C.2 Built-in Code Profiler

SheerPower's built-in profiler generates a report showing the execution time and frequency of each routine. By identifying the routines with the longest execution times, you can focus your optimization efforts where they will have the greatest impact on performance. SheerPower includes a built-in code profiler. It is used for:

Identifying Bottlenecks: Pinpoints slow or inefficient parts of the code.
Optimizing Performance: Helps make data-driven decisions to improve code efficiency.
Providing Detailed Insights: Provides comprehensive statistics on execution times and resource usage.
Improving Debugging: Works alongside debugging tools to provide a complete picture of code performance.
Producing Cost-Effective Development: Reduces time spent on trial-and-error optimizations, streamlining the development process.

To activate it, add these statements to the top of your code:

debug on stats on

Then, after you have run your code long enough or just before your program ends:

list stats

This writes profiling information to a file named myprogram_stats.txt where myprogram is the name of your program. The statistics file contains the names of every routine that is called. For each routine the amount of elapsed time spent in that routine and a count is provided. The count is the maximum number of times any statement within the routine was executed.

At the end of the file is a list of the top 20 routines that took the longest elapsed time to execute. This information lets you focus on which routines need to be optimized the most.

debug on stats on for idx = 1 to 10 more_work do_it do_it2 next idx list stats stats off debug off stop routine more_work x=x+1 delay .05 end routine routine do_it2 delay .2 x=x+1 end routine routine do_it delay .2 x=x+1 end routine stop

Below is the profile as generated:

SheerPower Profiling Statistics 07-SEP-2022 08:02:25 C:\SheerPower\stats.spsrc 0.62 10 routine more_work 2.02 10 routine do_it2 2.00 10 routine do_it ***** Longest Executing Routines ***** 2.02 10 routine do_it2 2.00 10 routine do_it 0.62 10 routine more_work ************************ --- End of stats ---

Note: You will need to download SheerPower to try the profiling feature. Also note that profiling only works when running from source code and not when running deployed (SPRUN) code.

In addition, individual blocks of code can be timed by using:

START TIMER
... your code here ...
print _elapsed // elapsed time in seconds since the last START TIMER

x = 90 start timer for i=1 to 1_000_000 y = sin(x) next i print 'Elapsed time: '; _elapsed

Summary: The Importance of Profiling in Development

Profiling is a powerful built-in feature of SheerPower that helps developers optimize performance by identifying routines that consume the most time and resources. By targeting bottlenecks, the profiler allows developers to concentrate their efforts where they will have the greatest impact, significantly improving overall efficiency.

By providing detailed insights into execution times and routine call frequencies, the profiler enables data-driven optimization, simplifies debugging, and minimizes trial-and-error in development. This results in faster, more cost-effective, and high-performing applications tailored to business needs. Profiling turns the often complex process of optimization into a precise and measurable task.

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