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CGI debug file
this means Version 2
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In debugging your CGI programs you may hit cases where you would need to see how

  • input string to your program
  • HTML output from your program
look like.

In Mel's service program facilities exist to trace input/output html and here is how you can implement them to debug your CGI programs.

1. File CGIDEBUG

Mel's service program may trace the input string and the response html on a file named CGIDEBUG. You implicitly duplicate it from library cgidev2 to your object (production) library when you use command setcgilib.

2. Start/Display/End CGIDEBUG

  • You start html trace with command
         mylib/CGIDEBUG ACTION(*ON)
  • You display html trace with command
         mylib/CGIDEBUG ACTION(*DSPDATA)
  • You end html trace with command
         mylib/CGIDEBUG ACTION(*OFF)
  • You clear html trace with command
         mylib/CGIDEBUG ACTION(*CLRDATA)

Warning
At the end of your debugging session you must remember to end your html trace. If you leave the trace on, sooner or later you will fill up file CGIDEBUG, and your CGI will start bumping out!!!

3. Clear the CGIDEBUG file

You may need to clear the CGIDEBUG files from time to time. You cannot use the clrpfm command, because these files are locked by the HTTP server.
You should instead use command
       cgidev2/cgidebug *CLRDTA or
       cgidev2/clrdebug    (use F4 to specify the library name)
after adding CGIDEV2 to the library list.

A tip
CGIDEBUG is far from being your ultimate debugging facility for CGIs. Please read page CGI debugging tips.