Creating a new Java and mixed language debug launch configuration

A launch configuration is a mechanism for defining and saving different workbench configurations that can be launched separately. You can use launch configurations for launching debug sessions.

To create a launch configuration for debugging a mixed language application, complete these steps:

  1. In a workbench perspective that offers the launch/debug/run action set (such as the Debug perspective), perform one of the following tasks:
    • Select Run > Debug from the workbench menu bar to open the Debug launch configurations dialog box.
    • Click the down arrow next to the workbench toolbar Debug push button and choose Debug from the list. This will open the Debug launch configurations dialog box.
  2. In the Debug launch configurations dialog box, perform one of the following tasks:
    • Select the Java and Mixed Language Application node and click New launch configuration.
    • Right-click the Java and Mixed Language Application node and select New from the pop-up menu.
    • Double-click the Java and Mixed Language Application node.
  3. In the Name field, enter a name of your choice for the configuration that you are creating.
  4. In the launch configuration, you can use the tabs on the right-hand side to control specific aspects of the launch:
    1. The Main tab defines the class to be launched. Enter the name of the project containing the class to launch in the project field, and the fully qualified name of the main class in the Main class field. Check the Stop in main check box if you want the program to stop in the main method whenever the program is launched in debug mode.
      Note:
      • You do not have to specify a project, but when you have one you can set a default class path, source lookup path, and JRE.
      • The Stop in main feature is useful if you have not set any breakpoints in your code.
    2. The Arguments tab defines the arguments to be passed to the application and to the virtual machine (if any). You can also specify the working directory to be used by the launched application.
    3. The JRE tab defines the JRE used to run or debug the application. You can select a JRE from the already defined JREs, or define a new JRE.
      Note: If you are debugging other languages called from Java™, these languages might have specific JRE requirements. Before choosing a JRE, consult the documentation for the languages that you want to debug.
    4. The Classpath tab defines the location of class files used when running or debugging an application. By default, the user and bootstrap class locations are derived from the associated project's build path. You can override these settings here.
    5. The Source tab defines the location of source files used to display source when debugging your application. By default, these settings are derived from the associated project's build path. You can override these settings here. To change the Source Lookup Path, perform these tasks:
      • To add a source location, click Add. This will invoke the Add Source dialog box, in which you can select the type of source location to add. From the selection list in the Add Source dialog box, choosing Workspace will cause all projects in your workspace to be added to the source search path. All other selections that are valid for debugging mixed languages will result in a dialog box, in which you can enter or browse for the source search path location that you want to use.
      • To remove an existing entry, select a source location and click Remove.
      • To set the order of existing entries, select a source location and click Up or Down to alter that location's placement.
        Note: In some cases, changing the placement of a location might not take effect until the next time the program is launched.

      If you want to search for all instances of the source file name in the source search path, select the Search for duplicate source files on the path check box. If you select this check box and the debugger finds multiple instances of the file name, you will be prompted by a dialog box to choose the correct source file.

    6. The Common tab defines general information about the launch configuration. You can choose to store the launch configuration in a specific file and specify which perspectives become active when the launch configuration is launched. You can perform any of these tasks in the Common page:
      • If you want the launch configuration to be stored locally and available for a single user, ensure that the Local radio button is selected. If the launch configuration is to be stored as a file in the workspace and shared in a repository for team use, select the Shared radio button and enter the project location where you want the launch configuration to be stored in the Location of shared configuration field. Alternatively, you can browse for the project.
      • If you want the launch configuration to be displayed as a favorite debug configuration in the Debug push button favorites menu or the Debug menu Debug History list, select the Debug check box.
  5. If all information mandatory to the launch configuration has been provided, the Debug and Apply push buttons will be enabled. Clicking Apply will save the launch configuration, at which point you can choose to close the dialog box without launching the debug session or you can click Debug to launch a debug session using the new launch configuration. If you click Debug, any changes to the launch configuration will be saved and a debug session will be launched.

    After you have saved a debug launch configuration, you can edit it. For further information about editing debug launch configurations, see the related task.

    Tip: If you have not yet saved launch configuration settings and if you have made entries in the launch configuration settings that you want to remove or change, clicking Revert will remove all changes that you have made.
  6. If information mandatory to the launch configuration has not been provided or if there are errors in the information that you have provided, messages at the top of the dialog box will indicate what is missing.
  7. When you are finished working in the dialog box, click Close to exit it.

If you are launching a Web object for debug, once you have launched a debug session with the debug adapter, you will need to launch the Web object by entering its URL in a browser.

Related tasks
Preparing to debug
Starting a debug session
Using the debug launch shortcuts
Starting a debug session with an existing launch configuration
Editing launch configurations
Removing launch configurations
Creating new launch configurations from existing launch configurations

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