Learn essential steps to build, debug, and troubleshoot applications.

When encountering exceptions/crashes, you may need to learn and apply techniques for How to Debug Apps (Topics: Microsoft Debugging and/or MicroStation Debugging).

Most issues with custom applications can be resolved by setting Microsoft Breakpoints in your code and examining input argument values passed (what you feed) to the function last called before an exception occurs. Examining this information should help identify trappable and avoidable conditions responsible for causing an application crash/exception.  By learning and applying the MicroStation Debugging topic you can know How to quickly find and collect Exception logs and Minidump files necessary to identify with exacting precision what functions to set break points on in your own, 3rd party and/or Bentley applications.

1. Debug Microsoft Apps
   • Debug Native Code Apps
   • Debug Managed Code Apps
   • Debug VBA Apps
2. Debug MicroStation Apps
   • Debug MicroStation VBA Apps
   • Debug V8 MDL Apps
3. Debug Web Apps
   • Create a Web Browser Network Trace Archive File (HAR) and More details
   • Performing a Fiddler trace
   • Debug REST URLs with Chrome and Postman
   • Debug iTwin FrontEnd Apps (Tools)
4. Debug Networking (in order of commonality and ease)
   

   Check the status.domain.com. e.g. status.bentley.com (or: e.g. developer.bentley.com). Force Browser Page Cache Refresh. Use Shift + Refresh on a Page having page load issues. System Reboot Needed. Run Microsoft Pendmoves. Check Site Metrics (Select: Desktop). e.g. developer.bentley.com. Check Domain Registered Contact. e.g. bentley.com; to Report any site issues to the web property administrator/contact listed. If necessary, Deeper Analysis (via command shell)... ping developer.bentley.com. Check instant ping latencies. Not guaranteed since some sites/policies block ping requests. nslookup developer.bentley.com. Check name for resolution issues or identify address answer potentially adding to ..\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts - file. tracert -w 100 -h 15 developer.bentley.com. Check available information related to site/hop latencies (for high latency vs innocuous timeouts). Capture and Analyze (overview) a Web Browser (F12 > Record) HAR File. Check for page/site connection and/or performance issues. Even Deeper Analysis (development research). Protocol layer debugging and analysis: Wireshark, Network Monitor and/or Process Monitor.

5. Debugging General
   • David J. Agans (Debugging Rules Poster, Debugging Rules Book)
6. Security and Signing Applications
   • For additional information on Signing Applications that comply with MicroStation Security Modes see topics: Digital Signatures and Tools for Signing.