Method and system for enhancing software documentation and help systems

• US 7,797,353 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Singh, Gurbir
• Primary Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US10/384,102
• Time in Patent Office: 2,749 Days
• Field of Search: 707201-205, 345/338, 345/765, 705/67, 709/223
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A method and system for enhancing software documentation and help systems. In one embodiment, a virtual library for a selected combination of tools is created. The virtual library is then linked to the tools in the selected combination of tools. In another embodiment, a combination of tools for designing a complex software system is selected from one or more software releases. The one or more software releases comprises a plurality of available tools. The selected combination of tools comprises less than all of the plurality of available tools. Each of the plurality of available tools is associated with one or more documents. Access to only those one or more documents associated with tools in the selected combination of tools is provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enhancing software documentation and help system for software tools of various tool suites from a plurality of software releases, comprising:

selecting a combination of tools from said plurality of software releases for a design project, said plurality of software releases comprising a plurality of available tools, said selected combination of tools comprising less than all of said plurality of available tools, one or more of said plurality of available tools associated with one or more documents in an actual library of documents for the plurality of available tools;

creating, by using a processor, a virtual library for the design project based at least in part upon a combination of documents from the actual library of documents, the combination of documents within the virtual library corresponding to the combination of tools selected from the plurality of software releases and providing access to only the one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools, wherein the virtual library is not based upon actual copying of the one or more documents to form an actual collection of documents and the virtual library for the design project is linked to the selected combination of tools, wherein the act of creating the virtual library comprises;

defining a project file;

creating a document list file;

deriving a serialized document list file; and

constructing a search index;

linking said virtual library to said tools in said selected combination of tools; and

storing the virtual library for the design project in a volatile or non-volatile computer readable medium or displaying the virtual library on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein linking said virtual library comprises setting an environment variable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the project file comprises:

specifying a project name;

identifying a path to a documentation and help system; and

indicating version information for said documentation and help system.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising accessing a plurality of libraries through one running instance of said documentation and help system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the document list file comprises:

identifying said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying paths to said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools comprises documents having separately rooted paths.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises establishing a project list file, said project list file containing links to other libraries.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises specifying a path file for said virtual library, said path file identifying documentation hierarchies.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises composing a library file.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein composing a library file comprises:

identifying the product or family names for tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying the release hierarchy for each of said product or family names.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein creating a document list file comprises generating said document list file from said library file.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said serialized list file is derived from said library file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said serialized document list file is derived from said document list file.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said search index is constructed from said document list file.

15. A computer program product comprising a volatile or non-volatile computer usable medium having executable code to execute a process by a processor for enhancing software documentation and help system for software tools of various tool suites from a plurality of software releases, the process comprising:

selecting a combination of tools from said plurality of software releases for a design project, said plurality of software releases comprising a plurality of available tools, said selected combination of tools comprising less than all of said plurality of available tools, one or more of said plurality of available tools associated with one or more documents in an actual library of documents for the plurality of available tools; and

creating a virtual library for the design project based at least in part upon a combination of documents from the actual library of documents, the combination of documents within the virtual library corresponding to the combination of tools selected from the plurality of software releases and providing access to only the one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools, wherein the virtual library is not based upon actual copying of the one or more documents to form an actual collection of documents and the virtual library for the design project is linked to the selected combination of tools, wherein the act of creating the virtual library comprises;

defining a project file;

creating a document list file;

deriving a serialized document list file; and

constructing a search index;

linking said virtual library to said tools in said selected combination of tools; and

storing the virtual library for the design project or displaying the virtual library on a display device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein linking said virtual library comprises setting an environment variable.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein defining the project file comprises:

specifying a project name;

identifying a path to a documentation and help system; and

indicating version information for said documentation and help system.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising accessing a plurality of libraries through one running instance of said documentation and help system.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein creating the document list file comprises:

identifying said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying paths to said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools comprises documents having separately rooted paths.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises establishing a project list file, said project list file containing links to other libraries.

22. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises specifying a path file for said library, said path file identifying documentation hierarchies.

23. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein creating the virtual library further comprises composing a library file.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein composing a library file comprises:

identifying the product or family names for tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying the release hierarchy for each of said product or family names.

25. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein creating a document list file comprises generating said document list file from said library file.

26. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein said serialized list file is derived from said library file.

27. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said serialized document list file is derived from said document list file.

28. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said search index is constructed from said document list file.

29. A system for enhancing software documentation and help system for software tools of various tool suites from a plurality of software releases, the system comprising:

a processor for;

selecting a combination of tools from said plurality of software releases for a design project, said plurality of software releases comprising a plurality of available tools, said selected combination of tools comprising less than all of said plurality of available tools, one or more of said plurality of available tools associated with one or more documents in an actual library of documents for the plurality of available tools;

creating a virtual library for the design project based at least in part upon a combination of documents from the actual library of documents, the combination of documents within the virtual library corresponding to the combination of tools selected from the plurality of software releases and providing access to only the one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools, wherein the virtual library is not based upon actual copying of the one or more documents to form an actual collection of documents and the virtual library for the design project is linked to the selected combination of tools, wherein the act of creating the virtual library comprises;

defining a project file;

creating a document list file;

deriving a serialized document list file; and

constructing a search index;

linking said virtual library to said tools in said selected combination of tools; and

a volatile or non-volatile computer readable medium for storing the virtual library for the design project or a display device for displaying the virtual library.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the linking said library comprises setting an environment variable.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the defining the project file comprises:

specifying a project name;

identifying a path to a documentation and help system; and

indicating version information for said documentation and help system.

32. The system of claim 31 further comprising the processor adapted for accessing a plurality of libraries through one running instance of said documentation and help system.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the creating the document list file comprises:

identifying said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying paths to said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said one or more documents associated with tools in said selected combination of tools comprises documents having separately rooted paths.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the creating the virtual library further comprises establishing a project list file, said project list file containing links to other libraries.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the creating the virtual library further comprises specifying a path file for said library, said path file identifying documentation hierarchies.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein the creating the virtual library further comprises composing a library file.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the composing a library file comprises:

identifying the product or family names for tools in said selected combination of tools; and

specifying the release hierarchy for each of said product or family names.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the creating a document list file comprises means for generating said document list file from said library file.

40. The system of claim 37 wherein said serialized list file is derived from said library file.

41. The system of claim 29, wherein said serialized document list file is derived from said document list file.

42. The system of claim 29, wherein said search index is constructed from said document list file.