Interactive graph for navigating application code

• US 9,658,943 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gounares, Alexander G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US14/666,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 717141-142, 717123-129
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

Code elements may be selected from a graph depicting an application. The graph may show code elements as nodes, with edges representing connections between the nodes. The connections may be messages passed between code elements, code flow relationships, or other relationships. When a code element or group of code elements are selected from the graph, the corresponding source code may be displayed. The code may be displayed in a code editor or other mechanism by which the code may be viewed, edited, and manipulated.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computer processor, said method comprising:

displaying a graph, wherein the graph comprises;

a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes represent one or more code elements, wherein each code element of the one or more code elements comprises at least one unit of executable code configured to be processed by the computer processor; and

a plurality of edges, wherein the plurality of edges represent one or more relationships between the one or more code elements, the one or more relationships being one or more functional relationships derived from monitoring execution of the one or more code elements;

receiving a selection identifying a first node of the plurality of nodes displayed on the graph;

determining that the first node is related to a first code element; and

in response to the selection of the first node and upon determining that the first node is related to the first code element, displaying source code related to the first code element.

2. The method of claim 1, the one or more functional relationships being function calls between the one or more code elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more functional relationships comprise shared memory.

4. The method of claim 1, said selection being made through an interactive element on said graph.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the graph comprises indicators relating to performance metrics gathered during execution of the one or more code elements.

6. The method of claim 5, said graph being updated in at least near real time.

7. The method of claim 5, said indicators comprising visual indicators relating to the plurality of nodes.

8. The method of claim 7, said visual indicators comprising size differences between nodes.

9. The method of claim 7 said visual indicators comprising color differences between nodes.

10. The method of claim 4, said graph comprising directional indicators for a plurality of said edges.

11. A computer system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

a communication engine coupled to the one or more hardware processors, wherein the communication engine is configured to receive graph data, said graph data comprising;

a plurality of nodes representing one or more code elements, wherein each code element of the one or more code elements comprises at least one unit of executable code configured to be processed by the one or more hardware processors; and

a plurality of edges, wherein the plurality of edges represents one or more relationships between the one or more code elements, the one or more relationships being one or more functional relationships;

a display;

a graph renderer that causes a graph to be rendered at the display, the graph representing at least a portion of the graph data;

a user input analyzer that receives a user input identifying a first node; and

a code display mechanism that causes source code related to said first node to be presented at the display in response to the user input identifying the first node.

12. The system of claim 11, said communication engine receiving updates to said graph data and said graph renderer updating said graph based on said updates.

13. The system of claim 12, said user input analyzer in communication with a user interface, the user interface comprising one or more interactive elements selectable on said graph.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

a tracer that monitors the one or more code elements during execution and collects performance data related to the plurality of nodes, the tracer being configured to transmit the performance data to the communication engine, wherein at least a portion of the performance data is included in the graph data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the graph renderer further causes at least a portion of the performance data to be displayed as one or more visual indicators on the graph.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more visual indicators are applied to the plurality of nodes.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more visual indicators are applied to the plurality of edges.

19. The system of claim 18, said graph being a force directed graph.

20. A computer system comprising the following:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to perform a method for navigating application code using an interactive graph, the method comprising;

displaying a graph at a user interface, wherein the graph comprises;

a plurality of nodes, wherein the plurality of nodes represent one or more code elements; and

a plurality of edges, wherein the plurality of edges represent one or more relationships between the one or more code elements, the one or more relationships being one or more functional relationships derived from monitoring execution of the one or more code elements;

receiving a selection at the user interface identifying a first node of the plurality of nodes displayed on the graph;

determining that the first node is related to a first code element; and

in response to the selection of the first node and upon determining that the first node is related to the first code element, displaying source code at the user interface, the source code being related to the first code element.