Common debug adaptor in a multiple computer programming language environment

• US 8,196,109 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fung, Jane Chi-Yan, Lo, Grace Hai Yan, O'Farrell, William Gerald, Tan, Shu Xia
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US12/065,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-129, 717148-150
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3632 of specific synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3648 using additional hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

Software developers working on multi-language systems with various debug tools (BPEL, AE, Java, etc.) can use a common debug adaptor (CDA). The CDA implements a method of debugging in a multi-computer program language environment. The method includes registering various debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, each one of the plurality of debug tools providing suspended threads and stack frames in response to a debug event in the multi-computer program language environment. The method can further include receiving the suspended threads and stack frames from the plurality of debug tools. The method can further include correlating the received suspended threads and stack frames under a common suspended thread; and providing the common suspended thread in a debug view. Such a method can have a number of attributes intended to assist developers facing debugging problems in multi-language systems.

Claims

1. A method of debugging in a multi-computer program language environment, the method comprising:

registering, with a common debugging adaptor, a plurality of debug tools associated with

different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, each one of the plurality of debug tools providing suspended threads and suspended stack frames in response to a debug event in the multi-computer program language environment;

receiving the suspended threads and the suspended stack frames from the plurality of

debug tools;

correlating the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under a common

suspended thread; and

providing the common suspended thread in a debug view;

where registering, with the common debugging adaptor, the plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment comprises receiving a debug tool identifier from each one of the plurality of debug tools.

2. The method of claim 1, where each one of the plurality of debug tools comprises the debug tool identifier, a server under debug identifier, an instance identifier, and a thread identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, where correlating the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under the common suspended thread comprises grouping the suspended threads and the suspended stack frames from the plurality of debug tools based on at least one of the server under debug identifier, the instance identifier, and the thread identifier.

4. The method of claim 2, where correlating the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under the common suspended thread comprises:

creating a launcher for each server under debug identifier;

creating a debug target for each instance identifier; and

grouping debug events from the plurality of debug tools having identical thread identifiers into stack frames under the common suspended thread.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising delegating a user instruction to one of the plurality of debug tools.

6. The method of claim 5, where the user instruction comprises one of the following actions:

resume, step over, step into, and step return.

7. The method of claim 6, where delegating the user instruction to one of the plurality of debug tools comprises:

receiving the user instruction;

identifying one of the plurality of debug tools that corresponds to a selected stack frame; and

calling for execution of an identical action on the identified debug tool.

8. A system for debugging in a multi-computer program language environment, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor programmed to;

register a plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, each one of the plurality of debug tools providing suspended threads and suspended stack frames in response to a debug event in the multi-computer program language environment;

receive the suspended threads and the suspended stack frames from the plurality of debug tools;

correlate the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under a common suspended thread; and

provide the common suspended thread in a debug view;

where, in being programmed to register the plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, the processor is programmed to receive a debug tool identifier from each one of the plurality of debug tools.

9. The system of claim 8, where each one of the plurality of debug tools comprises the debug tool identifier, a server under debug identifier, an instance identifier, and a thread identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to correlate the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under the common suspended thread, the processor is programmed to group the suspended threads and suspended stack frames from the plurality of debug tools based on at least one of the server under debug identifier, the instance identifier, and the thread identifier.

11. The system of claim 9, where, in being programmed to correlate the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under the common suspended thread, the processor is programmed to:

create a launcher for each server under debug identifier;

create a debug target for each instance identifier; and

group debug events from the plurality of debug tools having identical thread identifiers into stack frames under the common suspended thread.

12. The system of claim 9, where the processor is further programmed to delegate a user instruction to one of the plurality of debug tools.

13. The system of claim 12, where the user instruction comprises one of the following actions:

resume, step over, step into and step return.

14. The system of claim 13, where, in being programmed to delegate the user instruction to one of the plurality of debug tools, the processor is programmed to:

receive the user instruction;

identify one of the plurality of debug tools that corresponds to a selected stack frame; and

call for execution of an identical action on the identified debug tool.

15. A computer program product for debugging in a multi-computer

program language environment comprising a computer readable storage medium including computer readable program code, where the computer readable program code when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

register a plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the

multi-computer program language environment, each one of the plurality of debug tools

providing suspended threads and suspended stack frames in response to a debug event in the multi-computer program language environment;

receive the suspended threads and the suspended stack frames from the plurality of debug

tools;

correlate the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under a common

suspended thread; and

provide the common suspended thread in a debug view;

where, in causing the computer to register the plurality of debug tools associated with

different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, the computer readable program code when executed on the computer causes the computer to receive a debug tool identifier from each one of the plurality of debug tools.

16. An apparatus for debugging in a multi-computer program language environment, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a computer program residing in the memory; and

a common debug adaptor residing in the memory and executed by the processor;

the common debug adaptor comprising;

a registry module for registering a plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, each one of the plurality of debug tools providing suspended threads and suspended stack frames in response to a debug event in the multi-computer program language environment;

a correlation module for receiving the suspended threads and the suspended stack frames from the plurality of debug tools and correlating the received suspended threads and suspended stack frames under a common suspended thread; and

a user interface module for providing the common suspended thread in a debug view;

where, in registering the plurality of debug tools associated with different programming languages in the multi-computer program language environment, the registry module receives a debug tool identifier from each one of the plurality of debug tools.