Migrating from the Net Express IDE

The following table lists some features in the Net Express IDE and gives their corresponding names and locations in the Eclipse IDE.

Net Express IDE Eclipse IDE
.app file .cobolProj file
Add files to a project File > Import. See To import existing files
Breakpoints Run > Toggle Breakpoint or double-click in the left margin.

Breakpoint conditions are not available in this release

Breakpoints in Eclipse are set in source files, not in programs (as they are in other Micro Focus products). This means that a single breakpoint may actually be set many times if the source file is used in multiple programs or used multiple times in the same program. See Breakpoints Example

Build Settings and Build Types Project > Properties > Micro Focus COBOL > Build Configuration. You can create a configuration to represent each debug and release build. To configure and build a COBOL project
Build project By default, Project > Build automatically is set. This ensures that whenever a resource changes, an incremental build starts and all resources modified since the last build are rebuilt. To build manually, click Project > Build.
Call stack The Debug view shows the call hierarchy, showing where the current statement was called from or performed from, and where previous calls and performs came from. It shows all threads. You can move the execution point, by right-clicking a thread and choosing an option from the menu.

The Debug view is shown by default in the Debug perspective at the top left. You can show it by clicking Window > Show View > Debug.

Copybook paths Project > Properties > Micro Focus COBOL > Copybook Paths. The setting here takes precedence over the COBCPY environment variable setting.
Copybook expansion You can't expand copybooks inline. Instead, open a copybook in the editor as a file in its own right.
Data item values Hover over a data item to see its value.
Debug See To debug a program
Inspect Right-click a data item and click Inspect.
Main program to debug Run > Debug . On the General tab, specify the main program file. To create a launch configuration
Monitor a data item Not available. An alternative technique is to go to the Variables view, which shows the data items in the previous and current statements, together with the data items' values. Changed items are highlit in yellow. This view is shown by default in the Debug perspective at the top right. You can show it by clicking Window > Show View > Variables.
Project Properties Project > Properties > Micro Focus COBOL > Build Configuration. See To configure and build a COBOL project
Run-time Environment Settings Project > Properties > Micro Focus COBOL > Run-time Environment Configuration. See To configure and run an application
Stop Debugging Run > Terminate. You can also click the red square at the top. See To debug a program
Watch list Not available.

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