Overview of debugging and running applications

After you build all or part of an application and compile and save its objects, you can run the application. The PowerBuilder development environment provides two ways to run an application: in debug mode and in regular mode.

Debug mode

In debug mode, you can insert breakpoints (stops) in scripts and functions, single-step through code, and display the contents of variables to locate logic errors that will result in errors at runtime.

Regular mode

In regular mode, the application responds to user interaction and runs until the user stops it or until a runtime error occurs. This is the mode you and your users will use to run the completed application.

You can also collect trace information while you run your application in regular mode, then use the trace data to profile your application. For more information, see Tracing and Profiling Applications.

This chapter describes:

  • Running applications in debug mode

  • Running applications in regular mode