Intermediate System Representation for Round-Trip Engineering Synchronization

The patent introduces an intermediate representation (IR) that serves as a mediator between source code and development models. The IR contains explicit association information linking code blocks to model elements, enabling accurate and efficient update propagation without directly comparing the disparate code and model formats. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by providing a common reference frame that simplifies the synchronization process while maintaining high reliability.

The patent creates a copied or mirrored structure of the association relationships in the intermediate representation. By maintaining copies of the linkages between code and model elements in the IR, the system can efficiently query and propagate updates without performing complex analyses of the original artifacts. This copying approach reduces computational intensity while ensuring accurate update propagation.

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-establishing the intermediate representation with all association information between code blocks and model elements before update propagation is needed. By having the IR pre-computed and stored with explicit linkages, the system avoids performing computationally intensive matching operations during actual update propagation, thereby significantly improving efficiency while reducing real-time computational resource consumption.

The intermediate representation acts as a mediator that caches the complex association relationships between code and model elements. Instead of repeatedly analyzing and matching elements during each update operation, the system queries the pre-built IR structure, which dramatically reduces computational resource requirements while maintaining high productivity in update propagation.