Visual Studio: Advanced Debugging Tools

Get the most out of your Visual Studio debugging sessions. Learn about several powerful debugging tools and features that help pinpoint problems in your application code.

Introduction

• Discover the advanced debugger tools
• What you should know
• How to access the GitHub code

1. IntelliTrace

• A quick look at the Diagnostics window
• A quick look at the IntelliTrace tools
• What you should know
• Understand the iTrace files
• Choosing what to save in iTrace files
• View function calls in historical debugging
• View snapshots in historical debugging
• View IntelliTrace exceptions
• View UI messages
• View other events
• View IntelliTrace timeline

2. Work with an iTrace File

• Save an iTrace file while debugging
• Archive PDB files for each version
• Configure debug symbols path
• Open iTrace file for recent build
• Change source and PDB for older build
• Diagnose problems after deployment

3. Use Diagnostics and Visualizer Window

• Configure the CPU monitor
• Analyze CPU usage with Diagnostics tools
• Analyze CPU usage with Profiler
• View CPU usage by function
• Configure memory monitor
• Analyze memory usage with Diagnostics tools
• Analyze memory usage with Profiler
• View memory details

4. Debug Multithreaded Code

• Debug multithreaded code
• Run the sample application
• Examine the sample application code
• Overview of the thread debug windows
• Debug with the Threads window
• See worker threads in the Threads window
• Show threads icons in the source editor
• Debug with the parallel watch
• Identify threads with custom names and Flags
• View the Thread call stack
• Examine the modified code for Parallel Stack
• Use the Parallel Stack window
• Conditional breakpoints from Thread ID
• Freeze and thaw threads

5. Interactive Code Maps

• Install code maps feature
• Enable code maps
• Save the code map file
• Open and debug with the code map file
• Navigate call stack in code map
• Add comments and flags to code map
• Change code map layout
• Enhance code map with type containers
• Complete the map by adding all type members

6. Debugging Tips

• Multiple breakpoints with Inline Breakpoints
• Enhance debug sessions with DebuggerDisplay attribute
• Recursive debugging with Parallel Watch window
• Add breakpoints to all overloads with function breakpoints
• Use debug commands to create lists of debug data

Conclusion

• What's next