How to use a PDB file

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Water Cooler v2 - 02 Mar 2006 03:16 GMT

How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?

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Jaspreet - 02 Mar 2006 04:11 GMT

> How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
> It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?

http://docs.python.org/lib/module-pdb.html

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Willy Denoyette [MVP] - 02 Mar 2006 11:07 GMT

| > How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
| > It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?
|
| http://docs.python.org/lib/module-pdb.html

I'm affraid this has nothing to do with C# and the PDB files generated by
the C# compiler.
PDB files generated by C# (and most other MSFT compilers) are binary files
that are used by debuggers when attached to a process, to read symbolic info
related to the executing process.

Willy.

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Vinay Ahuja - 02 Mar 2006 05:22 GMT

This is an interesting question. I found this entry on Mike Stall's blog,
which sort of explains what can be done using the pdb file.
http://blogs.msdn.com/jmstall/archive/2005/08/25/pdb2xml.aspx

Hope this helps.

> How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
> It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?

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Lloyd Dupont - 02 Mar 2006 07:02 GMT

Usually you use a debugger which know what to do with it.
BTW there is a free debugger in the SDK.

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Lloyd Dupont

NovaMind development team
NovaMind Software
Mind Mapping Software
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> How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
> It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?

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Carlos J. Quintero [VB MVP] - 02 Mar 2006 10:13 GMT

Hi,

The .pdb file is used by the debugger and normally is only generated when
using the "Debug" configuration.

For example, when you use Exception.ToString and the .pdb file is available,
you get info about the file name and line number that caused the exception.
Using the Release configuration, where the .pdb file is missing, you lose
that information and you get only the method name.

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Carlos J. Quintero

MZ-Tools: Productivity add-ins for Visual Studio
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> How does one use a .pdb file that contains debug symbols for a project.
> It contains binary data. How do I use it to diagnose the application?

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How to use a PDB file

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