Step commands

You can use step commands to step through your program a single line or, on AIX or Windows, one disassembly instruction at a time.

The following types of step commands are available:

Step Command Button Shortcut Description
Step Over nbstpovr.gif (108 bytes) F8 Executes the current line, without stopping in any functions or routines called within the line.
Step Into nbstpint.gif (110 bytes) F11 Executes the current line. If the current line contains a call to a function or routine, execution stops in the first line or disassembly instruction of the called function or routine. If the called function or routine was not compiled with debug information, the function or routine is shown in a disassembly view. Since disassembly views are not available for Java, you will see a "No Source Available" message if the called function does not exist in a path in the CLASSPATH environment variable.
Step Debug nbstpdbg.gif (112 bytes) F7 Executes the current line. Execution stops at the next line encountered for which debug information is available. This could be in the current function or routine, in the called function or routine, or in a function or routine called within the called function or routine.
Step Return nbstprtn.gif (112 bytes) Shift+F11 Executes from the current execution point up to the line immediately following the line that called this function or routine. If you issue a Step Return command from the main entry point (in C++, the main() program), the program runs to completion.

Execution of your program may stop earlier than indicated in the step command descriptions, if the Distributed Debugger encounters a breakpoint or an exception occurs.

If the step command involves any calls to Object Request Broker methods on a server, a new process page in the debugger user interface for the server code opens (or an existing page has its focus raised) and execution stops at the first statement in the method invoked on the server.

Tip: You can use combinations of step commands to step through multiple calls on a single line.


Stepping through a program
Skipping over sections of a program


DER_DBG_DEEP_STEP_DEBUG