Computer programming language statement building and information tool

• US 7,814,461 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Curland, Matthew James, Shulman, Matthew, Cibulka, Martin, Sobeski, David Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/509,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20070006142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 717106-116
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors

Abstract

An intelligent real time tool to assist a computer programmer during the writing and/or maintenance of a computer program. The tool generates assist windows that contain program related information that the programmer can use to construct a programming language statement and/or to obtain real time information about a programming language statement. An assist window can be automatically displayed as determined by the tool itself, and/or manually displayed on demand in response to a user input command. An assist window displays two general categories of information including but not limited to selection menu information based on a partial compilation of all programming language statements, and informational displays based on a partial compilation and a reverse parse of an immediate programming language statement. The statement generating tool assist windows are non-intrusive to programmer input and can be ignored by the programmer by merely continuing to type an immediate programming language statement without interacting with the assist windows that are proximate the programming language statement being constructed by the programmer.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause said processor to perform a method for assisting a computer programmer in real time to complete a programming language statement in a computer program, said method comprising:

enabling a programming language editor having a character position cursor and a randomly positionable pointer;

partially compiling available ones of a plurality of programming language statements in said computer program;

automatically defining a finite set of programming language statement information that is relevant to at least one segment of a present one of said plurality of programming language statements that is proximate to said character position cursor; and

automatically generating a passive assist window that contains said finite set of programming language statement information in a location proximate to said character position cursor.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

automatically attempting said steps of claim 1 for each character received by said programming language editor.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

attempting said steps of claim 1 on a randomly selected one of said plurality of programming language statements in response to a real time request by said computer programmer.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

attempting said steps of claim 1 on a randomly selected one of said plurality of programming language statements in response to a real time request by said computer programmer at a time when at least one automatic assist window feature is disabled.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

generating a simultaneous plurality of passive assist windows that each contain a finite set of programming language statement information in a location proximate to said character position cursor, said simultaneous plurality of passive assist windows being selected from at least one of a group comprised of;

a selection menu assist window and an informational display assist window.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said step of defining further comprises:

generating said finite list as a selectable list of menu items that can each validly complete said at least one segment of said present programming language statement that is proximate to said character positioned cursor.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

creating a selection menu assist window comprised of said list of menu items; and

enabling window control features for said selection menu assist window.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6 further comprising instructions for:

replacing said at least one segment of said present programming language statement with one said list of menu items in response to an input command by said computer programmer.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said step of defining further comprises instructions for:

generating an argument list of each argument in said present programming language statement; and

identifying an argument type for each argument in said argument list selected from at least one of a group comprised of;

a mandatory argument and an optional argument.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

reverse parsing said present programming language statement into a plurality of tokens that each represent an individual component selected from at least one of a group comprised of;

an object entity segment and a delimiter, in response to a real time request by said computer programmer distinguishing said plurality of tokens between a procedure call token and any argument token in said argument list; and

binding said argument list.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

generating an informational display assist window based on an argument list;

distinguishing a mandatory argument from an optional argument within said argument list; and

highlighting a present argument within said argument list that corresponds to a present location of said character position cursor within said present programming language statement.

12. A system for passively assisting a user in real time to complete a programming language statement, said system comprising:

a programming language editor having a character position cursor and a randomly positioned pointer;

means for partially compiling available ones of a plurality of programming language statements in a computer program; and

means for automatically generating an assist window, based in part on the position of said character position cursor, that contains a finite set of programming language statement information in a location proximate to said character position cursor, said assist window being selected from at least one of a group comprised of;

a selection menu assist window and an informational display assist window.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein said means for generating further comprises:

means for identifying a desired menu item from said selection menu assist window; and

means for replacing a segment of a present programming language statement at a present location of said character positioned cursor with said desired menu item in response to said means for identifying.

14. A system according to claim 12 further comprising:

means for displaying information in an informational display assist window, said information being related to at least one segment of a present programming language statement that is proximate a present location of said character position cursor and selected from at least one of a group comprised of;

a symbol definition, a defined constant, a procedure call map, and an enumerated list.

15. A system according to claim 12 further comprising:

means for automatically enabling said means of claim 12 for each character received by said programming language editor.

16. A system according to claim 12 further comprising:

means for enabling said means of claim 12 on a randomly selected one of said plurality of programming language statements in response to a real time request by said user and independent of any automatic assist feature.

17. A real time computer implemented method for assisting a user to complete a programming language statement in a computer program, said real time method comprising:

the computer enabling a programming language editor having a character position cursor;

continuously resolving symbolic portions of available ones of a plurality of programming language statements into a partial program compilation;

the computer identifying a present programming language statement and at least one segment of said present programming language statement based on a location of said character position cursor;

the computer automatically determining a finite set of information related to said present programming language statement and said at least one segment of said present programming language statement based on said partial program compilation; and

the computer automatically generating an assist window of said finite set of information in a location proximate to said character position cursor.

18. The computer implemented method according to claim 17 wherein said step of identifying further comprises:

the computer determining an identity of input to said programming language editor by said user;

the computer enabling a reverse parse evaluation of said present programming language statement into identifiable tokens for each of said at least one segment therein in response to said input being an on-demand request by said user;

the computer enabling execution of a editing task in response to said input being a programming language editor command;

the computer enabling a first type of commit of an identified menu item from a selection menu assist window in response to said input being a commit key, wherein said step of enabling a first type of commit includes;

the computer identifying said commit key as a non-delimiter type commit key; and

the computer discarding said commit key;

the computer enabling a second type of commit of an identified menu item from a selection menu assist window in response to said input being a commit key, wherein said second type of commit includes;

identifying said commit key as a delimiter type commit key; and

inserting said commit key after said identified menu item in said present programming language statement; and

adding to said present programming language statement at a location of said character position cursor in response to said input being a non-commit key type input character.

19. The computer implemented method according to claim 17 wherein said step of generating further comprises:

displaying a selection menu assist window where said present programming language statement is identified as an operator embedded programming language statement; and

displaying in informational display assist window where said present programming language statement is identified as a non-operator embedded programming language statement.

20. The computer implemented method according to claim 19 wherein said non-operator embedded programming language is a procedure call.