Patent ID: 7698686

Claim:
In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface device, a method of displaying performance information concerning a software program under test, the software program under test executes with a cumulative activity level, and the software program under test adapted to execute in a plurality of threads, each adapted to execute, the method comprising the steps of: displaying in a first display area a representation of a time range during which the software program under test executes including a graphical representation of the cumulative activity level of the execution of the software program under test during the time range, further including a graphical time position indicator indicating an indicated portion of the time range; displaying in a second display area a plurality of graphical indicators, each graphical indicator representing events in the execution of one of the plurality of threads during a sub-range of the time range, the sub-range being strictly smaller than the time range and including the indicated portion of the time range represented in the first display area; receiving through the user interface device a user input to move the graphical time position indicator in the first display area to a different portion of the time range; in response to the user input, modifying the plurality of graphical indicators in the second display to represent events in the execution of the plurality of threads during a different sub-range of the time range, the different sub-range including the different portion of the time range represented in the first display area; and displaying in a third display area textual information regarding events in the execution of one of the plurality of threads represented by a graphical indicator in the second display area, the textual information comprising descriptions of calls to functions made within the thread, wherein the graphical representation of the first display area provides a quantitative indication of the cumulative level of activity of the plurality of threads.