> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://gluals.arnux.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Inspecting variables

> Examine locals, globals, upvalues, and table contents while paused at a breakpoint.

## Overview

When the debugger pauses, the **Variables** panel in the Run & Debug sidebar shows the current values of all accessible variables at the selected stack frame.

***

## Variable scopes

The Variables panel groups values into scopes:

| Scope        | Description                               |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Locals**   | Variables defined in the current function |
| **Upvalues** | Variables captured from enclosing scopes  |
| **Globals**  | The global `_G` table (expandable)        |

***

## Navigating nested values

You can expand tables and objects. Click the arrow next to a table variable to reveal its keys and values. There is no depth limit, so you can drill down as deep as needed.

```
▼ ent (Entity)
  ├ EntIndex: 42
  ├ Class: prop_physics
  ▼ GetNetworkVars (table)
    ├ Health: 100
    └ Active: true
```

***

## Editing variable values

When paused, you can modify variable values directly in the Variables panel:

1. Click on the value in the **Variables** panel
2. Type the new Lua expression to evaluate as the value
3. Press Enter

Changes take effect in the running Lua state.

<Warning>
  Editing variables only changes the value in the current Lua execution context. Side effects (like calling setters or updating networked values) require manual code execution.
</Warning>

***

## Watch expressions

Add expressions to the **Watch** panel to evaluate them every time execution pauses:

1. Click the `+` button in the **Watch** panel
2. Enter a Lua expression (e.g., `ply:Health()`, `#ents.GetAll()`)

GLuaLS re-evaluates the expression in the selected stack frame each time execution pauses.

***

## Debug Console

Open the **Debug Console** (`Ctrl+Shift+Y`) to evaluate arbitrary Lua expressions:

```lua theme={null}
> ply:Nick()
"PlayerName"

> ents.FindByClass("prop_physics")
{ [1] = (Entity: prop_physics), [2] = (Entity: prop_physics) }

> ply:SetHealth(100)
-- (no output, but health is set)
```

GLuaLS evaluates expressions in the selected stack frame.

***

## Stop on entry and error

* **`stopOnEntry`**: pause before any user Lua runs; useful for capturing startup variable state
* **`stopOnError`**: pause when any `error()` or uncaught Lua exception occurs; the Variables panel shows state at the moment of the error