Editable data tooltips

• US 8,281,242 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Gomes, Luis M., Mohanasundaram, Madras S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/676,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20050028107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,289 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/711, 715/708, 715/705, 715/709, 715808-810
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

System and method for debugging a program. A graphical user interface (GUI) displays source code for the program in a first GUI element, and first user input is received to the first GUI element indicating an expression, e.g., including one or more one or more variables, constants, macros, and/or operators, in the source code. A value of the expression is displayed in a tooltip in response to the first user input. Second user input is received to the tooltip modifying the value, thereby specifying a new value, and the expression in the program is set to the new value. The program continues execution in accordance with the new value of the expression. The tooltip includes a first portion, e.g., context sensitive control, displaying the value and to receive the second user input modifying the value, and a second portion, e.g., text indicator, displaying non-editable information related to the expression.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer accessible memory medium which stores program instructions implementing a graphical user interface (GUI) for debugging a program, wherein, during execution of the program, the program instructions are executable by a processor to perform:

loading a debug environment;

loading a program, wherein the program is an executable program compiled from source code;

loading the source code for the program; and

performing, via the debug environment, at runtime;

displaying the source code for the program on a display during execution of the program;

receiving first user input hovering a mouse cursor over an expression in the source code during execution of the program;

in response to said hovering the mouse cursor over the expression, automatically displaying a tooltip proximate to the expression, wherein the tooltip includes a value of the expression;

receiving second user input to the tooltip modifying the displayed value, thereby specifying a new value for the expression; and

setting the expression in the program to the new value in response to the second user input, wherein the program continues execution in accordance with the new value of the expression.

2. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the tooltip is context sensitive.

3. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 2, wherein the tooltip comprises a control corresponding to a data type of the expression, and wherein the data type of the expression comprises at least one of:

a string data type;

a character data type;

a numeric data type;

a Boolean data type; and

an array data type.

4. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 2, wherein the tooltip is operable to display the value of the expression in a specified format;

wherein if the expression comprises integer data, the specified format comprises one or more of;

decimal;

hexadecimal;

octal;

binary; and

ASCII; and

wherein if the expression comprises single or double precision, the specified format comprises one or more of;

floating point; and

scientific notation.

5. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 4, wherein the specified format is specified via a second tooltip in the GUI.

6. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the tooltip comprises:

a first portion, operable to display the value of the expression, wherein the first portion is further operable to receive the second user input modifying the value; and

a second portion, operable to display non-editable information related to the expression.

7. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 6, wherein the second portion comprises a text indicator, operable to display text.

8. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 6, wherein the first portion is further operable to graphically indicate that the value is editable.

9. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the expression comprises a variable.

10. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the expression comprises a syntactic expression comprising one or more of:

one or more variables;

one or more constants;

one or more macros; and

one or more operators.

11. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the execution of the program is in debugging mode.

12. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to perform:

evaluating the expression to determine the value of the expression.

13. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable to perform:

dismissing the tooltip based on one or more of;

third user input, indicating dismissal of the tooltip; and

lapse of a specified time period.

14. A method for debugging a program, the method comprising:

loading a debug environment;

loading a program, wherein the program is an executable program compiled from source code;

loading the source code for the program; and

performing, via the debug environment, at runtime;

displaying source code for the program on a display during execution of the program, wherein the executing program was compiled from the source code;

receiving first user input hovering a mouse cursor over an expression in the source code during execution of the program;

in response to said hovering the mouse cursor over the expression, automatically displaying a value of the expression in a tooltip proximate to the expression;

receiving second user input to the tooltip modifying the displayed value, thereby specifying a new value for the expression; and

setting the expression in the program to the new value, wherein the program continues execution in accordance with the new value of the expression.

15. A system for debugging a program, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium comprises program instructions implementing a graphical user interface (GUI) for debugging the program, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to;

load a debug environment;

load a program, wherein the program is an executable program compiled from source code;

load the source code for the program; and

perform, via the debug environment, at runtime;

display source code for the program on a display during execution of the program, wherein the executing program was compiled from the source code;

receive first user input hovering a mouse cursor over an expression in the source code during execution of the program;

in response to said hovering the mouse cursor over the expression, automatically display a value of the expression in a tooltip proximate to the expression;

receive second user input to the tooltip modifying the displayed value, thereby specifying a new value for the expression; and

set the expression in the program to the new value, wherein the program continues execution in accordance with the new value of the expression.

16. A system for debugging a program, the system comprising:

means for loading a debug environment;

means for loading a program, wherein the program is an executable program compiled from source code;

means for loading the source code for the program; and

wherein the debug environment comprises;

means for, at runtime, displaying source code for the program on a display during execution of the program, wherein the executing program was compiled from the source code;

means for, at runtime, receiving first user input hovering a mouse cursor over an expression in the source code during execution of the program;

means for, at runtime, automatically displaying a value of the expression in a tooltip proximate to the expression in response to said hovering the mouse cursor over the expression;

means for, at runtime, receiving second user input to the tooltip modifying the displayed value, thereby specifying a new value for the expression; and

means for, at runtime, setting the expression in the program to the new value, wherein the program continues execution in accordance with the new value of the expression.