Software development tool with instant updating and simultaneous view of graphical and a textual display of source code

Abstract

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool which allows a developer to simultaneously view a graphical and a textual display of source code. The graphical and textual views are synchronized so that a modification in one view is automatically reflected in the other view. In addition, the software development tool is designed for use with more than one programming language.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and system for developing software. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for simultaneously displaying source code in a project with a graphical representation of the project.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Computer instructions are written in source code. Although a skilled programmer can understand source code to determine what the code is designed to accomplish, with highly complex software systems, a graphical representation or model of the source code is helpful to organize and visualize the structure and components of the system. Using models, the complex systems are easily identified, and the structural and behavioral patterns can be visualized and documented.

The well-known Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose notational language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting complex software systems. UML is used to model systems ranging from business information systems to Web-based distributed systems, to real-time embedded systems. UML formalizes the notion that real-world objects are best modeled as self-contained entities that contain both data and functionality. UML is more clearly described in the following references, which are incorporated herein by reference: (1) Martin Fowler, UML Distilled Second Edition: Applying the Standard Object Modeling Language, Addison-Wesley (1999); (2) Booch, Rumbaugh, and Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, Addison-Wesley (1998); (3) Peter Coad, Jeff DeLuca, and Eric Lefebvre, Java Modeling in Color with UML: Enterprise Components and Process, Prentice Hall (1999); and (4) Peter Coad, Mark Mayfield, and Jonathan Kern, Java Design: Building Better Apps & Applets (2nd Ed.), Prentice Hall (1998).

As shown in FIG. 1, conventional software development tools 100 allow a programmer to view UML 102 while viewing source code 104. The source code 104 is stored in a file, and a reverse engineering module 106 converts the source code 104 into a representation of the software project in a database or repository 108. The software project comprises source code 104 in at least one file which, when compiled, forms a sequence of instructions to be run by the data processing system. The repository 108 generates the UML 102. If any changes are made to the UML 102, they are automatically reflected in the repository 108, and a code generator 110 converts the representation in the repository 108 into source code 104. Such software development tools 100, however, do not synchronize the displays of the UML 102 and the source code 104. Rather, the repository 108 stores the representation of the software project while the file stores the source code 104. A modification in the UML 102 does not appear in the source code 104 unless the code generator 110 re-generates the source code 104 from the data in the repository 108. When this occurs, the entire source code 104 is rewritten. Similarly, any modifications made to the source code 104 do not appear in the UML 102 unless the reverse engineering module 106 updates the repository 108. As a result, redundant information is stored in the repository 108 and the source code 104. In addition, rather than making incremental changes to the source code 104, conventional software development tools 100 rewrite the overall source code 104 when modifications are made to the UML 102, resulting in wasted processing time. This type of manual, large-grained synchronization requires either human intervention, or a “batch” style process to try to keep the two views (the UML 102 and the source code 104) in sync. Unfortunately, this approach, adopted by many tools, leads to many undesirable side-effects; such as desired changes to the source code being overwritten by the tool. A further disadvantage with conventional software development tools 100 is that they are designed to only work in a single programming language. Thus, a tool 100 that is designed for Java™ programs cannot be utilized to develop a program in C++. There is a need in the art for a tool that avoids the limitations of these conventional software development tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool which overcomes the limitations of conventional software development tools. The improved software development tool of the present invention allows a developer to simultaneously view a graphical and a textual display of source code. The graphical and textual views are synchronized so that a modification in one view is automatically reflected in the other view. In addition, the software development tool is designed for use with more than one programming language.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, a method is provided in a data processing system for developing source code in a project. The project comprises a plurality of files, and the source code of a chosen one of the files is written in a language. The method comprises the steps of determining the language of the source code of the chosen file, displaying the source code of the chosen file in the language, and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, a method is provided in a data processing system for developing source code. The method comprises the steps of receiving an indication of a selected language for the source code, creating a file to store the source code in the selected language, displaying the source code of the file in the selected language, and displaying a graphical representation of the file.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method. The data processing system has source code in a project where the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language. The method comprises the steps of determining the language of the source code of the chosen file, displaying the source code of the chosen file, and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method. The method is for developing source code, and comprises the steps of receiving an indication of a selected language for the source code, creating a file to store the source code in the selected language, displaying the source code of the file, and displaying a graphical representation of the file.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an implementation of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 depicts a conventional software development tool;

FIG. 2 depicts an overview of a software development tool in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 3 depicts a data structure of the language-neutral representation created by the software development tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 depicts representative source code;

FIG. 5 depicts the data structure of the language-neutral representation of the source code of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system suitable for practicing the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts an architectural overview of the software development tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8A depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a list of predefined criteria which the software development tool checks in the source code;

FIG. 8B depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays the definition of the criteria which the software development tool checks in the source code, and an example of source code which does not conform to the criteria;

FIG. 8C depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays an example of source code which conforms to the criteria which the software development tool checks in the source code;

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the update model step of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the software development tool in FIG. 2 when creating a class;

FIG. 12 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a use case diagram of source code;

FIG. 13 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays both a class diagram and a textual view of source code;

FIG. 14 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a sequence diagram of source code;

FIG. 15 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a collaboration diagram of source code;

FIG. 16 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a statechart diagram of source code;

FIG. 17 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays an activity diagram of source code;

FIG. 18 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a component diagram of source code; and

FIG. 19 depicts a user interface displayed by the software development tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a deployment diagram of source code.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that creates a graphical representation of source code regardless of the programming language in which the code is written. In addition, the software development tool simultaneously reflects any modifications to the source code to both the display of the graphical representation as well as the textual display of the source code.

As depicted in FIG. 2, source code 202 is being displayed in both a graphical form 204 and a textual form 206. In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, the improved software development tool generates a transient meta model (TMM) 200 which stores a language-neutral representation of the source code 202. The graphical 204 and textual 206 representations of the source code 202 are generated from the language-neutral representation in the TMM 200. Although modifications made on the displays 204 and 206 may appear to modify the displays 204 and 206, in actuality all modifications are made directly to the source code 202 via an incremental code editor (ICE) 208, and the TMM 200 is used to generate the modifications in both the graphical 204 and the textual 206 views from the modifications to the source code 202.

The improved software development tool provides simultaneous round-trip engineering, i.e., the graphical representation 204 is synchronized with the textual representation 206. Thus, if a change is made to the source code 202 via the graphical representation 204, the textual representation 206 is updated automatically. Similarly, if a change is made to the source code 202 via the textual representation 206, the graphical representation 204 is updated to remain synchronized. There is no repository, no batch code generation, and no risk of losing code.

The data structure 300 of the language-neutral representation is depicted in FIG. 3. The data structure 300 comprises a Source Code Interface (SCI) model 302, an SCI package 304, an SCI class 306, and an SCI member 308. The SCI model 302 is the source code organized into packages. The SCI model 302 corresponds to a directory for a software project being developed by the user, and the SCI package 304 corresponds to a subdirectory. The software project comprises the source code in at least one file that is compiled to form a sequence of instructions to be run by a data processing system. The data processing system is discussed in detail below. As is well known in object-oriented programming, the class 306 is a category of objects which describes a group of objects with similar properties (attributes), common behavior (operations or methods), common relationships to other objects, and common semantics. The members 308 comprise attributes and/or operations.

For example, the data structure 500 for the source code 400 depicted in FIG. 4 is depicted in FIG. 5. UserInterface 402 is defined as a package 404. Accordingly, UserInterface 402 is contained in SCI package 502. Similarly, Bank 406, which is defined as a class 408, is contained in SCI class 504, and Name 410 and Assets 412, which are defined as attributes (strings 414), are contained in SCI members 506. Since these elements are in the same project, all are linked. The data structure 500 also identifies the language in which the source code is written 508, e.g., the Java™ language.

FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system 600 suitable for practicing methods and systems consistent with the present invention. Data processing system 600 comprises a memory 602, a secondary storage device 604, an I/O device 606, and a processor 608. Memory 602 includes the improved software development tool 610. The software development tool 610 is used to develop a software project 612, and create the TMM 200 in the memory 602. The project 612 is stored in the secondary storage device 604 of the data processing system 600. One skilled in the art will recognize that data processing system 600 may contain additional or different components.

Although aspects of the present invention are described as being stored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks or CD-ROM; a carrier wave from a network, such as Internet; or other forms of RAM or ROM either currently known or later developed.

FIG. 7 illustrates an architectural overview of the improved software development tool 610. The tool 610 comprises a core 700, an open application program interface (API) 702, and modules 704. The core 700 includes a parser 706 and an ICE 208. The parser 706 converts the source code into the language-neutral representation in the TMM, and the ICE 208 converts the text from the displays into source code. There are three main packages composing the API. 702; Integrated Development Environment (IDE) 708; Read-Write Interface (RWI) 710; and Source Code Interface (SCI) 712. Each package includes corresponding subpackages. As is well known in the art, a package is a collection of attributes, notifications, operations, or behaviors that are treated as a single module or program unit.

IDE 708 is the API 702 needed to generate custom outputs based on information contained in a model. It is a read-only interface, i.e., the user can extract information from the model, but not change the model. IDE 708 provides the functionality related to the model's representation in IDE 708 and interaction with the user. Each package composing the IDE group has a description highlighting the areas of applicability of this concrete package.

RWI 710 enables the user to go deeper into the architecture. Using RWI 710, information can be extracted from and written to the models. RWI not only represents packages, classes and members, but it may also represent different diagrams (class diagrams, use case diagrams, sequence diagrams and others), links, notes, use cases, actors, states, etc.

SCI 712 is at the source code level, and allows the user to work with the source code almost independently of the language being used.

There are a variety of modules 704 in the software development tool 610 of the present invention. Some of the modules 704 access information to generate graphical and code documentation in custom formats, export to different file formats, or develop patterns. The software development tool also includes a quality assurance (QA) module which monitors the modifications to the source code and calculates the complexity metrics, i.e., the measurement of the program's performance or efficiency, to support quality assurance. The types of metrics calculated by the software development tool include basic metrics, cohesion metrics, complexity metrics, coupling metrics, Halstead metrics, inheritance metrics, maximum metrics, polymorphism metrics, and ratio metrics. Examples of these metrics with their respective definitions are identified in Tables 1-9 below.

TABLE 1
Basic Metrics
Basic Metrics Description
Lines Of Code Counts the number of code lines.
Number Of     Counts the number of attributes. If a class has
Attributes    a high number of attributes, it may be appropriate
              to divide it into subclasses.
Number Of     Counts the number of classes.
Classes
Number Of     Counts the number of imported packages/classes.
Import        This measure can highlight excessive importing,
Statements    and also can be used as a measure of coupling.
Number Of     Counts the number of members, i.e., attributes
Members       and operations. If a class has a high number
              of members, it may be appropriate to divide
              it into subclasses.
Number Of     Counts the number of operations. If a class has
Operations    a high number of operations, it may be appropriate
              to divide it into subclasses.

TABLE 2
Cohesion Metrics
Cohesion
Metrics     Description
Lack Of     Takes each pair of methods in the class and
Cohesion Of determines the set of fields they each access. A low
Methods 1   value indicates high coupling between methods, which
            indicates potentially low reusability and increased
            testing because many methods can affect the same
            attributes.
Lack Of     Counts the percentage of methods that do not access
Cohesion Of a specific attribute averaged over all attributes
Methods 2   in the class. A high value of cohesion (a low lack
            of cohesion) implies that the class is well
            designed.
Lack Of     Measures the dissimilarity of methods in a class
Cohesion Of by attributes. A low value indicates good class
Methods 3   subdivision, implying simplicity and high reusability.
            A high lack of cohesion increases complexity,
            thereby increasing the likelihood of errors during the
            development process.

TABLE 3
Complexity Metrics
Complexity
Metrics     Description
Attribute   Defined as the sum of each attribute's
Complexity  value in the class.
Cyclomatic  Represents the cognitive complexity of the
Complexity  class. It counts the number of possible paths
            through an algorithm by counting the number
            of distinct regions on a flowgraph, i.e., the
            number of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ statements
            in the operation's body.
Number Of   Processes all of the methods and constructors,
Remote      and counts the number of different remote methods
Methods     called. A remote method is defined as a method
            which is not declared in either the class itself
            or its ancestors.
Response    Calculated as ‘Number of Local Methods’ +
For Class   ‘Number of Remote Methods.’ A class which
            provides a larger response set is considered
            to be more complex and requires more testing than
            one with a smaller overall design complexity.
Weighted    The sum of the complexity of all methods for
Methods     a class, where each method is weighted by its
Per Class 1 cyclomatic complexity. The number of methods and
            the complexity of the methods involved is a
            predictor of how much time and effort is required
            to develop and maintain the class.
Weighted    Measures the complexity of a class, assuming
Methods     that a class with more methods than another is
Per Class 2 more complex, and that a method with more
            parameters than another is also likely to be more
            complex.

TABLE 4
Coupling Metrics
Coupling
Metrics     Description
Coupling    Represents the number of other classes to
Between     which a class is coupled. Counts the number
Objects     of reference types that are used in attribute
            declarations, formal parameters, return types, throws
            declarations and local variables, and types from
            which attribute and method selections are made.
            Excessive coupling between objects is detrimental
            to modular design and prevents reuse. The more
            independent a class is, the easier it is to reuse it
            in another application. In order to improve modularity
            and promote encapsulation, inter-object class couples
            should be kept to a minimum. The larger the number
            of couples, the higher the sensitivity to changes
            in other parts of the design, and therefore
            maintenance is more difficult. A measure of coupling
            is useful to determine how complex the testing of
            various parts of a design is likely to be. The higher
            the inter-object class coupling, the more rigorous
            the testing needs to be.
Data        Counts the number of reference types used in
Abstraction the attribute declarations.
Coupling
FanOut      Counts the number of reference types that are
            used in attribute declarations, formal parameters,
            return types, throws declarations and local variables.

TABLE 5
Halstead Metrics
Halstead Metrics Description
Halstead         This measure is one of the Halstead Software
Difficulty       Science metrics. It is calculated as (‘Number of
                 Unique Operators’/‘Number of Unique Operands’) *
                 (‘Number of Operands’/‘Number of Unique
                 Operands’).
Halstead         This measure is one of the Halstead Software
Effort           Science metrics. It is calculated as ‘Halstead
                 Difficulty’ * ‘Halstead Program Volume.’
Halstead         This measure is one of the Halstead Software
Program          Science metrics. It is calculated as ‘Number of
Length           Operators’ + ‘Number of Operands.’
Halstead         This measure is one of the Halstead Software
Program          Science metrics. It is calculated as ‘Number
Vocabulary       of Unique Operators’ + ‘Number of
                 Unique Operands.’
Halstead         This measure is one of the Halstead Software
Program          Science metrics. It is calculated as ‘Halstead
Volume           Program Length’ * Log2(‘Halstead Program
                 Vocabulary’).
Number Of        This measure is used as an input to the Halstead
Operands         Software Science metrics. It counts the number
                 of operands used in a class.
Number Of        This measure is used as an input to the Halstead
Operators        Software Science metrics. It counts the number
                 of operators used in a class.
Number Of        This measure is used as an input to the Halstead
Unique           Software Science metrics. It counts the number of
Operands         unique operands used in a class.
Number Of        This measure is used as an input to the Halstead
Unique           Software Science metrics. It counts the number of
Operators        unique operators used in a class.

TABLE 6
Inheritance Metrics
Inheritance
Metrics     Description
Depth Of    Counts how far down the inheritance
Inheritance hierarchy a class or interface is declared.
Hierarchy   High values imply that a class is quite
            specialized.
Number Of   Counts the number of classes which inherit
Child       from a particular class, i.e., the number of
Classes     classes in the inheritance tree down from a
            class. Non-zero value indicates that the particular
            class is being re-used. The abstraction of the
            class may be poor if there are too many child classes.
            It should also be stated that a high value of
            this measure points to the definite amount of
            testing required for each child class.

TABLE 7
Maximum Metrics
Maximum
Metrics    Description
Maximum    Counts the maximum depth of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and
Number Of  ‘while’ branches in the bodies of methods.
Levels     Logical units with a large number of nested
           levels may need implementation simplification and
           process improvement because groups that contain
           more than seven pieces of information are
           increasingly harder for people to understand in
           problem solving.
Maximum    Displays the maximum number of parameters
Number Of  among all class operations. Methods with
Parameters many parameters tend to be more specialized and,
           thus, are less likely to be reusable.
Maximum    Counts the maximum size of the operations
Size Of    for a class. Method size is determined in
Operation  terms of cyclomatic complexity, i.e., the
           number of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ statements in the
           operation’s body.

TABLE 8
Polymorphism Metrics
Polymorphism
Metrics         Description
Number Of Added Counts the number of operations added by
Methods         a class. A large value of this measure indicates
                that the functionality of the given class becomes
                increasingly distinct from that of the parent
                classes. In this case, it should be considered
                whether this class genuinely should be inheriting
                from the parent, or if it could be broken down
                into several smaller classes.
Number Of       Counts the number of inherited operations which
Overridden      a class overrides. Classes without parents
Methods         are not processed. High values tend to indicate
                design problems, i.e., subclasses should
                generally add to and extend the functionality
                of the parent classes rather than overriding them.

TABLE 9
Ratio Metrics
Ratio
Metrics      Description
Comment      Counts the ratio of comments to total
Ratio        lines of code including comments.
Percentage   Counts the percentage of package members
Of Package   in a class.
Members
Percentage   Counts the percentage of private
Of Private   members in a class.
Members
Percentage   Counts the percentage of protected
Of Protected members in a class.
Members
Percentage   Counts the proportion of vulnerable members
Of Public    in a class. A large proportion of such
Members      members means that the class has high potential
             to be affected by external classes and means that
             increased efforts will be needed to test such a
             class thoroughly.
True Comment Counts the ratio of comments to total lines
Ratio        of code excluding comments.

The QA module also provides audits, i.e., the module checks for conformance to predefined or user-defined styles. The types of audits provided by the module include coding style, critical errors, declaration style, documentation, naming style, performance, possible errors and superfluous content. Examples of these audits with their respective definitions are identified in Tables 10-17 below.

TABLE 10
Coding Style Audits
Coding
Style
Audits          Description
Access Of       Static members should be referenced
Static          through class names rather than
Members         through objects.
Through
Objects
Assignment      Formal parameters should not be assigned.
To Formal
Parameters
Complex         Checks for the occurrence of multiple
Assignment      assignments and assignments to variables
                within the same expression. Complex
                assignments should be avoided since they
                decrease program readability.
Don't Use       The negation operator slows down the
the Negation    readability of the program. Thus, it is
Operator        recommended that it not be used frequently.
Frequently
Operator ‘?:’   The operator ‘?:’ makes the code harder
May Not         to read than the alternative form with an
Be Used         if-statement.
Provide         Checks if the third argument of the ‘for’-statement
Incremental     is missing.
In For-Statement
or use
while-statement
Replacement     Demand import-declarations must be replaced
For             by a list of single import-declarations that
Demand          are actually imported into the compilation unit.
Imports         In other words, import-statements may not end
                with an asterisk.
Use Abbreviated Use the abbreviated assignment operator
Assignment      in order to write programs more rapidly.
Operator        Also some compilers run faster with the
                abbreviated assignment operator.
Use ‘this’      Tries to make the developer use ‘this’
Explicitly      explicitly when trying to access class
To Access       members. Using the same class member names
Class           with parameter names often makes what the
Members         developer is referring to unclear.

TABLE 11
Critical Errors Audits
Critical
Errors
Audits       Description
Avoid        Detects when attributes declared in child classes
Hiding       hide inherited attributes.
Inherited
Attributes
Avoid        Detects when inherited static operations are hidden
Hiding       by child classes.
Inherited
Static
Methods
Command      Prevents methods that return a value from a
Query        modifying state. The methods used to query the state
Separation   of an object must be different from the methods used
             to perform commands (change the state of the object).
Hiding       Declarations of names should not hide other
Of Names     declarations of the same name.
Inaccessible Overload resolution only considers constructors
Constructor  and methods that are visible at the point of the
Or Method    call. If, however, all the constructors and methods
Matches      were considered, there may be more matches. This
             rule is violated in this case.
             Imagine that ClassB is in a different package
             than ClassA. Then the allocation of ClassB violates
             this rule since the second constructor is not
             visible at the point of the allocation, but it still
             matches the allocation (based on signature). Also
             the call to open in ClassB violates this rule since
             the second and the third declarations of open are not
             visible at the point of the call, but it still
             matches the call (based on signature).
Multiple     Multiple declarations with the same name must not be
Visible      simultaneously visible except for overloaded methods.
Declarations
With
Same Name
Overriding   Checks for abstract methods overriding non-abstract
a Non-       methods in a subclass.
Abstract
Method
With an
Abstract
Method
Overriding   A subclass should not contain a method with the
a Private    same name and signature as in a superclass if
Method       these methods are declared to be private.
Overloading  A superclass method may not be overloaded within
Within a     a subclass unless all overloading in the superclass
Subclass     are also overridden in the subclass. It is very
             unusual for a subclass to be overloading methods
             in its superclass without also overriding the
             methods it is overloading. More frequently this
             happens due to inconsistent changes between the
             superclass and subclass - i.e., the intention of
             the user is to override the method in the
             superclass, but due to the error, the subclass
             method ends up overloading the superclass method.
Use of       Non-final static attributes should not be used
Static       in initializations of attributes.
Attribute
for
Initialization

TABLE 12
Declaration Style Audits
Declaration
Style
Audits       Description
Badly        Array declarators must be placed next to the
Located      type descriptor of their component type.
Array
Declarators
Constant     Private attributes that never get their values
Private      changed must be declared final. By explicitly
Attributes   declaring them in such a way, a reader of the
Must Be      source code get some information of how the
Final        attribute is supposed to be used.
Constant     Local variables that never get their values
Variables    changed must be declared final. By explicitly
Must Be      declaring them in such a way, a reader of the
Final        source code obtains information about how the
             variable is supposed to be used.
Declare      Several variables (attributes and local
Variables    variables) should not be declared in the
In One       same statement.
Statement
Each
Instantiated This rule recommends making all instantiated
Classes      classes final. It checks classes which are
Should       present in the object model. Classes from
Be Final     search/classpath are ignored.
List All     Enforces a standard to improve readability.
Public And   Methods/data in your class should be ordered
Package      properly.
Members
First
Order Of     Checks for correct ordering of modifiers.
Appearance   For classes, this includes visibility
Of Modifiers (public, protected or private), abstract,
             static, final. For attributes, this includes
             visibility (public, protected or private),
             static, final, transient, volatile. For
             operations, this includes visibility (public,
             protected or private), abstract, static, final,
             synchronized, native.
Put the      Tries to make the program comply with various
Main         coding standards regarding the form of the
Function     class definitions.
Last

TABLE 13
Documentation Audits
Documentation
Audits      Description
Bad Tag     This rule verifies code against accidental use
In JavaDoc  of improper JavDoc tags.
Comments
Distinguish Checks whether the JavaDoc comments in your
Between     program ends with ‘**/’ and ordinary C-style
JavaDoc     ones with ‘*/.’
And Ordinary
Comments

TABLE 14
Naming Style Audits
Naming Style
Audits           Description
Class Name       Checks whether top level classes or
Must Match       interfaces have the same name as the
Its File         file in which they reside.
Name
Group            Enforces standard to improve readability.
Operations
With
Same Name
Together
Naming           Takes a regular expression and item name
Conventions      and reports all occurrences where the
                 pattern does not match the declaration.
Names Of         Names of classes which inherit from Exception
Exception        should end with Exception.
Classes
Use Conventional One-character local variable or parameter
Variable         names should be avoided, except for temporary
Names            and looping variables, or where a variable
                 holds an undistinguished value of a type.

TABLE 15
Performance Audits
Performance
Audits    Description
Avoid     This rule recommends declaring local variables
Declaring outside the loops since declaring variables
Variables inside the loop is less efficient.
Inside Loops
Append To Performance enhancements can be obtained by
String    replacing String operations with StringBuffer
Within    operations if a String object is appended
a Loop    within a loop.
Complex   Avoid using complex expressions as repeat
Loop      conditions within loops.
Expressions

TABLE 16
Possible Error Audits
Possible
Error
Audits         Description
Avoid Public   Declare the attributes either private or
And            protected, and provide operations to
Package        access or change them.
Attributes
Avoid          Avoid statements with empty body.
Statements
With
Empty Body
Assignment     ‘For’-loop variables should not be assigned.
To For-Loop
Variables
Don't          Avoid testing for equality of floating point
Compare        numbers since floating-point numbers that
Floating       should be equal are not always equal due to
Point          rounding problems.
Types
Enclosing      The statement of a loop must always be a
Body           block. The ‘then’ and ‘else’ parts of ‘if’-statements
Within         must always be blocks. This makes it easier to
a Block        add statements without accidentally introducing
               bugs in case the developer forgets to add braces.
Explicitly     Explicitly initialize all variables. The only reason
Initialize     not to initialize a variable is where it's declared
All            is if the initial value depends on some computation
Variables      occurring first.
Method         Calling of super.finalize( ) from finalize( ) is
finalize( )    good practice of programming, even if the base class
Doesn't        doesn't define the finalize( ) method. This makes
Call           class implementations less dependent on each other.
super.finalize( )
Mixing         An expression containing multiple logical operators
Logical        should be parenthesized properly.
Operators
Without
Parentheses
No             Use of assignment within conditions makes the
Assignments    source code hard to understand.
In Conditional
Expressions
Use ‘equals’   The ‘==’ operator used on strings checks if
Instead Of     two string objects are two identical objects. In most
‘==’           situations, however, one likes to simply check if
               two strings have the same value. In these cases,
               the ‘equals’ method should be used.
Use ‘L’        It is better to use uppercase ‘L’ to distinguish
Instead        the letter ‘1’ from the number ‘1.’
of ‘1’
at the end
of integer
constant
Use Of         The ‘synchronized’ modifier on methods
the            can sometimes cause confusion during maintenance
‘synchronized’ as well as during debugging. This rule therefore
Modifier       recommends against using this modifier, and
               instead recommends using ‘synchronized’
               statements as replacements.

TABLE 17
Superfluous Content Audits
Superfluous
Content
Audits       Description
Duplicate    There should be at most one import declaration
Import       that imports a particular class/package.
Declarations
Don't Import No classes or interfaces need to be imported
the Package  from the package to which the source code file
the Source   belongs. Everything in that package is available
File         without explicit import statements.
Belongs
To
Explicit     Explicit import of classes from the package ‘java.lang’
Import       should not be performed.
Of the
java.lang
Classes
Equality     Avoid performing equality operations on Boolean
Operations   operands. ‘True’ and ‘false’ literals should
On Boolean   not be used in conditional clauses.
Arguments
Imported     It is not legal to import a class or an interface and
Items Must   never use it. This rule checks classes and interfaces
Be Used      that are explicitly imported with their names - that
             is not with import of a complete package, using an
             asterisk. If unused class and interface imports
             are omitted, the amount of meaningless source code
             is reduced - thus the amount of code to be
             understood by a reader is minimized.
Unnecessary  Checks for the use of type casts that are not
Casts        necessary.
Unnecessary  Verifies that the runtime type of the left-hand
‘instanceof’ side expression is the same as the one specified
Evaluations  on the right-hand side.
Unused       Local variables and formal parameter
Local        declarations must be used.
Variables
And
Formal
Parameters
Use Of       The modifier ‘abstract’ is considered obsolete
Obsolete     and should not be used.
Interface
Modifier
Use Of       All interface operations are implicitly public
Unnecessary  and abstract. All interface attributes are
Interface    implicitly public, final and static.
Member
Modifiers
Unused       An unused class member might indicate a
Private      logical flaw in the program. The class declaration
Class        has to be reconsidered in order to
Member       determine the need of the unused member(s).

If the QA module determines that the source code does not conform, an error message is provided to the developer. For example, as depicted in FIG. 8A, the software development tool checks for a variety of coding styles 800. If the software development tool were to check for “Access Of Static Members Through Objects” 802, it would verify whether static members are referenced through class names rather than through objects 804. Further, as depicted in FIG. 8B, if the software development tool were to check for “Complex Assignment” 806, the software development tool would check for the occurrence of multiple assignments and assignments to variables within the same expression to avoid complex assignments since these decrease program readability 808. An example of source code having a complex assignment 810 and source code having a non-complex assignment 812 are depicted in FIGS. 8B and 8C, respectively. The QA module of the software development tool scans the source code for other syntax errors well known in the art, as described above, and provides an error message if any such errors are detected.

The improved software development tool of the present invention is used to develop source code in a project. The project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a given language. The software development tool determines the language of the source code of the chosen file, converts the source code from the language into a language-neutral representation, uses the language-neutral representation to textually display the source code of the chosen file in the language, and uses the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project. The source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

The improved software development tool of the present invention is also used to develop source code. The software development tool receives an indication of a selected language for the source code, creates a file to store the source code in the selected language, converts the source code from the selected language into a language-neutral representation, uses the language-neutral representation to display the source code of the file, and uses the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of the file. Again, the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

Moreover, if the source code in the file is modified, the modified source code and a graphical representation of at least a portion of the modified source code are displayed simultaneously. The QA module of the software development tool provides an error message if the modification does not conform to predefined or user-defined styles, as described above. The modification to the source code may be received from the display of the source code, the display of the graphical representation of the project, or via some other independent software to modify the code. The graphical representation of the project may be in Unified Modeling Language; however, one skilled in the art will recognize that other graphical representations of the source code may be displayed. Further, although the present invention is described and shown using the various views of the UML, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other views may be displayed.

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the software development tool to develop a project in accordance with the present invention. As previously stated, the project comprises a plurality of files. The developer either uses the software development tool to open a file which contains existing source code, or to create a file in which the source code will be developed. If the software development tool is used to open the file, determined in step 900, the software development tool initially determines the programming language in which the code is written (step 902). The language is identified by the extension of the file, e.g., “.java” identifies source code written in the Java™ language, while “.cpp” identifies source code written in C++. The software development tool then obtains a template for the current programming language, i.e., a collection of generalized definitions for the particular language that can be used to build the data structure (step 904). For example, the definition of a new Java™ class contains a default name, e.g., “Class1,” and the default code, “public class Class1 { }.” Such templates are well known in the art. For example, the “Microsoft Foundation Class Library” and the “Microsoft Word Template For Business Use Case Modeling” are examples of standard template libraries from which programmers can choose individual template classes. The software development tool uses the template to parse the source code (step 906), and create the data structure (step 908). After creating the data structure or if there is no existing code, the software development tool awaits an event, i.e., a modification or addition to the source code by the developer (step 910). If an event is received and the event is to close the file (step 912), the file is saved (step 914) and closed (step 916). Otherwise, the software development tool performs the event (step 918), i.e., the tool makes the modification. The software development tool then updates the TMM or model (step 920), as discussed in detail below, and updates both the graphical and the textual views (step 922).

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the update model step of FIG. 9. The software development tool selects a file from the project (step 1000), and determines whether the file is new (step 1002), whether the file has been updated (step 1004), or whether the file has been deleted (step 1006). If the file is new, the software development tool adds the additional symbols from the file to the TMM (step 1008). To add the symbol to the TMM, the software development tool uses the template to parse the symbol to the TMM. If the file has been updated, the software development tool updates the symbols in the TMM (step 1010). Similar to the addition of a symbol to the TMM, the software development tool uses the template to parse the symbol to the TMM. If the file has been deleted, the software development tool deletes the symbols in the TMM (step 1012). The software development tool continues this analysis for all files in the project. After all files are analyzed (step 1014), any obsolete symbols in the TMM (step 1016) are deleted (step 1018).

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram illustrating the performance of an event, specifically the creation of a class, in accordance with the present invention. After identifying the programming language (step 1100), the software development tool obtains a template for the language (step 1102), creates a source code file in the project directory (step 1104), and pastes the template onto the TMM (step 1106). The project directory corresponds to the SCI model 302 of FIG. 3. Additional events which a developer may perform using the software development tool include the creation, modification or deletion of packages, projects, attributes, interfaces, links, operations, and the closing of a file.

The software development tool is collectively broken into three views of the application: the static view, the dynamic view, and the functional view. The static view is modeled using the use-case and class diagrams. A use case diagram 1200, depicted in FIG. 12, shows the relationship among actors 1202 and use cases 1204 within the system 1206. A class diagram 1300, depicted in FIG. 13 with its associated source code 1302, on the other hand, includes classes 1304, interfaces, packages and their relationships connected as a graph to each other and to their contents.

The dynamic view is modeled using the sequence, collaboration and statechart diagrams. As depicted in FIG. 14, a sequence diagram 1400 represents an interaction, which is a set of messages 1402 exchanged among objects 1404 within a collaboration to effect a desired operation or result. In a sequence diagram 1400, the vertical dimension represents time and the horizontal dimension represents different objects. A collaboration diagram 1500, depicted in FIG. 15, is also an interaction with messages 1502 exchanged among objects 1504, but it is also a collaboration, which is a set of objects 1504 related in a particular context. Contrary to sequence diagrams 1400 (FIG. 14), which emphasize the time ordering of messages along the vertical axis, collaboration diagrams 1500 (FIG. 15) emphasize the structural organization of objects.

A statechart diagram 1600 is depicted in FIG. 16. The statechart diagram 1600 includes the sequences of states 1602 that an object or interaction goes through during its life in response to stimuli, together with its responses and actions. It uses a graphic notation that shows states of an object, the events that cause a transition from one state to another, and the actions that result from the transition.

The functional view can be represented by activity diagrams 1700 and more traditional descriptive narratives such as pseudocode and minispecifications. An activity diagram 1700 is depicted in FIG. 17, and is a special case of a state diagram where most, if not all, of the states are action states 1702 and where most, if not all, of the transitions are triggered by completion of the actions in the source states. Activity diagrams 1700 are used in situations where all or most of the events represent the completion of internally generated actions.

There is also a fourth view mingled with the static view called the architectural view. This view is modeled using package, component and deployment diagrams. Package diagrams show packages of classes and the dependencies among them. Component diagrams 1800, depicted in FIG. 18, are graphical representations of a system or its component parts. Component diagrams 1800 show the dependencies among software components, including source code components, binary code components and executable components. As depicted in FIG. 19, Deployment diagrams 1900 are used to show the distribution strategy for a distributed object system. Deployment diagrams 1900 show the configuration of run-time processing elements and the software components, processes and objects that live on them.

Although discussed in terms of class diagrams, one skilled in the art will recognize that the software development tool of the present invention may support these and other graphical views.

While various embodiments of the application have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for developing source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language, the method comprising the steps of: determining the language of the source code of the chosen file; converting the source code from the language into a language-neutral representation; using the language-neutral representation to display the source code in the language of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project, wherein the display of the source code in the language of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; converting the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification; using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram, and a deployment diagram.

8. A method in a data processing system for developing source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language, the method comprising the steps of: determining the language of the source code of the chosen file; displaying the source code of the chosen file in the language; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project, wherein the display of the source code in the of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; displaying the modified source code of the chosen file; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

15. A method in a data processing system for developing source code, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an identification of a selected language for the source code; creating a file to store the source code in the selected language; converting the source code from the selected language into a language-neutral representation; using the language-neutral representation to display the source code in the language of the file; and using the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of the file, wherein the display of the source code in the language of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; converting the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification; using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

22. A method in a data processing system for developing source code, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an identification of a selected language for the source code; creating a file to store the source code in the selected language; displaying the source code of the file in the selected language; and displaying a graphical representation of the file, wherein the display of the source code of the file in the selected language and the display of the graphical representation the file are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; displaying the modified source code of the chosen file; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

29. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the data processing system having source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language, the method comprising the steps of: determining the language of the source code of the chosen file; converting the source code from the language into a language-neutral representation; using the language-neutral representation to display the source code of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project, wherein the display of the source code of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; converting the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification; using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code, wherein the display of the modified source code of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

36. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the data processing system having source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language, the method comprising the steps of: determining the language of the source code of the chosen file; displaying the source code of the chosen file; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project, wherein the display of the source code of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; displaying the modified source code of the chosen file; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

43. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method to develop source code, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an identification of a selected language for the source code; creating a file to store the source code in the selected language; converting the source code into a language-neutral representation; using the language-neutral representation to display the source code of the file; and using the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of the file, wherein the display of the source code of the file and the display of the graphical representation of the file are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; converting the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification; using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file; and using the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

50. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method to develop source code, the method comprising the steps of: receiving an indication identification of a selected language for the source code; creating a file to store the source code in the selected language; displaying the source code of the file; and displaying a graphical representation of the file, wherein the display of the source code of the file and the display of the graphical representation of the file are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: receiving a modification to the source code of the chosen file; displaying the modified source code of the chosen file; and displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the computer system further performs the steps of: detecting a syntax error in the modified source code; and providing an error message regarding the syntax error.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the source code.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein the modification to the source code is received from the display of the graphical representation.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

57. A data processing system comprising: a secondary storage device further comprising source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language; a memory device further comprising a program that determines the language of the source code of the chosen file, that converts the source code into a language-neutral representation, that uses the language-neutral representation to display the source code of the chosen file, and that uses the language-neutral representation to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project; and a processor for running the program, wherein the display of the source code of the chosen file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one view is capable of being automatically reflected in the other view.

58. The data processing system of claim 57, wherein the memory device further comprises a transient meta model, wherein said transient meta model stores the language-neutral representation of the source code.

59. The data processing system of claim 57, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

60. The data processing system of claim 57, wherein the program further receives a modification to the source code of the chosen file, converts the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification, uses the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file, and uses the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

61. The data processing system of claim 60, wherein the program further detects a syntax error in the modified source code, and provides an error message regarding the syntax error.

62. The data processing system of claim 57, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

63. A data processing system comprising: a memory device further comprising a program that receives an in identification of a selected language for source code, that creates a file to store the source code in the selected language, that converts the source code into a language-neutral representation, that uses the language-neutral representation to display the source code of the file, and that uses the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of the file; and a processor for running the program, wherein the display of the source code of the file and the display of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.

64. The data processing system of claim 63, wherein the memory device further comprises a transient meta model, wherein said transient meta model stores the language-neutral representation of the source code.

65. The data processing system of claim 63, wherein the source code and the graphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

66. The data processing system of claim 63, wherein the program further receives a modification to the source code of the chosen file, converts the modification into a language-neutral representation of the modification, uses the language-neutral representation of the modification to display the modified source code of the chosen file, and uses the language-neutral representation of the modification to display a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project with the modified source code.

67. The data processing system of claim 66, wherein the program further detects a syntax error in the modified source code, and provides an error message regarding the syntax error.

68. The data processing system of claim 63, wherein the graphical representation is one of the group consisting of a class diagram, a use case diagram, a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram, a state transition diagram, an activity diagram, a package diagram, a component diagram and a deployment diagram.

69. A system for developing source code in a project wherein the project comprises a plurality of files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of files is written in a language, the system comprising: means for determining the language of the source code of the chosen file; means for displaying the source code of the chosen file; and means for displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the project, wherein the means for displaying the source code of the chosen file and the means for displaying of the graphical representation of at least a portion of the project are synchronized so that a modification in one is automatically reflected in the other.