Debugger impact reduction through breakpoint motion

• US 6,922,826 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee, Schmidt, William Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingberg, Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nahar, Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US09/897,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 717/129, 717/151, 717/153, 717/160, 717/161, 714/35, 714/38
• US Class Current: 717/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging

Abstract

A first type of debugger impact reduction includes removing, from within a loop, an initial conditional breakpoint (“ICB”); extracting a first Boolean expression (“BE_1”) therefrom; setting a special conditional breakpoint (“SCB”) including the BE_1; and reestablishing the ICB if the SCB is satisfied. Optionally, the first type may further include extracting, from code within the loop, a second Boolean expression (“BE_2”); disjunctively including its complement in the SCB; and setting a reset breakpoint at loop exit program positions to remove reset breakpoints and/or the ICB. A second type includes setting the SCB with the complement of BE_1; and removing the ICB when the SCB is satisfied. Optionally, the second type may further include conjunctively including the BE_2 in the SCB; and setting a reset breakpoint to remove reset breakpoints and/or reestablish the ICB. The above may be embodied in a method, a program debugger and an article of manufacture.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium encoded with a program debugger, for use in a programming environment, comprising:

means for extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint;

means for setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes said first Boolean expression; and

means for reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

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

means for setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, further comprising:

means for removing said first reset breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, further comprising:

means for setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

means for removing said first and second reset breakpoints if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

means for extracting, from program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint disjunctively includes the complement of said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

means for setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

means for removing said first reset breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

means for setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

means for removing said first and second reset breakpoints if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.

13. A method of reducing debugger impact through conditional breakpoint motion, comprising:

extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

removing said initial conditional breakpoint;

setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes said first Boolean expression; and

if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

extracting, from program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint disjunctively includes the complement of said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.

25. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of reducing debugger impact through conditional breakpoint motion, the method comprising:

extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

removing said initial conditional breakpoint;

setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes said first Boolean expression; and

if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein said first Boolean expression is partially invariant within the loop, and the method further comprises:

extracting, from program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint disjunctively includes the complement of said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.

37. A computer-readable medium encoded with a program debugger, for use in a programming environment, comprising:

means for extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

means for setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes the complement of said first Boolean expression; and

means for removing said initial conditional breakpoint if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein said first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, further comprising:

means for setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

means for reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further comprising:

means for removing said first reset breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further comprising:

means for setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

means for reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising:

means for removing said first and second reset breakpoints if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein said first Boolean expression is partially invariant within the loop, and said program debugger further comprises:

means for extracting, from program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint conjunctively includes said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, further comprising:

means for setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

means for reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising:

means for removing said first reset breakpoint if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, further comprising:

means for setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

means for reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprising:

means for removing said first and second reset breakpoints if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.

49. A method of reducing debugger impact through conditional breakpoint motion, comprising:

extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes the complement of said first Boolean expression; and

if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

53. The method of claim 51, further comprising:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

55. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

extracting, from the program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint conjunctively includes said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

58. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

60. The method of claim 49, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.

68. The article of manufacture of claim 57, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

69. The article of manufacture of claim 68, wherein the method further comprises:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

70. The article of manufacture of claim 68, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

71. The article of manufacture of claim 70, wherein the method further comprises:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

61. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of reducing debugger impact through conditional breakpoint motion, the method comprising:

extracting, from an initial conditional breakpoint within a program loop, a first Boolean expression that is at least partially invariant within the loop;

setting, at a pre-initial conditional breakpoint program position, a special conditional breakpoint that includes the complement of said first Boolean expression; and

if said special conditional breakpoint is satisfied, removing said initial conditional breakpoint.

62. The article of manufacture of claim 61, wherein said first Boolean expression is completely invariant within the loop.

63. The article of manufacture of claim 61, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a first loop exit program position, a first reset breakpoint; and

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

64. The article of manufacture of claim 63, wherein the method further comprises:

if said first reset breakpoint is satisfied, removing said first reset breakpoint.

65. The article of manufacture of claim 63, wherein the method further comprises:

setting, at a second loop exit program position, a second reset breakpoint; and

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, reestablishing said initial conditional breakpoint.

66. The article of manufacture of claim 65, wherein the method further comprises:

if one of said first and second reset breakpoints is satisfied, removing said first and second reset breakpoints.

67. The article of manufacture of claim 61, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting, from the program code within the loop, a second Boolean expression that is invariant within the loop,

wherein said special conditional breakpoint conjunctively includes said second Boolean expression, and said first Boolean expression is invariant within the loop when said second Boolean expression is satisfied.

72. The article of manufacture of claim 61, wherein the initial conditional breakpoint occurs at a program statement in the loop that has been designated by an operator of the program debugger.