X-Git-Url: https://perl5.git.perl.org/perl5.git/blobdiff_plain/28d1fb14ad09326ebbecb0b9fbd709bed7f0603b..732bb7c2d4f27f710e7a85b7a9f43cd3b492713a:/pod/perldebug.pod diff --git a/pod/perldebug.pod b/pod/perldebug.pod index 94ece44..bb01bd3 100644 --- a/pod/perldebug.pod +++ b/pod/perldebug.pod @@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ perldebug - Perl debugging First of all, have you tried using the B<-w> switch? + +If you're new to the Perl debugger, you may prefer to read +L, which is a tutorial introduction to the debugger . + =head1 The Perl Debugger If you invoke Perl with the B<-d> switch, your script runs under the @@ -16,14 +20,14 @@ variables, etc. This is so convenient that you often fire up the debugger all by itself just to test out Perl constructs interactively to see what they do. For example: - perl -d -e 42 + $ perl -d -e 42 -In Perl, the debugger is not a separate program as it usually is in the +In Perl, the debugger is not a separate program the way it usually is in the typical compiled environment. Instead, the B<-d> flag tells the compiler to insert source information into the parse trees it's about to hand off to the interpreter. That means your code must first compile correctly for the debugger to work on it. Then when the interpreter starts up, it -preloads a Perl library file containing the debugger itself. +preloads a special Perl library file containing the debugger. The program will halt I the first run-time executable statement (but see below regarding compile-time statements) and ask you @@ -32,12 +36,15 @@ the debugger halts and shows you a line of code, it always displays the line it's I to execute, rather than the one it has just executed. Any command not recognized by the debugger is directly executed -(C'd) as Perl code in the current package. (The debugger uses the -DB package for its own state information.) +(C'd) as Perl code in the current package. (The debugger +uses the DB package for keeping its own state information.) -Leading white space before a command would cause the debugger to think -it's I a debugger command but for Perl, so be careful not to do -that. +For any text entered at the debugger prompt, leading and trailing whitespace +is first stripped before further processing. If a debugger command +coincides with some function in your own program, merely precede the +function with something that doesn't look like a debugger command, such +as a leading C<;> or perhaps a C<+>, or by wrapping it with parentheses +or braces. =head2 Debugger Commands @@ -54,9 +61,9 @@ it prints out the description for just that command. The special argument of C produces a more compact help listing, designed to fit together on one screen. -If the output the C command (or any command, for that matter) scrolls -past your screen, either precede the command with a leading pipe symbol so -it's run through your pager, as in +If the output of the C command (or any command, for that matter) scrolls +past your screen, precede the command with a leading pipe symbol so +that it's run through your pager, as in DB> |h @@ -65,7 +72,7 @@ You may change the pager which is used via C command. =item p expr Same as C in the current package. In particular, -because this is just Perl's own B function, this means that nested +because this is just Perl's own C function, this means that nested data structures and objects are not dumped, unlike with the C command. The C filehandle is opened to F, regardless of @@ -75,26 +82,25 @@ where STDOUT may be redirected to. Evaluates its expression in list context and dumps out the result in a pretty-printed fashion. Nested data structures are printed out -recursively, unlike the C function. +recursively, unlike the real C function in Perl. +See L if you'd like to do this yourself. -The details of printout are governed by multiple Cptions. +The output format is governed by multiple options described under +L<"Configurable Options">. =item V [pkg [vars]] -Display all (or some) variables in package (defaulting to the C
-package) using a data pretty-printer (hashes show their keys and values so -you see what's what, control characters are made printable, etc.). Make -sure you don't put the type specifier (like C<$>) there, just the symbol -names, like this: +Display all (or some) variables in package (defaulting to C
) +using a data pretty-printer (hashes show their keys and values so +you see what's what, control characters are made printable, etc.). +Make sure you don't put the type specifier (like C<$>) there, just +the symbol names, like this: V DB filename line -Use C<~pattern> and C for positive and negative regexps. +Use C<~pattern> and C for positive and negative regexes. -Nested data structures are printed out in a legible fashion, unlike -the C function. - -The details of printout are governed by multiple Cptions. +This is similar to calling the C command on each applicable var. =item X [vars] @@ -106,18 +112,23 @@ Produce a stack backtrace. See below for details on its output. =item s [expr] -Single step. Executes until it reaches the beginning of another +Single step. Executes until the beginning of another statement, descending into subroutine calls. If an expression is supplied that includes function calls, it too will be single-stepped. =item n [expr] -Next. Executes over subroutine calls, until it reaches the beginning +Next. Executes over subroutine calls, until the beginning of the next statement. If an expression is supplied that includes function calls, those functions will be executed with stops before each statement. -=item ECRE +=item r + +Continue until the return from the current subroutine. +Dump the return value if the C option is set (default). + +=item Repeat last C or C command. @@ -144,7 +155,8 @@ List a single line. =item l subname -List first window of lines from subroutine. +List first window of lines from subroutine. I may +be a variable that contains a code reference. =item - @@ -156,79 +168,56 @@ List window (a few lines) around the current line. =item . -Return debugger pointer to the last-executed line and -print it out. +Return the internal debugger pointer to the line last +executed, and print out that line. =item f filename -Switch to viewing a different file or eval statement. If C -is not a full filename as found in values of %INC, it is considered as -a regexp. +Switch to viewing a different file or C statement. If I +is not a full pathname found in the values of %INC, it is considered +a regex. + +Ced strings (when accessible) are considered to be filenames: +C and C access the body of the 7th Ced string +(in the order of execution). The bodies of the currently executed C +and of Ced strings that define subroutines are saved and thus +accessible. =item /pattern/ -Search forwards for pattern; final / is optional. +Search forwards for pattern (a Perl regex); final / is optional. +The search is case-insensitive by default. =item ?pattern? Search backwards for pattern; final ? is optional. +The search is case-insensitive by default. =item L List all breakpoints and actions. -=item S [[!]pattern] +=item S [[!]regex] -List subroutine names [not] matching pattern. +List subroutine names [not] matching the regex. =item t -Toggle trace mode (see also C Cption). +Toggle trace mode (see also the C option). =item t expr -Trace through execution of expr. For example: - - $ perl -de 42 - Stack dump during die enabled outside of evals. - - Loading DB routines from perl5db.pl patch level 0.94 - Emacs support available. - - Enter h or `h h' for help. - - main::(-e:1): 0 - DB<1> sub foo { 14 } - - DB<2> sub bar { 3 } - - DB<3> t print foo() * bar() - main::((eval 172):3): print foo() + bar(); - main::foo((eval 168):2): - main::bar((eval 170):2): - 42 - -or, with the Cption C set, - - DB<4> O f=2 - frame = '2' - DB<5> t print foo() * bar() - 3: foo() * bar() - entering main::foo - 2: sub foo { 14 }; - exited main::foo - entering main::bar - 2: sub bar { 3 }; - exited main::bar - 42 +Trace through execution of C. +See L for examples. =item b [line] [condition] -Set a breakpoint. If line is omitted, sets a breakpoint on the line -that is about to be executed. If a condition is specified, it's -evaluated each time the statement is reached and a breakpoint is taken -only if the condition is true. Breakpoints may be set on only lines -that begin an executable statement. Conditions don't use B: +Set a breakpoint before the given line. If I is omitted, set a +breakpoint on the line about to be executed. If a condition +is specified, it's evaluated each time the statement is reached: a +breakpoint is taken only if the condition is true. Breakpoints may +only be set on lines that begin an executable statement. Conditions +don't use C: b 237 $x > 30 b 237 ++$count237 < 11 @@ -236,26 +225,28 @@ that begin an executable statement. Conditions don't use B: =item b subname [condition] -Set a breakpoint at the first line of the named subroutine. +Set a breakpoint before the first line of the named subroutine. I may +be a variable containing a code reference (in this case I +is not supported). =item b postpone subname [condition] -Set breakpoint at first line of subroutine after it is compiled. +Set a breakpoint at first line of subroutine after it is compiled. =item b load filename -Set breakpoint at the first executed line of the file. Filename should -be a full name as found in values of %INC. +Set a breakpoint before the first executed line of the I, +which should be a full pathname found amongst the %INC values. =item b compile subname -Sets breakpoint at the first statement executed after the subroutine -is compiled. +Sets a breakpoint before the first statement executed after the specified +subroutine is compiled. =item d [line] -Delete a breakpoint at the specified line. If line is omitted, deletes -the breakpoint on the line that is about to be executed. +Delete a breakpoint from the specified I. If I is omitted, deletes +the breakpoint from the line about to be executed. =item D @@ -263,7 +254,8 @@ Delete all installed breakpoints. =item a [line] command -Set an action to be done before the line is executed. +Set an action to be done before the line is executed. If I is +omitted, set an action on the line about to be executed. The sequence of steps taken by the debugger is 1. check for a breakpoint at this line @@ -272,32 +264,236 @@ The sequence of steps taken by the debugger is 4. prompt user if at a breakpoint or in single-step 5. evaluate line -For example, this will print out C<$foo> every time line +For example, this will print out $foo every time line 53 is passed: a 53 print "DB FOUND $foo\n" +=item a [line] + +Delete an action from the specified line. If I is omitted, delete +the action on the line that is about to be executed. + =item A Delete all installed actions. -=item O [opt[=val]] [opt"val"] [opt?]... +=item W expr + +Add a global watch-expression. We hope you know what one of these +is, because they're supposed to be obvious. B: It is far +too easy to destroy your watch expressions by accidentally omitting +the I. + +=item W + +Delete all watch-expressions. + +=item O booloption ... + +Set each listed Boolean option to the value C<1>. + +=item O anyoption? ... + +Print out the value of one or more options. + +=item O option=value ... + +Set the value of one or more options. If the value has internal +whitespace, it should be quoted. For example, you could set C to call B with those specific options. +You may use either single or double quotes, but if you do, you must +escape any embedded instances of same sort of quote you began with, +as well as any escaping any escapes that immediately precede that +quote but which are not meant to escape the quote itself. In other +words, you follow single-quoting rules irrespective of the quote; +eg: C or C. + +For historical reasons, the C<=value> is optional, but defaults to +1 only where it is safe to do so--that is, mostly for Boolean +options. It is always better to assign a specific value using C<=>. +The C