Dependency resolution in polyphasic modules

• US 9,116,707 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Reinhold, Mark B., Buckley, Alexander R., Gibbons, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Christine
• Application Number:
  US12/914,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20120096433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates the development, maintenance, and execution of a software program. During operation, the system obtains a module declaration for a module to be used in the software program. Next, the system resolves one or more dependencies of the module using the module declaration and a list of available modules for the software program. Finally, the system uses the resolved dependencies to manage the software program throughout the life cycle of the software program.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the development, maintenance, and execution of a software program, comprising:

obtaining a module declaration for a module to be used in the software program;

resolving one or more dependencies of the module using the module declaration and a list of available modules for the software program; and

using one or more local dependencies associated with the resolved dependencies to identify a set of locally connected modules to be used in the software program, wherein the set of locally connected modules are loaded by a single class loader;

creating an execution context containing the set of locally connected modules, wherein creating the execution context containing the locally connected modules involves;

selecting a dominant class from a set of identically named classes in the execution context; and

exposing the dominant class to other execution contexts associated with the software program; and

using the execution context to execute the software program.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein resolving the dependencies using the module declaration and the available modules involves:

obtaining a dependency from the module declaration;

obtaining a subset of the available modules matching the dependency; and

resolving the dependency by;

analyzing additional dependencies of a first module from the subset of the available modules; and

selecting the first module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the first module are resolved using the available modules.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein if the additional dependencies of the first module are not resolved using the available modules, the dependency is further resolved by:

analyzing additional dependencies of a second module from the subset of the available modules, wherein a version associated with the second module precedes a version associated with the first module; and

selecting the second module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the second module are resolved using the available modules.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the dependency and the additional dependencies are associated with at least one of a name, a version, and a reverse dependency constraint.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the subset of the available modules is obtained using at least one of a directory hierarchy for the software program and a library.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein using the execution context to execute the software program involves:

managing defining and importing of packages by the execution context and other execution contexts associated with the software program.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dominant class is selected from a second module that is closest in a chain of dependencies to a third module containing an entry point of the software program.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dominant class is selected from a second module that is depended upon by a highest number of other modules in the software program.

7. A system for facilitating the development, maintenance, and execution of a software program, comprising:

a software development kit (SDK) for the software program; and

a runtime system for the software program,

wherein the SDK and the runtime system are configured to;

obtain a module declaration for a module to be used in the software program;

resolve one or more dependencies of the module using the module declaration and a list of available modules for the software program; and

use one or more local dependencies associated with the resolved dependencies to identify a set of locally connected modules to be used in the software program, wherein the set of locally connected modules are loaded by a single class loader;

create an execution context containing the set of locally connected modules, wherein creating the execution context containing the locally connected modules involves;

selecting a dominant class from a set of identically named classes in the execution context; and

exposing the dominant class to other execution contexts associated with the software program;

using the execution context to execute the software program.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein resolving the dependencies using the module declaration and the available modules involves:

obtaining a dependency from the module declaration;

obtaining a subset of the available modules matching the dependency; and

resolving the dependency by;

analyzing additional dependencies of a first module from the subset of the available modules; and

selecting the first module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the first module are resolved using the available modules.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein if the additional dependencies of the first module are not resolved using the available modules, the dependency is further resolved by:

analyzing additional dependencies of a second module from the subset of the available modules, wherein a version associated with the second module precedes a version associated with the first module; and

selecting the second module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the second module are resolved using the available modules.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the dependency and the additional dependencies are associated with at least one of a name, a version, and a reverse dependency constraint.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein using the execution context to execute the software program involves:

managing defining and importing of packages by the execution context and other execution contexts associated with the software program.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for facilitating the development, maintenance, and execution of a software program, the method comprising:

obtaining a module declaration for a module to be used in the software program;

resolving one or more dependencies of the module using the module declaration and a list of available modules for the software program; and

using one or more local dependencies associated with the resolved dependencies to identify a set of locally connected modules to be used in the software program, wherein the set of locally connected modules are loaded by a single class loader;

creating an execution context containing the set of locally connected modules, wherein creating the execution context containing the locally connected modules involves;

selecting a dominant class from a set of identically named classes in the execution context; and

exposing the dominant class to other execution contexts associated with the software program; and

using the execution context to execute the software program.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein resolving the dependencies using the module declaration and the available modules involves:

obtaining a dependency from the module declaration;

obtaining a subset of the available modules matching the dependency; and

resolving the dependency by;

analyzing additional dependencies of a first module from the subset of the available modules;

selecting the first module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the first module are resolved using the available modules;

if the additional dependencies of the first module are not resolved using the available modules, analyzing additional dependencies of a second module from the subset of the available modules, wherein a version associated with the second module precedes a version associated with the first module; and

selecting the second module for use in the software program if the additional dependencies of the second module are resolved using the available modules.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein using the execution context to execute the software program involves:

managing defining and importing of packages by the execution context and other execution contexts associated with the software program.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the dependency and the additional dependencies are associated with at least one of a name, a version, and a reverse dependency constraint.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the subset of the available modules is obtained using at least one of a directory hierarchy for the software program and a library.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein using the execution context to execute the software program involves:

managing defining and importing of packages by the execution context and other execution contexts associated with the software program.

17. The computer-implemented 1, wherein the dominant class is manually selected.