TradeStation Help

About the EasyLanguage Debugger

The EasyLanguage Debugger is a development tool designed to help you verify the calculations within an EasyLanguage study. This tool enables you to view the values of all variable elements (including inputs, arrays, and variables) on a bar by bar basis, allowing you to step through the code to evaluate the calculations.

The variable data shows the values for the current bar being evaluated and all historical values being stored at that point for that variable. If a study calls one or more functions, the return values, along with all variable values within the function are displayed as well.

These variable values are displayed in a pop-up window that is generated whenever the EasyLanguage calculation encounters the BreakPoint(" ") keyword, within the code of any EasyLanguage study. You can include BreakPoint anywhere within the EasyLanguage code and set it to execute on every bar, or you can call it conditionally to view values on a specific bar or under specific conditions. For more information on the BreakPoint keyword, see Using the BreakPoint Keyword.

The EasyLanguage Debugger opens automatically when the BreakPoint keyword is encountered in a study or function while the EasyLanguage code is being executed. Once the EasyLanguage Debugger is displayed, you can step through the code from that point, breakpoint by breakpoint, or close the EasyLanguage Debugger and return to the chart, continuing to run the study.

While the EasyLanguage Debugger is open, activity in all TradeStation windows is halted. No data, alerts, or strategy orders will be generated. Any window, including Chart Analysis, in open workspaces will not update until the EasyLanguage Debugger is closed. The EasyLanguage Debugger is intended for use in a development environment.  Debugging should not take place while trading or using strategy automation.

The EasyLanguage Debugger window is divided into three panes:

• Module Tree (left pane) - A tree control that shows a breakdown of the variables in the applied study, as well as any functions that are referenced. Click + to expand the contents of a category; click - to collapse the contents of a category. The Module Tree pane displays items such as inputs, constants, variables, and the return values of the functions that are associated with the study.
  
  Double-clicking on the name of a variable or return value will display its values in the Watcher pane, allowing you to view and monitor those values. The other items that appear in the Module Tree pane are not displayed in the Watcher pane.

• Properties (upper right pane) - Displays the type of object, its name, data number, and memory location.
• Watcher (lower right pane) - Shows the values, including historical values stored up to that point, of any variable or return values that were double-clicked in the Module Tree pane, allowing you to monitor these values.
  
  The End of Bar check box is reserved for future use.

Related Topics

Stepping through a Chart or RadarScreen

Closing the EasyLanguage Debugger