Debug Properties

Start Action

Start project/ Start project output

Specifies that the project is to be debugged by launching its output.

For projects that compile to multiple output files (.exe, .int or .gnt), you can specify which output file should be launched. You can only choose a file generated by the build in the directory specified in the Output field. Your choice is saved in the project properties.

Note: This setting does not apply to managed class library projects that build to multiple .dll files. For these project types, you must specify a different start action.

Start external program

The path to a file to be debugged. You can specify a path relative to the project directory.

This setting is typically used when your application is a library.

Start browser with URL

Starts debugging by opening a web page.

The following setting is specific for native COBOL projects:

Wait for debuggable attachment

The debugger waits for the program to start in a separate process before attempting to attach to it. Check this if you need to manually launch your process. You can set the following options:

• Wait for any program - waits for and then attaches to the next COBOL program that calls CBL_DEBUGBREAK, or is launched with the COBSW environment variable set to +A.
• Wait for directory - waits for and then attaches to the next COBOL program that is launched with its working directory set to either the folder specified on the Debug page in the project properties under Start Options, or a subfolder of it. If no working directory is specified then the project output path is used.
• Wait for ID - waits for and then attaches to the next COBOL program which calls CBL_DEBUG_START with the identifier you specify in the ID field as an argument. You set the identifier in the source code - see CBL_DEBUG_START.

Start Options

Command line arguments

Program arguments to be passed.

Working directory

The directory from which the program is launched.

Note: If Start Action is set to Wait for debuggable attachment, then the path you specify in this field is used with the Wait for directory option.

Use remote machine

Check this to enable remote debugging. Specify the remote machine by entering its name over the network or its IP address in the adjacent field.

Port

Specify the port number that is used by the cobdebugremote or cobdebugremote64 process.

Debug Options

The following properties apply to native COBOL projects only:

Enable multiprocess debugging

If the process you debug starts a new process using the CBL_EXEC_RUN_UNIT call, this setting allows the new process to be debugged in a separate instance of Visual Studio.

Return to waiting state when debugging

Check this to enable debugging of CGI programs when invoking them multiple times.

The following properties apply to managed COBOL projects only:

Enable SQL Server debugging

Enables the Microsoft SQL debugger.

Enable mixed mode debugging

Check this to enable debugging of C/C++ code alongside managed code.

Redirect standard output

Value of true or false, to determine whether or not standard output (such as System.Console.WriteLine) should be redirected to the debugger's output window. For Console projects, this is initially set to False, and for Windows projects it is initially set to true.

Note: This feature does not work for 64-bit applications and on 64-bit machines it is supported only by a x86 platform type.