Software debugging tool for displaying dynamically written software code

• US 6,668,369 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krebs, William H., Lumsden, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHEN, WEI Y
• Application Number:
  US09/473,596
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 717/125, 717/105, 717/124, 717/128, 717/135, 717/106-109, 717/126, 717/127, 345/700, 345/714, 345/733, 345/747, 345/760, 345/781, 709/202, 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/310, 709/313, 709/315, 709/317, 709/332, 707/513, 707/501.1, 707/526
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A software debugging tool for assisting a programmer in locating errors in content or coding, etc. generated at the client, e.g., using scripts and/or dynamic HTML. Whereas current debugging tools, such as the “View Source” option of popular Web browsing software, permits the programmer to view only the hard-coded HTML coding as it is received from a Web server, the present invention permits the programmer to view the HTML coding and/or content generated at the client. This assists the programmer to locate errors in, or “debug”, software, since it is frequently easier to detect errors in the results of an executed script than it is to detect errors in the script itself.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium for facilitating analysis of dynamically-generated code at a client computer configured for generating dynamically-generated code, the computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions for:

(a) identifying dynamic code generated dynamically at the client computer, the dynamic code being automatedly written without user input; and

(b) displaying, at the client computer, the dynamic code.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises inserting the dynamic code into a display of a source file containing code for generating the dynamic code.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising computer readable instructions for:

(c) generating dynamic code at the client computer;

(d) interpreting the dynamic code for displaying a Web page; and

(e) displaying the Web page.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the dynamic code is written in hypertext markup language and wherein steps (c), (d), and (e) are performed by Web browser software.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein step (c) is performed by execution of a script at the client computer.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 3, further comprising instructions for performing step (b) responsive to a user'"'"'s command.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises reading data from variables of Web browser software.

8. A method of analyzing a source file containing static code for generating dynamic code at a client computer, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating, at the client, the dynamic code, the dynamic code being automatedly written without user input; and

(b) displaying, at the client, the dynamic code generated in step (a).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

(c) receiving, at the client, the file containing the static code, step (c) being performed before step (a).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the static code comprises hypertext markup language code and a script for generating dynamic code written in hypertext markup language.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the script is written in Javascript.

12. An apparatus for analyzing a source file comprising static code for displaying elements of a Web page, the static code comprising a script executable at a client computer for generating dynamic code for displaying elements of a Web page, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a code generator for generating the dynamic code, the dynamic code being automatedly written without user input; and

(b) a display device for displaying the dynamic code generated in step (a).

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

(c) an interpreter for interpreting the static code and the dynamic code and for displaying elements of the Web page.

14. Computer readable code stored on media for assisting a user to analyze source code for display of a Web page, comprising:

first subprocesses for identifying dynamic code generated by a script executed at a Web client the dynamic code being autometedly written without user input;

second subprocesses for displaying the dynamic code to a user.

15. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 14, wherein the dynamic code is written in hypertext markup language.

16. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 14, wherein the first subprocesses read the dynamic code from variables of Web browser software after interpretation of the script.

17. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 14, wherein the Web page is displayed in a first window on a video monitor and wherein the second subprocesses display the dynamic code in a second window on the video monitor.

18. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 17, wherein the second subprocesses display the source code in the second window on the video monitor in addition to the script for generating the dynamic code.

19. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 17, wherein the second subprocesses displays the source code in the second window on the video monitor with the dynamic code in substitution for the script for generating the dynamic code.

20. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 14, further comprising:

third subprocesses for generating the dynamic code at a Web client.

21. Computer readable code stored on media according to claim 20, further comprising:

fourth subprocesses for interpreting the source code and displaying the Web page.