Visual C++ 2015内存调试器能否在进程运行时实时查看指定地址内存？

Great question! The default Memory Debugger window in Visual Studio 2015 does show that frustrating "Unavailable when debuggee is running." message when your process is active, but there are several solid workarounds to get a real-time-like view of specific memory addresses without hitting pause:

• Manual on-demand checks via the Immediate Window
  While your process runs with the debugger attached, you can manually query the target memory anytime using the Immediate Window (open with Ctrl+Alt+I). Just cast the address to the correct data type to pull the current value. For example, if you're watching an integer at 0x0012FABC:

  *(int*)0x0012FABC
  

  Press enter to get the current value, and hit enter again to refresh it. This is perfect for quick, on-the-fly checks.

• Build a custom in-app memory monitor
  For automatic, continuous updates, the most reliable approach is to add a lightweight UI component directly to your application. Here's a quick outline:

  1. Create a simple Win32 dialog or floating window.
  2. Use SetTimer() to set up a refresh interval (100-500ms works well for most cases).
  3. In the timer callback, read the target memory address—since it's your own process, you can directly dereference the pointer (no need for ReadProcessMemory).
  4. Update a UI element (like a static text box) with the new value.
     This gives you a true real-time view that runs alongside your process, completely bypassing debugger limitations.

• Logged updates with Tracepoints
  Visual Studio's Tracepoints let you output memory values to the Output Window without pausing execution. Here's how to set one up:

  1. Place a breakpoint on a line of code that runs frequently (e.g., inside your main loop).
  2. Right-click the breakpoint icon and select Actions.
  3. Check Print a message, then enter an expression to read your target memory. For example:

     Current memory value: {(int)0x0012FABC}

  4. Check Continue execution so the breakpoint doesn't halt your process.
     Now every time that line executes, the latest memory value will log to the Output Window. You can tweak the trigger frequency using the breakpoint's condition (e.g., only log every 10 iterations) to avoid cluttering the output.

• Third-party tools (no code changes required)
  If you don't want to modify your application, tools like Cheat Engine or Process Explorer can attach to your running process and display real-time memory values at specific addresses. They work independently of Visual Studio, so you can keep your process running while monitoring memory directly.

All the debugger-based methods (Immediate Window, Tracepoints) require the debugger to be attached to your process, but none of them force you to pause execution to get the current memory state.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Giovanni Cerretani