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  1. Build, run, debug
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  3. Debugger options

Debugger options

Last modified: 04 June 2021

CLion supports debugging C/C++ executables with GDB (either bundled or custom) on all platforms and with the bundled LLDB on macOS and Linux. Also, there is an LLDB-based debugger for the MSVC toolchain on Windows.

Current versions of the bundled debuggers:

  • GDB v 10.1 for macOS

  • GDB v 10.1 for Windows

  • GDB v 10.1 for Linux

  • LLDB v 10.0.1 for macOS and Linux

  • LLDB v 9.0.0 for MSVC toolchain on Windows

For a custom GDB, CLion supports versions 7.8.x-10.1.

Switching between the debuggers

  1. Go to Settings / Preferences | Build, Execution, Deployment | Toolchains.

  2. In the Debugger field on the right pane, select the debugger for the current toolchain:

    the Select debugger list

note

LLDB is set as the default debugger on macOS. However, if you had imported CLion settings from a jar file created in Windows or Linux, the default debugger will be set to the bundled or custom GDB version, as it was defined in the system of origin.

Debugger data views

In the Settings / Preferences | Build, Execution, Deployment | Debugger | Data Views | C/C++ dialog, you can customize the C/C++ type renderers.

C/C++ debugger data views settings
OptionDescription
Enable GNU library renderers

This option affects rendering STL containers by GDB when using the gcc compiler. In the case of clang used in pair with GDB, this option works for libstdc++ only (see next chapter for details).

Currently this option is not applicable to LLDB. Check how LLDB (starting from version 9.0) handles libc++ and libstdcxx in LLDB STL formatters below.

Hide out-of-scope variablesSelect this checkbox to hide non-initialized variables and the variables unavailable in the current scope from the Variables pane and inline view.
Show hex values for numbersThis checkbox appears after you enable hexadecimal view in the Experimental Features dialog.

LLDB STL formatters

STL renderers for GDB on macOS

Combination of GDB as the debugging backend and Clang (the CMake default compiler) implies limitations on viewing the content of STL containers on macOS. As a workaround, try the following instructions.

Using with .gdbinit/.lldbinit configuration files

Sometimes you may need to customize the debugger settings by passing commands and options into the .gdbinit/ .lldbinit file.

By default, CLion uses .gdbinit or .lldbinit from the user's home directory (~/.gdbinit or ~/.lldbinit, respectively). You can change this behavior and enable reading the debugger configuration file from the project root.

Enable reading .gdbinit/.lldbinit from the project root

Set the permissions in the home ~/.gdbinit file:

  • Globally 

    set auto-load local-gdbinit on
add-auto-load-safe-path /

  • For a particular project 

    set auto-load local-gdbinit on
add-auto-load-safe-path [full path to the project root]/.gdbinit

note

If you are working with the WSL toolchain, edit the .gdbinit file located in the Linux subsystem's home directory: /home/[user]/.gdbinit

    Adjusting GDB timeout values

    You can control the GDB timeout values by setting the corresponding properties in CLion registry.

    Configuring external GDB console on Windows

    On Windows with GDB versions prior to 8.0, a separate console is used for application input/output. For the newer GDB versions, the output is redirected to CLion console by default. However, you can switch back to opening an external output window.

    See also

    How tos

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