How to find local variables in a heap file

Question

I have a j2ee application and am tracking it using visualVM.

Let's say that I have a method like this:

public void doStuff(int param) { String s = getStringVariable(param); StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(); //Do stuff with sb object } 

From the tap thread, I see that some of my threads are stuck in the above method. So I created a heap dump file to figure out what s and sb contain.

But how can I do this? I am using Eclipse Memory Analyzer.

Answer 1

you can get a local variable from your stream, because if the local variable is currently live, it means the only reference for this variable is its own stream .

So, first you need to list the current threads, and you can do this:

• Click the object options button in the action bar .
• Choose Java Basics → Browse Streams and Stacks.

Then, to list the object for a particular thread:

• Right click -> List Object -> OutGoing Links

Then find your local variable with the <Java Local>