Debugging Map Key-Value Pair Display via Structured Adapter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current debugging tools fail to correctly display key-value pairs in maps, such as hash maps, across different programming languages, presenting them as arrays of keys and values instead, and incorporating runtimes for each language is infeasible.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method traverses the map to extract key and value addresses, creates a structure type with pair fields for each key-value pair, and forms a location instance with these addresses, which is then displayed as key-value pairs using a display function, supporting multiple programming languages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If debugging tools use standard array display for map data, then implementation is simple, but key-value pair relationships are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the map display into individual key-value pair units, where each pair is represented as a separate structured element rather than a flat array. This segmentation preserves the relational information between keys and values while maintaining manageable complexity through modular representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the map display adapter or formatter) that sits between the raw map data and the debugging tool interface. This intermediary transforms the unordered key-value pairs into a structured format that preserves relationships without requiring changes to the core debugging tool architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If debugging tools support multiple programming languages, then versatility increases, but incorporating runtimes for each language becomes infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal map display mechanism that works across multiple programming languages without requiring language-specific runtimes. The adapter layer provides multi-functional capability to handle different map implementations (Go maps, Java HashMaps, Python dictionaries) through a common interface, eliminating the need for separate runtime support for each language.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary adapter layer that mediates between language-specific map implementations and the universal debugging interface. This adapter translates various programming language map structures into a standardized format that the debugging tool can display consistently across Go, Java, Python, and other languages without requiring language-specific runtime incorporation.
3Loss of information
If maps are displayed as arrays of keys and values, then display is straightforward, but semantic meaning is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the map representation into distinct key-value pair units rather than flattening them into separate key and value arrays. Each segmented unit maintains the semantic relationship between a specific key and its corresponding value, allowing developers to understand the map's meaning while preserving display simplicity through consistent formatting.
Data Source
AI summary
Described are techniques for displaying a map correctly in a debug environment. A map is traversed to extract the addresses (memory locations) of the keys and values for each key-value pair in the map, where the keys and values of such key-value pairs are located at various memory locations in the map. A structure type with a pair of fields (“key” and “value”) is then created for each key-value pair. Furthermore, a location instance is created that includes 2*K addresses from the extracted addresses of the keys and values for each key-value pair, where K corresponds to the number of extracted key-value pairs. The location instance includes an array of K elements, where each element has the created structure type and corresponds to a key-value pair. The location instance is then passed to a display function to display the array of K elements.