File processing method using expanding display windows for selected records and text fields

• US 4,481,603 A
• Filed: 05/18/1981
• Issued: 11/06/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCaskill, Rex A., McInroy, John W., Waldo, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Jr., A. E.
• Application Number:
  US06/264,625
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/300, 400/63, 400/83, 340/721, 340/711, 340/799
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An information processing system (10) has a terminal (12) which functions with a diskette storage (14). The terminal (12) includes a display screen (16) and keyboard (18) wherein an operator enters alphanumeric characters and predefined commands. A file of information is stored on the diskette storage (14). The file is made up of a plurality of records. Each of the records comprises a plurality of fields. The fields include character fields, arithmetic fields and text fields. The text fields include alphanumeric, punctuation and control characters, the character fields include alphanumeric and punctuation characters and exclude control characters and the arithmetic fields include numeric characters and exclude control characters. By inputting commands to the keyboard (18) the operator reads a record from storage (14) and displays it on the screen (16). The content of the fields in the record are displayed on the screen (16) except for the text fields. For each text field there is displayed an asterisk (60). The operator selects a text field by positioning a cursor (62) beneath the corresponding asterisk and then inputting a down cursor command. In response to the down cursor command the terminal (12) opens a text window on the screen (16) and displays the corresponding text field on the lower portion (16b) of the screen (16). The operator is then free to edit the text field. After completion of the editing the operator enters a command to incorporate the edited text field with the selected record. The record with the edited text field can then be returned to the file in the storage (14).

Claims

1. A method for processing a file of information through use of a display screen, a keyboard and a memory store, the file including a plurality of records, each record having a plurality of text fields, comprising the steps of:

reading one of said records from said memory store in response to a command entered through said keyboard;

displaying said record read from said memory store on a first portion of said display screen;

displaying a field symbol in each of said text fields of said record in place of alphanumeric and control characters normally displayed therein;

setting a cursor at a location of one of said field symbols and entering a predetermined command through said keyboard;

opening a text window on a second portion of said display screen in response to said predetermined command;

simultaneously displaying on said second portion of said display screen, the alphanumeric and control characters of the text field corresponding to the field symbol where the cursor is set;

processing the alphanumeric and control characters in said displayed text field in response to commands received through said keyboard to produce a processed text field; and

incorporating said processed text field into said record read from said memory store in response to a command received through said keyboard to produce a processed record.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the field symbol displayed on said screen is a selected character.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein said selected character is an asterisk.

4. The method recited in claim 1 including the step of setting a cursor at the first character of said text field after said text field is displayed on said display screen.

5. The method recited in claim 1 including the step of maintaining a cursor at the field symbol in said displayed record corresponding to the displayed text field.

6. The method recited in claim 1 including the step of storing said processed record in said memory store.

7. A method for processing information through use of a display screen, a keyboard and a memory store, comprising the steps of:

maintaining in said memory store a file of information comprising a plurality of records, each record comprising a plurality of fields including character fields having alphanumeric characters, arithmetic fields having numeric and algebraic characters and text fields which include both alphanumeric characters and control characters;

reading one of said records from said memory store in response to a command entered through said keyboard;

displaying said record read from said memory store on a first portion of said display screen;

displaying a predetermined character in each of said text fields in place of the alphanumeric and control characters normally displayed therein;

placing a first cursor at the location of a selected one of said predetermined characters in response to a command received from said keyboard;

maintaining said first cursor at the selected predetermined character;

cursor down commanding said first cursor located at said selected predetermined character in response to a command received from said keyboard;

simultaneously displaying on a second portion of said display screen the alphanumeric and control characters in the text field corresponding to said selected predetermined character in response to said step of cursor down commanding;

setting a second cursor at the first character of said text field after said text field is displayed on said display screen;

processing the alphanumeric and control characters in said displayed text field in response to commands received through said keyboard to produce a processed text field;

incorporating said processed text field into said record read from said memory store to produce a processed record; and

storing said processed record in said memory store.

8. The method recited in claim 7 wherein said predetermined character displayed on said screen is an asterisk.