Operation guidance generating unit and method of generating operation guidance

A method for producing guidance images describing an operation procedure of a data processor, thereby aiding a user in the operation of the data processor, the method using a guidance description unit for describing an operation procedure for updating guidance images on a screen of a display unit, object data unit for storing image data for each element needed to generate the guidance images and for storing graphic display processing program, and a style rules storage unit for storing display format data for an image area where a display format is amendable, the area being included in the guidance images generated from the image data stored in the object data storage unit, the method of generating the guidance images comprising the steps of:

• selecting operation instruction data indicating the operation procedure from the guidance description unit;
• selecting the image data needed to generate the guidance images and the graphic display processing program from the object data storage unit;
• selecting the display format data from the style rules storage unit;
• and
• generating the guidance images by editing certain image data based on the display format data selected from the style rules image data storage unit in accordance with each operation procedure described in the guidance description unit.

A method of generating operation guidance that generates data for animated guidance images explaining an operation procedure of a data processor, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing image data for each element consisting of image and an image data processing means in advance, the image data for each element being necessary to generate the guidance image;
• generating and storing display format data for an image area where a display format is amendable among guidance images generated with the stored image data;
• describing an operation procedure for updating the guidance images in accordance with a procedure a user is to follow;
• and
• generating the guidance image by selecting certain image data from the stored image data in accordance with each operation procedure described and subsequently editing the selected image data based on the stored display format data.