Automatically updating documentation

A method comprising:

• executing in a development environment a code for:
• documenting each of a plurality of marked segments in one of a plurality of source documentation objects associated therewith, each marked segment comprising at least part of one of a plurality of versions of one of a plurality of source files, where each source documentation object comprises a copy of the marked segment documented thereby;
• identifying a new version of a source file of the plurality of source files, where a version of the source file has a marked segment documented by a source documentation object of the plurality of source documentation objects;
• performing an identification of when an updated segment in the new version of the source file, corresponding to the marked segment, is different from the marked segment;
• and
• in response to the identification:
• classifying the updated segment as one of a set of change classifications according to one or more differences identified between the updated segment and the copy of the marked segment;
• and
• subject to the change classification being a member of a set of updatable changes, generating an updated source documentation object by modifying the copy of the marked segment according to the change classification and the one or more differences;
• wherein the source file is organized in a plurality of lines;
• wherein the copy of the marked segment comprises one or more documentation line changes between the version of the source file and a virtual file created by removing the marked segment from the version of the source file;
• wherein the plurality of source files is managed by a file version control system (VCS);
• wherein the plurality of source documentation objects is organized in at least one documentation file each having a plurality of documentation versions;
• wherein the plurality of documentation versions of the at least one documentation file is managed by another VCS;
• and
• wherein each documentation version of the at least one documentation file in the other VCS is associated with a version of at least one of the plurality of source files in the VCS.

An apparatus comprising:

• at least one display device;
• and
• at least one hardware processor configured for executing in a development environment a code for:
• documenting each of a plurality of marked segments in one of a plurality of source documentation objects associated therewith, each marked segment comprising at least part of one of a plurality of versions of one of a plurality of source files, where each source documentation object comprises a copy of the marked segment documented thereby;
• identifying a new version of a source file of the plurality of source files, where a version of the source file has a marked segment documented by a source documentation object of the plurality of source documentation objects;
• performing an identification of when an updated segment in the new version of the source file, corresponding to the marked segment, is different from the marked segment;
• and
• in response to the identification:
• classifying the updated segment as one of a set of change classifications according to one or more differences identified between the updated segment and the copy of the marked segment;
• and
• subject to the change classification being a member of a set of updatable changes:
• generating an updated source documentation object by modifying the copy of the marked segment according to the change classification and the one or more differences;
• and
• displaying on the at least one display device the updated source documentation object as an annotation to the updated segment in the new version of the source file displayed on the at least one display device;
• wherein the source file is organized in a plurality of lines;
• and
• wherein the copy of the marked segment comprises one or more documentation line changes between the version of the source file and a virtual file created by removing the marked segment from the version of the source file.

A software program product for a development environment, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;
• first program instructions for documenting each of a plurality of marked segments in one of a plurality of source documentation objects associated therewith, each marked segment comprising at least part of one of a plurality of versions of one of a plurality of source files, where each source documentation object comprises a copy of the marked segment documented thereby;
• second program instructions for identifying a new version of a source file of the plurality of source files, where a version of the source file has a marked segment documented by a source documentation object of the plurality of source documentation objects;
• third program instructions for performing an identification of when an updated segment in the new version of the source file, corresponding to the marked segment, is different from the marked segment;
• and
• fourth program instructions for in response to the identification:
• classifying the updated segment as one of a set of change classifications according to one or more differences identified between the updated segment and the copy of the marked segment;
• and subject to the change classification being a member of a set of updatable changes:
• generating an updated source documentation object by modifying the copy of the marked segment according to the change classification and the one or more differences and displaying on at least one display device the updated source documentation object as an annotation to the updated segment in the new version of the source file displayed on the at least one display device;
• wherein the source file is organized in a plurality of lines;
• wherein the copy of the marked segment comprises one or more documentation line changes between the version of the source file and a virtual file created by removing the marked segment from the version of the source file;
• and
• wherein the first, second, third and fourth program instructions are executed by at least one computerized processor from the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.