Patent ID: 6983457

Claim:
A compile method for generating an object program file stored in a storage device from a source program having a plurality of procedures, comprising the steps of: by regarding procedures of said source program as source-program compile units, compiling said source program on a procedure basis to generate said plurality of object-program compile units; in said object program file, storing said plurality of object-program compile units and said plurality of source-program compile units respectively associated with one another in said object program file, said plurality of source-program compile units being used to update said object program file on an object-program compile unit basis; in addition to storing said plurality of object-program compile units and said plurality of source-program compile units, storing information comprising storage information relating storage locations of source-program compile units with object-program compile units, and compiler information comprising compiler version and optimization level information in a header of said object program file; making a change in said source program compile units; comparing current compiler information with the compiler information stored in the object-program file header; if the current compiler information does not coincide with the compiler information stored in the object program file header, all source-program compile units are compiled; if the current compiler information matches the compiler information stored in the object program file header, comparing said changed source program compile units with said source-program compile units stored in said object program file; if both the source program compile units do not coincide, compiling the source-program compile units constituting said changed source program compile units, to generate a plurality of new object-program compile units; and updating said plurality of source-program compile units stored in said object program file so as to be the same as said plurality of source-program compile units constituting said changed source program, updating said plurality of object-program compile units stored in said object program file so as to be the same as said new object-program compile units, and updating said storage and compiler information stored in said object program file header so as to be the same as the current compiler information and a current storage information.