Debug API for SQL Anywhere

[Former Member]

I see that a product claims to have a debugger for SQL Anywhere. How is this achieved? Is there a debug API for SQL Anywhere?

[VolkerBarth]

Just for curiosity - what product are you refering to (if not Sybase Central, as Breck has explained)?

[Former Member]

It's this company www.upscene.com. There must be a way to code this if they were able to do it.

[Breck_Carter]

Why don't you have a look at that other product, see if the debugger is as good as the one that comes in the box? Personally, I don't see the point in writing utilities like a debugger or an execution profiler when the vendor ships fully-functional versions in-the-box.

[Breck_Carter]

Of course, one could then ask "why Foxhound?" and the answer would be, "look at the one that comes in the box" 🙂

[Breck_Carter]

SQL Anywhere has had a stored procedure and trigger debugger since Version 6 was released in 1998. AFAIK there is no debug API, nor has there been many (any?) requests for it.

You get the debugger via Sybase Central; here's how, using Version 11:

(1) Open Sybase Central and connect to a database.

The "Mode" item will appear in the menu bar.

(2) Click on Mode - Debug.

The "Specify User to Debug" dialog box will appear.

(3) Click OK.

Three "Debugger Details" panes will appear.

(4) Open the source for a procedure or trigger or whatever in the top right pane.

(5) Right-mouse-click on the grey vertical bar to the left of a statement where you want to put a breakpoint... click on Insert Breakpoint.

(6) Run your application, or commands in dbisql, etc., to cause the procedure to be called.

(7) Switch back to Sybase Central... a yellow arrow will appear at the breakpoint.

And so on...

[Former Member]

So if I want to code this myself... how would I go about doing it? Are there procedures I can call?

[Breck_Carter]

Like I said, there's no published API, no procedures to call AFAIK. I'm not gonna suggest "reverse engineer" since I think the license agreement forbids that.