Efficiently developing encoded instructions by tracking multiple unverified instances of repetitive code segments
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsCary Lee Bates, Paul W. Buenger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A development environment tracks code sections which have been copied and pasted into a code module from a source code section which has not been subjected to certain verifications. In one aspect, if an error in a copied section is later found during a verification process, the programmer is allowed to perform a multi-edit operation, whereby an edited change to a single copy is automatically propagated to multiple copies. In another aspect, the programmer is warned when copying and pasting a code section which has not been verified. Preferably, verification is performed in the process of compiling source into executable object code.
Claims5
A computer program product for developing source code for a computer program, comprising:
- a plurality of executable instructions recorded on non-transitory recordable type media, wherein said instructions, when executed by at least one processor of a digital computing device, cause the device to perform the steps of:
- generating a plurality of source code statements in a source code file responsive to user input, said source code file being compilable into object code of said computer program;
- automatically maintaining a record of status of each respective source code statement, said record of status including, with respect to each of one or more said source code statements, whether the respective source code statement has been generated as a copy of a source code statement other than the respective source code statement;
- receiving a user input editing a first source code statement of said plurality of source code statements to produce an edited first source code statement;
- automatically determining whether one or more copies of said first source code statement exist within said source code file based on said status of each respective source code statement, each of said first source code statement and copy of said first source code statement occupying a different respective location within said source code file and being compilable together into said object code of said computer program;
- and
- responsive to said automatically determining step, automatically propagating changes made by said editing step to said one or more copies of said first source code statement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.