Dynamic model based software application development

• US 9,946,517 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kabir, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US14/612,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• 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 computer-implemented method of providing an application based on a workflow, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions;

obtaining one or more workflow models;

testing the one or more workflow models in a test environment to identify one or more acceptable workflow models;

storing the one or more acceptable workflow models in a model repository;

obtaining one or more code generation templates based on the one or more workflow models;

generating first source code based on the one or more acceptable workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compiling the first source code to provide first compiled code;

performing integration testing to determine whether a behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code matches the behavior of the first compiled code;

modifying at least one of the one or more acceptable workflow models to provide at least one modified workflow model based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code not matching the behavior of the first compiled code;

testing the at least one modified workflow model in the test environment using interpretive components comprising interpreted code generated from the at least one modified workflow model and generated code components comprising one or more unchanged components of the first compiled code to identify one or more acceptable modified workflow models;

generating second source code based on the one or more acceptable modified workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compiling the second source code to provide second compiled code;

performing integration testing to determine whether the behavior of the one or more acceptable modified workflow models used to generate the second source code matches the behavior of the second compiled code;

providing the second compiled code to a deployment manager based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the second source code matching the behavior of the second compiled code; and

providing the application based on the second compiled code from the deployment manager to a production environment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining instructions for testing the one or more workflow models; and

testing the one or more workflow models in the test environment based at least in part upon the instructions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the instructions for testing the one or more workflow models are obtained from a user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the instructions for testing the one or more workflow models are obtained from a unit testing framework.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

deploying the application based on the second compiled code from the production environment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more code generation templates are obtained from a user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the application includes:

modifying the one or more code generation templates in response to use of the at least one modified workflow model; and

generating third source code using the one or more modified code generation templates and the at least one modified workflow model.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a notification relating to the one or more modified code generation templates.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the one or more acceptable workflow models in the model repository including versioning information; and

storing at least one of the one or more acceptable modified workflow models as a subsequent version of the one of the one or more acceptable workflow models.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more code generation templates are obtained from a template repository.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein testing the one or more workflow models in the test environment does not identify the one or more acceptable workflow models, the method further comprises:

modifying at least one of the one or more workflow models to provide the at least one modified workflow model;

testing the at least one or more modified workflow models in the test environment to identify the one or more acceptable modified workflow models; and

storing the one or more acceptable modified workflow models in the model repository.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory including instructions that, upon being executed by the processor, cause the system to;

obtain one or more workflow models;

test the one or more workflow models in a test environment to identify one or more acceptable workflow models;

store the one or more acceptable workflow models in a model repository;

obtain one or more code generation templates based on the one or more workflow models;

generate first source code based on the one or more acceptable workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compile the first source code to provide first compiled code;

perform integration testing to determine whether a behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code matches the behavior of the first compiled code;

modify at least one of the one or more acceptable workflow models to provide at least one modified workflow model based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code not matching the behavior of the first compiled code;

test the at least one modified workflow model in the test environment using interpretive components comprising interpreted code generated from the at least one modified workflow model and generated code components comprising one or more unchanged components of the first compiled code to identify one or more acceptable modified workflow models;

generate second source code based on the one or more acceptable modified workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compile the second source code to provide second compiled code;

perform integration testing to determine whether the behavior of the one or more acceptable modified workflow models used to generate the second source code matches the behavior of the second compiled code;

provide the second compiled code to a deployment manager based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the second source code matching the behavior of the second compiled code; and

provide an application based on the second compiled code from the deployment manager to a production environment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the system to:

obtain information for testing the one or more workflow models; and

test the one or more workflow models in the test environment based at least in part upon the information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the information is obtained from at least one of a user or a unit testing framework.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the system to:

store the one or more code generation templates in a version tracking repository.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more code generation templates are obtained from one or more of a user or a template repository.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein testing the one or more workflow models in the test environment does not identify the one or more acceptable workflow models, the instructions upon being executed further cause the system to:

modify at least one of the one or more workflow models to provide the at least one modified workflow model;

test the one or more modified workflow models in the test environment to identify the one or more acceptable modified workflow models; and

store the one or more acceptable modified workflow models in the model repository.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, upon being executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

obtain one or more workflow models;

test the one or more workflow models in a test environment to identify one or more acceptable workflow models;

store the one or more acceptable workflow models in a model repository;

obtain one or more code generation templates based on the one or more workflow models;

generate first source code based on the one or more acceptable workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compile the first source code to provide first compiled code;

perform integration testing to determine whether a behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code matches the behavior of the first compiled code;

modify at least one of the one or more acceptable workflow models to provide at least one modified workflow model based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code not matching the behavior of the first compiled code;

test the at least one modified workflow model in the test environment using interpretive components comprising interpreted code generated from the at least one modified workflow model and generated code components comprising one or more unchanged components of the first compiled code to identify one or more acceptable modified workflow models;

generate second source code based on the one or more acceptable modified workflow models obtained from the model repository and the one or more code generation templates;

compile the second source code to provide second compiled code;

perform integration testing to determine whether the behavior of the one or more acceptable modified workflow models used to generate the second source code matches the behavior of the second compiled code;

provide the first compiled code to a deployment manager based on the behavior of the one or more acceptable workflow models used to generate the first source code matching the behavior of the first compiled code; and

provide an application based on the first compiled code including at least one modified model in response to determining the at least one modified model operates as designed from the deployment manager to a production environment.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more code generation templates are obtained from one or more of a user or a template repository.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein testing the one or more workflow models in the test environment does not identify the one or more acceptable workflow models, the instructions upon being further executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

modify at least one of the one or more workflow models to provide the at least one modified workflow model;

test the one or more modified workflow models in the test environment to identify the one or more acceptable modified workflow models; and

store the one or more acceptable modified workflow models in the model repository.