Debugging document formatting system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016232136-A1
Application number	US-201514618441-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A computer receives a document and identifies one or more target elements and/or properties associated with the document, hereafter referred to as targets. The computer detects alterations associated with the targets prior to the computer executing those alterations. If the computer detects an alteration associated with a target, the computer creates a breakpoint and pauses execution of the document prior to executing the alteration. The computer displays the output of the portion of the document executed prior to the alteration, then at the users command executes the portion of the document containing the alteration. The computer displays the output of the portion of the document executed including the portion containing the alteration, providing the user a before and after display of the effect of the alteration. The computer repeats this process for any other detected alterations and allows a user to cycle through the before and after of the alterations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for a debugging document formatting, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computer, a document; identifying, by the computer, at least one target associated with the document; executing, by the computer, a first portion of the document; detecting, by the computer, that execution of a second portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target; based on detecting that execution of a second portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target, creating, by the computer, a breakpoint; displaying, by the computer, a first display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first portion of the document; executing, by the computer, the second portion of the document; and displaying, by the computer, a second display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first and second portion of the document.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one target comprises at least one of a target element and a target property.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one target property includes one or more of font, font size, font color, margin, and padding.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one target element is at least one of the one or more elements of the document, and wherein the one or more elements of the document includes one or more of a heading within the document, an image within the document, a chart within the document, and a link within the document.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the computer, input selecting a selectable option in order to move between the first and second display.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
executing, by the computer, a third portion of the document; detecting, by the computer, that execution of a fourth portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target; based on detecting that execution of a fourth portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target, creating, by the computer, another breakpoint; displaying, by the computer, a third display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first, second, and third portions of the document; executing, by the computer, the fourth portion of the document; and displaying, by the computer, a fourth display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first, second, third, and fourth portions of the document.

7 . A computer program product for a debugging document formatting system, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions comprising: program instructions to receive a document, wherein the document is selected by a user through a user interface; program instructions to identify at least one target associated with the document, wherein the at least one target is selected by a user through a user interface; program instructions to execute a first portion of the document; program instructions to detect that execution of a second portion of the document results in the alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target; based on detecting that execution of a second portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target, program instructions to create a breakpoint; program instructions to display a first display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first portion of the document; program instructions to execute the second portion of the document; and program instructions to display a second display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first and second portion of the document.

8 . The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the at least one target comprises at least one of a target element and a target property.

9 . The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the at least one target property includes one or more of font, font size, font color, margin, and padding.

10 . The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the at least one target element is at least one of the one or more elements of the document, and wherein the one or more elements of the document includes one or more of a heading within the document, an image within the document, a chart within the document, and a link within the document.

11 . The computer program product of claim 7 , further comprising program instructions to receive input selecting a selectable option in order to move between the first and second display.

12 . The computer program product of claim 7 , further comprising:
program instructions to execute a third portion of the document; program instructions to detect that execution of a fourth portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target; based on detecting that execution of a fourth portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target, program instructions to create another breakpoint; program instructions to display a third display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first, second, and third portions of the document; program instructions to execute the fourth portion of the document; and program instructions to display a fourth display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first, second, third, and fourth portions of the document.

13 . A computer system for a debugging document formatting system, the computer system comprising:
one or more computer processors, one or more computer-readable storage media, and program instructions stored on one or more of the computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising: program instructions to receive a document, wherein the document is selected by a user through a user interface; program instructions to identify at least one target associated with the document, wherein the at least one target is selected by a user through a user interface; program instructions to execute a first portion of the document; program instructions to detect that execution of a second portion of the document results in the alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target; based on detecting that execution of a second portion of the document results in alteration of one or more elements of the document associated with the at least one target, program instructions to create a breakpoint; program instructions to display a first display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first portion of the document; program instructions to execute the second portion of the document; and program instructions to display a second display comprising of the one or more elements of the document based on the executed first and second portion of the document.

14 . The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one target comprises at least one of a target elem

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brust Nicholas L
• Carter Bernadette A
• Small Joshua M
• Sodomsky Michael K

Classifications

• G06F11/36

  Prevention of errors by analysis, debugging or testing of software · CPC title

• G06F9/44

  Arrangements for executing specific programs · CPC title

• G06F40/154

  Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets · CPC title

• G06F11/3636

  by tracing the execution of the program · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title