Bridge to connect an extended development capability device to a target device

• US 9,047,404 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ravikumar, Rahul, Jibaly, Abdullah Mohammed
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Cuong V
• Application Number:
  US13/799,654
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for development of code for deployment on target devices within native code containers that provide access to native resources on the target devices. The native code containers on the target devices may provide only limited development capabilities. Thus, the disclosed development techniques may make use of a device that offers extended development capabilities in comparison to the native code containers on the target devices. A bridge may be established to connect an extended development capability device to a target device. The disclosed bridge may allow developers to benefit from extended development capabilities, while also enabling certain appropriate features to be tested on the target device in the environment in which they will eventually be used.

Claims

1. A method for debugging code for a hybrid mobile application using a bridge between a first computing device and a mobile device, wherein the first computing device executes a web browser, and wherein the mobile device executes a native web code container that provides limited development capabilities in comparison to the web browser, the method comprising:

receiving, by the first computing device, a command to execute the code, wherein the code comprises a common web code base for execution on a plurality of different mobile device platforms, wherein the code includes one or more bridge instructions and one or more non-bridge instructions, wherein the bridge instructions are associated with one or more native resources on the mobile device;

for each instruction within the code;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the instruction is a bridge instruction based on bridge instruction designation information stored at the first computing device;

when the instruction is a non-bridge instruction, executing the instruction locally by the web browser at the first computing device; and

when the instruction is a bridge instruction;

sending the bridge instruction to the mobile device over the bridge for execution of the bridge instruction at the mobile device by the native web code container that provides access to the one or more native resources; and

receiving, over the bridge, a result of the execution of the bridge instruction from the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, providing a proxy value as a placeholder associated with execution of the bridge instruction; and

after receiving the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, replacing the proxy value with the result of the execution of the bridge instruction,

wherein the proxy value assists with maintaining stability of execution of the code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information associated with a plurality of different native resources on the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information associated with a plurality of different mobile device operating systems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information received from a service external to the first computing device.

6. A method for testing code for deployment on one or more target devices within one or more respective native code containers providing limited development capability, wherein the testing is performed using a bridge between an extended development capability device and a first target device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the extended development capability device, a designation of one or more instructions within the code as bridge instructions for execution by a first native code container on the first target device;

sending, over the bridge, each bridge instruction within the code to the first target device for execution of the bridge instruction by the first native code container on the first target device;

executing each remaining non-bridge instruction within the code locally by the extended development capability device;

prior to receiving a result of an execution of each bridge instruction, providing a proxy value as a placeholder associated with execution of the bridge instruction;

receiving over the bridge the result of the execution of each bridge instruction from the first target device; and

after receiving the result of the execution of each bridge instruction, replacing the proxy value with the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, wherein the proxy value assists with maintaining stability of execution of the code.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first target device is a mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the designation of one or more instructions within the code as bridge instructions is based on information associated with a plurality of different native resources on the first target device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the designation of one or more instructions within the code as bridge instructions is based on information associated with a plurality of different operating systems.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the designation of one or more instructions within the code as bridge instructions is based on information received from a service external to the extended development capability device.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein access to the target device is provided by a service remote from the extended development capability device.

12. A computing system having at least one processor for debugging code for deployment one or more target devices within one or more respective native code containers providing limited development capability, the system comprising:

a first target device comprising a first native code container;

a bridge between the first target device and an extended development capability device; and

the extended development capability device configured to;

determine whether each of a plurality of instructions within the code is a bridge instruction designated for execution on the first target device;

send, over the bridge, each bridge instruction to the first target device for execution of the bridge instruction by the first native code container;

execute locally each remaining non-bridge instruction within the code;

prior to receiving a result of an execution of each bridge instruction, provide a proxy value as a placeholder associated with execution of the bridge instruction;

receiving over the bridge the result of the execution of each bridge instruction from the first target device; and

after receiving the result of the execution of each bridge instruction, replace the proxy value with the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, wherein the proxy value assists with maintaining stability of execution of the code.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the first target device is a mobile device.

14. The computing system of claim 12, wherein each bridge instruction is identified based on information associated with a plurality of different native resources on the first target device.

15. The computing system of claim 12, wherein each bridge instruction is identified based on information associated with a plurality of different operating systems.

16. The computing system of claim 12, wherein each bridge instruction is identified based on information received from a service external to the extended development capability device.

17. The computing system of claim 12, wherein access to the target device is provided by a service remote from the extended development capability device.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having collectively stored thereon instructions for debugging code for a hybrid mobile application using a bridge between a first computing device and a mobile device, wherein the first computing device executes a web browser, and wherein the mobile device executes a native web code container that provides limited development capabilities in comparison to the web browser, wherein the instructions, upon execution by one or more processors of the first computing device, cause the first computing to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the first computing device, a command to execute the code, wherein the code comprises a common web code base for execution on a plurality of different mobile device platforms, wherein the code includes one or more bridge instructions and one or more non-bridge instructions, wherein the bridge instructions are associated with one or more native resources on the mobile device;

for each instruction within the code;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the instruction is a bridge instruction based on bridge instruction designation information stored at the first computing device;

when the instruction is a non-bridge instruction, executing the instruction locally by the web browser at the first computing device; and

when the instruction is a bridge instruction;

sending the bridge instruction to the mobile device over the bridge for execution of the bridge instruction at the mobile device by the native web code container that provides access to the one or more native resources; and

receiving, over the bridge, a result of the execution of the bridge instruction from the mobile device.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

prior to receiving the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, providing a proxy value as a placeholder associated with execution of the bridge instruction; and

after receiving the result of the execution of the bridge instruction, replacing the proxy value with the result of the execution of the bridge instruction,

wherein the proxy value assists with maintaining stability of execution of the code.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information associated with a plurality of different native resources on the mobile device.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information associated with a plurality of different mobile device operating systems.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the bridge instruction designation information is generated based on information received from a service external to the first computing device.