included in the help display target screen is selected by an operation of the operator, setting information including the first help message is displayed on the display unit for each icon, button, or hyperlink. The setting information including at least a first help message for displaying the operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen to be displayed in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink is an icon. For each icon, button, or hyperlink that is read from the setting information storage means stored for each button, or hyperlink, and is included in the help display target screen, each of the help display target screen and the message display area includes It is displayed on the display means in association.

  As a result, in the present invention, a message for explaining the operation contents for these icons, buttons, or hyperlinks is displayed for all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the displayed window. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the help message required by the operator from being overlooked.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability when the operator operates.

Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a personal computer 1 to which the display device of the present invention is applied.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The personal computer 1 to which the display device according to the present invention is applied includes, for example, an external Internet service provider, a manufacturer of the notebook personal computer, or application software via a communication network such as the Internet. This is a notebook personal computer that can be connected to a server device or the like owned by the manufacturer's software manufacturer.

  The personal computer according to the present embodiment is a known computer having a window system such as Windows (registered trademark) or Macintosh (R registered trademark), and the personal computer has a power switch that is operated by an operator. After the start-up process executed after the input is completed, application software such as a word processor software or a mailer is started by an input operation of the mouse 1o, the touch pad 1p or the keyboard 1n (not shown) by the operator, for example. In this case, the personal computer is provided with a window WD (help display target screen) that is used in the application software and includes a help button for displaying an explanation for an icon, a button, and a hyperlink included in the window. Displayed image Be displayed on the DS (display means).

  Further, in the personal computer according to the present embodiment, when the above-described help button is selected by an input operation of the mouse 1o or the touch pad 1p or the keyboard 1n (not shown) by the operator, all the windows included in the above-described window are included. Regarding icons, buttons, and hyperlinks, each of a balloon (message display area) that is an area including a help message that is an operation explanation for all these icons, buttons, and hyperlinks, and the above-described window WD (help display target screen) Associate and display.

  Here, “speech balloon” means “for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window displayed on the display screen, the operator's operation explanation for all these icons, buttons, and hyperlinks is displayed. In order to do this, it means an area surrounded by at least one of a curve and a line segment displayed in association with the window.

  In the following description of the personal computer according to the present embodiment, the “speech balloon” in this sense is simply referred to as “message display area”.

  Note that the personal computer according to the present embodiment has the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the message display area with respect to the help display area displayed on the display screen from the viewpoint of further improving the operability at the time of operation. Is configured to be settable from the outside by data input from the keyboard 1n, the touch pad 1p, or the like.

  The personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a north bridge 1a, a CPU 1b, ROM 1c, RAM 1d, SRAM 1e, a video card 1f connected to the north bridge 1a, a DVI 1g connected to the video card 1f, and, for example, HyperLink. The south bridge 1h connected to the north bridge 1a described above with a bus compliant with the above technology, the hard disk drive 1i, the DVD multi drive 1j, the sound card 1k, the USB port 11 and the back port connector connected to the south bridge 1h. 1m, a keyboard 1n connected to the back port connector 1m, a mouse 1o, a touch pad 1p, and a modem card 1q connected to the aforementioned south bridge 1h.

  The north bridge 1a is a chip that performs device management and control of the CPU 1b, ROM 1c, RAM 1d, SRAM 1e, and video card 1f.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1b is a processor that comprehensively controls the entire personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment. Each of the following processes based on a program installed in the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment. Execute.

  The computer activation process is a process for reading a basic input-output system (BIOS) stored in the ROM 1c and executing the activation process of the personal computer 1 when a power switch (not shown) is turned on by an operator. .

  The OS startup process is a process executed after the above-described computer startup process is completed, and is a process of starting an OS (Operating System) installed in the personal computer 1 and displaying a startup screen.

  The application activation determination process is a process executed after the end of the OS activation process described above. An application activation request output from the mouse 1o or the touch pad 1p is sent to the backport connector 1m, the south bridge 1h, the north bridge 1a, and the like. After the start button is selected by the operator's operation from the start-up screen displayed on the display screen DS depending on whether it is received via the start screen, an arbitrary operation is performed by the operator's operation from the start menu popped up from this start button. This is processing for determining whether an application program has been launched.

  The window file transfer process reads the application software window file from the hard disk drive 1i via the north bridge 1a and the south bridge 1h when it is determined in the application activation determination process that an arbitrary application program has been started. In this process, the read window file is transferred to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a.

  The help button operation presence / absence determination process is displayed on the display screen DS depending on whether a help message display request output from the mouse 1o or the touch pad 1p is received via the back port connector 1m, the south bridge 1h, the north bridge 1a, or the like. This is a process for determining whether the help button displayed in the window is selected by the operation of the operator.

  In the help message transfer process, if it is determined in the help button operation presence / absence determination process described above that the help button displayed in the window has been selected by the operator's operation, all icons, buttons, The help message stored for the hyperlink, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, the attribute information of the help message, the color information predetermined for each attribute information, and the display state of the help message Information and information related to the hierarchy of the help message are read from the hard disk drive 1i via the north bridge 1a and the south bridge 1h, and a help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the read window; Help The position coordinates of the display position for displaying the message, the attribute information of the help message, the color information predetermined for each attribute information, the information about the display state of the help message, and the information about the hierarchy of the help message This is a process of transferring data to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a.

  In the message usefulness determination process, the help message displayed in the message display area is counted, and the help message is useful for the operator depending on whether the counted display count is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. It is the process which determines.

  The message display magnification change command output process is useful for the operator when the help message displayed in the message display area is determined to be useful for the operator in the message usefulness determination process described above. This is a process of outputting a message display magnification change command for changing the determined message display magnification to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a.

  In the message right click presence / absence determination process, the number of times the help message displayed in the first message display area in the message usefulness determination process is less than a predetermined threshold, for example, 20 times, in other words, When it is determined that the utility for the operator is low, it is a process for determining whether the first message display area including the help message has been right-clicked.

  The pop-up display command output process is a pop-up display for displaying a pop-up for selecting an operation item when it is determined that the first message display area including the help message is right-clicked in the message right-click presence determination process described above. This is a process of outputting a command to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a.

  The deletion operation selection presence / absence determination process is an operation included in the above-described popup depending on whether a help message deletion request output from the mouse 1o or the touch pad 1p is received via the backport connector 1m, the south bridge 1h, the north bridge 1a, or the like. This is a process for determining whether “Delete”, which means an operation for preventing the help message from being displayed, has been selected.

  When the display status changed data transfer process determines that "Delete", which means an operation that prevents the help message from being displayed, is selected from the operation items included in the pop-up in the delete operation selection presence / absence determination process described above Includes a help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window, a position coordinate of a display position for displaying the help message, attribute information of the help message, and predetermined for each attribute information. A set of information on the displayed color, information on the display state of the help message, and information on the hierarchy of the help message is read from the hard disk drive 1i via the north bridge 1a and the south bridge 1h, and the window read from the hard disk drive 1i is displayed. All eyes included Help messages stored for buttons, buttons, hyperlinks, position coordinates of display positions for displaying the help messages, attribute information of the help messages, color information predetermined for each attribute information, and help messages Of the set of information related to the display status and information related to the hierarchy of the help message, the display status data indicates that the help message is not displayed from "display" indicating that the help message is displayed. This is a process of changing to “non-display” and transferring it to the video card 1f.

  When it is determined that “move”, which means an operation for moving a help message, is selected from among the operation items included in the pop-up described above, the highlight display command output process transfers the selected help message to another help message. This is a process of outputting a highlight display command for displaying the image in a bright and conspicuous manner so as to be distinguishable from the message, to the video card 1f.

  In the drag and drop determination process, an operation detection signal indicating that the first button of the mouse 1o output from the mouse 1o is pressed via the backport connector 1m, the south bridge 1h, and the north bridge 1a is detected. When the movement detection signal indicating that the mouse 1o output from the movement detection sensor built in the mouse 1o is moved on the placement surface is detected, the movement detection signal is Whether the help message has been dragged and dropped by an operation using the mouse 1o according to whether or not the operation detection signal indicating that the first button is pressed in the detected state is not detected. This is a process of determining.

In the drag operation follow-up command output process, when it is determined in the above-described drag and drop determination process that the help message has been dragged and dropped by the operation using the mouse 1o, the operation signal output from the mouse 1o is output. The position coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the initial position on the plane of the mouse 1o included in the mouse, the movement distance Δx in the x-axis direction from the initial position of the mouse 1o included in the movement operation signal, and the y-axis from the initial position The movement distance Δy in the direction is received, and the received movement distance Δx in the x-axis direction and the movement distance Δy in the y-axis direction are added to the position coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the initial position, and the position of the mouse 1o on the plane The mouse cursor is calculated by calculating the coordinates and converting the calculated position coordinates of the mouse 1o into the position coordinates of the mouse cursor on the display screen DS. A drag operation follow-up command for calculating a position coordinate of the message and moving the message display area including the help message selected by the click operation of the first push button to the destination according to the drag operation of the mouse 1o. And a process of outputting the position coordinates of the mouse cursor to the video card 1f.

  In the message left click presence / absence determination process, when it is determined in the above-described message right click presence / absence determination process that the first message display area including the help message is not right-clicked, the first button output from the mouse 1o This is a process for determining whether the first message display area including the help message has been left-clicked based on whether a selection detection signal indicating that has been selected is received.

  In the lower message presence / absence determination process, when it is determined in the above-described message left click presence / absence determination process that the first message display area including the help message has been left-clicked, information on the hierarchy of the help message stored in the hard disk drive 1i. Is a process of determining whether there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs as a result of the reference.

  The first lower message display command output process is displayed when it is determined that there is a help message that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed in the lower message presence determination process described above belongs. This is a process of outputting, to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a, a lower message display command for displaying on the display screen DS a help message belonging to a hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the help message belongs.

  In the lower layer message presence mark selection presence / absence determination process, when it is determined that the first message display area including the help message is not left clicked in the message left click presence / absence determination process, the second message described above is used. This is processing for determining whether or not the lower layer message presence mark “>>” displayed in the display area has been selected by the operation of the operator.

  In the second lower message display command output processing, the lower layer message presence mark “>>” displayed in the second message display area in the lower layer message presence mark selection presence / absence determination processing described above is selected by the operator's operation. If it is determined that the help message is lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs, a lower message display command for causing the display screen DS to display a help message that belongs to a lower hierarchy is given to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a. It is a process to output.

  The upper layer message presence mark selection presence / absence determination processing is performed when the lower layer message presence mark selection presence / absence determination processing described above determines that the lower layer message presence mark “>>” is not selected by an operator's operation. Includes a hierarchy higher than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs in the hierarchical structure composed of the help message displayed in the third message display area and other help messages. This is a process for determining whether or not an upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that a help message exists has been selected by an operator's operation.

  The upper message display command output processing is performed when it is determined that the upper layer message presence mark “<<” displayed in the message display area in the above-described upper layer message presence mark selection presence determination processing is selected by the operator's operation. Processing for outputting an upper message display command for displaying, on the display screen DS, a help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs to the video card 1f via the north bridge 1a. It is.

  The display time counting process determines that the upper layer message presence mark “<<” displayed in the third message display area in the above-described upper layer message presence mark selection presence / absence determination process is not selected by the operator's operation. In this case, the window display time is counted after the window is displayed on the display screen DS.

  The display time determination process determines whether no operation has been performed for a certain period of time after the window is displayed, depending on whether the display time of the window counted in the display time counting process described above is a predetermined threshold value or more. It is processing.

  In the window data transfer process, it is determined by the display time determination process described above that the display time of the counted window is not less than a predetermined threshold, in other words, no operation has been performed for a certain period of time after the window is displayed. In this case, a window display command for displaying a window, a help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window, a position coordinate of a display position for displaying the help message, The help message attribute information, color information predetermined for each attribute information, and information about the display state of the help message are read from the hard disk drive 1i, and all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the read window are read. Help messages remembered about , Position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, attribute information of the help message, color information predetermined for each attribute information, information on the display state of the help message, and the hierarchy of the help message This is a process of transferring a pair with information to the video card 1f.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1c is a non-volatile memory in which a program necessary for the operation of the CPU 1b, for example, an IPL (Initial Program Loader), a bootstrap, a BIOS (Basic Input-Output System), and the like are stored in a readable manner.

  A RAM (Random Access Memory) 1d reads / writes the OS according to the present embodiment and a help message display program for executing a later-described help message display process executed by the personal computer, and data necessary for the software. A volatile memory stored as possible.

  An SRAM (Static RAM) 1e is a volatile memory mainly used as a cache memory.

  The video card 1f is an expansion card equipped with a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) (not shown) that executes image-related processing and a video memory (not shown) that stores image display data, and executes the following processes. To do.

  The window WD display control process is a process of generating window data to be displayed from the window file transferred from the CPU 1b and displaying the generated window data on the display screen DS.

  The help message display process includes a help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window transferred from the CPU 1b via the north bridge 1a, and position coordinates of a display position for displaying the help message. Receiving the help message attribute information, color information predetermined for each attribute information, help message display status information, and help message hierarchy information, and displaying the received help message After the status data is changed from “Hide” indicating that the help message is not displayed to “Display” indicating that the help message is displayed, the attribute data is displayed in a predetermined color for each attribute information. Each message table with colored help messages Area data is generated, and the position coordinates of the display position for displaying each message display area including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information match the position coordinates received from the CPU 1b. In addition, each of the message display areas including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information is associated with the window and displayed on the display screen DS.

  In the enlarged message display process, when a message display magnification change command is received from the CPU 1b, the display magnification of the help message designated to change the display magnification by the message display magnification change command is increased. In this process, the help message to be enlarged is generated, data of a message display area including the enlarged help message is generated, and the generated message display area and a window are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS.

  The pop-up display control process generates pop-up data for selecting an operation item when a pop-up display command output from the CPU 1b is received via the north bridge 1a. Is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each other.

  The no-message area display processing includes the help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window whose display state has been changed, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, When the CPU 1b receives a set of attribute information of the help message, color information predetermined for each attribute information, information about the display state of the help message, and information about the hierarchy of the help message, a message display not including the help message is displayed. The message display area and the window W are displayed in association with each other so that the position coordinates of the display position for generating the area data and displaying the message display area that does not include the help message match the position coordinates received from the CPU 1b. This is a process of displaying on the screen DS.

  When the highlight display execution process receives the highlight display command output from the CPU 1b, the corresponding help message is highlighted, in other words, the selected help message can be distinguished from other help messages. In this way, the process is displayed on the display screen DS.

  When the drag display execution process receives the drag operation following command and the position coordinate of the mouse cursor from the CPU 1b, it generates data of the message display area including the corresponding help message, and the position of the display position where the generated message display area is displayed. In this process, the message display area and the window are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS so that the coordinates coincide with the position coordinates of the movement destination received from the CPU 1b.

  In the lower message display processing, when the first message display area including the help message is left-clicked, or the lower layer message presence mark “>>” displayed in the second message display area is selected by the operator's operation. When the lower message display command output via the north bridge 1a is received from the CPU 1b, the help message displayed in the first or second message display area is changed to the help message and other help. The first or second including the help message belonging to the replaced lower hierarchy in the hierarchical structure composed of the message is replaced with the help message belonging to the hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. To display the message display area and the window on the display screen DS in association with each other A.

  In the upper message display process, when the upper message display command output from the CPU 1b via the north bridge 1a is received, the help message displayed in the third message display area is changed to the help message and other help messages. A message display area including a help message belonging to the replaced higher hierarchy by replacing it with a help message belonging to a hierarchy higher by one than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs This is a process of associating with a window and displaying it on the display screen DS.

  In the help message display process, when the display time of the window exceeds a predetermined threshold, in other words, when no operation is performed for a certain time after the window is displayed, the CPU 1b is connected via the north bridge 1a. The window display command output from, the help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, the attribute information of the help message, The help message stored for all the icons, buttons, and hyperlinks read out from the hard disk drive 1i, and the color information predetermined for each attribute information and information related to the display state of the help message are read from the hard disk drive 1i. And the help message The display coordinates of the display position, the attribute information of the help message, the color information predetermined for each attribute information, the information about the display state of the help message, and the information about the hierarchy of the help message After the data related to the display state of the help message is changed to “display” indicating that the help message is displayed, the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information is displayed. Position coordinates of the display position for generating each message display area including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information, and the position coordinates received from the CPU 1b Message including a help message colored with a predetermined color for each attribute information. A process of displaying on the display screen DS in association with each and window over di-display area.

  A DVI (Digital Video Interface) 1g is an interface for connecting the video card 1f and the display screen DS described above.

  The south bridge 1h is a chip connected to the north bridge 1a described above by a bus compliant with, for example, HyperLink technology, and is a DVD multi-drive compliant with standards such as IDE and PCI connected to the south bridge 1h by a bus. 1j, a chip that controls various I / Os between the USB port 11, the LAN, the keyboard 1n, the mouse 1o, and the touch pad 1p in conformity with the USB standard.

  The hard disk drive 1i (Hard Disk Drive) is stored for the application software and data necessary for the application software, specifically the file of the window displayed by the application and all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window. Help message, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the message display area including the help message, information on the hierarchical position of each help message on the hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including the help message, and the window display time Threshold information, help message display count threshold, help message display status information, color information for displaying the help message, and setting information including help message attribute information correspondingly write / read It is an external storage device stored so as to be able to be read out.

  The DVD multi-drive 1j is a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, or CD-R that is a read-only recording medium inserted in a tray (not shown), or a DVD-RAM or DVD that is a read / write recording medium. A drive capable of executing processing for reading data from all recording media such as RW and CD-RW, and processing for writing data to all recording media.

  The sound card 1k is an expansion board for giving the personal computer 1 a voice function, and is connected to a speaker (not shown) for outputting voice to the outside.

  The USB port 11 is a port to which an external device (not shown) conforming to the USB standard is connected by a USB cable (not shown).

  The back port connector 1m is a connector for mainly connecting the keyboard 1n, the mouse 1o, and the touch pad 1p, and is connected to the keyboard 1n, the mouse 1o, and the touch pad 1p.

  The keyboard 1n is an input device that is detachably provided on the main body of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment and is connected to the backport connector 1m, and includes a help message and a help message input from the keyboard 1n. Position coordinates of the display position for displaying the message display area, information on the hierarchical position of each help message on a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including the help message, a threshold of the window display time, the number of times the help message is displayed Threshold information, information on the display state of the help message, information on the color for displaying the help message, and setting information including attribute information of the help message are input to the backport connector 1m of the personal computer.

  The mouse 1o is a pointing device that is communicably connected to the personal computer according to the present embodiment by wire or wirelessly. The first operation detection signal indicating that the first button is pressed, the second button The second operation detection signal indicating that the mouse is pressed is output from a movement detection sensor built in the mouse 1o and detecting that the mouse 1o has moved on the placement surface. The movement detection signal is configured to be input to the back port connector 1m of the personal computer according to the present embodiment.

  The touch pad 1p is a pointing device built in the personal computer 1 of the present embodiment. The first operation detection signal indicating that the first button is pressed, and the second button is pressed. A second operation detection signal indicating that the movement is output from a movement detection sensor built in the touch pad 1p and detecting that the operator's finger or the like has moved on the plate portion of the touch pad 1p. The signal is input to the back port connector 1m of the personal computer according to the present embodiment.

  The modem card 1q is an expansion card that connects a personal computer and a telephone line for connecting the personal computer to the Internet, which is an external communication network.

  Next, help message display processing executed by the personal computer 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  3A and 3B are flowcharts for explaining help message display processing executed by the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on by an operator's operation, a basic input-output system (BIOS) stored in the ROM 1c is started, and the personal computer 1 main body is started up. Is executed.

  Thereafter, in the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, when an OS (Operating System) installed in the personal computer 1 is activated and a startup screen is displayed, the RAM 1d of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment. The help display program stored in is read by the CPU 1b, and the following help message display processing is executed.

  First, the CPU 1b of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment selects the start menu popped up from the start button after the start button is selected by the operator's operation from the start-up screen displayed on the display screen DS. It is determined whether an arbitrary application program, for example, a mailer manufactured by company A, has been launched by the operator's operation (ST1).

  If it is determined in step ST1 that an arbitrary application program has been launched (ST1: Yes), the CPU 1b reads the application software window WD file from the hard disk drive 1i, and reads the read window WD file. Transfer to the video card 1f (ST2).

  In step ST3, the video card 1f generates window WD data to be displayed from the file of the display screen DS transferred from the CPU 1b, and displays the generated window WD data on the display screen DS.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the help button HB, which is a button for displaying a help message regarding all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD, It is provided on the right side of the toolbar provided at the top of the window WD.

  The position where the help button is provided in the window WD according to the present embodiment is limited to the right end portion of the tool bar provided with the help button in the window WD according to the present embodiment. Needless to say, it can be changed to an arbitrary position such as a tool bar or a tool box in the window WD.

  In the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the items displayed on the toolbar in the window WD may be called a main menu.

  Further, in the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the help button, which is a button for displaying a help message regarding all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD, is displayed as a pop-up menu in the window WD. Needless to say, it may be displayed in another window WD.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with icons, buttons, and hyperlinks in the toolbar. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the window WD or It goes without saying that at least one hyperlink for explaining the operation content may be provided in the pop window WD displayed as a window WD different from the window WD.

  In step ST4, the CPU 1b determines whether the help button displayed in the window WD described above has been selected by the operation of the operator.

  If the CPU 1b determines in step ST4 described above that the help button displayed in the window WD has been selected by the operator's operation (ST4: Yes), all the icons, buttons, The help message stored for the hyperlink, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, the attribute information of the help message, the color information predetermined for each attribute information, and the display state of the help message Information and information on the hierarchy of the help message are read from the hard disk drive 1i, the help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the read window WD, and the display position for displaying the help message. Position coordinates and And attribute information of the message, and transfers the predetermined color information for each said attribute information, and information about the display status of the help message, the data of the information relating to the hierarchy of the help message on the video card 1f (ST5).

  On the other hand, if the CPU 1b determines that the help button displayed in the window WD in step ST4 is not selected by the operation of the operator (ST4: No), the help button displayed in the window WD. The determination process regarding whether or not is selected by the operation of the operator is repeated.

  In step ST6, the video card 1f displays the data related to the display state of the help message described above from "Hide" indicating that the help message is not displayed to "Display" indicating that the help message is displayed. After that, the data of each message display area including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information is generated, and the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information is included. Each of the message display areas including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information so that the position coordinates of the display position for displaying each message display area coincides with the position coordinates received from the CPU 1b. And the window WD are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a window WD displayed in association with each of the message display areas on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  A window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other messages. It includes a lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer lower by one than the layer to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message belongs. A message display area, and one level higher than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message body, the help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages belongs. Help messages that belong to In association with each of the message display region including an upper layer message exists mark "<<" which indicates that the resident is displayed on the display screen DS.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the lower layer message presence mark “>>” includes a help message included in the message display area, in the message display area. This means that the message has a hierarchical structure consisting of two levels: a help message in which the help message is displayed and a help message that exists in a hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the help message belongs.

  Further, in the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper hierarchy message presence mark “<<” indicates the help message in which the help message included in the message display area is displayed. And a help message that exists in a hierarchy higher than the hierarchy to which the help message belongs.

  Note that the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and the like. A lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer lower by one than the layer to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of Including a message display area including the help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and a help message displayed in a hierarchical structure including other help messages. Help messages belonging to higher levels Are displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display areas including the upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that the lower layer message exists, “>>”. ”And the upper layer message presence mark“ << ”may be included in each message display area.

  In step ST7, the CPU 1b counts the number of times the help message displayed in the first message display area is counted, and the help message is operated depending on whether the counted number of times displayed is a predetermined threshold, for example, 20 times or more. Whether the message is useful to the user.

  When it is determined that the help message displayed in the first message display area in step ST7 described above is a useful message for the operator (ST7: Yes), the CPU 1b determines that the help message is useful for the operator. A message display magnification change command for changing the display magnification of the received message is output to the video card 1f (ST8).

  In step ST9, when the video card 1f receives a message display magnification change command from the CPU 1b, the video card 1f changes the display magnification of the corresponding help message to a larger value, in other words, enlarges the corresponding help message. The message display area including the help message and the window WD are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a window WD displayed in association with a message display area including an enlarged help message on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only an enlarged help message, a help message body, and a help message displayed in the message display area. A lower hierarchy message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy lower by one than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of other help messages belongs. A message display area including a help message main body, a help message displayed in the message display area and a help message displayed in a hierarchical structure including other help messages Help messages that only belong to higher levels Di is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display region including an upper layer message exists mark "<<" which indicates that there.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 6, a help message displayed in correspondence with an icon indicating message search is enlarged.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the lower layer message presence mark “>>” is a help message in which a help message included in the message display area is displayed. , It means that the message has a hierarchical structure composed of two layers, that is, a help message that exists in a layer lower than the layer to which the help message belongs.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer according to the present embodiment, the upper layer message presence mark “<<” is a help message in which a help message included in the message display area is displayed, This means that the message has a hierarchical structure composed of two layers, that is, a help message that exists in a higher level than the level to which the help message belongs.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only an enlarged help message, a message display area including only a normal help message that is not enlarged, Help belonging to a hierarchy that is one level lower than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message body, the help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages belongs. A message display area including a lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that a message exists, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages Displayed in the hierarchy Displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display areas including the upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that is one level higher than the level to which the help message belongs. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that both the lower layer message presence mark “>>” and the upper layer message presence mark “<<” may be included in each message display area.

  On the other hand, the CPU 1b determines that the number of times the help message displayed in the message display area in step ST7 described above is less than a predetermined threshold, for example, 20 times, in other words, the utility of the help message is low. If it is determined (ST7: No), it is determined whether the message display area including the help message has been right-clicked (ST10).

  When the CPU 1b determines that the message display area including the help message has been right-clicked in the above-described step ST10 (ST10: Yes), the video card 1f gives a pop-up display command for displaying a pop-up for selecting an operation item. Output (ST11).

  In step ST12, upon receiving the pop-up display command output from the CPU 1b, the video card 1f generates pop-up data for selecting an operation item, associates the generated pop-up with the above-described window WD, and displays the display screen. Display on DS.

  In step ST13, the CPU 1b determines whether “delete” meaning an operation for preventing the help message from being displayed is selected from the operation items included in the above-described pop-up.

  If the CPU 1b determines that “delete”, which means an operation not to display the help message, is selected from the operation items included in the pop-up in the above-described step ST13 (ST13: Yes), the window WD The help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the message, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, the attribute information of the help message, and a predetermined color for each attribute information. A set of information, information about the display state of the help message, and information about the hierarchy of the help message is read from the hard disk drive 1i, and stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD read from the hard disk drive 1i. Help menu Sage, position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, attribute information of the help message, color information predetermined for each attribute information, information on the display state of the help message, and hierarchy of the help message In the information set, the display state data is changed from “display” indicating that the help message is displayed to “hide” indicating that the help message is not displayed, and the video card. Transfer to 1f.

  In step ST15, the video card 1f displays the help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD whose display state has been changed, and the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message. When the CPU 1b receives a set of attribute information of the help message, color information predetermined for each attribute information, and information related to the display state of the help message, the data in the message display area not including the help message is received. The message display area and the window WD are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS so that the position coordinates of the display position for generating and displaying the message display area not including the help message match the position coordinates received from the CPU 1b. .

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment in association with each message display area that does not include a help message.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area that does not include a help message, a message display area that includes a help message as usual, a help message body, and the message display area. A lower hierarchy indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level lower than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message displayed on the screen and other help messages A message display area including a message presence mark “>>”, and a help displayed on a hierarchical structure including a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages. From the hierarchy to which the message belongs In association with each of the message display area is displayed on the display screen DS including an upper layer message exists mark "<<" which indicates that one layer only help messages belonging to the upper hierarchy is present.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 7, the help message displayed corresponding to the icon indicating the display of the address book is changed to a non-display state.

  In the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the display of the help message is set to non-display from the viewpoint of enabling easy display setting of the help message after the help message is set to non-display. However, the message display area that does not include the help message is not completely hidden, and the display screen DS has an area that is smaller than the area of the message display area that includes the help message before the non-display setting is performed. It is more preferable to display.

  As a result, the operation item that is displayed by right-clicking by the operator's operation on the outline that surrounds the area having an area smaller than the area of the message display area including the help message before the non-display setting is performed. Thus, “display” for displaying the help message is selected by the operation of the operator, so that the help message that is not displayed can be displayed again.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area that does not include a help message, a message display area that includes a help message as usual, a help message body, and the message display. Indicates that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy that is one level lower than the hierarchy to which the help message that is displayed in the hierarchical structure composed of the help message displayed in the area and other help messages belongs. Displayed on a hierarchical structure composed of a message display area including a lower layer message presence mark “>>”, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages. The floor to which the help message belongs Each of the message display areas including the upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message belonging to a higher layer than the first layer is displayed on the display screen DS in association with it. Needless to say, both the lower layer message presence mark “>>” and the upper layer message presence mark “<<” may be included in each message display area.

  Further, in the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, when the help message in the message display area is right-clicked, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the message display area not including the help message and the hard disk drive 1i are used. The message display area and the window WD are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS so that the read position coordinates match. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the message display area including the help message is deleted from the display screen DS. Needless to say, it may be configured to do so.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 1b determines that “move”, which means an operation for moving the help message, is selected from the operation items included in the pop-up in step ST13 described above (ST13: No), the selected help A highlight display command for displaying the message so that it can be distinguished from other help messages in a bright and conspicuous manner is output to the video card 1f (ST16).

  In step ST17, when receiving the highlight display command output from the CPU 1B, the video card 1f highlights the corresponding help message, in other words, the selected help message can be distinguished from other help messages. It is displayed on the display screen DS so as to stand out brightly.

  In step ST18, the CPU 1b detects an operation detection signal indicating that the first button of the mouse 1o output from the mouse 1o has been pressed via the backport connector 1m, the south bridge 1h, and the north bridge 1a. When the movement detection signal indicating that the mouse 1o output from the movement detection sensor built in the mouse 1o is moved on the placement surface is detected, the movement detection signal is Whether the help message has been dragged and dropped by an operation using the mouse 1o according to whether or not the operation detection signal indicating that the first button is pressed in the detected state is not detected. judge.

If the CPU 1b determines that the help message drag-and-drop operation has been performed by the operation using the mouse 1o of the operator in the above-described step ST18 (ST18: Yes), it is included in the operation signal output from the mouse 1o. The position coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the initial position on the plane of the mouse 1o, the movement distance Δx in the x-axis direction from the initial position of the mouse 1o included in the movement operation signal, and the y-axis direction from the initial position The movement distance Δy is received, and the received movement distance Δx in the x-axis direction and movement distance Δy in the y-axis direction are added to the position coordinates (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the initial position to obtain the position coordinates of the mouse 1o on the plane. The position coordinates of the mouse cursor are calculated by converting the calculated position coordinates of the mouse 1o into the position coordinates of the mouse cursor on the display screen DS. A drag operation follow-up command and a position of the mouse cursor for displaying the message display area including the help message selected by the click operation of the first push button according to the drag operation of the mouse 1o. The coordinates are output to the video card 1f (ST19).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step ST18 that the help message has not been dragged and dropped by the operation using the mouse 1o (ST18: No), the CPU 1b uses the operator's mouse 1o. The determination process regarding whether the drag and drop operation of the help message has been performed by the operation that has been performed is repeated.

  In step ST20, when the video card 1f receives the drag operation follow-up command and the position coordinates of the mouse cursor from the CPU 1b, the video card 1f generates data of the message display area including the corresponding help message, and displays the generated message display area. The message display area and the window WD are associated with each other and displayed on the display screen DS so that the position coordinates of the position coincide with the position coordinates of the movement destination received from the CPU 1b.

  FIG. 8 is displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 of the present embodiment in association with each of the message display area including the help message moved by the operator's drag and drop operation and the other message display areas. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of window WD.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including a help message moved by an operator's drag and drop operation, and a message display area including a normal help message. , It belongs to a hierarchy one level lower than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message main body, the help message displayed in the message display area and other help messages belongs. A message display area including a low-level message existence mark “>>” indicating that a help message exists, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages. On the hierarchical structure A display screen DS associated with each of the message display areas including an upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer higher by one layer than the layer to which the displayed help message belongs. Is displayed.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 8, a message display area including a help message displayed in association with a hyperlink to the news group account setup page is dragged by the operator. It has been moved in response to an and drop operation.

  On the other hand, when determining in step ST10 that the message display area including the help message has not been right-clicked (ST10: No), the CPU 1b determines whether the message display area including the help message has been left-clicked. (ST21).

  When the CPU 1b determines that the message display area including the help message is left-clicked in step ST21 described above (ST21: Yes), the CPU 1b refers to the information on the hierarchy of the help message stored in the hard disk drive 1i, and As a result of the reference, it is determined whether there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs (ST22).

  If the CPU 1b determines that there is a help message that belongs to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed in the above-described step ST22 belongs (ST22: Yes), the CPU 1b starts from the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. Also, a lower message display command for displaying a help message belonging to the lower hierarchy on the display screen DS is output to the video card 1f (ST23).

  In step ST24, when the video card 1f receives the lower message display command from the CPU 1b, the help message displayed in the message display area is displayed on the hierarchical structure including the help message and other help messages. The message is replaced with a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs, and the message display area including the help message belonging to the replaced lower hierarchy is associated with the window WD and displayed on the display screen DS. Let

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment in association with a message display area including a message belonging to a lower hierarchy.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment is a message display area including a help message belonging to a hierarchy lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs, a normal help message. Message display area including a message, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and a help message displayed in a hierarchical structure composed of other help messages. A message display area including a lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy exists, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other help Composed of messages and Each of message display areas including an upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer higher by one layer than the layer to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure It is displayed in association with the display screen DS.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 9, the help message associated with the icon indicating the message transmission / reception operation is lower in the hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. It is replaced with the help message belonging to

  Note that the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment is a message display area including a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs, as usual. A message display area including a help message, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and a hierarchy to which a help message displayed on a hierarchical structure composed of other help messages belongs. A message display area including a lower-layer message existence mark “>>” indicating that a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy exists, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and the like And help message from A message display area including a message message mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the generated hierarchical structure belongs. Each message display area includes both the lower layer message presence mark “>>” and the upper layer message presence mark “<<”. Needless to say.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST21 that the message display area including the help message has not been left-clicked (ST21: No), the CPU 1b includes the above-described lower-layer message presence mark “>>”. It is determined whether the lower layer message presence mark “>>” displayed in the display area has been selected by the operator's operation (ST25).

  If the CPU 1b determines that the lower layer message presence mark displayed in the message display area in step ST25 described above has been selected by the operator's operation (ST25: Yes), the CPU 1b starts from the layer to which the displayed help message belongs. Also, a lower message display command for displaying the help message belonging to the lower hierarchy on the display screen DS is output to the video card 1f (ST26).

  In step ST27, when the video card 1f receives the lower message display instruction from the CPU 1b, the video card 1f displays the help message displayed in the message display area on the hierarchical structure including the help message and other help messages. The message is replaced with a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the currently displayed help message belongs, and the message display area including the help message belonging to the replaced lower hierarchy is associated with the window WD on the display screen DS. Display.

  FIG. 10 shows another example of a message display area including a message belonging to a lower hierarchy and a window WD displayed in association with the message display area on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram.

  The window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment belongs to a message display area including only the help message main body, and a hierarchy one level lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. A message display area including a help message, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and a hierarchy to which a help message displayed on a hierarchical structure composed of other help messages belongs. A message display area including a lower-layer message existence mark “>>” indicating that a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy exists, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and the like Help message A message display area including a message message mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the configured hierarchical structure belongs. It is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each.

  In the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 shown in FIG. 10, the help message associated with the button indicating the message editing tool is lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. It is replaced with the help message belonging to

  Note that the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment is a message display area including only the help message main body, and a hierarchy one level lower than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. From the hierarchy to which the help message that is displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the message display area including the help message belonging to the message, the help message body, the help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages A message display area including a lower-layer message existence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message belonging to a lower hierarchy by one hierarchy, and the help message main body and the help message displayed in the message display area And other help messages A message display including an upper layer message existence mark “<<” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer one level higher than the level to which the help message is displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of Although it is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the areas, the message display area includes both the lower layer message presence mark “>>” and the upper layer message presence mark “<<”. It goes without saying that it may be.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in the above-described step ST25 that the lower-layer message presence mark “>>” is not selected by the operator's operation (ST25: No), the CPU 1b described above is the message display area. An upper hierarchy message indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy higher than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs in a hierarchical structure composed of the help message displayed in the window and other help messages It is determined whether or not the presence mark “<<” has been selected by the operator's operation (ST28).

  If the CPU 1B determines that the upper hierarchy message presence mark “<<” displayed in the message display area in step ST28 described above has been selected by the operation of the operator (ST28: Yes), the displayed help message A higher message display command for displaying on the display screen DS a help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the message belongs is output to the video card 1f (ST29).

  In step ST30, when the video card 1f receives the upper message display command from the CPU 1b, the video card 1f displays the help message displayed in the message display area on the hierarchical structure including the help message and other help messages. A display screen that associates a window WD with a message display area that includes a help message that belongs to a higher hierarchy by replacing it with a help message that belongs to a hierarchy higher by one than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. Display on DS.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment in association with a message display area including a message belonging to a higher hierarchy.

  A window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other messages. It includes a lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer lower by one than the layer to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message belongs. The message display area is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display areas including the help message that belongs to a hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs.

  Note that the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, and a help message displayed in the message display area. A lower hierarchy message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy lower by one than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of other help messages belongs. Is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display area including the message and the message display area including the help message belonging to the hierarchy one level higher than the hierarchy to which the displayed help message belongs. Not limited to, Lower layer message existence mark “>>” That both the fine upper layer message exists mark "<<" it may be included in the message display area of course.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 1b determines that the upper layer message presence mark “<<” displayed in the message display area in the above-described step ST28 is not selected by the operation of the operator (ST28: No), the above-described processing is performed. The display time after the window WD is displayed on the display screen DS is counted (ST31).

  In step ST32, the CPU 1b determines whether no operation has been performed for a certain period of time after the window WD is displayed, depending on whether the counted display time of the window WD is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  In the display time determination process described above, the CPU 1b determines that the display time counted in step ST32 described above is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, in other words, that no operation has been performed for a certain period of time after the window WD is displayed. If it is determined (ST32: Yes), the help message stored for all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD, the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the help message, and the help message The attribute information, the color information predetermined for each attribute information, the information about the display state of the help message, and the information about the hierarchy of the help message are read from the hard disk drive 1i, and all the information included in the read window WD is read. Remembered for icons, buttons, hyperlinks Help message, position coordinates of display position for displaying the help message, attribute information of the help message, color information predetermined for each attribute information, information on the display state of the help message, and help message The data of the information regarding the hierarchy of the data is transferred to the video card 1f (ST33).

  In step ST34, the video card 1f changes the data related to the display state of the help message described above to “display” indicating that the help message is displayed, and then colors with a predetermined color for each attribute information. Generating the data of each message display area including the help message, and the position coordinates of the display position for displaying each message display area including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information, and the CPU 1b Each of the message display areas including the help message colored in a predetermined color for each attribute information and the window WD are displayed on the display screen DS so that the received position coordinates coincide with each other.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a window WD displayed in association with each message display area on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment.

  A window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, a help message displayed in the message display area, and other messages. It includes a lower layer message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a layer lower by one than the layer to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message belongs. A message display area, and one level higher than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of the help message body, the help message displayed in the message display area, and other help messages belongs. Help messages that belong to In association with each of the message display region including an upper layer message exists mark "<<" which indicates that the resident is displayed on the display screen DS.

  Note that the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment includes a message display area including only a help message body, a help message body, and a help message displayed in the message display area. A lower hierarchy message presence mark “>>” indicating that there is a help message that belongs to a hierarchy lower by one than the hierarchy to which the help message displayed on the hierarchical structure composed of other help messages belongs. A message display area including a help message main body, a help message displayed in the message display area and a help message displayed in a hierarchical structure including other help messages Help messages that only belong to higher levels Is displayed on the display screen DS in association with each of the message display areas including the upper layer message presence mark “<<” indicating that the message exists, but not limited thereto, the lower layer message presence mark “>>” ”And the upper layer message presence mark“ << ”may be included in each message display area.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 1b determines that the display time counted in the above-described step ST32 is less than the predetermined threshold, in other words, the operator may not face any trouble in operation. (ST32: No), the determination process is repeated regarding whether the counted display time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, in other words, whether the operator may face some trouble in operation.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST1 that the application program has not been started (ST1: No), the CPU 1b ends the execution process as it is.

  Through the series of processes as described above, the personal computer 1 according to this embodiment ends the help message display process being executed.

  As described above, according to the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, when a help button is selected by an operator's operation, a help message and the help message are displayed for each icon, button, and hyperlink. Setting information including the position coordinates of the display position to be read is read from the hard disk drive 1i by the CPU 1b and a message including a help message regarding all icons, buttons, and hyperlinks included in the window WD displayed on the display screen DS. The window WD and each of the message display areas are displayed on the display screen DS in association with each other by the video card 1f so that the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the display area coincide with the position coordinates read from the hard disk drive 1i. So it is displayed Icons included in Indou WD, button, for all hyperlinks, these icons, buttons, it is possible to display a message for explaining the operation contents for the hyperlink.

  As a result, according to the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the help message required by the operator from being overlooked, so that the operability when the operator operates is improved. Can be achieved.

  In the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, the case where a mailer of company A, which is an arbitrary application, is launched by the operator is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and Word (registered trademark), Launch any application software such as Excel (registered trademark), PowerPoint (registered trademark), Outlook Express (registered trademark) office applications, Visio (registered trademark), drawing applications such as AutoCAD, browser, viewer Needless to say, the present invention can be similarly applied.

  Further, regarding the explanation of the help message display processing executed by the personal computer 1 according to the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the case where the selection operation is performed by the operator using the mouse 1o has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Needless to say, this is the same even if the operator operates the touch pad 1p and the touch panel.

  Note that the program according to the above-described embodiment may be realized by an application program, OS, browser, middleware, or the like installed in a computer.

    Note that the methods described in the above-described embodiments are magnetic disks (floppy (registered trademark) disks, hard disk drives, etc.), optical disks (CD-ROM, DVD, BD (Blu- ray Disk) -ROM (Read Only Memory), BD (Blu-ray Disk) -R (Recordable), BD (Blu-ray Disk) -RE (Rewritable), HD (High Definition) DVD-ROM, HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-RAM, etc.), magneto-optical disk (MO), semiconductor memory, holographic memory, etc. Can be provided.

  Further, as a method for providing the image forming program of the present invention, for example, a method of distributing the image forming program to a user in a state where the image forming program is recorded on a recording medium, or a method of transmitting to a computer owned by the user via a communication network such as the Internet, for example. In addition, there are a technique for installing the transmitted program in a computer, a technique for providing the program using radio, and the like. Needless to say, the technique for providing the image forming program according to the present embodiment may be a so-called ASP (Application Service Provider) technique.

  In addition, the image forming program according to the above embodiment is a general high-level language such as C language, Delphi, XTL, Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language), XML (eXtensible Markup Language), or object-oriented language (C +). It may be created in any programming language such as +, JAVA (registered trademark), C #, JAVA2, Small Talk).

  Further, as the recording medium in the present invention, any recording format can be used as long as it can record a program and can be read by a computer. For example, a magnetic tape, a microfilm, a semiconductor flash memory, Floppy (registered trademark) disk, CD-ROM, CD-R / RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R / -RW, DVD + R / + RW, MO, holographic memory, BD-ROM, BD- Any form of R, BD-RE, HD (High Definition) DVD-ROM, HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-RAM, and the like may be used.

  Furthermore, the recording medium of the present invention is not limited to a medium independent of a computer, and may be a medium that is stored or temporarily stored via a communication network such as a LAN, a WAN, an intranet, and the Internet.

  In the present invention, it is needless to say that the type and number of recording media are not necessarily one, and may be composed of a plurality of recording media having the same form or different forms.

The present invention also includes a data structure, a machining program, and various hardware on which the machining program functions, which are indispensable for configuring a program that implements the functions described above.

  Note that the above processing programs include general high-level languages such as C language, Delphi, XTL, Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language), XML (eXtensible Markup Language), and object-oriented languages (C ++, JAVA (registered)). (Trademark), C #, JAVA2, Small Talk) or the like.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention in the implementation stage. Further, the above embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be generated by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, when an invention is generated by omitting some requirements from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, the omitted portion is supplemented by a well-known common technique at the stage of implementing the generated invention. It is.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the invention of the display device and the help message display program according to the present invention provides an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, a FAX, or a copier having a function of displaying help messages for all buttons included in the screen displayed on the display screen. Of course, the present invention can also be applied.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the personal computer 1 to which the display apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the personal computer 1 which concerns on the embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the help message display process which the personal computer 1 which concerns on the embodiment performs. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the help message display process which the personal computer 1 which concerns on the embodiment performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 concerning the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with each message display area. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with the message display area including the enlarged help message. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 of the embodiment in association with each message display area not including a help message. An example of a window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with each of the message display area including the help message moved by the operator's drag-and-drop operation and the other message display areas It is a schematic diagram which shows. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with a message display area including a message belonging to a lower hierarchy. It is a schematic diagram which shows another example of the message display area | region containing the message which belongs to a lower hierarchy, and the window WD displayed in relation to the said message display area | region on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 which concerns on the embodiment. . It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with a message display area including a message belonging to a higher hierarchy. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the window WD displayed on the display screen DS of the personal computer 1 according to the embodiment in association with each message display area.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Personal computer, 1a ... North Bridge, 1b ... CPU, 1c ... ROM,
1d ... RAM, 1e ... SRAM, 1f ... video card, 1g ... DVI, 1h ... South bridge, 1i ... hard disk drive, 1j ... DVD multi-drive, 1k ... sound card, 1l ... USB port, 1m ... back port connector, 1n ... Keyboard, 1o ... Mouse, 1p ... Touchpad, 1q ... Modem card 1q, DS ... Display screen, WD ... Window

Claims (20)

Display means;
A first help message for indicating an operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means and displaying the operation in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink is displayed. Setting information storage means in which at least setting information including each icon, button, or hyperlink is stored;
When a help button for displaying an operation content for an icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen is selected by an operation of the operator, the icon, button, or hyperlink is displayed for each icon, button, or hyperlink. Help message reading means for reading setting information including one help message from the setting information storage means;
With respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display unit, the first display unit displays the help display target screen and the message display area in association with each other. And a display control means. The setting information storage means indicates the operation contents for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means, and is displayed in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink. Setting information including a first help message for displaying and a position coordinate of a display position for displaying the first help message is stored for each icon, button, or hyperlink,
The help message reading means, when a help button for displaying an operation content for an icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen is selected by an operator's operation, the icon, button, or For each hyperlink, the setting information including the first help message and the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the first help message is read out from the setting information storage unit,
The first display control means displays a message display area including the first help message for all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means. The help display target screen and each of the message display areas are associated with each other and displayed on the display means so that the position coordinates read from the setting information storage means coincide with each other. The display device according to 1. The setting information further includes information on a hierarchical position of each help message on a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including a first help message,
A lower message presence mark indicating that there is a second help message belonging to a lower hierarchy in the hierarchical structure than the hierarchy to which the first help message displayed in the message display area belongs is displayed by an operator's operation. If selected, the help message displayed in the message display area is replaced from the first help message with a second help message belonging to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the first help message belongs, The second display control means for causing the display means to display the message display area including the second help message and the help display target screen in association with each other. The display device described in 1. The setting information further includes information on a hierarchical position of each help message on a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including a first help message,
An upper message presence mark indicating that there is a third help message belonging to a higher hierarchy in the hierarchical structure than the hierarchy to which the first help message displayed in the message display area belongs is displayed by an operator's operation. If selected, the help message displayed in the message display area is replaced from the first help message with a third help message belonging to a hierarchy higher than the hierarchy to which the first help message belongs, The third display control means for causing the display means to display the message display area including the third help message and the help display target screen in association with each other. The display device according to any one of the above. A display time counting means for counting the display time during which the help display target screen is displayed on the display means;
The help message reading unit is configured to display the first help message and the position of the display position for displaying the first help message when the display time counted by the display time counting unit exceeds a predetermined threshold. 5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein setting information including coordinates is read from the setting information storage unit. 6. The display according to claim 1, further comprising position coordinate setting means for externally setting a position coordinate of a display position for displaying the first help message. apparatus. A display frequency counting means for counting the display frequency of each help message;
Display magnification changing means for changing the display magnification of a help message when the number of display times counted by the display number counting means is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device. The setting information includes information related to a display state of a plurality of help messages including the first help message,
The display state switching means for switching the display state of the help message when a message display area including the first help message is selected by an operation of an operator. The display device according to any one of 7. The setting information further includes information on a color for displaying a plurality of help messages including the first help message, and attribute information of the first help message,
The setting information storage means includes setting information including the first help message, position coordinates of a display position for displaying the first help message, information about the color, and attribute information of the first help message. Color information reading means for reading from:
Position coordinates of a display position for displaying a message display area including the first help message and the setting information storage unit with respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display unit The help display target screen and the message display area are associated with each other and displayed on the display means so that the position coordinates read out from the display are matched, and the first help message is displayed in a predetermined color for each attribute information. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth display control unit configured to display in the message display area. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the help button is displayed on an arbitrary screen different from the help display target screen. A help message display program installed in a display device having a display means,
A computer of the display device;
A first help message for indicating an operation content for the icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen displayed on the display means and displaying the operation in association with the icon, button, or hyperlink is displayed. Setting information storage means in which at least setting information including each icon, button, or hyperlink is stored;
When a help button for displaying an operation content for an icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen is selected by an operation of the operator, the icon, button, or hyperlink is displayed for each icon, button, or hyperlink. Help message reading means for reading setting information including one help message from the setting information storage means;
With respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display unit, the first display unit displays the help display target screen and the message display area in association with each other. Help message display program to function as a display control means. The setting information includes a first help message for display in association with an icon, a button, or a hyperlink, and position coordinates of a display position for displaying the first help message,
A computer of the display device;
When a help button for displaying an operation content for an icon, button, or hyperlink included in the help display target screen is selected by an operation of the operator, the icon, button, or hyperlink is displayed for each icon, button, or hyperlink. Functioning as the help message reading means for reading setting information including one help message and position coordinates of a display position for displaying the first help message from the setting information storage means;
Position coordinates of a display position for displaying a message display area including the first help message and the setting information storage unit with respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display unit The help display target screen and each of the message display areas are associated with each other so as to match the position coordinates read from the first display control means to display on the display means. Item 12. A help message display program according to Item 11. The setting information further includes information on a hierarchical position of each help message on a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including a first help message,
A computer of the display device;
A lower message presence mark indicating that there is a second help message belonging to a lower hierarchy in the hierarchical structure than the hierarchy to which the first help message displayed in the message display area belongs is displayed by an operator's operation. If selected, the help message displayed in the message display area is replaced from the first help message with a second help message belonging to a lower hierarchy than the hierarchy to which the first help message belongs, The message display area including the second help message and the help display target screen are associated with each other and further displayed as the second display control means for displaying on the display means. Help message display program. The setting information further includes information on a hierarchical position of each help message on a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of help messages including a first help message,
A computer of the display device;
An upper message presence mark indicating that there is a third help message belonging to a higher hierarchy in the hierarchical structure than the hierarchy to which the first help message displayed in the message display area belongs is displayed by an operator's operation. If selected, the help message displayed in the message display area is replaced from the first help message with a third help message belonging to a hierarchy higher than the hierarchy to which the first help message belongs, The message display area including the third help message and the help display target screen are associated with each other and further displayed as third display control means for displaying on the display means. The help message display program according to item 1. A computer of the display device;
Display time counting means for counting the display time during which the help display target screen is displayed on the display means;
Setting information including the first help message and the position coordinates of the display position for displaying the first help message when the display time counted by the display time counting means exceeds a predetermined threshold. The help message display program according to any one of claims 11 to 14, which functions as a help message reading unit that reads from the setting information storage unit.   The help message display program according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein position coordinates of a display position for displaying the first help message can be set from the outside. Display number counting means for counting the number of times each help message is displayed on the computer of the display device;
When the display count counted by the display count counting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it further functions as a display magnification change means for changing the display magnification of the help message whose display count is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. The help message display program according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the help message display program is provided. The setting information includes information related to a display state of a plurality of help messages including the first help message,
The computer of the said display apparatus for making it further function as a display state switching means which switches the display state of the said help message, when the message display area containing the said 1st help message is selected by operation of an operator. The help message display program according to any one of claims 17 to 17. The setting information further includes information on a color for displaying a plurality of help messages including the first help message, and attribute information of the first help message,
Setting information including the first help message, position coordinates of a display position for displaying the first help message, information on the color, and attribute information of the first help message. Color information reading means for reading from the setting information storage means,
Position coordinates of a display position for displaying a message display area including the first help message and the setting information storage unit with respect to all icons, buttons, or hyperlinks included in the help display target screen displayed on the display unit The help display target screen and the message display area are associated with each other and displayed on the display means so that the position coordinates read out from the display are matched, and the first help message is displayed in a predetermined color for each attribute information. The help message display program according to any one of claims 11 to 18, further functioning as fourth display control means for displaying in the message display area. The help message display program according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the help button is displayed on an arbitrary screen different from the help display target screen.

Images