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Chapter 13: Bug Extermination Techniques
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Execute your procedure after setting up your watch expression(s). Things run
normally until your watch expression is satisfied (based on the Watch Type
you specified). When that happens, Excel enters Break mode (you did set the
Watch Type to “Break When Value Is True,” didn’t you?). From there, you can
step through the code or use the Immediate window to debug your code.
When you create a watch, VBE displays the Watches window shown in Figure
13-8. This window displays the value of all watches that you’ve defined. In this
figure, the value of Counter hit 900, which caused Excel to enter Break mode.
Figure 13-8:
The
Watches
window
displays all
watches.
The best way to understand how this Watch business works is to use it and
try various options. Before long, you’ll probably wonder how you ever got
along without it.
Using the Locals Window
Another useful debugging aid is the Locals window. You can show this
window by choosing View➪Locals Window from the VBE’s menu. When you
are in Break mode, this window will show you a list of all variables that are
local to the current procedure (see Figure 13-9). The nice thing about this
window is that you don’t have to add a load of watches manually if you want
to look at the content of many variables. The VBE has done all the hard work
for you.