debug custom assemblies

[Guest]

Hi,

My application provides a feature to load custom assemblies. The application
is build in release mode (/optimize). This is .NET 2.0.

As a user wants to debug his custom assembly be e.g. forcing a debugger
break ("Debugger.Break()"), he experiences that he can not inspect the value
of the public properties of any class, since they are optimized away:
"Cannot evaluate expression because the code of the current method is
optimized."

This is true even as the compiled assembly is built in debug mode using
"/optimize-".

I found something in docs, saying that the /optimize settings of the calling
assembly - which is my app built in release mode - take precedence.

What can be done to make the custom assembly fully debuggable?

Thanks in advance.

Dierk Droth

 

[Guest]

Not sure, but have you considered the simple solution: Give developers of
the custom assemblies a "debug" (/optimize-) version of your program to debug
against? You don't have to give them the symbol (pdb) files for this to
work...

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I'm aware of this option. However this is quite cumersome, since
a) I had to provide a debug version ;-)
b) the user had to restart the app using this debug version. Note: my app
provides .NET scripting, so the user can edit, compile and run within the
app. But then had to start to debug.

I also considered providing a GetXXX() method for any XXX property, since
the optimizer probably won't optimize these methods away (have not yet tested
though). However, clumpsy as well ...

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Dierk Droth