An executable image contains symbolic references, such as function and variable names, in addition to the program code and data.

If you select the Symbols Only check box, on the Load File to Target dialog box (see Figure 2.1), the symbolic references are loaded into the debugger without loading any code or data to the target. You might want to do this if the code and data are already present on the debug target, for example in a ROM device or where you are working with an RTOS-enabled target.

You can choose to refresh the symbol data for a loaded image during your debugging session. There are two ways to do this for the current process, depending on the number of images loaded: