- Introduction
- Creating a Sample COM+ Service
- Attaching to the Host Application
- Forcing Cleanup
- Summary
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Attaching to the Host Application
Our focus is on testing the serviced component rather than the client application. To accomplish the testing with the client and service in the same assembly, we can set the client as the startup project but start without debugging by selecting Debug, Start Without Debugging. This step will start the client, leaving the debugger available to debug the hosted application.
After the client is running, click the button in the application to create and load an instance of the host process, dllhost.exe. When the host process is running, we can use the available integrated debugger—because we started the client without debugging—and attach the debugger to the host process. To attach to the host process, follow these steps (using the associated figures as a visual guide):
Select Debug, Processes to display the Processes dialog box shown in Figure 3.
Navigate to the dllhost.exe process, click it, and click the Attach button (see Figure 4).
In the list called Choose Program Types That You Want To Debug, check only the Common Language Runtime option, and click OK.
Click the Close button in the Process dialog box. The dllhost.exe host will be shown in the Debugged Processes list in the Processes dialog box.
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Figure
3 Open the Processes dialog box by selecting Debug, Processes from the
menu.
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Figure
4 The Attach to Process dialog box describes the kinds of programs you can
debug.
You may run into a bit of trouble if several instances of your host are running. For example, if an instance of dllhost.exe is running on behalf of some other, non-managed service, you'll get an error indicating that the host needs to be running managed code to debug with the .NET debugger. Additionally, if you select more than the Common Language Runtime option (refer to Figure 4)—for example, if you select Native—the debugger takes a lot longer to load.
After you've attached to the host process and have clicked Close, the integrated environment will load the required assemblies and modules needed to debug your hosted application. In our example, these will be the binaries needed to support the LuckyNumberGenerator.
Debugging and Testing Your Hosted Assembly
After the debugger has attached to your assembly's host application, you can debug in .NET as you would debug anything else. You can set breakpoints and watches; examine the stack or memory; view and switch between threads, if applicable; and use the Immediate/Command window to run and explore code while in break mode.
To try out debugging a hosted assembly, set a breakpoint in the GetLuckyNumber method in the service. Switch focus to the client and click the button we placed in the form. If everything is pieced together correctly, the IDE will break at the point you indicated (see Figure 5).
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Figure
5 The IDE stopped on our breakpoint, ready to debug.
At this point, you can perform any of the operations you might normally perform when debugging an executable or DLL that's not hosted by another process.
Finished Debugging?
When you're finished debugging, you can select Debug, Stop Debugging or Debug, Detach All. Selecting Stop Debugging may kill the host process. If you want to continue running the host application, attach to another host, or attach another service to the same host, select Detach All, which will detach the debugger from the host, leaving the host intact.
TIP
You also have the option of detaching or terminating the host from the Processes dialog box (refer to Figure 3).
You can prevent the IDE from killing the host process by changing the When Debugging Is Stopped option shown in Figure 3. If you want the host to terminate when debugging stops, select Terminate This Process. If you want the host to remain intact, select Detach from This Process.