FIX: The debugger may not display the correct member variables of a base class in Visual Studio .NET 2003 (842936)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (2003), Enterprise Architect Edition
  • Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (2003), Enterprise Developer Edition
  • Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (2003), Academic Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you debug a managed application in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, the debugger may not display the correct member variables of a base class. This problem occurs when the managed application contains managed classes from multiple file references.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:
  • Assemblies are loaded into one application domain.
  • You load two or more assemblies in the application domain.
  • The assemblies have the same class names but different file names.
  • The assemblies depend on base classes that are defined in other dynamic-link libraries (DLL).
  • The base classes also share the same class names but reside in different DLLs.
The following example shows the sequence of events and conditions that may cause this problem:
  • The A.dll assembly depends on the ABase.dll assembly.
  • The B.dll assembly depends on the BBase.dll assembly.
  • You load the A.dll assembly into the application domain first.
  • You load the B.dll assembly into the application domain second.
When you debug the application and then review the code in the BBase.dll assembly, the Watch window in Visual Studio .NET 2003 displays member variables from the ABase.dll assembly. You expect the debugger to display the member variables from the BBase.dll assembly.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart your computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Date         Time   Version           Size     File name
--------------------------------------------------------------
25-May-2004  05:10  7.10.4145.0       618,496  Shmetapdb.dll

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about how to debug applications in Visual Studio .NET 2003, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site: For additional information about Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates


Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/15/2006
Keywords:kbQFE kbBug kbfix kbprb kbHotfixServer KB842936 kbAudDeveloper