Patent ID: 7086036

Claim:
A method comprising: regarding an entire user control program stored in a first section of memory and executed by a programmable logic controller, while said entire user control program is executing and without significantly interfering with execution timing of said entire user control program, via a programmable logic controller operating system program: displaying a section of said entire user control program indicated by a user to be debugged, said section having a beginning address of said section determined via a table of pointers to instructions of said entire user control program, said section of said entire user control comprising fewer instructions than said entire user control program; compiling said section of said entire user control program to be debugged in a second section of memory; without stopping execution of said entire user control program, automatically jumping to said second section of memory during real time execution of said entire user control program when an instruction indicated to be debugged is to be executed; and capturing a status of said instruction as it is executed.