Techniques for generating software application build scripts based on tags in comments

• US 7,222,333 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mor, Yishay, Berman, Gadi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/978,966
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 717/116, 717114-115, 717/106, 717/108, 717/165, 717168-178, 717120-122, 717/118, 715/500, 715/513, 719/321, 719/327, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 710/1, 710/3, 710 8- 10, 710/36, 710/48, 710/268
• US Class Current: 717/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation

Abstract

Techniques for forming an application from a particular file that has source code in a particular language include receiving, from the particular file, comment data. The comment data is ignored according to the particular language. The comment data includes build data indicating how to use the source code in a build process. The build process packages compiled code to form the application. Based on the build data in the comment data, build-input data is generated. The build-input data indicates input for the build process. These techniques automatically provide, for the application build process, build information known to the application developer who produced the source code.

Claims

1. A method of forming a computer program application from a particular file including source code in a particular language, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving, from the particular file, comment data including first data indicating a build use of the comment data;

wherein the comment data is ignored by a source code processor of the particular language;

wherein the build use specifies one or more actions that are to be performed when one or more source code modules are transformed and packaged into machine-executable instructions in an executable code of the computer program application; and

generating, based on the first data, second data indicating one or more items of input for a build process that packages compiled code to form the computer program application;

wherein the computer program application when formed comprises executable code; and

wherein the build process when executed performs the one or more actions specified in the build use.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the source code comprises one or more classes, each class indicating one or more attributes and behaviors; and

the comment data is associated with a class header comment of each class in the source code.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein:

a first class defines a first component of the computer program application; and

the first data indicates a plurality of classes belonging to the first component.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first data indicates a mode of execution for the computer program application, which mode includes use of a first class.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the mode of execution is execution as a test module.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the mode of execution is execution as a server providing a service in response to a request.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the mode of execution is execution within a web server environment.

8. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the mode of execution is execution as a servlet that is executed by a web server in response to a particular request from a web client.

9. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the mode of execution is execution as an applet that is sent for execution by a web client in response to a request from the web client.

10. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the mode of execution is execution as an enterprise bean including a set of published behaviors.

11. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the mode of execution is execution as a tag handler that is invoked upon receiving a tag in a mark-up language.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises sending the second data to the build process; and

based on the second data, the build process performs the step of forming the computer program application.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said step of forming the computer program application includes compiling the source code and generating a package of compiled code on a particular directory based on the second data.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the compiled code includes compiled code derived from the particular file.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first data indicates a name of a particular package into which compiled code based on the source code is packaged by the build process.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the source code is related to solving a particular defect in a defect tracking system; and

the first data indicates the particular defect in the defect tracking system.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the source code is part of a particular version of the computer program application; and

the first data indicates the particular version of the computer program application.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the source code is part of a particular version of the application, which particular version precedes a current version of the computer program application; and

the first data indicates the particular version of the computer program application.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the source code is written by a developer having a particular identifier; and

the first data indicates the particular identifier.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the first data includes a tag for an automated documentation system.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the tag is defined by a developer of the source code.

22. A method as recited in claim 20, said step of generating the second data based on the first data further comprises:

providing a routine, invoked by the automated documentation system in response to the tag, to produce script for the build process; and

executing the automated documentation system to operate on the particular file.

23. A method of forming an application from a particular file including source code, which source code is written in a particular language and is compilable into bytecode, the method comprising the steps of:

inserting, into the particular file within comment data ignored according to the particular language, first data indicating a build use of the comment data, the first data including one or more tags for an automated documentation system;

providing a routine, invoked by the automated documentation system in response to the one or more tags, to produce, based on the first data, script for a build process that packages compiled code to form the application,

wherein the application, when formed, comprises executable bytecode;

wherein the build use specifies one or more actions that are to be performed when one or more source code modules are transformed and packaged into machine-executable instructions in the executable bytecode of the application;

executing the automated documentation system to operate on the particular file and produce the script for the build process; and

sending the script to the build process to form the application, wherein the build process performs the one or more actions specified in the build use.

24. A machine-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a computer program source code file, comment data comprising one or more build action tags,

wherein the build action tags specify program build actions for a build process to perform to package the computer program source code file into machine-executable code,

wherein the comment data is ignored by a compiler process;

automatically generating, based on the tags, a program build script comprising one or more program build statements for input to a build process that packages the machine-executable code,

wherein the build process when executed performs the program build actions that the build action tags specify.

25. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for forming a computer program application from a particular file including source code in a particular language, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, from the particular file, comment data including first data indicating a build use of the comment data;

wherein the comment data is ignored by a source code processor of the particular language;

wherein the build use specifies one or more actions that are to be performed when one or more source code modules are transformed and packaged into machine-executable instructions in an executable code of the computer program application; and

generating, based on the first data, second data indicating one or more items of input for a build process that packages compiled code to form the computer program application;

wherein the computer program application when formed comprises executable code; and

wherein the build process when executed performs the one or more actions specified in the build use.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the first data indicates a mode of execution for the computer program application.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the mode of execution is one of:

execution as a test module;

execution as a server providing a service in response to a request; and

execution within a web server environment.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein:

the particular language is a language for writing programming code that is compilable into bytecode; and

the mode of execution is one of;

execution as a servlet that is executed by a web server in response to a particular request from a web client;

execution as an enterprise bean including a set of published behaviors; and

execution as a tag handler that is invoked upon receiving a tag in a mark-up language.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the first data indicates a name of a particular package into which compiled code based on the source code is packaged by the build process.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein:

the source code is related to solving a particular defect in a defect tracking system; and

the first data indicates the particular defect in the defect tracking system.