How can I interface with the Perl debugger API?

Question

Is there a way to interface the Perl debugger API which perl is using to control its debugging programmatically?

Answer 1

The default Perl debugger was not designed with a clean API to interact with, so the easiest way is probably not to use it, but to use Devel::ebug, which offers an API to an alternative debugger. You can also trigger the debugger from inside your code, calling an interactive debugger session, with Enbugger.

Answer 2

It's all in the perldebug, perldebguts, and DB documentation.

In addition, I've written a Creating a Perl Debugger which should get you started. I have a section on custom Perl debuggers in Mastering Perl too.

Answer 3

You can read about the perl debugger at perldoc perldebug and perldoc perldebtut. You can invoke the debugger with the -d option, i.e. perl -d myscript.pl.

Answer 4

See "Programming Perl" 20.5.1 -> "Writing your own debugger", also see perldoc perlvar $PERLDB.

What you want to do is to implement the DB::DB() sub.