Automatic Help Information Generation for Complex System Documentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in providing comprehensive and accurate documentation for complex systems, as manual documentation is often neglected, and prior methods fail to adequately describe individual components and their synergistic qualities.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for automatically generating help information and documentation based on user input received through a graphical user interface (GUI), which specifies system functionality, allowing for real-time display and updating of system-level attributes and interactions between components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If manual documentation is used to describe complex systems, then comprehensive system-level attributes and interactions can be described, but the documentation process is time-consuming and often neglected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically generating documentation during the system design phase, rather than requiring separate manual documentation later. The documentation is created as a byproduct of the design process itself, capturing system attributes and interactions at the time they are defined.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves itself by automatically generating its own documentation through the graphical programming environment. The same graphical program that defines system functionality also serves as the source for generating comprehensive documentation, eliminating the need for separate manual documentation efforts.
2Productivity
If pre-made generic documentation sections are used for system components, then documentation can be generated quickly, but individual component details and synergistic interactions are not adequately described
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by providing both generic template information and specific component-level details in the documentation. Each component can have its own detailed description while maintaining consistency with the overall system context, allowing both speed and completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges generic documentation templates with specific component information and interaction details into a unified documentation structure. This combination allows rapid generation while capturing both individual component characteristics and their synergistic interactions within the system.
3Reliability
If the designer manually documents the system after specification, then accurate system understanding can be achieved, but other engineers and users cannot fully understand or utilize the system
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by allowing users to interact with the graphical program and receive contextual help information dynamically. Users can query specific components and interactions during operation, receiving accurate information tailored to their needs rather than static documentation that may become outdated.
Solution Approach 2:
The graphical programming environment serves as an intermediary between the system design and end users. It provides a unified interface that displays both the system functionality and its documentation, allowing users to understand system operation without requiring separate documentation materials.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for generating information regarding the functionality of a system. Input specifying at least a portion of functionality of a system may be received, e.g., from a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), and may specify one or more components of the system at a component level. The input may specify one or more components of the system, e.g., software component(s), hardware device(s), function(s) of the system, etc. Information, e.g., help information and/or documentation, describing one or more aspects of the functionality of the system may be automatically generated based on the input. The descriptions of the aspects may include information regarding the synergistic/combinatorial interactions of the components at a system level, e.g., via calculation or derivation from data retrieved from various sources regarding the components of the system. The information may be automatically stored and/or automatically displayed in the GUI substantially in real-time.