Method and apparatus for merging change control delta structure files of a source module from a parent and a child development environment

In a computer system comprising a parent and a child development environment, said parent and child environments having a first and a second delta hierarchy representing a source module and changes to said source module individually known to said parent and child environments respectively, an apparatus for merging said first and second delta hierarchies together that preserves all delta relationships of said changes individually known to said parent and child environments without the need for computer assisted tracking, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) storage means for storing deltas in a first and a second list of deltas and storing descriptive entries corresponding to said deltas in a first and second table of descriptive entries of said first and second delta hierarchies;
• (b) first initialization means coupled to said parent and child environments for initializing a first and a second work list and a first and a second work table to equal a first and a second list of deltas and a first and a second table of descriptive entries of said first and second delta hierarchies respectively, said first and second lists of deltas being chronologically identified within a first and second development environments in identical manners, and said first and second table of descriptive entries being time ordered and correspondingly describing said first and second lists of deltas respectively;
• (c) second initialization means for initializing an output table, an output list, a first and a second two way associative array corresponding to said first and second work tables to empty, for sequentially receiving modified non-duplicate descriptive entries of said first and second work tables, modified non-duplicate deltas of said first and second lists of deltas, and cross reference entries cross referencing descriptive entries of said first and second work tables and said output table to each other;
• (d) retrieval means coupled to said first initialization means for retrieving descriptive entries and their corresponding deltas from said first and second work tables and said first and second work lists, and first output means coupled to said removal means and said second initialization means for outputting a two way cross reference entry to the corresponding one of said first and second two way associative arrays for each descriptive entry which has been retrieved, as the descriptive entry and its corresponding delta are retrieved, cross referencing said descriptive entry which has been retrieved to the next descriptive entry of said output table, said step of retrieving being performed one descriptive entry and its corresponding delta at a time, in a predetermined least recent entry manner, until all descriptive entries and their corresponding deltas have been retrieved from said first and second work tables and said first and second work deltas;
• (e) discard means coupled to said first output means for discarding each descriptive entry which has been retrieved and its corresponding delta, as its two way cross reference entry is output, if the descriptive entry which has been retrieved is a duplicate of a second descriptive entry which has been retrieved in the other work table;
• (f) modification means coupled to said discard means for modifying each said descriptive entry which has been retrieved and its corresponding delta not discarded, after its discard or not discard determination is made, outputting each of said descriptive entries which have been retrieved and modified and its corresponding modified delta into said output table and said output list respectively, as the modifications are made, said step of modifying being performed in accordance to whether a new branch is to be created in the merged hierarchy for the corresponding delta of the descriptive entry which has been retrieved and not discarded, and the number of descriptive entries which have been retrieved having been output to the output table so far, and furthermore utilizing said cross reference entries.

A computer system comprising:

• (a) a parent development environment having a first execution means for executing means, and a first delta hierarchy representing a source module and changes to said source module known to said parent environment;
• (b) a child development environment having a second execution means for executing means, and a second delta hierarchy representing said source module and changes to said source module known to said child environment;
• (c) merging means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for merging said first and second delta hierarchies together that preserves all delta relationships of said changes individually known to said parent and child environments, said merging means including
• (c. 1) first initialization means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for initializing a first and a second work list and a first and a second work table to equal a first and a second list of deltas and a first and a second table of descriptive entries of said first and second delta hierarchies respectively, said first and second lists of deltas being chronologically identified within a first and second development environments in identical manners, and said first and second table of descriptive entries being time ordered and correspondingly describing said first and second lists of deltas respectively;
• (c. 2) second initialization means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for initializing an output table, an output list, a first and a second two way associative array corresponding to said first and second work tables to empty, for sequentially receiving modified non-duplicate descriptive entries of said first and second work tables, modified non-duplicate deltas of said first and second lists of deltas, and cross reference entries cross referencing descriptive entries of said first and second work tables and said output table to each other;
• (c. 3) retrieval means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for retrieving descriptive entries and their corresponding deltas from said first and second work tables and said first and second work lists, outputting a two way cross reference entry to the corresponding one of said first and second two way associative arrays for each descriptive entry which has been retrieved, as the descriptive entry and its corresponding delta are retrieved, cross referencing said descriptive entry which has been retrieved to the next descriptive entry of said output table, said step of retrieving being performed one descriptive entry and its corresponding delta at a time, in a predetermined least recent entry manner, until all descriptive entries and their corresponding deltas have been retrieved from said first and second work tables and said first and second work deltas;
• (c. 4) discard means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for discarding each descriptive entry which has been retrieved and its corresponding delta, as its two way cross reference entry is output, if the descriptive entry which has been retrieved is a duplicate of a second descriptive entry which has been retrieved in the other work table;
• (c. 5) modification means to be executed by either said first or second execution means for modifying each said descriptive entry which has been retrieved and its corresponding delta not discarded, after its discard or not discard determination is made, outputting each of said descriptive entries which have been retrieved and modified and its corresponding modified delta into said output table and said output list respectively, as the modifications are made, said step of modifying being performed in accordance to whether a new branch is to be created in the merged hierarchy for the corresponding delta of the descriptive entry which has been retrieved and not discarded, and the number of descriptive entries which have been retrieved having been output to the output table so far, and furthermore utilizing said cross reference entries and
• a processor coupled to said memory, said processor for running merging means.