# Copyright (C) 2007, The Perl Foundation.
# $Id: /mirror/trunk/docs/dev/debugging_with_msvc.pod 20626 2007-08-14T20:59:42.680853Z coke  $

=head1 NAME

docs/dev/debugging_with_msvc.pod - Debugging Parrot with Microsoft
Visual C++

=head1 ABSTRACT

This document describes how to get started with debugging on Microsoft
Windows using Visual C++ 7 and later.

=head1 DESCRIPTION

=head2 Compiler Options

Probably the easiest way to get going with debugging is to add some
compiler options.  One way to go about this is to run 
C<perl Configure.pl>, look at the C<CFLAGS> in F<Makefile> and then run
C<perl Configure.pl --ccflags="..."> with the new flags.  Once done,
consider saving your Configure call in a batch file so you have it
available the next time.

=head3 C</Wall>

Listen to your compiler.

=head3 C</RTCcsu> - Enables run-time error checking

This enables three different runtime checks: Conversion to smaller
type, stacke frame and use of uninitialized local variable.  See
L<http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8wtf2dfz(VS.80).aspx>.

=head3 C</GS> - Buffers security check

Detect some buffer overruns.  See
L<http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8dbf701c(VS.80).aspx>.

=head3 C</Wp64> - Detect 64-bit compatability problems

I<Don't> use this one. Leave 64-bit checking to the real 64-bit
compilers.

=head3 C</D_DEBUG> vs. C</DNDEBUG>

C<_DEBUG> enables the use of the debugging versions of the runtime
functions.  C<NDEBUG> disables the debug function C<assert>.  Beware
that the Visual C++ specific assertion macro C<_ASSERT> is only
enabled if C<_DEBUG> is defined!

It's probably best to start with making sure that C<NDEBUG> is not
defined and enable the debugging C runtime later.

=head3 Debugging C runtime

Two steps are necessary to use the debugging C runtime.  First change
the C<-MD> flag to C<-MDd>.  This will implicitly define C<_DEBUG>.
Often this is enough, but Parrot lists the libraries explicitly, so
you'd need to replace F<MSVCRT.lib> with F<MSVCRTd.lib>.  For this,
run C<perl Configure.pl>, look at C<C_LIBS> in the F<Makefile> and run
C<perl Configure.pl --libs="..."> with the new libs.

=head3 C</analyze>

Microsoft added more static source code analysis to the their
compiler, but this is only available with certain editions.  If not
supported you'll see the following warning.

  cl : Command line warning D9040 : ignoring option '/analyze'; Code
  Analysis warnings are not available in this edition of the compiler 


=head3 Examples

Here's an example how the new Configure call might look like.

  perl Configure.pl ^
      --ccflags="-nologo -Wall -MDd -Zi -Od -GS -RTCcsu -DWIN32 -D_CONSOLE" ^
      --linkflags="-nologo -nodefaultlib -machine:x86 -debug -incremental:no" ^
      --ldflags="-nologo -nodefaultlib -machine:x86 -debug -incremental:no" ^
      --libs="kernel32.lib ws2_32.lib msvcrtd.lib oldnames.lib" ^
      %*

=head2 Debugging Tools for Windows

TODO

L<http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx>

=head3 Examples

TODO


=head2 Microsoft Application Verifier

TODO

L<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows/appcompatibility/appverifier.mspx>

=head3 Examples

TODO


=head2 Frequently Asked Questions

TODO

=head1 SEE ALSO

=over

=item Debugging Native Code

L<http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k70yt3e2(VS.80).aspx>

=back

=head1 AUTHOR

Ronald Blaschke <ron@rblasch.org>

=cut

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