PURPOSE: To find a desired place to be referred to soon through easy operation and retrieves a desired manual to be referred to through easy operation by displaying an on-line manual including characters or figures on a display on the basis of character data or figure data generated by a data generating means.

CONSTITUTION: A character string is read out of a file wherein document information is described. The character data or figure data are generated on the basis of the read character string. Characters or figures are displayed on a display on the basis of the generated character data or figure data and an instruction waiting state is coming. Then the system ends once given an end instruction. When an instruction for item specification is given, a scroll value for items is calculated, the display position of the characters or figures is calculated from the value, and the characters or figure is displayed on the display. When a scroll instruction is given, the display position of the characters or figures is calculated from the scroll value and the characters or figures are displayed on the display.