Changing program code

During a debugging session, you can modify the behavior of your application in two ways:

• You can edit your source code, using the standard ABL Editor. Changes do not take effect in the current debugging session unless the program subsequently calls the modified procedures.
• You can change variable values temporarily. These changes take effect in the current debugging session but are not saved to the source code.

Making persistent changes by editing the ABL source

During a session, the Debugger opens each source file it processes in an Editor window. You can edit the file in that window, using all standard features of the ABL Editor, without leaving the Debug perspective.

You may want to have access to the tools available in the OpenEdge Editor perspective, such as the Outline view and the DB Structure view, particularly for extensive or complex changes. You can switch to the OpenEdge Editor perspective or any other perspective, keeping your debugging session active, and then return to the Debug perspective to continue the session.

Changes take effect the next time your application executes the modified code after you recompile.

Temporarily changing variable values

During a running debugging session, you can experiment to see how changes to variable values affect program execution, without modifying the source code. The Variables view and the Variable Details dialog let you make non-persistent changes, as explained in the topics covering the use of those tools.