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How to use the debugger and debugging features of Android Studio?

To use the debugger and debugging features of Android Studio, follow these steps:

  1. Set Breakpoints: Open your project in Android Studio. Navigate to the line of code where you want to start debugging and click in the left gutter of the code editor next to the line number. A red dot will appear, indicating a breakpoint has been set.

    Example: If you want to debug a method called calculateTotal, set a breakpoint on the first line inside this method.

  2. Start Debugging: Click on the "Debug" button (usually represented by a bug icon) in the toolbar or press Shift + F9. This will launch your app in debug mode.

  3. Use the Debugger Controls: Once the app is running and hits the breakpoint, the debugger will pause execution at that line. You can now inspect variables, step through the code, and evaluate expressions.

    • Step Over (F8): Executes the current line and moves to the next line.
    • Step Into (F7): If the current line contains a method call, it steps into that method.
    • Step Out (Shift + F8): Executes the remaining lines in the current method and returns to the caller.
    • Resume Program (F9): Continues execution until the next breakpoint or the end of the program.
  4. Inspect Variables: While paused, you can hover over variables to see their current values or open the "Variables" window to get a detailed view of all variables in scope.

  5. Evaluate Expressions: Use the "Evaluate Expression" feature (usually accessible via a button or shortcut like Alt + F8) to evaluate and modify expressions on the fly.

  6. Use Conditional Breakpoints: Right-click on a breakpoint and select "More" or "Edit Breakpoint" to set conditions under which the breakpoint should trigger. This is useful for debugging specific scenarios.

Example: If you want to debug a loop that runs many times but only care about the 10th iteration, set a conditional breakpoint with the condition i == 10.

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