XML Server Getting Started    

Debugging XMLSP screens 

XML Server Pages can be effectively debugged with 

Microsoft Script Debugger

. Microsoft Script Debugger works the way 

many debuggers do, by allowing to view the source code of the script being debugged, control the pace of script exe cution, 

view and change variable and property values, view and control script.  

The simplest way to initiate script debugger is by placing the breakpoint with the 

debugger;

 statement in the script. Debugger 

will get started when the script execution flow reaches that breakpoint. You will also get prompted to start debugger 

whenever a runtime error occurs when a client script. In the later case, Microsoft Internet Explorer displays an error message 

indicating the error and the line on which it was found along with the  Would you like to debug?  question. If you choose to 

debug, Internet Explorer starts the debugger. 

You can navigate in the document, set breakpoints, return to the document to run scripts and step through them. If you refresh 

the document, you will lose any breakpoints you have set. However, you cannot directly edit the source code in the debugger. 

If you have access to the original document file (the .htm, .html or .jsp file), you can make changes to that file and then 

reload it in the browser. Please visit MSDN on line for detailed information on 

Using Script Debugger

.  

To debug client scripts with Microsoft Script Debugger script debugging must be enabled. To enable script debugging in IE 

5.x or 6.x visit the  Advanced  tab of the  Internet Options  dialog located under  Tools/Internet Options  browser menu 

and uncheck 

Disable Script Debugging 

checkbox. This will not have effect, however, on the sessions of the browser, which 

are already open. 

The safe practice of using Script Debugger is also to make sure that there is no previous version of the script you have just 

modified while debugging, which has been cached by browser. For that purpose you can always click  Delete Files  button 

on the  General  tab of the  Internet Options  dialog located under  Tools/Internet Options  browser menu. Again, this will 

not have effect on the currently open sessions of the browser, as long as the files have been parsed already. 

Please note that client scripts are initially parsed when the HTML document is loaded into the browser. During this parsing 

phase, the browser reports any syntax errors that it finds (please see MSDN on line:

Understanding Script Errors

). 

After 

parsing a section of script, the browser executes it. 

Global

 or 

inline

 scripts, which are scripts that are not part of an event 

handling function, are executed immediately. Event handling functions, and functions that are called by other functions, are 

parsed immediately but are not executed until triggered by an event or called by another functions.   

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