Pyclewn allows using vim as a front end to a debugger. Pyclewn currently
supports gdb and pdb.
The debugger output is redirected to a vim window, the pyclewn console. The
debugger commands are mapped to vim user-defined commands with a common letter
prefix, and with completion available on the commands and their first argument.
On unix when running gvim, the controlling terminal of the program to debug is
the terminal used to launch pyclewn. Any other terminal can be used when the
debugger allows it, for example after using the attach or tty gdb
commands or using the --tty option with pdb. On Windows, gdb pops up a
console attached to the program to debug.
Features
- A debugger command can be mapped in vim to a key sequence using vim key
mappings. This allows, for example, to set/clear a breakpoint or print a
variable value at the current cursor or mouse position by just hitting a
key.
- A sequence of gdb commands can be run from a vim script when the async
option is set. This may be useful in a key mapping.
- Breakpoints and the line in the current frame, are highlighted in the source
code. Disabled breakpoints are noted with a different highlighting color.
Pyclewn automatically finds the source file for the breakpoint if it exists,
and tells vim to load and display the file and highlight the line.
- Multiple consecutive pyclewn sessions can be started from within vim with
the :Pyclewn command.
- The value of an expression or variable is displayed in a balloon in gvim when
the mouse pointer is hovering over the selected expression or the variable.
- Similarly to gdb, one may attach to a running python process with the pdb
debugger, interrupt the process, manage a debugging session and terminate
the debugging session by detaching from the process. A new debugging session
may be conducted later on this same process, possibly from another Vim
instance.
- An expression can be watched in a vim window. The expression value is
updated and highlighted whenever it has changed. When the expression is a
structure or class instance, it can be expanded (resp. folded) to show
(resp. hide) its members and their values. This feature is only available
with gdb.
- The project command saves the current gdb settings to a project file
that may be sourced later by the gdb source command. These settings are
the working directory, the debuggee program file name, the program arguments
and the breakpoints. The sourcing and saving of the project file can be
automated to occur on each gdb startup and termination, whith the
project command line option. The project command is currently only
available with gdb.
- Vim command completion on the commands and their first argument.
Note
Pyclewn uses the netbeans protocol to interact with vim. Vim
implementation of netbeans in plain vim (vim running in a terminal) is
available since vim version 7.3.
The vim :nbstart command that allows pyclewn to be started from within
vim, is available since vim version 7.3.
Support of Python 3 is available since pyclewn 1.6.
Comparison of clewn, vimGdb and pyclewn
The following table lists the differences between clewn, vimGdb and pyclewn.
| |
vimGdb |
clewn |
pyclewn |
| platform |
unix |
unix |
all unix platforms
supported by python -
requires GNU gdb from
macports on Mac Os X
Windows (Python 3 only)
|
| language |
C |
C |
Python 2.4 and
above
Python 3 |
| vim mode |
vim in a
terminal,
gvim |
gvim |
vim in a
terminal (vim 7.3
or above required),
gvim |
| vim interface |
a vim patch |
a standalone program
connected to gvim with
a netbeans socket |
a standalone program
connected to vim with
a netbeans socket
pyclewn may be started
from within vim
|
| vim version |
a different
patch for
each vim
version |
vim 6.3 and above |
vim 7.0 and above |
| debuggers |
gdb |
gdb |
gdb, pdb |
| gdb features |
|
- watched variables
- project file
|
- tight integration
with vim
- gdb/mi interface
- asynchronous gdb
commands
- watched variables
- project file
|
| pdb features |
|
|
- interrupt the
debuggee
- attach to a running
python process
- the threadstack
command
|