Debugger changes in V6.0

There are a number of changes to the debugging tools in Rational Web Developer V6.0. You will need to be aware of these changes in order to use these tools with your projects following migration. You may need to change or restore settings.

Migrating workspaces and launch configurations

When a V5.1.x workspace from WebSphere Studio Site Developer is opened in Rational Web Developer V6.0, the following debugger launch configurations associated with the workspace will not automatically migrate:

Debug on Server: Launch configurations that were previously created via the Debug on Server action will not migrate to V6.0. To launch an application for debugging on a server in V6.0, reselect the application and choose Debug on Server. This will create a new launch configuration for the application.
Server Attach: WebSphere Application Server debug launch configurations that were previously created for a server attach will not migrate to V6.0. The WebSphere Application Server debug launch configuration no longer exists. To perform a server attach for debugging in V6.0, use the Debug on Server action and create a WebSphere V5 server attach for 5.x or a WebSphere V6.0 server attach for 6.0.
SQLJ debugger: The SQLJ debug launch configuration no longer exists and SQLJ launch configurations that were previously created will not migrate to V6.0. To launch SQLJ programs for debugging in V6.0, use the Java Application launch configuration.
Stored Procedure debugger: Stored procedure debugger launch configurations that were previously created will migrate to Rational Web Developer V6.0 and be available for use in the Debug launch configurations dialog box. After migrating, if you use the Debug action in the Data Definition view pop-up menu, a new launch configuration will be created for you.
Note: If you migrate a workspace containing a stored procedure and then rebuild the stored procedure for debugging, migrated launch configurations associated with the stored procedure will not work.
EGL debugger: After migrating a workspace, the following steps must be performed for existing EGL debugger launch configurations:
1. Modify the installed Java runtime environment (JRE) to point to the correct location. After migrating a workspace, its installed JRE will point to the JRE from the previous version of WebSphere Studio Site Developer. To change this, point to the new JRE location as follows:
  1. Select Window > Preferences from the workbench menu.
  2. In the resulting Preferences dialog, expand the Java node and then select Installed JREs.
  3. On the right-hand side, set the installed JRE to point to the JRE that has been installed with the current version of this product. The location of the JRE is the subdirectory \eclipse\jre of the installation directory of Rational Web Developer V6.0.
2. In the launch configuration, select the Source tab prior to launching (failing to do this will result in a "source not found" error). If you had added source locations to the launch configuration in the V5.1.x workspace, you will need to manually add these locations back to the migrated launch configuration.
Compiled Language debugger: After migrating a workspace, the following steps need to be performed for existing compiled language debugger launch configurations:
1. If you had set environment variables in the System Environment tab of the Compiled Application launch configuration, you will need to manually add them back to the migrated launch configuration.
2. If you had added source locations to the Compiled Application or Attach to a running process launch configurations, you will need to manually add them back to the migrated launch configuration.

Debug views

The Storage and Storage Mapping views no longer exist. They have been replaced by the Memory and Memory Rendering views.

The XSLT debugger

The XSLT debugger has changed in V6.0 and many of its views and actions have changed significantly. For further information, see the XSLT debugger documentation in the information center.

One of the most significant changes in the XSLT debugger is its dependency on the JRE that is installed with Rational Web Developer V6.0. If you migrate a workspace from WebSphere Studio Site Developer V5.1.x, you will need to modify the installed JRE to point to the correct location before you can launch an XSLT debug session for it. To do this, you can perform one of the following actions:

Change the JRE for the entire workspace by pointing it to the new JRE location by doing the following steps:
1. Select Window > Preferences from the workbench menu.
2. In the Preferences window, expand the Java node and then select Installed JREs.
3. On the right hand side, set the installed JRE to point to the one that has been installed with the current version of this product. The location of the JRE is the subdirectory \eclipse\jre of the installation directory of Rational Web Developer V6.0.
If you intend to launch the debug session via the Debug launch configurations dialog box, you can change the JRE for the launch configuration by pointing it to the new JRE location. To do this, open the launch configuration in the Debug launch configurations dialog box. Select the JRE tab and specify the new JRE location in the Alternate JRE field.

Parent topic

Migrating from WebSphere Studio V5.1, 5.1.1, or 5.1.2

Related concepts

Compatibility with WebSphere Studio V5.1.x