METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR DEBUGGING SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS IN A WEB ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090089761A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lerro, Marco, LAZZARO, LUCA, Marinelli, Claudio, Longobardi, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A method and system are provided for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and client entities. For at least one of the client entities, a server component of the application running on the server entity is accessed, and a client component of the application is downloaded from the server entity. The client component is executed. Client log information relating to the execution of the client component is saved by invoking a log function provided by the client component; the client log information is saved into a non-persistent memory structure of the client component. The client log information is transmitted for use in the debugging of the application.

Claims

1. A method for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and a plurality of client entities, for at least one of the client entities the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity;

executing the client component on the one client entity;

saving client log information relating to the execution of the client component on the one client entity by invoking a log function provided by the client component, the client log information being saved to a non-persistent memory structure of the client component; and

transmitting the client log information for use in the debugging of the software application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the client log information to the server entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

saving server log information relating to execution of the server component on the server entity; and

combining the client log information with the server log information so as to produce global log information of the software application for use in the debugging of the software application.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the software application is a web application,

the client component includes scripts associated with web pages, and

the accessing, downloading, executing, saving, and transmitting steps are executed under control of a browser running on the one client entity.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the saving step includes:

saving client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity, and

saving client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the saving of the client log information relating to the user actions performed on the one client entity includes:

registering a set of predefined actions to be monitored with a browser so as to cause the browser to trigger execution of a corresponding function of the client component in response to detection of one of the registered actions, and

adding, by the triggered function, an indication of the detected registered action to the non-persistent memory structure.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the client log information periodically.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the transmitting of the client log information periodically includes:

registering an invocation of a transmission function of the client component with a browser, the invocation being registered with a selected time-out so as to cause the browser to invoke the transmission function in response to each expiration of the time-out, and

transmitting, by the transmission function, the client log information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes:

monitoring a filling rate of the memory structure, and

transmitting the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes:

detecting an error condition of the client component, and

transmitting the client log information in response to the detection of the error condition.

11. A tangible computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and a plurality of client entities, the computer program comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity;

executing the client component on the one client entity;

saving client log information relating to the execution of the client component on the one client entity by invoking a log function provided by the client component, the client log information being saved to a non-persistent memory structure of the client component; and

transmitting the client log information for use in the debugging of the software application.

12. The tangible computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the client log information to the server entity.

13. The tangible computer-readable medium according to claim 11,

wherein the software application is a web application,

the client component includes scripts associated with web pages, and

the accessing, downloading, executing, saving, and transmitting steps are executed under control of a browser running on the one client entity.

14. The tangible computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the saving step includes:

saving client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity, and

saving client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

15. The tangible computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the transmitting step includes:

monitoring a filling rate of the memory structure, and

transmitting the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.

16. A system for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and a plurality of client entities, the system comprising:

means for accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

means for downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity;

means for executing the client component on the one client entity;

means for saving client log information relating to the execution of the client component on the one client entity by invoking a log function provided by the client component, the client log information being saved to a non-persistent memory structure of the client component; and

means for transmitting the client log information for use in the debugging of the software application.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the means for transmitting transmits the client log information to the server entity.

18. The system according to claim 16,

wherein the software application is a web application,

the client component includes scripts associated with web pages, and

the means for accessing, means for downloading, means for executing, means for saving, and means for transmitting are controlled by a browser running on the one client entity.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the means for saving saves client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity, and saves client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the means for transmitting monitors a filling rate of the memory structure, and transmits the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.