If You Prefer a GUI, Use the Debugger

Should you favor a graphical interface to dbx,try the debugger (the Sun WorkShop Debugging window). During program execution, dbx obtains detailed information about program behavior and delivers this information to the debugger by a communications protocol. You can debug more easily because you can enter most commands by clicking redefinable buttons in the GUI.

You can also edit your programs with your favorite editor from the debugger and minimize the need to change tools.

Fix and Continue

With the Fix and Continue feature of the debugger you can modify source code, recompile the file, and continue program execution--all without leaving the debugger. When you use this feature, you eliminate relinking and reloading the program.

Runtime Checking

Use runtime checking (RTC) to find elusive memory access violations and memory leaks in both single-threaded and multithreaded applications. With runtime checking, you can detect runtime errors in an application during the development phase. As errors are detected, the debugger interrupts program execution and displays the relevant source code so you can fix bugs as they are found.

Data Visualization

As a scientific or numerical software developer, you work with large volumes of data. To facilitate your analyses, you need to "see" results. Data visualization is a debugging technique that lets you explore and comprehend large and complex data sets, simulate results, and interactively steer computations. During this process, you can update the data on demand-- at specified breakpoints, or at specified time intervals.