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Console Mode

Console mode is simply running JSwat without the graphical interface. That is, it runs entirely inside the console in which it is invoked.

Starting in Console Mode

In order to run JSwat in the console mode, you must pass the -console switch as the first argument to JSwat. Starting JSwat with this option will cause the program to work purely as a console-based application. There will be no graphical interface as you would normally expect with JSwat. This mode is most useful when the AWT/JFC classes are not provided in your runtime environment, or if you prefer a simpler, quicker interface for debugging.

Drawbacks

The console mode has some drawbacks.

  • Event alerts may separate the input cursor from the command prompt.
  • Source code viewing is very limited.
  • No command history scrolling feature.
  • JSwat messages and debuggee output go to the same place, which can be confusing at times.

Advantages

The console mode has some advantages.

  • Very fast. Because there are no panels listening for events, the program runs noticeably faster.
  • Does not require the AWT or JFC classes.
  • You can interpose utilities like rlwrap to handle keyboard input on behalf of JSwat. This utility in particular gives you readline capability, which should be familiar to Unix and emacs users. It also gives command history scrolling. Similarly, lile works in a BSD-like environment

Using Console Mode

If you use the console mode, you will need to know a few things to make the best use of it.

  • Use the help command to learn how to use the various commands.
  • The options command is for changing user preferences.
  • The stdin command is for sending input to the debuggee stdin input stream.
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