Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Debugging and Troubleshooting

Preface

This Preface contains the following sections:

Purpose
Audience
Organization
Using this manual
Typographical conventions
Examples of syntax descriptions
OpenEdge messages

Purpose

This book provides business application developers and system administrators for OpenEdge® with a comprehensive reference of the startup and shutdown commands and the startup parameters.

Audience

The primary audiences for this book are business application developers and OpenEdge system administrators. The secondary audiences are OpenEdge developers and technical support engineers.

Organization

Part I, OpenEdge Debugger

Chapter 1 "Introduction"

Describes the features of the Debugger and how it interacts with an OpenEdge application.

Chapter 2 "Starting and Stopping the Debugger"

Describes how to start and end a debugging session in all supported operating environments.

Chapter 3 "Debugger Window and Files"

Describes the Debugger user interface and files created or referenced by the Debugger.

Chapter 4 "Using System Handles for Debugging"

Describes how to use the DEBUGGER and SESSION handles, which are 4GL system handles that allow you to start the Debugger and control some Debugger features from a Progress procedure.

Part II, Troubleshooting Resources

Chapter 5 "Logging in OpenEdge"

Describes the enhanced logging infrastructure.

Chapter 6 "Log Entry Types"

Describes the various types of logging that enhanced logging supports.

Chapter 7 "Other Diagnostics Resources"

Describes other diagnostics tools and aids available to developers.

Using this manual

Part I describes how to start, stop, and interact with the Debugger as you debug your code. It is a complete guide to the features, terms, and principles of operation you need to know to use the Debugger effectively. Once you have begun a debugging session, the Debugger online help available from the Help menu of the Debugger window provides most of the information you need to use the Debugger.

Part II describes the logging infrastructure and various types of logging available to troubleshoot your code. It also provides guidelines and direction for using other diagnostic tools available for troubleshooting purposes.

Typographical conventions

This manual uses the following typographical conventions:

Convention	Description
Bold	Bold typeface indicates commands or characters the user types, or the names of user interface elements.
Italic	Italic typeface indicates the title of a document, provides emphasis, or signifies new terms.
SMALL, BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS	Small, bold capital letters indicate OpenEdge® key functions and generic keyboard keys; for example, GET and CTRL.
KEY1+KEY2	A hyphen between key names indicates a simultaneous key sequence: you press and hold down the first key while pressing the second key. For example, CTRL+X.
KEY1 KEY2	A space between key names indicates a sequential key sequence: you press and release the first key, then press another key. For example, ESCAPE H.
Syntax:
Fixed width	A fixed-width font is used in syntax statements, code examples, and for system output and filenames.
Fixed-width italics	Fixed-width italics indicate variables in syntax statements.
Fixed-width bold	Fixed-width bold indicates variables with special emphasis.
UPPERCASE fixed width	Uppercase words are Progress® 4GL language keywords. Although these always are shown in uppercase, you can type them in either uppercase or lowercase in a procedure.
	This icon (three arrows) introduces a multi-step procedure.
	This icon (one arrow) introduces a single-step procedure.
Period (.) or colon (:)	All statements except DO, FOR, FUNCTION, PROCEDURE, and REPEAT end with a period. DO, FOR, FUNCTION, PROCEDURE, and REPEAT statements can end with either a period or a colon.
[ ]	Large brackets indicate the items within them are optional.
[ ]	Small brackets are part of the Progress 4GL language.
{ }	Large braces indicate the items within them are required. They are used to simplify complex syntax diagrams.
{ }	Small braces are part of the Progress 4GL language. For example, a called external procedure must use braces when referencing arguments passed by a calling procedure.
|	A vertical bar indicates a choice.
...	Ellipses indicate repetition: you can choose one or more of the preceding items.

Examples of syntax descriptions

In this example, ACCUM is a keyword, and aggregate and expression are variables:

Syntax

ACCUM aggregate expression

FOR is one of the statements that can end with either a period or a colon, as in this example:

FOR EACH Customer:   DISPLAY Name. END.

In this example, STREAM stream, UNLESS-HIDDEN, and NO-ERROR are optional:

Syntax

DISPLAY [ STREAM stream ] [ UNLESS-HIDDEN ] [ NO-ERROR ]

In this example, the outer (small) brackets are part of the language, and the inner (large) brackets denote an optional item:

Syntax

INITIAL [ constant [ , constant ] ]

A called external procedure must use braces when referencing compile-time arguments passed by a calling procedure, as shown in this example:

Syntax

{ &argument-name }

In this example, EACH, FIRST, and LAST are optional, but you can choose only one of them:

Syntax

PRESELECT [ EACH | FIRST | LAST ] record-phrase

In this example, you must include two expressions, and optionally you can include more. Multiple expressions are separated by commas:

Syntax

MAXIMUM ( expression , expression [ , expression ] ... )

In this example, you must specify MESSAGE and at least one expression or SKIP [ (n) ], and any number of additional expression or SKIP [ ( n ) ] is allowed:

Syntax

MESSAGE { expression | SKIP [ ( n ) ] } ...

In this example, you must specify {include-file, then optionally any number of argument or &argument-name = "argument-value", and then terminate with }:

Syntax

{ include-file     [ argument | &argument-name = "argument-value" ] ... }

Long syntax descriptions split across lines

Some syntax descriptions are too long to fit on one line. When syntax descriptions are split across multiple lines, groups of optional and groups of required items are kept together in the required order.

In this example, WITH is followed by six optional items:

Syntax

WITH [ ACCUM max-length ] [ expression DOWN ]   [ CENTERED ] [ n COLUMNS ] [ SIDE-LABELS ]   [ STREAM-IO ]

Complex syntax descriptions with both required and optional elements

Some syntax descriptions are too complex to distinguish required and optional elements by bracketing only the optional elements. For such syntax, the descriptions include both braces (for required elements) and brackets (for optional elements).

In this example, ASSIGN requires either one or more field entries or one record. Options available with field or record are grouped with braces and brackets:

Syntax

ASSIGN   { [ FRAME frame ] { field [ = expression ] }             [ WHEN expression ] } ...        | { record [ EXCEPT field ... ] }

OpenEdge messages

OpenEdge displays several types of messages to inform you of routine and unusual occurrences:

Execution messages inform you of errors encountered while OpenEdge is running a procedure; for example, if OpenEdge cannot find a record with a specified index field value.
Compile messages inform you of errors found while OpenEdge is reading and analyzing a procedure before running it; for example, if a procedure references a table name that is not defined in the database.
Startup messages inform you of unusual conditions detected while OpenEdge is getting ready to execute; for example, if you entered an invalid startup parameter.

After displaying a message, OpenEdge proceeds in one of several ways:

Continues execution, subject to the error-processing actions that you specify or that are assumed as part of the procedure. This is the most common action taken after execution messages.
Returns to the Progress Procedure Editor, so you can correct an error in a procedure. This is the usual action taken after compiler messages.
Halts processing of a procedure and returns immediately to the Progress Procedure Editor. This does not happen often.
Terminates the current session.

OpenEdge messages end with a message number in parentheses. In this example, the message number is 200:

** Unknown table name table. (200)

If you encounter an error that terminates OpenEdge, note the message number before restarting.

Obtaining more information about OpenEdge messages

In Windows, use OpenEdge online help to obtain more information about OpenEdge messages. Many OpenEdge tools include the following Help menu options to provide information about messages:

Choose Help Recent Messages to display detailed descriptions of the most recent OpenEdge message and all other messages returned in the current session.
Choose Help Messages and then enter the message number to display a description of a specific OpenEdge message.
In the Progress Procedure Editor, press the HELP key or F1.

On UNIX platforms, use the Progress pro command to start a single-user mode character OpenEdge client session and view a brief description of a message by providing its number.

To use the pro command to obtain a message description by message number:

Start the Progress Procedure Editor:

install-dir/dlc/bin/pro

Press F3 to access the menu bar, then choose Help Messages.
Type the message number and press ENTER. Details about that message number appear.
Press F4 to close the message, press F3 to access the Progress Procedure Editor menu, and choose File Exit.