System and method for interactive and integrated software development process and phases

• US 7,721,250 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anand, Ashok, Pazel, Donald P., Paradkar, Amitkumar Manoharrao, Tibbitts, Beth R., Varma, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/402,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-127, 717168-177, 717101-102
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A system (and method, and method for deploying computing infrastructure) for facilitating fixing program development errors found during different phases of program development using different programming tools, such as compilers, linkers, library managers, and debuggers, and can be integrated into a program development environment encompassing all tools. The exemplary aspects of the present invention can detect a qualified set of problems from which to recover with sufficient information, as typically provided by a user or other intelligent or artificial intelligent means, and upon error detection, can initiate a communication with the user (or other support software), to acquire information that could remedy the problem.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interactive software development processes in an interactive software system, the method comprising:

remediating, as executed by a processor on a computer, an execution cycle of said interactive software system based on analytical information from said software development processes in the interactive software system prior to a completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system;

identifying said analytical information from said software development processes in the interactive software system prior to said completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system; and

initiating communication with at least one of a user and a support software to obtain said information to remedy one of said problems prior to the completion of execution cycle of said interactive software system,

wherein said identifying comprises detecting a predetermined set of problems for which information can be obtained to remedy at least one of said problems prior to the completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said analytical information comprises:

at least one of a program development error and a limitation prior to the completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system, and

repairing at least one of the program development error and the limitation prior to the completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

continuing said execution cycle of said interactive software system after performing said remediating.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises:

identifying at least one of a functional program development limitation and a non-functional program development limitation during different phases of said execution cycle of said interactive software system, and

wherein said remediating comprises;

interactively repairing the at least one of the functional program development limitation and the non-functional program development limitation at said different phases of said execution cycle of said interactive software system.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein an error policy is applied to the identified analytical information, and

wherein, upon acceptance of the identified analytical information according to a qualification by said error policy, an error remediation of said error policy is applied to fix said identified analytical information.

6. A method of deploying computing infrastructure in which recordable, computer-readable code is integrated into a computing system, and combines with said computing system to perform the method according to claim 1.

7. A tangible readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of recordable, machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1.

8. A computer-implemented method for programming environment engagement and enhancement in an interactive program development system for interactive software development processes, the method comprising:

detecting, as executed by a processor on a computer, an environment-specific condition prior to termination of an execution cycle of a programming tool;

engaging at least one of a user and a support software to obtain information related to said tool-specific condition;

based on a result of said engaging, invoking ancillary means for processing said environment-specific condition; and

continuing execution of said programming environment after invoking said ancillary means for processing said environment-specific condition.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8, wherein said tool-specific condition comprises at least one functional exception, and

wherein said functional exception includes at least one of:

a file-not-found, a CPU overload, an excessive stack size, a blocked process, and a frequent context switch.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8, further comprising:

providing an interface for at least one of plugging in different system tools, allowing individual tool-user dialogs to be described to the method, and allowing standardized presentation of diverse dialogs via the interface.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8, further comprising:

automatically changing a program variable name to a unique name, regardless of lexical/dynamic scoping conventions of tool input.

12. An interactive software system for interactive software development processes, the system comprising:

a remediating unit, as executed by a processor on a computer, that remediates an execution cycle of said interactive software system based on analytical information from said software development processes in the interactive software system prior to a completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system;

an identifying unit that identifies said analytical information from said software development processes in the interactive software system prior to said completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system, said identifying unit providing an input to said remediating unit; and

a communication unit that initiates communication with at least one of a user and a support software to obtain said information to remedy said at least one of said problems prior to the completion of execution cycle of said interactive software system,

wherein said identifying unit detects a predetermined set of problems for which information can be obtained to remedy at least one of said problems prior to the completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said analytical information comprises:

at least one of a program development error and a limitation prior to completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system, and

wherein said remediating unit repairs at least one of the program development error and the limitation prior to the completion of the execution cycle of said interactive software system.

14. A interactive software development system, for interactive software development processes, including a plurality of programming tools, the system comprising:

error detecting means, as executed by a processor on a computer, for identifying a software development error prior to completion of an execution cycle of said software development system;

error repairing means, as executed by said processor, for repairing the software development error prior to the completion of the execution cycle of said software development system;

an identifying means that identifies analytical information from said software development processes in the interactive software system prior to said completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system; and

a communication means that initiates communication with at least one of a user and a support software to obtain said information to remedy said at least one of problems prior to the completion of execution cycle of said interactive software system,

wherein said identifying means detects a predetermined set of problems for which information can be obtained to remedy at least one of said problems prior to the completion of said execution cycle of said interactive software system.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

interface means for initiating communication with at least one of a user and a support software to obtain information to remedy said identified software development error prior to the completion of the execution cycle of said software development system.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein one of said programming tools comprises:

at least one of a compiler, a linker, a library builder, a library manager, a debugger, and a program editor.