Control Program Debugging With Edit History and Error Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
As control programs become larger in scale, identifying the cause of errors and dependencies between program organization units (POUs) and variables becomes complicated, lengthening the debugging time, especially for programmers unfamiliar with the program.
Innovation Solution
A control-program-development supporting apparatus with an editing unit and display unit that displays debugging assistance information, including past editing contents and relevant error information, when the same process is performed multiple times, facilitating easy comparison and identification of errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the control program becomes larger in scale, then the functionality and complexity of the system improve, but the time required for debugging increases and error identification becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the debugging information by separating past editing contents, change contents, and error information into distinct display regions. This segmentation allows developers to access specific types of information without being overwhelmed by the entire codebase, effectively managing the complexity of large control programs while maintaining efficient debugging workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically collecting and storing past editing contents, change contents, and error information before debugging is needed. This pre-prepared information is then readily available during debugging sessions, eliminating the time-consuming manual search through historical data and reducing overall debugging time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the control program becomes larger in scale, then the system capabilities improve, but the complexity of identifying dependencies between POUs and variables increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary information display mechanism that mediates between the complex control program and the debugger. By inserting intermediate information such as past editing contents and change contents as references, the system simplifies the identification of dependencies between POUs and variables, making the debugging process more manageable despite the program's scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by displaying error information alongside past editing contents and change contents. This feedback loop allows developers to immediately see the relationship between previous code modifications and current errors, reducing the complexity of tracing dependencies through large codebases and enabling faster identification of problematic areas.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the control program becomes larger in scale, then the functionality improves, but the ease of operation during debugging deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple debugging information types (past editing contents, change contents, and error information) into a single integrated display interface. This merging allows developers to access all necessary debugging information in one location without switching between multiple tools or windows, significantly improving the ease of operation during debugging sessions while supporting large-scale control programs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service by automatically gathering and organizing debugging information without requiring manual intervention. The automatic collection and display of past editing contents, change contents, and error information eliminates the need for developers to manually search through code history or reconstruct debugging contexts, making the debugging process more accessible even for those less familiar with the control program.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control-program-development supporting apparatus (10) comprises an editing unit (11) and a display unit (14). The editing unit (11) executes editing of a control program and debugging of the control program. The display unit (14) displays the contents of the editing and the contents of the debugging. In addition, when the same processing is designated a plurality of times for a program construct or a variable to be debugged contained in the control program during executing debugging, the editing unit (11) causes the display unit (14) to display debugging supplementary information including at least one of past edited contents concerning the program construct or the variable to be debugged, changed contents of the control program, and related error information.