ASP.NET 3.5 For Dummies®

20.6. Breaking Based on a Condition

The technique of setting a breakpoint and stepping through the code can be time consuming, especially in a big For...Each loop involving tons of data. An alternative is to watch for a given value or condition. When that value appears, break into the debugger for a look.

Note: Visual Web Developer Express does not support this feature.

In the following steps, I show you how to use the working (bug fix) version of Listing 20-1 to break into the debugger when a certain value appears.

Follow these steps to break based on a condition:

1. Open the ASP.NET page in Source view.

2. Add a breakpoint on the following line:

   ddl.Items.Add(word.ToLower)

   For more on breakpoints, see the previous section, "Setting a breakpoint in the code."

3. Right-click the breakpoint (the red circle) and choose Condition from the context menu that appears.

4. Enter the following condition statement inside the Breakpoint Condition dialog box.

   word.ToLower="triumphant"

5. Click OK.

6. Start the debugger (F5) and wait for the code to hit the breakpoint.

7. Hover the mouse over word to confirm that the current value is triumphant.

8. Hover the mouse over ddl until the plus sign (+) appears, and then expand the plus sign to reveal the list of properties.

   A list of the object's current properties and values appears.