Design and Development of WhyLine4Java Tool: An Interrogative Debugging Tool for Java Programming Language

Tan, Jun Wen (2025) Design and Development of WhyLine4Java Tool: An Interrogative Debugging Tool for Java Programming Language. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This research introduces Whyline4Java tool, a revolutionary Interrogative Debugging (ID) tool aimed to improve Java software engineering processes. The study focuses on the issues Java developers encounter, particularly when adopting complex codebases. Whyline4Java tool is an Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE) plugin that allows developers to ask "why" and "why not" questions regarding Java program behaviour, considerably boosting debugging. Building upon the foundational work of Amy J. Ko, this research contributes major advancements, including seamless integration with Eclipse IDE, compatibility with Java Development Kit (JDK) 5 and higher, reduced memory consumption, easier installation, and a user-friendly interface. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative analysis (one-way ANOVA and linear regression) with qualitative results from structured interviews and expert evaluations. The research studies several Java debugging approaches, explores issues faced by end-users in Java development, and provides a conceptual foundation for Whyline4Java tool. Empirical results demonstrate debugging time reductions ranging from 30.29% to 82.73% across different activities. The tool’s integration with Eclipse IDE, its compatibility with the newest JDK versions, and increased tracing features contribute to its usefulness. This research provides practical solutions for Java developers and contributes to increasing End-User Software Engineering (EUSE). The findings offer useful insights for educators, Java developers, and researchers, boosting the effectiveness and intuitiveness of dynamic debugging approaches in Java programming language.