[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #34712] "help debug" is stingy with its help

[Clem]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?34712>

                 Summary: "help debug" is stingy with its help
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: clemwang
            Submitted on: Tue 01 Nov 2011 07:46:17 AM GMT
                Category: None
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Documentation
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: Clem
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 3.4.0
        Operating System: Mac OS

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Details:

This is more of a request:

I was relatively new to Octave, but I've debugged with many other systems.  I
did
"help debug" and was sorely disappointed that it seemed like Octave didn't
have a step in.

Well, it turns out that "help debug" is very stingy with telling you the whole
truth...  It doesn't mention "step in" at all.

I needed to be more insightful and guess that I needed to do "help dbstep",
which I didn't do...

I think the preconception caught me (and will catch others), is that most
debuggers have SHORT, SEPARATE commands, for: 

for step (such as "s")
for step in (such as "si")
for step out (such as "so")

So, I wasn't expecting ONE command (dbstep) to cover all three types of
stepping, so it didn't occur to me that dbstep was what I wanted...

So...  I would like to see that "help debug" briefly mention step in and step
out, which it doesn't do now.  Then I know I needed to do "help dbstep" to get
more info.

Perhaps it's my fault for not being more clever, but help really should be
helpful!







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