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Flexible data display

  • US 5,047,959 A
  • Filed: 09/13/1988
  • Issued: 09/10/1991
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a data processing system for building a series of display screens such that content and format of said display screens is readily adapted for a specific application in response to suer input and data base format changes;

  • said data processing system including a data display terminal, said data display terminal including means for displaying alphanumeric characters at specified screen coordinates and means for enabling a user to enter alphanumeric data;

    a central processing unit; and

    a memory;

    an application program stored in said memory and executed by said central processing unit, and a data base stored in said memory;

    said data base including a plurality of definitions of field of alphanumeric characters to be displayed by said display terminal, some of said fields being defined as output only fields and others of said fields being defined as updatable fields, and definitions of sequences of said fields including a definition of a respective sequence of said fields for each one of said display screens, wherein each one of said display screens is displayed by simultaneously displaying the respective sequence of said fields for said each one of said display screens;

    said method comprising successively displaying said display screens by successively performing, for each one of said display screens, the steps of;

    (a) reading said data base to obtain the definition of the respective sequence of said fields to be displayed simultaneously by said display terminal as said each one of said display screens;

    (b) reading said data base to obtain said definitions of said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously to obtain information about said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously;

    (c) computing respective screen coordinates for said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously in response to said respective sequence of said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously and said information about said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously;

    (d) transmitting said respective screen coordinates of said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously along with said information about said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously to said means for displaying to thereby simultaneously display said fields of alphanumeric characters to be displayed simultaneously; and

    (e) displaying alphanumeric data entered by said user in selected ones of said fields defined as updatable and preventing alphanumeric data entered by said user from being displayed in said fields defined as output only fields.

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