Method for automated managing of the usage of alternative code and a processing system of operating thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9430230-B2
Application number	US-201414459419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2014
Priority date	Aug 14, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

The present application relates to a method and a processing system for automated managing of the usage of alternative code. Code sections including original code and alternative code are retrieved from a code basis and the retrieved code is analyzed to detect an alternative code section. A condition definition associated with the identified alternative code section is further retrieved and the condition of the retrieved condition definition is evaluated. The identified alternative code section is activated in accordance with the evaluation result.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for automated code managing of the usage of alternative code, said method comprising:
retrieving code sections including original code and alternative code from a code basis, wherein the original code to represent a first abstraction code to define a first functional design of a target circuit, wherein the alternative code is provided as an alternative solution for a problem identified during a verification/simulation run, to provide functionality, which has not been coded at a current development stage;
analyzing the retrieved code to identify original code and alternative code sections in the code basis and to detect an alternative code section;
retrieving a condition definition associated with the detected alternative code section;
evaluating the condition of the retrieved condition definition; and
activating the detected alternative code section in accordance with the evaluation result.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said retrieving a condition definition comprises:
extracting the condition definition from the identified alternative code section.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the condition definition comprises one or more logic relationships as a function of at least one of event and status information relating to a progress of development of code basis, wherein the method further comprises
at least one of receiving and retrieving at least one of event and status information from a component of a development environment, of which the processing system is part,
wherein said condition of the retrieved condition definition is evaluated on the basis of the at least one of the event and status information.

4. The method according to claim 1 , said method further comprising:
providing a development code comprising the activated alternative code section.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the condition definition comprises a default condition, which prevents from activating the detected alternative code if the at least one of the event and status information indicates that a final code version is to be generated.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternative code to represent a second abstraction code to define a second functional design of the target circuit.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alternative code and the original code define a development status of the code basis at a given point in time.

8. A processing system for automated code managing of the usage of alternative code during development, said system comprising:
a processor configured to execute:
a code analyzer arranged to retrieve code sections including original code and alternative code from a code basis provided by a data storage device of the processing system, and to analyze the retrieved code to identify original code and alternative code sections and to detect an alternative code section, wherein the original code to represent a first abstraction code to define a first functional design of a target circuit, wherein the alternative code is provided as an alternative solution for a problem identified during a verification/simulation run, to provide functionality, which has not been coded at a current development stage;
a condition analyzer arranged to retrieve a condition definition associated with the detected alternative code section;
a condition evaluator arranged to evaluate the condition of the retrieved condition definition; and
a decision unit arranged to activate the detected alternative code section in accordance with the result supplied by the condition evaluator.

9. The processing system according to claim 8 , wherein the decision unit is further arranged to provide a development code comprising the activated alternative code section.

10. The processing system according to claim 8 , said method further comprising:
an event and status information retriever arranged to receive and/or retrieve at least one of event and status information from a component of a development environment, of which the processing system is part, wherein the at least one of the event and status information is information relating to the progress of development of the code basis, wherein the a condition evaluator arranged to evaluate the condition of the retrieved condition definition on the basis the at least one of the event and status information.

11. The processing system according to claim 8 , wherein the condition definition comprises a default condition, which is met if the at least one of the event and status information indicates that a final code version is to be generated.

12. The processing system according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the code analyzer and the condition analyzer is further arranged to extract the condition definition from the detected alternative code section.

13. The processing system of claim 8 , wherein the alternative code to represent a second abstraction code to define a second functional design of the target circuit.

14. The processing system of claim 8 , wherein the alternative code and the original code define a development status of the code basis at a given point in time.

15. Non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for automated code managing of the usage of alternative code, the computer program comprising a set of instructions, which, when executed on a processing system, cause the processing system to perform the method comprising:
retrieving code sections including original code and alternative code from a code basis, wherein the original code to represent a first abstraction code to define a first functional design of a target circuit, wherein the alternative code is provided as an alternative solution for a problem identified during a verification/simulation run, to provide functionality, which has not been coded at a current development stage;
analyzing the retrieved code to identify original code and alternative code sections in the code basis and to detect an alternative code section;
retrieving a condition definition associated with the detected alternative code section;
evaluating the condition of the retrieved condition definition; and
activating the detected alternative code section in accordance with the evaluation result.

16. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein said retrieving a condition definition comprises:
extracting the condition definition from the identified alternative code section.

17. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the condition definition comprises one or more logic relationships as a function of at least one of event and status information relating to a progress of development of code basis, wherein the method further comprises
at least one of receiving and retrieving at least one of event and status information from a component of a development environment, of which the processing system is part,
wherein said condition of the retrieved condition definition is evaluated on the basis of the at least one of the event and status information.

18. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , said method further comprising:
providing a development code comprising the activated alternative code section.

19. The non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the condition definition comprises a default condition, which prevents from activating the detected alternative code if the at least one of

Assignees

• Thiel Tobias
• Regner Markus
• Rohleder Michael
• Freescale Semiconductor Inc

Inventors

• Thiel Tobias
• Regner Markus
• Rohleder Michael

Classifications

• G06F8/71 Primary

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

• G06F8/73

  Program documentation · CPC title

• G06F30/30

  Circuit design · CPC title

• G06F8/36

  Software reuse · CPC title