Method for generating code for modifying existing event routines for controls on a form

Claim 1

In a computing system having at least one server and a multiplicity of clients coupled thereto by means of a network, said server having a CPU executing legacy programs and at least one storage device coupled thereto, said storage device being disposed for storing forms of said legacy program, a method operating in at least one of said clients for generating code for modifying existing event routines for controls on said forms, said method comprising the steps of: a. displaying on a screen of said at least one client a list of available applications; b. in response to a user's selection of an application, obtaining and displaying a list of application forms stored in said storage device; c. in response to a user's selection of a drive and a directory, displaying a list of client builder projects; d. in response to a user's selection of a specific client builder project, parsing application portion of said specific client builder project to obtain a list of client builder forms therefrom; e. displaying a list of client builder forms in said specific client builder project; f. in response a user's selection of one of said list of client builder forms, parsing said selected client builder form; g. storing client builder control and event routine information obtained in the parsing of step f hereof; h. determining from the parsing of step f hereof that said selected client builder form does not contain a table associating controls of said selected client builder form and data fields of any application form; i. in response to a user's selection of one of said list of application forms, associating said application form with said selected client builder form; j. displaying a first list of controls on said selected client builder form as found by the parsing in step f hereof, displaying a second list, which is empty and will contain data names from said associated application form, that will be associated with members of said first list and displaying a third list of data names from said associated application form to be assigned to said second list; k. establishing and removing links between controls on said selected client builder form and data names from said associated application form as items are moved by a user from said second and said third lists in accordance with step j hereof; l. accepting and storing changes and additions for controls of said selected client builder form associated with data names of said associated application form; m. generating a new client builder program based on information stored in steps g and l hereof and on said links established in step k hereof and marking parts of said new client builder program added as a result of the execution of steps k and l hereof; and, n. inserting a table in said new client builder program generated in the preceding step containing information necessary to determine in a future parse of said new client builder program the association between the controls of said selected client builder form and said associated application form.