Topic: Debugger suggestions

I suspect that what I'll now suggest can't be done in Simply Fortran because the relevant program code is inside the debugger and the editor rather than Simply Fortran, but, just in case either should be feasible, here's what I have in mind:

Alpha-sort debugger source file list ?
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The drop-down menu displaying all the source files, which one uses in the debugger to select a source file and set a breakpoint, is unsorted.
If it were possible to display it in alphabetic order, that would be a great time-saver.

Set breakpoint and launch debugger from editor ?
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Is there any possibility that, from the editor, one could set breakpoints in a file that the debugger could recognise, and launch the debugger from the editor?
My idea is that, when one is struggling to improve the source code of one file in a project, it would be good if, from the editor, one could set a breakpoint directly above the code just altered, then launch the debugger in a single action.  That action would need to
- save the file currently being edited,
- check for any other filesaves that might be needed and prompt users to do so,
- check whether the project needs saving and prompt users to do so,
- compile, link and load,
- launch the debugger,
- read the breakpoint(s) set in the editor,
- execute the code in the debugger.

This would be a terrific speed-up tool because one could tinker with some code in one source file then just have the debugger try it without any intermeiate steps.

In all seriousness, I don't see these ideas as being either likely to be feasible or of any great importance, but maybe they'll give Jeff some better ideas for continuing improvement.
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John

  • jeff
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Re: Debugger suggestions

Sorting the filenames within the debugger drop-down is certainly possible.  I'll look into the enhancement.

As for debugging tasks within the Simply Fortran IDE itself, those ideas are certainly on the table for version 2.0.  There are some obvious issues with integrating the debugger within the IDE related to the number of features that would require implementation.  The issue, of course, is that Insight is already a feature-rich debugger as is.  The main detriment is the lack of direct integration with the IDE.  However, debugging features within the IDE have always been considered for future versions.

Jeff Armstrong
Approximatrix, LLC