You have the source code. Why don't you take a look at it? Your requested feature is dang simple to add. For example (skipping the re-indenting of some lines in order to make the 'diff' smaller): 

--- perl-5.10.1/lib/perl5db.pl
+++ ~/lib/perl5db.pl
@@ -1957,9 +1957,14 @@
         for ( my $n = 0 ; $n <= $#to_watch ; $n++ ) {
             $evalarg = $to_watch[$n];
+            my $val;
+            if( ref $evalarg ) {
+                $val = $$evalarg;
+            } else {
             local $onetimeDump;    # Tell DB::eval() to not output re
+sults
 
             # Fix context DB::eval() wants to return an array, but
             # we need a scalar here.
-            my ($val) = join( "', '", &eval );
+            ($val) = join( "', '", &eval );
+            }
             $val = ( ( defined $val ) ? "'$val'" : 'undef' );
 
@@ -5289,5 +5294,12 @@
 
         # ... save it.
-        push @to_watch, $expr;
+        my $val;
+        if( $expr =~ /^\$\w+$/ ) {
+            $evalarg = "\\$expr";
+            ( $val ) = &eval;
+            push @to_watch, $val;
+            $val = $$val;
+        } else {
+            push @to_watch, $expr;
 
         # Parameterize DB::eval and call it to get the expression's v
+alue
@@ -5295,5 +5307,6 @@
         # return a list value.
         $evalarg = $expr;
-        my ($val) = join( ' ', &eval );
+        ($val) = join( ' ', &eval );
+        }
         $val = ( defined $val ) ? "'$val'" : 'undef';

[download]

If you ask for the list of watch expressions, the simple ones will be displayed in a rather useless manner. And you should probably weaken the reference taken as otherwise adding a watch point could prevent a destructor from firing.

On the plus side, I suspect that the new simple watch points will have less of a performance impact than the previous implementation imposed.

- tye        

In reply to Re: Debugger Questions - Variable Scope (source++) by tye
in thread Debugger Questions - Variable Scope by GotToBTru

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