Can I Debug a .DLL Without a Project or Workspace?

Yes, you can debug a .DLL without a project or workspace. For example, maybe you just picked up a .DLL and the related source code but you don’t have an associated project or workspace. You can use the Open command on the File menu to select the .DLL file you want to debug. The debug information should already be in either the .DLL or the related .PDB file. After Visual C++ opens the file, choose the Start Debug command on the Build menu to begin debugging.

Note   You can also select the .DLL file you want to debug using the Open Workspace command on the File menu. Both the Open and the Open Workspace command work the same way.

Note   When you open a file, the Executable for debug session edit box on the Debug tab of the Project Settings dialog is automatically set to the name of the file that is opened. You must specify the name of the .EXE file to use with this .DLL. When you close the temporary workspace, you can optionally save the project settings in a <project>.opt file.