Program specification data transfer system for program development support system

In a program specification data transfer method for program development support system according to the present invention, if a program specification data program is updated in the editing by the specification data edit unit at the terminal, then the update flag of the applicable specification data program is set to indicate the existence of update by the update flag set unit. The updated data extract unit checks the update flag to extract the updated program specification data alone and thus extracted updated program specification data is transferred to the work file at the host computer. The specification data merge unit merges the updated program specification data stored in the work file with the program specification data in the program specification data file at the host computer and stores the merged result to the program specification data file.

BACKGROUNDS OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a program development support system to 
generate a target program based on certain program specification data, and 
particularly relates to a transfer method to transfer the program 
specification data edited at a terminal to a program specification data 
file at a host computer. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In a conventional program development support system, program specification 
data edited and prepared at a terminal is transferred and stored in a 
program specification data file in a host computer. The host computer then 
generates a source program based on the program specification data in the 
program specification data file by using a source generate means, prepares 
an object program from the source program by using a compile means, and 
further prepares an executable program by using a link means. 
If any failure occurs during testing of the executable program, the program 
specification data is, if necessary, transferred from the program 
specification data file in the host computer to the program specification 
data file at the terminal so that they can be edited at the terminal for 
debugging. After editing, the program specification data is transferred to 
the program specification data file at the host computer for storage. 
Conventionally, when the program specification data are transferred from 
the terminal to the host computer, the data transferred to the host 
program specification data file in the host computer include both of those 
updated during editing at the terminal and those without any change. 
Since all program specification data including those without any change are 
thus transferred to the host computer after editing at the terminal, the 
program specification data is transferred using the communication line 
even when it has not been updated on the terminal, i.e. when its transfer 
is not necessary. This increases the number of transfers (and the 
transferred data amount) for program specification data from the terminal 
to the host and results in long transfer time and prolonged time required 
for program development. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a program specification 
data transfer method for program development support system which can 
reduce time for transfer by decreasing the transferred data amount when 
the program specification data edited on the terminal are sent to the host 
and thereby save time required for program development. 
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention to attain the 
above object, a program specification data transfer method for program 
development support system comprises, at the host computer, a program 
specification data file to store the program specification data for 
program generation, a work file to temporarily store the updated 
specification data transferred from the terminal, a transfer means to 
transfer the program specification data in the program specification data 
file to the terminal and a specification data merge means to merge the 
updated program specification data stored in the work file with the 
program specification data in the program specification data file and 
store the merged result to the program specification data file, and at the 
terminal, a program specification data file to store the program 
specification data transferred from the host computer, an edit means to 
edit the program specification data in the program specification data 
file, an updated data extract means to extract the updated program 
specification data alone from the program specification data after 
editing, and a transfer means to transfer the updated program 
specification data extracted by the updated data extract means to the work 
file at the host computer. 
According to a further preferred embodiment, the program specification data 
has an update flag for judging whether the data is updated or not, and the 
terminal is provided with an update flag set means to set the update 
information at the update flag in the program specification data updated 
during editing by the edit means. 
According to a still further preferred embodiment, the update data extract 
means judges whether the program specification data after editing has been 
updated or not by checking the update flag in the program specification 
data and extracts the updated program specification data alone. Besides, 
the host computer is provided with an update flag cancel means to set the 
indication showing the lack of updating at the update flag in the program 
specification data held in the work file when the specification data merge 
means performs merging. 
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention to 
attain the above object, a program specification data transfer method for 
program development support system comprises, at the host computer, a 
program specification data file to store the program specification data 
for program generation, a work file to temporarily store the updated 
specification data transferred from the terminal, a transfer means to 
transfer the program specification data in the program specification data 
file to the terminal and a specification data merge means to merge the 
updated program specification data stored in the work file with the 
program specification data in the program specification data in the 
program specification data file and store the merged result in the program 
specification data file, and at the terminal, a program specification data 
file to store the program specification data transferred from the host 
computer, an edit means to edit the program specification data in the 
program specification data file, an updated data extract means to extract 
the updated program specification data alone from the program 
specification data after editing, and a transfer means to transfer the 
updated program specification data extracted by the updated data extract 
means to the work file at the host computer, and the program specification 
data is further provided with an update flag for judging whether the data 
is updated or not, the terminal is provided with an update flag set means 
to set the update information at the update flag in the program 
specification data updated during editing by the edit means, and the host 
computer is provided with an update flag cancel means to set the 
indication showing the lack of updating at the update flag in the program 
specification data held in the work file when the specification data merge 
means performs merging. 
According to a further preferred embodiment, the update data extract means 
judges whether the program specification data after editing has been 
updated or not by checking the update flag in the program specification 
data and extracts the updated program specification data alone. 
Other objects, characteristics and effects of the present invention will be 
clarified in the detailed description below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the attached figures, preferred embodiments of the present 
invention will be described below. 
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a program development support system 
according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a 
program development support system comprises, on the side of a host 
computer 100, a program specification data file 110 to store a host 
program specification data 300, a source generate means 111, a source 
program file 112, a compile means 113, an object program file 114, a link 
means 115, an execution program file 116, a work file 120, a host transfer 
means 121, a program specification data merge means 122 and an update flag 
cancel means 123, and on the side of a terminal 200, a terminal program 
specification data file 210, a terminal program specification data edit 
means 211, a terminal transfer means 212, an update data extract means 213 
and an update flag set means 214. 
The source generate means 111 generates a source program based on the 
program specification data describing the specification contents for the 
program to be generated and registers it in the source program file 112. 
Such program specification data are held in the host program specification 
data file 110 at the host 100. The source program is generated in a widely 
accepted language such as FORTRAN or COBOL. The compile means 113 compiles 
the source program generated by the source generate means 111 on the 
source program file 112 to generate an object program to be registered to 
the object program file 114, and at the same time activates the link means 
115. The link means 115 creates an executable program based on the object 
program generated by the compile means 113 input from the object program 
file 114 and registers the executable program in the execution program 
file 116. 
The program specification data merge means 122 at the host computer 100 
merges the updated program specification data stored in the work file 120 
and the program specification data stored in the host program 
specification data file 110 so as to store the resulted data in the host 
program specification data file 110. The host transfer means 121 and the 
terminal transfer means 212 serve for data communications between the 
terminal program specification data file 210 at the terminal 200 and the 
work file 120 in host program specification data file 110 at the host 
computer 100. In addition, the update data extract means 213 extracts the 
updated specification data only from the program specification data in the 
terminal program specification data file 210. The program specification 
data edit means 211 edits the program specification data in the terminal 
program specification data file 210. 
Now, transfer process of the program specification data between the host 
computer 100 and the terminal 200 is described below. 
Firstly, refer to the flowchart of FIG. 4 for editing of the program 
specification data. The program specification data stored in the host 
program specification data file 110 at the host computer 100 are 
transferred to the terminal program specification data file 210 at the 
terminal 200 using the host transfer means 121 and the terminal transfer 
means 212 (Step 401). 
FIG. 2 shows an example of contents in the terminal program specification 
data file 210 when the program specification data are transferred from the 
host computer 100. The terminal program specification data file 210 shown 
in FIG. 2 holds a plurality of program specification data 300A, 300B and 
300C for programs A, B and C respectively. The program specification data 
300A, 300B and 300C have an update flag 310 for each to show whether the 
applicable specification data has been updated or not. 
When the update flag 310 has "0", it means that the applicable program 
specification data has not been updated, and when it has "1", the 
applicable specification data has been updated. In FIG. 2, the program 
specification data have just been transferred to the terminal program 
specification data file 210 and not yet edited. The update flags 310 for 
the specification data 300A, 300B and 300C are all "0". 
Then, the program specification data held at the terminal program 
specification data file 210 are edited using the terminal program 
specification data edit means 211 (Step 402). The program specification 
data are edited for each of 300A, 300B and 300C in FIG. 2. 
Then, upon completion of editing by the terminal program specification data 
edit means 211, the update flag set means 214 is activated. It judges 
whether the specification data for each program has been updated or not as 
a result of editing by the terminal program specification data edit means 
211 (Step 403). 
If any of the program specification data is found to have been updated, 
then the update flag set means 214 changes the update flag 310 of the 
applicable specification data from "0" to "1" (Step 404). 
For example, suppose the specification data 300C for the program C among 
the terminal program specification data 300 is edited and updated by the 
terminal program specification data edit means 211. In this case, the 
update flag set means 214 judges that the specification data 300C has been 
updated, and changes the update flag 310 in the specification data 300C 
for the program C from "0" to "1". 
Referring now to the flowchart of FIG. 5, extraction process by the updated 
data extract means 213 during transfer of the updated program 
specification data 300 to the host computer 100 is described below. 
The update data extract means 213 is activated before the updated program 
specification data 300 is transferred to the work file 120 in the host 
computer 100. The update data extract means 213 searches the data in the 
updated program specification data 300 for any update flag 310 set to "1" 
and judges whether there exists an updated specification data or not 
(Steps 501 and 502). Then, it extracts the updated specification data 
(with the update flag 310 being "1") from the program specification data 
300 (Step 503). Next, the updated specification data taken out of the 
program specification data 300 is transferred to the work file 120 of the 
host computer 100 using the terminal transfer means 212 and the host 
transfer means 121 (Step 504). If, among the program specification data 
300 as shown in FIG. 2, the specification data 300C for the program C 
alone is updated, then the specification data 300C of the program C as 
shown in FIG. 3 is taken out and sent to the work file 120. 
Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 6, registration process of the 
specification data transferred to the work file 120 at the host computer 
100 to the host program specification data file 110 is described below. 
The updated specification data transferred to the work file 120 is merged 
with the program specification data 300 (specification data 300A, 300B and 
300C for programs A, B and C) held in the host program specification data 
file 110 by the program specification data merge means 122 (Step 601). At 
the same time, the update flag cancel means 123 is activated and the 
update flag 310 of the above updated specification data is changed from 
"1" to "0" for cancellation of the update flag 310 (Step 602). The program 
specification data 300 merged by the program specification data merge 
means 122 are stored to the host program specification data file 110 with 
the specification data 300C for program C along being updated (Step 603). 
As described above, the present invention enables transfer of the program 
specification data updated at the terminal alone when the program 
specification data at the terminal are to be transferred to the host 
computer. This reduces the amount of data to be transferred, which may 
result in reduced transfer time. 
Obviously, various modifications can be made to the above embodiments. It 
is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and 
variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present 
invention.