Create a visual map of the call stack while debugging (C#, Visual Basic, C++, JavaScript)

Applies to: Visual Studio Visual Studio for Mac

Create a code map to visually trace the call stack while you're debugging. You can make notes on the map to track what the code is doing, so you can focus on finding bugs.

For details of commands and actions you can use with code maps, see Browse and rearrange code maps.

Here's a quick look at a code map:

Map the call stack

1. In a Visual Studio Enterprise C#, Visual Basic, C++, or JavaScript project, start debugging by selecting Debug > Start Debugging or pressing F5.

2. After your app enters break mode or you step into a function, select Debug > Code Map, or press Ctrl+Shift+`.

   The current call stack appears in orange on a new code map:

   

The code map updates automatically as you continue debugging. Changing map items or layout doesn't affect the code in any way. Feel free to rename, move, or remove anything on the map.

To get more information about an item, hover over it and look at the item's tooltip. You can also select Legend in the toolbar to learn what each icon means.

Map external code

By default, only your own code appears on the map. To see external code on the map:

• Right-click in the Call Stack window and select Show External Code:

  

• Or, deselect Enable Just My Code in Visual Studio Tools (or Debug) > Options > Debugging:

  

Control the map's layout

Changing the map's layout doesn't affect the code in any way.

To control the map's layout, select the Layout menu on the map toolbar.

In the Layout menu, you can:

• Change the default layout.
• Stop rearranging the map automatically, by deselecting Automatically Layout when Debugging.
• Rearrange the map as little as possible when you add items, by deselecting Incremental Layout.

Make notes about the code

You can add comments to track what's happening in the code.

To add a comment, right-click in the code map and select Edit > New Comment, then type the comment.

To add a new line in a comment, press Shift+Enter.

Update the map with the next call stack

As you run your app to the next breakpoint or step into a function, the map adds new call stacks automatically.

To stop the map from adding new call stacks automatically, select on the code map toolbar. The map continues to highlight existing call stacks. To manually add the current call stack to the map, press Ctrl+Shift+`.

Add related code to the map

Now that you've got a map, in C# or Visual Basic, you can add items like fields, properties, and other methods, to track what's happening in the code.

To go to the definition of a method in the code, double-click the method in the map, or select it and press F12, or right-click it and select Go To Definition.

To add items that you want to track to the map, right-click a method and select the items you want to track. The most recently added items appear in green.

Continue building the map to see more code.

Find bugs using the map

Visualizing your code can help you find bugs faster. For example, suppose you're investigating a bug in a drawing app. When you draw a line and try to undo it, nothing happens until you draw another line.

So you set breakpoints in the clear, undo, and Repaint methods, start debugging, and build a map like this one:

You notice that all the user gestures on the map call Repaint, except for undo. This might explain why undo doesn't work immediately.

After you fix the bug and continue running the app, the map adds the new call from undo to Repaint:

Share the map with others

You can export a map, send it to others with Microsoft Outlook, save it to your solution, and check it into version control.

To share or save the map, use Share in the code map toolbar.

See also

Map dependencies across your solutions

Use code maps to debug your applications

Find potential problems using code map analyzers

Browse and rearrange code maps