API LIFECYCLE PLATFORM AND VERSION MANAGEMENT

• US 20140366011A1
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rector, Brent, Osterman, Lawrence, Messmer, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing the lifecycle of an API over a number of different versions of an operating system—as well as over a number of different platforms are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed wherein for a given API, metadata is created and associated with certain constructs of the API. The metadata may comprise a version indication. A set of versioning rules may be defined. Such versioning rules govern whether a particular construct of an API may be changed for a given version. These versioning rules may be enforced at the time of constructing a new build. The versioning rules may be enforced by the IDE system.

Claims

1. A method for performing version control for APIs of an operating system, said operating system capable of being revised by version and by platform, said method comprising:

for a given API, creating metadata associated with a set of constructs of said API, said metadata comprising version indication;

associating a version indication for each said construct of said API, said version indication indicating when said construct is revised into a given version of an operating system;

defining a set of versioning rules for said constructs;

when a new version of said operating system is constructed, enforcing said versioning rules to said constructs, according to said metadata associated with said constructs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said metadata comprises a version attribute, said version attribute further comprising a version introduction value, said version introduction value associating said construct being introduced to a version of an operating system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said metadata comprises a deprecatable version attribute, said deprecatable version attribute further comprising a version deprecation value, said version deprecation value associating said construct being removed in a version of an operating system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said version indication comprises a version value and a platform value, said version value denoting the version of the operating system in which the associated construct was revised, said platform value denoting the operating system platform associated with the version value.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said set of constructs comprises one of a group, said group comprising:

a structure, an enum, an interface, a runtime class and a composable class.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said set of versioning rules comprises a set of rules that enforce permitted changes to a construct.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said set of versioning rules comprises a set of rules dependent upon a given construct'"'"'s version indication.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein one versioning rule comprises a rule not to change a given construct, if said change breaks any existing compiled code of said operating system.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said constructs further comprise one of a group, said group comprising:

a structure construct;

an enum construct; and

interface construct; and

a runtime class.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said structure may not be changed after said structure is published.

11. A integrated development environment (IDE) system, said IDE system comprising a processor and a set of programming tools for users to program on said processor a set of constructs for an API, said API intended for a given version of an operating system and for a given platform, said IDE system comprising:

a build tool, said build tool capable of receiving metadata associated with a set of constructs for an API;

said metadata comprising a version indication;

said build tool capable of receiving a set of versioning rules for said constructs;

wherein said build tool further capable of enforcing said versioning rules to said constructs, according to said metadata associated with said constructs.

12. The IDE system of claim 11 wherein said metadata comprises a version attribute, said version attribute further comprising a version introduction value, said version introduction value associating said construct being introduced to a version of an operating system.

13. The IDE system of claim 12 wherein said metadata comprises a deprecatable attribute, said deprecatable attribute comprises a platform value, said platform value associating a version of an operating system with a given platform.

14. The IDE system of claim 11 wherein said version indication comprises a version value and a platform value, said version value denoting the version of the operating system in which the associated construct was revised, said platform value denoting the operating system platform associated with the version value.

15. The IDE system of claim 14 wherein said set of versioning rules comprises a set of rules that enforce permitted changes to a construct.

16. The IDE system of claim 15 wherein said set of versioning rules comprises a set of rules dependent upon a given construct'"'"'s version indication.

17. A build tool, said build tool comprising a set of computer readable instructions, wherein said computer readable instructions would, if executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform a method for performing version control for APIs of an operating system, said operating system capable of being revised by version and by platform, said method comprising:

for a given API, creating metadata associated with a set of constructs of said API, said metadata comprising version indication;

associating a version indication for each said construct of said API, said version indication indicating when said construct is introduced into a given version of an operating system;

defining a set of versioning rules for said constructs;

when a new version of said operating system is constructed, enforcing said versioning rules to said constructs, according to said metadata associated with said constructs.

18. The build tool of claim 17 wherein said metadata a version attribute, said version attribute further comprising a version introduction value, said version introduction value associating said construct being introduced to a version of an operating system.

19. The build tool of claim 18 wherein said metadata comprises a deprecatable version attribute, said deprecatable version attribute further comprising a version deprecation value, said version deprecation value associating said construct being removed in a version of an operating system.

20. The build tool of claim 19 wherein said version indication comprises a version value and a platform value, said version value denoting the version of the operating system in which the associated construct was revised, said platform value denoting the operating system platform associated with the version value.