Scriptor and interpreter

• US 6,651,241 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1999
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hernandez, III, Gaspar
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T.
• Application Number:
  US09/407,885
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 717/110, 717/112, 717/115, 717/105, 717/142, 717/143
• US Class Current: 717/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/43 Checking; Contextual analysis

Abstract

A scriptor and interpreter are disclosed. The scriptor and interpreter each not only check the syntax of a command in a script, but also that the values for the variables passed as arguments to command are consistent with the values attributed to those variables in preceding portions of the script.

Claims

1. A method of processing an at least partially-completed script having at least one command, wherein said method checks syntax and argument consistency, the method comprising:

a) providing a current command to be evaluated from said script, said command having a current argument;

b) generating an ideal command from a set of permissible commands, said ideal command having an ideal argument that is consistent with preexisting values of variables identified in said script;

c) comparing said current command against said ideal command;

d) returning, if said step c) results in a match, to said step a) using a second command from said script;

e) repeating, if said c) does not result in a match, said steps b) and c) for additional ideal commands until a match is found or until said set of permissible commands has been exhausted.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f) warning, if said step e) exhausts said set of permissible commands without finding a match, of a bug in said script.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step b) includes:

b1) retrieving a first string from a list of strings representing valid command syntaxes, said first string having a substring representing a variable; and

b2) revising said first string by replacing said substring with the preexisting value of said variable.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f) providing a line in said script, said line indicating a command and a domain in which said command is to be used;

g) determining the domain identified by said line; and

h) retrieving a set of permissible commands for said domain;

wherein said step a) strips domain information from said first line to obtain said current command.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said domain relates to a user interface to a system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

f) returning, if a match is found via said step e), to said step a) using a second command from said script.

7. A method of editing a script having a sequence of commands, the method comprising:

a) providing a script;

b) selecting a command to be edited from said script, the selected command having an associated argument that sets the value of a variable;

c) updating said associated argument of said selected command to change said value of said variable;

wherein said script includes a second command that has a defined argument that corresponds to said variable but which does not equal the updated value of said variable; and

d) regenerating said script to update said defined argument to equal said updated value of said variable.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said script has at least a third command that has another defined argument that corresponds to said variable, but which does not equal said updated value of said variable, and said step c) also updates said the other argument to equal said updated value of said variable.

9. A method of interpreting each command in a script having a sequence thereof written in a high-level scripting language, wherein said method checks syntax and argument consistency, the method comprising:

a) providing a current command to be evaluated from said script, said command having a current argument;

b) generating an ideal command from a set of permissible commands, said ideal command having an ideal argument that is consistent with preexisting values of variables identified in said script;

c) comparing said current command against said ideal command;

d) executing, if said step c) results in a match, said current command;

e) returning, if said step c) results in a match, to said step

     1) using a second command from said script;

f) repeating, if said step c) does not result in a match, said steps b) and c) for additional ideal commands until a match is found or until said set of permissible commands has been exhausted; and

g) executing, if a match is found via said step f), said current command.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

h) returning, if a match is found via said step f), to said step a) using a second command from said script.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

i) aborting, if said step f) exhausts said set of permissible commands without finding a match, interpretation of said script.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said step b) includes:

b1) retrieving a first string from a list of strings representing valid command syntaxes, said first string having a substring representing a variable; and

b2) revising said first string by replacing said substring with the preexisting value of said variable.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

h) providing a line in said script, said line indicating a command and a domain in which said command is to be used;

i) determining the domain identified by said line; and

j) retrieving a set of permissible commands for said domain;

wherein said step a) strips domain information from said first line to obtain said current command.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said domain relates to a user interface to a system.

15. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program to be processed by a machine to debug an at least partially-completed script having a sequence of commands, wherein said computer-readable-medium-embodied program checks syntax and argument consistency, said computer-readable-medium-embodied program comprising:

a first code segment to select a current command to be evaluated from said script, said command having a current argument;

a second code segment to generate an ideal command from a set of permissible commands, said ideal command having an ideal argument that is consistent with preexisting values of variables identified in said script;

a third code segment to compare said current command against said ideal command;

a fourth code segment to return, if said third code segment achieves a match, to said first code segment using a second command from said script; and

a fifth code segment to repeat, if said third codes segment does not achieve a match, said second and third codes segments for additional ideal commands until a match is found or until said set of permissible commands has been exhausted.

16. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 15, further comprising:

a sixth code segment to return, if a match is found via said fifth code segment, to said first code segment using a second command from said script.

17. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 15, further comprising:

a seventh code segment to warn, if said fifth code segment exhausts said set of permissible commands without finding a match, of a bug in said script.

18. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 15, wherein said second code segment includes:

a first code subsegment to retrieve a first string from a list of strings representing valid command syntaxes, said first string having a substring representing a variable; and

a second code subsegment to revise said first string by replacing said substring with the preexisting value of said variable.

19. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 15, further comprising:

a seventh code segment to provide a line in said script, said line indicating a command and a domain in which said command is to be used;

an eighth code to determine the domain identified by said line; and

a ninth code segment to retrieve a set of permissible commands for said domain;

wherein said first code segment strips domain information from said first line to obtain said current command.

20. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 19, wherein said domain relates to a user interface to a system.

21. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program to be processed by a machine to edit a script having a sequence of commands, said computer-readable-medium-embodied program comprising:

a first code segment to select a command to be edited from said script, the selected command having an associated argument that sets the value of a variable;

a second code segment to update the selected argument of the selected current command to change said value of said variable;

wherein said script includes a second command that has a defined argument that corresponds to said variable, but which does not equal the updated value of said variable; and

a third code segment to regenerate said script to update said defined argument to equal said updated value of said variable.

22. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 21, herein said script has at least a third command that has another defined argument that corresponds to said variable, but which does not equal said updated value of said variable, and said third code segment also updates said third argument to equal said updated value of said variable.

23. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program to be processed by a machine to interpret each command in a script having a sequence thereof written in a high-level scripting language, wherein said computer-readable-medium-embodied program checks syntax and argument consistency, said computer-readable-medium-embodied program comprising:

a first code segment to provide a current command to be evaluated from said script, said command having a current argument;

a second code segment to generate an ideal command from a set of permissible commands, said ideal command having an ideal argument that is consistent with preexisting values of variables identified in said script;

a third code segment to compare said current command against said ideal command;

a fourth code segment to execute, if said third code segment achieves a match, said current command;

a fifth code segment to return, if said third codes segment achieves a match, to said first code segment using a second command from said script;

a sixth code segment to repeat, if said third code segment does not achieve a match, said code second and third code segments for additional ideal commands until a match is found or until said set of permissible commands has been exhausted; and

a seventh code segment to execute, if a match is found by said sixth code segment, and said current command.

24. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 23, further comprising:

an eighth code segment to return, if a match is found via said sixth code segment, to said first code segment using a second command from said script.

25. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 23, further comprising:

a ninth code segment to abort, if said sixth code segment exhausts said set of permissible commands without finding a match, interpretation of said script.

26. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 23, wherein said second code segment includes:

a first code subsegment to retrieve a first string from a list of strings representing valid command syntaxes, said first string having a substring representing a variable; and

a second code segment to revise said first string by replacing said substring with the preexisting value of said variable.

27. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 23, further comprising:

a ninth code segment to provide a line in said script, said line indicating a command and a domain in which said command is to be used;

a tenth code segment to determine the domain identified by said line; and

an eleventh code segment to retrieve a set of permissible commands for said domain;

wherein said first code segment strips domain information from said first line to obtain said current command.

28. The computer-readable-medium-embodied program of claim 27, wherein said domain relates to a user interface to a system.