International Business Machines Corporation

Kenneth O Shipp, Jr

James T Repass

Gary Randall Horn

Richard B Wood

Thomas M Ruiz

Lewis J Levine

Rex A McCaskill

John Andrew Aiken, Jr

Victor Cuan

Raymond A Hebert, Jr

A method of, and system for, designating footnotes and footnote references based on, and beginning with, an operator defined initial designation. The initial designation can be made up of both a variable functional portion and an accompanying fixed aesthetic portion. The functional portion is for numbering and can be either a numeric or other graphic character. The fixed portion can be both cosmetic and functional and can be made up of a character or characters. The designation can be located either on-line or in an indexed position. When numeric characters are used in number designating footnotes and footnote references, there is an incrementing by one of the operator selected initial number for each succeeding footnote and footnote reference designated. When other graphic characters are used in number designating footnotes and footnote references, the number of graphic characters is increased by one for each succeeding footnote and footnote reference designated. The initial designation can be selected to include either any number or number of graphic characters for numbering purposes. Also, numbers and the number of graphic characters can be reset, on a section basis such as by document page or chapter, to those initially defined. Further, if there is to be an intermingling of numeric and other graphic characters for designating footnotes and footnote references, incrementing and increasing of the numeric and other graphic characters is from the corresponding numeric or other graphic character last used for designating a footnote and footnote reference.

Designation of footnotes and footnote reference

A method of managing body and footnote text during preparation, review, editing, and printing of a document. Preparation can be accomplished in a one pass input keying operation without regard to (1) storage of the body and footnote text, and (2) numbering of reference points in the body text and corresponding footnotes. During preparation there is separate storage of the body and footnote text, separate display frames are provided for each, editing is permitted in the frame being operated on, and the system automatically numbers and updates the numbering of the reference points and footnotes. For a review of the appearance of the document in its to-be-printed format, and any editing thereof, the body and footnote text are assembled for display. Thereafter, the document can be printed.

Footnote management for display and printing

A method for editing data stored in a word processing system in table entry format. Means are provided for operator selection and definition of a top reference area for displaying table column headings or a side reference area for displaying table row entry headings, or both. A vertical separator column of video-reverse spaces separates the display screen into left and right viewports, when a side reference is defined. A horizontal separator bar of video-reverse spaces separates the display screen into top and bottom viewpoints when a top reference is defined. Means are also provided for scrolling the displayed side reference area headings in synchronism with the scrolling of the editable portion of the table, and segmenting the top reference area headings in synchronism with the segmenting of the portion of the editable table entries.

Column layout reference area display management

A method of, and system for, managing assembly and formatting of footnotes and body text. Following preparation and separate storage of both body and footnote text, assembly of the footnote text with the body text can be accomplished in one pass for a review of the appearance of the document in its to-be-printed format. Two techniques are available for assembly of the document. The technique selected will be the one which will provide optimum performance and will be determined by the amount of footnote text being assembled and/or the body and footnote text edited. If any editing is performed, the new and/or edited footnote text can be re-assembled in one pass.

Footnote assembly management

In a column layout operation in an interactive word processing system, the unoccupied character escapement along a column example line is automatically evenly distributed by the insertion of an appropriate number of space characters responsive to the stroking of a predetermined function key.

Automatic intertext column spacing

A method for the automatic center tab insertion within a column example line comprising the steps of an operator cursor move to a column margin to define an end position; and responsive to a function key stroke, the machine steps of concurrently moving the cursor to the other column margin and counting the text characters of the example; calculating the distance to the column center position; concurrently moving the cursor to the calculated center position, and inserting a centered tab stop control character therein.

Automatic centering of text column entries

The automatic tab insertion in those null-entry positions in a tab-stopped positioned multicolumn table having row lines which include text right adjacent the null entries so as to inhibit right-to-left, text-to-null-entry migration in the same row.

Method and means for inhibiting interleaving or cave-in among table text

An improved method and apparatus in an interactive text processing system for creating documents by selectively merging text data from two or more text records by signalling the location in a document at which the insert of text data is to be added, displaying a Merge Tasks Menu which provides an option for executing a merge operation in response to either Switch Code or Named Variable control codes, specifying the identification and location of the text data comprising the Shell Document and the Fill-In Document, and executing the Merge operation based on the specified data and Merge control mode.

Method and apparatus for merge processing in a text processing system

An improved method in an interactive text processing system for creating/revising documents by adding a multi-page insert of text data at a specified location in the document comprising displaying the document, signalling to the system the location within the document into which the text data is to be copied, specifying to the system the identification and location within the document into which the text data is to be copied, specifying to the system the identification and location of the insert text data, scanning the insert text data for INCLUDE instructions, resolving the INCLUDE instructions prior to adding the text data into the document, and copying the specified text data into the document at the signalled location. In a specific embodiment, text data up to ten pages can be copied and up to five levels of nested INCLUDE instructions can be resolved.

Method for performing a multiple page get operation in a text processing

In a word processor where a text stream is input by way of a keyboard for storage and is displayed to an operator and wherein different keyboard character sets are available, means are provided for signalling the location at which an insert of one or more characters is to be added to the text stream. Means are provided for comparing the active keyboard character set in the text stream immediately preceding the location to the keyboard character set of the insert to produce a first output when the keyboard character sets compare and a second output when the keyboard character sets do not compare. The insert is entered into the text stream at the location upon generation of the first output. Upon generation of the second output a character set change code is added immediately upstream of said location to indicate the keyboard character set for the insert. Immediately following the insert a character set change code is added to indicate the keyboard character set for the text shown immediately following the insert.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Kenneth O Shipp, Jr