International Business Machines Corporation

Derek Kneil Carter

Ronald Wessels

Della Ann Yukihiro

Disclosed is a system for debugging a computer program. A user indicates a specified breakpoint type, such as a program statement, variable reference, command, etc. The program, including program statements, is then compiled. During compilation, the compiler locates statements in the program corresponding to the breakpoint types and generates a function call into the program at instances in the program of statements corresponding to the user specified breakpoint types. During a debugging phase, a debugger may execute an executable version of the program, including the function calls. Upon processing the function calls, the debugger may stop execution of the program and pass control to the user to perform debugging operations.

Method system and article of manufacture for debugging a computer program by encoding user specified breakpoint types at multiple locations in the computer program

A method and apparatus for evaluating expressions in a multi-language debugger. Operandi in an expression are first normalized, and then evaluation routines written in the language of the expression to be evaluated are called. A program storage device, readable by a computer having a memory, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the computer, performs the steps of identifying an operand type for an expression; normalizing the operand; calling a native language routine associated with the expression to produce a result; and un-normalizing the result. Thus, the need for very complex expression evaluation routines is obviated. Further, the native language routines need handle only normalized operandi rather than every variation of each data type.

Growing community of inventors

Morgan Hill, CA, United States of America

Derek Kneil Carter