Indirect file accessing method, information processor executing same method and recording medium with indirect file access processing program recorded therein

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention removes these restrictions and restrictions in an information processing device having a limitation on the number of characters that can be used as a file name and an information processing device having a limitation on the character set that can be used as a file name. The present invention relates to an indirect file access method capable of using a user file name using a sufficiently long number of characters and various character sets, an information processing apparatus that implements the method, and a recording medium on which an indirect file access processing program is recorded.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Generally, there is a limit to the length that can be used as a file name that can be used in a small-scale information processing device, and only a file name that fits within the limit can be used. In addition, the character set that can be used as a file name is limited to alphabetic characters and numbers, and there are restrictions that alphabetic characters cannot be case-sensitive. As a means to avoid the limitation of the file name length of this file system, a hash value using the original file name as a key is obtained, and this value is used as a fixed-length conversion file name instead of the original file name. Has been proposed, but efficient file management was difficult. Similarly, as a means of avoiding the limitation of the file name length, a method of managing the file management information storage area by dividing it into a fixed-length file name storage area and a continuous information area that stores the portion beyond it. Has been proposed, but in this case as well, efficient file management was difficult.

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

If there is a restriction on the character set that can be used as the name of the file that can be used in the information processing device, it is not possible to create a file that uses characters that exceed the range of that character set. Further, when there is a limit on the number of characters that can be used as a file name, only a file name that fits within the limit can be used, and files having different parts beyond that limit are processed as the same name.

【0004】

In order to extend the file name length limit, the hash value of the original file name is used as the conversion file name, and the method of using it as a substitute for the original file is complicated to calculate the hash value, and the calculated hash values collide. In order to avoid file name conflicts after conversion, more complicated management was required and efficient file management was difficult. Regarding the method of managing the file management information separately into the fixed-length file name storage area and the continuous information area that stores the part beyond that, if there is a file in which the fixed-length file name part conflicts. It was difficult to manage files efficiently because it was necessary to separately manage the management method and the complicated file name part that exceeds the fixed length.

【0005】

The present invention does not modify the mechanism of the existing file system provided in the information processing device, and has various restrictions that the conventional file system has, such as restrictions on the character set that can be used and the number of characters that can be used as a file name. It is an object of the present invention to provide an indirect file access method capable of efficiently removing the restrictions and the like, and greatly improving the user interface, an information processing apparatus for implementing the method, and a recording medium on which an indirect file access program is recorded.

【0006】

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has a character set that can be used as a file name and a character set that can be used as a file name and a length of the file name in an information processing apparatus having a file system that has a limitation on the file length that can be used as a file name. Prepare a user file name storage table that stores file names without restrictions, search the table when accessing a file, and actually based on the position information in the table where the file name is stored. By converting to a file name, the above restriction is removed.

【0007】

The invention of claim 1 provides a user file name storage means for storing a user file name used by a user or a program in an indirect file access method in a file system that manages a file by using the file name, and is used by the user or the program. An arbitrary user file name is converted into a system file name including storage position information in which the user file name is stored in the user file name storage means, and the converted system file name is used as a file name in the file system. The present invention relates to an indirect file access method characterized in that access is performed, storage position information in the user file name storage means is taken out from a system file name, and the user file name storage means is referred to and converted into a user file name.

【0008】

The invention of claim 2 is a user file name storage means for storing a user file name used by a user or a program in an information processing apparatus having a file system for managing the file using the file name, and an arbitrary user or program used. The user file name is converted by the system file name conversion means for converting the user file name into a system file name including the storage position information in which the user file name is stored in the user file name storage means, and the system file name conversion means. The file system access means for accessing the file system using the system file name as the file name, and the storage position information in the user file name storage means are extracted from the system file name, and the user file name is referred to by referring to the user file name storage means. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus provided with a user file name conversion means for converting to.

【0009】

The invention of claim 3 has a file system that manages files using a file name, has restrictions on the character set that can be used as a file name in the file system, and is used as a user file name used by a user or a program. A user file name that stores the user file name in association with the system file name used by the file system in an information processing device that can use a character set other than the character set that can be used as the file name in the file system. A storage means, a system file name conversion means for converting the user file name into a system file name according to a character set restriction that can be used as the system file name, and a system file converted by the system file name conversion means. It is characterized by including a file system access means for accessing the file system using a name as a file name, and a user file name conversion means for converting the system file name into a user file name by referring to the user file name storage means. Regarding information processing equipment.

【0010】

The invention of claim 4 is the invention of claim 3, wherein the system file name conversion means stores the user file name in the user file name storage means for an arbitrary user file name. The user file name conversion means extracts the storage position information in the user file name storage means from the system file name and converts it into a user file name by referring to the user file name storage means. It relates to an information processing apparatus characterized by

【0011】

The invention of claim 5 is the invention of claim 3 or 4, when the system file name conversion means complies with the restriction of the character set that the user file name can be used as the file name in the file system. , The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus characterized in that the user file name is used as it is as the system file name.

【0012】

The invention of claim 6 has a file system that manages files using a file name, has a limitation on the length of the file name in the file system, and has the file system as a user file name used by a user or a program. A user file name storage means for storing the user file name in association with the system file name used by the file system in an information processing device capable of using a file name having a length exceeding the file name length limit. And, for any user file name, it is converted into a system file name including storage position information in which the user file name is stored in the user file name storage means according to the limitation of the length of the file name in the file system. System file name conversion means, file system access means for accessing the file system using the system file name converted by the system file name conversion means as a file name, and storage position information in the user file name storage means from the system file name. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus including a user file name conversion means for taking out and converting the user file name by referring to the user file name storage means.

【0013】

The invention of claim 7 is the invention of claim 6, when the system file name conversion means complies with the limitation of the length of the user file name that can be used as the file name in the file system. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus characterized in that the user file name is used as it is as a system file name.

【0014】

The invention of claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein a specific character string is included in a specific position of the system file name converted by the system file name conversion means, and the user file is described. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus characterized in that when a specific character string is included in a specific position of a system file name processed by the name conversion means, the system file name is used as it is as a user file name.

【0015】

The invention of claim 9 uses a user file name storage function for storing a user file name used by a user or a program in a computer and an arbitrary user file name used by the user or the program by using the user file name storage function. Is converted into a system file name including the storage position information in which the user file name is stored, and a file system using the converted system file name as a file name by using the system file name conversion function. It relates to a user file name conversion function that accesses, extracts storage position information from the system file name, and converts it into a user file name, and a recording medium that records a program for executing.

【0016】

(Action) According to the present invention, there are no restrictions on the character set that can be used as a file name that can be used in the file system of the information processing device, and characters including Japanese can be used as the file name. Furthermore, it is possible to virtually eliminate the restriction on the length of the name that can be given to the file, and it is possible to give a file name of any length.

【0017】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the relationship between the file system expansion device and the information processing device for implementing the indirect file access method, and the user and the program. 1 is a program on the user or information processing device, and the user file name 2 before conversion used in this part has no restrictions on the character set to be used and no restrictions on the length of characters that can be used as the file name. The file name. The file system extension device 3 is composed of a file search processing unit 4, a file creation processing unit 5, a file deletion processing unit 6, a free entry management processing unit 7, and a file name storage table 8. In this file system extension device 3, the name of the user file name 2 before conversion is converted to the system file name 9 after conversion, and there are restrictions on the character set and the length of the file name that can be used for the file name. It is input to a certain information processing device 10.

【0018】

(Example of User File Name Storage Table) FIG. 2 shows an example of the user file name storage table 8. In the case of Fig. 2, there are file storage tables 1 to Z as entries, and it is shown that there are Z files in total. Regarding the file name that can be used in the information processing device 10 in this embodiment, the character set that can be used is 36 characters including uppercase letters and numerical values, and a suffix can be added as the file name. It shall be preceded by a comma ".". Regarding the length of the file name, it is assumed that the part before the suffix is restricted to 8 characters and the suffix part is restricted to 3 characters.

【0019】

Each entry consists of an entry index of 12, used / unused flags of 13, pre-conversion filename 14, and free entry list 15. The used / unused flag 13 is a flag indicating whether or not this entry is used. For example, if this value is 1, it indicates that the entry is used, and if this value is 0, it is unused. Indicates that it is an entry. The pre-conversion file name 14 is an area for storing the pre-conversion user file name 2 in which the restrictions on the character set that can be used have been removed and the restrictions on the number of characters that can be used as the file name have been expanded. In the case of this figure, the maximum length of this file name is 128 characters, which greatly reduces the limit. The size of this area is set to a size that does not cause any problem in the length of the file name. The following free entry list 15 has a function of connecting unused entries, and is for efficiently reusing free entries. In Figure 2, the entry at entry index 3 is a free entry, but the next free entry has an index of 5, and the next free entry has an index of X. For each entry in such a user file name storage table 8, the system file name for the user file name stored therein is based on the position information in the table. This name can be, for example, the index value of the file name storage table. In that case, the system file name of index 4 is 00000004. 00000004 is a character string expressing the index value 4 with 8 characters. Also, if you add a special suffix to this file to indicate that the file name has been converted and give it a name such as 00000004.CNV, you can see that the file name has been converted by looking at the suffix.

【0020】

(Example in the case of searching for an existing file) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process in the case of searching for an existing file. The process of searching for an existing file will be described with reference to FIG. 2 using the flowchart of FIG. The user file name 2 before conversion specified by the program is input to the file system extension device 3, where the file search processing unit 4 converts it to the name of the actual file used in the file system 11. This process begins by retrieving the contents of the first entry in the user file name storage table 8 (S1). At this time, the index of the user file name storage table 8 is stored (S2). Next, retrieve the used / unused flag 13 in the retrieved entry (S3) and check if this entry is currently in use (S4). If it is unused, it is checked whether it is the last entry in the user file name storage table 8 (S5), and if it is the last entry, the file being searched for is in the user file name storage table 8. It does not exist and the process ends. If in step 5, if it is not the last entry, the contents of the next entry in the user file name storage table 8 are fetched (S6), the index of the storage table stored at this time is incremented (S7), and step 5 is performed. Return. If this entry is in use in the process of step 4, extract the unconverted file name 14 from the user file name storage table 8 (S8) and check whether it is the file name being searched for. (S9). If the file names are different, the process is continued from the process of step 5 above. If the file names are the same, it is assumed that the converted file name 9 of the search file is a file whose name is the index of this entry (S10).

【0021】

(Example when creating a new file) FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the user file name storage table 8 for explaining the process when creating a new file, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process. is there. The process for creating a new file will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5. First, as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5, the existing file is searched to check whether the file to be created already exists (S21), and the file with the same name exists (S22). Here, if a file with the same name exists, the file with the same name already exists, so the creation of a new file fails. If the file with the same name does not exist in step 22, it is checked whether or not the free entry list exists by referring to the free entry list 15 (S23). If there are no free entries, it means that all the entries in the user file name storage table 8 are currently in use, and the table size of the user file name storage table 8 itself needs to be expanded. This extension is done by adding an entry at the end of the user filename storage table 8 (S24). Set the used / unused flag 13 for the new entry created in this way (S25), and register the newly created file name in the area of the file name 14 before conversion (S26). Since the converted file name is the index number of this new entry, create a file with the converted file name (S30).

【0022】

If there is a free entry in step 23, it is determined that there is an entry that was once used but has become free and unused due to the deletion of the file. In the case of FIG. 2, such an entry is an entry such as index 3, index 5, index X .... This entry is indicated by the first 16 of the free list. In the case of FIG. 2, entry 3 is the first entry. Reuse this entry for newly created files. First, set the used / unused flag 13 (S27) to indicate that this entry is in use. Next, register the file name to be newly created in the part of the file name 14 before conversion (S28), and modify the first 16 of the free list to the entry 5 next to the entry of index 3 (S29). The entry 3 secured in this way becomes the converted file name of the newly created file (S30).

【0023】

(Example when deleting an existing file) FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a file name storage table 8 for explaining a process when deleting an existing file, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process. Is. The process for deleting an existing file will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. First, the existing file is searched (S41), and it is checked whether the file to be deleted is registered in the user file name storage table 8 (S42). If it is not registered in the file name storage table 8, the file to be deleted does not exist and the process ends. If it is registered in the file name storage table 8, the index in the user file name storage table 8 of the file to be deleted and the converted file name can be found by the process of step 41. Reset the used / unused flag 13 (S43) and change the value of the free entry list 15 of the entry to the value of the first 16 of the free list so that the entry in the user file name storage table 8 can be reused (S43). S44), the value of the first 16 of the free entry should indicate the entry (S45). After that, delete the file with the converted file (S46).

【0024】

(Example when the character set used is within the restrictions of the character set that can be used in the file system and it is not necessary to convert the file name) Figure 8 shows that the character set used is a file. It is a flowchart which shows the processing when it is within the restriction of the character set which can be used in system 11 and it is not necessary to convert a file name. If the character set used in the user file name input by the user or program satisfies the restriction of the character set that can be used in the file system 11 of the information processing apparatus 10, the user file name storage table 8 is used. By directly inputting the file name to the information processing device, it is possible to avoid converting the file name. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, whether the character set used in the user file name 2 input by the user or the program is composed only of the character set that can be used in the information processing device. To determine. If the file name is composed of only the available character sets, the file search process, file creation process, file deletion process, and free entry management process via the user file name storage table 8 are not performed directly. File processing of. If the file is composed of a character set containing unusable characters, file processing for converting the file name is performed via the user file name storage table 8.

【0025】

(Example when a specific character string is used at a specific position of the file name and the file name is not converted) In Fig. 9, a specific character string is used at a specific position of the file name. , It is a flowchart which shows the process when the conversion of a file name is not performed. If a specific character string is used at a specific position in the user file name 2 entered by the user or program, enter the file name directly into the information processing device without performing the file conversion as described above. It is also possible to avoid converting the file name with. As an example, when a specific character string (for example, raw) is specified in the suffix of the user file name as shown in FIG. 9, file search processing, file creation processing, and file deletion via the user file name storage table 8 are performed. Direct file processing is performed without processing and free entry management processing.

【0026】

(Example of a recording medium on which an indirect file access processing program is recorded) The indirect file access method described in each of the above embodiments is realized by a program that executes it in an information processing apparatus consisting of the system shown in FIG. .. Then, the program that executes the indirect file access process is an arbitrary user used by the user or the program by using the user file name storage function for storing the user file name used by the user or the program and the user file name storage function. Using the system file name conversion function that converts the file name to the system file name including the storage location information in which the user file name is stored and the system file name conversion function, the converted system file name is used as the file name. It is a program for accessing a file system, extracting storage position information from the system file name, and executing a user file name conversion function that converts it into a user file name, and is stored in a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may be a program medium configured to be separable from the main body, or may be a storage means itself provided in the main body.

【0027】

This program media includes tape systems such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks and hard disks, optical disk systems such as CD-ROM, MO, MD, and DVD, IC cards, and optical cards. It may be a card system such as the above, or a medium that carries a program on a solid basis including a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or flash ROM.

【0028】

Further, when the information processing device is provided with a communication means capable of connecting to an external communication network, it is a medium that fluidly carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network via this communication means. There may be. When the program is downloaded from the communication network in this way, the download program may be stored in the main unit in advance or installed from another recording medium. The content stored in the recording medium is not limited to the program, but may be data.

【0029】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the present invention, there are no restrictions on the character sets that can be used in an information processing device that uses a file system that has restrictions on the character set that can be used as a file name and restrictions on the length of the file name. Characters including Japanese can be used as the file name, and there is virtually no restriction on the length of the name that can be given to the file, and it is possible to give a file name of any length. In addition, the file name restriction can be efficiently released with a simple hardware and software configuration without changing the file system provided in the information processing device.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a figure which shows the relationship between a file system expansion apparatus and an information processing apparatus for carrying out an indirect file access method, and a user and a program.

[Figure 2]

It is a figure which shows the structure of the user file name storage table.

[Fig. 3]

It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process at the time of searching the existing file.

[Fig. 4]

It is a figure which shows the structure of the user file name storage table for demonstrating the process at the time of creating a new file.

[Fig. 5]

It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process at the time of creating a new file.

[Fig. 6]

It is a figure which shows the structure of the user file name storage table for demonstrating the process at the time of deleting an existing file.

[Fig. 7]

It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process at the time of deleting an existing file.

[Fig. 8]

It is a flowchart for explaining the process when the character set used is within the constraint of the character set which can be used in a file system, and it is not necessary to convert a file name.

[Fig. 9]

It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process when a specific character string is used in a specific position of a file name, and it is not necessary to convert the file name.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... user, program, 2 ... user file name, 3 ... file system extension device, 4 ... file search processing unit, 5 ... file creation processing unit, 6 ... file deletion processing Department, 7 ... Free entry management processing department, 8 ... File name storage table, 9 ... System file name, 10 ... Information processing device, 11 ... File system, 12 ... Entry Index, 13 ... used / unused flag, 14 ... unconverted file name, 15 ... free entry list, 16 ... first freelist, 17 ... next freelist index.