Method for versioning a UML model in a repository in accordance with an updated XML representation of the UML model

• US 6,330,569 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1999
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, C. Suresh, Baisley, Donald Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/345,291
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/203, 717/1, 703/22, 395/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

In a computer system executing a repository program and having a memory, a method is disclosed for versioning a UML model in the repository in accordance with an updated XML representation of the UML model. The method includes the steps of identifying differences between UML objects in the UML model and XML objects in the XML file. Where there is a difference between one of the UML objects and one of the XML objects, it is reserved as a ghost object. The ghost object is updated to match each corresponding one of the XML objects. Objects whose target references have been changed are reserved and updated. Finally, the UML objects are updated in the repository that refer to ghost objects updated in the preceding step. The method includes making changes to the ghost object Attributes, References and owned elements to match Attributes, References and owned elements, respectively, found in the XML object.

Claims

1. In a computer system executing a repository program and having a memory, a method for versioning a UML model in said repository in accordance with an updated XML representation of said UML model, hereinafter XML file of objects, said method comprising the steps of:

a. identifying differences between UML objects in said UML model and XML objects in said XML file;

b. where there is a difference between one of said UML objects and one of said corresponding XML objects, reserving said one of said UML objects as an identical ghost object;

c. updating properties of said ghost object to match properties of said one of said corresponding XML objects;

d. reserving and updating objects whose target references have been changed; and

,

e. updating UML objects in said repository that refer to ghost objects updated in the preceding step.

2. The method as in claim 1 further including the steps of:

f. reserving said one of said UML objects and marking it as reserved in a ‘

Conversion’

object stored in said memory; and

,

g. storing an object ID of said ghost object in said ‘

Conversion’

object.

3. The method as in claim 2 further including the steps of:

h. climbing up the chain of owning UML objects to the root object;

i. reserving each object not already reserved; and

,

j. marking each reserved object as reserved in said ‘

Conversion’

object.

4. The method as in claim 1 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object owned elements to match owned elements found in said corresponding XML object.

5. The method as in claim 1 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object Attributes to match Attributes found in said corresponding XML object.

6. The method as in claim 1 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object References to match References found in said corresponding XML object.

7. The method as in claim 1 further including the steps of:

f. depth-first traversing objects within said XML file;

g. retrieving next object from said XML file; and

,

h. retrieving ‘

Conversion’

object for said next object and let it be ‘

Current-object’

.

8. The method as in claim 7 further including the steps of:

i. retrieving a list of Reference elements for a current object in said XML file ;

j. for each XML Reference, identifying a ‘

Conversion’

object that represents the XML object being referred to;

k. retrieving a ‘

Conversion’

object for a target object;

l. retrieving a list of objects that refer to the ‘

Conversion’

object retrieved in the preceding step; and

,

m. adding ‘

Current-Object’

retrieved in the previous step.

9. The method as in claim 8 further including the steps of:

n. retrieving a list of objects that refer to each reserved current object from said ‘

Conversion’

object; and

,

o. where said list of objects is empty, retrieving the next current object in said object tree.

10. The method as in claim 9 further including the steps of:

p. where said list of objects is not empty, reserving each object in said list of objects; and

,

q. updating ghost objects of the newly reserved objects to reference the ghost object of ‘

Current-Object’

.

11. In a computer system executing a repository program and having a memory, a method for versioning a UML model in said repository in accordance with an updated XML representation of said UML model, said method comprising the steps of:

a. traversing depth-first an object tree of said XML representation, and for each object found in said object tree;

1) matching attributes to corresponding attributes for a corresponding object of said UML model, and if they match;

2) matching references with references for a corresponding object of said UML model, and if they match;

3) retrieving all objects owned by each object of said XML representation at current depth;

4) determining if corresponding object of said UML model has the same number of owned objects, and if so;

5) determining if all owned objects match, and if so;

b. determining if traversal of said object tree is complete, and if not; and

,

c. repeating all of the steps above until said traversal is complete.

12. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for versioning a UML model in a repository in accordance with an updated XML representation of said UML model, hereinafter XML file objects, wherein, when the computer program code is executed by a computer, the computer performs the steps of:

a. identifying differences between UML objects in said UML model and XML objects in said XML file;

b. where there is a difference between one of said UML objects and one of said corresponding XML objects, reserving said one of said UML objects as an identical ghost object;

c. updating properties of said ghost object to match properties of said one of said corresponding XML objects;

d. reserving and updating objects whose target references have been changed; and

,

e. updating UML objects in said repository that refer to ghost objects updated in the preceding step.

13. The storage medium as in claim 12 further including the steps of:

f. reserving said one of said UML objects and marking it as reserved in a ‘

Conversion’

object stored in said memory; and

,

g. storing an object ID of said ghost object in said ‘

Conversion’

object.

14. The storage medium as in claim 13 further including the steps of:

h. climbing up the chain of owning UML objects to the root object;

i. reserving each object not already reserved; and

,

j. marking each reserved object as reserved in said ‘

Conversion’

object.

15. The storage medium as in claim 12 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object owned elements to match owned elements found in said corresponding XML object.

16. The storage medium as in claim 12 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object Attributes to match Attributes found in said corresponding XML object.

17. The storage medium as in claim 12 further including the step of making changes to said ghost object References to match References found in said corresponding XML object.

18. The storage medium as in claim 12 further including the steps of:

f. depth-first traversing objects within said XML file;

g. retrieving next object from said XML file; and

,

h. retrieving ‘

Conversion’

object for said next object and let it be ‘

Current-Object’

.

19. The storage medium as in claim 18 further including the steps of:

i. retrieving a list of Reference elements for a current object in said XML file ;

j. for each XML Reference, identifying a ‘

Conversion’

object that represents the XML object being referred to;

k. retrieving a ‘

Conversion’

object for a target object;

l. retrieving a list of objects that refer to the ‘

Conversion’

object retrieved in the preceding step; and

,

m. adding ‘

Current-Object’

retrieved in the previous step.

20. The storage medium as in claim 19 further including the steps of:

n. retrieving a list of objects that refer to each reserved current object from said ‘

Conversion’

object; and

,

o. where said list of objects is empty, retrieving the next current object in said object tree.

21. The storage medium as in claim 20 further including the steps of:

p. where said list of objects is not empty, reserving each object in said list of objects; and

,

q. updating ghost objects of the newly reserved objects to reference the ghost object of ‘

Current-Object’

.