JPH1049355A - Development support method for business application programs that operate screens - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] When developing an application program that realizes business execution by screen operation, it is possible to verify the operational feeling and specifications of the program to be developed without actually developing the program, and the specification is fixed By automatically generating the source code of the application program based on the definition information at the time of the execution, the rework work after the program development is eliminated, and the development efficiency is improved. Kind Code: A1 Abstract: Various event codes generated by an operation at the time of displaying each screen to be displayed and a display operation corresponding to each code are previously described in a screen transition file, and the operation is performed as described in the file. Executes the screen display operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an application program development support for duty execution, and more particularly, to an application program development support for performing business by operating a screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an increasing number of businesses have been trying to realize business systems that have been performed on large computers on personal computers at low cost. In order to meet such market needs, many application program development support tools for building business systems are commercially available. Although this type of development support tool provides a screen creation function and a screen input / output control function when executing an application program, how the application program using these functions actually works I do not know unless I develop an application program. For this reason, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-196
As described in No. 53, data that would be naturally displayed on the screen when the application is executed is defined in advance, and this definition data is pasted and displayed on the screen, thereby realizing the actual application. The idea is to be able to grasp the display image when the program is executed. Also, there are development tools that provide partial source coding by developing various definitions when creating screens for the application program itself, but if you do not like it after developing, you will have to start over from the screen definition again, It is not possible to imagine the behavior of an application before starting development. Regarding this point, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-2477, by developing an application program interactively with reference to various information, a development method that does not cause inadequacy after the development is developed. We avoid the situation of re-development by taking it.

[0003]

The conventional development support tools and various techniques for compensating for the deficiencies are what kind of display operation occurs by operating the created screen before developing the application program for business execution. Because there is no way to check whether the application is operational, the operational feeling and specifications cannot be verified unless an application program is actually developed.
If there is a problem as a result of the verification, there is a problem that the application program must be re-developed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a means for grasping an image at the time of execution by developing an application program for business execution by demonstrating the application program in a predefined manner without developing the application program. Provide and use this means to eliminate the kind of rework that occurs due to the difference between the developer and the user's recognition after program development, and to reduce the number of development steps by automatically generating source code related to screen operations It is in.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a screen transition condition file, which is used as a medium for describing screen transition conditions. For the screen created using the development support tool, the application program developer preliminarily stores in the screen transition condition file various event codes generated by the operation when the screen is displayed and the display operation corresponding to each code. Write it down. When an instruction to execute the demonstration function is issued, the user inputs this file, promptly displays the first defined screen, and executes a screen display corresponding to the operation according to the description contents of the screen transition condition file.

[0006] The application program developer simply lists the event codes and the corresponding operations for each of a plurality of screens created using the development support tool in the screen transition condition file. You can actually experience the operation before development. In addition, if there is a problem with the operation at this stage, the operation can be changed only by rewriting the description of the screen transition condition file, so that the application program to be developed before the application program can be modified. The application program developer reduces the man-hours required to correct the program due to deficiencies and defects after development by automatically generating the source code of the application program from the screen transition condition file at the time when all the operation problems are resolved it can.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of an embodiment of business application development to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, 10 is a program developer, 20 is a display device, 30 is a window system, 40 is a development support tool, 50 is a screen file, 60 is a screen transition condition file, and 70 is a business application program.

The development support tool 40 conventionally has a screen creation function 41 and a screen input / output control function 42, creates various screens used in the business application program 70, and executes an application program using the created screen. Screen input / output control at the time. In order to use the present invention, the development support tool 40 further includes a screen transition condition file creation function 43, a demonstration function 44, and an automatic generation function 45 of a business application. The screen transition condition file creation function 43 is a function that allows the program developer 10 to define how the program operates by an input operation performed when the created screen is displayed, and creates the screen transition condition file 60. . In the screen transition condition file 60, an event code generated at the time of screen display for each created screen and an operation performed in response to the event code are described in an operation correspondence table 61. Instructions. The demonstration function 44 is activated by an operation instruction from the program developer 10, inputs the screen transition condition file 60, displays the specified screen, waits for an operation, and performs an operation according to the correspondence described in the operation correspondence table 61. Function to perform. The operation is performed using the screen input / output control function 42. In addition, the business application automatic generation function 45 has the demonstration function 4
4 is a function for automatically generating the business application program 70 from the screen transition condition file 60 when the operation in Step 4 becomes satisfactory.

Next, the flow of development of a business application program by the present system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 shows a flow until the program developer 10 creates a program source while examining the operation specifications of the application program to be developed.

The program developer 10 examines the specifications of the business application program to be developed (step 101). Based on the result of the examination, a meeting is held with the development group and the program user to determine the specification (step 102). If the decision is not made, the specification is examined again. The process of creating a screen used in the business application is started (step 103). When the screen creation is completed, the screen transition condition file 60 is created according to the determined specification by using the screen transition condition file creation function 43 (step 10).
4), the demonstration function 44 is executed (Step 105) to verify the operational feeling and specifications (Step 1).
06). At this time, the program user uses this function to perform sufficient verification so that it is not necessary to re-create the program by a user claim after the program is developed. If the verification results are satisfactory, the business application program 70 is automatically generated from the screen transition condition file 60 at this time by using the business application automatic generation function 45 for the first time (step 108). Since the business application program 70 that is automatically generated has only functions related to screen operations, if there are additional functions such as DB access, it is necessary to add functions to the generated source code (step 109). On the other hand, if any deficiencies or defects are revealed in the verification of the operational feeling / specifications (step 106), the business application program 70
Is not generated and the cause of the problem is determined (step 10
7), going back to the process of creating the cause, examining the specifications (step 101), creating the screen (step 103),
Alternatively, the process is repeated from the creation of the transition condition file (step 104).

Next, the details of the demonstration function 44 performed using the screen transition condition file 60 will be described with reference to the data flow of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a specific example when the program developer 10 uses the demonstration function 44. In FIG. 3, 2
01 is a start instruction, 202 is a screen operation, 203 is an event code from the screen input / output control function 42, and 204 is an operation instruction from the demonstration function 44.

The demonstration function 44 activated by the activation instruction 201 of the program developer 10 reads the screen transition condition file 60 and controls the screen input / output to display the screen 1 described at the head of the operation correspondence table 61. An operation instruction 204 is issued to the function 42. The screen input / output control function 42 takes out the screen from the screen file 50 according to the instruction and displays it. When the program developer 10 performs a screen operation 202 of pressing a button on the display screen, this operation information is notified to the demonstration function 44 as “A001” as an event code 203 via the screen input / output control function 42. . The demonstration function 44 compares the received event code with the operation correspondence table 61 and passes the corresponding operation instruction 204 to the screen input / output control function 42. Thereafter, an operation for a screen operation is performed according to this flow, and when there is a screen operation corresponding to the end operation in the operation correspondence table 61, the demonstration function 44 ends.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Because it is possible to find and correct some defects in operation specifications before application program development, it is possible to reduce the man-hours required for defect correction and specification change after application program development, and to greatly improve the efficiency of application program development. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of business application program development in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a demonstration function.

[Description of Signs] 10: Program developer, 20: Display device, 30: Window system, 40: Development support tool, 50: Screen file, 60: Screen transition condition file, 70: Business application program, 41: Screen creation function 42, screen input / output control function, 43, screen transition condition file creation function, 44, demonstration function, 45, business application automatic generation function, 61, operation correspondence table, 201, start instruction, 202, screen operation, 203, Event code, 204: Operation instruction.

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takao Konishi 6-81 Onoe-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Within Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. Hitachi, Ltd. Software Development Division

Claims (2)

[Claims] In developing an application program for realizing business execution by screen operation, when using software having a function of controlling screen creation and screen input during execution of the application program as a development support tool, this software is used. Key operations and button operations for displaying each of multiple created screens, and actions such as what to do with the application program for that operation (display another screen or end processing) By defining information in advance and demonstrating the screen display operation according to this definition information, it is possible to verify the operational feeling and specifications of the developed application program without actually developing the application program. After application program development Display method of operation of the screen, characterized in that it eliminates the rework by design changes to reduce the burden of the program developers. 2. A display operation method according to claim 1, wherein sufficient verification is performed on the operational feeling and specifications of the application program to be developed, and when it is determined that the application program is to be developed as a result of the verification, the determination is made. Input the definition information that defines the display operation
A development support method characterized by facilitating program development and automatically reducing the burden on a program developer by automatically generating the source code of an application program that performs this display operation.