Commit | Line | Data |
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94d86c7c | 1 | What has changed since GDB-3.5? |
24db5b87 | 2 | (Organized release by release) |
94d86c7c | 3 | |
24db5b87 JG |
4 | *** Changes in GDB-4.1: |
5 | ||
6 | * Multiple source language support | |
7 | ||
8 | GDB now has internal scaffolding to handle several source languages. | |
9 | It determines the type of each source file from its filename extension, | |
10 | and will switch expression parsing and number formatting to match the | |
11 | language of the function in the currently selected stack frame. | |
12 | You can also specifically set the language to be used, with | |
13 | `set language c' or `set language modula-2'. | |
94d86c7c JG |
14 | |
15 | * GDB and Modula-2 | |
16 | ||
17 | GDB now has preliminary support for the GNU Modula-2 compiler, | |
18 | currently under development at the State University of New York at | |
19 | Buffalo. Development of both GDB and the GNU Modula-2 compiler will | |
20 | continue through the fall of 1991 and into 1992. | |
21 | ||
22 | Other Modula-2 compilers are currently not supported, and attempting to | |
23 | debug programs compiled with them will likely result in an error as the | |
24db5b87 JG |
24 | symbol table is read. Feel free to work on it, though! |
25 | ||
26 | There are hooks in GDB for strict type checking and range checking, | |
27 | in the `Modula-2 philosophy', but they do not currently work. | |
28 | ||
29 | * set write on/off | |
30 | ||
31 | GDB can now write to executable and core files (e.g. patch | |
32 | a variable's value). You must turn this switch on, specify | |
33 | the file ("exec foo" or "core foo"), *then* modify it, e.g. | |
34 | by assigning a new value to a variable. Modifications take | |
35 | effect immediately. | |
36 | ||
37 | * Automatic SunOS shared library reading | |
38 | ||
39 | When you run your program, GDB automatically determines where its | |
40 | shared libraries (if any) have been loaded, and reads their symbols. | |
41 | The `share' command is no longer needed. This also works when | |
42 | examining core files. | |
43 | ||
44 | * set listsize | |
45 | ||
46 | You can specify the number of lines that the `list' command shows. | |
47 | The default is 10. | |
48 | ||
49 | * New machines supported (host and target) | |
50 | ||
51 | SGI Iris (MIPS) running Irix V3: mips-sgi-irix or iris | |
52 | Sony NEWS (68K) running NEWSOS 3.x: m68k-sony-sysv or news | |
53 | Ultracomputer (29K) running Sym1: a29k-nyu-sym1 or ultra3 | |
54 | ||
55 | * New hosts supported (not targets) | |
56 | ||
57 | IBM RT/PC: romp-ibm-aix or rtpc | |
58 | ||
59 | * New targets supported (not hosts) | |
60 | ||
61 | AMD 29000 embedded with COFF a29k-none-coff | |
62 | AMD 29000 embedded with a.out a29k-none-aout | |
63 | Ultracomputer remote kernel debug a29k-nyu-kern | |
64 | ||
65 | * New remote interfaces | |
66 | ||
67 | AMD 29000 Adapt | |
68 | AMD 29000 Minimon | |
69 | ||
70 | ||
71 | *** Changes in GDB-4.0: | |
dd3b648e RP |
72 | |
73 | * New Facilities | |
74 | ||
81049e47 | 75 | Wide output is wrapped at good places to make the output more readable. |
dd3b648e RP |
76 | |
77 | Gdb now supports cross-debugging from a host machine of one type to a | |
78 | target machine of another type. Communication with the target system | |
79 | is over serial lines. The ``target'' command handles connecting to the | |
80 | remote system; the ``load'' command will download a program into the | |
81049e47 JG |
81 | remote system. Serial stubs for the m68k and i386 are provided. Gdb |
82 | also supports debugging of realtime processes running under VxWorks, | |
83 | using SunRPC Remote Procedure Calls over TCP/IP to talk to a debugger | |
84 | stub on the target system. | |
dd3b648e RP |
85 | |
86 | New CPUs supported include the AMD 29000 and Intel 960. | |
87 | ||
88 | GDB now reads object files and symbol tables via a ``binary file'' | |
89 | library, which allows a single copy of GDB to debug programs of multiple | |
90 | object file types such as a.out and coff. | |
91 | ||
d7c2f2dd RP |
92 | There is now a GDB reference card in "doc/refcard.tex". (Make targets |
93 | refcard.dvi and refcard.ps are available to format it). | |
dd3b648e RP |
94 | |
95 | ||
96 | * Control-Variable user interface simplified | |
97 | ||
98 | All variables that control the operation of the debugger can be set | |
99 | by the ``set'' command, and displayed by the ``show'' command. | |
100 | ||
101 | For example, ``set prompt new-gdb=>'' will change your prompt to new-gdb=>. | |
102 | ``Show prompt'' produces the response: | |
103 | Gdb's prompt is new-gdb=>. | |
104 | ||
105 | What follows are the NEW set commands. The command ``help set'' will | |
106 | print a complete list of old and new set commands. ``help set FOO'' | |
adf2bb58 JG |
107 | will give a longer description of the variable FOO. ``show'' will show |
108 | all of the variable descriptions and their current settings. | |
dd3b648e | 109 | |
a1002e9a | 110 | confirm on/off: Enables warning questions for operations that are |
dd3b648e RP |
111 | hard to recover from, e.g. rerunning the program while |
112 | it is already running. Default is ON. | |
113 | ||
114 | editing on/off: Enables EMACS style command line editing | |
115 | of input. Previous lines can be recalled with | |
116 | control-P, the current line can be edited with control-B, | |
117 | you can search for commands with control-R, etc. | |
118 | Default is ON. | |
119 | ||
120 | history filename NAME: NAME is where the gdb command history | |
121 | will be stored. The default is .gdb_history, | |
122 | or the value of the environment variable | |
123 | GDBHISTFILE. | |
124 | ||
125 | history size N: The size, in commands, of the command history. The | |
126 | default is 256, or the value of the environment variable | |
127 | HISTSIZE. | |
128 | ||
90262bf9 | 129 | history save on/off: If this value is set to ON, the history file will |
dd3b648e RP |
130 | be saved after exiting gdb. If set to OFF, the |
131 | file will not be saved. The default is OFF. | |
132 | ||
133 | history expansion on/off: If this value is set to ON, then csh-like | |
134 | history expansion will be performed on | |
135 | command line input. The default is OFF. | |
136 | ||
137 | radix N: Sets the default radix for input and output. It can be set | |
138 | to 8, 10, or 16. Note that the argument to "radix" is interpreted | |
139 | in the current radix, so "set radix 10" is always a no-op. | |
140 | ||
adf2bb58 JG |
141 | height N: This integer value is the number of lines on a page. Default |
142 | is 24, the current `stty rows'' setting, or the ``li#'' | |
143 | setting from the termcap entry matching the environment | |
144 | variable TERM. | |
dd3b648e | 145 | |
adf2bb58 JG |
146 | width N: This integer value is the number of characters on a line. |
147 | Default is 80, the current `stty cols'' setting, or the ``co#'' | |
148 | setting from the termcap entry matching the environment | |
149 | variable TERM. | |
dd3b648e | 150 | |
a1002e9a JK |
151 | Note: ``set screensize'' is obsolete. Use ``set height'' and |
152 | ``set width'' instead. | |
dd3b648e | 153 | |
a1002e9a | 154 | print address on/off: Print memory addresses in various command displays, |
dd3b648e RP |
155 | such as stack traces and structure values. Gdb looks |
156 | more ``symbolic'' if you turn this off; it looks more | |
157 | ``machine level'' with it on. Default is ON. | |
158 | ||
a1002e9a | 159 | print array on/off: Prettyprint arrays. New convenient format! Default |
dd3b648e RP |
160 | is OFF. |
161 | ||
a1002e9a JK |
162 | print demangle on/off: Print C++ symbols in "source" form if on, |
163 | "raw" form if off. | |
dd3b648e | 164 | |
a1002e9a JK |
165 | print asm-demangle on/off: Same, for assembler level printouts |
166 | like instructions. | |
dd3b648e | 167 | |
a1002e9a | 168 | print vtbl on/off: Prettyprint C++ virtual function tables. Default is OFF. |
dd3b648e RP |
169 | |
170 | ||
171 | * Support for Epoch Environment. | |
172 | ||
173 | The epoch environment is a version of Emacs v18 with windowing. One | |
174 | new command, ``inspect'', is identical to ``print'', except that if you | |
175 | are running in the epoch environment, the value is printed in its own | |
176 | window. | |
177 | ||
178 | ||
179 | * Support for Shared Libraries | |
180 | ||
181 | GDB can now debug programs and core files that use SunOS shared libraries. | |
182 | Symbols from a shared library cannot be referenced | |
183 | before the shared library has been linked with the program (this | |
184 | happens after you type ``run'' and before the function main() is entered). | |
185 | At any time after this linking (including when examining core files | |
186 | from dynamically linked programs), gdb reads the symbols from each | |
187 | shared library when you type the ``sharedlibrary'' command. | |
188 | It can be abbreviated ``share''. | |
189 | ||
190 | sharedlibrary REGEXP: Load shared object library symbols for files | |
191 | matching a unix regular expression. No argument | |
192 | indicates to load symbols for all shared libraries. | |
193 | ||
194 | info sharedlibrary: Status of loaded shared libraries. | |
195 | ||
196 | ||
197 | * Watchpoints | |
198 | ||
199 | A watchpoint stops execution of a program whenever the value of an | |
200 | expression changes. Checking for this slows down execution | |
201 | tremendously whenever you are in the scope of the expression, but is | |
202 | quite useful for catching tough ``bit-spreader'' or pointer misuse | |
203 | problems. Some machines such as the 386 have hardware for doing this | |
204 | more quickly, and future versions of gdb will use this hardware. | |
205 | ||
206 | watch EXP: Set a watchpoint (breakpoint) for an expression. | |
207 | ||
208 | info watchpoints: Information about your watchpoints. | |
209 | ||
210 | delete N: Deletes watchpoint number N (same as breakpoints). | |
211 | disable N: Temporarily turns off watchpoint number N (same as breakpoints). | |
212 | enable N: Re-enables watchpoint number N (same as breakpoints). | |
213 | ||
214 | ||
215 | * C++ multiple inheritance | |
216 | ||
217 | When used with a GCC version 2 compiler, GDB supports multiple inheritance | |
218 | for C++ programs. | |
219 | ||
220 | * C++ exception handling | |
221 | ||
222 | Gdb now supports limited C++ exception handling. Besides the existing | |
223 | ability to breakpoint on an exception handler, gdb can breakpoint on | |
224 | the raising of an exception (before the stack is peeled back to the | |
225 | handler's context). | |
226 | ||
227 | catch FOO: If there is a FOO exception handler in the dynamic scope, | |
228 | set a breakpoint to catch exceptions which may be raised there. | |
229 | Multiple exceptions (``catch foo bar baz'') may be caught. | |
230 | ||
231 | info catch: Lists all exceptions which may be caught in the | |
232 | current stack frame. | |
233 | ||
234 | ||
235 | * Minor command changes | |
236 | ||
237 | The command ``call func (arg, arg, ...)'' now acts like the print | |
238 | command, except it does not print or save a value if the function's result | |
239 | is void. This is similar to dbx usage. | |
240 | ||
241 | The ``up'' and ``down'' commands now always print the frame they end up | |
242 | at; ``up-silently'' and `down-silently'' can be used in scripts to change | |
243 | frames without printing. | |
244 | ||
245 | * New directory command | |
246 | ||
247 | 'dir' now adds directories to the FRONT of the source search path. | |
248 | The path starts off empty. Source files that contain debug information | |
249 | about the directory in which they were compiled can be found even | |
adf2bb58 JG |
250 | with an empty path; Sun CC and GCC include this information. If GDB can't |
251 | find your source file in the current directory, type "dir .". | |
dd3b648e RP |
252 | |
253 | * Configuring GDB for compilation | |
254 | ||
adf2bb58 JG |
255 | For normal use, type ``./configure host''. See README or gdb.texinfo |
256 | for more details. | |
dd3b648e RP |
257 | |
258 | GDB now handles cross debugging. If you are remotely debugging between | |
adf2bb58 JG |
259 | two different machines, type ``./configure host -target=targ''. |
260 | Host is the machine where gdb will run; targ is the machine | |
dd3b648e | 261 | where the program that you are debugging will run. |