Software Debugging

• US 20010021985A1
• Filed: 01/16/2001
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor Limited (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Aldridge, David, Warder, Mark, Hansell-Wright, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US09/761,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021985A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A method of debugging software arranged to run on a microcontroller for the purpose of controlling a macrocell associated with the microcontroller 1. The method comprises the steps of populating fields of a debugger application 3 using macrocell specific data read electronically from a database 4, said fields including at least a parameter name field and a parameter location field. One or more of the populated fields is displayed on a graphical user interface of the debugger application 3. User initiated debugging related instructions are relayed to the microcontroller 1 from the debugger application 3, whilst response data is received from the microcontroller 1 at the debugger application 3. The received response data is displayed to the user on the graphical user interface of the debugger application 3.

Claims

1. A method of debugging software arranged to run on a microcontroller for the purpose of controlling a macrocell associated with the microcontroller, the method comprising the steps of:

populating fields of a debugger application using macrocell specific data read electronically from a database, said fields including at least a parameter name field and a parameter location field;

displaying one or more of the populated fields on a graphical user interface of the debugger application;

transmitting user initiated debugging related instructions to the microcontroller from the debugger application;

receiving response data from the microcontroller at the debugger application; and

displaying the response data to the user on the graphical user interface of the debugger application.

2. A method according to

claim 1

and comprising the step of identifying the macrocell for which software is to be debugged and selecting a database or portion of a database corresponding to the identified macrocell, wherein said macrocell specific data can be extracted from the selected database or database portion.

3. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein, in addition to a parameter name field and a parameter location field, the debugger application additionally comprises a parameter value field and a parameter information field, where the former field contains the values for respective macrocell parameters and the later contains explanations of the purposes of respective macrocell parameters.

4. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the debugger application obtains parameter access data from the selected database including details of the read/write access which a user may have to certain parameters.

5. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the database which is used to populate the debugger application has been created manually.

6. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the database which is used to populate the debugger application has been created automatically using a tool assisted translation process.

7. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the debugger application operates in conjunction with a standard debugger tool.

8. A method according to

claim 7

, wherein the standard debugger tool and the debugger application communicate with the target microcontroller via a shared driver, and a server is used to route traffic between the driver and the debugger tool and application.

9. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the debugger application incorporates a debugger tool.

10. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein the microcontroller is a software emulation.

11. A system for debugging software arranged to run on a microcontroller for the purpose of controlling a macrocell associated with the microcontroller, the system comprising:

first memory means storing one or more databases containing macrocell specific data;

computer means comprising a processor and a second memory means arranged in use to implement a debugger application including at least a parameter name field and a parameter location field, the fields being populated using macrocell specific data obtained from a database;

input/output means for coupling to a microcontroller, wherein user initiated debugging related instructions may be transmitted to the microcontroller from the debugger application, and response data from the microcontroller may be received at the debugger application; and

a graphical user interface for displaying at least certain of said populated fields in addition to response data received from the microcontroller.

12. A computer memory encoded with executable instructions representing a computer program for causing a computer connected to a computer network to debug software arranged to run on a microcontroller for the purpose of controlling a macrocell associated with the microcontroller, the debugging operation comprising the steps of:

populating fields of a debugger application using macrocell specific data obtained from a database, said fields including at least a parameter name field and a parameter location field;

displaying one or more of the populated fields on a graphical user interface of the debugging application;

transmitting user initiated debugging related instructions to the microcontroller from the debugger application;

receiving response data from the microcontroller at the debugger application; and

displaying the response data to the user on the graphical user interface of the debugger application.