System and method for generating and maintaining software code

Abstract

An Integrated Development Environment having numerous cooperating modules which together provide a system and method for generating and maintaining software, in particular, the software for data development and data manipulation languages. Among other modules, the Integrated Development Environment includes a document manager for use in transparently retrieving related software files. Retrieved software files can be modified using an editor. The editing process may be enhanced through the use of a visualizer that allows the program flow and/or the data flow of the software files to be displayed.

1 . A computer readable media having computer executable instructions for examining and editing software, the instructions performing steps comprising: 
 retrieving software comprised of source code that is programmed in one of a plurality of types of data manipulation programming languages;    displaying the retrieved source code and providing a means for a user to edit the displayed, retrieved source code;    detecting the one of the plurality of types of data manipulation languages in which the retrieved source code is programmed;    activating rules and logic applicable to the detected one of the plurality of types of data manipulation languages to parse the source code and to create a flow representation of the source code;    displaying the flow representation of the source code and providing a means for the user to edit the displayed flow representation of the source code; and    causing edits made to the displayed source code to be automatically reflected in the displayed flow representation of the source code and causing edits made to the displayed flow representation of the source code to be automatically reflected in the displayed source code.    
   
   
       2 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the flow representation depicts data flow.  
   
   
       3 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the flow representation depicts program flow.  
   
   
       4 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions allow the user to expand and collapse the flow representation.  
   
   
       5 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions allow the user to search a network for the software to be retrieved.  
   
   
       6 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions allow for retrieving of an error log file generated as a result of an execution of the software and further function to parse the error log file to determine segments of the software having an error and update the flow representations to indicate which segments are determined to have an error.  
   
   
       7 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the instructions display debugging hints corresponding to the errors determined to be within the software.  
   
   
       8 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the instructions allow for retrieving of the debugging hints by browsing a network.  
   
   
       9 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the instructions allow for the customization of the debugging hints.  
   
   
       10 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the instructions display a plurality of code templates to allow the user to select and insert one or more of the code templates into the software.  
   
   
       11 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions allow for browsing a network to retrieve the code templates for selection by the user.  
   
   
       12 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the instructions display code within a code template in response to a request by the user.  
   
   
       13 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the instructions automatically correct segments of the source code.  
   
   
       14 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the instructions automatically generate segments of the source code.  
   
   
       15 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the flow representation comprises individual flow elements representative of designated segments of the source code.  
   
   
       16 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the instructions display comments and execution statistics associated with each flow element in response to a mouse-over selection of the respective flow element.  
   
   
       17 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions display a list of data inspection functions in response to selection of a dataset icon.  
   
   
       18 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions display a list of data discovery functions in response to selection of a dataset icon.  
   
   
       19 . A computer readable media having instructions for examining software, the instructions performing steps comprising: 
 retrieving an execution log created from an actual execution of the software;    creating a flow representation of the execution log; and    displaying the flow representation of the execution log.    
   
   
       20 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the flow representation depicts data flow.  
   
   
       21 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the flow representation depicts program flow.  
   
   
       22 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the instructions provide for allowing a user to expand and collapse the flow representation.  
   
   
       23 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the instructions allow for a user to search a network to retrieve the execution log of the software.  
   
   
       24 . The computer readable media as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the software is programmed in one of a plurality of types of data manipulation languages.