Tracing

Tracing provides immediate feedback about specific activity in an application.  Use it to monitor the application closely while debugging it.

Managing Tracing in the Percussion Workbench

Use the Trace Setup dialog to manage tracing from the Percussion Workbench.

Note that these settings are temporary unless you save the application after making your changes.

Use this dialog to edit the tracing options used every time an application runs, or use it to run a trace once, while the application is running.

Enabling Tracing on an Application

Starting Tracing on an Application that is running

Reading Tracing Results

Enabling Tracing on an Application

Enabling tracing is setting tracing on an application before it starts.  To enable tracing:

1. In the Percussion Workbench, go to the XML Server view.
2. Select the application whose tracing settings you want to maintain, right-click, and from the popup menu, choose Debugging.

   The Percussion Workbench displays the Trace Setup dialog, with the name of the application in the Title bar.

3. Check the boxes for the trace options you want to monitor.  When you check the box, the dialog displays a description of what that trace monitors and records.  See also Tracer Types and Flags.
4. If you are evaluating performance issues, check Enable timestamp only tracing.  

   This option only logs the trace option heading and timestamp of the activity.

5. Optional:  Enter an Output Column width.  The default is 80 characters.  You can enter a value between 40 and 200.
6. Click [OK].
7. Save the application.

   The application will use these tracing settings each time you start it.

Starting Tracing on an Application that is Running

Starting tracing is setting tracing on an application when it is already running.  To start tracing:

1. In the Percussion Workbench, go to the XML Server View.
2. Select the application whose tracing settings you want to maintain, right-click, and from the popup menu choose Debugging.

   The Percussion Workbench displays the Trace Setup dialog, with the name of the application in the Title bar.

3. Check the boxes for the trace option you want to monitor.  When you check the box, the dialog displays a description of what that trace monitors and records.  See also Tracer Types and Flags.  

   Note that modifications to the Output Column Width and Enable timestamp only tracing fields do not affect tracing started manually.  To modify these options you must click [OK], save the application, then restart it.

4. Click [Start Tracing].

Changing Tracing Settings on a Running Application

To change the tracing settings on a running application:

1. In the Percussion Workbench, go to the XML Server view.
2. Select the application whose tracing configuration you want to manage, right-click, and from the popup menu choose Debugging.

   The Percussion Workbench displays the Trace Setup dialog, with the name of the application in the Title bar, and showing the current settings.

3. Change the trace options to match the settings you want.

   Note that you cannot modify the Output Column Width and Enable timestamp only tracing fields on running applications.  To modify these options you must click [OK], save the application, then restart it.

4. Click the [Apply] button.  This button is only available if an application is running with tracing.

Stopping Tracing

Stopping tracing is ending tracing on an application that is running.  If an application is running with tracing, the Trace Setup dialog includes a [Stop Tracing] button instead of a [Start Now] button.  To stop tracing:

1. In the Percussion Workbench, go to the XML Server view.
2. Select the application for which you want to stop tracing, right-click, and from the popup menu, choose Debugging.

   The Percussion Workbench displays the Trace Setup dialog, with the name of the application in the Title bar, and showing the current settings.

3. Click the [Stop Tracing] button

Disabling Tracing

Disabling tracing is stopping tracing on an application that is not currently running.  To disable tracing:

1. In the Percussion Workbench, go to the XML Server view.
2. Select the application for which you want to disable tracing, right-click, and from the popup menu, choose Debugging.

   The Percussion Workbench displays the Trace Setup dialog, with the name of the application in the Title bar, and showing the current settings.

3. Uncheck the Enable Tracing checkbox.
4. Click [OK].
5. Save the application.