Method of ranking messages generated in a computer system

• US 6,782,530 B1
• Filed: 04/05/1999
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pincus, Jonathan D., Sielaff, David Jon, Softky, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): INGBERG, TODD D
• Application Number:
  US09/286,500
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 717/6, 717/5, 717/124, 709/224
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a method of automatically assigning a ranking value to a plurality of received messages is disclosed. Each of the received messages provides information about a computer program. The method includes receiving a first message, storing the first message in the database and initializing the first message. Further, it is determined whether the first message is to be disqualified. If it is determined that the first message is to be disqualified, the first message is disqualified. If it is determined that the first message is not to be disqualified, a ranking value is automatically assigning to the first message based upon a predetermined set of criteria.

Claims

1. A method of reporting defect messages, comprising:

receiving a plurality of defect messages providing information about a computer program;

automatically ranking the defect messages according to a set of criteria including whether a defect message includes an invalid pointer, the number of program lines involved to generate the defect message, whether a defect message involves an inference and whether a defect message refers to multiple functions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a first message of the plurality of defect messages in a database after the first message has been received.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising initializing the first message after it has been stored in the database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the process of initializing comprises assigning an initial value to the first message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of criteria is programmable.

6. A method of reporting defect messages detected during a simulating execution of a computer program, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of defect messages; and

automatically ranking the defect messages according to a set of criteria comprising severity, severity including defect messages having invalid pointers, and complexity, wherein complexity is based on the number of program lines included in each defect message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether the first message is to be disqualified after the first message has been received; and

if so, disqualifying the first message;

otherwise, automatically ranking the first message by assigning a first rank value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first message is disqualified by assigning a second rank value in automatically ranking the first message, wherein the second rank value is high relative to the first rank value.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a second message of the plurality of defect messages is to be disqualified; and

if not, automatically ranking the second message by assigning a third rank value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and third rank values are numeric scores.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising disqualifying the second message by assigning the second rank value to the second message in automatically ranking the second message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a first explanation for providing the first message with the first rank value is included with the first message, and wherein a second explanation for providing the second message with the third rank value is included with the second message.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second messages identify potential defects in the computer program.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

inserting the first message into one of a plurality of bins based upon the first rank value; and

inserting the second message into one of the plurality of bins based upon the third rank value.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying at least one of the plurality of messages on a graphical user interface (GUI).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the GUI is a Web browser.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether a first message of the plurality of messages is to be disqualified after the first message has been received; and

if so, disqualifying the first message;

otherwise, automatically ranking the first message by assigning a first rank value to the first message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether a second message of the plurality of defect messages is to be disqualified;

if not, automatically ranking the second message by assigning a second rank value; and

displaying the second message on the GUI.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

assigning the first message to a first group if the first rank value is above a predetermined threshold value;

otherwise, assigning the first message to a second group if the first rank value is below the first predetermined threshold value.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

assigning the second message to the first group if the second rank value is above the predetermined threshold value;

otherwise, assigning the second message to the second group.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising assigning the first message to a third group if the first message has been disqualified.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising assigning the second message to the third group if the second message has been disqualified.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising withholding the second message from being displayed on the GUI if the second message has been assigned to the first or third groups.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising withholding the first message from being displayed on the GUI if the first message has been assigned to the first or third groups.

32. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein an explanation is provided for the rank value of each defect message ranked at the ranking module.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a ranking module for automatically ranking defect messages providing information about a computer program according to a set of criteria including whether a defect message includes an invalid pointer, the number of program lines included in the defect message, whether a defect message involves an inference and whether a defect message refers to multiple functions.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a sort module coupled to the ranking module, wherein the sort module sorts the defect messages according to a rank value assigned at the ranking module.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a disqualification module coupled to the ranking module for disqualifying at least one of the defect messages.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the defect messages are displayed on a graphical user interface (GUI) according to the rank value assigned at the ranking module.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a database for archiving the defect messages; and

an initialization module coupled to the database for initializing the defect messages received at the database.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the defect messages disqualified at the disqualification module are not displayed on the GUI.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the defect messages are grouped into one of a plurality of bins according to the rank value assigned at the ranking module.