Parameter Assistant for Software Hardware Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software programming methods do not efficiently allow users to automatically determine and include valid parameter values for hardware interactions, as these values are often dependent on the current hardware configuration and cannot be fully specified in online help or manuals.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that dynamically determines possible parameter values based on the hardware configuration of a computer system, allowing users to select and automatically include these values in software programs through a graphical user interface, using techniques such as programmatically examining hardware configuration information or querying device software.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If users manually specify parameter values by consulting online help or manuals, then they can obtain valid parameter values, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically determining valid parameter values before the user needs to specify them. The IDE queries hardware configuration information and pre-computes the set of valid parameter values, so when the user needs a parameter value, it is already available without manual lookup or computation time.
2Ease of operation
If online help topics or manuals specify all possible parameter values, then users can find valid values, but it is not practical to specify all possible values for functions that take hardware resources as parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling the IDE to automatically query hardware configuration information and determine valid parameter values without requiring manual documentation. The system serves itself by programmatically obtaining hardware resource information directly from the system registry or configuration files, eliminating the need for comprehensive manual documentation of all possible parameter values.
3Reliability
If the system dynamically determines parameter values based on hardware configuration, then parameter validity is ensured, but additional system resources are required for querying and determining values
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the resource-intensive hardware configuration querying and parameter validation in advance, during the software development phase. By determining valid parameter values preliminarily before runtime, the system ensures reliability while minimizing runtime overhead. The validation logic is embedded in the IDE, so the computational cost is incurred during development rather than during execution.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for dynamically determining a plurality of possible or valid parameter values and automatically including one of the parameter values in a software program. In one embodiment, the plurality of possible parameter values may be dynamically determined based on a hardware configuration of a computer system. A graphical user interface for selecting a parameter value may be displayed. The graphical user interface may visually indicate the plurality of dynamically determined possible parameter values and may allow a user to easily select one of the possible parameter values for inclusion in the software program. User input may be received to the graphical user interface to select a first parameter value from the plurality of possible parameter values. The first parameter value may be programmatically included in the software program in response to the first parameter value being selected.