Problems in Presentation Manager applications typically occur within window procedures, or in subroutines invoked from within window procedures. This is not surprising, since all processing within a Presentation Manager application takes place as a result of messages, which are received and processed by window procedures. However, the event-driven nature of the Presentation Manager application model provides a built-in means of narrowing down the location of a problem, provided the event that caused the problem can be determined.
The initial documentation of an error may be performed by whoever is responsible for application testing, since no great level of technical expertise is required at this stage. It is important that the error is effectively documented in writing, at the time it occurs, along with relevant supporting information. Effective documentation greatly eases the task of recreating the error and identifying the underlying problem.
A worksheet that may be used for problem documentation, and that records the information required by the guidelines given in this chapter, is contained in Problem Reporting Worksheet.