System and method for software prototype-development and validation and for automatic software simulation re-grabbing

• US 8,087,007 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Partner One Acquisitions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Assima Limited
• Inventors: Duneau, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Insun
• Application Number:
  US11/430,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20070261035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

During execution of a program, a processor may identify one or more object class instantiations that are associated by the program with a program state obtained during the execution of the program, may store in a file a description of the identified object class instantiations, where at least a portion of the execution of the program is simulatable based on the file, and may modify the first file in response to a user interaction with a graphical representation of one of the described object class instantiations, where a modified version of the portion of the execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified first file.

Claims

1. A computer application development method, comprising:

during, and based on, a first execution of a program, the first execution of the program including interaction with graphical user interface objects;

automatically identifying, by a processor, at least one object class instantiation according to which a respective one of the graphical user interface objects is displayed and that is associated by the program with a program state obtained during the first execution of the program; and

automatically storing, by the processor, in a first file a description of the identified at least one object class instantiation, wherein at least a portion of the first execution of the program is simulatable without execution of the program and based on the first file to display a sequence of graphical user interface screens in which the at least one respective graphical user interface object is displayed; and

modifying the first file in response to a user interaction with a displayed one of the at least one respective graphical user interface object, wherein a modified version of the at least the portion of the first execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified first file.

2. The computer application development method of claim 1, wherein a simulation based on the modified first file represents a program modification request.

3. The computer application development method of claim 1, further comprising:

in accordance with the modified first file, automatically interacting with the program during a second execution of the program by emulating a user interaction with a graphical user interface that is produced by execution of the program;

during the second execution, generating a simulation data, wherein at least a portion of the second execution of the program is simulatable based on the simulation data.

4. The computer application development method of claim 3, further comprising:

during the first execution, storing in the first file data representing user-entered text that is input during the first execution.

5. The computer application development method of claim 4, wherein the automatic interaction includes inputting the user-entered text represented in the first file.

6. The computer application development method of claim 3, further comprising:

automatically comparing the simulation data to the modified first file; and

generating a report indicating whether the simulation data and the modified first file match.

7. The computer application development method of claim 6, wherein, if the simulation data and the modified first file do not match, the report identifies at least one difference between the simulation data and the modified first file.

8. The computer application development method of claim 7, wherein the at least one difference is with respect to at least one of:

a set of properties associated with at least one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation, a property value, and a sequence of represented program states.

9. The computer application development method of claim 6, further comprising:

during the comparing of the simulation data to the modified first file, heuristically determining for at least one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation described in the modified first file whether the simulation data includes an equivalent thereof.

10. The computer application development method of claim 9, wherein the heuristic determination comprises:

analyzing at least one of a set of properties and at least one property value associated with at least one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation described in the simulation data and associated with the at least one of the object class instantiation and the event class instantiation described in the modified first file to determine a degree of similarity therebetween.

11. The computer application development method of claim 3, further comprising:

automatically comparing the simulation data to the modified first file; and

inserting into at least one of the modified first file and a second file in which the simulation data is stored a description of at least one of an instantiation of a note object class and a layer of the note object instantiation that indicates a result of the comparison.

12. The computer application development method of claim 11, wherein:

the result of the comparison is associated with a particular object class instantiation described in the at least one of the modified first file and the second file; and

the description of the at least one of the instantiation of the note object class and the layer of the note object instantiation is associated with the description of the particular object class instantiation.

13. The computer application development method of claim 11, wherein, responsive to a determination during the comparison that the simulation data includes a description of one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation not included in the modified first file, the inserted description is provided as an application modification request.

14. The computer application development method of claim 3, wherein the automatic interaction further comprises:

heuristically determining at least one of (a) if a present program state of the second program execution corresponds to a program state representation in the modified first file in accordance with which it is determined which particular user interaction should be an immediately following user interaction, (b) if the present program state of the second program execution includes an instantiation of an object class identified in the modified first file and with which the particular user interaction should be performed, and (c) if the particular user interaction is performable with the object class instantiation of the present program state of the second program execution that is identified in the modified first file and with which the immediately following user interaction should be performed.

15. The computer application development method of claim 14, wherein the heuristic determination includes determining that at least one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation of the present program state is equivalent to at least one of an object class instantiation and an event class instantiation described in the modified first file that is identified by the modified first file differently than by the program.

16. The computer application development method of claim 1, wherein:

the modification of the first file includes an insertion into the first file of a description of a note object class instantiation that includes information one of directly and indirectly regarding another object class instantiation described in the first file;

the description of the note object class instantiation is associable with the description of the another object class instantiation; and

a representation of the note object class instantiation is output based on the description association.

17. The computer application development method of claim 16, wherein a representation of the another object class instantiation is output based on the description association.

18. The computer application development method of claim 17, wherein:

the note object class instantiation includes a link to the representation of the another object class instantiation;

the representation of the another object class instantiation is output in response to a user selection of the link; and

the representation of the another object class instantiation includes at least one of a graphical representation and the description of the another object class instantiation.

19. The computer application development method of claim 16, wherein the representation of the note object class instantiation is output during at least one of a simulation output mode and a simulation edit mode.

20. The computer application development method of claim 19, wherein the note object class instantiation includes a settable output mode property and which of the simulation output mode and the simulation edit mode during which the representation of the note object class instantiation is output depends on a value of the output mode property.

21. A hardware computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions adapted to be executed by a processor, the instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to perform a computer application development method, the computer application development method comprising:

during, and based on, an execution of a program, the execution of the program including interaction with graphical user interface objects;

automatically identifying at least one object class instantiation according to which a respective one of the graphical user interface objects is displayed and that is associated by the program with a program state obtained during the execution of the program; and

automatically storing in a file a description of the identified at least one object class instantiation, wherein at least a portion of the execution of the program is simulatable without execution of the program and based on the file to display a sequence of graphical user interface screens in which the at least one respective graphical user interface object is displayed; and

modifying the file in response to a user interaction with a displayed one of the at least one respective graphical user interface object, wherein a modified version of the at least the portion of the execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified file.

22. A computer application development system, comprising:

at least one computer processor configured to;

during, and based on, an execution of a program, the execution of the program including interaction with graphical user interface objects;

automatically identify at least one object class instantiation according to which a respective one of the graphical user interface objects is displayed and that is associated by the program with a program state obtained during the execution of the program; and

automatically store in a file a description of the identified at least one object class instantiation, wherein at least a portion of the execution of the program is simulatable without execution of the program and based on the file to display a sequence of graphical user interface screens in which the at least one respective graphical user interface object is displayed; and

modify the file in response to a user interaction with a displayed one of the at least one respective graphical user interface object, wherein a modified version of the at least the portion of the execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified file.

23. A computer application simulation generation method, comprising:

based on a first file that includes data interpreted as a description of a sequence of user interactions with a computer program and as including at least one state capture instruction, automatically interacting with the program during a first execution of the program, the automatic interacting including an emulation of a user interaction with graphical user interface objects of a graphical user interface that is produced by execution of the program;

for at least one program state obtained as a result of the automatic interaction during the first execution of the program, and based on the first execution of the program;

automatically identifying at least one object class instantiation according to which a respective one of the graphical user interface objects is displayable and that is associated by the program with the program state; and

storing in the first file a description of the identified at least one object class instantiation, wherein at least a portion of the first execution of the program is simulatable without execution of the program and based on the first file in which the description of the identified at least one object class instantiation is stored to display a sequence of graphical user interface screens in which the at least one respective graphical user interface object is displayed; and

modifying the first file in response to a user interaction with one or more of the displayed at least one respective graphical user interface object, wherein a modified version of the at least the portion of the first execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified first file.

24. The computer application simulation generation method of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of a second execution of the program that occurred prior to the first execution of the program is simulatable based on the first file.

25. The computer application simulation generation method of claim 23, wherein the data interpreted as the description of the sequence of user interactions with the computer program and as including the at least one state capture instruction is inserted into the first file automatically during a second execution of the program that occurs prior to the first execution of the program.

26. The computer application simulation generation method of claim 25, wherein, prior to the automatic interaction with the program based on the first file during the first execution of the program, the first file is also usable for simulation of the second execution of the program.

27. A computer application development method, comprising:

responsive to, and in accordance with, execution of a program, automatically generating, by a processor, a simulation file playable for simulating at least a portion of the execution of the program without execution of the program, wherein;

the execution of the program includes display of graphical user interface objects; and

the generating includes;

identifying at least one object class instantiation according to which a respective one of the graphical user interface objects is displayed and that is associated by the executed program with a program state obtained during the first execution of the program; and

automatically storing in the simulation file a description of the identified at least one object class instantiation; and

modifying the simulation file in response to a user interaction with a displayed one of the at least one respective graphical user interface object, wherein a modified version of the at least the portion of the execution of the program is simulatable based on the modified simulation file to display a sequence of graphical user interface screens in which a modified version of the one of the at least one respective graphical user interface object is displayed.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

automatically interacting with the program, based on the simulation file, during a subsequent execution of the program; and

updating the simulation file based on the subsequent execution of the program, the updated simulation file being playable for simulating a modified version of the at least the portion of the execution of the program.