Tracing OCaml Programs
summary
A framework instruments OCaml with a two-stage PPX pipeline that marshals values into binary traces during the first build and uses type info in a second compiled pass to rebuild readable, typed values; tooling includes a command-line query like grab and a visualization similar to Magic Trace but with full argument/return values. The system records function call/return spans, lets users navigate back-and-forth through execution and step into higher-order calls, and limits overhead via fine-grained instrumentation configuration and separation of content from schema.
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chapters (7)
- 0:00Intro
- 0:20Debugging in OCaml today
- 2:41Type-aware record-and-replay debugging
- 6:24Instrumentation
- 7:51Typical ppx
- 11:23Tradeoffs
- 13:49Other debugging methods
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