User guide

Tutorials

Click Instruction Stepping Mode in the Debug view toolbar to allow single

stepping through the individual assembly instructions. Stepping through assembly

code advances the instruction pointer in the Disassembly view. Because multiple

assembly instructions represent a single line of C/C++ code, the instruction

pointer might not advance in the C/C++ Editor view with each step through the

assembly instructions.

Click Instruction Stepping Mode a second time to return to single stepping

in the Editor view at the C/C++ statement level.

Note: If you do not have the source code for a function, stepping through the code

automatically uses Disassembly view regardless of whether instruction stepping mode

is on or off.

To view stack trace:

The Debug view displays the program execution stack and dynamically updates it as you

step through code. Any time the processor suspends, the Debug view displays the name of

the suspended function, and the sequence of function calls that led up to the current

program counter. This view provides a snapshot of your current position within the

program execution.

Refer to Related Topics

for more information about the Debug view.

To view execution trace:

On the Window menu, point to Show View, and then click Trace. When executing a

program on a Nios II hardware target, the Trace view displays the exact execution trace of

the program running in hardware. This view provides a snapshot of the specific code that

executed to arrive at the current position.

To track variables:

Click the Variables tab in the upper-right pane of the Debug perspective to display the

Variables view. You can also point to Show View on the Window menu, and then click

Variables.

Local Variables

The Variables view automatically displays all variables local to the scope where the

processor is suspended. Use the Variables view to track and change variable values on-

the-fly during a debug session. This is useful to test your program's response to specific

conditions, or to force a loop index to skip over a loop.

The Variables view is context sensitive, depending on the currently selected function in the

Debug view's stack trace display. Selecting different functions allows you to see the

variables (and their current values) defined at each level of the stack trace.

Note: Hovering the mouse over a variable in the source code displays the variable's

value as a tool-tip. This is often the easiest way to see the value of a variable in the

current scope.

To change the value of a variable, right-click the variable name and then click Change

Value.... This opens the Set Value dialog box, which allows you to specify a new value

for the variable.

Global Variables