Optional breakpoint parameters

Optional breakpoint parameters are used to control the behavior of breakpoints. You can set the following parameters when you set a breakpoint:

Optional breakpoint parameter Description Type of breakpoint supported
Thread This selection list lets you choose what threads to set the breakpoint in. To select a thread ID from the list, highlight the thread where you want to set the breakpoint. This list is available only on platforms that support multithreaded programs. This parameter is supported by line and watch breakpoints.
Frequency Use the Frequency controls to tell the debugger when to stop on a breakpoint and when to skip it. The debugger keeps track of how many times each breakpoint is encountered. The fields in this section tell the debugger on which encounter of a breakpoint the debugger should first stop, how often it should stop, and on which encounter the debugger should no longer stop.

The following parameters are used to set the breakpoint frequency:

  • From: Enter the first breakpoint encounter you want the debugger to stop on. For example, if you want the debugger to skip over the breakpoint the first five times it is encountered, enter "6".
  • To: Enter the last breakpoint encounter you want the debugger to stop on. For example, if you want it to start ignoring the breakpoint after the 20th encounter, enter "20". To have it always stop on the breakpoint, enter "Infinity".
  • Every: Enter the frequency with which you want the debugger to stop on this breakpoint. For example, if you want it to stop on only one out of every four it encounters, enter "4".
Note: Other than the "Infinity" value, any frequency setting that you enter should be a numeric value. If you enter an alphabetic value, the debugger will use the default value for the field in which the alphabetic value was entered.
This parameter is supported by line and watch breakpoints.
Expression You can enter an expression into this field. The execution of the program stops at the breakpoint only if the condition specified in this field tests true (any non-zero value is considered true).

For example, if you are debugging a C++ program you could type the following:

(i==1) || (j==k) && (k!=5)

This parameter is supported by line breakpoints.

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