Polyphasic modules for software development

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9229709-B2
Application number	US-77112110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2010
Priority date	Apr 30, 2010
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates the development and maintenance of a software program. This system includes a software development kit (SDK) and a runtime system for the software program. During operation, the system associates classes of the software program with module declarations for a set of modules and uses the module declarations to manage dependencies in the software program throughout the life cycle of the software program.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
associating classes of a software program with module declarations for a set of modules; and
using the module declarations to manage dependencies in the software program throughout a life cycle of the software program;
wherein a first module declaration of the module declarations comprises a reverse dependency constraint for a first module within the set of modules;
wherein the reverse dependency constraint limits a visibility of the first module towards one or more dependent modules based on one or more dependencies for the one or more dependent modules; and
wherein determining whether a second module is allowed to depend on the first module comprises:
allowing the second module to depend on the first module if the second module declares at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint; and
hiding the first module from the second module if the second module does not declare at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each of the modules is uniquely identified by a module identity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each module declaration from the module declarations includes at least one of:
a member;
a dependency; and
a reverse dependency constraint.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the visibility of the first module to the one or more dependent modules is further based on at least one of:
a name of the dependent module; and
a version of the dependent module.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the life cycle of the software program comprises compilation, testing, packaging, deployment, installation, and execution of the software program.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the module declarations are obtained separately from source code for the software program.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the module declarations are stored in one or more files that do not include source code for the software program.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a name of the reverse dependency constraint refers to a name of the first module and wherein the reverse dependency constraint refers to a version of the first module to define a version range.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 :
wherein the reverse dependency constraint comprises a module name and a module version range;
wherein the second module declares at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint if the at least one dependency specifies that the second module depends on a module with the module name and a module version that falls within the module version range.

10. A system, comprising:
a processor;
a software development kit (SDK) for a software program; and
a runtime system for the software program coupled to the processor,
wherein the SDK and the runtime system are configured to:
associate classes of the software program with module declarations for a set of modules; and
use the module declarations to manage dependencies in the software program throughout a life cycle of the software program,

wherein a first module declaration of the module declarations comprises a reverse dependency constraint for a first module within the set of modules;
wherein the reverse dependency constraint limits a visibility of the first module towards one or more dependent modules based on one or more dependencies for the one or more dependent modules; and
wherein determining whether a second module is allowed to depend on the first module comprises:
allowing the second module to depend on the first module if the second module declares at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint; and
hiding the first module from the second module if the second module does not declare at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein each of the modules is uniquely identified by a module identity.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein each module declaration from the module declarations includes at least one of:
a member;
a dependency; and
a reverse dependency constraint.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the visibility of the first module to the one or more dependent modules is further based on at least one of:
a name of the dependent module; and
a version of the dependent module.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the life cycle of the software program comprises compilation, testing, packaging, deployment, installation, and execution of the software program.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the module declarations are obtained separately from source code for the software program.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
associating classes of a software program with module declarations for a set of modules; and
using the module declarations to manage dependencies in the software program throughout a life cycle of the software program,
wherein a first module declaration of the module declarations comprises a reverse dependency constraint for a first module within the set of modules;
wherein the reverse dependency constraint limits a visibility of the first module towards one or more dependent modules based on one or more dependencies for the one or more dependent modules; and
wherein determining whether a second module is allowed to depend on the first module comprises:
allowing the second module to depend on the first module if the second module declares at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint; and
hiding the first module from the second module if the second module does not declare at least one dependency that satisfies the reverse dependency constraint.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein each of the modules is uniquely identified by a module identity.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein each module declaration from the module declarations includes at least one of:
a member;
a dependency; and
a reverse dependency constraint.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the visibility of the first module to the one or more dependent modules is further based on at least one of:
a name of the dependent module; and
a version of the dependent module.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the life cycle of the software program comprises compilation, testing, packaging, deployment, installation, and execution of the software program.

Assignees

• Reinhold Mark B
• Buckley Alexander R
• Gibbons Jonathan J
• Kinnear Karen M P
• Oracle Int Corp

Inventors

• Reinhold Mark B
• Buckley Alexander R
• Gibbons Jonathan J
• Kinnear Karen M P

Classifications

• G06F8/31

  Programming languages or programming paradigms · CPC title

• G06F8/10

  Requirements analysis; Specification techniques · CPC title

• G06F8/71 Primary

  Version control (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57); Configuration management · CPC title