Thread: Debugging C code when it depends on multiple other files

Hi! My main code is written in C. The makefile I use also includes 4 other C files (3 of which are in .o format). I've been attempting to debug my main file using the Visual C++ Express Edition editor/debugger, but haven't been able to figure out how to do this; when I run my code (in executable format) in Cygwin, no output appears in the debugger's "Show Output" window, whether or not a breakpoint is set in the code. But, there is no "run" option available in the Visual C++ editor itself, to run the code outside of Cygwin.

Does anyone have experience with debugging C code that depends on a Makefile containing other files? Which debugger do you use, and how do you accomplish your debugging?

Given that my main C file depends upon the other 4 files, it's hard for me to comprehend debugging the main file without also somehow involving the other files, as well...

Thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks for your response. Quick question: how do you compile? The Run/Play button is greyed out, and I've searched through all of the drop-down menu options, and don't see Compile (or Run) as an option. Looking through the Help files hasn't been useful; they seem only to address how to create certain types of files, rather than how to perform basic operations...

Thanks, I'll do that.

If I have my main working directory, and then within it, a subdirectory (called \myproject) that was created when I created my project, and my .exe file is saved in *both* of these directories, why, when I attempt to Start or Debug the project, do I get the error message "Unable to start program 'myprogram.exe'. The system cannot find the file specified." ??

The .exe file that is located in both of these directories was created using the 'make' command, using Cygwin; even if I delete these .exe files, whenever I Build the project in Visual C++, it says that the project is up to date, and never creates a new .exe file...

Thanks for any suggestions. The Visual C++ platform/debugger is new to me, but I'm hoping that I can get the hang of it without too much trouble.

Thanks for the tip; Rebuild did allow the build process to reach completion.

However, when I attempt to Start or Debug the code, I'm still receiving the same error message as before, that the .exe file can't be found; and now, despite the Build process seeming to complete, no .exe file is present in either my main directory or my project sub-directory.

When Visual Studio's build process completes, I *should* be able to view the output .exe file in my directories, correct??

Thanks, rogster.

>> debug folder is probably created by default in build settings. the only exe you can put in is one you program, u cannot just name a file .exe and expect something to happen.

No, I didn't change any file extension to .exe; rather, if my own executable is supposed to be named "mycode.exe", I'm wondering why the error message is referring to an executable named "debug_8-12.exe", where "debug_8-12" is the name of my *folder*, not of my *code*.