Software development environment with design specification validation tool

• US 7,861,227 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/494,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 717/124
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

An automated software class specification validation tool automatically determines, for functions defined in a function definition section of a class specification, whether the function is properly declared throughout one or more other sections of the same class specification. Further, it can be determined whether variables, i.e., attributes, parameters, and local variables, associated with respective functions in the function definition section are properly specified throughout one or more other sections of the same class specification. The functions and variables that are validated include attributes and functions that are specified for structures and nested classes defined in a defined type section of the class specification. The validation tool is accessible over a network via a web page, and results of the validation process are also displayed on a web page.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for validating an electronic software class specification file, the method comprising:

receiving, via a web page interface, a file name and storage location for an electronic software class specification file;

determining whether the class specification file includes each of a plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have according to document rules;

if the class specification file includes each of the plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have, then determining whether the sections are correctly ordered according to the document rules; and

if the class specification file does not include each of the plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have, and/or if the sections are not correctly ordered, then displaying in a second web page an indication that a particular section of the plurality of sections is misspelled, missing, or out of order in the class specification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying and storing names of all functions declared in a function list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all functions, if any, declared in a data structure defined in a defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all functions, if any, declared in a nested class defined in the defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all functions defined in a function definitions section of the class specification;

determining whether any function defined in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification; and

if a particular function defined in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification, then displaying in the second web page an indication that the particular function is not declared in the class specification.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein identifying and storing names of functions declared in the function list section and identifying and storing names of functions declared in the defined type list section include storing the names of the functions in association with corresponding parameter lists.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein identifying and storing names of functions declared in the function list section and identifying and storing names of functions declared in the defined type list section include storing the names of the functions, in a function lookup table, in association with corresponding parameter lists;

and

wherein determining whether any function defined in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification includes determining, from the function lookup table, whether the particular function is defined in the function list or defined type list sections of the class specification.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying and storing names of all attributes, if any, specified in a data structure defined in a defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all attributes, if any, specified in a nested class defined in the defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all attributes described in a class attributes section of the class specification;

identifying all attributes referenced in functions defined in a function definitions section of the class specification;

determining whether any attribute referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the defined type list section or the class attributes section of the class specification; and

if a particular attribute referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the defined type list section or the class attributes section of the class specification, then displaying in the second web page an indication that the particular attribute is not specified in the class specification.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein identifying and storing names of attributes specified in the defined type list section and identifying and storing names of attributes specified in the class attributes section include storing the names of the attributes in an attributes lookup table;

and

wherein determining whether any attribute referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the defined type list section or the class attributes section of the class specification includes determining, from the attributes lookup table, whether the particular attribute is specified in the defined type list or class attributes sections of the class specification.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying and storing names of all parameters declared in a function list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all parameters, if any, declared in association with a corresponding function in a structure defined in a defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying and storing names of all parameters, if any, declared in association with a corresponding function in a nested class defined in a defined type list section of the class specification;

identifying all parameters referenced in functions defined in a function definitions section of the class specification;

determining whether any parameter referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification; and

if a particular parameter referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification, then displaying in the second web page an indication that the particular parameter is not specified in the class specification.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein identifying and storing names of parameters declared in the function list section and identifying and storing names of parameters declared in the defined type list section include storing the names of the parameters in a parameters lookup table;

and

wherein determining whether any parameter referenced in a function in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification includes determining, from the parameters lookup table, whether the particular parameter is declared in the function list section or defined type list sections of the class specification.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying all local variables referenced in a function defined in a function definitions section of the class specification;

if a particular local variable referenced in the function in the function definitions section has not already been identified in the function, then storing the name of the particular local variable in a data structure and incrementing a local variable counter corresponding to the particular local variable and the function; and

if the name of the particular local variable is already stored in the data structure, then incrementing the local variable counter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying in the second web page an indication that a particular section of the plurality of sections is misspelled, missing, or out of order in the class specification includes highlighting the indication by displaying the indication in a first character type that is different from a second character type in which information other than the indication is displayed.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

21. A system configured for validating an electronic software class specification file, the system comprising:

means for receiving, via a web page interface, a file name and storage location for an electronic software class specification file;

means for determining whether the class specification file includes each of a plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have according to document rules;

means for determining whether the sections are correctly ordered according to the document rules in response to determining that the class specification file includes each of the plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have; and

means for displaying in a second web page an indication that a particular section of the plurality of sections is misspelled, missing, or out of order in the class specification in response to determining that the class specification file does not include each of the plurality of sections that class specifications are required to have and/or if the sections are not correctly ordered.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for identifying and storing names of all functions declared in a function list section of the class specification;

means for identifying and storing names of all functions, if any, declared in a data structure defined in a defined type list section of the class specification;

means for identifying and storing names of all functions, if any, declared in a nested class defined in the defined type list section of the class specification;

means for identifying and storing names of all functions defined in a function definitions section of the class specification;

means for determining whether any function defined in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification; and

means for displaying in the second web page an indication that the particular function is not declared in the class specification in response to determining that a particular function defined in the function definitions section is not in the function list section or the defined type list section of the class specification.