Re: Eval *string pointer variable in debugger

On 13/06/2008, at 5:26 AM, Lim Hock-Chai wrote:

Yes, I don't want to have to look for the x'00' to know what my string
really looks like.

When the host debugger was created RPG did not have support for null- terminated strings (still doesn't really--it just provides BIF support to make using then easier) so there was no need for the debugger to support these in RPG. Given that IBM is trying to stabilise the host tool set I doubt the ability to EVAL PTR :S will be added. Open a DCR.

Perhaps one of the graphical debuggers supports viewing null- terminated strings in RPG. I don't know because I won't use any IDE that forces me to suffer WinDOS (and I haven't had a need to play with the Java-based graphical debugger).

This same debugger is able to display a char * in c
program just fine using eval piDataRcv :s. Not sure why it is not able
to do the same in RPG.

Simple. The host debugger is "language-sensitive". That is it supports syntax the programmer of that language would understand hence:
EVAL *ptr:s 50
in C but,
EVAL ptr:c 50
in RPG.

Just because the debugger supports a given syntax or function when debugging a program in one language doesn't mean that will work with a program in a different language.

I guess the "language-sensitive" idea made sense at the time to the design team but it causes me (and it seems others too) no end of grief. Give me an old-fashioned language insensitive debugger any day. I want the same syntax and capabilities available regardless of what language the program I'm debugging was written in.


Regards,
Simon Coulter.
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