Often when starting a method, I haven't yet used a variable so Resharper quickly gives the warning:
Local variable 'xxx' is never used
However, this frustratingly blocks the information on type declaration I might need from Visual Studio.
Even when I manually invoke the Quick Info tooltip with Ctrl + I
It still masks out the info:
As a workaround, I've just begun immediately using the variable so the popup goes away:
But there has to be something better. Is there some type of integration where I can see both?
Related
In all of my searching, I have not come across any trick, plug-in, or setting that would allow me to pre-populate a Watch Window for use during debugging.
The well-known steps to watch a variable in Visual Studio 2017 is to set a breakpoint (perhaps on the first instance of a variable being assigned a value), then, adding the variable to a Watch Window. On subsequent runs, that watched variable should remain in the Watch Window.
Is there a way to accomplish pre-populating the Watch Window before a debugging session? I have code that runs in a timed sequence. Taking the extended time during an execution break to pause and set up a watch causes the program to crash. Such timeout crashes while setting up variable watch objects makes for difficult interaction with the debugger. Pre-populating the watch list would help considerably.
I know that I could use a technique such as using Debug.Print(...) statements, which are printed to the Output Window during code execution. However, this doesn't allow me the control and visual feedback to my debugging efforts that comes from a Watch Window.
Watches can only be evaluated when you are paused in the debugger, say on a breakpoint. They can't be evaluated during normal execution. Your options to get around this limiation are:
Add Debug.Print(...) or something similar to your code that outputs a value.
Similar to #1 add a TracePoint which you'll find in the actions setting of a breakpoints setting (that's the gear icon when you hover over a breakpoint). When the TracePoints are hit they will then evaluate the expression that you specficied in the actions window and log it to the Output window. The advantage of TracePoints over adding your own logging is that you can turn it off and on without building your code. More info at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/using-breakpoints?view=vs-2019#BKMK_Print_to_the_Output_window_with_tracepoints
Use the VS Enterprise only feature Snapshots which is part of IntelliTrace. Basically set your breakpoints but rather than stopping on them to look at the watch just continue. Each time you stop a snapshot of the process will be taken capturing the state of your application at that time. Then once you're finished use the Diagnostic Tools window to select each of the snasphots and activate them. For each snapshot you can use the debugger just as if you stopped the application. So you can use watches and inspect etc. Of course you can't step as the app has already ran but you can go to the next snapshot etc. More info at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/debugger/view-snapshots-with-intellitrace?view=vs-2019 and https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/step-back-while-debugging-with-intellitrace/
How Can Watch Variables be Configured in a Watch Window Before Running
a Debug Session in VS2017?
I'm afraid the answer is negative.For now,the Watch window can only be configured after the debug session start.It's like a runtime window only occurs during debugging.
So we can't pre-populate it before debug session for now. In other words, it's by design.
As alternative ways,you can follow Andy's detailed suggestions above.
And since your needs is meaningful in some specific debugging situation, you can also post your suggestion on development community like a user voice to add a new feature.
I have an error in my form editor preventing me from modifying the form.
I know in which control this occurs but no way to find what exactly causes the problem.
I tried setting breakpoints in the InitializeComponents() of the form I try to open but it doesn't stop (I am in debug mode...). I also tried to attach using a second instant of Visual Studio as demonstrated here, but even when setting all debug exception options to "throw", the attached process doesn't stop and indicate anything about call stack nor other useful information...
All I know is that there is a disposed object I'm trying to access, but absolutely no information as to where in code, etc..
What could I possibly do to debug the situation - knowing which control is the cause but absolutely no idea as to which of the 300 lines of code causes the issue...
Basically my problem is that I expect Visual Studio (2010 Professional) to be able to evaluate any Visual C++ expression in the watch window that it handles in the code I'm debugging, but apparently there's something preventing this from happening. For example, when dealing with CStrings, evaluating the method IsEmpty on the CString in the watch window gives me a Member function not found error, as does a basic equality comparison (in the code being debugged obviously no problems).
Am I missing something here, or is what I'm asking for too much? Obvious solution would be to put debugging statements in my code for whatever CString operation I'm looking for, but I would prefer not to have to do this.
Update/Example:
CString blah = _T("blah");
Calling blah.IsEmpty() in my code works fine, but in the watch window of the debugger I get the error above (CXX0052). The contents of the variable blah can be seen the watch window.
I could reproduce your problem, and, indeed, the VS watch window shows Member function not found alongside with the error code CXX0052.
In the MSDN documentation I found that this problem arises due to a call of a inlined function, the CString::IsEmpty() member function is probably somehow inlined (this is what the Watch Window evaluator sees), to solve the problem, first open your project Configuration and disable inlining
Second, still in the project Configuration, choose Use MFC in a Static Library (somehow the Watch Window keep seeing the called function as an inlined one if you use it as shared library, maybe this is because in the Shared Library the code is inlined and the Watch Window evaluator don't use the Debug builds of such runtime libraries).
Third, clean and Rebuild your Solution.
After that, the problem should be fixed (remember to refresh the expression if you see the value grayed out in the watch panel) during debugging. Remember to switch back to your original Debug options or better, create a new Debug profile to keep this settings.
In Visual Studio 2010 (Ultimate), is it possible to step through some code, and, if a variable is not correct (e.g. you want to get all records beginning with 'A' but there is none, so you want to try 'B' instead), is it possible to change the code while in debug mode, to do this (change variables while in debug mode)?
It is quite annoying to have to stop debugging, change a value, then debug again and see the result. It'd be much easier to do it all in debug mode, anyway.
Thanks
In the watch window just enter the statement you want executed. For example if you want to set the variable prefix to "B" then just type prefix = "B" and hit enter.
You may also change code while running, however there are a number of limitations to this feature. See Microsoft's Edit and Continue documentation for details: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bcew296c(v=vs.80).aspx.
In the Solution Explorer view, right-click on each reference of References, choose Properties. In the Properties view, sign False to the field of Embed Interop Types. This works for me.
c
I've successfully made several Visual Studio debugger visualizers, and they're working very well, except that on some objects I get a time out error when I try to deserialize the object with objectProvider.GetObject()
System.Exception: Function evaluation timed out.
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.DebuggerVisualizers.DebugViewerShim.PrivateCallback.MaybeDeserializeAndThrowException(Byte[] data)
The time out happens rather quickly (maybe about a second after I click on the visualizer icon), even though some of my other visualizers work fine even with large data objects that much longer to display (5-10 seconds) and still don't timeout.
I've already made a custom object source to limit the serialization to the fields I need to display. What else can I do to get the data to deserialize without timing out?
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\9.0\Debugger
I think this is not documented, but you can try changing some of the Timeouts in the above registry key, and restart Visual Studio.
I was recently hit by this in VS2012 and after googling I found this:
As the exception message says, this exception means the debugger
visualizer for the datatable is timed out. In VS debugger, each
expression evaluation windows(such as watch window, locals window,
datatips, autos window etc..) has different default max expression
evaluation timed out value. For datatip, we prefer to give a short
time out value because otherwise it will provide a poor user
expression. If you do want to use the visualizer functionality for
that datatable, you may add the expression to a watch and try to
visualize it.(Because watch window has a longer timeout value). If you
do want to get rid of this timeout in datatip, you may try to increase
the timeout value for datatip. The timeout value is a setting in
"DataTipTimeout" registry key under:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0\Debugger Note:
you should probe WOW64Node for 64bit OS. You can also see other
windows' default timeout value under this key.
To Visual Studio debugger work well - "Locals" window in "WPF visualizer" (tested in WPF application), you need to find in registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\Debugger\
DWORD parameter "LocalsTimeout" and default value (1000) set to big enough value, 5000, for example.