Aligning Natural Language to Linking Code Snippets to Perform a Complicated Task

• US 20170060540A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Corville O., Duschl, Heather L., Imsdahl, Marit L., Markello, Alexandra D., Price, Dana L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,140,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A method, system and computer-usable medium for linking a set of executable code snippets to perform a complicated task, comprising: decomposing a natural language statement into a plurality of decomposed natural language components; searching a repository of code snippets to identify code snippets corresponding to each of the decomposed natural language components; ordering execution of the code snippets based upon the plurality of decomposed natural language components; and, executing the code snippets in order of the natural language statement requests until a final outcome is achieved.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code used for analyzing and deducing criteria-related content for evaluation in a system capable of answering questions and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for;

decomposing a natural language statement into a plurality of decomposed natural language components, the natural language statement relating to a complicated task, the complicated task comprising a plurality of sub-tasks, the decomposing comprising parsing the natural language statement into terms and parts of speech;

searching a repository of code snippets to identify code snippets corresponding to each of the decomposed natural language components; and

,

ordering execution of the code snippets based upon the plurality of decomposed natural language components.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions executable by the processor are further configured for:

executing the code snippets in order of the natural language statement requests until a final outcome is achieved;

analyzing the plurality of decomposed natural language components for variables and values; and

,

associating any identified variables and values with a particular code snippet based upon the analyzing.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the associating includes matching data types to input types for code snippets, matching outcome types to output types, matching data types to a particular programming language of a code snippet and determining parameters to associate with the code snippet.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the decomposed natural language statement components are identified based upon a subject-verb-object (SVO) operation, a term identification operation, input/output identification operation, an action identification operation and a goal identification operation.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

natural language statement based inputs and code snippet outputs are used to determine follow up snippets that are applicable for a next step of execution.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein:

when a code snippet requires an additional parameter that is not specified within the natural language statement, a default instance of the additional parameter is generated that matches a signature within the repository of code snippets.

13. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

decomposing a natural language statement into a plurality of decomposed natural language components, the natural language statement relating to a complicated task, the complicated task comprising a plurality of sub-tasks, the decomposing comprising parsing the natural language statement and the plurality of decomposed natural language components comprise terms and parts of speech;

searching a repository of code snippets to identify code snippets corresponding to each of the decomposed natural language components; and

,

ordering execution of the code snippets based upon the plurality of decomposed natural language components.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are further configured for:

executing the code snippets in order of the natural language statement requests until a final outcome is achieved

analyzing the plurality of decomposed natural language components for variables and values; and

,

associating any identified variables and values with a particular code snippet based upon the analyzing.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the associating includes matching data types to input types for code snippets, matching outcome types to output types, matching data types to a particular programming language of a code snippet and determining parameters to associate with the code snippet.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the decomposed natural language statement components are identified based upon a subject-verb-object (SVO) operation, a term identification operation, input/output identification operation, an action identification operation and a goal identification operation.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

natural language statement based inputs and code snippet outputs are used to determine follow up snippets that are applicable for a next step of execution.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

when a code snippet requires an additional parameter that is not specified within the natural language statement, a default instance of the additional parameter is generated that matches a signature within the repository of code snippets.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client system from a server system at a remote location.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a user on an on-demand basis.