Method and apparatus for converting programs and source code files written in a programming language to equivalent markup language files

• US 6,986,101 B2
• Filed: 05/06/1999
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Cooper, Michael Richard, Lawrence, Kelvin Roderick
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/306,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/103, 707/104.1, 707/513, 707/523, 707/101, 707/104, 715/513, 715/523, 717/143, 717/136, 717/137
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source

Abstract

A method and apparatus for converting programs and source code files written in a programming language to equivalent markup language files is provided. The conversion may be accomplished by a static process or by a dynamic process. In a static process, a programming source code file is converted by an application to a markup language file. A document type definition file for a markup language is parsed; a source code statement from a source code file is parsed; an element defined in the document type definition file is selected based on an association between the element and an identifier of a routine in the source code statement; and the selected element is written to a markup language file. In a dynamic process, the program is executed to generate the markup language file that corresponds to the source code file or presentation steps of the program. The application program is executed; a document type definition file for a markup language is provided as input; an element defined in the document type definition file is selected based on a routine called by the application program; and the selected element is written to a markup language file.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically translating an application program into a markup language file, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

executing said application program;

parsing a document type definition file for a markup language;

during execution of said application program, selecting an element defined in the document type definition file based on a routine called by said application program; and

writing the selected element to a markup language file to form a translation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the element comprises an attribute list corresponding to parameters for the routine.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected element written to the markup language file comprises an attribute list corresponding to values for the parameters passed to the routine.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the application program is written in Java programing language.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the routine is an extended class method.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the routine is a Graphics class method.

7. A data processing system for dynamically translating an application program into a markup language file, the data processing system comprising:

executing means for executing an application program;

parsing means for parsing a document type definition file for a markup language;

selecting means for selecting an element defined in the document type definition file based on a routine called by the application program; and

writing means for writing the selected element to a markup language file to form a translation.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the element comprises an attribute list of parameters for the routine.

9. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the selected element written to the markup language file comprises an attribute list of values for the parameters passed to the routine.

10. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the application program is written in Java programming language.

11. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein the routine is an extended class method.

12. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein the routine is a Graphics class method.

13. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for dynamically translating an application program into a markup language file, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for executing an application program;

second instructions for parsing a document type definition file for a markup language;

third instructions for selecting an element defined in the document type definition file based on a routine called by the application program; and

fourth instructions for writing the selected element to a markup language file to form a translation.