Method and system to automatically regenerate software code

• US 7,779,386 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Seitz, Greg, Kasten, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTTEN, JAMES D
• Application Number:
  US11/009,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 717/108, 717/120, 717/121, 707100-102, 707/103.R, 707/103.X, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0808 with cache invalidating means G06F12/0815 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0875 with dedicated cache, e.g. instruction or stack
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/12 Replacement control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/128 adapted to multidimensional cache systems, e.g. set-associative, multicache, multiset or multilevel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/452 Instruction code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/465 Structured object, e.g. database record
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

According to a second aspect there is provided a method and system to automatically regenerate software for an object to relational mapping system. The system automatically regenerates a first set of classes. For each class, the system reads class information; reads meta-data based on the class information; and automatically regenerates the class based on the meta-data without overwriting associated custom code. The first set of classes includes base code that is associated with the custom code. The first set of classes and the base code are utilized by the object to relational mapping system to enable an application program to access data that is persistently stored in a database.

Claims

1. A method to automatically regenerate software for an object to relational mapping system, the method including:

reading class information respectively associated with a first plurality of classes, classes, the class information comprises a configuration file containing meta-data and a class definition file including at least one template defining at least one rule applied to meta-data in the configuration file to regenerate a class; and

automatically regenerating the first plurality of classes based on the configuration file and

the class definition file, the first plurality of classes including base code that is associated with a second plurality of classes including custom code, the first plurality of classes to be regenerated without overwriting the second plurality of classes including the custom code, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes utilized by the object to relational mapping system to enable an application program to access data that is persistently stored in a database, the second plurality of classes respectively inheriting from the first plurality of classes, and the first plurality of classes including a first class and a second class, the first class utilized to automatically retrieve data to construct a plurality of data objects respectively instantiated based on the second class, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class having business rules defining access to the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom code overrides the base code.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the custom code augments the base code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom code includes code that is not included in the base code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically regenerating the first plurality of classes includes adding a previously undefined attribute to the first class.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically regenerating the first plurality of classes includes removing a previously defined attribute from the first class.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class that is utilized as an interface for a data object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first class defines a plurality of read sets that identify columns that are requested from the database to retrieve data that is populated to a data object that is included in the plurality of data objects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first class defines at least one of a plurality of update sets and a plurality of insert sets that identify a plurality of attributes that are persisted to the database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first class defines a plurality of sets of hints.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first class includes meta-data to access a subobject.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the meta-data includes an SQL statement that includes a tag that is dynamically substituted for a value.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of classes includes at least one class that supports hierarchical relationships between data object types.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first class is used to automatically retrieve the data in a single request from the database to construct the plurality of data objects in an object graph.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of classes includes at least one class to perform an operation that is selected from a group of operations including an update operation, an insert operation, and a delete operation for at least one data object in an object graph in a single database request.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically regenerating the first plurality of classes uses at least one template.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one template specifies meta-data to extract from the configuration file.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one template includes definitions to generate a class.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one template is in the form of an Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) template.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one template includes inheritance information to apply to a class.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the class definition file includes at least one template for a class that may be regenerated on successive regenerations of software, and at least one template for a class that may be regenerated once for custom code.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one business rule prohibits access to a data object in the class.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one business rule prohibits viewing of data of the data object in the class.

24. A system to automatically regenerate software for an object to relational mapping system, the system including:

at least one machine including;

a read module, executable on the machine, to read class information respectively associated with a first plurality of classes, the class information comprises a configuration file that contains meta-data and a class definition file that includes at least one template that defines at least one rule that is operable for application to meta-data in the configuration file to regenerate a class; and

a class generator module, executable on the machine, to automatically regenerate the first plurality of classes based on the configuration file and the class definition file, the first plurality of classes including base code that is associated with a second plurality of classes including custom code, the first plurality of classes to be regenerated without overwriting the second plurality of classes including the custom code, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes utilized by the object to relational mapping system to enable an application program to access data that is persistently stored in a database, the second plurality of classes respectively inheriting from the first plurality of classes, and the first plurality of classes including a first class and a second class, the first class utilized to automatically retrieve data to construct a plurality of data objects respectively instantiated based on the second class, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class having business rules defining access to the data.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the custom code overrides the base code.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the custom code augments the base code.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the custom code includes a method that is not included in the base code.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the class generator module is to automatically regenerate the first plurality of classes to add an attribute to a class.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the class generator module is to automatically regenerate the first plurality of classes to remove an attribute from a class.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class that is utilized as an interface for a data object.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the first class defines a plurality of read sets that identify a plurality of columns that are requested from the database to retrieve data that is populated to a data object that is included in the plurality of data objects.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the first class defines at least one of a plurality of update sets and a plurality of insert sets that identify a plurality of attributes that are persisted to the database.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein first class defines a plurality of sets of hints.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of classes includes at least one class that includes meta-data to access a subobject.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the meta-data includes an SQL statement that includes a tag that is dynamically substituted for a value.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of classes includes at least one class that supports hierarchical relationships between data object types.

37. The system of claim 24, wherein the first class is used to automatically retrieve the data to construct the plurality of data objects in an object graph.

38. The system of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of classes includes at least one class to perform an operation that is selected from a group of operations including an update operation, an insert operation, and a delete operation for at least one data object in an object graph in a single database request.

39. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

read class information respectively associated with a first plurality of classes, the class information comprises a configuration file that contains meta-data and a class definition file that includes at least one template that defines at least one rule that is operable for application to meta-data in the configuration file to regenerate a class; and

automatically regenerate the first plurality of classes based on the configuration file and the class definition file, the first plurality of classes including base code that is associated with a second plurality of classes including custom code, the first plurality of classes to be regenerated without overwriting the second plurality of classes including the base code, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes utilized by the object to relational mapping system to enable an application program to access data that is persistently stored in a database, the second plurality of classes respectively inheriting from the first plurality of classes, and the first plurality of classes including a first class and a second class, the first class utilized to automatically retrieve data to construct a plurality of data objects respectively instantiated based on the second class, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class having business rules defining access to the data.

40. A system to automatically regenerate software for an object to relational mapping system, the system including:

a first means for reading class information, the class information comprises a configuration file containing meta-data and a class definition file including at least one template defining at least one rule applied to meta-data in the configuration file to regenerate a class; and

a second means for automatically regenerating the first plurality of classes based on the configuration file and the class definition file, the first plurality of classes including base code that is associated with a second plurality of classes including custom code, the first plurality of classes to be regenerated without overwriting the second plurality of classes including the base code, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes utilized by the object to relational mapping system to enable an application program to access data that is persistently stored in a database, the second plurality of classes respectively inheriting from the first plurality of classes, and the first plurality of classes including a first class and a second class, the first class utilized to automatically retrieve data to construct a plurality of data objects respectively instantiated based on the second class, the first plurality of classes and the second plurality of classes each include a class having business rules defining access to the data.