Patent ID: 7900139

Claim:
A layout control apparatus configured to control layout of a plurality of partial display areas, in each of which data assigned thereto is fit, and to lay out the data on a page, the layout control apparatus comprising: a prediction unit configured to calculate a movable area of each of the partial display areas, in each of which the data assigned thereto is fit, and to predict from the movable area whether each of the partial display areas overlaps with another object arranged on the page; an overlap preventing link display unit configured to set an overlap preventing link between the partial display area and the object which are predicted to overlap with each other, and to display the overlap preventing link; and a setup-data input unit configured to input, in a case where the partial display area is predicted by the prediction unit to overlap, an attribute of rejection of overlap to the partial display area, wherein in a case where the attribute of resection of overlap is set by the setup-data input unit, the overlap preventing link display unit is configured to set and display an overlap preventing link between the partial display area, in which the attribute of rejection of overlap is set, and an another object to be predicted to overlap therewith.