XDSession

Abstract

Despite the recent proliferation of new cross-device application frameworks, there is still a lack of sophisticated tools for testing new applications during their development. This paper presents XDSession---a framework for cross-device application development based on a concept of cross-device sessions, not only useful for managing distribution and synchronisation, but also for logging and debugging. Integrated with XDSession are two new tools specifically designed for cross-device testing. First, the session controller supports management and testing of cross-device sessions with connected or simulated devices at run-time. Second, the session inspector enables inspection and analysis of multi-device/multi-user sessions with support for deterministic record/replay of cross-device sessions. We show the utility of XDSession based on a case study of a semester-long course project in which our tools were used by students to reimplement an existing application and extend it with cross-device capabilities.