Using stack data and source code to rank program changes

• US 8,924,932 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Granshaw, David, Massey, Samuel T., McGinnes, Daniel J., Ross, Martin A., Schofield, Richard G., Stirling, Craig H.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US13/860,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 717/123
• US Class Current: 717/123
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/73 Program documentation

Abstract

A computer accesses a stack data and a source code of a program. The computer searches for a first change made to the program, wherein the first change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program. The computer identifies the first change that was made to the program and determines the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression. The computer generates a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression.

Claims

1. A method of using stack data and source code to rank program changes, the method comprising:

a computer accessing a stack data of a program;

the computer accessing a source code of the program;

the computer searching for a first change made to the program, wherein the first change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

the computer identifying the first change that was made to the program; and

the computer determining a probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression, wherein the probability based on one or more of a type of the change, a time when the change was made, a number of changes made, and a frequency of the change being identified;

the computer generating a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further including the steps of:

the computer searching for a second change made to the program;

the computer identifying the second change that was made to the program wherein the second change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

the computer determining a probability that the identified second change caused one or both of an error and a regression;

the computer ranking the second change and the first change based, at least in part, on the determined probability associated with the first change and the determined probability associated with the second change; and

the computer generating a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on one or more of the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of the error and the regression, the probability that the identified second change caused one or both of the error and the regression, and the ranking of the second change and the first change.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer searching for a first change made to the program includes:

the computer using the stack data of the program to query the source code of the program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer searching for a first change made to the program includes:

the computer using the stack data of the program and the source code of the program to identify a third change that is not indicated by the stack data of the program, wherein the third change is one of a change made to a method that is invoked by the program, or to a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the computer searching for a first change made to the program includes:

the computer searching for changes using a recursive depth parameter, wherein the recursive depth parameter indicates a range of parent-child method relationships that are followed to identify one or both of a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stack data of the program includes one or more of a data indicating the active subroutines of the program, a thread state data of the program, and a thread stack data of the program.

7. A computer program product for identifying code changes, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media computer readable storage medium and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media computer readable storage medium, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to access a stack data of a program;

program instructions to access a source code of the program;

program instructions to search for a first change made to the program, wherein the first change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

program instructions to identify the first change that was made to the program;

program instructions to determine a probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression, wherein the probability based on one or more of a type of the change, a time when the change was made, a number of changes made, and a frequency of the change being identified; and

program instructions to generate a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, the program instructions further including:

program instructions to search for a second change made to the program;

program instructions to identify the second change that was made to the program wherein the second change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

program instructions to determine a probability that the identified second change caused one or both of an error and a regression;

program instructions to rank the second change and the first change based, at least in part, on the determined probability associated with the first change and the determined probability associated with the second change; and

program instructions to generate a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on one or more of the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of the error and the regression, the probability that the identified second change caused one or both of the error and the regression, and the ranking of the second change and the first change.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to use the stack data of the program to query the source code of the program.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to use the stack data of the program and the source code of the program to identify a third change that is not indicated by the stack data of the program, wherein the third change is one of a change made to a method that is invoked by the program, or to a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to search for changes using a recursive depth parameter, wherein the recursive depth parameter indicates a range of parent-child method relationships that are followed to identify one or both of a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the stack data of the program includes one or more of a data indicating the active subroutines of the program, a thread state data of the program, and a thread stack data of the program.

13. A computer system for identifying code changes, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage medium;

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to access a stack data of a program;

program instructions to access a source code of the program;

program instructions to search for a first change made to the program, wherein the first change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

program instructions to identify the first change that was made to the program;

program instructions to determine a probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression, wherein the probability based on one or more of a type of the change, a time when the change was made, a number of changes made, and a frequency of the change being identified; and

program instructions to generate a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of an error and a regression.

14. The computer system of claim 13, the program instructions further including:

program instructions to search for a second change made to the program;

program instructions to identify the second change that was made to the program wherein the second change is one of a change to a method of the program, a change to a class of the program, a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program;

program instructions to determine a probability that the identified second change caused one or both of an error and a regression;

program instructions to rank the second change and the first change based, at least in part, on the determined probability associated with the first change and the determined probability associated with the second change; and

program instructions to generate a ranked list of identified changes based, at least in part, on one or more of the probability that the identified first change caused one or both of the error and the regression, the probability that the identified second change caused one or both of the error and the regression, and the ranking of the second change and the first change.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to use the stack data of the program to query the source code of the program.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to use the stack data of the program and the source code of the program to identify a third change that is not indicated by the stack data of the program, wherein the third change is one of a change made to a method that is invoked by the program, or to a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to search for a first change made to the program includes:

program instructions to search for changes using a recursive depth parameter, wherein the recursive depth parameter indicates a range of parent-child method relationships that are followed to identify one or both of a change to a method that is invoked by the program, or a change to a class containing a method that is invoked by the program.