Automated code replication during application development

• US 6,321,378 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Weber, Owen Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US09/209,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 717/9, 717/4, 717/5, 707/2, 707/3, 707/203
• US Class Current: 717/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An application development tool supports a “replicate” mode of operation which, when selected, automatically archives copies of any application source code modules being edited. Where the application source code contains multiple code segments which are symmetrical with respect to size and general content, such as a number of polygon data arrays, in which similar alterations must be implemented globally, the user may make the revision in one code segment and mark the remaining code segments in which the revisions are to be replicated. The application development tool then compares the revised and archived source code modules to identify the pattern of the revisions which were made. Upon detecting a pattern to the revisions, the application development tool automatically replicates the revisions in conformance with the identified pattern within the marked code segments. A solution is thus provided for developers who must alter large amounts of code in a manner which produces an identifiable pattern to the revisions but which cannot be accomplished by simple global find-and-replace processes, saving the developer time by eliminating repetitive tasks which are both time consuming and common sources of errors requiring correction during debug.

Claims

1. A method of automatically replicating code revisions, comprising:

comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments; and

responsive to identifying a change to an element within revised and unrevised code segments, replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a user actuating a revision replication feature for an application development tool, saving a first copy of a code fragment from which the unrevised code segment may be retrieved; and

effecting user-specified changes resulting in the revised code segment in a second copy of the code fragment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments further comprises:

comparing each line within the revised code segment to a corresponding line within the unrevised code segment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments further comprises:

comparing each element within the revised code segment to a corresponding element within the unrevised code segment to identify differences between the element and the corresponding element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments further comprises:

inserting additional characters before an element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments further comprises:

inserting additional characters after an element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments further comprises:

substituting characters within an element.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, from identified differences between the revised and unrevised code segments, any changes to each element within revised and unrevised code segments.

9. A system for automatically replicating code revisions, comprising:

a data processing system on which an application development tool is executed, the application development tool;

comparing a line within a revised code segment to a corresponding line within an unrevised code segment;

identifying any character differences between at least one element within the revised code segment and a corresponding element within the unrevised code segment replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments; and

reproducing the identified character differences within each similar element within a corresponding line of a second unrevised code segment.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a memory containing a first source code copy including the unrevised code segment and a second code copy including the revised code segment, wherein the application development tool compares the first source code copy to the second source code copy.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the application development tool compares each delimited element within the revised code segment to a corresponding delimited element within the unrevised code segment.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the application development tool determines correspondence between the line within the revised code segment and the corresponding line within the unrevised code segment of delimiter characters including brackets, parentheses, commas, semi-colons, and blank spaces.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the application development tool reproduces the identified character differences by inserting additional characters before an element.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the application development tool reproduces the identified character differences by inserting additional characters after an element.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the application development tool reproduces the identified character differences by substituting characters within an element.

16. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for automatically replicating code revisions, comprising:

instructions for comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments; and

instructions, responsive to identifying a change to an element within revised and unrevised code segments, for replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

instructions, responsive to a user actuating a revision replication feature for an application development tool, for saving a first source code copy including the unrevised code segment; and

instructions for effecting user-specified changes resulting in the revised code segment in a second source code copy.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments further comprise:

instructions for comparing each line within the revised code segment to a corresponding line within the unrevised code segment.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for comparing a revised code segment to an unrevised code segment to identify differences between the revised and unrevised code segments further comprise:

instructions for comparing each element within the revised code segment to a corresponding element within the unrevised code segment to identify differences between the element and the corresponding element.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for replicating the identified change in each corresponding element within a plurality of marked code segments further comprises:

instructions for inserting additional characters before an element, inserting additional characters after an element, or substituting characters within an element.