Chapter 25: Testing and Debugging Applications  Debugging an application

Chapter 25: Testing and Debugging Applications

Overview of debugging and testing applications

After you build all or part of an application and compile and save its objects, you can run the application. The PocketBuilder development environment provides two ways to run an application on the desktop: in debug mode and in test mode.

Debug mode

In debug mode, you can insert breakpoints (stops) in scripts and functions, single-step through code, and display the contents of variables to locate logic errors that will result in errors during execution.

Test mode

In the desktop test mode, the application responds to user interaction and runs until you stop it or until a runtime error occurs.

You can also test an application by deploying and running it on a supported emulator or device.

Troubleshooting advantages by deployment platform

Table 25-1 shows the advantages and disadvantages of troubleshooting an application, depending on where and how you deploy it.

Table 25-1: Troubleshooting advantages by deployment platform

Platform

Advantage

Disadvantage

Debugging on the IDE

  • Fastest turnaround time

  • Full debugger support

  • Least like PDA environment

  • Different processor, VM, and DLLs

  • Different database configuration

Running in the Emulator

  • Somewhat like the PDA

  • Lets you test applications when a PDA is not available

  • Emulators have bugs of their own

  • Pocket PC 2002 emulator can be cumbersome to install and use

Running in the PDA

  • Real target environment

  • Real database environment

  • Difficult to debug

  • No tracing or remote debugging currently available



Copyright © 2004. Sybase Inc. All rights reserved. Debugging an application

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