Automatic source code generation

• US 9,940,104 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2013
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vann, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US13/915,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-123
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

Source code statements are automatically generated from a profile including variable code elements and methods. The profile is built from an existing code base that has identified variable code elements that differ when used in different versions of the source code statements. A developer may define values for the variable code elements which are then used by the methods in the profile to automatically generate corresponding source code statements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

configuring a profile to generate one or more source code statements automatically, the profile including one or more variable code elements, one or more methods, and at least one rule, a variable code element comprising an element of a source code statement that takes on different values in different contexts, individual methods of the one or more methods including programmable instructions that generate the one or more source code statements using values of the variable code elements, the one or more source code statements based on corresponding source code statements from an existing code base of a software application, the at least one rule is used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements, the at least one rule includes one or more regular expressions and/or one or more logical statements, the one or more regular expressions used to match syntax of the text string to a rule, the one or more logical statements used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the one or more source code statements;

searching for a rule that closely matches the syntax of the text string;

using a regular expression associated with the closely matching rule to obtain the one or more variable code elements;

obtaining values for the variable code elements;

applying the values of the variable code elements in the logical statements to invoke

methods to generate the one or more source code statements.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the profile is selected by a developer from a plurality of profiles, at least one profile is associated with a select context.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the context is associated with a programming environment of output source code statements.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the values of the variable code elements are input through a user interface.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the user interface includes a natural language interface.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the context is associated with one or more of a programming language, code library, code guideline, best practice, formatting preference, and/or application.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the existing code base includes source code libraries having test cases used to test software applications under different conditions.

8. A device, comprising:

at least one processor and a memory;

the memory including;

a profile including one or more variable code elements, one or more methods, and at least one rule, at least one variable code element associated with an element of the source code that takes on different values, at least one method used to generate at least one source code statement using at least one value of the at least one variable code element, the at least one source code statement based on corresponding source code statements from an existing code base, the at least one rule used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements, the at least one rule includes one or more regular expressions and/or one or more logical statements, the one or more regular expressions used to match syntax of a text string to a rule, the one or more logical statements used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the one or more source code statements; and

a first set of instructions, that when executed on the at least one processor, searches for a rule that closely matches the syntax of a text string, uses a regular expression associated with the closely matching rule to obtain the one or more variable code elements, obtains values for the variable code elements, applies the values of the variable code elements to the logical statements to invoke one or more methods that generate the one or more source code statements.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the profile is associated with a context, the context including a programming environment of output source code statements.

10. The device of claim 8, the memory including a user interface that accepts values of the variable code elements.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the context is associated with one or more of a programming language, code library, code guideline, best practice, formatting preference, and/or application.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the values of the variable code elements are user-defined.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the existing code base includes a source code library having one or more test cases.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises:

a second set of instructions, that when executed on the at least one processor, configures the profile from an analysis of the existing code base with respect to portions of the existing code base that differ in different contexts and portions of the existing code base that remain static.

15. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

at least one processor and a memory;

the at least one processor configured to;

obtain a profile, the profile including one or more variable code elements, at least one rule, and one or more methods, at least one variable code element associated with an element of the source code that takes on different values, at least one method used to generate the one or more source code statements using at least one value for the at least one variable code element, the one or more source code statements based on corresponding source code statements from an existing code base, the at least one rule is used to match syntax of a text string to determine one or more variable code elements, the at least one rule includes one or more regular expressions and/or one or more logical statements, the one or more regular expressions used to match syntax of a text string to a rule, the one or more logical statements used to invoke one or more of the methods to generate the one or more source code statements;

search for a rule that closely matches syntax of a text string;

employ a regular expression associated with the closely matching rule to obtain the one or more variable code elements;

obtain values for the variable code elements; and

apply the values of the variable code elements in the logical statements to invoke one or more methods that generate the one or more source code statements.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to accept values of the variable code elements from a user interface.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the profile is associated with a context, the context is associated with one or more of a programming language, code library, code guideline, best practice, formatting preference, and/or application.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the values of the variable code elements are user-defined.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the existing code base includes a source code library having one or more test cases used to test a software application.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

analyze the existing code base to find portions that differ in different contexts and portions that remain static; and

configure the profile to identity those portions that differ in different contexts as variable code elements.