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Bug 255857 - Provide the ability to move the program counter while debugging
Summary: Provide the ability to move the program counter while debugging
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: debugger
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Java (show other bugs)
Version: 8.1
Hardware: All All
: P3 normal (vote)
Assignee: Martin Entlicher
URL: https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/...
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2015-10-12 01:00 UTC by brettryan
Modified: 2015-10-12 10:09 UTC (History)
0 users

See Also:
Issue Type: ENHANCEMENT
Exception Reporter:

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Description brettryan 2015-10-12 01:00:00 UTC 
One extremely powerful feature with debugging .NET projects is you cam move the execution pointer after a breakpoint has been met. What's even cooler is the ability to move the breakpoint after making an edit, the edits are verified and if compilable the execution is moved while the code changes are applied.

The way this works does not rewind or advance executions, what it does is simply move the execution pointer and when debugging resumes will then execute the statement highlighted where the execution pointer sits.

Visual Studio has had this feature available since VS 2005 and has been the one killer feature that the .NET runtime has. This feature would be insanely awesome in Java.

One note, C# could did not support this in lambda or LINQ functions, it may now but I have not used more recent versions of Visual Studio.
Comment 1 Martin Entlicher 2015-10-12 10:09:47 UTC 
This can not be defect, because this is not possible to implement.
There is no way to move an execution pointer in Java debugger. See https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-4059717

The only way how you can go backward is to pop a frame off the stack.
This functionality is available in NetBeans via main menu Debug -> Stack -> Pop Topmost Call, or via "Pop to Here" context action on a stack frame in Debugging window.