Source Code Property Grouping for Efficient Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In computer application development, particularly for web applications, maintaining and correcting source code is complex due to multiple layers and overlapping properties across different tags, forcing developers to navigate through multiple portions of the code to modify specific properties, leading to inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that create a syntactic tree to prioritize source code, select elements, identify parent elements, group properties by name, and display them in a single window, excluding non-influential properties, facilitating easier maintenance and correction by presenting all relevant properties in one accessible location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If developers navigate through multiple portions of source code to locate and modify properties, then they can access all properties of an element, but the time required to locate and modify properties increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts property information from its original scattered locations in the source code and presents it in a consolidated properties window. When a developer selects an element in the source code, the system automatically retrieves all relevant properties (including inherited properties from parent elements) and displays them in a single centralized interface, eliminating the need to manually search through multiple portions of code.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a properties window as an intermediary interface between the developer and the source code. This mediator automatically queries the syntax tree to gather property information from various levels of the code hierarchy and presents it in an organized manner, reducing the cognitive load and time required to locate and modify properties.
2Loss of information
If all properties from multiple tags are displayed, then developers have complete information, but the display becomes cluttered with unnecessary information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by organizing properties in the display window according to their source tags. Properties are grouped and labeled to indicate which tag they originate from, allowing developers to quickly identify relevant properties while maintaining visual organization. This selective organization ensures that complete information is provided without creating a cluttered display.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the property display by grouping properties according to their originating tags or categories. Instead of presenting a flat list of all properties, the system divides them into logical groups, making it easier for developers to navigate and understand which properties belong to which element in the hierarchy.
3Productivity
If developers modify properties without understanding the syntax tree structure, then modifications can be made quickly, but errors may occur in multi-layered code structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by automatically building and storing the syntax tree structure before the developer needs to modify properties. The system pre-processes the source code to establish the hierarchical relationships between elements, so that when a developer selects an element and views its properties, the complete inheritance hierarchy is already analyzed and ready for display. This preliminary structuring enables both fast modification and accurate error prevention.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for displaying properties of an element of the source code of a computer program being edited. According to the invention, such a method comprises: - a step of selecting, within said source code, said source code element; - a step of searching, within said source code, for a set of code elements linked to said selected source code element, said elements of said set comprising typed properties; - a step of creating a data structure comprising said properties of said code elements of said set of code elements; - a step of grouping, within said data structure, said properties according to their types; - a step of displaying said grouped properties within a portion of a means for displaying said source code.