Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Bogdan Ionut Mihalcea

Ion Todirel

Olga Arkhipova

Ankit Asthana

Marian Luparu

An enhanced compiler recognizes debug script which is embedded with program statements in a source code, and emits compiled code containing various debugger command instructions among program instructions. Embedded commands are not limited to break or assert statements. Different portions of a program's compiled code are either tailored for debugging or else performance optimized, depending on the location and kind of embedded debug script statements. Debugger commands for debugging race conditions, intermittent bugs, mutation testing code versions, and other complex development challenges are documented and versioned as part of the source code. Program process execution paths are chosen based on call stack search results, touch counts, breakpoint status, and other data accessed via a debugger. Debug script statements are categorized and utilized to balance debugging support against performance optimization in code from a source generator, or just-in-time code.

Debugger script embedded in debuggable program source code

Some embodiments track internal actions of a development tool, and actions of a user of the tool. When the user faces a problem, information about the problem state is matched to a mitigation graph that was built from other user's sessions with the tool. Then documentation contextualized to the problem is synthesized, e.g., using machine learning models, and presented to the user. In addition to text and images, the documentation may include interaction points such as hyperlinks or buttons associated with code that mitigates the problem. For example, a mitigation sequence may proactively instruct the tool to perform certain actions such as an install or build or undo, or may automatically operate the tool user interface proactively in place of the user. Mitigation sequences may be sorted, and subjected to cost or outcome desirability prioritization. An administration tool provides mitigation graph management functionality. Personally identifiable information presence is constrained.

Contextual assistance and interactive documentation

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are described herein that enable files, such as source code files used in building executable code, to be synchronized between two computing devices in a manner that utilizes file anchors or other time-stamped objects generated by and stored on each computing device. The file anchors can be used to determine which source code files on each computing device have been updated since a prior synchronization with another computing device and also to determine which version of a source code file stored on each computing device is the newer version, even when both computing devices have a different notion of time.

Synchronizing files on different computing devices using file anchors

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are described that enable local builds to be substantially equivalent with remote builds. In embodiments, local build and design-time inputs and/or outputs of a local build environment hosted on a local computing device are projected to remote build and design-time inputs and/or outputs of a remote build environment hosted on a remote computing device. In further embodiments, remote build and design-time inputs and/or outputs of the remote build environment are projected to local build and design time inputs and/or outputs of the local build environment. In still further embodiments, first build and design-time inputs and/or outputs of a first build environment hosted on a computing device are projected to second build and design-time inputs and/or outputs of a second build environment hosted on the same computing device.

Projection of build and design-time inputs and outputs between different build environments

Parsing-validated alternatives information (PVAI) is acquired from inactive software development contexts and displayed in the current context to help developers understand how changes to an artifact will impact other contexts. A PVAI request occurs at user request or proactively, in a stand-alone tool or an integrated development environment. PVAI is obtained and acquired from active and inactive contexts, unified, and displayed with corresponding context IDs. PVAI provides parsing-validated information for identifier autocompletion, parameter selection, class or object member selection, routine references, and software construct declarations. Development contexts have dimensions such as target platform, lifecycle configuration, target operating system, graphics processing configuration, numeric processing configuration, IDE project, and licensing configuration. Development context candidates for PVAI acquisition are determined from user preferences and by exclusion of unrealized contexts. PVAI acquisition cost is reduced by reusing computational results in another context. PVAI code can be distributed and/or run in the background.

Contextual focus-agnostic parsing-validated alternatives information

A mockup image can be received at a user interface designer module and a representation of the mockup image can be overlaid with a representation of a user interface that is under construction. One or more visual features of the user interface and one or more visual features of the mockup image can be matched. Also, one or more guides can be matched to one or more features in a mockup image, and one or more features of a user interface that is under construction can be automatically matched to the one or more guides.

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Bothell, WA, United States of America

Bogdan Ionut Mihalcea