system.debugger.overview

used for Pick assembly code debugging, has the capability of accessing and changing data directly on the disk.

A thorough familiarization with the virtual assembler is recommended prior to using the debugger, as it can be very destructive.

Symbol file definitions:


'gsym' The permanent symbol table.
'psym' A q-pointer to 'gsym'.
'osym' The object symbol table.
'tsym' The temporary symbol table.


Note that these are the 'standard' tables for 'classic' Pick. These files are not always provided with each version of Pick and may actually go by different names. Usually, however there is a 'psym' file provided with the assembler account, which may have to be obtained separately.

The 'set-sym' command sets the symbol file pointer for use by the system debugger:

set-sym gsym (t

Constructing address specifications:

To address any disk location, three pieces of information are usually required:

The 'data format specification'.

The 'data reference specification'.

The 'data window specification'.

The debugger prompt is a '!'. If the user types break in the debugger, the debugger debugger is entered. In this case, the 'd!' prompt is displayed. In this case, type 'g' to continue.