During development, navigating around multiple forms, modules
and classes can be tedious, especially if you're unfamiliar with the code.
Often, classes are instantiated with unintuitive object names, which bear
no relation to their classes, and worse still functions and subroutines can be
called which may exist in any of several modules, but as the module name
is not used during procedures calls, locating them can be long
winded. Lucky there's a number of short cut keys to simplify these
actions. Assume a function call exists as shown below: lblNoOfRecords.Caption = intGetRecordSetSize(rsMain) & _
" record(s) found"
A quick method to locate the function intGetRecordSetSize is to
double click the function which highlights the text and press SHIFT &
F2, which immediately displays the module/class containing the required
function, at the point where the function is coded. To return to the
calling procedure, if SHIFT & F2 opened a new module/class then just
close it down, however if the function called existed in the same
form/module or class press CTRL & SHIFT & F2 to jump back to the
calling procedure.
Debugging code activity lends itself well to any simplification on
offer, as it's one of the less exciting development tasks. The obvious one
is F8, which steps through code line-by-line, however the code often calls
procedures which contain for...next, do...loop etc. which loop tens or
hundreds of times through large recordsets, for example. To skip such
procedures while stepping through code, as soon as debug mode steps into
the undesired procedure press CTRL & SHIFT & F8, to jump over and
return to the calling procedure at the next line of code.
Also while stepping through code, place the cursor on any line in the
execution path and press CTRL & F8 to jump to that point. In both
cases all the code 'jumped over' is executed but not in line-by-line debug
mode.
The exception to this is to force the next statement line. As code is
stepped through, at any point place the cursor on any line of code before
or after the present line of execution and press CTRL & F9, to force a
new point of execution. This method can be employed to avoid lines of code
or to repeat lines of code (Note: this does change the expected
path of execution and can affect the outcome of your code).
To break out of line-by-line debugging, press F5 to return to normal
code execution. |
