Visualization – Flow Break Icons
Flow break icons (also known as Flow Break Evaluation feature) are visual indicators appearing in the code editor at the end of lines containing code that can alter the flow of program execution. Flow break icons are useful when reviewing complex code with multiple loops and/or breaks – these icons are drawn near the flow language keywords (see the table below) which help you understand the code flow evaluation.
Hovering over these icons using the mouse cursor will show you an animated arrow pointing to the next point of execution (where the code will continue after the break). In addition, clicking on one of those icons will move the editor caret to the target location in the source code, where the program path goes. A temporal system marker is dropped near the icon after you click an icon, to allow you to return back when you press ESC key (within 60 seconds).
Here’s the table of flow break icons and language keywords that change the program flow:
| Icon | C# keyword | VB keyword | Target location |
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return | Return |
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throw | Throw |
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continue | Continue |
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break | Exit Sub, Exit Function, Exit For, Exit Do, Exit While, Exit Select |
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goto | GoTo |
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yield return | – | Same as “return” icon. |
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yield break | – | Same as “return” icon. |
By default, the Flow Break Icons feature is enabled. You can easily turn it off from the DXCore Visualize toolbar:
On the “Editor | Painting | Flow Break Evaluation” options page in the Options Dialog, you can specify the icon and border opacity, arrow speed and color, etc.
