Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system, program, and data structure for installing a program onto a computer including an operating system. Dependency objects indicate a dependent component on which the program to install depends. The program processes the dependency objects before installing the program and determines an operating system command that is capable of determining whether the dependent component indicated in the dependency object is installed in the computer. The program then executes the operating system command to determine whether the dependent components indicated in the dependency objects are installed in the computer. An indication is made as to the dependent components that are not installed after determining that dependent components are not installed.

Abstract: A dependency checking apparatus and method allows checking the version of classes in an object-oriented program to assure the proper version is being used for each release of the software. According to a first preferred embodiment, classes themselves include static code that checks dependencies when the class is loaded. The first embodiment is simple to implement for classes. According to a second preferred embodiment, information relating to version checking is stored separate from the classes and is used to check dependencies. This second embodiment is more flexible, allowing the checking of interfaces as well as classes, and allows the dependency information to be altered without recompiling the classes being checked.

Abstract: A system, method and computer-readable medium for creating patch rollback scripts for operations performed by an installer program module. A patch rollback script may be used to reverse an action of an installer program module so that a user's machine is restored to its original state, i.e., the state before the installer program module began performing patch operations. In performing patch operations, the installer program module typically generates patch installation script records of specific actions that are to be performed to a particular machine with regard to patch installation data. During the processing of each patch installation script record, an inverse record is created, known as a patch rollback script record. When installing or modifying a file, if there is no file with the same name in the same location stored on the machine, a patch rollback script record describing how to delete the file is stored.

Abstract: To achieve a highly efficient upgrade of software in computer based systems a message conversion apparatus (34) comprises an interface unit (36) for message conversion information (MCI) describing at least one message being exchanged in a software processing system before and after an upgrade of the software processing system. Also, a message conversion means (38, 40) is provided to convert the message between old and new representation for the upgraded software processing system in compliance with the specifications given in the message conversion information (MCI). Therefore, it is possible to introduce a disturbance free upgrade of software in computer based systems with minimized system downtime.

Abstract: A program conversion apparatus includes: a library call instruction detecting unit for detecting each library call instruction included in an inputted object program, the library call instruction calling a source library that is an external program module; a library correspondence table that gives various information, such as correspondence between arguments of source libraries and arguments of target libraries that have the same feature as the source libraries and are called by an outputted object program; a library call instruction generating unit for converting the detected library call instruction into an instruction that calls a target library corresponding to the source library and converting instructions for setting the arguments of the source library into instructions for setting arguments of the target library by referring to the library correspondence table.

Abstract: The invention includes customized software to be used on an end-user computer having fixed storage and an interface with a network server using a network. A GUI component controls a browser which accesses publisher content that is at least partially installed on the fixed storage. Software is provided for monitoring end-user behavior, on-line and off-line, and maintaining a local event statistics database of the end-user behavior including event data related to end-user events. Software is provided for detecting a network connection and transmitting at least a portion of the local event statistics database to the network server. Software is provided for compiling summary information from the local event statistics database wherein the summary information comprises the portion of the local event statistics database.

Abstract: The inventive system and method is directed toward verifying the accuracy of data tables specified by a developer to be used by a program. The system searches through an application program for instructions which access areas of memory declared by the developer as being of interest and executes instrumentation code for these instructions. Input to the program is the source code of a user program and optionally, a data coverage specification prepared by a developer. Instrumentation can be implemented by inserting instrumenting code into the source code prior to compilation using facilities within the compiler itself. Alternatively, the instrumentation code can be added to the executable program code after compilation is complete. Yet a third option involves generating and executing instrumentation during execution of the user program without ever modifying the user program code at any stage.

Abstract: A method and computer-readable-medium for installing a patch to a computer application program based on the criticality of the patch and the execution format of the computer application are disclosed. An installer program installs application programs. The installer program also-stores related information, including an execution format, in a configuration database. The execution format is either Run-Locally or Run-From-Source. If the execution format is Run-From-Source, the application or features that are designated as Run-From-Source are read-only and are executed from a source, such as from a CD-ROM. Since Run-From-Source executions run from a read-only source, patches cannot be directly applied. When a patch is authored, information as to the criticality of the patch is stored with the patch. Preferably, the criticality is specified based on a feature. When an installer program applies a patch, the installer program queries the execution format. Any features that are Run-Locally can be patched.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, for generating a test code for an automatic procedure is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of presenting a visual representation of a library of executable code objects comprising a plurality of test objects to a user, accepting a selection of a first test object in the visual representation, presenting first test object options defining at least one test parameter, accepting a selection of a first test option, translating the first test option into at least one tag and at least one tag parameter, and storing the tag and the tag parameter in a source file. The article of manufacture comprises a data storage device tangibly embodying instructions to perform the method steps described above. The apparatus comprises computer with suitable program instructions for presenting a visual representation of a library of executable code objects to a user.

Abstract: A method of generating code for a software program in multiple languages by converting input specification files into output code files. The input specification files contain a list of distinctive features of the software program to be generated and are written in a prescribed input language. The input specification files are converted into a set of nodes representing the logical relationship between the distinctive features listed in the input specification files. Output code files are then generated from the set of nodes using external guideline files that contain guidelines for generating code. Output code files are generated in at least two code languages.

Abstract: In an object oriented computer system, a framework mechanism defines one or more run-time extensible items that may be dynamically reconfigured as required to support different interfaces at run-time. Each extensible item has one or more adapters that correspond to the extensions owned by the extensible item. The extensible item class defines a castTo( ) method. The castTo( ) method is invoked to logically cast an instance of the extensible item class to a desired class so that a selected method on that class can be called. When the castTo( ) method is invoked on an instance of the extensible item class, the extensible item object determines if any of its extensions have an adapter that supports the class specified in the castTo( ) method call. If an adapter does support the specified class, the adapter corresponding is returned, and the selected method is then invoked on the adapter. In this manner, class casting of run-time extensible items is achieved.

Abstract: A software package manager uses a distribution unit containing components for a software package and a manifest file that describes the distribution unit to manage the installation, execution, and uninstallation of software packages on a computer. Information in the manifest file pertaining to a software package is stored in a code store data structure upon installation of the package. The manifest file also contains information that permits the software package manager to resolve any software dependencies upon installation. The software package manager uses the code store data structure to locate the required components when the software is executed and to remove the components appropriately when the software is uninstalled.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for compiling a program. A source program including program statements in a first computer language, such as C++, Fortran, Java, etc., and embedded statements in a second computer language, such as SQL, is processed. A determination is made as to whether a program statement is in one of the first and second languages. The statement is lexically scanned and parsed into a parse tree if the statement is in the first language. If the statement is in the second language, then the statement is lexically scanned. Then a plurality of function calls capable of executing the statement are accessed and translated to at least one parse tree. The parsed statements are converted into target code.

Abstract: A program conversion apparatus includes: the constant division unit 12 for specifying instructions in the serial assembler code 42 that use large constants which cannot be arranged within the operation fields of object VLIWs and for dividing the specified instructions into divided constant use instructions for storing pieces of the large constants into the specialized constant buffer 107 of a VLIW processor and divided constant use instructions for performing operations using the stored constants; the dependence graph generation unit 20 for generating a dependence graph based on the execution order of each instruction in the serial assembler code 42 after the division process by the constant division unit 12; and the instruction relocation unit 21 for relocating the instructions according to the dependence graph to generate parallel assembler code.

Abstract: A method of updating firmware between an imaging device and a host system is disclosed. The host system detects that the firmware on the imaging device is incompatible with a configuration of the host system. In response to detecting the incompatibility, an updated firmware image is transferred from the host system to the imaging device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for maintaining application programs on a client computer in a client-server network environment. The task of dynamically upgrading components in the application program running on a client is greatly simplified by rendering control to the individual client rather than to a central server. The version updating procedures of the present invention further provide steps to ensure speedy and error-free transfer of the required files and components through an open network environment, such as the Internet.

Abstract: A macro for use by an application program is described. The macro is embedded in a macro file including at least two versions of executable configuration code corresponding to two different operating systems to interface the macro file to an application program. Attached to the macro file is a sequence of actions to apply to an application file produced by the application program. Also attached is application identification information that identifies an original host application corresponding to the macro. The sequence of actions in the macro file can be produced by storing commands, applied to a data file opened in the application program, into a log file and transferring at least one stored command from the log file to the macro file.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating native processor code includes a graphical designer and a compiler. The graphical designer allows a user to construct graphically a signal processing system, and the compiler receives the graphically constructed signal processing system and generates native processor code representative of the system. Also, a system for modifying input signals includes a graphical designer, a compiler, and an execution unit for receiving at least a portion of the generated code and input signals and for executing the machine code to produce as an output a version of the input signal that is modified according to the code that is representative of the graphically constructed signal processing system.

Abstract: A method for allowing a software vendor to notify a user of a software update is disclosed. At the time of installing an application, the user is prompted to subscribe to a software update channel. A shortcut (.lnk file) that the application installs is created with special information that identifies the application by a unique name. The channel is updated periodically based on the schedule suggested by the channel. When a new update is detected, the software channel delivers the software update to the user's computer and sends notifications such as email or gleaming the icon to indicate that a new software update is now available. Also, the next time the user launches the application through the shortcut (.lnk file), the shell automatically displays the update notification information to the user.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing application-specific computer-controlled services. An application-specific program code is generated automatically and an application-specific computer program for providing the service is formed. In order to perform changes more easily than before, the computer program is divided into three groups. The first group is formed only of such a code that remains the same regardless of the application, and the second and the third group are provided with a code produced by the generation in such a way that (a) the second group only includes a code produced by the generation and (b) the third group contains a code produced with the generation that is to be changed by the designer after the generation. The generating device is informed of whether the code to be generated is produced for the second or for the third group.