AXD displays

This section describes the various kinds of displays that you see when using AXD:

• Views

• Viewing structured data

• Multiple Document Interface on page 2-10

• Docked and floating windows on page 2-10

• Tabbed pages on page 2-10

• Dialogs on page 2-11.

2.4.1 Views

Various views enable you to examine and control the processes you are debugging.

In the main menu bar, two menus contain items that display views:

• The items in the Processor Views menu display views that apply to the current processor only, and are described in Processor Views menu on page 5-18.

• The items in the System Views menu display views that apply to the entire, possibly multiprocessor, target system and are described in System Views menu on page 5-48.

2.4.2 Viewing structured data

In Registers, Variables, and Watch views, you often see data displayed in a tree structure that you can expand or collapse. Generally, values that have changed since the previous break in execution are colored red, but that is not possible in the following situations:

• You might collapse a branch of displayed data in a Registers view, continue execution for one or more steps, and then expand the branch again. In this case the values displayed in red are those that have changed since the last time they were displayed, not since the previous break in execution. Also any value that changed and returned to its original value is not colored red.

• You might collapse a branch of displayed data in a Variables or Watch view, continue execution for one or more steps, and then expand the branch again. The old values are discarded if execution takes place with a collapsed branch, and recalculated when you later expand the display. In this case, therefore, it is impossible to know which values have changed, so no red coloring is possible.

If you try to expand a branch that has no elements, the string (Empty) is displayed.

The expansion dialog imposes limits. Any single expansion is restricted to a maximum of 4000 elements, and you normally request far fewer than that. The total number of elements supported in a single view is 32,000.

2.4.3 Multiple Document Interface

AXD uses the Windows Multiple Document Interface (MDI) so that you can display several windows at the same time. This enables you to view a wide range of information at the same time, such as registers, variables, and execution context. You can arrange the debugger windows in different ways so that, for example, some are docked, some are free-floating, and the remainder are cascaded or tiled.

2.4.4 Docked and floating windows

Source and disassembly views appear as floating windows, but most views that you display appear first as docked windows. Right-click anywhere within a window to display its pop-up menu. The pop-up menu of every view that you can dock has an Allow docking item. This is initially checked showing that it is selected.

A docked window is attached to one edge of the main window, with a width and height dependent on any other docked windows that are sharing the same screen edge.

If you click the Allow docking item of the pop-up menu so that it is unchecked, the window floats. Another pop-up menu item, Float within main window, enables you to specify whether a floating window is restricted to the main window or can float anywhere on the screen.

Windows that are floating within the main window are the only ones that you can reposition and resize by selecting Cascade or Tile from the Window menu.

2.4.5 Tabbed pages

Several AXD dialogs and property sheets use tabbed pages. These enable displays that contain a large number of data entry fields, control buttons, check boxes, and radio buttons to be presented in parts.

Although you view only one page at a time, the tabs of all the pages are visible. Click on any tab to bring its page to the front of the display. You can switch between tabbed pages as often as you like while making settings or entering data.

You can consider all the tabbed pages in a display to be parts of a single large display.

Any changes you make become effective only when you click the OK button or the Apply button. Click the Cancel button (or its equivalent) to abandon any changes made on all tabbed pages in the display.

2.4.6 Dialogs

AXD uses dialogs frequently. A dialog is a convenient way of grouping together a number of fields, lists, check boxes, and buttons, enabling you to make changes to several related fields or values at the same time.

When you select a menu item that operates in this way, a suitable dialog appears. Enter values, select from lists, select and deselect check boxes until you are satisfied with all the settings. The new settings become effective only when you click the OK button or the Apply button. You can click the Cancel button (or its equivalent) to abandon any changes you have made and leave all settings unchanged. The dialog disappears automatically when you finish using it.

The AXD dialogs are shown and described in Chapter 5 AXD Desktop.