AUTOMATIC SOURCE CODE GENERATION

• US 20140365994A1
• Filed: 06/11/2013
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vann, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

Source code statements are automatically generated from a profile including variable code elements and methods. The profile is built from an existing code base that has identified variable code elements that differ when used in different versions of the source code statements. A developer may define values for the variable code elements which are then used by the methods in the profile to automatically generate corresponding source code statements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

configuring a profile to generate one or more source code statements automatically, the profile including one or more variable code elements and one or more methods, a variable code element representing an element in a grammar of a programming language, individual methods of the one or more methods including programmable instructions that generate the source code statements using values of the variable code elements that are user-defined, the source code statements patterned after an existing code base of the software application;

obtaining user-defined values for the variable code elements associated with the profile; and

applying the methods associated with the profile to generate the source code statements using the user-defined values.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the profile is selected by a developer from a plurality of profiles, each profile associated with a select context.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the profile includes one or more rules, each rule used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements in the text string.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the rule includes one or more regular expressions, the regular expressions used to match syntax of the text string to at least one rule.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the rule includes one or more logical statements, each logical statement used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the source code statements.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

searching, from among the rules of the profile, for a best matching rule that matches the syntax of the text string; and

using a regular expression associated with the best matching rule to obtain one or more variable code elements.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

applying the variable code elements to the logical statements; and

applying the logical statements to invoke one or more methods that generate the source code statements.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing thereon processor-executable instructions, comprising:

a profile including one or more variable code elements and one or more methods, each variable code element representing an element of a grammar of a programming language associated with source code statements that changes repeatedly in different versions of a software application, the methods used to generate the source code statements using values of the variable code elements, the source code statements patterned after an existing code base;

a first set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, obtains user-defined values for the variable code elements associated with the profile; and

a second set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, applies one or more methods associated with the profile to generate the source code statements using the user-defined values.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the profile includes one or more rules, each rule used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements in the text string.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein each rule includes one or more regular expressions, the regular expressions used to match syntax of the text string to at least one rule.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each rule includes one or more logical statements, each logical statement used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the source code statements.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

a third set of instructions that when executed on a processor, searches from among the rules of the profile, for a best matching rule that matches the syntax of the text string and using a regular expression associated with the best matching rule to obtain one or more variable code elements.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

a fourth set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, applies the variable code elements to the logical statements and applies the logical statements to invoke one or more methods that generate the source code statements.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

a fifth set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, configures the profile from an analysis of the existing code base with respect to portions of the existing code base that differ in different contexts and portions of the existing code base that remain static.

15. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

a processor and a memory;

a profile including one or more variable code elements and one or more methods, each variable code element representing an element of a grammar of a programming language associated with source code statements of a software application, the methods used to generate the source code statements using values of the variable code elements, the source code statements patterned after an existing code base;

a first set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, obtains user-defined values for the variable code elements associated with the profile; and

a second set of instructions, that when executed on a processor, applies one or more methods associated with the profile to generate the source code statements using the user-defined values.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the profile includes one or more rules, each rule used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements in the text string.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the rule includes one or more regular expressions, the regular expressions used to match syntax of the text string to at least one rule.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the rule includes one or more logical statements, each logical statement used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the source code statements.

19. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

a third set of instructions, that search, from among the rules of the profile, for a best matching rule that matches the syntax of the text string and use a regular expression associated with the best matching rule to obtain one or more variable code elements.

20. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

a fourth set of instructions that apply the variable code elements to the logical statements and apply the logical statements to invoke one or more methods that generate the source code statements.