Debug Symbols

RichardWatson

Are there debug symbols files available in 9.4? 

I tried to use http://downloads2.esri.com/Support/symbols but that did not seem to work.

ArcMap is crashing with custom code installed and I want to figure out what is going on.

RichardWatson

If Debug symbols are not working then you can report this as incident to ESRI support because they are supported.

ESRI code is written in C++ or .NET.  When it is in C++ then debug symbols are pretty much your only hope if the error is not sufficient.  Well... you can, and I have, debugged assembly language but doing so tends to be very time consuming.  I really wish that all the ESRI code, e.g. SDE, had debug symbols but I am still very thankful for symbols that are provided!

In your case, you are in luck because the ESRI code appears to be written in .NET.  Actually, using Reflector (a product which you must purchase) you can even step through .NET code that you do not have the source for using Visual Studio.  If you do not want to do that then you can review the source by using a disassembler.  JetBrains gives one away, ildasm is a primitive one, and the best (as far as I know) is Reflector.  I have solved many problems by studying the source and either working around ESRI bugs or gaining a clearer understanding of what I was doing wrong.

May the force be with you...