This document covers the following topics:
To exploit the full functional scope of the debugger, you must set the subparameter
DEBUGGER of the Natural parameter GPGEN to "ON". You can
set this parameter in one of the following ways:
dynamically when starting Natural, or
in your parameter file using the Configuration Utility.
When you catalog or
stow an object and the
subparameter DEBUGGER of the Natural parameter GPGEN is set to
"ON", a symbol table is generated as part of the generated
program. Since this table contains the information relevant to the variables active for
this object, variables cannot be accessed if DEBUGGER is set to
"OFF", although it is still possible to debug the object.
Note
It is not necessary to set the subparameter DEBUGGER of the Natural
parameter GPGEN when debugging in a SPoD environment on
z/OS.
The debugger can be used with stowed or cataloged Natural programs and dialogs. It can be used in the local environment and in the remote environment.
See also the description of the system command DEBUG.
To start the debugger
Open the editor for the object that is to be debugged.
Or:
Select the object in the library workspace.
From the menu, choose .
Or:
Press CTRL+F7.
Or:
When the Debug toolbar is shown, choose the following toolbar button:
Or:
When you have selected an object in the library workspace, invoke the context menu
and choose .
When the editor for the selected object has not yet been opened, it is opened now.
For a dialog, the dialog source is now shown in a separate window.
When the debugger has been started, additional elements are available in the Natural Studio window. See Elements of the Debugger for further information.
When you restart your debugging session, the debugger repositions to the beginning of the application while all your current settings for breakpoints, watchpoints and watchvariables are kept. Thus, restarting a debugging session is useful if want to rerun your application without having to specify the settings relevant for debugging again.
To restart the debugger
From the menu, choose .
Or:
Press CTRL+SHIFT+F7.
Or:
When the Debug toolbar is shown, choose the following toolbar button:
The debugger is terminated automatically if the application ends without an error. You can also stop the debugger before it terminates automatically; see the description below.
Note
Closing the editor window does not stop the debugger.
When the debugger is terminated or stopped, your breakpoint, watchpoint and watchvariable settings are automatically stored. All these settings will be restored the next time you start the debugger.
In the case of an error, the corresponding source is displayed and the trace position indicates the line which caused the error. A message window appears with the appropriate error message and a choice to either continue or end the debugging session. Continuing the debugging session may be useful, for example, if your application contains any error processing (including error transactions) or if you want to display any variables before you end your debugging session.
If an error is found in a Natural source and you want to continue debugging with the changed and cataloged source, you first have to stop the debugger. After that, you can start the debugger again with the changed and cataloged source.
To stop the debugger
From the menu, choose .
Or:
Press SHIFT+F7.
Or:
When the Debug toolbar is shown, choose the following toolbar button:
The debugging session is terminated and control is returned to Natural.
