HP WDB GUI 5.8 Reference Manual ( February 2008 )

WDB GUI Overview
Summary of Features
Chapter 1 15
This feature allows the user to transparently debug PA-RISC applications and core files
on Itanium-based systems in compatibility mode under Aries. When a executable is
loaded and if the debug target is a PA-RISC binary then WDB GUI automatically changes
the debugger flavor to PA-RISC version of HP WDB.
• Enhanced Array Browsing:
Allows you to view the entire contents of an expandable expression with a single click on
the expression name, in the Name field of the Local Variables /Watch views. The
expandable expression can be an array, structure, union or a class. To view the contents of
the expandable data structure, click on the plus sign (+) available on the left side of the
data structure name, or by double clicking the Name field on the line. To collapse the
whole expansion, click on the minus sign (-) or double click on the line again. If the
Enhanced Array Browsing option is set, the Quick Watch view will show the entire
contents of the expandable data structure by default. To set this option, check the
Enhanced Array Browsing check box in the Edit > Preferences dialog box. If this
option is not set, you can click an expression name to expand that expression to the next
level.
NOTE The expression is of pointer data type, it is expanded only to the next level.
• Memory Log:
The Memory Log feature enables you to save the reports that the Memory Usage view
creates about the data that the debugger collects on your program’s memory leaks and
heap use.
• Enable/Disable Thread:
While debugging a multithreaded application, if you suspect that a specific thread is
causing a problem, suspend other threads in the debugger and debug the thread that
causes the problem. The Enable/Disable Thread feature in WDB GUI enables you to
disable and enable specific threads.
• Steplast, Step-in, and Step-out support for C and C++:
• Support for configuring display of string characters:
WDB GUI allows you to configure the number of string characters or array elements to be
displayed in the LocalVariables/Watch/ QuickWatch views. Lower values can mean less
memory is consumed while displaying large data structures. The default value is 200. You
can set the value to a number between 0 and 1700 in the "Maximum Array Elements to be
printed" text box using Edit > Preferences menu. However, to optimize memory
consumption of WDB GUI, it is recommended that you keep this number as small as
needed for your debugging session.