Method, system and computer program for debugging software applications in a web environment

• US 8,347,269 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lerro, Marco, Longobardi, Roberto, Marinelli, Claudio, Lazzaro, Luca
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US12/166,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A method and system are provided for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and client entities. For at least one of the client entities, a server component of the application running on the server entity is accessed, and a client component of the application is downloaded from the server entity. The client component is executed. Client log information relating to the execution of the client component is saved by invoking a log function provided by the client component; the client log information is saved into a non-persistent memory structure of the client component. The client log information is transmitted for use in the debugging of the application.

Claims

1. A method for debugging a software application in a data processing system that includes a server entity and a plurality of client entities, for at least one of the client entities the method comprising:

accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity, the client component comprising;

at least one script that performs at least one function of the client component, and

a log function that traces an execution of the at least one function;

executing, by a processor, the client component that includes the at least one function on the one client entity;

tracing, by the log function, the at least one function of the script in response to executing the at least one function;

responsive to the tracing, saving client log information in a log buffer on the one client entity relating to at least the execution of the at least one function of the script, the log buffer being a non-persistent memory structure of the client component that is maintained in the working memory of the one client entity; and

transmitting the client log information saved in the log buffer from the one client entity to the server entity for use in the debugging of the software application, and then purging the log buffer,

wherein the non-persistent memory structure is an array, the log buffer comprises a series of client log items, and each of the client log items is an array entry, and

the saving comprises adding one client log item to the log buffer by the log function passing the one client log item as a parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

saving server log information relating to execution of the server component on the server entity; and

combining the client log information with the server log information so as to produce global log information of the software application for use in the debugging of the software application.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the software application is a web application, and

the at least one script is associated with a web page.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the saving comprises:

saving client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity; and

saving client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the saving of the client log information relating to the user actions performed on the one client entity comprises:

registering a set of predefined actions to be monitored with a browser so as to cause the browser to trigger execution of a corresponding function of the client component in response to detection of one of the registered actions, and adding, by the triggered function, an indication of the detected registered action to the non-persistent memory structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the client log information periodically.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting of the client log information periodically comprises:

registering an invocation of a transmission function of the client component with a browser, the invocation being registered with a selected time-out so as to cause the browser to invoke the transmission function in response to each expiration of the time-out; and

transmitting, by the transmission function, the client log information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises:

monitoring a filling rate of the memory structure; and

transmitting the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises:

detecting an error condition of the client component; and

transmitting the client log information in response to the detection of the error condition.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program for debugging a software application in a data processing system that comprises a server entity and a plurality of client entities, the computer program comprising instructions for performing a method comprising:

accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity, the client component comprising;

at least one script that performs at least one function of the client component, and

a log function that traces an execution of the at least one function;

executing, by a processor, the client component that includes the at least one function on the one client entity;

tracing, by the log function, the at least one function of the script in response to executing the at least one function;

responsive to the tracing, saving client log information in a log buffer on the one client entity relating to at least the execution of the at least one function of the script, the log buffer being a non-persistent memory structure of the client component that is maintained in the working memory of the one client entity; and

transmitting the client log information saved in the log buffer from the one client entity to the server entity for use in the debugging of the software application, and then purging the log buffer,

wherein the non-persistent memory structure is an array, the log buffer comprises a series of client log items, and each of the client log items is an array entry, and

the saving comprises adding one client log item to the log buffer by the log function passing the one client log item as a parameter.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10,

wherein the software application is a web application, and

the at least one script is associated with a web page.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the saving comprises:

saving client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity; and

saving client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the transmitting comprises:

monitoring a filling rate of the memory structure; and

transmitting the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.

14. A system for debugging a software application in a data processing system that comprises a server entity and a plurality of client entities, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to perform a method comprising;

accessing a server component of the software application that is running on the server entity;

downloading a client component of the software application from the server entity to the one client entity;

executing the client component on the one client entity, the client component comprising;

at least one script that performs at least one function of the client component, and

a log function that traces an execution of the at least one function;

responsive to the tracing, saving client log information in a log buffer on the one client entity relating to at least the execution of the at least one function of the script, the log buffer being a non-persistent memory structure of the client component that is maintained in the working memory of the one client entity; and

transmitting the client log information saved in the log buffer from the one client entity to the server entity for use in the debugging of the software application, and then purging the log buffer,

wherein the non-persistent memory structure is an array, the log buffer comprises a series of client log items, and each of the client log items is an array entry, and

the saving comprises adding one client log item to the log buffer by the log function passing the one client log item as a parameter.

15. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the software application is a web application, and

the at least one script is associated with-a web page.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the saving comprises:

saving client log information relating to user actions performed on the one client entity; and

saving client log information relating to functional operations performed by the client component.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the transmitting comprises:

monitoring a filling rate of the memory structure; and

transmitting the client log information in response to the filling rate reaching a threshold.