Run FEAP in debug mode in Visual Studio

[sparn]

Hi everyone,

I have browsed through this forum to see whether someone has already solved this particular issue. I did not find anything hence I am starting a new thread.

I have installed feap Version 86 on my windows machine (Visual Studio 2022) and set up everything as described in the thread by K.li   http://feap.berkeley.edu/forum/index.php?topic=2124.0
This worked well enough such that I could build the solution and have an executable. I have implemented my own element and a material routine and it calculates and the results are promising looking at the Ofile etc. However, to fully test everything I would prefer to use the debugger built in microsoft visual studio. In the above mentioned thread it is said that the program can be run easily in debug mode. Whenever I set breakpoints the program will not hit them though and I get the following message for the breakpoint that should be hit:
Ntdll.pdb not loaded. Ntdll.pdb contains the debug information required to find the source for the module ntdll.dll

What are the necessary steps to use the program in debug mode?

Kind regards,

Sparn

[FEAP_Admin]

I have done it recently but do not have access to my windows computer right now.  Perhaps someone else can chime in with the necessary steps.

[Ali_ElHajjChehade]

FEAP has a debug feature which I found more useful than Visual Studios' debug feature.
To use this feature, you must type debug on in your batch commands, or interactively.
Then in your element/material code, you must add the debug.h include file and place the following code blocks in your code:

if (debug) then

    Print whatever you like into the output file

end if

Hope this helps!

[sparn]

Hi Ali,

thanks for trying to help, but I want to use the debugging within visual studio. I am sure the debug feature within feap has its merits, however the debugging within visual studio is quite powerful and is something I do not want to miss.

Help to set this up would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Sparn

[Prof. S. Govindjee]

You should not have to do anything special.  Just compile in debug mode.  There are some compile options that it may default turn on that you may have to turn off, like array bound checking but that should be it.  After that you can set break points and debug.