| DB(3pm) | Perl Programmers Reference Guide | DB(3pm) |
DB - programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API
package CLIENT;
use DB;
@ISA = qw(DB);
# these (inherited) methods can be called by the client
CLIENT->register() # register a client package name
CLIENT->done() # de-register from the debugging API
CLIENT->skippkg('hide::hide') # ask DB not to stop in this package
CLIENT->cont([WHERE]) # run some more (until BREAK or
# another breakpointt)
CLIENT->step() # single step
CLIENT->next() # step over
CLIENT->ret() # return from current subroutine
CLIENT->backtrace() # return the call stack description
CLIENT->ready() # call when client setup is done
CLIENT->trace_toggle() # toggle subroutine call trace mode
CLIENT->subs([SUBS]) # return subroutine information
CLIENT->files() # return list of all files known to DB
CLIENT->lines() # return lines in currently loaded file
CLIENT->loadfile(FILE,LINE) # load a file and let other clients know
CLIENT->lineevents() # return info on lines with actions
CLIENT->set_break([WHERE],[COND])
CLIENT->set_tbreak([WHERE])
CLIENT->clr_breaks([LIST])
CLIENT->set_action(WHERE,ACTION)
CLIENT->clr_actions([LIST])
CLIENT->evalcode(STRING) # eval STRING in executing code's context
CLIENT->prestop([STRING]) # execute in code context before stopping
CLIENT->poststop([STRING])# execute in code context before resuming
# These methods will be called at the appropriate times.
# Stub versions provided do nothing.
# None of these can block.
CLIENT->init() # called when debug API inits itself
CLIENT->stop(FILE,LINE) # when execution stops
CLIENT->idle() # while stopped (can be a client event loop)
CLIENT->cleanup() # just before exit
CLIENT->output(LIST) # called to print any output that
# the API must show
Perl debug information is frequently required not just by debuggers, but also by modules that need some "special" information to do their job properly, like profilers.
This module abstracts and provides all of the hooks into Perl internal debugging functionality, so that various implementations of Perl debuggers (or packages that want to simply get at the "privileged" debugging data) can all benefit from the development of this common code. Currently used by Swat, the perl/Tk GUI debugger.
Note that multiple "front-ends" can latch into this debugging API simultaneously. This is intended to facilitate things like debugging with a command line and GUI at the same time, debugging debuggers etc. [Sounds nice, but this needs some serious support -- GSAR]
In particular, this API does not provide the following functions:
These are intended to be services performed by the clients of this API.
This module attempts to be squeaky clean w.r.t "use strict;" and when warnings are enabled.
The following "public" global names can be read by clients of this API. Beware that these should be considered "readonly".
The following are methods in the DB base class. A client must access these methods by inheritance (*not* by calling them directly), since the API keeps track of clients through the inheritance mechanism.
The following "virtual" methods can be defined by the client. They will be called by the API at appropriate points. Note that unless specified otherwise, the debug API only defines empty, non-functional default versions of these methods.
The interface defined by this module is missing some of the later additions to perl's debugging functionality. As such, this interface should be considered highly experimental and subject to change.
Gurusamy Sarathy gsar@activestate.com
This code heavily adapted from an early version of perl5db.pl attributable to Larry Wall and the Perl Porters.
| 2019-10-21 | perl v5.30.3 |