5.4 Generator Debugger
The Generator Debugger
is a tool that
helps the development of generators by providing means to follow, control and
inspect the execution of a generator. An example of a Generator Debugger window
is shown in
Figure 5–14.
Figure 5–14. Generator Debugger.
At the top of the
Generator Debugger window (as shown in
Figure 5–14) you will find the usual
menu bar and toolbar. Below them is the working area that is divided as
follows:
The Generator stack at the top-left corner of the
working area provides a list of the generators currently in the execution stack,
with the generator currently being executed shown last in the list. The
Generator view (top center) contains the definition of the currently
executed generator. The generator command that is currently being processed is
shown highlighted (please note that it is not possible to edit the generator
definition here). The Element stack (top right) displays the stack of
design elements that are being accessed by the generator, the currently accessed
one being last in the list. The accumulation of this stack is the result of the
generator’s navigation structure.
The Output stack (bottom left) shows the target
output streams, such as screen, files, etc., used by the generator. The current
output is last in the list. The Output view (bottom center) displays the
content generated so far on the selected output. The Variables list
(bottom right) shows the currently allocated variables with their
values.
Pop-up menu commands and/or double-clicking in the
Generator Stack, Element Stack or Output panes will take you to the selected
element or provide other operations on it.