#90 – Stepping Into .NET Source Code in Visual Studio 2010

It’s sometimes helpful to see not only the metadata for .NET and WPF classes, but to actually step through the source code in the debugger to see how things are working.

To enable stepping through .NET source code in the debugger:

First, close any open solutions.  Then, under Tools | Options, select Debugging | General and check the option Enable .NET Framework source stepping.

Also check the Enable Source Server Support checkbox. Next, select Debugging | Symbols in the list at left.  Unselect Microsoft Symbol Servers, if it’s checked.  Click on the add button and enter http://referencesource.microsoft.com/symbols.  Then click on the Empty Symbol Cache button.

When you start debugging, you’ll see a message indicating that symbols are being downloaded.  This may take some time.

When you first try stepping into a .NET Framework method, you’ll see a EULA.

But then you’ll find yourself looking at .NET source code.  Voila!