System and method for managing architectural layers within a software model

• US 7,191,429 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axure Software Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Manyeta Informatique Inc.
• Inventors: Brassard, Michel, Pitman, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US10/256,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20030074648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 717104-110, 717120-122, 717/113, 707/203
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

A system and method are presented in which the system manages the properties related to the architectural layers within the context of software development. It provides mechanisms to define the architectural layers and the additional information required by them. The method for specifying a software model comprises specifying at least one architectural layer for a software system; specifying at least one property and relating each the at least one property to one of the at least one architectural layer and to at least one model element type to which the at least one property is attached; and automatically providing assistance for specifying property contents of the at least one property using an architecture layer corresponding to the at least one property for each one of a plurality of model elements to be defined as part of a software model of the software system.

Claims

1. A computational method for modeling and storing specifications of a software model, comprising:

providing a first computer module, specifying an architectural definition of at least one architectural layer for a software model;

storing in a computer-readable medium said architectural definition of said at least one architectural layer;

providing a second computer module, specifying a definition of at least one property of at least one element type of said software model;

storing in said computer-readable medium the definition of said at least one element type of said software model;

providing a third computer module, establishing relations between the definition of said at least one property of said software model to said at least one architectural layer;

storing in said computer-readable medium said relations; and

providing a fourth computer module and a man-machine interface, automatically providing assistance in specifying property contents of said at least one property using said at least one architectural layer for which said relations are established with said at least one property.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance further comprises indicating which of said at least one architectural layer correspond to said at least one property for which said property contents are being specified.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein specifying said property contents comprises specifying said property contents with default values.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising storing in said computer-readable medium said property contents.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said computer-readable medium comprises a plurality of computer-readable medium, each being configured for one of said at least one architectural layer.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising importing to said software model an architectural layer defined in a different software model.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein automatically providing assistance further comprises deleting in said computer-readable medium a portion of said property contents related to said at least one architectural layer.

8. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein automatically providing assistance further comprises copying from said computer-readable medium a portion of said data property contents related to said at least one architectural layer into another computer-readable medium.

9. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein automatically providing assistance further comprises replacing a portion of said property contents related to one of said at least one architectural layer with a corresponding portion of property contents related to one of said at least one architectural layer of another software model.

10. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises reporting a coherency between each said computer-readable medium and a structure definition of said at least one architectural layer.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said specifying the definition of at least one property comprises a) specifying at least one architectural issue in which said at least one property is grouped, and b) storing said at least one property according to said at least one architectural issue, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises providing access to said at least one property according to a selection among said at least one architectural issue.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises directing a user to specify property contents within said selection of said at least one architectural issue.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said at least one architectural issue comprises an independent name space.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said at least one architectural issue comprises associating element type properties with said at least one architectural layer.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein specifying the definition of at least one property comprises associating said at least one architectural issue with one of said at least one architectural layer.

16. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises re-specifying at least one architectural issue and grouping properties of said at least one architectural issue in said re-specified at least one architectural issue.

17. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises grouping said properties in another architectural issue.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said automatically providing assistance comprises selecting at least one of said at least one architectural layer and specifying property contents for said selected at least one architectural layer.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises retrieving at least one previously specified and related property.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising editing said retrieved property.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising importing to said software model an architectural layer defined in a different software model.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising editing said imported architectural layer.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising specifying that said imported architectural layer is to remain unchanged.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein said automatically providing assistance comprises, providing default contents to said imported architectural layer.

25. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises disallowing updating ef property contents by architectural layer.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises disallowing viewing property contents by architectural layer.

27. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a) allowing at least a portion of said software model to be processed by any of said software modules and b) exporting said processed portion of said software model.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein said exporting comprises exporting said processed portion of said software model to a report generator.

29. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein said exporting comprises exporting said processed portion of said software model to a software model validation module.

30. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein exporting said processed portion of said software model comprises preparing an export file for said software model and said property contents in a XML format.

31. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising processing and exporting a portion of said software model to a code generator.

32. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises re-specifying at least one element type property and relating said at least one re-specified property to another architectural layer.

33. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein specifying the definition of at least one property comprises renaming said at least one property.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises renaming said at least one property.

35. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises changing a presentation of said at least one property for viewing and exporting according to said naming.

36. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein specifying the definition of at least one property further comprises specifying a dependency of said at least one property to another property forming part of said at least one property and wherein automatically providing assistance comprises directing the user to specify property contents for said at least one property according to said dependency.

37. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising specifying at least one layer to be edited, said at least one layer to be edited forming part of said at least one architectural layer.

38. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising specifying at least one layer to remain unchanged, said at least one layer to remain unchanged forming Dart of said at least one architectural layer.

39. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises, for at least one layer forming Dart of said at least one architectural layer, providing default contents.

40. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein specifying the definition of at least one property comprises specifying a property name describing a design decision and a property content describing a value of said design decision.

41. A method as claimed in claim 40, wherein specifying the definition of at least one property further comprises specifying a set of predefined values for a given property name and a given model element.

42. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said specifying an architectural definition of at least one architectural layer comprises receiving a layer specification signal and a property specification signal.

43. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein automatically providing assistance comprises sending an assistance signal.

51. A system as claimed in claim 42, wherein said fourth computer module retrieves at least one previously specified and related property.

44. A system for modeling and storing specifications of a software model, comprising:

a first computer module configured to specify an architectural definition of at least one architectural layer for a software model;

a second computer module configured to specify the definition of at least one property of at least one element type of said software model;

a third computer module configured to establish relations between the definition of said at least one property of said software model to said at least one architectural layer;

a fourth computer module and a man-machine interface to automatically assist in specifying property contents of said at least one property using a said at least one architecture layer for which said relations are established to said at least one property; and

a computer-readable medium to store a) said architectural definition of said at least one architectural layer, b) said definition of said at least one element type of said software model, c) said relations, and d) said property contents.

45. A system as claimed in claim 44, wherein said fourth computer module further comprises a display for indicating which of said at least one architectural layer correspond to said at least one property for which said property contents are being specified.

46. A system as claimed in claim 44 wherein said computer-readable medium comprises a plurality of computer-readable data repositories, each being configured to store one of said at least one architectural layer.

47. A system as claimed in claim 44, wherein said said second computer module further comprises:

a fifth computer module configured to specify at least one architectural issue in which said at least one property is grouped;

a computer-readable issue medium for storing said properties according to said architectural issue; and

an issue selector for selecting an architectural issue;

wherein said fourth computer module provides access to said properties according to the selected architectural issue.

48. A system as claimed in claim 47, wherein said fourth computer module directs a user to specify property contents within said selected architectural issue.

49. A system as claimed in claim 47, wherein said at least one architectural issue comprises properties associated with different architectural layer.

50. A system as claimed in claim 44, wherein said fourth computer module selects at least one of said at least one architectural layer and specifies property contents for said selected architectural layer.

52. A system as claimed in claim 44, further comprising an editor for editing said at least one property.

53. A system as claimed in claim 44, wherein said fourth computer module disallows viewing of property contents by architectural layer.

54. A system as claimed in claim 44, further comprising a software model exporter for exporting at least a portion of said software model;

whereby allowing further processing of said portion by software modules.

55. A system as claimed in claim 54, wherein said software model exporter prepares an export file for said software model and said property contents in a XML format.

56. A system as claimed in claim 44, further comprising a sixth computer module configured to specify a dependency of said at least one property to another one of said at least one property and wherein said fourth computer module directs the user to specify property contents for said at least one property according to said dependency.

57. A system for modeling and storing specifications of a software model, comprising:

a layer specification signal receiver for receiving a layer specification signal specifying an architectural definition of at least one architectural layer for a software model;

a property specification signal receiver for receiving a property specification signal specifying the definition of at least one property of at least one element type of said software model;

a first computer module, establishing relations between the definition of said at least one property of said software model to said at least one architectural layer;

a second computer module and a man-machine interface to automatically in specifying property contents of said at least one property using said at least one architecture layer for which said relations are established to said at least one property; and

a computer-readable medium to store a) said architectural definition of said at least one architectural layer, b) said definition of said at least one element type of said software model, c) said relations, and d) said property contents.

58. A system for modeling and storing specifications of a software model, comprising:

a layer specification signal receiver for receiving a layer specification signal specifying an architectural definition of at least one architectural layer for a software model;

a property specification signal receiver for receiving a property specification signal specifying the definition of at least one property of at least one element type of said software model;

a computer module, establishing relations between the definition of said at least one property of said software model to said at least one architectural layer;

an assistance requester computer module configured to request an assistance signal providing assistance for specifying property contents of said at least one property using said at least one architecture layer for which said relations are established to said at least one property; and

a computer-readable medium to store a) said architectural definition of said at least one architectural layer, b) said definition of said at least one element type of said software model, c) said relations, and d) said property contents.