Specifications

Debugging and Testing Tools

9.1 OpenVMS Debugger

To display the values of the individual elements of an aggregate variable (such as

an array), you double click on the name of the variable in the Monitor View. To

assign a new value to a variable, you edit the currently displayed value. To set a

watchpoint, you click on a button next to its name.

To dereference a pointer variable (to display the value of the referenced object),

you double click on the name of the pointer variable.

Run/Rerun Program

You can rerun the same program or run another program from the same

debugging session without exiting the debugger. When rerunning a program,

you can choose to save the current state (activated or deactivated) of breakpoints,

tracepoints, and static watchpoints. The Run/Rerun feature is also available in

the debugger’s command interface.

Instruction and Register Views

The Instruction View shows the decoded instruction stream of your program—the

code that is actually executing. This is useful if the program you are debugging

has been optimized by the compiler so that the information in the source window

does not exactly reﬂect the code that is executing.

The Register View displays the current contents of all machine registers. You can

edit the displayed values to deposit other values into the registers.

Tasking Program Support

The Task View displays information about the current state of all tasks of a

tasking program (also called a multithread program). You can modify task

characteristics to control task execution, priority, state transitions, and so on.

Integration with Command Interface

The debugger’s DECwindows interface is layered on, and closely integrated with,

the command-driven debugger:

• When you use the DECwindows interface, the resulting commands are

echoed in the message region so that you can correlate your input with the

corresponding command line that the debugger processes.

• When you enter commands at the prompt, they update the DECwindows

views accordingly.

Customization

You can modify the following and other aspects of the debugger’s DECwindows

interface and save the current settings in a resource ﬁle to customize your

debugger startup environment:

• Conﬁguration of windows and views

• Control-panel button labels and associated debugger commands, including

adding and removing buttons and commands

• Character fonts for displayed text

Online Help

Online help is available for the debugger’s DECwindows interface (context-

sensitive help) and its command interface.

For more information about the debugger, see the OpenVMS Debugger Manual.

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