The analysis and display of computer program execution

Abstract

Dynamic analysis is any analysis of the execution behavior of a program with a particular set (or sets) of input data. As such it comprises one of the principal concerns of the emerging discipline of software engineering. Systems that perform dynamic analysis are useful in many activities including debugging program testing, program validation, performance measurement, maintenance and computer science education. This dissertation presents an investigation into the questions of what facilities are most useful for dynamic analysis of programs written in a high-level language and how these facilities can be realized. The nature of dynamic analysis activities is discussed and a categorization of facilities for dynamic analysis is proposed. The Interactive Semantic Modeling System, a novel approach to program monitoring and analysis, serves as a convenient and flexible vehicle for experimentation in this area. The design and implementation of an experimental version of this system is described with emphasis on the dynamic analysis phase. An evaluation of the system and the costs involved in its use is given, as well as a discussion of how to use it effectively. Since the number of facilities involved is large and some of the facilities are complex, the matter of user engineering is crucial for achieving a useful and usable system. Several problems and issues in this area are discussed, and a specific approach is described and implemented.