Library /sys$common/syshlp/DBG$HELP.HLB  —  DEBUG  EXAMINE  Description
    The EXAMINE command displays the entity at the location denoted
    by an address expression. You can use the command to display the
    contents of any memory location or register that is accessible
    in your program. For high-level languages, the command is used
    mostly to obtain the current value of a variable (an integer,
    real, string, array, record, and so on).

    If you are debugging optimized code on Alpha systems, the EXAMINE
    command displays the definition points at which a split-lifetime
    variable could have received its value. Split-lifetime variables
    are discussed in the HP OpenVMS Debugger Manual. By default, the
    EXAMINE command displays up to five definition points. With the
    /DEFINITIONS qualifier, you can specify the number of definition
    points.

    The debugger recognizes the compiler-generated types associated
    with symbolic address expressions (symbolic names declared in
    your program). Symbolic address expressions include the following
    entities:

    o  Variable names. When specifying a variable with the EXAMINE
       command, use the same syntax that is used in the source code.

    o  Routine names, labels, and line numbers. These are associated
       with instructions. You can examine instructions using the same
       techniques as when examining variables.

    In general, when you enter an EXAMINE command, the debugger
    evaluates the address expression specified to yield a program
    location. The debugger then displays the value stored at that
    location as follows:

    o  If the location has a symbolic name, the debugger formats the
       value according to the compiler-generated type associated with
       that symbol (that is, as a variable of a particular type or as
       an instruction).

    o  If the location does not have a symbolic name (and, therefore,
       no associated compiler-generated type) the debugger formats
       the value in the type longword integer by default. This means
       that, by default, the EXAMINE command displays the contents of
       these locations as longword (4-byte) integer values.
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