Debugging Your .NET Console Application with Visual Studio Code: A Step-by-Step Guide

As a developer, debugging is an essential part of the development process. In this article, we will explore how to set up and use the debugger in Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for your .NET console application.

To get started, create a new folder for your project and open it in VS Code using the 'Open Folder' command. Once you have created a new .NET console application, you can begin setting breakpoints to debug your code.

A breakpoint is a temporary pause in the execution of your program that allows you to examine variables and execute code line by line. To set a breakpoint, click in the left margin of the code window on the line where you want the program to pause. For example, if you have a line that displays the name, date, and time, you can set a breakpoint there.

By default, VS Code launch settings use the Debug build configuration, which is ideal for debugging because it compiles with full symbolic debug information and no optimization. Optimization complicates debugging by making the relationship between source code and generated instructions more complex.

In contrast, the Release configuration of your program has no symbolic debug information and is fully optimized. This means that you should use the Debug build configuration for debugging and the Release configuration for the final release distribution.

To launch your debugger, go to the 'Run' menu in VS Code and select 'Start Debugging' or press F5. VS Code will compile your code using the Debug build configuration and run it under the debugger.

Once you have launched your debugger, you can use various debugging tools available in VS Code. These include:

* Stepping through code: You can step through your code line by line to examine variables and execute specific sections of code.

* Examining variables: You can view the values of variables at any point during execution.

* Setting conditional breakpoints: You can set breakpoints that only trigger when a specific condition is met.

By following these steps, you can effectively use the debugger in VS Code to debug your .NET console application.

Visual studio code debugger launch.json