1. Advanced Debugging in Delphi
Primož Gabrijelčič

2. Breakpoints

3. Basics F9 Run with debugging Shift+Ctrl+F9 Run without debugging
Ctrl+F2 Program reset
F4 Run to current position
F8 Step over
F7 Trace into
Shift+F7 Trace to next source line
Shift+F8 Run until return
F5 Toggle breakpoint
Shift+F5 Enable/disable breakpoint

4. Settings Project, Options Tools, Options Delphi Compiler, Compiling
Optimization
Stack frames
Debug information
Use debug .dcu‘s
Tools, Options
Debugger Options
General
Event log

5. Properties Enabled Condition Pass count slow code
DebugBreak(condition)
GpStuff.pas, GpDelphiUnits on GitHub
Pass count
Narrowing down reproducible problems
Enabled
Shift-F5
TestConditionalDebugger
I = 888
TestConditionalIf
If I = 888 then
sleep(0);
TestConditionalDebugBreak
DebugBreak(I = 888);
badInitialization
Debug dcus!
F8, F8
F8, F7

6. Side effects Break Log message Eval expression Log call stack
OutputDebugString
Loggers (CodeSite …)
Log to console
Log call stack
Stack tracers (JVCL, MadExcept, EurekaLog, FastMM …)
“FastMM” session
TestEvaluate
(Break)
IntToStr(value.Value)
TestOutputDebugString
OutputDebugString(PChar(Format('%d', [value.Value])));
FormCreate: AllocConsole
TestLogToConsole
Writeln(value.Value);
TestCallStack

7. Groups Group Enable group Disable group manual toggle Bkpt/group v
Disable group in btnCallStackClick
Enable group in TestCallStackIntermediate2
Poženi še enkrat, da pokažeš, da se takoj ustavi

8. Multithreaded programs
Properties, Thread
Freeze all other threads
Thaw all threads
CheckSomething

9. Exceptions Tools, Options Ignore subsequent exceptions
Debugger Options
Embarcadero Debuggers
Language Exceptions
Ignore subsequent exceptions
Handle subsequent exceptions
ExceptionClass
type
EUnusedException = class(Exception);
ExceptionClass := EUnusedEception;

10. Hardware breakpoints Address Data Limited number
Code execution
Can be set on read-only memory
Data
Data access
Limited number
DR0 … DR3
Disabled on program restart
TTestObject.Create

11. Getting out of assembler
Return from method
Selective Debugging Expert by Uwe Raabe
Call stack breakpoints
ShowMessage
Selective debugging expert
ReturnFromMethod

12. Tidbits Moving a breakpoint Moving execution point
with mouse
Options, Line number
Moving execution point
Set next statement
“repeat last statement”
Use with care!
Call stack breakpoints
Disable/enable all
Watch out for inline!
Call stack breakpoints
ShowMessage
Selective debugging expert
ReturnFromMethod

13. Evaluate & Watch

14. Evaluating expressions
Ctrl+F5 Add watch
Ctrl+F7 Evaluate/Modify
Alt+F5, Ctrl+Shift+click Inspect

15. Evaluate / Watch Display format specifiers Groups
x, h, d ,r
<repeat>
Groups A
A,x
A,r
a.Signature
a.Signature^
a.Signature^,20
PChar(a.Signature)^
PChar(a.Signature)^,20
string(a.Signature)

16. Optimizer DontOptimize procedure DontOptimize(var data); begin
// do nothing
end;

17. Debugging remotely

18. Remote Debugger Platform Assistant [PAServer]
Remote Debugger [rmtdbgXXX.exe]
Firewall!

19. AsmProfiler André Mussche https://github.com/andremussche/asmprofiler
MiniDumpReader
Process Explorer [Mark Russinovich]

20. Questions?