How to make C# application crash

Question

I want to test if my application crash dump can be debugged. But firstly, I need to generate a crash dump of my application. I'm using C# to code my app, and have tried with many exceptions and unsafe code etc. but don't get it.

Thanks!

Edit: Sorry, Just forgot something, I'm making the application with Unity3D, which handles exceptions for me automatically.

Edit 2: Thanks all for your answers. I've tested your suggestions in a standard C# application and it all works fine, but not in my Unity3D application (written with C#). It seems like Unity3D requires more effort to cause a crash, I might email Unity3D to get a answer. I will post here if I get it. Cheers!

Cindiecindra

Congrats, you seem to be the most professional programmer! – Forearm

how about int x = 0; double blah = 5/x; – Anselmo

object obj = null; obj.ToString(); – Drear

A crash simply occurs when an unmanaged exception is thrown at runtime. There's nothing magic behind it. Maybe the problem is that your code isn't working correctly, and that's why you're not having any log. – Drachm

What kind of application it is? – Mishandle

Throw an exception forcefully. – Bolyard

int[] x = {0}; int blah = x[2]; – Anselmo

throw new Exception(); ... ? – Ethmoid

Partially unseat a DIMM on the motherboard? – Chaudoin

Perhaps this will help: #1134548 – Aeriela

This seems like a poorly researched question – Doorplate

Answer 1

The following will provide an unhandled exception and will ask for you to choose a debugger:

System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch()

Yount

Although the question was a silly one but this answer definitely was the opposite, +1. – Meld

sorry, I try, but get "NotImplementedException: The requested feature is not implemented" – Cindiecindra

Since you say you are developing in Unity3D, this might not be an option, sorry... – Yount

Answer 2

StackOverflowException is a badass:

void PerformOverflow()
{
  PerformOverflow();
}

Usage:

PerformOverflow();

Amorita

Answer 3

Throw an exception :)

throw new Exception("Your exception here!");

Keramics

sorry,I have try throwing an exception, but that doesn't crash my application. – Cindiecindra

sorry, I lost something: I use Unity3d, and it handles all exceptions, just show me the exceptions in the output file. thanks – Cindiecindra

This is not a CRASH. A crash can only occur from native code that crashes, or calls into RaiseException Win32 API. – Doubloon

Answer 4

For C# in Unity3D

There is UnityEngine.Diagnostics.Utils.ForceCrash (in Unity 2018.3)

This can be used with one of the following ForcedCrashCategory enum parameter:

AccessViolation

Cause a crash by performing an invalid memory access.The invalid memory access is performed on each platform as follows:

FatalError

Cause a crash using Unity's native fatal error implementation.

Abort

Cause a crash by calling the abort() function.

PureVirtualFunction

Cause a crash by calling a pure virtual function to raise an exception.

---

For older versions of Unity:

UnityEngine.Application.ForceCrash(int mode)

For even older versions (Unity 5):

UnityEngine.Application.CommitSuicide(int mode)

From my experience, mode 0 causes a "unity handled" crash (where the Unity crash dialog appears), and mode 2 causes a "hard" crash where the Windows error dialog appears.

This seems consistent with this post by Smilediver on mode:

0 - will simulate crash, 1 - will simulate a fatal error that Unity has caught, 2 - will call abort().

(These methods are not documented as they were intended for Unity's internal use. They may also be marked [Obsolete] depending on your Unity version.)

Loyce

Answer 5

Well. The only good 100% way actualy crash CLR is to inject a native exception into the managed world.

Calling the Kernel32.dll's RaiseException() directly will immediately crash ANY C# application, and Unity Editor as well.

[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern void RaiseException(uint dwExceptionCode, uint dwExceptionFlags,  uint nNumberOfArguments, IntPtr lpArguments);

void start()
{
    RaiseException(13, 0, 0, new IntPtr(1));
}

Happy crashing. Please note that in order to debug native and managed, you will need two instances of Visual Studio running. If you are developing native P/INVOKE plugin, set up it that Visual Studio Instance 1 is native debugger and uses Unity or your C# program as a Host program, and you attach to the Host program from another Visual Studio Instance.

Wilkins

you do not need to SCREAM any time you want to highlight stuff. Use italic or bold works better... Just saying because it is annoying to see you scream even in comments... – Forearm

It's an old habit like in when you always work with legalese to highlight stuff and important sentences, you use caps-lock... – Doubloon

Thanks, this worked perfectly for me. The code generates a Unity-managed application crash. – Darnel

Answer 6

Another option is to call

System.Environment.FailFast("Error happened")

Obumbrate

Worked and has the benefit of being the intended method provided by system library. – Schiller

Worked for testing crashing an ASP.NET Core application as well (most of the higher rated options didn't seem to do the trick) - thanks! – Discordant

This will put exception details in the Event Log, possibly being reported to Microsoft via Windows Error Reporting (WER). Maybe desired, maybe not. – Suburban

Answer 7

A surefire way to do it is as follows:

ThreadPool.QueueUserWorkItem(new WaitCallback(ignored => 
{
   throw new Exception();
}));

All the others can be handled by the top level ApplicationDomain.OnUnhandledException and the like.

This one will kill it dead (assuming .NET 2.0+, and not using 'legacyUnhandledExceptionPolicy': http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms228965.aspx).

Woodie

It seems unity3d application ignore the exception directly(not handle it like others), and has no any feedback. – Cindiecindra

If you want even less code... ThreadPool.QueueUserWorkItem(ignored => throw new Exception()); – Backup

Even less ThreadPool.QueueUserWorkItem(_ => throw new Exception()); – Chromatism

Note that Unity3d will log this exception as long as UnityEngineApplication.logMessageReceivedThreaded is used (rather than logMessageReceived) – Loyce

Answer 8

None of the answers crashed my app the way I was looking for. So here is the approach that worked for me.

    private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        object p = 0;
        IntPtr pnt = (IntPtr)0x123456789;
        Marshal.StructureToPtr(p, pnt, false);
    }

Chenay

Crash is not guaranteed using this. – Doubloon

Answer 9

  public void Loop()
  {
      Loop();
  }
  //call this
  Loop();

Stickler

Answer 10

I think there was a code in earlier unity versions like

Application.commitSuicide(number Input); 

Now it is replaced by

Application.ForceCrash(number input); 

Till this point, I dont know what different numbers do in number input, but for me,

Application.ForceCrash(1); 

does the job.

Magnanimity

Answer 11

you could also divide by zero,

z = 0; 
int divide = 1 / x;

Ellie

Answer 12

 int[] x = {0};
 int blah = x[2];

will cause an exception just as well

Anselmo

sorry,I have try throwing an exception, but that doesn't crash my application – Cindiecindra

sorry, I lost something: I use Unity3d, and it handles all exceptions, just show me the exceptions in the output file. thanks – Cindiecindra

this won't always crash, since hadling operation of reading out side of boundes is not standard specified. Your program could crash when OS detects process trying to access other process memory, but if you don't go beyond memory assigned to your process you will just read random memory places – Bryanbryana

Answer 13

It's easy enough to reproduce if you try to transform a null game object. For example, like this:

public static GameObject gameObjectCrash;
public void GenerateCrash()
{
    gameObjectCrash.transform.rotation = Quaternion.Euler(90, 0, 0);
}

Grasmere

Answer 14

Use below code to close the application.

Environment.Exit(1);    

Exit needs a parameter called exitcode. If exitcode=0 means there was no error. Supply a non-zero exit code to to reflect an error.

Wiebmer

This is CLOSING, not a Crash – Doubloon