Patent ID: 8185878
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A program maintenance supporting method comprising the steps of: generating information on data dependence between statements and variables in a program and storing the information on data dependence in storing means; accepting specifying-information specifying a scope of a specific program fragment of said program, said specific program fragment being a set of one or more sequential statements of said program, said program fragment containing fewer than all statements of said program; responsive to accepting specifying-information specifying a specific program fragment of said program, extracting interface information on an interface of said specific program fragment using said information on data dependence stored in said storing means, wherein said step of extracting interface information extracts as said interface information (a) all input variables of said specific program fragment, each said input variable being a variable which is referenced by at least one respective statement within the scope of said specific program fragment and a value of which is determined by at least one statement not within the scope of said specific program fragment, and (b) all output variables of said specific program fragment, each said output variable being a variable which is referenced by at least one statement not within the scope of said specific program fragment and a value of which is determined by at least one statement within the scope of said specific program fragment; and outputting said extracted interface information.