How do I debug Windows services in Visual Studio?

Question

Is it possible to debug the Windows services in Visual Studio?

I used code like

System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Break();

but it is givi

Answer 1

A Microsoft article explains how to debug a Windows service here and what part anyone can miss if they debug it by attaching to a process.

Below is my working code. I have followed the approach suggested by Microsoft.

Add this code to program.cs:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    // 'If' block will execute when launched through Visual Studio
    if (Environment.UserInteractive)
    {
        ServiceMonitor serviceRequest = new ServiceMonitor();
        serviceRequest.TestOnStartAndOnStop(args);
    }
    else // This block will execute when code is compiled as a Windows application
    {
        ServiceBase[] ServicesToRun;
        ServicesToRun = new ServiceBase[]
        {
            new ServiceMonitor()
        };
        ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);
    }
}

Add this code to the ServiceMonitor class.

internal void TestOnStartAndOnStop(string[] args)
{
    this.OnStart(args);
    Console.ReadLine();
    this.OnStop();
}

Now go to Project Properties, select tab "Application" and select Output Type as "Console Application" when debugging, or "Windows Application" when done with debugging, recompile and install your service.