The Debug Environment

The debugging workspace automatically loads when you start a debugging session. By default, this workspace includes three windows: the Debugger window, the Output window, and the Source Editor. You can perform the most common debugging actions by using the commands in the Debug menu or toolbar in the main window or by using the keyboard equivalents.

The Debugger window contains seven views of what is going on inside your program: Sessions, Breakpoints, Threads, Call Stack, Watches, Variables, and Classes. You toggle the display of these views using the toolbar in the Debugger window.

A second toolbar in the Debugger window enables you to control what members are displayed in the Threads, Call Stack, Watches, and Variables views. The contextual menus in the Debugger window provide access to many of the debugging commands you need. Right-click an item in the window to display a menu.

The Output window displays messages from the debugger. The window is split vertically into two panes. The left pane displays the output of the application being debugged. The right pane displays details of the program's threads and breakpoints as well as status messages from the debugger.

The Source Editor shows the line in the source code where the program is stopped. The Source Editor displays symbols in the left margin to relay debugging information, such as a breakpoint on the adjacent line. You can evaluate a variable directly in the Source Editor by moving the mouse over the variable.

You can configure the debugging environment, including what commands are displayed in the toolbar in the main window and the orientation of the views in the Debugger window.

For information on the Debug toolbar in the main window and the debugger annotations in the Source Editor, see:

Debug Toolbar
Debugger Interactions With the Source Editor

For a information on the views in the Debugger window, see:

Sessions View
Breakpoints View
Threads View
Call Stack View
Watches View
Variables View
Classes View
Members Grouping and Sorting

For information on configuring the debug environment, see:

Setting General Options for the Debug Environment
Setting Java Options for the Debug Environment

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