This section lists the key changes made to Debug Tool for z/OS.
- C/C++ expression support has been enhanced.
Debug Tool now
handles pointers in a manner that is more consistent with the semantics
of the programming language. The usage notes for the following commands
have been updated:
Messages EQA2001E - EQA2023E have been added to Debug Tool messages.
Appendix C. Changes in behavior of some commands has been added
to describe these changes.
- Debug Tool now supports using the STEP OVER command in
assembler compile units to step over subroutines within the same compile
unit. You can enable this support by entering the SET ASSEMBLER
STEPOVER EXTINT command.
The
title of the SET ASSEMBLER ON/OFF command has been changed to distinguish
it from the new command, the SET ASSEMBLER STEPOVER command. The SET ASSEMBLER STEPOVER command
has been added to .
- A new CICS transaction has been added (DTSC) that can make it
easier to assign a terminal to Debug Tool.
The Debug Tool Customization Guide and Debug Tool User’s Guide have been updated.
- The LOADDEBUGDATA command has been enhanced so that
you can qualify the name of a compile unit with the name of the load
module.
The description of a new variable (load_module_name)
has been added to LOADDEBUGDATA command.
- The syntax diagram for the QUERY command
has been modified to make it easier to read.
- The SET INTERCEPT command can now be used in remote debug mode
while you debug COBOL programs.
The description of
the SET INTERCEPT command has been divided into the following
sections:
The section SET REWRITE command (remote debug mode) has been
added to describe how to control the number of COBOL DISPLAY statements
the remote debugger displays in the Debug Console.
The SET INTERCEPT, SET REWRITE, QUERY
INTERCEPT and QUERY REWRITE commands can now be used
in remote debug mode. They have been added to Appendix B. Debug Tool commands supported in remote debug mode. The description of each command
has been updated to indicate you can use it in remote debug mode.
- The SET IGNORELINK command can now be used in remote debug mode.
A usage note has been added to SET IGNORELINK command. The SET IGNORELINK command has been added
to Appendix B. Debug Tool commands supported in remote debug mode.
- A usage note has been added to the description of
the SET SOURCE command to describe what Debug Tool does when
you specify an assembler compile unit that is not known to Debug Tool.
To read the new usage note, see SET SOURCE command.
- A new sample, EQAWSVST, is available that you can use to set up
saving and restoring settings, breakpoints, and monitor specifications.
A section in the Debug Tool User’s Guide describes this new sample.
- Minor updates have been made to improve clarity.
The removal of references to Debug Tool Utilities and Advanced Functions are not marked with revision
bars so that they do not distract from the technical changes.
- A new command, CALL %FM, has been added so that you
can start IBM® File Manager for z/OS® from
your CICS® debugging session.
See CALL %FM command for more information.
- The SET AUTOMONITOR command has been enhanced so
you can display the value of variables on the statement Debug Tool is
about to run and the statement that it ran previously.
SET AUTOMONITOR command has been updated to describe
the new parameters (CURRENT, PREVIOUS, and BOTH)
you can specify for this command. QUERY command has been
updated to display the setting for SET AUTOMONITOR CURRENT, SET
AUTOMONITOR PREVIOUS, and SET AUTOMONITOR BOTH.
- Support for AMode(64) assembler and disassembly programs has
been added. You can now run debugging functions, like stopping at
breakpoints or stepping through a program, in AMode(64) programs,
program segments, or both. You can now include AMode(64) addressable
data in assembler and disassembly expressions, and display or alter
64-bit addressable storage by using the LIST STORAGE, STORAGE,
and MEMORY commands.
The following topics have been updated
to describe how you specify and how Debug Tool handles 64-bit hexadecimal
addresses:
- New parameters are now available on the LIST CONTAINER and LIST
STORAGE commands to format the contents of an XML document stored
in a container or storage.
Debug Tool uses the z/OS XML
parser to verify the syntax of the document. If the syntax is
valid, Debug Tool formats and writes the XML to the log file. The descriptions of the following commands have been
updated:
This feature is not available in remote debug mode.
- New prefix commands that can be entered through the prefix area
of the Source window have been added to make it easier to display
the value of a variable and add variables to the Monitor window.
The L prefix
command displays the value of a variable. The M prefix
command adds a variable to the Monitor window. These commands
are available when your program is compiled with the following compilers:
- Enterprise PL/I for z/OS, Version 3.6 or 3.7 with the
PTF for APAR PK70606, or later
- Enterprise COBOL
The following topics have been updated or
added to describe the new prefix commands:
- Debugging profiles created by DTCN can now be stored in a VSAM
file.
- The FIND command has been enhanced so that you
can specify the first and last columns to search through in the Source
window. The SET FIND BOUNDS and QUERY FIND BOUNDS commands
have been added.
The following commands
have been updated so that you can specify the boundaries of a column
of text in the Source window:
- A new %IF command has been added that is
programming
language neutral. The %IF command can help you
write commands that can be used in programs written in different programming
languages.
%IF command (programming language neutral) has been added that describes this new command.
- The DTCN transaction has been updated to include another resource
that you can use to identify the program or transaction that you want
to debug.
See Debug Tool User’s Guide for instructions on how
to specify the data in the COMMAREA or a container that can help identify
which program or transaction to debug.
- Additional commands that were previously available only in full-screen
mode are now available in remote debug mode. A list of Debug Tool commands
supported in remote debug mode has been moved from Debug Tool User’s Guide to Appendix B. Debug Tool commands supported in remote debug mode in Debug Tool Reference and Messages. This
topic has been updated to include instructions on how to enter these
commands in the remote debugger.
- New parameters, OLD and MOD, are now available
on the SET LOG ON FILE command to control whether the previous
contents of the file are overwritten or whether the new information
is appended.
SET LOG command has been updated
to describe these new parameters.
- A new Debug Tool variable has been added: %RSTDSETS.
You
can use this variable in the condition of an IF or %IF statement
to determine if the SET values have been restored. %RSTDSETS has been added to describe this
variable.
- The AT ENTRY and AT STATEMENT commands have
been enhanced with a WHEN conditional clause. You can
now indicate that you want Debug Tool to stop at an entry point or a specific
statement only after a condition is met.
The
descriptions of the AT ENTRY and AT EXIT commands
have been separated. The AT ENTRY command includes information
about the WHEN conditional clause. See AT ENTRY command.
The description of the AT STATEMENT command includes information
about the WHEN conditional clause. See AT STATEMENT command.
- In Debug Tool Setup Utilities, support for specifying generation
data groups (GDG) where you specify data set names has been expanded
to include debug sessions that run in the foreground. This support
was available previously only for debug sessions that run in batch
mode. For more information about GDG, see z/OS DFSMS Using Data Sets. Several new messages have been added.
- In CICS, you can now debug User Replaceable Modules
(URMs).
A user-replaceable program (or User Replaceable Module,
URM) is a CICS-supplied program that is always invoked at a particular
point in CICS processing, as if it were part of the CICS code.
Because it can be considered part of the CICS code,
you should think carefully before choosing to debug these programs.
For a description of user-replaceable programs, see CICS Transaction Server for z/OS Customization Guide.
See Debug Tool User’s Guide for instructions on how to indicate that you want
debug URMs.
- Saving and restoring of monitors now saves local monitors as well
as global monitors. In addition, when the compile unit for a local
monitor is deleted, any local monitors for that compile unit are suspended
and automatically restored if the compile unit reappears later in
the same debugging session. LIST MONITOR command and SET SAVE command have been updated to describe this enhancement.
- You can now use the EQAUEDAT user exit to specify the location
of the file generated by the DWARF suboption of the C/C++
compiler. See Debug Tool Customization Guide for instructions
on how to use the EQAUEDAT user exit.
- Appendix A. Reference card: Frequently used Debug Tool commands has been added.
It is a one-page list of the most frequently used commands,
which you can print out and use as a reference tool.
- With DTCN, you can now have Debug Tool start at a program boundary
for a CICS task that has already started.
See Debug Tool Customization Guide for more
information.
- A new utility has been added to Debug Tool Utilities, called JCL for Batch Debugging, which can help
you start a debugging session from your JCL.
See Debug Tool Customization Guide for more
information.
- SMP/E USERMODs are now available for some customizations.
The Debug Tool User’s Guide and Debug Tool Customization Guide have been updated to indicate when a USERMOD is available
for a particular customization.
- A new command called SET IGNORELINK has been added.
This command can help improve performance for CICS programs
that create many nested enclaves. See SET IGNORELINK command for more information.