The SCL Debugger

Overview of SCL Debugger Features and Capabilities

The SAS Component Language Debugger (SCL Debugger) is a powerful window-oriented utility that can interactively monitor the execution of SCL programs, enabling you to locate run-time errors. The SCL debugger also enables you to suspend the execution of one program that is part of a series of programs and to execute the other programs in the series. The SCL debugger interface consists of two windows, the debugger SOURCE window and the debugger MESSAGE window. The debugger displays the source program, specifying which line is executing, in the SOURCE window. The MESSAGE window contains the debugger command line, as well as the results of any debugger commands.

The debugger can

suspend execution at selected statements and programs. The point at which execution is suspended is called a breakpoint. Breakpoints can be set based on the evaluation of an expression.
monitor the values of selected variables. This is called a watch variable. When a watch variable is set to some specified value, the debugger stops executing the program at the statement where this occurred.
set or query the value of SCL variables.
display the attributes of variables.
bypass a group of statements.
continue execution of a halted program.
step over statements and function calls.
display the execution stacks of active programs.
display the values of the arguments passed into a program.
display an expansion of the program's macros and macro variable references.
display each statement as it executes.
execute commands conditionally.
retrieve previous commands.
evaluate expressions, which can include functions, in the debugger command line.
process statements that use dot notation.
create and use SAS macros that contain debugger commands.
display help for individual commands.

For more information, see:

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