Continuous evaluation of program code and saving state information associated with program code

• US 9,645,915 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Bienkowski, Joseph R., Booker, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soltanzadeh, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/631,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

A device receives a program code being created or edited, executes a first portion of the program code to generate a first result, and executes a second portion of the program code to generate a second result. The device stores the first result and the second result, and compares the first result and the second result to determine a difference between the first result and the second result. The device utilizes the difference to identify an error in the program code, and provides information, associated with the difference and the error, for display.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more processors programmed with executable instructions to;

receive program code that includes a first portion of the program code and a second portion of the program code,

the first portion of the program code including one or more lines of the program code,

the first portion of the program code being before the second portion of the program code,

execute the first portion of the program code to generate a first result,

store the first result,

receive a change to a line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code,

the one or more lines of the program code included in the first portion of the program code being provided before the change to the line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code, and

execute, based on the change to the line of the program code, the second portion of the program code to generate a second result based on the stored first result and without re-executing the first portion of the program code.

2. The device of claim 1, where the first result and the second result include one or more of:

information associated with a state of the program code,

information associated with a variable of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors discovered in the program code, or

information associated with one or more tests performed on the program code.

3. The device of claim 2,

where the first result and the second result include the information associated with the state of the program code, and

where the information associated with the state of the program code includes one or more of:

information associated with one or more outputs generated by a line of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors generated by the program code,

time information, or

live updates of the variable.

4. The device of claim 1,

where the one or more processors are further to:

determine a difference between the first result and the second result, and

where the difference includes;

the first result providing a first output that is expected for the program code, and

the second result providing a second output that is unexpected for the program code.

5. The device of claim 1, where the program code includes code created with a dynamically-typed programming language.

16. The device of claim 1,

where the first result includes information associated with a state of the program code, and

where the state of the program code includes live updates of variables on the one or more lines of the program code.

17. The device of claim 16,

where the one or more lines of the program code include a first line and a second line,

where the live updates include:

a first value, of a variable of the variables, on the first line, and

a second value of the variable on the second line, and

where the second value is different from the first value.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving program code that includes a first portion of the program code and a second portion of the program code,

the receiving the first portion of the program code being performed by one or more devices,

the first portion of the program code including one or more lines of the program code, and

the first portion of the program code being before the second portion of the program code;

executing the first portion of the program code to generate a first result,

the executing the first portion being performed by the one or more devices;

storing the first result,

the storing the first result being performed by the one or more devices;

receiving a change to a line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code,

the one or more lines of the program code included in the first portion of the program code being provided before the change to the line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code, and

the receiving the second portion of the program code being performed by the one or more devices; and

executing, based on the change to the line of the program code, the second portion of the program code to generate a second result based on the stored first result and without re-executing the first portion of the program code,

the executing the second portion being performed by the one or more devices.

7. The method of claim 6, where the first result and the second result include one or more of:

information associated with a state of the program code,

information associated with a variable of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors discovered in the program code, or

information associated with one or more tests performed on the program code.

8. The method of claim 7,

where the first result and the second result include the information associated with the state of the program code, and

where the information associated with the state of the program code includes one or more of:

information associated with one or more outputs generated by a line of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors generated by the program code,

time information, or

live updates of the variable.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a difference between the first result and the second result,

where the difference includes;

the first result providing a first output that is expected for the program code, and

the second result providing a second output that is unexpected for the program code.

10. The method of claim 6,

where the program code includes code created with a dynamically-typed programming language, and

where receiving the first portion of the program code includes:

receiving the first portion of the program code via a technical computing environment.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

identifying an error in the program code based one or more of the first result or the second result,

determining to provide information regarding the error for display based on a content of the error or a cause of the error, and

providing, for display, the information regarding the error based on determining to provide the information regarding the error.

18. The method of claim 6,

where the first result includes information associated with a state of the program code, and

where the state of the program code includes live updates of variables on the one or more lines of the program code.

19. The method of claim 18,

where the one or more lines of the program code include a first line and a second line,

where the live updates include:

a first value, of a variable of the variables, on the first line, and

a second value of the variable on the second line, and

where the second value is different from the first value.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to;

receive program code that includes a first portion of the program code and a second portion of the program code,

the first portion of the program code including one or more lines of the program code,

the first portion of the program being before the second portion of the program code,

execute the first portion of the program code to generate a first result,

store the first result,

receive a change to a line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code,

and

the one or more lines of the program code included in the first portion of the program code being provided before the change to the line of the program code included in the second portion of the program code, and

execute, based on the change to the line of the program code, the second portion of the program code to generate a second result based on the stored first result and without re-executing the first portion of the program code.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, where the first result and the second result include one or more of:

information associated with a state of the program code,

information associated with a variable of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors discovered in the program code, or

information associated with one or more tests performed on the program code.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12,

where the first result and the second result include the information associated with the state of the program code, and

where the state of the program code includes one or more of:

information associated with one or more outputs generated by each line of the program code,

information associated with one or more errors generated by the program code,

time information, or

live updates of the variable.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11,

where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

determine a difference between the first result and the second result, and

where the difference includes;

the first result providing a first output that is expected for the program code, and

the second result providing a second output that is unexpected for the program code.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11,

where the first result includes first information associated with a first state of the program code,

where the first state of the program code includes one or more first live updates of a variable on the one or more lines of the program code,

where the second result includes second information associated with a second state of the program code, and

where the second state of the program code includes one or more second live updates of the variable on the line of the program code.