What options are there for debugging isCOBOL environments? [-]The isCOBOL Runtime Environment includes a robust debugging tool for continued COBOL development. Written in Java, the isCOBOL Debugger provides graphical, COBOL source level debugging and runs on any platform on which the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.2 or later is available. Since the isCOBOL Debugger is included with the isCOBOL runtime library, you do not need to purchase a different compiler for every operating system you wish to deploy on.
From the isCOBOL Debugger, you can perform activities such as trace-file writing, loading and unloading sessions, executing instructions, searching for text and setting breakpoints.
The debugger window provides three primary code views:
- The source code window enables source code viewing.
- The command window allows developers to view all executed commands and messages, as well as insert commands.
- The info window displays the execution stack, variables to monitor and the breakpoint list.
isCOBOL Debugger windows can be resized as desired and debugger commands can be issued using the command-line, menu items or via toolbar buttons.
Remote debugging can also be used to debug programs that are executed on a server. In this case, programs would need to be compiled with a ‘-d’ option, then accessed from a client machine that has the appropriate source files running on it.