You can enter and edit data in a variety of formats, and the debugger can display data in a variety of formats. When you enter or edit data, or view displayed data, the correct recognition of the format is vital to the interpretation of a value. It is important either to prefix a value with an indicator of the format or to be sure that the correct format is otherwise assumed.

You can select any format for displaying selected data in many places, including:

Values are displayed in a default format for the data type unless you specify otherwise.

The Format item that appears on many pop-up menus leads to a number of submenus. Figure 4.1 shows a few examples.

Figure 4.1. Example format submenus

The first format listed in a format submenu is the default format for the currently selected data item. The checked format is the current format and normally appears second in the list. If the current format is the default format, then the first format is checked and is not repeated.

The format submenus enable you to select any valid data storage size and format for displaying a selected item. You might replace it with a value that you enter in yet another format.

When you enter or change data, you are offered in-place editing whenever possible, otherwise a suitable dialog is displayed. When you use in-place data editing, the whole string that you enter is interpreted and checked for validity when you press Return. If you attempt to move the focus away from the field without pressing Return, the edit is discarded and no validation occurs. Individual characters are not checked as you enter them. You can enter data in any appropriate format, not necessarily the current display format. You can enter addresses in a variety of formats, as described in Entering addresses.

If you enter a value that is larger than the available field size, the least significant bits of your value are stored and the most significant bits are ignored.

Formats supported include: