Object oriented software build framework mechanism

• US 6,298,476 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1995
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nock, Clifton Malcolm, Misheski, David Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US08/566,465
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 395/705, 395/703, 395/701, 395/712, 395/683, 717/5, 717/3, 717/2, 717/1, 709/315, 709/310
• US Class Current: 717/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A framework for use with object-oriented programming systems provides a software build system that detects modules that make up a software product, examines each module to determine if it is up-to-date, and automatically updates any modules that require processing. The framework includes a software object of a class called “Product” that comprises a software product to be processed and built. An instance of the Product is comprised of multiple software build objects, each of which is called “Object”. Each Object in turn contains four objects that are a kind of object class called BldSrc (Build Source). The BldSrc objects specify a different aspect of the software product and desired processing. Each of the software build objects in a Product'"'"'s Object list is examined to determine if all four of the BldSrc objects is current. If any one of the software build objects is not current, the Object is re-built. If all four objects are current, the re-building step is skipped. In this way, each of the software build Objects making up a Product is automatically examined and processed, and the Product is produced.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a user interface; and

a main memory having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment containing a framework having a Product class object that represents a software product to be built and that contains an Object class of objects that represent modules of the software product, wherein the Object class contains a BldSrc class of objects that represent source code modules to be subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable built code, and wherein the BldSrc class includes operations that determine if any object of the BldSrc class is not a current source code module, such that a respective object of the BldSrc class that is not current is subjected to the build processing, thereby making the object current, and otherwise is not subjected to the build processing.

2. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the BldSrc class includes UsedForBuild objects that indicate a build level attribute of each source code module object used in building a first Product object and includes LastChanged objects that indicate a build level attribute of corresponding source code module objects in a second Product object, such that the source code module objects in the second Product object are current if the build level attributes of UsedForBuild and LastChanged are equal.

3. A computer system as defined in claim 2, wherein one of the BldSrc methods comprises an isEqual( ) operation that compares the build level attributes of two corresponding BldSrc objects and determines if the respective build level attributes are equal.

4. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the objects of the Object class specifies a parameter that indicates the main memory location where the built code shall be placed.

5. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the objects of the Object class include objects belonging to a ControlInfo class containing control objects, a SourceInfo class containing source code objects, a ProcessInfo class containing build process control parameter objects, and a ProcessOutput class containing build code objects.

6. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the BldSrc class is a superclass for BuildOptions objects that specify at least one predetermined parameter of the build processing, which is received by at least one of the control Object class objects and thereby overrides the predetermined parameter otherwise specified by the Object class.

7. An object oriented framework for use in a computer system having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment in which source code modules are subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable built modules, and having a memory in which the object oriented framework can be stored, the framework comprising:

a Product object that represents a software product to be built;

an Object class containing objects that represent modules of the software product;

a BldSrc class of objects contained by the Object class, wherein the BldSrc objects represent source code modules to be subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable built code, and wherein the BldSrc class includes operations that determine if any object of the BldSrc class is not a current source code module, such that a respective object of the BldSrc class that is not current is subjected to the build processing, thereby making the object current, and otherwise is not subjected to the build processing; and

a user interface that receives user commands to initiate the build processing.

8. An object oriented framework as defined in claim 7, wherein the BldSrc class further includes UsedForBuild objects that indicate a build level attribute of each source code module object used in building a first Product object and includes LastChanged objects that indicate a build level attribute of corresponding source code module objects in a second Product object, such that the source code module objects in the second Product object are current if the build level attributes of UsedForBuild and LastChanged are equal.

9. An object oriented framework as defined in claim 8, wherein one of the BldSrc methods comprises an isEqual( ) operation that compares the build level attributes of two corresponding BldSrc objects and determines if the respective build level attributes are equal.

10. An object oriented framework as defined in claim 7, wherein one of the objects of the Object class specifies a parameter that indicates a main memory location of the computer system where the built code shall be placed.

11. An object oriented framework as defined in claim 7, wherein the objects of the Object class include objects belonging to a ControlInfo class containing Objects, a SourceInfo class containing source code objects, a ProcessInfo class containing build process control parameter objects, and a ProcessOutput class containing built code objects.

12. An object oriented framework as defined in claim 7, wherein the BldSrc class is a superclass for BuildOptions objects that specify at least one of the predetermined parameters of the build processing, which are contained by at least one of the Object class objects and thereby override the predetermined parameter otherwise specified by the Object class.

13. A program product data storage device, tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a computer system having an operating system that supports an object-oriented programming environment, the program product comprising:

a signal bearing media; and

a framework recorded on the signal bearing media, that provices a Product object that represents a software product to be built;

an Object class containing objects that represent modules of the software product;

a BldSrc class of objects contained by the Object class, wherein the BldSrc objects represent source code modules to be subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable, built code, and wherein the BldSrc class includes operations that determine if any object of the BldSrc class is not a current source code module, such that a respective object of the BldSrc class that is not current is subjected to the build processing, thereby making the object current, and otherwise is not subjected to the build processing; and

a user interface that receives user commands to initiate the build processing.

14. A program product as defined in claim 13, wherein the BldSrc class of the framework includes UsedForBuild objects that indicate a build level attribute of each source code module object used in building a first Product object and includes LastChanged objects that indicate a build level attribute of corresponding source code module objects in a second Product object, such that the source code module objects in the second Product object are current if the build level attributes of UsedForBuild and LastChanged are equal.

15. A program product as defined in claim 14, wherein one of the BldSrc methods of the framework comprises an isEqual( ) operation that compares the build level attributes of two corresponding BldSrc objects and determines if the respective build level attributes are equal.

16. A program product as defined in claim 13, wherein at least one of the framework objects of the Object class specifies a parameter that indicates a main memory location of the computer system where the built code shall be placed.

17. A program product as defined in claim 13, wherein the framework objects of the Object class include objects belonging to a ControlInfo class containing Objects, a SourceInfo class containing source code objects, a ProcessInfo class containing build process control parameter objects, and a ProcessOutput class containing build code objects.

18. A program product as defined in claim 13, wherein the framework BldSrc class is a superclass for BuildOptions objects that specify at least one predetermined parameter of the build processing, which is received by at least one of the Object class objects and thereby overrides the predetermined parameter otherwise specified by the Object class.

19. A method of distributing a program product from a first computer system to a second computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between the first computer system and the second computer system; and

transmitting the program product from the first computer system to the second computer system, wherein the program product comprises an object oriented framework having

a Product object that represents a software product to be built;

an Object class containing objects that represent modules of the software product;

a BldSrc class of objects contained by the Object class, wherein the BldSrc objects represent source code modules to be subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable built code, and wherein the BldSrc class includes operations that determine if any object of the BldSrc class is not a current source code module, such that a respective object of the BldSrc class that is not current is subjected to the build processing, thereby making the object current, and otherwise is not subjected to the build processing; and

a user interface that receives user commands to initiate the build processing.

20. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 19, wherein the BldSrc class of the program product framework includes UsedForBuild objects that indicate a build level attribute of each source code module object used in building a first Product object and includes LastChanged objects that indicate a build level attribute of corresponding source code module objects in a second Product object, such that the source code module objects in the second Product object are current if the build level attributes of UsedForBuild and LastChanged are equal.

21. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 20, wherein one of the BldSrc methods of the program product framework comprises an isEqual( ) operation that compares the build level attributes of two corresponding BldSrc objects and determines if the respective build level attributes are equal.

22. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 19, wherein at least one of the program product framework objects of the Object class specifies a parameter that indicates a main memory location of the computer system where the built code shall be placed.

23. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 19, wherein the objects of the program product framework Object class include objects belonging to a ControlInfo class containing Objects, a SourceInfo class containing source code objects, a ProcessInfo class containing build process control parameter objects, and a ProcessOutput class containing build code objects.

24. A method of distributing a program product as defined in claim 19, wherein the BldSrc class is a superclass for BuildOptions objects that specify at least one predetermined parameter of the build processing, which is received by at least one of the Object class objects and thereby overrides the predetermined parameter otherwise specified by the Object class.

25. A method of executing a software build process in a computer system having a central processing unit that controls processing in the computer system, a user interface, and a main memory having an operating system that supports an object oriented programming environment, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an object oriented framework having a Product class object that represents a software product to be built and that contains an Object class of objects that represent modules of the software product, wherein the Object class contains a BldSrc class of objects that represent source code modules to be subjected to build processing, thereby generating executable, built code, and wherein the BldSrc class includes operations that determine if any object of the BldSrc class is not a current source code module, such that a respective object of the BldSrc class that is not current is subjected to the build processing, thereby making the object current, and otherwise is not subjected to the build processing;

receiving the BldSrc class objects comprising the source code modules;

receiving a user request to initiate a software build process;

subjecting the BldSrc objects to build processing and thereby generating executable built code; and

placing the built code in the Product object.

26. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein the received BldSrc class includes UsedForBuild objects that indicate a build level attribute of each source code module object used in building a first Product object and includes LastChanged objects that indicate a build level attribute of corresponding source code module objects in a second Product object, such that the source code module objects in the second Product object are current if the build level attributes of UsedForBuild and LastChanged are equal.

27. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein one of the received BldSrc operations comprises an isEqual( ) operation that compares the build level attributes of two corresponding BldSrc objects and determines if the respective build level attributes are equal.

28. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein at least one of the objects of the received Object class specifies a parameter that indicates the main memory location where the built code shall be placed.

29. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein the objects of the received Object class include objects belonging to a ControlInfo class containing Objects, a SourceInfo class containing source code objects, a ProcessInfo class containing build process control parameter objects, and a ProcessOutput class containing build code objects.

30. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein the received BldSrc class is a superclass for BuildOptions objects that specify at least one predetermined parameter of the build processing, which is received by at least one of the Object class objects and thereby overrides the predetermined parameter otherwise specified by the Object class.