Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Patent
1997-06-13
2000-04-25
Trammell, James P.
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
707520, G06F 1721
Patent
active
060555491
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing a table in units of cells which constitute the table, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for processing a table which enables image data processing in units of cells in a data processing apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
In a conventional table processing apparatus incorporated in a computer system or the like, which has a function of forming a table in units of cells, the types of data input to the cells constituting the table are limited to two: numerical and character data. If numerical or character data (cell data) is to be mixed with another type of data (e.g., image or sound data) in the table, the latter type of data is expressed in a data structure and is managed by a managing method which are different from those of the cell data.
For example, an operation of editing normal cell data is restricted within cell frames. On the other hand, in the case of expressing image data in a table, an arbitrary region irrespective of cell frames is set as an image data frame, and an operation of pasting desired image data in the image data frame is required. In this case, the image data frame and the image data are processed by the data structure and managed by the managing method which are different from those for processing numerical and character cell data of the table.
The conventional table processing apparatus described above has the following drawbacks. To incorporate data other than numerical or character data (e.g., image or sound data) in a table, the data must be is processed by the data structure and managed by the managing method which are different from those for processing numerical and character cell data. Therefore, for example, to edit cell data when image data or sound data is incorporated in the table, it is difficult for the user to understand an operation for the above purpose due to the difference between the operations for processing the numerical or character data and image or sound data, and the operation procedures are complicated.
Thus, the operation of treating image data and sound data in the tabling process is complex, resulting in low operability of the table processing apparatus.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for processing a table, in which image data is stored as cell data of table data, so that an operation and procedure for processing the image data as cell data (e.g., an image process of the image data or an output of the image data to a designated cell of the table) can be simple and the manner of expressing cell data can be diversified.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for processing table data in a form of a table consisting of a plurality of cells, the method comprising the steps of storing data including image data in a storing device so as to respectively correspond to cells of the table data; discriminating whether data in a designated cell of the table data to be processed is numerical data, character data or image data; if the data in the designated cell is discriminated as image data, producing an image based on the image data stored in the storing device in correspondence with the designated cell; and outputting the produced image to an output region of the designated cell.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of cell data stored in the table data file shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an image definition process executed by the computer system of the first embodiment;
FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing image definition input screens displayed on the display through the image definition process shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of image data stored in the input data region shown in FIG. 2 by the image definition process shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a table data output process ex
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Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Trammell James P.
Young John Leonard
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