Maintenance of code knowledge for up-to-date access thereof

• US 6,360,358 B1
• Filed: 03/11/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hejlsberg, Anders, Kimmerly, Randy S., Elsbree, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/266,621
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 717/3, 717/2, 717/8, 707/102, 707/103.R, 707/104, 709/318, 709/328, 709/330
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Maintenance of code knowledge for up-to-date access thereof. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for providing code knowledge in response to receiving a request for code knowledge regarding a computer program. The method first creates a proxy, then a node to which the proxy is pointed by a unique node key and which includes the code knowledge. The method updates the node as necessary to provide accurate code knowledge. For example, the method sets a flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid upon a change event. Upon the flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid, and upon receiving a second request for the code knowledge, the method recreates the node.

Claims

1. A system for providing code knowledge of a computer program derived from a source data comprising:

a requester of the code knowledge; and

,

a compile unit to parse the source data into the code knowledge, to create a proxy in response to a request by the requestor for the code knowledge and to create a node to which the proxy is pointed by a unique node key and which includes the code knowledge,

such that the compile unit is to update the node as necessary to provide accurate code knowledge to the requestor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the compile unit is to update the node as necessary, on demand by the requester.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the code knowledge includes information including at least one of class, attributes, comment, superclass, interfaces, and members.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the requester receives the code knowledge via the proxy accessing the node as pointed to by the proxy by the unique code key.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the requestor causes the proxy to modify the source code underlying the code knowledge.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy includes a flag to indicate validity of the node to which the proxy is pointed by the unique node key.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the compile unit sets the flag to indicate the node as invalid when the source code has been modified.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein upon the flag indicating the node as invalid and the requestor requesting the code knowledge, the compile unit recreating the node.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing code knowledge comprising:

in response to receiving a request for code knowledge regarding a computer program, creating a proxy;

creating a node to which the proxy is pointed by a unique node key and which includes the code knowledge; and

,

updating the node as necessary to provide accurate code knowledge.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein updating the node as necessary comprises updating the node as necessary in response to receiving a second request for the code knowledge.

11. The method of claim 9, further initially comprising parsing source data of the computer program to the code knowledge for the computer program.

12. The method of claim 9, further initially comprising receiving the request for the code knowledge.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising setting a flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid upon a change event.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the change event comprises modification to source code from which the code knowledge was parsed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein upon the flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid and upon receiving a second request for the code knowledge, recreating the node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein recreating the node comprises initially deleting the node.

17. A machine-readable medium having processor instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

in response to receiving a request for code knowledge regarding a computer program, creating a proxy;

creating a node to which the proxy is pointed by a unique node key and which includes the code knowledge; and

,

updating the node as necessary to provide accurate code knowledge.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein updating the node as necessary comprises updating the node as necessary in response to receiving a second request for the code knowledge.

19. The medium of claim 17, further initially comprising parsing source data of the computer program to the code knowledge for the computer program.

20. The medium of claim 17, further comprising setting a flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid upon a change event.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein upon the flag of the proxy indicating the node as invalid and upon receiving a second request for the code knowledge, recreating the node.