US 5,898,872 AGranted

Software reconfiguration engine

AssigneeTominy, Inc.

InventorThomas E. Richley

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Abstract

Single users or workgroups interact with the reconfiguration engine through the software reconfiguration workbench. The target source code is reconfigured through a collection of semi-automated and fully automated processes in a step-by-step iterative technique. The system maintains a repository of data corresponding to the software entities being reconfigured. Several modules within the reconfiguration engine access this repository allowing the modules to perform a rigorous reconfiguration through a series of iterative refinements. The target source code is analyzed based on a user-configurable lexicon of keywords and also based on attribute tables maintained in the repository. Software entities undergoing change are tagged using a tagging system that denotes the type of change operation to be performed and the degree of certainty that the tag has been properly assigned. Impact analysis across the entire software system detects entities subject to change by monitoring data flow between software systems. Impact analysis thus identifies software entities that might otherwise have been overlooked. Source code changes are applied using code master templates selected based on the tags. New programs can also be generated using code master templates selected based on the tags which can be used to convert the data files in the system to correspond to the changed application code.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A software reconfiguration system comprising:

an installed source memory for storing source code associated with a body of software to be reconfigured;
a lexicon containing names of software entities subject to reconfiguration;
a repository data structure for storing attributes associated with said software entities subject to reconfiguration;
a tagging module that accesses said installed source memory and said lexicon to identify first software entities in said source code that correspond to names contained in said lexicon, said tagging module storing records in said repository corresponding to said first software entities identified, said records each including a tag attribute indicating a high degree of confidence that said first software entity is subject to reconfiguration;
an impact analysis module that accesses said installed source memory and said repository to identify second software entities in said source code that corresponds to records stored in said repository, said impact analysis module associating with each second software entity a tag attribute indicating a lesser degree of confidence that said second software entity is subject to reconfiguration;
a user interactive interface associated with at least one of said tagging and impact analysis modules through which a user may upgrade the tag attribute of selected second software entities to an attribute indicating a high degree of confidence;
a source change module having at least one predefined master that modifies said source code associated with software entities corresponding to records stored in said repository, said source change module applying changes in said source code in accordance with said master.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.