Working with Breakpoints

A breakpoint tells the debugger that an application should break or pause execution at a certain point. When a break occurs, you can use available tools to evaluate your variables. A breakpoint will stop your code on the line of the source code which will be executed next. When the debugger breaks program execution, the program is broken and it remains in the break mode until you click Step Into, Step Over, Step Out or Run to continue the execution.

Using Breakpoints

The Breakpoints window lists all breakpoints currently set in your program and displays their properties. Using the Breakpoints window, you can delete, enable or disable breakpoints, or go to the source code corresponding to a breakpoint.

The debugger cannot operate a breakpoint in the run mode. You can place a breakpoint in the run mode but it will be bound when the debugger enters the break mode.

Breakpoint Status

Breakpoint status is indicated by symbols that appear in the gray margin, at the left, in the source window. They are:

  • Enabled: Execution will be suspended at this breakpoint.
  • Disabled: The debugger ignores this breakpoint.
  • Error: No breakpoint can be set at this location; the location is illegal and breakpoint cannot be bound. The debugger ignores this breakpoint.

Inserting Breakpoints

The dbForge Fusion for SQL Server debugger provides many ways to set breakpoints:

Using the shortcut menu

  1. In a source window, right-click a line of executable code where you want to set a breakpoint.
  2. On the shortcut menu, click Insert Breakpoint.

Using the Debug menu

  1. In a source window, right-click a line of executable code where you want to set a breakpoint.
  2. On the Debug menu, click Toggle Breakpoint.

Here are also two commonly used techniques to set a breakpoint in a source window:

  1. Click the gutter of the window at the line that you want to break at.
  2. Select the line and press F9.

The breakpoint icon appears in the gutter.

Deleting Breakpoints

To delete a breakpoint, perform either of the following:

  • Click the breakpoint in the Breakpoints window and then click the Delete button on the Breakpoints window toolbar.
  • Right-click the breakpoint in the Breakpoints window and select Delete on the menu.
  • Click the breakpoint on the indicator margin.
  • Move the insertion point to the breakpoint and select Toggle Breakpoint on the Debug menu.
  • Right-click the line of code with the breakpoint and choose Delete on the shortcut menu.

You can delete all breakpoints by choosing Delete All Breakpoints on the Debug menu or by clicking the corresponding button on the Breakpoints window toolbar.

Enabling or Disabling Breakpoint

You can enable or disable a breakpoint by selecting the checkbox at the appropriate line in the Breakpoints window. You can also click the Disable/Enable All Breakpoints button in the Breakpoints window to disable all breakpoints if at least one breakpoint is enabled. Otherwise, it enables all breakpoints.