Kernel Debugger (Compact 2013)
3/26/2014
The Platform Builder kernel debugger is a full-featured debugger that you can use to view information about your code, set breakpoints, step through execution, and control debug output messages. The kernel debugger integrates the functionality required to configure a connection to a target device and download a run-time image to the device. After you connect Platform Builder to your device, you interact with the kernel debugger very much as you interact with the Visual Studio application debugger. By using the kernel debugger, you can debug both a Windows Embedded Compact OS and an application that is running on the OS.
You enable the kernel debugger in the run-time image by using the run-time image build settings. (For more information, see Set Build Options for Debugging.) When you enable kernel debugging, Platform Builder includes the debugging stub, KdStub, in the run-time image.
To use the kernel debugger, you can:
- Set debug options. Manage aspects of the debugger, such as configuring build options, debugging display settings, and specifying how exceptions are handled. You can also define a mapping between source code files and program database files (PDBs), and override the list of modules that are used for debugging. For more information, see Set Debug Options.
- Add debug messages. Use debug macros to send debug messages to the output stream based on whether you want these messages to appear in a specific build type. For more information, see Add Debug Messages.
- Control debug messages by using debug zones. Use debug zones to selectively turn on and turn off the debugging message output. For more information, see Use Debug Zones.
- Build a run-time image for debugging. Build the OS to create a run-time image that you can download to your device. For more information, see Build a Run-Time Image for Debugging.
- Download the OS to a target device for debugging. Download the run-time image to your device by using Platform Builder. For more information, see Download the OS to a Target Device for Debugging.
- Work with breakpoints. Use breakpoints to pause execution at a certain point in the code. For more information, see Breakpoints.
- Control debugger execution. Use debugger execution control to start and stop the debugging session, proceed to a specified location in the code, and control how the debugger responds to function execution. For more information, see Control Debugger Execution.
- Handle exceptions. Configure how Platform Builder manages and handles exceptions based on their type. For more information, see Handle Exceptions.
- View debug information. View debugging information by using a variety of debugging windows in Platform Builder. For more information, see View Debug Information.
This developer guide also contains additional debugging options that you can use:
- Application debugging. Use to debug both applications and the run-time image. For information about how to debug an application by using the kernel debugger, and how the kernel debugger differs from the Visual Studio application debugger, see Application Debugging with the Kernel Debugger.
- Just-in-Time (JIT) debugging. Use JIT debugging to debug crashed code when the OS would typically terminate the process. To set up JIT debugging in cooperation with the kernel debugger, see Just-In-Time Kernel Debugging.