Using breakpoints

A breakpoint causes the execution of a thread to suspend at the location where the breakpoint is set. A list of all breakpoints (for all debug sessions) displays in the Breakpoints view, unless you use the filter by debug target action.

To filter out breakpoints that are not related to the current debug session, click the Breakpoints view Show Breakpoints Supported by Selected Target push button. To link the Breakpoints view with the Debug view click the Link with Debug View toggle - when this toggle is selected, only those breakpoints that are associated with the selected debug target in the Debug view are displayed in the Breakpoints view.

Note: Filtering by debug target does not filter out breakpoints for debug targets that are similar to that of the current debug session.

The breakpoint entries in the list provide you, in brackets, with a summary of the breakpoints' properties. With pop-up menu options, you can enable, disable, and remove breakpoints. And, with push buttons in the Breakpoints view, you can remove breakpoints. In addition, you can right-click on a breakpoint in the Breakpoints view and select Properties - or right-click a breakpoint in the editor marker bar and select Breakpoint Properties from the pop-up menu. This will invoke the Breakpoint Properties dialog box, where you can view details of the breakpoint. This dialog box also indicates if the breakpoint is persistent. A persistent breakpoint is one that you have set in source that is in the workbench workspace. Persistent breakpoints remain until you remove them. A non-persistent breakpoint is temporary, and it is set in source that is located outside of the workspace. For information about breakpoints that are set outside of the workspace, refer to the setting a line breakpoint topic.

Breakpoints can be enabled and disabled by way of pop-up menus or check boxes in the Breakpoints view or by way of the Breakpoint Properties dialog box. When a breakpoint is enabled, it will cause a thread to suspend whenever it is hit. When a breakpoint is disabled, it will not cause thread suspension. For further information about enabling and disabling breakpoints, see the related topic.

While in the Breakpoints view, the source editor will open to the location of a breakpoint if you do one of the following:

There are two indicators to the left of a set breakpoint. To the far left is a check box which indicates if the breakpoint is enabled (when enabled, the check box contains a check mark). To the near left, a filled indicator with a check mark overlay indicates a breakpoint that has been successfully installed by the debug engine. Breakpoints must be installed before they will suspend execution. When program execution is suspended and you add a breakpoint, it will not be displayed as an installed breakpoint until the debug target has set the breakpoint.

Related concepts
Breakpoints
Related tasks
Setting a line breakpoint
Enabling and disabling breakpoints
Removing breakpoints
Editing and viewing source while debugging
Halting a running program
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