WO2009000976A1

WO2009000976A1 - System and method for automatically generating a software application

Info

Publication number: WO2009000976A1
Application number: PCT/FR2007/051503
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Baptiste Briaud
Original assignee: Jean-Baptiste Briaud
Priority date: 2007-06-22
Filing date: 2007-06-22
Publication date: 2008-12-31
Also published as: EP2171577A1

Abstract

The system for automatically generating a software application manipulating structured data formulated from elementary data predefined by the generating system, comprises a generating platform (1) linked to a communication network (2), and at least one terminal (4, 5) linked to said communication network. The platform (1) comprises means for inputting data describing elementary interactions associated with scenarios associated with cases of use of the software application, which are accessible from a terminal (4, 4) by way of the network (2), means (5) for automatically generating the software application as a function of said scenarios, and means (6) for instantaneously making the software application generated available to a terminal (4, 5) linked to said communication network (2).

Description

System and method for automatically generating a software application

The present invention relates to a system for automatic generation of a software application manipulating structured data developed from elementary data predefined by the generation system.

In a programming language, a piece of data is elementary when it is directly represented by a key word of the programming language. In contrast, a structured data is composed of several basic data of the programming language.

Also, in the present invention, a datum is elementary, when its type is defined in the generation system, and a structured datum is composed of several of these elementary data. There are many software application development cycles, such as cascade development cycles, V development cycles, or iterative development cycles. These programming concepts have allowed an increasingly high level formalization of the structures and functions to be implemented. There are modeling languages to describe these structures and functions, as well as code generators, or series of instructions, to automatically produce, in a given language, a modeled function. UML ("Unified Modeling Language") is a known and increasingly common example of a modeling language.

From such modeling, it is possible to automate the production of all or part of an application. A modeled application, the code generation tools allow to generate the relevant application pieces, and even to generate automatically the functional tests of the application. However, none of these methods or systems for developing a software application makes it possible to overcome the main causes of failure of the implementation of a software application, ie needs that are unclear or poorly translated during modeling of the application. In addition, the application modeling work performed by a group of people can not be managed properly, and the product application code must be manually changed. An object of the present invention is to overcome these problems.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the production time and the cost of producing a software application.

It is therefore proposed, according to one aspect of the invention, a system for automatic generation of a software application manipulating structured data developed from elementary data predefined by the generation system. The system comprises a generation platform connected to a communication network, and at least one terminal connected to said communication network. In addition, the platform comprises data input means describing elementary interactions associated with scenarios associated with use cases of the software application, accessible from a terminal via the network, means for accessing data. automatic generation of the software application according to said scenarios, and means for instantaneous provisioning, for a terminal connected to said communication network, of the generated software application.

Thus, the present invention makes it possible to automatically generate a software application directly from scenarios associated with use cases of the software application. which reduces the cost and development time of the software application.

Implementing the application is simplified because you are directly interested in what the application should do, not how it should do it.

A use case is a tool used in software development to describe a possible use of software. For example, for a use case concerning the creation of a new client profile for a hardware rental software application, a possible scenario may be a quick creation of a new client taking into account only its name. and his first name, and another possible scenario may be the complete creation of a client, including his name, first name, address, telephone number and other desired characteristics. The invention therefore proposes, from the input of data describing scenarios to be carried out by the software application, to automatically generate a software application performing these scenarios. This data may include types, for example a client name may be of type string, and a cardinality, for example a scenario includes a unique client name.

In addition, the generated application is instantly available for a terminal connected to said communication network of the generation platform. Thus, an application generated by a person working on a site can be immediately tested, used, or modified by another person working on another site.

A scenario defines, in a qualitative and quantitative way, for a particular use of the system, the interactions between the system and the outside, or, in other words, the interactions between the system and the system. users and interactions between the system and other systems. For example, an interaction of a scenario of creation of a new client can be the entry of its name in the form of a string of characters, which defines quantitatively and qualitatively the elementary interaction of the scenario.

In one embodiment, said input means comprise a graphical interface displayable on a terminal connected to said communication network.

Thus, the person wanting to create the application can enter his scenarios easily on his terminal, remote from the platform of generation of the application.

In one embodiment, the system comprises means for storing said data describing elementary interactions of scenarii. The stored scenarios allow, for example, to re-generate a new version of the application to which new scenarios have been added, and / or modified existing scenarios.

In one embodiment, the platform includes means for authenticating a user to enable the generation, use, or modification of the application.

Thus, only those authorized to generate, use, or modify the software application can access it.

For example, said authentication means are adapted to recognize an identifier and a password, or biometric data representative of authorized users.

In one embodiment, the generation means comprise first means for creating data representative of data structures, from the entered scenarios. The relationships between these data are intrinsically contained in the structures. For example, a data structure representing a customer may contain a table of several bank accounts, a bank account being defined itself by a data structure. During the generation phase of the software application, from the entered scenarios, the system is able to automatically create data representative of the data structures necessary for the application. For example, the data structures required for the application are object classes for an application generated in an object-oriented programming language.

An object class is a collection of objects that share certain properties including methods and attributes. The object is the central concept of object - oriented programming, it is the realization of an instance corresponding to the model of the class to which it belongs.

In one embodiment, the generation means comprise second means for creating, in a memory, a database dedicated to said software application, as a function of said data structures created. Thus, the system is able to automatically create a database in a memory, according to the classes of objects automatically created by the system, according to scenarios entered.

In one embodiment, the generation means comprise third means for creating graphical interfaces of the software application from the entered scenarios.

The generation means are also capable, automatically, of creating graphic interfaces corresponding to the different scenarios entered, and thus easily allow the user of the automatic generation system to use the scenarios he has defined.

In one embodiment, said graphical interfaces created comprise graphic elements depending on the elementary interactions of the scenarios.

In other words, the graphical interfaces created include graphic elements, such as, for example, menus, sub-menus, checkboxes, text fields, tables, or drop-down lists, making it easy to adjust the GUI to the scenario chosen by the user.

In one embodiment, said platform comprises means for storing said generated software application.

In one embodiment, the generation means comprise means for setting the generation according to the hardware and software architecture of the software application execution platform.

Thus, it is possible to parameterize the generation of the application according to the hardware and software resources on which it will be deployed. In one embodiment, the system includes means for transferring the software application from the generation platform to a terminal via the communication network.

Indeed, it may further be possible to transfer the software application to a terminal, so that it can be installed on another platform of another network. The means for transferring the software application from the generation platform to a terminal via the communication network may for example be remote download means. Alternatively, the application may be etched on a data carrier, and sent directly to a user to be installed on a platform of another communication network, for example, a corporate network.

In one embodiment, the generation means are adapted to verify the coherence of the input data describing elementary interactions of scenarios.

Thus, before generating the application according to a defined technical environment, consistency checks are performed to warn the user of the presence of serious errors, or errors automatically corrected by the generation module 5. For example, an error may be raised when in two different client creation scenarios, the client name is once defined as a character string, and once as an integer. A simple warning can be raised, and the application generated anyway, when in two different client creation scenarios, the client name is once defined as a string of twenty characters, and once as a string of thirty characters. In this case, the generation module will choose the most suitable definition according to the generation rules, for example it will be defined twice as a string of thirty characters for the system to accept the most constraining case imagined by a user of the generation system. , or, in other words, a designer of the application.

The communication network may, for example, be the Internet network.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a method for automatic generation of a software application manipulating structured data developed from predefined elementary data for generation. A software application is automatically generated remotely based on data describing elementary interactions associated with Scenarios associated with use cases of the software application, and the generated software application is instantly made available via a communication network.

The invention will be better understood on studying the following detailed description of some embodiments taken as non-limiting examples and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 schematically represents a system according to an aspect of the invention, and - Figure 2 schematically illustrates the method according to one aspect of the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a system for automatic generation of a software application manipulating structured data produced from elementary data predefined by the generation system comprises a generation platform 1 connected to the Internet communication network. 2, and comprises an input module 3 of data representative of scenarios of use of the software application, accessible from a terminal 4 via the Internet network 2. The generation platform 1 comprises a module automatic generation 5 of the software application according to said scenarios, and an instantaneous provisioning module 6 of the software application generated for the terminal 4 or another terminal 7, provided with a screen 8 connected to said network internet 2. The input module 3 comprises a graphical interface 9 displayable on a terminal, for example the terminal 4, connected to the network in ternet 2, on the screen 10 of the terminal 4.

The platform 1 comprises a storage module or memory 1 1 for storing the data representative of the scenarios. entered by the user of the terminal 4 by remote access to the input module 3.

In addition, the generation platform 1 comprises an authentication module 12 to authenticate the user, for example by an identifier and a password, or by biometric data, and to enable the generation, use or modification of the software application. Thus, only authorized persons can have access to the generation, use or modification of the software application. The generation module 5 comprises a first creation module 13, in a memory, data representative of classes of objects from the entered scenarios. In addition, the generation module 5 comprises a second creation module 14, in a memory, of a database 15 dedicated to said software application, according to the classes of objects created during the generation of the application, by the authoring module 13. The generation module 5 further comprises a third module 16 for creating graphical interfaces of the software application from the entered scenarios. The graphical interfaces created include main selection elements, or menus, and secondary selection elements, or sub-menus, representing the entered and stored scenarios. Thus, the user of the software application can easily select a graphical interface corresponding to the scenario he wants to use.

In addition, the platform 1 comprises a storage module 17 of the generated software application. The storage or memory module 17 may be organized, for example, in the form of a database, so as to be able to store a multitude of different software applications generated independently of each other. In addition, the storage module 17 can store the different successive generated versions of a software application, as well as references to identify the scenarios of the memory module 1 1 corresponding to different successive versions.

The generation platform 1 further comprises a transfer module 18 for transferring the software application generated to the terminal 4, via the internet communication network 2, or to the terminal 5 after authentication of the rights of the user. user. Alternatively, the transfer module, or download, can be replaced by the registration of the software application on a digital data carrier, such as a CD or a DVD.

The generation platform 1 may also include a parameterization module 19 making it possible to parameterize the generation of the software application according to the hardware and software architecture of the execution platform on which the software application is executed. .

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of the system of FIG. 1. A user of the terminal 4 connects via the Internet network 2 to the platform 1 of generation of the software application (step 20). Once connected to the platform 1, the user enters an identifier and a password to be able to access the services, after having been authenticated by the authentication module 12 (step 21). If these username and password correspond to the creation of a new software application, the user will then enter the scenarios to be realized by the software application, by means of the input module 3 and its displayable graphic interface 9. on the screen 10 of the terminal 4 of the user (step 22). When the user has entered all the scenarios to be carried out by the software application, he requests the generation (step 23) of the software application by the generation module 5. Once generated and stored, in the module of storage 17, the application is made available by the provisioning module

6 (step 24).

If the user realizes that he has forgotten to enter a scenario, he can then add one or more scenarios to the scenarios stored in the memory module 1 1 (step 22) and re-generate a new version of the program. application (step 23), which will be made available instantly (step 24).

The user can then also decide to use the application (step 25) for example to test its operation.

It may also, provided that it is authorized according to its authentication, download the application (step 26) so as to install it on a server of another communication network, for example a local area network. business. Another user, for example via the terminal 5, can connect remotely from the generation platform 1 (step 20) and authenticate using the same identifier and password corresponding to this software application (step 21) .

After authentication (step 21), the user can either choose to generate a new version of the application (step 23), after entering or modifying new scenarios (step 22). This new version of the generated application will then be made available immediately (step 24). It may also decide to use the application (step 25), for example to test it, or to download it (step 26).

During a generation phase (step 23), the generation module 5 performs a generation of the application starting with by checking the coherence of the scenarios, and in particular the types of data used in the scenarios. For example, if a client addition scenario includes a text client name, and another client addition scenario, for example, a quick client addition that includes an integer type client name, an error consistency is detected.

When the coherence of the scenarios is established, the generation module 5 produces a description of the application, from the scenarios, in a description mode, or description metalanguage independent of the programming language that the generation module

5 uses to create the software application. The generation module 5 can be parameterizable so that it can choose the programming language used to generate the application, in particular according to the hardware and software equipment of the platform on which the software application will be executed. The metalanguage description of the application makes it possible to preserve the information present in the scenarios.

From the description of the software application in the metalanguage, data structures necessary for the application are generated by the generation module 5. The relationships between the data structures are implicitly included in the data structures. For example, for an object-oriented language such as Java or C ⁺⁺ , the created data structures are object classes. Finally, the generation module 5 generates the software application from the elaborated data structures and all the elementary interactions of the scenarios entered, and generates the final application in the programming language provided. The invention makes it possible to generate, in a short time and at a reduced cost, in a simple and automatic manner, a software application realizing all the scenarios envisaged for the end users.

Moreover, the instantaneous provisioning of the software application generated by the communication network enables various entities that are geographically distant from one another to have immediate access to the application, in particular to be able to test it independently. .

Anything previously described for a user also applies to multiple simultaneous users, whether in the same location or in different locations.

Claims

A system for automatic generation of a software application manipulating structured data developed from elementary data predefined by the generation system, comprising a generation platform (1) connected to a communication network (2), and to at least one terminal (4, 5) connected to said communication network, characterized in that the platform (1) comprises data input means describing elementary interactions associated with scenarios associated with use cases of the software application, accessible from a terminal (4, 4) via the network (2), means for automatic generation (5) of the software application according to said scenarios, and means for instantaneous provision ( 6), for a terminal (4, 5) connected to said communication network (2), of the generated software application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means (3) comprises a graphical interface (7) displayable on a terminal (4, 5) connected to said communication network (2).

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said platform (1) comprises storage means (1 1) of said data describing elementary interactions of scenarii.

4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said platform (1) comprises means for authentication (12) of a user to enable the generation, use or modification of the application .

5. System according to claim 4, wherein said authentication means (12) are adapted to recognize an identifier and a password, or biometric data representative of authorized users.

6. System according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means (5) comprises first means for creating (13) data representative of data structures, from the entered scenarios.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein the generating means (5) comprise second means for creating (14), in a memory, a database (15) dedicated to said software application, according to said structures. created data.

8. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the generating means (5) comprises third means (16) for creating graphical interfaces of the software application from the entered scenarios.

9. System according to claim 8, wherein said graphical interfaces created comprise graphic elements depending on the elementary interactions of the scenarios.

10. System according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said platform (5) comprises storage means (17) of said generated software application.

1. System according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the generating means (5) comprises means for setting (19) the generation of the software application according to the hardware and software architecture of the platform for running the software application.

12. System according to one of claims 1 to 1 1, comprising transfer means (18) for transferring the software application of the generation platform (1) to a terminal (4, 5) via of the communication network (2).

13. System according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the generating means (5) are adapted to verify the coherence of input data describing elementary interactions of scenarii.

14. System according to any one of claims 1 to

13, wherein the communication network (2) is the internet network.

A method of automatically generating a software application manipulating structured data from predefined elementary data for generation, characterized in that a software application is automatically generated remotely based on data describing interactions. elementary elements associated with scenarios associated with use cases of the software application, and that the generated software application is instantly made available via a communication network (2).