Script Debugger (Beta)

Owned by Jonathan Muse
Last updated: Nov 19, 2024
4 min read

The SIL Manger and debugger are identical between Data Center and Cloud.

Opening the debugger

To open the debugger, select the debugger button next to the Run button in the SIL manager menu bar. The debugger button is displayed only when a SIL script is open.

The debugger can only be used inside a SIL script. You can have any file type in the SIL manager. However, the debugger can only be run by a SIL script.

The script must be saved to run the debugger.

Debugger overview

  1. Run button.

  2. Break point(s)/execution pointer.

  3. Debugger controls.

  4. Status information.

  5. Variables/Values tab.

  6. Context tab.

  7. Modified objects tab.

  8. Debug stack pane.

  9. Breakpoints pane.

Execution pointer

The execution pointer is the line in the script that is currently evaluated. In the screen recording below, the execution pointer is the line of code highlighted in green. As the debugger moves through the lines of code, stopping at breakpoints, the execution pointer moves as well.

Breakpoints

Breakpoints are one of the most important debugging techniques in your developer's toolbox. You set breakpoints wherever you want to pause debugger execution. For example, you may want to see the state of code variables at a certain breakpoint.

To set a breakpoint, click in the white margin next to the line number in the code editor pane.

Actions

The following actions are available in the SIL Manager menu bar:

  • Resume

  • Step over

  • Step into

  • Step out

  • Terminate

Resume

The debugger runs the program and “breaks” only on user-defined breakpoints (indicated by red dots). The Resume action restarts the debugger on the next line of code.

Step over

When using this action, the debugger runs the program statement by statement within the current execution context (scope).

Step into

When using this action, the debugger runs the program statement by statement.

The debugger runs the function body if the statement is a function call (a new execution context is displayed in the Call stack tab). Otherwise, the debugger continues to the following statement, as in the case of the Step over control.

Step out

If the debugger is within a nested scope, this action proceeds until the function returns (exits the current execution context).

If the debugger is within the global scope, this action runs the program to the end.

Terminate

This action causes the debugger to stop running so that you can edit the code again.

Main section

Variables/Values tab

This tab contains the values of variables used in the script.

The contents of this section are dynamic and are updated as the script runs. This is a useful tool when combined with breakpoints to see if the script is working as expected.

Context tab

The Context tab contains useful information about the “context” the script is running in. For example, you can find information such as whether the script is running against an issue context using the Run Configuration setting. In the screenshot below you can see that the script is running in the context of issue TP-1089.

Modified objects tab

The Modified objects tab displays objects such as Jira issues or Confluence pages, that are modified as part of the script. This is useful to keep track of what changes when the script runs.

Debug stack pane

Use the Debug stack pane to view the function or procedure calls that are currently on the stack.

This pane displays the order in which methods and functions are called. The call stack is a good way to examine and understand the execution flow of an app.

Breakpoints pane

The Breakpoints pane displays a list of all the breakpoints used in the script.

Click a breakpoint to jump to the respective breakpoint in the script.

To remove a breakpoint from the script, click the Trash can next to the respective breakpoint.

 

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