FIX: Cannot Debug Visual J++ Programs on IE 4.0

• Microsoft Visual J++, version 1.1
• Internet Explorer, versions 4.0, 4.01

SYMPTOMS

After installing IE4 in the integrated desktop mode, you will no longer be able to debug Java applets with Visual J++ 1.1. If you begin an applet debug session in Visual J++, the applet appears to run, but you will not hit any breakpoints or be able to step into the applet. After exiting the browser, the following dialog box appears:

   The browser or interpreter you specified has exited without running your
   program

   Please note that browsers or interpreters other than Internet Explorer
   and Jview may not support Visual J++ debugging.

CAUSE

Visual J++ relies on being able to modify the debug process environment block before creating the IE debugging process. When Internet Explorer 4.0 is installed in the integrated desktop mode, this is no longer possible. If IE4 is installed in the standalone browser mode, debugging with Visual J++ should function normally.

RESOLUTION

This bug can be fixed by installing the Service Pack 3 of Visual Studio 97 and Internet Explorer 4.0 release. The Service Pack can be applied to both the Visual J++ 1.1 shipped with Visual Studio 97 as well as the Visual J++ 1.1 that is sold as a standalone product.

Note that installing the Service Pack 3 on the Visual J++ 1.1 free Trial Edition is not a configuration that has been tested by Microsoft. While there are no expected problems with applying the Service Pack to the free Trial Edition, it has not been tested and is therefore not recommended.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug requires fixes in both Visual J++ and in Internet Explorer 4.0 The VJ++ component of this bug has been corrected in Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 3, the Internet Explorer component of this bug is fixed in the IE4 release.

For additional information about the Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 3, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q170365
   TITLE     : INFO: Visual Studio 97 Service Packs - What, Where, and Why

   http://www.microsoft.com/vstudio/sp/

MORE INFORMATION

This bug has been fixed by adding a "-new" switch (you must use "-new" because the "/new" syntax is not supported) to Internet Explorer 4.0. This switch causes Internet Explorer to launch a new process that Visual J++ is able to modify and attach to. As noted above, this switch is enabled in the released version of IE4.

To launch IE4 with the "-new" switch, you will need to add "-new" to the projects settings for each project you create. From the Project menu, select Settings. Click the Debug tab in the Project Settings dialog box, and select the Browser category in the Categories drop-down list. The Browser edit control contains a full path to the Explore.exe executable. Add the "-new" switch as a parameter to Iexplore.exe:

   C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE -new

REFERENCES

For the latest Knowledge Base articles and other support information on Visual J++ and the SDK for Java, see the following page on the Microsoft Technical Support site:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/visualj/
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/java/

Keywords          : VS97FixlistSP2 VS97FixlistSP1 VJDebug VS97FixlistSP3
Technology        : kbInetDev
Version           : 1.0 1.1
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix kbservicepack