JP2754528B2 - Debug mode switching processing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for switching between a debug mode and an operation mode when executing a debug processing program in an information processing apparatus that executes instructions by decoding instructions using an interpreter. (Prior Art) Conventionally, in this type of information processing apparatus, a program is debugged by interrupting an interpreter when a problem occurs during execution of a program, setting a console to a monitor mode, analyzing the contents by a memory dump or the like, and analyzing the program. Was corrected, the interpreter was restarted, and the program was executed from the beginning. (Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional method, since the program is executed from the head every time debugging is performed, there is a disadvantage that a large amount of useless processing time is required every time the corrected portion is executed. In addition, in order to see how the contents of the memory change during execution, there is a disadvantage that a program for reading, displaying or printing the contents of the memory must be incorporated in the executed program in advance, and input is troublesome. In addition, since the program to be checked has to be changed, the changed part must be corrected after debugging, which places a heavy burden on the operator. (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention relates to a debugging mode switching processing method for interpreting and executing a target program by an interpreter and performing a transition to a debug mode and a transition to an operation mode according to a specific key input. In the mode, when the specific key input is detected, the interpretation and execution of the target program by the interpreter are temporarily suspended, the contents of the memory area shared with the debug program are saved, and the memory not saved is saved. By displaying the conversation area for setting the area and the debugging condition on the same screen of the display, the mode shifts to the debug mode. When the specific key input is detected in the debug mode, the saved memory area is displayed. By restoring the contents of Then, the operation mode is shifted to the operation mode, and the interpreter starts and executes a debugging program in accordance with the debugging condition set in the debugging mode, thereby performing a debugging mode switching process. (Operation) According to the present invention, as described above, when the pressing of a specific key is detected in the operation mode, the contents of the memory area being used by the interpreter, that is, the status information and the like are temporarily saved, and the memory not saved is used. The conversation area for setting the area and the debug condition is displayed on the same screen of the display. This causes the device to enter debug mode. Then, when the pressing of a specific key input is detected in the debug mode, the contents of the saved memory area are restored, the setting of the conversation area is released, and the operation mode is shifted to the operation mode. Thereafter, in the device, the interpreter activates and executes the debugging program in accordance with the debugging conditions set in the debugging mode. (Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing hardware of an information processing apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention. The CPU 1 includes a timer 2, a memory 3, a keyboard 4, a display 5, a printer 6, a floppy disk drive. 7, the other input / output device 8 is connected. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a logical hierarchical structure of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and 9 is a hardware diagram of the information processing apparatus including the CPU 1, the timer 2, the memory 3, etc. shown in FIG.
10 is an interprinter 11, interval timer interrupt processing 12,
The firmware 14 includes a key interruption process 13 and the like, and the software 14 includes N programs 15. The firmware 10 is a set of instructions to be executed by the CPU 1 for decoding, and the software 14 is a set of instructions to be executed by the interprinter 11 for decoding. Thus, hardware 9,
The firmware 10 and the software 14 form a hierarchical structure, and an information processing device is formed. The interval timer interrupt process 12 is an interrupt process that is started when the hardware 9 generates an interrupt to the firmware 10 at a fixed time period. The key interrupt process 13 is an interrupt process started by a firmware interrupt caused by pressing a key on the keyboard. According to the present invention, a parameter indicating a flag indicating temporary suspension of program decoding by the interpreter and a debugging condition are set. The interpreter is provided with a function of temporarily suspending decoding while the flag of the parameter area is set, and a function of activating a debugging program in accordance with debugging conditions stored in the parameter area. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention, and shows an interpreter and a key interruption process. In this embodiment, the interpreter checks the flag in the parameter area 35 in step 34 to determine whether or not the mode is the debug mode. If the flag has been reset, the interpreter determines that it is not in debug mode, ie, it is in operational mode.
The operation mode is a mode in which software that is an example of an instruction to the interpreter is sequentially executed. As a result, the interpreter fetches and decodes the instructions in program 15,
The operation of executing is repeated. When the instruction indicating the end of the program 15 is executed in this way, the process ends. However, if it becomes impossible to escape from the loop during the execution of the program 15, for example, it is impossible to escape from the loop, the operator first presses a special key (debug mode setting key), sets a flag in the parameter area 35, and sets the debug mode. Set. When the key interrupt process detects that the debug mode setting key has been pressed, that is, that the debug mode has been set, it is determined whether or not the debug mode is in progress, as indicated by process 31 in FIG. During the debug mode, the operation of fetish decoding and executing the instruction is repeated. If not in the debug mode, the instruction of the interpreter is temporarily suspended (this is called a step mode), and the mode shifts to the debug mode. At this time, of the resources used in this mode, a part that overlaps with the operation mode (a part of the memory, for example, a memory area storing the mode of the printer, a memory area storing the display contents of the display, a status of the hardware). Information, etc.) in advance. In a partial area on the display, a conversation area (command input area and message display area) for analyzing and executing an input character string as a command for debugging is set. When the operator inputs a character string (consisting of characters, numeric keys, etc.) which is a command prepared for debugging, this character string is displayed in the command input area, and then, the operator
When the return key is pressed, the character string is parsed as a command and executed. As a result, as shown in process 33, settings for dynamic debugging such as dumping of memory contents and memory patches are performed. Thereby, the parameters are stored in the parameter area. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the memory dump command “M” and the address “124A” are entered in the command input area.
Is input, and the contents of several bytes after the address and "1234" which is the instruction pointer are displayed. After a series of operations, the operator executes a return command. As shown in the process 32 in FIG. 1, the firmware restores the saved status by the return command, cancels the step mode of the interpreter, shifts to the operation mode, and continuously executes the program. After that, the interpreter executes various debugging processes such as dump and memory patch according to the contents of the parameter area. In this way, the operation mode and the debug mode can be arbitrarily switched, and the operation in the debug mode does not affect the execution of the program except when intentionally set. It is easy to do without any changes. Next, the debug function of the firmware will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1) The interpreter checks the following items a) to e) set in the parameter area every time one instruction is executed, and performs a process for an item designated as valid. Step 20 in FIG. 5 is a process for negating all debugging functions so that the processing speed does not decrease during normal operation. a) Step Mode Processing (Step 21) As shown in FIG. 6, the next instruction is not decoded until a certain execution condition is satisfied. The execution condition can be set, for example, by pressing a specific key. In this step mode, an instruction fetch pointer is displayed in a specific area of the display to inform the operator of the program stop position. The flag in the parameter area and the command interpretation primary suspension function of the interpreter are executed by the step mode, execution condition, and step mode processing described herein. b) Break processing (step 22) As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of breakpoints that can be set arbitrarily and various pointers (for instruction fetch and operand fetch) are compared, and the corresponding condition (“=” or If “>” or “<” is satisfied, execute an instruction to call a specific address. That is, it is a kind of interrupt from the viewpoint of software. The condition can be set arbitrarily as well as the breakpoint. c) Slow motion processing (step 23) As shown in FIG. 8, the next instruction cannot be decoded for a certain period of time. That is, run the program slowly. This is useful for understanding the relationship between program movement and I / O movement. d) Trace processing (step 24) The instruction fetch pointer, the operand fetch pointer, and the contents of any other address of the memory are stacked in a specific area of the memory. e) Snapshot processing (step 25) The comparison is performed in the same manner as for the break, and if the condition is satisfied, the specified contents are output to the specified I / O. Note that these items a) to e) can be specified repeatedly, and by combining a plurality of items, a more effective debugging function can be obtained. 2) Memory monitoring is performed as follows. If the memory monitoring function is specified to be valid, the interval timer interrupt processing displays the contents of an arbitrary address in the memory at an arbitrary position on the display in real time each time the memory is activated by the interrupt. Useful for understanding the relationship between I / O operations and memory contents. Combine with the slow motion function of the interpreter to show more power. The meaning of executing this function in the interval timer interrupt processing is that even if the program goes out of control and the firmware cannot operate normally, the interval timer interrupt processing is started by the hardware interrupt,
The point is that this function can be continuously executed. 3) The key interruption process operates as follows. It has a debug mode for the operation mode as a keyboard and display mode. The transition to the debug mode is performed by pressing a special key or when the interpreter executes a specific instruction. When the debug mode is established, the contents of a specific area of the display are saved, the area is set as a command input / message display area, and a cursor is displayed in the command input area. At the same time, the interpreter is set to the step mode. Thereafter, the keys on the keyboard are used for command input or debug function until the execution of the return command. Commands in the debug mode include the following a) to i). a) Memory patch The contents of the memory of 16 bytes from the input address are displayed, and the cursor is displayed thereon. The contents are changed by the data key input, and the memory contents corresponding to the display are changed by pressing the specific key. For cursor movement For scrolling display contents Use b) Memory dump Outputs the contents of the input from the start address to the end address to the printer. c) Breakpoint / condition display and setting Commands for setting the break function of the interpreter. The currently set contents are displayed, and the cursor is set at the position. The setting method is the same as the memory patch. d) Slow motion setting Command for setting the slow motion function of the interpreter. e) Trace dump The contents stacked by the trace function of the interpreter are output to the printer in the stacking order. f) Trace display and setting Commands for setting the trace function of the interpreter. The currently set contents are displayed, and the cursor is set at the position. The setting method is the same as the memory patch. g) Snap point display and setting Commands for setting the snapshot function of the interpreter. The currently set contents are displayed, and the cursor is set at the position. The setting method is the same as the memory patch. h) Memory monitoring display setting Command for setting the memory monitoring function. The currently set contents are displayed, and the cursor is set at the position. The setting method is the same as the memory patch. i) Return When the debug monitor mode is established, the saved contents are restored, the step mode of the interpreter is released, and the operation mode is set. Also, there are the following a) to d) as keys that exhibit special functions for debugging in the debug monitor mode. a) Initial key The processing in the debug mode is interrupted, the contents of the command / message on the display are cleared, and the cursor is displayed at the head position of the command input. b) Print key Outputs a hard copy of the display to the printer. c) Step key When the interpreter is in the step mode, a condition for executing one step of decoding the interpreter is established. That is, the program advances by one step when pressed. It is effective to follow the program movement while looking at the instruction fetch pointer. d) Save key This key triggers memory storage when executing commands for changing memory patches and other settings. Next, examples of using these debug functions will be described in further detail. Hereinafter, a case will be described as an example in which a printer that prints, for example, a bankbook is debugged using an information processing apparatus according to the present invention such as a personal computer. First, the information processing device and the printer are connected. Subsequently, the information processing apparatus is started up and set to the operation mode.
At this time, the screen of the display 5 of the information processing device
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, input areas (input 1 to input 4) for inputting information are displayed. In the drawing, the symbol of the input 2 indicates a cursor, and the frame below the input 4 indicates various statuses of the apparatus and a status display area for displaying a message to an operator. Further, “operable online” in the status display area indicates that the printer is in an operable state and is onlinely connected to a higher-level device. Now, assuming that the deposit of 10,000 yen has been made by Suzuki, the operator inputs "10,000" in input 1 and inputs "Suzuki" in input 2, and runs the program. At this time, it is assumed that the program has fallen into a loop of unknown cause and has stopped operating to anything outside (so-called, it has become a lot). The upper part of Fig. 4 ("Operation mode")
Is the display 5 when the printer is overloaded
The screen of FIG. In such a case, the debug worker first shifts the firmware from the operation mode to the debug mode by pressing a special key and setting a flag in the parameter area. At this time, the information processing apparatus saves a predetermined portion while leaving a part of the screen input in the operation mode (mainly an area into which information is input), and interrupts the conversation area for debugging in the saved portion. To display The conversation area includes, for example, a command area in which an instruction pointer, which is a program stop position, debugging conditions, and the like are displayed or input, and a message area in which memory contents around the program stop position, information considered as a condition for exiting a loop, and the like are displayed. Is provided. In the conversation area, for example, immediately after shifting to the debug mode, an instruction pointer, which is a program stop position, and memory contents before and after the program stop position are displayed. This allows the operator to know the execution position of the program, the contents of the memory, and the like. After that, the operator sets the debugging conditions in the command area. The right part of the middle part of FIG. 4 shows the retreated part of the screen of the display 5. In addition, the middle left diagram in FIG. 4 (“debug mode”) shows the screen of the display 5 in a state in which M and 124A, which are the debug conditions, are input by the operator on the screen immediately after the shift to the debug mode. Is shown. In the figure, 1234 indicates an instruction pointer which is a program stop position, M indicates a memory dump command, 124A indicates an address set by the memory dump command, and XXXX ------------- XX The memory contents before and after the position are shown. After setting debug conditions such as M and 124A, the operator returns the information processing apparatus from the debug mode to the operation mode. At this time, on the screen of the display 5, the conversation area is saved, and the saved portion of the operation mode is restored instead. In addition,
The operator can appropriately select and set the debugging conditions from the various commands described above. When the information processing apparatus returns from the debug mode to the operation mode, the interpreter activates and executes the debug program according to the debug conditions. The lower diagram of FIG. 4 (“operation mode”) shows a screen in a state in which memory information is displayed in the status display area. Note that 12 in the figure
Numeral 34 indicates an instruction pointer which is a program stop position, and numeral 2127 indicates memory contents of an address set to be displayed under debug conditions. The memory content of the address to be displayed is set, for example, by setting the above-mentioned memory monitoring display setting command and the address to be displayed as a part of the debug condition, and the memory content of the address is displayed in the status display area. . By combining this memory monitoring display setting command with the slow motion setting command or trace dump command of the interpreter described above, an arbitrary address can be displayed at a normal speed, and from an arbitrary address onward, a slow display can be performed. The contents of the stacked memory can be output to a printer in the order of stacking. The operator selects and sets these debugging conditions as appropriate so that when the debugging program is executed, for example, whether the memory content at an arbitrary address has an appropriate value or the stack pointer (by the CALL instruction) It is possible to check whether or not the stack position of the return address from the subroutine moves appropriately. Methods for analyzing the execution route of the looping program include the following 1) to 3) or a combination thereof. 1) Follow the displayed instruction pointer while running the program one step at a time by pressing the step key.
Or at the same time, the memory monitoring function displays some information considered as a condition for exiting the loop, and follows the movement of the information. 2) Alternatively, the instruction is set to display some information that is considered as a condition for exiting the instruction pointer and the loop by the memory monitoring setting command, and the operation mode is returned to the operation mode by the return command. Thereafter, the information displayed by the memory monitoring function is monitored while the program is running, so that the running route of the program and other outlines are known. If the running of the program is diversified and the monitoring of the operator cannot keep up, the interpreter is set to slow motion in the debug mode, and the monitoring is performed at a speed that is easy for the operator to follow. 3) Alternatively, a trace display setting command is used to trace the instruction pointer and other information that may be a condition for exiting the loop, and the operation returns to the operation mode by a return command. After running in the operation mode for a while, the debug monitor mode is set by pressing the key again, and the trace contents are dumped by the trace dump command. The flow of the program is known by analyzing the contents of the dump. A snapshot function may be used instead of the trace. As an application example of the memory monitoring function, there is a check as to whether the stack pointer (indicating the stack position of the stack at the return address from the subroutine by the CALL instruction) performs an appropriate movement. That is, the stack pointer is set in advance in the debug mode so that the stack pointer can be monitored, and the value during idle is checked first. Next, various operations and operations are performed several times, and the deepest value is confirmed. Check if the value has a margin for the stack area. When returning to idle again, check to see if it has returned to the original idle value. Because it is unknown when and what value the stack pointer will have, no special operation is required, and this memory monitoring function, which always displays in real time on the display that the operator is watching, is very effective in such cases. is there. (Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, an interpreter,
A firmware program for interval timer interrupt processing and key interrupt processing is provided with a debugging program. Moreover, in the debug mode, the display screen of the device saves the contents of the memory area shared with the debug program, and displays the memory area that has not been saved and the conversation area for setting the debug conditions on the same screen. ing. Therefore, it is possible to shift to the debug mode without canceling the decoding and execution of the program to be performed next to the interpreter, and it is possible to set the debug conditions while confirming what kind of input was made in the operation mode in the debug mode. In addition, the operator can appropriately select and set the debugging conditions from various commands. Then, by switching to the operation mode again, the interpreter can start and execute the debugging program according to the debugging conditions. As a result, debugging can be performed without executing the correct part of the program over and over again, and debugging efficiency is improved. Further, even if the program to be checked changes, there is no need to prepare a new debugging program or incorporate it.
Also, since a debugging program is built in, debugging in the field becomes easy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing hardware of the embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a logical hierarchical structure of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a debugging program, and FIGS. 6 is a flowchart showing each function, FIG. 6 shows a step mode process, FIG. 7 shows a break process, and FIG. 8 shows a slow motion process. 1 ... CPU, 2 ... Timer, 3 ... Memory, 4 ... Keyboard, 5 ... Display, 6 ... Printer, 7 ...
Floppy disk drive, 8 other input / output devices,
9: Hardware, 10: Firmware, 11: Interpreter, 12: Interval timer interrupt processing, 13:
Key interrupt processing, 14 software, 15 programs, 20 to 25, 31 to 34 steps.

Continuation of front page    (56) References JP-A-57-111756 (JP, A)                 JP-A-58-158741 (JP, A)                 JP-A-52-120638 (JP, A)                 JP-A-60-229141 (JP, A)                 JP-A-53-104133 (JP, A)                 Shokai 56-67548 (JP, U)                 Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-26585 (JP, B2)                 Jun Yokoyama "NEC PC-8001 N-               BASIC Proplanning Textbook (Akira               55.5.20) Kosaido Publishing (P.68-)               70)                 Asahi Shimbun Electronic Computer Room "Pasoko               PC Series 9801/8801 Handbook               Ku (58.7.1) The Asahi Shimbun               (P.18.19.36)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In a debug mode switching processing method of interpreting and executing a target program by an interpreter and performing a transition to a debug mode and a transition to an operation mode according to a specific key input, when the specific key input is detected in the operation mode,
The interpretation and execution of the target program by the interpreter are temporarily suspended, the contents of the memory area shared with the debugging program are saved, and the unsaved memory area and the conversation area for setting the debugging conditions are displayed on the same screen. By displaying the above, the mode shifts to the debug mode. When the specific key input is detected in the debug mode, the content of the saved memory area is restored, and the setting of the conversation area is released. By doing
A debug mode switching method, wherein the debugger switches to an operation mode, and an interpreter activates and executes a debug program in accordance with debugging conditions set in the debug mode.