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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