Source editing in a graphical hierarchical environment

• US 6,792,595 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Weisz, Robert, Storistenau, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US09/399,235
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 717/113, 717/105-110, 717/116, 717/125, 345/645, 345/650, 345/676, 345/762-763, 345/713, 707/513
• US Class Current: 717/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for viewing, writing, and modifying source code in an integrated development environment (IDE). When source code is being edited in a graphical environment, windows in the development environment display the code structure of a project allowing for the visualization of the relationships between components of the project. This invention discloses a system and method that permits editing to be performed directly in the graphical environment where the code structure is being displayed. In the preferred embodiment, editing of the source is performed directly within the graphical environment where a hierarchical model of the code structure of a project at various levels (module, class, function, etc.) is displayed.

Claims

1. A system for editing a computer program, said system comprising:

a) a browser;

b) a graphical layout control accessible to said browser, said graphical layout control being invoked by said browser to provide a display of relationships between components of said computer program;

c) an edit control accessible to said browser, said edit control providing an interface permitting a user to select a component from within said display; and

d) an edit window containing the contents of said selected component, said window replacing said selected component within said display, for the purpose of allowing the user to edit the contents of said selected component while viewing said display of relationships, said graphical layout control further comprises;

a graphical manager, said graphical manager controlling the display of a graph view;

a plurality of node controls accessible to said graphical manager, to implement the display of nodes within said graph view;

a plurality of link controls accessible to said graphical manager, to implement the display of directional links between said nodes of said graph view;

a plurality of nested graph layout controls, so that any graph view implemented by a graph layout control may replace a node in a higher-level graph view;

a plurality of edit controls, each of said edit controls controlling a set of edit views and corresponding edit windows, said set corresponding to a specific level of detail within the source code being edited;

said edit controls further comprises;

an edit manager, said edit manager controlling the instantiation and management of the components within said edit control;

a text processing component, said text processing component controlling the loading of source code segments to be edited within an edit view;

a graphical user interface, said graphic user interface controlling the rendering of an edit view within an edit window;

a commands/macros interface, said commands/macros interface providing an interface between internal and external edit commands and said edit control;

an edit buffer, said edit buffer comprising a plurality of element structures, said element structures comprising text elements accessed by the text processing component;

a document control structure, said document control structure controlling which text elements of said edit buffer are to be displayed in said edit window;

a view control structure, providing control data for the display of an edit view;

a profiles and macros structure, said structure storing the profile information for an edit view; and

a key actions structure, said structure storing the default actions for keys and mouse selection for said edit control.

2. A system for editing a computer program, said program comprising a plurality of source code components, said system comprising:

A) a browser;

B) a graphical layout control accessible to said browser, said graphical layout control being invoked by said browser to display the relationships between said source code components as interconnected nodes, said graphical layout control further comprises;

a graphical manager, said graphical manager controlling the display of a graph view;

a plurality of node controls accessible to said graphical manager, to implement the display of nodes within said graph view;

a plurality of link controls accessible to said graphical manager, to implement the display of directional links between said nodes of said graph view;

C) a plurality of nested graph layout controls, so that any graph view implemented by a graph layout control may replace a node in a higher-level graph view;

D) a plurality of edit controls, each of said edit controls controlling a set of edit views and corresponding edit windows, said set corresponding to a specific level of detail within the source code being edited;

said edit controls further comprises;

an edit manager, said edit manager controlling the instantiation and management of the components within said edit control;

a text processing component, said text processing component controlling the loading of source code segments to be edited within an edit view;

a graphical user interface, said graphic user interface controlling the rendering of an edit view within an edit window;

a commands/macros interface, said commands/macros interface providing an interface between internal and external edit commands and said edit control;

an edit buffer, said edit buffer comprising a plurality of element structures, said element structures comprising text elements accessed by the text processing component;

a document control structure, said document control structure controlling which text elements of said edit buffer are to be displayed in said edit window;

a view control structure, providing control data for the display of an edit view;

a profiles and macros structure, said structure storing the profile information for an edit view; and

a key actions structure, said structure storing the default actions for keys and mouse selection for said edit control;

E) each of said edit views corresponding to one of said source code components; and

F) each of said edit windows providing a user interface to one of the source code component corresponding to an edit view, and a segment, thereby enabling the user to edit one of said source code component and segment.