System and process for debugging object-oriented programming code leveraging preprocessors

• US 8,683,439 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Daniel, Maxime
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUY KHUONG THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/247,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,995 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-126
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A process and system for debugging of a computer program, is provided. One implementation involves including mark-up information into source code of the application program, generating a debug-enabled version of the computer program including debugging methods based on the mark-up information, and providing the debug-enabled version of the program computer to a debugger for debugging purposes using the debugging methods.

Claims

1. A method of interactive debugging of an object-oriented computer program, comprising:

including mark-up information as one or more comments into source code of the application program, the mark-up information associated with eligible debugging methods;

identifying eligible methods out of a set of possible eligible methods based on the mark-up information, wherein an eligible method takes no parameter, has a return type, and returns a result using the mark-up information;

generating a debug-enabled version of the computer program including debugging methods based on the mark-up information as a result of preprocessing the source code, wherein the debugging methods are named based on a recognizable pattern distinguishable from method names and additionally include a derived short name based on a method name, wherein the recognizable pattern is used for sorting out the eligible methods out of the set of possible eligible methods, and the recognizable pattern comprises a recognizable character pattern recognized using pattern based filtering; and

providing the debug-enabled version of the program computer to a debugger for debugging purposes using the debugging methods, wherein the debugging methods comprise debug-only methods which take no parameter, return a result, and have a name that encodes a marker and a short name, wherein a pseudo-field name is derived and a pseudo-field value is returned and used as a true value, and wherein the debugger is able to decode the short name.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein debugging methods further include eligible debugging methods named after a recognizable pattern.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the debugger comprises a debugger configured for filtering based on naming rules for maintaining eligible methods named after said recognizable pattern, and a short name derivation rule that uses said recognizable pattern.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the mark-up information comprises specific keywords that are included into the one or more comments of the source code for the computer program, and wherein the naming rules comprise associating a debug level to each eligible method or associates one or more debug channels to each eligible method.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the naming rules include:

a recognizable pattern for debugging methods that is both compatible with the considered programming language for the computer program, and unlikely to appear in typical method names; and

rules for deriving a short name of a debugging method from the method name.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a debug-enabled version of the computer program further includes generating wrapper debugging methods with the appropriate names.

7. The method of claim 1 further including generating a production version of the computer program.

8. A system for interactive debugging of a computer program, comprising:

a hardware processor coupled with a preprocessing module, the preprocessing module using the hardware processor for receiving source code of the computer program including mark-up information as one or more comments, the mark-up information associated with eligible debugging methods, identifying eligible methods out of a set of possible eligible methods based on the mark-up information, wherein an eligible method takes no parameter, has a return type, and returns a result using the mark-up information, and generating a debug-enabled version of the computer program including debugging methods based on the mark-up information as a result of preprocessing the source code by the preprocessing module, wherein the debugging methods are named based on a recognizable pattern distinguishable from method names and additionally include a derived short name based on a method name, wherein the recognizable pattern is used for sorting out the eligible methods out of the set of possible eligible methods, and the recognizable pattern comprises a recognizable character pattern recognized using pattern based filtering; and

a debugger configured for executing the debug-enabled version of the program computer for debugging purposes using the debugging methods, wherein the debugging methods comprise debug-only methods which take no parameter, return a result, and have a name that encodes a marker and a short name, wherein the debugger is able to decode the short name, and wherein a pseudo-field name is derived and a pseudo-field value is returned and used as a true value.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein debugging methods further include eligible debugging methods named after a recognizable pattern.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the debugger is configured for filtering based on naming rules for maintaining eligible methods named after said recognizable pattern, and a short name derivation rule that leverages said recognizable pattern.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the mark-up information comprises specific keywords that are included into the one or more comments of the source code for the computer program, and wherein the naming rules comprise associating a debug level to each eligible method or associates one or more debug channels to each eligible method.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the naming rules include:

a recognizable pattern for debugging methods that is both compatible with the considered programming language for the computer program, and unlikely to appear in typical method names; and

rules for deriving a short name of a debugging method from the method name.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the preprocessing module is further configured for generating a debug-enabled version of the computer program by generating wrapper debugging methods with the appropriate names˜

and additionally generating a production version of the computer program.

14. A computer program product for interactive debugging of an application program, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive source code of the application program including mark-up information as one or more comments, the mark-up information associated with eligible debugging methods, identify eligible methods of a set of possible eligible methods based on the mark-up information, wherein an eligible method takes no parameter, has a return type, and returns a result using the mark-up information, and generate a debug-enabled version of the application program including debugging methods based on the mark-up information as a result of preprocessing the source code, wherein the debugging methods are named based on a recognizable pattern distinguishable from method names and additionally include a derived short name based on a method name, wherein the recognizable pattern is used for sorting out the eligible methods out of the set of possible eligible methods, and the recognizable pattern comprises a recognizable character pattern recognized using pattern based filtering; and

executing the debug-enabled version of the application program for debugging purposes using the debugging methods, wherein the debugging methods comprise debug-only methods which take no parameter, return a result, and have a name that encodes a marker and a short name, wherein a pseudo-field name is derived and a pseudo-field value is returned and used as a true value, and wherein the debugger is able to decode the short name.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein debugging methods further include eligible debugging methods named after a recognizable pattern, and instructions for executing the debug-enabled version further include instructions for filtering based on naming rules for maintaining eligible methods named after said recognizable pattern, and a short name derivation rule that leverages said recognizable pattern, and wherein the naming rules comprise associating a debug level to each eligible method or associates one or more debug channels to each eligible method.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the naming rules include:

a recognizable pattern for debugging methods that is both compatible with the considered programming language for the application program, and unlikely to appear in typical method names; and

rules for a desired short name of a debugging method.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the instructions to generate a debug-enabled version of the application program further includes instructions to generate a debug-enabled version of the computer program by generating wrapper debugging methods with the appropriate names.