simple question about debugging...

oops...i''m using msvc++.

Sounds like you want to take advantage of the preprocessor. You can use something like this:

#ifdef COMPILEWITHDEBUGTEXT
output_lots_of_useful_debug_info();
#endif

Then you just have to add COMPILEWITHDEBUGTEXT to the list of preprocessor defines for debug mode, or just add #define COMPILEWITHDEBUGTEXT somewhere. Oh, and IIRC, MSVC gives you _DEBUG_ (in debug mode) and NDEBUG (in release mode) by default.

[edited by - Martee on June 18, 2002 8:20:48 PM]

you can implement debug information "on demand" by using a #define statement (I think, in this case, it is not a hack, but actually useful). Something like:

#ifdef __DEBUG
void PrintDebugText(char *message, ...)
{
// write information to a file (or to the screen)
}
#else
#define PrintDebugText //
#endif

So: If you define __DEBUG before compiling, you have a function PrintDebugText that puts your message to screen or to disk. If you do not define it, PrintDebugText-Statements are interpreted as "//(char *message, ...);" (example: //("Called constructor.");"
Just be careful, however, that you do not add another statement in the same line as the PrintDebugText-statement, which would be commented otherwise.

Beren

MSVC by default already defines _DEBUG for you when you''re building your debug builds, so you should use that.

#ifdef _DEBUG
CallDebugOnlyFunction();
#endif

#ifndef _DEBUG
CallReleaseOnlyFunction();
#endif

ah yes, it all starts to come back to me.

thanks for the help lads.

jason.