Method and system for compiling source code containing natural language instructions

• US 6,173,441 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Klein, Peter A.
• Original Assignee: Klein, Peter A.
• Inventors: Klein, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/174,527
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 717/5, 717/1, 717/7, 717/8, 717/10, 704/9, 704/10, 704/2, 706/50, 706/46, 706/45, 706/54, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 717/142
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation

Abstract

A system and method for compiling source code comprising natural language declarations, natural language method calls, and natural language control structures into computer-executable object code is disclosed. The system and method allow the compilation of source code containing both natural language and computer language into computer-executable object code. The system and method use a component database, containing components and associated natural language instructions, to select one or more components having an instruction declaration associated with the natural language instruction. A solution manager is used to resolve ambiguities inherent in the use of natural language instructions in the source code.

Claims

1. A method for compiling a source code file or portion thereof comprising natural language instructions using a component database, the components in the component database each containing one or more instruction declarations each being associated with a natural language instruction, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of the natural language instructions in the source code, selecting from the component database one or more components having at least one instruction declaration associated with the natural language instruction;

managing a set of one or more possible solutions, at least some of the possible solutions each containing one or more components selected for a plurality of natural language instructions;

selecting one solution from the set of possible solutions; and

associating each of the plurality of natural language instructions with one of the components in the selected solution having an instruction declaration associated with the natural language instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a signature of each of the plurality of natural language instructions, and wherein each instruction declaration in the components contains at least in part a natural language instruction signature.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating the signature comprises generating the signature in accordance with a predefined template.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of selecting one or more components from the component database for each natural language instruction comprises selecting one or more components having an instruction declaration containing a signature matching the generated signature for the natural language instruction.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising generating a message upon discovery of a given natural language instruction in the source code file or portion thereof for which at least one component having an instruction declaration associated with the given natural language instruction is not contained in the component database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of managing the set of possible solutions comprises, for a first natural language instruction considered when the set of possible solutions is empty, establishing a possible solution for each of the one or more components selected for the natural language instruction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of managing the set of possible solutions comprises, for a second natural language instruction considered when the set of possible solutions contains one or more possible solutions, determining whether any of the one or more selected components for the second natural language instruction is contained in a possible solution in the set.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of managing the set of possible solutions comprises, if at least one of the selected components for the second natural language instruction is contained in a possible solution in the set, eliminating from the set any possible solutions which do not contain at least one of the selected components for the second natural language instruction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of managing the set of possible solutions comprises determining whether any of the eliminated possible solutions contains a component which is not contained in a possible solution remaining in the set, and labeling such component as banned.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising determining whether any component selected for a given natural language instruction has been labeled as banned and reversing the selection of the banned component.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of managing comprising, if none of the one or more selected components for the second natural language instruction is contained in a possible solution in the set, adding each of the one or more selected components to each possible solution to create a new possible solution for each possible solution containing each of the one or more selected components for the second natural language instruction.

12. A computerized system for mapping natural language instructions in a source code file or portion thereof to instruction declarations contained in a plurality of program components, the system comprising:

a component database stored in a memory containing the plurality of program components each associated with one or more instruction declarations contained in the program component;

a components selector for matching each of the natural language instructions with an instruction declaration in the component database and for selecting the one or more components associated therewith;

a solution manager for identifying a solution comprising a set of one or more components such that each natural language instruction is associated with a component in the set; and

a converter for converting each natural language instruction to the instruction declaration contained in the component to which the natural language instruction is associated in the solution.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the solution manager comprises a memory for storing a plurality of possible solutions generated from the components selected by the components selector.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the solution manager comprises means for comparing one or more first possible solutions generated from one or more first components selected by the components selector for a first natural language instruction with one or more second possible solutions generated from one or more second components selected by the components selector for a second natural language instruction.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the component database comprises instruction declarations containing at least in part signatures of natural language instructions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the components selector comprises a signature generator for generating a signature for each natural language instruction.

17. A system for compiling a source code file comprising natural language instructions, or portion thereof, the system comprising:

a database stored on a computer-readable medium, the database comprising a data structure linking components and instruction declarations;

a processing means connected to the computer-readable medium for selecting from the database those components having at least one instruction declaration associated with at least one of the natural language instructions;

a memory for storing a set of one or more possible solutions, at least some of the possible solutions each containing one or more components selected for a plurality of natural language instructions;

a processing means for selecting one solution from the set of possible solutions; and

a processing means for associating each of the natural language instructions with one of the components in the selected solution having an instruction declaration associated with the natural language instruction.

18. The system of claim 17, comprising a processing means for generating a signature for each of the natural language instructions and wherein the database comprises a data structure linking components, instruction declarations, and signatures.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing means for generating a signature for each of the natural language instructions generates the signature in accordance with a predefined template.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing means for selecting from the database those components having at least one instruction declaration associated with at least one of the natural language instructions selects one or more components having an instruction declaration containing a signature matching the generated signature for the natural language instruction.

21. The system of claim 17, comprising a means for generating a message upon determination that a given natural language instruction cannot be associated with at least one component.

22. A memory for storing data for access by a program being executed on a computer for compiling a source code file, the source code file comprising natural language instructions, the memory comprising:

a data structure stored in the memory, the data structure including data used by the program, including;

a plurality of components, the components comprising objects, modules, and classes;

a plurality of natural language instruction declarations; and

a plurality of pointers linking the components and the natural language instruction declarations such that each component is linked to one or more natural language instruction declarations;

the data structure providing the program with the ability to select one or more components based on the presence of a natural language instruction declaration in the source code file.