US 5,519,866 A · Method and apparatus of incrementally linking components of a modeled computer program

Abstract

A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic process for the incremental building of computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). The program is modeled as a collection of units called components. A component represents a single compilable language element such as a class or a function. The major functionalities are the database, the compiler, build and link mechanism. The database stores the components and properties. The compiler, along with compiling the source code of a property, and generating object code is responsible for calculating the dependencies associated with a component. The build mechanism uses properties of components along with the compiler generated dependencies to correctly and efficiently sequence the compilation of components during a build process. The link mechanism links all object code as the component stores it in the component database. Only updated components require linking operations.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for use on a computer system with a memory for incrementally linking a user-modified part of a computer program with previously compiled and linked parts of the computer program, the computer program being comprised of source code stored in the memory and the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving into the memory a user-created model of the computer program, the model comprising an ordered collection of components, each of the collection of components having a source code property referencing a portion of the source code in the memory, an object code property specifying a portion of the memory and client information identifying others of the collection of components which must be changed when the each component is changed;
(b) compiling and linking the source code portions in each of the collection of components to store executable object code in the memory portions specified by the object code properties of each of the collection of components;
(c) modifying a first portion of the source code in response to a user request and identifying one of the collection of components having a source code property which references the first source code portion;
(d) accessing the client information of the one component to identify others of the collection of components which must be changed and;
(e) concurrently compiling and linking the one component and all of the other components that must be changed to store new executable object code in the memory portions specified by the object code properties of the one component and the other components identified in step (d).

2 more elements

An apparatus for use on a computer system with a memory for incrementally linking a user-modified part of a computer program with previously compiled and linked parts of the computer program, the computer program being comprised of source code stored in the memory and the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for storing in the memory a user-created model of the computer program the model comprising an ordered collection of components, each of the collection of components having a source code property referencing a portion of the source code in the memory, an object code property specifying a portion of the memory and client information identifying others of the collection of components which must be changed when the each component is changed;
(b) first means for compiling and linking the source code portions in each of the collection of components to store executable object code in the memory portions specified by the object code properties of each of the collection of components;
(c) means responsive to a user request for modifying a first portion of the source code and for identifying one of the collection of components having a source code property which references the first source code portion;
(d) means for accessing the client information of the one component to identify others of the collection of components which must be changed;
and
(e) second means, responsive to the means for accessing, for concurrently compiling and linking the one component and all of the other components that must be changed to store new executable object code in the memory portions specified by the object code properties of the one component and the other components identified by the accessing means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus of incrementally linking components of a modeled computer program

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus of incrementally linking components of a modeled computer program

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18