Breakpoint Types

The Wolfram Workbench supports three types of breakpoints: those that halt when a line of code is reached, when a Mathematica message is generated, and when a symbol is used for a function definition. When you reach a breakpoint, you can inspect the execution stack and look at local variables. More information on what to do at a breakpoint is found in the section on debugging.

Code Breakpoints

Code breakpoints are tied to a particular line of code. When execution reaches a line of code with a code breakpoint, it will halt.

To set a code breakpoint, you should first make sure that the file is open in the Workbench (how to open a file). Then place the cursor in the left margin of the file and double-click. A blue marker should appear; this means that a breakpoint has been set.

Message Breakpoint

A message breakpoint is tied to the generation of messages by Mathematica. When a message is generated, execution will halt. These breakpoints can be particularly useful if your code is going wrong and generating errors.

To set a message breakpoint, you can use the button,, found in the Breakpoints view toolbar.

Another way to set a code breakpoint is to use the Run menu. From the menu bar, select Run > Add Message Breakpoint. This is shown below.

Symbol Breakpoints

A symbol breakpoint is tied to usage of a symbol. If you set a symbol breakpoint, then any call to a function with that name will cause execution to halt. This is particularly useful if you have many function definitions that have the same name.

To set a symbol breakpoint, you should select the symbol in your code and then click Set Breakpoint on the selection button found in the toolbar, .

Another way to set a symbol breakpoint is select the symbol and use the Run menu. From the menu bar, select Run > Add Symbol Breakpoint.