Patent ID: 7614038
Filing Date: 2009-11-03
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for use in conjunction with a configuration management software application to manage a software development project represented by a hierarchy of versions of the software development project, where each version comprises a set of software components and the configuration management software application supports creation of views of a version to display subsets of the software components of the version, each view defining, at a particular time, an associated subset of software components included in the view such that modifications of definitions of the view over time result in modifications of the associated subset, the method enabling recreation of a previous display of a subset of software components of a first version of the software development project by determining software components that were included in a first view of the first version at a first time, the method comprising acts of: (A) accessing a data structure that represents a history of views of versions of the software development project included in the hierarchy to determine at least one instruction specifying whether a first software component was to be displayed in a listing of contents of the first version at the first time, where the first software component was included in the first version at the first time, wherein (i) the hierarchy includes a second version higher than the first version in the hierarchy and the first version is configured to inherit properties of the second version and (ii) accessing a data structure includes accessing a first entry of the data structure, the first entry specifying a second time and specifying whether the first software component was included, at the second time, in the first view or in a second view of another version of the software development project from which the first version inherits properties; and (B) if it is determined that the first software component was included in the first view at the first time, displaying the first software component in a display of the subset of software components in the first version, and displaying the first software component in the display if the first entry specifies that the first software component was included in the first or second view at the second time.