Method for debugging and testing the correctness of programs

Claim 1

A method for debugging and testing the correctness of programs with a data processing system provided with at least a first user terminal having display and keyboard and a storage storing a monitoring program, a source program which must be debugged and tested, the source program comprising a plurality of executable instruction rows, and an object program, said object program being generated from said source program by a preprocessing operation which includes in said source program, at each executable row, a call to a control routine, comprising the steps of: activating through said first user terminal first monitoring process based on said monitoring program, and activating a second process executing said object program, said activations occurring in any order, signaling by said second process to said first monitoring process by means of a first message stored in a first message queue the occurrence of the activation of said second process, detecting said first message by said first monitoring process and signalling to said second process with a second message, stored in a second message queue, modes to be followed in the further processing of said second process, wherein said monitoring program comprises a main module and a background module, the activation of said first monitoring process comprising the steps of activating a main monitor process and the further step of activating a background monitor process, said main monitor and background monitor communicating each with the other and with said second process by means of said first message queue, a third message queue and said second message queue, said queues being respectively related to said main monitor, said background monitor and said second process, and wherein said storage stores a test routine (TEST SCRIPT) which must be performed at a predetermined point of said second process, further comprising the steps of identifying said predetermined point, by means of a background break point referring to said test routine in a break point table accessible for read/write operations by said main monitor and background monitor and accessible for read operation by aid second process, detecting by said second process said background break point, and forwarding a message to said background monitor, upon detection of said background break point, and generating and activating by said background monitor a child testing process, based on said test routine referred to by said background break point.

Claim 2

A method for debugging and testing the correctness of programs with a data processing system provided with at least a first user terminal having display and keyboard and a storage storing a monitoring program, a source program which must be debugged and tested, the source program comprising a plurality of executable instruction rows, and an object program, said object program being generated from said source program by a preprocessing operation which includes in said source program, at each executable row, a call to a control routine, comprising the steps of: activating through said first user terminal first monitoring process based on said monitoring program, and activating a second process executing said object program, said activations occurring in any order, signaling by said second process to said first monitoring process by means of a first message stored in a first message queue the occurrence of the activation of said second process, detecting said first message by said first monitoring process and signalling to said second process with a second message, stored in a second message queue, modes to be followed in the further processing of said second process, wherein said monitoring program comprises a main module and a background module, the activation of said first monitoring process comprising the steps of activating a main monitor process and the further step of activating a background monitor process, said main monitor and background monitor communicating each with the other and with said second process by means of said first message queue, a third message queue and said second message queue, said queues being respectively related to said main monitor, said background monitor and said second process, and wherein said storage stores a test routine (TEST SCRIPT) which must be performed at a predetermined point of said second process, further comprising the steps of identifying said predetermined point, by means of a background break point referring to said test routine in a break point table accessible for read/write operations by said main monitor and background monitor and accessible for read operation by aid second process, detecting by said second process said background break point, and forwarding a message to said background monitor, upon detection of said background break point, and generating and activating by said background monitor a child testing process, based on said test routine referred to by said background break point.