To debug a program, you need to configure the build process to create all the files needed for debugging.
Compile a project for debugging
You do this by using a build configuration for your project with the
Compile for debugging option set to
Yes. To see your current build configurations, and create new ones:
- Right-click on your project in
COBOL Explorer
- Click
Properties > Micro Focus > Build Configurations.
- Select a build configuration and click the
COBOL tab.
- Check
Enable configuration specific settings and ensure
Compile for debugging is set to
Yes.
- Click
Apply and Close.
- Build your project.
This produces the symbols (.idy) files for each program built, which are placed in the output folder of your project, alongside the compiled files. By default,
you must use these symbols files to debug these compiled files.
Compile a standalone file for debugging
When working with standalone COBOL programs (such that are opened in the IDE without a project), the IDE first searches for
the program symbols files to provide debug information.
If no .idy files are found in any of the locations specified on the
Program Symbols (.IDY) page in
Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > COBOL > Standalone Files, you need to manually recompile the file to produce the debug information. You can recompile from the command line or from
within the IDE. To compile for debugging in the IDE:
- Check the Compiler directives for compiling standalone files - click
Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > COBOL > Standalone Files > Compile.
- Ensure that the
anim Compiler directive is included then click
OK.
- Right-click your standalone file in the editor and click
Compile.
Tip: If your program relies on copybook files that are not located in the same folder from which the program file was built, use
Copybook Paths () to specify the location to be used during debugging. This ensures not only that the copybook files are located and used
during debug, but that their context (in relation to the calling program) is retained in the editor as you step through the
code. These file locations can be specified both locally and remotely (if a remote host connection exists).