Image forming apparatus, installation method and uninstallation method

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a link table;

an installation processing unit configured to (i) register in the link table first link data indicating a correspondence between an application identifier of an application program and a first data identifier of application data, and (ii) register in the link table, when additionally installing other application data for the application program into the storage unit after the application program and the application data are installed into the storage unit, second link data indicating a correspondence between the application identifier of the application program and a second data identifier of the other application data; and

a relay unit configured to refer to the link table and search for the other application data for the application program when the application program is executed,

wherein, when the application data and the other application data are stored in the storage unit as different files, the installation processing unit is further configured to add a file pointer to the application data in the second link data, and the relay unit is further configured to search the other application data for the file pointer to the application data, and

wherein the installation processing unit is further configured to add at least a date and time of installation or version information of the other application data in the second link data, and the relay unit is further configured to search for the other application data using the application identifier as a primary key and at least the date and time of installation or the version information as secondary keys.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the relay unit is further configured to expand the other application data in a memory, and pass a top pointer of the other application data in the memory to the application program.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the relay unit is further configured to expand the other application data in a memory area reserved in advance using the application program.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a user interaction unit, wherein at least one of the primary key and the secondary key is set by an operation detected by the user interaction unit.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the relay unit is further configured to search for the application data using the application identifier as a primary key and a search condition as a secondary key.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the installation processing unit is further configured to install the application program and the application data using a first installation file, and additionally install the other application data using a second installation file.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second installation file includes the other application data, and does not include the application program.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the application program is executed, the other application data found by the relay unit as a result of the search is read instead of the application data installed together with the application program.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the application program is executed, both the application data installed together with the application program and the other application data found by the relay unit as a result of the search are read.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a network interface,

wherein the installation processing unit is further configured to download an installation file including the other application data via the network interface, and execute additional installation of the other application data.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a Java platform serving as a Java application execution architecture,

wherein the application program comprises a Java application program.

12. An installation method for an image forming apparatus capable of executing an application program, comprising:

storing a link table in a storage unit;

registering in the link table first link data indicating a correspondence between an application identifier of the application program and a first data identifier of application data;

registering, when additionally installing other application data for the application program into the storage unit after the application program and the application data are installed into the storage unit, second link data indicating the correspondence between the application identifier of the application program and a second data identifier of the other application data;

referring to the link table and searching for the other application data for the application program when the application program is executed;

adding, when the application data and the other application data are stored in the storage unit as different files,

a file pointer to the application data in the second link data, and searching the other application data for the file pointer to the application data; and

adding at least a date and time of installation or version information of the other application data in the second link data, and searching for the other application data using the application identifier as a primary key and at least the date and time of installation or the version information as secondary keys.