Round-trip maintenance of software configuration

A method of software development comprising the steps of:

• providing a Java software application comprising Java application code which further comprises Java objects including classes, member methods, and member variables;
• providing a list of Java objects, among the Java objects comprised within the Java application code, to be administered by a software development wizard;
• providing a deployment descriptor for the Java application, wherein the deployment descriptor includes Java object deployment descriptions for Java objects to be administered by the software development wizard;
• determining, through Java reflection API calls, a current software signature for each listed Java object;
• retrieving from the deployment descriptor a Java object deployment description for each listed Java object;
• detecting changes in the Java application code, wherein detecting changes includes contrasting the current software signatures and the retrieved Java object deployment descriptions;
• displaying, for user revision through a user interface, representations of the detected changes in the Java application code, wherein user revision includes user confirmation of detected changes;
• recording user revisions in the deployment descriptor;
• and
• conforming the Java application code to the user revisions.

A system of software development comprising:

• means for determining, through Java reflection API calls, a current software signature for each Java object, from a Java software application comprising Java application code, to be administered by a software development wizard;
• means for retrieving from a deployment descriptor a Java object deployment description for each said Java object;
• means for detecting changes in the Java application code, wherein detecting changes includes contrasting the current software signatures and the retrieved Java object deployment descriptions;
• means for displaying, for user revision through a user interface, representations of the detected changes in the Java application code, wherein user revision includes user confirmation of detected changes;
• means for recording user revisions in the deployment descriptor;
• and
• means for conforming the Java application code to the user revisions.

A computer program product of software development comprising:

• a recording medium;
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining, through Java reflection API calls, a current software signature for each Java object, from a Java software application comprising Java application code, to be administered by a software development wizard;
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving from a deployment descriptor a Java object deployment description for each said Java object;
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for detecting changes in the Java application code, wherein detecting changes includes contrasting the current software signatures and the retrieved Java object deployment descriptions;
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for displaying, for user revision through a user interface, representations of the detected changes in the Java application code, wherein user revision includes user confirmation of detected changes;
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording user revisions in the deployment descriptor;
• and
• means, recorded on the recording medium, for conforming the Java application code to the user revisions.