VirHoLex 2.0 (Virus-Host Interaction Lexicon)

Abstract

Elepaño et al. has successfully accomplished all features and functional requirements necessary for the development of VirHoLex. However, the system was not thoroughly tested after each module was integrated, generating a number of system bugs as a result. Though Morales has partially refactored VirHoLex, specifically the Virho References and Virho Hotspots modules, the modifications done were not sufficed to make the codes maintainable. In order to preserve the credibility of the system, Struts framework was incorporated into the program structure of VirHoLex after the system was debugged. Struts is built on MVC design pattern that promotes separation of concerns, that is, separating business logic from the user's view. The whole VirHoLex was refactored a) to remove jumbled and redundant codes; b) to make the codes reusable and modular; and c) to promote programming style uniformity for all modules. This will allow the future developers to easily understand and modify the system. In addition, the use of Subversion and Mantis Bug Tracking tool is pertinent to the study since it permits the developers to easily track down the history of file changes, and to have a proper documentation of system bugs and new features respectively. More importantly, the second version of VirHoLex was deployed on MaxPlanck server so that virologists can fully utilize the system.