Toggle “Break when an exception is thrown.” using

Question

Edit: Visual Studio 2015's new exception window is so much faster than the old dialog that I no longer care as much about using a keyboard shortcut for it.

Is there a macro or keyboard shortcut that will toggle "break when an exception is thrown" without using the GUI?

Opening the dialog with ctrl+alt+e and checking the "Common Language Runtime Exceptions" "Thrown" box then clicking OK is simple enough, but this is something I do a lot. I would rather have a keyboard shortcut for this.

This question is a duplicate of Any have a Visual Studio shortcut/macro for toggling break on handled/unhandled exceptions?

However, the poster accepted an answer that doesn't really work, and I would really like an answer that does work.

The answer in the duplicate question is not acceptable because it toggles only one specific exception, not the entire CLR group.

"Well write a loop then." you say. But not so fast! Someone tried that already and it was uselessly slow. (Yes I've verified that its slow on my system as well.)

So the challenge is to use a macro to toggle the entire CLR Exceptions category in less than 1 or 2 seconds. This question is a duplicate of Any have a Visual Studio shortcut/macro for toggling break on handled/unhandled exceptions?

Answer 1

My macro to ignore current CLR exception in runtime. It works like a button 'disable catching this exception type' when an exception pops at debug-time.

Imports System
Imports EnvDTE
Imports EnvDTE80
Imports EnvDTE90
Imports EnvDTE90a
Imports EnvDTE100
Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic.ControlChars

' execute Macros.MyMacros.VSDebuggerExceptions.IgnoreCurrentExceptionWhenThrown from VS Command Window

Public Module VSDebuggerExceptions

    Sub BreakWhenThrown(Optional ByVal strException As String = "")
        Dim dbg As Debugger3 = DTE.Debugger
        Dim eg As ExceptionSettings = _
            dbg.ExceptionGroups.Item("Common Language Runtime Exceptions")
        eg.SetBreakWhenThrown(True, eg.Item(strException))
    End Sub

    ' copied from Utilities module (samples)
    Function GetOutputWindowPane(ByVal Name As String, Optional ByVal show As Boolean = True) As OutputWindowPane
        Dim window As Window
        Dim outputWindow As OutputWindow
        Dim outputWindowPane As OutputWindowPane

        window = DTE.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindOutput)
        If show Then window.Visible = True
        outputWindow = window.Object
        Try
            outputWindowPane = outputWindow.OutputWindowPanes.Item(Name)
        Catch e As System.Exception
            outputWindowPane = outputWindow.OutputWindowPanes.Add(Name)
        End Try
        outputWindowPane.Activate()
        Return outputWindowPane
    End Function

    Private WithEvents t As Timers.Timer

    ' Adds the current exception to ignore list
    Sub IgnoreCurrentExceptionWhenThrown()
        Dim commandWin As EnvDTE.CommandWindow
        commandWin = DTE.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindCommandWindow).Object

        Select Case DTE.Debugger.CurrentMode
            Case dbgDebugMode.dbgDesignMode
                commandWin.OutputString("This macro is not enabled in Design Mode. Run it in Break Mode." + vbCrLf)
                Return

            Case dbgDebugMode.dbgRunMode
                commandWin.OutputString("This macro is not enabled in Run Mode. Run it in Break Mode." + vbCrLf)
                Return
        End Select

        commandWin.OutputString(Environment.NewLine)
        commandWin.OutputString("Trying to get the information about current exception.." + Environment.NewLine)

        Dim dbg As Debugger3 = DTE.Debugger
        Dim currentExpression As Expression = dbg.GetExpression("$exception", False)
        Try    
            Dim currentExceptionTypeString As String = currentExpression.DataMembers.Item(1).Type
            commandWin.OutputString("Detected current exception type is : " + currentExceptionTypeString + Environment.NewLine)

            Dim flag As Boolean = True
            Dim eg As ExceptionSettings = dbg.ExceptionGroups.Item("Common Language Runtime Exceptions")
            Try
                eg.SetBreakWhenThrown(False, eg.Item(currentExceptionTypeString))
            Catch exc As Exception
                commandWin.OutputString("Cannot find this exception, trying to create.." + currentExceptionTypeString + Environment.NewLine)
                '
                eg.NewException(currentExceptionTypeString, New Random().Next)
                eg.SetBreakWhenThrown(False, eg.Item(currentExceptionTypeString))
                eg.SetBreakWhenUserUnhandled(True, eg.Item(currentExceptionTypeString))
                flag = False
            End Try

            commandWin.OutputString(Environment.NewLine)
            commandWin.OutputString("Exception '" + currentExceptionTypeString + "' added to ignore list.")
            commandWin.OutputString(Environment.NewLine)

            t = New Timers.Timer()
            ' small interval to send keys after DTE will start to exec command
            t.Interval = 0.1
            t.Start()
            DTE.ExecuteCommand("Debug.Exceptions")

        Catch exc As Exception
            commandWin.OutputString("Error occured")
        End Try
    End Sub

    Private Sub t_Elapsed(ByVal ee As Object, ByVal dd As Timers.ElapsedEventArgs) Handles t.Elapsed
        t.Stop()
        ' only press Ok to apply changed exceptions settings to debugger
        System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("%t")
        System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("{ENTER}")
    End Sub

End Module

Answer 2

CTRL + ALT + E ALT + T Enter

works for me

Answer 3

Just offering some info I found on this (here) as I was scouring the net in my futile attempt to help...

Someone else posed this same question and it was responded to by Gary Chang from MS Support, here's the quoted response:

I am afraid the Macro code cannot manipulate the operations on the Exceptions dialog box...

It's important to note that this posting is from December of 2005 so this response may no longer be accurate; either way, thought I'd throw it out there.

Answer 4

First i initalized a timer an then i call the command Exception.Debug. The timer hit, when the modal dialog is openend. If you use Win 7 with deactivated UAC SendKeys with ALT-Key will fail...i don't know why.

i played a little bit...try this (VS2010 EN):

Imports System
Imports EnvDTE
Imports EnvDTE80
Imports EnvDTE90
Imports EnvDTE90a
Imports EnvDTE100
Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

'...

Private WithEvents t As Timers.Timer
Private Sub t_Elapsed(ByVal ee As Object, ByVal dd As Timers.ElapsedEventArgs) Handles t.Elapsed
    t.Stop()
    ' Tastatureingaben simulieren
    System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("{DOWN}")
    System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(1500) ' Pause wichtig zum Laden des Exceptionbaums
    System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("%t")
    System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("{ENTER}")
End Sub
Public Sub toggleCLRExceptions()
    If DTE.Solution.Count <= 0 Then
        MsgBox("Nicht ohne geöffnete Solution!")
        Exit Sub
    End If
    ' Timer wird benötigt, da der Dialog Modal ist
    ' und weitere Befehle im Macro werden erst nach beenden des Dialogs ausgeführt
    t = New Timers.Timer()
    t.Interval = 0.5
    t.Start()
    DTE.ExecuteCommand("Debug.Exceptions")
    'System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.SendWait("^%e") ' alternativ: STRG+ALT+e
    System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(200)
    If isCLRExceptionsActive() Then
        MsgBox("BREAK @CLR-Exception", MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Info")
    Else
        MsgBox("NO BREAK @CLR-Exception", MsgBoxStyle.Information, "Info")
    End If
End Sub

Function isCLRExceptionsActive() As Boolean
    ' prüft, ob Setting Debug CLR-Exceptions aktiviert/deaktivert ist
    Dim dbg As EnvDTE100.Debugger5 = DTE.Debugger
    Dim exSettings As ExceptionSettings = dbg.ExceptionGroups.Item("Common Language Runtime Exceptions")
    Dim exSetting As ExceptionSetting
    Try
        exSetting = exSettings.Item("Common Language Runtime Exceptions")
    Catch ex As COMException
        If ex.ErrorCode = -2147352565 Then
            exSetting = exSettings.NewException("Common Language Runtime Exceptions", 0)
        End If
    End Try
    Return exSetting.BreakWhenThrown
End Function

'...