advpl-debugging

name

advpl-debugging

description

Use when the user asks to debug, diagnose, or fix an ADVPL/TLPP error on TOTVS Protheus -- compilation errors (syntax, missing includes, undeclared variables), runtime failures (NIL access, type mismatch, array bounds), performance issues (slow queries, memory leaks), database locks (RecLock timeouts, deadlocks), or AppServer log/crash analysis. Also triggers on Portuguese phrasing like "erro de compilacao", "erro em tempo de execucao", "travou o lock", "RecLock nao libera", "performance lenta", "analisar log do appserver", or a pasted stack trace / error message from Protheus.

ADVPL/TLPP Debugging

This skill provides a systematic methodology for diagnosing and resolving ADVPL/TLPP errors: a decision flow (compilation vs. runtime), a quick-diagnosis table by symptom, logging tool guidance (Conout, FWLogMsg, ErrorBlock), database lock diagnosis (RecLock/MsUnlock), and quick performance checks (wrong index, array growth in loops, Embedded SQL vs ISAM).

Activate this skill when the user reports an error message, a stack trace, a compilation failure, a hanging/locked record, a slow routine, or an AppServer crash/log to investigate. It does not cover generating new code from scratch (see advpl-code-generation), a general quality audit of working code (see advpl-code-review), restructuring code that already works correctly (see advpl-refactoring), or converting .prw to .tlpp (see advpl-to-tlpp-migration).

Reference file	Read when
reference.md	Always -- debug methodology flow, quick diagnosis by symptom, logging tools, lock diagnosis, performance quick checks, common debugging mistakes
common-errors.md	Looking up a specific compilation or runtime error message (top 50 ADVPL/TLPP errors with cause and fix)
performance-tips.md	Investigating a performance bottleneck in depth (query optimization, loop efficiency, memory)