Breakpoints

Buttons

Item	Breakpoint type	Description
Tree View / List View	Line/ Method/ Exception/ Field Watchpoint	Click to toggle between tree view and list view.
Add	Field Watchpoint/ Exception/ Method	Click to create new breakpoint.
Go to	All but Exception	Navigates to the selected breakpoint, positions the caret at the corresponding line and closes the dialog box.
View Source	All but Exception	Pressing this button does the same as the Go to button (navigates to the code page containing the selected breakpoint, positioning the caret in the appropriate line) except that the dialog remains open.
Remove	All	Removes selected breakpoints. If all breakpoints are removed from the list, the lower pane would have no selection groups available and all buttons except for Close would be disabled.

Grouping options

Use these check boxes to rearrange the breakpoints tree.

Item	Breakpoint type	Description
Group by methods	Line	If checked, breakpoints in a class are shown inside corresponding methods.
Group by classes	Line/ Method/ Field Watchpoint/ Exception	If checked, breakpoints are shown inside corresponding classes.
Group by file	The following is available only in the Ultimate edition of IntelliJ IDEA Flex/ JavaScript	If checked, breakpoints are shown inside corresponding files.
Flatten packages	Line/ Method/ Field Watchpoint/ Exception	If checked, all packages are displayed as a single-level tree view.

Suspend policy

For Line/ Method/ Exception breakpoints and Field Watchpoints select one of the radio buttons to specify the way the running of the program is paused when a breakpoint is reached. If you work with Flex or JavaScript breakpoints you only need to specify whether you want to suspend program execution when the breakpoint is hit.

Note

This feature is useful, for instance, to create a master breakpoint, which being hit, enables lots of dependent ones. Another way to use is to obtain logging information or calculate some expression at a certain point (to be shown in the console) not interrupting the program execution.

Item	Description
All	When the breakpoint is hit, all threads are suspended.
Thread	When the breakpoint is hit, the thread where the breakpoint is hit is suspended.
None	No thread is suspended.

Actions

Item	Breakpoint type	Description
Log message to console	All types	Select this check box if you want a log message to be displayed in the console output when the breakpoint is hit.
Log evaluated expression	All	Select this check box if you wish to evaluate a certain expression at this breakpoint and to export result to the console output. Tip If the expression to be evaluated is incorrect when a particular breakpoint is reached, the console output displays an error message: Unable to evaluate the expression <your_expression>.
Depends on	All	Here you can set a breakpoint the current one will depend on. Thus the dependent, slave breakpoint is conditionally disabled - it becomes enabled only if the master breakpoint is hit. Moreover, after the dependent breakpoint is hit, it becomes disabled again until the master is hit next time. Hence you can form cascades of dependent breakpoints to satisfy any requirements. This feature works with all other conditions, filters, etc.

Item

Breakpoint type

Description

Log message to console

All types

Select this check box if you want a log message to be displayed in the console output when the breakpoint is hit.

Log evaluated expression

All

Select this check box if you wish to evaluate a certain expression at this breakpoint and to export result to the console output.

Tip

If the expression to be evaluated is incorrect when a particular breakpoint is reached, the console output displays an error message: Unable to evaluate the expression <your_expression>.

Depends on

All

Here you can set a breakpoint the current one will depend on.

Thus the dependent, slave breakpoint is conditionally disabled - it becomes enabled only if the master breakpoint is hit. Moreover, after the dependent breakpoint is hit, it becomes disabled again until the master is hit next time. Hence you can form cascades of dependent breakpoints to satisfy any requirements.

This feature works with all other conditions, filters, etc.

Conditions

Item	Breakpoint type	Description
Condition	All	Select this check box and specify a condition for hitting a breakpoint in the text field. A condition is a Java Boolean expression (including a method returning true or false), for example, str1.equals(str2). This expression should be valid at the line where the breakpoint is set, and is evaluated every time the breakpoint is reached. If the evaluation result is true, user-selected actions are performed. If the result is false, the breakpoint does not produce any effect. If the Debugger cannot evaluate the expression, it displays the Condition evaluation error message. You can select whether you would like to stop at this breakpoint or ignore it. Conditions for field/method/exception breakpoints are calculated in the context for the given field/method/exception.
Instance filters	Line/ Method/ Field Watchpoint/ Exception	An instance filter is used to limit breakpoint hits only with particular object instances using instance IDs. The instance ID value can be introduced manually or using the Instance Filters dialog box called by clicking the ellipsis button. Existing instance filters are indicated by the instance ID delimited with spaces.
Class filters	Line/ Method/ Field Watchpoint/ Exception	Select this check box to have the breakpoint behave differently in relation to particular classes. Define the class filter to appoint the classes where you want the breakpoint to be hit and the classes where the breakpoint should not be triggered. Classes in a filter can be identified by their names or by means of class patterns. A class pattern is a string that may start or end with an asterisk (). The asterisk in a pattern means any number (including zero) of any characters. The patterns are matched against fully qualified class names. The breakpoint behavior is different in relation to classes specified by their names or using class patterns. A filter specified through a class name points at the class itself as well as at all its subclasses (i.e. the classes directly or indirectly extending this one). A filter specified through a class pattern points at the classes whose fully qualified names match the pattern. The subclasses of such classes are selected only if their fully qualified names also match the specified pattern. You can define a class filter in two ways: Click the Browse button and configure the filter in the Class Filters dialog box, that opens. Type the filter manually in the text box. Use the following syntax: Use spaces to separate class names and class patterns from each other. The classes to be excluded should have a minus in preposition. For example, the filter package1.Class1 s2 -package3.Class3 means that the corresponding breakpoint: Should be triggered in the class package1.Class1 and all its subclasses, and also in the classes whose fully qualified class names end in s2. Should not be triggered in the class package3.Class3 and all its subclasses.
Pass count	Line/ Method/ Field Watchpoint/ Exception	Specify the integer number, on which hit of the breakpoint it should be triggered. After the specified number of passes, the breakpoint is hit. This function is helpful for debugging loops or methods called several times. When the execution process comes to a breakpoint, where Pass count is set, the debugger reduces the count value by 1 and compares it to zero. If the comparison result is true, the breakpoint is hit. If it is false, no other actions are performed until the next breakpoint is reached. The Pass count condition can be satisfied only once. In other words, if you have a loop inside a method and the Pass count condition has been honored once, the breakpoint will not be hit the next time the said method is called. This option is only enabled, when Condition, Instance filters and Class filters options are disabled.

Watch group

This options group is available for method breakpoints and field watchpoints only, and is required to specify under which circumstance the debugger should trigger the breakpoint.

Field watchpoints watch group

Item	Description
Field access	Stands for triggering the breakpoint any time the field is accessed.
Field modification	Is selected when simple read attempts shouldn't cause the breakpoint to trigger.

Method breakpoints watch group

Item	Description
Method entry	Stands for triggering the breakpoint any time the method is entered.
Method exit	Stands for triggering the breakpoint any time the method is exited.

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