Method for facilitating application development

• US 20030088857A1
• Filed: 07/17/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Exigen Group
• Original Assignee: Exigen Group
• Inventors: Gravel, Michael, Balva, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/198,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088857A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/137
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A method and device are provided to define functional structures for an application based on first input in a first language; to identify relationships between the functional structures; to organize the functional structures in a hierarchical framework based on the relationships; to change a functional structure based on second input, while limiting an effect of the change on other related functional structures in the hierarchical framework; and to transform the functional structures into code in a second language.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating application development, the method comprising:

defining functional structures for an application based on first input in a first language;

identifying relationships between the functional structures;

organizing the functional structures in a hierarchical framework based on the relationships;

changing a functional structure based on second input, while limiting an effect of the change on other related functional structures in the hierarchical framework; and

transforming the functional structures into code in a second language.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first language is a declarative language and the second language is a procedural language.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the hierarchical framework comprises a tree data structure wherein each functional structure is represented as a node in the tree data structure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identified relationships comprise parent and child relationships between the nodes for the functional structures.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein limiting the effect of the change comprises setting a limit on a number of generations of nodes for the functional structures that may be affected by the change.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving input specifying a proposed change to a functional structure;

analyzing an effect of the proposed change on other functional units; and

reporting the effect.

7. A method for facilitating application development, the method comprising:

receiving input defining functional modules for an application;

constructing a tree data structure for the application based on the input, wherein each functional module defines a node in the tree data structure and a configuration of the tree data structure represents parent-child relationships between the functional modules;

receiving input to change a parameter of a functional module;

analyzing an effect of the change on other functional modules in the tree data structure; and

reporting the effect of the change.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising changing the parameter if the reported effect is accepted by an operator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the input defining the functional modules is in a declarative language.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transforming each functional module into code in a procedural language based on operator input.

11. A method for facilitating application development, the method comprising;

receiving first input defining functional modules for an application;

constructing a tree data structure for the application based on the first input, wherein each functional module defines a node in the tree data structure and a configuration of the tree data structure represents parent-child relationships between the functional modules;

receiving second input to change a functional module; and

changing the functional module based on the second input while limiting the effect of the change on other modules based on a change control parameter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the change control parameter controls a maximum number of generations of child nodes for the functional module that may be affected by the change.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first input is in a declarative language.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising transforming the functional modules into code in a procedural language.

15. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

defining functional structures for an application based on input in a first language;

identifying relationships between the functional structures;

organizing the functional structures in a hierarchical framework based on the relationships;

changing a functional structure based on second input, while limiting an effect of the change on other related functional structures in the hierarchical framework; and

transforming the functional structures into code in a second language

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first language is a declarative language and the second language is a procedural language.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving input defining functional modules for an application;

constructing a tree data structure for the application based on the input, wherein each functional module defines a node in the tree data structure and a configuration of the tree data structure represents parent-child relationships between the functional modules;

receiving input to change a parameter of a functional module;

analyzing an effect of the change on other functional modules in the tree data structure; and

reporting the effect of the change.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises changing the parameter if the reported effect is accepted by an operator.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving first input defining functional module for an application;

constructing a tree data structure for the application based on the first input, wherein each functional module defines a node in the tree data structure and a configuration of the tree data structure represents parent-child relationships between the functional modules;

receiving second input to change a functional module; and

changing the functional module based on the second input while limiting the effect of the change on other modules based on a change control parameter.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the change control parameter controls a maximum number of generations of child nodes for the functional module that may be affected by the change.