StackFrame Class

Provides information about a StackFrame, which represents a function call on the call stack for the current thread.

Namespace: System.Diagnostics
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)

'Declaration
<SerializableAttribute> _
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public Class StackFrame
'Usage
Dim instance As StackFrame

/** @attribute SerializableAttribute() */ 
/** @attribute ComVisibleAttribute(true) */ 
public class StackFrame
SerializableAttribute 
ComVisibleAttribute(true) 
public class StackFrame

A StackFrame is created and pushed on the call stack for every function call made during the execution of a thread. The stack frame always includes MethodBase information, and optionally includes file name, line number, and column number information.

StackFrame information will be most informative with Debug build configurations. By default, Debug builds include debug symbols, while Release builds do not. The debug symbols contain most of the file, method name, line number, and column information used in constructing StackFrame objects.

The following code example demonstrates how to create and use a StackFrame.

Imports System
Imports System.Diagnostics

Imports SampleInternal

Namespace SamplePublic
   
   ' This console application illustrates various uses
   ' of the StackTrace and StackFrame classes.
   
   Class ConsoleApp
      
      <STAThread()>  _
      Shared Sub Main()
         Dim mainClass As New ClassLevel1
         
         Try
            mainClass.InternalMethod()
         Catch
            Console.WriteLine(" Main method exception handler")
            
            ' Display file and line information, if available.
            Dim st As New StackTrace(New StackFrame(True))
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace for current level: {0}", _
               st.ToString())
            Console.WriteLine(" File: {0}", _
               st.GetFrame(0).GetFileName())
            Console.WriteLine(" Line Number: {0}", _
               st.GetFrame(0).GetFileLineNumber().ToString())
            
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
         End Try
      End Sub 'Main
   End Class 'ConsoleApp
End Namespace 'StackFramePublic 

Namespace SampleInternal
   
   Public Class ClassLevel1
      
      Public Sub InternalMethod()
         Try
            Dim nestedClass As New ClassLevel2
            nestedClass.Level2Method()
         Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(" InternalMethod exception handler")
            
            ' Build a stack trace from one frame, skipping the 
            ' current frame and using the next frame.  By default,
            ' file and line information are not displayed.
            Dim st As New StackTrace(New StackFrame(1))
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace for next level frame: {0}", _
               st.ToString())
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack frame for next level: ")
            Console.WriteLine("   {0}", st.GetFrame(0).ToString())
            
            Console.WriteLine(" Line Number: {0}", _
               st.GetFrame(0).GetFileLineNumber().ToString())
            
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("   ... throwing exception to next level ...")
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
            Throw e
         End Try
      End Sub 'InternalMethod
   End Class 'ClassLevel1
   
   Public Class ClassLevel2
      
      Public Sub Level2Method()
         Try
            Dim nestedClass As New ClassLevel3
            nestedClass.Level3Method()
         
         Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(" Level2Method exception handler")
            
            ' Display the full call stack at this level.
            Dim st1 As New StackTrace(True)
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace for this level: {0}", _
               st1.ToString())
            
            ' Build a stack trace from one frame, skipping the current
            ' frame and using the next frame.
            Dim st2 As New StackTrace(New StackFrame(1, True))
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace built with next level frame: {0}", _
                st2.ToString())
            
            ' Build a stack trace skipping the current frame, and
            ' including all the other frames.
            Dim st3 As New StackTrace(1, True)
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace built from the next level up: {0}", _
                st3.ToString())
            
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("   ... throwing exception to next level ...")
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
            Throw e
         End Try
      End Sub 'Level2Method
   End Class 'ClassLevel2
   
   Public Class ClassLevel3
      
      Public Sub Level3Method()
         Try
            Dim nestedClass As New ClassLevel4()
            nestedClass.Level4Method()
         Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(" Level3Method exception handler")
            
            ' Build a stack trace from a dummy stack frame.
            ' Explicitly specify the source file name and line number.
            Dim st As New StackTrace(New StackFrame("source.cs", 60))
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace with dummy stack frame: {0}", _
               st.ToString())
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To st.FrameCount - 1
               ' Display the stack frame properties.
               Dim sf As StackFrame = st.GetFrame(i)
               Console.WriteLine(" File: {0}", sf.GetFileName())
               Console.WriteLine(" Line Number: {0}", _
                  sf.GetFileLineNumber())
               ' The column number defaults to zero when not initialized.
               Console.WriteLine(" Column Number: {0}", _
                  sf.GetFileColumnNumber())
               If sf.GetILOffset <> StackFrame.OFFSET_UNKNOWN
                  Console.WriteLine(" Intermediate Language Offset: {0}", _
                      sf.GetILOffset())
               End If
               If sf.GetNativeOffset <> StackFrame.OFFSET_UNKNOWN
                 Console.WriteLine(" Native Offset: {0}", _
                     sf.GetNativeOffset())
               End If
            Next i 
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("   ... throwing exception to next level ...")
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
            Throw e
         End Try
      End Sub 'Level3Method
   End Class 'ClassLevel3
   
   Public Class ClassLevel4
      
      Public Sub Level4Method()
         Try
            Dim [nestedClass] As New ClassLevel5()
            [nestedClass].Level5Method()
         Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(" Level4Method exception handler")
            
            ' Build a stack trace from a dummy stack frame.
            ' Explicitly specify the source file name, line number
            ' and column number.
            Dim st As New StackTrace(New StackFrame("source.cs", 79, 24))
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace with dummy stack frame: {0}", _
               st.ToString())
            
            ' Access the StackFrames explicitly to display the file
            ' name, line number and column number properties.
            ' StackTrace.ToString only includes the method name. 
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To st.FrameCount - 1
               Dim sf As StackFrame = st.GetFrame(i)
               Console.WriteLine(" File: {0}", sf.GetFileName())
               Console.WriteLine(" Line Number: {0}", _
                  sf.GetFileLineNumber())
               Console.WriteLine(" Column Number: {0}", _
                  sf.GetFileColumnNumber())
            Next i
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("   ... throwing exception to next level ...")
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
            Throw e
         End Try
      End Sub 'Level4Method 
   End Class 'ClassLevel4
  
   
   Public Class ClassLevel5
      
      Public Sub Level5Method()
         Try
            Dim nestedClass As New ClassLevel6()
            nestedClass.Level6Method()
         Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(" Level5Method exception handler")
            
            Dim st As New StackTrace()
            
            ' Display the most recent function call.
            Dim sf As StackFrame = st.GetFrame(0)
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("  Exception in method: ")
            Console.WriteLine("      {0}", sf.GetMethod())
            
            If st.FrameCount > 1 Then
               ' Display the highest-level function call in the trace.
               sf = st.GetFrame((st.FrameCount - 1))
               Console.WriteLine("  Original function call at top of call stack):")
               Console.WriteLine("      {0}", sf.GetMethod())
            End If
            
            Console.WriteLine()
            Console.WriteLine("   ... throwing exception to next level ...")
            Console.WriteLine("-------------------------------------------------")
            Console.WriteLine()
            Throw e
         End Try
      End Sub 'Level5Method
   End Class 'ClassLevel5 
  
   
   Public Class ClassLevel6
      Public Sub Level6Method()
         Throw New Exception("An error occurred in the lowest internal class method.")
      End Sub 'Level6Method
   End Class 'ClassLevel6 

End Namespace 'StackFrameInternal

package SamplePublic;

import System.*;
import System.Diagnostics.*;
import SampleInternal.*;

// This console application illustrates various uses
// of the StackTrace and StackFrame classes.
class ConsoleApp
{
    /** @attribute STAThread()
     */
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        ClassLevel1 mainClass = new ClassLevel1();

        try {
            mainClass.InternalMethod();
        }
        catch (System.Exception exp) {
            Console.WriteLine(" main method exception handler");

            // Display file and line information, if available.
            StackTrace st = new StackTrace(new StackFrame(true));
            Console.WriteLine(" Stack trace for current level: {0}", 
                st.ToString());
            Console.WriteLine(" File: {0}", st.GetFrame(0).GetFileName());
            Console.WriteLine(" Line Number: {0}", 
                Convert.ToString(st.GetFrame(0).GetFileLineNumber()));
            Console.WriteLine();
            Console.WriteLine("---------------------------------------------"
                + "----\n");
        }
    } //main
} //ConsoleApp

System.Object
  System.Diagnostics.StackFrame

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows 98, Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

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