Setting instance breakpoints in object oriented computer programs
US6240545A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 29, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/3636
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A mechanism for setting a conditional breakpoint on all methods called by a specific instance of a class. To set the instance breakpoint, the debugger determines all of the methods that can be applied to the object type or class. In an environment in which full debugging information includes the correspondence between virtual function tables and specific classes, and full class hierarchy information, the methods are located by locating the pointer to the type's virtual function table, and from the virtual function table, locating the specific class in the debugging information. Identifying the specific type permits all of the base classes of the type to be identified in the debugging information, and from the class hierarchy information, all methods for objects of the type can be compiled. The debugger then sets a conditional breakpoint on each method, the condition specifying that the breakpoint should cause program execution to automatically stop only if the method is being called for the particular object or instance for which the instance breakpoint was set.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.