International Business Machines Corporation

Lynn Cleveland Percival

James F D'Anjou

Michael Anthony Faoro

Keith Allen Wells

John L Scanlon

Gregory F Bush

Carl T Anderson

Alberta Lee

Janet L Leskovec

Susan E Kahler

Susan E Liles

A method and system for providing user assistance in utilizing a computer program is disclosed that provides the capability for combining an active display of the past, current, and future steps in an ongoing process with a series of associated decision panels and forms to be completed in order to carry out the steps. A navigator bar, which is situated adjacent to and can be scrolled independently of information appearing in a client area of a computer screen display, provides a user of the computer program with a map of the steps already executed, the current step being executed, and the most likely steps to be performed based on the current step being executed. If the user selects a different step to be the current step, the display of most likely future steps to be performed changes, if appropriate.

User assistance system

A technique, system, and computer program for quickly and efficiently navigating through a comparison of different versions of a file. An abstract representation of the detected differences is provided in a separate navigation window or pane. This abstract representation is shown as one or more bars, which are formatted using one color for segments that are the same and a different color for those segments that are different. This allows the user to see, at a high level, the relative size of differences, the relative position of the differences, and how the differences are distributed throughout the files. The user can navigate through the differences using navigation controls that are synchronized between the navigation window (or pane) and a file comparison window. A novel use of hover help is defined. The navigation window and controls can be used with comparisons of any type of ordered data, such as text, audio, video, etc., and with comparisons of any number of versions of a file.

Method and apparatus for visually-oriented navigation of compared object versions

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which provide a document management system suitable for incorporation with a software management and control library by encapsulating a plurality of document databases with a template so as to provide a document database which interacts with the software management and control library. In particular, the plurality of document databases are defined utilizing the template. Furthermore, it is preferred that the template be utilized to define a requirements document database, define a design and development document database and define a test document database.

Methods, systems and computer program products for providing document management for software development systems

Systems, methods and computer program products are provided which provide an end-to-end software development tracking system including a software change management system which manages software versions and releases. A document management system tracks documentation related to software development and provides data associated with documents in the document management system to the software change management system. The document management system also receives data from the software change management system so as to track changes in the software versions and releases associated with documents in the document management system.

Systems, methods and computer program products for end-to-end software development process automation

A list of various versions of file sets that need to be reconciled (collisions) are automatically loaded into a collision handler. The user works through the list, resolving differences by selecting one of the files or by merging several of them through selection and modification, as required. The user is provided with buttons that allow rapid changes between different styles of views (Split, Composite, Split-Merge, Composite-Merge) which allows the user to see the files in a number of different ways to further facilitate the process.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Lynn Cleveland Percival