Starting Microsoft Script Debugger

You can make Microsoft Script Debugger available in different ways, depending on how it will be used.

If you are debugging scripts on the client, make sure that you have Internet Explorer and the Script Debugger installed properly. You must also enable script debugging in Internet Explorer. For details, see the Internet Explorer documentation.

If you are debugging scripts on the server, you must explicitly enable debugging for each ASP-based application you want to use the debugger with, or you cannot attach the Script Debugger to a document. For information about client and server scripts, see Debugging Scripts. For details about enabling and disabling the debugger for ASP applications on the server, see "Debugging ASP Scripts" in the IIS documentation.

The Script Debugger can be started in these ways:

Manually If you are using the Script Debugger on Internet Information Server, you can open it as a standalone application. You would do this, for example, if you wanted to start the debugger in order to trace a logic error. You can start the Script Debugger by selecting it from the Windows Programs menu. After starting the Script Debugger, you can select a document to work with. For details, see Choosing a Document to Work With.
From your browser If you are viewing a document in Internet Explorer, you can open the debugger using the Script Debugger commands on the browser's View menu.
Programmatically You can include a statement in your script (such as Stop in VBScript or debugger in JScript) that stops execution and starts the debugger.
By responding to a script error If an error occurs while a script is running, a message is displayed. If the error is in a client script, the message offers you the opportunity to open the debugger to view the error. For example, if you see a message such as the following, you can choose Yes to start the Script Debugger.

If the error is in a server script and debugging is enabled for the ASP-based application, the server opens the Script Debugger automatically and displays an error message, as shown in the following illustration:

Note Debugging scripts in Global.asa files works slightly differently. For details, see Debugging a Global.asa File.

After you have started the Script Debugger, you set one or more breakpoints, return to the document in Internet Explorer, and perform an action. For more information, see Setting Breakpoints.

See Also

Debugging Java Applications

Executing Script Commands

Stepping Through Scripts

Viewing and Changing Values

Viewing the Call Stack