Just what do the halt mnode "step" options do? Which one "steps" to the next instruction - that is, how do you execute instruction by instruction?

[BobN]

I have searched - Google, sites that Google found, Wiki, this forum, any place I can think of - and I can't find one source of help for Firebug or, for that matter, help on specific topics.

I am looking for the details of actions of each of the "step" icons when in break or halt mode - I guess you call it paused.

I found a "documentation" link on the page at https://getfirebug.com/ which takes me to a FAQ at http://getfirebug.com/faq/

There is a link for "Javascript Debugging" which takes me to http://getfirebug.com/javascript On that page the only text about stepping is (the lines are mine to delineate the text from the web page)
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"One step at a time

Once the debugger is paused, you can continue execution one line at a time. This allows you to see exactly how variables and objects are effected when a particular line is executed.

You can also choose to step execution for more than one line. From the context menu, choose "Run to this Line" to continue execution until it passes through the line you clicked."
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Not much help!

That seems more line a sales pitch than documentation on using a program.

Does the text "...continue execution until it passes through the line you clicked." Mean the line on which you set a checkpoint? If so, why not say that and if it means something else, why not make it clear?

 The contextual menu for the JavaScript source display panel simply is another way to perform the same functions as the icons - it has the same text for each option as the icon tooltip.

 Is there any real help available? Please don't say "you can ask questions here." I do not consider programming a social activity. I want to have access to adequate (concise) information on how to use a program and then I'll find what I need, when I need it, on my own without resorting to a forum and waiting for someone to offer some answer.

Is there such a thing a a Help File or a set of Help HTML pages? Like the good old days when you had a Help menu which took you to a help file  -I'd settle for a site with help on all facilities of Firebug on several pages. Does such a thing or place exist.?

I need details in what each option for "stepping" in debugger does. For example, which icon means execute next statement? Is it "Step Into"? If so, why not say Next Statement?

"Stepping into" something conjures up thoughts of stepping into a function, not "stepping" into the next statement?????

The other "step" actions - what do they each mean?

You don't have to teach me how to debug - have been doing it for 42+ years, sometimes using methods that you would consider primitive. I just need to  know the nomenclature for Firebug.

I even wrote a debugger for IBM assembler("mainframe")in the 1970's.

I've used a lot of debuggers for a lot of languages and their "continue" options were presented in a lot more intuitive fashion than Firebug.

Is there some place where Firebug is actually documented?

I have question about execution tracing but I'll post a separate topic for that.

Bob

[Sebastian Zartner]

On Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 8:21:06 AM UTC+2, BobN wrote:

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"One step at a time

Once the debugger is paused, you can continue execution one line at a time. This allows you to see exactly how variables and objects are effected when a particular line is executed.

You can also choose to step execution for more than one line. From the context menu, choose "Run to this Line" to continue execution until it passes through the line you clicked."
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Not much help!

That seems more line a sales pitch than documentation on using a program.

It is exactly that. The documentation is available at https://getfirebug.com/wiki, which is also linked to from the FAQ.
 

Does the text "...continue execution until it passes through the line you clicked." Mean the line on which you set a checkpoint? If so, why not say that and if it means something else, why not make it clear?

 The contextual menu for the JavaScript source display panel simply is another way to perform the same functions as the icons - it has the same text for each option as the icon tooltip.

 Is there any real help available?

See https://getfirebug.com/wiki/index.php/Script_Panel#Execution_Control_Buttons.
 

Is there such a thing a a Help File or a set of Help HTML pages?

Press F1 while you're within Firebug and you get to the FAQ. Click Firebug menu (the button with the Firebug icon at the top left in Firebug) > Firebug Online > Documentation... and you get to the wiki mentioned above.

I need details in what each option for "stepping" in debugger does. For example, which icon means execute next statement? Is it "Step Into"? If so, why not say Next Statement?

"Stepping into" something conjures up thoughts of stepping into a function, not "stepping" into the next statement?????

You're right. Step Into steps into a function. When you're not at a function statement, it works like Step Over by stepping to the next statement.
 

The other "step" actions - what do they each mean?

You don't have to teach me how to debug - have been doing it for 42+ years, sometimes using methods that you would consider primitive. I just need to  know the nomenclature for Firebug.

Note that the nomenclature in Firebug matches the one of pretty much every other debugger out there.
See e.g. Visual Studio, NetBeans, Eclipse, or the Firefox DevTools.

With the many years of debugging experience you have, it should be easy for you to grasp what Step Over/Into/Out means. Or at least it should have been easy for you to find the related documentation.

Sebastian

PS: Keeping posts concise attracts more people to read them and avoids TL;DR comments.