Follow up of
https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,72251.msg565338.html#msg565338
After following the above thread, I wonder how non-intuitive this page maybe is?
How can the "debugger" page in the "Project options" be made more intuitive?
https://wiki.freepascal.org/IDE_Window:_Project_Options_-_Debugger_Backend
The page allows to
override the global debugger-backend settings that are specified in the "IDE Options" Tools > Options (3rd image)
Image 1:
The page has 2 parts.
1. The top part GREEN:This part selects which debugger is used.
It contains the drop down (IMAGE 2)
-- Use Project debugger -- This will use the debugger from part 2 below, if there is any.
If there is no "project debugger" in the list, this uses the IDE global setting.
It can still be selected, and it is
selected by default so a project specific debugger can be added, and will immediately be used.
-- Use IDE default debugger -- This will use the debugger from IMAGE 3 - Tools > Options.
... The named entries. Those are from IMAGE 3 - Tools > Options. But the can be directly selected, so they will be chosen, even if the default in the global options is changed. (They disappear, if the items are deleted in the global options)
2. The bottom part REDThis part is only used
if the dropdown is set to "Use project debugger".
But, this part is intentionally not disabled, even if it is not selected for usage.
Users can still add/remove/edit the project specific backends, even if they currently use a global backend.
There are several possible pitfalls
1) Selecting a "project specific debugger" in the RED part (drop down at the top of the RED part), when the GREEN part has "-- Use IDE default debugger --" (or an item from the global IDE list).
The selected "project specific debugger" is not used. => There is a warning label.
2) the steps to add a new debugger, which require chosing the backend type in the "Debugger type and path" section
(RED part and GLOBAL settings)
3) Changing between backends (RED part and GLOBAL settings)
Selecting a different backend is done via the dropdown at the top of the RED (or global) part.
-- It is NOT done by clicking "Change type".
The type is normally never changed once setup. But there may be cases were this is wanted if other settings from the property grid should be kept (normally then a "copy" should be made, but sometimes that may not be practical going forth and back over and over).
=> Clicking "change type" already displays a red warning.