Using the Classes Window

The Classes window displays which classes have been loaded and may also include useful information such as the number of instances of a class, and how much memory those instances are using if you are using Oracle Java Virtual Machine (OJVM). In conjunction with the Classes window and the Heap window, the debugger now includes a garbage collection tool when you want to force a run of the Java garbage collector. When you run the garbage collector, the impact is shown immediately in the Classes window. You can only force a run of the garbage collector when you are using a virtual machine that allows the debugger to do so.

For more information about this window including its context menu options, press F1 or click Help in the Classes window.

To open the Classes window:

1. Set a breakpoint in the Source Editor and start a debugging session.
2. When the debugger hits a breakpoint, select V iew Debug Windows Classes.
   The Classes window displays all the classes that are currently loaded, how many instances of that class are being used, and how much memory that number of instances requires.

• Right-click an item in the Classes window and choose Settings from the context menu.

To change the ascending or descending view order:

• Click the sort arrows at the top of each column to change the sort order. You can sort by:
  • Class
  • Count
  • Memory

Note: You can sort only if the Show Package Structure check box is not selected in the Tools Preferences - Debugger - Classes page.

If the Show Package Structure check box is selected, the classes are displayed in a tree structure, where each branch represents a package. Also, the icon and entry next to each class or package indicates whether the class is included or excluded from tracing. A special icon for a class without line number tables is used for classes to indicate that tracing is not possible because the class has been stripped or obfuscated.

In the Classes window, choose Settings from the context menu to select which columns to view:

• Count
• Memory
• File

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