System and method of providing real-time updates related to in-use artifacts in a software development environment

• US 9,207,931 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonatype
• Original Assignee: Sonatype
• Inventors: Fox, Brian Edward, Orlina, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERMAN, STEPHEN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/140,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/72 Code refactoring

Abstract

An artifact update system including a server and a client is described. The server stores and updates a preference as to a characteristic of an artifact. The client executes a software development environment using the artifact. The server makes, in view of the preference as to the characteristic of the artifact, an actionable change determination as to whether there is a change in the characteristic of the artifact that reaches a threshold level of significance. The server communicates to the client the actionable change determination. When the actionable change determination is that there is a change in the characteristic of the artifact that reaches the threshold level of significance, the client performs a specific action in the software development environment in response to the actionable change determination.

Claims

1. A method, implemented in a network including a server computer and a client computer, comprising:

storing and updating, by the server computer, a preference as to a characteristic of a software artifact;

executing, by the client computer, a software development environment using the software artifact; and

performing, by the server computer and the client computer, an update cycle, including

making, by the server computer, in view of the preference as to the characteristic of the software artifact, an actionable change determination as to whether there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches a threshold level of significance;

communicating, by the server computer to the client computer, the actionable change determination; and

when the actionable change determination is that there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches the threshold level of significance, performing by the client computer a specific action in the software development environment in response to the actionable change determination, wherein

iterations of the update cycle are performed corresponding to repeated polling at regular time intervals from the client computer of the server computer for the actionable change determination.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the polling from the client computer of the server computer is implemented in the client computer through a plug-in operating in the software development environment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the software development environment is one of an integrated development environment (IDE), a continuous integration (CI) system, and a repository management application.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein

the client computer performs the specific action in response to the actionable change determination according to a rules engine that associates the specific action with the characteristic of the software artifact.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the specific action associated with the characteristic of the software artifact in the rules engine varies depending on whether the IDE, the CI system, or the repository management application is the software development environment.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the characteristic of the software artifact and the preference as to the artifact characteristic are represented in the server as quantitative measurements, and

the quantitative measurement of the characteristic of the software artifact is compared with the quantitative measurement of the preference as to the software artifact by the server in making the actionable change determination.

7. A system, comprising:

a server computer that stores and updates a preference as to a characteristic of a software artifact; and

a client computer that executes a software development environment using the software artifact, wherein

the server computer and the client computer perform an update cycle, including;

the server computer making, in view of the preference as to the characteristic of the software artifact, an actionable change determination as to whether there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches a threshold level of significance;

the server communicating to the client computer the actionable change determination; and

when the actionable change determination is that there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches the threshold level of significance, the client computer performing a specific action in the software development environment in response to the actionable change determination, wherein

iterations of the update cycle are performed corresponding to repeated polling at regular time intervals from the client computer of the server computer for the actionable change determination.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the polling from the client computer of the server computer is implemented in the client computer through a plug-in operating in the software development environment.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the software development environment is one of an integrated development environment (IDE), a continuous integration (CI) system, and a repository management application.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein

the client computer performs the specific action in response to the actionable change determination according to a rules engine that associates the specific action with the characteristic of the software artifact.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein

the specific action associated with the characteristic of the software artifact in the rules engine varies depending on whether the IDE, the CI system, or the repository management application is the software development environment.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the characteristic of the software artifact and the preference as to the artifact characteristic are represented in the server as quantitative measurements, and

the quantitative measurement of the characteristic of the software artifact is compared with the quantitative measurement of the preference as to the software artifact by the server in making the actionable change determination.

13. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium, with instructions stored thereon such that when the instructions are executed by a client computer, a method is performed comprising:

repeatedly polling by the client computer at regular time intervals of a server computer,

which stores and updates a preference as to a characteristic of a software artifact, and

which is connected over a network with the client computer, which further executes a software development environment using the software artifact,

for an actionable change determination, made by the server in view of the preference as to the characteristic of the software artifact, as to whether there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches a threshold level of significance;

repeatedly receiving by the client computer from the server computer the actionable change determination determined by the server computer; and

in those instances when the actionable change determination is that there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches the threshold level of significance, performing a specific action in the software development environment in response to the actionable change determination.

14. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein

the software development environment is one of an integrated development environment (IDE), a continuous integration (CI) system, and a repository management application.

15. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium according to claim 14, wherein

the specific action is performed in response to the actionable change determination according to a rules engine that associates the specific action with the characteristic of the software artifact.

16. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium according to claim 15, wherein

the specific action associated with the characteristic of the software artifact in the rules engine varies depending on whether the IDE, the CI system, or the repository management application is the software development environment.

17. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium, with instructions stored thereon such that when the instructions are executed by a server computer, a method is performed comprising:

receiving by the server computer, at regular time intervals, repeated polling from a client computer,

which executes a software development environment using a software artifact, and

which is connected over a network with the server computer, which further stores and updates a preference as to a characteristic of the software artifact,

for an actionable change determination, made by the server computer in view of the preference as to the characteristic of the software artifact, as to whether there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches a threshold level of significance;

in response to each poll from the client computer, making by the server computer the actionable change determination; and

communicating by the server computer to the client computer each actionable change determination, the client computer further, in those instances when the actionable change determination is that there is a change in the characteristic of the software artifact that reaches the threshold level of significance, performing a specific action by the client computer in the software development environment in response to the actionable change determination.

18. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17, wherein

the characteristic of the software artifact and the preference as to the artifact characteristic are represented in the server computer as quantitative measurements, and

the quantitative measurement of the characteristic of the software artifact is compared with the quantitative measurement of the preference as to the software artifact by the server in making each actionable change determination.