Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that allows a developer to determine which elements in source code are at most a given number of links away from a selected element. Moreover, the software development tool allows the developer to specify the types of links connecting the elements from the selected element.

Abstract: Methods and system consistent with the present invention provide a workflow modeling and project planning integration tool that allows a user to model a business process or workflow, to create and activate a project plan based on the workflow, and to track the progress of the activated project plan. The tool also allows the workflow to be reused to create more than one project plan based on the workflow. Moreover, the tool simultaneously manages the execution of the plans. The integration tool may include a Web-based “Distributed Authoring and Versioning” (WebDAV) server that operates as a virtual file system for computers on a network to allow more than one user on different computer systems to view the same workflow or project plan, monitor the progress of an activated project plan, or simultaneously create and activate different plans from the same workflow.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to animate different versions of a plan or workflow. Each version reflects an instance in an edit history, i.e., reflects the changes made to the plan or workflow. Additionally, methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to view the various plans created from a given workflow over time. Finally, methods and systems consistent with the present invention may be used to review the steps performed during the activation of a plan.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an integrated process modeling and project planning tool that allows an enterprise affiliate to improve a workflow that models a process. To improve the workflow, the tool initiates execution of a plan created from the workflow such that an instance of the process is at least partially performed, receives a characteristic about the performance of the plan, and modifies the workflow to reflect the characteristic so that a subsequent plan created from the modified workflow has the received characteristic.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that simplifies a graphical representation of software code for a developer. The software development tool provides the developer with a more coherent, manageable, and abstract graphical view of the project model, and facilitates the developer in graphically debugging and editing the associated software code. The improved software development tool detects a group of related elements in the code, and collapses a portion of the graphical representation of the code associated with the group of related elements.

Abstract: The present invention relates a method and systems for generating, applying and defining patterns for software development. The software development tool receives an indication of a pattern, generates software code reflecting the pattern, and stores identification information for the pattern in a comment associated with the generated software code. The software development tool receives an indication of the software element, determines whether the software element is capable of playing the role, and when it is determined that the software element is capable of playing the role, designates that the software element plays the role in the pattern. The software development tool displays a plurality of software elements to a user, receives an indication of a selected one of the plurality of software elements, receives an indication of a user-defined pattern role that the selected software element plays in a pattern, and stores the plurality of software elements as the pattern.

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.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that includes a version control system that permits multiple programmers to work simultaneously on a single software project by maintaining a central repository containing a master copy of a software project and by managing versions of the software project that the programmers make through the development process. The improved software development tool enables a programmer to interact with the version control system by interacting with a diagram or diagram element that corresponds to a project, package, diagram, or class, thus facilitating the use of the version control system.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that allows a developer to animate the execution of compiled source code as a diagram. The developer may choose to stepwise animate one line of source code at a time. The developer may alternatively indicate at which line of source code the animation should end. In a further embodiment, the software development tool may end the animation when it detects an error.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool which allows a developer to visually depict an existing data definition file containing data elements and relationships between the data elements by generating an XML structure diagram from the existing data definition file. Using methods and systems consistent with the present invention, the improved software development tool also allows the developer to generate a data definition file from an existing XML structure diagram.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an integrated process modeling and project planning tool that allows an enterprise affiliate to improve resource allocation to a given plan created from a workflow that models a process. To improve resource allocation, the tool generates a plan to perform an instance of the process. The generated plan has tasks performed by resources. Each resource has capabilities that are considered when generating the plan to ensure that, for each task, a suitable one of the resources is selected to perform each task. After generating the plan, the tool receives modification information indicating that the capabilities of one of the resources has changed, and assigns the resources to the tasks to generate a new plan by using the received modification information.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that generates code corresponding to a distributed computing component that contains methods of a plurality of types and that displays a graphical representation of the code with a separately delineated display area for each type. The improved software development tool also compiles, deploys, and debugs the distributed computing component with a client software component using methods and systems consistent with the present invention.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that represents multiple dependencies between a dependent node and a defining node in a project as a single dependency link. Methods and systems consistent with the present invention also identify and display details regarding each dependency in a project upon request by the user.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an integrated process modeling and project planning tool that allows an enterprise affiliate to improve a workflow that models a process. To improve the workflow, the tool initiates execution of a plan created from the workflow such that an instance of the process is at least partially performed, receives a characteristic about the performance of the plan, and modifies the workflow to reflect the characteristic so that a subsequent plan created from the modified workflow has the received characteristic.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to animate different versions of a plan or workflow. Each version reflects an instance in an edit history, i.e., reflects the changes made to the plan or workflow. Additionally, methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to view the various plans created from a given workflow over time. Finally, methods and systems consistent with the present invention may be used to review the steps performed during the activation of a plan.

Abstract: Methods and system consistent with the present invention provide a workflow modeling and project planning integration tool that allows a user to model a business process or workflow, to create and activate a project plan based on the workflow, and to track the progress of the activated project plan. The tool also allows the workflow to be reused to create more than one project plan based on the workflow. Moreover, the tool simultaneously manages the execution of the plans. The integration tool may include a Web-based “Distributed Authoring and Versioning” (WebDAV) server that operates as a virtual file system for computers on a network to allow more than one user on different computer systems to view the same workflow or project plan, monitor the progress of an activated project plan, or simultaneously create and activate different plans from the same workflow.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that allows a programmer to develop source code by receiving an indication to form a link, receiving an indication of a first of the plurality of elements, receiving an indication of a second of the plurality of elements, and adding new code to the first element to reflect the link to the second element.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that generates HTML documentation for source code in a software project. The HTML documentation includes graphical and textual documentation. The software development tool utilizes the linking capabilities of HTML to provide navigation links between the graphical and textual documentation, thus facilitating navigation through and viewing of the documentation.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that allows a developer to locate a portion of source code corresponding to a message from a verification tool. The improved software development tool displays a graphical representation of the portion of the source code corresponding to the message in a visually distinctive manner.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool which allows a developer to receive an identification of a data structure with an attribute field in a database, determine whether the data structure is associated with source code, if the data structure is associated with the source code, determine whether an attribute field of the data structure is associated with an attribute in the source code, and if the attribute field is not associated with the attribute in the source code, generate the attribute in the source code from the attribute field.