Patent ID: 8467084

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a processor; a storage unit that a text language processing program has been stored; an operation panel; a communication interface; wherein the text language processing program is configured to cause the processor (a) to interpret a user application that includes descriptions on (a1) a pair of consumable-goods order statement and (a2) an attribution of an icon to be displayed on either a remote console via the communication interface or the operation panel, (b) to detect a user operation to the icon, and (c) upon detecting the user operation, to transmit consumable-goods order information based on the consumable-goods order statement via the communication interface; a detecting unit configured to detect a consumption status of consumable goods; wherein the user application further includes a description on a consumption status in the attribution of the icon, a description on an indication area of the icon in the attribution of the icon and an END statement described after the consumable-goods order statement; and wherein the text language processing program is further configured to cause the processor to display the detected consumption status according to the description on the consumption status on either the operation panel or the remote console, to display the consumption status in the indication area, to delete the consumption status in the indication area after the consumable-goods order information is transmitted, and to delete the consumption status at the END statement.