Automatic Documentation Generator for Software Modules
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Software documentation is often provided late in the development cycle, leading to the risk of forgotten implementation details, which can impact users' ability to utilize software products, partners' ability to customize them, and companies' ability to troubleshoot issues.
Innovation Solution
An automatic documentation generator that continuously updates a functions and features list of software modules and entities in parallel with the development process, using a metadata repository to extract and filter relevant documentation based on user-selected flags and filters, ensuring that documentation is generated and maintained throughout the lifecycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If documentation is manually generated by knowledge managers at the end of the development cycle, then documentation can be comprehensive, but implementation details are likely to be forgotten over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically generating documentation continuously throughout the development lifecycle rather than waiting until the end. The documentation generator extracts information from source code and generates documentation artifacts in real-time, ensuring implementation details are captured immediately when they are created or modified, preventing information loss over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by enabling documentation to be automatically generated from the source code itself without requiring manual intervention from knowledge managers. The documentation generator reads source code, extracts relevant information, and produces documentation autonomously, making the documentation process self-sustaining and continuously updated.
2Reliability
If documentation is generated continuously throughout the development lifecycle, then implementation details are preserved, but the documentation process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary approach by introducing a documentation generator that acts as a mediator between the source code and the final documentation. This intermediary component automatically extracts information from source code, processes it through filtering and formatting rules, and generates documentation, thereby simplifying the overall process while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the manual mechanical process of documentation creation with an automated computational system. Instead of knowledge managers manually documenting implementation details, the documentation generator uses automated code analysis and information extraction techniques to produce documentation, reducing system complexity while improving reliability.
3Loss of information
If all objects are included in documentation, then comprehensive coverage is achieved, but the documentation becomes difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by implementing filtering mechanisms that selectively include or exclude specific objects from documentation based on their relevance and importance. The filter allows customization of documentation content to include only necessary information for different user types, maintaining completeness of essential information while improving navigability by excluding irrelevant details.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments documentation into different categories and types (e.g., end-user documentation, technical partner documentation) with different levels of detail. By dividing the comprehensive documentation into segmented, targeted sections, the system maintains complete information coverage while making it easier for users to find and navigate only the information relevant to their needs.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter disclosed herein provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating a list of object descriptions based on an object's relevance for documentation. In one aspect there is provided a method that may include accepting a setting for a filter and a setting for a flag of an object. The filter setting may represent a type of information to be included in a list of object descriptions. The flag setting may represent a category of documentation relevance for the object that may be stored in a repository. The method may include comparing the filter setting with the flag setting of the object, extracting the description of the object from the repository based on the comparing of the flag setting with the filter setting, and generating the list of object descriptions that includes a description of the object. Related systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles are also described.