Compiler using clean lines table with entries indicating unchanged text lines for incrementally compiling only changed source text lines
US5325531A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 9, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jun 28, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F8/71
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer-aided software development system includes programs to implement edit, compile, link and run sequences, all from memory, at very high speed. The compiler operates on an incremental basis, line-by-line, so if only one line is changed in an edit session, then only that line need be recompiled if no other code is affected. Dependency analysis is performed incrementally, without requiring the user to enter dependencies. Scanning is also done incrementally, and the resulting token list saved in memory to be used again where no changes are made. All of the linking tables are saved in memory so there is no need to generate link tables for increments of code where no changes in links are needed. The parser is able to skip lines or blocks of lines of source code which haven't been changed. All of the source code text modules, the token lists, symbol tables, code tables and related data saved from one compile to another are maintained in virtual memory rather than in files so that speed of operation is enhanced. Also, the object code created is maintained in memory rather than in a file, and executed from this memory image, to reduce delays. A virtual memory management arrangement…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.