Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition

Name

jdb — The Java Debugger

Synopsis

jdb [ options ] class [ program options ]
jdb connect options
               

Description

jdb is a debugger for Java classes. It is text-based, command-line-oriented, and has a command syntax like that of the Unix dbx or gdb debuggers used with C and C++ programs.

jdb is written in Java, so it runs within a Java interpreter. When jdb is invoked with the name of a Java class, it starts another copy of the java interpreter, using any interpreter options specified on the command line. The new interpreter is started with special options that enable it to communicate with jdb. The new interpreter loads the specified class file and then stops and waits for debugging commands before executing the first byte code.

jdb can also debug a program that is already running in another Java interpreter. Doing so requires that special options be passed to both the java interpreter and to jdb. See the -attach option below.

jdb expression syntax

jdb debugging commands such as print, dump, and suspend allow you to refer to classes, objects, methods, fields, and threads in the program being debugged. You can refer to classes by name, with or without their package names. You can also refer to static class members by name. You can refer to individual objects by object ID, which is an eight-digit hexadecimal integer. Or, when the classes you are debugging contain local variable information, you can often use local variable names to refer to objects. You can use normal Java syntax ...