Mechanism for generating an execution log and coverage data for a set of computer code

• US 20030196188A1
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuzmin, Aleksandr M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,080,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3676 for coverage analysis

Abstract

An improved mechanism is provided for generating an execution log and coverage data for a set of computer code. To minimize the amount of storage required for storing execution log information, the mechanism: (1) stores only information pertaining to instructions that are actually executed during execution; and (2) stores the information in a hierarchically organized set of lists. In addition, to minimize the impact of execution log and coverage data generation on the execution of the computer code, coverage data is generated after execution has completed. By generating the execution log and coverage data in this manner, storage requirements are reduced, and execution performance is improved.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating an execution log, comprising:

determining, during execution of a set of computer code, an instruction that is executed;

navigating a hierarchically organized set of one or more lists to access a particular instructions list; and

storing in said particular instructions list an indication that said instruction was executed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing comprises:

determining whether said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction; and

in response to a determination that said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction, updating a value in said entry to indicate execution of said instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing comprises:

determining whether said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction; and

in response to a determination that said particular instructions list does not already comprise an entry corresponding to said instruction, creating a new entry in said particular instructions list, said new entry corresponding to said instruction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein storing further comprises:

storing a value in said new entry to indicate execution of said instruction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said particular instructions list does not include any entries corresponding to instructions that have not been executed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said particular instructions list is a sorted list.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said set of one or more lists comprises a particular method list, and wherein a particular entry in said particular method list comprises a reference to said particular instructions list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said particular method list does not include any entries corresponding to methods that have not been invoked during execution.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said set of one or more lists further comprises a class list, and wherein a particular entry in said class list comprises a reference to said particular method list.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said class list does not include any entries corresponding to classes that have not been referenced during execution.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said class list, said particular method list, and said particular instructions list are sorted lists.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein navigating comprises:

accessing said class list;

obtaining said reference to said particular method list from said class list;

accessing said particular method list using said reference to said particular method list;

obtaining said reference to said particular instructions list from said particular method list; and

accessing said particular instructions list using said reference to said particular instructions list.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the operations of determining, navigating, and storing for each instruction that is executed during execution of the set of computer code to derive an overall execution log for the set of computer code.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

processing said execution log with a set of one or more correlation data structures to determine which source code lines in the set of computer code were executed during execution, wherein said processing is performed after execution of the computer code has been completed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deriving a set of coverage data which specifies what percentage of source code lines in the set of computer code were executed during execution.

16. A computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine, during execution of a set of computer code, an instruction that is executed;

instructions for causing one or more processors to navigate a hierarchically organized set of one or more lists to access a particular instructions list; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to store in said particular instructions list an indication that said instruction was executed.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to store comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine whether said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to update, in response to a determination that said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction, a value in said entry to indicate execution of said instruction.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to store comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine whether said particular instructions list already comprises an entry corresponding to said instruction; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to create, in response to a determination that said particular instructions list does not already comprise an entry corresponding to said instruction, a new entry in said particular instructions list, said new entry corresponding to said instruction.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to store further comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to store a value in said new entry to indicate execution of said instruction.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said particular instructions list does not include any entries corresponding to instructions that have not been executed.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein said particular instructions list is a sorted list.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said set of one or more lists comprises a particular method list, and wherein a particular entry in said particular method list comprises a reference to said particular instructions list.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein said particular method list does not include any entries corresponding to methods that have not been invoked during execution.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein said set of one or more lists further comprises a class list, and wherein a particular entry in said class list comprises a reference to said particular method list.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein said class list does not include any entries corresponding to classes that have not been referenced during execution.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein said class list, said particular method list, and said particular instructions list are sorted lists.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to navigate comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to access said class list;

instructions for causing one or more processors to obtain said reference to said particular method list from said class list;

instructions for causing one or more processors to access said particular method list using said reference to said particular method list;

instructions for causing one or more processors to obtain said reference to said particular instructions list from said particular method list; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to access said particular instructions list using said reference to said particular instructions list.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to perform the operations of determining, navigating, and storing for each instruction that is executed during execution of the set of computer code to derive an overall execution log for the set of computer code.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to process said execution log with a set of one or more correlation data structures to determine which source code lines in the set of computer code were executed during execution, wherein said processing is performed after execution of the computer code has been completed.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to derive a set of coverage data which specifies what percentage of source code lines in the set of computer code were executed during execution.