Identifying Changes in Source Code

• US 20080301639A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, David R., Bygrave, Chris, Fehners, Alex G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A data processing method comprises maintaining a source code repository, checking out a component from the source code repository, checking in a modified version of the component to the source code repository, identifying the changes between the modified version of the component and the original component, applying one or more pattern matching techniques to the identified changes, storing the output of the pattern matching techniques, and displaying the output.

Claims

1. A data processing method comprising

maintaining a source code repository;

checking out a component from the source code repository;

checking in a modified version of the component to the source code repository to form a modified version of the component;

identifying changes between the modified version of the component and the component;

applying one or more pattern matching techniques to the identified changes, wherein applying the one or more pattern matching techniques generates an output;

storing the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques; and

presenting the output.

2. A method according to claim 1, and further comprising applying a time decay to the stored output of the one or more pattern matching techniques.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques comprises one or more integer metrics.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the one or more integer metrics comprise a number of bytes changed between the modified version of the component and the component.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the presenting the output comprises displaying the output of the pattern matching techniques on a per component basis.

6. A method according to claim 5, and further comprising receiving a user input defining a position in a tree hierarchy of source code components of the source code repository, and adapting the displayed output of the one or more pattern matching techniques according to the user input.

7. A data processing system comprising

a source code repository;

an interface for checking out a component from the source code repository and for checking in a modified version of the component to the source code repository;

an analyser for identifying changes between the modified version of the component and the component, and for applying one or more pattern matching techniques to the identified changes, wherein applying the one or more pattern matching techniques generates an output;

a database for storing the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques; and

a display device for displaying the output.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the analyser is configured to apply a time decay to the stored output of the one or more pattern matching techniques.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques comprises one or more integer metrics.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more integer metrics comprise a number of bytes changed between the modified version of the component and the component.

11. A system according to claim 7, wherein the display device is configured to display the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques on a per component basis.

12. A system according to claim 11, further comprising a user interface for receiving a user input defining a position in a tree hierarchy of source code components of the source code repository, the display device configured to adapt the displayed output of the one or more pattern matching techniques according to the user input.

13. A computer program product on a computer readable medium, the product comprising instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

maintain a source code repository;

check out a component from the source code repository;

check in a modified version of the component to the source code repository;

identify changes between the modified version of the component and the component;

apply one or more pattern matching techniques to the identified changes, wherein applying the one or more pattern matching techniques generates an output;

store the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques; and

present the output.

14. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to apply a time decay to the stored output of the one or more pattern matching techniques.

15. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques comprises one or more integer metrics.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the one or more integer metrics comprise a number of bytes changed between the modified version of the component and the original component.

17. A computer program product according to claim 13, wherein presenting the output comprises displaying the output of the one or more pattern matching techniques on a per component basis.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to receive a user input defining a position in a tree hierarchy of source code components of the source code repository, and adapt the displayed output of the pattern matching techniques according to the user input.