Starting the debugger

StepsTo open the debugger:

  1. Do one of the following:

    The Debug button opens the debugger for the the current target. The current target displays in bold in the System Tree and its name displays in the Debug button tool tip. The Select and Debug button opens a dialog box that lets you select the target to be debugged.

Views in the debugger

The debugger contains several views. Each view shows a different kind of information about the current state of your application or the debugging session. Table 32-1 summarizes what each view shows and what you can do from that view.

Table 32-1: Views in the debugger

View

What it shows

What you can do

Breakpoints

A list of breakpoints with indicators showing whether the breakpoints are currently active or inactive

Set, enable, disable, and clear breakpoints, set a condition for a breakpoint, and show source for a breakpoint in the Source view.

Call Stack

The sequence of function calls leading up to the function that was executing at the time of the breakpoint, shown as the script and line number from which the function was called

Examine the context of the application at any line in the call stack.

Instances

Instances of remote objects and their current status

Change the context of the debugging session to a different instance. This view has content only if you are debugging a remote component.

Objects in Memory

An expandable list of objects currently in memory

View the names and memory locations of instances of each memory object and property values of each instance. This view is not used if you are debugging a remote component.

Source

The full text of a script

Go to a specific line in a script, find a string, open another script, including ancestor and descendent scripts, manage breakpoints, and use TipWatch and QuickWatch.

Source Browser

An expandable hierarchy of objects in your application

Select any script in your application and display it in the Source view.

Source History

A list of the scripts that have been displayed in the Source view

Select any script in the Source History and display it in the Source view.

Variables

An expandable list of all the variables in scope

Select which kinds of variables are shown in the view, change the value of a variable, and set a breakpoint when a variable changes. You cannot change the value of a variable in a remote component.

Watch

A list of variables you have selected to watch as the application proceeds

Change the value of a variable, set a breakpoint when a variable changes, and add an arbitrary expression to the Watch view.

Changing Variable views

The default debugger layout contains a separate view for each variable type in a stacked pane. You can combine two or more Variables views in a single pane. For example, you might want to combine local and global variables in a single view that you keep at the top of the stacked pane.

StepsTo display multiple variable types in a single view:

  1. Display the pop-up menu for a pane that contains a Variables view you want to change.

  2. Click the names of the variable types you want to display.

    A checkmark displays next to selected variable types. The pop-up menu closes each time you select a variable type or clear a checkmark, so you need to reopen the menu to select an additional variable type.

    When you select or clear variable types, the tab for the pane changes to show the variable types displayed on that pane.

    The sample shows a series of tab. From left to right, they are labeled Local - Shared, Global, Instance - Parent, and All Variables. The All Variables tab is highlighted.