COBOL Basic Demo Session › COBOL Set Unconditional Breakpoints

COBOL Set Unconditional Breakpoints

You can set unconditional breakpoints directly on the Source Listing screen just as easily as you displayed and modified TASKNUM. Type u to the left of each statement where you want CA InterTest to halt program execution. Here is how to set a breakpoint at the following IF statement:

IF TASKNUM GREATER 2

1. Type in u to the left of the statement number on the IF TASKNUM GREATER 2 line, as shown in the following screen.
2. Press Enter.

      CA InterTest for CICS V9.1   - PROTSYM FILE  ABEND DETECTED BREAKPOINT      
   COMMAND ===>                                                                    
   Program= COBDEMO  Option #       Stmt #                             Margin= 01  
                                           Search=                                 
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
    _____ TASKNUM                         |  00000.                                
   ---------+--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
    _ 000477 CONTINUE-TASK.                                                        
      000478**** TASKNUM *NOTE* FIELD MUST BE INITIALIZED                          
    A    ==>     ADD +1 TO TASKNUM.                                                
    _ 000480     IF TASKNUM = 1                                                    
    _ 000481         MOVE 'DMAPASR'  TO MAPNAME.                                   
    _ 000482     IF TASKNUM = 2                                                    
    _ 000483         MOVE 'DMAPSUM'  TO MAPNAME.                                  
    u 000484     IF TASKNUM GREATER 2    
   .
   .
   

3. Type the go command on the command line or press PF5 to continue execution from where the program is currently stopped (at the statement ADD +1 TO TASKNUM).

   CA InterTest for CICS resumes program execution and continues until it reaches the breakpoint you just set. CA InterTest halts the program before that statement is executed and displays the screen shown next.

      CA InterTest for CICS V9.1   - PROTSYM FILE  UNCOND  BEFORE BREAKPOINT      
   COMMAND ===>                                                                   
   Program= COBDEMO  Option #       Stmt #                             Margin= 01 
                                           Search=                                
   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    _____ TASKNUM                         | +00001.                               
   ---------+---------------------------------------------------------------------
    _ 000482     IF TASKNUM = 2                                                   
    _ 000483         MOVE 'DMAPSUM'  TO MAPNAME.                                  
    U    ==>     IF TASKNUM GREATER 2                                             
    _ 000485         GO TO SEND-END-MSG. 
   .
   .
   .
   

   Notice the U to the left of the highlighted statement. It identifies the breakpoint as an Unconditional breakpoint. For an Automatic, Conditional, Variable‑Change, or Request breakpoint, CA InterTest displays an A, C, V, or R, respectively.

   Note: The value of TASKNUM is now 1 because the ADD +1 TO TASKNUM statement executed successfully.

When you are stopped at a breakpoint, you can do the following tasks:

• Scroll or search through your source listing
• Examine and modify main and auxiliary storage
• Add a data item to the Keep window using the k line command
• Set and remove breakpoints
• Examine the program's backtrace summary
• Abend your task (with or without a dump)
• Go around a problem by resuming program execution from another location. (Type g next to the instruction where you want to resume.)

When debugging your own programs, you will typically perform one or more of these activities, which are described in detail in the next chapter. However, COBDEMO does not have any more errors, so we are going to complete the demo session.

As you continue testing and debugging, you should clean up by removing any breakpoints no longer needed, so that when retesting the program it will not stop unnecessarily. Next, remove the unconditional breakpoint you just set so COBDEMO will not stop at this statement when it is re-executed.