How can I set a breakpoint for when variable changes in Eclipse?

Question

Is there a way, using the eclipse debugger, to break any time a particular variable is written to?

The only thing I can think of is to manually set a breakpoint at every reference but my codebase is several million lines and I really don't want to do that.

Once you reach a breakpoint you can just step through, isn't that enough? — Lucas, Dec 19 '14 at 15:12

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 19 '14 at 15:13

6

You can set a watchpoint at the desired variable. Simply click on the line where the variable is declared, and select Run -> Toggle Watchpoint.

The watchpoint can break on either accessing the variable, modifying the variable, or both.

answered Dec 19 '14 at 15:13

M A

71,713
13
134
174

@ewok Is it a local variable or a field? I guess local variables are not supported by watchpoints. – M A Dec 19 '14 at 15:19
2

Just removed that comment as `Toggle Breakpoint` only adds watchpoints on fields. Can't find a way to enable `Toggle Watchpoint`. – Nick Wilson Dec 19 '14 at 15:38

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 19 '14 at 15:13

1

Use the Expressions View functionality from the Eclipse Debugger.

answered Dec 19 '14 at 15:13

Georgian

8,795
8
46
87

How can I set a breakpoint for when variable changes in Eclipse?

2 Answers2