Automatic program documentation

Details Automatic program documentation Automatic program documentation

1994-09-06

2002-05-14

Maung, Zarni (Department: 2154)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput

Computer-to-computer data routing

Least weight routing

C709S241000, C717S152000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06389481

ABSTRACT:

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to providing program documentation and more specifically to providing program documentation during program compilation.
2. Background Art
Providing computer software documentation has been one of the most difficult and cumbersome aspects of software development. The source code programmer usually provides some documentation in the code. This documentation is commonly referred to as comment statements and includes text information that is not compiled when the source code is compiled into object code. Prior use of comments in source code is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,258 entitled “Programmable Controller with Control Program Comments” which discloses a controller system that provides a means for producing a mnemonic and comment number when comments are entered into a terminal keyboard wherein the comments are stored separately from the program and automatically displayed to the user. Other attempts at using comments in the source code to document the source code include IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 15. No. 7, December, 1972 entitled “Self-Documenting Macros”, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 24, No. 12, May, 1982 entitled “Computer Program Documentation”, and IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 30, No. 12, May, 1988, entitled “Automatic Retrieval of Program Design Information from Source Code”.
There are some modern documentation software tools such as Logic Gem, DCD-PC and DCD III by International Computer Programs, Inc., and dFlow by WallSoft Systems, Inc. These tools review the source code and generate various reports including flow-charts, module cross reference lists, a variable concordance, and logic spreadsheets. However, these tools are limited to reviewing the executable source code to generate these reports and are primarily for aiding the developer or maintainer of the source code rather than the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,203 discloses a system extracting documentation text from a source code program during compilation in the order of appearance in the source program. This patent provides a method for generating pseudocode from the source code.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus for producing object code from source code including input means for receiving the source code, the source code including executable source code and source code documentation, and compilation means, coupled to the input means, including first means for providing object code from the source code, and second means for providing documentation including selected portions of the executable source code and the source code documentation, and for organizing the provided documentation into a predefined format independent of executable source code organization.
The present invention also provides a method of for producing object code from source code including the steps of receiving the source code, the source code including executable source code and source code documentation, and compiling the received source code including the steps of providing object code from the source code, and providing documentation including selected portions of the executable source code and the source code documentation, and organizing the provided documentation into a predefined format independent of executable source code organization.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4398249 (1983-08-01), Pardo et al.
patent: 4488258 (1984-12-01), Struger et al.
patent: 4617643 (1986-10-01), Kloch et al.
patent: 4636940 (1987-01-01), Goodwin, Jr.
patent: 4860203 (1989-08-01), Corrigan et al.
patent: 5956508 (1999-09-01), Johnson
Operating Systems : A Systematic View, W.S. Davis, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, May 1987, pp. 19, 25-26.*
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin,vol. 15, No. 7, Dec. 1972, “Self-Documenting Macros”, A. Lichtman, p. 2153.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin,vol. 24, No. 12, May 1982, “Computer Program Documentation”, R. D. Parrott, p. 6540.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin,vol. 30, No. 12, May 1988, “Automatic Retrieval of Program Design Information from Source Code”, p. 120.
Abstract of Logic Gem by International Computer Programs Inc.
Abstract of DCD III by International Computer Programs Inc.
Abstract of DCD-PC by International Computer Programs Inc.
Abstract of “The Documentor” for “dFlow” by International Computer Programs, Inc.

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