The interactive debugger enables you to view your Smalltalk application's runtime error from a packaged workstation image, or during processing in CICS Transaction Server. When a Smalltalk error occurs on the target system, on that target system contacts the development image on your workstation using a TCP/IP or CPI-C connection and identifies the correct image to load using a snapshot identifier of the image taken during packaging.

The interactive debugger opens on the Smalltalk process running in the target environment at the point where the error occurred. The interactive debugger supports incremental process runs, remote object inspection, Smalltalk code evaluation, and incremental method changes. Specifically designed Transcript and workspaces are available for coding to the interactive debugger. The title bars of interactive debugger windows start with XD; for example, the interactive debugger opens an XD Transcript and an XD Debugger window. You have the option of opening other windows, such as an XD Workspace. The code run through the XD Transcript or the XD Workspaces runs immediately on the target system.

This section covers the following major topics: