PRODUCT : Turbo C++, Borland C++ NUMBER : 814 VERSION : All OS : DOS DATE : September 17, 1991 PAGE : 1/1 TITLE : Using the Evaluate Dialog Box in the IDE The IDE debugger's Evaluate/Modify dialog box can do a great deal more than simply show the value of a variable; it can evaluate any expression that is valid in a C/C++ program (with a few exceptions). This includes complicated expressions as well as simply serving as a handy programmer's calculator. For example, if you want a quick conversion of hex to decimal or vice versa, and you have set Options | Display Options | Integer Format to 'both', you can simply type in the number you wish to convert and 'Evaluate' it. Or suppose that at particular point in your program, a variable does not have the value it should, but you want to continue with the correct value -- simply change it and go on, making a note of whatever problem caused the original inconsistency so you can correct things later. The Evaluate/Modify dialog box has limitations that should be observed as well. It cannot execute functions although the stand-alone debugger available with the "Turbo Debugger and Tools" product can. Neither can it change the value of an entire structure or class at once, although individual data members can be changed. Be careful when changing memory locations since the debugger has no way of knowing a safe memory location from a dangerous one. And, as mentioned above, pre- processor symbols are unknown to the debugger, and thus are not available for use by the evaluation dialog box.