Visual Studio Debugger Tips And Tricks John Cunningham

Visual Studio Debugger Tips And Tricks John Cunningham Development Manager Microsoft DTL 323

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Breakpoints Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Data Viewing Behind the Debugger Magic

VS Debugger Overview Debugs many different code environments Native Windows X 86 X 64 IA 64 Managed code Windows (32 bit and 64 bit) SQLCLR Script T-SQL Native device programs And many, many more…

VS Debugger Architecture VSDebug Package SDM CPDE (Managed) Nat. Dbg. DE (Native) Your Engine Here Your EE Here See resources at the end for more info on extending and customizing

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Ø Execution control Breakpoints Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Data Viewing

Execution Control NEW SP 1 Step Filtering for Managed Adds support for automatically stepping over simple properties Right click to “step into specific” pick step into target

demo Step Filtering

How it Works: Step Filtering Step in as normal If (stepcomplete outside of targetrange) { complete as a step over } Else If (step completed as a stepin) { If (current location is property || current location is operator) { Step out and try another stepin } }

How it Works: Step into Specific Disassemble instruction range for line Populate drop down with targets User selects specific call If (stepcomplete outside of targetrange) { complete as a step over } Else If (step completed as a stepin) { If (currentframe return != target call location) { Step out and try step in again } }

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Ø Breakpoints Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Data Viewing

Tracepoints Print a variety of program state types without stopping Program location, including stack Expressions (including @clk in native for quick timing) Thread info <Your message here> Run a macro Useful to stop on a certain condition that is difficult to express as a “watch window” expression (for example, “Stop if this method is in the callstack”)

demo Tracepoints

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Breakpoints Ø Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Data Viewing

Symbols You’ve got to hold them squeeze them never *EVER* ship without archiving them Ensure symbols are switched on in final/retail/optimized builds Archive symbols using symbol server

Setting Up and Using a Symbol Server Download windows debugging tools Get a file server with a big hard disk Build daily build Use SYMSTORE to push binaries and PDBs to fileshare e. g. : SYMSTORE add /r /f c: BUILTFILES*. * /s \MYSERVERSYMBOLSHARE /t “Application” /v “Build. Version 3” Point Visual Studio to that share and set a local cache

demo Symbol Paths

Symbols NEW SP 1 Reference Source Support

Symbols NEW SP 1 Reference Source Support

Symbol Loading Internals VS Never loads mismatched symbols Never, ever. Path plan is where the exe thinks it is on the path we create from the symbols dialog on the path at HKLM/HKCU SoftwareMicrosoftVisual. StudioMSPDBSymbol. Search. Path on the path at any of these _NT_ALT_SYMBOL_PATH _NT_SYMBOL_PATH System. Root Use Right Click on Module -> “Symbol Load Information…” to find out where we looked

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Breakpoints Symbols Ø Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Data Viewing

Threads NEW Flagging Thread Categories and

demo Threads

Threads Using Breakpoint Filters Right-click on breakpoint, select Filter… Freezing and Thawing Right-click on thread, select Stack Tips and Thread Flags Naming Threads Managed – Thread. Name Native – Use the Set. Thread. Name exception wrapper See resources at end of deck…

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Breakpoints Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Ø Postmortem Debugging Data viewing

Post Mortem Debugging Increasingly important as Microsoft continues to invest in Windows Error Reporting ISVs can participate in WER by visiting http: //winqual. microsoft. com Create an account Complete a request file mapping form Enterprise customers can use CER to keep data local and verify/analyze See resources at the end

demo Postmortem debugging

Postmortem – Optimized tips Take the red pill! Open the disassembly window Open the autos window to see pertinent registers Trust statics/globals and trust stacks when you have symbols You do have symbols right? Don’t necessarily trust Watch and Locals Not enough information is around for the debugger to make sense of which variable is alive

Overview Tips and tricks in the following areas: Execution Control Breakpoints Symbols Multi-threaded Debugging Postmortem Debugging Ø Data Viewing

Data viewing Numerous Tricks for Formatting Your Data Managed Code Watch window qualifiers Type proxies Custom visualizers Native Code Watch window qualifiers Autoexp. dat

Magic Watch Window Values Native - numerous magic values to help track down tricky bugs $user $CLK $env $cmdline

demo Data Viewing and Watch Magic

VS Debugger Resources Extending and Customizing the Debugger http: //msdn. microsoft. com/enus/library/bb 161718. aspx Setting up a Symbol Server http: //www. microsoft. com/whdc/devtools/debugg ing/default. mspx Using Thread Names http: //blogs. msdn. com/stevejs/archive/2005/12/1 9/505815. aspx

VS Debugger Resources Corporate Error Reporting http: //msdn. microsoft. com/enus/library/aa 939342. aspx Optimized Code Debugging Deep Dive http: //blogs. msdn. com/greggm/archive/2004/12/1 5/315673. aspx Debugger Visualizers http: //msdn. microsoft. com/enus/library/bb 161718. aspx

VS Debugger Blogs http: //blogs. msdn. com/ms_joc/ http: //blogs. msdn. com/greggm/ http: //blogs. msdn. com/jacdavis http: //blogs. msdn. com/jimgries http: //blogs. msdn. com/rchiodo

question & answer

DTL Track Resources Visit the DPR TLC for a chance to win a copy of Visual Studio Team Suite. Daily drawing occurs every day in the TLC at 4: 15 pm. Stop by for a raffle ticket http: //www. microsoft. com/visualstudio/en-us/products/teamsystem/default. mspx Please visit us in the TLC blue area

Resources www. microsoft. com/teched www. microsoft. com/learning Sessions On-Demand & Community Microsoft Certification & Training Resources http: //microsoft. com/technet http: //microsoft. com/msdn Resources for IT Professionals Resources for Developers www. microsoft. com/learning Microsoft Certification and Training Resources

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