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

I found this question, but I think a clear and simple answer is missing.

I don't want to attach my debugger to a process, but I still want to be able to call the service OnStart and OnStop methods. I also want it to run as a console application so that I can log information from NLog to a console.

I found these brilliant guides that does this:

• Debugging a Windows Service Project

• Easier way to debug a Windows service

Start by changing the projects Output type to Console Application.

Change your Program.cs to look like this:

static class Program
{
    /// 

    /// The main entry point for the application.
    /// 
    static void Main()
    {
        // Startup as service.
        ServiceBase[] ServicesToRun;
        ServicesToRun = new ServiceBase[]
        {
            new Service1()
        };

        if (Environment.UserInteractive)
        {
            RunInteractive(ServicesToRun);
        }
        else
        {
            ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);
        }
    }
}

Then add the following method to allow services running in interactive mode.

static void RunInteractive(ServiceBase[] servicesToRun)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Services running in interactive mode.");
    Console.WriteLine();

    MethodInfo onStartMethod = typeof(ServiceBase).GetMethod("OnStart",
        BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);
    foreach (ServiceBase service in servicesToRun)
    {
        Console.Write("Starting {0}...", service.ServiceName);
        onStartMethod.Invoke(service, new object[] { new string[] { } });
        Console.Write("Started");
    }

    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine();
    Console.WriteLine(
        "Press any key to stop the services and end the process...");
    Console.ReadKey();
    Console.WriteLine();

    MethodInfo onStopMethod = typeof(ServiceBase).GetMethod("OnStop",
        BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);
    foreach (ServiceBase service in servicesToRun)
    {
        Console.Write("Stopping {0}...", service.ServiceName);
        onStopMethod.Invoke(service, null);
        Console.WriteLine("Stopped");
    }

    Console.WriteLine("All services stopped.");
    // Keep the console alive for a second to allow the user to see the message.
    Thread.Sleep(1000);
}