Compiler for a declarative event-driven programming model

• US 8,397,216 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Frank, Joachim H., Jamison, Wilfred C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US12/040,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104
• US Class Current: 717/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/31 Programming languages or programming paradigms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4498 Finite state machines

Abstract

A compiler generates code providing an execution sequence, from a declarative event-driven model, for execution by a computer. To assist in debugging the declarative event-driven model, the compiler also generates cross-references that relate steps in the generated code to elements of the declarative source code. The cross-references may be used as input to a debugger, along with the declarative source and the generated code, to assist a user who is stepping through the generated code (for example) in understanding which portion of the declarative source gave rise to the current step in the generated execution sequence.

Claims

1. A method of compiling a declarative event-driven model specification, comprising:

providing a declarative event-driven model specification to a compiler, the event-driven model specification comprising a declarative description of operation of an event-driven system; and

generating, by the compiler from the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, an executable file comprising a sequence of execution steps for execution on a computer to carry out run-time processing of events in the event-driven system according to the description in the event-driven model specification while also generating, for each of a plurality of elements in the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, a cross-reference that relates the element to each of at least one of the execution steps generated therefrom by the compiler, wherein the generated cross-references are usable, in combination with the declarative event-driven model specification and the generated executable file, by a debugger, during debugging of execution of the declarative event-driven model specification, for visibly linking any selected one of the execution steps to the element from which it was generated.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the generated cross-references in a structure separate from the executable file.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generated executable file and the generated cross-references are expressed in markup language syntax.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the execution steps comprise at least one of:

an event step for receiving an inbound event;

an assignment step for assigning a value;

a branch step for conditional transfer to a different one of the execution steps;

an emit step for specifying that an outbound event is to be emitted;

a terminate step for specifying that a current execution context is to be terminated; and

a fan-out step for specifying event correlation and enabling a context switch.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generated sequence of execution steps includes a sequence of assignment steps that, when executed, cause data propagation in accordance with data dependencies from the description in the declarative event-driven model specification.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines an observer object and specifies how to update a state of the observer object based on occurrence of events reporting state changes.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines a monitoring context for a monitored entity and specifies how to update a state of the monitoring context based on occurrence of events reporting state changes of the monitored entity.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising creating at least one instance of the monitoring context to provide an execution context for executing the executable file.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the executing further comprises receiving an inbound event from the monitored entity and updating at least one of the at least one instances of the monitoring context responsive thereto, each updated instance being selected using syntax specified in one of the execution steps that corresponds to receiving the inbound event.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the event-driven model specification comprises, for each of at least one inbound event receivable by an entity modeled by the event-driven model specification, an event specification describing processing of the event; and

generating the executable file further comprises, for each of the at least one event specification, performing;

generating an event step for receiving the inbound event described in the event specification while also generating a cross-reference that relates the inbound event to the generated event step;

generating an event correlation step for processing event correlation information to identify a context object for the received inbound event, based on event correlation conditions described in the event specification, while also generating a cross-reference that relates the event correlation information to the generated event correlation step;

generating an assignment step for assigning a value for each update of metric information described in the event specification while also generating a cross-reference that relates the update of the metric information to the generated assignment step;

generating an assignment step for assigning a value for each update of a counter described in the event specification while also generating a cross-reference that relates the update of the counter to the generated assignment step;

generating an emit step for emitting any outbound event described in the event specification while also generating a cross-reference that relates the outbound event to the generated emit step; and

generating a branch step for conditional transfer to a different one of the execution steps as described in the event specification while also generating a cross-reference that relates the conditional transfer to the generated branch step.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

the event-driven model specification comprises, for each of at least one action to be performed when criteria are met in the event-driven system, a trigger definition; and

the generating further comprises, for each trigger definition, performing;

generating a trigger evaluating step for evaluating whether the criteria are met and branching around a trigger firing step if the criteria are not met;

generating the trigger firing step for firing the defined trigger if the trigger evaluating step determines that the criteria are met;

generating an assignment step for assigning a value for each update of metric information described in the event specification;

generating an assignment step for assigning a value for each update of a counter described in the trigger definition; and

generating an emit step for emitting any outbound event described in the trigger definition.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the execution steps are generated in an intermediate code format that invokes lower-level functions which are encapsulated in lower-level routines.

13. A system for compiling a declarative event-driven model specification, comprising:

a computer comprising a processor; and

instructions executable using the processor to perform functions of;

providing a declarative event-driven model specification to a compiler, the event-driven model specification comprising a declarative description of operation of an event-driven system; and

generating, by the compiler from the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, an executable file comprising a sequence of execution steps for execution on a computer to carry out run-time processing of events in the event-driven system according to the description in the event-driven model specification while also generating, for each of a plurality of elements in the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, a cross-reference that relates the element to each of at least one of the execution steps generated therefrom by the compiler, wherein the generated cross-references are usable, in combination with the declarative event-driven model specification and the generated executable file, by a debugger, during debugging of execution of the declarative event-driven model specification, for visibly linking any selected one of the execution steps to the element from which it was generated.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the functions comprise:

storing the generated cross-references in a structure separate from the executable file.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the generated executable file and the generated cross-references are expressed in markup language syntax.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the execution steps comprise at least one of:

an event step for receiving an inbound event;

an assignment step for assigning a value;

a branch step for conditional transfer to a different one of the execution steps;

an emit step for specifying that an outbound event is to be emitted;

a terminate step for specifying that a current execution context is to be terminated; and

a fan-out step for specifying event correlation and enabling a context switch.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the generated sequence of execution steps includes a sequence of assignment steps that, when executed, cause data propagation in accordance with data dependencies from the description in the declarative event-driven model specification.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines an observer object and specifies how to update a state of the observer object based on occurrence of events reporting state changes.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines a monitoring context for a monitored entity and specifies how to update a state of the monitoring context based on occurrence of events reporting state changes of the monitored entity.

20. A computer program product for compiling a declarative event-driven model specification, the computer program product embodied on at least one non-transitory computer-usable storage media and comprising computer-usable program code for:

providing a declarative event-driven model specification to a compiler, the event-driven model specification comprising a declarative description of operation of an event-driven system; and

generating, by the compiler from the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, an executable file comprising a sequence of linear execution steps for execution on a computer to carry out run-time processing of events in the event-driven system according to the description in the event-driven model specification while also generating, for each of a plurality of elements in the description in the provided declarative event-driven model specification, a cross-reference that relates the element to each of at least one of the execution steps generated therefrom by the compiler, wherein the generated cross-references are usable, in combination with the declarative event-driven model specification and the generated executable file, by a debugger, during debugging of execution of the declarative event-driven model specification, for visibly linking any selected one of the execution steps to the element from which it was generated.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, further comprising computer-usable program code for:

storing the generated cross-references in a structure separate from the executable file.

22. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the generated executable file and the generated cross-references are expressed in markup language syntax.

23. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the execution steps comprise at least one of:

an event step for receiving an inbound event;

an assignment step for assigning a value;

a branch step for conditional transfer to a different one of the execution steps;

an emit step for specifying that an outbound event is to be emitted;

a terminate step for specifying that a current execution context is to be terminated; and

a fan-out step for specifying event correlation and enabling a context switch.

24. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines an observer object and specifies how to update a state of the observer object based on occurrence of events reporting state changes.

25. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein the declarative event-driven model specification defines a monitoring context for a monitored entity and specifies how to update a state of the monitoring context based on occurrence of events reporting state changes of the monitored entity.