C language > Tips & tricks

Debugging aid

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CFred:
It's been a while since I contributed to this forum so I thought I would share macros that I use to help with the development of programs. The attached zip file contains the include file, DebuggingAid.h, that contains a set of macros for debugging together with a demonstration program.

Features

1. The facility to output formatted strings to a console. The formatted string can contain variable values. I found a feature similar to this invaluable in PureBasic.

2. Displays programmer's messages during compiling in the window under the project tab. The message includes the file and line number of the source code. Double clicking on the message takes the programmer to the relevant part of the code, so this can be used as a placeholder/bookmark.

3. An Assertion macro that is similar to the assert macro in the C language - I included this macro so that all the debugging facilities are in one module. This macro shows the name of the module that has an error, the line number on which it occurred and the expression that triggered the error. Unlike the assert macro in  C, this does not show the function where the error occurred, but it has a neater display.
The program stops running after the Assertion macro responds to an error.

The features can be used with ANSII or Unicode.

Usage
Include the header file in the module to be debugged:


--- Code: ---#include "DebuggingAid.h"
--- End code ---

To ensure the features are available, ensure that the line


--- Code: ---#define DebuggingOn
--- End code ---

is not commented out in the include file.

If this line is commented out then the macros for displaying messages to the console and the Assertion macro will be replaced by a blank line in the compiled code. However, the macro to display messages while compiling programs will still be available.

To use Unicode, uncomment the lines


--- Code: ---//#define UNICODE  //Windows
//#define _UNICODE  //C runtime
--- End code ---



Displaying messages and variables in a console.
To open a console for receiving messages at run time, include the macro OpenConsole in a program module. I usually include this line in response to the WM_CREATE message that is sent to the main window.

To write to the console, use the macro ConsoleOutput. The first argument of this macro is a formatted string that uses the same convention as the function wsprintf() ie include place holders such as %s for a string and %i for an integer. Include the values of these placeholders after the formatted string, separated by commas.

Example:


--- Code: ---ConsoleOutput("Variable value: %d\n", 5);
ConsoleOutput("This is %s number %i", TEXT("test"), 7);
--- End code ---

Displaying messages when compiling a program
This uses the MSGCOMPILE macro that must be implemented using a #pragma directive.
The message should not be placed in quote marks.

Example:


--- Code: ---#pragma MSGCOMPILE(Need to insert code for this function later)
--- End code ---

Using the ASSERTION macro
Use the macro ASSERTION followed by an expression in brackets. If the expression is FALSE then a message box displays the module and line number of where the error occurred, together with the expression.


Conclusion
If anybody has any other debugging macros that help with programming then post them here and I will add them to the attached file.

Vortex:
Hi CFred,

Thanks for the application. The application is crashing in the test case below. Operating system : Windows 7 Sp1 64-bit.

To reproduce the issue :

a) Click Action 1.
b) Click OK in the message box.

John Z:
Hi CFred,

Confirming Vortex's finding, but on Win 11 Home 23H2, 64 bit.

Start demo click Action 1 -

Attached screen shot, after clicking OK a moment or two goes by
then it all terminates.

John Z

Hmmmm

--- Quote from: CFred on December 20, 2023, 03:33:46 PM ---The program stops running after the Assertion macro responds to an error.

--- End quote ---

Does this mean the demo is SUPPOSED to stop (looking like a crash but intentionally stopping?) if so a message box saying 'terminating due to Assertion error" would be helpful before aborting the program -  just a thought

frankie:
Nice job CFred. ;)
John, Erol,
The macros starts debugging from the point where they are inserted, what you see isn't a crash, but the execution that changes in debug mode, and if you haven't assigned a system debugger the program ends. Try to compile the executable with debug symbols and start in debug mode.
This feature could be very interesting to solve the limitation of PellesC debugger that makes impossible to set a break-point inside a switch-case.  :D

CFred:
The file DebuggingAid.h uses the function DebugBreak() that initiates a breakpoint exception. If this is not handled, then the process terminates. You could change the line


--- Code: ---DebugBreak();}
--- End code ---

to


--- Code: ---ExitProcess(1);}
--- End code ---

to obtain a cleaner termination of the program when ASSERTION responds to an error.

The number in brackets is an error code - this can be changed if required.

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