Forced a Re-Compile

Debugging LotusScript is still a very arduous task. Just because you know that the code works, does not mean that the code works.

Your code may work in the debugger, because the debugger is re-compiling your code so that it can insert things like breakpoints and pull out things like variable values for you to view.

This means that the code is re-compiled with the latest versions of everything on your desktop / server. This also means that this new flawless code is compiled and held in memory, only for the current session.

I liken this to coding and debugging in Visual Basic (VB). At some point in time, you will create either the final EXE (executable) or DLL (Dynamic Link Library) file(s). Once you reach this step, you will now have two versions of your program. The one that exists in your EXE file and the one the the debugger uses (creates) from all of the Object File pieces that is uses during debugging. Until you re-build your EXE or DLL, they will not match and your fixes will not appear when you use the final program!

This is the same with LotusScript development. Until you really push your changes out to the server copy of your mail file, nothing will work on the server, but everything will work when you are using your local copy.

Another thing to remember, is this. You might also have different version of the LotusScript Libraries on your server, than you do on your local desktop or development environment.

This can be taken to a whole other level, if your group moves code to a development server, then to a production test server, and then finally pushes the remains of the day out to production. Or in general vernacular, "The Real World."

In this environment, you must also be sure that all those involved have the proper permissions to replicate changes out to the real world. And, replicate those changes out to the real world in the proper order. You maybe trying to send changes out to servers, that are only allowed to replicate back into your systems. And when this is happening, you discover that code that you cleaned up days ago, is now appearing again.

Remember three things, at least these three?

1. Access Control Lists
2. Replication Direction
3. LotusScript Library Version

Happy writing and debugging ;-)