Patent ID: 7847971

Claim:
An information processing apparatus for executing layout processing of changing a layout of a template having a plurality of data areas in accordance with contents data to be assigned in each of the plurality of data areas, comprising: displaying means for displaying the plurality of data areas on a screen; first setting means for setting a standard size for a first data area; second setting means for setting a first layout attribute indicating that size of the first data area arranged with the standard size is not changed when the size of the contents data assigned in the first data area is smaller than the standard size of the first data area; layout means for, in a case where the first layout attribute has been set to the first data area, (a) maintaining the standard size of the first data area when the size of the contents data assigned in the first data area is smaller than the standard size of the first data area and a size of a second data area associated with the first data area is not changed, (b) changing the size of the first data area when the size of the contents data assigned in the first data area is smaller than the standard size of the first data area and the size of the second data area associated with the first data area is changed, or (c) expanding the size of the first data area when the size of the contents data assigned in the first data area is larger than the standard size of the first data area, wherein the second setting means sets a second layout attribute indicating contents size priority for the first data area, and the layout means, in a case where the second layout attribute has been set to the first data area, changes the size of the first data area even if the size of the contents data assigned by the first setting means is smaller than the standard size of the first data area and there is not change a size of the second data area associated with the first data area when contents data having a size different from the set standard size is inserted in the second data area or when the second data area is influenced by a data area associated by a link.