Software development tool for providing user context information to improve message quality at development time

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9229738-B2
Application number	US-48771109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2009
Priority date	Jun 19, 2009
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A message occurrence can be detected when a software application runs on a computing device. The message occurrence can be an occurrence where a text containing message is presented upon a user interface of the software application or a log associated with the software application is updated with a text containing message. A user context for the message occurrence can be determined. The user context can include a user sequence and an execution path. Message occurrence information can be conveyed to a message context catalog. Within the message context catalog, the message occurrence information can be indexed against unique message identifiers. Message occurrence information from the message context catalog can be presented in a computer's user interface when a message uniquely identified by the message identifier is presented in the user interface. The user interface can permit a user to edit text of messages.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for improving software messages comprising:
detecting a message occurrence when a software application runs in a run-time environment on a computing device for an end-user utilizing the software application, the message occurrence being responsive to one or more end-user interactions with an interface of the software application and being an occurrence selected from a group of occurrences consisting of an occurrence where a text containing message written by a developer or translator is presented upon a user interface of the software application to the end-user and an occurrence where a text containing message is written to a log associated with the software application, wherein the text containing message presented upon the user interface and the text containing message written to the log includes text content readable by the end-user, wherein the user interface permits the end user to edit the text containing message;
determining a user context for the message occurrence, wherein said user context comprises a user sequence performed by the end-user using the software application in the run-time environment and an execution path performed by the software application executing for the end-user; and
conveying message occurrence information for the determined user context over a network connecting the computing device to a message context catalog that is remotely located from the computing device, wherein the message context catalog comprises storage hardware for digitally encoded information, wherein the message occurrence information is indexed in the message context catalog against unique message identifiers, wherein the information in the message context catalog is accessible by developers or translators, via devices remotely located from the computing device, wherein the developers or translators construct future versions of the text content for future versions of the software application.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting message occurrence information from the message context catalog that is indexed against a message identifier in a computer interface presented to a developer or translator when a message uniquely identified by the message identifier is presented in the computer interface, said computer interface permitting the developer or translator edit text of the message uniquely identified by the message identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user context comprises an ordered sequence of a plurality of user sequence elements and wherein the execution path comprises an ordered sequence of a plurality of execution path elements, said method further comprising:
tracking user context during an execution flow of the software application; and
correlating each user sequence element to a specific one of the execution path elements.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user context applies user semantics to execution paths of code of the software application.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding user context information to code of the software application as the software application runs in the run-time environment on the computing device for the end-user, wherein determining user context for the message occurrence comprises extracting the added user context information from the code.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the user context is generated from source code annotations, which are selectively enabled or disabled depending upon a source code specified user context enablement parameter.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user sequence comprises an ordered sequence of user interface screens, said interface screens comprising a plurality of ordered screens presented to the end user immediately before the message occurrence was detected, wherein the data specifying the ordered sequence is sufficient to enable the ordered sequence of user interface screens to be replicated at a later time in a form in which the interface screens existed when the software application was running in the run-time environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the execution path comprises a sequence of code executions for code of the software application leading up to the message occurrence, said execution path comprising API calls, function calls, library calls, and code segments executed.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the software application is a distributed application running in a heterogeneous computing environment comprising at least one Web service, wherein XML based messages are conveyed among components of the software application as the software application runs, wherein data needed to construct user context in an event of a message occurrence spans multiple different components of the software application, each of which execute independently of each other, wherein the XML based message comprise XML header information comprises data for at least a portion of the user context, wherein said user context data in the XML header information is utilized to determine the user context for the message occurrence.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
analyzing data stored in the message context catalog for patterns in the usage context information and texts of messages having unique message identifiers in the message context catalog to detect potential problems with messages of the software application to be addressed by developers during a software development phase of the software application.

11. A computer program product for improving software messages, the computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:
computer usable program code configured to detect a message occurrence when a software application runs in a run-time environment on a computing device, the message occurrence being responsive to one or more user interactions with an interface of the software application and being an occurrence selected from a group of occurrences consisting of an occurrence where a text containing message written by a developer or translator is presented upon a user interface of the software application and an occurrence where a text containing message is written to a log associated with the software application, wherein the text containing message presented upon the user interface and the test containing message written to the log includes text content readable by the user, wherein the user interface permits the user to edit the text containing message;
computer usable program code configured to determine a user context for the message occurrence, wherein said user context comprises a user sequence performed by the end-user using the software application in the run-time environment and an execution path performed by the software application executing for the user; and
computer usable program code configured to convey message occurrence information for the determined user context over a network connecting the computing device to a message context catalog, that is remotely located from the computing device, wherein the message context catalog comprises storage hardware for digitally encoded information, wherein the message occurrence information is indexed in the message context catalog against unique message identifiers, via devices remotely located from the computing device, wherein the developers or translators, wherein the information in the message context catalog is accessible by developers or translators.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to present message occurrence inform

Assignees

• Biazetti Ana C
• Hill Virginia D
• Ramakrishnan Radhika
• Robke Jeffrey T
• Sivakumar Latha
• Sturgeon Mary E
• IBM

Inventors

• Biazetti Ana C
• Hill Virginia D
• Ramakrishnan Radhika
• Robke Jeffrey T
• Sivakumar Latha
• Sturgeon Mary E

Classifications

• G06F9/4443

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F8/38

  for implementing user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F8/316

  Aspect-oriented programming techniques · CPC title

• G06F9/4448 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F9/454

  Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation · CPC title