AT PATH command

Gives z/OS® Debugger control when the flow of control changes (at a path point). AT PATH is identical to AT GLOBAL PATH.

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagramATevery_clausePATHcommand;
command
A valid z/OS Debugger command.
Usage notes
  • For Enterprise COBOL for z/OS Version 5, when z/OS Debugger stops at an AFTER CALL Path point because of an AT PATH breakpoint, the location where z/OS Debugger stops is the statement after the CALL statement.
  • For a CICS® application on z/OS Debugger, this breakpoint is cleared at the end of the last process in the application. For a non-CICS application on z/OS Debugger, it is cleared at the end of a process.
  • For C, to be able to set PATH breakpoints, you must compile your program in one of the following ways:
    • With either the PATH or ALL suboption of the TEST compiler option.
    • With either the PATH or ALL suboption of the DEBUG compiler option.
  • For C++, to be able to set PATH breakpoints, you must compile your program in one of the following ways:
    • With the TEST compiler option.
    • With either the PATH or ALL suboption of the DEBUG compiler option.
  • For COBOL programs compiled with the following compilers, compile your program with the NONE, PATH, or ALL suboption of the TEST compiler option to be able to set PATH breakpoints:
    • Enterprise COBOL for z/OS and OS/390®, Version 3
    • COBOL for OS/390 and VM, Version 2
  • For PL/I, to be able to set PATH breakpoints, you must compile your program with the PATH or ALL suboption of the TEST compiler option.
  • You cannot use the AT PATH command while you replay recorded statements by using the PLAYBACK commands.
  • z/OS Debugger does not support the AT PATH command while you debug a disassembled program or a VS COBOL II program.
  • You cannot use the AT PATH command to stop at the entry or exit of a nested block in a C or C++ program. A nested block is a group of statements delimited by { and }. The compiler assigns a name to these blocks using the following pattern: %BLOCKn, where n is a sequentially-assigned number.

Examples

  • Whenever a path point has been reached, display the five most recently processed breakpoints and conditions. 
    AT PATH LIST LAST 5 HISTORY;
  • Whenever a path point has been reached, display a message and query the current location. The current programming language setting is COBOL. 
    AT PATH PERFORM
  LIST "Path point reached";
  QUERY LOCATION;
  GO;
END-PERFORM;
  • Whenever a path point has been reached, the value of %PATHCODE contains the code representing the type of path point stopped at. If the program is stopped at the entry to a block, display the %PATHCODE. 
    AT PATH LIST %PATHCODE;

Refer to the following topics for more information related to the material discussed in this topic.