Software design supporting method for classifying portions possibly affected by a modification into those portions that can and cannot be automatically modified
First Claim
1. A computer software design supporting method in an information processing system for designing a general purpose computer program specification from a plurality of software modules represented by a plurality of software module specifications of various types, the modules being modified using said information processing system which includes a supervisory CPU, an input device connected to the CPU, a specification data table connected to the CPU and an output terminal connected to the CPU, the design supporting method comprising the steps of:
- inputting into the information processing system through the input device correlation information for correlating i) items to be described in the general purpose computer program specification with ii) said plurality of software module specification of various types;
storing the inputted correlation information in said specification data table;
inputting into the information processing system through the input device a modify command for modification of a content of a first item of a one of said plurality of software modules described in said computer program specification; and
,analyzing said computer program specification using said CPU to generate a signal representative of a first portion of said computer program specification possibly affected by said modification of said content of said first item described in the computer program specification based on the inputted correlation information when such modification is made, the analyzing step including a step of classifying, with the CPU, the first portion possibly affected by said modification into one of;
i) a first classified portion automatically modified by the information processing system, ii) a second classified portion needing modification by the information processing system but whose content of modification cannot be analyzed, and iii) a third classified portion related to the modified portion but whose need for modification cannot be analyzed by the information processing system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A design supporting method having a specification edit function in an information processing system having a computer and an interactive terminal is disclosed. Items to be described in a specification are correlated among specifications so that when an item described in the specification is modified, a portion which is possibly affected by the modification can be analyzed.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A computer software design supporting method in an information processing system for designing a general purpose computer program specification from a plurality of software modules represented by a plurality of software module specifications of various types, the modules being modified using said information processing system which includes a supervisory CPU, an input device connected to the CPU, a specification data table connected to the CPU and an output terminal connected to the CPU, the design supporting method comprising the steps of:
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inputting into the information processing system through the input device correlation information for correlating i) items to be described in the general purpose computer program specification with ii) said plurality of software module specification of various types; storing the inputted correlation information in said specification data table; inputting into the information processing system through the input device a modify command for modification of a content of a first item of a one of said plurality of software modules described in said computer program specification; and
,analyzing said computer program specification using said CPU to generate a signal representative of a first portion of said computer program specification possibly affected by said modification of said content of said first item described in the computer program specification based on the inputted correlation information when such modification is made, the analyzing step including a step of classifying, with the CPU, the first portion possibly affected by said modification into one of;
i) a first classified portion automatically modified by the information processing system, ii) a second classified portion needing modification by the information processing system but whose content of modification cannot be analyzed, and iii) a third classified portion related to the modified portion but whose need for modification cannot be analyzed by the information processing system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer software design supporting method in an information processing system having a computer with a specification editing function for editing specifications of software modules comprising the software design, a storage memory connected to the computer and an interactive terminal connected to the computer for bidirectional communication between the information processing system and a system user, the method comprising the steps of:
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displaying a series of specification editing related messages on said interactive terminal directed to the system user during an interactive specification editing function operation; analyzing in said computer a portion of the specifications possibly affected by a modification of a content of the specifications resulting from the specification editing operation when said modification is made, the analyzing step including a step of classifying the portion possibly affected by said modification int one of;
i) a first classified portion automatically modified by the information processing system, ii) a second classified portion needing modification by the information processing system but whose content of modification cannot be analyzed, and iii) a third classified portion related to the modified portion but whose need for modification cannot be analyzed by the information processing system; and
,storing a history of the displayed series of specification editing related messages in said storage memory of the information processing system. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A software design supporting method having a specification edit function for use in an information processing system having a computer, a memory means connected to the computer and an interactive terminal connected thereto, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing cross-reference data in the memory means indicating in which first specification among a plurality of specifications comprising said software design, a specification item described in a specification under edition by the edit function is described, when the specification item is inputted into the system through the interactive terminal; analyzing a portion of the first specification possibly affected by a modification of a content of the first specification resulting from the edit function when said modification is made, the analyzing step including a step of classifying the portion possibly affected by said modification into one of;
i) a first classified portion automatically modified by the information processing system, ii) a second classified portion needing modification by the information processing system but whose content of modification cannot be analyzed, and iii) a third classified portion related to the modified portion but whose need for modification cannot be analyzed by the information processing system; and
,referring to the cross-reference data stored in said cross-reference storing step to determine in the computer the first specification describing the specification item in the specification under edition in the edit function and displaying the first specification on the interactive terminal each time the specification item is modified.
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26. A software design support method having a specification edit function for editing specifications of modules comprising the software design in an information handling system having a computer and an interactive terminal connected to the computer, the support method comprising the steps of:
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defining in said computer a sequence of design of specifications comprising said software design and determining in the computer a first specification to be designed earlier than a second specification when said second specification is yet to be designed, based on the defined sequence of design of specifications; analyzing a portion of the first specification possibly affected by a modification of a content of the first specification resulting from said specification edit function when said modification is made, the analyzing step including a step of classifying the portion possibly affected by said modification into one of;
i) a first classified portion automatically modified by the information handling system, ii) a second classified portion needing modification by the information handling system but whose content of modification cannot be analyzed, and iii) a third classified portion related to the modified portion but whose need for modification cannot be analyzed by the information handling system; and
,displaying on the interactive terminal the determined first specification to design the first specification before said second specification when the determined specification is not completed.
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Specification