JPH04324526A - Method for automatically preparing software - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a method for automatically preparing software which does not require any manual work of a programmer and, at the same time, can reduce the occurrence of a careless mistake. CONSTITUTION:Flow chart parts information 1 constituted of plural flow chart parts, functional parts information 2 constituted of plural functional parts, and source code information 3 constituted of plural source codes are prepared. Desired functional parts are selected from the functional parts by grasping their functions. When the desired functional parts are selected, the corresponding flow chart parts are decided and flow charts are coupled to each other. The coupling of the flow chart is performed whenever a parts number specifying functional parts is selected and, when the selection is completed, the source codes corresponding to the coupled parts numbers, namely, coupled functional parts are coupled to each other.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic software generation method that can automatically construct software that implements desired processing.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Software is essential to realize the operation of hardware. Software is generated manually by a dedicated programmer, with various specifications and programming languages determined according to the hardware to be controlled. For example, one example of hardware is an automatic transaction device installed in a financial institution or the like. In the case of automatic transaction devices, the processing contents are established to some extent, but there are subtle differences in specifications for each user. Examples of the processing contents performed by the automatic transaction device include deposit processing, withdrawal processing, balance inquiry processing, bookkeeping processing, and transfer processing.

[0003] When a customer needs to insert a transaction medium such as a magnetic card or a bankbook into an automatic transaction device in order to perform a withdrawal process, it is assumed that both the magnetic card and the bankbook must be inserted. In this case, it is assumed that there are users who request specifications for inserting a magnetic card prior to insertion of a passbook, and users requesting specifications for inserting a passbook prior to insertion of a magnetic card.

[0004] When multiple pieces of software are generated to accommodate users with different specifications, processing related to the insertion of a magnetic card and passbook in the processing flow for executing a withdrawal process (payment transaction) is necessary. This means changing the order of the software and coding the software to meet the needs of each user. Note that the differences in specifications are minor here;
Processes performed by software that can be handled only by changing the order of processing procedures or deleting processing procedures will be referred to as established processing (specific processing).

[0005]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] As explained above,
Even changes in specifications, such as a simple change in the order of processing within a particular process, have resulted in problems such as the need for a programmer to manually code the software. Furthermore, since it involves manual coding work, there is a risk of careless mistakes such as mistakes in software description and changes. The present invention has been made with attention to the above points, and when generating software to implement a specific process, there is no need for manual work such as coding by a dedicated programmer, and there is no need for careless mistakes. The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic software generation method that can reduce the amount of software generated.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] When a functional block configured to execute a specific process is called a source code, the automatic software generation method of the present invention provides a method for generating a plurality of source codes that execute various types of processes. In the case where a predetermined program is constructed by selecting and combining any of the relevant source codes by preparing a When a plurality of flowchart components are prepared, and a plurality of source codes are selected when the program is generated, the flowchart components are arranged in the order of the combination of the source codes.

[0007]

[Operation] Flowchart part information made up of a plurality of flowchart parts, functional part information made up of a plurality of functional parts, and source code information made up of a plurality of source codes are prepared. Understand the functions from the functional parts and select the desired functional parts. Through this selection, the corresponding flowchart parts are determined and the flowcharts are combined. Further, each time a part number specifying a functional component is selected, it is combined, and when the selection is completed, the combined part number, that is, the source code corresponding to the functional part is combined.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the present invention. As shown in the figure, flowchart component information 1 (first flowchart component F1 to nth flowchart component Fn) in advance,
Functional component information 2 (first functional component K1 to nth functional component Kn
), and source code information 3 (first source code S1
~nth source code Sn) is prepared.

[0009] The source code information 3 is composed of source codes (source programs) for realizing specific functions, and the first to nth source codes S1 to Sn are:
Each consists of contents for realizing a specific function. The flowchart component information 1 is composed of image information expressing a specific function as a flowchart, and the first to nth flowchart components F1 to Fn indicate the flowcharts of the first to nth source codes S1 to Sn, respectively. It consists of contents.

[0010] The functional component information 2 is composed of character data indicating an explanatory text of a specific function, and the first to nth functional components K1 to Kn are the first to nth source code S, respectively.
It is composed of contents showing explanatory sentences of 1 to Sn. The flowchart component information 1, functional component information 2, and source code information 3 having the above configuration are such that the corresponding flowchart component and source code are combined by the staff member selecting a desired functional component from the functional component information 2. Become.

For example, assume that three components, the second functional component K2, the n-th functional component Kn, and the first functional component K1, are selected in sequence. Accordingly, the second functional component K2, the n-th functional component Kn, and the first functional component K1 are sequentially extracted from the functional component information 2 and combined. Further, from the flowchart component information 1, the second flowchart component F2,
The n-th flowchart component Fn and the first flowchart component F1 are sequentially extracted and combined.

[0012] Then, the second source code S2, the nth source code Sn, and the first source code S1 are sequentially extracted from the source code information 3 and combined. The combined functional parts and flowchart parts are displayed on a display device (not shown), and after checking the displayed contents, if the content realizes the desired process, the staff issues an instruction to compile (assemble) the combined parts. The source code is compiled (assembled).

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of hardware according to the present invention. The figure shows a computer system for generating software. As shown in the figure, the processor 10 includes a display device (CRT) 11, a keyboard (KB) 12, a floppy disk device (FDD) 13, a memory 14, a communication device (RS-232C) 15, and a hard disk device (H
DD) 16 and printer (PR) 17 are connected.

The processor 10 controls the operation of the computer system, and is provided with a coupling control section 10a. The combination control unit 10a controls the combination of the functional components, flowchart components, and source code components described above with reference to FIG. The display device 11 is composed of a display or the like that displays various information. The keyboard 12 is used to input various information. The floppy disk device 13 stores various information input from the keyboard 12.

[0015] The memory 14 is composed of a RAM or the like that stores processing results etc. by the processor 10. The communication device 15 controls communication with other computer systems (not shown). The hard disk device 16 stores programs and data referred to by the processor 10, and stores flowchart component information 1, functional component information 2, and source code information 3. printer 1
7 is for printing the processing results etc. by the processor 10.

FIG. 3 shows a conceptual diagram of the hard disk device 16. The figure shows payment transaction parts group information B1, deposit transaction parts group information B2, and
Transfer transaction parts group information Bn is also shown. The payment transaction component group information B1 is composed of information necessary for generating a payment transaction program, and includes, for example, the flowchart component information 1 and the functional component information 2 previously explained in FIG.
, and source code information 3.

[0017] Each item in the payment transaction parts group B1,
For example, item P001 is the first flowchart component F1,
It is composed of a first functional component K1 and a first source code S1. Similarly, item P002 includes a second flowchart component F2, a second functional component K2, and a second source code S2. When item P001 is selected, the first flowchart component F1, the first functional component K1, and the first source code S1 are selected.

Next, the process of generating a program using the computer system shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to the drawings from FIG. 4 onwards. FIG. 4 is a flowchart according to the present invention. First, the person in charge of the computer system
2 to issue an instruction to start the program generation process, the connection control unit 10a of the processor 10 starts up.

The combination control section 10a drives the display device 11 to prompt the user to input the transaction name to be processed by the program to be generated (step S1). The clerk enters the name of a desired transaction, for example a payment transaction (step S2). Based on the input name, the combination control unit 10a determines the component group on the hard disk device 16 to be used for program generation, in this case, the payment transaction component group B1 (step S3). When the parts group is determined, the combination control unit 10a reads the functional parts information 2 from the payment transaction parts group B1 and displays it on the display device 11 (step S4
).

FIG. 5 shows a display example of the display device 11. As shown in the figure, the display device 11 displays part numbers P001 and P00 that specify the functional parts K1 to Kn of the functional part information 2.
2, P003, . . . and the contents of the functional components K1 to Kn, that is, explanatory texts are displayed. The staff member selects a desired part number (functional part) while grasping the contents of the explanatory text (step S5). Now, when a functional component is selected, the combination control unit 10a determines a flowchart component corresponding to the selected functional component and displays it on the display device 11 (step S6).

FIG. 6 shows a display example of a flowchart. As shown in the figure, the flowcharts determined in step S6 are sequentially combined (connected) in the determined order. In this case, as a result of step S6 being executed eight times, the flowchart component that controls the card insertion process is first determined, and then the PIN input, payment amount input, communication process, receipt printing, cash counting, card return, etc. This is a diagram illustrating a case where a flowchart component for controlling processing related to cash discharging is determined.

The combined flowchart can be printed on the display device 11 or by the printer 17 as appropriate in order to understand the flow of the program being generated. Next, when the staff member confirms the contents of the flowchart, the connection control unit 1
0a combines (concatenates) the intermediate code (part number in this case) corresponding to the selected functional component (step S7)
.

FIG. 7 shows a conceptual diagram of intermediate code combination. As shown in the figure, by the combining process in step S7, intermediate codes, that is, part numbers are sequentially combined in the order selected in step S5. In this case, as a result of step S7 being executed eight times, part number P001 that controls card insertion processing is selected first, and then part number PI001 (PIN input), part number PI002 (payment amount input), and The part numbers that control the processes related to number P002 (communication processing), part number P003 (receipt printing), part number P004 (cash counting), part number P005 (card return), and part number P006 (cash discharge) have been determined. This diagram illustrates the case where

Thereafter, it is determined whether the instruction to end the program generation process has been given by the staff member (step S8). If the result of step S8 is YES, the source codes corresponding to the part numbers combined in step S7 are combined (connected) (step S9).

FIG. 8 shows a conceptual diagram of source code combination. As shown in the figure, by the combining process in step S9, the source codes corresponding to the intermediate codes (part numbers) that were previously combined in step S7 are sequentially combined. In this case, as a result of step S7 being executed eight times, the eight source codes starting from the source code corresponding to part number P001 that controls the process related to card insertion and ending with the source code corresponding to part number P006 (cash ejection) Source code is combined.

When the processing in step S9 is completed, the combined source codes are translated (assembled and linked) (step S10), and the processing related to program generation is completed. Note that if the result of step S8 is NO, the process returns to step S4. As described above, by selecting a part number based on the explanatory text, a program that implements a desired function (processing) can be generated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In the example, a case was explained in which a program was generated to control an automated transaction device of a financial institution, but the device to be controlled is not particularly limited, and any program can be used as long as the device performs standardized processing. It can also be applied to generation.

[0028]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, by selecting a desired part number while grasping the contents of the explanatory text, the source code (
(program) can be automatically generated, it is possible to easily respond to changes in specifications, etc., even without programming knowledge, and it is possible to prevent careless mistakes caused by coding work. Furthermore, since the flowchart is automatically generated in the order of the selected part numbers, it is possible to easily understand the progress of program generation and the overall flow of processing performed by the program.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of hardware according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a hard disk device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a display example of a display device.

FIG. 6 is a display example of a flowchart.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of intermediate code combination.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of source code combination.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Flowchart parts information 2 Functional parts information 3 Source code information 10 Processor 10a Connection control section

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: When a functional block configured to execute a specific process is called a source code, a plurality of source codes for executing various types of processes are prepared, and any one of the source codes is selected. In the case where a predetermined program is constructed by combining a plurality of source programs to be selected, a plurality of flowchart parts illustrating the processing contents are prepared for each source program, and the program is generated. An automatic software generation method characterized in that, when a plurality of the source codes are selected, the plurality of flowchart parts are arranged in the order of the combination of the source codes.