java - How to use Eclipse's Display View for Debug?

Question

At the link below it explains that the "display view allows you to manipulate live code in a scrapbook type fashion (see Figure 8). To manipulate a variable, simply type the name of the variable in the Display view, and you'll be greeted with a familiar content assist."

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/os-ecbug/

However, I am having trouble getting it to work. I have the view open but all the buttons are disabled. I have tried putting code in the view, selecting code in the view, selecting code in other views, while running and while not running debug, but the only button that is ever enabled on the view is "clear console".

Suggestions on what I am doing wrong?

Answer 1

You can view the Display view as a place where you can inspect all sorts of variables and boolean expressions during runtime. While your debugger is frozen on a breakpoint start typing the name of an object variable for instance and you'll get autocomplete functionality as you start calling methods or fields to reach deeper class datastructures. Then when you select/mark the portion you need to inspect or everything, the buttons on the Display view will be clickable. You can always perform the Ctrl+Shift+I shortcut on the selection to view what's the current runtime state of your selection i.e. variable, object, boolean exrepssion etc