# Debugging: Variables Window

Use to lists the local variables in the current call. By default, the Variables window opens automatically whenever you start a debugging session.

You can click the control to the left of the name to expand or collapse the variable. If the object type is displayed in blue underlined text, clicking the text jumps to the object type in the source code. You can click the Value cell to edit the value directly in the Variables window.

Icons

The Variables window displays the following thread icons:

Element | Description
--- | ---
| Local variable
| Container for a superclass
| Static field of an object.
| Non-static field of an object.
| Return values of executed methods when using expression step
| Input values for next method when using expression step

Actions

The Variables window has the following commands in the context menus:

Element | Description
--- | ---
Create Fixed Watch | Creates a fixed watch of the selected object. A fixed watch displays the specified object or memory location regardless of the current context.
Display As | For objects of type integer only. Determines how the value of the selected object is shown. The choices are decimal, hexadecimal, octal, and binary.
Go to Source | Opens the source file containing the variable.
Show References | Opens the Instance view showing list of instances and the referrers (not available if IDE is running on JDK 1.5). See Instances Window for more information.
List Option | Enables you to customize the display of the Variables window, including adding and removing columns of information, reordering the columns, and sorting the columns.

Properties

By default, all thread properties are displayed directly in the Variables window, except for the `toString()` property. To display the `toString()` property in the Variables window, click in the upper right corner of the window, or right-click in the window and choose List Options > Change Visible Columns and then select `toString()` in the dialog box.

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