Systems and Methods for Template Reverse Engineering

• US 20090228866A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lochmann, Henrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/74 Reverse engineering; Extracting design information from source code

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for template reverse engineering. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a computer-implemented method modifying templates in a code generation process comprising receiving a template for generating code, receiving a model for generating code, processing the template and the model in a code generator, and in accordance therewith, generating code based on the model and the template, receiving a modification to the generated code, and in accordance therewith, producing modified code, and automatically changing the template based on the modified code to produce a modified template, wherein processing the modified template and the model in the code generator automatically generates said modified code.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method modifying templates in a code generation process comprising:

receiving a template for generating code;

receiving a model for generating code;

processing the template and the model in a code generator, and in accordance therewith, generating code based on the model and the template;

receiving a modification to the generated code, and in accordance therewith, producing modified code; and

automatically changing the template based on the modified code to produce a modified template,

wherein processing the modified template and the model in the code generator automatically generates said modified code.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising mapping one or more elements in said template to corresponding elements in said generated code.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the element in said template caused the element in said generated code to be generated.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the template comprises a plurality of definitions of source code constructs to be generated based on specified elements of the model, the method further comprising monitoring the processing of the template in said code generator and storing a new mapping element each time a definition is processed, wherein different mapping elements specify a relationship between a definition and a corresponding element in said generated code.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein one or more definitions access other templates, and wherein a new mapping element is created each time a new template is accessed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the definitions are DEFINE statements and the DEFINE statements include a plurality of EXPAND statements, and wherein a new mapping element is created each time a DEFINE statement is expanded by an EXPAND statement.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein each mapping element specifies the start and end of the code generated by said definition.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein each mapping element stores a start line, end line, start column, and end column of the code generated by said definition.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein each mapping element stores a reference to the definition that caused the generated code to be generated.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising mapping one or more elements in said model to corresponding elements in said generated code.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the modified code is designated as either manual or generated, wherein modified code designated as generated is used to automatically change the template to automatically produce said modified code, and wherein modified code designated as manual is not automatically generated by the template.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the modified code designated as generated is overwritten during subsequent code generation, and wherein modified code designated as manual is not overwritten during subsequent code generation.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the modified code is designated manual or generated through a graphical user interface, and wherein modified code designated as generated is displayed differently than modified code designated as manual in said graphical user interface.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the modified code is a new code element entered by a user, wherein the new code element is designated as manual, and wherein a protected region is inserted into the template and the modified code.

15. The computer-implemented system comprising:

a code generator for receiving a software model and a template for generating code, wherein the software model specifies the operation of the software and comprises a plurality of elements to be translated into code constructs, and wherein the template specifies code constructs to be used for the plurality of elements in said software model, the code generator processing the template and the software model, and in accordance therewith, generating code based on the model and the template;

a user interface for displaying the generated code to a user and receiving a modification to the generated code from the user, and in accordance therewith, producing modified code; and

a code-to-template change processor for automatically changing the template based on the modified code to produce a modified template,

wherein processing the modified template and the software model in the code generator automatically generates said modified code

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method modifying templates in a code generation process comprising:

receiving a software model for generating code, wherein the software model specifies the operation of the software and comprises a plurality of elements to be translated into code constructs;

receiving a template for generating code, wherein the template specifies code constructs to be used for the plurality of elements in said software model;

processing the template and the software model in a code generator, and in accordance therewith, generating code based on the model and the template;

displaying the generated code to a user in an integrated development environment;

receiving a modification to the generated code from a user, and in accordance therewith, producing modified code, and

automatically changing the template based on the modified code to produce a modified template,

wherein processing the modified template and the software model in the code generator automatically generates said modified code.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising mapping one or more elements in said template to corresponding elements in said generated code.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 wherein the element in said template caused the element in said generated code to be generated.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein the template comprises a plurality of definitions of source code constructs to be generated based on specified elements of the model, the method further comprising monitoring the processing of the template in said code generator and storing a new mapping element each time a definition is processed, wherein different mapping elements specify a relationship between a definition and a corresponding element in said generated code.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the modified code is designated as either manual or generated through a graphical user interface, and wherein modified code designated as generated is displayed differently than modified code designated as manual in said graphical user interface, wherein modified code designated as generated is used to automatically change the template to automatically produce said modified code, and wherein modified code designated as manual is not automatically generated by the template, wherein modified code designated as generated is overwritten during subsequent code generation, and wherein modified code designated as manual is not overwritten during subsequent code generation.