Software code comments management method and system supporting voice recognition technology

• US 20030163323A1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxima Blue Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxima Blue Ltd.
• Inventors: Bluvband, Max
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for enabling audio comments to be used when writing and executing code, during design time and run time. A code writer is hereby enabled to simultaneously write code and compose voice comments. These comments, divided into help comments, test items and variable comments, are subsequently recorded, stored, analyzed, prescribed and displayed using text to speech and voice recognition software. It is therefore possible to define test cases, execute vocal follow up on changes, and listen to comments and variables values, while running a program

Claims

1. A software code comments management system operating with and within a software code development environment and able to interact dynamically with the code segments, variables and characteristics, supported by voice recognition technology comprising:

a multimedia user interface that includes a graphic user interface that responds to voice commands;

a comment management component, for managing the comments;

a speech recognition module;

a database system for storing system data and control information; and

an output mechanism for outputting the comments or comments-code interaction results.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia user interface that further enables browsing for comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said comments.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said hierarchic structure further enables functions selected from the group consisting of:

adding and modifying comments;

performing logical operations on said hierarchic structure, such as moving, merging, copying and deleting of comments;

searching comments which match given criteria;

filtering comments which match given criteria; and

navigating for code segment location, by relation of comments to said code segments.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said browsing for comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said comments further comprises browsing for groups of comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said groups.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia interface further comprises a graphical user interface that enables functions selected from the group consisting of:

responding to voice commands, integrating with a development environment, and allowing performing of system operations and working with said development environment simultaneously.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables standardization of comments, by defining a comment structure selected from the group consisting of:

title, description, code lines relation, comment classification and parent groups.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables managing comments in ways selected from the group consisting of:

entering new comments, modifying existing comments, grouping existing comments and browsing comments.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables entering and modifying comments, in ways that are selected from the group consisting of:

entering comments by vocalizing said comment in a programmer'"'"'s natural language using voice recognition technology;

entering comments by keyboard input;

modifying comments by vocalizing said comment in a programmer'"'"'s natural language using voice recognition technology;

modifying comments by keyboard input;

entering comments by relating said comments to a plurality of different code segments;

modifying comments by relating said comments to a plurality of different code segments;

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables maintaining a correlation between comment object and related code segment by means of dynamic code changes tracing and relevant updating of the comments

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables grouping of related comments in a logical group.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said logical groups contain at least one group.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said comment groups can be generated in ways selected from the group consisting of:

Code Segment Demarcation such that all comments related to a selected code segment can form a single group, input of code line range such that all comments related to a selected range can form a single group.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment management component enables classifying comments into comments categories from the group consisting of:

Help comments, Testing comments and Watch variable comments.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said Help comments provide comments for broad descriptions of document sources selected from the group consisting of html pages, programmer help documents and guides, video files, bitmaps containing illustrations.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said testing comments are used for quality control programs, comprising of:

integrating a test table structure with a comment object that specifies at least one test case for the code segment related to said comment;

automatic processing of the actual result for each said test case in run time;

controlling the automatic test processing with the ability to plan to test all the cases, or part of them, or not to test at all;

evaluation of the value expressions in each said test case in run time;

generating a Test design document from said comment; and

generating a Test result report from said automatic processing of the actual result.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein said watch variable comments enable follow up of variables and expressions values, comprising of:

adding to a comment at least one reference to code variables, to be displayed for tracing and debugging;

adding a description for every variable, to be displayed when evaluated; and

displaying said evaluated variable by pronouncing said added description and said evaluated expression of said watch item while running a program in debug mode and running mode;

adding to a comment at least one reference to code expression, to be displayed for tracing and debugging;

adding a description for every expression, to be displayed when evaluated; and

displaying said evaluated expression by pronouncing said added description and said evaluated expression of said watch item while running a program in debug mode and running mode.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein said speech recognition module enables dictating comments in a natural speaking language.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said a speech recognition module further comprises functions selected from the group consisting of:

integrating voice recognition technology with a development environment for naturally speaking and adding the comments in a plurality of languages; and

translating the comment into a desired language out of a plurality set of languages.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment output mechanism enables pronouncing comments in modes selected from the group consisting of design time, run time and debug time and in the language selected out of a plurality set of languages.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein said comment output mechanism enables displaying comments in modes selected from the group consisting of:

design time, run time and debug time and in the language selected out of a plurality set of languages.

21. A software code comments management method operating with and within a software code development environment and able to interact dynamically with the code segments, variables and characteristics, using voice recognition technology comprising:

a multimedia user interface that includes a graphic user interface that responds to voice commands;

a comment management component, for managing the comments;

a speech recognition module;

a database system for storing method data and control information; and

an output mechanism for outputting the comments or comments-code interaction results.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said multimedia user interface that further enables browsing for comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said comments.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said hierarchic structure further enables functions selected from the group consisting of:

adding and modifying comments;

performing logical operations on said hierarchic structure, such as moving, merging, copying and deleting of comments;

searching comments which match given criteria;

filtering comments which match given criteria; and

navigating for code segment location, by relation of comments to said code segments.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said browsing for comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said comments further comprises browsing for groups of comments and displaying results of said browsing as a hierarchic structure of said groups.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein said multimedia interface further comprises a graphical user interface that enables functions selected from the group consisting of:

responding to voice commands, integrating with a development environment, and allowing performing of system operations and working with said development environment simultaneously.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables standardization of comments, by defining a comment structure selected from the group consisting of title, description, code lines relation, comment classification and parent groups.

27. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables managing comments in ways selected from the group consisting of:

entering new comments, modifying existing comments, grouping existing comments and browsing comments.

28. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables entering and modifying comments, in ways that are selected from the group consisting of:

entering comments by vocalizing said comment in a programmer'"'"'s natural language using voice recognition technology;

entering comments by keyboard input;

modifying comments by vocalizing said comment in a programmer'"'"'s natural language using voice recognition technology;

modifying comments by keyboard input;

entering comments by relating said comments to a plurality of different code segments;

modifying comments by relating said comments to a plurality of different code segments;

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables maintaining a correlation between comment object and related code segment by means of dynamic code changes tracing and relevant updating of the comments

30. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component furthermore enables grouping of related comments in a logical group.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said logical groups contain at least one group.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said comment groups can be generated in ways selected from the group consisting of:

Code Segment Demarcation such that all comments related to a selected code segment can form a single group, input of code line range such that all comments related to a selected range can form a single group.

33. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment management component enables classifying comments into comments categories from the group consisting of:

Help comments, Testing comments and Variable Watch comments.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said Help comments provide comments for broad descriptions of document sources selected from the group consisting of:

html pages, programmer help documents and guides, video files and bitmaps containing illustrations.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein said testing comments are used for quality control programs, comprising:

integrating a test table structure with a comment object that specifies at least one test case for the code segment related to said comment;

automatic processing of the actual result for each said test case in run time;

controlling the automatic test processing with the ability to plan to test all the cases, or part of them, or not to test at all;

evaluating the value expressions in each said test case in run time;

generating a Test design document from said comment; and

generating a Test result report from said automatic processing of the actual result.

36. The method according to claim 33, wherein said watch variable comments enable follow up of variables and expressions values, comprising:

adding to a comment at least one reference to code variables, to be displayed for tracing and debugging;

adding a description for every variable, to be displayed when evaluated;

displaying said evaluated variable by pronouncing said added description and said evaluated expression of said watch item while running a program in debug mode and running mode.

adding to a comment at least one reference to code expression, to be displayed for tracing and debugging;

adding a description for every expression, to be displayed when evaluated; and

displaying said evaluated expression by pronouncing said added description and said evaluated expression of said watch item while running a program in debug mode and running mode.

37. The method according to claim 21, wherein said speech recognition module enables dictating comments in a natural speaking language.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said a speech recognition module further comprises functions selected from the group consisting of integrating voice recognition technology with a development environment for naturally speaking and adding the comments in a plurality of languages;

and translating the comment into a desired language out of a plurality set of languages.

39. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment output mechanism enables pronouncing comments in modes selected from the group consisting of design time, run time and debug time and in the language selected out of a plurality set of languages.

40. The method according to claim 21, wherein said comment output mechanism enables displaying comments in modes selected from the group consisting of:

design time, run time and debug time and in the language selected out of a plurality set of languages.

41. A method for managing comments for software code using voice recognition, comprising:

setting up a plurality of categories for comments;

selecting code, by a user;

adding at least one comment related to said code, using a speech-input mechanism;

entering a comment title for said code, using voice commands;

classifying said comment, according to at least one of said categories; and

entering and editing comments by vocalizing said comments using voice recognition technology.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising selecting a mode for outputting said comment, according to modes selected from the group consisting of:

run time and debug mode.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said outputting of said comment is a pronouncement, said pronouncement selected from the group consisting of:

computer generated voice and recorded human voice.