{"id":34774,"date":"2024-10-17T22:02:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T22:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/?p=34774"},"modified":"2024-10-30T06:24:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T06:24:55","slug":"enhanced-breakpoint-expressions-for-c-debugging-in-visual-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/enhanced-breakpoint-expressions-for-c-debugging-in-visual-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Enhanced Breakpoint Expressions for C++ Debugging in Visual Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW92607870 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW92607870 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Heading 2 Char\">Conditional Breakpoints Performance Improvement<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">Debugging C++ code can be a time-consuming process, especially when dealing with complex scenarios. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">As <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">a<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">developer<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">,<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">it&#8217;<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">s<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">f<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">rustrating<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">to<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">go<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">through<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">extensive<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">setup<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">and<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">wait<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">for<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">a specific conditional breakpoint to<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">trigger <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW132233836 BCX8\">so you can analyze your application in a specific state<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">.<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">I<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">n <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW132233836 BCX8\">Visual Studio 2022<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\"> version 17.10<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">, w<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">e <\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">optimize<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\">d<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\"> the implementation of conditional breakpoints in C++ to enhance performance.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW132233836 BCX8\"> We further improved this in version 17.11 to boost performance even more.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW132233836 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW176787417 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW176787417 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 3\">Key <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW176787417 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 3\">Improvements<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW176787417 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\">Conditional breakpoints in Visual Studio for C++ pause code execution when specific conditions are met, making debugging targeted and efficient.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\"> For more details on how conditional breakpoints work, please refer to the <\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW41047553 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/visualstudio\/debugger\/using-breakpoints?view=vs-2022#breakpoint-conditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW41047553 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Breakpoint Condition<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW41047553 BCX8\"> documentation.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW41047553 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34779\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image.png\" alt=\"Conditional Breakpoints Image\" width=\"2456\" height=\"905\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image.png 2456w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image-300x111.png 300w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image-1024x377.png 1024w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image-768x283.png 768w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image-1536x566.png 1536w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/Conditional-Breakpoints-Image-2048x755.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2456px) 100vw, 2456px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Our goal was to reduce the runtime overhead of conditional breakpoints and get you to a triggered breakpoint faster. We achieved this by implementing several key improvements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Caching Fetch Operations: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Previously, every time a breakpoint was hit, expensive fetch operations accessed memory and CPU registers. These operations were time-consuming and impacted overall debugging performance. Now, Visual Studio caches these fetch operations during the same break state, benefiting both conditional breakpoints and regular debugging scenarios.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Notifications to the Debugger: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Previously,\u00a0when a breakpoint was hit, the debugger was immediately notified before\u00a0the condition was evaluated.\u00a0This often led to unnecessary overhead and slower debugging performance. Now, we delay debugger notifications until after the breakpoint condition is evaluated. If the condition is false, the notification and related operations are skipped entirely, speeding up the debugging process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Minimal Information Retrieval<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">: Visual Studio now retrieves minimal, crucial information for evaluating breakpoint conditions.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW75826154 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW75826154 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 3\">Performance Gains<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW75826154 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So, how much faster are conditional breakpoints now? Our assessment reveals the following improvements:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Visual Studio version 17.10:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> At least a 35% performance boost compared to Visual Studio version 17.9.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Visual Studio version 17.11 Preview 2:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> 70% improvement compared to Visual Studio version 17.10.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To put this into perspective, we have tested this perf improvement in a benchmark application with an 80,000-iteration while loop. The breakpoint triggers once the specified condition is met. Previously, this process took 80 seconds. However, with the enhancements, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the execution time is 21 seconds. We conducted our performance measurements on the same local machine, comparing different versions of Visual Studio while executing the same breakpoint activity. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/cpp-conditional-bp-perf-1.gif\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34825\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/cpp-conditional-bp-perf-1.gif\" alt=\"GIF demonstrating the perf improvement of the C++ conditional breakpoint\" width=\"900\" height=\"424\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\">For detailed instructions on how to try out this performance improvement, please visit the<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW76206118 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/visualstudio\/accelerate-c-debugging-with-enhanced-conditional-breakpoints\/#how-can-you-try-it-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW76206118 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Accelerate C++ Debugging with Enhanced Conditional Breakpoints<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\"> blog<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\"> post<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW76206118 BCX8\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP TrackedChange SCXW76206118 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW197857752 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW197857752 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 2\">GitHub <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW197857752 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 2\">Copilot Generated Breakpoint Expression<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW197857752 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 2\">s<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">In Visual Studio version 17.11 Preview 1, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">we\u2019ve<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> introduced AI-generated expressions for breakpoints and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">tracepoints<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">. These tools <\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> allow<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> GitHub Copilot to analyze your code and suggest expressions for breakpoints and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">tracepoints<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">. By <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">leveraging<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> this feature, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW259528973 BCX8\">you<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> can<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> save time<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">discover <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">new approaches<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">.<\/span> <\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\"> For further details, check out our blog post on <\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW259528973 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/visualstudio\/supercharge-c-debugging-with-ai-generated-breakpoint-expressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW259528973 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Supercharge C++ Debugging with AI-Generated breakpoint expressions<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW259528973 BCX8\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW259528973 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/AIGeneratedBreakpoint.gif\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34775\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/10\/AIGeneratedBreakpoint.gif\" alt=\"GIF demonstrating AI-Generated Breakpoint\" width=\"1438\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW204648501 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW204648501 BCX8\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 3\">Let us know what you think<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW204648501 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW68386895 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW68386895 BCX8\">To\u00a0access\u00a0these\u00a0enhanced\u00a0conditional\u00a0breakpoints,\u00a0make\u00a0sure\u00a0you\u00a0have\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW68386895 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/visualstudio.microsoft.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW68386895 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW68386895 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Visual Studio 2022 version 17.11 or later<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW68386895 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW68386895 BCX8\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW68386895 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We hope you enjoy these new updates. Your valuable input continuously helps us improve our product, so\u00a0please share your thoughts in the comment section below, through the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/developercommunity.visualstudio.com\/cpp\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Developer Community<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, via email at<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"mailto:visualcpp@microsoft.com\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">visualcpp@microsoft.com<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, or via X at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/visualc\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">@VisualC<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Looking forward to your feedback!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conditional Breakpoints Performance Improvement Debugging C++ code can be a time-consuming process, especially when dealing with complex scenarios. As a developer, it&#8217;s frustrating to go through extensive setup and wait for a specific conditional breakpoint to trigger so you can analyze your application in a specific state. In Visual Studio 2022 version 17.10, we optimized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96741,"featured_media":19546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cplusplus"],"acf":[],"blog_post_summary":"<p>Conditional Breakpoints Performance Improvement Debugging C++ code can be a time-consuming process, especially when dealing with complex scenarios. As a developer, it&#8217;s frustrating to go through extensive setup and wait for a specific conditional breakpoint to trigger so you can analyze your application in a specific state. In Visual Studio 2022 version 17.10, we optimized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96741"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/cppblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}