Uniform references

• US 9,665,367 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Clemm, Geoffrey M., Miller, Herbert A., Tate, Allan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brophy, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/934,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20160062766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/75 Structural analysis for program understanding

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for uniform references to artifacts in a software configuration management tool. In one embodiment, a data processing system configured to resolve artifact references can include a software configuration management tool and uniform reference resolution logic coupled to the tool. In this regard, the uniform reference logic can be programmed to resolve a path name to a referenced artifact by processing a uniform reference specifying the referenced artifact.

Claims

1. A data processing system configured to resolve artifact references, the system comprising:

a software configuration management tool;

and, uniform reference resolution logic coupled to said tool and programmed to resolve a path name to a referenced artifact by processing a uniform reference specifying said referenced artifact;

reading a uniform reference to an artifact in memory of a client computer, said uniform reference comprising a multi-component string including a reference kind component indicating which type of reference is represented by the uniform reference, wherein the reference kind is configurable to represent any of a plurality of reference types comprising a component-relative reference, a view reference, an element reference, a version reference and a default file-path reference, and further wherein the multi-component string further comprises as least two of an original path, a component identifier, component path, a view path, and element value, a format field and an object field;

parsing said uniform reference by a processor of the client computer to identify said artifact and a reference kind indicating a type of said artifact referenced by the uniform reference;

selecting, by the processor based on the reference kind component, a selected resolution routine, to reduce said uniform reference to a path name to said artifact, the resolution routine comprising wherein if the reference kind indicates a component reference, the processor selects a component resolve routine resolving a location of the component in reference to a component location registry available on a host of the client computer wherein if the reference kind indicates a view reference, the processor selects a view resolution routine providing an alternative resolution mechanism for an element reference when a versioning server is unavailable, wherein if the reference kind indicates an element reference, the processor selects a an element resolution routine when the versioning server is available, wherein if the reference kind indicates a view reference, the processor selects a version resolution routine returning a version-extended pathname that identifies a version selected when the uniform reference had been originally created, wherein the processor selects a original resolution routine to construct a default pathname if no other resolution routine has been selected;

and, executing the selected resolution routine by the processor to produce said path name.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein said uniform reference resolution logic comprises programming to selectably resolve said path name according to a reference kind specified within said uniform reference.

3. The data processing system of claim 2, wherein sad reference kind is reference type selected from the group consisting of a component reference, a view reference, an element reference, a version reference and a default object reference.

4. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein sad uniform reference comprises at least an original path to said artifact and a reference kind for said uniform reference.

5. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein said uniform reference further comprises a display name comprising a descriptive name for said artifact.

6. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein said uniform reference further comprises a component identifier and component path.

7. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein said uniform reference further comprises an element and a view path.

8. The data processing system of claim 4, wherein said uniform reference further comprises a format and an object path.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium wherein said computer usable medium is not a transitory signal per se, including computer usable program code for resolving artifact references in a software configuration management tool, said computer program product including;

computer usable program code for reading a uniform reference to an artifact in memory of a client computer, said uniform reference comprising a multi-component string including a reference kind component indicating which type of reference is represented by the uniform reference, wherein the reference kind is configurable to represent any of a plurality of reference types comprising a component-relative reference, a view reference, an element reference, a version reference and a default file-path reference, and further wherein the multi-component string further comprises as least two of an original path, a component identifier, component path, a view path, and element value, a format field and an object field;

computer usable program code for parsing said uniform reference to identify said artifact and a reference kind indicating a type of said artifact referenced by the uniform reference;

computer usable program code for selecting, based on the reference kind component, a selected resolution routine to reduce said uniform reference to a path name to said artifact, wherein if the reference kind indicates a component reference, the processor selects a component resolve routine resolving a location of the component in reference to a component location registry available on a host of the client computer wherein if the reference kind indicates a view reference, the processor selects a view resolution routine providing an alternative resolution mechanism for an element reference when a versioning server is unavailable, wherein if the reference kind indicates an element reference, the processor selects a an element resolution routine when the versioning server is available, wherein if the reference kind indicates a view reference, the processor selects a version resolution routine returning a version-extended pathname that identifies a version selected when the uniform reference had been originally created, wherein the processor selects a original resolution routine to construct a default pathname if no other resolution routine has been selected;

and, computer usable program code for executing the selected resolution routine to produce said path name.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said reference kind is a reference type selected from the group consisting of a component reference, a view reference, an element reference, a version reference and a default object reference.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer usable program code for selecting a resolution routine to reduce said uniform reference to a path name to said artifact comprises computer usable program code for selecting a resolution routine selected from the group consisting of a component resolution routine, a view resolution routine, an element resolution routine, a version resolution routine and a default object resolution routine.