Using code analysis to generate documentation

• US 7,788,640 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Grimaldi, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Qing
• Application Number:
  US11/023,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 717120-123, 717141-143
• US Class Current: 717/123
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation

Abstract

The subject invention relates to systems and methods that generate documentation discovered by programmatic and/or automatic code analysis. The generated documentation can be related to, for example, security, error conditions, permissions, exceptions, etc. Static code analysis and/or runtime analysis can be utilized to provide more complete, updated and/or accurate documentation as compared to conventional techniques by obtaining information, which can be utilized to automatically generate the documentation. According to an aspect of the subject invention, documentation can be generated that can supplement existing documentation.

Claims

1. documentation generation system, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium storing,

an input component that receives existing documentation, an indication of one or more identified subject areas for which supplemental documentation is to be generated, the one or more identified subject areas including at least one of security, error handling, permissions, and exceptions and software comprised of at least one of source code, object code, and a binary instruction set;

a documentation generator that utilizes a code analyzer comprised of at least one of static code analysis and runtime analysis to identify those portions of the software that include at least one of the one or more identified subject areas by identifying functions and source code attributes related to the at least one of the one or more identified subject areas, wherein the documentation generator is configured to dynamically generate supplemental documentation at runtime for the identified portions of the software as the software is being analyzed and wherein the documentation generator is further configured to dynamically update the generated supplemental documentation upon detecting that a predetermined threshold amount of the software has been altered; and

a merge component that integrates the supplemental documentation with the existing documentation, wherein the identified portions of the software are not based upon information annotated by a programmer to accompany software but derived from functionality of the software.

2. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator produces documentation associated with error handling during runtime analysis.

3. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator utilizes static code analysis to generate documentation based on attributes associated with the source code, wherein static code analysis automatically identifies sections of code pertinent to understanding code structure.

4. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator employs static code analysis to identify a particular call to create a file within the source code.

5. The documentation generation system of claim 4, the documentation generator automatically populates the supplemental documentation with boilerplate associated with the identified particular call and signatures.

6. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator employs runtime analysis to identify whether a file system is manipulated in connection with executing at least one of the object code and the binary instruction set.

7. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the input component obtains a path to at least one of source code, object code, the binary instruction set, and existing documentation.

8. The documentation generation system of claim 7, further comprising accessing a path comprising a network link to an existing document and merging by inserting a hyperlink directed to the supplemental documentation into the existing documentation.

9. The documentation generation system of claim 1, further comprising an editor that is utilized to accept the supplemental documentation.

10. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the supplemental documentation is at least one of an image, a diagram, code, an outline, a video, an audio, a chart, and a revision mark.

11. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the existing documentation is documentation previously automatically produced via the documentation generator of a prior version of at least one of a source code, object code, and binary instruction set.

12. The documentation generation system of claim 1, wherein the input component receives source code and the documentation generator utilizes static code analysis to evaluate and outline flow of control statements.

13. The documentation generation system of claim 1, wherein the input component receives source code and the documentation generator utilizes static code analysis to identify a call to create files.

14. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator produces documentation associated with security handling.

15. The documentation generation system of claim 1, the documentation generator employs static code analysis to identify a particular signature within the source code, wherein the at least one of source code, object code, and binary instruction set is dependent upon at least one of a programming language or computing platform associated with the particular signature to identify particular actions, calls, or methods.

16. A method that facilitates generating documentation, comprising:

employing a processor to facilitate generating documentation by,

receiving existing documentation, an indication of one or more identified subject areas for which supplemental documentation is to be generated, the one or more identified subject areas including at least one of security, error handling, permissions, and exceptions and software comprised of at least one of source code, object code, and a binary instruction set;

identifying those portions of the software that include at least one of the one or more identified subject areas by identifying functions and source code attributes related to the at least one of the one or more identified subject areas utilizing a code analyzer comprised of at least one of static code analysis and runtime analysis;

dynamically generating supplemental documentation at runtime for the identified portions of the software as the software is being analyzed, wherein the dynamic documentation generation is further configured to dynamically update the generated supplemental documentation upon detecting that a predetermined threshold amount of the software has been altered; and

merging the supplemental documentation with the existing documentation, wherein the identified portions of the software are not based upon information annotated by a programmer to accompany software but derived from functionality of the software.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the supplemental documentation is presented as approvable documentation that is either approvable or not approvable by a user, such that upon approval, the supplemental documentation is added to the existing documentation and upon disapproval, the supplemental documentation is not added to the existing documentation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising accepting the approvable documentation to create supplemental documentation.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising merging the supplemental documentation with existing documentation pertaining to a prior version of at least one of a source code, object code, and binary instruction set.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising evaluating the at least one of source code, object code, and binary instruction set utilizing both static code analysis and runtime analysis to evaluate and outline flow of control statements, to identify a particular call to create a file, to evaluate security handling, and to evaluate coding errors.

21. The method of claim 16, the existing documentation is generated concurrently with user programming of the source code and the supplemental documentation is subsequently generated from the user programmed source code.

22. The method of claim 16, utilizing static code analysis further comprises searching through the source code and identifying at least one of a call and a signature.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising evaluating the at least one of source code, object code, and binary instruction set utilizing static code analysis that automatically identifies sections of code pertinent to understanding code structure without benefit of programmer manually input annotations to source code, object code or binary instruction set.

24. A computer-implemented system that facilitates generating documentation, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium storing,

means for receiving existing documentation, an indication of one or more identified subject areas for which supplemental documentation is to be generated, the one or more identified subject areas including at least one of security, error handling, permissions, and exceptions and software comprised of at least one of source code, object code, and a binary instruction set;

means for analyzing coding aspects of at least one of source code, object code, and a binary instruction set to identify those portions of the software that include at least one of the one or more identified subject areas by identifying functions and source code attributes related to the at least one of the one or more identified subject areas;

means for dynamically generating supplemental documentation at runtime that comprises identified portions of the software as the software is being analyzed, wherein the means for dynamically generating supplemental documentation is further configured to dynamically update the generated supplemental documentation upon detecting that a predetermined threshold amount of the software has been altered; and

means for merging the supplemental documentation with the existing documentation, wherein the identified portions of the software are not based upon information annotated by a programmer to accompany software but derived from functionality of the software.

25. The computer-implemented system of claim 24, the means for analyzing employs static code analysis.

26. The computer-implemented system of claim 24, the means for analyzing utilizes runtime analysis pertaining to file access.