Debug Environments /
MSVisual Studio

I have managed to get MSDEV to compile and debug my D programs (thanks to 
Arcane Jill for the idea)

Here is what I did:

1. create an MSDEV "Utility" project - these are like normal projects but 
they do not do the link step.

2. add your .d source files to this project. (all of them).

3. edit project settings, expand list on left, for each source file define 
the following "Custom Build" settings:

[Commands]
D:\D\dmd\bin\dmd.exe -c "$(InputPath)" -g -profile -debug -c -od"$(IntDir)"

[Output]
$(IntDir)\$(InputName).obj

[as this is the same for all source files, it'd be great if I could define 
it for all somewhere instead of having to define it for each and every 
file]

4. edit project settings, click project name at top of tree on left, in 
the post-build section add the command

d:\D\dmd\bin\dmd.exe -g "$(IntDir)\*.obj" -of"$(OutDir)\main.exe"

and that's it. Hit compile and it should create a Debug/Release dir with 
the .obj and .exe file in it. Put a breakpoint in and press Run and you're 
debugging (assuming you're in debug mode)

One thing to note is that VC's debugger doesn't always break at exceptions. 
For example, it won't break if there's a exception handler in the 
application, which in D there always is (the handler that prints the 
exception on the console).

So for VC to break, you'll have to mark the exception as "break always" in 
the menu (only available while debugging): Debug -> Exceptions...
There, enter the exception number (as dumped in VCs output window), enter 
some human readable name and select as action "Stop always". Then click 
"Add".

Example,

void main( char[][] args )
{
  int *p = null;
  *p = 0;
}

Compile it with -g AND -debug. Run it from VC (F5, debug). In the console 
you'll see:

Error: Access Violation
Press any key to continue

And in the output pane:

Loaded 'ntdll.dll', no matching symbolic information found.
Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\kernel32.dll', no matching symbolic information 
found.
Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\user32.dll', no matching symbolic information 
found.
Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\gdi32.dll', no matching symbolic information 
found.
First-chance exception in fart.exe: 0xC0000005: Access Violation.
The thread 0x120 has exited with code 1 (0x1).
The program 'C:\UTIL\d\debug\fart.exe' has exited with code 1 (0x1).

But notice that VC did not break!

Now press F11(step into) and go to the menu Debug -> Exceptions. The 
exception 0xC0000005 exists so we don't add it but we select it. You'll see 
that the (default) action is "stop if not handled". Change this to "Stop 
always" and click "Change". Now continue running the program, F5. VC will 
break.