Abstract: The invention provides a technique for generating minimal debugging type information in a distinguished compile unit while still supporting the debugging of classes for which the distinguished compile unit is not, in this module, being built or debugged, where the debugging information for the classes has been previously compiled into one or more object modules. On detecting a reference to a type in a program, the compiler inserts code into the module it is compiling to direct the linker where to locate the debugging information object module describing that type. Usually, the object module will be located in a separate link library, so the compiler directs the linker to add the debug library to the list of libraries from which it tries to resolve symbolic references, and to add a reference to an external linkage symbol defined in the object module describing the type. The linker will have to resolve this symbol by adding the debug library into the link.

Abstract: A binary class library is adapted to provide full debugging type information particularly for use during program compilation in a minimal debug-generation mode. The library includes, a compile unit that #includes all the include files describing the classes that a given class library implements and exports. The compile unit also includes code defining a symbol with an external linkage. The resulting object module is put into the binary class library or a separate debug library. An inclusion direction and an external linkage symbol to the debug library are added to all include files for the class library that are #included by any program using its classes. These additions cause the compiler to direct the linker to add the debug library to the list of libraries from which it tries to resolve symbolic references, and to add a reference to the external linkage symbol that the linker will have to resolve by adding the debug library into the link.