Abstract:
Methods and systems, including computer program products, implementing techniques for message filtering. The techniques include receiving a plurality of messages generated by an application, and filtering the messages, including simplifying one or more of the messages, eliminating one or more of the messages, or both simplifying and eliminating messages. The messages report errors in the execution of the application or provide warnings about possible errors.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to data processing by digital computer, and more particularly to message filtering.  
         [0002]     Messages generated by computer systems can be difficult for end users to understand. For example, error messages generated by computer systems often contain technical content that is cryptic and confusing to the non-programmer user.  
         [0003]     Users can also become confused when too many error messages are displayed, particularly when some of the messages are redundant or contradictory.  
         [0004]     In some systems, the generated messages are first sent to a message collector and then retrieved from the messages collector when the system is ready to present the messages to a user.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     In one general aspect, the present invention provides methods and systems, including computer program products, implementing techniques for message filtering. The techniques include receiving a plurality of messages generated by an application and filtering the messages, including simplifying one or more of the messages, eliminating one or more of the messages, or both simplifying and eliminating messages. The messages report errors in the execution of the application or provide warnings about possible errors.  
         [0006]     The techniques can further include sending the filtered messages to a user.  
         [0007]     Particular implementations of the invention can include one or more of the following features.  
         [0008]     Simplifying the content of one or more of the messages includes accessing a table that stores simplified content for each of one or more of the messages and changing the content of one or more of the messages to the corresponding simplified content.  
         [0009]     The messages are eliminated based on rules. Each rule identifies a group of messages and specifies criteria for eliminating one or more messages from the group.  
         [0010]     The group is a group of redundant messages or contradictory messages.  
         [0011]     The criteria includes message priority or message type.  
         [0012]     The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Messages that have been filtered using the techniques described here are easy for users to understand. Messages that are contradictory or redundant are eliminated.  
         [0013]     One implementation of the invention provides all of the above advantages.  
         [0014]     Details of one or more implementations of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and in the description below. Further features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system in accordance with one implementation of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates a method in accordance with one implementation of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates a simplification table.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates a rule table. 
     
    
       [0019]     Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a system  100  in accordance with one implementation of the invention includes an application or computer program  110 .  
         [0021]     The computer program  110  includes message generation code  120  that generates error messages when the computer program  110  fails to execute properly. The message generation code  120  can also generate warning messages upon detecting possible errors in the computer program  110 , for example, errors provoked by invalid data input.  
         [0022]     The computer program  110  can also include message presentation code  125  that presents the generated messages as output to a user of the computer program  110 . This output, however, is not part of the normal program output that is produced when the computer program  110  is executing properly. The user can be a human user, or alternatively, can be another computer program. The presentation of the messages can be visual or non-visual.  
         [0023]     The message generation code  120  and the message presentation code  125  of the computer program  110  can be implemented using conventional techniques for generating and presenting messages.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the computer program  110  further includes a message collector  130 . As the messages are generated, the message generation code  120  sends the messages to the message collector  130 . When the message presentation code  125  is ready to present the messages or otherwise to make use of the messages, the message presentation code  125  can retrieve the messages from the message collector  130 .  
         [0025]     The message collector  130  can respond to three types of requests:  
         [0026]     1. Write Message—A write message request causes the message collector  130  to store a message. The message to be stored can be passed in as a parameter of the request.  
         [0027]     2. Delete Messages—A delete messages request causes the message collector  130  to delete all stored messages.  
         [0028]     3. Read Messages—A read messages request causes the message collector  130  to send the stored messages to the requesting process. Before sending the stored messages, the message collector  130  passes the stored messages through a message filter  140 . Message filtering includes simplifying messages  150 , eliminating messages  160 , or both, as will be described below.  
         [0029]     Message simplification involves identifying messages that are difficult to understand and replacing the original content of these messages with simplified content. The message filter  140  can access a simplification table that identifies the difficult-to-understand messages and provides simplified content for each of the difficult-to-understand messages. An example of a simplification table  300  is illustrated in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0030]     Message elimination involves applying a set of predefined rules to the messages. The rules can include grouping rules and default grouping rules. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the rules can be implemented as one or more rule tables  400 .  
         [0031]     The grouping rules identify groups of messages. Messages that are contradictory to each other can be grouped together in one group.  
         [0032]     For example, the following two messages are contradictory:  
         [0033]     Message 1: User not authorized  
         [0034]     Message 2: No account balance exists for data  
         [0035]     Messages that are redundant to each other can be grouped together in another group. Redundant messages can arise when a single error condition causes multiple processes to fail and each process generates a separate error message. In such a case, it may not be necessary to present all of the generated messages to a user.  
         [0036]     For example, the following two messages are redundant:  
         [0037]     Message 1: Business partner ‘AAA’ does not exist  
         [0038]     Message 2: No description found for business partner ‘AAA’ 
         [0039]     The grouping rules specify criteria for eliminating one or more messages from each group. The criteria can refer to one or more message attributes including, but not limited to, message type and message priority. For example, one rule can specify that only the highest priority message in a particular group be retained. Another rule can specify that any message that is a warning message be eliminated from a particular group.  
         [0040]     The default grouping rules specify that, in the event that the stored messages do not match any of the groups identified by the grouping rules, then all of the stored messages are to be eliminated and replaced with a default message.  
         [0041]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in a method  200  in accordance with one implementation of the invention, the message collector  130  receives one or more write message requests from the computer program  110  (step  210 ). The message collector  130  stores the messages, or a reference to the messages, identified in the requests (step  220 ).  
         [0042]     Subsequently, the message collector  130  receives a read messages request from the computer program  110  (step  230 ). In response, the message collector  130  filters all of the stored messages (step  240 ) using the message filter  140  described above. The message collector  130  then sends the filtered messages to the computer program  110  (step  250 ).  
         [0043]     The read messages request can have a filter on/off parameter that specifies whether to filter the messages or not. When the parameter is set to off, then the message collector  130  does not pass the stored messages through the message filter  140  before sending the messages to the computer program  110 . When the parameters are set to on, then the message collector  130  does use the message filter  140 , but also saves the original messages in case they are requested later. For example, in some situations, the message collector  130  may first receive a read messages request where the filter parameter is set to on, and then subsequently, receive a second read messages request where the filter parameter is set to off. This situation might occur when a user views the filtered messages and then desires to view the unfiltered version of the messages.  
         [0044]     The steps of method  200  can be performed during productive use of the computer program  110  by end users, as opposed to during developmental use by developers or test users.  
         [0045]     The message filter  140  can be implemented as a plug-in. The plug-in can be installed in an existing system to extend the functionality of the message collection.  
         [0046]     The invention and all of the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or in combinations of them. The invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data, in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.  
         [0047]     The processes and logic flows described in this specification, including the method steps of the invention, can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus of the invention can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).  
         [0048]     Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.  
         [0049]     To provide for interaction with a user, the invention can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.  
         [0050]     The invention can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., a data server), a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or a front-end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the invention), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, and front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.  
         [0051]     The computing system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.  
         [0052]     The invention has been described in terms of particular implementations, but other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. For example, although the message collector  130  has been described as a service that is provided to the computer program  110 , one skilled in the art would appreciate that the computer program  110  itself could also perform the functionality provided by the message collector  130 . Also, in certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be preferable.