Capturing snapshots of a debuggee's state during a debug session

• US 20020087950A1
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brodeur, Denis F., Fors, Tim A.
• Application Number:
  US09/963,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087950A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for capturing snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state during a debug session. More particularly, this invention relates to capturing state and debug data of a debuggee at intervals during a debug session and allowing a software developer to view and/or annotate the captured state and debug data in a developer preferred manner.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for capturing one or more snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data comprising the step of, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capturing information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the debugger comprises objects corresponding to elements of the debuggee and which comprise the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data and wherein the step of capturing information as a snapshot comprises serializing the objects.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of capturing information as a snapshot is executed selectively based upon user input.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of annotating one or more snapshots with a comment.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of viewing one or more snapshots through a user interface.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of viewing comprises replaying one or more snapshots in the user interface by presenting a selected snapshot through the user interface and, if there are two or more snapshots, moving forward and backward through the snapshots and simultaneously presenting those snapshots through the user interface.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of viewing one or more snapshots through a user interface by deserializing the objects.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein only objects that contain state and debug information presented through the user interface of the debugger are serialized.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed in a debugger.

10. A method for capturing a snapshot of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data from a debugger, the debugger comprising objects containing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data comprising the step of, during a debug session of the debuggee, capturing information used to create a debugger user interface representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as the snapshot for later usage by serializing the objects.

11. A program storage device, tangibly embodying computer readable program code, for causing a computer to perform a computer-implemented method for capturing one or more snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data comprising the step of, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capturing information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the debugger comprises objects corresponding to elements of the debuggee and which comprise the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data and wherein computer readable program means to capture information as a snapshot comprises computer readable program means to serialize the objects.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein computer readable program means to capture information as a snapshot is executed selectively based upon user input.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising computer readable program means to annotate one or more snapshots with a comment.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising computer readable program means to view one or more snapshots through a user interface.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein computer readable program means to view comprises computer readable program means to replay one or more snapshots in the user interface by presenting a selected snapshot through the user interface and, if there are two or more snapshots, moving forward and backward through the snapshots and simultaneously presenting those snapshots through the user interface.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer readable program means to view one or more snapshots through a user interface by deserializing the objects.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 incorporated into a debugger.

12. A computer program product for capturing one or more snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data, the computer program product comprising computer readable code means to, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capture information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.

20. A computer program product for capturing a snapshot of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data from a debugger, the debugger comprising objects containing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data comprising a snapshot manager to, during a debug session of the debuggee, capture information used to create a debugger user interface representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as the snapshot for later usage by serializing the objects.

21. A computer program product for capturing one or more snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data, the computer program product comprising computer readable code means to, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capture information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.

22. A computer system for capturing snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data comprising a means to, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capture information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.

23. A computer system for capturing one or more snapshots of a debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data, the computer system comprising a snapshot manager to, at one or more points during a debug session of the debuggee, capture information used to create a user interface of a debugger representing the debuggee'"'"'s state and debug data as a snapshot for later usage.