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+# Debugger.Environment
+
+A `Debugger.Environment` instance represents a lexical environment,
+associating names with variables. Each [`Debugger.Frame`][frame] instance
+representing a debuggee frame has an associated environment object
+describing the variables in scope in that frame; and each
+[`Debugger.Object`][object] instance representing a debuggee function has an
+environment object representing the environment the function has closed
+over.
+
+ECMAScript environments form a tree, in which each local environment is
+parented by its enclosing environment (in ECMAScript terms, its 'outer'
+environment). We say an environment <i>binds</i> an identifier if that
+environment itself associates the identifier with a variable, independently
+of its outer environments. We say an identifier is <i>in scope</i> in an
+environment if the identifier is bound in that environment or any enclosing
+environment.
+
+SpiderMonkey creates `Debugger.Environment` instances as needed as the
+debugger inspects stack frames and function objects; calling
+`Debugger.Environment` as a function or constructor raises a `TypeError`
+exception.
+
+SpiderMonkey creates exactly one `Debugger.Environment` instance for each
+environment it presents via a given [`Debugger`][debugger-object] instance:
+if the debugger encounters the same environment through two different
+routes (perhaps two functions have closed over the same environment),
+SpiderMonkey presents the same `Debugger.Environment` instance to the
+debugger each time. This means that the debugger can use the `==` operator
+to recognize when two `Debugger.Environment` instances refer to the same
+environment in the debuggee, and place its own properties on a
+`Debugger.Environment` instance to store metadata about particular
+environments.
+
+(If more than one [`Debugger`][debugger-object] instance is debugging the
+same code, each [`Debugger`][debugger-object] gets a separate
+`Debugger.Environment` instance for a given environment. This allows the
+code using each [`Debugger`][debugger-object] instance to place whatever
+properties it likes on its own [`Debugger.Object`][object] instances,
+without worrying about interfering with other debuggers.)
+
+If a `Debugger.Environment` instance's referent is not a debuggee
+environment, then attempting to access its properties (other than
+`inspectable`) or call any its methods throws an instance of `Error`.
+
+`Debugger.Environment` instances protect their referents from the
+garbage collector; as long as the `Debugger.Environment` instance is
+live, the referent remains live. Garbage collection has no visible
+effect on `Debugger.Environment` instances.
+
+
+## Accessor Properties of the Debugger.Environment Prototype Object
+
+A `Debugger.Environment` instance inherits the following accessor
+properties from its prototype:
+
+`inspectable`
+: True if this environment is a debuggee environment, and can therefore
+ be inspected. False otherwise. All other properties and methods of
+ `Debugger.Environment` instances throw if applied to a non-inspectable
+ environment.
+
+`type`
+: The type of this environment object, one of the following values:
+
+ * "declarative", indicating that the environment is a declarative
+ environment record. Function calls, calls to `eval`, `let` blocks,
+ `catch` blocks, and the like create declarative environment records.
+
+ * "object", indicating that the environment's bindings are the
+ properties of an object. The global object and DOM elements appear in
+ the chain of environments via object environments. (Note that `with`
+ statements have their own environment type.)
+
+ * "with", indicating that the environment was introduced by a `with`
+ statement.
+
+`parent`
+: The environment that encloses this one (the "outer" environment, in
+ ECMAScript terminology), or `null` if this is the outermost environment.
+
+`object`
+: A [`Debugger.Object`][object] instance referring to the object whose
+ properties this environment reflects. If this is a declarative
+ environment record, this accessor throws a `TypeError` (since
+ declarative environment records have no such object). Both `"object"`
+ and `"with"` environments have `object` properties that provide the
+ object whose properties they reflect as variable bindings.
+
+`callee`
+: If this environment represents the variable environment (the top-level
+ environment within the function, which receives `var` definitions) for
+ a call to a function <i>f</i>, then this property's value is a
+ [`Debugger.Object`][object] instance referring to <i>f</i>. Otherwise,
+ this property's value is `null`.
+
+`optimizedOut`
+: True if this environment is optimized out. False otherwise. For example,
+ functions whose locals are never aliased may present optimized-out
+ environments. When true, `getVariable` returns an ordinary JavaScript
+ object whose `optimizedOut` property is true on all bindings, and
+ `setVariable` throws a `ReferenceError`.
+
+
+## Function Properties of the Debugger.Environment Prototype Object
+
+The methods described below may only be called with a `this` value
+referring to a `Debugger.Environment` instance; they may not be used as
+methods of other kinds of objects.
+
+`names()`
+: Return an array of strings giving the names of the identifiers bound by
+ this environment. The result does not include the names of identifiers
+ bound by enclosing environments.
+
+<code>getVariable(<i>name</i>)</code>
+: Return the value of the variable bound to <i>name</i> in this
+ environment, or `undefined` if this environment does not bind
+ <i>name</i>. <i>Name</i> must be a string that is a valid ECMAScript
+ identifier name. The result is a debuggee value.
+
+ JavaScript engines often omit variables from environments, to save space
+ and reduce execution time. If the given variable should be in scope, but
+ `getVariable` is unable to produce its value, it returns an ordinary
+ JavaScript object (not a [`Debugger.Object`][object] instance) whose
+ `optimizedOut` property is `true`.
+
+ This is not an [invocation function][inv fr];
+ if this call would cause debuggee code to run (say, because the
+ environment is a `"with"` environment, and <i>name</i> refers to an
+ accessor property of the `with` statement's operand), this call throws a
+ [`Debugger.DebuggeeWouldRun`][wouldrun]
+ exception.
+
+<code>setVariable(<i>name</i>, <i>value</i>)</code>
+: Store <i>value</i> as the value of the variable bound to <i>name</i> in
+ this environment. <i>Name</i> must be a string that is a valid
+ ECMAScript identifier name; <i>value</i> must be a debuggee value.
+
+ If this environment binds no variable named <i>name</i>, throw a
+ `ReferenceError`.
+
+ This is not an [invocation function][inv fr];
+ if this call would cause debuggee code to run, this call throws a
+ [`Debugger.DebuggeeWouldRun`][wouldrun]
+ exception.
+
+<code>find(<i>name</i>)</code>
+: Return a reference to the innermost environment, starting with this
+ environment, that binds <i>name</i>. If <i>name</i> is not in scope in
+ this environment, return `null`. <i>Name</i> must be a string whose
+ value is a valid ECMAScript identifier name.
+