"." on the LIBPATH Simplifies OS/2 DLL Debugging

ID Number: Q50711

2.20 2.30 2.35 3.00 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.50

OS/2

Summary:

When debugging OS/2 DLLs with protected mode CodeView (CVP), you must

specify each DLL on the command line with an /L switch, and the DLL

must be in the current directory as well as in a directory on the

LIBPATH as set in CONFIG.SYS.

For ease of debugging, if you put a period ("."), which means the

current directory, as one of the directories on your LIBPATH, then a

DLL in the current directory will also be on the LIBPATH and you won't

need to have two copies of a DLL present on disk for debugging.

This method only works for versions of CVP beginning with version 2.3.

CVP version 2.2 does not recognize DLLs in a "." LIBPATH directory.

More Information:

If a copy of the DLL called by the program being debugged is not in

the current working directory, you will not be able to trace into the

DLL. If a copy of the DLL is not in a LIBPATH directory, CodeView will

not be able to find the DLL. In this case, instead of coming up in the

usual "debugging mode," CodeView immediately exits and returns to the

command prompt after several seconds.

Many DLL debugging problems arise from the fact that the copy of a DLL

that is on the LIBPATH may be inadvertently out of date compared to

the version in the current directory that is being used for debugging.

By putting a period on the LIBPATH, the current directory becomes a

LIBPATH directory and only one copy of the DLL needs to exist, thus

eliminating any DLL update inconsistencies.

Additional reference words: 2.20 2.30 2.35 3.10 3.00 3.50