Dynamic model based software application development

• US 8,949,772 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Talby, David, McMaster, Scott David
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kabir, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US12/476,163
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/355 Round-trip engineering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A system and method of dynamically generating software is provided. Applications are created in a set of workflow models which are tested in an interpretive test environment. The models are stored in a versioning repository and code generation templates created for the models. Source code is generated and compiled for the application. Modifications to the models are tested and incorporated into a modified version of the application after subsequent testing of the model and the modified, compiled application. The modified version of the application is returned to the test environment where it becomes the basis for testing future modifications.

Claims

1. A method for providing application software implementing workflows, comprising:

creating an application set based at least in part upon one or more workflow models;

testing the application set in a testing environment;

generating source code from the application set using a code generator;

compiling the source code into compiled code;

modifying the application set to create a modified application set including at least one modified workflow model;

reconfiguring the compiled code to generate an interpreted component to operate with the at least one modified workflow model via interpretation and an unchanged component to operate via direct execution by a processor;

testing the modified application set in the testing environment, the interpreted component and the at least one modified workflow model being interpreted and the unchanged component being executed directly by the processor;

modifying the code generator to generate a modified code generator based on the modified application set;

generating modified source code based at least in part upon the modified application set using the modified code generator; and

compiling the modified source code into modified compiled code.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the application set and the modified application set in a model repository including respective versioning information for each of the one or more workflow models and the at least one modified workflow model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein testing the application set comprises interpreting the one or more workflow models and the at least one modified workflow model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the source code comprises:

creating code generation templates; and

executing the code generator using the code generation templates.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the code generation templates are maintained in a version tracking repository.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the code generator comprises modifying the code generation templates based at least in part upon the at least one modified workflow model.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the application set comprises creating one or more metamodels defining one or more processes and one or more data models each having an instance of a class of the one or more metamodels.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying at least one of the compiled code and the modified compiled code into a production environment and the testing environment.

9. A method of providing application software embodying a workflow, comprising:

creating application software based at least in part upon one or more models of a workflow;

testing the application software in a test environment;

generating source code based on the one or more models;

compiling the source code into compiled code;

modifying the application software to create at least one modified model;

reconfiguring the compiled code to generate an interpreted component to operate with the at least one modified model via interpretation and an unchanged component to operate via direct execution by a processor;

testing the at least one modified model in the test environment, the interpreted component and the at least one modified model being interpreted and the unchanged component being directly executed by the processor; and

creating modified compiled application software including the at least one modified model.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting the models to an interchange format.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the source code comprises:

creating code generation templates based on the models; and

executing a code generator using the code generation templates.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein creating the modified compiled application software comprises:

modifying the code generation templates to generate modified code generation templates based on the at least one modified model;

executing the code generator with the modified code generation templates to generate modified source code; and

compiling the modified source code into the modified complied application software.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein testing the application software comprises interpreting the models and the at least one modified model.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deploying the compiled application software to a production environment and the test environment.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

deploying the modified compiled application software to a production environment and the test environment.

16. A system for providing application software embodying a workflow, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

create application software based at least in part upon one or more models of a workflow;

test the application software in a test environment;

generate source code based on the one or more models;

compile the source code into compiled code;

modify the application software to create at least one modified model;

reconfigure the compiled code to generate an interpreted component to operate with the at least one modified model via interpretation and an unchanged component to operate via direct execution by the processor;

test the at least one modified model in the test environment, the interpreted component and the at least one modified model being interpreted and the unchanged component being directly executed by the processor; and

create modified compiled application software including the at least one modified model.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions to test the application software comprise instructions when executed by the processor to cause the processor to:

interpret the models and the at least one modified model.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions to create the modified compiled application software comprise instructions when executed by the processor to cause the processor to:

modify code generation templates to generate modified code generation templates based on the at least one modified model;

execute a code generator with the modified code generation templates to generate modified source code; and

compile the modified source code into the modified complied application software.

19. A method for providing software, comprising:

providing a modeling environment and a user interface for the modeling environment;

receiving one or more models of a workflow created using the modeling environment;

providing a test environment for testing of the one or more models via the user interface;

creating one or more source code generation templates based on the one or more models;

generating source code using a code generator and the one or more code generation templates;

compiling the source code into compiled code;

deploying the compiled code to a production environment and the test environment;

receiving at least one modified model;

reconfiguring the compiled code to generate an interpreted component to operate with the at least one modified model and an unchanged component to operate via direct execution by a processor; and

testing the at least one modified model via the user interface, the interpreted component and the at least one modified model being interpreted and the unchanged component being directly executed by the processor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the at least one modified model is in response to testing of the compiled code, the method further comprising:

creating one or more modified code generation templates based on the at least one modified model.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating modified source code using the code generator and the one or more modified code generation templates;

compiling the modified source code into modified compiled code; and

deploying the modified compiled code in the production environment and the test environment.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions for providing software embodying a workflow, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

create application software based at least in part upon one or more models of a workflow;

test the application software in a test environment;

generate source code based on the one or more models;

compile the source code into compiled code;

modify the application software to create at least one modified model;

reconfigure the compiled code to generate an interpreted component to operate with the at least one modified model via interpretation and an unchanged component to operate via direct execution by the processor;

test the at least one modified model in the test environment, the interpreted component and the at least one modified model being interpreted and the unchanged component being directly executed by the processor; and

create modified compiled application software including the at least one modified model.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions when executed to cause the at least one processor to test the application software include causing the at least one processor to:

interpret the models and the at least one modified model.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions when executed to cause the at least one processor to create the modified compiled application software include causing the at least one processor to:

modify code generation templates to generate modified code generation templates based on the at least one modified model;

execute a code generator with the modified code generation templates to generate modified source code; and

compile the modified source code into the modified complied application software.