* dwarf2read.c (dwarf_decode_macros): New arg section_name.
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gdb / doc / gdb.texinfo
1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1988-1996, 1998-2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 @c
4 @c %**start of header
5 @c makeinfo ignores cmds prev to setfilename, so its arg cannot make use
6 @c of @set vars. However, you can override filename with makeinfo -o.
7 @setfilename gdb.info
8 @c
9 @include gdb-cfg.texi
10 @c
11 @settitle Debugging with @value{GDBN}
12 @setchapternewpage odd
13 @c %**end of header
14
15 @iftex
16 @c @smallbook
17 @c @cropmarks
18 @end iftex
19
20 @finalout
21 @syncodeindex ky cp
22 @syncodeindex tp cp
23
24 @c readline appendices use @vindex, @findex and @ftable,
25 @c annotate.texi and gdbmi use @findex.
26 @syncodeindex vr cp
27 @syncodeindex fn cp
28
29 @c !!set GDB manual's edition---not the same as GDB version!
30 @c This is updated by GNU Press.
31 @set EDITION Tenth
32
33 @c !!set GDB edit command default editor
34 @set EDITOR /bin/ex
35
36 @c THIS MANUAL REQUIRES TEXINFO 4.0 OR LATER.
37
38 @c This is a dir.info fragment to support semi-automated addition of
39 @c manuals to an info tree.
40 @dircategory Software development
41 @direntry
42 * Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
43 @end direntry
44
45 @copying
46 Copyright @copyright{} 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
47 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
48 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
49
50 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
51 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
52 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
53 Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
54 Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
55 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
56
57 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You are free to copy and modify
58 this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
59 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
60 @end copying
61
62 @ifnottex
63 This file documents the @sc{gnu} debugger @value{GDBN}.
64
65 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, of @cite{Debugging with
66 @value{GDBN}: the @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger} for @value{GDBN}
67 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
68 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
69 @end ifset
70 Version @value{GDBVN}.
71
72 @insertcopying
73 @end ifnottex
74
75 @titlepage
76 @title Debugging with @value{GDBN}
77 @subtitle The @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger
78 @sp 1
79 @subtitle @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN}
80 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
81 @sp 1
82 @subtitle @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
83 @end ifset
84 @author Richard Stallman, Roland Pesch, Stan Shebs, et al.
85 @page
86 @tex
87 {\parskip=0pt
88 \hfill (Send bugs and comments on @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.)\par
89 \hfill {\it Debugging with @value{GDBN}}\par
90 \hfill \TeX{}info \texinfoversion\par
91 }
92 @end tex
93
94 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
95 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
96 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
97 Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA@*
98 ISBN 978-0-9831592-3-0 @*
99
100 @insertcopying
101 @end titlepage
102 @page
103
104 @ifnottex
105 @node Top, Summary, (dir), (dir)
106
107 @top Debugging with @value{GDBN}
108
109 This file describes @value{GDBN}, the @sc{gnu} symbolic debugger.
110
111 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN}
112 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
113 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
114 @end ifset
115 Version @value{GDBVN}.
116
117 Copyright (C) 1988-2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
118
119 This edition of the GDB manual is dedicated to the memory of Fred
120 Fish. Fred was a long-standing contributor to GDB and to Free
121 software in general. We will miss him.
122
123 @menu
124 * Summary:: Summary of @value{GDBN}
125 * Sample Session:: A sample @value{GDBN} session
126
127 * Invocation:: Getting in and out of @value{GDBN}
128 * Commands:: @value{GDBN} commands
129 * Running:: Running programs under @value{GDBN}
130 * Stopping:: Stopping and continuing
131 * Reverse Execution:: Running programs backward
132 * Process Record and Replay:: Recording inferior's execution and replaying it
133 * Stack:: Examining the stack
134 * Source:: Examining source files
135 * Data:: Examining data
136 * Optimized Code:: Debugging optimized code
137 * Macros:: Preprocessor Macros
138 * Tracepoints:: Debugging remote targets non-intrusively
139 * Overlays:: Debugging programs that use overlays
140
141 * Languages:: Using @value{GDBN} with different languages
142
143 * Symbols:: Examining the symbol table
144 * Altering:: Altering execution
145 * GDB Files:: @value{GDBN} files
146 * Targets:: Specifying a debugging target
147 * Remote Debugging:: Debugging remote programs
148 * Configurations:: Configuration-specific information
149 * Controlling GDB:: Controlling @value{GDBN}
150 * Extending GDB:: Extending @value{GDBN}
151 * Interpreters:: Command Interpreters
152 * TUI:: @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
153 * Emacs:: Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
154 * GDB/MI:: @value{GDBN}'s Machine Interface.
155 * Annotations:: @value{GDBN}'s annotation interface.
156 * JIT Interface:: Using the JIT debugging interface.
157 * In-Process Agent:: In-Process Agent
158
159 * GDB Bugs:: Reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
160
161 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
162 * Command Line Editing: (rluserman). Command Line Editing
163 * Using History Interactively: (history). Using History Interactively
164 @end ifset
165 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
166 * Command Line Editing:: Command Line Editing
167 * Using History Interactively:: Using History Interactively
168 @end ifclear
169 * In Memoriam:: In Memoriam
170 * Formatting Documentation:: How to format and print @value{GDBN} documentation
171 * Installing GDB:: Installing GDB
172 * Maintenance Commands:: Maintenance Commands
173 * Remote Protocol:: GDB Remote Serial Protocol
174 * Agent Expressions:: The GDB Agent Expression Mechanism
175 * Target Descriptions:: How targets can describe themselves to
176 @value{GDBN}
177 * Operating System Information:: Getting additional information from
178 the operating system
179 * Trace File Format:: GDB trace file format
180 * Index Section Format:: .gdb_index section format
181 * Copying:: GNU General Public License says
182 how you can copy and share GDB
183 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
184 * Index:: Index
185 @end menu
186
187 @end ifnottex
188
189 @contents
190
191 @node Summary
192 @unnumbered Summary of @value{GDBN}
193
194 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
195 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes---or what another
196 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
197
198 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
199 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
200
201 @itemize @bullet
202 @item
203 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
204
205 @item
206 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
207
208 @item
209 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
210
211 @item
212 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
213 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
214 @end itemize
215
216 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C and C@t{++}.
217 For more information, see @ref{Supported Languages,,Supported Languages}.
218 For more information, see @ref{C,,C and C++}.
219
220 Support for D is partial. For information on D, see
221 @ref{D,,D}.
222
223 @cindex Modula-2
224 Support for Modula-2 is partial. For information on Modula-2, see
225 @ref{Modula-2,,Modula-2}.
226
227 Support for OpenCL C is partial. For information on OpenCL C, see
228 @ref{OpenCL C,,OpenCL C}.
229
230 @cindex Pascal
231 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
232 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
233 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
234 syntax.
235
236 @cindex Fortran
237 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, although
238 it may be necessary to refer to some variables with a trailing
239 underscore.
240
241 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Objective-C,
242 using either the Apple/NeXT or the GNU Objective-C runtime.
243
244 @menu
245 * Free Software:: Freely redistributable software
246 * Contributors:: Contributors to GDB
247 @end menu
248
249 @node Free Software
250 @unnumberedsec Free Software
251
252 @value{GDBN} is @dfn{free software}, protected by the @sc{gnu}
253 General Public License
254 (GPL). The GPL gives you the freedom to copy or adapt a licensed
255 program---but every person getting a copy also gets with it the
256 freedom to modify that copy (which means that they must get access to
257 the source code), and the freedom to distribute further copies.
258 Typical software companies use copyrights to limit your freedoms; the
259 Free Software Foundation uses the GPL to preserve these freedoms.
260
261 Fundamentally, the General Public License is a license which says that
262 you have these freedoms and that you cannot take these freedoms away
263 from anyone else.
264
265 @unnumberedsec Free Software Needs Free Documentation
266
267 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
268 the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
269 include with the free software. Many of our most important
270 programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
271 texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
272 when an important free software package does not come with a free
273 manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
274 gaps today.
275
276 Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
277 normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
278 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
279 copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
280 them from the free software world.
281
282 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
283 from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
284 manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
285 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
286 contract to make it non-free.
287
288 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
289 price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
290 charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
291 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
292 problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
293 are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
294 modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
295
296 The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
297 free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
298 commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
299 accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
300
301 Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
302 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
303 are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
304 provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
305 manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
306 a changed version of the program is not really available to our
307 community.
308
309 Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
310 acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
311 author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
312 authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
313 to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
314 may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
315 with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
316 are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
317 of the manual.
318
319 However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
320 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
321 media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
322 obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
323 manual to replace it.
324
325 Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
326 lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
327 free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
328 the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
329 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
330 the free software community.
331
332 If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
333 the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
334 license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
335 don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
336 will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
337 option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
338 what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
339 try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
340 is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
341
342 You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
343 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
344 copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
345 improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
346 at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
347 and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
348 Check the history of the book, and try to reward the publishers that
349 have paid or pay the authors to work on it.
350
351 The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
352 published by other publishers, at
353 @url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
354
355 @node Contributors
356 @unnumberedsec Contributors to @value{GDBN}
357
358 Richard Stallman was the original author of @value{GDBN}, and of many
359 other @sc{gnu} programs. Many others have contributed to its
360 development. This section attempts to credit major contributors. One
361 of the virtues of free software is that everyone is free to contribute
362 to it; with regret, we cannot actually acknowledge everyone here. The
363 file @file{ChangeLog} in the @value{GDBN} distribution approximates a
364 blow-by-blow account.
365
366 Changes much prior to version 2.0 are lost in the mists of time.
367
368 @quotation
369 @emph{Plea:} Additions to this section are particularly welcome. If you
370 or your friends (or enemies, to be evenhanded) have been unfairly
371 omitted from this list, we would like to add your names!
372 @end quotation
373
374 So that they may not regard their many labors as thankless, we
375 particularly thank those who shepherded @value{GDBN} through major
376 releases:
377 Andrew Cagney (releases 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1 and 5.0);
378 Jim Blandy (release 4.18);
379 Jason Molenda (release 4.17);
380 Stan Shebs (release 4.14);
381 Fred Fish (releases 4.16, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10, and 4.9);
382 Stu Grossman and John Gilmore (releases 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4);
383 John Gilmore (releases 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.9);
384 Jim Kingdon (releases 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3);
385 and Randy Smith (releases 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0).
386
387 Richard Stallman, assisted at various times by Peter TerMaat, Chris
388 Hanson, and Richard Mlynarik, handled releases through 2.8.
389
390 Michael Tiemann is the author of most of the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} support
391 in @value{GDBN}, with significant additional contributions from Per
392 Bothner and Daniel Berlin. James Clark wrote the @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
393 demangler. Early work on C@t{++} was by Peter TerMaat (who also did
394 much general update work leading to release 3.0).
395
396 @value{GDBN} uses the BFD subroutine library to examine multiple
397 object-file formats; BFD was a joint project of David V.
398 Henkel-Wallace, Rich Pixley, Steve Chamberlain, and John Gilmore.
399
400 David Johnson wrote the original COFF support; Pace Willison did
401 the original support for encapsulated COFF.
402
403 Brent Benson of Harris Computer Systems contributed DWARF 2 support.
404
405 Adam de Boor and Bradley Davis contributed the ISI Optimum V support.
406 Per Bothner, Noboyuki Hikichi, and Alessandro Forin contributed MIPS
407 support.
408 Jean-Daniel Fekete contributed Sun 386i support.
409 Chris Hanson improved the HP9000 support.
410 Noboyuki Hikichi and Tomoyuki Hasei contributed Sony/News OS 3 support.
411 David Johnson contributed Encore Umax support.
412 Jyrki Kuoppala contributed Altos 3068 support.
413 Jeff Law contributed HP PA and SOM support.
414 Keith Packard contributed NS32K support.
415 Doug Rabson contributed Acorn Risc Machine support.
416 Bob Rusk contributed Harris Nighthawk CX-UX support.
417 Chris Smith contributed Convex support (and Fortran debugging).
418 Jonathan Stone contributed Pyramid support.
419 Michael Tiemann contributed SPARC support.
420 Tim Tucker contributed support for the Gould NP1 and Gould Powernode.
421 Pace Willison contributed Intel 386 support.
422 Jay Vosburgh contributed Symmetry support.
423 Marko Mlinar contributed OpenRISC 1000 support.
424
425 Andreas Schwab contributed M68K @sc{gnu}/Linux support.
426
427 Rich Schaefer and Peter Schauer helped with support of SunOS shared
428 libraries.
429
430 Jay Fenlason and Roland McGrath ensured that @value{GDBN} and GAS agree
431 about several machine instruction sets.
432
433 Patrick Duval, Ted Goldstein, Vikram Koka and Glenn Engel helped develop
434 remote debugging. Intel Corporation, Wind River Systems, AMD, and ARM
435 contributed remote debugging modules for the i960, VxWorks, A29K UDI,
436 and RDI targets, respectively.
437
438 Brian Fox is the author of the readline libraries providing
439 command-line editing and command history.
440
441 Andrew Beers of SUNY Buffalo wrote the language-switching code, the
442 Modula-2 support, and contributed the Languages chapter of this manual.
443
444 Fred Fish wrote most of the support for Unix System Vr4.
445 He also enhanced the command-completion support to cover C@t{++} overloaded
446 symbols.
447
448 Hitachi America (now Renesas America), Ltd. sponsored the support for
449 H8/300, H8/500, and Super-H processors.
450
451 NEC sponsored the support for the v850, Vr4xxx, and Vr5xxx processors.
452
453 Mitsubishi (now Renesas) sponsored the support for D10V, D30V, and M32R/D
454 processors.
455
456 Toshiba sponsored the support for the TX39 Mips processor.
457
458 Matsushita sponsored the support for the MN10200 and MN10300 processors.
459
460 Fujitsu sponsored the support for SPARClite and FR30 processors.
461
462 Kung Hsu, Jeff Law, and Rick Sladkey added support for hardware
463 watchpoints.
464
465 Michael Snyder added support for tracepoints.
466
467 Stu Grossman wrote gdbserver.
468
469 Jim Kingdon, Peter Schauer, Ian Taylor, and Stu Grossman made
470 nearly innumerable bug fixes and cleanups throughout @value{GDBN}.
471
472 The following people at the Hewlett-Packard Company contributed
473 support for the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, HP-UX 10.20, 10.30, and 11.0
474 (narrow mode), HP's implementation of kernel threads, HP's aC@t{++}
475 compiler, and the Text User Interface (nee Terminal User Interface):
476 Ben Krepp, Richard Title, John Bishop, Susan Macchia, Kathy Mann,
477 Satish Pai, India Paul, Steve Rehrauer, and Elena Zannoni. Kim Haase
478 provided HP-specific information in this manual.
479
480 DJ Delorie ported @value{GDBN} to MS-DOS, for the DJGPP project.
481 Robert Hoehne made significant contributions to the DJGPP port.
482
483 Cygnus Solutions has sponsored @value{GDBN} maintenance and much of its
484 development since 1991. Cygnus engineers who have worked on @value{GDBN}
485 fulltime include Mark Alexander, Jim Blandy, Per Bothner, Kevin
486 Buettner, Edith Epstein, Chris Faylor, Fred Fish, Martin Hunt, Jim
487 Ingham, John Gilmore, Stu Grossman, Kung Hsu, Jim Kingdon, John Metzler,
488 Fernando Nasser, Geoffrey Noer, Dawn Perchik, Rich Pixley, Zdenek
489 Radouch, Keith Seitz, Stan Shebs, David Taylor, and Elena Zannoni. In
490 addition, Dave Brolley, Ian Carmichael, Steve Chamberlain, Nick Clifton,
491 JT Conklin, Stan Cox, DJ Delorie, Ulrich Drepper, Frank Eigler, Doug
492 Evans, Sean Fagan, David Henkel-Wallace, Richard Henderson, Jeff
493 Holcomb, Jeff Law, Jim Lemke, Tom Lord, Bob Manson, Michael Meissner,
494 Jason Merrill, Catherine Moore, Drew Moseley, Ken Raeburn, Gavin
495 Romig-Koch, Rob Savoye, Jamie Smith, Mike Stump, Ian Taylor, Angela
496 Thomas, Michael Tiemann, Tom Tromey, Ron Unrau, Jim Wilson, and David
497 Zuhn have made contributions both large and small.
498
499 Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, and Elena Zannoni, while working for
500 Cygnus Solutions, implemented the original @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
501
502 Jim Blandy added support for preprocessor macros, while working for Red
503 Hat.
504
505 Andrew Cagney designed @value{GDBN}'s architecture vector. Many
506 people including Andrew Cagney, Stephane Carrez, Randolph Chung, Nick
507 Duffek, Richard Henderson, Mark Kettenis, Grace Sainsbury, Kei
508 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Andreas Schwab, Jason
509 Thorpe, Corinna Vinschen, Ulrich Weigand, and Elena Zannoni, helped
510 with the migration of old architectures to this new framework.
511
512 Andrew Cagney completely re-designed and re-implemented @value{GDBN}'s
513 unwinder framework, this consisting of a fresh new design featuring
514 frame IDs, independent frame sniffers, and the sentinel frame. Mark
515 Kettenis implemented the @sc{dwarf 2} unwinder, Jeff Johnston the
516 libunwind unwinder, and Andrew Cagney the dummy, sentinel, tramp, and
517 trad unwinders. The architecture-specific changes, each involving a
518 complete rewrite of the architecture's frame code, were carried out by
519 Jim Blandy, Joel Brobecker, Kevin Buettner, Andrew Cagney, Stephane
520 Carrez, Randolph Chung, Orjan Friberg, Richard Henderson, Daniel
521 Jacobowitz, Jeff Johnston, Mark Kettenis, Theodore A. Roth, Kei
522 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Corinna Vinschen, and Ulrich
523 Weigand.
524
525 Christian Zankel, Ross Morley, Bob Wilson, and Maxim Grigoriev from
526 Tensilica, Inc.@: contributed support for Xtensa processors. Others
527 who have worked on the Xtensa port of @value{GDBN} in the past include
528 Steve Tjiang, John Newlin, and Scott Foehner.
529
530 Michael Eager and staff of Xilinx, Inc., contributed support for the
531 Xilinx MicroBlaze architecture.
532
533 @node Sample Session
534 @chapter A Sample @value{GDBN} Session
535
536 You can use this manual at your leisure to read all about @value{GDBN}.
537 However, a handful of commands are enough to get started using the
538 debugger. This chapter illustrates those commands.
539
540 @iftex
541 In this sample session, we emphasize user input like this: @b{input},
542 to make it easier to pick out from the surrounding output.
543 @end iftex
544
545 @c FIXME: this example may not be appropriate for some configs, where
546 @c FIXME...primary interest is in remote use.
547
548 One of the preliminary versions of @sc{gnu} @code{m4} (a generic macro
549 processor) exhibits the following bug: sometimes, when we change its
550 quote strings from the default, the commands used to capture one macro
551 definition within another stop working. In the following short @code{m4}
552 session, we define a macro @code{foo} which expands to @code{0000}; we
553 then use the @code{m4} built-in @code{defn} to define @code{bar} as the
554 same thing. However, when we change the open quote string to
555 @code{<QUOTE>} and the close quote string to @code{<UNQUOTE>}, the same
556 procedure fails to define a new synonym @code{baz}:
557
558 @smallexample
559 $ @b{cd gnu/m4}
560 $ @b{./m4}
561 @b{define(foo,0000)}
562
563 @b{foo}
564 0000
565 @b{define(bar,defn(`foo'))}
566
567 @b{bar}
568 0000
569 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
570
571 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
572 @b{baz}
573 @b{Ctrl-d}
574 m4: End of input: 0: fatal error: EOF in string
575 @end smallexample
576
577 @noindent
578 Let us use @value{GDBN} to try to see what is going on.
579
580 @smallexample
581 $ @b{@value{GDBP} m4}
582 @c FIXME: this falsifies the exact text played out, to permit smallbook
583 @c FIXME... format to come out better.
584 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
585 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
586 the conditions.
587 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
588 for details.
589
590 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
591 (@value{GDBP})
592 @end smallexample
593
594 @noindent
595 @value{GDBN} reads only enough symbol data to know where to find the
596 rest when needed; as a result, the first prompt comes up very quickly.
597 We now tell @value{GDBN} to use a narrower display width than usual, so
598 that examples fit in this manual.
599
600 @smallexample
601 (@value{GDBP}) @b{set width 70}
602 @end smallexample
603
604 @noindent
605 We need to see how the @code{m4} built-in @code{changequote} works.
606 Having looked at the source, we know the relevant subroutine is
607 @code{m4_changequote}, so we set a breakpoint there with the @value{GDBN}
608 @code{break} command.
609
610 @smallexample
611 (@value{GDBP}) @b{break m4_changequote}
612 Breakpoint 1 at 0x62f4: file builtin.c, line 879.
613 @end smallexample
614
615 @noindent
616 Using the @code{run} command, we start @code{m4} running under @value{GDBN}
617 control; as long as control does not reach the @code{m4_changequote}
618 subroutine, the program runs as usual:
619
620 @smallexample
621 (@value{GDBP}) @b{run}
622 Starting program: /work/Editorial/gdb/gnu/m4/m4
623 @b{define(foo,0000)}
624
625 @b{foo}
626 0000
627 @end smallexample
628
629 @noindent
630 To trigger the breakpoint, we call @code{changequote}. @value{GDBN}
631 suspends execution of @code{m4}, displaying information about the
632 context where it stops.
633
634 @smallexample
635 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
636
637 Breakpoint 1, m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
638 at builtin.c:879
639 879 if (bad_argc(TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[0]),argc,1,3))
640 @end smallexample
641
642 @noindent
643 Now we use the command @code{n} (@code{next}) to advance execution to
644 the next line of the current function.
645
646 @smallexample
647 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
648 882 set_quotes((argc >= 2) ? TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[1])\
649 : nil,
650 @end smallexample
651
652 @noindent
653 @code{set_quotes} looks like a promising subroutine. We can go into it
654 by using the command @code{s} (@code{step}) instead of @code{next}.
655 @code{step} goes to the next line to be executed in @emph{any}
656 subroutine, so it steps into @code{set_quotes}.
657
658 @smallexample
659 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
660 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
661 at input.c:530
662 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
663 @end smallexample
664
665 @noindent
666 The display that shows the subroutine where @code{m4} is now
667 suspended (and its arguments) is called a stack frame display. It
668 shows a summary of the stack. We can use the @code{backtrace}
669 command (which can also be spelled @code{bt}), to see where we are
670 in the stack as a whole: the @code{backtrace} command displays a
671 stack frame for each active subroutine.
672
673 @smallexample
674 (@value{GDBP}) @b{bt}
675 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
676 at input.c:530
677 #1 0x6344 in m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
678 at builtin.c:882
679 #2 0x8174 in expand_macro (sym=0x33320) at macro.c:242
680 #3 0x7a88 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=209696, td=0xf7fffa30)
681 at macro.c:71
682 #4 0x79dc in expand_input () at macro.c:40
683 #5 0x2930 in main (argc=0, argv=0xf7fffb20) at m4.c:195
684 @end smallexample
685
686 @noindent
687 We step through a few more lines to see what happens. The first two
688 times, we can use @samp{s}; the next two times we use @code{n} to avoid
689 falling into the @code{xstrdup} subroutine.
690
691 @smallexample
692 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
693 0x3b5c 532 if (rquote != def_rquote)
694 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
695 0x3b80 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? \
696 def_lquote : xstrdup(lq);
697 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
698 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
699 : xstrdup(rq);
700 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
701 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
702 @end smallexample
703
704 @noindent
705 The last line displayed looks a little odd; we can examine the variables
706 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} to see if they are in fact the new left
707 and right quotes we specified. We use the command @code{p}
708 (@code{print}) to see their values.
709
710 @smallexample
711 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p lquote}
712 $1 = 0x35d40 "<QUOTE>"
713 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p rquote}
714 $2 = 0x35d50 "<UNQUOTE>"
715 @end smallexample
716
717 @noindent
718 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} are indeed the new left and right quotes.
719 To look at some context, we can display ten lines of source
720 surrounding the current line with the @code{l} (@code{list}) command.
721
722 @smallexample
723 (@value{GDBP}) @b{l}
724 533 xfree(rquote);
725 534
726 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? def_lquote\
727 : xstrdup (lq);
728 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
729 : xstrdup (rq);
730 537
731 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
732 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
733 540 @}
734 541
735 542 void
736 @end smallexample
737
738 @noindent
739 Let us step past the two lines that set @code{len_lquote} and
740 @code{len_rquote}, and then examine the values of those variables.
741
742 @smallexample
743 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
744 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
745 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
746 540 @}
747 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote}
748 $3 = 9
749 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote}
750 $4 = 7
751 @end smallexample
752
753 @noindent
754 That certainly looks wrong, assuming @code{len_lquote} and
755 @code{len_rquote} are meant to be the lengths of @code{lquote} and
756 @code{rquote} respectively. We can set them to better values using
757 the @code{p} command, since it can print the value of
758 any expression---and that expression can include subroutine calls and
759 assignments.
760
761 @smallexample
762 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote=strlen(lquote)}
763 $5 = 7
764 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote=strlen(rquote)}
765 $6 = 9
766 @end smallexample
767
768 @noindent
769 Is that enough to fix the problem of using the new quotes with the
770 @code{m4} built-in @code{defn}? We can allow @code{m4} to continue
771 executing with the @code{c} (@code{continue}) command, and then try the
772 example that caused trouble initially:
773
774 @smallexample
775 (@value{GDBP}) @b{c}
776 Continuing.
777
778 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
779
780 baz
781 0000
782 @end smallexample
783
784 @noindent
785 Success! The new quotes now work just as well as the default ones. The
786 problem seems to have been just the two typos defining the wrong
787 lengths. We allow @code{m4} exit by giving it an EOF as input:
788
789 @smallexample
790 @b{Ctrl-d}
791 Program exited normally.
792 @end smallexample
793
794 @noindent
795 The message @samp{Program exited normally.} is from @value{GDBN}; it
796 indicates @code{m4} has finished executing. We can end our @value{GDBN}
797 session with the @value{GDBN} @code{quit} command.
798
799 @smallexample
800 (@value{GDBP}) @b{quit}
801 @end smallexample
802
803 @node Invocation
804 @chapter Getting In and Out of @value{GDBN}
805
806 This chapter discusses how to start @value{GDBN}, and how to get out of it.
807 The essentials are:
808 @itemize @bullet
809 @item
810 type @samp{@value{GDBP}} to start @value{GDBN}.
811 @item
812 type @kbd{quit} or @kbd{Ctrl-d} to exit.
813 @end itemize
814
815 @menu
816 * Invoking GDB:: How to start @value{GDBN}
817 * Quitting GDB:: How to quit @value{GDBN}
818 * Shell Commands:: How to use shell commands inside @value{GDBN}
819 * Logging Output:: How to log @value{GDBN}'s output to a file
820 @end menu
821
822 @node Invoking GDB
823 @section Invoking @value{GDBN}
824
825 Invoke @value{GDBN} by running the program @code{@value{GDBP}}. Once started,
826 @value{GDBN} reads commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit.
827
828 You can also run @code{@value{GDBP}} with a variety of arguments and options,
829 to specify more of your debugging environment at the outset.
830
831 The command-line options described here are designed
832 to cover a variety of situations; in some environments, some of these
833 options may effectively be unavailable.
834
835 The most usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument,
836 specifying an executable program:
837
838 @smallexample
839 @value{GDBP} @var{program}
840 @end smallexample
841
842 @noindent
843 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file
844 specified:
845
846 @smallexample
847 @value{GDBP} @var{program} @var{core}
848 @end smallexample
849
850 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
851 to debug a running process:
852
853 @smallexample
854 @value{GDBP} @var{program} 1234
855 @end smallexample
856
857 @noindent
858 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
859 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
860
861 Taking advantage of the second command-line argument requires a fairly
862 complete operating system; when you use @value{GDBN} as a remote
863 debugger attached to a bare board, there may not be any notion of
864 ``process'', and there is often no way to get a core dump. @value{GDBN}
865 will warn you if it is unable to attach or to read core dumps.
866
867 You can optionally have @code{@value{GDBP}} pass any arguments after the
868 executable file to the inferior using @code{--args}. This option stops
869 option processing.
870 @smallexample
871 @value{GDBP} --args gcc -O2 -c foo.c
872 @end smallexample
873 This will cause @code{@value{GDBP}} to debug @code{gcc}, and to set
874 @code{gcc}'s command-line arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to @samp{-O2 -c foo.c}.
875
876 You can run @code{@value{GDBP}} without printing the front material, which describes
877 @value{GDBN}'s non-warranty, by specifying @code{-silent}:
878
879 @smallexample
880 @value{GDBP} -silent
881 @end smallexample
882
883 @noindent
884 You can further control how @value{GDBN} starts up by using command-line
885 options. @value{GDBN} itself can remind you of the options available.
886
887 @noindent
888 Type
889
890 @smallexample
891 @value{GDBP} -help
892 @end smallexample
893
894 @noindent
895 to display all available options and briefly describe their use
896 (@samp{@value{GDBP} -h} is a shorter equivalent).
897
898 All options and command line arguments you give are processed
899 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the
900 @samp{-x} option is used.
901
902
903 @menu
904 * File Options:: Choosing files
905 * Mode Options:: Choosing modes
906 * Startup:: What @value{GDBN} does during startup
907 @end menu
908
909 @node File Options
910 @subsection Choosing Files
911
912 When @value{GDBN} starts, it reads any arguments other than options as
913 specifying an executable file and core file (or process ID). This is
914 the same as if the arguments were specified by the @samp{-se} and
915 @samp{-c} (or @samp{-p}) options respectively. (@value{GDBN} reads the
916 first argument that does not have an associated option flag as
917 equivalent to the @samp{-se} option followed by that argument; and the
918 second argument that does not have an associated option flag, if any, as
919 equivalent to the @samp{-c}/@samp{-p} option followed by that argument.)
920 If the second argument begins with a decimal digit, @value{GDBN} will
921 first attempt to attach to it as a process, and if that fails, attempt
922 to open it as a corefile. If you have a corefile whose name begins with
923 a digit, you can prevent @value{GDBN} from treating it as a pid by
924 prefixing it with @file{./}, e.g.@: @file{./12345}.
925
926 If @value{GDBN} has not been configured to included core file support,
927 such as for most embedded targets, then it will complain about a second
928 argument and ignore it.
929
930 Many options have both long and short forms; both are shown in the
931 following list. @value{GDBN} also recognizes the long forms if you truncate
932 them, so long as enough of the option is present to be unambiguous.
933 (If you prefer, you can flag option arguments with @samp{--} rather
934 than @samp{-}, though we illustrate the more usual convention.)
935
936 @c NOTE: the @cindex entries here use double dashes ON PURPOSE. This
937 @c way, both those who look for -foo and --foo in the index, will find
938 @c it.
939
940 @table @code
941 @item -symbols @var{file}
942 @itemx -s @var{file}
943 @cindex @code{--symbols}
944 @cindex @code{-s}
945 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
946
947 @item -exec @var{file}
948 @itemx -e @var{file}
949 @cindex @code{--exec}
950 @cindex @code{-e}
951 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when appropriate,
952 and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core dump.
953
954 @item -se @var{file}
955 @cindex @code{--se}
956 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
957 file.
958
959 @item -core @var{file}
960 @itemx -c @var{file}
961 @cindex @code{--core}
962 @cindex @code{-c}
963 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
964
965 @item -pid @var{number}
966 @itemx -p @var{number}
967 @cindex @code{--pid}
968 @cindex @code{-p}
969 Connect to process ID @var{number}, as with the @code{attach} command.
970
971 @item -command @var{file}
972 @itemx -x @var{file}
973 @cindex @code{--command}
974 @cindex @code{-x}
975 Execute commands from file @var{file}. The contents of this file is
976 evaluated exactly as the @code{source} command would.
977 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
978
979 @item -eval-command @var{command}
980 @itemx -ex @var{command}
981 @cindex @code{--eval-command}
982 @cindex @code{-ex}
983 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command.
984
985 This option may be used multiple times to call multiple commands. It may
986 also be interleaved with @samp{-command} as required.
987
988 @smallexample
989 @value{GDBP} -ex 'target sim' -ex 'load' \
990 -x setbreakpoints -ex 'run' a.out
991 @end smallexample
992
993 @item -init-command @var{file}
994 @itemx -ix @var{file}
995 @cindex @code{--init-command}
996 @cindex @code{-ix}
997 Execute commands from file @var{file} before loading gdbinit files or the
998 inferior.
999 @xref{Startup}.
1000
1001 @item -init-eval-command @var{command}
1002 @itemx -iex @var{command}
1003 @cindex @code{--init-eval-command}
1004 @cindex @code{-iex}
1005 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command before loading gdbinit files or the
1006 inferior.
1007 @xref{Startup}.
1008
1009 @item -directory @var{directory}
1010 @itemx -d @var{directory}
1011 @cindex @code{--directory}
1012 @cindex @code{-d}
1013 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source and script files.
1014
1015 @item -r
1016 @itemx -readnow
1017 @cindex @code{--readnow}
1018 @cindex @code{-r}
1019 Read each symbol file's entire symbol table immediately, rather than
1020 the default, which is to read it incrementally as it is needed.
1021 This makes startup slower, but makes future operations faster.
1022
1023 @end table
1024
1025 @node Mode Options
1026 @subsection Choosing Modes
1027
1028 You can run @value{GDBN} in various alternative modes---for example, in
1029 batch mode or quiet mode.
1030
1031 @table @code
1032 @anchor{-nx}
1033 @item -nx
1034 @itemx -n
1035 @cindex @code{--nx}
1036 @cindex @code{-n}
1037 Do not execute commands found in any initialization files. Normally,
1038 @value{GDBN} executes the commands in these files after all the command
1039 options and arguments have been processed. @xref{Command Files,,Command
1040 Files}.
1041
1042 @item -quiet
1043 @itemx -silent
1044 @itemx -q
1045 @cindex @code{--quiet}
1046 @cindex @code{--silent}
1047 @cindex @code{-q}
1048 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
1049 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
1050
1051 @item -batch
1052 @cindex @code{--batch}
1053 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the
1054 command files specified with @samp{-x} (and all commands from
1055 initialization files, if not inhibited with @samp{-n}). Exit with
1056 nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN} commands
1057 in the command files. Batch mode also disables pagination, sets unlimited
1058 terminal width and height @pxref{Screen Size}, and acts as if @kbd{set confirm
1059 off} were in effect (@pxref{Messages/Warnings}).
1060
1061 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for
1062 example to download and run a program on another computer; in order to
1063 make this more useful, the message
1064
1065 @smallexample
1066 Program exited normally.
1067 @end smallexample
1068
1069 @noindent
1070 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under
1071 @value{GDBN} control terminates) is not issued when running in batch
1072 mode.
1073
1074 @item -batch-silent
1075 @cindex @code{--batch-silent}
1076 Run in batch mode exactly like @samp{-batch}, but totally silently. All
1077 @value{GDBN} output to @code{stdout} is prevented (@code{stderr} is
1078 unaffected). This is much quieter than @samp{-silent} and would be useless
1079 for an interactive session.
1080
1081 This is particularly useful when using targets that give @samp{Loading section}
1082 messages, for example.
1083
1084 Note that targets that give their output via @value{GDBN}, as opposed to
1085 writing directly to @code{stdout}, will also be made silent.
1086
1087 @item -return-child-result
1088 @cindex @code{--return-child-result}
1089 The return code from @value{GDBN} will be the return code from the child
1090 process (the process being debugged), with the following exceptions:
1091
1092 @itemize @bullet
1093 @item
1094 @value{GDBN} exits abnormally. E.g., due to an incorrect argument or an
1095 internal error. In this case the exit code is the same as it would have been
1096 without @samp{-return-child-result}.
1097 @item
1098 The user quits with an explicit value. E.g., @samp{quit 1}.
1099 @item
1100 The child process never runs, or is not allowed to terminate, in which case
1101 the exit code will be -1.
1102 @end itemize
1103
1104 This option is useful in conjunction with @samp{-batch} or @samp{-batch-silent},
1105 when @value{GDBN} is being used as a remote program loader or simulator
1106 interface.
1107
1108 @item -nowindows
1109 @itemx -nw
1110 @cindex @code{--nowindows}
1111 @cindex @code{-nw}
1112 ``No windows''. If @value{GDBN} comes with a graphical user interface
1113 (GUI) built in, then this option tells @value{GDBN} to only use the command-line
1114 interface. If no GUI is available, this option has no effect.
1115
1116 @item -windows
1117 @itemx -w
1118 @cindex @code{--windows}
1119 @cindex @code{-w}
1120 If @value{GDBN} includes a GUI, then this option requires it to be
1121 used if possible.
1122
1123 @item -cd @var{directory}
1124 @cindex @code{--cd}
1125 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
1126 instead of the current directory.
1127
1128 @item -data-directory @var{directory}
1129 @cindex @code{--data-directory}
1130 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its data directory.
1131 The data directory is where @value{GDBN} searches for its
1132 auxiliary files. @xref{Data Files}.
1133
1134 @item -fullname
1135 @itemx -f
1136 @cindex @code{--fullname}
1137 @cindex @code{-f}
1138 @sc{gnu} Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a
1139 subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line
1140 number in a standard, recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is
1141 displayed (which includes each time your program stops). This
1142 recognizable format looks like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by
1143 the file name, line number and character position separated by colons,
1144 and a newline. The Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two
1145 @samp{\032} characters as a signal to display the source code for the
1146 frame.
1147
1148 @item -epoch
1149 @cindex @code{--epoch}
1150 The Epoch Emacs-@value{GDBN} interface sets this option when it runs
1151 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to modify its print
1152 routines so as to allow Epoch to display values of expressions in a
1153 separate window.
1154
1155 @item -annotate @var{level}
1156 @cindex @code{--annotate}
1157 This option sets the @dfn{annotation level} inside @value{GDBN}. Its
1158 effect is identical to using @samp{set annotate @var{level}}
1159 (@pxref{Annotations}). The annotation @var{level} controls how much
1160 information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt, values of
1161 expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0 is the
1162 normal, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a subprocess of
1163 @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable for programs
1164 that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 has been deprecated.
1165
1166 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
1167 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
1168
1169 @item --args
1170 @cindex @code{--args}
1171 Change interpretation of command line so that arguments following the
1172 executable file are passed as command line arguments to the inferior.
1173 This option stops option processing.
1174
1175 @item -baud @var{bps}
1176 @itemx -b @var{bps}
1177 @cindex @code{--baud}
1178 @cindex @code{-b}
1179 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
1180 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
1181
1182 @item -l @var{timeout}
1183 @cindex @code{-l}
1184 Set the timeout (in seconds) of any communication used by @value{GDBN}
1185 for remote debugging.
1186
1187 @item -tty @var{device}
1188 @itemx -t @var{device}
1189 @cindex @code{--tty}
1190 @cindex @code{-t}
1191 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
1192 @c FIXME: kingdon thinks there is more to -tty. Investigate.
1193
1194 @c resolve the situation of these eventually
1195 @item -tui
1196 @cindex @code{--tui}
1197 Activate the @dfn{Text User Interface} when starting. The Text User
1198 Interface manages several text windows on the terminal, showing
1199 source, assembly, registers and @value{GDBN} command outputs
1200 (@pxref{TUI, ,@value{GDBN} Text User Interface}). Do not use this
1201 option if you run @value{GDBN} from Emacs (@pxref{Emacs, ,
1202 Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}).
1203
1204 @c @item -xdb
1205 @c @cindex @code{--xdb}
1206 @c Run in XDB compatibility mode, allowing the use of certain XDB commands.
1207 @c For information, see the file @file{xdb_trans.html}, which is usually
1208 @c installed in the directory @code{/opt/langtools/wdb/doc} on HP-UX
1209 @c systems.
1210
1211 @item -interpreter @var{interp}
1212 @cindex @code{--interpreter}
1213 Use the interpreter @var{interp} for interface with the controlling
1214 program or device. This option is meant to be set by programs which
1215 communicate with @value{GDBN} using it as a back end.
1216 @xref{Interpreters, , Command Interpreters}.
1217
1218 @samp{--interpreter=mi} (or @samp{--interpreter=mi2}) causes
1219 @value{GDBN} to use the @dfn{@sc{gdb/mi} interface} (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,
1220 The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}) included since @value{GDBN} version 6.0. The
1221 previous @sc{gdb/mi} interface, included in @value{GDBN} version 5.3 and
1222 selected with @samp{--interpreter=mi1}, is deprecated. Earlier
1223 @sc{gdb/mi} interfaces are no longer supported.
1224
1225 @item -write
1226 @cindex @code{--write}
1227 Open the executable and core files for both reading and writing. This
1228 is equivalent to the @samp{set write on} command inside @value{GDBN}
1229 (@pxref{Patching}).
1230
1231 @item -statistics
1232 @cindex @code{--statistics}
1233 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print statistics about time and
1234 memory usage after it completes each command and returns to the prompt.
1235
1236 @item -version
1237 @cindex @code{--version}
1238 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print its version number and
1239 no-warranty blurb, and exit.
1240
1241 @item -use-deprecated-index-sections
1242 @cindex @code{--use-deprecated-index-sections}
1243 This option causes @value{GDBN} to read and use deprecated
1244 @samp{.gdb_index} sections from symbol files. This can speed up
1245 startup, but may result in some functionality being lost.
1246 @xref{Index Section Format}.
1247
1248 @end table
1249
1250 @node Startup
1251 @subsection What @value{GDBN} Does During Startup
1252 @cindex @value{GDBN} startup
1253
1254 Here's the description of what @value{GDBN} does during session startup:
1255
1256 @enumerate
1257 @item
1258 Sets up the command interpreter as specified by the command line
1259 (@pxref{Mode Options, interpreter}).
1260
1261 @anchor{Option -init-eval-command}
1262 @item
1263 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-iex} and
1264 @samp{-ix} options in their specified order. Usually you should use the
1265 @samp{-ex} and @samp{-x} options instead, but this way you can apply
1266 settings before @value{GDBN} init files get executed and before inferior
1267 gets loaded.
1268
1269 @item
1270 @cindex init file
1271 Reads the system-wide @dfn{init file} (if @option{--with-system-gdbinit} was
1272 used when building @value{GDBN}; @pxref{System-wide configuration,
1273 ,System-wide configuration and settings}) and executes all the commands in
1274 that file.
1275
1276 @anchor{Home Directory Init File}
1277 @item
1278 Reads the init file (if any) in your home directory@footnote{On
1279 DOS/Windows systems, the home directory is the one pointed to by the
1280 @code{HOME} environment variable.} and executes all the commands in
1281 that file.
1282
1283 @item
1284 Processes command line options and operands.
1285
1286 @anchor{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}
1287 @item
1288 Reads and executes the commands from init file (if any) in the current
1289 working directory as long as @samp{set auto-load local-gdbinit} is set to
1290 @samp{on} (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory}).
1291 This is only done if the current directory is
1292 different from your home directory. Thus, you can have more than one
1293 init file, one generic in your home directory, and another, specific
1294 to the program you are debugging, in the directory where you invoke
1295 @value{GDBN}.
1296
1297 @item
1298 If the command line specified a program to debug, or a process to
1299 attach to, or a core file, @value{GDBN} loads any auto-loaded
1300 scripts provided for the program or for its loaded shared libraries.
1301 @xref{Auto-loading}.
1302
1303 If you wish to disable the auto-loading during startup,
1304 you must do something like the following:
1305
1306 @smallexample
1307 $ gdb -iex "set auto-load python-scripts off" myprogram
1308 @end smallexample
1309
1310 Option @samp{-ex} does not work because the auto-loading is then turned
1311 off too late.
1312
1313 @item
1314 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-ex} and
1315 @samp{-x} options in their specified order. @xref{Command Files}, for
1316 more details about @value{GDBN} command files.
1317
1318 @item
1319 Reads the command history recorded in the @dfn{history file}.
1320 @xref{Command History}, for more details about the command history and the
1321 files where @value{GDBN} records it.
1322 @end enumerate
1323
1324 Init files use the same syntax as @dfn{command files} (@pxref{Command
1325 Files}) and are processed by @value{GDBN} in the same way. The init
1326 file in your home directory can set options (such as @samp{set
1327 complaints}) that affect subsequent processing of command line options
1328 and operands. Init files are not executed if you use the @samp{-nx}
1329 option (@pxref{Mode Options, ,Choosing Modes}).
1330
1331 To display the list of init files loaded by gdb at startup, you
1332 can use @kbd{gdb --help}.
1333
1334 @cindex init file name
1335 @cindex @file{.gdbinit}
1336 @cindex @file{gdb.ini}
1337 The @value{GDBN} init files are normally called @file{.gdbinit}.
1338 The DJGPP port of @value{GDBN} uses the name @file{gdb.ini}, due to
1339 the limitations of file names imposed by DOS filesystems. The Windows
1340 ports of @value{GDBN} use the standard name, but if they find a
1341 @file{gdb.ini} file, they warn you about that and suggest to rename
1342 the file to the standard name.
1343
1344
1345 @node Quitting GDB
1346 @section Quitting @value{GDBN}
1347 @cindex exiting @value{GDBN}
1348 @cindex leaving @value{GDBN}
1349
1350 @table @code
1351 @kindex quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1352 @kindex q @r{(@code{quit})}
1353 @item quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1354 @itemx q
1355 To exit @value{GDBN}, use the @code{quit} command (abbreviated
1356 @code{q}), or type an end-of-file character (usually @kbd{Ctrl-d}). If you
1357 do not supply @var{expression}, @value{GDBN} will terminate normally;
1358 otherwise it will terminate using the result of @var{expression} as the
1359 error code.
1360 @end table
1361
1362 @cindex interrupt
1363 An interrupt (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}) does not exit from @value{GDBN}, but rather
1364 terminates the action of any @value{GDBN} command that is in progress and
1365 returns to @value{GDBN} command level. It is safe to type the interrupt
1366 character at any time because @value{GDBN} does not allow it to take effect
1367 until a time when it is safe.
1368
1369 If you have been using @value{GDBN} to control an attached process or
1370 device, you can release it with the @code{detach} command
1371 (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
1372
1373 @node Shell Commands
1374 @section Shell Commands
1375
1376 If you need to execute occasional shell commands during your
1377 debugging session, there is no need to leave or suspend @value{GDBN}; you can
1378 just use the @code{shell} command.
1379
1380 @table @code
1381 @kindex shell
1382 @kindex !
1383 @cindex shell escape
1384 @item shell @var{command-string}
1385 @itemx !@var{command-string}
1386 Invoke a standard shell to execute @var{command-string}.
1387 Note that no space is needed between @code{!} and @var{command-string}.
1388 If it exists, the environment variable @code{SHELL} determines which
1389 shell to run. Otherwise @value{GDBN} uses the default shell
1390 (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix systems, @file{COMMAND.COM} on MS-DOS, etc.).
1391 @end table
1392
1393 The utility @code{make} is often needed in development environments.
1394 You do not have to use the @code{shell} command for this purpose in
1395 @value{GDBN}:
1396
1397 @table @code
1398 @kindex make
1399 @cindex calling make
1400 @item make @var{make-args}
1401 Execute the @code{make} program with the specified
1402 arguments. This is equivalent to @samp{shell make @var{make-args}}.
1403 @end table
1404
1405 @node Logging Output
1406 @section Logging Output
1407 @cindex logging @value{GDBN} output
1408 @cindex save @value{GDBN} output to a file
1409
1410 You may want to save the output of @value{GDBN} commands to a file.
1411 There are several commands to control @value{GDBN}'s logging.
1412
1413 @table @code
1414 @kindex set logging
1415 @item set logging on
1416 Enable logging.
1417 @item set logging off
1418 Disable logging.
1419 @cindex logging file name
1420 @item set logging file @var{file}
1421 Change the name of the current logfile. The default logfile is @file{gdb.txt}.
1422 @item set logging overwrite [on|off]
1423 By default, @value{GDBN} will append to the logfile. Set @code{overwrite} if
1424 you want @code{set logging on} to overwrite the logfile instead.
1425 @item set logging redirect [on|off]
1426 By default, @value{GDBN} output will go to both the terminal and the logfile.
1427 Set @code{redirect} if you want output to go only to the log file.
1428 @kindex show logging
1429 @item show logging
1430 Show the current values of the logging settings.
1431 @end table
1432
1433 @node Commands
1434 @chapter @value{GDBN} Commands
1435
1436 You can abbreviate a @value{GDBN} command to the first few letters of the command
1437 name, if that abbreviation is unambiguous; and you can repeat certain
1438 @value{GDBN} commands by typing just @key{RET}. You can also use the @key{TAB}
1439 key to get @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest of a word in a command (or to
1440 show you the alternatives available, if there is more than one possibility).
1441
1442 @menu
1443 * Command Syntax:: How to give commands to @value{GDBN}
1444 * Completion:: Command completion
1445 * Help:: How to ask @value{GDBN} for help
1446 @end menu
1447
1448 @node Command Syntax
1449 @section Command Syntax
1450
1451 A @value{GDBN} command is a single line of input. There is no limit on
1452 how long it can be. It starts with a command name, which is followed by
1453 arguments whose meaning depends on the command name. For example, the
1454 command @code{step} accepts an argument which is the number of times to
1455 step, as in @samp{step 5}. You can also use the @code{step} command
1456 with no arguments. Some commands do not allow any arguments.
1457
1458 @cindex abbreviation
1459 @value{GDBN} command names may always be truncated if that abbreviation is
1460 unambiguous. Other possible command abbreviations are listed in the
1461 documentation for individual commands. In some cases, even ambiguous
1462 abbreviations are allowed; for example, @code{s} is specially defined as
1463 equivalent to @code{step} even though there are other commands whose
1464 names start with @code{s}. You can test abbreviations by using them as
1465 arguments to the @code{help} command.
1466
1467 @cindex repeating commands
1468 @kindex RET @r{(repeat last command)}
1469 A blank line as input to @value{GDBN} (typing just @key{RET}) means to
1470 repeat the previous command. Certain commands (for example, @code{run})
1471 will not repeat this way; these are commands whose unintentional
1472 repetition might cause trouble and which you are unlikely to want to
1473 repeat. User-defined commands can disable this feature; see
1474 @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
1475
1476 The @code{list} and @code{x} commands, when you repeat them with
1477 @key{RET}, construct new arguments rather than repeating
1478 exactly as typed. This permits easy scanning of source or memory.
1479
1480 @value{GDBN} can also use @key{RET} in another way: to partition lengthy
1481 output, in a way similar to the common utility @code{more}
1482 (@pxref{Screen Size,,Screen Size}). Since it is easy to press one
1483 @key{RET} too many in this situation, @value{GDBN} disables command
1484 repetition after any command that generates this sort of display.
1485
1486 @kindex # @r{(a comment)}
1487 @cindex comment
1488 Any text from a @kbd{#} to the end of the line is a comment; it does
1489 nothing. This is useful mainly in command files (@pxref{Command
1490 Files,,Command Files}).
1491
1492 @cindex repeating command sequences
1493 @kindex Ctrl-o @r{(operate-and-get-next)}
1494 The @kbd{Ctrl-o} binding is useful for repeating a complex sequence of
1495 commands. This command accepts the current line, like @key{RET}, and
1496 then fetches the next line relative to the current line from the history
1497 for editing.
1498
1499 @node Completion
1500 @section Command Completion
1501
1502 @cindex completion
1503 @cindex word completion
1504 @value{GDBN} can fill in the rest of a word in a command for you, if there is
1505 only one possibility; it can also show you what the valid possibilities
1506 are for the next word in a command, at any time. This works for @value{GDBN}
1507 commands, @value{GDBN} subcommands, and the names of symbols in your program.
1508
1509 Press the @key{TAB} key whenever you want @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest
1510 of a word. If there is only one possibility, @value{GDBN} fills in the
1511 word, and waits for you to finish the command (or press @key{RET} to
1512 enter it). For example, if you type
1513
1514 @c FIXME "@key" does not distinguish its argument sufficiently to permit
1515 @c complete accuracy in these examples; space introduced for clarity.
1516 @c If texinfo enhancements make it unnecessary, it would be nice to
1517 @c replace " @key" by "@key" in the following...
1518 @smallexample
1519 (@value{GDBP}) info bre @key{TAB}
1520 @end smallexample
1521
1522 @noindent
1523 @value{GDBN} fills in the rest of the word @samp{breakpoints}, since that is
1524 the only @code{info} subcommand beginning with @samp{bre}:
1525
1526 @smallexample
1527 (@value{GDBP}) info breakpoints
1528 @end smallexample
1529
1530 @noindent
1531 You can either press @key{RET} at this point, to run the @code{info
1532 breakpoints} command, or backspace and enter something else, if
1533 @samp{breakpoints} does not look like the command you expected. (If you
1534 were sure you wanted @code{info breakpoints} in the first place, you
1535 might as well just type @key{RET} immediately after @samp{info bre},
1536 to exploit command abbreviations rather than command completion).
1537
1538 If there is more than one possibility for the next word when you press
1539 @key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} sounds a bell. You can either supply more
1540 characters and try again, or just press @key{TAB} a second time;
1541 @value{GDBN} displays all the possible completions for that word. For
1542 example, you might want to set a breakpoint on a subroutine whose name
1543 begins with @samp{make_}, but when you type @kbd{b make_@key{TAB}} @value{GDBN}
1544 just sounds the bell. Typing @key{TAB} again displays all the
1545 function names in your program that begin with those characters, for
1546 example:
1547
1548 @smallexample
1549 (@value{GDBP}) b make_ @key{TAB}
1550 @exdent @value{GDBN} sounds bell; press @key{TAB} again, to see:
1551 make_a_section_from_file make_environ
1552 make_abs_section make_function_type
1553 make_blockvector make_pointer_type
1554 make_cleanup make_reference_type
1555 make_command make_symbol_completion_list
1556 (@value{GDBP}) b make_
1557 @end smallexample
1558
1559 @noindent
1560 After displaying the available possibilities, @value{GDBN} copies your
1561 partial input (@samp{b make_} in the example) so you can finish the
1562 command.
1563
1564 If you just want to see the list of alternatives in the first place, you
1565 can press @kbd{M-?} rather than pressing @key{TAB} twice. @kbd{M-?}
1566 means @kbd{@key{META} ?}. You can type this either by holding down a
1567 key designated as the @key{META} shift on your keyboard (if there is
1568 one) while typing @kbd{?}, or as @key{ESC} followed by @kbd{?}.
1569
1570 @cindex quotes in commands
1571 @cindex completion of quoted strings
1572 Sometimes the string you need, while logically a ``word'', may contain
1573 parentheses or other characters that @value{GDBN} normally excludes from
1574 its notion of a word. To permit word completion to work in this
1575 situation, you may enclose words in @code{'} (single quote marks) in
1576 @value{GDBN} commands.
1577
1578 The most likely situation where you might need this is in typing the
1579 name of a C@t{++} function. This is because C@t{++} allows function
1580 overloading (multiple definitions of the same function, distinguished
1581 by argument type). For example, when you want to set a breakpoint you
1582 may need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name}
1583 that takes an @code{int} parameter, @code{name(int)}, or the version
1584 that takes a @code{float} parameter, @code{name(float)}. To use the
1585 word-completion facilities in this situation, type a single quote
1586 @code{'} at the beginning of the function name. This alerts
1587 @value{GDBN} that it may need to consider more information than usual
1588 when you press @key{TAB} or @kbd{M-?} to request word completion:
1589
1590 @smallexample
1591 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble( @kbd{M-?}
1592 bubble(double,double) bubble(int,int)
1593 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1594 @end smallexample
1595
1596 In some cases, @value{GDBN} can tell that completing a name requires using
1597 quotes. When this happens, @value{GDBN} inserts the quote for you (while
1598 completing as much as it can) if you do not type the quote in the first
1599 place:
1600
1601 @smallexample
1602 (@value{GDBP}) b bub @key{TAB}
1603 @exdent @value{GDBN} alters your input line to the following, and rings a bell:
1604 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1605 @end smallexample
1606
1607 @noindent
1608 In general, @value{GDBN} can tell that a quote is needed (and inserts it) if
1609 you have not yet started typing the argument list when you ask for
1610 completion on an overloaded symbol.
1611
1612 For more information about overloaded functions, see @ref{C Plus Plus
1613 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}. You can use the command @code{set
1614 overload-resolution off} to disable overload resolution;
1615 see @ref{Debugging C Plus Plus, ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
1616
1617 @cindex completion of structure field names
1618 @cindex structure field name completion
1619 @cindex completion of union field names
1620 @cindex union field name completion
1621 When completing in an expression which looks up a field in a
1622 structure, @value{GDBN} also tries@footnote{The completer can be
1623 confused by certain kinds of invalid expressions. Also, it only
1624 examines the static type of the expression, not the dynamic type.} to
1625 limit completions to the field names available in the type of the
1626 left-hand-side:
1627
1628 @smallexample
1629 (@value{GDBP}) p gdb_stdout.@kbd{M-?}
1630 magic to_fputs to_rewind
1631 to_data to_isatty to_write
1632 to_delete to_put to_write_async_safe
1633 to_flush to_read
1634 @end smallexample
1635
1636 @noindent
1637 This is because the @code{gdb_stdout} is a variable of the type
1638 @code{struct ui_file} that is defined in @value{GDBN} sources as
1639 follows:
1640
1641 @smallexample
1642 struct ui_file
1643 @{
1644 int *magic;
1645 ui_file_flush_ftype *to_flush;
1646 ui_file_write_ftype *to_write;
1647 ui_file_write_async_safe_ftype *to_write_async_safe;
1648 ui_file_fputs_ftype *to_fputs;
1649 ui_file_read_ftype *to_read;
1650 ui_file_delete_ftype *to_delete;
1651 ui_file_isatty_ftype *to_isatty;
1652 ui_file_rewind_ftype *to_rewind;
1653 ui_file_put_ftype *to_put;
1654 void *to_data;
1655 @}
1656 @end smallexample
1657
1658
1659 @node Help
1660 @section Getting Help
1661 @cindex online documentation
1662 @kindex help
1663
1664 You can always ask @value{GDBN} itself for information on its commands,
1665 using the command @code{help}.
1666
1667 @table @code
1668 @kindex h @r{(@code{help})}
1669 @item help
1670 @itemx h
1671 You can use @code{help} (abbreviated @code{h}) with no arguments to
1672 display a short list of named classes of commands:
1673
1674 @smallexample
1675 (@value{GDBP}) help
1676 List of classes of commands:
1677
1678 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1679 breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
1680 data -- Examining data
1681 files -- Specifying and examining files
1682 internals -- Maintenance commands
1683 obscure -- Obscure features
1684 running -- Running the program
1685 stack -- Examining the stack
1686 status -- Status inquiries
1687 support -- Support facilities
1688 tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without
1689 stopping the program
1690 user-defined -- User-defined commands
1691
1692 Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
1693 commands in that class.
1694 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1695 documentation.
1696 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1697 (@value{GDBP})
1698 @end smallexample
1699 @c the above line break eliminates huge line overfull...
1700
1701 @item help @var{class}
1702 Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
1703 list of the individual commands in that class. For example, here is the
1704 help display for the class @code{status}:
1705
1706 @smallexample
1707 (@value{GDBP}) help status
1708 Status inquiries.
1709
1710 List of commands:
1711
1712 @c Line break in "show" line falsifies real output, but needed
1713 @c to fit in smallbook page size.
1714 info -- Generic command for showing things
1715 about the program being debugged
1716 show -- Generic command for showing things
1717 about the debugger
1718
1719 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1720 documentation.
1721 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1722 (@value{GDBP})
1723 @end smallexample
1724
1725 @item help @var{command}
1726 With a command name as @code{help} argument, @value{GDBN} displays a
1727 short paragraph on how to use that command.
1728
1729 @kindex apropos
1730 @item apropos @var{args}
1731 The @code{apropos} command searches through all of the @value{GDBN}
1732 commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression specified in
1733 @var{args}. It prints out all matches found. For example:
1734
1735 @smallexample
1736 apropos alias
1737 @end smallexample
1738
1739 @noindent
1740 results in:
1741
1742 @smallexample
1743 @c @group
1744 alias -- Define a new command that is an alias of an existing command
1745 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1746 d -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1747 del -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1748 delete -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1749 @c @end group
1750 @end smallexample
1751
1752 @kindex complete
1753 @item complete @var{args}
1754 The @code{complete @var{args}} command lists all the possible completions
1755 for the beginning of a command. Use @var{args} to specify the beginning of the
1756 command you want completed. For example:
1757
1758 @smallexample
1759 complete i
1760 @end smallexample
1761
1762 @noindent results in:
1763
1764 @smallexample
1765 @group
1766 if
1767 ignore
1768 info
1769 inspect
1770 @end group
1771 @end smallexample
1772
1773 @noindent This is intended for use by @sc{gnu} Emacs.
1774 @end table
1775
1776 In addition to @code{help}, you can use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{info}
1777 and @code{show} to inquire about the state of your program, or the state
1778 of @value{GDBN} itself. Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this
1779 manual introduces each of them in the appropriate context. The listings
1780 under @code{info} and under @code{show} in the Index point to
1781 all the sub-commands. @xref{Index}.
1782
1783 @c @group
1784 @table @code
1785 @kindex info
1786 @kindex i @r{(@code{info})}
1787 @item info
1788 This command (abbreviated @code{i}) is for describing the state of your
1789 program. For example, you can show the arguments passed to a function
1790 with @code{info args}, list the registers currently in use with @code{info
1791 registers}, or list the breakpoints you have set with @code{info breakpoints}.
1792 You can get a complete list of the @code{info} sub-commands with
1793 @w{@code{help info}}.
1794
1795 @kindex set
1796 @item set
1797 You can assign the result of an expression to an environment variable with
1798 @code{set}. For example, you can set the @value{GDBN} prompt to a $-sign with
1799 @code{set prompt $}.
1800
1801 @kindex show
1802 @item show
1803 In contrast to @code{info}, @code{show} is for describing the state of
1804 @value{GDBN} itself.
1805 You can change most of the things you can @code{show}, by using the
1806 related command @code{set}; for example, you can control what number
1807 system is used for displays with @code{set radix}, or simply inquire
1808 which is currently in use with @code{show radix}.
1809
1810 @kindex info set
1811 To display all the settable parameters and their current
1812 values, you can use @code{show} with no arguments; you may also use
1813 @code{info set}. Both commands produce the same display.
1814 @c FIXME: "info set" violates the rule that "info" is for state of
1815 @c FIXME...program. Ck w/ GNU: "info set" to be called something else,
1816 @c FIXME...or change desc of rule---eg "state of prog and debugging session"?
1817 @end table
1818 @c @end group
1819
1820 Here are three miscellaneous @code{show} subcommands, all of which are
1821 exceptional in lacking corresponding @code{set} commands:
1822
1823 @table @code
1824 @kindex show version
1825 @cindex @value{GDBN} version number
1826 @item show version
1827 Show what version of @value{GDBN} is running. You should include this
1828 information in @value{GDBN} bug-reports. If multiple versions of
1829 @value{GDBN} are in use at your site, you may need to determine which
1830 version of @value{GDBN} you are running; as @value{GDBN} evolves, new
1831 commands are introduced, and old ones may wither away. Also, many
1832 system vendors ship variant versions of @value{GDBN}, and there are
1833 variant versions of @value{GDBN} in @sc{gnu}/Linux distributions as well.
1834 The version number is the same as the one announced when you start
1835 @value{GDBN}.
1836
1837 @kindex show copying
1838 @kindex info copying
1839 @cindex display @value{GDBN} copyright
1840 @item show copying
1841 @itemx info copying
1842 Display information about permission for copying @value{GDBN}.
1843
1844 @kindex show warranty
1845 @kindex info warranty
1846 @item show warranty
1847 @itemx info warranty
1848 Display the @sc{gnu} ``NO WARRANTY'' statement, or a warranty,
1849 if your version of @value{GDBN} comes with one.
1850
1851 @end table
1852
1853 @node Running
1854 @chapter Running Programs Under @value{GDBN}
1855
1856 When you run a program under @value{GDBN}, you must first generate
1857 debugging information when you compile it.
1858
1859 You may start @value{GDBN} with its arguments, if any, in an environment
1860 of your choice. If you are doing native debugging, you may redirect
1861 your program's input and output, debug an already running process, or
1862 kill a child process.
1863
1864 @menu
1865 * Compilation:: Compiling for debugging
1866 * Starting:: Starting your program
1867 * Arguments:: Your program's arguments
1868 * Environment:: Your program's environment
1869
1870 * Working Directory:: Your program's working directory
1871 * Input/Output:: Your program's input and output
1872 * Attach:: Debugging an already-running process
1873 * Kill Process:: Killing the child process
1874
1875 * Inferiors and Programs:: Debugging multiple inferiors and programs
1876 * Threads:: Debugging programs with multiple threads
1877 * Forks:: Debugging forks
1878 * Checkpoint/Restart:: Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
1879 @end menu
1880
1881 @node Compilation
1882 @section Compiling for Debugging
1883
1884 In order to debug a program effectively, you need to generate
1885 debugging information when you compile it. This debugging information
1886 is stored in the object file; it describes the data type of each
1887 variable or function and the correspondence between source line numbers
1888 and addresses in the executable code.
1889
1890 To request debugging information, specify the @samp{-g} option when you run
1891 the compiler.
1892
1893 Programs that are to be shipped to your customers are compiled with
1894 optimizations, using the @samp{-O} compiler option. However, some
1895 compilers are unable to handle the @samp{-g} and @samp{-O} options
1896 together. Using those compilers, you cannot generate optimized
1897 executables containing debugging information.
1898
1899 @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler, supports @samp{-g} with or
1900 without @samp{-O}, making it possible to debug optimized code. We
1901 recommend that you @emph{always} use @samp{-g} whenever you compile a
1902 program. You may think your program is correct, but there is no sense
1903 in pushing your luck. For more information, see @ref{Optimized Code}.
1904
1905 Older versions of the @sc{gnu} C compiler permitted a variant option
1906 @w{@samp{-gg}} for debugging information. @value{GDBN} no longer supports this
1907 format; if your @sc{gnu} C compiler has this option, do not use it.
1908
1909 @value{GDBN} knows about preprocessor macros and can show you their
1910 expansion (@pxref{Macros}). Most compilers do not include information
1911 about preprocessor macros in the debugging information if you specify
1912 the @option{-g} flag alone. Version 3.1 and later of @value{NGCC},
1913 the @sc{gnu} C compiler, provides macro information if you are using
1914 the DWARF debugging format, and specify the option @option{-g3}.
1915
1916 @xref{Debugging Options,,Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC,
1917 gcc.info, Using the @sc{gnu} Compiler Collection (GCC)}, for more
1918 information on @value{NGCC} options affecting debug information.
1919
1920 You will have the best debugging experience if you use the latest
1921 version of the DWARF debugging format that your compiler supports.
1922 DWARF is currently the most expressive and best supported debugging
1923 format in @value{GDBN}.
1924
1925 @need 2000
1926 @node Starting
1927 @section Starting your Program
1928 @cindex starting
1929 @cindex running
1930
1931 @table @code
1932 @kindex run
1933 @kindex r @r{(@code{run})}
1934 @item run
1935 @itemx r
1936 Use the @code{run} command to start your program under @value{GDBN}.
1937 You must first specify the program name (except on VxWorks) with an
1938 argument to @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Invocation, ,Getting In and Out of
1939 @value{GDBN}}), or by using the @code{file} or @code{exec-file} command
1940 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
1941
1942 @end table
1943
1944 If you are running your program in an execution environment that
1945 supports processes, @code{run} creates an inferior process and makes
1946 that process run your program. In some environments without processes,
1947 @code{run} jumps to the start of your program. Other targets,
1948 like @samp{remote}, are always running. If you get an error
1949 message like this one:
1950
1951 @smallexample
1952 The "remote" target does not support "run".
1953 Try "help target" or "continue".
1954 @end smallexample
1955
1956 @noindent
1957 then use @code{continue} to run your program. You may need @code{load}
1958 first (@pxref{load}).
1959
1960 The execution of a program is affected by certain information it
1961 receives from its superior. @value{GDBN} provides ways to specify this
1962 information, which you must do @emph{before} starting your program. (You
1963 can change it after starting your program, but such changes only affect
1964 your program the next time you start it.) This information may be
1965 divided into four categories:
1966
1967 @table @asis
1968 @item The @emph{arguments.}
1969 Specify the arguments to give your program as the arguments of the
1970 @code{run} command. If a shell is available on your target, the shell
1971 is used to pass the arguments, so that you may use normal conventions
1972 (such as wildcard expansion or variable substitution) in describing
1973 the arguments.
1974 In Unix systems, you can control which shell is used with the
1975 @code{SHELL} environment variable.
1976 @xref{Arguments, ,Your Program's Arguments}.
1977
1978 @item The @emph{environment.}
1979 Your program normally inherits its environment from @value{GDBN}, but you can
1980 use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{set environment} and @code{unset
1981 environment} to change parts of the environment that affect
1982 your program. @xref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}.
1983
1984 @item The @emph{working directory.}
1985 Your program inherits its working directory from @value{GDBN}. You can set
1986 the @value{GDBN} working directory with the @code{cd} command in @value{GDBN}.
1987 @xref{Working Directory, ,Your Program's Working Directory}.
1988
1989 @item The @emph{standard input and output.}
1990 Your program normally uses the same device for standard input and
1991 standard output as @value{GDBN} is using. You can redirect input and output
1992 in the @code{run} command line, or you can use the @code{tty} command to
1993 set a different device for your program.
1994 @xref{Input/Output, ,Your Program's Input and Output}.
1995
1996 @cindex pipes
1997 @emph{Warning:} While input and output redirection work, you cannot use
1998 pipes to pass the output of the program you are debugging to another
1999 program; if you attempt this, @value{GDBN} is likely to wind up debugging the
2000 wrong program.
2001 @end table
2002
2003 When you issue the @code{run} command, your program begins to execute
2004 immediately. @xref{Stopping, ,Stopping and Continuing}, for discussion
2005 of how to arrange for your program to stop. Once your program has
2006 stopped, you may call functions in your program, using the @code{print}
2007 or @code{call} commands. @xref{Data, ,Examining Data}.
2008
2009 If the modification time of your symbol file has changed since the last
2010 time @value{GDBN} read its symbols, @value{GDBN} discards its symbol
2011 table, and reads it again. When it does this, @value{GDBN} tries to retain
2012 your current breakpoints.
2013
2014 @table @code
2015 @kindex start
2016 @item start
2017 @cindex run to main procedure
2018 The name of the main procedure can vary from language to language.
2019 With C or C@t{++}, the main procedure name is always @code{main}, but
2020 other languages such as Ada do not require a specific name for their
2021 main procedure. The debugger provides a convenient way to start the
2022 execution of the program and to stop at the beginning of the main
2023 procedure, depending on the language used.
2024
2025 The @samp{start} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
2026 breakpoint at the beginning of the main procedure and then invoking
2027 the @samp{run} command.
2028
2029 @cindex elaboration phase
2030 Some programs contain an @dfn{elaboration} phase where some startup code is
2031 executed before the main procedure is called. This depends on the
2032 languages used to write your program. In C@t{++}, for instance,
2033 constructors for static and global objects are executed before
2034 @code{main} is called. It is therefore possible that the debugger stops
2035 before reaching the main procedure. However, the temporary breakpoint
2036 will remain to halt execution.
2037
2038 Specify the arguments to give to your program as arguments to the
2039 @samp{start} command. These arguments will be given verbatim to the
2040 underlying @samp{run} command. Note that the same arguments will be
2041 reused if no argument is provided during subsequent calls to
2042 @samp{start} or @samp{run}.
2043
2044 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration. In
2045 these cases, using the @code{start} command would stop the execution of
2046 your program too late, as the program would have already completed the
2047 elaboration phase. Under these circumstances, insert breakpoints in your
2048 elaboration code before running your program.
2049
2050 @kindex set exec-wrapper
2051 @item set exec-wrapper @var{wrapper}
2052 @itemx show exec-wrapper
2053 @itemx unset exec-wrapper
2054 When @samp{exec-wrapper} is set, the specified wrapper is used to
2055 launch programs for debugging. @value{GDBN} starts your program
2056 with a shell command of the form @kbd{exec @var{wrapper}
2057 @var{program}}. Quoting is added to @var{program} and its
2058 arguments, but not to @var{wrapper}, so you should add quotes if
2059 appropriate for your shell. The wrapper runs until it executes
2060 your program, and then @value{GDBN} takes control.
2061
2062 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
2063 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
2064 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
2065 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
2066
2067 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
2068 the debugged program, without setting the variable in your shell's
2069 environment:
2070
2071 @smallexample
2072 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper env 'LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so'
2073 (@value{GDBP}) run
2074 @end smallexample
2075
2076 This command is available when debugging locally on most targets, excluding
2077 @sc{djgpp}, Cygwin, MS Windows, and QNX Neutrino.
2078
2079 @kindex set disable-randomization
2080 @item set disable-randomization
2081 @itemx set disable-randomization on
2082 This option (enabled by default in @value{GDBN}) will turn off the native
2083 randomization of the virtual address space of the started program. This option
2084 is useful for multiple debugging sessions to make the execution better
2085 reproducible and memory addresses reusable across debugging sessions.
2086
2087 This feature is implemented only on certain targets, including @sc{gnu}/Linux.
2088 On @sc{gnu}/Linux you can get the same behavior using
2089
2090 @smallexample
2091 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper setarch `uname -m` -R
2092 @end smallexample
2093
2094 @item set disable-randomization off
2095 Leave the behavior of the started executable unchanged. Some bugs rear their
2096 ugly heads only when the program is loaded at certain addresses. If your bug
2097 disappears when you run the program under @value{GDBN}, that might be because
2098 @value{GDBN} by default disables the address randomization on platforms, such
2099 as @sc{gnu}/Linux, which do that for stand-alone programs. Use @kbd{set
2100 disable-randomization off} to try to reproduce such elusive bugs.
2101
2102 On targets where it is available, virtual address space randomization
2103 protects the programs against certain kinds of security attacks. In these
2104 cases the attacker needs to know the exact location of a concrete executable
2105 code. Randomizing its location makes it impossible to inject jumps misusing
2106 a code at its expected addresses.
2107
2108 Prelinking shared libraries provides a startup performance advantage but it
2109 makes addresses in these libraries predictable for privileged processes by
2110 having just unprivileged access at the target system. Reading the shared
2111 library binary gives enough information for assembling the malicious code
2112 misusing it. Still even a prelinked shared library can get loaded at a new
2113 random address just requiring the regular relocation process during the
2114 startup. Shared libraries not already prelinked are always loaded at
2115 a randomly chosen address.
2116
2117 Position independent executables (PIE) contain position independent code
2118 similar to the shared libraries and therefore such executables get loaded at
2119 a randomly chosen address upon startup. PIE executables always load even
2120 already prelinked shared libraries at a random address. You can build such
2121 executable using @command{gcc -fPIE -pie}.
2122
2123 Heap (malloc storage), stack and custom mmap areas are always placed randomly
2124 (as long as the randomization is enabled).
2125
2126 @item show disable-randomization
2127 Show the current setting of the explicit disable of the native randomization of
2128 the virtual address space of the started program.
2129
2130 @end table
2131
2132 @node Arguments
2133 @section Your Program's Arguments
2134
2135 @cindex arguments (to your program)
2136 The arguments to your program can be specified by the arguments of the
2137 @code{run} command.
2138 They are passed to a shell, which expands wildcard characters and
2139 performs redirection of I/O, and thence to your program. Your
2140 @code{SHELL} environment variable (if it exists) specifies what shell
2141 @value{GDBN} uses. If you do not define @code{SHELL}, @value{GDBN} uses
2142 the default shell (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix).
2143
2144 On non-Unix systems, the program is usually invoked directly by
2145 @value{GDBN}, which emulates I/O redirection via the appropriate system
2146 calls, and the wildcard characters are expanded by the startup code of
2147 the program, not by the shell.
2148
2149 @code{run} with no arguments uses the same arguments used by the previous
2150 @code{run}, or those set by the @code{set args} command.
2151
2152 @table @code
2153 @kindex set args
2154 @item set args
2155 Specify the arguments to be used the next time your program is run. If
2156 @code{set args} has no arguments, @code{run} executes your program
2157 with no arguments. Once you have run your program with arguments,
2158 using @code{set args} before the next @code{run} is the only way to run
2159 it again without arguments.
2160
2161 @kindex show args
2162 @item show args
2163 Show the arguments to give your program when it is started.
2164 @end table
2165
2166 @node Environment
2167 @section Your Program's Environment
2168
2169 @cindex environment (of your program)
2170 The @dfn{environment} consists of a set of environment variables and
2171 their values. Environment variables conventionally record such things as
2172 your user name, your home directory, your terminal type, and your search
2173 path for programs to run. Usually you set up environment variables with
2174 the shell and they are inherited by all the other programs you run. When
2175 debugging, it can be useful to try running your program with a modified
2176 environment without having to start @value{GDBN} over again.
2177
2178 @table @code
2179 @kindex path
2180 @item path @var{directory}
2181 Add @var{directory} to the front of the @code{PATH} environment variable
2182 (the search path for executables) that will be passed to your program.
2183 The value of @code{PATH} used by @value{GDBN} does not change.
2184 You may specify several directory names, separated by whitespace or by a
2185 system-dependent separator character (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on
2186 MS-DOS and MS-Windows). If @var{directory} is already in the path, it
2187 is moved to the front, so it is searched sooner.
2188
2189 You can use the string @samp{$cwd} to refer to whatever is the current
2190 working directory at the time @value{GDBN} searches the path. If you
2191 use @samp{.} instead, it refers to the directory where you executed the
2192 @code{path} command. @value{GDBN} replaces @samp{.} in the
2193 @var{directory} argument (with the current path) before adding
2194 @var{directory} to the search path.
2195 @c 'path' is explicitly nonrepeatable, but RMS points out it is silly to
2196 @c document that, since repeating it would be a no-op.
2197
2198 @kindex show paths
2199 @item show paths
2200 Display the list of search paths for executables (the @code{PATH}
2201 environment variable).
2202
2203 @kindex show environment
2204 @item show environment @r{[}@var{varname}@r{]}
2205 Print the value of environment variable @var{varname} to be given to
2206 your program when it starts. If you do not supply @var{varname},
2207 print the names and values of all environment variables to be given to
2208 your program. You can abbreviate @code{environment} as @code{env}.
2209
2210 @kindex set environment
2211 @item set environment @var{varname} @r{[}=@var{value}@r{]}
2212 Set environment variable @var{varname} to @var{value}. The value
2213 changes for your program only, not for @value{GDBN} itself. @var{value} may
2214 be any string; the values of environment variables are just strings, and
2215 any interpretation is supplied by your program itself. The @var{value}
2216 parameter is optional; if it is eliminated, the variable is set to a
2217 null value.
2218 @c "any string" here does not include leading, trailing
2219 @c blanks. Gnu asks: does anyone care?
2220
2221 For example, this command:
2222
2223 @smallexample
2224 set env USER = foo
2225 @end smallexample
2226
2227 @noindent
2228 tells the debugged program, when subsequently run, that its user is named
2229 @samp{foo}. (The spaces around @samp{=} are used for clarity here; they
2230 are not actually required.)
2231
2232 @kindex unset environment
2233 @item unset environment @var{varname}
2234 Remove variable @var{varname} from the environment to be passed to your
2235 program. This is different from @samp{set env @var{varname} =};
2236 @code{unset environment} removes the variable from the environment,
2237 rather than assigning it an empty value.
2238 @end table
2239
2240 @emph{Warning:} On Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program using
2241 the shell indicated
2242 by your @code{SHELL} environment variable if it exists (or
2243 @code{/bin/sh} if not). If your @code{SHELL} variable names a shell
2244 that runs an initialization file---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell, or
2245 @file{.bashrc} for BASH---any variables you set in that file affect
2246 your program. You may wish to move setting of environment variables to
2247 files that are only run when you sign on, such as @file{.login} or
2248 @file{.profile}.
2249
2250 @node Working Directory
2251 @section Your Program's Working Directory
2252
2253 @cindex working directory (of your program)
2254 Each time you start your program with @code{run}, it inherits its
2255 working directory from the current working directory of @value{GDBN}.
2256 The @value{GDBN} working directory is initially whatever it inherited
2257 from its parent process (typically the shell), but you can specify a new
2258 working directory in @value{GDBN} with the @code{cd} command.
2259
2260 The @value{GDBN} working directory also serves as a default for the commands
2261 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2262 Specify Files}.
2263
2264 @table @code
2265 @kindex cd
2266 @cindex change working directory
2267 @item cd @var{directory}
2268 Set the @value{GDBN} working directory to @var{directory}.
2269
2270 @kindex pwd
2271 @item pwd
2272 Print the @value{GDBN} working directory.
2273 @end table
2274
2275 It is generally impossible to find the current working directory of
2276 the process being debugged (since a program can change its directory
2277 during its run). If you work on a system where @value{GDBN} is
2278 configured with the @file{/proc} support, you can use the @code{info
2279 proc} command (@pxref{SVR4 Process Information}) to find out the
2280 current working directory of the debuggee.
2281
2282 @node Input/Output
2283 @section Your Program's Input and Output
2284
2285 @cindex redirection
2286 @cindex i/o
2287 @cindex terminal
2288 By default, the program you run under @value{GDBN} does input and output to
2289 the same terminal that @value{GDBN} uses. @value{GDBN} switches the terminal
2290 to its own terminal modes to interact with you, but it records the terminal
2291 modes your program was using and switches back to them when you continue
2292 running your program.
2293
2294 @table @code
2295 @kindex info terminal
2296 @item info terminal
2297 Displays information recorded by @value{GDBN} about the terminal modes your
2298 program is using.
2299 @end table
2300
2301 You can redirect your program's input and/or output using shell
2302 redirection with the @code{run} command. For example,
2303
2304 @smallexample
2305 run > outfile
2306 @end smallexample
2307
2308 @noindent
2309 starts your program, diverting its output to the file @file{outfile}.
2310
2311 @kindex tty
2312 @cindex controlling terminal
2313 Another way to specify where your program should do input and output is
2314 with the @code{tty} command. This command accepts a file name as
2315 argument, and causes this file to be the default for future @code{run}
2316 commands. It also resets the controlling terminal for the child
2317 process, for future @code{run} commands. For example,
2318
2319 @smallexample
2320 tty /dev/ttyb
2321 @end smallexample
2322
2323 @noindent
2324 directs that processes started with subsequent @code{run} commands
2325 default to do input and output on the terminal @file{/dev/ttyb} and have
2326 that as their controlling terminal.
2327
2328 An explicit redirection in @code{run} overrides the @code{tty} command's
2329 effect on the input/output device, but not its effect on the controlling
2330 terminal.
2331
2332 When you use the @code{tty} command or redirect input in the @code{run}
2333 command, only the input @emph{for your program} is affected. The input
2334 for @value{GDBN} still comes from your terminal. @code{tty} is an alias
2335 for @code{set inferior-tty}.
2336
2337 @cindex inferior tty
2338 @cindex set inferior controlling terminal
2339 You can use the @code{show inferior-tty} command to tell @value{GDBN} to
2340 display the name of the terminal that will be used for future runs of your
2341 program.
2342
2343 @table @code
2344 @item set inferior-tty /dev/ttyb
2345 @kindex set inferior-tty
2346 Set the tty for the program being debugged to /dev/ttyb.
2347
2348 @item show inferior-tty
2349 @kindex show inferior-tty
2350 Show the current tty for the program being debugged.
2351 @end table
2352
2353 @node Attach
2354 @section Debugging an Already-running Process
2355 @kindex attach
2356 @cindex attach
2357
2358 @table @code
2359 @item attach @var{process-id}
2360 This command attaches to a running process---one that was started
2361 outside @value{GDBN}. (@code{info files} shows your active
2362 targets.) The command takes as argument a process ID. The usual way to
2363 find out the @var{process-id} of a Unix process is with the @code{ps} utility,
2364 or with the @samp{jobs -l} shell command.
2365
2366 @code{attach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} a second time after
2367 executing the command.
2368 @end table
2369
2370 To use @code{attach}, your program must be running in an environment
2371 which supports processes; for example, @code{attach} does not work for
2372 programs on bare-board targets that lack an operating system. You must
2373 also have permission to send the process a signal.
2374
2375 When you use @code{attach}, the debugger finds the program running in
2376 the process first by looking in the current working directory, then (if
2377 the program is not found) by using the source file search path
2378 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}). You can also use
2379 the @code{file} command to load the program. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2380 Specify Files}.
2381
2382 The first thing @value{GDBN} does after arranging to debug the specified
2383 process is to stop it. You can examine and modify an attached process
2384 with all the @value{GDBN} commands that are ordinarily available when
2385 you start processes with @code{run}. You can insert breakpoints; you
2386 can step and continue; you can modify storage. If you would rather the
2387 process continue running, you may use the @code{continue} command after
2388 attaching @value{GDBN} to the process.
2389
2390 @table @code
2391 @kindex detach
2392 @item detach
2393 When you have finished debugging the attached process, you can use the
2394 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control. Detaching
2395 the process continues its execution. After the @code{detach} command,
2396 that process and @value{GDBN} become completely independent once more, and you
2397 are ready to @code{attach} another process or start one with @code{run}.
2398 @code{detach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
2399 executing the command.
2400 @end table
2401
2402 If you exit @value{GDBN} while you have an attached process, you detach
2403 that process. If you use the @code{run} command, you kill that process.
2404 By default, @value{GDBN} asks for confirmation if you try to do either of these
2405 things; you can control whether or not you need to confirm by using the
2406 @code{set confirm} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
2407 Messages}).
2408
2409 @node Kill Process
2410 @section Killing the Child Process
2411
2412 @table @code
2413 @kindex kill
2414 @item kill
2415 Kill the child process in which your program is running under @value{GDBN}.
2416 @end table
2417
2418 This command is useful if you wish to debug a core dump instead of a
2419 running process. @value{GDBN} ignores any core dump file while your program
2420 is running.
2421
2422 On some operating systems, a program cannot be executed outside @value{GDBN}
2423 while you have breakpoints set on it inside @value{GDBN}. You can use the
2424 @code{kill} command in this situation to permit running your program
2425 outside the debugger.
2426
2427 The @code{kill} command is also useful if you wish to recompile and
2428 relink your program, since on many systems it is impossible to modify an
2429 executable file while it is running in a process. In this case, when you
2430 next type @code{run}, @value{GDBN} notices that the file has changed, and
2431 reads the symbol table again (while trying to preserve your current
2432 breakpoint settings).
2433
2434 @node Inferiors and Programs
2435 @section Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs
2436
2437 @value{GDBN} lets you run and debug multiple programs in a single
2438 session. In addition, @value{GDBN} on some systems may let you run
2439 several programs simultaneously (otherwise you have to exit from one
2440 before starting another). In the most general case, you can have
2441 multiple threads of execution in each of multiple processes, launched
2442 from multiple executables.
2443
2444 @cindex inferior
2445 @value{GDBN} represents the state of each program execution with an
2446 object called an @dfn{inferior}. An inferior typically corresponds to
2447 a process, but is more general and applies also to targets that do not
2448 have processes. Inferiors may be created before a process runs, and
2449 may be retained after a process exits. Inferiors have unique
2450 identifiers that are different from process ids. Usually each
2451 inferior will also have its own distinct address space, although some
2452 embedded targets may have several inferiors running in different parts
2453 of a single address space. Each inferior may in turn have multiple
2454 threads running in it.
2455
2456 To find out what inferiors exist at any moment, use @w{@code{info
2457 inferiors}}:
2458
2459 @table @code
2460 @kindex info inferiors
2461 @item info inferiors
2462 Print a list of all inferiors currently being managed by @value{GDBN}.
2463
2464 @value{GDBN} displays for each inferior (in this order):
2465
2466 @enumerate
2467 @item
2468 the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2469
2470 @item
2471 the target system's inferior identifier
2472
2473 @item
2474 the name of the executable the inferior is running.
2475
2476 @end enumerate
2477
2478 @noindent
2479 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} inferior number
2480 indicates the current inferior.
2481
2482 For example,
2483 @end table
2484 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2485
2486 @smallexample
2487 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2488 Num Description Executable
2489 2 process 2307 hello
2490 * 1 process 3401 goodbye
2491 @end smallexample
2492
2493 To switch focus between inferiors, use the @code{inferior} command:
2494
2495 @table @code
2496 @kindex inferior @var{infno}
2497 @item inferior @var{infno}
2498 Make inferior number @var{infno} the current inferior. The argument
2499 @var{infno} is the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}, as shown
2500 in the first field of the @samp{info inferiors} display.
2501 @end table
2502
2503
2504 You can get multiple executables into a debugging session via the
2505 @code{add-inferior} and @w{@code{clone-inferior}} commands. On some
2506 systems @value{GDBN} can add inferiors to the debug session
2507 automatically by following calls to @code{fork} and @code{exec}. To
2508 remove inferiors from the debugging session use the
2509 @w{@code{remove-inferiors}} command.
2510
2511 @table @code
2512 @kindex add-inferior
2513 @item add-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ -exec @var{executable} ]
2514 Adds @var{n} inferiors to be run using @var{executable} as the
2515 executable. @var{n} defaults to 1. If no executable is specified,
2516 the inferiors begins empty, with no program. You can still assign or
2517 change the program assigned to the inferior at any time by using the
2518 @code{file} command with the executable name as its argument.
2519
2520 @kindex clone-inferior
2521 @item clone-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ @var{infno} ]
2522 Adds @var{n} inferiors ready to execute the same program as inferior
2523 @var{infno}. @var{n} defaults to 1. @var{infno} defaults to the
2524 number of the current inferior. This is a convenient command when you
2525 want to run another instance of the inferior you are debugging.
2526
2527 @smallexample
2528 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2529 Num Description Executable
2530 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2531 (@value{GDBP}) clone-inferior
2532 Added inferior 2.
2533 1 inferiors added.
2534 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2535 Num Description Executable
2536 2 <null> helloworld
2537 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2538 @end smallexample
2539
2540 You can now simply switch focus to inferior 2 and run it.
2541
2542 @kindex remove-inferiors
2543 @item remove-inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2544 Removes the inferior or inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}. It is not
2545 possible to remove an inferior that is running with this command. For
2546 those, use the @code{kill} or @code{detach} command first.
2547
2548 @end table
2549
2550 To quit debugging one of the running inferiors that is not the current
2551 inferior, you can either detach from it by using the @w{@code{detach
2552 inferior}} command (allowing it to run independently), or kill it
2553 using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}} command:
2554
2555 @table @code
2556 @kindex detach inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2557 @item detach inferior @var{infno}@dots{}
2558 Detach from the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN}
2559 inferior number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry
2560 still stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors},
2561 but its Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2562
2563 @kindex kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2564 @item kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2565 Kill the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN} inferior
2566 number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry still
2567 stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors}, but its
2568 Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2569 @end table
2570
2571 After the successful completion of a command such as @code{detach},
2572 @code{detach inferiors}, @code{kill} or @code{kill inferiors}, or after
2573 a normal process exit, the inferior is still valid and listed with
2574 @code{info inferiors}, ready to be restarted.
2575
2576
2577 To be notified when inferiors are started or exit under @value{GDBN}'s
2578 control use @w{@code{set print inferior-events}}:
2579
2580 @table @code
2581 @kindex set print inferior-events
2582 @cindex print messages on inferior start and exit
2583 @item set print inferior-events
2584 @itemx set print inferior-events on
2585 @itemx set print inferior-events off
2586 The @code{set print inferior-events} command allows you to enable or
2587 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new
2588 inferiors have started or that inferiors have exited or have been
2589 detached. By default, these messages will not be printed.
2590
2591 @kindex show print inferior-events
2592 @item show print inferior-events
2593 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that
2594 inferiors have started, exited or have been detached.
2595 @end table
2596
2597 Many commands will work the same with multiple programs as with a
2598 single program: e.g., @code{print myglobal} will simply display the
2599 value of @code{myglobal} in the current inferior.
2600
2601
2602 Occasionaly, when debugging @value{GDBN} itself, it may be useful to
2603 get more info about the relationship of inferiors, programs, address
2604 spaces in a debug session. You can do that with the @w{@code{maint
2605 info program-spaces}} command.
2606
2607 @table @code
2608 @kindex maint info program-spaces
2609 @item maint info program-spaces
2610 Print a list of all program spaces currently being managed by
2611 @value{GDBN}.
2612
2613 @value{GDBN} displays for each program space (in this order):
2614
2615 @enumerate
2616 @item
2617 the program space number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2618
2619 @item
2620 the name of the executable loaded into the program space, with e.g.,
2621 the @code{file} command.
2622
2623 @end enumerate
2624
2625 @noindent
2626 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} program space number
2627 indicates the current program space.
2628
2629 In addition, below each program space line, @value{GDBN} prints extra
2630 information that isn't suitable to display in tabular form. For
2631 example, the list of inferiors bound to the program space.
2632
2633 @smallexample
2634 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2635 Id Executable
2636 2 goodbye
2637 Bound inferiors: ID 1 (process 21561)
2638 * 1 hello
2639 @end smallexample
2640
2641 Here we can see that no inferior is running the program @code{hello},
2642 while @code{process 21561} is running the program @code{goodbye}. On
2643 some targets, it is possible that multiple inferiors are bound to the
2644 same program space. The most common example is that of debugging both
2645 the parent and child processes of a @code{vfork} call. For example,
2646
2647 @smallexample
2648 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2649 Id Executable
2650 * 1 vfork-test
2651 Bound inferiors: ID 2 (process 18050), ID 1 (process 18045)
2652 @end smallexample
2653
2654 Here, both inferior 2 and inferior 1 are running in the same program
2655 space as a result of inferior 1 having executed a @code{vfork} call.
2656 @end table
2657
2658 @node Threads
2659 @section Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads
2660
2661 @cindex threads of execution
2662 @cindex multiple threads
2663 @cindex switching threads
2664 In some operating systems, such as HP-UX and Solaris, a single program
2665 may have more than one @dfn{thread} of execution. The precise semantics
2666 of threads differ from one operating system to another, but in general
2667 the threads of a single program are akin to multiple processes---except
2668 that they share one address space (that is, they can all examine and
2669 modify the same variables). On the other hand, each thread has its own
2670 registers and execution stack, and perhaps private memory.
2671
2672 @value{GDBN} provides these facilities for debugging multi-thread
2673 programs:
2674
2675 @itemize @bullet
2676 @item automatic notification of new threads
2677 @item @samp{thread @var{threadno}}, a command to switch among threads
2678 @item @samp{info threads}, a command to inquire about existing threads
2679 @item @samp{thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{args}},
2680 a command to apply a command to a list of threads
2681 @item thread-specific breakpoints
2682 @item @samp{set print thread-events}, which controls printing of
2683 messages on thread start and exit.
2684 @item @samp{set libthread-db-search-path @var{path}}, which lets
2685 the user specify which @code{libthread_db} to use if the default choice
2686 isn't compatible with the program.
2687 @end itemize
2688
2689 @quotation
2690 @emph{Warning:} These facilities are not yet available on every
2691 @value{GDBN} configuration where the operating system supports threads.
2692 If your @value{GDBN} does not support threads, these commands have no
2693 effect. For example, a system without thread support shows no output
2694 from @samp{info threads}, and always rejects the @code{thread} command,
2695 like this:
2696
2697 @smallexample
2698 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2699 (@value{GDBP}) thread 1
2700 Thread ID 1 not known. Use the "info threads" command to
2701 see the IDs of currently known threads.
2702 @end smallexample
2703 @c FIXME to implementors: how hard would it be to say "sorry, this GDB
2704 @c doesn't support threads"?
2705 @end quotation
2706
2707 @cindex focus of debugging
2708 @cindex current thread
2709 The @value{GDBN} thread debugging facility allows you to observe all
2710 threads while your program runs---but whenever @value{GDBN} takes
2711 control, one thread in particular is always the focus of debugging.
2712 This thread is called the @dfn{current thread}. Debugging commands show
2713 program information from the perspective of the current thread.
2714
2715 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message
2716 @cindex thread identifier (system)
2717 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2718 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2719 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2720 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2721 the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2722 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2723 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2724 @sc{gnu}/Linux, you might see
2725
2726 @smallexample
2727 [New Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 25582)]
2728 @end smallexample
2729
2730 @noindent
2731 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread. In contrast, on an SGI system,
2732 the @var{systag} is simply something like @samp{process 368}, with no
2733 further qualifier.
2734
2735 @c FIXME!! (1) Does the [New...] message appear even for the very first
2736 @c thread of a program, or does it only appear for the
2737 @c second---i.e.@: when it becomes obvious we have a multithread
2738 @c program?
2739 @c (2) *Is* there necessarily a first thread always? Or do some
2740 @c multithread systems permit starting a program with multiple
2741 @c threads ab initio?
2742
2743 @cindex thread number
2744 @cindex thread identifier (GDB)
2745 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2746 number---always a single integer---with each thread in your program.
2747
2748 @table @code
2749 @kindex info threads
2750 @item info threads @r{[}@var{id}@dots{}@r{]}
2751 Display a summary of all threads currently in your program. Optional
2752 argument @var{id}@dots{} is one or more thread ids separated by spaces, and
2753 means to print information only about the specified thread or threads.
2754 @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2755
2756 @enumerate
2757 @item
2758 the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2759
2760 @item
2761 the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2762
2763 @item
2764 the thread's name, if one is known. A thread can either be named by
2765 the user (see @code{thread name}, below), or, in some cases, by the
2766 program itself.
2767
2768 @item
2769 the current stack frame summary for that thread
2770 @end enumerate
2771
2772 @noindent
2773 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2774 indicates the current thread.
2775
2776 For example,
2777 @end table
2778 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2779
2780 @smallexample
2781 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2782 Id Target Id Frame
2783 3 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2784 2 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2785 * 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
2786 at threadtest.c:68
2787 @end smallexample
2788
2789 On Solaris, you can display more information about user threads with a
2790 Solaris-specific command:
2791
2792 @table @code
2793 @item maint info sol-threads
2794 @kindex maint info sol-threads
2795 @cindex thread info (Solaris)
2796 Display info on Solaris user threads.
2797 @end table
2798
2799 @table @code
2800 @kindex thread @var{threadno}
2801 @item thread @var{threadno}
2802 Make thread number @var{threadno} the current thread. The command
2803 argument @var{threadno} is the internal @value{GDBN} thread number, as
2804 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display.
2805 @value{GDBN} responds by displaying the system identifier of the thread
2806 you selected, and its current stack frame summary:
2807
2808 @smallexample
2809 (@value{GDBP}) thread 2
2810 [Switching to thread 2 (Thread 0xb7fdab70 (LWP 12747))]
2811 #0 some_function (ignore=0x0) at example.c:8
2812 8 printf ("hello\n");
2813 @end smallexample
2814
2815 @noindent
2816 As with the @samp{[New @dots{}]} message, the form of the text after
2817 @samp{Switching to} depends on your system's conventions for identifying
2818 threads.
2819
2820 @vindex $_thread@r{, convenience variable}
2821 The debugger convenience variable @samp{$_thread} contains the number
2822 of the current thread. You may find this useful in writing breakpoint
2823 conditional expressions, command scripts, and so forth. See
2824 @xref{Convenience Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for general
2825 information on convenience variables.
2826
2827 @kindex thread apply
2828 @cindex apply command to several threads
2829 @item thread apply [@var{threadno} | all] @var{command}
2830 The @code{thread apply} command allows you to apply the named
2831 @var{command} to one or more threads. Specify the numbers of the
2832 threads that you want affected with the command argument
2833 @var{threadno}. It can be a single thread number, one of the numbers
2834 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display; or it
2835 could be a range of thread numbers, as in @code{2-4}. To apply a
2836 command to all threads, type @kbd{thread apply all @var{command}}.
2837
2838 @kindex thread name
2839 @cindex name a thread
2840 @item thread name [@var{name}]
2841 This command assigns a name to the current thread. If no argument is
2842 given, any existing user-specified name is removed. The thread name
2843 appears in the @samp{info threads} display.
2844
2845 On some systems, such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, @value{GDBN} is able to
2846 determine the name of the thread as given by the OS. On these
2847 systems, a name specified with @samp{thread name} will override the
2848 system-give name, and removing the user-specified name will cause
2849 @value{GDBN} to once again display the system-specified name.
2850
2851 @kindex thread find
2852 @cindex search for a thread
2853 @item thread find [@var{regexp}]
2854 Search for and display thread ids whose name or @var{systag}
2855 matches the supplied regular expression.
2856
2857 As well as being the complement to the @samp{thread name} command,
2858 this command also allows you to identify a thread by its target
2859 @var{systag}. For instance, on @sc{gnu}/Linux, the target @var{systag}
2860 is the LWP id.
2861
2862 @smallexample
2863 (@value{GDBN}) thread find 26688
2864 Thread 4 has target id 'Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688)'
2865 (@value{GDBN}) info thread 4
2866 Id Target Id Frame
2867 4 Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688) 0x00000031ca6cd372 in select ()
2868 @end smallexample
2869
2870 @kindex set print thread-events
2871 @cindex print messages on thread start and exit
2872 @item set print thread-events
2873 @itemx set print thread-events on
2874 @itemx set print thread-events off
2875 The @code{set print thread-events} command allows you to enable or
2876 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new threads have
2877 started or that threads have exited. By default, these messages will
2878 be printed if detection of these events is supported by the target.
2879 Note that these messages cannot be disabled on all targets.
2880
2881 @kindex show print thread-events
2882 @item show print thread-events
2883 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that threads
2884 have started and exited.
2885 @end table
2886
2887 @xref{Thread Stops,,Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs}, for
2888 more information about how @value{GDBN} behaves when you stop and start
2889 programs with multiple threads.
2890
2891 @xref{Set Watchpoints,,Setting Watchpoints}, for information about
2892 watchpoints in programs with multiple threads.
2893
2894 @anchor{set libthread-db-search-path}
2895 @table @code
2896 @kindex set libthread-db-search-path
2897 @cindex search path for @code{libthread_db}
2898 @item set libthread-db-search-path @r{[}@var{path}@r{]}
2899 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
2900 directories @value{GDBN} will use to search for @code{libthread_db}.
2901 If you omit @var{path}, @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to
2902 its default value (@code{$sdir:$pdir} on @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems).
2903 Internally, the default value comes from the @code{LIBTHREAD_DB_SEARCH_PATH}
2904 macro.
2905
2906 On @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems, @value{GDBN} uses a ``helper''
2907 @code{libthread_db} library to obtain information about threads in the
2908 inferior process. @value{GDBN} will use @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2909 to find @code{libthread_db}. @value{GDBN} also consults first if inferior
2910 specific thread debugging library loading is enabled
2911 by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
2912
2913 A special entry @samp{$sdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2914 refers to the default system directories that are
2915 normally searched for loading shared libraries. The @samp{$sdir} entry
2916 is the only kind not needing to be enabled by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db}
2917 (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
2918
2919 A special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2920 refers to the directory from which @code{libpthread}
2921 was loaded in the inferior process.
2922
2923 For any @code{libthread_db} library @value{GDBN} finds in above directories,
2924 @value{GDBN} attempts to initialize it with the current inferior process.
2925 If this initialization fails (which could happen because of a version
2926 mismatch between @code{libthread_db} and @code{libpthread}), @value{GDBN}
2927 will unload @code{libthread_db}, and continue with the next directory.
2928 If none of @code{libthread_db} libraries initialize successfully,
2929 @value{GDBN} will issue a warning and thread debugging will be disabled.
2930
2931 Setting @code{libthread-db-search-path} is currently implemented
2932 only on some platforms.
2933
2934 @kindex show libthread-db-search-path
2935 @item show libthread-db-search-path
2936 Display current libthread_db search path.
2937
2938 @kindex set debug libthread-db
2939 @kindex show debug libthread-db
2940 @cindex debugging @code{libthread_db}
2941 @item set debug libthread-db
2942 @itemx show debug libthread-db
2943 Turns on or off display of @code{libthread_db}-related events.
2944 Use @code{1} to enable, @code{0} to disable.
2945 @end table
2946
2947 @node Forks
2948 @section Debugging Forks
2949
2950 @cindex fork, debugging programs which call
2951 @cindex multiple processes
2952 @cindex processes, multiple
2953 On most systems, @value{GDBN} has no special support for debugging
2954 programs which create additional processes using the @code{fork}
2955 function. When a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug the
2956 parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have
2957 set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child
2958 will get a @code{SIGTRAP} signal which (unless it catches the signal)
2959 will cause it to terminate.
2960
2961 However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround
2962 which isn't too painful. Put a call to @code{sleep} in the code which
2963 the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep
2964 only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists,
2965 so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run @value{GDBN}
2966 on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the @code{ps} program to
2967 get its process ID. Then tell @value{GDBN} (a new invocation of
2968 @value{GDBN} if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to
2969 the child process (@pxref{Attach}). From that point on you can debug
2970 the child process just like any other process which you attached to.
2971
2972 On some systems, @value{GDBN} provides support for debugging programs that
2973 create additional processes using the @code{fork} or @code{vfork} functions.
2974 Currently, the only platforms with this feature are HP-UX (11.x and later
2975 only?) and @sc{gnu}/Linux (kernel version 2.5.60 and later).
2976
2977 By default, when a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug
2978 the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.
2979
2980 If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process,
2981 use the command @w{@code{set follow-fork-mode}}.
2982
2983 @table @code
2984 @kindex set follow-fork-mode
2985 @item set follow-fork-mode @var{mode}
2986 Set the debugger response to a program call of @code{fork} or
2987 @code{vfork}. A call to @code{fork} or @code{vfork} creates a new
2988 process. The @var{mode} argument can be:
2989
2990 @table @code
2991 @item parent
2992 The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs
2993 unimpeded. This is the default.
2994
2995 @item child
2996 The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs
2997 unimpeded.
2998
2999 @end table
3000
3001 @kindex show follow-fork-mode
3002 @item show follow-fork-mode
3003 Display the current debugger response to a @code{fork} or @code{vfork} call.
3004 @end table
3005
3006 @cindex debugging multiple processes
3007 On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the
3008 command @w{@code{set detach-on-fork}}.
3009
3010 @table @code
3011 @kindex set detach-on-fork
3012 @item set detach-on-fork @var{mode}
3013 Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or
3014 retain debugger control over them both.
3015
3016 @table @code
3017 @item on
3018 The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of
3019 @code{follow-fork-mode}) will be detached and allowed to run
3020 independently. This is the default.
3021
3022 @item off
3023 Both processes will be held under the control of @value{GDBN}.
3024 One process (child or parent, depending on the value of
3025 @code{follow-fork-mode}) is debugged as usual, while the other
3026 is held suspended.
3027
3028 @end table
3029
3030 @kindex show detach-on-fork
3031 @item show detach-on-fork
3032 Show whether detach-on-fork mode is on/off.
3033 @end table
3034
3035 If you choose to set @samp{detach-on-fork} mode off, then @value{GDBN}
3036 will retain control of all forked processes (including nested forks).
3037 You can list the forked processes under the control of @value{GDBN} by
3038 using the @w{@code{info inferiors}} command, and switch from one fork
3039 to another by using the @code{inferior} command (@pxref{Inferiors and
3040 Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs}).
3041
3042 To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach
3043 from it by using the @w{@code{detach inferiors}} command (allowing it
3044 to run independently), or kill it using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}}
3045 command. @xref{Inferiors and Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors
3046 and Programs}.
3047
3048 If you ask to debug a child process and a @code{vfork} is followed by an
3049 @code{exec}, @value{GDBN} executes the new target up to the first
3050 breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on
3051 @code{main} in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on
3052 the child process's @code{main}.
3053
3054 On some systems, when a child process is spawned by @code{vfork}, you
3055 cannot debug the child or parent until an @code{exec} call completes.
3056
3057 If you issue a @code{run} command to @value{GDBN} after an @code{exec}
3058 call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent
3059 process, use the @code{file} command with the parent executable name
3060 as its argument. By default, after an @code{exec} call executes,
3061 @value{GDBN} discards the symbols of the previous executable image.
3062 You can change this behaviour with the @w{@code{set follow-exec-mode}}
3063 command.
3064
3065 @table @code
3066 @kindex set follow-exec-mode
3067 @item set follow-exec-mode @var{mode}
3068
3069 Set debugger response to a program call of @code{exec}. An
3070 @code{exec} call replaces the program image of a process.
3071
3072 @code{follow-exec-mode} can be:
3073
3074 @table @code
3075 @item new
3076 @value{GDBN} creates a new inferior and rebinds the process to this
3077 new inferior. The program the process was running before the
3078 @code{exec} call can be restarted afterwards by restarting the
3079 original inferior.
3080
3081 For example:
3082
3083 @smallexample
3084 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3085 (gdb) info inferior
3086 Id Description Executable
3087 * 1 <null> prog1
3088 (@value{GDBP}) run
3089 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3090 Program exited normally.
3091 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3092 Id Description Executable
3093 * 2 <null> prog2
3094 1 <null> prog1
3095 @end smallexample
3096
3097 @item same
3098 @value{GDBN} keeps the process bound to the same inferior. The new
3099 executable image replaces the previous executable loaded in the
3100 inferior. Restarting the inferior after the @code{exec} call, with
3101 e.g., the @code{run} command, restarts the executable the process was
3102 running after the @code{exec} call. This is the default mode.
3103
3104 For example:
3105
3106 @smallexample
3107 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3108 Id Description Executable
3109 * 1 <null> prog1
3110 (@value{GDBP}) run
3111 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3112 Program exited normally.
3113 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3114 Id Description Executable
3115 * 1 <null> prog2
3116 @end smallexample
3117
3118 @end table
3119 @end table
3120
3121 You can use the @code{catch} command to make @value{GDBN} stop whenever
3122 a @code{fork}, @code{vfork}, or @code{exec} call is made. @xref{Set
3123 Catchpoints, ,Setting Catchpoints}.
3124
3125 @node Checkpoint/Restart
3126 @section Setting a @emph{Bookmark} to Return to Later
3127
3128 @cindex checkpoint
3129 @cindex restart
3130 @cindex bookmark
3131 @cindex snapshot of a process
3132 @cindex rewind program state
3133
3134 On certain operating systems@footnote{Currently, only
3135 @sc{gnu}/Linux.}, @value{GDBN} is able to save a @dfn{snapshot} of a
3136 program's state, called a @dfn{checkpoint}, and come back to it
3137 later.
3138
3139 Returning to a checkpoint effectively undoes everything that has
3140 happened in the program since the @code{checkpoint} was saved. This
3141 includes changes in memory, registers, and even (within some limits)
3142 system state. Effectively, it is like going back in time to the
3143 moment when the checkpoint was saved.
3144
3145 Thus, if you're stepping thru a program and you think you're
3146 getting close to the point where things go wrong, you can save
3147 a checkpoint. Then, if you accidentally go too far and miss
3148 the critical statement, instead of having to restart your program
3149 from the beginning, you can just go back to the checkpoint and
3150 start again from there.
3151
3152 This can be especially useful if it takes a lot of time or
3153 steps to reach the point where you think the bug occurs.
3154
3155 To use the @code{checkpoint}/@code{restart} method of debugging:
3156
3157 @table @code
3158 @kindex checkpoint
3159 @item checkpoint
3160 Save a snapshot of the debugged program's current execution state.
3161 The @code{checkpoint} command takes no arguments, but each checkpoint
3162 is assigned a small integer id, similar to a breakpoint id.
3163
3164 @kindex info checkpoints
3165 @item info checkpoints
3166 List the checkpoints that have been saved in the current debugging
3167 session. For each checkpoint, the following information will be
3168 listed:
3169
3170 @table @code
3171 @item Checkpoint ID
3172 @item Process ID
3173 @item Code Address
3174 @item Source line, or label
3175 @end table
3176
3177 @kindex restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3178 @item restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3179 Restore the program state that was saved as checkpoint number
3180 @var{checkpoint-id}. All program variables, registers, stack frames
3181 etc.@: will be returned to the values that they had when the checkpoint
3182 was saved. In essence, gdb will ``wind back the clock'' to the point
3183 in time when the checkpoint was saved.
3184
3185 Note that breakpoints, @value{GDBN} variables, command history etc.
3186 are not affected by restoring a checkpoint. In general, a checkpoint
3187 only restores things that reside in the program being debugged, not in
3188 the debugger.
3189
3190 @kindex delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3191 @item delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3192 Delete the previously-saved checkpoint identified by @var{checkpoint-id}.
3193
3194 @end table
3195
3196 Returning to a previously saved checkpoint will restore the user state
3197 of the program being debugged, plus a significant subset of the system
3198 (OS) state, including file pointers. It won't ``un-write'' data from
3199 a file, but it will rewind the file pointer to the previous location,
3200 so that the previously written data can be overwritten. For files
3201 opened in read mode, the pointer will also be restored so that the
3202 previously read data can be read again.
3203
3204 Of course, characters that have been sent to a printer (or other
3205 external device) cannot be ``snatched back'', and characters received
3206 from eg.@: a serial device can be removed from internal program buffers,
3207 but they cannot be ``pushed back'' into the serial pipeline, ready to
3208 be received again. Similarly, the actual contents of files that have
3209 been changed cannot be restored (at this time).
3210
3211 However, within those constraints, you actually can ``rewind'' your
3212 program to a previously saved point in time, and begin debugging it
3213 again --- and you can change the course of events so as to debug a
3214 different execution path this time.
3215
3216 @cindex checkpoints and process id
3217 Finally, there is one bit of internal program state that will be
3218 different when you return to a checkpoint --- the program's process
3219 id. Each checkpoint will have a unique process id (or @var{pid}),
3220 and each will be different from the program's original @var{pid}.
3221 If your program has saved a local copy of its process id, this could
3222 potentially pose a problem.
3223
3224 @subsection A Non-obvious Benefit of Using Checkpoints
3225
3226 On some systems such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, address space randomization
3227 is performed on new processes for security reasons. This makes it
3228 difficult or impossible to set a breakpoint, or watchpoint, on an
3229 absolute address if you have to restart the program, since the
3230 absolute location of a symbol will change from one execution to the
3231 next.
3232
3233 A checkpoint, however, is an @emph{identical} copy of a process.
3234 Therefore if you create a checkpoint at (eg.@:) the start of main,
3235 and simply return to that checkpoint instead of restarting the
3236 process, you can avoid the effects of address randomization and
3237 your symbols will all stay in the same place.
3238
3239 @node Stopping
3240 @chapter Stopping and Continuing
3241
3242 The principal purposes of using a debugger are so that you can stop your
3243 program before it terminates; or so that, if your program runs into
3244 trouble, you can investigate and find out why.
3245
3246 Inside @value{GDBN}, your program may stop for any of several reasons,
3247 such as a signal, a breakpoint, or reaching a new line after a
3248 @value{GDBN} command such as @code{step}. You may then examine and
3249 change variables, set new breakpoints or remove old ones, and then
3250 continue execution. Usually, the messages shown by @value{GDBN} provide
3251 ample explanation of the status of your program---but you can also
3252 explicitly request this information at any time.
3253
3254 @table @code
3255 @kindex info program
3256 @item info program
3257 Display information about the status of your program: whether it is
3258 running or not, what process it is, and why it stopped.
3259 @end table
3260
3261 @menu
3262 * Breakpoints:: Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
3263 * Continuing and Stepping:: Resuming execution
3264 * Skipping Over Functions and Files::
3265 Skipping over functions and files
3266 * Signals:: Signals
3267 * Thread Stops:: Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
3268 @end menu
3269
3270 @node Breakpoints
3271 @section Breakpoints, Watchpoints, and Catchpoints
3272
3273 @cindex breakpoints
3274 A @dfn{breakpoint} makes your program stop whenever a certain point in
3275 the program is reached. For each breakpoint, you can add conditions to
3276 control in finer detail whether your program stops. You can set
3277 breakpoints with the @code{break} command and its variants (@pxref{Set
3278 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}), to specify the place where your program
3279 should stop by line number, function name or exact address in the
3280 program.
3281
3282 On some systems, you can set breakpoints in shared libraries before
3283 the executable is run. There is a minor limitation on HP-UX systems:
3284 you must wait until the executable is run in order to set breakpoints
3285 in shared library routines that are not called directly by the program
3286 (for example, routines that are arguments in a @code{pthread_create}
3287 call).
3288
3289 @cindex watchpoints
3290 @cindex data breakpoints
3291 @cindex memory tracing
3292 @cindex breakpoint on memory address
3293 @cindex breakpoint on variable modification
3294 A @dfn{watchpoint} is a special breakpoint that stops your program
3295 when the value of an expression changes. The expression may be a value
3296 of a variable, or it could involve values of one or more variables
3297 combined by operators, such as @samp{a + b}. This is sometimes called
3298 @dfn{data breakpoints}. You must use a different command to set
3299 watchpoints (@pxref{Set Watchpoints, ,Setting Watchpoints}), but aside
3300 from that, you can manage a watchpoint like any other breakpoint: you
3301 enable, disable, and delete both breakpoints and watchpoints using the
3302 same commands.
3303
3304 You can arrange to have values from your program displayed automatically
3305 whenever @value{GDBN} stops at a breakpoint. @xref{Auto Display,,
3306 Automatic Display}.
3307
3308 @cindex catchpoints
3309 @cindex breakpoint on events
3310 A @dfn{catchpoint} is another special breakpoint that stops your program
3311 when a certain kind of event occurs, such as the throwing of a C@t{++}
3312 exception or the loading of a library. As with watchpoints, you use a
3313 different command to set a catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints, ,Setting
3314 Catchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a catchpoint like any
3315 other breakpoint. (To stop when your program receives a signal, use the
3316 @code{handle} command; see @ref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
3317
3318 @cindex breakpoint numbers
3319 @cindex numbers for breakpoints
3320 @value{GDBN} assigns a number to each breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3321 catchpoint when you create it; these numbers are successive integers
3322 starting with one. In many of the commands for controlling various
3323 features of breakpoints you use the breakpoint number to say which
3324 breakpoint you want to change. Each breakpoint may be @dfn{enabled} or
3325 @dfn{disabled}; if disabled, it has no effect on your program until you
3326 enable it again.
3327
3328 @cindex breakpoint ranges
3329 @cindex ranges of breakpoints
3330 Some @value{GDBN} commands accept a range of breakpoints on which to
3331 operate. A breakpoint range is either a single breakpoint number, like
3332 @samp{5}, or two such numbers, in increasing order, separated by a
3333 hyphen, like @samp{5-7}. When a breakpoint range is given to a command,
3334 all breakpoints in that range are operated on.
3335
3336 @menu
3337 * Set Breaks:: Setting breakpoints
3338 * Set Watchpoints:: Setting watchpoints
3339 * Set Catchpoints:: Setting catchpoints
3340 * Delete Breaks:: Deleting breakpoints
3341 * Disabling:: Disabling breakpoints
3342 * Conditions:: Break conditions
3343 * Break Commands:: Breakpoint command lists
3344 * Save Breakpoints:: How to save breakpoints in a file
3345 * Static Probe Points:: Listing static probe points
3346 * Error in Breakpoints:: ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
3347 * Breakpoint-related Warnings:: ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
3348 @end menu
3349
3350 @node Set Breaks
3351 @subsection Setting Breakpoints
3352
3353 @c FIXME LMB what does GDB do if no code on line of breakpt?
3354 @c consider in particular declaration with/without initialization.
3355 @c
3356 @c FIXME 2 is there stuff on this already? break at fun start, already init?
3357
3358 @kindex break
3359 @kindex b @r{(@code{break})}
3360 @vindex $bpnum@r{, convenience variable}
3361 @cindex latest breakpoint
3362 Breakpoints are set with the @code{break} command (abbreviated
3363 @code{b}). The debugger convenience variable @samp{$bpnum} records the
3364 number of the breakpoint you've set most recently; see @ref{Convenience
3365 Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for a discussion of what you can do with
3366 convenience variables.
3367
3368 @table @code
3369 @item break @var{location}
3370 Set a breakpoint at the given @var{location}, which can specify a
3371 function name, a line number, or an address of an instruction.
3372 (@xref{Specify Location}, for a list of all the possible ways to
3373 specify a @var{location}.) The breakpoint will stop your program just
3374 before it executes any of the code in the specified @var{location}.
3375
3376 When using source languages that permit overloading of symbols, such as
3377 C@t{++}, a function name may refer to more than one possible place to break.
3378 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}, for a discussion of
3379 that situation.
3380
3381 It is also possible to insert a breakpoint that will stop the program
3382 only if a specific thread (@pxref{Thread-Specific Breakpoints})
3383 or a specific task (@pxref{Ada Tasks}) hits that breakpoint.
3384
3385 @item break
3386 When called without any arguments, @code{break} sets a breakpoint at
3387 the next instruction to be executed in the selected stack frame
3388 (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}). In any selected frame but the
3389 innermost, this makes your program stop as soon as control
3390 returns to that frame. This is similar to the effect of a
3391 @code{finish} command in the frame inside the selected frame---except
3392 that @code{finish} does not leave an active breakpoint. If you use
3393 @code{break} without an argument in the innermost frame, @value{GDBN} stops
3394 the next time it reaches the current location; this may be useful
3395 inside loops.
3396
3397 @value{GDBN} normally ignores breakpoints when it resumes execution, until at
3398 least one instruction has been executed. If it did not do this, you
3399 would be unable to proceed past a breakpoint without first disabling the
3400 breakpoint. This rule applies whether or not the breakpoint already
3401 existed when your program stopped.
3402
3403 @item break @dots{} if @var{cond}
3404 Set a breakpoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
3405 @var{cond} each time the breakpoint is reached, and stop only if the
3406 value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
3407 @samp{@dots{}} stands for one of the possible arguments described
3408 above (or no argument) specifying where to break. @xref{Conditions,
3409 ,Break Conditions}, for more information on breakpoint conditions.
3410
3411 @kindex tbreak
3412 @item tbreak @var{args}
3413 Set a breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args} are the
3414 same as for the @code{break} command, and the breakpoint is set in the same
3415 way, but the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the first time your
3416 program stops there. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3417
3418 @kindex hbreak
3419 @cindex hardware breakpoints
3420 @item hbreak @var{args}
3421 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint. @var{args} are the same as for the
3422 @code{break} command and the breakpoint is set in the same way, but the
3423 breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware may not
3424 have this support. The main purpose of this is EPROM/ROM code
3425 debugging, so you can set a breakpoint at an instruction without
3426 changing the instruction. This can be used with the new trap-generation
3427 provided by SPARClite DSU and most x86-based targets. These targets
3428 will generate traps when a program accesses some data or instruction
3429 address that is assigned to the debug registers. However the hardware
3430 breakpoint registers can take a limited number of breakpoints. For
3431 example, on the DSU, only two data breakpoints can be set at a time, and
3432 @value{GDBN} will reject this command if more than two are used. Delete
3433 or disable unused hardware breakpoints before setting new ones
3434 (@pxref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}).
3435 @xref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3436 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3437 breakpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3438 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3439
3440 @kindex thbreak
3441 @item thbreak @var{args}
3442 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args}
3443 are the same as for the @code{hbreak} command and the breakpoint is set in
3444 the same way. However, like the @code{tbreak} command,
3445 the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the
3446 first time your program stops there. Also, like the @code{hbreak}
3447 command, the breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware
3448 may not have this support. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3449 See also @ref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3450
3451 @kindex rbreak
3452 @cindex regular expression
3453 @cindex breakpoints at functions matching a regexp
3454 @cindex set breakpoints in many functions
3455 @item rbreak @var{regex}
3456 Set breakpoints on all functions matching the regular expression
3457 @var{regex}. This command sets an unconditional breakpoint on all
3458 matches, printing a list of all breakpoints it set. Once these
3459 breakpoints are set, they are treated just like the breakpoints set with
3460 the @code{break} command. You can delete them, disable them, or make
3461 them conditional the same way as any other breakpoint.
3462
3463 The syntax of the regular expression is the standard one used with tools
3464 like @file{grep}. Note that this is different from the syntax used by
3465 shells, so for instance @code{foo*} matches all functions that include
3466 an @code{fo} followed by zero or more @code{o}s. There is an implicit
3467 @code{.*} leading and trailing the regular expression you supply, so to
3468 match only functions that begin with @code{foo}, use @code{^foo}.
3469
3470 @cindex non-member C@t{++} functions, set breakpoint in
3471 When debugging C@t{++} programs, @code{rbreak} is useful for setting
3472 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
3473 classes.
3474
3475 @cindex set breakpoints on all functions
3476 The @code{rbreak} command can be used to set breakpoints in
3477 @strong{all} the functions in a program, like this:
3478
3479 @smallexample
3480 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak .
3481 @end smallexample
3482
3483 @item rbreak @var{file}:@var{regex}
3484 If @code{rbreak} is called with a filename qualification, it limits
3485 the search for functions matching the given regular expression to the
3486 specified @var{file}. This can be used, for example, to set breakpoints on
3487 every function in a given file:
3488
3489 @smallexample
3490 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak file.c:.
3491 @end smallexample
3492
3493 The colon separating the filename qualifier from the regex may
3494 optionally be surrounded by spaces.
3495
3496 @kindex info breakpoints
3497 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info breakpoints}
3498 @item info breakpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3499 @itemx info break @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3500 Print a table of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints set and
3501 not deleted. Optional argument @var{n} means print information only
3502 about the specified breakpoint(s) (or watchpoint(s) or catchpoint(s)).
3503 For each breakpoint, following columns are printed:
3504
3505 @table @emph
3506 @item Breakpoint Numbers
3507 @item Type
3508 Breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint.
3509 @item Disposition
3510 Whether the breakpoint is marked to be disabled or deleted when hit.
3511 @item Enabled or Disabled
3512 Enabled breakpoints are marked with @samp{y}. @samp{n} marks breakpoints
3513 that are not enabled.
3514 @item Address
3515 Where the breakpoint is in your program, as a memory address. For a
3516 pending breakpoint whose address is not yet known, this field will
3517 contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Such breakpoint won't fire until a shared
3518 library that has the symbol or line referred by breakpoint is loaded.
3519 See below for details. A breakpoint with several locations will
3520 have @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in this field---see below for details.
3521 @item What
3522 Where the breakpoint is in the source for your program, as a file and
3523 line number. For a pending breakpoint, the original string passed to
3524 the breakpoint command will be listed as it cannot be resolved until
3525 the appropriate shared library is loaded in the future.
3526 @end table
3527
3528 @noindent
3529 If a breakpoint is conditional, there are two evaluation modes: ``host'' and
3530 ``target''. If mode is ``host'', breakpoint condition evaluation is done by
3531 @value{GDBN} on the host's side. If it is ``target'', then the condition
3532 is evaluated by the target. The @code{info break} command shows
3533 the condition on the line following the affected breakpoint, together with
3534 its condition evaluation mode in between parentheses.
3535
3536 Breakpoint commands, if any, are listed after that. A pending breakpoint is
3537 allowed to have a condition specified for it. The condition is not parsed for
3538 validity until a shared library is loaded that allows the pending
3539 breakpoint to resolve to a valid location.
3540
3541 @noindent
3542 @code{info break} with a breakpoint
3543 number @var{n} as argument lists only that breakpoint. The
3544 convenience variable @code{$_} and the default examining-address for
3545 the @code{x} command are set to the address of the last breakpoint
3546 listed (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}).
3547
3548 @noindent
3549 @code{info break} displays a count of the number of times the breakpoint
3550 has been hit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the
3551 @code{ignore} command. You can ignore a large number of breakpoint
3552 hits, look at the breakpoint info to see how many times the breakpoint
3553 was hit, and then run again, ignoring one less than that number. This
3554 will get you quickly to the last hit of that breakpoint.
3555
3556 @noindent
3557 For a breakpoints with an enable count (xref) greater than 1,
3558 @code{info break} also displays that count.
3559
3560 @end table
3561
3562 @value{GDBN} allows you to set any number of breakpoints at the same place in
3563 your program. There is nothing silly or meaningless about this. When
3564 the breakpoints are conditional, this is even useful
3565 (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
3566
3567 @cindex multiple locations, breakpoints
3568 @cindex breakpoints, multiple locations
3569 It is possible that a breakpoint corresponds to several locations
3570 in your program. Examples of this situation are:
3571
3572 @itemize @bullet
3573 @item
3574 Multiple functions in the program may have the same name.
3575
3576 @item
3577 For a C@t{++} constructor, the @value{NGCC} compiler generates several
3578 instances of the function body, used in different cases.
3579
3580 @item
3581 For a C@t{++} template function, a given line in the function can
3582 correspond to any number of instantiations.
3583
3584 @item
3585 For an inlined function, a given source line can correspond to
3586 several places where that function is inlined.
3587 @end itemize
3588
3589 In all those cases, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at all
3590 the relevant locations.
3591
3592 A breakpoint with multiple locations is displayed in the breakpoint
3593 table using several rows---one header row, followed by one row for
3594 each breakpoint location. The header row has @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in the
3595 address column. The rows for individual locations contain the actual
3596 addresses for locations, and show the functions to which those
3597 locations belong. The number column for a location is of the form
3598 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number}.
3599
3600 For example:
3601
3602 @smallexample
3603 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
3604 1 breakpoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
3605 stop only if i==1
3606 breakpoint already hit 1 time
3607 1.1 y 0x080486a2 in void foo<int>() at t.cc:8
3608 1.2 y 0x080486ca in void foo<double>() at t.cc:8
3609 @end smallexample
3610
3611 Each location can be individually enabled or disabled by passing
3612 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number} as argument to the
3613 @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands. Note that you cannot
3614 delete the individual locations from the list, you can only delete the
3615 entire list of locations that belong to their parent breakpoint (with
3616 the @kbd{delete @var{num}} command, where @var{num} is the number of
3617 the parent breakpoint, 1 in the above example). Disabling or enabling
3618 the parent breakpoint (@pxref{Disabling}) affects all of the locations
3619 that belong to that breakpoint.
3620
3621 @cindex pending breakpoints
3622 It's quite common to have a breakpoint inside a shared library.
3623 Shared libraries can be loaded and unloaded explicitly,
3624 and possibly repeatedly, as the program is executed. To support
3625 this use case, @value{GDBN} updates breakpoint locations whenever
3626 any shared library is loaded or unloaded. Typically, you would
3627 set a breakpoint in a shared library at the beginning of your
3628 debugging session, when the library is not loaded, and when the
3629 symbols from the library are not available. When you try to set
3630 breakpoint, @value{GDBN} will ask you if you want to set
3631 a so called @dfn{pending breakpoint}---breakpoint whose address
3632 is not yet resolved.
3633
3634 After the program is run, whenever a new shared library is loaded,
3635 @value{GDBN} reevaluates all the breakpoints. When a newly loaded
3636 shared library contains the symbol or line referred to by some
3637 pending breakpoint, that breakpoint is resolved and becomes an
3638 ordinary breakpoint. When a library is unloaded, all breakpoints
3639 that refer to its symbols or source lines become pending again.
3640
3641 This logic works for breakpoints with multiple locations, too. For
3642 example, if you have a breakpoint in a C@t{++} template function, and
3643 a newly loaded shared library has an instantiation of that template,
3644 a new location is added to the list of locations for the breakpoint.
3645
3646 Except for having unresolved address, pending breakpoints do not
3647 differ from regular breakpoints. You can set conditions or commands,
3648 enable and disable them and perform other breakpoint operations.
3649
3650 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling what
3651 happens when the @samp{break} command cannot resolve breakpoint
3652 address specification to an address:
3653
3654 @kindex set breakpoint pending
3655 @kindex show breakpoint pending
3656 @table @code
3657 @item set breakpoint pending auto
3658 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} cannot find the breakpoint
3659 location, it queries you whether a pending breakpoint should be created.
3660
3661 @item set breakpoint pending on
3662 This indicates that an unrecognized breakpoint location should automatically
3663 result in a pending breakpoint being created.
3664
3665 @item set breakpoint pending off
3666 This indicates that pending breakpoints are not to be created. Any
3667 unrecognized breakpoint location results in an error. This setting does
3668 not affect any pending breakpoints previously created.
3669
3670 @item show breakpoint pending
3671 Show the current behavior setting for creating pending breakpoints.
3672 @end table
3673
3674 The settings above only affect the @code{break} command and its
3675 variants. Once breakpoint is set, it will be automatically updated
3676 as shared libraries are loaded and unloaded.
3677
3678 @cindex automatic hardware breakpoints
3679 For some targets, @value{GDBN} can automatically decide if hardware or
3680 software breakpoints should be used, depending on whether the
3681 breakpoint address is read-only or read-write. This applies to
3682 breakpoints set with the @code{break} command as well as to internal
3683 breakpoints set by commands like @code{next} and @code{finish}. For
3684 breakpoints set with @code{hbreak}, @value{GDBN} will always use hardware
3685 breakpoints.
3686
3687 You can control this automatic behaviour with the following commands::
3688
3689 @kindex set breakpoint auto-hw
3690 @kindex show breakpoint auto-hw
3691 @table @code
3692 @item set breakpoint auto-hw on
3693 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} sets a breakpoint, it
3694 will try to use the target memory map to decide if software or hardware
3695 breakpoint must be used.
3696
3697 @item set breakpoint auto-hw off
3698 This indicates @value{GDBN} should not automatically select breakpoint
3699 type. If the target provides a memory map, @value{GDBN} will warn when
3700 trying to set software breakpoint at a read-only address.
3701 @end table
3702
3703 @value{GDBN} normally implements breakpoints by replacing the program code
3704 at the breakpoint address with a special instruction, which, when
3705 executed, given control to the debugger. By default, the program
3706 code is so modified only when the program is resumed. As soon as
3707 the program stops, @value{GDBN} restores the original instructions. This
3708 behaviour guards against leaving breakpoints inserted in the
3709 target should gdb abrubptly disconnect. However, with slow remote
3710 targets, inserting and removing breakpoint can reduce the performance.
3711 This behavior can be controlled with the following commands::
3712
3713 @kindex set breakpoint always-inserted
3714 @kindex show breakpoint always-inserted
3715 @table @code
3716 @item set breakpoint always-inserted off
3717 All breakpoints, including newly added by the user, are inserted in
3718 the target only when the target is resumed. All breakpoints are
3719 removed from the target when it stops.
3720
3721 @item set breakpoint always-inserted on
3722 Causes all breakpoints to be inserted in the target at all times. If
3723 the user adds a new breakpoint, or changes an existing breakpoint, the
3724 breakpoints in the target are updated immediately. A breakpoint is
3725 removed from the target only when breakpoint itself is removed.
3726
3727 @cindex non-stop mode, and @code{breakpoint always-inserted}
3728 @item set breakpoint always-inserted auto
3729 This is the default mode. If @value{GDBN} is controlling the inferior
3730 in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}), gdb behaves as if
3731 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is on. If @value{GDBN} is
3732 controlling the inferior in all-stop mode, @value{GDBN} behaves as if
3733 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is off.
3734 @end table
3735
3736 @value{GDBN} handles conditional breakpoints by evaluating these conditions
3737 when a breakpoint breaks. If the condition is true, then the process being
3738 debugged stops, otherwise the process is resumed.
3739
3740 If the target supports evaluating conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} may
3741 download the breakpoint, together with its conditions, to it.
3742
3743 This feature can be controlled via the following commands:
3744
3745 @kindex set breakpoint condition-evaluation
3746 @kindex show breakpoint condition-evaluation
3747 @table @code
3748 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation host
3749 This option commands @value{GDBN} to evaluate the breakpoint
3750 conditions on the host's side. Unconditional breakpoints are sent to
3751 the target which in turn receives the triggers and reports them back to GDB
3752 for condition evaluation. This is the standard evaluation mode.
3753
3754 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation target
3755 This option commands @value{GDBN} to download breakpoint conditions
3756 to the target at the moment of their insertion. The target
3757 is responsible for evaluating the conditional expression and reporting
3758 breakpoint stop events back to @value{GDBN} whenever the condition
3759 is true. Due to limitations of target-side evaluation, some conditions
3760 cannot be evaluated there, e.g., conditions that depend on local data
3761 that is only known to the host. Examples include
3762 conditional expressions involving convenience variables, complex types
3763 that cannot be handled by the agent expression parser and expressions
3764 that are too long to be sent over to the target, specially when the
3765 target is a remote system. In these cases, the conditions will be
3766 evaluated by @value{GDBN}.
3767
3768 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation auto
3769 This is the default mode. If the target supports evaluating breakpoint
3770 conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} will download breakpoint conditions to
3771 the target (limitations mentioned previously apply). If the target does
3772 not support breakpoint condition evaluation, then @value{GDBN} will fallback
3773 to evaluating all these conditions on the host's side.
3774 @end table
3775
3776
3777 @cindex negative breakpoint numbers
3778 @cindex internal @value{GDBN} breakpoints
3779 @value{GDBN} itself sometimes sets breakpoints in your program for
3780 special purposes, such as proper handling of @code{longjmp} (in C
3781 programs). These internal breakpoints are assigned negative numbers,
3782 starting with @code{-1}; @samp{info breakpoints} does not display them.
3783 You can see these breakpoints with the @value{GDBN} maintenance command
3784 @samp{maint info breakpoints} (@pxref{maint info breakpoints}).
3785
3786
3787 @node Set Watchpoints
3788 @subsection Setting Watchpoints
3789
3790 @cindex setting watchpoints
3791 You can use a watchpoint to stop execution whenever the value of an
3792 expression changes, without having to predict a particular place where
3793 this may happen. (This is sometimes called a @dfn{data breakpoint}.)
3794 The expression may be as simple as the value of a single variable, or
3795 as complex as many variables combined by operators. Examples include:
3796
3797 @itemize @bullet
3798 @item
3799 A reference to the value of a single variable.
3800
3801 @item
3802 An address cast to an appropriate data type. For example,
3803 @samp{*(int *)0x12345678} will watch a 4-byte region at the specified
3804 address (assuming an @code{int} occupies 4 bytes).
3805
3806 @item
3807 An arbitrarily complex expression, such as @samp{a*b + c/d}. The
3808 expression can use any operators valid in the program's native
3809 language (@pxref{Languages}).
3810 @end itemize
3811
3812 You can set a watchpoint on an expression even if the expression can
3813 not be evaluated yet. For instance, you can set a watchpoint on
3814 @samp{*global_ptr} before @samp{global_ptr} is initialized.
3815 @value{GDBN} will stop when your program sets @samp{global_ptr} and
3816 the expression produces a valid value. If the expression becomes
3817 valid in some other way than changing a variable (e.g.@: if the memory
3818 pointed to by @samp{*global_ptr} becomes readable as the result of a
3819 @code{malloc} call), @value{GDBN} may not stop until the next time
3820 the expression changes.
3821
3822 @cindex software watchpoints
3823 @cindex hardware watchpoints
3824 Depending on your system, watchpoints may be implemented in software or
3825 hardware. @value{GDBN} does software watchpointing by single-stepping your
3826 program and testing the variable's value each time, which is hundreds of
3827 times slower than normal execution. (But this may still be worth it, to
3828 catch errors where you have no clue what part of your program is the
3829 culprit.)
3830
3831 On some systems, such as HP-UX, PowerPC, @sc{gnu}/Linux and most other
3832 x86-based targets, @value{GDBN} includes support for hardware
3833 watchpoints, which do not slow down the running of your program.
3834
3835 @table @code
3836 @kindex watch
3837 @item watch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3838 Set a watchpoint for an expression. @value{GDBN} will break when the
3839 expression @var{expr} is written into by the program and its value
3840 changes. The simplest (and the most popular) use of this command is
3841 to watch the value of a single variable:
3842
3843 @smallexample
3844 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo
3845 @end smallexample
3846
3847 If the command includes a @code{@r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}}
3848 argument, @value{GDBN} breaks only when the thread identified by
3849 @var{threadnum} changes the value of @var{expr}. If any other threads
3850 change the value of @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} will not break. Note
3851 that watchpoints restricted to a single thread in this way only work
3852 with Hardware Watchpoints.
3853
3854 Ordinarily a watchpoint respects the scope of variables in @var{expr}
3855 (see below). The @code{-location} argument tells @value{GDBN} to
3856 instead watch the memory referred to by @var{expr}. In this case,
3857 @value{GDBN} will evaluate @var{expr}, take the address of the result,
3858 and watch the memory at that address. The type of the result is used
3859 to determine the size of the watched memory. If the expression's
3860 result does not have an address, then @value{GDBN} will print an
3861 error.
3862
3863 The @code{@r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}} argument allows creation
3864 of masked watchpoints, if the current architecture supports this
3865 feature (e.g., PowerPC Embedded architecture, see @ref{PowerPC
3866 Embedded}.) A @dfn{masked watchpoint} specifies a mask in addition
3867 to an address to watch. The mask specifies that some bits of an address
3868 (the bits which are reset in the mask) should be ignored when matching
3869 the address accessed by the inferior against the watchpoint address.
3870 Thus, a masked watchpoint watches many addresses simultaneously---those
3871 addresses whose unmasked bits are identical to the unmasked bits in the
3872 watchpoint address. The @code{mask} argument implies @code{-location}.
3873 Examples:
3874
3875 @smallexample
3876 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo mask 0xffff00ff
3877 (@value{GDBP}) watch *0xdeadbeef mask 0xffffff00
3878 @end smallexample
3879
3880 @kindex rwatch
3881 @item rwatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3882 Set a watchpoint that will break when the value of @var{expr} is read
3883 by the program.
3884
3885 @kindex awatch
3886 @item awatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3887 Set a watchpoint that will break when @var{expr} is either read from
3888 or written into by the program.
3889
3890 @kindex info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3891 @item info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3892 This command prints a list of watchpoints, using the same format as
3893 @code{info break} (@pxref{Set Breaks}).
3894 @end table
3895
3896 If you watch for a change in a numerically entered address you need to
3897 dereference it, as the address itself is just a constant number which will
3898 never change. @value{GDBN} refuses to create a watchpoint that watches
3899 a never-changing value:
3900
3901 @smallexample
3902 (@value{GDBP}) watch 0x600850
3903 Cannot watch constant value 0x600850.
3904 (@value{GDBP}) watch *(int *) 0x600850
3905 Watchpoint 1: *(int *) 6293584
3906 @end smallexample
3907
3908 @value{GDBN} sets a @dfn{hardware watchpoint} if possible. Hardware
3909 watchpoints execute very quickly, and the debugger reports a change in
3910 value at the exact instruction where the change occurs. If @value{GDBN}
3911 cannot set a hardware watchpoint, it sets a software watchpoint, which
3912 executes more slowly and reports the change in value at the next
3913 @emph{statement}, not the instruction, after the change occurs.
3914
3915 @cindex use only software watchpoints
3916 You can force @value{GDBN} to use only software watchpoints with the
3917 @kbd{set can-use-hw-watchpoints 0} command. With this variable set to
3918 zero, @value{GDBN} will never try to use hardware watchpoints, even if
3919 the underlying system supports them. (Note that hardware-assisted
3920 watchpoints that were set @emph{before} setting
3921 @code{can-use-hw-watchpoints} to zero will still use the hardware
3922 mechanism of watching expression values.)
3923
3924 @table @code
3925 @item set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3926 @kindex set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3927 Set whether or not to use hardware watchpoints.
3928
3929 @item show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3930 @kindex show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3931 Show the current mode of using hardware watchpoints.
3932 @end table
3933
3934 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3935 watchpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3936 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3937
3938 When you issue the @code{watch} command, @value{GDBN} reports
3939
3940 @smallexample
3941 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: @var{expr}
3942 @end smallexample
3943
3944 @noindent
3945 if it was able to set a hardware watchpoint.
3946
3947 Currently, the @code{awatch} and @code{rwatch} commands can only set
3948 hardware watchpoints, because accesses to data that don't change the
3949 value of the watched expression cannot be detected without examining
3950 every instruction as it is being executed, and @value{GDBN} does not do
3951 that currently. If @value{GDBN} finds that it is unable to set a
3952 hardware breakpoint with the @code{awatch} or @code{rwatch} command, it
3953 will print a message like this:
3954
3955 @smallexample
3956 Expression cannot be implemented with read/access watchpoint.
3957 @end smallexample
3958
3959 Sometimes, @value{GDBN} cannot set a hardware watchpoint because the
3960 data type of the watched expression is wider than what a hardware
3961 watchpoint on the target machine can handle. For example, some systems
3962 can only watch regions that are up to 4 bytes wide; on such systems you
3963 cannot set hardware watchpoints for an expression that yields a
3964 double-precision floating-point number (which is typically 8 bytes
3965 wide). As a work-around, it might be possible to break the large region
3966 into a series of smaller ones and watch them with separate watchpoints.
3967
3968 If you set too many hardware watchpoints, @value{GDBN} might be unable
3969 to insert all of them when you resume the execution of your program.
3970 Since the precise number of active watchpoints is unknown until such
3971 time as the program is about to be resumed, @value{GDBN} might not be
3972 able to warn you about this when you set the watchpoints, and the
3973 warning will be printed only when the program is resumed:
3974
3975 @smallexample
3976 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: Could not insert watchpoint
3977 @end smallexample
3978
3979 @noindent
3980 If this happens, delete or disable some of the watchpoints.
3981
3982 Watching complex expressions that reference many variables can also
3983 exhaust the resources available for hardware-assisted watchpoints.
3984 That's because @value{GDBN} needs to watch every variable in the
3985 expression with separately allocated resources.
3986
3987 If you call a function interactively using @code{print} or @code{call},
3988 any watchpoints you have set will be inactive until @value{GDBN} reaches another
3989 kind of breakpoint or the call completes.
3990
3991 @value{GDBN} automatically deletes watchpoints that watch local
3992 (automatic) variables, or expressions that involve such variables, when
3993 they go out of scope, that is, when the execution leaves the block in
3994 which these variables were defined. In particular, when the program
3995 being debugged terminates, @emph{all} local variables go out of scope,
3996 and so only watchpoints that watch global variables remain set. If you
3997 rerun the program, you will need to set all such watchpoints again. One
3998 way of doing that would be to set a code breakpoint at the entry to the
3999 @code{main} function and when it breaks, set all the watchpoints.
4000
4001 @cindex watchpoints and threads
4002 @cindex threads and watchpoints
4003 In multi-threaded programs, watchpoints will detect changes to the
4004 watched expression from every thread.
4005
4006 @quotation
4007 @emph{Warning:} In multi-threaded programs, software watchpoints
4008 have only limited usefulness. If @value{GDBN} creates a software
4009 watchpoint, it can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a
4010 single thread}. If you are confident that the expression can only
4011 change due to the current thread's activity (and if you are also
4012 confident that no other thread can become current), then you can use
4013 software watchpoints as usual. However, @value{GDBN} may not notice
4014 when a non-current thread's activity changes the expression. (Hardware
4015 watchpoints, in contrast, watch an expression in all threads.)
4016 @end quotation
4017
4018 @xref{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}.
4019
4020 @node Set Catchpoints
4021 @subsection Setting Catchpoints
4022 @cindex catchpoints, setting
4023 @cindex exception handlers
4024 @cindex event handling
4025
4026 You can use @dfn{catchpoints} to cause the debugger to stop for certain
4027 kinds of program events, such as C@t{++} exceptions or the loading of a
4028 shared library. Use the @code{catch} command to set a catchpoint.
4029
4030 @table @code
4031 @kindex catch
4032 @item catch @var{event}
4033 Stop when @var{event} occurs. @var{event} can be any of the following:
4034 @table @code
4035 @item throw
4036 @cindex stop on C@t{++} exceptions
4037 The throwing of a C@t{++} exception.
4038
4039 @item catch
4040 The catching of a C@t{++} exception.
4041
4042 @item exception
4043 @cindex Ada exception catching
4044 @cindex catch Ada exceptions
4045 An Ada exception being raised. If an exception name is specified
4046 at the end of the command (eg @code{catch exception Program_Error}),
4047 the debugger will stop only when this specific exception is raised.
4048 Otherwise, the debugger stops execution when any Ada exception is raised.
4049
4050 When inserting an exception catchpoint on a user-defined exception whose
4051 name is identical to one of the exceptions defined by the language, the
4052 fully qualified name must be used as the exception name. Otherwise,
4053 @value{GDBN} will assume that it should stop on the pre-defined exception
4054 rather than the user-defined one. For instance, assuming an exception
4055 called @code{Constraint_Error} is defined in package @code{Pck}, then
4056 the command to use to catch such exceptions is @kbd{catch exception
4057 Pck.Constraint_Error}.
4058
4059 @item exception unhandled
4060 An exception that was raised but is not handled by the program.
4061
4062 @item assert
4063 A failed Ada assertion.
4064
4065 @item exec
4066 @cindex break on fork/exec
4067 A call to @code{exec}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4068 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4069
4070 @item syscall
4071 @itemx syscall @r{[}@var{name} @r{|} @var{number}@r{]} @dots{}
4072 @cindex break on a system call.
4073 A call to or return from a system call, a.k.a.@: @dfn{syscall}. A
4074 syscall is a mechanism for application programs to request a service
4075 from the operating system (OS) or one of the OS system services.
4076 @value{GDBN} can catch some or all of the syscalls issued by the
4077 debuggee, and show the related information for each syscall. If no
4078 argument is specified, calls to and returns from all system calls
4079 will be caught.
4080
4081 @var{name} can be any system call name that is valid for the
4082 underlying OS. Just what syscalls are valid depends on the OS. On
4083 GNU and Unix systems, you can find the full list of valid syscall
4084 names on @file{/usr/include/asm/unistd.h}.
4085
4086 @c For MS-Windows, the syscall names and the corresponding numbers
4087 @c can be found, e.g., on this URL:
4088 @c http://www.metasploit.com/users/opcode/syscalls.html
4089 @c but we don't support Windows syscalls yet.
4090
4091 Normally, @value{GDBN} knows in advance which syscalls are valid for
4092 each OS, so you can use the @value{GDBN} command-line completion
4093 facilities (@pxref{Completion,, command completion}) to list the
4094 available choices.
4095
4096 You may also specify the system call numerically. A syscall's
4097 number is the value passed to the OS's syscall dispatcher to
4098 identify the requested service. When you specify the syscall by its
4099 name, @value{GDBN} uses its database of syscalls to convert the name
4100 into the corresponding numeric code, but using the number directly
4101 may be useful if @value{GDBN}'s database does not have the complete
4102 list of syscalls on your system (e.g., because @value{GDBN} lags
4103 behind the OS upgrades).
4104
4105 The example below illustrates how this command works if you don't provide
4106 arguments to it:
4107
4108 @smallexample
4109 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4110 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4111 (@value{GDBP}) r
4112 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4113
4114 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'close'), \
4115 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4116 (@value{GDBP}) c
4117 Continuing.
4118
4119 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'close'), \
4120 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4121 (@value{GDBP})
4122 @end smallexample
4123
4124 Here is an example of catching a system call by name:
4125
4126 @smallexample
4127 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall chroot
4128 Catchpoint 1 (syscall 'chroot' [61])
4129 (@value{GDBP}) r
4130 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4131
4132 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'chroot'), \
4133 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4134 (@value{GDBP}) c
4135 Continuing.
4136
4137 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'chroot'), \
4138 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4139 (@value{GDBP})
4140 @end smallexample
4141
4142 An example of specifying a system call numerically. In the case
4143 below, the syscall number has a corresponding entry in the XML
4144 file, so @value{GDBN} finds its name and prints it:
4145
4146 @smallexample
4147 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4148 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 'exit_group')
4149 (@value{GDBP}) r
4150 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4151
4152 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'exit_group'), \
4153 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4154 (@value{GDBP}) c
4155 Continuing.
4156
4157 Program exited normally.
4158 (@value{GDBP})
4159 @end smallexample
4160
4161 However, there can be situations when there is no corresponding name
4162 in XML file for that syscall number. In this case, @value{GDBN} prints
4163 a warning message saying that it was not able to find the syscall name,
4164 but the catchpoint will be set anyway. See the example below:
4165
4166 @smallexample
4167 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 764
4168 warning: The number '764' does not represent a known syscall.
4169 Catchpoint 2 (syscall 764)
4170 (@value{GDBP})
4171 @end smallexample
4172
4173 If you configure @value{GDBN} using the @samp{--without-expat} option,
4174 it will not be able to display syscall names. Also, if your
4175 architecture does not have an XML file describing its system calls,
4176 you will not be able to see the syscall names. It is important to
4177 notice that these two features are used for accessing the syscall
4178 name database. In either case, you will see a warning like this:
4179
4180 @smallexample
4181 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4182 warning: Could not open "syscalls/i386-linux.xml"
4183 warning: Could not load the syscall XML file 'syscalls/i386-linux.xml'.
4184 GDB will not be able to display syscall names.
4185 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4186 (@value{GDBP})
4187 @end smallexample
4188
4189 Of course, the file name will change depending on your architecture and system.
4190
4191 Still using the example above, you can also try to catch a syscall by its
4192 number. In this case, you would see something like:
4193
4194 @smallexample
4195 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4196 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 252)
4197 @end smallexample
4198
4199 Again, in this case @value{GDBN} would not be able to display syscall's names.
4200
4201 @item fork
4202 A call to @code{fork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4203 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4204
4205 @item vfork
4206 A call to @code{vfork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4207 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4208
4209 @item load @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4210 @itemx unload @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4211 The loading or unloading of a shared library. If @var{regexp} is
4212 given, then the catchpoint will stop only if the regular expression
4213 matches one of the affected libraries.
4214
4215 @end table
4216
4217 @item tcatch @var{event}
4218 Set a catchpoint that is enabled only for one stop. The catchpoint is
4219 automatically deleted after the first time the event is caught.
4220
4221 @end table
4222
4223 Use the @code{info break} command to list the current catchpoints.
4224
4225 There are currently some limitations to C@t{++} exception handling
4226 (@code{catch throw} and @code{catch catch}) in @value{GDBN}:
4227
4228 @itemize @bullet
4229 @item
4230 If you call a function interactively, @value{GDBN} normally returns
4231 control to you when the function has finished executing. If the call
4232 raises an exception, however, the call may bypass the mechanism that
4233 returns control to you and cause your program either to abort or to
4234 simply continue running until it hits a breakpoint, catches a signal
4235 that @value{GDBN} is listening for, or exits. This is the case even if
4236 you set a catchpoint for the exception; catchpoints on exceptions are
4237 disabled within interactive calls.
4238
4239 @item
4240 You cannot raise an exception interactively.
4241
4242 @item
4243 You cannot install an exception handler interactively.
4244 @end itemize
4245
4246 @cindex raise exceptions
4247 Sometimes @code{catch} is not the best way to debug exception handling:
4248 if you need to know exactly where an exception is raised, it is better to
4249 stop @emph{before} the exception handler is called, since that way you
4250 can see the stack before any unwinding takes place. If you set a
4251 breakpoint in an exception handler instead, it may not be easy to find
4252 out where the exception was raised.
4253
4254 To stop just before an exception handler is called, you need some
4255 knowledge of the implementation. In the case of @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, exceptions are
4256 raised by calling a library function named @code{__raise_exception}
4257 which has the following ANSI C interface:
4258
4259 @smallexample
4260 /* @var{addr} is where the exception identifier is stored.
4261 @var{id} is the exception identifier. */
4262 void __raise_exception (void **addr, void *id);
4263 @end smallexample
4264
4265 @noindent
4266 To make the debugger catch all exceptions before any stack
4267 unwinding takes place, set a breakpoint on @code{__raise_exception}
4268 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Exceptions}).
4269
4270 With a conditional breakpoint (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions})
4271 that depends on the value of @var{id}, you can stop your program when
4272 a specific exception is raised. You can use multiple conditional
4273 breakpoints to stop your program when any of a number of exceptions are
4274 raised.
4275
4276
4277 @node Delete Breaks
4278 @subsection Deleting Breakpoints
4279
4280 @cindex clearing breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4281 @cindex deleting breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4282 It is often necessary to eliminate a breakpoint, watchpoint, or
4283 catchpoint once it has done its job and you no longer want your program
4284 to stop there. This is called @dfn{deleting} the breakpoint. A
4285 breakpoint that has been deleted no longer exists; it is forgotten.
4286
4287 With the @code{clear} command you can delete breakpoints according to
4288 where they are in your program. With the @code{delete} command you can
4289 delete individual breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints by specifying
4290 their breakpoint numbers.
4291
4292 It is not necessary to delete a breakpoint to proceed past it. @value{GDBN}
4293 automatically ignores breakpoints on the first instruction to be executed
4294 when you continue execution without changing the execution address.
4295
4296 @table @code
4297 @kindex clear
4298 @item clear
4299 Delete any breakpoints at the next instruction to be executed in the
4300 selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). When
4301 the innermost frame is selected, this is a good way to delete a
4302 breakpoint where your program just stopped.
4303
4304 @item clear @var{location}
4305 Delete any breakpoints set at the specified @var{location}.
4306 @xref{Specify Location}, for the various forms of @var{location}; the
4307 most useful ones are listed below:
4308
4309 @table @code
4310 @item clear @var{function}
4311 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{function}
4312 Delete any breakpoints set at entry to the named @var{function}.
4313
4314 @item clear @var{linenum}
4315 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
4316 Delete any breakpoints set at or within the code of the specified
4317 @var{linenum} of the specified @var{filename}.
4318 @end table
4319
4320 @cindex delete breakpoints
4321 @kindex delete
4322 @kindex d @r{(@code{delete})}
4323 @item delete @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4324 Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint
4325 ranges specified as arguments. If no argument is specified, delete all
4326 breakpoints (@value{GDBN} asks confirmation, unless you have @code{set
4327 confirm off}). You can abbreviate this command as @code{d}.
4328 @end table
4329
4330 @node Disabling
4331 @subsection Disabling Breakpoints
4332
4333 @cindex enable/disable a breakpoint
4334 Rather than deleting a breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint, you might
4335 prefer to @dfn{disable} it. This makes the breakpoint inoperative as if
4336 it had been deleted, but remembers the information on the breakpoint so
4337 that you can @dfn{enable} it again later.
4338
4339 You disable and enable breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints with
4340 the @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands, optionally specifying
4341 one or more breakpoint numbers as arguments. Use @code{info break} to
4342 print a list of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints if you
4343 do not know which numbers to use.
4344
4345 Disabling and enabling a breakpoint that has multiple locations
4346 affects all of its locations.
4347
4348 A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of several
4349 different states of enablement:
4350
4351 @itemize @bullet
4352 @item
4353 Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set
4354 with the @code{break} command starts out in this state.
4355 @item
4356 Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.
4357 @item
4358 Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes
4359 disabled.
4360 @item
4361 Enabled for a count. The breakpoint stops your program for the next
4362 N times, then becomes disabled.
4363 @item
4364 Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but
4365 immediately after it does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint
4366 set with the @code{tbreak} command starts out in this state.
4367 @end itemize
4368
4369 You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints,
4370 watchpoints, and catchpoints:
4371
4372 @table @code
4373 @kindex disable
4374 @kindex dis @r{(@code{disable})}
4375 @item disable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4376 Disable the specified breakpoints---or all breakpoints, if none are
4377 listed. A disabled breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All
4378 options such as ignore-counts, conditions and commands are remembered in
4379 case the breakpoint is enabled again later. You may abbreviate
4380 @code{disable} as @code{dis}.
4381
4382 @kindex enable
4383 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4384 Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined breakpoints). They
4385 become effective once again in stopping your program.
4386
4387 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} once @var{range}@dots{}
4388 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} disables any
4389 of these breakpoints immediately after stopping your program.
4390
4391 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} count @var{count} @var{range}@dots{}
4392 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} records
4393 @var{count} with each of the specified breakpoints, and decrements a
4394 breakpoint's count when it is hit. When any count reaches 0,
4395 @value{GDBN} disables that breakpoint. If a breakpoint has an ignore
4396 count (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}), that will be
4397 decremented to 0 before @var{count} is affected.
4398
4399 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} delete @var{range}@dots{}
4400 Enable the specified breakpoints to work once, then die. @value{GDBN}
4401 deletes any of these breakpoints as soon as your program stops there.
4402 Breakpoints set by the @code{tbreak} command start out in this state.
4403 @end table
4404
4405 @c FIXME: I think the following ``Except for [...] @code{tbreak}'' is
4406 @c confusing: tbreak is also initially enabled.
4407 Except for a breakpoint set with @code{tbreak} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
4408 ,Setting Breakpoints}), breakpoints that you set are initially enabled;
4409 subsequently, they become disabled or enabled only when you use one of
4410 the commands above. (The command @code{until} can set and delete a
4411 breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other
4412 breakpoints; see @ref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and
4413 Stepping}.)
4414
4415 @node Conditions
4416 @subsection Break Conditions
4417 @cindex conditional breakpoints
4418 @cindex breakpoint conditions
4419
4420 @c FIXME what is scope of break condition expr? Context where wanted?
4421 @c in particular for a watchpoint?
4422 The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a
4423 specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for a
4424 breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
4425 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A breakpoint with
4426 a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it,
4427 and your program stops only if the condition is @emph{true}.
4428
4429 This is the converse of using assertions for program validation; in that
4430 situation, you want to stop when the assertion is violated---that is,
4431 when the condition is false. In C, if you want to test an assertion expressed
4432 by the condition @var{assert}, you should set the condition
4433 @samp{! @var{assert}} on the appropriate breakpoint.
4434
4435 Conditions are also accepted for watchpoints; you may not need them,
4436 since a watchpoint is inspecting the value of an expression anyhow---but
4437 it might be simpler, say, to just set a watchpoint on a variable name,
4438 and specify a condition that tests whether the new value is an interesting
4439 one.
4440
4441 Break conditions can have side effects, and may even call functions in
4442 your program. This can be useful, for example, to activate functions
4443 that log program progress, or to use your own print functions to
4444 format special data structures. The effects are completely predictable
4445 unless there is another enabled breakpoint at the same address. (In
4446 that case, @value{GDBN} might see the other breakpoint first and stop your
4447 program without checking the condition of this one.) Note that
4448 breakpoint commands are usually more convenient and flexible than break
4449 conditions for the
4450 purpose of performing side effects when a breakpoint is reached
4451 (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}).
4452
4453 Breakpoint conditions can also be evaluated on the target's side if
4454 the target supports it. Instead of evaluating the conditions locally,
4455 @value{GDBN} encodes the expression into an agent expression
4456 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) suitable for execution on the target,
4457 independently of @value{GDBN}. Global variables become raw memory
4458 locations, locals become stack accesses, and so forth.
4459
4460 In this case, @value{GDBN} will only be notified of a breakpoint trigger
4461 when its condition evaluates to true. This mechanism may provide faster
4462 response times depending on the performance characteristics of the target
4463 since it does not need to keep @value{GDBN} informed about
4464 every breakpoint trigger, even those with false conditions.
4465
4466 Break conditions can be specified when a breakpoint is set, by using
4467 @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{break} command. @xref{Set
4468 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}. They can also be changed at any time
4469 with the @code{condition} command.
4470
4471 You can also use the @code{if} keyword with the @code{watch} command.
4472 The @code{catch} command does not recognize the @code{if} keyword;
4473 @code{condition} is the only way to impose a further condition on a
4474 catchpoint.
4475
4476 @table @code
4477 @kindex condition
4478 @item condition @var{bnum} @var{expression}
4479 Specify @var{expression} as the break condition for breakpoint,
4480 watchpoint, or catchpoint number @var{bnum}. After you set a condition,
4481 breakpoint @var{bnum} stops your program only if the value of
4482 @var{expression} is true (nonzero, in C). When you use
4483 @code{condition}, @value{GDBN} checks @var{expression} immediately for
4484 syntactic correctness, and to determine whether symbols in it have
4485 referents in the context of your breakpoint. If @var{expression} uses
4486 symbols not referenced in the context of the breakpoint, @value{GDBN}
4487 prints an error message:
4488
4489 @smallexample
4490 No symbol "foo" in current context.
4491 @end smallexample
4492
4493 @noindent
4494 @value{GDBN} does
4495 not actually evaluate @var{expression} at the time the @code{condition}
4496 command (or a command that sets a breakpoint with a condition, like
4497 @code{break if @dots{}}) is given, however. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
4498
4499 @item condition @var{bnum}
4500 Remove the condition from breakpoint number @var{bnum}. It becomes
4501 an ordinary unconditional breakpoint.
4502 @end table
4503
4504 @cindex ignore count (of breakpoint)
4505 A special case of a breakpoint condition is to stop only when the
4506 breakpoint has been reached a certain number of times. This is so
4507 useful that there is a special way to do it, using the @dfn{ignore
4508 count} of the breakpoint. Every breakpoint has an ignore count, which
4509 is an integer. Most of the time, the ignore count is zero, and
4510 therefore has no effect. But if your program reaches a breakpoint whose
4511 ignore count is positive, then instead of stopping, it just decrements
4512 the ignore count by one and continues. As a result, if the ignore count
4513 value is @var{n}, the breakpoint does not stop the next @var{n} times
4514 your program reaches it.
4515
4516 @table @code
4517 @kindex ignore
4518 @item ignore @var{bnum} @var{count}
4519 Set the ignore count of breakpoint number @var{bnum} to @var{count}.
4520 The next @var{count} times the breakpoint is reached, your program's
4521 execution does not stop; other than to decrement the ignore count, @value{GDBN}
4522 takes no action.
4523
4524 To make the breakpoint stop the next time it is reached, specify
4525 a count of zero.
4526
4527 When you use @code{continue} to resume execution of your program from a
4528 breakpoint, you can specify an ignore count directly as an argument to
4529 @code{continue}, rather than using @code{ignore}. @xref{Continuing and
4530 Stepping,,Continuing and Stepping}.
4531
4532 If a breakpoint has a positive ignore count and a condition, the
4533 condition is not checked. Once the ignore count reaches zero,
4534 @value{GDBN} resumes checking the condition.
4535
4536 You could achieve the effect of the ignore count with a condition such
4537 as @w{@samp{$foo-- <= 0}} using a debugger convenience variable that
4538 is decremented each time. @xref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
4539 Variables}.
4540 @end table
4541
4542 Ignore counts apply to breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints.
4543
4544
4545 @node Break Commands
4546 @subsection Breakpoint Command Lists
4547
4548 @cindex breakpoint commands
4549 You can give any breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint) a series of
4550 commands to execute when your program stops due to that breakpoint. For
4551 example, you might want to print the values of certain expressions, or
4552 enable other breakpoints.
4553
4554 @table @code
4555 @kindex commands
4556 @kindex end@r{ (breakpoint commands)}
4557 @item commands @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4558 @itemx @dots{} @var{command-list} @dots{}
4559 @itemx end
4560 Specify a list of commands for the given breakpoints. The commands
4561 themselves appear on the following lines. Type a line containing just
4562 @code{end} to terminate the commands.
4563
4564 To remove all commands from a breakpoint, type @code{commands} and
4565 follow it immediately with @code{end}; that is, give no commands.
4566
4567 With no argument, @code{commands} refers to the last breakpoint,
4568 watchpoint, or catchpoint set (not to the breakpoint most recently
4569 encountered). If the most recent breakpoints were set with a single
4570 command, then the @code{commands} will apply to all the breakpoints
4571 set by that command. This applies to breakpoints set by
4572 @code{rbreak}, and also applies when a single @code{break} command
4573 creates multiple breakpoints (@pxref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous
4574 Expressions}).
4575 @end table
4576
4577 Pressing @key{RET} as a means of repeating the last @value{GDBN} command is
4578 disabled within a @var{command-list}.
4579
4580 You can use breakpoint commands to start your program up again. Simply
4581 use the @code{continue} command, or @code{step}, or any other command
4582 that resumes execution.
4583
4584 Any other commands in the command list, after a command that resumes
4585 execution, are ignored. This is because any time you resume execution
4586 (even with a simple @code{next} or @code{step}), you may encounter
4587 another breakpoint---which could have its own command list, leading to
4588 ambiguities about which list to execute.
4589
4590 @kindex silent
4591 If the first command you specify in a command list is @code{silent}, the
4592 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint is not printed. This may
4593 be desirable for breakpoints that are to print a specific message and
4594 then continue. If none of the remaining commands print anything, you
4595 see no sign that the breakpoint was reached. @code{silent} is
4596 meaningful only at the beginning of a breakpoint command list.
4597
4598 The commands @code{echo}, @code{output}, and @code{printf} allow you to
4599 print precisely controlled output, and are often useful in silent
4600 breakpoints. @xref{Output, ,Commands for Controlled Output}.
4601
4602 For example, here is how you could use breakpoint commands to print the
4603 value of @code{x} at entry to @code{foo} whenever @code{x} is positive.
4604
4605 @smallexample
4606 break foo if x>0
4607 commands
4608 silent
4609 printf "x is %d\n",x
4610 cont
4611 end
4612 @end smallexample
4613
4614 One application for breakpoint commands is to compensate for one bug so
4615 you can test for another. Put a breakpoint just after the erroneous line
4616 of code, give it a condition to detect the case in which something
4617 erroneous has been done, and give it commands to assign correct values
4618 to any variables that need them. End with the @code{continue} command
4619 so that your program does not stop, and start with the @code{silent}
4620 command so that no output is produced. Here is an example:
4621
4622 @smallexample
4623 break 403
4624 commands
4625 silent
4626 set x = y + 4
4627 cont
4628 end
4629 @end smallexample
4630
4631 @node Save Breakpoints
4632 @subsection How to save breakpoints to a file
4633
4634 To save breakpoint definitions to a file use the @w{@code{save
4635 breakpoints}} command.
4636
4637 @table @code
4638 @kindex save breakpoints
4639 @cindex save breakpoints to a file for future sessions
4640 @item save breakpoints [@var{filename}]
4641 This command saves all current breakpoint definitions together with
4642 their commands and ignore counts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
4643 suitable for use in a later debugging session. This includes all
4644 types of breakpoints (breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints,
4645 tracepoints). To read the saved breakpoint definitions, use the
4646 @code{source} command (@pxref{Command Files}). Note that watchpoints
4647 with expressions involving local variables may fail to be recreated
4648 because it may not be possible to access the context where the
4649 watchpoint is valid anymore. Because the saved breakpoint definitions
4650 are simply a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands that recreate the
4651 breakpoints, you can edit the file in your favorite editing program,
4652 and remove the breakpoint definitions you're not interested in, or
4653 that can no longer be recreated.
4654 @end table
4655
4656 @node Static Probe Points
4657 @subsection Static Probe Points
4658
4659 @cindex static probe point, SystemTap
4660 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{SDT} probes in the code. @acronym{SDT} stands
4661 for Statically Defined Tracing, and the probes are designed to have a tiny
4662 runtime code and data footprint, and no dynamic relocations. They are
4663 usable from assembly, C and C@t{++} languages. See
4664 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/UserSpaceProbeImplementation}
4665 for a good reference on how the @acronym{SDT} probes are implemented.
4666
4667 Currently, @code{SystemTap} (@uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/})
4668 @acronym{SDT} probes are supported on ELF-compatible systems. See
4669 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/AddingUserSpaceProbingToApps}
4670 for more information on how to add @code{SystemTap} @acronym{SDT} probes
4671 in your applications.
4672
4673 @cindex semaphores on static probe points
4674 Some probes have an associated semaphore variable; for instance, this
4675 happens automatically if you defined your probe using a DTrace-style
4676 @file{.d} file. If your probe has a semaphore, @value{GDBN} will
4677 automatically enable it when you specify a breakpoint using the
4678 @samp{-probe-stap} notation. But, if you put a breakpoint at a probe's
4679 location by some other method (e.g., @code{break file:line}), then
4680 @value{GDBN} will not automatically set the semaphore.
4681
4682 You can examine the available static static probes using @code{info
4683 probes}, with optional arguments:
4684
4685 @table @code
4686 @kindex info probes
4687 @item info probes stap @r{[}@var{provider} @r{[}@var{name} @r{[}@var{objfile}@r{]}@r{]}@r{]}
4688 If given, @var{provider} is a regular expression used to match against provider
4689 names when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probes by all
4690 probes from all providers are listed.
4691
4692 If given, @var{name} is a regular expression to match against probe names
4693 when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probe names are not
4694 considered when deciding whether to display them.
4695
4696 If given, @var{objfile} is a regular expression used to select which
4697 object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine. If not
4698 given, all object files are considered.
4699
4700 @item info probes all
4701 List the available static probes, from all types.
4702 @end table
4703
4704 @vindex $_probe_arg@r{, convenience variable}
4705 A probe may specify up to twelve arguments. These are available at the
4706 point at which the probe is defined---that is, when the current PC is
4707 at the probe's location. The arguments are available using the
4708 convenience variables (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
4709 @code{$_probe_arg0}@dots{}@code{$_probe_arg11}. Each probe argument is
4710 an integer of the appropriate size; types are not preserved. The
4711 convenience variable @code{$_probe_argc} holds the number of arguments
4712 at the current probe point.
4713
4714 These variables are always available, but attempts to access them at
4715 any location other than a probe point will cause @value{GDBN} to give
4716 an error message.
4717
4718
4719 @c @ifclear BARETARGET
4720 @node Error in Breakpoints
4721 @subsection ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
4722
4723 If you request too many active hardware-assisted breakpoints and
4724 watchpoints, you will see this error message:
4725
4726 @c FIXME: the precise wording of this message may change; the relevant
4727 @c source change is not committed yet (Sep 3, 1999).
4728 @smallexample
4729 Stopped; cannot insert breakpoints.
4730 You may have requested too many hardware breakpoints and watchpoints.
4731 @end smallexample
4732
4733 @noindent
4734 This message is printed when you attempt to resume the program, since
4735 only then @value{GDBN} knows exactly how many hardware breakpoints and
4736 watchpoints it needs to insert.
4737
4738 When this message is printed, you need to disable or remove some of the
4739 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints, and then continue.
4740
4741 @node Breakpoint-related Warnings
4742 @subsection ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
4743 @cindex breakpoint address adjusted
4744
4745 Some processor architectures place constraints on the addresses at
4746 which breakpoints may be placed. For architectures thus constrained,
4747 @value{GDBN} will attempt to adjust the breakpoint's address to comply
4748 with the constraints dictated by the architecture.
4749
4750 One example of such an architecture is the Fujitsu FR-V. The FR-V is
4751 a VLIW architecture in which a number of RISC-like instructions may be
4752 bundled together for parallel execution. The FR-V architecture
4753 constrains the location of a breakpoint instruction within such a
4754 bundle to the instruction with the lowest address. @value{GDBN}
4755 honors this constraint by adjusting a breakpoint's address to the
4756 first in the bundle.
4757
4758 It is not uncommon for optimized code to have bundles which contain
4759 instructions from different source statements, thus it may happen that
4760 a breakpoint's address will be adjusted from one source statement to
4761 another. Since this adjustment may significantly alter @value{GDBN}'s
4762 breakpoint related behavior from what the user expects, a warning is
4763 printed when the breakpoint is first set and also when the breakpoint
4764 is hit.
4765
4766 A warning like the one below is printed when setting a breakpoint
4767 that's been subject to address adjustment:
4768
4769 @smallexample
4770 warning: Breakpoint address adjusted from 0x00010414 to 0x00010410.
4771 @end smallexample
4772
4773 Such warnings are printed both for user settable and @value{GDBN}'s
4774 internal breakpoints. If you see one of these warnings, you should
4775 verify that a breakpoint set at the adjusted address will have the
4776 desired affect. If not, the breakpoint in question may be removed and
4777 other breakpoints may be set which will have the desired behavior.
4778 E.g., it may be sufficient to place the breakpoint at a later
4779 instruction. A conditional breakpoint may also be useful in some
4780 cases to prevent the breakpoint from triggering too often.
4781
4782 @value{GDBN} will also issue a warning when stopping at one of these
4783 adjusted breakpoints:
4784
4785 @smallexample
4786 warning: Breakpoint 1 address previously adjusted from 0x00010414
4787 to 0x00010410.
4788 @end smallexample
4789
4790 When this warning is encountered, it may be too late to take remedial
4791 action except in cases where the breakpoint is hit earlier or more
4792 frequently than expected.
4793
4794 @node Continuing and Stepping
4795 @section Continuing and Stepping
4796
4797 @cindex stepping
4798 @cindex continuing
4799 @cindex resuming execution
4800 @dfn{Continuing} means resuming program execution until your program
4801 completes normally. In contrast, @dfn{stepping} means executing just
4802 one more ``step'' of your program, where ``step'' may mean either one
4803 line of source code, or one machine instruction (depending on what
4804 particular command you use). Either when continuing or when stepping,
4805 your program may stop even sooner, due to a breakpoint or a signal. (If
4806 it stops due to a signal, you may want to use @code{handle}, or use
4807 @samp{signal 0} to resume execution. @xref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
4808
4809 @table @code
4810 @kindex continue
4811 @kindex c @r{(@code{continue})}
4812 @kindex fg @r{(resume foreground execution)}
4813 @item continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4814 @itemx c @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4815 @itemx fg @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4816 Resume program execution, at the address where your program last stopped;
4817 any breakpoints set at that address are bypassed. The optional argument
4818 @var{ignore-count} allows you to specify a further number of times to
4819 ignore a breakpoint at this location; its effect is like that of
4820 @code{ignore} (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
4821
4822 The argument @var{ignore-count} is meaningful only when your program
4823 stopped due to a breakpoint. At other times, the argument to
4824 @code{continue} is ignored.
4825
4826 The synonyms @code{c} and @code{fg} (for @dfn{foreground}, as the
4827 debugged program is deemed to be the foreground program) are provided
4828 purely for convenience, and have exactly the same behavior as
4829 @code{continue}.
4830 @end table
4831
4832 To resume execution at a different place, you can use @code{return}
4833 (@pxref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}) to go back to the
4834 calling function; or @code{jump} (@pxref{Jumping, ,Continuing at a
4835 Different Address}) to go to an arbitrary location in your program.
4836
4837 A typical technique for using stepping is to set a breakpoint
4838 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Catchpoints}) at the
4839 beginning of the function or the section of your program where a problem
4840 is believed to lie, run your program until it stops at that breakpoint,
4841 and then step through the suspect area, examining the variables that are
4842 interesting, until you see the problem happen.
4843
4844 @table @code
4845 @kindex step
4846 @kindex s @r{(@code{step})}
4847 @item step
4848 Continue running your program until control reaches a different source
4849 line, then stop it and return control to @value{GDBN}. This command is
4850 abbreviated @code{s}.
4851
4852 @quotation
4853 @c "without debugging information" is imprecise; actually "without line
4854 @c numbers in the debugging information". (gcc -g1 has debugging info but
4855 @c not line numbers). But it seems complex to try to make that
4856 @c distinction here.
4857 @emph{Warning:} If you use the @code{step} command while control is
4858 within a function that was compiled without debugging information,
4859 execution proceeds until control reaches a function that does have
4860 debugging information. Likewise, it will not step into a function which
4861 is compiled without debugging information. To step through functions
4862 without debugging information, use the @code{stepi} command, described
4863 below.
4864 @end quotation
4865
4866 The @code{step} command only stops at the first instruction of a source
4867 line. This prevents the multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
4868 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc. @code{step} continues
4869 to stop if a function that has debugging information is called within
4870 the line. In other words, @code{step} @emph{steps inside} any functions
4871 called within the line.
4872
4873 Also, the @code{step} command only enters a function if there is line
4874 number information for the function. Otherwise it acts like the
4875 @code{next} command. This avoids problems when using @code{cc -gl}
4876 on MIPS machines. Previously, @code{step} entered subroutines if there
4877 was any debugging information about the routine.
4878
4879 @item step @var{count}
4880 Continue running as in @code{step}, but do so @var{count} times. If a
4881 breakpoint is reached, or a signal not related to stepping occurs before
4882 @var{count} steps, stepping stops right away.
4883
4884 @kindex next
4885 @kindex n @r{(@code{next})}
4886 @item next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
4887 Continue to the next source line in the current (innermost) stack frame.
4888 This is similar to @code{step}, but function calls that appear within
4889 the line of code are executed without stopping. Execution stops when
4890 control reaches a different line of code at the original stack level
4891 that was executing when you gave the @code{next} command. This command
4892 is abbreviated @code{n}.
4893
4894 An argument @var{count} is a repeat count, as for @code{step}.
4895
4896
4897 @c FIX ME!! Do we delete this, or is there a way it fits in with
4898 @c the following paragraph? --- Vctoria
4899 @c
4900 @c @code{next} within a function that lacks debugging information acts like
4901 @c @code{step}, but any function calls appearing within the code of the
4902 @c function are executed without stopping.
4903
4904 The @code{next} command only stops at the first instruction of a
4905 source line. This prevents multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
4906 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc.
4907
4908 @kindex set step-mode
4909 @item set step-mode
4910 @cindex functions without line info, and stepping
4911 @cindex stepping into functions with no line info
4912 @itemx set step-mode on
4913 The @code{set step-mode on} command causes the @code{step} command to
4914 stop at the first instruction of a function which contains no debug line
4915 information rather than stepping over it.
4916
4917 This is useful in cases where you may be interested in inspecting the
4918 machine instructions of a function which has no symbolic info and do not
4919 want @value{GDBN} to automatically skip over this function.
4920
4921 @item set step-mode off
4922 Causes the @code{step} command to step over any functions which contains no
4923 debug information. This is the default.
4924
4925 @item show step-mode
4926 Show whether @value{GDBN} will stop in or step over functions without
4927 source line debug information.
4928
4929 @kindex finish
4930 @kindex fin @r{(@code{finish})}
4931 @item finish
4932 Continue running until just after function in the selected stack frame
4933 returns. Print the returned value (if any). This command can be
4934 abbreviated as @code{fin}.
4935
4936 Contrast this with the @code{return} command (@pxref{Returning,
4937 ,Returning from a Function}).
4938
4939 @kindex until
4940 @kindex u @r{(@code{until})}
4941 @cindex run until specified location
4942 @item until
4943 @itemx u
4944 Continue running until a source line past the current line, in the
4945 current stack frame, is reached. This command is used to avoid single
4946 stepping through a loop more than once. It is like the @code{next}
4947 command, except that when @code{until} encounters a jump, it
4948 automatically continues execution until the program counter is greater
4949 than the address of the jump.
4950
4951 This means that when you reach the end of a loop after single stepping
4952 though it, @code{until} makes your program continue execution until it
4953 exits the loop. In contrast, a @code{next} command at the end of a loop
4954 simply steps back to the beginning of the loop, which forces you to step
4955 through the next iteration.
4956
4957 @code{until} always stops your program if it attempts to exit the current
4958 stack frame.
4959
4960 @code{until} may produce somewhat counterintuitive results if the order
4961 of machine code does not match the order of the source lines. For
4962 example, in the following excerpt from a debugging session, the @code{f}
4963 (@code{frame}) command shows that execution is stopped at line
4964 @code{206}; yet when we use @code{until}, we get to line @code{195}:
4965
4966 @smallexample
4967 (@value{GDBP}) f
4968 #0 main (argc=4, argv=0xf7fffae8) at m4.c:206
4969 206 expand_input();
4970 (@value{GDBP}) until
4971 195 for ( ; argc > 0; NEXTARG) @{
4972 @end smallexample
4973
4974 This happened because, for execution efficiency, the compiler had
4975 generated code for the loop closure test at the end, rather than the
4976 start, of the loop---even though the test in a C @code{for}-loop is
4977 written before the body of the loop. The @code{until} command appeared
4978 to step back to the beginning of the loop when it advanced to this
4979 expression; however, it has not really gone to an earlier
4980 statement---not in terms of the actual machine code.
4981
4982 @code{until} with no argument works by means of single
4983 instruction stepping, and hence is slower than @code{until} with an
4984 argument.
4985
4986 @item until @var{location}
4987 @itemx u @var{location}
4988 Continue running your program until either the specified location is
4989 reached, or the current stack frame returns. @var{location} is any of
4990 the forms described in @ref{Specify Location}.
4991 This form of the command uses temporary breakpoints, and
4992 hence is quicker than @code{until} without an argument. The specified
4993 location is actually reached only if it is in the current frame. This
4994 implies that @code{until} can be used to skip over recursive function
4995 invocations. For instance in the code below, if the current location is
4996 line @code{96}, issuing @code{until 99} will execute the program up to
4997 line @code{99} in the same invocation of factorial, i.e., after the inner
4998 invocations have returned.
4999
5000 @smallexample
5001 94 int factorial (int value)
5002 95 @{
5003 96 if (value > 1) @{
5004 97 value *= factorial (value - 1);
5005 98 @}
5006 99 return (value);
5007 100 @}
5008 @end smallexample
5009
5010
5011 @kindex advance @var{location}
5012 @itemx advance @var{location}
5013 Continue running the program up to the given @var{location}. An argument is
5014 required, which should be of one of the forms described in
5015 @ref{Specify Location}.
5016 Execution will also stop upon exit from the current stack
5017 frame. This command is similar to @code{until}, but @code{advance} will
5018 not skip over recursive function calls, and the target location doesn't
5019 have to be in the same frame as the current one.
5020
5021
5022 @kindex stepi
5023 @kindex si @r{(@code{stepi})}
5024 @item stepi
5025 @itemx stepi @var{arg}
5026 @itemx si
5027 Execute one machine instruction, then stop and return to the debugger.
5028
5029 It is often useful to do @samp{display/i $pc} when stepping by machine
5030 instructions. This makes @value{GDBN} automatically display the next
5031 instruction to be executed, each time your program stops. @xref{Auto
5032 Display,, Automatic Display}.
5033
5034 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{step}.
5035
5036 @need 750
5037 @kindex nexti
5038 @kindex ni @r{(@code{nexti})}
5039 @item nexti
5040 @itemx nexti @var{arg}
5041 @itemx ni
5042 Execute one machine instruction, but if it is a function call,
5043 proceed until the function returns.
5044
5045 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{next}.
5046 @end table
5047
5048 @node Skipping Over Functions and Files
5049 @section Skipping Over Functions and Files
5050 @cindex skipping over functions and files
5051
5052 The program you are debugging may contain some functions which are
5053 uninteresting to debug. The @code{skip} comand lets you tell @value{GDBN} to
5054 skip a function or all functions in a file when stepping.
5055
5056 For example, consider the following C function:
5057
5058 @smallexample
5059 101 int func()
5060 102 @{
5061 103 foo(boring());
5062 104 bar(boring());
5063 105 @}
5064 @end smallexample
5065
5066 @noindent
5067 Suppose you wish to step into the functions @code{foo} and @code{bar}, but you
5068 are not interested in stepping through @code{boring}. If you run @code{step}
5069 at line 103, you'll enter @code{boring()}, but if you run @code{next}, you'll
5070 step over both @code{foo} and @code{boring}!
5071
5072 One solution is to @code{step} into @code{boring} and use the @code{finish}
5073 command to immediately exit it. But this can become tedious if @code{boring}
5074 is called from many places.
5075
5076 A more flexible solution is to execute @kbd{skip boring}. This instructs
5077 @value{GDBN} never to step into @code{boring}. Now when you execute
5078 @code{step} at line 103, you'll step over @code{boring} and directly into
5079 @code{foo}.
5080
5081 You can also instruct @value{GDBN} to skip all functions in a file, with, for
5082 example, @code{skip file boring.c}.
5083
5084 @table @code
5085 @kindex skip function
5086 @item skip @r{[}@var{linespec}@r{]}
5087 @itemx skip function @r{[}@var{linespec}@r{]}
5088 After running this command, the function named by @var{linespec} or the
5089 function containing the line named by @var{linespec} will be skipped over when
5090 stepping. @xref{Specify Location}.
5091
5092 If you do not specify @var{linespec}, the function you're currently debugging
5093 will be skipped.
5094
5095 (If you have a function called @code{file} that you want to skip, use
5096 @kbd{skip function file}.)
5097
5098 @kindex skip file
5099 @item skip file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
5100 After running this command, any function whose source lives in @var{filename}
5101 will be skipped over when stepping.
5102
5103 If you do not specify @var{filename}, functions whose source lives in the file
5104 you're currently debugging will be skipped.
5105 @end table
5106
5107 Skips can be listed, deleted, disabled, and enabled, much like breakpoints.
5108 These are the commands for managing your list of skips:
5109
5110 @table @code
5111 @kindex info skip
5112 @item info skip @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5113 Print details about the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified,
5114 print a table with details about all functions and files marked for skipping.
5115 @code{info skip} prints the following information about each skip:
5116
5117 @table @emph
5118 @item Identifier
5119 A number identifying this skip.
5120 @item Type
5121 The type of this skip, either @samp{function} or @samp{file}.
5122 @item Enabled or Disabled
5123 Enabled skips are marked with @samp{y}. Disabled skips are marked with @samp{n}.
5124 @item Address
5125 For function skips, this column indicates the address in memory of the function
5126 being skipped. If you've set a function skip on a function which has not yet
5127 been loaded, this field will contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Once a shared library
5128 which has the function is loaded, @code{info skip} will show the function's
5129 address here.
5130 @item What
5131 For file skips, this field contains the filename being skipped. For functions
5132 skips, this field contains the function name and its line number in the file
5133 where it is defined.
5134 @end table
5135
5136 @kindex skip delete
5137 @item skip delete @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5138 Delete the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, delete all
5139 skips.
5140
5141 @kindex skip enable
5142 @item skip enable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5143 Enable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, enable all
5144 skips.
5145
5146 @kindex skip disable
5147 @item skip disable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5148 Disable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, disable all
5149 skips.
5150
5151 @end table
5152
5153 @node Signals
5154 @section Signals
5155 @cindex signals
5156
5157 A signal is an asynchronous event that can happen in a program. The
5158 operating system defines the possible kinds of signals, and gives each
5159 kind a name and a number. For example, in Unix @code{SIGINT} is the
5160 signal a program gets when you type an interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c});
5161 @code{SIGSEGV} is the signal a program gets from referencing a place in
5162 memory far away from all the areas in use; @code{SIGALRM} occurs when
5163 the alarm clock timer goes off (which happens only if your program has
5164 requested an alarm).
5165
5166 @cindex fatal signals
5167 Some signals, including @code{SIGALRM}, are a normal part of the
5168 functioning of your program. Others, such as @code{SIGSEGV}, indicate
5169 errors; these signals are @dfn{fatal} (they kill your program immediately) if the
5170 program has not specified in advance some other way to handle the signal.
5171 @code{SIGINT} does not indicate an error in your program, but it is normally
5172 fatal so it can carry out the purpose of the interrupt: to kill the program.
5173
5174 @value{GDBN} has the ability to detect any occurrence of a signal in your
5175 program. You can tell @value{GDBN} in advance what to do for each kind of
5176 signal.
5177
5178 @cindex handling signals
5179 Normally, @value{GDBN} is set up to let the non-erroneous signals like
5180 @code{SIGALRM} be silently passed to your program
5181 (so as not to interfere with their role in the program's functioning)
5182 but to stop your program immediately whenever an error signal happens.
5183 You can change these settings with the @code{handle} command.
5184
5185 @table @code
5186 @kindex info signals
5187 @kindex info handle
5188 @item info signals
5189 @itemx info handle
5190 Print a table of all the kinds of signals and how @value{GDBN} has been told to
5191 handle each one. You can use this to see the signal numbers of all
5192 the defined types of signals.
5193
5194 @item info signals @var{sig}
5195 Similar, but print information only about the specified signal number.
5196
5197 @code{info handle} is an alias for @code{info signals}.
5198
5199 @kindex handle
5200 @item handle @var{signal} @r{[}@var{keywords}@dots{}@r{]}
5201 Change the way @value{GDBN} handles signal @var{signal}. @var{signal}
5202 can be the number of a signal or its name (with or without the
5203 @samp{SIG} at the beginning); a list of signal numbers of the form
5204 @samp{@var{low}-@var{high}}; or the word @samp{all}, meaning all the
5205 known signals. Optional arguments @var{keywords}, described below,
5206 say what change to make.
5207 @end table
5208
5209 @c @group
5210 The keywords allowed by the @code{handle} command can be abbreviated.
5211 Their full names are:
5212
5213 @table @code
5214 @item nostop
5215 @value{GDBN} should not stop your program when this signal happens. It may
5216 still print a message telling you that the signal has come in.
5217
5218 @item stop
5219 @value{GDBN} should stop your program when this signal happens. This implies
5220 the @code{print} keyword as well.
5221
5222 @item print
5223 @value{GDBN} should print a message when this signal happens.
5224
5225 @item noprint
5226 @value{GDBN} should not mention the occurrence of the signal at all. This
5227 implies the @code{nostop} keyword as well.
5228
5229 @item pass
5230 @itemx noignore
5231 @value{GDBN} should allow your program to see this signal; your program
5232 can handle the signal, or else it may terminate if the signal is fatal
5233 and not handled. @code{pass} and @code{noignore} are synonyms.
5234
5235 @item nopass
5236 @itemx ignore
5237 @value{GDBN} should not allow your program to see this signal.
5238 @code{nopass} and @code{ignore} are synonyms.
5239 @end table
5240 @c @end group
5241
5242 When a signal stops your program, the signal is not visible to the
5243 program until you
5244 continue. Your program sees the signal then, if @code{pass} is in
5245 effect for the signal in question @emph{at that time}. In other words,
5246 after @value{GDBN} reports a signal, you can use the @code{handle}
5247 command with @code{pass} or @code{nopass} to control whether your
5248 program sees that signal when you continue.
5249
5250 The default is set to @code{nostop}, @code{noprint}, @code{pass} for
5251 non-erroneous signals such as @code{SIGALRM}, @code{SIGWINCH} and
5252 @code{SIGCHLD}, and to @code{stop}, @code{print}, @code{pass} for the
5253 erroneous signals.
5254
5255 You can also use the @code{signal} command to prevent your program from
5256 seeing a signal, or cause it to see a signal it normally would not see,
5257 or to give it any signal at any time. For example, if your program stopped
5258 due to some sort of memory reference error, you might store correct
5259 values into the erroneous variables and continue, hoping to see more
5260 execution; but your program would probably terminate immediately as
5261 a result of the fatal signal once it saw the signal. To prevent this,
5262 you can continue with @samp{signal 0}. @xref{Signaling, ,Giving your
5263 Program a Signal}.
5264
5265 @cindex extra signal information
5266 @anchor{extra signal information}
5267
5268 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can inspect extra signal information
5269 associated with the intercepted signal, before it is actually
5270 delivered to the program being debugged. This information is exported
5271 by the convenience variable @code{$_siginfo}, and consists of data
5272 that is passed by the kernel to the signal handler at the time of the
5273 receipt of a signal. The data type of the information itself is
5274 target dependent. You can see the data type using the @code{ptype
5275 $_siginfo} command. On Unix systems, it typically corresponds to the
5276 standard @code{siginfo_t} type, as defined in the @file{signal.h}
5277 system header.
5278
5279 Here's an example, on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, printing the stray
5280 referenced address that raised a segmentation fault.
5281
5282 @smallexample
5283 @group
5284 (@value{GDBP}) continue
5285 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
5286 0x0000000000400766 in main ()
5287 69 *(int *)p = 0;
5288 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo
5289 type = struct @{
5290 int si_signo;
5291 int si_errno;
5292 int si_code;
5293 union @{
5294 int _pad[28];
5295 struct @{...@} _kill;
5296 struct @{...@} _timer;
5297 struct @{...@} _rt;
5298 struct @{...@} _sigchld;
5299 struct @{...@} _sigfault;
5300 struct @{...@} _sigpoll;
5301 @} _sifields;
5302 @}
5303 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault
5304 type = struct @{
5305 void *si_addr;
5306 @}
5307 (@value{GDBP}) p $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault.si_addr
5308 $1 = (void *) 0x7ffff7ff7000
5309 @end group
5310 @end smallexample
5311
5312 Depending on target support, @code{$_siginfo} may also be writable.
5313
5314 @node Thread Stops
5315 @section Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs
5316
5317 @cindex stopped threads
5318 @cindex threads, stopped
5319
5320 @cindex continuing threads
5321 @cindex threads, continuing
5322
5323 @value{GDBN} supports debugging programs with multiple threads
5324 (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads}). There
5325 are two modes of controlling execution of your program within the
5326 debugger. In the default mode, referred to as @dfn{all-stop mode},
5327 when any thread in your program stops (for example, at a breakpoint
5328 or while being stepped), all other threads in the program are also stopped by
5329 @value{GDBN}. On some targets, @value{GDBN} also supports
5330 @dfn{non-stop mode}, in which other threads can continue to run freely while
5331 you examine the stopped thread in the debugger.
5332
5333 @menu
5334 * All-Stop Mode:: All threads stop when GDB takes control
5335 * Non-Stop Mode:: Other threads continue to execute
5336 * Background Execution:: Running your program asynchronously
5337 * Thread-Specific Breakpoints:: Controlling breakpoints
5338 * Interrupted System Calls:: GDB may interfere with system calls
5339 * Observer Mode:: GDB does not alter program behavior
5340 @end menu
5341
5342 @node All-Stop Mode
5343 @subsection All-Stop Mode
5344
5345 @cindex all-stop mode
5346
5347 In all-stop mode, whenever your program stops under @value{GDBN} for any reason,
5348 @emph{all} threads of execution stop, not just the current thread. This
5349 allows you to examine the overall state of the program, including
5350 switching between threads, without worrying that things may change
5351 underfoot.
5352
5353 Conversely, whenever you restart the program, @emph{all} threads start
5354 executing. @emph{This is true even when single-stepping} with commands
5355 like @code{step} or @code{next}.
5356
5357 In particular, @value{GDBN} cannot single-step all threads in lockstep.
5358 Since thread scheduling is up to your debugging target's operating
5359 system (not controlled by @value{GDBN}), other threads may
5360 execute more than one statement while the current thread completes a
5361 single step. Moreover, in general other threads stop in the middle of a
5362 statement, rather than at a clean statement boundary, when the program
5363 stops.
5364
5365 You might even find your program stopped in another thread after
5366 continuing or even single-stepping. This happens whenever some other
5367 thread runs into a breakpoint, a signal, or an exception before the
5368 first thread completes whatever you requested.
5369
5370 @cindex automatic thread selection
5371 @cindex switching threads automatically
5372 @cindex threads, automatic switching
5373 Whenever @value{GDBN} stops your program, due to a breakpoint or a
5374 signal, it automatically selects the thread where that breakpoint or
5375 signal happened. @value{GDBN} alerts you to the context switch with a
5376 message such as @samp{[Switching to Thread @var{n}]} to identify the
5377 thread.
5378
5379 On some OSes, you can modify @value{GDBN}'s default behavior by
5380 locking the OS scheduler to allow only a single thread to run.
5381
5382 @table @code
5383 @item set scheduler-locking @var{mode}
5384 @cindex scheduler locking mode
5385 @cindex lock scheduler
5386 Set the scheduler locking mode. If it is @code{off}, then there is no
5387 locking and any thread may run at any time. If @code{on}, then only the
5388 current thread may run when the inferior is resumed. The @code{step}
5389 mode optimizes for single-stepping; it prevents other threads
5390 from preempting the current thread while you are stepping, so that
5391 the focus of debugging does not change unexpectedly.
5392 Other threads only rarely (or never) get a chance to run
5393 when you step. They are more likely to run when you @samp{next} over a
5394 function call, and they are completely free to run when you use commands
5395 like @samp{continue}, @samp{until}, or @samp{finish}. However, unless another
5396 thread hits a breakpoint during its timeslice, @value{GDBN} does not change
5397 the current thread away from the thread that you are debugging.
5398
5399 @item show scheduler-locking
5400 Display the current scheduler locking mode.
5401 @end table
5402
5403 @cindex resume threads of multiple processes simultaneously
5404 By default, when you issue one of the execution commands such as
5405 @code{continue}, @code{next} or @code{step}, @value{GDBN} allows only
5406 threads of the current inferior to run. For example, if @value{GDBN}
5407 is attached to two inferiors, each with two threads, the
5408 @code{continue} command resumes only the two threads of the current
5409 inferior. This is useful, for example, when you debug a program that
5410 forks and you want to hold the parent stopped (so that, for instance,
5411 it doesn't run to exit), while you debug the child. In other
5412 situations, you may not be interested in inspecting the current state
5413 of any of the processes @value{GDBN} is attached to, and you may want
5414 to resume them all until some breakpoint is hit. In the latter case,
5415 you can instruct @value{GDBN} to allow all threads of all the
5416 inferiors to run with the @w{@code{set schedule-multiple}} command.
5417
5418 @table @code
5419 @kindex set schedule-multiple
5420 @item set schedule-multiple
5421 Set the mode for allowing threads of multiple processes to be resumed
5422 when an execution command is issued. When @code{on}, all threads of
5423 all processes are allowed to run. When @code{off}, only the threads
5424 of the current process are resumed. The default is @code{off}. The
5425 @code{scheduler-locking} mode takes precedence when set to @code{on},
5426 or while you are stepping and set to @code{step}.
5427
5428 @item show schedule-multiple
5429 Display the current mode for resuming the execution of threads of
5430 multiple processes.
5431 @end table
5432
5433 @node Non-Stop Mode
5434 @subsection Non-Stop Mode
5435
5436 @cindex non-stop mode
5437
5438 @c This section is really only a place-holder, and needs to be expanded
5439 @c with more details.
5440
5441 For some multi-threaded targets, @value{GDBN} supports an optional
5442 mode of operation in which you can examine stopped program threads in
5443 the debugger while other threads continue to execute freely. This
5444 minimizes intrusion when debugging live systems, such as programs
5445 where some threads have real-time constraints or must continue to
5446 respond to external events. This is referred to as @dfn{non-stop} mode.
5447
5448 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops to report a debugging event,
5449 @emph{only} that thread is stopped; @value{GDBN} does not stop other
5450 threads as well, in contrast to the all-stop mode behavior. Additionally,
5451 execution commands such as @code{continue} and @code{step} apply by default
5452 only to the current thread in non-stop mode, rather than all threads as
5453 in all-stop mode. This allows you to control threads explicitly in
5454 ways that are not possible in all-stop mode --- for example, stepping
5455 one thread while allowing others to run freely, stepping
5456 one thread while holding all others stopped, or stepping several threads
5457 independently and simultaneously.
5458
5459 To enter non-stop mode, use this sequence of commands before you run
5460 or attach to your program:
5461
5462 @smallexample
5463 # Enable the async interface.
5464 set target-async 1
5465
5466 # If using the CLI, pagination breaks non-stop.
5467 set pagination off
5468
5469 # Finally, turn it on!
5470 set non-stop on
5471 @end smallexample
5472
5473 You can use these commands to manipulate the non-stop mode setting:
5474
5475 @table @code
5476 @kindex set non-stop
5477 @item set non-stop on
5478 Enable selection of non-stop mode.
5479 @item set non-stop off
5480 Disable selection of non-stop mode.
5481 @kindex show non-stop
5482 @item show non-stop
5483 Show the current non-stop enablement setting.
5484 @end table
5485
5486 Note these commands only reflect whether non-stop mode is enabled,
5487 not whether the currently-executing program is being run in non-stop mode.
5488 In particular, the @code{set non-stop} preference is only consulted when
5489 @value{GDBN} starts or connects to the target program, and it is generally
5490 not possible to switch modes once debugging has started. Furthermore,
5491 since not all targets support non-stop mode, even when you have enabled
5492 non-stop mode, @value{GDBN} may still fall back to all-stop operation by
5493 default.
5494
5495 In non-stop mode, all execution commands apply only to the current thread
5496 by default. That is, @code{continue} only continues one thread.
5497 To continue all threads, issue @code{continue -a} or @code{c -a}.
5498
5499 You can use @value{GDBN}'s background execution commands
5500 (@pxref{Background Execution}) to run some threads in the background
5501 while you continue to examine or step others from @value{GDBN}.
5502 The MI execution commands (@pxref{GDB/MI Program Execution}) are
5503 always executed asynchronously in non-stop mode.
5504
5505 Suspending execution is done with the @code{interrupt} command when
5506 running in the background, or @kbd{Ctrl-c} during foreground execution.
5507 In all-stop mode, this stops the whole process;
5508 but in non-stop mode the interrupt applies only to the current thread.
5509 To stop the whole program, use @code{interrupt -a}.
5510
5511 Other execution commands do not currently support the @code{-a} option.
5512
5513 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops, @value{GDBN} doesn't automatically make
5514 that thread current, as it does in all-stop mode. This is because the
5515 thread stop notifications are asynchronous with respect to @value{GDBN}'s
5516 command interpreter, and it would be confusing if @value{GDBN} unexpectedly
5517 changed to a different thread just as you entered a command to operate on the
5518 previously current thread.
5519
5520 @node Background Execution
5521 @subsection Background Execution
5522
5523 @cindex foreground execution
5524 @cindex background execution
5525 @cindex asynchronous execution
5526 @cindex execution, foreground, background and asynchronous
5527
5528 @value{GDBN}'s execution commands have two variants: the normal
5529 foreground (synchronous) behavior, and a background
5530 (asynchronous) behavior. In foreground execution, @value{GDBN} waits for
5531 the program to report that some thread has stopped before prompting for
5532 another command. In background execution, @value{GDBN} immediately gives
5533 a command prompt so that you can issue other commands while your program runs.
5534
5535 You need to explicitly enable asynchronous mode before you can use
5536 background execution commands. You can use these commands to
5537 manipulate the asynchronous mode setting:
5538
5539 @table @code
5540 @kindex set target-async
5541 @item set target-async on
5542 Enable asynchronous mode.
5543 @item set target-async off
5544 Disable asynchronous mode.
5545 @kindex show target-async
5546 @item show target-async
5547 Show the current target-async setting.
5548 @end table
5549
5550 If the target doesn't support async mode, @value{GDBN} issues an error
5551 message if you attempt to use the background execution commands.
5552
5553 To specify background execution, add a @code{&} to the command. For example,
5554 the background form of the @code{continue} command is @code{continue&}, or
5555 just @code{c&}. The execution commands that accept background execution
5556 are:
5557
5558 @table @code
5559 @kindex run&
5560 @item run
5561 @xref{Starting, , Starting your Program}.
5562
5563 @item attach
5564 @kindex attach&
5565 @xref{Attach, , Debugging an Already-running Process}.
5566
5567 @item step
5568 @kindex step&
5569 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, step}.
5570
5571 @item stepi
5572 @kindex stepi&
5573 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, stepi}.
5574
5575 @item next
5576 @kindex next&
5577 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, next}.
5578
5579 @item nexti
5580 @kindex nexti&
5581 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, nexti}.
5582
5583 @item continue
5584 @kindex continue&
5585 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, continue}.
5586
5587 @item finish
5588 @kindex finish&
5589 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, finish}.
5590
5591 @item until
5592 @kindex until&
5593 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, until}.
5594
5595 @end table
5596
5597 Background execution is especially useful in conjunction with non-stop
5598 mode for debugging programs with multiple threads; see @ref{Non-Stop Mode}.
5599 However, you can also use these commands in the normal all-stop mode with
5600 the restriction that you cannot issue another execution command until the
5601 previous one finishes. Examples of commands that are valid in all-stop
5602 mode while the program is running include @code{help} and @code{info break}.
5603
5604 You can interrupt your program while it is running in the background by
5605 using the @code{interrupt} command.
5606
5607 @table @code
5608 @kindex interrupt
5609 @item interrupt
5610 @itemx interrupt -a
5611
5612 Suspend execution of the running program. In all-stop mode,
5613 @code{interrupt} stops the whole process, but in non-stop mode, it stops
5614 only the current thread. To stop the whole program in non-stop mode,
5615 use @code{interrupt -a}.
5616 @end table
5617
5618 @node Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5619 @subsection Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5620
5621 When your program has multiple threads (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging
5622 Programs with Multiple Threads}), you can choose whether to set
5623 breakpoints on all threads, or on a particular thread.
5624
5625 @table @code
5626 @cindex breakpoints and threads
5627 @cindex thread breakpoints
5628 @kindex break @dots{} thread @var{threadno}
5629 @item break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno}
5630 @itemx break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno} if @dots{}
5631 @var{linespec} specifies source lines; there are several ways of
5632 writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always to
5633 specify some source line.
5634
5635 Use the qualifier @samp{thread @var{threadno}} with a breakpoint command
5636 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
5637 particular thread reaches this breakpoint. @var{threadno} is one of the
5638 numeric thread identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
5639 column of the @samp{info threads} display.
5640
5641 If you do not specify @samp{thread @var{threadno}} when you set a
5642 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} threads of your
5643 program.
5644
5645 You can use the @code{thread} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
5646 well; in this case, place @samp{thread @var{threadno}} before or
5647 after the breakpoint condition, like this:
5648
5649 @smallexample
5650 (@value{GDBP}) break frik.c:13 thread 28 if bartab > lim
5651 @end smallexample
5652
5653 @end table
5654
5655 @node Interrupted System Calls
5656 @subsection Interrupted System Calls
5657
5658 @cindex thread breakpoints and system calls
5659 @cindex system calls and thread breakpoints
5660 @cindex premature return from system calls
5661 There is an unfortunate side effect when using @value{GDBN} to debug
5662 multi-threaded programs. If one thread stops for a
5663 breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a
5664 system call, then the system call may return prematurely. This is a
5665 consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals
5666 that @value{GDBN} uses to implement breakpoints and other events that
5667 stop execution.
5668
5669 To handle this problem, your program should check the return value of
5670 each system call and react appropriately. This is good programming
5671 style anyways.
5672
5673 For example, do not write code like this:
5674
5675 @smallexample
5676 sleep (10);
5677 @end smallexample
5678
5679 The call to @code{sleep} will return early if a different thread stops
5680 at a breakpoint or for some other reason.
5681
5682 Instead, write this:
5683
5684 @smallexample
5685 int unslept = 10;
5686 while (unslept > 0)
5687 unslept = sleep (unslept);
5688 @end smallexample
5689
5690 A system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still
5691 conforming to its specification. But @value{GDBN} does cause your
5692 multi-threaded program to behave differently than it would without
5693 @value{GDBN}.
5694
5695 Also, @value{GDBN} uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to
5696 monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction.
5697 When such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return
5698 prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.
5699
5700 @node Observer Mode
5701 @subsection Observer Mode
5702
5703 If you want to build on non-stop mode and observe program behavior
5704 without any chance of disruption by @value{GDBN}, you can set
5705 variables to disable all of the debugger's attempts to modify state,
5706 whether by writing memory, inserting breakpoints, etc. These operate
5707 at a low level, intercepting operations from all commands.
5708
5709 When all of these are set to @code{off}, then @value{GDBN} is said to
5710 be @dfn{observer mode}. As a convenience, the variable
5711 @code{observer} can be set to disable these, plus enable non-stop
5712 mode.
5713
5714 Note that @value{GDBN} will not prevent you from making nonsensical
5715 combinations of these settings. For instance, if you have enabled
5716 @code{may-insert-breakpoints} but disabled @code{may-write-memory},
5717 then breakpoints that work by writing trap instructions into the code
5718 stream will still not be able to be placed.
5719
5720 @table @code
5721
5722 @kindex observer
5723 @item set observer on
5724 @itemx set observer off
5725 When set to @code{on}, this disables all the permission variables
5726 below (except for @code{insert-fast-tracepoints}), plus enables
5727 non-stop debugging. Setting this to @code{off} switches back to
5728 normal debugging, though remaining in non-stop mode.
5729
5730 @item show observer
5731 Show whether observer mode is on or off.
5732
5733 @kindex may-write-registers
5734 @item set may-write-registers on
5735 @itemx set may-write-registers off
5736 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the values of
5737 registers, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}, or the
5738 @code{jump} command. It defaults to @code{on}.
5739
5740 @item show may-write-registers
5741 Show the current permission to write registers.
5742
5743 @kindex may-write-memory
5744 @item set may-write-memory on
5745 @itemx set may-write-memory off
5746 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the contents
5747 of memory, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}. It
5748 defaults to @code{on}.
5749
5750 @item show may-write-memory
5751 Show the current permission to write memory.
5752
5753 @kindex may-insert-breakpoints
5754 @item set may-insert-breakpoints on
5755 @itemx set may-insert-breakpoints off
5756 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert breakpoints.
5757 This affects all breakpoints, including internal breakpoints defined
5758 by @value{GDBN}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5759
5760 @item show may-insert-breakpoints
5761 Show the current permission to insert breakpoints.
5762
5763 @kindex may-insert-tracepoints
5764 @item set may-insert-tracepoints on
5765 @itemx set may-insert-tracepoints off
5766 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert (regular)
5767 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
5768 non-fast tracepoints, fast tracepoints being under the control of
5769 @code{may-insert-fast-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5770
5771 @item show may-insert-tracepoints
5772 Show the current permission to insert tracepoints.
5773
5774 @kindex may-insert-fast-tracepoints
5775 @item set may-insert-fast-tracepoints on
5776 @itemx set may-insert-fast-tracepoints off
5777 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert fast
5778 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
5779 fast tracepoints, regular (non-fast) tracepoints being under the
5780 control of @code{may-insert-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5781
5782 @item show may-insert-fast-tracepoints
5783 Show the current permission to insert fast tracepoints.
5784
5785 @kindex may-interrupt
5786 @item set may-interrupt on
5787 @itemx set may-interrupt off
5788 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to interrupt or stop
5789 program execution. When this variable is @code{off}, the
5790 @code{interrupt} command will have no effect, nor will
5791 @kbd{Ctrl-c}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5792
5793 @item show may-interrupt
5794 Show the current permission to interrupt or stop the program.
5795
5796 @end table
5797
5798 @node Reverse Execution
5799 @chapter Running programs backward
5800 @cindex reverse execution
5801 @cindex running programs backward
5802
5803 When you are debugging a program, it is not unusual to realize that
5804 you have gone too far, and some event of interest has already happened.
5805 If the target environment supports it, @value{GDBN} can allow you to
5806 ``rewind'' the program by running it backward.
5807
5808 A target environment that supports reverse execution should be able
5809 to ``undo'' the changes in machine state that have taken place as the
5810 program was executing normally. Variables, registers etc.@: should
5811 revert to their previous values. Obviously this requires a great
5812 deal of sophistication on the part of the target environment; not
5813 all target environments can support reverse execution.
5814
5815 When a program is executed in reverse, the instructions that
5816 have most recently been executed are ``un-executed'', in reverse
5817 order. The program counter runs backward, following the previous
5818 thread of execution in reverse. As each instruction is ``un-executed'',
5819 the values of memory and/or registers that were changed by that
5820 instruction are reverted to their previous states. After executing
5821 a piece of source code in reverse, all side effects of that code
5822 should be ``undone'', and all variables should be returned to their
5823 prior values@footnote{
5824 Note that some side effects are easier to undo than others. For instance,
5825 memory and registers are relatively easy, but device I/O is hard. Some
5826 targets may be able undo things like device I/O, and some may not.
5827
5828 The contract between @value{GDBN} and the reverse executing target
5829 requires only that the target do something reasonable when
5830 @value{GDBN} tells it to execute backwards, and then report the
5831 results back to @value{GDBN}. Whatever the target reports back to
5832 @value{GDBN}, @value{GDBN} will report back to the user. @value{GDBN}
5833 assumes that the memory and registers that the target reports are in a
5834 consistant state, but @value{GDBN} accepts whatever it is given.
5835 }.
5836
5837 If you are debugging in a target environment that supports
5838 reverse execution, @value{GDBN} provides the following commands.
5839
5840 @table @code
5841 @kindex reverse-continue
5842 @kindex rc @r{(@code{reverse-continue})}
5843 @item reverse-continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5844 @itemx rc @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5845 Beginning at the point where your program last stopped, start executing
5846 in reverse. Reverse execution will stop for breakpoints and synchronous
5847 exceptions (signals), just like normal execution. Behavior of
5848 asynchronous signals depends on the target environment.
5849
5850 @kindex reverse-step
5851 @kindex rs @r{(@code{step})}
5852 @item reverse-step @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5853 Run the program backward until control reaches the start of a
5854 different source line; then stop it, and return control to @value{GDBN}.
5855
5856 Like the @code{step} command, @code{reverse-step} will only stop
5857 at the beginning of a source line. It ``un-executes'' the previously
5858 executed source line. If the previous source line included calls to
5859 debuggable functions, @code{reverse-step} will step (backward) into
5860 the called function, stopping at the beginning of the @emph{last}
5861 statement in the called function (typically a return statement).
5862
5863 Also, as with the @code{step} command, if non-debuggable functions are
5864 called, @code{reverse-step} will run thru them backward without stopping.
5865
5866 @kindex reverse-stepi
5867 @kindex rsi @r{(@code{reverse-stepi})}
5868 @item reverse-stepi @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5869 Reverse-execute one machine instruction. Note that the instruction
5870 to be reverse-executed is @emph{not} the one pointed to by the program
5871 counter, but the instruction executed prior to that one. For instance,
5872 if the last instruction was a jump, @code{reverse-stepi} will take you
5873 back from the destination of the jump to the jump instruction itself.
5874
5875 @kindex reverse-next
5876 @kindex rn @r{(@code{reverse-next})}
5877 @item reverse-next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5878 Run backward to the beginning of the previous line executed in
5879 the current (innermost) stack frame. If the line contains function
5880 calls, they will be ``un-executed'' without stopping. Starting from
5881 the first line of a function, @code{reverse-next} will take you back
5882 to the caller of that function, @emph{before} the function was called,
5883 just as the normal @code{next} command would take you from the last
5884 line of a function back to its return to its caller
5885 @footnote{Unless the code is too heavily optimized.}.
5886
5887 @kindex reverse-nexti
5888 @kindex rni @r{(@code{reverse-nexti})}
5889 @item reverse-nexti @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5890 Like @code{nexti}, @code{reverse-nexti} executes a single instruction
5891 in reverse, except that called functions are ``un-executed'' atomically.
5892 That is, if the previously executed instruction was a return from
5893 another function, @code{reverse-nexti} will continue to execute
5894 in reverse until the call to that function (from the current stack
5895 frame) is reached.
5896
5897 @kindex reverse-finish
5898 @item reverse-finish
5899 Just as the @code{finish} command takes you to the point where the
5900 current function returns, @code{reverse-finish} takes you to the point
5901 where it was called. Instead of ending up at the end of the current
5902 function invocation, you end up at the beginning.
5903
5904 @kindex set exec-direction
5905 @item set exec-direction
5906 Set the direction of target execution.
5907 @itemx set exec-direction reverse
5908 @cindex execute forward or backward in time
5909 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in reverse, until the
5910 exec-direction mode is changed to ``forward''. Affected commands include
5911 @code{step, stepi, next, nexti, continue, and finish}. The @code{return}
5912 command cannot be used in reverse mode.
5913 @item set exec-direction forward
5914 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in the normal fashion.
5915 This is the default.
5916 @end table
5917
5918
5919 @node Process Record and Replay
5920 @chapter Recording Inferior's Execution and Replaying It
5921 @cindex process record and replay
5922 @cindex recording inferior's execution and replaying it
5923
5924 On some platforms, @value{GDBN} provides a special @dfn{process record
5925 and replay} target that can record a log of the process execution, and
5926 replay it later with both forward and reverse execution commands.
5927
5928 @cindex replay mode
5929 When this target is in use, if the execution log includes the record
5930 for the next instruction, @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{replay
5931 mode}. In the replay mode, the inferior does not really execute code
5932 instructions. Instead, all the events that normally happen during
5933 code execution are taken from the execution log. While code is not
5934 really executed in replay mode, the values of registers (including the
5935 program counter register) and the memory of the inferior are still
5936 changed as they normally would. Their contents are taken from the
5937 execution log.
5938
5939 @cindex record mode
5940 If the record for the next instruction is not in the execution log,
5941 @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{record mode}. In this mode, the
5942 inferior executes normally, and @value{GDBN} records the execution log
5943 for future replay.
5944
5945 The process record and replay target supports reverse execution
5946 (@pxref{Reverse Execution}), even if the platform on which the
5947 inferior runs does not. However, the reverse execution is limited in
5948 this case by the range of the instructions recorded in the execution
5949 log. In other words, reverse execution on platforms that don't
5950 support it directly can only be done in the replay mode.
5951
5952 When debugging in the reverse direction, @value{GDBN} will work in
5953 replay mode as long as the execution log includes the record for the
5954 previous instruction; otherwise, it will work in record mode, if the
5955 platform supports reverse execution, or stop if not.
5956
5957 For architecture environments that support process record and replay,
5958 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands:
5959
5960 @table @code
5961 @kindex target record
5962 @kindex record
5963 @kindex rec
5964 @item target record
5965 This command starts the process record and replay target. The process
5966 record and replay target can only debug a process that is already
5967 running. Therefore, you need first to start the process with the
5968 @kbd{run} or @kbd{start} commands, and then start the recording with
5969 the @kbd{target record} command.
5970
5971 Both @code{record} and @code{rec} are aliases of @code{target record}.
5972
5973 @cindex displaced stepping, and process record and replay
5974 Displaced stepping (@pxref{Maintenance Commands,, displaced stepping})
5975 will be automatically disabled when process record and replay target
5976 is started. That's because the process record and replay target
5977 doesn't support displaced stepping.
5978
5979 @cindex non-stop mode, and process record and replay
5980 @cindex asynchronous execution, and process record and replay
5981 If the inferior is in the non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) or in
5982 the asynchronous execution mode (@pxref{Background Execution}), the
5983 process record and replay target cannot be started because it doesn't
5984 support these two modes.
5985
5986 @kindex record stop
5987 @kindex rec s
5988 @item record stop
5989 Stop the process record and replay target. When process record and
5990 replay target stops, the entire execution log will be deleted and the
5991 inferior will either be terminated, or will remain in its final state.
5992
5993 When you stop the process record and replay target in record mode (at
5994 the end of the execution log), the inferior will be stopped at the
5995 next instruction that would have been recorded. In other words, if
5996 you record for a while and then stop recording, the inferior process
5997 will be left in the same state as if the recording never happened.
5998
5999 On the other hand, if the process record and replay target is stopped
6000 while in replay mode (that is, not at the end of the execution log,
6001 but at some earlier point), the inferior process will become ``live''
6002 at that earlier state, and it will then be possible to continue the
6003 usual ``live'' debugging of the process from that state.
6004
6005 When the inferior process exits, or @value{GDBN} detaches from it,
6006 process record and replay target will automatically stop itself.
6007
6008 @kindex record save
6009 @item record save @var{filename}
6010 Save the execution log to a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6011 Default filename is @file{gdb_record.@var{process_id}}, where
6012 @var{process_id} is the process ID of the inferior.
6013
6014 @kindex record restore
6015 @item record restore @var{filename}
6016 Restore the execution log from a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6017 File must have been created with @code{record save}.
6018
6019 @kindex set record insn-number-max
6020 @item set record insn-number-max @var{limit}
6021 Set the limit of instructions to be recorded. Default value is 200000.
6022
6023 If @var{limit} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will start
6024 deleting instructions from the log once the number of the record
6025 instructions becomes greater than @var{limit}. For every new recorded
6026 instruction, @value{GDBN} will delete the earliest recorded
6027 instruction to keep the number of recorded instructions at the limit.
6028 (Since deleting recorded instructions loses information, @value{GDBN}
6029 lets you control what happens when the limit is reached, by means of
6030 the @code{stop-at-limit} option, described below.)
6031
6032 If @var{limit} is zero, @value{GDBN} will never delete recorded
6033 instructions from the execution log. The number of recorded
6034 instructions is unlimited in this case.
6035
6036 @kindex show record insn-number-max
6037 @item show record insn-number-max
6038 Show the limit of instructions to be recorded.
6039
6040 @kindex set record stop-at-limit
6041 @item set record stop-at-limit
6042 Control the behavior when the number of recorded instructions reaches
6043 the limit. If ON (the default), @value{GDBN} will stop when the limit
6044 is reached for the first time and ask you whether you want to stop the
6045 inferior or continue running it and recording the execution log. If
6046 you decide to continue recording, each new recorded instruction will
6047 cause the oldest one to be deleted.
6048
6049 If this option is OFF, @value{GDBN} will automatically delete the
6050 oldest record to make room for each new one, without asking.
6051
6052 @kindex show record stop-at-limit
6053 @item show record stop-at-limit
6054 Show the current setting of @code{stop-at-limit}.
6055
6056 @kindex set record memory-query
6057 @item set record memory-query
6058 Control the behavior when @value{GDBN} is unable to record memory
6059 changes caused by an instruction. If ON, @value{GDBN} will query
6060 whether to stop the inferior in that case.
6061
6062 If this option is OFF (the default), @value{GDBN} will automatically
6063 ignore the effect of such instructions on memory. Later, when
6064 @value{GDBN} replays this execution log, it will mark the log of this
6065 instruction as not accessible, and it will not affect the replay
6066 results.
6067
6068 @kindex show record memory-query
6069 @item show record memory-query
6070 Show the current setting of @code{memory-query}.
6071
6072 @kindex info record
6073 @item info record
6074 Show various statistics about the state of process record and its
6075 in-memory execution log buffer, including:
6076
6077 @itemize @bullet
6078 @item
6079 Whether in record mode or replay mode.
6080 @item
6081 Lowest recorded instruction number (counting from when the current execution log started recording instructions).
6082 @item
6083 Highest recorded instruction number.
6084 @item
6085 Current instruction about to be replayed (if in replay mode).
6086 @item
6087 Number of instructions contained in the execution log.
6088 @item
6089 Maximum number of instructions that may be contained in the execution log.
6090 @end itemize
6091
6092 @kindex record delete
6093 @kindex rec del
6094 @item record delete
6095 When record target runs in replay mode (``in the past''), delete the
6096 subsequent execution log and begin to record a new execution log starting
6097 from the current address. This means you will abandon the previously
6098 recorded ``future'' and begin recording a new ``future''.
6099 @end table
6100
6101
6102 @node Stack
6103 @chapter Examining the Stack
6104
6105 When your program has stopped, the first thing you need to know is where it
6106 stopped and how it got there.
6107
6108 @cindex call stack
6109 Each time your program performs a function call, information about the call
6110 is generated.
6111 That information includes the location of the call in your program,
6112 the arguments of the call,
6113 and the local variables of the function being called.
6114 The information is saved in a block of data called a @dfn{stack frame}.
6115 The stack frames are allocated in a region of memory called the @dfn{call
6116 stack}.
6117
6118 When your program stops, the @value{GDBN} commands for examining the
6119 stack allow you to see all of this information.
6120
6121 @cindex selected frame
6122 One of the stack frames is @dfn{selected} by @value{GDBN} and many
6123 @value{GDBN} commands refer implicitly to the selected frame. In
6124 particular, whenever you ask @value{GDBN} for the value of a variable in
6125 your program, the value is found in the selected frame. There are
6126 special @value{GDBN} commands to select whichever frame you are
6127 interested in. @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6128
6129 When your program stops, @value{GDBN} automatically selects the
6130 currently executing frame and describes it briefly, similar to the
6131 @code{frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}).
6132
6133 @menu
6134 * Frames:: Stack frames
6135 * Backtrace:: Backtraces
6136 * Selection:: Selecting a frame
6137 * Frame Info:: Information on a frame
6138
6139 @end menu
6140
6141 @node Frames
6142 @section Stack Frames
6143
6144 @cindex frame, definition
6145 @cindex stack frame
6146 The call stack is divided up into contiguous pieces called @dfn{stack
6147 frames}, or @dfn{frames} for short; each frame is the data associated
6148 with one call to one function. The frame contains the arguments given
6149 to the function, the function's local variables, and the address at
6150 which the function is executing.
6151
6152 @cindex initial frame
6153 @cindex outermost frame
6154 @cindex innermost frame
6155 When your program is started, the stack has only one frame, that of the
6156 function @code{main}. This is called the @dfn{initial} frame or the
6157 @dfn{outermost} frame. Each time a function is called, a new frame is
6158 made. Each time a function returns, the frame for that function invocation
6159 is eliminated. If a function is recursive, there can be many frames for
6160 the same function. The frame for the function in which execution is
6161 actually occurring is called the @dfn{innermost} frame. This is the most
6162 recently created of all the stack frames that still exist.
6163
6164 @cindex frame pointer
6165 Inside your program, stack frames are identified by their addresses. A
6166 stack frame consists of many bytes, each of which has its own address; each
6167 kind of computer has a convention for choosing one byte whose
6168 address serves as the address of the frame. Usually this address is kept
6169 in a register called the @dfn{frame pointer register}
6170 (@pxref{Registers, $fp}) while execution is going on in that frame.
6171
6172 @cindex frame number
6173 @value{GDBN} assigns numbers to all existing stack frames, starting with
6174 zero for the innermost frame, one for the frame that called it,
6175 and so on upward. These numbers do not really exist in your program;
6176 they are assigned by @value{GDBN} to give you a way of designating stack
6177 frames in @value{GDBN} commands.
6178
6179 @c The -fomit-frame-pointer below perennially causes hbox overflow
6180 @c underflow problems.
6181 @cindex frameless execution
6182 Some compilers provide a way to compile functions so that they operate
6183 without stack frames. (For example, the @value{NGCC} option
6184 @smallexample
6185 @samp{-fomit-frame-pointer}
6186 @end smallexample
6187 generates functions without a frame.)
6188 This is occasionally done with heavily used library functions to save
6189 the frame setup time. @value{GDBN} has limited facilities for dealing
6190 with these function invocations. If the innermost function invocation
6191 has no stack frame, @value{GDBN} nevertheless regards it as though
6192 it had a separate frame, which is numbered zero as usual, allowing
6193 correct tracing of the function call chain. However, @value{GDBN} has
6194 no provision for frameless functions elsewhere in the stack.
6195
6196 @table @code
6197 @kindex frame@r{, command}
6198 @cindex current stack frame
6199 @item frame @var{args}
6200 The @code{frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame to another,
6201 and to print the stack frame you select. @var{args} may be either the
6202 address of the frame or the stack frame number. Without an argument,
6203 @code{frame} prints the current stack frame.
6204
6205 @kindex select-frame
6206 @cindex selecting frame silently
6207 @item select-frame
6208 The @code{select-frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame
6209 to another without printing the frame. This is the silent version of
6210 @code{frame}.
6211 @end table
6212
6213 @node Backtrace
6214 @section Backtraces
6215
6216 @cindex traceback
6217 @cindex call stack traces
6218 A backtrace is a summary of how your program got where it is. It shows one
6219 line per frame, for many frames, starting with the currently executing
6220 frame (frame zero), followed by its caller (frame one), and on up the
6221 stack.
6222
6223 @table @code
6224 @kindex backtrace
6225 @kindex bt @r{(@code{backtrace})}
6226 @item backtrace
6227 @itemx bt
6228 Print a backtrace of the entire stack: one line per frame for all
6229 frames in the stack.
6230
6231 You can stop the backtrace at any time by typing the system interrupt
6232 character, normally @kbd{Ctrl-c}.
6233
6234 @item backtrace @var{n}
6235 @itemx bt @var{n}
6236 Similar, but print only the innermost @var{n} frames.
6237
6238 @item backtrace -@var{n}
6239 @itemx bt -@var{n}
6240 Similar, but print only the outermost @var{n} frames.
6241
6242 @item backtrace full
6243 @itemx bt full
6244 @itemx bt full @var{n}
6245 @itemx bt full -@var{n}
6246 Print the values of the local variables also. @var{n} specifies the
6247 number of frames to print, as described above.
6248 @end table
6249
6250 @kindex where
6251 @kindex info stack
6252 The names @code{where} and @code{info stack} (abbreviated @code{info s})
6253 are additional aliases for @code{backtrace}.
6254
6255 @cindex multiple threads, backtrace
6256 In a multi-threaded program, @value{GDBN} by default shows the
6257 backtrace only for the current thread. To display the backtrace for
6258 several or all of the threads, use the command @code{thread apply}
6259 (@pxref{Threads, thread apply}). For example, if you type @kbd{thread
6260 apply all backtrace}, @value{GDBN} will display the backtrace for all
6261 the threads; this is handy when you debug a core dump of a
6262 multi-threaded program.
6263
6264 Each line in the backtrace shows the frame number and the function name.
6265 The program counter value is also shown---unless you use @code{set
6266 print address off}. The backtrace also shows the source file name and
6267 line number, as well as the arguments to the function. The program
6268 counter value is omitted if it is at the beginning of the code for that
6269 line number.
6270
6271 Here is an example of a backtrace. It was made with the command
6272 @samp{bt 3}, so it shows the innermost three frames.
6273
6274 @smallexample
6275 @group
6276 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
6277 at builtin.c:993
6278 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=0x2b600, data=...) at macro.c:242
6279 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=177664, td=0xf7fffb08)
6280 at macro.c:71
6281 (More stack frames follow...)
6282 @end group
6283 @end smallexample
6284
6285 @noindent
6286 The display for frame zero does not begin with a program counter
6287 value, indicating that your program has stopped at the beginning of the
6288 code for line @code{993} of @code{builtin.c}.
6289
6290 @noindent
6291 The value of parameter @code{data} in frame 1 has been replaced by
6292 @code{@dots{}}. By default, @value{GDBN} prints the value of a parameter
6293 only if it is a scalar (integer, pointer, enumeration, etc). See command
6294 @kbd{set print frame-arguments} in @ref{Print Settings} for more details
6295 on how to configure the way function parameter values are printed.
6296
6297 @cindex optimized out, in backtrace
6298 @cindex function call arguments, optimized out
6299 If your program was compiled with optimizations, some compilers will
6300 optimize away arguments passed to functions if those arguments are
6301 never used after the call. Such optimizations generate code that
6302 passes arguments through registers, but doesn't store those arguments
6303 in the stack frame. @value{GDBN} has no way of displaying such
6304 arguments in stack frames other than the innermost one. Here's what
6305 such a backtrace might look like:
6306
6307 @smallexample
6308 @group
6309 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
6310 at builtin.c:993
6311 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=<optimized out>) at macro.c:242
6312 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=<optimized out>, td=0xf7fffb08)
6313 at macro.c:71
6314 (More stack frames follow...)
6315 @end group
6316 @end smallexample
6317
6318 @noindent
6319 The values of arguments that were not saved in their stack frames are
6320 shown as @samp{<optimized out>}.
6321
6322 If you need to display the values of such optimized-out arguments,
6323 either deduce that from other variables whose values depend on the one
6324 you are interested in, or recompile without optimizations.
6325
6326 @cindex backtrace beyond @code{main} function
6327 @cindex program entry point
6328 @cindex startup code, and backtrace
6329 Most programs have a standard user entry point---a place where system
6330 libraries and startup code transition into user code. For C this is
6331 @code{main}@footnote{
6332 Note that embedded programs (the so-called ``free-standing''
6333 environment) are not required to have a @code{main} function as the
6334 entry point. They could even have multiple entry points.}.
6335 When @value{GDBN} finds the entry function in a backtrace
6336 it will terminate the backtrace, to avoid tracing into highly
6337 system-specific (and generally uninteresting) code.
6338
6339 If you need to examine the startup code, or limit the number of levels
6340 in a backtrace, you can change this behavior:
6341
6342 @table @code
6343 @item set backtrace past-main
6344 @itemx set backtrace past-main on
6345 @kindex set backtrace
6346 Backtraces will continue past the user entry point.
6347
6348 @item set backtrace past-main off
6349 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the user entry point. This is the
6350 default.
6351
6352 @item show backtrace past-main
6353 @kindex show backtrace
6354 Display the current user entry point backtrace policy.
6355
6356 @item set backtrace past-entry
6357 @itemx set backtrace past-entry on
6358 Backtraces will continue past the internal entry point of an application.
6359 This entry point is encoded by the linker when the application is built,
6360 and is likely before the user entry point @code{main} (or equivalent) is called.
6361
6362 @item set backtrace past-entry off
6363 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the internal entry point of an
6364 application. This is the default.
6365
6366 @item show backtrace past-entry
6367 Display the current internal entry point backtrace policy.
6368
6369 @item set backtrace limit @var{n}
6370 @itemx set backtrace limit 0
6371 @cindex backtrace limit
6372 Limit the backtrace to @var{n} levels. A value of zero means
6373 unlimited.
6374
6375 @item show backtrace limit
6376 Display the current limit on backtrace levels.
6377 @end table
6378
6379 @node Selection
6380 @section Selecting a Frame
6381
6382 Most commands for examining the stack and other data in your program work on
6383 whichever stack frame is selected at the moment. Here are the commands for
6384 selecting a stack frame; all of them finish by printing a brief description
6385 of the stack frame just selected.
6386
6387 @table @code
6388 @kindex frame@r{, selecting}
6389 @kindex f @r{(@code{frame})}
6390 @item frame @var{n}
6391 @itemx f @var{n}
6392 Select frame number @var{n}. Recall that frame zero is the innermost
6393 (currently executing) frame, frame one is the frame that called the
6394 innermost one, and so on. The highest-numbered frame is the one for
6395 @code{main}.
6396
6397 @item frame @var{addr}
6398 @itemx f @var{addr}
6399 Select the frame at address @var{addr}. This is useful mainly if the
6400 chaining of stack frames has been damaged by a bug, making it
6401 impossible for @value{GDBN} to assign numbers properly to all frames. In
6402 addition, this can be useful when your program has multiple stacks and
6403 switches between them.
6404
6405 On the SPARC architecture, @code{frame} needs two addresses to
6406 select an arbitrary frame: a frame pointer and a stack pointer.
6407
6408 On the MIPS and Alpha architecture, it needs two addresses: a stack
6409 pointer and a program counter.
6410
6411 On the 29k architecture, it needs three addresses: a register stack
6412 pointer, a program counter, and a memory stack pointer.
6413
6414 @kindex up
6415 @item up @var{n}
6416 Move @var{n} frames up the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
6417 advances toward the outermost frame, to higher frame numbers, to frames
6418 that have existed longer. @var{n} defaults to one.
6419
6420 @kindex down
6421 @kindex do @r{(@code{down})}
6422 @item down @var{n}
6423 Move @var{n} frames down the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
6424 advances toward the innermost frame, to lower frame numbers, to frames
6425 that were created more recently. @var{n} defaults to one. You may
6426 abbreviate @code{down} as @code{do}.
6427 @end table
6428
6429 All of these commands end by printing two lines of output describing the
6430 frame. The first line shows the frame number, the function name, the
6431 arguments, and the source file and line number of execution in that
6432 frame. The second line shows the text of that source line.
6433
6434 @need 1000
6435 For example:
6436
6437 @smallexample
6438 @group
6439 (@value{GDBP}) up
6440 #1 0x22f0 in main (argc=1, argv=0xf7fffbf4, env=0xf7fffbfc)
6441 at env.c:10
6442 10 read_input_file (argv[i]);
6443 @end group
6444 @end smallexample
6445
6446 After such a printout, the @code{list} command with no arguments
6447 prints ten lines centered on the point of execution in the frame.
6448 You can also edit the program at the point of execution with your favorite
6449 editing program by typing @code{edit}.
6450 @xref{List, ,Printing Source Lines},
6451 for details.
6452
6453 @table @code
6454 @kindex down-silently
6455 @kindex up-silently
6456 @item up-silently @var{n}
6457 @itemx down-silently @var{n}
6458 These two commands are variants of @code{up} and @code{down},
6459 respectively; they differ in that they do their work silently, without
6460 causing display of the new frame. They are intended primarily for use
6461 in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the output might be unnecessary and
6462 distracting.
6463 @end table
6464
6465 @node Frame Info
6466 @section Information About a Frame
6467
6468 There are several other commands to print information about the selected
6469 stack frame.
6470
6471 @table @code
6472 @item frame
6473 @itemx f
6474 When used without any argument, this command does not change which
6475 frame is selected, but prints a brief description of the currently
6476 selected stack frame. It can be abbreviated @code{f}. With an
6477 argument, this command is used to select a stack frame.
6478 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6479
6480 @kindex info frame
6481 @kindex info f @r{(@code{info frame})}
6482 @item info frame
6483 @itemx info f
6484 This command prints a verbose description of the selected stack frame,
6485 including:
6486
6487 @itemize @bullet
6488 @item
6489 the address of the frame
6490 @item
6491 the address of the next frame down (called by this frame)
6492 @item
6493 the address of the next frame up (caller of this frame)
6494 @item
6495 the language in which the source code corresponding to this frame is written
6496 @item
6497 the address of the frame's arguments
6498 @item
6499 the address of the frame's local variables
6500 @item
6501 the program counter saved in it (the address of execution in the caller frame)
6502 @item
6503 which registers were saved in the frame
6504 @end itemize
6505
6506 @noindent The verbose description is useful when
6507 something has gone wrong that has made the stack format fail to fit
6508 the usual conventions.
6509
6510 @item info frame @var{addr}
6511 @itemx info f @var{addr}
6512 Print a verbose description of the frame at address @var{addr}, without
6513 selecting that frame. The selected frame remains unchanged by this
6514 command. This requires the same kind of address (more than one for some
6515 architectures) that you specify in the @code{frame} command.
6516 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6517
6518 @kindex info args
6519 @item info args
6520 Print the arguments of the selected frame, each on a separate line.
6521
6522 @item info locals
6523 @kindex info locals
6524 Print the local variables of the selected frame, each on a separate
6525 line. These are all variables (declared either static or automatic)
6526 accessible at the point of execution of the selected frame.
6527
6528 @end table
6529
6530
6531 @node Source
6532 @chapter Examining Source Files
6533
6534 @value{GDBN} can print parts of your program's source, since the debugging
6535 information recorded in the program tells @value{GDBN} what source files were
6536 used to build it. When your program stops, @value{GDBN} spontaneously prints
6537 the line where it stopped. Likewise, when you select a stack frame
6538 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}), @value{GDBN} prints the line where
6539 execution in that frame has stopped. You can print other portions of
6540 source files by explicit command.
6541
6542 If you use @value{GDBN} through its @sc{gnu} Emacs interface, you may
6543 prefer to use Emacs facilities to view source; see @ref{Emacs, ,Using
6544 @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}.
6545
6546 @menu
6547 * List:: Printing source lines
6548 * Specify Location:: How to specify code locations
6549 * Edit:: Editing source files
6550 * Search:: Searching source files
6551 * Source Path:: Specifying source directories
6552 * Machine Code:: Source and machine code
6553 @end menu
6554
6555 @node List
6556 @section Printing Source Lines
6557
6558 @kindex list
6559 @kindex l @r{(@code{list})}
6560 To print lines from a source file, use the @code{list} command
6561 (abbreviated @code{l}). By default, ten lines are printed.
6562 There are several ways to specify what part of the file you want to
6563 print; see @ref{Specify Location}, for the full list.
6564
6565 Here are the forms of the @code{list} command most commonly used:
6566
6567 @table @code
6568 @item list @var{linenum}
6569 Print lines centered around line number @var{linenum} in the
6570 current source file.
6571
6572 @item list @var{function}
6573 Print lines centered around the beginning of function
6574 @var{function}.
6575
6576 @item list
6577 Print more lines. If the last lines printed were printed with a
6578 @code{list} command, this prints lines following the last lines
6579 printed; however, if the last line printed was a solitary line printed
6580 as part of displaying a stack frame (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the
6581 Stack}), this prints lines centered around that line.
6582
6583 @item list -
6584 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
6585 @end table
6586
6587 @cindex @code{list}, how many lines to display
6588 By default, @value{GDBN} prints ten source lines with any of these forms of
6589 the @code{list} command. You can change this using @code{set listsize}:
6590
6591 @table @code
6592 @kindex set listsize
6593 @item set listsize @var{count}
6594 Make the @code{list} command display @var{count} source lines (unless
6595 the @code{list} argument explicitly specifies some other number).
6596
6597 @kindex show listsize
6598 @item show listsize
6599 Display the number of lines that @code{list} prints.
6600 @end table
6601
6602 Repeating a @code{list} command with @key{RET} discards the argument,
6603 so it is equivalent to typing just @code{list}. This is more useful
6604 than listing the same lines again. An exception is made for an
6605 argument of @samp{-}; that argument is preserved in repetition so that
6606 each repetition moves up in the source file.
6607
6608 In general, the @code{list} command expects you to supply zero, one or two
6609 @dfn{linespecs}. Linespecs specify source lines; there are several ways
6610 of writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always
6611 to specify some source line.
6612
6613 Here is a complete description of the possible arguments for @code{list}:
6614
6615 @table @code
6616 @item list @var{linespec}
6617 Print lines centered around the line specified by @var{linespec}.
6618
6619 @item list @var{first},@var{last}
6620 Print lines from @var{first} to @var{last}. Both arguments are
6621 linespecs. When a @code{list} command has two linespecs, and the
6622 source file of the second linespec is omitted, this refers to
6623 the same source file as the first linespec.
6624
6625 @item list ,@var{last}
6626 Print lines ending with @var{last}.
6627
6628 @item list @var{first},
6629 Print lines starting with @var{first}.
6630
6631 @item list +
6632 Print lines just after the lines last printed.
6633
6634 @item list -
6635 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
6636
6637 @item list
6638 As described in the preceding table.
6639 @end table
6640
6641 @node Specify Location
6642 @section Specifying a Location
6643 @cindex specifying location
6644 @cindex linespec
6645
6646 Several @value{GDBN} commands accept arguments that specify a location
6647 of your program's code. Since @value{GDBN} is a source-level
6648 debugger, a location usually specifies some line in the source code;
6649 for that reason, locations are also known as @dfn{linespecs}.
6650
6651 Here are all the different ways of specifying a code location that
6652 @value{GDBN} understands:
6653
6654 @table @code
6655 @item @var{linenum}
6656 Specifies the line number @var{linenum} of the current source file.
6657
6658 @item -@var{offset}
6659 @itemx +@var{offset}
6660 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines before or after the @dfn{current
6661 line}. For the @code{list} command, the current line is the last one
6662 printed; for the breakpoint commands, this is the line at which
6663 execution stopped in the currently selected @dfn{stack frame}
6664 (@pxref{Frames, ,Frames}, for a description of stack frames.) When
6665 used as the second of the two linespecs in a @code{list} command,
6666 this specifies the line @var{offset} lines up or down from the first
6667 linespec.
6668
6669 @item @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
6670 Specifies the line @var{linenum} in the source file @var{filename}.
6671 If @var{filename} is a relative file name, then it will match any
6672 source file name with the same trailing components. For example, if
6673 @var{filename} is @samp{gcc/expr.c}, then it will match source file
6674 name of @file{/build/trunk/gcc/expr.c}, but not
6675 @file{/build/trunk/libcpp/expr.c} or @file{/build/trunk/gcc/x-expr.c}.
6676
6677 @item @var{function}
6678 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}.
6679 For example, in C, this is the line with the open brace.
6680
6681 @item @var{function}:@var{label}
6682 Specifies the line where @var{label} appears in @var{function}.
6683
6684 @item @var{filename}:@var{function}
6685 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}
6686 in the file @var{filename}. You only need the file name with a
6687 function name to avoid ambiguity when there are identically named
6688 functions in different source files.
6689
6690 @item @var{label}
6691 Specifies the line at which the label named @var{label} appears.
6692 @value{GDBN} searches for the label in the function corresponding to
6693 the currently selected stack frame. If there is no current selected
6694 stack frame (for instance, if the inferior is not running), then
6695 @value{GDBN} will not search for a label.
6696
6697 @item *@var{address}
6698 Specifies the program address @var{address}. For line-oriented
6699 commands, such as @code{list} and @code{edit}, this specifies a source
6700 line that contains @var{address}. For @code{break} and other
6701 breakpoint oriented commands, this can be used to set breakpoints in
6702 parts of your program which do not have debugging information or
6703 source files.
6704
6705 Here @var{address} may be any expression valid in the current working
6706 language (@pxref{Languages, working language}) that specifies a code
6707 address. In addition, as a convenience, @value{GDBN} extends the
6708 semantics of expressions used in locations to cover the situations
6709 that frequently happen during debugging. Here are the various forms
6710 of @var{address}:
6711
6712 @table @code
6713 @item @var{expression}
6714 Any expression valid in the current working language.
6715
6716 @item @var{funcaddr}
6717 An address of a function or procedure derived from its name. In C,
6718 C@t{++}, Java, Objective-C, Fortran, minimal, and assembly, this is
6719 simply the function's name @var{function} (and actually a special case
6720 of a valid expression). In Pascal and Modula-2, this is
6721 @code{&@var{function}}. In Ada, this is @code{@var{function}'Address}
6722 (although the Pascal form also works).
6723
6724 This form specifies the address of the function's first instruction,
6725 before the stack frame and arguments have been set up.
6726
6727 @item '@var{filename}'::@var{funcaddr}
6728 Like @var{funcaddr} above, but also specifies the name of the source
6729 file explicitly. This is useful if the name of the function does not
6730 specify the function unambiguously, e.g., if there are several
6731 functions with identical names in different source files.
6732 @end table
6733
6734 @cindex breakpoint at static probe point
6735 @item -pstap|-probe-stap @r{[}@var{objfile}:@r{[}@var{provider}:@r{]}@r{]}@var{name}
6736 The @sc{gnu}/Linux tool @code{SystemTap} provides a way for
6737 applications to embed static probes. @xref{Static Probe Points}, for more
6738 information on finding and using static probes. This form of linespec
6739 specifies the location of such a static probe.
6740
6741 If @var{objfile} is given, only probes coming from that shared library
6742 or executable matching @var{objfile} as a regular expression are considered.
6743 If @var{provider} is given, then only probes from that provider are considered.
6744 If several probes match the spec, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at
6745 each one of those probes.
6746
6747 @end table
6748
6749
6750 @node Edit
6751 @section Editing Source Files
6752 @cindex editing source files
6753
6754 @kindex edit
6755 @kindex e @r{(@code{edit})}
6756 To edit the lines in a source file, use the @code{edit} command.
6757 The editing program of your choice
6758 is invoked with the current line set to
6759 the active line in the program.
6760 Alternatively, there are several ways to specify what part of the file you
6761 want to print if you want to see other parts of the program:
6762
6763 @table @code
6764 @item edit @var{location}
6765 Edit the source file specified by @code{location}. Editing starts at
6766 that @var{location}, e.g., at the specified source line of the
6767 specified file. @xref{Specify Location}, for all the possible forms
6768 of the @var{location} argument; here are the forms of the @code{edit}
6769 command most commonly used:
6770
6771 @table @code
6772 @item edit @var{number}
6773 Edit the current source file with @var{number} as the active line number.
6774
6775 @item edit @var{function}
6776 Edit the file containing @var{function} at the beginning of its definition.
6777 @end table
6778
6779 @end table
6780
6781 @subsection Choosing your Editor
6782 You can customize @value{GDBN} to use any editor you want
6783 @footnote{
6784 The only restriction is that your editor (say @code{ex}), recognizes the
6785 following command-line syntax:
6786 @smallexample
6787 ex +@var{number} file
6788 @end smallexample
6789 The optional numeric value +@var{number} specifies the number of the line in
6790 the file where to start editing.}.
6791 By default, it is @file{@value{EDITOR}}, but you can change this
6792 by setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} before using
6793 @value{GDBN}. For example, to configure @value{GDBN} to use the
6794 @code{vi} editor, you could use these commands with the @code{sh} shell:
6795 @smallexample
6796 EDITOR=/usr/bin/vi
6797 export EDITOR
6798 gdb @dots{}
6799 @end smallexample
6800 or in the @code{csh} shell,
6801 @smallexample
6802 setenv EDITOR /usr/bin/vi
6803 gdb @dots{}
6804 @end smallexample
6805
6806 @node Search
6807 @section Searching Source Files
6808 @cindex searching source files
6809
6810 There are two commands for searching through the current source file for a
6811 regular expression.
6812
6813 @table @code
6814 @kindex search
6815 @kindex forward-search
6816 @item forward-search @var{regexp}
6817 @itemx search @var{regexp}
6818 The command @samp{forward-search @var{regexp}} checks each line,
6819 starting with the one following the last line listed, for a match for
6820 @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can use the
6821 synonym @samp{search @var{regexp}} or abbreviate the command name as
6822 @code{fo}.
6823
6824 @kindex reverse-search
6825 @item reverse-search @var{regexp}
6826 The command @samp{reverse-search @var{regexp}} checks each line, starting
6827 with the one before the last line listed and going backward, for a match
6828 for @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can abbreviate
6829 this command as @code{rev}.
6830 @end table
6831
6832 @node Source Path
6833 @section Specifying Source Directories
6834
6835 @cindex source path
6836 @cindex directories for source files
6837 Executable programs sometimes do not record the directories of the source
6838 files from which they were compiled, just the names. Even when they do,
6839 the directories could be moved between the compilation and your debugging
6840 session. @value{GDBN} has a list of directories to search for source files;
6841 this is called the @dfn{source path}. Each time @value{GDBN} wants a source file,
6842 it tries all the directories in the list, in the order they are present
6843 in the list, until it finds a file with the desired name.
6844
6845 For example, suppose an executable references the file
6846 @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}, and our source path is
6847 @file{/mnt/cross}. The file is first looked up literally; if this
6848 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} is tried; if this
6849 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/foo.c} is opened; if this fails, an error
6850 message is printed. @value{GDBN} does not look up the parts of the
6851 source file name, such as @file{/mnt/cross/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}.
6852 Likewise, the subdirectories of the source path are not searched: if
6853 the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the binary refers to
6854 @file{foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would not find it under
6855 @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib}.
6856
6857 Plain file names, relative file names with leading directories, file
6858 names containing dots, etc.@: are all treated as described above; for
6859 instance, if the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the source file
6860 is recorded as @file{../lib/foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would first try
6861 @file{../lib/foo.c}, then @file{/mnt/cross/../lib/foo.c}, and after
6862 that---@file{/mnt/cross/foo.c}.
6863
6864 Note that the executable search path is @emph{not} used to locate the
6865 source files.
6866
6867 Whenever you reset or rearrange the source path, @value{GDBN} clears out
6868 any information it has cached about where source files are found and where
6869 each line is in the file.
6870
6871 @kindex directory
6872 @kindex dir
6873 When you start @value{GDBN}, its source path includes only @samp{cdir}
6874 and @samp{cwd}, in that order.
6875 To add other directories, use the @code{directory} command.
6876
6877 The search path is used to find both program source files and @value{GDBN}
6878 script files (read using the @samp{-command} option and @samp{source} command).
6879
6880 In addition to the source path, @value{GDBN} provides a set of commands
6881 that manage a list of source path substitution rules. A @dfn{substitution
6882 rule} specifies how to rewrite source directories stored in the program's
6883 debug information in case the sources were moved to a different
6884 directory between compilation and debugging. A rule is made of
6885 two strings, the first specifying what needs to be rewritten in
6886 the path, and the second specifying how it should be rewritten.
6887 In @ref{set substitute-path}, we name these two parts @var{from} and
6888 @var{to} respectively. @value{GDBN} does a simple string replacement
6889 of @var{from} with @var{to} at the start of the directory part of the
6890 source file name, and uses that result instead of the original file
6891 name to look up the sources.
6892
6893 Using the previous example, suppose the @file{foo-1.0} tree has been
6894 moved from @file{/usr/src} to @file{/mnt/cross}, then you can tell
6895 @value{GDBN} to replace @file{/usr/src} in all source path names with
6896 @file{/mnt/cross}. The first lookup will then be
6897 @file{/mnt/cross/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} in place of the original location
6898 of @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}. To define a source path
6899 substitution rule, use the @code{set substitute-path} command
6900 (@pxref{set substitute-path}).
6901
6902 To avoid unexpected substitution results, a rule is applied only if the
6903 @var{from} part of the directory name ends at a directory separator.
6904 For instance, a rule substituting @file{/usr/source} into
6905 @file{/mnt/cross} will be applied to @file{/usr/source/foo-1.0} but
6906 not to @file{/usr/sourceware/foo-2.0}. And because the substitution
6907 is applied only at the beginning of the directory name, this rule will
6908 not be applied to @file{/root/usr/source/baz.c} either.
6909
6910 In many cases, you can achieve the same result using the @code{directory}
6911 command. However, @code{set substitute-path} can be more efficient in
6912 the case where the sources are organized in a complex tree with multiple
6913 subdirectories. With the @code{directory} command, you need to add each
6914 subdirectory of your project. If you moved the entire tree while
6915 preserving its internal organization, then @code{set substitute-path}
6916 allows you to direct the debugger to all the sources with one single
6917 command.
6918
6919 @code{set substitute-path} is also more than just a shortcut command.
6920 The source path is only used if the file at the original location no
6921 longer exists. On the other hand, @code{set substitute-path} modifies
6922 the debugger behavior to look at the rewritten location instead. So, if
6923 for any reason a source file that is not relevant to your executable is
6924 located at the original location, a substitution rule is the only
6925 method available to point @value{GDBN} at the new location.
6926
6927 @cindex @samp{--with-relocated-sources}
6928 @cindex default source path substitution
6929 You can configure a default source path substitution rule by
6930 configuring @value{GDBN} with the
6931 @samp{--with-relocated-sources=@var{dir}} option. The @var{dir}
6932 should be the name of a directory under @value{GDBN}'s configured
6933 prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or @samp{--exec-prefix}), and
6934 directory names in debug information under @var{dir} will be adjusted
6935 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
6936 location. This is useful if @value{GDBN}, libraries or executables
6937 with debug information and corresponding source code are being moved
6938 together.
6939
6940 @table @code
6941 @item directory @var{dirname} @dots{}
6942 @item dir @var{dirname} @dots{}
6943 Add directory @var{dirname} to the front of the source path. Several
6944 directory names may be given to this command, separated by @samp{:}
6945 (@samp{;} on MS-DOS and MS-Windows, where @samp{:} usually appears as
6946 part of absolute file names) or
6947 whitespace. You may specify a directory that is already in the source
6948 path; this moves it forward, so @value{GDBN} searches it sooner.
6949
6950 @kindex cdir
6951 @kindex cwd
6952 @vindex $cdir@r{, convenience variable}
6953 @vindex $cwd@r{, convenience variable}
6954 @cindex compilation directory
6955 @cindex current directory
6956 @cindex working directory
6957 @cindex directory, current
6958 @cindex directory, compilation
6959 You can use the string @samp{$cdir} to refer to the compilation
6960 directory (if one is recorded), and @samp{$cwd} to refer to the current
6961 working directory. @samp{$cwd} is not the same as @samp{.}---the former
6962 tracks the current working directory as it changes during your @value{GDBN}
6963 session, while the latter is immediately expanded to the current
6964 directory at the time you add an entry to the source path.
6965
6966 @item directory
6967 Reset the source path to its default value (@samp{$cdir:$cwd} on Unix systems). This requires confirmation.
6968
6969 @c RET-repeat for @code{directory} is explicitly disabled, but since
6970 @c repeating it would be a no-op we do not say that. (thanks to RMS)
6971
6972 @item set directories @var{path-list}
6973 @kindex set directories
6974 Set the source path to @var{path-list}.
6975 @samp{$cdir:$cwd} are added if missing.
6976
6977 @item show directories
6978 @kindex show directories
6979 Print the source path: show which directories it contains.
6980
6981 @anchor{set substitute-path}
6982 @item set substitute-path @var{from} @var{to}
6983 @kindex set substitute-path
6984 Define a source path substitution rule, and add it at the end of the
6985 current list of existing substitution rules. If a rule with the same
6986 @var{from} was already defined, then the old rule is also deleted.
6987
6988 For example, if the file @file{/foo/bar/baz.c} was moved to
6989 @file{/mnt/cross/baz.c}, then the command
6990
6991 @smallexample
6992 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/cross
6993 @end smallexample
6994
6995 @noindent
6996 will tell @value{GDBN} to replace @samp{/usr/src} with
6997 @samp{/mnt/cross}, which will allow @value{GDBN} to find the file
6998 @file{baz.c} even though it was moved.
6999
7000 In the case when more than one substitution rule have been defined,
7001 the rules are evaluated one by one in the order where they have been
7002 defined. The first one matching, if any, is selected to perform
7003 the substitution.
7004
7005 For instance, if we had entered the following commands:
7006
7007 @smallexample
7008 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src/include /mnt/include
7009 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/src
7010 @end smallexample
7011
7012 @noindent
7013 @value{GDBN} would then rewrite @file{/usr/src/include/defs.h} into
7014 @file{/mnt/include/defs.h} by using the first rule. However, it would
7015 use the second rule to rewrite @file{/usr/src/lib/foo.c} into
7016 @file{/mnt/src/lib/foo.c}.
7017
7018
7019 @item unset substitute-path [path]
7020 @kindex unset substitute-path
7021 If a path is specified, search the current list of substitution rules
7022 for a rule that would rewrite that path. Delete that rule if found.
7023 A warning is emitted by the debugger if no rule could be found.
7024
7025 If no path is specified, then all substitution rules are deleted.
7026
7027 @item show substitute-path [path]
7028 @kindex show substitute-path
7029 If a path is specified, then print the source path substitution rule
7030 which would rewrite that path, if any.
7031
7032 If no path is specified, then print all existing source path substitution
7033 rules.
7034
7035 @end table
7036
7037 If your source path is cluttered with directories that are no longer of
7038 interest, @value{GDBN} may sometimes cause confusion by finding the wrong
7039 versions of source. You can correct the situation as follows:
7040
7041 @enumerate
7042 @item
7043 Use @code{directory} with no argument to reset the source path to its default value.
7044
7045 @item
7046 Use @code{directory} with suitable arguments to reinstall the
7047 directories you want in the source path. You can add all the
7048 directories in one command.
7049 @end enumerate
7050
7051 @node Machine Code
7052 @section Source and Machine Code
7053 @cindex source line and its code address
7054
7055 You can use the command @code{info line} to map source lines to program
7056 addresses (and vice versa), and the command @code{disassemble} to display
7057 a range of addresses as machine instructions. You can use the command
7058 @code{set disassemble-next-line} to set whether to disassemble next
7059 source line when execution stops. When run under @sc{gnu} Emacs
7060 mode, the @code{info line} command causes the arrow to point to the
7061 line specified. Also, @code{info line} prints addresses in symbolic form as
7062 well as hex.
7063
7064 @table @code
7065 @kindex info line
7066 @item info line @var{linespec}
7067 Print the starting and ending addresses of the compiled code for
7068 source line @var{linespec}. You can specify source lines in any of
7069 the ways documented in @ref{Specify Location}.
7070 @end table
7071
7072 For example, we can use @code{info line} to discover the location of
7073 the object code for the first line of function
7074 @code{m4_changequote}:
7075
7076 @c FIXME: I think this example should also show the addresses in
7077 @c symbolic form, as they usually would be displayed.
7078 @smallexample
7079 (@value{GDBP}) info line m4_changequote
7080 Line 895 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x634c and ends at 0x6350.
7081 @end smallexample
7082
7083 @noindent
7084 @cindex code address and its source line
7085 We can also inquire (using @code{*@var{addr}} as the form for
7086 @var{linespec}) what source line covers a particular address:
7087 @smallexample
7088 (@value{GDBP}) info line *0x63ff
7089 Line 926 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x63e4 and ends at 0x6404.
7090 @end smallexample
7091
7092 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info line}
7093 @cindex @code{x} command, default address
7094 @kindex x@r{(examine), and} info line
7095 After @code{info line}, the default address for the @code{x} command
7096 is changed to the starting address of the line, so that @samp{x/i} is
7097 sufficient to begin examining the machine code (@pxref{Memory,
7098 ,Examining Memory}). Also, this address is saved as the value of the
7099 convenience variable @code{$_} (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
7100 Variables}).
7101
7102 @table @code
7103 @kindex disassemble
7104 @cindex assembly instructions
7105 @cindex instructions, assembly
7106 @cindex machine instructions
7107 @cindex listing machine instructions
7108 @item disassemble
7109 @itemx disassemble /m
7110 @itemx disassemble /r
7111 This specialized command dumps a range of memory as machine
7112 instructions. It can also print mixed source+disassembly by specifying
7113 the @code{/m} modifier and print the raw instructions in hex as well as
7114 in symbolic form by specifying the @code{/r}.
7115 The default memory range is the function surrounding the
7116 program counter of the selected frame. A single argument to this
7117 command is a program counter value; @value{GDBN} dumps the function
7118 surrounding this value. When two arguments are given, they should
7119 be separated by a comma, possibly surrounded by whitespace. The
7120 arguments specify a range of addresses to dump, in one of two forms:
7121
7122 @table @code
7123 @item @var{start},@var{end}
7124 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to @var{end} (exclusive)
7125 @item @var{start},+@var{length}
7126 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to
7127 @code{@var{start}+@var{length}} (exclusive).
7128 @end table
7129
7130 @noindent
7131 When 2 arguments are specified, the name of the function is also
7132 printed (since there could be several functions in the given range).
7133
7134 The argument(s) can be any expression yielding a numeric value, such as
7135 @samp{0x32c4}, @samp{&main+10} or @samp{$pc - 8}.
7136
7137 If the range of memory being disassembled contains current program counter,
7138 the instruction at that location is shown with a @code{=>} marker.
7139 @end table
7140
7141 The following example shows the disassembly of a range of addresses of
7142 HP PA-RISC 2.0 code:
7143
7144 @smallexample
7145 (@value{GDBP}) disas 0x32c4, 0x32e4
7146 Dump of assembler code from 0x32c4 to 0x32e4:
7147 0x32c4 <main+204>: addil 0,dp
7148 0x32c8 <main+208>: ldw 0x22c(sr0,r1),r26
7149 0x32cc <main+212>: ldil 0x3000,r31
7150 0x32d0 <main+216>: ble 0x3f8(sr4,r31)
7151 0x32d4 <main+220>: ldo 0(r31),rp
7152 0x32d8 <main+224>: addil -0x800,dp
7153 0x32dc <main+228>: ldo 0x588(r1),r26
7154 0x32e0 <main+232>: ldil 0x3000,r31
7155 End of assembler dump.
7156 @end smallexample
7157
7158 Here is an example showing mixed source+assembly for Intel x86, when the
7159 program is stopped just after function prologue:
7160
7161 @smallexample
7162 (@value{GDBP}) disas /m main
7163 Dump of assembler code for function main:
7164 5 @{
7165 0x08048330 <+0>: push %ebp
7166 0x08048331 <+1>: mov %esp,%ebp
7167 0x08048333 <+3>: sub $0x8,%esp
7168 0x08048336 <+6>: and $0xfffffff0,%esp
7169 0x08048339 <+9>: sub $0x10,%esp
7170
7171 6 printf ("Hello.\n");
7172 => 0x0804833c <+12>: movl $0x8048440,(%esp)
7173 0x08048343 <+19>: call 0x8048284 <puts@@plt>
7174
7175 7 return 0;
7176 8 @}
7177 0x08048348 <+24>: mov $0x0,%eax
7178 0x0804834d <+29>: leave
7179 0x0804834e <+30>: ret
7180
7181 End of assembler dump.
7182 @end smallexample
7183
7184 Here is another example showing raw instructions in hex for AMD x86-64,
7185
7186 @smallexample
7187 (gdb) disas /r 0x400281,+10
7188 Dump of assembler code from 0x400281 to 0x40028b:
7189 0x0000000000400281: 38 36 cmp %dh,(%rsi)
7190 0x0000000000400283: 2d 36 34 2e 73 sub $0x732e3436,%eax
7191 0x0000000000400288: 6f outsl %ds:(%rsi),(%dx)
7192 0x0000000000400289: 2e 32 00 xor %cs:(%rax),%al
7193 End of assembler dump.
7194 @end smallexample
7195
7196 Some architectures have more than one commonly-used set of instruction
7197 mnemonics or other syntax.
7198
7199 For programs that were dynamically linked and use shared libraries,
7200 instructions that call functions or branch to locations in the shared
7201 libraries might show a seemingly bogus location---it's actually a
7202 location of the relocation table. On some architectures, @value{GDBN}
7203 might be able to resolve these to actual function names.
7204
7205 @table @code
7206 @kindex set disassembly-flavor
7207 @cindex Intel disassembly flavor
7208 @cindex AT&T disassembly flavor
7209 @item set disassembly-flavor @var{instruction-set}
7210 Select the instruction set to use when disassembling the
7211 program via the @code{disassemble} or @code{x/i} commands.
7212
7213 Currently this command is only defined for the Intel x86 family. You
7214 can set @var{instruction-set} to either @code{intel} or @code{att}.
7215 The default is @code{att}, the AT&T flavor used by default by Unix
7216 assemblers for x86-based targets.
7217
7218 @kindex show disassembly-flavor
7219 @item show disassembly-flavor
7220 Show the current setting of the disassembly flavor.
7221 @end table
7222
7223 @table @code
7224 @kindex set disassemble-next-line
7225 @kindex show disassemble-next-line
7226 @item set disassemble-next-line
7227 @itemx show disassemble-next-line
7228 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will disassemble the next source
7229 line or instruction when execution stops. If ON, @value{GDBN} will
7230 display disassembly of the next source line when execution of the
7231 program being debugged stops. This is @emph{in addition} to
7232 displaying the source line itself, which @value{GDBN} always does if
7233 possible. If the next source line cannot be displayed for some reason
7234 (e.g., if @value{GDBN} cannot find the source file, or there's no line
7235 info in the debug info), @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of the
7236 next @emph{instruction} instead of showing the next source line. If
7237 AUTO, @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of next instruction only
7238 if the source line cannot be displayed. This setting causes
7239 @value{GDBN} to display some feedback when you step through a function
7240 with no line info or whose source file is unavailable. The default is
7241 OFF, which means never display the disassembly of the next line or
7242 instruction.
7243 @end table
7244
7245
7246 @node Data
7247 @chapter Examining Data
7248
7249 @cindex printing data
7250 @cindex examining data
7251 @kindex print
7252 @kindex inspect
7253 @c "inspect" is not quite a synonym if you are using Epoch, which we do not
7254 @c document because it is nonstandard... Under Epoch it displays in a
7255 @c different window or something like that.
7256 The usual way to examine data in your program is with the @code{print}
7257 command (abbreviated @code{p}), or its synonym @code{inspect}. It
7258 evaluates and prints the value of an expression of the language your
7259 program is written in (@pxref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with
7260 Different Languages}). It may also print the expression using a
7261 Python-based pretty-printer (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
7262
7263 @table @code
7264 @item print @var{expr}
7265 @itemx print /@var{f} @var{expr}
7266 @var{expr} is an expression (in the source language). By default the
7267 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
7268 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
7269 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
7270 Formats}.
7271
7272 @item print
7273 @itemx print /@var{f}
7274 @cindex reprint the last value
7275 If you omit @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} displays the last value again (from the
7276 @dfn{value history}; @pxref{Value History, ,Value History}). This allows you to
7277 conveniently inspect the same value in an alternative format.
7278 @end table
7279
7280 A more low-level way of examining data is with the @code{x} command.
7281 It examines data in memory at a specified address and prints it in a
7282 specified format. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
7283
7284 If you are interested in information about types, or about how the
7285 fields of a struct or a class are declared, use the @code{ptype @var{exp}}
7286 command rather than @code{print}. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol
7287 Table}.
7288
7289 @cindex exploring hierarchical data structures
7290 @kindex explore
7291 Another way of examining values of expressions and type information is
7292 through the Python extension command @code{explore} (available only if
7293 the @value{GDBN} build is configured with @code{--with-python}). It
7294 offers an interactive way to start at the highest level (or, the most
7295 abstract level) of the data type of an expression (or, the data type
7296 itself) and explore all the way down to leaf scalar values/fields
7297 embedded in the higher level data types.
7298
7299 @table @code
7300 @item explore @var{arg}
7301 @var{arg} is either an expression (in the source language), or a type
7302 visible in the current context of the program being debugged.
7303 @end table
7304
7305 The working of the @code{explore} command can be illustrated with an
7306 example. If a data type @code{struct ComplexStruct} is defined in your
7307 C program as
7308
7309 @smallexample
7310 struct SimpleStruct
7311 @{
7312 int i;
7313 double d;
7314 @};
7315
7316 struct ComplexStruct
7317 @{
7318 struct SimpleStruct *ss_p;
7319 int arr[10];
7320 @};
7321 @end smallexample
7322
7323 @noindent
7324 followed by variable declarations as
7325
7326 @smallexample
7327 struct SimpleStruct ss = @{ 10, 1.11 @};
7328 struct ComplexStruct cs = @{ &ss, @{ 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 @} @};
7329 @end smallexample
7330
7331 @noindent
7332 then, the value of the variable @code{cs} can be explored using the
7333 @code{explore} command as follows.
7334
7335 @smallexample
7336 (gdb) explore cs
7337 The value of `cs' is a struct/class of type `struct ComplexStruct' with
7338 the following fields:
7339
7340 ss_p = <Enter 0 to explore this field of type `struct SimpleStruct *'>
7341 arr = <Enter 1 to explore this field of type `int [10]'>
7342
7343 Enter the field number of choice:
7344 @end smallexample
7345
7346 @noindent
7347 Since the fields of @code{cs} are not scalar values, you are being
7348 prompted to chose the field you want to explore. Let's say you choose
7349 the field @code{ss_p} by entering @code{0}. Then, since this field is a
7350 pointer, you will be asked if it is pointing to a single value. From
7351 the declaration of @code{cs} above, it is indeed pointing to a single
7352 value, hence you enter @code{y}. If you enter @code{n}, then you will
7353 be asked if it were pointing to an array of values, in which case this
7354 field will be explored as if it were an array.
7355
7356 @smallexample
7357 `cs.ss_p' is a pointer to a value of type `struct SimpleStruct'
7358 Continue exploring it as a pointer to a single value [y/n]: y
7359 The value of `*(cs.ss_p)' is a struct/class of type `struct
7360 SimpleStruct' with the following fields:
7361
7362 i = 10 .. (Value of type `int')
7363 d = 1.1100000000000001 .. (Value of type `double')
7364
7365 Press enter to return to parent value:
7366 @end smallexample
7367
7368 @noindent
7369 If the field @code{arr} of @code{cs} was chosen for exploration by
7370 entering @code{1} earlier, then since it is as array, you will be
7371 prompted to enter the index of the element in the array that you want
7372 to explore.
7373
7374 @smallexample
7375 `cs.arr' is an array of `int'.
7376 Enter the index of the element you want to explore in `cs.arr': 5
7377
7378 `(cs.arr)[5]' is a scalar value of type `int'.
7379
7380 (cs.arr)[5] = 4
7381
7382 Press enter to return to parent value:
7383 @end smallexample
7384
7385 In general, at any stage of exploration, you can go deeper towards the
7386 leaf values by responding to the prompts appropriately, or hit the
7387 return key to return to the enclosing data structure (the @i{higher}
7388 level data structure).
7389
7390 Similar to exploring values, you can use the @code{explore} command to
7391 explore types. Instead of specifying a value (which is typically a
7392 variable name or an expression valid in the current context of the
7393 program being debugged), you specify a type name. If you consider the
7394 same example as above, your can explore the type
7395 @code{struct ComplexStruct} by passing the argument
7396 @code{struct ComplexStruct} to the @code{explore} command.
7397
7398 @smallexample
7399 (gdb) explore struct ComplexStruct
7400 @end smallexample
7401
7402 @noindent
7403 By responding to the prompts appropriately in the subsequent interactive
7404 session, you can explore the type @code{struct ComplexStruct} in a
7405 manner similar to how the value @code{cs} was explored in the above
7406 example.
7407
7408 The @code{explore} command also has two sub-commands,
7409 @code{explore value} and @code{explore type}. The former sub-command is
7410 a way to explicitly specify that value exploration of the argument is
7411 being invoked, while the latter is a way to explicitly specify that type
7412 exploration of the argument is being invoked.
7413
7414 @table @code
7415 @item explore value @var{expr}
7416 @cindex explore value
7417 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the value of the
7418 expression @var{expr} (if @var{expr} is an expression valid in the
7419 current context of the program being debugged). The behavior of this
7420 command is identical to that of the behavior of the @code{explore}
7421 command being passed the argument @var{expr}.
7422
7423 @item explore type @var{arg}
7424 @cindex explore type
7425 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the type of @var{arg} (if
7426 @var{arg} is a type visible in the current context of program being
7427 debugged), or the type of the value/expression @var{arg} (if @var{arg}
7428 is an expression valid in the current context of the program being
7429 debugged). If @var{arg} is a type, then the behavior of this command is
7430 identical to that of the @code{explore} command being passed the
7431 argument @var{arg}. If @var{arg} is an expression, then the behavior of
7432 this command will be identical to that of the @code{explore} command
7433 being passed the type of @var{arg} as the argument.
7434 @end table
7435
7436 @menu
7437 * Expressions:: Expressions
7438 * Ambiguous Expressions:: Ambiguous Expressions
7439 * Variables:: Program variables
7440 * Arrays:: Artificial arrays
7441 * Output Formats:: Output formats
7442 * Memory:: Examining memory
7443 * Auto Display:: Automatic display
7444 * Print Settings:: Print settings
7445 * Pretty Printing:: Python pretty printing
7446 * Value History:: Value history
7447 * Convenience Vars:: Convenience variables
7448 * Registers:: Registers
7449 * Floating Point Hardware:: Floating point hardware
7450 * Vector Unit:: Vector Unit
7451 * OS Information:: Auxiliary data provided by operating system
7452 * Memory Region Attributes:: Memory region attributes
7453 * Dump/Restore Files:: Copy between memory and a file
7454 * Core File Generation:: Cause a program dump its core
7455 * Character Sets:: Debugging programs that use a different
7456 character set than GDB does
7457 * Caching Remote Data:: Data caching for remote targets
7458 * Searching Memory:: Searching memory for a sequence of bytes
7459 @end menu
7460
7461 @node Expressions
7462 @section Expressions
7463
7464 @cindex expressions
7465 @code{print} and many other @value{GDBN} commands accept an expression and
7466 compute its value. Any kind of constant, variable or operator defined
7467 by the programming language you are using is valid in an expression in
7468 @value{GDBN}. This includes conditional expressions, function calls,
7469 casts, and string constants. It also includes preprocessor macros, if
7470 you compiled your program to include this information; see
7471 @ref{Compilation}.
7472
7473 @cindex arrays in expressions
7474 @value{GDBN} supports array constants in expressions input by
7475 the user. The syntax is @{@var{element}, @var{element}@dots{}@}. For example,
7476 you can use the command @code{print @{1, 2, 3@}} to create an array
7477 of three integers. If you pass an array to a function or assign it
7478 to a program variable, @value{GDBN} copies the array to memory that
7479 is @code{malloc}ed in the target program.
7480
7481 Because C is so widespread, most of the expressions shown in examples in
7482 this manual are in C. @xref{Languages, , Using @value{GDBN} with Different
7483 Languages}, for information on how to use expressions in other
7484 languages.
7485
7486 In this section, we discuss operators that you can use in @value{GDBN}
7487 expressions regardless of your programming language.
7488
7489 @cindex casts, in expressions
7490 Casts are supported in all languages, not just in C, because it is so
7491 useful to cast a number into a pointer in order to examine a structure
7492 at that address in memory.
7493 @c FIXME: casts supported---Mod2 true?
7494
7495 @value{GDBN} supports these operators, in addition to those common
7496 to programming languages:
7497
7498 @table @code
7499 @item @@
7500 @samp{@@} is a binary operator for treating parts of memory as arrays.
7501 @xref{Arrays, ,Artificial Arrays}, for more information.
7502
7503 @item ::
7504 @samp{::} allows you to specify a variable in terms of the file or
7505 function where it is defined. @xref{Variables, ,Program Variables}.
7506
7507 @cindex @{@var{type}@}
7508 @cindex type casting memory
7509 @cindex memory, viewing as typed object
7510 @cindex casts, to view memory
7511 @item @{@var{type}@} @var{addr}
7512 Refers to an object of type @var{type} stored at address @var{addr} in
7513 memory. @var{addr} may be any expression whose value is an integer or
7514 pointer (but parentheses are required around binary operators, just as in
7515 a cast). This construct is allowed regardless of what kind of data is
7516 normally supposed to reside at @var{addr}.
7517 @end table
7518
7519 @node Ambiguous Expressions
7520 @section Ambiguous Expressions
7521 @cindex ambiguous expressions
7522
7523 Expressions can sometimes contain some ambiguous elements. For instance,
7524 some programming languages (notably Ada, C@t{++} and Objective-C) permit
7525 a single function name to be defined several times, for application in
7526 different contexts. This is called @dfn{overloading}. Another example
7527 involving Ada is generics. A @dfn{generic package} is similar to C@t{++}
7528 templates and is typically instantiated several times, resulting in
7529 the same function name being defined in different contexts.
7530
7531 In some cases and depending on the language, it is possible to adjust
7532 the expression to remove the ambiguity. For instance in C@t{++}, you
7533 can specify the signature of the function you want to break on, as in
7534 @kbd{break @var{function}(@var{types})}. In Ada, using the fully
7535 qualified name of your function often makes the expression unambiguous
7536 as well.
7537
7538 When an ambiguity that needs to be resolved is detected, the debugger
7539 has the capability to display a menu of numbered choices for each
7540 possibility, and then waits for the selection with the prompt @samp{>}.
7541 The first option is always @samp{[0] cancel}, and typing @kbd{0 @key{RET}}
7542 aborts the current command. If the command in which the expression was
7543 used allows more than one choice to be selected, the next option in the
7544 menu is @samp{[1] all}, and typing @kbd{1 @key{RET}} selects all possible
7545 choices.
7546
7547 For example, the following session excerpt shows an attempt to set a
7548 breakpoint at the overloaded symbol @code{String::after}.
7549 We choose three particular definitions of that function name:
7550
7551 @c FIXME! This is likely to change to show arg type lists, at least
7552 @smallexample
7553 @group
7554 (@value{GDBP}) b String::after
7555 [0] cancel
7556 [1] all
7557 [2] file:String.cc; line number:867
7558 [3] file:String.cc; line number:860
7559 [4] file:String.cc; line number:875
7560 [5] file:String.cc; line number:853
7561 [6] file:String.cc; line number:846
7562 [7] file:String.cc; line number:735
7563 > 2 4 6
7564 Breakpoint 1 at 0xb26c: file String.cc, line 867.
7565 Breakpoint 2 at 0xb344: file String.cc, line 875.
7566 Breakpoint 3 at 0xafcc: file String.cc, line 846.
7567 Multiple breakpoints were set.
7568 Use the "delete" command to delete unwanted
7569 breakpoints.
7570 (@value{GDBP})
7571 @end group
7572 @end smallexample
7573
7574 @table @code
7575 @kindex set multiple-symbols
7576 @item set multiple-symbols @var{mode}
7577 @cindex multiple-symbols menu
7578
7579 This option allows you to adjust the debugger behavior when an expression
7580 is ambiguous.
7581
7582 By default, @var{mode} is set to @code{all}. If the command with which
7583 the expression is used allows more than one choice, then @value{GDBN}
7584 automatically selects all possible choices. For instance, inserting
7585 a breakpoint on a function using an ambiguous name results in a breakpoint
7586 inserted on each possible match. However, if a unique choice must be made,
7587 then @value{GDBN} uses the menu to help you disambiguate the expression.
7588 For instance, printing the address of an overloaded function will result
7589 in the use of the menu.
7590
7591 When @var{mode} is set to @code{ask}, the debugger always uses the menu
7592 when an ambiguity is detected.
7593
7594 Finally, when @var{mode} is set to @code{cancel}, the debugger reports
7595 an error due to the ambiguity and the command is aborted.
7596
7597 @kindex show multiple-symbols
7598 @item show multiple-symbols
7599 Show the current value of the @code{multiple-symbols} setting.
7600 @end table
7601
7602 @node Variables
7603 @section Program Variables
7604
7605 The most common kind of expression to use is the name of a variable
7606 in your program.
7607
7608 Variables in expressions are understood in the selected stack frame
7609 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}); they must be either:
7610
7611 @itemize @bullet
7612 @item
7613 global (or file-static)
7614 @end itemize
7615
7616 @noindent or
7617
7618 @itemize @bullet
7619 @item
7620 visible according to the scope rules of the
7621 programming language from the point of execution in that frame
7622 @end itemize
7623
7624 @noindent This means that in the function
7625
7626 @smallexample
7627 foo (a)
7628 int a;
7629 @{
7630 bar (a);
7631 @{
7632 int b = test ();
7633 bar (b);
7634 @}
7635 @}
7636 @end smallexample
7637
7638 @noindent
7639 you can examine and use the variable @code{a} whenever your program is
7640 executing within the function @code{foo}, but you can only use or
7641 examine the variable @code{b} while your program is executing inside
7642 the block where @code{b} is declared.
7643
7644 @cindex variable name conflict
7645 There is an exception: you can refer to a variable or function whose
7646 scope is a single source file even if the current execution point is not
7647 in this file. But it is possible to have more than one such variable or
7648 function with the same name (in different source files). If that
7649 happens, referring to that name has unpredictable effects. If you wish,
7650 you can specify a static variable in a particular function or file by
7651 using the colon-colon (@code{::}) notation:
7652
7653 @cindex colon-colon, context for variables/functions
7654 @ifnotinfo
7655 @c info cannot cope with a :: index entry, but why deprive hard copy readers?
7656 @cindex @code{::}, context for variables/functions
7657 @end ifnotinfo
7658 @smallexample
7659 @var{file}::@var{variable}
7660 @var{function}::@var{variable}
7661 @end smallexample
7662
7663 @noindent
7664 Here @var{file} or @var{function} is the name of the context for the
7665 static @var{variable}. In the case of file names, you can use quotes to
7666 make sure @value{GDBN} parses the file name as a single word---for example,
7667 to print a global value of @code{x} defined in @file{f2.c}:
7668
7669 @smallexample
7670 (@value{GDBP}) p 'f2.c'::x
7671 @end smallexample
7672
7673 The @code{::} notation is normally used for referring to
7674 static variables, since you typically disambiguate uses of local variables
7675 in functions by selecting the appropriate frame and using the
7676 simple name of the variable. However, you may also use this notation
7677 to refer to local variables in frames enclosing the selected frame:
7678
7679 @smallexample
7680 void
7681 foo (int a)
7682 @{
7683 if (a < 10)
7684 bar (a);
7685 else
7686 process (a); /* Stop here */
7687 @}
7688
7689 int
7690 bar (int a)
7691 @{
7692 foo (a + 5);
7693 @}
7694 @end smallexample
7695
7696 @noindent
7697 For example, if there is a breakpoint at the commented line,
7698 here is what you might see
7699 when the program stops after executing the call @code{bar(0)}:
7700
7701 @smallexample
7702 (@value{GDBP}) p a
7703 $1 = 10
7704 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
7705 $2 = 5
7706 (@value{GDBP}) up 2
7707 #2 0x080483d0 in foo (a=5) at foobar.c:12
7708 (@value{GDBP}) p a
7709 $3 = 5
7710 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
7711 $4 = 0
7712 @end smallexample
7713
7714 @cindex C@t{++} scope resolution
7715 These uses of @samp{::} are very rarely in conflict with the very similar
7716 use of the same notation in C@t{++}. @value{GDBN} also supports use of the C@t{++}
7717 scope resolution operator in @value{GDBN} expressions.
7718 @c FIXME: Um, so what happens in one of those rare cases where it's in
7719 @c conflict?? --mew
7720
7721 @cindex wrong values
7722 @cindex variable values, wrong
7723 @cindex function entry/exit, wrong values of variables
7724 @cindex optimized code, wrong values of variables
7725 @quotation
7726 @emph{Warning:} Occasionally, a local variable may appear to have the
7727 wrong value at certain points in a function---just after entry to a new
7728 scope, and just before exit.
7729 @end quotation
7730 You may see this problem when you are stepping by machine instructions.
7731 This is because, on most machines, it takes more than one instruction to
7732 set up a stack frame (including local variable definitions); if you are
7733 stepping by machine instructions, variables may appear to have the wrong
7734 values until the stack frame is completely built. On exit, it usually
7735 also takes more than one machine instruction to destroy a stack frame;
7736 after you begin stepping through that group of instructions, local
7737 variable definitions may be gone.
7738
7739 This may also happen when the compiler does significant optimizations.
7740 To be sure of always seeing accurate values, turn off all optimization
7741 when compiling.
7742
7743 @cindex ``No symbol "foo" in current context''
7744 Another possible effect of compiler optimizations is to optimize
7745 unused variables out of existence, or assign variables to registers (as
7746 opposed to memory addresses). Depending on the support for such cases
7747 offered by the debug info format used by the compiler, @value{GDBN}
7748 might not be able to display values for such local variables. If that
7749 happens, @value{GDBN} will print a message like this:
7750
7751 @smallexample
7752 No symbol "foo" in current context.
7753 @end smallexample
7754
7755 To solve such problems, either recompile without optimizations, or use a
7756 different debug info format, if the compiler supports several such
7757 formats. @xref{Compilation}, for more information on choosing compiler
7758 options. @xref{C, ,C and C@t{++}}, for more information about debug
7759 info formats that are best suited to C@t{++} programs.
7760
7761 If you ask to print an object whose contents are unknown to
7762 @value{GDBN}, e.g., because its data type is not completely specified
7763 by the debug information, @value{GDBN} will say @samp{<incomplete
7764 type>}. @xref{Symbols, incomplete type}, for more about this.
7765
7766 If you append @kbd{@@entry} string to a function parameter name you get its
7767 value at the time the function got called. If the value is not available an
7768 error message is printed. Entry values are available only with some compilers.
7769 Entry values are normally also printed at the function parameter list according
7770 to @ref{set print entry-values}.
7771
7772 @smallexample
7773 Breakpoint 1, d (i=30) at gdb.base/entry-value.c:29
7774 29 i++;
7775 (gdb) next
7776 30 e (i);
7777 (gdb) print i
7778 $1 = 31
7779 (gdb) print i@@entry
7780 $2 = 30
7781 @end smallexample
7782
7783 Strings are identified as arrays of @code{char} values without specified
7784 signedness. Arrays of either @code{signed char} or @code{unsigned char} get
7785 printed as arrays of 1 byte sized integers. @code{-fsigned-char} or
7786 @code{-funsigned-char} @value{NGCC} options have no effect as @value{GDBN}
7787 defines literal string type @code{"char"} as @code{char} without a sign.
7788 For program code
7789
7790 @smallexample
7791 char var0[] = "A";
7792 signed char var1[] = "A";
7793 @end smallexample
7794
7795 You get during debugging
7796 @smallexample
7797 (gdb) print var0
7798 $1 = "A"
7799 (gdb) print var1
7800 $2 = @{65 'A', 0 '\0'@}
7801 @end smallexample
7802
7803 @node Arrays
7804 @section Artificial Arrays
7805
7806 @cindex artificial array
7807 @cindex arrays
7808 @kindex @@@r{, referencing memory as an array}
7809 It is often useful to print out several successive objects of the
7810 same type in memory; a section of an array, or an array of
7811 dynamically determined size for which only a pointer exists in the
7812 program.
7813
7814 You can do this by referring to a contiguous span of memory as an
7815 @dfn{artificial array}, using the binary operator @samp{@@}. The left
7816 operand of @samp{@@} should be the first element of the desired array
7817 and be an individual object. The right operand should be the desired length
7818 of the array. The result is an array value whose elements are all of
7819 the type of the left argument. The first element is actually the left
7820 argument; the second element comes from bytes of memory immediately
7821 following those that hold the first element, and so on. Here is an
7822 example. If a program says
7823
7824 @smallexample
7825 int *array = (int *) malloc (len * sizeof (int));
7826 @end smallexample
7827
7828 @noindent
7829 you can print the contents of @code{array} with
7830
7831 @smallexample
7832 p *array@@len
7833 @end smallexample
7834
7835 The left operand of @samp{@@} must reside in memory. Array values made
7836 with @samp{@@} in this way behave just like other arrays in terms of
7837 subscripting, and are coerced to pointers when used in expressions.
7838 Artificial arrays most often appear in expressions via the value history
7839 (@pxref{Value History, ,Value History}), after printing one out.
7840
7841 Another way to create an artificial array is to use a cast.
7842 This re-interprets a value as if it were an array.
7843 The value need not be in memory:
7844 @smallexample
7845 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[2])0x12345678
7846 $1 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
7847 @end smallexample
7848
7849 As a convenience, if you leave the array length out (as in
7850 @samp{(@var{type}[])@var{value}}) @value{GDBN} calculates the size to fill
7851 the value (as @samp{sizeof(@var{value})/sizeof(@var{type})}:
7852 @smallexample
7853 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[])0x12345678
7854 $2 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
7855 @end smallexample
7856
7857 Sometimes the artificial array mechanism is not quite enough; in
7858 moderately complex data structures, the elements of interest may not
7859 actually be adjacent---for example, if you are interested in the values
7860 of pointers in an array. One useful work-around in this situation is
7861 to use a convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
7862 Variables}) as a counter in an expression that prints the first
7863 interesting value, and then repeat that expression via @key{RET}. For
7864 instance, suppose you have an array @code{dtab} of pointers to
7865 structures, and you are interested in the values of a field @code{fv}
7866 in each structure. Here is an example of what you might type:
7867
7868 @smallexample
7869 set $i = 0
7870 p dtab[$i++]->fv
7871 @key{RET}
7872 @key{RET}
7873 @dots{}
7874 @end smallexample
7875
7876 @node Output Formats
7877 @section Output Formats
7878
7879 @cindex formatted output
7880 @cindex output formats
7881 By default, @value{GDBN} prints a value according to its data type. Sometimes
7882 this is not what you want. For example, you might want to print a number
7883 in hex, or a pointer in decimal. Or you might want to view data in memory
7884 at a certain address as a character string or as an instruction. To do
7885 these things, specify an @dfn{output format} when you print a value.
7886
7887 The simplest use of output formats is to say how to print a value
7888 already computed. This is done by starting the arguments of the
7889 @code{print} command with a slash and a format letter. The format
7890 letters supported are:
7891
7892 @table @code
7893 @item x
7894 Regard the bits of the value as an integer, and print the integer in
7895 hexadecimal.
7896
7897 @item d
7898 Print as integer in signed decimal.
7899
7900 @item u
7901 Print as integer in unsigned decimal.
7902
7903 @item o
7904 Print as integer in octal.
7905
7906 @item t
7907 Print as integer in binary. The letter @samp{t} stands for ``two''.
7908 @footnote{@samp{b} cannot be used because these format letters are also
7909 used with the @code{x} command, where @samp{b} stands for ``byte'';
7910 see @ref{Memory,,Examining Memory}.}
7911
7912 @item a
7913 @cindex unknown address, locating
7914 @cindex locate address
7915 Print as an address, both absolute in hexadecimal and as an offset from
7916 the nearest preceding symbol. You can use this format used to discover
7917 where (in what function) an unknown address is located:
7918
7919 @smallexample
7920 (@value{GDBP}) p/a 0x54320
7921 $3 = 0x54320 <_initialize_vx+396>
7922 @end smallexample
7923
7924 @noindent
7925 The command @code{info symbol 0x54320} yields similar results.
7926 @xref{Symbols, info symbol}.
7927
7928 @item c
7929 Regard as an integer and print it as a character constant. This
7930 prints both the numerical value and its character representation. The
7931 character representation is replaced with the octal escape @samp{\nnn}
7932 for characters outside the 7-bit @sc{ascii} range.
7933
7934 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays @code{char},
7935 @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} data as character
7936 constants. Single-byte members of vectors are displayed as integer
7937 data.
7938
7939 @item f
7940 Regard the bits of the value as a floating point number and print
7941 using typical floating point syntax.
7942
7943 @item s
7944 @cindex printing strings
7945 @cindex printing byte arrays
7946 Regard as a string, if possible. With this format, pointers to single-byte
7947 data are displayed as null-terminated strings and arrays of single-byte data
7948 are displayed as fixed-length strings. Other values are displayed in their
7949 natural types.
7950
7951 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays pointers to and arrays of
7952 @code{char}, @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} as
7953 strings. Single-byte members of a vector are displayed as an integer
7954 array.
7955
7956 @item r
7957 @cindex raw printing
7958 Print using the @samp{raw} formatting. By default, @value{GDBN} will
7959 use a Python-based pretty-printer, if one is available (@pxref{Pretty
7960 Printing}). This typically results in a higher-level display of the
7961 value's contents. The @samp{r} format bypasses any Python
7962 pretty-printer which might exist.
7963 @end table
7964
7965 For example, to print the program counter in hex (@pxref{Registers}), type
7966
7967 @smallexample
7968 p/x $pc
7969 @end smallexample
7970
7971 @noindent
7972 Note that no space is required before the slash; this is because command
7973 names in @value{GDBN} cannot contain a slash.
7974
7975 To reprint the last value in the value history with a different format,
7976 you can use the @code{print} command with just a format and no
7977 expression. For example, @samp{p/x} reprints the last value in hex.
7978
7979 @node Memory
7980 @section Examining Memory
7981
7982 You can use the command @code{x} (for ``examine'') to examine memory in
7983 any of several formats, independently of your program's data types.
7984
7985 @cindex examining memory
7986 @table @code
7987 @kindex x @r{(examine memory)}
7988 @item x/@var{nfu} @var{addr}
7989 @itemx x @var{addr}
7990 @itemx x
7991 Use the @code{x} command to examine memory.
7992 @end table
7993
7994 @var{n}, @var{f}, and @var{u} are all optional parameters that specify how
7995 much memory to display and how to format it; @var{addr} is an
7996 expression giving the address where you want to start displaying memory.
7997 If you use defaults for @var{nfu}, you need not type the slash @samp{/}.
7998 Several commands set convenient defaults for @var{addr}.
7999
8000 @table @r
8001 @item @var{n}, the repeat count
8002 The repeat count is a decimal integer; the default is 1. It specifies
8003 how much memory (counting by units @var{u}) to display.
8004 @c This really is **decimal**; unaffected by 'set radix' as of GDB
8005 @c 4.1.2.
8006
8007 @item @var{f}, the display format
8008 The display format is one of the formats used by @code{print}
8009 (@samp{x}, @samp{d}, @samp{u}, @samp{o}, @samp{t}, @samp{a}, @samp{c},
8010 @samp{f}, @samp{s}), and in addition @samp{i} (for machine instructions).
8011 The default is @samp{x} (hexadecimal) initially. The default changes
8012 each time you use either @code{x} or @code{print}.
8013
8014 @item @var{u}, the unit size
8015 The unit size is any of
8016
8017 @table @code
8018 @item b
8019 Bytes.
8020 @item h
8021 Halfwords (two bytes).
8022 @item w
8023 Words (four bytes). This is the initial default.
8024 @item g
8025 Giant words (eight bytes).
8026 @end table
8027
8028 Each time you specify a unit size with @code{x}, that size becomes the
8029 default unit the next time you use @code{x}. For the @samp{i} format,
8030 the unit size is ignored and is normally not written. For the @samp{s} format,
8031 the unit size defaults to @samp{b}, unless it is explicitly given.
8032 Use @kbd{x /hs} to display 16-bit char strings and @kbd{x /ws} to display
8033 32-bit strings. The next use of @kbd{x /s} will again display 8-bit strings.
8034 Note that the results depend on the programming language of the
8035 current compilation unit. If the language is C, the @samp{s}
8036 modifier will use the UTF-16 encoding while @samp{w} will use
8037 UTF-32. The encoding is set by the programming language and cannot
8038 be altered.
8039
8040 @item @var{addr}, starting display address
8041 @var{addr} is the address where you want @value{GDBN} to begin displaying
8042 memory. The expression need not have a pointer value (though it may);
8043 it is always interpreted as an integer address of a byte of memory.
8044 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information on expressions. The default for
8045 @var{addr} is usually just after the last address examined---but several
8046 other commands also set the default address: @code{info breakpoints} (to
8047 the address of the last breakpoint listed), @code{info line} (to the
8048 starting address of a line), and @code{print} (if you use it to display
8049 a value from memory).
8050 @end table
8051
8052 For example, @samp{x/3uh 0x54320} is a request to display three halfwords
8053 (@code{h}) of memory, formatted as unsigned decimal integers (@samp{u}),
8054 starting at address @code{0x54320}. @samp{x/4xw $sp} prints the four
8055 words (@samp{w}) of memory above the stack pointer (here, @samp{$sp};
8056 @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}) in hexadecimal (@samp{x}).
8057
8058 Since the letters indicating unit sizes are all distinct from the
8059 letters specifying output formats, you do not have to remember whether
8060 unit size or format comes first; either order works. The output
8061 specifications @samp{4xw} and @samp{4wx} mean exactly the same thing.
8062 (However, the count @var{n} must come first; @samp{wx4} does not work.)
8063
8064 Even though the unit size @var{u} is ignored for the formats @samp{s}
8065 and @samp{i}, you might still want to use a count @var{n}; for example,
8066 @samp{3i} specifies that you want to see three machine instructions,
8067 including any operands. For convenience, especially when used with
8068 the @code{display} command, the @samp{i} format also prints branch delay
8069 slot instructions, if any, beyond the count specified, which immediately
8070 follow the last instruction that is within the count. The command
8071 @code{disassemble} gives an alternative way of inspecting machine
8072 instructions; see @ref{Machine Code,,Source and Machine Code}.
8073
8074 All the defaults for the arguments to @code{x} are designed to make it
8075 easy to continue scanning memory with minimal specifications each time
8076 you use @code{x}. For example, after you have inspected three machine
8077 instructions with @samp{x/3i @var{addr}}, you can inspect the next seven
8078 with just @samp{x/7}. If you use @key{RET} to repeat the @code{x} command,
8079 the repeat count @var{n} is used again; the other arguments default as
8080 for successive uses of @code{x}.
8081
8082 When examining machine instructions, the instruction at current program
8083 counter is shown with a @code{=>} marker. For example:
8084
8085 @smallexample
8086 (@value{GDBP}) x/5i $pc-6
8087 0x804837f <main+11>: mov %esp,%ebp
8088 0x8048381 <main+13>: push %ecx
8089 0x8048382 <main+14>: sub $0x4,%esp
8090 => 0x8048385 <main+17>: movl $0x8048460,(%esp)
8091 0x804838c <main+24>: call 0x80482d4 <puts@@plt>
8092 @end smallexample
8093
8094 @cindex @code{$_}, @code{$__}, and value history
8095 The addresses and contents printed by the @code{x} command are not saved
8096 in the value history because there is often too much of them and they
8097 would get in the way. Instead, @value{GDBN} makes these values available for
8098 subsequent use in expressions as values of the convenience variables
8099 @code{$_} and @code{$__}. After an @code{x} command, the last address
8100 examined is available for use in expressions in the convenience variable
8101 @code{$_}. The contents of that address, as examined, are available in
8102 the convenience variable @code{$__}.
8103
8104 If the @code{x} command has a repeat count, the address and contents saved
8105 are from the last memory unit printed; this is not the same as the last
8106 address printed if several units were printed on the last line of output.
8107
8108 @cindex remote memory comparison
8109 @cindex verify remote memory image
8110 When you are debugging a program running on a remote target machine
8111 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), you may wish to verify the program's image in the
8112 remote machine's memory against the executable file you downloaded to
8113 the target. The @code{compare-sections} command is provided for such
8114 situations.
8115
8116 @table @code
8117 @kindex compare-sections
8118 @item compare-sections @r{[}@var{section-name}@r{]}
8119 Compare the data of a loadable section @var{section-name} in the
8120 executable file of the program being debugged with the same section in
8121 the remote machine's memory, and report any mismatches. With no
8122 arguments, compares all loadable sections. This command's
8123 availability depends on the target's support for the @code{"qCRC"}
8124 remote request.
8125 @end table
8126
8127 @node Auto Display
8128 @section Automatic Display
8129 @cindex automatic display
8130 @cindex display of expressions
8131
8132 If you find that you want to print the value of an expression frequently
8133 (to see how it changes), you might want to add it to the @dfn{automatic
8134 display list} so that @value{GDBN} prints its value each time your program stops.
8135 Each expression added to the list is given a number to identify it;
8136 to remove an expression from the list, you specify that number.
8137 The automatic display looks like this:
8138
8139 @smallexample
8140 2: foo = 38
8141 3: bar[5] = (struct hack *) 0x3804
8142 @end smallexample
8143
8144 @noindent
8145 This display shows item numbers, expressions and their current values. As with
8146 displays you request manually using @code{x} or @code{print}, you can
8147 specify the output format you prefer; in fact, @code{display} decides
8148 whether to use @code{print} or @code{x} depending your format
8149 specification---it uses @code{x} if you specify either the @samp{i}
8150 or @samp{s} format, or a unit size; otherwise it uses @code{print}.
8151
8152 @table @code
8153 @kindex display
8154 @item display @var{expr}
8155 Add the expression @var{expr} to the list of expressions to display
8156 each time your program stops. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
8157
8158 @code{display} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
8159
8160 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{expr}
8161 For @var{fmt} specifying only a display format and not a size or
8162 count, add the expression @var{expr} to the auto-display list but
8163 arrange to display it each time in the specified format @var{fmt}.
8164 @xref{Output Formats,,Output Formats}.
8165
8166 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{addr}
8167 For @var{fmt} @samp{i} or @samp{s}, or including a unit-size or a
8168 number of units, add the expression @var{addr} as a memory address to
8169 be examined each time your program stops. Examining means in effect
8170 doing @samp{x/@var{fmt} @var{addr}}. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
8171 @end table
8172
8173 For example, @samp{display/i $pc} can be helpful, to see the machine
8174 instruction about to be executed each time execution stops (@samp{$pc}
8175 is a common name for the program counter; @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
8176
8177 @table @code
8178 @kindex delete display
8179 @kindex undisplay
8180 @item undisplay @var{dnums}@dots{}
8181 @itemx delete display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8182 Remove items from the list of expressions to display. Specify the
8183 numbers of the displays that you want affected with the command
8184 argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one of the
8185 numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display} display;
8186 or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8187
8188 @code{undisplay} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
8189 (Otherwise you would just get the error @samp{No display number @dots{}}.)
8190
8191 @kindex disable display
8192 @item disable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8193 Disable the display of item numbers @var{dnums}. A disabled display
8194 item is not printed automatically, but is not forgotten. It may be
8195 enabled again later. Specify the numbers of the displays that you
8196 want affected with the command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a
8197 single display number, one of the numbers shown in the first field of
8198 the @samp{info display} display; or it could be a range of display
8199 numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8200
8201 @kindex enable display
8202 @item enable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8203 Enable display of item numbers @var{dnums}. It becomes effective once
8204 again in auto display of its expression, until you specify otherwise.
8205 Specify the numbers of the displays that you want affected with the
8206 command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one
8207 of the numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display}
8208 display; or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8209
8210 @item display
8211 Display the current values of the expressions on the list, just as is
8212 done when your program stops.
8213
8214 @kindex info display
8215 @item info display
8216 Print the list of expressions previously set up to display
8217 automatically, each one with its item number, but without showing the
8218 values. This includes disabled expressions, which are marked as such.
8219 It also includes expressions which would not be displayed right now
8220 because they refer to automatic variables not currently available.
8221 @end table
8222
8223 @cindex display disabled out of scope
8224 If a display expression refers to local variables, then it does not make
8225 sense outside the lexical context for which it was set up. Such an
8226 expression is disabled when execution enters a context where one of its
8227 variables is not defined. For example, if you give the command
8228 @code{display last_char} while inside a function with an argument
8229 @code{last_char}, @value{GDBN} displays this argument while your program
8230 continues to stop inside that function. When it stops elsewhere---where
8231 there is no variable @code{last_char}---the display is disabled
8232 automatically. The next time your program stops where @code{last_char}
8233 is meaningful, you can enable the display expression once again.
8234
8235 @node Print Settings
8236 @section Print Settings
8237
8238 @cindex format options
8239 @cindex print settings
8240 @value{GDBN} provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures,
8241 and symbols are printed.
8242
8243 @noindent
8244 These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
8245
8246 @table @code
8247 @kindex set print
8248 @item set print address
8249 @itemx set print address on
8250 @cindex print/don't print memory addresses
8251 @value{GDBN} prints memory addresses showing the location of stack
8252 traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth,
8253 even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default
8254 is @code{on}. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with
8255 @code{set print address on}:
8256
8257 @smallexample
8258 @group
8259 (@value{GDBP}) f
8260 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
8261 at input.c:530
8262 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
8263 @end group
8264 @end smallexample
8265
8266 @item set print address off
8267 Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example,
8268 this is the same stack frame displayed with @code{set print address off}:
8269
8270 @smallexample
8271 @group
8272 (@value{GDBP}) set print addr off
8273 (@value{GDBP}) f
8274 #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530
8275 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
8276 @end group
8277 @end smallexample
8278
8279 You can use @samp{set print address off} to eliminate all machine
8280 dependent displays from the @value{GDBN} interface. For example, with
8281 @code{print address off}, you should get the same text for backtraces on
8282 all machines---whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
8283
8284 @kindex show print
8285 @item show print address
8286 Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
8287 @end table
8288
8289 When @value{GDBN} prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the
8290 closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely
8291 identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single
8292 source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with
8293 @code{info line}, for example @samp{info line *0x4537}. Alternately,
8294 you can set @value{GDBN} to print the source file and line number when
8295 it prints a symbolic address:
8296
8297 @table @code
8298 @item set print symbol-filename on
8299 @cindex source file and line of a symbol
8300 @cindex symbol, source file and line
8301 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the source file name and line number of a
8302 symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
8303
8304 @item set print symbol-filename off
8305 Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the
8306 default.
8307
8308 @item show print symbol-filename
8309 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} will print the source file name and
8310 line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
8311 @end table
8312
8313 Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line
8314 numbers is when disassembling code; @value{GDBN} shows you the line
8315 number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
8316
8317 Also, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being
8318 printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
8319
8320 @table @code
8321 @item set print max-symbolic-offset @var{max-offset}
8322 @cindex maximum value for offset of closest symbol
8323 Tell @value{GDBN} to only display the symbolic form of an address if the
8324 offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than
8325 @var{max-offset}. The default is 0, which tells @value{GDBN}
8326 to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes it.
8327
8328 @item show print max-symbolic-offset
8329 Ask how large the maximum offset is that @value{GDBN} prints in a
8330 symbolic address.
8331 @end table
8332
8333 @cindex wild pointer, interpreting
8334 @cindex pointer, finding referent
8335 If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try
8336 @samp{set print symbol-filename on}. Then you can determine the name
8337 and source file location of the variable where it points, using
8338 @samp{p/a @var{pointer}}. This interprets the address in symbolic form.
8339 For example, here @value{GDBN} shows that a variable @code{ptt} points
8340 at another variable @code{t}, defined in @file{hi2.c}:
8341
8342 @smallexample
8343 (@value{GDBP}) set print symbol-filename on
8344 (@value{GDBP}) p/a ptt
8345 $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
8346 @end smallexample
8347
8348 @quotation
8349 @emph{Warning:} For pointers that point to a local variable, @samp{p/a}
8350 does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with
8351 the appropriate @code{set print} options turned on.
8352 @end quotation
8353
8354 Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
8355
8356 @table @code
8357 @item set print array
8358 @itemx set print array on
8359 @cindex pretty print arrays
8360 Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read,
8361 but uses more space. The default is off.
8362
8363 @item set print array off
8364 Return to compressed format for arrays.
8365
8366 @item show print array
8367 Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying
8368 arrays.
8369
8370 @cindex print array indexes
8371 @item set print array-indexes
8372 @itemx set print array-indexes on
8373 Print the index of each element when displaying arrays. May be more
8374 convenient to locate a given element in the array or quickly find the
8375 index of a given element in that printed array. The default is off.
8376
8377 @item set print array-indexes off
8378 Stop printing element indexes when displaying arrays.
8379
8380 @item show print array-indexes
8381 Show whether the index of each element is printed when displaying
8382 arrays.
8383
8384 @item set print elements @var{number-of-elements}
8385 @cindex number of array elements to print
8386 @cindex limit on number of printed array elements
8387 Set a limit on how many elements of an array @value{GDBN} will print.
8388 If @value{GDBN} is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has
8389 printed the number of elements set by the @code{set print elements} command.
8390 This limit also applies to the display of strings.
8391 When @value{GDBN} starts, this limit is set to 200.
8392 Setting @var{number-of-elements} to zero means that the printing is unlimited.
8393
8394 @item show print elements
8395 Display the number of elements of a large array that @value{GDBN} will print.
8396 If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
8397
8398 @item set print frame-arguments @var{value}
8399 @kindex set print frame-arguments
8400 @cindex printing frame argument values
8401 @cindex print all frame argument values
8402 @cindex print frame argument values for scalars only
8403 @cindex do not print frame argument values
8404 This command allows to control how the values of arguments are printed
8405 when the debugger prints a frame (@pxref{Frames}). The possible
8406 values are:
8407
8408 @table @code
8409 @item all
8410 The values of all arguments are printed.
8411
8412 @item scalars
8413 Print the value of an argument only if it is a scalar. The value of more
8414 complex arguments such as arrays, structures, unions, etc, is replaced
8415 by @code{@dots{}}. This is the default. Here is an example where
8416 only scalar arguments are shown:
8417
8418 @smallexample
8419 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=3, s=@dots{}, ss=0xbf8d508c, u=@dots{}, e=green)
8420 at frame-args.c:23
8421 @end smallexample
8422
8423 @item none
8424 None of the argument values are printed. Instead, the value of each argument
8425 is replaced by @code{@dots{}}. In this case, the example above now becomes:
8426
8427 @smallexample
8428 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=@dots{}, s=@dots{}, ss=@dots{}, u=@dots{}, e=@dots{})
8429 at frame-args.c:23
8430 @end smallexample
8431 @end table
8432
8433 By default, only scalar arguments are printed. This command can be used
8434 to configure the debugger to print the value of all arguments, regardless
8435 of their type. However, it is often advantageous to not print the value
8436 of more complex parameters. For instance, it reduces the amount of
8437 information printed in each frame, making the backtrace more readable.
8438 Also, it improves performance when displaying Ada frames, because
8439 the computation of large arguments can sometimes be CPU-intensive,
8440 especially in large applications. Setting @code{print frame-arguments}
8441 to @code{scalars} (the default) or @code{none} avoids this computation,
8442 thus speeding up the display of each Ada frame.
8443
8444 @item show print frame-arguments
8445 Show how the value of arguments should be displayed when printing a frame.
8446
8447 @anchor{set print entry-values}
8448 @item set print entry-values @var{value}
8449 @kindex set print entry-values
8450 Set printing of frame argument values at function entry. In some cases
8451 @value{GDBN} can determine the value of function argument which was passed by
8452 the function caller, even if the value was modified inside the called function
8453 and therefore is different. With optimized code, the current value could be
8454 unavailable, but the entry value may still be known.
8455
8456 The default value is @code{default} (see below for its description). Older
8457 @value{GDBN} behaved as with the setting @code{no}. Compilers not supporting
8458 this feature will behave in the @code{default} setting the same way as with the
8459 @code{no} setting.
8460
8461 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
8462 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_GNU_call_site} tags. With
8463 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
8464 this information.
8465
8466 The @var{value} parameter can be one of the following:
8467
8468 @table @code
8469 @item no
8470 Print only actual parameter values, never print values from function entry
8471 point.
8472 @smallexample
8473 #0 equal (val=5)
8474 #0 different (val=6)
8475 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>)
8476 #0 born (val=10)
8477 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8478 @end smallexample
8479
8480 @item only
8481 Print only parameter values from function entry point. The actual parameter
8482 values are never printed.
8483 @smallexample
8484 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
8485 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
8486 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8487 #0 born (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8488 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8489 @end smallexample
8490
8491 @item preferred
8492 Print only parameter values from function entry point. If value from function
8493 entry point is not known while the actual value is known, print the actual
8494 value for such parameter.
8495 @smallexample
8496 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
8497 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
8498 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8499 #0 born (val=10)
8500 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8501 @end smallexample
8502
8503 @item if-needed
8504 Print actual parameter values. If actual parameter value is not known while
8505 value from function entry point is known, print the entry point value for such
8506 parameter.
8507 @smallexample
8508 #0 equal (val=5)
8509 #0 different (val=6)
8510 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8511 #0 born (val=10)
8512 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8513 @end smallexample
8514
8515 @item both
8516 Always print both the actual parameter value and its value from function entry
8517 point, even if values of one or both are not available due to compiler
8518 optimizations.
8519 @smallexample
8520 #0 equal (val=5, val@@entry=5)
8521 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8522 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
8523 #0 born (val=10, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8524 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8525 @end smallexample
8526
8527 @item compact
8528 Print the actual parameter value if it is known and also its value from
8529 function entry point if it is known. If neither is known, print for the actual
8530 value @code{<optimized out>}. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and if both
8531 values are known and identical, print the shortened
8532 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
8533 @smallexample
8534 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
8535 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8536 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8537 #0 born (val=10)
8538 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8539 @end smallexample
8540
8541 @item default
8542 Always print the actual parameter value. Print also its value from function
8543 entry point, but only if it is known. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and
8544 if both values are known and identical, print the shortened
8545 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
8546 @smallexample
8547 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
8548 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8549 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
8550 #0 born (val=10)
8551 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8552 @end smallexample
8553 @end table
8554
8555 For analysis messages on possible failures of frame argument values at function
8556 entry resolution see @ref{set debug entry-values}.
8557
8558 @item show print entry-values
8559 Show the method being used for printing of frame argument values at function
8560 entry.
8561
8562 @item set print repeats
8563 @cindex repeated array elements
8564 Set the threshold for suppressing display of repeated array
8565 elements. When the number of consecutive identical elements of an
8566 array exceeds the threshold, @value{GDBN} prints the string
8567 @code{"<repeats @var{n} times>"}, where @var{n} is the number of
8568 identical repetitions, instead of displaying the identical elements
8569 themselves. Setting the threshold to zero will cause all elements to
8570 be individually printed. The default threshold is 10.
8571
8572 @item show print repeats
8573 Display the current threshold for printing repeated identical
8574 elements.
8575
8576 @item set print null-stop
8577 @cindex @sc{null} elements in arrays
8578 Cause @value{GDBN} to stop printing the characters of an array when the first
8579 @sc{null} is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually
8580 contain only short strings.
8581 The default is off.
8582
8583 @item show print null-stop
8584 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops printing an array on the first
8585 @sc{null} character.
8586
8587 @item set print pretty on
8588 @cindex print structures in indented form
8589 @cindex indentation in structure display
8590 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in an indented format with one member
8591 per line, like this:
8592
8593 @smallexample
8594 @group
8595 $1 = @{
8596 next = 0x0,
8597 flags = @{
8598 sweet = 1,
8599 sour = 1
8600 @},
8601 meat = 0x54 "Pork"
8602 @}
8603 @end group
8604 @end smallexample
8605
8606 @item set print pretty off
8607 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in a compact format, like this:
8608
8609 @smallexample
8610 @group
8611 $1 = @{next = 0x0, flags = @{sweet = 1, sour = 1@}, \
8612 meat = 0x54 "Pork"@}
8613 @end group
8614 @end smallexample
8615
8616 @noindent
8617 This is the default format.
8618
8619 @item show print pretty
8620 Show which format @value{GDBN} is using to print structures.
8621
8622 @item set print sevenbit-strings on
8623 @cindex eight-bit characters in strings
8624 @cindex octal escapes in strings
8625 Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set,
8626 @value{GDBN} displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or
8627 character values) using the notation @code{\}@var{nnn}. This setting is
8628 best if you are working in English (@sc{ascii}) and you use the
8629 high-order bit of characters as a marker or ``meta'' bit.
8630
8631 @item set print sevenbit-strings off
8632 Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more
8633 international character sets, and is the default.
8634
8635 @item show print sevenbit-strings
8636 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} is printing only seven-bit characters.
8637
8638 @item set print union on
8639 @cindex unions in structures, printing
8640 Tell @value{GDBN} to print unions which are contained in structures
8641 and other unions. This is the default setting.
8642
8643 @item set print union off
8644 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print unions which are contained in
8645 structures and other unions. @value{GDBN} will print @code{"@{...@}"}
8646 instead.
8647
8648 @item show print union
8649 Ask @value{GDBN} whether or not it will print unions which are contained in
8650 structures and other unions.
8651
8652 For example, given the declarations
8653
8654 @smallexample
8655 typedef enum @{Tree, Bug@} Species;
8656 typedef enum @{Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling@} Tree_forms;
8657 typedef enum @{Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly@}
8658 Bug_forms;
8659
8660 struct thing @{
8661 Species it;
8662 union @{
8663 Tree_forms tree;
8664 Bug_forms bug;
8665 @} form;
8666 @};
8667
8668 struct thing foo = @{Tree, @{Acorn@}@};
8669 @end smallexample
8670
8671 @noindent
8672 with @code{set print union on} in effect @samp{p foo} would print
8673
8674 @smallexample
8675 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon@}@}
8676 @end smallexample
8677
8678 @noindent
8679 and with @code{set print union off} in effect it would print
8680
8681 @smallexample
8682 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{...@}@}
8683 @end smallexample
8684
8685 @noindent
8686 @code{set print union} affects programs written in C-like languages
8687 and in Pascal.
8688 @end table
8689
8690 @need 1000
8691 @noindent
8692 These settings are of interest when debugging C@t{++} programs:
8693
8694 @table @code
8695 @cindex demangling C@t{++} names
8696 @item set print demangle
8697 @itemx set print demangle on
8698 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than in the encoded
8699 (``mangled'') form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe
8700 linkage. The default is on.
8701
8702 @item show print demangle
8703 Show whether C@t{++} names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
8704
8705 @item set print asm-demangle
8706 @itemx set print asm-demangle on
8707 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even
8708 in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies.
8709 The default is off.
8710
8711 @item show print asm-demangle
8712 Show whether C@t{++} names in assembly listings are printed in mangled
8713 or demangled form.
8714
8715 @cindex C@t{++} symbol decoding style
8716 @cindex symbol decoding style, C@t{++}
8717 @kindex set demangle-style
8718 @item set demangle-style @var{style}
8719 Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to
8720 represent C@t{++} names. The choices for @var{style} are currently:
8721
8722 @table @code
8723 @item auto
8724 Allow @value{GDBN} to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
8725
8726 @item gnu
8727 Decode based on the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler (@code{g++}) encoding algorithm.
8728 This is the default.
8729
8730 @item hp
8731 Decode based on the HP ANSI C@t{++} (@code{aCC}) encoding algorithm.
8732
8733 @item lucid
8734 Decode based on the Lucid C@t{++} compiler (@code{lcc}) encoding algorithm.
8735
8736 @item arm
8737 Decode using the algorithm in the @cite{C@t{++} Annotated Reference Manual}.
8738 @strong{Warning:} this setting alone is not sufficient to allow
8739 debugging @code{cfront}-generated executables. @value{GDBN} would
8740 require further enhancement to permit that.
8741
8742 @end table
8743 If you omit @var{style}, you will see a list of possible formats.
8744
8745 @item show demangle-style
8746 Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C@t{++} symbols.
8747
8748 @item set print object
8749 @itemx set print object on
8750 @cindex derived type of an object, printing
8751 @cindex display derived types
8752 When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the @emph{actual}
8753 (derived) type of the object rather than the @emph{declared} type, using
8754 the virtual function table. Note that the virtual function table is
8755 required---this feature can only work for objects that have run-time
8756 type identification; a single virtual method in the object's declared
8757 type is sufficient. Note that this setting is also taken into account when
8758 working with variable objects via MI (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
8759
8760 @item set print object off
8761 Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the
8762 virtual function table. This is the default setting.
8763
8764 @item show print object
8765 Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
8766
8767 @item set print static-members
8768 @itemx set print static-members on
8769 @cindex static members of C@t{++} objects
8770 Print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object. The default is on.
8771
8772 @item set print static-members off
8773 Do not print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object.
8774
8775 @item show print static-members
8776 Show whether C@t{++} static members are printed or not.
8777
8778 @item set print pascal_static-members
8779 @itemx set print pascal_static-members on
8780 @cindex static members of Pascal objects
8781 @cindex Pascal objects, static members display
8782 Print static members when displaying a Pascal object. The default is on.
8783
8784 @item set print pascal_static-members off
8785 Do not print static members when displaying a Pascal object.
8786
8787 @item show print pascal_static-members
8788 Show whether Pascal static members are printed or not.
8789
8790 @c These don't work with HP ANSI C++ yet.
8791 @item set print vtbl
8792 @itemx set print vtbl on
8793 @cindex pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables
8794 @cindex virtual functions (C@t{++}) display
8795 @cindex VTBL display
8796 Pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables. The default is off.
8797 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
8798 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
8799
8800 @item set print vtbl off
8801 Do not pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables.
8802
8803 @item show print vtbl
8804 Show whether C@t{++} virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.
8805 @end table
8806
8807 @node Pretty Printing
8808 @section Pretty Printing
8809
8810 @value{GDBN} provides a mechanism to allow pretty-printing of values using
8811 Python code. It greatly simplifies the display of complex objects. This
8812 mechanism works for both MI and the CLI.
8813
8814 @menu
8815 * Pretty-Printer Introduction:: Introduction to pretty-printers
8816 * Pretty-Printer Example:: An example pretty-printer
8817 * Pretty-Printer Commands:: Pretty-printer commands
8818 @end menu
8819
8820 @node Pretty-Printer Introduction
8821 @subsection Pretty-Printer Introduction
8822
8823 When @value{GDBN} prints a value, it first sees if there is a pretty-printer
8824 registered for the value. If there is then @value{GDBN} invokes the
8825 pretty-printer to print the value. Otherwise the value is printed normally.
8826
8827 Pretty-printers are normally named. This makes them easy to manage.
8828 The @samp{info pretty-printer} command will list all the installed
8829 pretty-printers with their names.
8830 If a pretty-printer can handle multiple data types, then its
8831 @dfn{subprinters} are the printers for the individual data types.
8832 Each such subprinter has its own name.
8833 The format of the name is @var{printer-name};@var{subprinter-name}.
8834
8835 Pretty-printers are installed by @dfn{registering} them with @value{GDBN}.
8836 Typically they are automatically loaded and registered when the corresponding
8837 debug information is loaded, thus making them available without having to
8838 do anything special.
8839
8840 There are three places where a pretty-printer can be registered.
8841
8842 @itemize @bullet
8843 @item
8844 Pretty-printers registered globally are available when debugging
8845 all inferiors.
8846
8847 @item
8848 Pretty-printers registered with a program space are available only
8849 when debugging that program.
8850 @xref{Progspaces In Python}, for more details on program spaces in Python.
8851
8852 @item
8853 Pretty-printers registered with an objfile are loaded and unloaded
8854 with the corresponding objfile (e.g., shared library).
8855 @xref{Objfiles In Python}, for more details on objfiles in Python.
8856 @end itemize
8857
8858 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for further information on how
8859 pretty-printers are selected,
8860
8861 @xref{Writing a Pretty-Printer}, for implementing pretty printers
8862 for new types.
8863
8864 @node Pretty-Printer Example
8865 @subsection Pretty-Printer Example
8866
8867 Here is how a C@t{++} @code{std::string} looks without a pretty-printer:
8868
8869 @smallexample
8870 (@value{GDBP}) print s
8871 $1 = @{
8872 static npos = 4294967295,
8873 _M_dataplus = @{
8874 <std::allocator<char>> = @{
8875 <__gnu_cxx::new_allocator<char>> = @{
8876 <No data fields>@}, <No data fields>
8877 @},
8878 members of std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>,
8879 std::allocator<char> >::_Alloc_hider:
8880 _M_p = 0x804a014 "abcd"
8881 @}
8882 @}
8883 @end smallexample
8884
8885 With a pretty-printer for @code{std::string} only the contents are printed:
8886
8887 @smallexample
8888 (@value{GDBP}) print s
8889 $2 = "abcd"
8890 @end smallexample
8891
8892 @node Pretty-Printer Commands
8893 @subsection Pretty-Printer Commands
8894 @cindex pretty-printer commands
8895
8896 @table @code
8897 @kindex info pretty-printer
8898 @item info pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
8899 Print the list of installed pretty-printers.
8900 This includes disabled pretty-printers, which are marked as such.
8901
8902 @var{object-regexp} is a regular expression matching the objects
8903 whose pretty-printers to list.
8904 Objects can be @code{global}, the program space's file
8905 (@pxref{Progspaces In Python}),
8906 and the object files within that program space (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}).
8907 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for details on how @value{GDBN}
8908 looks up a printer from these three objects.
8909
8910 @var{name-regexp} is a regular expression matching the name of the printers
8911 to list.
8912
8913 @kindex disable pretty-printer
8914 @item disable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
8915 Disable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
8916 A disabled pretty-printer is not forgotten, it may be enabled again later.
8917
8918 @kindex enable pretty-printer
8919 @item enable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
8920 Enable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
8921 @end table
8922
8923 Example:
8924
8925 Suppose we have three pretty-printers installed: one from library1.so
8926 named @code{foo} that prints objects of type @code{foo}, and
8927 another from library2.so named @code{bar} that prints two types of objects,
8928 @code{bar1} and @code{bar2}.
8929
8930 @smallexample
8931 (gdb) info pretty-printer
8932 library1.so:
8933 foo
8934 library2.so:
8935 bar
8936 bar1
8937 bar2
8938 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
8939 library2.so:
8940 bar
8941 bar1
8942 bar2
8943 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library1
8944 1 printer disabled
8945 2 of 3 printers enabled
8946 (gdb) info pretty-printer
8947 library1.so:
8948 foo [disabled]
8949 library2.so:
8950 bar
8951 bar1
8952 bar2
8953 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar:bar1
8954 1 printer disabled
8955 1 of 3 printers enabled
8956 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
8957 library1.so:
8958 foo [disabled]
8959 library2.so:
8960 bar
8961 bar1 [disabled]
8962 bar2
8963 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar
8964 1 printer disabled
8965 0 of 3 printers enabled
8966 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
8967 library1.so:
8968 foo [disabled]
8969 library2.so:
8970 bar [disabled]
8971 bar1 [disabled]
8972 bar2
8973 @end smallexample
8974
8975 Note that for @code{bar} the entire printer can be disabled,
8976 as can each individual subprinter.
8977
8978 @node Value History
8979 @section Value History
8980
8981 @cindex value history
8982 @cindex history of values printed by @value{GDBN}
8983 Values printed by the @code{print} command are saved in the @value{GDBN}
8984 @dfn{value history}. This allows you to refer to them in other expressions.
8985 Values are kept until the symbol table is re-read or discarded
8986 (for example with the @code{file} or @code{symbol-file} commands).
8987 When the symbol table changes, the value history is discarded,
8988 since the values may contain pointers back to the types defined in the
8989 symbol table.
8990
8991 @cindex @code{$}
8992 @cindex @code{$$}
8993 @cindex history number
8994 The values printed are given @dfn{history numbers} by which you can
8995 refer to them. These are successive integers starting with one.
8996 @code{print} shows you the history number assigned to a value by
8997 printing @samp{$@var{num} = } before the value; here @var{num} is the
8998 history number.
8999
9000 To refer to any previous value, use @samp{$} followed by the value's
9001 history number. The way @code{print} labels its output is designed to
9002 remind you of this. Just @code{$} refers to the most recent value in
9003 the history, and @code{$$} refers to the value before that.
9004 @code{$$@var{n}} refers to the @var{n}th value from the end; @code{$$2}
9005 is the value just prior to @code{$$}, @code{$$1} is equivalent to
9006 @code{$$}, and @code{$$0} is equivalent to @code{$}.
9007
9008 For example, suppose you have just printed a pointer to a structure and
9009 want to see the contents of the structure. It suffices to type
9010
9011 @smallexample
9012 p *$
9013 @end smallexample
9014
9015 If you have a chain of structures where the component @code{next} points
9016 to the next one, you can print the contents of the next one with this:
9017
9018 @smallexample
9019 p *$.next
9020 @end smallexample
9021
9022 @noindent
9023 You can print successive links in the chain by repeating this
9024 command---which you can do by just typing @key{RET}.
9025
9026 Note that the history records values, not expressions. If the value of
9027 @code{x} is 4 and you type these commands:
9028
9029 @smallexample
9030 print x
9031 set x=5
9032 @end smallexample
9033
9034 @noindent
9035 then the value recorded in the value history by the @code{print} command
9036 remains 4 even though the value of @code{x} has changed.
9037
9038 @table @code
9039 @kindex show values
9040 @item show values
9041 Print the last ten values in the value history, with their item numbers.
9042 This is like @samp{p@ $$9} repeated ten times, except that @code{show
9043 values} does not change the history.
9044
9045 @item show values @var{n}
9046 Print ten history values centered on history item number @var{n}.
9047
9048 @item show values +
9049 Print ten history values just after the values last printed. If no more
9050 values are available, @code{show values +} produces no display.
9051 @end table
9052
9053 Pressing @key{RET} to repeat @code{show values @var{n}} has exactly the
9054 same effect as @samp{show values +}.
9055
9056 @node Convenience Vars
9057 @section Convenience Variables
9058
9059 @cindex convenience variables
9060 @cindex user-defined variables
9061 @value{GDBN} provides @dfn{convenience variables} that you can use within
9062 @value{GDBN} to hold on to a value and refer to it later. These variables
9063 exist entirely within @value{GDBN}; they are not part of your program, and
9064 setting a convenience variable has no direct effect on further execution
9065 of your program. That is why you can use them freely.
9066
9067 Convenience variables are prefixed with @samp{$}. Any name preceded by
9068 @samp{$} can be used for a convenience variable, unless it is one of
9069 the predefined machine-specific register names (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
9070 (Value history references, in contrast, are @emph{numbers} preceded
9071 by @samp{$}. @xref{Value History, ,Value History}.)
9072
9073 You can save a value in a convenience variable with an assignment
9074 expression, just as you would set a variable in your program.
9075 For example:
9076
9077 @smallexample
9078 set $foo = *object_ptr
9079 @end smallexample
9080
9081 @noindent
9082 would save in @code{$foo} the value contained in the object pointed to by
9083 @code{object_ptr}.
9084
9085 Using a convenience variable for the first time creates it, but its
9086 value is @code{void} until you assign a new value. You can alter the
9087 value with another assignment at any time.
9088
9089 Convenience variables have no fixed types. You can assign a convenience
9090 variable any type of value, including structures and arrays, even if
9091 that variable already has a value of a different type. The convenience
9092 variable, when used as an expression, has the type of its current value.
9093
9094 @table @code
9095 @kindex show convenience
9096 @cindex show all user variables
9097 @item show convenience
9098 Print a list of convenience variables used so far, and their values.
9099 Abbreviated @code{show conv}.
9100
9101 @kindex init-if-undefined
9102 @cindex convenience variables, initializing
9103 @item init-if-undefined $@var{variable} = @var{expression}
9104 Set a convenience variable if it has not already been set. This is useful
9105 for user-defined commands that keep some state. It is similar, in concept,
9106 to using local static variables with initializers in C (except that
9107 convenience variables are global). It can also be used to allow users to
9108 override default values used in a command script.
9109
9110 If the variable is already defined then the expression is not evaluated so
9111 any side-effects do not occur.
9112 @end table
9113
9114 One of the ways to use a convenience variable is as a counter to be
9115 incremented or a pointer to be advanced. For example, to print
9116 a field from successive elements of an array of structures:
9117
9118 @smallexample
9119 set $i = 0
9120 print bar[$i++]->contents
9121 @end smallexample
9122
9123 @noindent
9124 Repeat that command by typing @key{RET}.
9125
9126 Some convenience variables are created automatically by @value{GDBN} and given
9127 values likely to be useful.
9128
9129 @table @code
9130 @vindex $_@r{, convenience variable}
9131 @item $_
9132 The variable @code{$_} is automatically set by the @code{x} command to
9133 the last address examined (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}). Other
9134 commands which provide a default address for @code{x} to examine also
9135 set @code{$_} to that address; these commands include @code{info line}
9136 and @code{info breakpoint}. The type of @code{$_} is @code{void *}
9137 except when set by the @code{x} command, in which case it is a pointer
9138 to the type of @code{$__}.
9139
9140 @vindex $__@r{, convenience variable}
9141 @item $__
9142 The variable @code{$__} is automatically set by the @code{x} command
9143 to the value found in the last address examined. Its type is chosen
9144 to match the format in which the data was printed.
9145
9146 @item $_exitcode
9147 @vindex $_exitcode@r{, convenience variable}
9148 The variable @code{$_exitcode} is automatically set to the exit code when
9149 the program being debugged terminates.
9150
9151 @item $_probe_argc
9152 @itemx $_probe_arg0@dots{}$_probe_arg11
9153 Arguments to a static probe. @xref{Static Probe Points}.
9154
9155 @item $_sdata
9156 @vindex $_sdata@r{, inspect, convenience variable}
9157 The variable @code{$_sdata} contains extra collected static tracepoint
9158 data. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}. Note that
9159 @code{$_sdata} could be empty, if not inspecting a trace buffer, or
9160 if extra static tracepoint data has not been collected.
9161
9162 @item $_siginfo
9163 @vindex $_siginfo@r{, convenience variable}
9164 The variable @code{$_siginfo} contains extra signal information
9165 (@pxref{extra signal information}). Note that @code{$_siginfo}
9166 could be empty, if the application has not yet received any signals.
9167 For example, it will be empty before you execute the @code{run} command.
9168
9169 @item $_tlb
9170 @vindex $_tlb@r{, convenience variable}
9171 The variable @code{$_tlb} is automatically set when debugging
9172 applications running on MS-Windows in native mode or connected to
9173 gdbserver that supports the @code{qGetTIBAddr} request.
9174 @xref{General Query Packets}.
9175 This variable contains the address of the thread information block.
9176
9177 @end table
9178
9179 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
9180 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
9181 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
9182
9183 @cindex convenience functions
9184 @value{GDBN} also supplies some @dfn{convenience functions}. These
9185 have a syntax similar to convenience variables. A convenience
9186 function can be used in an expression just like an ordinary function;
9187 however, a convenience function is implemented internally to
9188 @value{GDBN}.
9189
9190 @table @code
9191 @item help function
9192 @kindex help function
9193 @cindex show all convenience functions
9194 Print a list of all convenience functions.
9195 @end table
9196
9197 @node Registers
9198 @section Registers
9199
9200 @cindex registers
9201 You can refer to machine register contents, in expressions, as variables
9202 with names starting with @samp{$}. The names of registers are different
9203 for each machine; use @code{info registers} to see the names used on
9204 your machine.
9205
9206 @table @code
9207 @kindex info registers
9208 @item info registers
9209 Print the names and values of all registers except floating-point
9210 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
9211
9212 @kindex info all-registers
9213 @cindex floating point registers
9214 @item info all-registers
9215 Print the names and values of all registers, including floating-point
9216 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
9217
9218 @item info registers @var{regname} @dots{}
9219 Print the @dfn{relativized} value of each specified register @var{regname}.
9220 As discussed in detail below, register values are normally relative to
9221 the selected stack frame. @var{regname} may be any register name valid on
9222 the machine you are using, with or without the initial @samp{$}.
9223 @end table
9224
9225 @cindex stack pointer register
9226 @cindex program counter register
9227 @cindex process status register
9228 @cindex frame pointer register
9229 @cindex standard registers
9230 @value{GDBN} has four ``standard'' register names that are available (in
9231 expressions) on most machines---whenever they do not conflict with an
9232 architecture's canonical mnemonics for registers. The register names
9233 @code{$pc} and @code{$sp} are used for the program counter register and
9234 the stack pointer. @code{$fp} is used for a register that contains a
9235 pointer to the current stack frame, and @code{$ps} is used for a
9236 register that contains the processor status. For example,
9237 you could print the program counter in hex with
9238
9239 @smallexample
9240 p/x $pc
9241 @end smallexample
9242
9243 @noindent
9244 or print the instruction to be executed next with
9245
9246 @smallexample
9247 x/i $pc
9248 @end smallexample
9249
9250 @noindent
9251 or add four to the stack pointer@footnote{This is a way of removing
9252 one word from the stack, on machines where stacks grow downward in
9253 memory (most machines, nowadays). This assumes that the innermost
9254 stack frame is selected; setting @code{$sp} is not allowed when other
9255 stack frames are selected. To pop entire frames off the stack,
9256 regardless of machine architecture, use @code{return};
9257 see @ref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}.} with
9258
9259 @smallexample
9260 set $sp += 4
9261 @end smallexample
9262
9263 Whenever possible, these four standard register names are available on
9264 your machine even though the machine has different canonical mnemonics,
9265 so long as there is no conflict. The @code{info registers} command
9266 shows the canonical names. For example, on the SPARC, @code{info
9267 registers} displays the processor status register as @code{$psr} but you
9268 can also refer to it as @code{$ps}; and on x86-based machines @code{$ps}
9269 is an alias for the @sc{eflags} register.
9270
9271 @value{GDBN} always considers the contents of an ordinary register as an
9272 integer when the register is examined in this way. Some machines have
9273 special registers which can hold nothing but floating point; these
9274 registers are considered to have floating point values. There is no way
9275 to refer to the contents of an ordinary register as floating point value
9276 (although you can @emph{print} it as a floating point value with
9277 @samp{print/f $@var{regname}}).
9278
9279 Some registers have distinct ``raw'' and ``virtual'' data formats. This
9280 means that the data format in which the register contents are saved by
9281 the operating system is not the same one that your program normally
9282 sees. For example, the registers of the 68881 floating point
9283 coprocessor are always saved in ``extended'' (raw) format, but all C
9284 programs expect to work with ``double'' (virtual) format. In such
9285 cases, @value{GDBN} normally works with the virtual format only (the format
9286 that makes sense for your program), but the @code{info registers} command
9287 prints the data in both formats.
9288
9289 @cindex SSE registers (x86)
9290 @cindex MMX registers (x86)
9291 Some machines have special registers whose contents can be interpreted
9292 in several different ways. For example, modern x86-based machines
9293 have SSE and MMX registers that can hold several values packed
9294 together in several different formats. @value{GDBN} refers to such
9295 registers in @code{struct} notation:
9296
9297 @smallexample
9298 (@value{GDBP}) print $xmm1
9299 $1 = @{
9300 v4_float = @{0, 3.43859137e-038, 1.54142831e-044, 1.821688e-044@},
9301 v2_double = @{9.92129282474342e-303, 2.7585945287983262e-313@},
9302 v16_int8 = "\000\000\000\000\3706;\001\v\000\000\000\r\000\000",
9303 v8_int16 = @{0, 0, 14072, 315, 11, 0, 13, 0@},
9304 v4_int32 = @{0, 20657912, 11, 13@},
9305 v2_int64 = @{88725056443645952, 55834574859@},
9306 uint128 = 0x0000000d0000000b013b36f800000000
9307 @}
9308 @end smallexample
9309
9310 @noindent
9311 To set values of such registers, you need to tell @value{GDBN} which
9312 view of the register you wish to change, as if you were assigning
9313 value to a @code{struct} member:
9314
9315 @smallexample
9316 (@value{GDBP}) set $xmm1.uint128 = 0x000000000000000000000000FFFFFFFF
9317 @end smallexample
9318
9319 Normally, register values are relative to the selected stack frame
9320 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). This means that you get the
9321 value that the register would contain if all stack frames farther in
9322 were exited and their saved registers restored. In order to see the
9323 true contents of hardware registers, you must select the innermost
9324 frame (with @samp{frame 0}).
9325
9326 However, @value{GDBN} must deduce where registers are saved, from the machine
9327 code generated by your compiler. If some registers are not saved, or if
9328 @value{GDBN} is unable to locate the saved registers, the selected stack
9329 frame makes no difference.
9330
9331 @node Floating Point Hardware
9332 @section Floating Point Hardware
9333 @cindex floating point
9334
9335 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give
9336 you more information about the status of the floating point hardware.
9337
9338 @table @code
9339 @kindex info float
9340 @item info float
9341 Display hardware-dependent information about the floating
9342 point unit. The exact contents and layout vary depending on the
9343 floating point chip. Currently, @samp{info float} is supported on
9344 the ARM and x86 machines.
9345 @end table
9346
9347 @node Vector Unit
9348 @section Vector Unit
9349 @cindex vector unit
9350
9351 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give you
9352 more information about the status of the vector unit.
9353
9354 @table @code
9355 @kindex info vector
9356 @item info vector
9357 Display information about the vector unit. The exact contents and
9358 layout vary depending on the hardware.
9359 @end table
9360
9361 @node OS Information
9362 @section Operating System Auxiliary Information
9363 @cindex OS information
9364
9365 @value{GDBN} provides interfaces to useful OS facilities that can help
9366 you debug your program.
9367
9368 @cindex @code{ptrace} system call
9369 @cindex @code{struct user} contents
9370 When @value{GDBN} runs on a @dfn{Posix system} (such as GNU or Unix
9371 machines), it interfaces with the inferior via the @code{ptrace}
9372 system call. The operating system creates a special sata structure,
9373 called @code{struct user}, for this interface. You can use the
9374 command @code{info udot} to display the contents of this data
9375 structure.
9376
9377 @table @code
9378 @item info udot
9379 @kindex info udot
9380 Display the contents of the @code{struct user} maintained by the OS
9381 kernel for the program being debugged. @value{GDBN} displays the
9382 contents of @code{struct user} as a list of hex numbers, similar to
9383 the @code{examine} command.
9384 @end table
9385
9386 @cindex auxiliary vector
9387 @cindex vector, auxiliary
9388 Some operating systems supply an @dfn{auxiliary vector} to programs at
9389 startup. This is akin to the arguments and environment that you
9390 specify for a program, but contains a system-dependent variety of
9391 binary values that tell system libraries important details about the
9392 hardware, operating system, and process. Each value's purpose is
9393 identified by an integer tag; the meanings are well-known but system-specific.
9394 Depending on the configuration and operating system facilities,
9395 @value{GDBN} may be able to show you this information. For remote
9396 targets, this functionality may further depend on the remote stub's
9397 support of the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet, see
9398 @ref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}.
9399
9400 @table @code
9401 @kindex info auxv
9402 @item info auxv
9403 Display the auxiliary vector of the inferior, which can be either a
9404 live process or a core dump file. @value{GDBN} prints each tag value
9405 numerically, and also shows names and text descriptions for recognized
9406 tags. Some values in the vector are numbers, some bit masks, and some
9407 pointers to strings or other data. @value{GDBN} displays each value in the
9408 most appropriate form for a recognized tag, and in hexadecimal for
9409 an unrecognized tag.
9410 @end table
9411
9412 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can access operating-system-specific information
9413 and display it to user, without interpretation. For remote targets,
9414 this functionality depends on the remote stub's support of the
9415 @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet, see @ref{qXfer osdata read}.
9416
9417 @table @code
9418 @kindex info os
9419 @item info os
9420 List the types of OS information available for the target. If the
9421 target does not return a list of possible types, this command will
9422 report an error.
9423
9424 @kindex info os processes
9425 @item info os processes
9426 Display the list of processes on the target. For each process,
9427 @value{GDBN} prints the process identifier, the name of the user, and
9428 the command corresponding to the process.
9429 @end table
9430
9431 @node Memory Region Attributes
9432 @section Memory Region Attributes
9433 @cindex memory region attributes
9434
9435 @dfn{Memory region attributes} allow you to describe special handling
9436 required by regions of your target's memory. @value{GDBN} uses
9437 attributes to determine whether to allow certain types of memory
9438 accesses; whether to use specific width accesses; and whether to cache
9439 target memory. By default the description of memory regions is
9440 fetched from the target (if the current target supports this), but the
9441 user can override the fetched regions.
9442
9443 Defined memory regions can be individually enabled and disabled. When a
9444 memory region is disabled, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when
9445 accessing memory in that region. Similarly, if no memory regions have
9446 been defined, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when accessing
9447 all memory.
9448
9449 When a memory region is defined, it is given a number to identify it;
9450 to enable, disable, or remove a memory region, you specify that number.
9451
9452 @table @code
9453 @kindex mem
9454 @item mem @var{lower} @var{upper} @var{attributes}@dots{}
9455 Define a memory region bounded by @var{lower} and @var{upper} with
9456 attributes @var{attributes}@dots{}, and add it to the list of regions
9457 monitored by @value{GDBN}. Note that @var{upper} == 0 is a special
9458 case: it is treated as the target's maximum memory address.
9459 (0xffff on 16 bit targets, 0xffffffff on 32 bit targets, etc.)
9460
9461 @item mem auto
9462 Discard any user changes to the memory regions and use target-supplied
9463 regions, if available, or no regions if the target does not support.
9464
9465 @kindex delete mem
9466 @item delete mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9467 Remove memory regions @var{nums}@dots{} from the list of regions
9468 monitored by @value{GDBN}.
9469
9470 @kindex disable mem
9471 @item disable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9472 Disable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
9473 A disabled memory region is not forgotten.
9474 It may be enabled again later.
9475
9476 @kindex enable mem
9477 @item enable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9478 Enable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
9479
9480 @kindex info mem
9481 @item info mem
9482 Print a table of all defined memory regions, with the following columns
9483 for each region:
9484
9485 @table @emph
9486 @item Memory Region Number
9487 @item Enabled or Disabled.
9488 Enabled memory regions are marked with @samp{y}.
9489 Disabled memory regions are marked with @samp{n}.
9490
9491 @item Lo Address
9492 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the memory region.
9493
9494 @item Hi Address
9495 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the memory region.
9496
9497 @item Attributes
9498 The list of attributes set for this memory region.
9499 @end table
9500 @end table
9501
9502
9503 @subsection Attributes
9504
9505 @subsubsection Memory Access Mode
9506 The access mode attributes set whether @value{GDBN} may make read or
9507 write accesses to a memory region.
9508
9509 While these attributes prevent @value{GDBN} from performing invalid
9510 memory accesses, they do nothing to prevent the target system, I/O DMA,
9511 etc.@: from accessing memory.
9512
9513 @table @code
9514 @item ro
9515 Memory is read only.
9516 @item wo
9517 Memory is write only.
9518 @item rw
9519 Memory is read/write. This is the default.
9520 @end table
9521
9522 @subsubsection Memory Access Size
9523 The access size attribute tells @value{GDBN} to use specific sized
9524 accesses in the memory region. Often memory mapped device registers
9525 require specific sized accesses. If no access size attribute is
9526 specified, @value{GDBN} may use accesses of any size.
9527
9528 @table @code
9529 @item 8
9530 Use 8 bit memory accesses.
9531 @item 16
9532 Use 16 bit memory accesses.
9533 @item 32
9534 Use 32 bit memory accesses.
9535 @item 64
9536 Use 64 bit memory accesses.
9537 @end table
9538
9539 @c @subsubsection Hardware/Software Breakpoints
9540 @c The hardware/software breakpoint attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
9541 @c will use hardware or software breakpoints for the internal breakpoints
9542 @c used by the step, next, finish, until, etc. commands.
9543 @c
9544 @c @table @code
9545 @c @item hwbreak
9546 @c Always use hardware breakpoints
9547 @c @item swbreak (default)
9548 @c @end table
9549
9550 @subsubsection Data Cache
9551 The data cache attributes set whether @value{GDBN} will cache target
9552 memory. While this generally improves performance by reducing debug
9553 protocol overhead, it can lead to incorrect results because @value{GDBN}
9554 does not know about volatile variables or memory mapped device
9555 registers.
9556
9557 @table @code
9558 @item cache
9559 Enable @value{GDBN} to cache target memory.
9560 @item nocache
9561 Disable @value{GDBN} from caching target memory. This is the default.
9562 @end table
9563
9564 @subsection Memory Access Checking
9565 @value{GDBN} can be instructed to refuse accesses to memory that is
9566 not explicitly described. This can be useful if accessing such
9567 regions has undesired effects for a specific target, or to provide
9568 better error checking. The following commands control this behaviour.
9569
9570 @table @code
9571 @kindex set mem inaccessible-by-default
9572 @item set mem inaccessible-by-default [on|off]
9573 If @code{on} is specified, make @value{GDBN} treat memory not
9574 explicitly described by the memory ranges as non-existent and refuse accesses
9575 to such memory. The checks are only performed if there's at least one
9576 memory range defined. If @code{off} is specified, make @value{GDBN}
9577 treat the memory not explicitly described by the memory ranges as RAM.
9578 The default value is @code{on}.
9579 @kindex show mem inaccessible-by-default
9580 @item show mem inaccessible-by-default
9581 Show the current handling of accesses to unknown memory.
9582 @end table
9583
9584
9585 @c @subsubsection Memory Write Verification
9586 @c The memory write verification attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
9587 @c will re-reads data after each write to verify the write was successful.
9588 @c
9589 @c @table @code
9590 @c @item verify
9591 @c @item noverify (default)
9592 @c @end table
9593
9594 @node Dump/Restore Files
9595 @section Copy Between Memory and a File
9596 @cindex dump/restore files
9597 @cindex append data to a file
9598 @cindex dump data to a file
9599 @cindex restore data from a file
9600
9601 You can use the commands @code{dump}, @code{append}, and
9602 @code{restore} to copy data between target memory and a file. The
9603 @code{dump} and @code{append} commands write data to a file, and the
9604 @code{restore} command reads data from a file back into the inferior's
9605 memory. Files may be in binary, Motorola S-record, Intel hex, or
9606 Tektronix Hex format; however, @value{GDBN} can only append to binary
9607 files.
9608
9609 @table @code
9610
9611 @kindex dump
9612 @item dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
9613 @itemx dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
9614 Dump the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
9615 or the value of @var{expr}, to @var{filename} in the given format.
9616
9617 The @var{format} parameter may be any one of:
9618 @table @code
9619 @item binary
9620 Raw binary form.
9621 @item ihex
9622 Intel hex format.
9623 @item srec
9624 Motorola S-record format.
9625 @item tekhex
9626 Tektronix Hex format.
9627 @end table
9628
9629 @value{GDBN} uses the same definitions of these formats as the
9630 @sc{gnu} binary utilities, like @samp{objdump} and @samp{objcopy}. If
9631 @var{format} is omitted, @value{GDBN} dumps the data in raw binary
9632 form.
9633
9634 @kindex append
9635 @item append @r{[}binary@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
9636 @itemx append @r{[}binary@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
9637 Append the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
9638 or the value of @var{expr}, to the file @var{filename}, in raw binary form.
9639 (@value{GDBN} can only append data to files in raw binary form.)
9640
9641 @kindex restore
9642 @item restore @var{filename} @r{[}binary@r{]} @var{bias} @var{start} @var{end}
9643 Restore the contents of file @var{filename} into memory. The
9644 @code{restore} command can automatically recognize any known @sc{bfd}
9645 file format, except for raw binary. To restore a raw binary file you
9646 must specify the optional keyword @code{binary} after the filename.
9647
9648 If @var{bias} is non-zero, its value will be added to the addresses
9649 contained in the file. Binary files always start at address zero, so
9650 they will be restored at address @var{bias}. Other bfd files have
9651 a built-in location; they will be restored at offset @var{bias}
9652 from that location.
9653
9654 If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are non-zero, then only data between
9655 file offset @var{start} and file offset @var{end} will be restored.
9656 These offsets are relative to the addresses in the file, before
9657 the @var{bias} argument is applied.
9658
9659 @end table
9660
9661 @node Core File Generation
9662 @section How to Produce a Core File from Your Program
9663 @cindex dump core from inferior
9664
9665 A @dfn{core file} or @dfn{core dump} is a file that records the memory
9666 image of a running process and its process status (register values
9667 etc.). Its primary use is post-mortem debugging of a program that
9668 crashed while it ran outside a debugger. A program that crashes
9669 automatically produces a core file, unless this feature is disabled by
9670 the user. @xref{Files}, for information on invoking @value{GDBN} in
9671 the post-mortem debugging mode.
9672
9673 Occasionally, you may wish to produce a core file of the program you
9674 are debugging in order to preserve a snapshot of its state.
9675 @value{GDBN} has a special command for that.
9676
9677 @table @code
9678 @kindex gcore
9679 @kindex generate-core-file
9680 @item generate-core-file [@var{file}]
9681 @itemx gcore [@var{file}]
9682 Produce a core dump of the inferior process. The optional argument
9683 @var{file} specifies the file name where to put the core dump. If not
9684 specified, the file name defaults to @file{core.@var{pid}}, where
9685 @var{pid} is the inferior process ID.
9686
9687 Note that this command is implemented only for some systems (as of
9688 this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Unixware, and S390).
9689 @end table
9690
9691 @node Character Sets
9692 @section Character Sets
9693 @cindex character sets
9694 @cindex charset
9695 @cindex translating between character sets
9696 @cindex host character set
9697 @cindex target character set
9698
9699 If the program you are debugging uses a different character set to
9700 represent characters and strings than the one @value{GDBN} uses itself,
9701 @value{GDBN} can automatically translate between the character sets for
9702 you. The character set @value{GDBN} uses we call the @dfn{host
9703 character set}; the one the inferior program uses we call the
9704 @dfn{target character set}.
9705
9706 For example, if you are running @value{GDBN} on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, which
9707 uses the ISO Latin 1 character set, but you are using @value{GDBN}'s
9708 remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Debugging}) to debug a program
9709 running on an IBM mainframe, which uses the @sc{ebcdic} character set,
9710 then the host character set is Latin-1, and the target character set is
9711 @sc{ebcdic}. If you give @value{GDBN} the command @code{set
9712 target-charset EBCDIC-US}, then @value{GDBN} translates between
9713 @sc{ebcdic} and Latin 1 as you print character or string values, or use
9714 character and string literals in expressions.
9715
9716 @value{GDBN} has no way to automatically recognize which character set
9717 the inferior program uses; you must tell it, using the @code{set
9718 target-charset} command, described below.
9719
9720 Here are the commands for controlling @value{GDBN}'s character set
9721 support:
9722
9723 @table @code
9724 @item set target-charset @var{charset}
9725 @kindex set target-charset
9726 Set the current target character set to @var{charset}. To display the
9727 list of supported target character sets, type
9728 @kbd{@w{set target-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
9729
9730 @item set host-charset @var{charset}
9731 @kindex set host-charset
9732 Set the current host character set to @var{charset}.
9733
9734 By default, @value{GDBN} uses a host character set appropriate to the
9735 system it is running on; you can override that default using the
9736 @code{set host-charset} command. On some systems, @value{GDBN} cannot
9737 automatically determine the appropriate host character set. In this
9738 case, @value{GDBN} uses @samp{UTF-8}.
9739
9740 @value{GDBN} can only use certain character sets as its host character
9741 set. If you type @kbd{@w{set host-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
9742 @value{GDBN} will list the host character sets it supports.
9743
9744 @item set charset @var{charset}
9745 @kindex set charset
9746 Set the current host and target character sets to @var{charset}. As
9747 above, if you type @kbd{@w{set charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
9748 @value{GDBN} will list the names of the character sets that can be used
9749 for both host and target.
9750
9751 @item show charset
9752 @kindex show charset
9753 Show the names of the current host and target character sets.
9754
9755 @item show host-charset
9756 @kindex show host-charset
9757 Show the name of the current host character set.
9758
9759 @item show target-charset
9760 @kindex show target-charset
9761 Show the name of the current target character set.
9762
9763 @item set target-wide-charset @var{charset}
9764 @kindex set target-wide-charset
9765 Set the current target's wide character set to @var{charset}. This is
9766 the character set used by the target's @code{wchar_t} type. To
9767 display the list of supported wide character sets, type
9768 @kbd{@w{set target-wide-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
9769
9770 @item show target-wide-charset
9771 @kindex show target-wide-charset
9772 Show the name of the current target's wide character set.
9773 @end table
9774
9775 Here is an example of @value{GDBN}'s character set support in action.
9776 Assume that the following source code has been placed in the file
9777 @file{charset-test.c}:
9778
9779 @smallexample
9780 #include <stdio.h>
9781
9782 char ascii_hello[]
9783 = @{72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 44, 32, 119,
9784 111, 114, 108, 100, 33, 10, 0@};
9785 char ibm1047_hello[]
9786 = @{200, 133, 147, 147, 150, 107, 64, 166,
9787 150, 153, 147, 132, 90, 37, 0@};
9788
9789 main ()
9790 @{
9791 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
9792 @}
9793 @end smallexample
9794
9795 In this program, @code{ascii_hello} and @code{ibm1047_hello} are arrays
9796 containing the string @samp{Hello, world!} followed by a newline,
9797 encoded in the @sc{ascii} and @sc{ibm1047} character sets.
9798
9799 We compile the program, and invoke the debugger on it:
9800
9801 @smallexample
9802 $ gcc -g charset-test.c -o charset-test
9803 $ gdb -nw charset-test
9804 GNU gdb 2001-12-19-cvs
9805 Copyright 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
9806 @dots{}
9807 (@value{GDBP})
9808 @end smallexample
9809
9810 We can use the @code{show charset} command to see what character sets
9811 @value{GDBN} is currently using to interpret and display characters and
9812 strings:
9813
9814 @smallexample
9815 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
9816 The current host and target character set is `ISO-8859-1'.
9817 (@value{GDBP})
9818 @end smallexample
9819
9820 For the sake of printing this manual, let's use @sc{ascii} as our
9821 initial character set:
9822 @smallexample
9823 (@value{GDBP}) set charset ASCII
9824 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
9825 The current host and target character set is `ASCII'.
9826 (@value{GDBP})
9827 @end smallexample
9828
9829 Let's assume that @sc{ascii} is indeed the correct character set for our
9830 host system --- in other words, let's assume that if @value{GDBN} prints
9831 characters using the @sc{ascii} character set, our terminal will display
9832 them properly. Since our current target character set is also
9833 @sc{ascii}, the contents of @code{ascii_hello} print legibly:
9834
9835 @smallexample
9836 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
9837 $1 = 0x401698 "Hello, world!\n"
9838 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
9839 $2 = 72 'H'
9840 (@value{GDBP})
9841 @end smallexample
9842
9843 @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and string
9844 literals you use in expressions:
9845
9846 @smallexample
9847 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
9848 $3 = 43 '+'
9849 (@value{GDBP})
9850 @end smallexample
9851
9852 The @sc{ascii} character set uses the number 43 to encode the @samp{+}
9853 character.
9854
9855 @value{GDBN} relies on the user to tell it which character set the
9856 target program uses. If we print @code{ibm1047_hello} while our target
9857 character set is still @sc{ascii}, we get jibberish:
9858
9859 @smallexample
9860 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
9861 $4 = 0x4016a8 "\310\205\223\223\226k@@\246\226\231\223\204Z%"
9862 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
9863 $5 = 200 '\310'
9864 (@value{GDBP})
9865 @end smallexample
9866
9867 If we invoke the @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
9868 @value{GDBN} tells us the character sets it supports:
9869
9870 @smallexample
9871 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
9872 ASCII EBCDIC-US IBM1047 ISO-8859-1
9873 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
9874 @end smallexample
9875
9876 We can select @sc{ibm1047} as our target character set, and examine the
9877 program's strings again. Now the @sc{ascii} string is wrong, but
9878 @value{GDBN} translates the contents of @code{ibm1047_hello} from the
9879 target character set, @sc{ibm1047}, to the host character set,
9880 @sc{ascii}, and they display correctly:
9881
9882 @smallexample
9883 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset IBM1047
9884 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
9885 The current host character set is `ASCII'.
9886 The current target character set is `IBM1047'.
9887 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
9888 $6 = 0x401698 "\110\145%%?\054\040\167?\162%\144\041\012"
9889 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
9890 $7 = 72 '\110'
9891 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
9892 $8 = 0x4016a8 "Hello, world!\n"
9893 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
9894 $9 = 200 'H'
9895 (@value{GDBP})
9896 @end smallexample
9897
9898 As above, @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and
9899 string literals you use in expressions:
9900
9901 @smallexample
9902 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
9903 $10 = 78 '+'
9904 (@value{GDBP})
9905 @end smallexample
9906
9907 The @sc{ibm1047} character set uses the number 78 to encode the @samp{+}
9908 character.
9909
9910 @node Caching Remote Data
9911 @section Caching Data of Remote Targets
9912 @cindex caching data of remote targets
9913
9914 @value{GDBN} caches data exchanged between the debugger and a
9915 remote target (@pxref{Remote Debugging}). Such caching generally improves
9916 performance, because it reduces the overhead of the remote protocol by
9917 bundling memory reads and writes into large chunks. Unfortunately, simply
9918 caching everything would lead to incorrect results, since @value{GDBN}
9919 does not necessarily know anything about volatile values, memory-mapped I/O
9920 addresses, etc. Furthermore, in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode})
9921 memory can be changed @emph{while} a gdb command is executing.
9922 Therefore, by default, @value{GDBN} only caches data
9923 known to be on the stack@footnote{In non-stop mode, it is moderately
9924 rare for a running thread to modify the stack of a stopped thread
9925 in a way that would interfere with a backtrace, and caching of
9926 stack reads provides a significant speed up of remote backtraces.}.
9927 Other regions of memory can be explicitly marked as
9928 cacheable; see @pxref{Memory Region Attributes}.
9929
9930 @table @code
9931 @kindex set remotecache
9932 @item set remotecache on
9933 @itemx set remotecache off
9934 This option no longer does anything; it exists for compatibility
9935 with old scripts.
9936
9937 @kindex show remotecache
9938 @item show remotecache
9939 Show the current state of the obsolete remotecache flag.
9940
9941 @kindex set stack-cache
9942 @item set stack-cache on
9943 @itemx set stack-cache off
9944 Enable or disable caching of stack accesses. When @code{ON}, use
9945 caching. By default, this option is @code{ON}.
9946
9947 @kindex show stack-cache
9948 @item show stack-cache
9949 Show the current state of data caching for memory accesses.
9950
9951 @kindex info dcache
9952 @item info dcache @r{[}line@r{]}
9953 Print the information about the data cache performance. The
9954 information displayed includes the dcache width and depth, and for
9955 each cache line, its number, address, and how many times it was
9956 referenced. This command is useful for debugging the data cache
9957 operation.
9958
9959 If a line number is specified, the contents of that line will be
9960 printed in hex.
9961
9962 @item set dcache size @var{size}
9963 @cindex dcache size
9964 @kindex set dcache size
9965 Set maximum number of entries in dcache (dcache depth above).
9966
9967 @item set dcache line-size @var{line-size}
9968 @cindex dcache line-size
9969 @kindex set dcache line-size
9970 Set number of bytes each dcache entry caches (dcache width above).
9971 Must be a power of 2.
9972
9973 @item show dcache size
9974 @kindex show dcache size
9975 Show maximum number of dcache entries. See also @ref{Caching Remote Data, info dcache}.
9976
9977 @item show dcache line-size
9978 @kindex show dcache line-size
9979 Show default size of dcache lines. See also @ref{Caching Remote Data, info dcache}.
9980
9981 @end table
9982
9983 @node Searching Memory
9984 @section Search Memory
9985 @cindex searching memory
9986
9987 Memory can be searched for a particular sequence of bytes with the
9988 @code{find} command.
9989
9990 @table @code
9991 @kindex find
9992 @item find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, +@var{len}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
9993 @itemx find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, @var{end_addr}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
9994 Search memory for the sequence of bytes specified by @var{val1}, @var{val2},
9995 etc. The search begins at address @var{start_addr} and continues for either
9996 @var{len} bytes or through to @var{end_addr} inclusive.
9997 @end table
9998
9999 @var{s} and @var{n} are optional parameters.
10000 They may be specified in either order, apart or together.
10001
10002 @table @r
10003 @item @var{s}, search query size
10004 The size of each search query value.
10005
10006 @table @code
10007 @item b
10008 bytes
10009 @item h
10010 halfwords (two bytes)
10011 @item w
10012 words (four bytes)
10013 @item g
10014 giant words (eight bytes)
10015 @end table
10016
10017 All values are interpreted in the current language.
10018 This means, for example, that if the current source language is C/C@t{++}
10019 then searching for the string ``hello'' includes the trailing '\0'.
10020
10021 If the value size is not specified, it is taken from the
10022 value's type in the current language.
10023 This is useful when one wants to specify the search
10024 pattern as a mixture of types.
10025 Note that this means, for example, that in the case of C-like languages
10026 a search for an untyped 0x42 will search for @samp{(int) 0x42}
10027 which is typically four bytes.
10028
10029 @item @var{n}, maximum number of finds
10030 The maximum number of matches to print. The default is to print all finds.
10031 @end table
10032
10033 You can use strings as search values. Quote them with double-quotes
10034 (@code{"}).
10035 The string value is copied into the search pattern byte by byte,
10036 regardless of the endianness of the target and the size specification.
10037
10038 The address of each match found is printed as well as a count of the
10039 number of matches found.
10040
10041 The address of the last value found is stored in convenience variable
10042 @samp{$_}.
10043 A count of the number of matches is stored in @samp{$numfound}.
10044
10045 For example, if stopped at the @code{printf} in this function:
10046
10047 @smallexample
10048 void
10049 hello ()
10050 @{
10051 static char hello[] = "hello-hello";
10052 static struct @{ char c; short s; int i; @}
10053 __attribute__ ((packed)) mixed
10054 = @{ 'c', 0x1234, 0x87654321 @};
10055 printf ("%s\n", hello);
10056 @}
10057 @end smallexample
10058
10059 @noindent
10060 you get during debugging:
10061
10062 @smallexample
10063 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), "hello"
10064 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
10065 1 pattern found
10066 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'
10067 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
10068 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
10069 2 patterns found
10070 (gdb) find /b1 &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 0x65, 'l'
10071 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
10072 1 pattern found
10073 (gdb) find &mixed, +sizeof(mixed), (char) 'c', (short) 0x1234, (int) 0x87654321
10074 0x8049560 <mixed.1625>
10075 1 pattern found
10076 (gdb) print $numfound
10077 $1 = 1
10078 (gdb) print $_
10079 $2 = (void *) 0x8049560
10080 @end smallexample
10081
10082 @node Optimized Code
10083 @chapter Debugging Optimized Code
10084 @cindex optimized code, debugging
10085 @cindex debugging optimized code
10086
10087 Almost all compilers support optimization. With optimization
10088 disabled, the compiler generates assembly code that corresponds
10089 directly to your source code, in a simplistic way. As the compiler
10090 applies more powerful optimizations, the generated assembly code
10091 diverges from your original source code. With help from debugging
10092 information generated by the compiler, @value{GDBN} can map from
10093 the running program back to constructs from your original source.
10094
10095 @value{GDBN} is more accurate with optimization disabled. If you
10096 can recompile without optimization, it is easier to follow the
10097 progress of your program during debugging. But, there are many cases
10098 where you may need to debug an optimized version.
10099
10100 When you debug a program compiled with @samp{-g -O}, remember that the
10101 optimizer has rearranged your code; the debugger shows you what is
10102 really there. Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
10103 exactly match your source file! An extreme example: if you define a
10104 variable, but never use it, @value{GDBN} never sees that
10105 variable---because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
10106
10107 Some things do not work as well with @samp{-g -O} as with just
10108 @samp{-g}, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling. If in
10109 doubt, recompile with @samp{-g} alone, and if this fixes the problem,
10110 please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
10111 @xref{Variables}, for more information about debugging optimized code.
10112
10113 @menu
10114 * Inline Functions:: How @value{GDBN} presents inlining
10115 * Tail Call Frames:: @value{GDBN} analysis of jumps to functions
10116 @end menu
10117
10118 @node Inline Functions
10119 @section Inline Functions
10120 @cindex inline functions, debugging
10121
10122 @dfn{Inlining} is an optimization that inserts a copy of the function
10123 body directly at each call site, instead of jumping to a shared
10124 routine. @value{GDBN} displays inlined functions just like
10125 non-inlined functions. They appear in backtraces. You can view their
10126 arguments and local variables, step into them with @code{step}, skip
10127 them with @code{next}, and escape from them with @code{finish}.
10128 You can check whether a function was inlined by using the
10129 @code{info frame} command.
10130
10131 For @value{GDBN} to support inlined functions, the compiler must
10132 record information about inlining in the debug information ---
10133 @value{NGCC} using the @sc{dwarf 2} format does this, and several
10134 other compilers do also. @value{GDBN} only supports inlined functions
10135 when using @sc{dwarf 2}. Versions of @value{NGCC} before 4.1
10136 do not emit two required attributes (@samp{DW_AT_call_file} and
10137 @samp{DW_AT_call_line}); @value{GDBN} does not display inlined
10138 function calls with earlier versions of @value{NGCC}. It instead
10139 displays the arguments and local variables of inlined functions as
10140 local variables in the caller.
10141
10142 The body of an inlined function is directly included at its call site;
10143 unlike a non-inlined function, there are no instructions devoted to
10144 the call. @value{GDBN} still pretends that the call site and the
10145 start of the inlined function are different instructions. Stepping to
10146 the call site shows the call site, and then stepping again shows
10147 the first line of the inlined function, even though no additional
10148 instructions are executed.
10149
10150 This makes source-level debugging much clearer; you can see both the
10151 context of the call and then the effect of the call. Only stepping by
10152 a single instruction using @code{stepi} or @code{nexti} does not do
10153 this; single instruction steps always show the inlined body.
10154
10155 There are some ways that @value{GDBN} does not pretend that inlined
10156 function calls are the same as normal calls:
10157
10158 @itemize @bullet
10159 @item
10160 Setting breakpoints at the call site of an inlined function may not
10161 work, because the call site does not contain any code. @value{GDBN}
10162 may incorrectly move the breakpoint to the next line of the enclosing
10163 function, after the call. This limitation will be removed in a future
10164 version of @value{GDBN}; until then, set a breakpoint on an earlier line
10165 or inside the inlined function instead.
10166
10167 @item
10168 @value{GDBN} cannot locate the return value of inlined calls after
10169 using the @code{finish} command. This is a limitation of compiler-generated
10170 debugging information; after @code{finish}, you can step to the next line
10171 and print a variable where your program stored the return value.
10172
10173 @end itemize
10174
10175 @node Tail Call Frames
10176 @section Tail Call Frames
10177 @cindex tail call frames, debugging
10178
10179 Function @code{B} can call function @code{C} in its very last statement. In
10180 unoptimized compilation the call of @code{C} is immediately followed by return
10181 instruction at the end of @code{B} code. Optimizing compiler may replace the
10182 call and return in function @code{B} into one jump to function @code{C}
10183 instead. Such use of a jump instruction is called @dfn{tail call}.
10184
10185 During execution of function @code{C}, there will be no indication in the
10186 function call stack frames that it was tail-called from @code{B}. If function
10187 @code{A} regularly calls function @code{B} which tail-calls function @code{C},
10188 then @value{GDBN} will see @code{A} as the caller of @code{C}. However, in
10189 some cases @value{GDBN} can determine that @code{C} was tail-called from
10190 @code{B}, and it will then create fictitious call frame for that, with the
10191 return address set up as if @code{B} called @code{C} normally.
10192
10193 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
10194 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_GNU_call_site} tags. With
10195 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
10196 this information.
10197
10198 @kbd{info frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info}) will indicate the tail call frame
10199 kind by text @code{tail call frame} such as in this sample @value{GDBN} output:
10200
10201 @smallexample
10202 (gdb) x/i $pc - 2
10203 0x40066b <b(int, double)+11>: jmp 0x400640 <c(int, double)>
10204 (gdb) info frame
10205 Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
10206 rip = 0x40066d in b (amd64-entry-value.cc:59); saved rip 0x4004c5
10207 tail call frame, caller of frame at 0x7fffffffda30
10208 source language c++.
10209 Arglist at unknown address.
10210 Locals at unknown address, Previous frame's sp is 0x7fffffffda30
10211 @end smallexample
10212
10213 The detection of all the possible code path executions can find them ambiguous.
10214 There is no execution history stored (possible @ref{Reverse Execution} is never
10215 used for this purpose) and the last known caller could have reached the known
10216 callee by multiple different jump sequences. In such case @value{GDBN} still
10217 tries to show at least all the unambiguous top tail callers and all the
10218 unambiguous bottom tail calees, if any.
10219
10220 @table @code
10221 @anchor{set debug entry-values}
10222 @item set debug entry-values
10223 @kindex set debug entry-values
10224 When set to on, enables printing of analysis messages for both frame argument
10225 values at function entry and tail calls. It will show all the possible valid
10226 tail calls code paths it has considered. It will also print the intersection
10227 of them with the final unambiguous (possibly partial or even empty) code path
10228 result.
10229
10230 @item show debug entry-values
10231 @kindex show debug entry-values
10232 Show the current state of analysis messages printing for both frame argument
10233 values at function entry and tail calls.
10234 @end table
10235
10236 The analysis messages for tail calls can for example show why the virtual tail
10237 call frame for function @code{c} has not been recognized (due to the indirect
10238 reference by variable @code{x}):
10239
10240 @smallexample
10241 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void);
10242 void (*x) (void) = c;
10243 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
10244 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ a (); @}
10245 int main (void) @{ x (); return 0; @}
10246
10247 Breakpoint 1, DW_OP_GNU_entry_value resolving cannot find
10248 DW_TAG_GNU_call_site 0x40039a in main
10249 a () at t.c:3
10250 3 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
10251 (gdb) bt
10252 #0 a () at t.c:3
10253 #1 0x000000000040039a in main () at t.c:5
10254 @end smallexample
10255
10256 Another possibility is an ambiguous virtual tail call frames resolution:
10257
10258 @smallexample
10259 int i;
10260 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) f (void) @{ i++; @}
10261 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) e (void) @{ f (); @}
10262 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) d (void) @{ f (); @}
10263 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ d (); @}
10264 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (void)
10265 @{ if (i) c (); else e (); @}
10266 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ b (); @}
10267 int main (void) @{ a (); return 0; @}
10268
10269 tailcall: initial: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004ce(b) 0x4004b2(c) 0x4004a2(d)
10270 tailcall: compare: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004cc(b) 0x400492(e)
10271 tailcall: reduced: 0x4004d2(a) |
10272 (gdb) bt
10273 #0 f () at t.c:2
10274 #1 0x00000000004004d2 in a () at t.c:8
10275 #2 0x0000000000400395 in main () at t.c:9
10276 @end smallexample
10277
10278 @set CALLSEQ1A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}c@value{ARROW}d@value{ARROW}f}
10279 @set CALLSEQ2A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}e@value{ARROW}f}
10280
10281 @c Convert CALLSEQ#A to CALLSEQ#B depending on HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK.
10282 @ifset HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
10283 @set ARROW @click{}
10284 @set CALLSEQ1B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ1A}}
10285 @set CALLSEQ2B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ2A}}
10286 @end ifset
10287 @ifclear HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
10288 @set ARROW ->
10289 @set CALLSEQ1B @value{CALLSEQ1A}
10290 @set CALLSEQ2B @value{CALLSEQ2A}
10291 @end ifclear
10292
10293 Frames #0 and #2 are real, #1 is a virtual tail call frame.
10294 The code can have possible execution paths @value{CALLSEQ1B} or
10295 @value{CALLSEQ2B}, @value{GDBN} cannot find which one from the inferior state.
10296
10297 @code{initial:} state shows some random possible calling sequence @value{GDBN}
10298 has found. It then finds another possible calling sequcen - that one is
10299 prefixed by @code{compare:}. The non-ambiguous intersection of these two is
10300 printed as the @code{reduced:} calling sequence. That one could have many
10301 futher @code{compare:} and @code{reduced:} statements as long as there remain
10302 any non-ambiguous sequence entries.
10303
10304 For the frame of function @code{b} in both cases there are different possible
10305 @code{$pc} values (@code{0x4004cc} or @code{0x4004ce}), therefore this frame is
10306 also ambigous. The only non-ambiguous frame is the one for function @code{a},
10307 therefore this one is displayed to the user while the ambiguous frames are
10308 omitted.
10309
10310 There can be also reasons why printing of frame argument values at function
10311 entry may fail:
10312
10313 @smallexample
10314 int v;
10315 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (int i) @{ v++; @}
10316 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i);
10317 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (int i) @{ a (i); @}
10318 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i)
10319 @{ if (i) b (i - 1); else c (0); @}
10320 int main (void) @{ a (5); return 0; @}
10321
10322 (gdb) bt
10323 #0 c (i=i@@entry=0) at t.c:2
10324 #1 0x0000000000400428 in a (DW_OP_GNU_entry_value resolving has found
10325 function "a" at 0x400420 can call itself via tail calls
10326 i=<optimized out>) at t.c:6
10327 #2 0x000000000040036e in main () at t.c:7
10328 @end smallexample
10329
10330 @value{GDBN} cannot find out from the inferior state if and how many times did
10331 function @code{a} call itself (via function @code{b}) as these calls would be
10332 tail calls. Such tail calls would modify thue @code{i} variable, therefore
10333 @value{GDBN} cannot be sure the value it knows would be right - @value{GDBN}
10334 prints @code{<optimized out>} instead.
10335
10336 @node Macros
10337 @chapter C Preprocessor Macros
10338
10339 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, provide a way to define and invoke
10340 ``preprocessor macros'' which expand into strings of tokens.
10341 @value{GDBN} can evaluate expressions containing macro invocations, show
10342 the result of macro expansion, and show a macro's definition, including
10343 where it was defined.
10344
10345 You may need to compile your program specially to provide @value{GDBN}
10346 with information about preprocessor macros. Most compilers do not
10347 include macros in their debugging information, even when you compile
10348 with the @option{-g} flag. @xref{Compilation}.
10349
10350 A program may define a macro at one point, remove that definition later,
10351 and then provide a different definition after that. Thus, at different
10352 points in the program, a macro may have different definitions, or have
10353 no definition at all. If there is a current stack frame, @value{GDBN}
10354 uses the macros in scope at that frame's source code line. Otherwise,
10355 @value{GDBN} uses the macros in scope at the current listing location;
10356 see @ref{List}.
10357
10358 Whenever @value{GDBN} evaluates an expression, it always expands any
10359 macro invocations present in the expression. @value{GDBN} also provides
10360 the following commands for working with macros explicitly.
10361
10362 @table @code
10363
10364 @kindex macro expand
10365 @cindex macro expansion, showing the results of preprocessor
10366 @cindex preprocessor macro expansion, showing the results of
10367 @cindex expanding preprocessor macros
10368 @item macro expand @var{expression}
10369 @itemx macro exp @var{expression}
10370 Show the results of expanding all preprocessor macro invocations in
10371 @var{expression}. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does
10372 not parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression;
10373 it can be any string of tokens.
10374
10375 @kindex macro exp1
10376 @item macro expand-once @var{expression}
10377 @itemx macro exp1 @var{expression}
10378 @cindex expand macro once
10379 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Show the results of
10380 expanding those preprocessor macro invocations that appear explicitly in
10381 @var{expression}. Macro invocations appearing in that expansion are
10382 left unchanged. This command allows you to see the effect of a
10383 particular macro more clearly, without being confused by further
10384 expansions. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does not
10385 parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression; it
10386 can be any string of tokens.
10387
10388 @kindex info macro
10389 @cindex macro definition, showing
10390 @cindex definition of a macro, showing
10391 @cindex macros, from debug info
10392 @item info macro [-a|-all] [--] @var{macro}
10393 Show the current definition or all definitions of the named @var{macro},
10394 and describe the source location or compiler command-line where that
10395 definition was established. The optional double dash is to signify the end of
10396 argument processing and the beginning of @var{macro} for non C-like macros where
10397 the macro may begin with a hyphen.
10398
10399 @kindex info macros
10400 @item info macros @var{linespec}
10401 Show all macro definitions that are in effect at the location specified
10402 by @var{linespec}, and describe the source location or compiler
10403 command-line where those definitions were established.
10404
10405 @kindex macro define
10406 @cindex user-defined macros
10407 @cindex defining macros interactively
10408 @cindex macros, user-defined
10409 @item macro define @var{macro} @var{replacement-list}
10410 @itemx macro define @var{macro}(@var{arglist}) @var{replacement-list}
10411 Introduce a definition for a preprocessor macro named @var{macro},
10412 invocations of which are replaced by the tokens given in
10413 @var{replacement-list}. The first form of this command defines an
10414 ``object-like'' macro, which takes no arguments; the second form
10415 defines a ``function-like'' macro, which takes the arguments given in
10416 @var{arglist}.
10417
10418 A definition introduced by this command is in scope in every
10419 expression evaluated in @value{GDBN}, until it is removed with the
10420 @code{macro undef} command, described below. The definition overrides
10421 all definitions for @var{macro} present in the program being debugged,
10422 as well as any previous user-supplied definition.
10423
10424 @kindex macro undef
10425 @item macro undef @var{macro}
10426 Remove any user-supplied definition for the macro named @var{macro}.
10427 This command only affects definitions provided with the @code{macro
10428 define} command, described above; it cannot remove definitions present
10429 in the program being debugged.
10430
10431 @kindex macro list
10432 @item macro list
10433 List all the macros defined using the @code{macro define} command.
10434 @end table
10435
10436 @cindex macros, example of debugging with
10437 Here is a transcript showing the above commands in action. First, we
10438 show our source files:
10439
10440 @smallexample
10441 $ cat sample.c
10442 #include <stdio.h>
10443 #include "sample.h"
10444
10445 #define M 42
10446 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10447
10448 main ()
10449 @{
10450 #define N 28
10451 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10452 #undef N
10453 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10454 #define N 1729
10455 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
10456 @}
10457 $ cat sample.h
10458 #define Q <
10459 $
10460 @end smallexample
10461
10462 Now, we compile the program using the @sc{gnu} C compiler,
10463 @value{NGCC}. We pass the @option{-gdwarf-2}@footnote{This is the
10464 minimum. Recent versions of @value{NGCC} support @option{-gdwarf-3}
10465 and @option{-gdwarf-4}; we recommend always choosing the most recent
10466 version of DWARF.} @emph{and} @option{-g3} flags to ensure the compiler
10467 includes information about preprocessor macros in the debugging
10468 information.
10469
10470 @smallexample
10471 $ gcc -gdwarf-2 -g3 sample.c -o sample
10472 $
10473 @end smallexample
10474
10475 Now, we start @value{GDBN} on our sample program:
10476
10477 @smallexample
10478 $ gdb -nw sample
10479 GNU gdb 2002-05-06-cvs
10480 Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
10481 GDB is free software, @dots{}
10482 (@value{GDBP})
10483 @end smallexample
10484
10485 We can expand macros and examine their definitions, even when the
10486 program is not running. @value{GDBN} uses the current listing position
10487 to decide which macro definitions are in scope:
10488
10489 @smallexample
10490 (@value{GDBP}) list main
10491 3
10492 4 #define M 42
10493 5 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10494 6
10495 7 main ()
10496 8 @{
10497 9 #define N 28
10498 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10499 11 #undef N
10500 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10501 (@value{GDBP}) info macro ADD
10502 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:5
10503 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10504 (@value{GDBP}) info macro Q
10505 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.h:1
10506 included at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:2
10507 #define Q <
10508 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand ADD(1)
10509 expands to: (42 + 1)
10510 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand-once ADD(1)
10511 expands to: once (M + 1)
10512 (@value{GDBP})
10513 @end smallexample
10514
10515 In the example above, note that @code{macro expand-once} expands only
10516 the macro invocation explicit in the original text --- the invocation of
10517 @code{ADD} --- but does not expand the invocation of the macro @code{M},
10518 which was introduced by @code{ADD}.
10519
10520 Once the program is running, @value{GDBN} uses the macro definitions in
10521 force at the source line of the current stack frame:
10522
10523 @smallexample
10524 (@value{GDBP}) break main
10525 Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048370: file sample.c, line 10.
10526 (@value{GDBP}) run
10527 Starting program: /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample
10528
10529 Breakpoint 1, main () at sample.c:10
10530 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10531 (@value{GDBP})
10532 @end smallexample
10533
10534 At line 10, the definition of the macro @code{N} at line 9 is in force:
10535
10536 @smallexample
10537 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10538 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:9
10539 #define N 28
10540 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
10541 expands to: 28 < 42
10542 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
10543 $1 = 1
10544 (@value{GDBP})
10545 @end smallexample
10546
10547 As we step over directives that remove @code{N}'s definition, and then
10548 give it a new definition, @value{GDBN} finds the definition (or lack
10549 thereof) in force at each point:
10550
10551 @smallexample
10552 (@value{GDBP}) next
10553 Hello, world!
10554 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10555 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10556 The symbol `N' has no definition as a C/C++ preprocessor macro
10557 at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:12
10558 (@value{GDBP}) next
10559 We're so creative.
10560 14 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
10561 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10562 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:13
10563 #define N 1729
10564 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
10565 expands to: 1729 < 42
10566 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
10567 $2 = 0
10568 (@value{GDBP})
10569 @end smallexample
10570
10571 In addition to source files, macros can be defined on the compilation command
10572 line using the @option{-D@var{name}=@var{value}} syntax. For macros defined in
10573 such a way, @value{GDBN} displays the location of their definition as line zero
10574 of the source file submitted to the compiler.
10575
10576 @smallexample
10577 (@value{GDBP}) info macro __STDC__
10578 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:0
10579 -D__STDC__=1
10580 (@value{GDBP})
10581 @end smallexample
10582
10583
10584 @node Tracepoints
10585 @chapter Tracepoints
10586 @c This chapter is based on the documentation written by Michael
10587 @c Snyder, David Taylor, Jim Blandy, and Elena Zannoni.
10588
10589 @cindex tracepoints
10590 In some applications, it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt
10591 the program's execution long enough for the developer to learn
10592 anything helpful about its behavior. If the program's correctness
10593 depends on its real-time behavior, delays introduced by a debugger
10594 might cause the program to change its behavior drastically, or perhaps
10595 fail, even when the code itself is correct. It is useful to be able
10596 to observe the program's behavior without interrupting it.
10597
10598 Using @value{GDBN}'s @code{trace} and @code{collect} commands, you can
10599 specify locations in the program, called @dfn{tracepoints}, and
10600 arbitrary expressions to evaluate when those tracepoints are reached.
10601 Later, using the @code{tfind} command, you can examine the values
10602 those expressions had when the program hit the tracepoints. The
10603 expressions may also denote objects in memory---structures or arrays,
10604 for example---whose values @value{GDBN} should record; while visiting
10605 a particular tracepoint, you may inspect those objects as if they were
10606 in memory at that moment. However, because @value{GDBN} records these
10607 values without interacting with you, it can do so quickly and
10608 unobtrusively, hopefully not disturbing the program's behavior.
10609
10610 The tracepoint facility is currently available only for remote
10611 targets. @xref{Targets}. In addition, your remote target must know
10612 how to collect trace data. This functionality is implemented in the
10613 remote stub; however, none of the stubs distributed with @value{GDBN}
10614 support tracepoints as of this writing. The format of the remote
10615 packets used to implement tracepoints are described in @ref{Tracepoint
10616 Packets}.
10617
10618 It is also possible to get trace data from a file, in a manner reminiscent
10619 of corefiles; you specify the filename, and use @code{tfind} to search
10620 through the file. @xref{Trace Files}, for more details.
10621
10622 This chapter describes the tracepoint commands and features.
10623
10624 @menu
10625 * Set Tracepoints::
10626 * Analyze Collected Data::
10627 * Tracepoint Variables::
10628 * Trace Files::
10629 @end menu
10630
10631 @node Set Tracepoints
10632 @section Commands to Set Tracepoints
10633
10634 Before running such a @dfn{trace experiment}, an arbitrary number of
10635 tracepoints can be set. A tracepoint is actually a special type of
10636 breakpoint (@pxref{Set Breaks}), so you can manipulate it using
10637 standard breakpoint commands. For instance, as with breakpoints,
10638 tracepoint numbers are successive integers starting from one, and many
10639 of the commands associated with tracepoints take the tracepoint number
10640 as their argument, to identify which tracepoint to work on.
10641
10642 For each tracepoint, you can specify, in advance, some arbitrary set
10643 of data that you want the target to collect in the trace buffer when
10644 it hits that tracepoint. The collected data can include registers,
10645 local variables, or global data. Later, you can use @value{GDBN}
10646 commands to examine the values these data had at the time the
10647 tracepoint was hit.
10648
10649 Tracepoints do not support every breakpoint feature. Ignore counts on
10650 tracepoints have no effect, and tracepoints cannot run @value{GDBN}
10651 commands when they are hit. Tracepoints may not be thread-specific
10652 either.
10653
10654 @cindex fast tracepoints
10655 Some targets may support @dfn{fast tracepoints}, which are inserted in
10656 a different way (such as with a jump instead of a trap), that is
10657 faster but possibly restricted in where they may be installed.
10658
10659 @cindex static tracepoints
10660 @cindex markers, static tracepoints
10661 @cindex probing markers, static tracepoints
10662 Regular and fast tracepoints are dynamic tracing facilities, meaning
10663 that they can be used to insert tracepoints at (almost) any location
10664 in the target. Some targets may also support controlling @dfn{static
10665 tracepoints} from @value{GDBN}. With static tracing, a set of
10666 instrumentation points, also known as @dfn{markers}, are embedded in
10667 the target program, and can be activated or deactivated by name or
10668 address. These are usually placed at locations which facilitate
10669 investigating what the target is actually doing. @value{GDBN}'s
10670 support for static tracing includes being able to list instrumentation
10671 points, and attach them with @value{GDBN} defined high level
10672 tracepoints that expose the whole range of convenience of
10673 @value{GDBN}'s tracepoints support. Namely, support for collecting
10674 registers values and values of global or local (to the instrumentation
10675 point) variables; tracepoint conditions and trace state variables.
10676 The act of installing a @value{GDBN} static tracepoint on an
10677 instrumentation point, or marker, is referred to as @dfn{probing} a
10678 static tracepoint marker.
10679
10680 @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints on some target systems.
10681 @xref{Server,,Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}}.
10682
10683 This section describes commands to set tracepoints and associated
10684 conditions and actions.
10685
10686 @menu
10687 * Create and Delete Tracepoints::
10688 * Enable and Disable Tracepoints::
10689 * Tracepoint Passcounts::
10690 * Tracepoint Conditions::
10691 * Trace State Variables::
10692 * Tracepoint Actions::
10693 * Listing Tracepoints::
10694 * Listing Static Tracepoint Markers::
10695 * Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments::
10696 * Tracepoint Restrictions::
10697 @end menu
10698
10699 @node Create and Delete Tracepoints
10700 @subsection Create and Delete Tracepoints
10701
10702 @table @code
10703 @cindex set tracepoint
10704 @kindex trace
10705 @item trace @var{location}
10706 The @code{trace} command is very similar to the @code{break} command.
10707 Its argument @var{location} can be a source line, a function name, or
10708 an address in the target program. @xref{Specify Location}. The
10709 @code{trace} command defines a tracepoint, which is a point in the
10710 target program where the debugger will briefly stop, collect some
10711 data, and then allow the program to continue. Setting a tracepoint or
10712 changing its actions takes effect immediately if the remote stub
10713 supports the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature (@pxref{install tracepoint
10714 in tracing}).
10715 If remote stub doesn't support the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature, all
10716 these changes don't take effect until the next @code{tstart}
10717 command, and once a trace experiment is running, further changes will
10718 not have any effect until the next trace experiment starts. In addition,
10719 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{pending tracepoints}---tracepoints whose
10720 address is not yet resolved. (This is similar to pending breakpoints.)
10721 Pending tracepoints are not downloaded to the target and not installed
10722 until they are resolved. The resolution of pending tracepoints requires
10723 @value{GDBN} support---when debugging with the remote target, and
10724 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the remote stub (@pxref{disconnected
10725 tracing}), pending tracepoints can not be resolved (and downloaded to
10726 the remote stub) while @value{GDBN} is disconnected.
10727
10728 Here are some examples of using the @code{trace} command:
10729
10730 @smallexample
10731 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo.c:121} // a source file and line number
10732
10733 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace +2} // 2 lines forward
10734
10735 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace my_function} // first source line of function
10736
10737 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *my_function} // EXACT start address of function
10738
10739 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *0x2117c4} // an address
10740 @end smallexample
10741
10742 @noindent
10743 You can abbreviate @code{trace} as @code{tr}.
10744
10745 @item trace @var{location} if @var{cond}
10746 Set a tracepoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
10747 @var{cond} each time the tracepoint is reached, and collect data only
10748 if the value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
10749 @xref{Tracepoint Conditions, ,Tracepoint Conditions}, for more
10750 information on tracepoint conditions.
10751
10752 @item ftrace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
10753 @cindex set fast tracepoint
10754 @cindex fast tracepoints, setting
10755 @kindex ftrace
10756 The @code{ftrace} command sets a fast tracepoint. For targets that
10757 support them, fast tracepoints will use a more efficient but possibly
10758 less general technique to trigger data collection, such as a jump
10759 instruction instead of a trap, or some sort of hardware support. It
10760 may not be possible to create a fast tracepoint at the desired
10761 location, in which case the command will exit with an explanatory
10762 message.
10763
10764 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{ftrace} exactly as for
10765 @code{trace}.
10766
10767 On 32-bit x86-architecture systems, fast tracepoints normally need to
10768 be placed at an instruction that is 5 bytes or longer, but can be
10769 placed at 4-byte instructions if the low 64K of memory of the target
10770 program is available to install trampolines. Some Unix-type systems,
10771 such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, exclude low addresses from the program's
10772 address space; but for instance with the Linux kernel it is possible
10773 to let @value{GDBN} use this area by doing a @command{sysctl} command
10774 to set the @code{mmap_min_addr} kernel parameter, as in
10775
10776 @example
10777 sudo sysctl -w vm.mmap_min_addr=32768
10778 @end example
10779
10780 @noindent
10781 which sets the low address to 32K, which leaves plenty of room for
10782 trampolines. The minimum address should be set to a page boundary.
10783
10784 @item strace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
10785 @cindex set static tracepoint
10786 @cindex static tracepoints, setting
10787 @cindex probe static tracepoint marker
10788 @kindex strace
10789 The @code{strace} command sets a static tracepoint. For targets that
10790 support it, setting a static tracepoint probes a static
10791 instrumentation point, or marker, found at @var{location}. It may not
10792 be possible to set a static tracepoint at the desired location, in
10793 which case the command will exit with an explanatory message.
10794
10795 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{strace} exactly as for
10796 @code{trace}, with the addition that the user can also specify
10797 @code{-m @var{marker}} as @var{location}. This probes the marker
10798 identified by the @var{marker} string identifier. This identifier
10799 depends on the static tracepoint backend library your program is
10800 using. You can find all the marker identifiers in the @samp{ID} field
10801 of the @code{info static-tracepoint-markers} command output.
10802 @xref{Listing Static Tracepoint Markers,,Listing Static Tracepoint
10803 Markers}. For example, in the following small program using the UST
10804 tracing engine:
10805
10806 @smallexample
10807 main ()
10808 @{
10809 trace_mark(ust, bar33, "str %s", "FOOBAZ");
10810 @}
10811 @end smallexample
10812
10813 @noindent
10814 the marker id is composed of joining the first two arguments to the
10815 @code{trace_mark} call with a slash, which translates to:
10816
10817 @smallexample
10818 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
10819 Cnt Enb ID Address What
10820 1 n ust/bar33 0x0000000000400ddc in main at stexample.c:22
10821 Data: "str %s"
10822 [etc...]
10823 @end smallexample
10824
10825 @noindent
10826 so you may probe the marker above with:
10827
10828 @smallexample
10829 (@value{GDBP}) strace -m ust/bar33
10830 @end smallexample
10831
10832 Static tracepoints accept an extra collect action --- @code{collect
10833 $_sdata}. This collects arbitrary user data passed in the probe point
10834 call to the tracing library. In the UST example above, you'll see
10835 that the third argument to @code{trace_mark} is a printf-like format
10836 string. The user data is then the result of running that formating
10837 string against the following arguments. Note that @code{info
10838 static-tracepoint-markers} command output lists that format string in
10839 the @samp{Data:} field.
10840
10841 You can inspect this data when analyzing the trace buffer, by printing
10842 the $_sdata variable like any other variable available to
10843 @value{GDBN}. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}.
10844
10845 @vindex $tpnum
10846 @cindex last tracepoint number
10847 @cindex recent tracepoint number
10848 @cindex tracepoint number
10849 The convenience variable @code{$tpnum} records the tracepoint number
10850 of the most recently set tracepoint.
10851
10852 @kindex delete tracepoint
10853 @cindex tracepoint deletion
10854 @item delete tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
10855 Permanently delete one or more tracepoints. With no argument, the
10856 default is to delete all tracepoints. Note that the regular
10857 @code{delete} command can remove tracepoints also.
10858
10859 Examples:
10860
10861 @smallexample
10862 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace 1 2 3} // remove three tracepoints
10863
10864 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace} // remove all tracepoints
10865 @end smallexample
10866
10867 @noindent
10868 You can abbreviate this command as @code{del tr}.
10869 @end table
10870
10871 @node Enable and Disable Tracepoints
10872 @subsection Enable and Disable Tracepoints
10873
10874 These commands are deprecated; they are equivalent to plain @code{disable} and @code{enable}.
10875
10876 @table @code
10877 @kindex disable tracepoint
10878 @item disable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
10879 Disable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints if no argument
10880 @var{num} is given. A disabled tracepoint will have no effect during
10881 a trace experiment, but it is not forgotten. You can re-enable
10882 a disabled tracepoint using the @code{enable tracepoint} command.
10883 If the command is issued during a trace experiment and the debug target
10884 has support for disabling tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the
10885 change will be effective immediately. Otherwise, it will be applied to the
10886 next trace experiment.
10887
10888 @kindex enable tracepoint
10889 @item enable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
10890 Enable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints. If this command is
10891 issued during a trace experiment and the debug target supports enabling
10892 tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the enabled tracepoints will
10893 become effective immediately. Otherwise, they will become effective the
10894 next time a trace experiment is run.
10895 @end table
10896
10897 @node Tracepoint Passcounts
10898 @subsection Tracepoint Passcounts
10899
10900 @table @code
10901 @kindex passcount
10902 @cindex tracepoint pass count
10903 @item passcount @r{[}@var{n} @r{[}@var{num}@r{]]}
10904 Set the @dfn{passcount} of a tracepoint. The passcount is a way to
10905 automatically stop a trace experiment. If a tracepoint's passcount is
10906 @var{n}, then the trace experiment will be automatically stopped on
10907 the @var{n}'th time that tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number
10908 @var{num} is not specified, the @code{passcount} command sets the
10909 passcount of the most recently defined tracepoint. If no passcount is
10910 given, the trace experiment will run until stopped explicitly by the
10911 user.
10912
10913 Examples:
10914
10915 @smallexample
10916 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 5 2} // Stop on the 5th execution of
10917 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// tracepoint 2}
10918
10919 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 12} // Stop on the 12th execution of the
10920 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// most recently defined tracepoint.}
10921 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
10922 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 3}
10923 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace bar}
10924 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 2}
10925 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace baz}
10926 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 1} // Stop tracing when foo has been
10927 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// executed 3 times OR when bar has}
10928 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// been executed 2 times}
10929 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// OR when baz has been executed 1 time.}
10930 @end smallexample
10931 @end table
10932
10933 @node Tracepoint Conditions
10934 @subsection Tracepoint Conditions
10935 @cindex conditional tracepoints
10936 @cindex tracepoint conditions
10937
10938 The simplest sort of tracepoint collects data every time your program
10939 reaches a specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for
10940 a tracepoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
10941 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A
10942 tracepoint with a condition evaluates the expression each time your
10943 program reaches it, and data collection happens only if the condition
10944 is true.
10945
10946 Tracepoint conditions can be specified when a tracepoint is set, by
10947 using @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{trace} command.
10948 @xref{Create and Delete Tracepoints, ,Setting Tracepoints}. They can
10949 also be set or changed at any time with the @code{condition} command,
10950 just as with breakpoints.
10951
10952 Unlike breakpoint conditions, @value{GDBN} does not actually evaluate
10953 the conditional expression itself. Instead, @value{GDBN} encodes the
10954 expression into an agent expression (@pxref{Agent Expressions})
10955 suitable for execution on the target, independently of @value{GDBN}.
10956 Global variables become raw memory locations, locals become stack
10957 accesses, and so forth.
10958
10959 For instance, suppose you have a function that is usually called
10960 frequently, but should not be called after an error has occurred. You
10961 could use the following tracepoint command to collect data about calls
10962 of that function that happen while the error code is propagating
10963 through the program; an unconditional tracepoint could end up
10964 collecting thousands of useless trace frames that you would have to
10965 search through.
10966
10967 @smallexample
10968 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{trace normal_operation if errcode > 0}
10969 @end smallexample
10970
10971 @node Trace State Variables
10972 @subsection Trace State Variables
10973 @cindex trace state variables
10974
10975 A @dfn{trace state variable} is a special type of variable that is
10976 created and managed by target-side code. The syntax is the same as
10977 that for GDB's convenience variables (a string prefixed with ``$''),
10978 but they are stored on the target. They must be created explicitly,
10979 using a @code{tvariable} command. They are always 64-bit signed
10980 integers.
10981
10982 Trace state variables are remembered by @value{GDBN}, and downloaded
10983 to the target along with tracepoint information when the trace
10984 experiment starts. There are no intrinsic limits on the number of
10985 trace state variables, beyond memory limitations of the target.
10986
10987 @cindex convenience variables, and trace state variables
10988 Although trace state variables are managed by the target, you can use
10989 them in print commands and expressions as if they were convenience
10990 variables; @value{GDBN} will get the current value from the target
10991 while the trace experiment is running. Trace state variables share
10992 the same namespace as other ``$'' variables, which means that you
10993 cannot have trace state variables with names like @code{$23} or
10994 @code{$pc}, nor can you have a trace state variable and a convenience
10995 variable with the same name.
10996
10997 @table @code
10998
10999 @item tvariable $@var{name} [ = @var{expression} ]
11000 @kindex tvariable
11001 The @code{tvariable} command creates a new trace state variable named
11002 @code{$@var{name}}, and optionally gives it an initial value of
11003 @var{expression}. @var{expression} is evaluated when this command is
11004 entered; the result will be converted to an integer if possible,
11005 otherwise @value{GDBN} will report an error. A subsequent
11006 @code{tvariable} command specifying the same name does not create a
11007 variable, but instead assigns the supplied initial value to the
11008 existing variable of that name, overwriting any previous initial
11009 value. The default initial value is 0.
11010
11011 @item info tvariables
11012 @kindex info tvariables
11013 List all the trace state variables along with their initial values.
11014 Their current values may also be displayed, if the trace experiment is
11015 currently running.
11016
11017 @item delete tvariable @r{[} $@var{name} @dots{} @r{]}
11018 @kindex delete tvariable
11019 Delete the given trace state variables, or all of them if no arguments
11020 are specified.
11021
11022 @end table
11023
11024 @node Tracepoint Actions
11025 @subsection Tracepoint Action Lists
11026
11027 @table @code
11028 @kindex actions
11029 @cindex tracepoint actions
11030 @item actions @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
11031 This command will prompt for a list of actions to be taken when the
11032 tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number @var{num} is not
11033 specified, this command sets the actions for the one that was most
11034 recently defined (so that you can define a tracepoint and then say
11035 @code{actions} without bothering about its number). You specify the
11036 actions themselves on the following lines, one action at a time, and
11037 terminate the actions list with a line containing just @code{end}. So
11038 far, the only defined actions are @code{collect}, @code{teval}, and
11039 @code{while-stepping}.
11040
11041 @code{actions} is actually equivalent to @code{commands} (@pxref{Break
11042 Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}), except that only the defined
11043 actions are allowed; any other @value{GDBN} command is rejected.
11044
11045 @cindex remove actions from a tracepoint
11046 To remove all actions from a tracepoint, type @samp{actions @var{num}}
11047 and follow it immediately with @samp{end}.
11048
11049 @smallexample
11050 (@value{GDBP}) @b{collect @var{data}} // collect some data
11051
11052 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while-stepping 5} // single-step 5 times, collect data
11053
11054 (@value{GDBP}) @b{end} // signals the end of actions.
11055 @end smallexample
11056
11057 In the following example, the action list begins with @code{collect}
11058 commands indicating the things to be collected when the tracepoint is
11059 hit. Then, in order to single-step and collect additional data
11060 following the tracepoint, a @code{while-stepping} command is used,
11061 followed by the list of things to be collected after each step in a
11062 sequence of single steps. The @code{while-stepping} command is
11063 terminated by its own separate @code{end} command. Lastly, the action
11064 list is terminated by an @code{end} command.
11065
11066 @smallexample
11067 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
11068 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11069 Enter actions for tracepoint 1, one per line:
11070 > collect bar,baz
11071 > collect $regs
11072 > while-stepping 12
11073 > collect $pc, arr[i]
11074 > end
11075 end
11076 @end smallexample
11077
11078 @kindex collect @r{(tracepoints)}
11079 @item collect@r{[}/@var{mods}@r{]} @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11080 Collect values of the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit.
11081 This command accepts a comma-separated list of any valid expressions.
11082 In addition to global, static, or local variables, the following
11083 special arguments are supported:
11084
11085 @table @code
11086 @item $regs
11087 Collect all registers.
11088
11089 @item $args
11090 Collect all function arguments.
11091
11092 @item $locals
11093 Collect all local variables.
11094
11095 @item $_ret
11096 Collect the return address. This is helpful if you want to see more
11097 of a backtrace.
11098
11099 @item $_probe_argc
11100 Collects the number of arguments from the static probe at which the
11101 tracepoint is located.
11102 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
11103
11104 @item $_probe_arg@var{n}
11105 @var{n} is an integer between 0 and 11. Collects the @var{n}th argument
11106 from the static probe at which the tracepoint is located.
11107 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
11108
11109 @item $_sdata
11110 @vindex $_sdata@r{, collect}
11111 Collect static tracepoint marker specific data. Only available for
11112 static tracepoints. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action
11113 Lists}. On the UST static tracepoints library backend, an
11114 instrumentation point resembles a @code{printf} function call. The
11115 tracing library is able to collect user specified data formatted to a
11116 character string using the format provided by the programmer that
11117 instrumented the program. Other backends have similar mechanisms.
11118 Here's an example of a UST marker call:
11119
11120 @smallexample
11121 const char master_name[] = "$your_name";
11122 trace_mark(channel1, marker1, "hello %s", master_name)
11123 @end smallexample
11124
11125 In this case, collecting @code{$_sdata} collects the string
11126 @samp{hello $yourname}. When analyzing the trace buffer, you can
11127 inspect @samp{$_sdata} like any other variable available to
11128 @value{GDBN}.
11129 @end table
11130
11131 You can give several consecutive @code{collect} commands, each one
11132 with a single argument, or one @code{collect} command with several
11133 arguments separated by commas; the effect is the same.
11134
11135 The optional @var{mods} changes the usual handling of the arguments.
11136 @code{s} requests that pointers to chars be handled as strings, in
11137 particular collecting the contents of the memory being pointed at, up
11138 to the first zero. The upper bound is by default the value of the
11139 @code{print elements} variable; if @code{s} is followed by a decimal
11140 number, that is the upper bound instead. So for instance
11141 @samp{collect/s25 mystr} collects as many as 25 characters at
11142 @samp{mystr}.
11143
11144 The command @code{info scope} (@pxref{Symbols, info scope}) is
11145 particularly useful for figuring out what data to collect.
11146
11147 @kindex teval @r{(tracepoints)}
11148 @item teval @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11149 Evaluate the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit. This
11150 command accepts a comma-separated list of expressions. The results
11151 are discarded, so this is mainly useful for assigning values to trace
11152 state variables (@pxref{Trace State Variables}) without adding those
11153 values to the trace buffer, as would be the case if the @code{collect}
11154 action were used.
11155
11156 @kindex while-stepping @r{(tracepoints)}
11157 @item while-stepping @var{n}
11158 Perform @var{n} single-step instruction traces after the tracepoint,
11159 collecting new data after each step. The @code{while-stepping}
11160 command is followed by the list of what to collect while stepping
11161 (followed by its own @code{end} command):
11162
11163 @smallexample
11164 > while-stepping 12
11165 > collect $regs, myglobal
11166 > end
11167 >
11168 @end smallexample
11169
11170 @noindent
11171 Note that @code{$pc} is not automatically collected by
11172 @code{while-stepping}; you need to explicitly collect that register if
11173 you need it. You may abbreviate @code{while-stepping} as @code{ws} or
11174 @code{stepping}.
11175
11176 @item set default-collect @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11177 @kindex set default-collect
11178 @cindex default collection action
11179 This variable is a list of expressions to collect at each tracepoint
11180 hit. It is effectively an additional @code{collect} action prepended
11181 to every tracepoint action list. The expressions are parsed
11182 individually for each tracepoint, so for instance a variable named
11183 @code{xyz} may be interpreted as a global for one tracepoint, and a
11184 local for another, as appropriate to the tracepoint's location.
11185
11186 @item show default-collect
11187 @kindex show default-collect
11188 Show the list of expressions that are collected by default at each
11189 tracepoint hit.
11190
11191 @end table
11192
11193 @node Listing Tracepoints
11194 @subsection Listing Tracepoints
11195
11196 @table @code
11197 @kindex info tracepoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
11198 @kindex info tp @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
11199 @cindex information about tracepoints
11200 @item info tracepoints @r{[}@var{num}@dots{}@r{]}
11201 Display information about the tracepoint @var{num}. If you don't
11202 specify a tracepoint number, displays information about all the
11203 tracepoints defined so far. The format is similar to that used for
11204 @code{info breakpoints}; in fact, @code{info tracepoints} is the same
11205 command, simply restricting itself to tracepoints.
11206
11207 A tracepoint's listing may include additional information specific to
11208 tracing:
11209
11210 @itemize @bullet
11211 @item
11212 its passcount as given by the @code{passcount @var{n}} command
11213 @end itemize
11214
11215 @smallexample
11216 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info trace}
11217 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
11218 1 tracepoint keep y 0x0804ab57 in foo() at main.cxx:7
11219 while-stepping 20
11220 collect globfoo, $regs
11221 end
11222 collect globfoo2
11223 end
11224 pass count 1200
11225 (@value{GDBP})
11226 @end smallexample
11227
11228 @noindent
11229 This command can be abbreviated @code{info tp}.
11230 @end table
11231
11232 @node Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
11233 @subsection Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
11234
11235 @table @code
11236 @kindex info static-tracepoint-markers
11237 @cindex information about static tracepoint markers
11238 @item info static-tracepoint-markers
11239 Display information about all static tracepoint markers defined in the
11240 program.
11241
11242 For each marker, the following columns are printed:
11243
11244 @table @emph
11245 @item Count
11246 An incrementing counter, output to help readability. This is not a
11247 stable identifier.
11248 @item ID
11249 The marker ID, as reported by the target.
11250 @item Enabled or Disabled
11251 Probed markers are tagged with @samp{y}. @samp{n} identifies marks
11252 that are not enabled.
11253 @item Address
11254 Where the marker is in your program, as a memory address.
11255 @item What
11256 Where the marker is in the source for your program, as a file and line
11257 number. If the debug information included in the program does not
11258 allow @value{GDBN} to locate the source of the marker, this column
11259 will be left blank.
11260 @end table
11261
11262 @noindent
11263 In addition, the following information may be printed for each marker:
11264
11265 @table @emph
11266 @item Data
11267 User data passed to the tracing library by the marker call. In the
11268 UST backend, this is the format string passed as argument to the
11269 marker call.
11270 @item Static tracepoints probing the marker
11271 The list of static tracepoints attached to the marker.
11272 @end table
11273
11274 @smallexample
11275 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
11276 Cnt ID Enb Address What
11277 1 ust/bar2 y 0x0000000000400e1a in main at stexample.c:25
11278 Data: number1 %d number2 %d
11279 Probed by static tracepoints: #2
11280 2 ust/bar33 n 0x0000000000400c87 in main at stexample.c:24
11281 Data: str %s
11282 (@value{GDBP})
11283 @end smallexample
11284 @end table
11285
11286 @node Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
11287 @subsection Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
11288
11289 @table @code
11290 @kindex tstart [ @var{notes} ]
11291 @cindex start a new trace experiment
11292 @cindex collected data discarded
11293 @item tstart
11294 This command starts the trace experiment, and begins collecting data.
11295 It has the side effect of discarding all the data collected in the
11296 trace buffer during the previous trace experiment. If any arguments
11297 are supplied, they are taken as a note and stored with the trace
11298 experiment's state. The notes may be arbitrary text, and are
11299 especially useful with disconnected tracing in a multi-user context;
11300 the notes can explain what the trace is doing, supply user contact
11301 information, and so forth.
11302
11303 @kindex tstop [ @var{notes} ]
11304 @cindex stop a running trace experiment
11305 @item tstop
11306 This command stops the trace experiment. If any arguments are
11307 supplied, they are recorded with the experiment as a note. This is
11308 useful if you are stopping a trace started by someone else, for
11309 instance if the trace is interfering with the system's behavior and
11310 needs to be stopped quickly.
11311
11312 @strong{Note}: a trace experiment and data collection may stop
11313 automatically if any tracepoint's passcount is reached
11314 (@pxref{Tracepoint Passcounts}), or if the trace buffer becomes full.
11315
11316 @kindex tstatus
11317 @cindex status of trace data collection
11318 @cindex trace experiment, status of
11319 @item tstatus
11320 This command displays the status of the current trace data
11321 collection.
11322 @end table
11323
11324 Here is an example of the commands we described so far:
11325
11326 @smallexample
11327 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace gdb_c_test}
11328 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11329 Enter actions for tracepoint #1, one per line.
11330 > collect $regs,$locals,$args
11331 > while-stepping 11
11332 > collect $regs
11333 > end
11334 > end
11335 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
11336 [time passes @dots{}]
11337 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstop}
11338 @end smallexample
11339
11340 @anchor{disconnected tracing}
11341 @cindex disconnected tracing
11342 You can choose to continue running the trace experiment even if
11343 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target, voluntarily or
11344 involuntarily. For commands such as @code{detach}, the debugger will
11345 ask what you want to do with the trace. But for unexpected
11346 terminations (@value{GDBN} crash, network outage), it would be
11347 unfortunate to lose hard-won trace data, so the variable
11348 @code{disconnected-tracing} lets you decide whether the trace should
11349 continue running without @value{GDBN}.
11350
11351 @table @code
11352 @item set disconnected-tracing on
11353 @itemx set disconnected-tracing off
11354 @kindex set disconnected-tracing
11355 Choose whether a tracing run should continue to run if @value{GDBN}
11356 has disconnected from the target. Note that @code{detach} or
11357 @code{quit} will ask you directly what to do about a running trace no
11358 matter what this variable's setting, so the variable is mainly useful
11359 for handling unexpected situations, such as loss of the network.
11360
11361 @item show disconnected-tracing
11362 @kindex show disconnected-tracing
11363 Show the current choice for disconnected tracing.
11364
11365 @end table
11366
11367 When you reconnect to the target, the trace experiment may or may not
11368 still be running; it might have filled the trace buffer in the
11369 meantime, or stopped for one of the other reasons. If it is running,
11370 it will continue after reconnection.
11371
11372 Upon reconnection, the target will upload information about the
11373 tracepoints in effect. @value{GDBN} will then compare that
11374 information to the set of tracepoints currently defined, and attempt
11375 to match them up, allowing for the possibility that the numbers may
11376 have changed due to creation and deletion in the meantime. If one of
11377 the target's tracepoints does not match any in @value{GDBN}, the
11378 debugger will create a new tracepoint, so that you have a number with
11379 which to specify that tracepoint. This matching-up process is
11380 necessarily heuristic, and it may result in useless tracepoints being
11381 created; you may simply delete them if they are of no use.
11382
11383 @cindex circular trace buffer
11384 If your target agent supports a @dfn{circular trace buffer}, then you
11385 can run a trace experiment indefinitely without filling the trace
11386 buffer; when space runs out, the agent deletes already-collected trace
11387 frames, oldest first, until there is enough room to continue
11388 collecting. This is especially useful if your tracepoints are being
11389 hit too often, and your trace gets terminated prematurely because the
11390 buffer is full. To ask for a circular trace buffer, simply set
11391 @samp{circular-trace-buffer} to on. You can set this at any time,
11392 including during tracing; if the agent can do it, it will change
11393 buffer handling on the fly, otherwise it will not take effect until
11394 the next run.
11395
11396 @table @code
11397 @item set circular-trace-buffer on
11398 @itemx set circular-trace-buffer off
11399 @kindex set circular-trace-buffer
11400 Choose whether a tracing run should use a linear or circular buffer
11401 for trace data. A linear buffer will not lose any trace data, but may
11402 fill up prematurely, while a circular buffer will discard old trace
11403 data, but it will have always room for the latest tracepoint hits.
11404
11405 @item show circular-trace-buffer
11406 @kindex show circular-trace-buffer
11407 Show the current choice for the trace buffer. Note that this may not
11408 match the agent's current buffer handling, nor is it guaranteed to
11409 match the setting that might have been in effect during a past run,
11410 for instance if you are looking at frames from a trace file.
11411
11412 @end table
11413
11414 @table @code
11415 @item set trace-user @var{text}
11416 @kindex set trace-user
11417
11418 @item show trace-user
11419 @kindex show trace-user
11420
11421 @item set trace-notes @var{text}
11422 @kindex set trace-notes
11423 Set the trace run's notes.
11424
11425 @item show trace-notes
11426 @kindex show trace-notes
11427 Show the trace run's notes.
11428
11429 @item set trace-stop-notes @var{text}
11430 @kindex set trace-stop-notes
11431 Set the trace run's stop notes. The handling of the note is as for
11432 @code{tstop} arguments; the set command is convenient way to fix a
11433 stop note that is mistaken or incomplete.
11434
11435 @item show trace-stop-notes
11436 @kindex show trace-stop-notes
11437 Show the trace run's stop notes.
11438
11439 @end table
11440
11441 @node Tracepoint Restrictions
11442 @subsection Tracepoint Restrictions
11443
11444 @cindex tracepoint restrictions
11445 There are a number of restrictions on the use of tracepoints. As
11446 described above, tracepoint data gathering occurs on the target
11447 without interaction from @value{GDBN}. Thus the full capabilities of
11448 the debugger are not available during data gathering, and then at data
11449 examination time, you will be limited by only having what was
11450 collected. The following items describe some common problems, but it
11451 is not exhaustive, and you may run into additional difficulties not
11452 mentioned here.
11453
11454 @itemize @bullet
11455
11456 @item
11457 Tracepoint expressions are intended to gather objects (lvalues). Thus
11458 the full flexibility of GDB's expression evaluator is not available.
11459 You cannot call functions, cast objects to aggregate types, access
11460 convenience variables or modify values (except by assignment to trace
11461 state variables). Some language features may implicitly call
11462 functions (for instance Objective-C fields with accessors), and therefore
11463 cannot be collected either.
11464
11465 @item
11466 Collection of local variables, either individually or in bulk with
11467 @code{$locals} or @code{$args}, during @code{while-stepping} may
11468 behave erratically. The stepping action may enter a new scope (for
11469 instance by stepping into a function), or the location of the variable
11470 may change (for instance it is loaded into a register). The
11471 tracepoint data recorded uses the location information for the
11472 variables that is correct for the tracepoint location. When the
11473 tracepoint is created, it is not possible, in general, to determine
11474 where the steps of a @code{while-stepping} sequence will advance the
11475 program---particularly if a conditional branch is stepped.
11476
11477 @item
11478 Collection of an incompletely-initialized or partially-destroyed object
11479 may result in something that @value{GDBN} cannot display, or displays
11480 in a misleading way.
11481
11482 @item
11483 When @value{GDBN} displays a pointer to character it automatically
11484 dereferences the pointer to also display characters of the string
11485 being pointed to. However, collecting the pointer during tracing does
11486 not automatically collect the string. You need to explicitly
11487 dereference the pointer and provide size information if you want to
11488 collect not only the pointer, but the memory pointed to. For example,
11489 @code{*ptr@@50} can be used to collect the 50 element array pointed to
11490 by @code{ptr}.
11491
11492 @item
11493 It is not possible to collect a complete stack backtrace at a
11494 tracepoint. Instead, you may collect the registers and a few hundred
11495 bytes from the stack pointer with something like @code{*(unsigned char *)$esp@@300}
11496 (adjust to use the name of the actual stack pointer register on your
11497 target architecture, and the amount of stack you wish to capture).
11498 Then the @code{backtrace} command will show a partial backtrace when
11499 using a trace frame. The number of stack frames that can be examined
11500 depends on the sizes of the frames in the collected stack. Note that
11501 if you ask for a block so large that it goes past the bottom of the
11502 stack, the target agent may report an error trying to read from an
11503 invalid address.
11504
11505 @item
11506 If you do not collect registers at a tracepoint, @value{GDBN} can
11507 infer that the value of @code{$pc} must be the same as the address of
11508 the tracepoint and use that when you are looking at a trace frame
11509 for that tracepoint. However, this cannot work if the tracepoint has
11510 multiple locations (for instance if it was set in a function that was
11511 inlined), or if it has a @code{while-stepping} loop. In those cases
11512 @value{GDBN} will warn you that it can't infer @code{$pc}, and default
11513 it to zero.
11514
11515 @end itemize
11516
11517 @node Analyze Collected Data
11518 @section Using the Collected Data
11519
11520 After the tracepoint experiment ends, you use @value{GDBN} commands
11521 for examining the trace data. The basic idea is that each tracepoint
11522 collects a trace @dfn{snapshot} every time it is hit and another
11523 snapshot every time it single-steps. All these snapshots are
11524 consecutively numbered from zero and go into a buffer, and you can
11525 examine them later. The way you examine them is to @dfn{focus} on a
11526 specific trace snapshot. When the remote stub is focused on a trace
11527 snapshot, it will respond to all @value{GDBN} requests for memory and
11528 registers by reading from the buffer which belongs to that snapshot,
11529 rather than from @emph{real} memory or registers of the program being
11530 debugged. This means that @strong{all} @value{GDBN} commands
11531 (@code{print}, @code{info registers}, @code{backtrace}, etc.) will
11532 behave as if we were currently debugging the program state as it was
11533 when the tracepoint occurred. Any requests for data that are not in
11534 the buffer will fail.
11535
11536 @menu
11537 * tfind:: How to select a trace snapshot
11538 * tdump:: How to display all data for a snapshot
11539 * save tracepoints:: How to save tracepoints for a future run
11540 @end menu
11541
11542 @node tfind
11543 @subsection @code{tfind @var{n}}
11544
11545 @kindex tfind
11546 @cindex select trace snapshot
11547 @cindex find trace snapshot
11548 The basic command for selecting a trace snapshot from the buffer is
11549 @code{tfind @var{n}}, which finds trace snapshot number @var{n},
11550 counting from zero. If no argument @var{n} is given, the next
11551 snapshot is selected.
11552
11553 Here are the various forms of using the @code{tfind} command.
11554
11555 @table @code
11556 @item tfind start
11557 Find the first snapshot in the buffer. This is a synonym for
11558 @code{tfind 0} (since 0 is the number of the first snapshot).
11559
11560 @item tfind none
11561 Stop debugging trace snapshots, resume @emph{live} debugging.
11562
11563 @item tfind end
11564 Same as @samp{tfind none}.
11565
11566 @item tfind
11567 No argument means find the next trace snapshot.
11568
11569 @item tfind -
11570 Find the previous trace snapshot before the current one. This permits
11571 retracing earlier steps.
11572
11573 @item tfind tracepoint @var{num}
11574 Find the next snapshot associated with tracepoint @var{num}. Search
11575 proceeds forward from the last examined trace snapshot. If no
11576 argument @var{num} is given, it means find the next snapshot collected
11577 for the same tracepoint as the current snapshot.
11578
11579 @item tfind pc @var{addr}
11580 Find the next snapshot associated with the value @var{addr} of the
11581 program counter. Search proceeds forward from the last examined trace
11582 snapshot. If no argument @var{addr} is given, it means find the next
11583 snapshot with the same value of PC as the current snapshot.
11584
11585 @item tfind outside @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
11586 Find the next snapshot whose PC is outside the given range of
11587 addresses (exclusive).
11588
11589 @item tfind range @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
11590 Find the next snapshot whose PC is between @var{addr1} and
11591 @var{addr2} (inclusive).
11592
11593 @item tfind line @r{[}@var{file}:@r{]}@var{n}
11594 Find the next snapshot associated with the source line @var{n}. If
11595 the optional argument @var{file} is given, refer to line @var{n} in
11596 that source file. Search proceeds forward from the last examined
11597 trace snapshot. If no argument @var{n} is given, it means find the
11598 next line other than the one currently being examined; thus saying
11599 @code{tfind line} repeatedly can appear to have the same effect as
11600 stepping from line to line in a @emph{live} debugging session.
11601 @end table
11602
11603 The default arguments for the @code{tfind} commands are specifically
11604 designed to make it easy to scan through the trace buffer. For
11605 instance, @code{tfind} with no argument selects the next trace
11606 snapshot, and @code{tfind -} with no argument selects the previous
11607 trace snapshot. So, by giving one @code{tfind} command, and then
11608 simply hitting @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine all the trace
11609 snapshots in order. Or, by saying @code{tfind -} and then hitting
11610 @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine the snapshots in reverse order.
11611 The @code{tfind line} command with no argument selects the snapshot
11612 for the next source line executed. The @code{tfind pc} command with
11613 no argument selects the next snapshot with the same program counter
11614 (PC) as the current frame. The @code{tfind tracepoint} command with
11615 no argument selects the next trace snapshot collected by the same
11616 tracepoint as the current one.
11617
11618 In addition to letting you scan through the trace buffer manually,
11619 these commands make it easy to construct @value{GDBN} scripts that
11620 scan through the trace buffer and print out whatever collected data
11621 you are interested in. Thus, if we want to examine the PC, FP, and SP
11622 registers from each trace frame in the buffer, we can say this:
11623
11624 @smallexample
11625 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
11626 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
11627 > printf "Frame %d, PC = %08X, SP = %08X, FP = %08X\n", \
11628 $trace_frame, $pc, $sp, $fp
11629 > tfind
11630 > end
11631
11632 Frame 0, PC = 0020DC64, SP = 0030BF3C, FP = 0030BF44
11633 Frame 1, PC = 0020DC6C, SP = 0030BF38, FP = 0030BF44
11634 Frame 2, PC = 0020DC70, SP = 0030BF34, FP = 0030BF44
11635 Frame 3, PC = 0020DC74, SP = 0030BF30, FP = 0030BF44
11636 Frame 4, PC = 0020DC78, SP = 0030BF2C, FP = 0030BF44
11637 Frame 5, PC = 0020DC7C, SP = 0030BF28, FP = 0030BF44
11638 Frame 6, PC = 0020DC80, SP = 0030BF24, FP = 0030BF44
11639 Frame 7, PC = 0020DC84, SP = 0030BF20, FP = 0030BF44
11640 Frame 8, PC = 0020DC88, SP = 0030BF1C, FP = 0030BF44
11641 Frame 9, PC = 0020DC8E, SP = 0030BF18, FP = 0030BF44
11642 Frame 10, PC = 00203F6C, SP = 0030BE3C, FP = 0030BF14
11643 @end smallexample
11644
11645 Or, if we want to examine the variable @code{X} at each source line in
11646 the buffer:
11647
11648 @smallexample
11649 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
11650 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
11651 > printf "Frame %d, X == %d\n", $trace_frame, X
11652 > tfind line
11653 > end
11654
11655 Frame 0, X = 1
11656 Frame 7, X = 2
11657 Frame 13, X = 255
11658 @end smallexample
11659
11660 @node tdump
11661 @subsection @code{tdump}
11662 @kindex tdump
11663 @cindex dump all data collected at tracepoint
11664 @cindex tracepoint data, display
11665
11666 This command takes no arguments. It prints all the data collected at
11667 the current trace snapshot.
11668
11669 @smallexample
11670 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace 444}
11671 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11672 Enter actions for tracepoint #2, one per line:
11673 > collect $regs, $locals, $args, gdb_long_test
11674 > end
11675
11676 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
11677
11678 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind line 444}
11679 #0 gdb_test (p1=0x11, p2=0x22, p3=0x33, p4=0x44, p5=0x55, p6=0x66)
11680 at gdb_test.c:444
11681 444 printp( "%s: arguments = 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X\n", )
11682
11683 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tdump}
11684 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 1:
11685 d0 0xc4aa0085 -995491707
11686 d1 0x18 24
11687 d2 0x80 128
11688 d3 0x33 51
11689 d4 0x71aea3d 119204413
11690 d5 0x22 34
11691 d6 0xe0 224
11692 d7 0x380035 3670069
11693 a0 0x19e24a 1696330
11694 a1 0x3000668 50333288
11695 a2 0x100 256
11696 a3 0x322000 3284992
11697 a4 0x3000698 50333336
11698 a5 0x1ad3cc 1758156
11699 fp 0x30bf3c 0x30bf3c
11700 sp 0x30bf34 0x30bf34
11701 ps 0x0 0
11702 pc 0x20b2c8 0x20b2c8
11703 fpcontrol 0x0 0
11704 fpstatus 0x0 0
11705 fpiaddr 0x0 0
11706 p = 0x20e5b4 "gdb-test"
11707 p1 = (void *) 0x11
11708 p2 = (void *) 0x22
11709 p3 = (void *) 0x33
11710 p4 = (void *) 0x44
11711 p5 = (void *) 0x55
11712 p6 = (void *) 0x66
11713 gdb_long_test = 17 '\021'
11714
11715 (@value{GDBP})
11716 @end smallexample
11717
11718 @code{tdump} works by scanning the tracepoint's current collection
11719 actions and printing the value of each expression listed. So
11720 @code{tdump} can fail, if after a run, you change the tracepoint's
11721 actions to mention variables that were not collected during the run.
11722
11723 Also, for tracepoints with @code{while-stepping} loops, @code{tdump}
11724 uses the collected value of @code{$pc} to distinguish between trace
11725 frames that were collected at the tracepoint hit, and frames that were
11726 collected while stepping. This allows it to correctly choose whether
11727 to display the basic list of collections, or the collections from the
11728 body of the while-stepping loop. However, if @code{$pc} was not collected,
11729 then @code{tdump} will always attempt to dump using the basic collection
11730 list, and may fail if a while-stepping frame does not include all the
11731 same data that is collected at the tracepoint hit.
11732 @c This is getting pretty arcane, example would be good.
11733
11734 @node save tracepoints
11735 @subsection @code{save tracepoints @var{filename}}
11736 @kindex save tracepoints
11737 @kindex save-tracepoints
11738 @cindex save tracepoints for future sessions
11739
11740 This command saves all current tracepoint definitions together with
11741 their actions and passcounts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
11742 suitable for use in a later debugging session. To read the saved
11743 tracepoint definitions, use the @code{source} command (@pxref{Command
11744 Files}). The @w{@code{save-tracepoints}} command is a deprecated
11745 alias for @w{@code{save tracepoints}}
11746
11747 @node Tracepoint Variables
11748 @section Convenience Variables for Tracepoints
11749 @cindex tracepoint variables
11750 @cindex convenience variables for tracepoints
11751
11752 @table @code
11753 @vindex $trace_frame
11754 @item (int) $trace_frame
11755 The current trace snapshot (a.k.a.@: @dfn{frame}) number, or -1 if no
11756 snapshot is selected.
11757
11758 @vindex $tracepoint
11759 @item (int) $tracepoint
11760 The tracepoint for the current trace snapshot.
11761
11762 @vindex $trace_line
11763 @item (int) $trace_line
11764 The line number for the current trace snapshot.
11765
11766 @vindex $trace_file
11767 @item (char []) $trace_file
11768 The source file for the current trace snapshot.
11769
11770 @vindex $trace_func
11771 @item (char []) $trace_func
11772 The name of the function containing @code{$tracepoint}.
11773 @end table
11774
11775 Note: @code{$trace_file} is not suitable for use in @code{printf},
11776 use @code{output} instead.
11777
11778 Here's a simple example of using these convenience variables for
11779 stepping through all the trace snapshots and printing some of their
11780 data. Note that these are not the same as trace state variables,
11781 which are managed by the target.
11782
11783 @smallexample
11784 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
11785
11786 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while $trace_frame != -1}
11787 > output $trace_file
11788 > printf ", line %d (tracepoint #%d)\n", $trace_line, $tracepoint
11789 > tfind
11790 > end
11791 @end smallexample
11792
11793 @node Trace Files
11794 @section Using Trace Files
11795 @cindex trace files
11796
11797 In some situations, the target running a trace experiment may no
11798 longer be available; perhaps it crashed, or the hardware was needed
11799 for a different activity. To handle these cases, you can arrange to
11800 dump the trace data into a file, and later use that file as a source
11801 of trace data, via the @code{target tfile} command.
11802
11803 @table @code
11804
11805 @kindex tsave
11806 @item tsave [ -r ] @var{filename}
11807 Save the trace data to @var{filename}. By default, this command
11808 assumes that @var{filename} refers to the host filesystem, so if
11809 necessary @value{GDBN} will copy raw trace data up from the target and
11810 then save it. If the target supports it, you can also supply the
11811 optional argument @code{-r} (``remote'') to direct the target to save
11812 the data directly into @var{filename} in its own filesystem, which may be
11813 more efficient if the trace buffer is very large. (Note, however, that
11814 @code{target tfile} can only read from files accessible to the host.)
11815
11816 @kindex target tfile
11817 @kindex tfile
11818 @item target tfile @var{filename}
11819 Use the file named @var{filename} as a source of trace data. Commands
11820 that examine data work as they do with a live target, but it is not
11821 possible to run any new trace experiments. @code{tstatus} will report
11822 the state of the trace run at the moment the data was saved, as well
11823 as the current trace frame you are examining. @var{filename} must be
11824 on a filesystem accessible to the host.
11825
11826 @end table
11827
11828 @node Overlays
11829 @chapter Debugging Programs That Use Overlays
11830 @cindex overlays
11831
11832 If your program is too large to fit completely in your target system's
11833 memory, you can sometimes use @dfn{overlays} to work around this
11834 problem. @value{GDBN} provides some support for debugging programs that
11835 use overlays.
11836
11837 @menu
11838 * How Overlays Work:: A general explanation of overlays.
11839 * Overlay Commands:: Managing overlays in @value{GDBN}.
11840 * Automatic Overlay Debugging:: @value{GDBN} can find out which overlays are
11841 mapped by asking the inferior.
11842 * Overlay Sample Program:: A sample program using overlays.
11843 @end menu
11844
11845 @node How Overlays Work
11846 @section How Overlays Work
11847 @cindex mapped overlays
11848 @cindex unmapped overlays
11849 @cindex load address, overlay's
11850 @cindex mapped address
11851 @cindex overlay area
11852
11853 Suppose you have a computer whose instruction address space is only 64
11854 kilobytes long, but which has much more memory which can be accessed by
11855 other means: special instructions, segment registers, or memory
11856 management hardware, for example. Suppose further that you want to
11857 adapt a program which is larger than 64 kilobytes to run on this system.
11858
11859 One solution is to identify modules of your program which are relatively
11860 independent, and need not call each other directly; call these modules
11861 @dfn{overlays}. Separate the overlays from the main program, and place
11862 their machine code in the larger memory. Place your main program in
11863 instruction memory, but leave at least enough space there to hold the
11864 largest overlay as well.
11865
11866 Now, to call a function located in an overlay, you must first copy that
11867 overlay's machine code from the large memory into the space set aside
11868 for it in the instruction memory, and then jump to its entry point
11869 there.
11870
11871 @c NB: In the below the mapped area's size is greater or equal to the
11872 @c size of all overlays. This is intentional to remind the developer
11873 @c that overlays don't necessarily need to be the same size.
11874
11875 @smallexample
11876 @group
11877 Data Instruction Larger
11878 Address Space Address Space Address Space
11879 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
11880 | | | | | |
11881 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+<-- overlay 1
11882 | program | | main | .----| overlay 1 | load address
11883 | variables | | program | | +-----------+
11884 | and heap | | | | | |
11885 +-----------+ | | | +-----------+<-- overlay 2
11886 | | +-----------+ | | | load address
11887 +-----------+ | | | .-| overlay 2 |
11888 | | | | | |
11889 mapped --->+-----------+ | | +-----------+
11890 address | | | | | |
11891 | overlay | <-' | | |
11892 | area | <---' +-----------+<-- overlay 3
11893 | | <---. | | load address
11894 +-----------+ `--| overlay 3 |
11895 | | | |
11896 +-----------+ | |
11897 +-----------+
11898 | |
11899 +-----------+
11900
11901 @anchor{A code overlay}A code overlay
11902 @end group
11903 @end smallexample
11904
11905 The diagram (@pxref{A code overlay}) shows a system with separate data
11906 and instruction address spaces. To map an overlay, the program copies
11907 its code from the larger address space to the instruction address space.
11908 Since the overlays shown here all use the same mapped address, only one
11909 may be mapped at a time. For a system with a single address space for
11910 data and instructions, the diagram would be similar, except that the
11911 program variables and heap would share an address space with the main
11912 program and the overlay area.
11913
11914 An overlay loaded into instruction memory and ready for use is called a
11915 @dfn{mapped} overlay; its @dfn{mapped address} is its address in the
11916 instruction memory. An overlay not present (or only partially present)
11917 in instruction memory is called @dfn{unmapped}; its @dfn{load address}
11918 is its address in the larger memory. The mapped address is also called
11919 the @dfn{virtual memory address}, or @dfn{VMA}; the load address is also
11920 called the @dfn{load memory address}, or @dfn{LMA}.
11921
11922 Unfortunately, overlays are not a completely transparent way to adapt a
11923 program to limited instruction memory. They introduce a new set of
11924 global constraints you must keep in mind as you design your program:
11925
11926 @itemize @bullet
11927
11928 @item
11929 Before calling or returning to a function in an overlay, your program
11930 must make sure that overlay is actually mapped. Otherwise, the call or
11931 return will transfer control to the right address, but in the wrong
11932 overlay, and your program will probably crash.
11933
11934 @item
11935 If the process of mapping an overlay is expensive on your system, you
11936 will need to choose your overlays carefully to minimize their effect on
11937 your program's performance.
11938
11939 @item
11940 The executable file you load onto your system must contain each
11941 overlay's instructions, appearing at the overlay's load address, not its
11942 mapped address. However, each overlay's instructions must be relocated
11943 and its symbols defined as if the overlay were at its mapped address.
11944 You can use GNU linker scripts to specify different load and relocation
11945 addresses for pieces of your program; see @ref{Overlay Description,,,
11946 ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}.
11947
11948 @item
11949 The procedure for loading executable files onto your system must be able
11950 to load their contents into the larger address space as well as the
11951 instruction and data spaces.
11952
11953 @end itemize
11954
11955 The overlay system described above is rather simple, and could be
11956 improved in many ways:
11957
11958 @itemize @bullet
11959
11960 @item
11961 If your system has suitable bank switch registers or memory management
11962 hardware, you could use those facilities to make an overlay's load area
11963 contents simply appear at their mapped address in instruction space.
11964 This would probably be faster than copying the overlay to its mapped
11965 area in the usual way.
11966
11967 @item
11968 If your overlays are small enough, you could set aside more than one
11969 overlay area, and have more than one overlay mapped at a time.
11970
11971 @item
11972 You can use overlays to manage data, as well as instructions. In
11973 general, data overlays are even less transparent to your design than
11974 code overlays: whereas code overlays only require care when you call or
11975 return to functions, data overlays require care every time you access
11976 the data. Also, if you change the contents of a data overlay, you
11977 must copy its contents back out to its load address before you can copy a
11978 different data overlay into the same mapped area.
11979
11980 @end itemize
11981
11982
11983 @node Overlay Commands
11984 @section Overlay Commands
11985
11986 To use @value{GDBN}'s overlay support, each overlay in your program must
11987 correspond to a separate section of the executable file. The section's
11988 virtual memory address and load memory address must be the overlay's
11989 mapped and load addresses. Identifying overlays with sections allows
11990 @value{GDBN} to determine the appropriate address of a function or
11991 variable, depending on whether the overlay is mapped or not.
11992
11993 @value{GDBN}'s overlay commands all start with the word @code{overlay};
11994 you can abbreviate this as @code{ov} or @code{ovly}. The commands are:
11995
11996 @table @code
11997 @item overlay off
11998 @kindex overlay
11999 Disable @value{GDBN}'s overlay support. When overlay support is
12000 disabled, @value{GDBN} assumes that all functions and variables are
12001 always present at their mapped addresses. By default, @value{GDBN}'s
12002 overlay support is disabled.
12003
12004 @item overlay manual
12005 @cindex manual overlay debugging
12006 Enable @dfn{manual} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
12007 relies on you to tell it which overlays are mapped, and which are not,
12008 using the @code{overlay map-overlay} and @code{overlay unmap-overlay}
12009 commands described below.
12010
12011 @item overlay map-overlay @var{overlay}
12012 @itemx overlay map @var{overlay}
12013 @cindex map an overlay
12014 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is now mapped; @var{overlay} must
12015 be the name of the object file section containing the overlay. When an
12016 overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the overlay's
12017 functions and variables at their mapped addresses. @value{GDBN} assumes
12018 that any other overlays whose mapped ranges overlap that of
12019 @var{overlay} are now unmapped.
12020
12021 @item overlay unmap-overlay @var{overlay}
12022 @itemx overlay unmap @var{overlay}
12023 @cindex unmap an overlay
12024 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is no longer mapped; @var{overlay}
12025 must be the name of the object file section containing the overlay.
12026 When an overlay is unmapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the
12027 overlay's functions and variables at their load addresses.
12028
12029 @item overlay auto
12030 Enable @dfn{automatic} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
12031 consults a data structure the overlay manager maintains in the inferior
12032 to see which overlays are mapped. For details, see @ref{Automatic
12033 Overlay Debugging}.
12034
12035 @item overlay load-target
12036 @itemx overlay load
12037 @cindex reloading the overlay table
12038 Re-read the overlay table from the inferior. Normally, @value{GDBN}
12039 re-reads the table @value{GDBN} automatically each time the inferior
12040 stops, so this command should only be necessary if you have changed the
12041 overlay mapping yourself using @value{GDBN}. This command is only
12042 useful when using automatic overlay debugging.
12043
12044 @item overlay list-overlays
12045 @itemx overlay list
12046 @cindex listing mapped overlays
12047 Display a list of the overlays currently mapped, along with their mapped
12048 addresses, load addresses, and sizes.
12049
12050 @end table
12051
12052 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a code address, it includes the name
12053 of the function the address falls in:
12054
12055 @smallexample
12056 (@value{GDBP}) print main
12057 $3 = @{int ()@} 0x11a0 <main>
12058 @end smallexample
12059 @noindent
12060 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} recognizes code in
12061 unmapped overlays, and prints the names of unmapped functions with
12062 asterisks around them. For example, if @code{foo} is a function in an
12063 unmapped overlay, @value{GDBN} prints it this way:
12064
12065 @smallexample
12066 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
12067 No sections are mapped.
12068 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
12069 $5 = @{int (int)@} 0x100000 <*foo*>
12070 @end smallexample
12071 @noindent
12072 When @code{foo}'s overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} prints the function's
12073 name normally:
12074
12075 @smallexample
12076 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
12077 Section .ov.foo.text, loaded at 0x100000 - 0x100034,
12078 mapped at 0x1016 - 0x104a
12079 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
12080 $6 = @{int (int)@} 0x1016 <foo>
12081 @end smallexample
12082
12083 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} can find the correct
12084 address for functions and variables in an overlay, whether or not the
12085 overlay is mapped. This allows most @value{GDBN} commands, like
12086 @code{break} and @code{disassemble}, to work normally, even on unmapped
12087 code. However, @value{GDBN}'s breakpoint support has some limitations:
12088
12089 @itemize @bullet
12090 @item
12091 @cindex breakpoints in overlays
12092 @cindex overlays, setting breakpoints in
12093 You can set breakpoints in functions in unmapped overlays, as long as
12094 @value{GDBN} can write to the overlay at its load address.
12095 @item
12096 @value{GDBN} can not set hardware or simulator-based breakpoints in
12097 unmapped overlays. However, if you set a breakpoint at the end of your
12098 overlay manager (and tell @value{GDBN} which overlays are now mapped, if
12099 you are using manual overlay management), @value{GDBN} will re-set its
12100 breakpoints properly.
12101 @end itemize
12102
12103
12104 @node Automatic Overlay Debugging
12105 @section Automatic Overlay Debugging
12106 @cindex automatic overlay debugging
12107
12108 @value{GDBN} can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which
12109 are not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
12110 inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the
12111 @code{overlay auto} command (@pxref{Overlay Commands}), @value{GDBN}
12112 looks in the inferior's memory for certain variables describing the
12113 current state of the overlays.
12114
12115 Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
12116 @value{GDBN}'s automatic overlay debugging:
12117
12118 @table @asis
12119
12120 @item @code{_ovly_table}:
12121 This variable must be an array of the following structures:
12122
12123 @smallexample
12124 struct
12125 @{
12126 /* The overlay's mapped address. */
12127 unsigned long vma;
12128
12129 /* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
12130 unsigned long size;
12131
12132 /* The overlay's load address. */
12133 unsigned long lma;
12134
12135 /* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
12136 zero otherwise. */
12137 unsigned long mapped;
12138 @}
12139 @end smallexample
12140
12141 @item @code{_novlys}:
12142 This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
12143 number of elements in @code{_ovly_table}.
12144
12145 @end table
12146
12147 To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, @value{GDBN}
12148 looks for an entry in @w{@code{_ovly_table}} whose @code{vma} and
12149 @code{lma} members equal the VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the
12150 executable file. When @value{GDBN} finds a matching entry, it consults
12151 the entry's @code{mapped} member to determine whether the overlay is
12152 currently mapped.
12153
12154 In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
12155 @code{_ovly_debug_event}. If this function is defined, @value{GDBN}
12156 will silently set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then
12157 calls this function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this
12158 will enable @value{GDBN} to accurately keep track of which overlays
12159 are in program memory, and update any breakpoints that may be set
12160 in overlays. This will allow breakpoints to work even if the
12161 overlays are kept in ROM or other non-writable memory while they
12162 are not being executed.
12163
12164 @node Overlay Sample Program
12165 @section Overlay Sample Program
12166 @cindex overlay example program
12167
12168 When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
12169 at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
12170 addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (@pxref{Overlay
12171 Description,,, ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}). Unfortunately,
12172 since linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
12173 architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
12174 portable sample code demonstrating @value{GDBN}'s overlay support.
12175
12176 However, the @value{GDBN} source distribution does contain an overlaid
12177 program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
12178 suite. The program consists of the following files from
12179 @file{gdb/testsuite/gdb.base}:
12180
12181 @table @file
12182 @item overlays.c
12183 The main program file.
12184 @item ovlymgr.c
12185 A simple overlay manager, used by @file{overlays.c}.
12186 @item foo.c
12187 @itemx bar.c
12188 @itemx baz.c
12189 @itemx grbx.c
12190 Overlay modules, loaded and used by @file{overlays.c}.
12191 @item d10v.ld
12192 @itemx m32r.ld
12193 Linker scripts for linking the test program on the @code{d10v-elf}
12194 and @code{m32r-elf} targets.
12195 @end table
12196
12197 You can build the test program using the @code{d10v-elf} GCC
12198 cross-compiler like this:
12199
12200 @smallexample
12201 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
12202 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
12203 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
12204 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
12205 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
12206 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
12207 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
12208 baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
12209 @end smallexample
12210
12211 The build process is identical for any other architecture, except that
12212 you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for the
12213 target system for @code{d10v-elf-gcc} and @code{d10v.ld}.
12214
12215
12216 @node Languages
12217 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages
12218 @cindex languages
12219
12220 Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
12221 rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
12222 dereferencing a pointer @code{p} is accomplished by @code{*p}, but in
12223 Modula-2, it is accomplished by @code{p^}. Values can also be
12224 represented (and displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as
12225 @samp{0x1ae}, while in Modula-2 they appear as @samp{1AEH}.
12226
12227 @cindex working language
12228 Language-specific information is built into @value{GDBN} for some languages,
12229 allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
12230 native language, and allowing @value{GDBN} to output values in a manner
12231 consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
12232 language you use to build expressions is called the @dfn{working
12233 language}.
12234
12235 @menu
12236 * Setting:: Switching between source languages
12237 * Show:: Displaying the language
12238 * Checks:: Type and range checks
12239 * Supported Languages:: Supported languages
12240 * Unsupported Languages:: Unsupported languages
12241 @end menu
12242
12243 @node Setting
12244 @section Switching Between Source Languages
12245
12246 There are two ways to control the working language---either have @value{GDBN}
12247 set it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the
12248 @code{set language} command for either purpose. On startup, @value{GDBN}
12249 defaults to setting the language automatically. The working language is
12250 used to determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values
12251 are printed, etc.
12252
12253 In addition to the working language, every source file that
12254 @value{GDBN} knows about has its own working language. For some object
12255 file formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular
12256 source file is in. However, most of the time @value{GDBN} infers the
12257 language from the name of the file. The language of a source file
12258 controls whether C@t{++} names are demangled---this way @code{backtrace} can
12259 show each frame appropriately for its own language. There is no way to
12260 set the language of a source file from within @value{GDBN}, but you can
12261 set the language associated with a filename extension. @xref{Show, ,
12262 Displaying the Language}.
12263
12264 This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such
12265 as @code{cfront} or @code{f2c}, that generates C but is written in
12266 another language. In that case, make the
12267 program use @code{#line} directives in its C output; that way
12268 @value{GDBN} will know the correct language of the source code of the original
12269 program, and will display that source code, not the generated C code.
12270
12271 @menu
12272 * Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
12273 * Manually:: Setting the working language manually
12274 * Automatically:: Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
12275 @end menu
12276
12277 @node Filenames
12278 @subsection List of Filename Extensions and Languages
12279
12280 If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then
12281 @value{GDBN} infers that its language is the one indicated.
12282
12283 @table @file
12284 @item .ada
12285 @itemx .ads
12286 @itemx .adb
12287 @itemx .a
12288 Ada source file.
12289
12290 @item .c
12291 C source file
12292
12293 @item .C
12294 @itemx .cc
12295 @itemx .cp
12296 @itemx .cpp
12297 @itemx .cxx
12298 @itemx .c++
12299 C@t{++} source file
12300
12301 @item .d
12302 D source file
12303
12304 @item .m
12305 Objective-C source file
12306
12307 @item .f
12308 @itemx .F
12309 Fortran source file
12310
12311 @item .mod
12312 Modula-2 source file
12313
12314 @item .s
12315 @itemx .S
12316 Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
12317 @value{GDBN} does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
12318 @end table
12319
12320 In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
12321 extension. @xref{Show, , Displaying the Language}.
12322
12323 @node Manually
12324 @subsection Setting the Working Language
12325
12326 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically,
12327 expressions are interpreted the same way in your debugging session and
12328 your program.
12329
12330 @kindex set language
12331 If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue the
12332 command @samp{set language @var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the name of
12333 a language, such as
12334 @code{c} or @code{modula-2}.
12335 For a list of the supported languages, type @samp{set language}.
12336
12337 Setting the language manually prevents @value{GDBN} from updating the working
12338 language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try
12339 to debug a program when the working language is not the same as the
12340 source language, when an expression is acceptable to both
12341 languages---but means different things. For instance, if the current
12342 source file were written in C, and @value{GDBN} was parsing Modula-2, a
12343 command such as:
12344
12345 @smallexample
12346 print a = b + c
12347 @end smallexample
12348
12349 @noindent
12350 might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add
12351 @code{b} and @code{c} and place the result in @code{a}. The result
12352 printed would be the value of @code{a}. In Modula-2, this means to compare
12353 @code{a} to the result of @code{b+c}, yielding a @code{BOOLEAN} value.
12354
12355 @node Automatically
12356 @subsection Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language
12357
12358 To have @value{GDBN} set the working language automatically, use
12359 @samp{set language local} or @samp{set language auto}. @value{GDBN}
12360 then infers the working language. That is, when your program stops in a
12361 frame (usually by encountering a breakpoint), @value{GDBN} sets the
12362 working language to the language recorded for the function in that
12363 frame. If the language for a frame is unknown (that is, if the function
12364 or block corresponding to the frame was defined in a source file that
12365 does not have a recognized extension), the current working language is
12366 not changed, and @value{GDBN} issues a warning.
12367
12368 This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
12369 entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
12370 written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
12371 a different source language. Using @samp{set language auto} in this
12372 case frees you from having to set the working language manually.
12373
12374 @node Show
12375 @section Displaying the Language
12376
12377 The following commands help you find out which language is the
12378 working language, and also what language source files were written in.
12379
12380 @table @code
12381 @item show language
12382 @kindex show language
12383 Display the current working language. This is the
12384 language you can use with commands such as @code{print} to
12385 build and compute expressions that may involve variables in your program.
12386
12387 @item info frame
12388 @kindex info frame@r{, show the source language}
12389 Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes the
12390 working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
12391 @xref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}, to identify the other
12392 information listed here.
12393
12394 @item info source
12395 @kindex info source@r{, show the source language}
12396 Display the source language of this source file.
12397 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, to identify the other
12398 information listed here.
12399 @end table
12400
12401 In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
12402 not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
12403 with a language explicitly:
12404
12405 @table @code
12406 @item set extension-language @var{ext} @var{language}
12407 @kindex set extension-language
12408 Tell @value{GDBN} that source files with extension @var{ext} are to be
12409 assumed as written in the source language @var{language}.
12410
12411 @item info extensions
12412 @kindex info extensions
12413 List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.
12414 @end table
12415
12416 @node Checks
12417 @section Type and Range Checking
12418
12419 @quotation
12420 @emph{Warning:} In this release, the @value{GDBN} commands for type and range
12421 checking are included, but they do not yet have any effect. This
12422 section documents the intended facilities.
12423 @end quotation
12424 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range code added
12425
12426 Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly common
12427 errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These include
12428 checking the type of arguments to functions and operators, and making
12429 sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such as
12430 these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been compiled
12431 by eliminating type mismatches, and providing active checks for range
12432 errors when your program is running.
12433
12434 @value{GDBN} can check for conditions like the above if you wish.
12435 Although @value{GDBN} does not check the statements in your program,
12436 it can check expressions entered directly into @value{GDBN} for
12437 evaluation via the @code{print} command, for example. As with the
12438 working language, @value{GDBN} can also decide whether or not to check
12439 automatically based on your program's source language.
12440 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default
12441 settings of supported languages.
12442
12443 @menu
12444 * Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
12445 * Range Checking:: An overview of range checking
12446 @end menu
12447
12448 @cindex type checking
12449 @cindex checks, type
12450 @node Type Checking
12451 @subsection An Overview of Type Checking
12452
12453 Some languages, such as Modula-2, are strongly typed, meaning that the
12454 arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
12455 otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch
12456 errors from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
12457
12458 @smallexample
12459 1 + 2 @result{} 3
12460 @exdent but
12461 @error{} 1 + 2.3
12462 @end smallexample
12463
12464 The second example fails because the @code{CARDINAL} 1 is not
12465 type-compatible with the @code{REAL} 2.3.
12466
12467 For the expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell the
12468 @value{GDBN} type checker to skip checking;
12469 to treat any mismatches as errors and abandon the expression;
12470 or to only issue warnings when type mismatches occur,
12471 but evaluate the expression anyway. When you choose the last of
12472 these, @value{GDBN} evaluates expressions like the second example above, but
12473 also issues a warning.
12474
12475 Even if you turn type checking off, there may be other reasons
12476 related to type that prevent @value{GDBN} from evaluating an expression.
12477 For instance, @value{GDBN} does not know how to add an @code{int} and
12478 a @code{struct foo}. These particular type errors have nothing to do
12479 with the language in use, and usually arise from expressions, such as
12480 the one described above, which make little sense to evaluate anyway.
12481
12482 Each language defines to what degree it is strict about type. For
12483 instance, both Modula-2 and C require the arguments to arithmetical
12484 operators to be numbers. In C, enumerated types and pointers can be
12485 represented as numbers, so that they are valid arguments to mathematical
12486 operators. @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for further
12487 details on specific languages.
12488
12489 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the type checker:
12490
12491 @kindex set check type
12492 @kindex show check type
12493 @table @code
12494 @item set check type auto
12495 Set type checking on or off based on the current working language.
12496 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
12497 each language.
12498
12499 @item set check type on
12500 @itemx set check type off
12501 Set type checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
12502 current working language. Issue a warning if the setting does not
12503 match the language default. If any type mismatches occur in
12504 evaluating an expression while type checking is on, @value{GDBN} prints a
12505 message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
12506
12507 @item set check type warn
12508 Cause the type checker to issue warnings, but to always attempt to
12509 evaluate the expression. Evaluating the expression may still
12510 be impossible for other reasons. For example, @value{GDBN} cannot add
12511 numbers and structures.
12512
12513 @item show type
12514 Show the current setting of the type checker, and whether or not @value{GDBN}
12515 is setting it automatically.
12516 @end table
12517
12518 @cindex range checking
12519 @cindex checks, range
12520 @node Range Checking
12521 @subsection An Overview of Range Checking
12522
12523 In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
12524 bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
12525 checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
12526 computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
12527 not exceed the bounds of the array.
12528
12529 For expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
12530 @value{GDBN} to treat range errors in one of three ways: ignore them,
12531 always treat them as errors and abandon the expression, or issue
12532 warnings but evaluate the expression anyway.
12533
12534 A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
12535 array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member
12536 of any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an
12537 error. In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the
12538 result to ``wrap around'' to lower values---for example, if @var{m} is
12539 the largest integer value, and @var{s} is the smallest, then
12540
12541 @smallexample
12542 @var{m} + 1 @result{} @var{s}
12543 @end smallexample
12544
12545 This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
12546 specific to individual compilers or machines. @xref{Supported Languages, ,
12547 Supported Languages}, for further details on specific languages.
12548
12549 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the range checker:
12550
12551 @kindex set check range
12552 @kindex show check range
12553 @table @code
12554 @item set check range auto
12555 Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
12556 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
12557 each language.
12558
12559 @item set check range on
12560 @itemx set check range off
12561 Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
12562 current working language. A warning is issued if the setting does not
12563 match the language default. If a range error occurs and range checking is on,
12564 then a message is printed and evaluation of the expression is aborted.
12565
12566 @item set check range warn
12567 Output messages when the @value{GDBN} range checker detects a range error,
12568 but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
12569 expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as accessing
12570 memory that the process does not own (a typical example from many Unix
12571 systems).
12572
12573 @item show range
12574 Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not it is
12575 being set automatically by @value{GDBN}.
12576 @end table
12577
12578 @node Supported Languages
12579 @section Supported Languages
12580
12581 @value{GDBN} supports C, C@t{++}, D, Go, Objective-C, Fortran, Java,
12582 OpenCL C, Pascal, assembly, Modula-2, and Ada.
12583 @c This is false ...
12584 Some @value{GDBN} features may be used in expressions regardless of the
12585 language you use: the @value{GDBN} @code{@@} and @code{::} operators,
12586 and the @samp{@{type@}addr} construct (@pxref{Expressions,
12587 ,Expressions}) can be used with the constructs of any supported
12588 language.
12589
12590 The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
12591 supported by @value{GDBN}. These sections are not meant to be language
12592 tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
12593 @value{GDBN} expression parser accepts, and what input and output
12594 formats should look like for different languages. There are many good
12595 books written on each of these languages; please look to these for a
12596 language reference or tutorial.
12597
12598 @menu
12599 * C:: C and C@t{++}
12600 * D:: D
12601 * Go:: Go
12602 * Objective-C:: Objective-C
12603 * OpenCL C:: OpenCL C
12604 * Fortran:: Fortran
12605 * Pascal:: Pascal
12606 * Modula-2:: Modula-2
12607 * Ada:: Ada
12608 @end menu
12609
12610 @node C
12611 @subsection C and C@t{++}
12612
12613 @cindex C and C@t{++}
12614 @cindex expressions in C or C@t{++}
12615
12616 Since C and C@t{++} are so closely related, many features of @value{GDBN} apply
12617 to both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
12618 together.
12619
12620 @cindex C@t{++}
12621 @cindex @code{g++}, @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler
12622 @cindex @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
12623 The C@t{++} debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C@t{++}
12624 compiler and @value{GDBN}. Therefore, to debug your C@t{++} code
12625 effectively, you must compile your C@t{++} programs with a supported
12626 C@t{++} compiler, such as @sc{gnu} @code{g++}, or the HP ANSI C@t{++}
12627 compiler (@code{aCC}).
12628
12629 @menu
12630 * C Operators:: C and C@t{++} operators
12631 * C Constants:: C and C@t{++} constants
12632 * C Plus Plus Expressions:: C@t{++} expressions
12633 * C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C@t{++}
12634 * C Checks:: C and C@t{++} type and range checks
12635 * Debugging C:: @value{GDBN} and C
12636 * Debugging C Plus Plus:: @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
12637 * Decimal Floating Point:: Numbers in Decimal Floating Point format
12638 @end menu
12639
12640 @node C Operators
12641 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Operators
12642
12643 @cindex C and C@t{++} operators
12644
12645 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
12646 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
12647 often defined on groups of types.
12648
12649 For the purposes of C and C@t{++}, the following definitions hold:
12650
12651 @itemize @bullet
12652
12653 @item
12654 @emph{Integral types} include @code{int} with any of its storage-class
12655 specifiers; @code{char}; @code{enum}; and, for C@t{++}, @code{bool}.
12656
12657 @item
12658 @emph{Floating-point types} include @code{float}, @code{double}, and
12659 @code{long double} (if supported by the target platform).
12660
12661 @item
12662 @emph{Pointer types} include all types defined as @code{(@var{type} *)}.
12663
12664 @item
12665 @emph{Scalar types} include all of the above.
12666
12667 @end itemize
12668
12669 @noindent
12670 The following operators are supported. They are listed here
12671 in order of increasing precedence:
12672
12673 @table @code
12674 @item ,
12675 The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a comma-separated list
12676 are evaluated from left to right, with the result of the entire
12677 expression being the last expression evaluated.
12678
12679 @item =
12680 Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
12681 assigned. Defined on scalar types.
12682
12683 @item @var{op}=
12684 Used in an expression of the form @w{@code{@var{a} @var{op}= @var{b}}},
12685 and translated to @w{@code{@var{a} = @var{a op b}}}.
12686 @w{@code{@var{op}=}} and @code{=} have the same precedence.
12687 @var{op} is any one of the operators @code{|}, @code{^}, @code{&},
12688 @code{<<}, @code{>>}, @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%}.
12689
12690 @item ?:
12691 The ternary operator. @code{@var{a} ? @var{b} : @var{c}} can be thought
12692 of as: if @var{a} then @var{b} else @var{c}. @var{a} should be of an
12693 integral type.
12694
12695 @item ||
12696 Logical @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12697
12698 @item &&
12699 Logical @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
12700
12701 @item |
12702 Bitwise @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12703
12704 @item ^
12705 Bitwise exclusive-@sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12706
12707 @item &
12708 Bitwise @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
12709
12710 @item ==@r{, }!=
12711 Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of these
12712 expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
12713
12714 @item <@r{, }>@r{, }<=@r{, }>=
12715 Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
12716 Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for false
12717 and non-zero for true.
12718
12719 @item <<@r{, }>>
12720 left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
12721
12722 @item @@
12723 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
12724
12725 @item +@r{, }-
12726 Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types, floating-point types and
12727 pointer types.
12728
12729 @item *@r{, }/@r{, }%
12730 Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and division are
12731 defined on integral and floating-point types. Modulus is defined on
12732 integral types.
12733
12734 @item ++@r{, }--
12735 Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
12736 operation is performed before the variable is used in an expression;
12737 when appearing after it, the variable's value is used before the
12738 operation takes place.
12739
12740 @item *
12741 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence as
12742 @code{++}.
12743
12744 @item &
12745 Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as @code{++}.
12746
12747 For debugging C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} implements a use of @samp{&} beyond what is
12748 allowed in the C@t{++} language itself: you can use @samp{&(&@var{ref})}
12749 to examine the address
12750 where a C@t{++} reference variable (declared with @samp{&@var{ref}}) is
12751 stored.
12752
12753 @item -
12754 Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
12755 precedence as @code{++}.
12756
12757 @item !
12758 Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
12759 @code{++}.
12760
12761 @item ~
12762 Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
12763 @code{++}.
12764
12765
12766 @item .@r{, }->
12767 Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For convenience,
12768 @value{GDBN} regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether to dereference a
12769 pointer based on the stored type information.
12770 Defined on @code{struct} and @code{union} data.
12771
12772 @item .*@r{, }->*
12773 Dereferences of pointers to members.
12774
12775 @item []
12776 Array indexing. @code{@var{a}[@var{i}]} is defined as
12777 @code{*(@var{a}+@var{i})}. Same precedence as @code{->}.
12778
12779 @item ()
12780 Function parameter list. Same precedence as @code{->}.
12781
12782 @item ::
12783 C@t{++} scope resolution operator. Defined on @code{struct}, @code{union},
12784 and @code{class} types.
12785
12786 @item ::
12787 Doubled colons also represent the @value{GDBN} scope operator
12788 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). Same precedence as @code{::},
12789 above.
12790 @end table
12791
12792 If an operator is redefined in the user code, @value{GDBN} usually
12793 attempts to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
12794 predefined meaning.
12795
12796 @node C Constants
12797 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Constants
12798
12799 @cindex C and C@t{++} constants
12800
12801 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of C and C@t{++} in the
12802 following ways:
12803
12804 @itemize @bullet
12805 @item
12806 Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
12807 specified by a leading @samp{0} (i.e.@: zero), and hexadecimal constants
12808 by a leading @samp{0x} or @samp{0X}. Constants may also end with a letter
12809 @samp{l}, specifying that the constant should be treated as a
12810 @code{long} value.
12811
12812 @item
12813 Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a decimal
12814 point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally followed by an
12815 exponent. An exponent is of the form:
12816 @samp{@w{e@r{[[}+@r{]|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}}, where @var{nnn} is another
12817 sequence of digits. The @samp{+} is optional for positive exponents.
12818 A floating-point constant may also end with a letter @samp{f} or
12819 @samp{F}, specifying that the constant should be treated as being of
12820 the @code{float} (as opposed to the default @code{double}) type; or with
12821 a letter @samp{l} or @samp{L}, which specifies a @code{long double}
12822 constant.
12823
12824 @item
12825 Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
12826 integral equivalents.
12827
12828 @item
12829 Character constants are a single character surrounded by single quotes
12830 (@code{'}), or a number---the ordinal value of the corresponding character
12831 (usually its @sc{ascii} value). Within quotes, the single character may
12832 be represented by a letter or by @dfn{escape sequences}, which are of
12833 the form @samp{\@var{nnn}}, where @var{nnn} is the octal representation
12834 of the character's ordinal value; or of the form @samp{\@var{x}}, where
12835 @samp{@var{x}} is a predefined special character---for example,
12836 @samp{\n} for newline.
12837
12838 Wide character constants can be written by prefixing a character
12839 constant with @samp{L}, as in C. For example, @samp{L'x'} is the wide
12840 form of @samp{x}. The target wide character set is used when
12841 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
12842
12843 @item
12844 String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded by
12845 double quotes (@code{"}). Any valid character constant (as described
12846 above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be preceded by
12847 a backslash, so for instance @samp{"a\"b'c"} is a string of five
12848 characters.
12849
12850 Wide string constants can be written by prefixing a string constant
12851 with @samp{L}, as in C. The target wide character set is used when
12852 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
12853
12854 @item
12855 Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write pointers
12856 to constants using the C operator @samp{&}.
12857
12858 @item
12859 Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces @samp{@{}
12860 and @samp{@}}; for example, @samp{@{1,2,3@}} is a three-element array of
12861 integers, @samp{@{@{1,2@}, @{3,4@}, @{5,6@}@}} is a three-by-two array,
12862 and @samp{@{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"@}} is a three-element array of pointers.
12863 @end itemize
12864
12865 @node C Plus Plus Expressions
12866 @subsubsection C@t{++} Expressions
12867
12868 @cindex expressions in C@t{++}
12869 @value{GDBN} expression handling can interpret most C@t{++} expressions.
12870
12871 @cindex debugging C@t{++} programs
12872 @cindex C@t{++} compilers
12873 @cindex debug formats and C@t{++}
12874 @cindex @value{NGCC} and C@t{++}
12875 @quotation
12876 @emph{Warning:} @value{GDBN} can only debug C@t{++} code if you use
12877 the proper compiler and the proper debug format. Currently,
12878 @value{GDBN} works best when debugging C@t{++} code that is compiled
12879 with the most recent version of @value{NGCC} possible. The DWARF
12880 debugging format is preferred; @value{NGCC} defaults to this on most
12881 popular platforms. Other compilers and/or debug formats are likely to
12882 work badly or not at all when using @value{GDBN} to debug C@t{++}
12883 code. @xref{Compilation}.
12884 @end quotation
12885
12886 @enumerate
12887
12888 @cindex member functions
12889 @item
12890 Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
12891
12892 @smallexample
12893 count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
12894 @end smallexample
12895
12896 @vindex this@r{, inside C@t{++} member functions}
12897 @cindex namespace in C@t{++}
12898 @item
12899 While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame), your
12900 expressions have the same namespace available as the member function;
12901 that is, @value{GDBN} allows implicit references to the class instance
12902 pointer @code{this} following the same rules as C@t{++}. @code{using}
12903 declarations in the current scope are also respected by @value{GDBN}.
12904
12905 @cindex call overloaded functions
12906 @cindex overloaded functions, calling
12907 @cindex type conversions in C@t{++}
12908 @item
12909 You can call overloaded functions; @value{GDBN} resolves the function
12910 call to the right definition, with some restrictions. @value{GDBN} does not
12911 perform overload resolution involving user-defined type conversions,
12912 calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates that do not exist
12913 in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis argument lists or
12914 default arguments.
12915
12916 It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
12917 promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions, conversions of
12918 class objects to base classes, and standard conversions such as those of
12919 functions or arrays to pointers; it requires an exact match on the
12920 number of function arguments.
12921
12922 Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
12923 @code{set overload-resolution off}. @xref{Debugging C Plus Plus,
12924 ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
12925
12926 You must specify @code{set overload-resolution off} in order to use an
12927 explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
12928 @smallexample
12929 p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
12930 @end smallexample
12931
12932 The @value{GDBN} command-completion facility can simplify this;
12933 see @ref{Completion, ,Command Completion}.
12934
12935 @cindex reference declarations
12936 @item
12937 @value{GDBN} understands variables declared as C@t{++} references; you can use
12938 them in expressions just as you do in C@t{++} source---they are automatically
12939 dereferenced.
12940
12941 In the parameter list shown when @value{GDBN} displays a frame, the values of
12942 reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables); this
12943 avoids clutter, since references are often used for large structures.
12944 The @emph{address} of a reference variable is always shown, unless
12945 you have specified @samp{set print address off}.
12946
12947 @item
12948 @value{GDBN} supports the C@t{++} name resolution operator @code{::}---your
12949 expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do. Since
12950 one scope may be defined in another, you can use @code{::} repeatedly if
12951 necessary, for example in an expression like
12952 @samp{@var{scope1}::@var{scope2}::@var{name}}. @value{GDBN} also allows
12953 resolving name scope by reference to source files, in both C and C@t{++}
12954 debugging (@pxref{Variables, ,Program Variables}).
12955
12956 @item
12957 @value{GDBN} performs argument-dependent lookup, following the C@t{++}
12958 specification.
12959 @end enumerate
12960
12961 @node C Defaults
12962 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Defaults
12963
12964 @cindex C and C@t{++} defaults
12965
12966 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set type and range checking automatically, they
12967 both default to @code{off} whenever the working language changes to
12968 C or C@t{++}. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
12969 selects the working language.
12970
12971 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, it
12972 recognizes source files whose names end with @file{.c}, @file{.C}, or
12973 @file{.cc}, etc, and when @value{GDBN} enters code compiled from one of
12974 these files, it sets the working language to C or C@t{++}.
12975 @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language},
12976 for further details.
12977
12978 @c Type checking is (a) primarily motivated by Modula-2, and (b)
12979 @c unimplemented. If (b) changes, it might make sense to let this node
12980 @c appear even if Mod-2 does not, but meanwhile ignore it. roland 16jul93.
12981
12982 @node C Checks
12983 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Type and Range Checks
12984
12985 @cindex C and C@t{++} checks
12986
12987 By default, when @value{GDBN} parses C or C@t{++} expressions, type checking
12988 is not used. However, if you turn type checking on, @value{GDBN}
12989 considers two variables type equivalent if:
12990
12991 @itemize @bullet
12992 @item
12993 The two variables are structured and have the same structure, union, or
12994 enumerated tag.
12995
12996 @item
12997 The two variables have the same type name, or types that have been
12998 declared equivalent through @code{typedef}.
12999
13000 @ignore
13001 @c leaving this out because neither J Gilmore nor R Pesch understand it.
13002 @c FIXME--beers?
13003 @item
13004 The two @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} variables are
13005 declared in the same declaration. (Note: this may not be true for all C
13006 compilers.)
13007 @end ignore
13008 @end itemize
13009
13010 Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations. Array
13011 indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a pointer
13012 that is not itself an array.
13013
13014 @node Debugging C
13015 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and C
13016
13017 The @code{set print union} and @code{show print union} commands apply to
13018 the @code{union} type. When set to @samp{on}, any @code{union} that is
13019 inside a @code{struct} or @code{class} is also printed. Otherwise, it
13020 appears as @samp{@{...@}}.
13021
13022 The @code{@@} operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
13023 with pointers and a memory allocation function. @xref{Expressions,
13024 ,Expressions}.
13025
13026 @node Debugging C Plus Plus
13027 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}
13028
13029 @cindex commands for C@t{++}
13030
13031 Some @value{GDBN} commands are particularly useful with C@t{++}, and some are
13032 designed specifically for use with C@t{++}. Here is a summary:
13033
13034 @table @code
13035 @cindex break in overloaded functions
13036 @item @r{breakpoint menus}
13037 When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
13038 @value{GDBN} has the capability to display a menu of possible breakpoint
13039 locations to help you specify which function definition you want.
13040 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}.
13041
13042 @cindex overloading in C@t{++}
13043 @item rbreak @var{regex}
13044 Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for setting
13045 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
13046 classes.
13047 @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
13048
13049 @cindex C@t{++} exception handling
13050 @item catch throw
13051 @itemx catch catch
13052 Debug C@t{++} exception handling using these commands. @xref{Set
13053 Catchpoints, , Setting Catchpoints}.
13054
13055 @cindex inheritance
13056 @item ptype @var{typename}
13057 Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for type
13058 @var{typename}.
13059 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
13060
13061 @item info vtbl @var{expression}.
13062 The @code{info vtbl} command can be used to display the virtual
13063 method tables of the object computed by @var{expression}. This shows
13064 one entry per virtual table; there may be multiple virtual tables when
13065 multiple inheritance is in use.
13066
13067 @cindex C@t{++} symbol display
13068 @item set print demangle
13069 @itemx show print demangle
13070 @itemx set print asm-demangle
13071 @itemx show print asm-demangle
13072 Control whether C@t{++} symbols display in their source form, both when
13073 displaying code as C@t{++} source and when displaying disassemblies.
13074 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13075
13076 @item set print object
13077 @itemx show print object
13078 Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of objects.
13079 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13080
13081 @item set print vtbl
13082 @itemx show print vtbl
13083 Control the format for printing virtual function tables.
13084 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13085 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
13086 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
13087
13088 @kindex set overload-resolution
13089 @cindex overloaded functions, overload resolution
13090 @item set overload-resolution on
13091 Enable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. The default
13092 is on. For overloaded functions, @value{GDBN} evaluates the arguments
13093 and searches for a function whose signature matches the argument types,
13094 using the standard C@t{++} conversion rules (see @ref{C Plus Plus
13095 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}, for details).
13096 If it cannot find a match, it emits a message.
13097
13098 @item set overload-resolution off
13099 Disable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. For
13100 overloaded functions that are not class member functions, @value{GDBN}
13101 chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in the
13102 symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct type. For
13103 overloaded functions that are class member functions, @value{GDBN}
13104 searches for a function whose signature @emph{exactly} matches the
13105 argument types.
13106
13107 @kindex show overload-resolution
13108 @item show overload-resolution
13109 Show the current setting of overload resolution.
13110
13111 @item @r{Overloaded symbol names}
13112 You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol, using
13113 the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in C@t{++}: type
13114 @code{@var{symbol}(@var{types})} rather than just @var{symbol}. You can
13115 also use the @value{GDBN} command-line word completion facilities to list the
13116 available choices, or to finish the type list for you.
13117 @xref{Completion,, Command Completion}, for details on how to do this.
13118 @end table
13119
13120 @node Decimal Floating Point
13121 @subsubsection Decimal Floating Point format
13122 @cindex decimal floating point format
13123
13124 @value{GDBN} can examine, set and perform computations with numbers in
13125 decimal floating point format, which in the C language correspond to the
13126 @code{_Decimal32}, @code{_Decimal64} and @code{_Decimal128} types as
13127 specified by the extension to support decimal floating-point arithmetic.
13128
13129 There are two encodings in use, depending on the architecture: BID (Binary
13130 Integer Decimal) for x86 and x86-64, and DPD (Densely Packed Decimal) for
13131 PowerPC. @value{GDBN} will use the appropriate encoding for the configured
13132 target.
13133
13134 Because of a limitation in @file{libdecnumber}, the library used by @value{GDBN}
13135 to manipulate decimal floating point numbers, it is not possible to convert
13136 (using a cast, for example) integers wider than 32-bit to decimal float.
13137
13138 In addition, in order to imitate @value{GDBN}'s behaviour with binary floating
13139 point computations, error checking in decimal float operations ignores
13140 underflow, overflow and divide by zero exceptions.
13141
13142 In the PowerPC architecture, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers
13143 to inspect @code{_Decimal128} values stored in floating point registers.
13144 See @ref{PowerPC,,PowerPC} for more details.
13145
13146 @node D
13147 @subsection D
13148
13149 @cindex D
13150 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in D and compiled with
13151 GDC, LDC or DMD compilers. Currently @value{GDBN} supports only one D
13152 specific feature --- dynamic arrays.
13153
13154 @node Go
13155 @subsection Go
13156
13157 @cindex Go (programming language)
13158 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Go and compiled with
13159 @file{gccgo} or @file{6g} compilers.
13160
13161 Here is a summary of the Go-specific features and restrictions:
13162
13163 @table @code
13164 @cindex current Go package
13165 @item The current Go package
13166 The name of the current package does not need to be specified when
13167 specifying global variables and functions.
13168
13169 For example, given the program:
13170
13171 @example
13172 package main
13173 var myglob = "Shall we?"
13174 func main () @{
13175 // ...
13176 @}
13177 @end example
13178
13179 When stopped inside @code{main} either of these work:
13180
13181 @example
13182 (gdb) p myglob
13183 (gdb) p main.myglob
13184 @end example
13185
13186 @cindex builtin Go types
13187 @item Builtin Go types
13188 The @code{string} type is recognized by @value{GDBN} and is printed
13189 as a string.
13190
13191 @cindex builtin Go functions
13192 @item Builtin Go functions
13193 The @value{GDBN} expression parser recognizes the @code{unsafe.Sizeof}
13194 function and handles it internally.
13195
13196 @cindex restrictions on Go expressions
13197 @item Restrictions on Go expressions
13198 All Go operators are supported except @code{&^}.
13199 The Go @code{_} ``blank identifier'' is not supported.
13200 Automatic dereferencing of pointers is not supported.
13201 @end table
13202
13203 @node Objective-C
13204 @subsection Objective-C
13205
13206 @cindex Objective-C
13207 This section provides information about some commands and command
13208 options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also
13209 @ref{Symbols, info classes}, and @ref{Symbols, info selectors}, for a
13210 few more commands specific to Objective-C support.
13211
13212 @menu
13213 * Method Names in Commands::
13214 * The Print Command with Objective-C::
13215 @end menu
13216
13217 @node Method Names in Commands
13218 @subsubsection Method Names in Commands
13219
13220 The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
13221 names as line specifications:
13222
13223 @kindex clear@r{, and Objective-C}
13224 @kindex break@r{, and Objective-C}
13225 @kindex info line@r{, and Objective-C}
13226 @kindex jump@r{, and Objective-C}
13227 @kindex list@r{, and Objective-C}
13228 @itemize
13229 @item @code{clear}
13230 @item @code{break}
13231 @item @code{info line}
13232 @item @code{jump}
13233 @item @code{list}
13234 @end itemize
13235
13236 A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
13237
13238 @smallexample
13239 -[@var{Class} @var{methodName}]
13240 @end smallexample
13241
13242 where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
13243 plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
13244 name @var{Class} and method name @var{methodName} are enclosed in
13245 brackets, similar to the way messages are specified in Objective-C
13246 source code. For example, to set a breakpoint at the @code{create}
13247 instance method of class @code{Fruit} in the program currently being
13248 debugged, enter:
13249
13250 @smallexample
13251 break -[Fruit create]
13252 @end smallexample
13253
13254 To list ten program lines around the @code{initialize} class method,
13255 enter:
13256
13257 @smallexample
13258 list +[NSText initialize]
13259 @end smallexample
13260
13261 In the current version of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus sign is
13262 required. In future versions of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus
13263 sign will be optional, but you can use it to narrow the search. It
13264 is also possible to specify just a method name:
13265
13266 @smallexample
13267 break create
13268 @end smallexample
13269
13270 You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
13271 your program's source files contain more than one @code{create} method,
13272 you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
13273 method. Indicate your choice by number, or type @samp{0} to exit if
13274 none apply.
13275
13276 As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
13277 @code{makeKeyAndOrderFront:} method of the @code{NSWindow} class, enter:
13278
13279 @smallexample
13280 clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]
13281 @end smallexample
13282
13283 @node The Print Command with Objective-C
13284 @subsubsection The Print Command With Objective-C
13285 @cindex Objective-C, print objects
13286 @kindex print-object
13287 @kindex po @r{(@code{print-object})}
13288
13289 The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For example:
13290
13291 @smallexample
13292 print -[@var{object} hash]
13293 @end smallexample
13294
13295 @cindex print an Objective-C object description
13296 @cindex @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, and printing Objective-C objects
13297 @noindent
13298 will tell @value{GDBN} to send the @code{hash} message to @var{object}
13299 and print the result. Also, an additional command has been added,
13300 @code{print-object} or @code{po} for short, which is meant to print
13301 the description of an object. However, this command may only work
13302 with certain Objective-C libraries that have a particular hook
13303 function, @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, defined.
13304
13305 @node OpenCL C
13306 @subsection OpenCL C
13307
13308 @cindex OpenCL C
13309 This section provides information about @value{GDBN}s OpenCL C support.
13310
13311 @menu
13312 * OpenCL C Datatypes::
13313 * OpenCL C Expressions::
13314 * OpenCL C Operators::
13315 @end menu
13316
13317 @node OpenCL C Datatypes
13318 @subsubsection OpenCL C Datatypes
13319
13320 @cindex OpenCL C Datatypes
13321 @value{GDBN} supports the builtin scalar and vector datatypes specified
13322 by OpenCL 1.1. In addition the half- and double-precision floating point
13323 data types of the @code{cl_khr_fp16} and @code{cl_khr_fp64} OpenCL
13324 extensions are also known to @value{GDBN}.
13325
13326 @node OpenCL C Expressions
13327 @subsubsection OpenCL C Expressions
13328
13329 @cindex OpenCL C Expressions
13330 @value{GDBN} supports accesses to vector components including the access as
13331 lvalue where possible. Since OpenCL C is based on C99 most C expressions
13332 supported by @value{GDBN} can be used as well.
13333
13334 @node OpenCL C Operators
13335 @subsubsection OpenCL C Operators
13336
13337 @cindex OpenCL C Operators
13338 @value{GDBN} supports the operators specified by OpenCL 1.1 for scalar and
13339 vector data types.
13340
13341 @node Fortran
13342 @subsection Fortran
13343 @cindex Fortran-specific support in @value{GDBN}
13344
13345 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it
13346 currently supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
13347
13348 @cindex trailing underscore, in Fortran symbols
13349 Some Fortran compilers (@sc{gnu} Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
13350 among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
13351 functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
13352 will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
13353 underscore.
13354
13355 @menu
13356 * Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
13357 * Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
13358 * Special Fortran Commands:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Fortran
13359 @end menu
13360
13361 @node Fortran Operators
13362 @subsubsection Fortran Operators and Expressions
13363
13364 @cindex Fortran operators and expressions
13365
13366 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
13367 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
13368 arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
13369
13370 @table @code
13371 @item **
13372 The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the power
13373 of the second one.
13374
13375 @item :
13376 The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high) to
13377 represent a section of array.
13378
13379 @item %
13380 The access component operator. Normally used to access elements in derived
13381 types. Also suitable for unions. As unions aren't part of regular Fortran,
13382 this can only happen when accessing a register that uses a gdbarch-defined
13383 union type.
13384 @end table
13385
13386 @node Fortran Defaults
13387 @subsubsection Fortran Defaults
13388
13389 @cindex Fortran Defaults
13390
13391 Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so @value{GDBN} by
13392 default uses case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can
13393 change that with the @samp{set case-insensitive} command, see
13394 @ref{Symbols}, for the details.
13395
13396 @node Special Fortran Commands
13397 @subsubsection Special Fortran Commands
13398
13399 @cindex Special Fortran commands
13400
13401 @value{GDBN} has some commands to support Fortran-specific features,
13402 such as displaying common blocks.
13403
13404 @table @code
13405 @cindex @code{COMMON} blocks, Fortran
13406 @kindex info common
13407 @item info common @r{[}@var{common-name}@r{]}
13408 This command prints the values contained in the Fortran @code{COMMON}
13409 block whose name is @var{common-name}. With no argument, the names of
13410 all @code{COMMON} blocks visible at the current program location are
13411 printed.
13412 @end table
13413
13414 @node Pascal
13415 @subsection Pascal
13416
13417 @cindex Pascal support in @value{GDBN}, limitations
13418 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
13419 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
13420 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
13421 syntax.
13422
13423 The Pascal-specific command @code{set print pascal_static-members}
13424 controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed.
13425 @xref{Print Settings, pascal_static-members}.
13426
13427 @node Modula-2
13428 @subsection Modula-2
13429
13430 @cindex Modula-2, @value{GDBN} support
13431
13432 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} to support Modula-2 only support
13433 output from the @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being
13434 developed). Other Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and
13435 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
13436 to give an error as @value{GDBN} reads in the executable's symbol
13437 table.
13438
13439 @cindex expressions in Modula-2
13440 @menu
13441 * M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
13442 * Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
13443 * M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
13444 * M2 Types:: Modula-2 types
13445 * M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
13446 * Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
13447 * M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
13448 * M2 Scope:: The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
13449 * GDB/M2:: @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
13450 @end menu
13451
13452 @node M2 Operators
13453 @subsubsection Operators
13454 @cindex Modula-2 operators
13455
13456 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
13457 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
13458 often defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
13459 following definitions hold:
13460
13461 @itemize @bullet
13462
13463 @item
13464 @emph{Integral types} consist of @code{INTEGER}, @code{CARDINAL}, and
13465 their subranges.
13466
13467 @item
13468 @emph{Character types} consist of @code{CHAR} and its subranges.
13469
13470 @item
13471 @emph{Floating-point types} consist of @code{REAL}.
13472
13473 @item
13474 @emph{Pointer types} consist of anything declared as @code{POINTER TO
13475 @var{type}}.
13476
13477 @item
13478 @emph{Scalar types} consist of all of the above.
13479
13480 @item
13481 @emph{Set types} consist of @code{SET} and @code{BITSET} types.
13482
13483 @item
13484 @emph{Boolean types} consist of @code{BOOLEAN}.
13485 @end itemize
13486
13487 @noindent
13488 The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
13489 increasing precedence:
13490
13491 @table @code
13492 @item ,
13493 Function argument or array index separator.
13494
13495 @item :=
13496 Assignment. The value of @var{var} @code{:=} @var{value} is
13497 @var{value}.
13498
13499 @item <@r{, }>
13500 Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
13501 types.
13502
13503 @item <=@r{, }>=
13504 Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to
13505 on integral, floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on
13506 set types. Same precedence as @code{<}.
13507
13508 @item =@r{, }<>@r{, }#
13509 Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar types.
13510 Same precedence as @code{<}. In @value{GDBN} scripts, only @code{<>} is
13511 available for inequality, since @code{#} conflicts with the script
13512 comment character.
13513
13514 @item IN
13515 Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their members.
13516 Same precedence as @code{<}.
13517
13518 @item OR
13519 Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
13520
13521 @item AND@r{, }&
13522 Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
13523
13524 @item @@
13525 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
13526
13527 @item +@r{, }-
13528 Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or union
13529 and difference on set types.
13530
13531 @item *
13532 Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set intersection
13533 on set types.
13534
13535 @item /
13536 Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on set
13537 types. Same precedence as @code{*}.
13538
13539 @item DIV@r{, }MOD
13540 Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
13541 precedence as @code{*}.
13542
13543 @item -
13544 Negative. Defined on @code{INTEGER} and @code{REAL} data.
13545
13546 @item ^
13547 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
13548
13549 @item NOT
13550 Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
13551 @code{^}.
13552
13553 @item .
13554 @code{RECORD} field selector. Defined on @code{RECORD} data. Same
13555 precedence as @code{^}.
13556
13557 @item []
13558 Array indexing. Defined on @code{ARRAY} data. Same precedence as @code{^}.
13559
13560 @item ()
13561 Procedure argument list. Defined on @code{PROCEDURE} objects. Same precedence
13562 as @code{^}.
13563
13564 @item ::@r{, }.
13565 @value{GDBN} and Modula-2 scope operators.
13566 @end table
13567
13568 @quotation
13569 @emph{Warning:} Set expressions and their operations are not yet supported, so @value{GDBN}
13570 treats the use of the operator @code{IN}, or the use of operators
13571 @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{=}, , @code{<>}, @code{#},
13572 @code{<=}, and @code{>=} on sets as an error.
13573 @end quotation
13574
13575
13576 @node Built-In Func/Proc
13577 @subsubsection Built-in Functions and Procedures
13578 @cindex Modula-2 built-ins
13579
13580 Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
13581 In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
13582
13583 @table @var
13584
13585 @item a
13586 represents an @code{ARRAY} variable.
13587
13588 @item c
13589 represents a @code{CHAR} constant or variable.
13590
13591 @item i
13592 represents a variable or constant of integral type.
13593
13594 @item m
13595 represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in the
13596 same function with the metavariable @var{s}. The type of @var{s} should
13597 be @code{SET OF @var{mtype}} (where @var{mtype} is the type of @var{m}).
13598
13599 @item n
13600 represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point type.
13601
13602 @item r
13603 represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
13604
13605 @item t
13606 represents a type.
13607
13608 @item v
13609 represents a variable.
13610
13611 @item x
13612 represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
13613 explanation of the function for details.
13614 @end table
13615
13616 All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described below.
13617
13618 @table @code
13619 @item ABS(@var{n})
13620 Returns the absolute value of @var{n}.
13621
13622 @item CAP(@var{c})
13623 If @var{c} is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case
13624 equivalent, otherwise it returns its argument.
13625
13626 @item CHR(@var{i})
13627 Returns the character whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
13628
13629 @item DEC(@var{v})
13630 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
13631
13632 @item DEC(@var{v},@var{i})
13633 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
13634 new value.
13635
13636 @item EXCL(@var{m},@var{s})
13637 Removes the element @var{m} from the set @var{s}. Returns the new
13638 set.
13639
13640 @item FLOAT(@var{i})
13641 Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer @var{i}.
13642
13643 @item HIGH(@var{a})
13644 Returns the index of the last member of @var{a}.
13645
13646 @item INC(@var{v})
13647 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
13648
13649 @item INC(@var{v},@var{i})
13650 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
13651 new value.
13652
13653 @item INCL(@var{m},@var{s})
13654 Adds the element @var{m} to the set @var{s} if it is not already
13655 there. Returns the new set.
13656
13657 @item MAX(@var{t})
13658 Returns the maximum value of the type @var{t}.
13659
13660 @item MIN(@var{t})
13661 Returns the minimum value of the type @var{t}.
13662
13663 @item ODD(@var{i})
13664 Returns boolean TRUE if @var{i} is an odd number.
13665
13666 @item ORD(@var{x})
13667 Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the ordinal
13668 value of a character is its @sc{ascii} value (on machines supporting the
13669 @sc{ascii} character set). @var{x} must be of an ordered type, which include
13670 integral, character and enumerated types.
13671
13672 @item SIZE(@var{x})
13673 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
13674
13675 @item TRUNC(@var{r})
13676 Returns the integral part of @var{r}.
13677
13678 @item TSIZE(@var{x})
13679 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
13680
13681 @item VAL(@var{t},@var{i})
13682 Returns the member of the type @var{t} whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
13683 @end table
13684
13685 @quotation
13686 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
13687 @value{GDBN} treats the use of procedures @code{INCL} and @code{EXCL} as
13688 an error.
13689 @end quotation
13690
13691 @cindex Modula-2 constants
13692 @node M2 Constants
13693 @subsubsection Constants
13694
13695 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
13696 ways:
13697
13698 @itemize @bullet
13699
13700 @item
13701 Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
13702 expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with the
13703 rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by a
13704 trailing @samp{H}, and octal integers by a trailing @samp{B}.
13705
13706 @item
13707 Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed by a
13708 decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional exponent can
13709 then be specified, in the form @samp{E@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}, where
13710 @samp{@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}} is the desired exponent. All of the
13711 digits of the floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10)
13712 digits.
13713
13714 @item
13715 Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a pair of
13716 like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}). They may
13717 also be expressed by their ordinal value (their @sc{ascii} value, usually)
13718 followed by a @samp{C}.
13719
13720 @item
13721 String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
13722 pair of like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}).
13723 Escape sequences in the style of C are also allowed. @xref{C
13724 Constants, ,C and C@t{++} Constants}, for a brief explanation of escape
13725 sequences.
13726
13727 @item
13728 Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
13729
13730 @item
13731 Boolean constants consist of the identifiers @code{TRUE} and
13732 @code{FALSE}.
13733
13734 @item
13735 Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
13736
13737 @item
13738 Set constants are not yet supported.
13739 @end itemize
13740
13741 @node M2 Types
13742 @subsubsection Modula-2 Types
13743 @cindex Modula-2 types
13744
13745 Currently @value{GDBN} can print the following data types in Modula-2
13746 syntax: array types, record types, set types, pointer types, procedure
13747 types, enumerated types, subrange types and base types. You can also
13748 print the contents of variables declared using these type.
13749 This section gives a number of simple source code examples together with
13750 sample @value{GDBN} sessions.
13751
13752 The first example contains the following section of code:
13753
13754 @smallexample
13755 VAR
13756 s: SET OF CHAR ;
13757 r: [20..40] ;
13758 @end smallexample
13759
13760 @noindent
13761 and you can request @value{GDBN} to interrogate the type and value of
13762 @code{r} and @code{s}.
13763
13764 @smallexample
13765 (@value{GDBP}) print s
13766 @{'A'..'C', 'Z'@}
13767 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13768 SET OF CHAR
13769 (@value{GDBP}) print r
13770 21
13771 (@value{GDBP}) ptype r
13772 [20..40]
13773 @end smallexample
13774
13775 @noindent
13776 Likewise if your source code declares @code{s} as:
13777
13778 @smallexample
13779 VAR
13780 s: SET ['A'..'Z'] ;
13781 @end smallexample
13782
13783 @noindent
13784 then you may query the type of @code{s} by:
13785
13786 @smallexample
13787 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13788 type = SET ['A'..'Z']
13789 @end smallexample
13790
13791 @noindent
13792 Note that at present you cannot interactively manipulate set
13793 expressions using the debugger.
13794
13795 The following example shows how you might declare an array in Modula-2
13796 and how you can interact with @value{GDBN} to print its type and contents:
13797
13798 @smallexample
13799 VAR
13800 s: ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR ;
13801 @end smallexample
13802
13803 @smallexample
13804 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13805 ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR
13806 @end smallexample
13807
13808 Note that the array handling is not yet complete and although the type
13809 is printed correctly, expression handling still assumes that all
13810 arrays have a lower bound of zero and not @code{-10} as in the example
13811 above.
13812
13813 Here are some more type related Modula-2 examples:
13814
13815 @smallexample
13816 TYPE
13817 colour = (blue, red, yellow, green) ;
13818 t = [blue..yellow] ;
13819 VAR
13820 s: t ;
13821 BEGIN
13822 s := blue ;
13823 @end smallexample
13824
13825 @noindent
13826 The @value{GDBN} interaction shows how you can query the data type
13827 and value of a variable.
13828
13829 @smallexample
13830 (@value{GDBP}) print s
13831 $1 = blue
13832 (@value{GDBP}) ptype t
13833 type = [blue..yellow]
13834 @end smallexample
13835
13836 @noindent
13837 In this example a Modula-2 array is declared and its contents
13838 displayed. Observe that the contents are written in the same way as
13839 their @code{C} counterparts.
13840
13841 @smallexample
13842 VAR
13843 s: ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
13844 BEGIN
13845 s[1] := 1 ;
13846 @end smallexample
13847
13848 @smallexample
13849 (@value{GDBP}) print s
13850 $1 = @{1, 0, 0, 0, 0@}
13851 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13852 type = ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
13853 @end smallexample
13854
13855 The Modula-2 language interface to @value{GDBN} also understands
13856 pointer types as shown in this example:
13857
13858 @smallexample
13859 VAR
13860 s: POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
13861 BEGIN
13862 NEW(s) ;
13863 s^[1] := 1 ;
13864 @end smallexample
13865
13866 @noindent
13867 and you can request that @value{GDBN} describes the type of @code{s}.
13868
13869 @smallexample
13870 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13871 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
13872 @end smallexample
13873
13874 @value{GDBN} handles compound types as we can see in this example.
13875 Here we combine array types, record types, pointer types and subrange
13876 types:
13877
13878 @smallexample
13879 TYPE
13880 foo = RECORD
13881 f1: CARDINAL ;
13882 f2: CHAR ;
13883 f3: myarray ;
13884 END ;
13885
13886 myarray = ARRAY myrange OF CARDINAL ;
13887 myrange = [-2..2] ;
13888 VAR
13889 s: POINTER TO ARRAY myrange OF foo ;
13890 @end smallexample
13891
13892 @noindent
13893 and you can ask @value{GDBN} to describe the type of @code{s} as shown
13894 below.
13895
13896 @smallexample
13897 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
13898 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [-2..2] OF foo = RECORD
13899 f1 : CARDINAL;
13900 f2 : CHAR;
13901 f3 : ARRAY [-2..2] OF CARDINAL;
13902 END
13903 @end smallexample
13904
13905 @node M2 Defaults
13906 @subsubsection Modula-2 Defaults
13907 @cindex Modula-2 defaults
13908
13909 If type and range checking are set automatically by @value{GDBN}, they
13910 both default to @code{on} whenever the working language changes to
13911 Modula-2. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
13912 selected the working language.
13913
13914 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, then entering
13915 code compiled from a file whose name ends with @file{.mod} sets the
13916 working language to Modula-2. @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN}
13917 Infer the Source Language}, for further details.
13918
13919 @node Deviations
13920 @subsubsection Deviations from Standard Modula-2
13921 @cindex Modula-2, deviations from
13922
13923 A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
13924 This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
13925
13926 @itemize @bullet
13927 @item
13928 Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
13929 integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
13930 debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in a
13931 pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
13932 through direct assignment to another pointer variable or expression that
13933 returned a pointer.)
13934
13935 @item
13936 C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to represent
13937 non-printable characters. @value{GDBN} prints out strings with these
13938 escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters are
13939 printed using the @samp{CHR(@var{nnn})} format.
13940
13941 @item
13942 The assignment operator (@code{:=}) returns the value of its right-hand
13943 argument.
13944
13945 @item
13946 All built-in procedures both modify @emph{and} return their argument.
13947 @end itemize
13948
13949 @node M2 Checks
13950 @subsubsection Modula-2 Type and Range Checks
13951 @cindex Modula-2 checks
13952
13953 @quotation
13954 @emph{Warning:} in this release, @value{GDBN} does not yet perform type or
13955 range checking.
13956 @end quotation
13957 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range checks added
13958
13959 @value{GDBN} considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
13960
13961 @itemize @bullet
13962 @item
13963 They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a @code{TYPE
13964 @var{t1} = @var{t2}} statement
13965
13966 @item
13967 They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of the
13968 @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other compilers.)
13969 @end itemize
13970
13971 As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
13972 whose types are not equivalent is an error.
13973
13974 Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment, array
13975 index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.
13976
13977 @node M2 Scope
13978 @subsubsection The Scope Operators @code{::} and @code{.}
13979 @cindex scope
13980 @cindex @code{.}, Modula-2 scope operator
13981 @cindex colon, doubled as scope operator
13982 @ifinfo
13983 @vindex colon-colon@r{, in Modula-2}
13984 @c Info cannot handle :: but TeX can.
13985 @end ifinfo
13986 @ifnotinfo
13987 @vindex ::@r{, in Modula-2}
13988 @end ifnotinfo
13989
13990 There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
13991 (@code{.}) and the @value{GDBN} scope operator (@code{::}). The two have
13992 similar syntax:
13993
13994 @smallexample
13995
13996 @var{module} . @var{id}
13997 @var{scope} :: @var{id}
13998 @end smallexample
13999
14000 @noindent
14001 where @var{scope} is the name of a module or a procedure,
14002 @var{module} the name of a module, and @var{id} is any declared
14003 identifier within your program, except another module.
14004
14005 Using the @code{::} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the scope
14006 specified by @var{scope} for the identifier @var{id}. If it is not
14007 found in the specified scope, then @value{GDBN} searches all scopes
14008 enclosing the one specified by @var{scope}.
14009
14010 Using the @code{.} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the current scope for
14011 the identifier specified by @var{id} that was imported from the
14012 definition module specified by @var{module}. With this operator, it is
14013 an error if the identifier @var{id} was not imported from definition
14014 module @var{module}, or if @var{id} is not an identifier in
14015 @var{module}.
14016
14017 @node GDB/M2
14018 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
14019
14020 Some @value{GDBN} commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
14021 Five subcommands of @code{set print} and @code{show print} apply
14022 specifically to C and C@t{++}: @samp{vtbl}, @samp{demangle},
14023 @samp{asm-demangle}, @samp{object}, and @samp{union}. The first four
14024 apply to C@t{++}, and the last to the C @code{union} type, which has no direct
14025 analogue in Modula-2.
14026
14027 The @code{@@} operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), while available
14028 with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its
14029 intent is to aid the debugging of @dfn{dynamic arrays}, which cannot be
14030 created in Modula-2 as they can in C or C@t{++}. However, because an
14031 address can be specified by an integral constant, the construct
14032 @samp{@{@var{type}@}@var{adrexp}} is still useful.
14033
14034 @cindex @code{#} in Modula-2
14035 In @value{GDBN} scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator @code{#} is
14036 interpreted as the beginning of a comment. Use @code{<>} instead.
14037
14038 @node Ada
14039 @subsection Ada
14040 @cindex Ada
14041
14042 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} for Ada only support
14043 output from the @sc{gnu} Ada (GNAT) compiler.
14044 Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
14045 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
14046 to be difficult.
14047
14048
14049 @cindex expressions in Ada
14050 @menu
14051 * Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
14052 and semantics supported by Ada mode
14053 in @value{GDBN}.
14054 * Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
14055 * Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
14056 * Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
14057 * Ada Tasks:: Listing and setting breakpoints in tasks.
14058 * Ada Tasks and Core Files:: Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
14059 * Ravenscar Profile:: Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar
14060 Profile
14061 * Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.
14062 @end menu
14063
14064 @node Ada Mode Intro
14065 @subsubsection Introduction
14066 @cindex Ada mode, general
14067
14068 The Ada mode of @value{GDBN} supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
14069 syntax, with some extensions.
14070 The philosophy behind the design of this subset is
14071
14072 @itemize @bullet
14073 @item
14074 That @value{GDBN} should provide basic literals and access to operations for
14075 arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and subprogram calls,
14076 leaving more sophisticated computations to subprograms written into the
14077 program (which therefore may be called from @value{GDBN}).
14078
14079 @item
14080 That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
14081 are not particularly important to the @value{GDBN} user.
14082
14083 @item
14084 That brevity is important to the @value{GDBN} user.
14085 @end itemize
14086
14087 Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if all names declared in
14088 user-written packages are directly visible, even if they are not visible
14089 according to Ada rules, thus making it unnecessary to fully qualify most
14090 names with their packages, regardless of context. Where this causes
14091 ambiguity, @value{GDBN} asks the user's intent.
14092
14093 The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main program.
14094 As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped in a program that
14095 was translated from an Ada source file.
14096
14097 While in Ada mode, you may use `@t{--}' for comments. This is useful
14098 mostly for documenting command files. The standard @value{GDBN} comment
14099 (@samp{#}) still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
14100 middle (to allow based literals).
14101
14102 The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call in which
14103 the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the number of
14104 actual parameters and some information about their types to attempt to narrow
14105 the set of definitions. It also makes very limited use of context, preferring
14106 procedures to functions in the context of the @code{call} command, and
14107 functions to procedures elsewhere.
14108
14109 @node Omissions from Ada
14110 @subsubsection Omissions from Ada
14111 @cindex Ada, omissions from
14112
14113 Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
14114
14115 @itemize @bullet
14116 @item
14117 Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
14118
14119 @itemize @minus
14120 @item
14121 @t{'First}, @t{'Last}, and @t{'Length}
14122 on array objects (not on types and subtypes).
14123
14124 @item
14125 @t{'Min} and @t{'Max}.
14126
14127 @item
14128 @t{'Pos} and @t{'Val}.
14129
14130 @item
14131 @t{'Tag}.
14132
14133 @item
14134 @t{'Range} on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
14135 operand of the membership (@code{in}) operator.
14136
14137 @item
14138 @t{'Access}, @t{'Unchecked_Access}, and
14139 @t{'Unrestricted_Access} (a GNAT extension).
14140
14141 @item
14142 @t{'Address}.
14143 @end itemize
14144
14145 @item
14146 The names in
14147 @code{Characters.Latin_1} are not available and
14148 concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in strings are
14149 not currently available.
14150
14151 @item
14152 Equality tests (@samp{=} and @samp{/=}) on arrays test for bitwise
14153 equality of representations. They will generally work correctly
14154 for strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration types.
14155 They may not work correctly for arrays whose element
14156 types have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values
14157 (in particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
14158 zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused bits with
14159 indeterminate values.
14160
14161 @item
14162 The other component-by-component array operations (@code{and}, @code{or},
14163 @code{xor}, @code{not}, and relational tests other than equality)
14164 are not implemented.
14165
14166 @item
14167 @cindex array aggregates (Ada)
14168 @cindex record aggregates (Ada)
14169 @cindex aggregates (Ada)
14170 There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
14171 permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these examples:
14172
14173 @smallexample
14174 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
14175 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
14176 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
14177 (@value{GDBP}) set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
14178 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
14179 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
14180 @end smallexample
14181
14182 Changing a
14183 discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
14184 undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
14185 However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning to
14186 them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then performing an
14187 aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable @code{A_Rec}
14188 declared to have a type such as:
14189
14190 @smallexample
14191 type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
14192 Id : Integer;
14193 Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
14194 end record;
14195 @end smallexample
14196
14197 you can assign a value with a different size of @code{Vals} with two
14198 assignments:
14199
14200 @smallexample
14201 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec.Len := 4
14202 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
14203 @end smallexample
14204
14205 As this example also illustrates, @value{GDBN} is very loose about the usual
14206 rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
14207 components of an array or record aggregate (such as the @code{Len}
14208 component in the assignment to @code{A_Rec} above); they will retain their
14209 original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic values as
14210 indices in component associations. You may even use overlapping or
14211 redundant component associations, although which component values are
14212 assigned in such cases is not defined.
14213
14214 @item
14215 Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
14216
14217 @item
14218 The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less selective)
14219 than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of the context in
14220 which a subexpression appears to resolve its meaning, and it is much
14221 looser in its rules for allowing type matches. As a result, some
14222 function calls will be ambiguous, and the user will be asked to choose
14223 the proper resolution.
14224
14225 @item
14226 The @code{new} operator is not implemented.
14227
14228 @item
14229 Entry calls are not implemented.
14230
14231 @item
14232 Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX floating-point
14233 formats are not supported.
14234
14235 @item
14236 It is not possible to slice a packed array.
14237
14238 @item
14239 The names @code{True} and @code{False}, when not part of a qualified name,
14240 are interpreted as if implicitly prefixed by @code{Standard}, regardless of
14241 context.
14242 Should your program
14243 redefine these names in a package or procedure (at best a dubious practice),
14244 you will have to use fully qualified names to access their new definitions.
14245 @end itemize
14246
14247 @node Additions to Ada
14248 @subsubsection Additions to Ada
14249 @cindex Ada, deviations from
14250
14251 As it does for other languages, @value{GDBN} makes certain generic
14252 extensions to Ada (@pxref{Expressions}):
14253
14254 @itemize @bullet
14255 @item
14256 If the expression @var{E} is a variable residing in memory (typically
14257 a local variable or array element) and @var{N} is a positive integer,
14258 then @code{@var{E}@@@var{N}} displays the values of @var{E} and the
14259 @var{N}-1 adjacent variables following it in memory as an array. In
14260 Ada, this operator is generally not necessary, since its prime use is
14261 in displaying parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in
14262 Ada. However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs in
14263 which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
14264
14265 @item
14266 @code{@var{B}::@var{var}} means ``the variable named @var{var} that
14267 appears in function or file @var{B}.'' When @var{B} is a file name,
14268 you must typically surround it in single quotes.
14269
14270 @item
14271 The expression @code{@{@var{type}@} @var{addr}} means ``the variable of type
14272 @var{type} that appears at address @var{addr}.''
14273
14274 @item
14275 A name starting with @samp{$} is a convenience variable
14276 (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) or a machine register (@pxref{Registers}).
14277 @end itemize
14278
14279 In addition, @value{GDBN} provides a few other shortcuts and outright
14280 additions specific to Ada:
14281
14282 @itemize @bullet
14283 @item
14284 The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
14285 its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
14286
14287 @smallexample
14288 (@value{GDBP}) set x := y + 3
14289 (@value{GDBP}) print A(tmp := y + 1)
14290 @end smallexample
14291
14292 @item
14293 The semicolon is allowed as an ``operator,'' returning as its value
14294 the value of its right-hand operand.
14295 This allows, for example,
14296 complex conditional breaks:
14297
14298 @smallexample
14299 (@value{GDBP}) break f
14300 (@value{GDBP}) condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
14301 @end smallexample
14302
14303 @item
14304 Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to introduce special
14305 characters into strings, one may instead use a special bracket notation,
14306 which is also used to print strings. A sequence of characters of the form
14307 @samp{["@var{XX}"]} within a string or character literal denotes the
14308 (single) character whose numeric encoding is @var{XX} in hexadecimal. The
14309 sequence of characters @samp{["""]} also denotes a single quotation mark
14310 in strings. For example,
14311 @smallexample
14312 "One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
14313 @end smallexample
14314 @noindent
14315 contains an ASCII newline character (@code{Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF})
14316 after each period.
14317
14318 @item
14319 The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes @t{'Pos}, @t{'Min}, and
14320 @t{'Max} is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is valid
14321 to write
14322
14323 @smallexample
14324 (@value{GDBP}) print 'max(x, y)
14325 @end smallexample
14326
14327 @item
14328 When printing arrays, @value{GDBN} uses positional notation when the
14329 array has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation otherwise.
14330 For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers with a lower bound
14331 of 3 might print as
14332
14333 @smallexample
14334 (3 => 10, 17, 1)
14335 @end smallexample
14336
14337 @noindent
14338 That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a @code{=>}
14339 clause.
14340
14341 @item
14342 You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
14343 multi-character subsequence of
14344 their names (an exact match gets preference).
14345 For example, you may use @t{a'len}, @t{a'gth}, or @t{a'lh}
14346 in place of @t{a'length}.
14347
14348 @item
14349 @cindex quoting Ada internal identifiers
14350 Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps identifiers you type
14351 to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses upper-case characters for
14352 some of its internal identifiers, which are normally of no interest to users.
14353 For the rare occasions when you actually have to look at them,
14354 enclose them in angle brackets to avoid the lower-case mapping.
14355 For example,
14356 @smallexample
14357 (@value{GDBP}) print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
14358 @end smallexample
14359
14360 @item
14361 Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
14362 access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the object's
14363 specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag). Likewise, component
14364 selection on such a value will operate on the specific type of the
14365 object.
14366
14367 @end itemize
14368
14369 @node Stopping Before Main Program
14370 @subsubsection Stopping at the Very Beginning
14371
14372 @cindex breakpointing Ada elaboration code
14373 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
14374 before reaching the main procedure.
14375 As defined in the Ada Reference
14376 Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
14377 @code{adainit}. To run your program up to the beginning of
14378 elaboration, simply use the following two commands:
14379 @code{tbreak adainit} and @code{run}.
14380
14381 @node Ada Tasks
14382 @subsubsection Extensions for Ada Tasks
14383 @cindex Ada, tasking
14384
14385 Support for Ada tasks is analogous to that for threads (@pxref{Threads}).
14386 @value{GDBN} provides the following task-related commands:
14387
14388 @table @code
14389 @kindex info tasks
14390 @item info tasks
14391 This command shows a list of current Ada tasks, as in the following example:
14392
14393
14394 @smallexample
14395 @iftex
14396 @leftskip=0.5cm
14397 @end iftex
14398 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14399 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14400 1 8088000 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14401 2 80a4000 1 15 Accept Statement b
14402 3 809a800 1 15 Child Activation Wait a
14403 * 4 80ae800 3 15 Runnable c
14404
14405 @end smallexample
14406
14407 @noindent
14408 In this listing, the asterisk before the last task indicates it to be the
14409 task currently being inspected.
14410
14411 @table @asis
14412 @item ID
14413 Represents @value{GDBN}'s internal task number.
14414
14415 @item TID
14416 The Ada task ID.
14417
14418 @item P-ID
14419 The parent's task ID (@value{GDBN}'s internal task number).
14420
14421 @item Pri
14422 The base priority of the task.
14423
14424 @item State
14425 Current state of the task.
14426
14427 @table @code
14428 @item Unactivated
14429 The task has been created but has not been activated. It cannot be
14430 executing.
14431
14432 @item Runnable
14433 The task is not blocked for any reason known to Ada. (It may be waiting
14434 for a mutex, though.) It is conceptually "executing" in normal mode.
14435
14436 @item Terminated
14437 The task is terminated, in the sense of ARM 9.3 (5). Any dependents
14438 that were waiting on terminate alternatives have been awakened and have
14439 terminated themselves.
14440
14441 @item Child Activation Wait
14442 The task is waiting for created tasks to complete activation.
14443
14444 @item Accept Statement
14445 The task is waiting on an accept or selective wait statement.
14446
14447 @item Waiting on entry call
14448 The task is waiting on an entry call.
14449
14450 @item Async Select Wait
14451 The task is waiting to start the abortable part of an asynchronous
14452 select statement.
14453
14454 @item Delay Sleep
14455 The task is waiting on a select statement with only a delay
14456 alternative open.
14457
14458 @item Child Termination Wait
14459 The task is sleeping having completed a master within itself, and is
14460 waiting for the tasks dependent on that master to become terminated or
14461 waiting on a terminate Phase.
14462
14463 @item Wait Child in Term Alt
14464 The task is sleeping waiting for tasks on terminate alternatives to
14465 finish terminating.
14466
14467 @item Accepting RV with @var{taskno}
14468 The task is accepting a rendez-vous with the task @var{taskno}.
14469 @end table
14470
14471 @item Name
14472 Name of the task in the program.
14473
14474 @end table
14475
14476 @kindex info task @var{taskno}
14477 @item info task @var{taskno}
14478 This command shows detailled informations on the specified task, as in
14479 the following example:
14480 @smallexample
14481 @iftex
14482 @leftskip=0.5cm
14483 @end iftex
14484 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14485 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14486 1 8077880 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14487 * 2 807c468 1 15 Runnable task_1
14488 (@value{GDBP}) info task 2
14489 Ada Task: 0x807c468
14490 Name: task_1
14491 Thread: 0x807f378
14492 Parent: 1 (main_task)
14493 Base Priority: 15
14494 State: Runnable
14495 @end smallexample
14496
14497 @item task
14498 @kindex task@r{ (Ada)}
14499 @cindex current Ada task ID
14500 This command prints the ID of the current task.
14501
14502 @smallexample
14503 @iftex
14504 @leftskip=0.5cm
14505 @end iftex
14506 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14507 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14508 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14509 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
14510 (@value{GDBP}) task
14511 [Current task is 2]
14512 @end smallexample
14513
14514 @item task @var{taskno}
14515 @cindex Ada task switching
14516 This command is like the @code{thread @var{threadno}}
14517 command (@pxref{Threads}). It switches the context of debugging
14518 from the current task to the given task.
14519
14520 @smallexample
14521 @iftex
14522 @leftskip=0.5cm
14523 @end iftex
14524 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14525 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14526 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14527 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
14528 (@value{GDBP}) task 1
14529 [Switching to task 1]
14530 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
14531 (@value{GDBP}) bt
14532 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
14533 #1 0x8056714 in system.os_interface.pthread_cond_wait ()
14534 #2 0x805cb63 in system.task_primitives.operations.sleep ()
14535 #3 0x806153e in system.tasking.stages.activate_tasks ()
14536 #4 0x804aacc in un () at un.adb:5
14537 @end smallexample
14538
14539 @item break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno}
14540 @itemx break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno} if @dots{}
14541 @cindex breakpoints and tasks, in Ada
14542 @cindex task breakpoints, in Ada
14543 @kindex break @dots{} task @var{taskno}@r{ (Ada)}
14544 These commands are like the @code{break @dots{} thread @dots{}}
14545 command (@pxref{Thread Stops}).
14546 @var{linespec} specifies source lines, as described
14547 in @ref{Specify Location}.
14548
14549 Use the qualifier @samp{task @var{taskno}} with a breakpoint command
14550 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
14551 particular Ada task reaches this breakpoint. @var{taskno} is one of the
14552 numeric task identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
14553 column of the @samp{info tasks} display.
14554
14555 If you do not specify @samp{task @var{taskno}} when you set a
14556 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} tasks of your
14557 program.
14558
14559 You can use the @code{task} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
14560 well; in this case, place @samp{task @var{taskno}} before the
14561 breakpoint condition (before the @code{if}).
14562
14563 For example,
14564
14565 @smallexample
14566 @iftex
14567 @leftskip=0.5cm
14568 @end iftex
14569 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14570 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14571 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14572 2 140045060 1 15 Accept/Select Wait t2
14573 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
14574 * 4 140056040 1 15 Runnable t3
14575 (@value{GDBP}) b 15 task 2
14576 Breakpoint 5 at 0x120044cb0: file test_task_debug.adb, line 15.
14577 (@value{GDBP}) cont
14578 Continuing.
14579 task # 1 running
14580 task # 2 running
14581
14582 Breakpoint 5, test_task_debug () at test_task_debug.adb:15
14583 15 flush;
14584 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14585 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14586 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14587 * 2 140045060 1 15 Runnable t2
14588 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
14589 4 140056040 1 15 Delay Sleep t3
14590 @end smallexample
14591 @end table
14592
14593 @node Ada Tasks and Core Files
14594 @subsubsection Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
14595 @cindex Ada tasking and core file debugging
14596
14597 When inspecting a core file, as opposed to debugging a live program,
14598 tasking support may be limited or even unavailable, depending on
14599 the platform being used.
14600 For instance, on x86-linux, the list of tasks is available, but task
14601 switching is not supported. On Tru64, however, task switching will work
14602 as usual.
14603
14604 On certain platforms, including Tru64, the debugger needs to perform some
14605 memory writes in order to provide Ada tasking support. When inspecting
14606 a core file, this means that the core file must be opened with read-write
14607 privileges, using the command @samp{"set write on"} (@pxref{Patching}).
14608 Under these circumstances, you should make a backup copy of the core
14609 file before inspecting it with @value{GDBN}.
14610
14611 @node Ravenscar Profile
14612 @subsubsection Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar Profile
14613 @cindex Ravenscar Profile
14614
14615 The @dfn{Ravenscar Profile} is a subset of the Ada tasking features,
14616 specifically designed for systems with safety-critical real-time
14617 requirements.
14618
14619 @table @code
14620 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching on
14621 @cindex task switching with program using Ravenscar Profile
14622 @item set ravenscar task-switching on
14623 Allows task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
14624 Profile. This is the default.
14625
14626 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching off
14627 @item set ravenscar task-switching off
14628 Turn off task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
14629 Profile. This is mostly intended to disable the code that adds support
14630 for the Ravenscar Profile, in case a bug in either @value{GDBN} or in
14631 the Ravenscar runtime is preventing @value{GDBN} from working properly.
14632 To be effective, this command should be run before the program is started.
14633
14634 @kindex show ravenscar task-switching
14635 @item show ravenscar task-switching
14636 Show whether it is possible to switch from task to task in a program
14637 using the Ravenscar Profile.
14638
14639 @end table
14640
14641 @node Ada Glitches
14642 @subsubsection Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
14643 @cindex Ada, problems
14644
14645 Besides the omissions listed previously (@pxref{Omissions from Ada}),
14646 we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in
14647 @value{GDBN},
14648 some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
14649 and the GNU Ada compiler.
14650
14651 @itemize @bullet
14652 @item
14653 Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as objects in
14654 storage are invisible to the debugger.
14655
14656 @item
14657 Named parameter associations in function argument lists are ignored (the
14658 argument lists are treated as positional).
14659
14660 @item
14661 Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the debugger.
14662
14663 @item
14664 Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried out using
14665 floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that only approximate those on
14666 the host machine.
14667
14668 @item
14669 The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix @code{Standard} for any of
14670 the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. @value{GDBN} knows about
14671 this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and will never
14672 look for a name you have so qualified among local symbols, nor match against
14673 symbols in other packages or subprograms. If you have
14674 defined entities anywhere in your program other than parameters and
14675 local variables whose simple names match names in @code{Standard},
14676 GNAT's lack of qualification here can cause confusion. When this happens,
14677 you can usually resolve the confusion
14678 by qualifying the problematic names with package
14679 @code{Standard} explicitly.
14680 @end itemize
14681
14682 Older versions of the compiler sometimes generate erroneous debugging
14683 information, resulting in the debugger incorrectly printing the value
14684 of affected entities. In some cases, the debugger is able to work
14685 around an issue automatically. In other cases, the debugger is able
14686 to work around the issue, but the work-around has to be specifically
14687 enabled.
14688
14689 @kindex set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
14690 @kindex show ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
14691 @table @code
14692
14693 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS on
14694 Configure GDB to strictly follow the GNAT encoding when computing the
14695 value of Ada entities, particularly when @code{PAD} and @code{PAD___XVS}
14696 types are involved (see @code{ada/exp_dbug.ads} in the GCC sources for
14697 a complete description of the encoding used by the GNAT compiler).
14698 This is the default.
14699
14700 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS off
14701 This is related to the encoding using by the GNAT compiler. If @value{GDBN}
14702 sometimes prints the wrong value for certain entities, changing @code{ada
14703 trust-PAD-over-XVS} to @code{off} activates a work-around which may fix
14704 the issue. It is always safe to set @code{ada trust-PAD-over-XVS} to
14705 @code{off}, but this incurs a slight performance penalty, so it is
14706 recommended to leave this setting to @code{on} unless necessary.
14707
14708 @end table
14709
14710 @node Unsupported Languages
14711 @section Unsupported Languages
14712
14713 @cindex unsupported languages
14714 @cindex minimal language
14715 In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages,
14716 @value{GDBN} also provides a pseudo-language, called @code{minimal}.
14717 It does not represent a real programming language, but provides a set
14718 of capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide.
14719 This should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging
14720 an application that uses a language currently not supported by @value{GDBN}.
14721
14722 If the language is set to @code{auto}, @value{GDBN} will automatically
14723 select this language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported
14724 language.
14725
14726 @node Symbols
14727 @chapter Examining the Symbol Table
14728
14729 The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
14730 symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
14731 program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
14732 does not change as your program executes. @value{GDBN} finds it in your
14733 program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started @value{GDBN}
14734 (@pxref{File Options, ,Choosing Files}), or by one of the
14735 file-management commands (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
14736
14737 @cindex symbol names
14738 @cindex names of symbols
14739 @cindex quoting names
14740 Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
14741 characters, which @value{GDBN} ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The
14742 most frequent case is in referring to static variables in other
14743 source files (@pxref{Variables,,Program Variables}). File names
14744 are recorded in object files as debugging symbols, but @value{GDBN} would
14745 ordinarily parse a typical file name, like @file{foo.c}, as the three words
14746 @samp{foo} @samp{.} @samp{c}. To allow @value{GDBN} to recognize
14747 @samp{foo.c} as a single symbol, enclose it in single quotes; for example,
14748
14749 @smallexample
14750 p 'foo.c'::x
14751 @end smallexample
14752
14753 @noindent
14754 looks up the value of @code{x} in the scope of the file @file{foo.c}.
14755
14756 @table @code
14757 @cindex case-insensitive symbol names
14758 @cindex case sensitivity in symbol names
14759 @kindex set case-sensitive
14760 @item set case-sensitive on
14761 @itemx set case-sensitive off
14762 @itemx set case-sensitive auto
14763 Normally, when @value{GDBN} looks up symbols, it matches their names
14764 with case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
14765 Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command @code{set
14766 case-sensitive} lets you do that by specifying @code{on} for
14767 case-sensitive matches or @code{off} for case-insensitive ones. If
14768 you specify @code{auto}, case sensitivity is reset to the default
14769 suitable for the source language. The default is case-sensitive
14770 matches for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
14771 case-insensitive matches.
14772
14773 @kindex show case-sensitive
14774 @item show case-sensitive
14775 This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for symbols
14776 lookups.
14777
14778 @kindex info address
14779 @cindex address of a symbol
14780 @item info address @var{symbol}
14781 Describe where the data for @var{symbol} is stored. For a register
14782 variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a non-register
14783 local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at which the variable
14784 is always stored.
14785
14786 Note the contrast with @samp{print &@var{symbol}}, which does not work
14787 at all for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints
14788 the exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
14789
14790 @kindex info symbol
14791 @cindex symbol from address
14792 @cindex closest symbol and offset for an address
14793 @item info symbol @var{addr}
14794 Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address @var{addr}.
14795 If no symbol is stored exactly at @var{addr}, @value{GDBN} prints the
14796 nearest symbol and an offset from it:
14797
14798 @smallexample
14799 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x54320
14800 _initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
14801 @end smallexample
14802
14803 @noindent
14804 This is the opposite of the @code{info address} command. You can use
14805 it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its address.
14806
14807 For dynamically linked executables, the name of executable or shared
14808 library containing the symbol is also printed:
14809
14810 @smallexample
14811 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x400225
14812 _start + 5 in section .text of /tmp/a.out
14813 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x2aaaac2811cf
14814 __read_nocancel + 6 in section .text of /usr/lib64/libc.so.6
14815 @end smallexample
14816
14817 @kindex whatis
14818 @item whatis [@var{arg}]
14819 Print the data type of @var{arg}, which can be either an expression
14820 or a name of a data type. With no argument, print the data type of
14821 @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
14822
14823 If @var{arg} is an expression (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), it
14824 is not actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
14825 assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place.
14826
14827 If @var{arg} is a variable or an expression, @code{whatis} prints its
14828 literal type as it is used in the source code. If the type was
14829 defined using a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will @emph{not} print
14830 the data type underlying the @code{typedef}. If the type of the
14831 variable or the expression is a compound data type, such as
14832 @code{struct} or @code{class}, @code{whatis} never prints their
14833 fields or methods. It just prints the @code{struct}/@code{class}
14834 name (a.k.a.@: its @dfn{tag}). If you want to see the members of
14835 such a compound data type, use @code{ptype}.
14836
14837 If @var{arg} is a type name that was defined using @code{typedef},
14838 @code{whatis} @dfn{unrolls} only one level of that @code{typedef}.
14839 Unrolling means that @code{whatis} will show the underlying type used
14840 in the @code{typedef} declaration of @var{arg}. However, if that
14841 underlying type is also a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will not
14842 unroll it.
14843
14844 For C code, the type names may also have the form @samp{class
14845 @var{class-name}}, @samp{struct @var{struct-tag}}, @samp{union
14846 @var{union-tag}} or @samp{enum @var{enum-tag}}.
14847
14848 @kindex ptype
14849 @item ptype [@var{arg}]
14850 @code{ptype} accepts the same arguments as @code{whatis}, but prints a
14851 detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the type.
14852 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
14853
14854 Contrary to @code{whatis}, @code{ptype} always unrolls any
14855 @code{typedef}s in its argument declaration, whether the argument is
14856 a variable, expression, or a data type. This means that @code{ptype}
14857 of a variable or an expression will not print literally its type as
14858 present in the source code---use @code{whatis} for that. @code{typedef}s at
14859 the pointer or reference targets are also unrolled. Only @code{typedef}s of
14860 fields, methods and inner @code{class typedef}s of @code{struct}s,
14861 @code{class}es and @code{union}s are not unrolled even with @code{ptype}.
14862
14863 For example, for this variable declaration:
14864
14865 @smallexample
14866 typedef double real_t;
14867 struct complex @{ real_t real; double imag; @};
14868 typedef struct complex complex_t;
14869 complex_t var;
14870 real_t *real_pointer_var;
14871 @end smallexample
14872
14873 @noindent
14874 the two commands give this output:
14875
14876 @smallexample
14877 @group
14878 (@value{GDBP}) whatis var
14879 type = complex_t
14880 (@value{GDBP}) ptype var
14881 type = struct complex @{
14882 real_t real;
14883 double imag;
14884 @}
14885 (@value{GDBP}) whatis complex_t
14886 type = struct complex
14887 (@value{GDBP}) whatis struct complex
14888 type = struct complex
14889 (@value{GDBP}) ptype struct complex
14890 type = struct complex @{
14891 real_t real;
14892 double imag;
14893 @}
14894 (@value{GDBP}) whatis real_pointer_var
14895 type = real_t *
14896 (@value{GDBP}) ptype real_pointer_var
14897 type = double *
14898 @end group
14899 @end smallexample
14900
14901 @noindent
14902 As with @code{whatis}, using @code{ptype} without an argument refers to
14903 the type of @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
14904
14905 @cindex incomplete type
14906 Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete specifications
14907 of complex data structure. If the debug information included in the
14908 program does not allow @value{GDBN} to display a full declaration of
14909 the data type, it will say @samp{<incomplete type>}. For example,
14910 given these declarations:
14911
14912 @smallexample
14913 struct foo;
14914 struct foo *fooptr;
14915 @end smallexample
14916
14917 @noindent
14918 but no definition for @code{struct foo} itself, @value{GDBN} will say:
14919
14920 @smallexample
14921 (@value{GDBP}) ptype foo
14922 $1 = <incomplete type>
14923 @end smallexample
14924
14925 @noindent
14926 ``Incomplete type'' is C terminology for data types that are not
14927 completely specified.
14928
14929 @kindex info types
14930 @item info types @var{regexp}
14931 @itemx info types
14932 Print a brief description of all types whose names match the regular
14933 expression @var{regexp} (or all types in your program, if you supply
14934 no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though it were a
14935 complete line; thus, @samp{i type value} gives information on all
14936 types in your program whose names include the string @code{value}, but
14937 @samp{i type ^value$} gives information only on types whose complete
14938 name is @code{value}.
14939
14940 This command differs from @code{ptype} in two ways: first, like
14941 @code{whatis}, it does not print a detailed description; second, it
14942 lists all source files where a type is defined.
14943
14944 @kindex info scope
14945 @cindex local variables
14946 @item info scope @var{location}
14947 List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
14948 accepts a @var{location} argument---a function name, a source line, or
14949 an address preceded by a @samp{*}, and prints all the variables local
14950 to the scope defined by that location. (@xref{Specify Location}, for
14951 details about supported forms of @var{location}.) For example:
14952
14953 @smallexample
14954 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info scope command_line_handler}
14955 Scope for command_line_handler:
14956 Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
14957 Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
14958 Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
14959 Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
14960 Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
14961 Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
14962 Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
14963 @end smallexample
14964
14965 @noindent
14966 This command is especially useful for determining what data to collect
14967 during a @dfn{trace experiment}, see @ref{Tracepoint Actions,
14968 collect}.
14969
14970 @kindex info source
14971 @item info source
14972 Show information about the current source file---that is, the source file for
14973 the function containing the current point of execution:
14974 @itemize @bullet
14975 @item
14976 the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
14977 @item
14978 the directory it was compiled in,
14979 @item
14980 its length, in lines,
14981 @item
14982 which programming language it is written in,
14983 @item
14984 whether the executable includes debugging information for that file, and
14985 if so, what format the information is in (e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
14986 @item
14987 whether the debugging information includes information about
14988 preprocessor macros.
14989 @end itemize
14990
14991
14992 @kindex info sources
14993 @item info sources
14994 Print the names of all source files in your program for which there is
14995 debugging information, organized into two lists: files whose symbols
14996 have already been read, and files whose symbols will be read when needed.
14997
14998 @kindex info functions
14999 @item info functions
15000 Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
15001
15002 @item info functions @var{regexp}
15003 Print the names and data types of all defined functions
15004 whose names contain a match for regular expression @var{regexp}.
15005 Thus, @samp{info fun step} finds all functions whose names
15006 include @code{step}; @samp{info fun ^step} finds those whose names
15007 start with @code{step}. If a function name contains characters
15008 that conflict with the regular expression language (e.g.@:
15009 @samp{operator*()}), they may be quoted with a backslash.
15010
15011 @kindex info variables
15012 @item info variables
15013 Print the names and data types of all variables that are defined
15014 outside of functions (i.e.@: excluding local variables).
15015
15016 @item info variables @var{regexp}
15017 Print the names and data types of all variables (except for local
15018 variables) whose names contain a match for regular expression
15019 @var{regexp}.
15020
15021 @kindex info classes
15022 @cindex Objective-C, classes and selectors
15023 @item info classes
15024 @itemx info classes @var{regexp}
15025 Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or
15026 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
15027 expression.
15028
15029 @kindex info selectors
15030 @item info selectors
15031 @itemx info selectors @var{regexp}
15032 Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or
15033 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
15034 expression.
15035
15036 @ignore
15037 This was never implemented.
15038 @kindex info methods
15039 @item info methods
15040 @itemx info methods @var{regexp}
15041 The @code{info methods} command permits the user to examine all defined
15042 methods within C@t{++} program, or (with the @var{regexp} argument) a
15043 specific set of methods found in the various C@t{++} classes. Many
15044 C@t{++} classes provide a large number of methods. Thus, the output
15045 from the @code{ptype} command can be overwhelming and hard to use. The
15046 @code{info-methods} command filters the methods, printing only those
15047 which match the regular-expression @var{regexp}.
15048 @end ignore
15049
15050 @cindex opaque data types
15051 @kindex set opaque-type-resolution
15052 @item set opaque-type-resolution on
15053 Tell @value{GDBN} to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
15054 declared as a pointer to a @code{struct}, @code{class}, or
15055 @code{union}---for example, @code{struct MyType *}---that is used in one
15056 source file although the full declaration of @code{struct MyType} is in
15057 another source file. The default is on.
15058
15059 A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect until
15060 the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
15061
15062 @item set opaque-type-resolution off
15063 Tell @value{GDBN} not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type
15064 is printed as follows:
15065 @smallexample
15066 @{<no data fields>@}
15067 @end smallexample
15068
15069 @kindex show opaque-type-resolution
15070 @item show opaque-type-resolution
15071 Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
15072
15073 @kindex maint print symbols
15074 @cindex symbol dump
15075 @kindex maint print psymbols
15076 @cindex partial symbol dump
15077 @item maint print symbols @var{filename}
15078 @itemx maint print psymbols @var{filename}
15079 @itemx maint print msymbols @var{filename}
15080 Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file @var{filename}.
15081 These commands are used to debug the @value{GDBN} symbol-reading code. Only
15082 symbols with debugging data are included. If you use @samp{maint print
15083 symbols}, @value{GDBN} includes all the symbols for which it has already
15084 collected full details: that is, @var{filename} reflects symbols for
15085 only those files whose symbols @value{GDBN} has read. You can use the
15086 command @code{info sources} to find out which files these are. If you
15087 use @samp{maint print psymbols} instead, the dump shows information about
15088 symbols that @value{GDBN} only knows partially---that is, symbols defined in
15089 files that @value{GDBN} has skimmed, but not yet read completely. Finally,
15090 @samp{maint print msymbols} dumps just the minimal symbol information
15091 required for each object file from which @value{GDBN} has read some symbols.
15092 @xref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}, for a discussion of how
15093 @value{GDBN} reads symbols (in the description of @code{symbol-file}).
15094
15095 @kindex maint info symtabs
15096 @kindex maint info psymtabs
15097 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal symbol tables
15098 @cindex symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15099 @cindex full symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15100 @cindex partial symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15101 @item maint info symtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
15102 @itemx maint info psymtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
15103
15104 List the @code{struct symtab} or @code{struct partial_symtab}
15105 structures whose names match @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
15106 given, list them all. The output includes expressions which you can
15107 copy into a @value{GDBN} debugging this one to examine a particular
15108 structure in more detail. For example:
15109
15110 @smallexample
15111 (@value{GDBP}) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
15112 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
15113 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
15114 @{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
15115 ((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
15116 readin no
15117 fullname (null)
15118 text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
15119 globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @@ 9)
15120 statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @@ 2882)
15121 dependencies (none)
15122 @}
15123 @}
15124 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
15125 (@value{GDBP})
15126 @end smallexample
15127 @noindent
15128 We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename contains
15129 the string @samp{dwarf2read}, belonging to the @samp{gdb} executable;
15130 and we see that @value{GDBN} has not read in any symtabs yet at all.
15131 If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause @value{GDBN} to
15132 read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
15133
15134 @smallexample
15135 (@value{GDBP}) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
15136 Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
15137 line 1574.
15138 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
15139 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
15140 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
15141 @{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
15142 ((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
15143 dirname (null)
15144 fullname (null)
15145 blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
15146 linetable ((struct linetable *) 0x8370fa0)
15147 debugformat DWARF 2
15148 @}
15149 @}
15150 (@value{GDBP})
15151 @end smallexample
15152 @end table
15153
15154
15155 @node Altering
15156 @chapter Altering Execution
15157
15158 Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to
15159 find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to
15160 correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by
15161 experiment, using the @value{GDBN} features for altering execution of the
15162 program.
15163
15164 For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
15165 locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
15166 address, or even return prematurely from a function.
15167
15168 @menu
15169 * Assignment:: Assignment to variables
15170 * Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
15171 * Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
15172 * Returning:: Returning from a function
15173 * Calling:: Calling your program's functions
15174 * Patching:: Patching your program
15175 @end menu
15176
15177 @node Assignment
15178 @section Assignment to Variables
15179
15180 @cindex assignment
15181 @cindex setting variables
15182 To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
15183 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}. For example,
15184
15185 @smallexample
15186 print x=4
15187 @end smallexample
15188
15189 @noindent
15190 stores the value 4 into the variable @code{x}, and then prints the
15191 value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
15192 @xref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages}, for more
15193 information on operators in supported languages.
15194
15195 @kindex set variable
15196 @cindex variables, setting
15197 If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
15198 @code{set} command instead of the @code{print} command. @code{set} is
15199 really the same as @code{print} except that the expression's value is
15200 not printed and is not put in the value history (@pxref{Value History,
15201 ,Value History}). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
15202
15203 If the beginning of the argument string of the @code{set} command
15204 appears identical to a @code{set} subcommand, use the @code{set
15205 variable} command instead of just @code{set}. This command is identical
15206 to @code{set} except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
15207 program has a variable @code{width}, you get an error if you try to set
15208 a new value with just @samp{set width=13}, because @value{GDBN} has the
15209 command @code{set width}:
15210
15211 @smallexample
15212 (@value{GDBP}) whatis width
15213 type = double
15214 (@value{GDBP}) p width
15215 $4 = 13
15216 (@value{GDBP}) set width=47
15217 Invalid syntax in expression.
15218 @end smallexample
15219
15220 @noindent
15221 The invalid expression, of course, is @samp{=47}. In
15222 order to actually set the program's variable @code{width}, use
15223
15224 @smallexample
15225 (@value{GDBP}) set var width=47
15226 @end smallexample
15227
15228 Because the @code{set} command has many subcommands that can conflict
15229 with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
15230 @code{set variable} command instead of just @code{set}. For example, if
15231 your program has a variable @code{g}, you run into problems if you try
15232 to set a new value with just @samp{set g=4}, because @value{GDBN} has
15233 the command @code{set gnutarget}, abbreviated @code{set g}:
15234
15235 @smallexample
15236 @group
15237 (@value{GDBP}) whatis g
15238 type = double
15239 (@value{GDBP}) p g
15240 $1 = 1
15241 (@value{GDBP}) set g=4
15242 (@value{GDBP}) p g
15243 $2 = 1
15244 (@value{GDBP}) r
15245 The program being debugged has been started already.
15246 Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
15247 Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
15248 "/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
15249 Invalid bfd target.
15250 (@value{GDBP}) show g
15251 The current BFD target is "=4".
15252 @end group
15253 @end smallexample
15254
15255 @noindent
15256 The program variable @code{g} did not change, and you silently set the
15257 @code{gnutarget} to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
15258 @code{g}, use
15259
15260 @smallexample
15261 (@value{GDBP}) set var g=4
15262 @end smallexample
15263
15264 @value{GDBN} allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
15265 freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
15266 and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
15267 same length or shorter.
15268 @comment FIXME: how do structs align/pad in these conversions?
15269 @comment /doc@cygnus.com 18dec1990
15270
15271 To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the @samp{@{@dots{}@}}
15272 construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
15273 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). For example, @code{@{int@}0x83040} refers
15274 to memory location @code{0x83040} as an integer (which implies a certain size
15275 and representation in memory), and
15276
15277 @smallexample
15278 set @{int@}0x83040 = 4
15279 @end smallexample
15280
15281 @noindent
15282 stores the value 4 into that memory location.
15283
15284 @node Jumping
15285 @section Continuing at a Different Address
15286
15287 Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
15288 it stopped, with the @code{continue} command. You can instead continue at
15289 an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
15290
15291 @table @code
15292 @kindex jump
15293 @item jump @var{linespec}
15294 @itemx jump @var{location}
15295 Resume execution at line @var{linespec} or at address given by
15296 @var{location}. Execution stops again immediately if there is a
15297 breakpoint there. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
15298 different forms of @var{linespec} and @var{location}. It is common
15299 practice to use the @code{tbreak} command in conjunction with
15300 @code{jump}. @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
15301
15302 The @code{jump} command does not change the current stack frame, or
15303 the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
15304 register other than the program counter. If line @var{linespec} is in
15305 a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
15306 be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
15307 of local variables. For this reason, the @code{jump} command requests
15308 confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
15309 executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
15310 well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
15311 @end table
15312
15313 @c Doesn't work on HP-UX; have to set $pcoqh and $pcoqt.
15314 On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the @code{jump}
15315 command by storing a new value into the register @code{$pc}. The
15316 difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
15317 changes the address of where it @emph{will} run when you continue. For
15318 example,
15319
15320 @smallexample
15321 set $pc = 0x485
15322 @end smallexample
15323
15324 @noindent
15325 makes the next @code{continue} command or stepping command execute at
15326 address @code{0x485}, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
15327 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}.
15328
15329 The most common occasion to use the @code{jump} command is to back
15330 up---perhaps with more breakpoints set---over a portion of a program
15331 that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
15332 detail.
15333
15334 @c @group
15335 @node Signaling
15336 @section Giving your Program a Signal
15337 @cindex deliver a signal to a program
15338
15339 @table @code
15340 @kindex signal
15341 @item signal @var{signal}
15342 Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give it the
15343 signal @var{signal}. @var{signal} can be the name or the number of a
15344 signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and @code{signal
15345 SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
15346
15347 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, continue execution without
15348 giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
15349 a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed with the
15350 @code{continue} command; @samp{signal 0} causes it to resume without a
15351 signal.
15352
15353 @code{signal} does not repeat when you press @key{RET} a second time
15354 after executing the command.
15355 @end table
15356 @c @end group
15357
15358 Invoking the @code{signal} command is not the same as invoking the
15359 @code{kill} utility from the shell. Sending a signal with @code{kill}
15360 causes @value{GDBN} to decide what to do with the signal depending on
15361 the signal handling tables (@pxref{Signals}). The @code{signal} command
15362 passes the signal directly to your program.
15363
15364
15365 @node Returning
15366 @section Returning from a Function
15367
15368 @table @code
15369 @cindex returning from a function
15370 @kindex return
15371 @item return
15372 @itemx return @var{expression}
15373 You can cancel execution of a function call with the @code{return}
15374 command. If you give an
15375 @var{expression} argument, its value is used as the function's return
15376 value.
15377 @end table
15378
15379 When you use @code{return}, @value{GDBN} discards the selected stack frame
15380 (and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
15381 discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
15382 be returned, give that value as the argument to @code{return}.
15383
15384 This pops the selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a
15385 Frame}), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the
15386 innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
15387 specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values
15388 of functions.
15389
15390 The @code{return} command does not resume execution; it leaves the
15391 program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
15392 returned. In contrast, the @code{finish} command (@pxref{Continuing
15393 and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}) resumes execution until the
15394 selected stack frame returns naturally.
15395
15396 @value{GDBN} needs to know how the @var{expression} argument should be set for
15397 the inferior. The concrete registers assignment depends on the OS ABI and the
15398 type being returned by the selected stack frame. For example it is common for
15399 OS ABI to return floating point values in FPU registers while integer values in
15400 CPU registers. Still some ABIs return even floating point values in CPU
15401 registers. Larger integer widths (such as @code{long long int}) also have
15402 specific placement rules. @value{GDBN} already knows the OS ABI from its
15403 current target so it needs to find out also the type being returned to make the
15404 assignment into the right register(s).
15405
15406 Normally, the selected stack frame has debug info. @value{GDBN} will always
15407 use the debug info instead of the implicit type of @var{expression} when the
15408 debug info is available. For example, if you type @kbd{return -1}, and the
15409 function in the current stack frame is declared to return a @code{long long
15410 int}, @value{GDBN} transparently converts the implicit @code{int} value of -1
15411 into a @code{long long int}:
15412
15413 @smallexample
15414 Breakpoint 1, func () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:29
15415 29 return 31;
15416 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
15417 Make func return now? (y or n) y
15418 #0 0x004004f6 in main () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:43
15419 43 printf ("result=%lld\n", func ());
15420 (@value{GDBP})
15421 @end smallexample
15422
15423 However, if the selected stack frame does not have a debug info, e.g., if the
15424 function was compiled without debug info, @value{GDBN} has to find out the type
15425 to return from user. Specifying a different type by mistake may set the value
15426 in different inferior registers than the caller code expects. For example,
15427 typing @kbd{return -1} with its implicit type @code{int} would set only a part
15428 of a @code{long long int} result for a debug info less function (on 32-bit
15429 architectures). Therefore the user is required to specify the return type by
15430 an appropriate cast explicitly:
15431
15432 @smallexample
15433 Breakpoint 2, 0x0040050b in func ()
15434 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
15435 Return value type not available for selected stack frame.
15436 Please use an explicit cast of the value to return.
15437 (@value{GDBP}) return (long long int) -1
15438 Make selected stack frame return now? (y or n) y
15439 #0 0x00400526 in main ()
15440 (@value{GDBP})
15441 @end smallexample
15442
15443 @node Calling
15444 @section Calling Program Functions
15445
15446 @table @code
15447 @cindex calling functions
15448 @cindex inferior functions, calling
15449 @item print @var{expr}
15450 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} and display the resulting value.
15451 @var{expr} may include calls to functions in the program being
15452 debugged.
15453
15454 @kindex call
15455 @item call @var{expr}
15456 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} without displaying @code{void}
15457 returned values.
15458
15459 You can use this variant of the @code{print} command if you want to
15460 execute a function from your program that does not return anything
15461 (a.k.a.@: @dfn{a void function}), but without cluttering the output
15462 with @code{void} returned values that @value{GDBN} will otherwise
15463 print. If the result is not void, it is printed and saved in the
15464 value history.
15465 @end table
15466
15467 It is possible for the function you call via the @code{print} or
15468 @code{call} command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in
15469 the function, or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens
15470 in that case is controlled by the @code{set unwindonsignal} command.
15471
15472 Similarly, with a C@t{++} program it is possible for the function you
15473 call via the @code{print} or @code{call} command to generate an
15474 exception that is not handled due to the constraints of the dummy
15475 frame. In this case, any exception that is raised in the frame, but has
15476 an out-of-frame exception handler will not be found. GDB builds a
15477 dummy-frame for the inferior function call, and the unwinder cannot
15478 seek for exception handlers outside of this dummy-frame. What happens
15479 in that case is controlled by the
15480 @code{set unwind-on-terminating-exception} command.
15481
15482 @table @code
15483 @item set unwindonsignal
15484 @kindex set unwindonsignal
15485 @cindex unwind stack in called functions
15486 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding
15487 Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a function
15488 that @value{GDBN} called in the program being debugged. If set to on,
15489 @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores
15490 the context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
15491 default), @value{GDBN} stops in the frame where the signal was
15492 received.
15493
15494 @item show unwindonsignal
15495 @kindex show unwindonsignal
15496 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
15497 @value{GDBN}.
15498
15499 @item set unwind-on-terminating-exception
15500 @kindex set unwind-on-terminating-exception
15501 @cindex unwind stack in called functions with unhandled exceptions
15502 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding on unhandled exception.
15503 Set unwinding of the stack if a C@t{++} exception is raised, but left
15504 unhandled while in a function that @value{GDBN} called in the program being
15505 debugged. If set to on (the default), @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack
15506 it created for the call and restores the context to what it was before
15507 the call. If set to off, @value{GDBN} the exception is delivered to
15508 the default C@t{++} exception handler and the inferior terminated.
15509
15510 @item show unwind-on-terminating-exception
15511 @kindex show unwind-on-terminating-exception
15512 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
15513 @value{GDBN}.
15514
15515 @end table
15516
15517 @cindex weak alias functions
15518 Sometimes, a function you wish to call is actually a @dfn{weak alias}
15519 for another function. In such case, @value{GDBN} might not pick up
15520 the type information, including the types of the function arguments,
15521 which causes @value{GDBN} to call the inferior function incorrectly.
15522 As a result, the called function will function erroneously and may
15523 even crash. A solution to that is to use the name of the aliased
15524 function instead.
15525
15526 @node Patching
15527 @section Patching Programs
15528
15529 @cindex patching binaries
15530 @cindex writing into executables
15531 @cindex writing into corefiles
15532
15533 By default, @value{GDBN} opens the file containing your program's
15534 executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental
15535 alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally
15536 patching your program's binary.
15537
15538 If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
15539 explicitly with the @code{set write} command. For example, you might
15540 want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
15541 repairs.
15542
15543 @table @code
15544 @kindex set write
15545 @item set write on
15546 @itemx set write off
15547 If you specify @samp{set write on}, @value{GDBN} opens executable and
15548 core files for both reading and writing; if you specify @kbd{set write
15549 off} (the default), @value{GDBN} opens them read-only.
15550
15551 If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using the
15552 @code{exec-file} or @code{core-file} command) after changing @code{set
15553 write}, for your new setting to take effect.
15554
15555 @item show write
15556 @kindex show write
15557 Display whether executable files and core files are opened for writing
15558 as well as reading.
15559 @end table
15560
15561 @node GDB Files
15562 @chapter @value{GDBN} Files
15563
15564 @value{GDBN} needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged,
15565 both in order to read its symbol table and in order to start your
15566 program. To debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell
15567 @value{GDBN} the name of the core dump file.
15568
15569 @menu
15570 * Files:: Commands to specify files
15571 * Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
15572 * Index Files:: Index files speed up GDB
15573 * Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files
15574 * Data Files:: GDB data files
15575 @end menu
15576
15577 @node Files
15578 @section Commands to Specify Files
15579
15580 @cindex symbol table
15581 @cindex core dump file
15582
15583 You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
15584 way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to
15585 @value{GDBN}'s start-up commands (@pxref{Invocation, , Getting In and
15586 Out of @value{GDBN}}).
15587
15588 Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
15589 @value{GDBN} session. Or you may run @value{GDBN} and forget to
15590 specify a file you want to use. Or you are debugging a remote target
15591 via @code{gdbserver} (@pxref{Server, file, Using the @code{gdbserver}
15592 Program}). In these situations the @value{GDBN} commands to specify
15593 new files are useful.
15594
15595 @table @code
15596 @cindex executable file
15597 @kindex file
15598 @item file @var{filename}
15599 Use @var{filename} as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
15600 symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the program
15601 executed when you use the @code{run} command. If you do not specify a
15602 directory and the file is not found in the @value{GDBN} working directory,
15603 @value{GDBN} uses the environment variable @code{PATH} as a list of
15604 directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a program
15605 to run. You can change the value of this variable, for both @value{GDBN}
15606 and your program, using the @code{path} command.
15607
15608 @cindex unlinked object files
15609 @cindex patching object files
15610 You can load unlinked object @file{.o} files into @value{GDBN} using
15611 the @code{file} command. You will not be able to ``run'' an object
15612 file, but you can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also,
15613 if the underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use
15614 @kbd{gdb -write} to patch object files using this technique. Note
15615 that @value{GDBN} can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this
15616 case, so branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to
15617 the wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
15618
15619 @item file
15620 @code{file} with no argument makes @value{GDBN} discard any information it
15621 has on both executable file and the symbol table.
15622
15623 @kindex exec-file
15624 @item exec-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
15625 Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is found
15626 in @var{filename}. @value{GDBN} searches the environment variable @code{PATH}
15627 if necessary to locate your program. Omitting @var{filename} means to
15628 discard information on the executable file.
15629
15630 @kindex symbol-file
15631 @item symbol-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
15632 Read symbol table information from file @var{filename}. @code{PATH} is
15633 searched when necessary. Use the @code{file} command to get both symbol
15634 table and program to run from the same file.
15635
15636 @code{symbol-file} with no argument clears out @value{GDBN} information on your
15637 program's symbol table.
15638
15639 The @code{symbol-file} command causes @value{GDBN} to forget the contents of
15640 some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because they may
15641 contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols and data types,
15642 which are part of the old symbol table data being discarded inside
15643 @value{GDBN}.
15644
15645 @code{symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
15646 executing it once.
15647
15648 When @value{GDBN} is configured for a particular environment, it
15649 understands debugging information in whatever format is the standard
15650 generated for that environment; you may use either a @sc{gnu} compiler, or
15651 other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
15652 Best results are usually obtained from @sc{gnu} compilers; for example,
15653 using @code{@value{NGCC}} you can generate debugging information for
15654 optimized code.
15655
15656 For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3 systems
15657 using COFF, the @code{symbol-file} command does not normally read the
15658 symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the symbol table
15659 quickly to find which source files and which symbols are present. The
15660 details are read later, one source file at a time, as they are needed.
15661
15662 The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make @value{GDBN}
15663 start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
15664 occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular source
15665 file are being read. (The @code{set verbose} command can turn these
15666 pauses into messages if desired. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional
15667 Warnings and Messages}.)
15668
15669 We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When the
15670 symbol table is stored in COFF format, @code{symbol-file} reads the
15671 symbol table data in full right away. Note that ``stabs-in-COFF''
15672 still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
15673 in stabs format.
15674
15675 @kindex readnow
15676 @cindex reading symbols immediately
15677 @cindex symbols, reading immediately
15678 @item symbol-file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
15679 @itemx file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
15680 You can override the @value{GDBN} two-stage strategy for reading symbol
15681 tables by using the @samp{-readnow} option with any of the commands that
15682 load symbol table information, if you want to be sure @value{GDBN} has the
15683 entire symbol table available.
15684
15685 @c FIXME: for now no mention of directories, since this seems to be in
15686 @c flux. 13mar1992 status is that in theory GDB would look either in
15687 @c current dir or in same dir as myprog; but issues like competing
15688 @c GDB's, or clutter in system dirs, mean that in practice right now
15689 @c only current dir is used. FFish says maybe a special GDB hierarchy
15690 @c (eg rooted in val of env var GDBSYMS) could exist for mappable symbol
15691 @c files.
15692
15693 @kindex core-file
15694 @item core-file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
15695 @itemx core
15696 Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the ``contents
15697 of memory''. Traditionally, core files contain only some parts of the
15698 address space of the process that generated them; @value{GDBN} can access the
15699 executable file itself for other parts.
15700
15701 @code{core-file} with no argument specifies that no core file is
15702 to be used.
15703
15704 Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually running
15705 under @value{GDBN}. So, if you have been running your program and you
15706 wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the subprocess in which
15707 the program is running. To do this, use the @code{kill} command
15708 (@pxref{Kill Process, ,Killing the Child Process}).
15709
15710 @kindex add-symbol-file
15711 @cindex dynamic linking
15712 @item add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address}
15713 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
15714 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} -s @var{section} @var{address} @dots{}
15715 The @code{add-symbol-file} command reads additional symbol table
15716 information from the file @var{filename}. You would use this command
15717 when @var{filename} has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
15718 into the program that is running. @var{address} should be the memory
15719 address at which the file has been loaded; @value{GDBN} cannot figure
15720 this out for itself. You can additionally specify an arbitrary number
15721 of @samp{-s @var{section} @var{address}} pairs, to give an explicit
15722 section name and base address for that section. You can specify any
15723 @var{address} as an expression.
15724
15725 The symbol table of the file @var{filename} is added to the symbol table
15726 originally read with the @code{symbol-file} command. You can use the
15727 @code{add-symbol-file} command any number of times; the new symbol data
15728 thus read keeps adding to the old. To discard all old symbol data
15729 instead, use the @code{symbol-file} command without any arguments.
15730
15731 @cindex relocatable object files, reading symbols from
15732 @cindex object files, relocatable, reading symbols from
15733 @cindex reading symbols from relocatable object files
15734 @cindex symbols, reading from relocatable object files
15735 @cindex @file{.o} files, reading symbols from
15736 Although @var{filename} is typically a shared library file, an
15737 executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
15738 relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
15739 information from relocatable @file{.o} files, as long as:
15740
15741 @itemize @bullet
15742 @item
15743 the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols defined in
15744 that file, not to symbols defined by other object files,
15745 @item
15746 every section the file's symbolic information refers to has actually
15747 been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the file, and
15748 @item
15749 you can determine the address at which every section was loaded, and
15750 provide these to the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
15751 @end itemize
15752
15753 @noindent
15754 Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can load
15755 relocatable files into an already running program; such systems
15756 typically make the requirements above easy to meet. However, it's
15757 important to recognize that many native systems use complex link
15758 procedures (@code{.linkonce} section factoring and C@t{++} constructor table
15759 assembly, for example) that make the requirements difficult to meet. In
15760 general, one cannot assume that using @code{add-symbol-file} to read a
15761 relocatable object file's symbolic information will have the same effect
15762 as linking the relocatable object file into the program in the normal
15763 way.
15764
15765 @code{add-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
15766
15767 @kindex add-symbol-file-from-memory
15768 @cindex @code{syscall DSO}
15769 @cindex load symbols from memory
15770 @item add-symbol-file-from-memory @var{address}
15771 Load symbols from the given @var{address} in a dynamically loaded
15772 object file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
15773 For example, the Linux kernel maps a @code{syscall DSO} into each
15774 process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
15775 some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
15776 evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file header.
15777 For this command to work, you must have used @code{symbol-file} or
15778 @code{exec-file} commands in advance.
15779
15780 @kindex add-shared-symbol-files
15781 @kindex assf
15782 @item add-shared-symbol-files @var{library-file}
15783 @itemx assf @var{library-file}
15784 The @code{add-shared-symbol-files} command can currently be used only
15785 in the Cygwin build of @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows OS, where it is an
15786 alias for the @code{dll-symbols} command (@pxref{Cygwin Native}).
15787 @value{GDBN} automatically looks for shared libraries, however if
15788 @value{GDBN} does not find yours, you can invoke
15789 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}. It takes one argument: the shared
15790 library's file name. @code{assf} is a shorthand alias for
15791 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}.
15792
15793 @kindex section
15794 @item section @var{section} @var{addr}
15795 The @code{section} command changes the base address of the named
15796 @var{section} of the exec file to @var{addr}. This can be used if the
15797 exec file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the
15798 @code{a.out} format), or when the addresses specified in the file
15799 itself are wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The
15800 @code{info files} command, described below, lists all the sections and
15801 their addresses.
15802
15803 @kindex info files
15804 @kindex info target
15805 @item info files
15806 @itemx info target
15807 @code{info files} and @code{info target} are synonymous; both print the
15808 current target (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}),
15809 including the names of the executable and core dump files currently in
15810 use by @value{GDBN}, and the files from which symbols were loaded. The
15811 command @code{help target} lists all possible targets rather than
15812 current ones.
15813
15814 @kindex maint info sections
15815 @item maint info sections
15816 Another command that can give you extra information about program sections
15817 is @code{maint info sections}. In addition to the section information
15818 displayed by @code{info files}, this command displays the flags and file
15819 offset of each section in the executable and core dump files. In addition,
15820 @code{maint info sections} provides the following command options (which
15821 may be arbitrarily combined):
15822
15823 @table @code
15824 @item ALLOBJ
15825 Display sections for all loaded object files, including shared libraries.
15826 @item @var{sections}
15827 Display info only for named @var{sections}.
15828 @item @var{section-flags}
15829 Display info only for sections for which @var{section-flags} are true.
15830 The section flags that @value{GDBN} currently knows about are:
15831 @table @code
15832 @item ALLOC
15833 Section will have space allocated in the process when loaded.
15834 Set for all sections except those containing debug information.
15835 @item LOAD
15836 Section will be loaded from the file into the child process memory.
15837 Set for pre-initialized code and data, clear for @code{.bss} sections.
15838 @item RELOC
15839 Section needs to be relocated before loading.
15840 @item READONLY
15841 Section cannot be modified by the child process.
15842 @item CODE
15843 Section contains executable code only.
15844 @item DATA
15845 Section contains data only (no executable code).
15846 @item ROM
15847 Section will reside in ROM.
15848 @item CONSTRUCTOR
15849 Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
15850 @item HAS_CONTENTS
15851 Section is not empty.
15852 @item NEVER_LOAD
15853 An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
15854 @item COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY
15855 A notification to the linker that the section contains
15856 COFF shared library information.
15857 @item IS_COMMON
15858 Section contains common symbols.
15859 @end table
15860 @end table
15861 @kindex set trust-readonly-sections
15862 @cindex read-only sections
15863 @item set trust-readonly-sections on
15864 Tell @value{GDBN} that readonly sections in your object file
15865 really are read-only (i.e.@: that their contents will not change).
15866 In that case, @value{GDBN} can fetch values from these sections
15867 out of the object file, rather than from the target program.
15868 For some targets (notably embedded ones), this can be a significant
15869 enhancement to debugging performance.
15870
15871 The default is off.
15872
15873 @item set trust-readonly-sections off
15874 Tell @value{GDBN} not to trust readonly sections. This means that
15875 the contents of the section might change while the program is running,
15876 and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
15877
15878 @item show trust-readonly-sections
15879 Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
15880 @end table
15881
15882 All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file names
15883 as arguments. @value{GDBN} always converts the file name to an absolute file
15884 name and remembers it that way.
15885
15886 @cindex shared libraries
15887 @anchor{Shared Libraries}
15888 @value{GDBN} supports @sc{gnu}/Linux, MS-Windows, HP-UX, SunOS, SVr4, Irix,
15889 and IBM RS/6000 AIX shared libraries.
15890
15891 On MS-Windows @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support
15892 shared libraries. @xref{Expat}.
15893
15894 @value{GDBN} automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
15895 when you use the @code{run} command, or when you examine a core file.
15896 (Before you issue the @code{run} command, @value{GDBN} does not understand
15897 references to a function in a shared library, however---unless you are
15898 debugging a core file).
15899
15900 On HP-UX, if the program loads a library explicitly, @value{GDBN}
15901 automatically loads the symbols at the time of the @code{shl_load} call.
15902
15903 @c FIXME: some @value{GDBN} release may permit some refs to undef
15904 @c FIXME...symbols---eg in a break cmd---assuming they are from a shared
15905 @c FIXME...lib; check this from time to time when updating manual
15906
15907 There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
15908 symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
15909 particularly large or there are many of them.
15910
15911 To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
15912 commands:
15913
15914 @table @code
15915 @kindex set auto-solib-add
15916 @item set auto-solib-add @var{mode}
15917 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, symbols from all shared object libraries
15918 will be loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
15919 attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic linker
15920 informs @value{GDBN} that a new library has been loaded. If @var{mode}
15921 is @code{off}, symbols must be loaded manually, using the
15922 @code{sharedlibrary} command. The default value is @code{on}.
15923
15924 @cindex memory used for symbol tables
15925 If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
15926 takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the @value{GDBN}
15927 memory footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the
15928 symbols from shared libraries. To that end, type @kbd{set
15929 auto-solib-add off} before running the inferior, then load each
15930 library whose debug symbols you do need with @kbd{sharedlibrary
15931 @var{regexp}}, where @var{regexp} is a regular expression that matches
15932 the libraries whose symbols you want to be loaded.
15933
15934 @kindex show auto-solib-add
15935 @item show auto-solib-add
15936 Display the current autoloading mode.
15937 @end table
15938
15939 @cindex load shared library
15940 To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the @code{sharedlibrary}
15941 command:
15942
15943 @table @code
15944 @kindex info sharedlibrary
15945 @kindex info share
15946 @item info share @var{regex}
15947 @itemx info sharedlibrary @var{regex}
15948 Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded
15949 that match @var{regex}. If @var{regex} is omitted then print
15950 all shared libraries that are loaded.
15951
15952 @kindex sharedlibrary
15953 @kindex share
15954 @item sharedlibrary @var{regex}
15955 @itemx share @var{regex}
15956 Load shared object library symbols for files matching a
15957 Unix regular expression.
15958 As with files loaded automatically, it only loads shared libraries
15959 required by your program for a core file or after typing @code{run}. If
15960 @var{regex} is omitted all shared libraries required by your program are
15961 loaded.
15962
15963 @item nosharedlibrary
15964 @kindex nosharedlibrary
15965 @cindex unload symbols from shared libraries
15966 Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all symbols
15967 that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols from shared
15968 libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests are not
15969 discarded.
15970 @end table
15971
15972 Sometimes you may wish that @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control
15973 when any of shared library events happen. The best way to do this is
15974 to use @code{catch load} and @code{catch unload} (@pxref{Set
15975 Catchpoints}).
15976
15977 @value{GDBN} also supports the the @code{set stop-on-solib-events}
15978 command for this. This command exists for historical reasons. It is
15979 less useful than setting a catchpoint, because it does not allow for
15980 conditions or commands as a catchpoint does.
15981
15982 @table @code
15983 @item set stop-on-solib-events
15984 @kindex set stop-on-solib-events
15985 This command controls whether @value{GDBN} should give you control
15986 when the dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event.
15987 The most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
15988 shared library.
15989
15990 @item show stop-on-solib-events
15991 @kindex show stop-on-solib-events
15992 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control when shared
15993 library events happen.
15994 @end table
15995
15996 Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
15997 configurations. @value{GDBN} needs to have access to the target's libraries;
15998 this can be accomplished either by providing copies of the libraries
15999 on the host system, or by asking @value{GDBN} to automatically retrieve the
16000 libraries from the target. If copies of the target libraries are
16001 provided, they need to be the same as the target libraries, although the
16002 copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies on the host are
16003 not.
16004
16005 @cindex where to look for shared libraries
16006 For remote debugging, you need to tell @value{GDBN} where the target
16007 libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies---otherwise, it
16008 may try to load the host's libraries. @value{GDBN} has two variables
16009 to specify the search directories for target libraries.
16010
16011 @table @code
16012 @cindex prefix for shared library file names
16013 @cindex system root, alternate
16014 @kindex set solib-absolute-prefix
16015 @kindex set sysroot
16016 @item set sysroot @var{path}
16017 Use @var{path} as the system root for the program being debugged. Any
16018 absolute shared library paths will be prefixed with @var{path}; many
16019 runtime loaders store the absolute paths to the shared library in the
16020 target program's memory. If you use @code{set sysroot} to find shared
16021 libraries, they need to be laid out in the same way that they are on
16022 the target, with e.g.@: a @file{/lib} and @file{/usr/lib} hierarchy
16023 under @var{path}.
16024
16025 If @var{path} starts with the sequence @file{remote:}, @value{GDBN} will
16026 retrieve the target libraries from the remote system. This is only
16027 supported when using a remote target that supports the @code{remote get}
16028 command (@pxref{File Transfer,,Sending files to a remote system}).
16029 The part of @var{path} following the initial @file{remote:}
16030 (if present) is used as system root prefix on the remote file system.
16031 @footnote{If you want to specify a local system root using a directory
16032 that happens to be named @file{remote:}, you need to use some equivalent
16033 variant of the name like @file{./remote:}.}
16034
16035 For targets with an MS-DOS based filesystem, such as MS-Windows and
16036 SymbianOS, @value{GDBN} tries prefixing a few variants of the target
16037 absolute file name with @var{path}. But first, on Unix hosts,
16038 @value{GDBN} converts all backslash directory separators into forward
16039 slashes, because the backslash is not a directory separator on Unix:
16040
16041 @smallexample
16042 c:\foo\bar.dll @result{} c:/foo/bar.dll
16043 @end smallexample
16044
16045 Then, @value{GDBN} attempts prefixing the target file name with
16046 @var{path}, and looks for the resulting file name in the host file
16047 system:
16048
16049 @smallexample
16050 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c:/foo/bar.dll
16051 @end smallexample
16052
16053 If that does not find the shared library, @value{GDBN} tries removing
16054 the @samp{:} character from the drive spec, both for convenience, and,
16055 for the case of the host file system not supporting file names with
16056 colons:
16057
16058 @smallexample
16059 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c/foo/bar.dll
16060 @end smallexample
16061
16062 This makes it possible to have a system root that mirrors a target
16063 with more than one drive. E.g., you may want to setup your local
16064 copies of the target system shared libraries like so (note @samp{c} vs
16065 @samp{z}):
16066
16067 @smallexample
16068 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/foo.dll}
16069 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/bar.dll}
16070 @file{/path/to/sysroot/z/sys/bin/bar.dll}
16071 @end smallexample
16072
16073 @noindent
16074 and point the system root at @file{/path/to/sysroot}, so that
16075 @value{GDBN} can find the correct copies of both
16076 @file{c:\sys\bin\foo.dll}, and @file{z:\sys\bin\bar.dll}.
16077
16078 If that still does not find the shared library, @value{GDBN} tries
16079 removing the whole drive spec from the target file name:
16080
16081 @smallexample
16082 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/foo/bar.dll
16083 @end smallexample
16084
16085 This last lookup makes it possible to not care about the drive name,
16086 if you don't want or need to.
16087
16088 The @code{set solib-absolute-prefix} command is an alias for @code{set
16089 sysroot}.
16090
16091 @cindex default system root
16092 @cindex @samp{--with-sysroot}
16093 You can set the default system root by using the configure-time
16094 @samp{--with-sysroot} option. If the system root is inside
16095 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
16096 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default system root will be updated
16097 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
16098 location.
16099
16100 @kindex show sysroot
16101 @item show sysroot
16102 Display the current shared library prefix.
16103
16104 @kindex set solib-search-path
16105 @item set solib-search-path @var{path}
16106 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
16107 directories to search for shared libraries. @samp{solib-search-path}
16108 is used after @samp{sysroot} fails to locate the library, or if the
16109 path to the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want to
16110 use @samp{solib-search-path} instead of @samp{sysroot}, be sure to set
16111 @samp{sysroot} to a nonexistent directory to prevent @value{GDBN} from
16112 finding your host's libraries. @samp{sysroot} is preferred; setting
16113 it to a nonexistent directory may interfere with automatic loading
16114 of shared library symbols.
16115
16116 @kindex show solib-search-path
16117 @item show solib-search-path
16118 Display the current shared library search path.
16119
16120 @cindex DOS file-name semantics of file names.
16121 @kindex set target-file-system-kind (unix|dos-based|auto)
16122 @kindex show target-file-system-kind
16123 @item set target-file-system-kind @var{kind}
16124 Set assumed file system kind for target reported file names.
16125
16126 Shared library file names as reported by the target system may not
16127 make sense as is on the system @value{GDBN} is running on. For
16128 example, when remote debugging a target that has MS-DOS based file
16129 system semantics, from a Unix host, the target may be reporting to
16130 @value{GDBN} a list of loaded shared libraries with file names such as
16131 @file{c:\Windows\kernel32.dll}. On Unix hosts, there's no concept of
16132 drive letters, so the @samp{c:\} prefix is not normally understood as
16133 indicating an absolute file name, and neither is the backslash
16134 normally considered a directory separator character. In that case,
16135 the native file system would interpret this whole absolute file name
16136 as a relative file name with no directory components. This would make
16137 it impossible to point @value{GDBN} at a copy of the remote target's
16138 shared libraries on the host using @code{set sysroot}, and impractical
16139 with @code{set solib-search-path}. Setting
16140 @code{target-file-system-kind} to @code{dos-based} tells @value{GDBN}
16141 to interpret such file names similarly to how the target would, and to
16142 map them to file names valid on @value{GDBN}'s native file system
16143 semantics. The value of @var{kind} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition
16144 to one of the supported file system kinds. In that case, @value{GDBN}
16145 tries to determine the appropriate file system variant based on the
16146 current target's operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the
16147 Current ABI}). The supported file system settings are:
16148
16149 @table @code
16150 @item unix
16151 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is of Unix
16152 kind. Only file names starting the forward slash (@samp{/}) character
16153 are considered absolute, and the directory separator character is also
16154 the forward slash.
16155
16156 @item dos-based
16157 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is DOS based.
16158 File names starting with either a forward slash, or a drive letter
16159 followed by a colon (e.g., @samp{c:}), are considered absolute, and
16160 both the slash (@samp{/}) and the backslash (@samp{\\}) characters are
16161 considered directory separators.
16162
16163 @item auto
16164 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the file system kind associated with the
16165 target operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
16166 This is the default.
16167 @end table
16168 @end table
16169
16170 @cindex file name canonicalization
16171 @cindex base name differences
16172 When processing file names provided by the user, @value{GDBN}
16173 frequently needs to compare them to the file names recorded in the
16174 program's debug info. Normally, @value{GDBN} compares just the
16175 @dfn{base names} of the files as strings, which is reasonably fast
16176 even for very large programs. (The base name of a file is the last
16177 portion of its name, after stripping all the leading directories.)
16178 This shortcut in comparison is based upon the assumption that files
16179 cannot have more than one base name. This is usually true, but
16180 references to files that use symlinks or similar filesystem
16181 facilities violate that assumption. If your program records files
16182 using such facilities, or if you provide file names to @value{GDBN}
16183 using symlinks etc., you can set @code{basenames-may-differ} to
16184 @code{true} to instruct @value{GDBN} to completely canonicalize each
16185 pair of file names it needs to compare. This will make file-name
16186 comparisons accurate, but at a price of a significant slowdown.
16187
16188 @table @code
16189 @item set basenames-may-differ
16190 @kindex set basenames-may-differ
16191 Set whether a source file may have multiple base names.
16192
16193 @item show basenames-may-differ
16194 @kindex show basenames-may-differ
16195 Show whether a source file may have multiple base names.
16196 @end table
16197
16198 @node Separate Debug Files
16199 @section Debugging Information in Separate Files
16200 @cindex separate debugging information files
16201 @cindex debugging information in separate files
16202 @cindex @file{.debug} subdirectories
16203 @cindex debugging information directory, global
16204 @cindex global debugging information directory
16205 @cindex build ID, and separate debugging files
16206 @cindex @file{.build-id} directory
16207
16208 @value{GDBN} allows you to put a program's debugging information in a
16209 file separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows
16210 @value{GDBN} to find and load the debugging information automatically.
16211 Since debugging information can be very large---sometimes larger
16212 than the executable code itself---some systems distribute debugging
16213 information for their executables in separate files, which users can
16214 install only when they need to debug a problem.
16215
16216 @value{GDBN} supports two ways of specifying the separate debug info
16217 file:
16218
16219 @itemize @bullet
16220 @item
16221 The executable contains a @dfn{debug link} that specifies the name of
16222 the separate debug info file. The separate debug file's name is
16223 usually @file{@var{executable}.debug}, where @var{executable} is the
16224 name of the corresponding executable file without leading directories
16225 (e.g., @file{ls.debug} for @file{/usr/bin/ls}). In addition, the
16226 debug link specifies a 32-bit @dfn{Cyclic Redundancy Check} (CRC)
16227 checksum for the debug file, which @value{GDBN} uses to validate that
16228 the executable and the debug file came from the same build.
16229
16230 @item
16231 The executable contains a @dfn{build ID}, a unique bit string that is
16232 also present in the corresponding debug info file. (This is supported
16233 only on some operating systems, notably those which use the ELF format
16234 for binary files and the @sc{gnu} Binutils.) For more details about
16235 this feature, see the description of the @option{--build-id}
16236 command-line option in @ref{Options, , Command Line Options, ld.info,
16237 The GNU Linker}. The debug info file's name is not specified
16238 explicitly by the build ID, but can be computed from the build ID, see
16239 below.
16240 @end itemize
16241
16242 Depending on the way the debug info file is specified, @value{GDBN}
16243 uses two different methods of looking for the debug file:
16244
16245 @itemize @bullet
16246 @item
16247 For the ``debug link'' method, @value{GDBN} looks up the named file in
16248 the directory of the executable file, then in a subdirectory of that
16249 directory named @file{.debug}, and finally under the global debug
16250 directory, in a subdirectory whose name is identical to the leading
16251 directories of the executable's absolute file name.
16252
16253 @item
16254 For the ``build ID'' method, @value{GDBN} looks in the
16255 @file{.build-id} subdirectory of the global debug directory for a file
16256 named @file{@var{nn}/@var{nnnnnnnn}.debug}, where @var{nn} are the
16257 first 2 hex characters of the build ID bit string, and @var{nnnnnnnn}
16258 are the rest of the bit string. (Real build ID strings are 32 or more
16259 hex characters, not 10.)
16260 @end itemize
16261
16262 So, for example, suppose you ask @value{GDBN} to debug
16263 @file{/usr/bin/ls}, which has a debug link that specifies the
16264 file @file{ls.debug}, and a build ID whose value in hex is
16265 @code{abcdef1234}. If the global debug directory is
16266 @file{/usr/lib/debug}, then @value{GDBN} will look for the following
16267 debug information files, in the indicated order:
16268
16269 @itemize @minus
16270 @item
16271 @file{/usr/lib/debug/.build-id/ab/cdef1234.debug}
16272 @item
16273 @file{/usr/bin/ls.debug}
16274 @item
16275 @file{/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug}
16276 @item
16277 @file{/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug}.
16278 @end itemize
16279
16280 You can set the global debugging info directory's name, and view the
16281 name @value{GDBN} is currently using.
16282
16283 @table @code
16284
16285 @kindex set debug-file-directory
16286 @item set debug-file-directory @var{directories}
16287 Set the directories which @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
16288 information files to @var{directory}. Multiple directory components can be set
16289 concatenating them by a directory separator.
16290
16291 @kindex show debug-file-directory
16292 @item show debug-file-directory
16293 Show the directories @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
16294 information files.
16295
16296 @end table
16297
16298 @cindex @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections
16299 @cindex debug link sections
16300 A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
16301 @code{.gnu_debuglink}. The section must contain:
16302
16303 @itemize
16304 @item
16305 A filename, with any leading directory components removed, followed by
16306 a zero byte,
16307 @item
16308 zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next four-byte
16309 boundary within the section, and
16310 @item
16311 a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for the
16312 executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the debugging
16313 information file's full contents by the function given below, passing
16314 zero as the @var{crc} argument.
16315 @end itemize
16316
16317 Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
16318 contain a section named @code{.gnu_debuglink} with the contents
16319 described above.
16320
16321 @cindex @code{.note.gnu.build-id} sections
16322 @cindex build ID sections
16323 The build ID is a special section in the executable file (and in other
16324 ELF binary files that @value{GDBN} may consider). This section is
16325 often named @code{.note.gnu.build-id}, but that name is not mandatory.
16326 It contains unique identification for the built files---the ID remains
16327 the same across multiple builds of the same build tree. The default
16328 algorithm SHA1 produces 160 bits (40 hexadecimal characters) of the
16329 content for the build ID string. The same section with an identical
16330 value is present in the original built binary with symbols, in its
16331 stripped variant, and in the separate debugging information file.
16332
16333 The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
16334 executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
16335 debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
16336 should have the same names, addresses, and sizes as the original file,
16337 but they need not contain any data---much like a @code{.bss} section
16338 in an ordinary executable.
16339
16340 The @sc{gnu} binary utilities (Binutils) package includes the
16341 @samp{objcopy} utility that can produce
16342 the separated executable / debugging information file pairs using the
16343 following commands:
16344
16345 @smallexample
16346 @kbd{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.debug}
16347 @kbd{strip -g foo}
16348 @end smallexample
16349
16350 @noindent
16351 These commands remove the debugging
16352 information from the executable file @file{foo} and place it in the file
16353 @file{foo.debug}. You can use the first, second or both methods to link the
16354 two files:
16355
16356 @itemize @bullet
16357 @item
16358 The debug link method needs the following additional command to also leave
16359 behind a debug link in @file{foo}:
16360
16361 @smallexample
16362 @kbd{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.debug foo}
16363 @end smallexample
16364
16365 Ulrich Drepper's @file{elfutils} package, starting with version 0.53, contains
16366 a version of the @code{strip} command such that the command @kbd{strip foo -f
16367 foo.debug} has the same functionality as the two @code{objcopy} commands and
16368 the @code{ln -s} command above, together.
16369
16370 @item
16371 Build ID gets embedded into the main executable using @code{ld --build-id} or
16372 the @value{NGCC} counterpart @code{gcc -Wl,--build-id}. Build ID support plus
16373 compatibility fixes for debug files separation are present in @sc{gnu} binary
16374 utilities (Binutils) package since version 2.18.
16375 @end itemize
16376
16377 @noindent
16378
16379 @cindex CRC algorithm definition
16380 The CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink} is the CRC-32 defined in
16381 IEEE 802.3 using the polynomial:
16382
16383 @c TexInfo requires naked braces for multi-digit exponents for Tex
16384 @c output, but this causes HTML output to barf. HTML has to be set using
16385 @c raw commands. So we end up having to specify this equation in 2
16386 @c different ways!
16387 @ifhtml
16388 @display
16389 @html
16390 <em>x</em><sup>32</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>26</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>23</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>22</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>16</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>12</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>11</sup>
16391 + <em>x</em><sup>10</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>8</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>7</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>5</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>4</sup> + <em>x</em><sup>2</sup> + <em>x</em> + 1
16392 @end html
16393 @end display
16394 @end ifhtml
16395 @ifnothtml
16396 @display
16397 @math{x^{32} + x^{26} + x^{23} + x^{22} + x^{16} + x^{12} + x^{11}}
16398 @math{+ x^{10} + x^8 + x^7 + x^5 + x^4 + x^2 + x + 1}
16399 @end display
16400 @end ifnothtml
16401
16402 The function is computed byte at a time, taking the least
16403 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern
16404 @code{0xffffffff} is used, to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC and
16405 the final result is inverted to ensure trailing zeros also affect the
16406 CRC.
16407
16408 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC polynomial as used in handling the
16409 @dfn{Remote Serial Protocol} @code{qCRC} packet (@pxref{Remote Protocol,
16410 , @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol}). However in the
16411 case of the Remote Serial Protocol, the CRC is computed @emph{most}
16412 significant bit first, and the result is not inverted, so trailing
16413 zeros have no effect on the CRC value.
16414
16415 To complete the description, we show below the code of the function
16416 which produces the CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink}. Inverting the
16417 initially supplied @code{crc} argument means that an initial call to
16418 this function passing in zero will start computing the CRC using
16419 @code{0xffffffff}.
16420
16421 @kindex gnu_debuglink_crc32
16422 @smallexample
16423 unsigned long
16424 gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
16425 unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
16426 @{
16427 static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
16428 @{
16429 0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
16430 0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
16431 0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
16432 0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
16433 0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
16434 0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
16435 0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
16436 0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
16437 0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
16438 0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
16439 0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
16440 0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
16441 0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
16442 0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
16443 0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
16444 0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
16445 0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
16446 0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
16447 0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
16448 0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
16449 0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
16450 0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
16451 0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
16452 0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
16453 0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
16454 0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
16455 0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
16456 0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
16457 0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
16458 0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
16459 0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
16460 0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
16461 0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
16462 0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
16463 0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
16464 0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
16465 0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
16466 0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
16467 0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
16468 0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
16469 0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
16470 0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
16471 0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
16472 0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
16473 0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
16474 0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
16475 0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
16476 0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
16477 0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
16478 0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
16479 0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
16480 0x2d02ef8d
16481 @};
16482 unsigned char *end;
16483
16484 crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
16485 for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
16486 crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
16487 return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
16488 @}
16489 @end smallexample
16490
16491 @noindent
16492 This computation does not apply to the ``build ID'' method.
16493
16494
16495 @node Index Files
16496 @section Index Files Speed Up @value{GDBN}
16497 @cindex index files
16498 @cindex @samp{.gdb_index} section
16499
16500 When @value{GDBN} finds a symbol file, it scans the symbols in the
16501 file in order to construct an internal symbol table. This lets most
16502 @value{GDBN} operations work quickly---at the cost of a delay early
16503 on. For large programs, this delay can be quite lengthy, so
16504 @value{GDBN} provides a way to build an index, which speeds up
16505 startup.
16506
16507 The index is stored as a section in the symbol file. @value{GDBN} can
16508 write the index to a file, then you can put it into the symbol file
16509 using @command{objcopy}.
16510
16511 To create an index file, use the @code{save gdb-index} command:
16512
16513 @table @code
16514 @item save gdb-index @var{directory}
16515 @kindex save gdb-index
16516 Create an index file for each symbol file currently known by
16517 @value{GDBN}. Each file is named after its corresponding symbol file,
16518 with @samp{.gdb-index} appended, and is written into the given
16519 @var{directory}.
16520 @end table
16521
16522 Once you have created an index file you can merge it into your symbol
16523 file, here named @file{symfile}, using @command{objcopy}:
16524
16525 @smallexample
16526 $ objcopy --add-section .gdb_index=symfile.gdb-index \
16527 --set-section-flags .gdb_index=readonly symfile symfile
16528 @end smallexample
16529
16530 There are currently some limitation on indices. They only work when
16531 for DWARF debugging information, not stabs. And, they do not
16532 currently work for programs using Ada.
16533
16534 @node Symbol Errors
16535 @section Errors Reading Symbol Files
16536
16537 While reading a symbol file, @value{GDBN} occasionally encounters problems,
16538 such as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
16539 output. By default, @value{GDBN} does not notify you of such problems, since
16540 they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
16541 debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information
16542 about ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask @value{GDBN} to print
16543 only one message about each such type of problem, no matter how many
16544 times the problem occurs; or you can ask @value{GDBN} to print more messages,
16545 to see how many times the problems occur, with the @code{set
16546 complaints} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
16547 Messages}).
16548
16549 The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
16550
16551 @table @code
16552 @item inner block not inside outer block in @var{symbol}
16553
16554 The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
16555 (such as at the start of a function or a block of statements). This
16556 error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully contained
16557 in its outer scope blocks.
16558
16559 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it had
16560 the same scope as the outer block. In the error message, @var{symbol}
16561 may be shown as ``@code{(don't know)}'' if the outer block is not a
16562 function.
16563
16564 @item block at @var{address} out of order
16565
16566 The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
16567 order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does not
16568 do so.
16569
16570 @value{GDBN} does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble
16571 locating symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You
16572 can often determine what source file is affected by specifying
16573 @code{set verbose on}. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
16574 Messages}.)
16575
16576 @item bad block start address patched
16577
16578 The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
16579 smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is known
16580 to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
16581
16582 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
16583 starting on the previous source line.
16584
16585 @item bad string table offset in symbol @var{n}
16586
16587 @cindex foo
16588 Symbol number @var{n} contains a pointer into the string table which is
16589 larger than the size of the string table.
16590
16591 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
16592 name @code{foo}, which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
16593 with this name.
16594
16595 @item unknown symbol type @code{0x@var{nn}}
16596
16597 The symbol information contains new data types that @value{GDBN} does
16598 not yet know how to read. @code{0x@var{nn}} is the symbol type of the
16599 uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
16600
16601 @value{GDBN} circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
16602 This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain symbols
16603 are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and feel like
16604 debugging it, you can debug @code{@value{GDBP}} with itself, breakpoint
16605 on @code{complain}, then go up to the function @code{read_dbx_symtab}
16606 and examine @code{*bufp} to see the symbol.
16607
16608 @item stub type has NULL name
16609
16610 @value{GDBN} could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
16611
16612 @item const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got@dots{}
16613 The symbol information for a C@t{++} member function is missing some
16614 information that recent versions of the compiler should have output for
16615 it.
16616
16617 @item info mismatch between compiler and debugger
16618
16619 @value{GDBN} could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.
16620
16621 @end table
16622
16623 @node Data Files
16624 @section GDB Data Files
16625
16626 @cindex prefix for data files
16627 @value{GDBN} will sometimes read an auxiliary data file. These files
16628 are kept in a directory known as the @dfn{data directory}.
16629
16630 You can set the data directory's name, and view the name @value{GDBN}
16631 is currently using.
16632
16633 @table @code
16634 @kindex set data-directory
16635 @item set data-directory @var{directory}
16636 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files
16637 to @var{directory}.
16638
16639 @kindex show data-directory
16640 @item show data-directory
16641 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files.
16642 @end table
16643
16644 @cindex default data directory
16645 @cindex @samp{--with-gdb-datadir}
16646 You can set the default data directory by using the configure-time
16647 @samp{--with-gdb-datadir} option. If the data directory is inside
16648 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
16649 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default data directory will be updated
16650 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
16651 location.
16652
16653 The data directory may also be specified with the
16654 @code{--data-directory} command line option.
16655 @xref{Mode Options}.
16656
16657 @node Targets
16658 @chapter Specifying a Debugging Target
16659
16660 @cindex debugging target
16661 A @dfn{target} is the execution environment occupied by your program.
16662
16663 Often, @value{GDBN} runs in the same host environment as your program;
16664 in that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when
16665 you use the @code{file} or @code{core} commands. When you need more
16666 flexibility---for example, running @value{GDBN} on a physically separate
16667 host, or controlling a standalone system over a serial port or a
16668 realtime system over a TCP/IP connection---you can use the @code{target}
16669 command to specify one of the target types configured for @value{GDBN}
16670 (@pxref{Target Commands, ,Commands for Managing Targets}).
16671
16672 @cindex target architecture
16673 It is possible to build @value{GDBN} for several different @dfn{target
16674 architectures}. When @value{GDBN} is built like that, you can choose
16675 one of the available architectures with the @kbd{set architecture}
16676 command.
16677
16678 @table @code
16679 @kindex set architecture
16680 @kindex show architecture
16681 @item set architecture @var{arch}
16682 This command sets the current target architecture to @var{arch}. The
16683 value of @var{arch} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition to one of the
16684 supported architectures.
16685
16686 @item show architecture
16687 Show the current target architecture.
16688
16689 @item set processor
16690 @itemx processor
16691 @kindex set processor
16692 @kindex show processor
16693 These are alias commands for, respectively, @code{set architecture}
16694 and @code{show architecture}.
16695 @end table
16696
16697 @menu
16698 * Active Targets:: Active targets
16699 * Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
16700 * Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order
16701 @end menu
16702
16703 @node Active Targets
16704 @section Active Targets
16705
16706 @cindex stacking targets
16707 @cindex active targets
16708 @cindex multiple targets
16709
16710 There are multiple classes of targets such as: processes, executable files or
16711 recording sessions. Core files belong to the process class, making core file
16712 and process mutually exclusive. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} can work concurrently
16713 on multiple active targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for
16714 example) start a process and inspect its activity, while still having access to
16715 the executable file after the process finishes. Or if you start process
16716 recording (@pxref{Reverse Execution}) and @code{reverse-step} there, you are
16717 presented a virtual layer of the recording target, while the process target
16718 remains stopped at the chronologically last point of the process execution.
16719
16720 Use the @code{core-file} and @code{exec-file} commands to select a new core
16721 file or executable target (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}). To
16722 specify as a target a process that is already running, use the @code{attach}
16723 command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
16724
16725 @node Target Commands
16726 @section Commands for Managing Targets
16727
16728 @table @code
16729 @item target @var{type} @var{parameters}
16730 Connects the @value{GDBN} host environment to a target machine or
16731 process. A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
16732 facilities. You use the argument @var{type} to specify the type or
16733 protocol of the target machine.
16734
16735 Further @var{parameters} are interpreted by the target protocol, but
16736 typically include things like device names or host names to connect
16737 with, process numbers, and baud rates.
16738
16739 The @code{target} command does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again
16740 after executing the command.
16741
16742 @kindex help target
16743 @item help target
16744 Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
16745 currently selected, use either @code{info target} or @code{info files}
16746 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
16747
16748 @item help target @var{name}
16749 Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
16750 select it.
16751
16752 @kindex set gnutarget
16753 @item set gnutarget @var{args}
16754 @value{GDBN} uses its own library BFD to read your files. @value{GDBN}
16755 knows whether it is reading an @dfn{executable},
16756 a @dfn{core}, or a @dfn{.o} file; however, you can specify the file format
16757 with the @code{set gnutarget} command. Unlike most @code{target} commands,
16758 with @code{gnutarget} the @code{target} refers to a program, not a machine.
16759
16760 @quotation
16761 @emph{Warning:} To specify a file format with @code{set gnutarget},
16762 you must know the actual BFD name.
16763 @end quotation
16764
16765 @noindent
16766 @xref{Files, , Commands to Specify Files}.
16767
16768 @kindex show gnutarget
16769 @item show gnutarget
16770 Use the @code{show gnutarget} command to display what file format
16771 @code{gnutarget} is set to read. If you have not set @code{gnutarget},
16772 @value{GDBN} will determine the file format for each file automatically,
16773 and @code{show gnutarget} displays @samp{The current BDF target is "auto"}.
16774 @end table
16775
16776 @cindex common targets
16777 Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
16778 configuration):
16779
16780 @table @code
16781 @kindex target
16782 @item target exec @var{program}
16783 @cindex executable file target
16784 An executable file. @samp{target exec @var{program}} is the same as
16785 @samp{exec-file @var{program}}.
16786
16787 @item target core @var{filename}
16788 @cindex core dump file target
16789 A core dump file. @samp{target core @var{filename}} is the same as
16790 @samp{core-file @var{filename}}.
16791
16792 @item target remote @var{medium}
16793 @cindex remote target
16794 A remote system connected to @value{GDBN} via a serial line or network
16795 connection. This command tells @value{GDBN} to use its own remote
16796 protocol over @var{medium} for debugging. @xref{Remote Debugging}.
16797
16798 For example, if you have a board connected to @file{/dev/ttya} on the
16799 machine running @value{GDBN}, you could say:
16800
16801 @smallexample
16802 target remote /dev/ttya
16803 @end smallexample
16804
16805 @code{target remote} supports the @code{load} command. This is only
16806 useful if you have some other way of getting the stub to the target
16807 system, and you can put it somewhere in memory where it won't get
16808 clobbered by the download.
16809
16810 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
16811 @cindex built-in simulator target
16812 Builtin CPU simulator. @value{GDBN} includes simulators for most architectures.
16813 In general,
16814 @smallexample
16815 target sim
16816 load
16817 run
16818 @end smallexample
16819 @noindent
16820 works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map, device
16821 drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some simulators do
16822 provide these. For info about any processor-specific simulator details,
16823 see the appropriate section in @ref{Embedded Processors, ,Embedded
16824 Processors}.
16825
16826 @end table
16827
16828 Some configurations may include these targets as well:
16829
16830 @table @code
16831
16832 @item target nrom @var{dev}
16833 @cindex NetROM ROM emulator target
16834 NetROM ROM emulator. This target only supports downloading.
16835
16836 @end table
16837
16838 Different targets are available on different configurations of @value{GDBN};
16839 your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
16840
16841 Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code once
16842 you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to control
16843 various aspects of this process.
16844
16845 @table @code
16846
16847 @item set hash
16848 @kindex set hash@r{, for remote monitors}
16849 @cindex hash mark while downloading
16850 This command controls whether a hash mark @samp{#} is displayed while
16851 downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
16852 displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
16853 monitor.
16854
16855 @item show hash
16856 @kindex show hash@r{, for remote monitors}
16857 Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
16858
16859 @item set debug monitor
16860 @kindex set debug monitor
16861 @cindex display remote monitor communications
16862 Enable or disable display of communications messages between
16863 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
16864
16865 @item show debug monitor
16866 @kindex show debug monitor
16867 Show the current status of displaying communications between
16868 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
16869 @end table
16870
16871 @table @code
16872
16873 @kindex load @var{filename}
16874 @item load @var{filename}
16875 @anchor{load}
16876 Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
16877 @value{GDBN}, the @code{load} command may be available. Where it exists, it
16878 is meant to make @var{filename} (an executable) available for debugging
16879 on the remote system---by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
16880 @code{load} also records the @var{filename} symbol table in @value{GDBN}, like
16881 the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
16882
16883 If your @value{GDBN} does not have a @code{load} command, attempting to
16884 execute it gets the error message ``@code{You can't do that when your
16885 target is @dots{}}''
16886
16887 The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the executable.
16888 For some object file formats, you can specify the load address when you
16889 link the program; for other formats, like a.out, the object file format
16890 specifies a fixed address.
16891 @c FIXME! This would be a good place for an xref to the GNU linker doc.
16892
16893 Depending on the remote side capabilities, @value{GDBN} may be able to
16894 load programs into flash memory.
16895
16896 @code{load} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
16897 @end table
16898
16899 @node Byte Order
16900 @section Choosing Target Byte Order
16901
16902 @cindex choosing target byte order
16903 @cindex target byte order
16904
16905 Some types of processors, such as the MIPS, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
16906 offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
16907 orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
16908 designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about
16909 which to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust
16910 @value{GDBN}'s idea of processor endian-ness manually.
16911
16912 @table @code
16913 @kindex set endian
16914 @item set endian big
16915 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is big-endian.
16916
16917 @item set endian little
16918 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is little-endian.
16919
16920 @item set endian auto
16921 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the byte order associated with the
16922 executable.
16923
16924 @item show endian
16925 Display @value{GDBN}'s current idea of the target byte order.
16926
16927 @end table
16928
16929 Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
16930 data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the
16931 target system.
16932
16933
16934 @node Remote Debugging
16935 @chapter Debugging Remote Programs
16936 @cindex remote debugging
16937
16938 If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot run
16939 @value{GDBN} in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
16940 For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system kernel,
16941 or on a small system which does not have a general purpose operating system
16942 powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
16943
16944 Some configurations of @value{GDBN} have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
16945 to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition,
16946 @value{GDBN} comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to @value{GDBN},
16947 but not specific to any particular target system) which you can use if you
16948 write the remote stubs---the code that runs on the remote system to
16949 communicate with @value{GDBN}.
16950
16951 Other remote targets may be available in your
16952 configuration of @value{GDBN}; use @code{help target} to list them.
16953
16954 @menu
16955 * Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
16956 * File Transfer:: Sending files to a remote system
16957 * Server:: Using the gdbserver program
16958 * Remote Configuration:: Remote configuration
16959 * Remote Stub:: Implementing a remote stub
16960 @end menu
16961
16962 @node Connecting
16963 @section Connecting to a Remote Target
16964
16965 On the @value{GDBN} host machine, you will need an unstripped copy of
16966 your program, since @value{GDBN} needs symbol and debugging information.
16967 Start up @value{GDBN} as usual, using the name of the local copy of your
16968 program as the first argument.
16969
16970 @cindex @code{target remote}
16971 @value{GDBN} can communicate with the target over a serial line, or
16972 over an @acronym{IP} network using @acronym{TCP} or @acronym{UDP}. In
16973 each case, @value{GDBN} uses the same protocol for debugging your
16974 program; only the medium carrying the debugging packets varies. The
16975 @code{target remote} command establishes a connection to the target.
16976 Its arguments indicate which medium to use:
16977
16978 @table @code
16979
16980 @item target remote @var{serial-device}
16981 @cindex serial line, @code{target remote}
16982 Use @var{serial-device} to communicate with the target. For example,
16983 to use a serial line connected to the device named @file{/dev/ttyb}:
16984
16985 @smallexample
16986 target remote /dev/ttyb
16987 @end smallexample
16988
16989 If you're using a serial line, you may want to give @value{GDBN} the
16990 @w{@samp{--baud}} option, or use the @code{set remotebaud} command
16991 (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remotebaud}) before the
16992 @code{target} command.
16993
16994 @item target remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
16995 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
16996 @cindex @acronym{TCP} port, @code{target remote}
16997 Debug using a @acronym{TCP} connection to @var{port} on @var{host}.
16998 The @var{host} may be either a host name or a numeric @acronym{IP}
16999 address; @var{port} must be a decimal number. The @var{host} could be
17000 the target machine itself, if it is directly connected to the net, or
17001 it might be a terminal server which in turn has a serial line to the
17002 target.
17003
17004 For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
17005 @code{manyfarms}:
17006
17007 @smallexample
17008 target remote manyfarms:2828
17009 @end smallexample
17010
17011 If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as your
17012 debugger session (e.g.@: a simulator for your target running on the
17013 same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to connect to
17014 port 1234 on your local machine:
17015
17016 @smallexample
17017 target remote :1234
17018 @end smallexample
17019 @noindent
17020
17021 Note that the colon is still required here.
17022
17023 @item target remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
17024 @cindex @acronym{UDP} port, @code{target remote}
17025 Debug using @acronym{UDP} packets to @var{port} on @var{host}. For example, to
17026 connect to @acronym{UDP} port 2828 on a terminal server named @code{manyfarms}:
17027
17028 @smallexample
17029 target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
17030 @end smallexample
17031
17032 When using a @acronym{UDP} connection for remote debugging, you should
17033 keep in mind that the `U' stands for ``Unreliable''. @acronym{UDP}
17034 can silently drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will
17035 cause havoc with your debugging session.
17036
17037 @item target remote | @var{command}
17038 @cindex pipe, @code{target remote} to
17039 Run @var{command} in the background and communicate with it using a
17040 pipe. The @var{command} is a shell command, to be parsed and expanded
17041 by the system's command shell, @code{/bin/sh}; it should expect remote
17042 protocol packets on its standard input, and send replies on its
17043 standard output. You could use this to run a stand-alone simulator
17044 that speaks the remote debugging protocol, to make net connections
17045 using programs like @code{ssh}, or for other similar tricks.
17046
17047 If @var{command} closes its standard output (perhaps by exiting),
17048 @value{GDBN} will try to send it a @code{SIGTERM} signal. (If the
17049 program has already exited, this will have no effect.)
17050
17051 @end table
17052
17053 Once the connection has been established, you can use all the usual
17054 commands to examine and change data. The remote program is already
17055 running; you can use @kbd{step} and @kbd{continue}, and you do not
17056 need to use @kbd{run}.
17057
17058 @cindex interrupting remote programs
17059 @cindex remote programs, interrupting
17060 Whenever @value{GDBN} is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
17061 interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}), @value{GDBN} attempts to stop the
17062 program. This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware
17063 and the serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the
17064 interrupt character once again, @value{GDBN} displays this prompt:
17065
17066 @smallexample
17067 Interrupted while waiting for the program.
17068 Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
17069 @end smallexample
17070
17071 If you type @kbd{y}, @value{GDBN} abandons the remote debugging session.
17072 (If you decide you want to try again later, you can use @samp{target
17073 remote} again to connect once more.) If you type @kbd{n}, @value{GDBN}
17074 goes back to waiting.
17075
17076 @table @code
17077 @kindex detach (remote)
17078 @item detach
17079 When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use the
17080 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control.
17081 Detaching from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
17082 will depend on your particular remote stub. After the @code{detach}
17083 command, @value{GDBN} is free to connect to another target.
17084
17085 @kindex disconnect
17086 @item disconnect
17087 The @code{disconnect} command behaves like @code{detach}, except that
17088 the target is generally not resumed. It will wait for @value{GDBN}
17089 (this instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
17090 the @code{disconnect} command, @value{GDBN} is again free to connect to
17091 another target.
17092
17093 @cindex send command to remote monitor
17094 @cindex extend @value{GDBN} for remote targets
17095 @cindex add new commands for external monitor
17096 @kindex monitor
17097 @item monitor @var{cmd}
17098 This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
17099 remote monitor. Since @value{GDBN} doesn't care about the commands it
17100 sends like this, this command is the way to extend @value{GDBN}---you
17101 can add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
17102 and implement.
17103 @end table
17104
17105 @node File Transfer
17106 @section Sending files to a remote system
17107 @cindex remote target, file transfer
17108 @cindex file transfer
17109 @cindex sending files to remote systems
17110
17111 Some remote targets offer the ability to transfer files over the same
17112 connection used to communicate with @value{GDBN}. This is convenient
17113 for targets accessible through other means, e.g.@: @sc{gnu}/Linux systems
17114 running @code{gdbserver} over a network interface. For other targets,
17115 e.g.@: embedded devices with only a single serial port, this may be
17116 the only way to upload or download files.
17117
17118 Not all remote targets support these commands.
17119
17120 @table @code
17121 @kindex remote put
17122 @item remote put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
17123 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
17124 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
17125
17126 @kindex remote get
17127 @item remote get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
17128 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
17129 on the host system.
17130
17131 @kindex remote delete
17132 @item remote delete @var{targetfile}
17133 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
17134
17135 @end table
17136
17137 @node Server
17138 @section Using the @code{gdbserver} Program
17139
17140 @kindex gdbserver
17141 @cindex remote connection without stubs
17142 @code{gdbserver} is a control program for Unix-like systems, which
17143 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
17144 @code{target remote}---but without linking in the usual debugging stub.
17145
17146 @code{gdbserver} is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
17147 because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
17148 that @value{GDBN} itself does. In fact, a system that can run
17149 @code{gdbserver} to connect to a remote @value{GDBN} could also run
17150 @value{GDBN} locally! @code{gdbserver} is sometimes useful nevertheless,
17151 because it is a much smaller program than @value{GDBN} itself. It is
17152 also easier to port than all of @value{GDBN}, so you may be able to get
17153 started more quickly on a new system by using @code{gdbserver}.
17154 Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you may find that
17155 the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it more convenient to
17156 do as much development work as possible on another system, for example
17157 by cross-compiling. You can use @code{gdbserver} to make a similar
17158 choice for debugging.
17159
17160 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserver} communicate via either a serial line
17161 or a TCP connection, using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial
17162 protocol.
17163
17164 @quotation
17165 @emph{Warning:} @code{gdbserver} does not have any built-in security.
17166 Do not run @code{gdbserver} connected to any public network; a
17167 @value{GDBN} connection to @code{gdbserver} provides access to the
17168 target system with the same privileges as the user running
17169 @code{gdbserver}.
17170 @end quotation
17171
17172 @subsection Running @code{gdbserver}
17173 @cindex arguments, to @code{gdbserver}
17174 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, command-line arguments
17175
17176 Run @code{gdbserver} on the target system. You need a copy of the
17177 program you want to debug, including any libraries it requires.
17178 @code{gdbserver} does not need your program's symbol table, so you can
17179 strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the host
17180 system does all the symbol handling.
17181
17182 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with @value{GDBN};
17183 the name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
17184 syntax is:
17185
17186 @smallexample
17187 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
17188 @end smallexample
17189
17190 @var{comm} is either a device name (to use a serial line), or a TCP
17191 hostname and portnumber, or @code{-} or @code{stdio} to use
17192 stdin/stdout of @code{gdbserver}.
17193 For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
17194 @samp{foo.txt} and communicate with @value{GDBN} over the serial port
17195 @file{/dev/com1}:
17196
17197 @smallexample
17198 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
17199 @end smallexample
17200
17201 @code{gdbserver} waits passively for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate
17202 with it.
17203
17204 To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
17205
17206 @smallexample
17207 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
17208 @end smallexample
17209
17210 The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
17211 specifying that you are communicating with the host @value{GDBN} via
17212 TCP. The @samp{host:2345} argument means that @code{gdbserver} is to
17213 expect a TCP connection from machine @samp{host} to local TCP port 2345.
17214 (Currently, the @samp{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number
17215 you want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any
17216 TCP ports already in use on the target system (for example, @code{23} is
17217 reserved for @code{telnet}).@footnote{If you choose a port number that
17218 conflicts with another service, @code{gdbserver} prints an error message
17219 and exits.} You must use the same port number with the host @value{GDBN}
17220 @code{target remote} command.
17221
17222 The @code{stdio} connection is useful when starting @code{gdbserver}
17223 with ssh:
17224
17225 @smallexample
17226 (gdb) target remote | ssh -T hostname gdbserver - hello
17227 @end smallexample
17228
17229 The @samp{-T} option to ssh is provided because we don't need a remote pty,
17230 and we don't want escape-character handling. Ssh does this by default when
17231 a command is provided, the flag is provided to make it explicit.
17232 You could elide it if you want to.
17233
17234 Programs started with stdio-connected gdbserver have @file{/dev/null} for
17235 @code{stdin}, and @code{stdout},@code{stderr} are sent back to gdb for
17236 display through a pipe connected to gdbserver.
17237 Both @code{stdout} and @code{stderr} use the same pipe.
17238
17239 @subsubsection Attaching to a Running Program
17240 @cindex attach to a program, @code{gdbserver}
17241 @cindex @option{--attach}, @code{gdbserver} option
17242
17243 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
17244 This is accomplished via the @code{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
17245
17246 @smallexample
17247 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
17248 @end smallexample
17249
17250 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't necessary
17251 to point @code{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
17252
17253 @pindex pidof
17254 You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target has the
17255 @code{pidof} utility:
17256
17257 @smallexample
17258 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} `pidof @var{program}`
17259 @end smallexample
17260
17261 In case more than one copy of @var{program} is running, or @var{program}
17262 has multiple threads, most versions of @code{pidof} support the
17263 @code{-s} option to only return the first process ID.
17264
17265 @subsubsection Multi-Process Mode for @code{gdbserver}
17266 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, multiple processes
17267 @cindex multiple processes with @code{gdbserver}
17268
17269 When you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target remote},
17270 @code{gdbserver} debugs the specified program only once. When the
17271 program exits, or you detach from it, @value{GDBN} closes the connection
17272 and @code{gdbserver} exits.
17273
17274 If you connect using @kbd{target extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver}
17275 enters multi-process mode. When the debugged program exits, or you
17276 detach from it, @value{GDBN} stays connected to @code{gdbserver} even
17277 though no program is running. The @code{run} and @code{attach}
17278 commands instruct @code{gdbserver} to run or attach to a new program.
17279 The @code{run} command uses @code{set remote exec-file} (@pxref{set
17280 remote exec-file}) to select the program to run. Command line
17281 arguments are supported, except for wildcard expansion and I/O
17282 redirection (@pxref{Arguments}).
17283
17284 @cindex @option{--multi}, @code{gdbserver} option
17285 To start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
17286 or process ID to attach, use the @option{--multi} command line option.
17287 Then you can connect using @kbd{target extended-remote} and start
17288 the program you want to debug.
17289
17290 In multi-process mode @code{gdbserver} does not automatically exit unless you
17291 use the option @option{--once}. You can terminate it by using
17292 @code{monitor exit} (@pxref{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}). Note that the
17293 conditions under which @code{gdbserver} terminates depend on how @value{GDBN}
17294 connects to it (@kbd{target remote} or @kbd{target extended-remote}). The
17295 @option{--multi} option to @code{gdbserver} has no influence on that.
17296
17297 @subsubsection TCP port allocation lifecycle of @code{gdbserver}
17298
17299 This section applies only when @code{gdbserver} is run to listen on a TCP port.
17300
17301 @code{gdbserver} normally terminates after all of its debugged processes have
17302 terminated in @kbd{target remote} mode. On the other hand, for @kbd{target
17303 extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver} stays running even with no processes left.
17304 @value{GDBN} normally terminates the spawned debugged process on its exit,
17305 which normally also terminates @code{gdbserver} in the @kbd{target remote}
17306 mode. Therefore, when the connection drops unexpectedly, and @value{GDBN}
17307 cannot ask @code{gdbserver} to kill its debugged processes, @code{gdbserver}
17308 stays running even in the @kbd{target remote} mode.
17309
17310 When @code{gdbserver} stays running, @value{GDBN} can connect to it again later.
17311 Such reconnecting is useful for features like @ref{disconnected tracing}. For
17312 completeness, at most one @value{GDBN} can be connected at a time.
17313
17314 @cindex @option{--once}, @code{gdbserver} option
17315 By default, @code{gdbserver} keeps the listening TCP port open, so that
17316 additional connections are possible. However, if you start @code{gdbserver}
17317 with the @option{--once} option, it will stop listening for any further
17318 connection attempts after connecting to the first @value{GDBN} session. This
17319 means no further connections to @code{gdbserver} will be possible after the
17320 first one. It also means @code{gdbserver} will terminate after the first
17321 connection with remote @value{GDBN} has closed, even for unexpectedly closed
17322 connections and even in the @kbd{target extended-remote} mode. The
17323 @option{--once} option allows reusing the same port number for connecting to
17324 multiple instances of @code{gdbserver} running on the same host, since each
17325 instance closes its port after the first connection.
17326
17327 @subsubsection Other Command-Line Arguments for @code{gdbserver}
17328
17329 @cindex @option{--debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
17330 The @option{--debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display extra
17331 status information about the debugging process.
17332 @cindex @option{--remote-debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
17333 The @option{--remote-debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display
17334 remote protocol debug output. These options are intended for
17335 @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to the developers.
17336
17337 @cindex @option{--wrapper}, @code{gdbserver} option
17338 The @option{--wrapper} option specifies a wrapper to launch programs
17339 for debugging. The option should be followed by the name of the
17340 wrapper, then any command-line arguments to pass to the wrapper, then
17341 @kbd{--} indicating the end of the wrapper arguments.
17342
17343 @code{gdbserver} runs the specified wrapper program with a combined
17344 command line including the wrapper arguments, then the name of the
17345 program to debug, then any arguments to the program. The wrapper
17346 runs until it executes your program, and then @value{GDBN} gains control.
17347
17348 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
17349 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
17350 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
17351 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
17352
17353 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
17354 the debugged program, without setting the variable in @code{gdbserver}'s
17355 environment:
17356
17357 @smallexample
17358 $ gdbserver --wrapper env LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so -- :2222 ./testprog
17359 @end smallexample
17360
17361 @subsection Connecting to @code{gdbserver}
17362
17363 Run @value{GDBN} on the host system.
17364
17365 First make sure you have the necessary symbol files. Load symbols for
17366 your application using the @code{file} command before you connect. Use
17367 @code{set sysroot} to locate target libraries (unless your @value{GDBN}
17368 was compiled with the correct sysroot using @code{--with-sysroot}).
17369
17370 The symbol file and target libraries must exactly match the executable
17371 and libraries on the target, with one exception: the files on the host
17372 system should not be stripped, even if the files on the target system
17373 are. Mismatched or missing files will lead to confusing results
17374 during debugging. On @sc{gnu}/Linux targets, mismatched or missing
17375 files may also prevent @code{gdbserver} from debugging multi-threaded
17376 programs.
17377
17378 Connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
17379 For TCP connections, you must start up @code{gdbserver} prior to using
17380 the @code{target remote} command. Otherwise you may get an error whose
17381 text depends on the host system, but which usually looks something like
17382 @samp{Connection refused}. Don't use the @code{load}
17383 command in @value{GDBN} when using @code{gdbserver}, since the program is
17384 already on the target.
17385
17386 @subsection Monitor Commands for @code{gdbserver}
17387 @cindex monitor commands, for @code{gdbserver}
17388 @anchor{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}
17389
17390 During a @value{GDBN} session using @code{gdbserver}, you can use the
17391 @code{monitor} command to send special requests to @code{gdbserver}.
17392 Here are the available commands.
17393
17394 @table @code
17395 @item monitor help
17396 List the available monitor commands.
17397
17398 @item monitor set debug 0
17399 @itemx monitor set debug 1
17400 Disable or enable general debugging messages.
17401
17402 @item monitor set remote-debug 0
17403 @itemx monitor set remote-debug 1
17404 Disable or enable specific debugging messages associated with the remote
17405 protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}).
17406
17407 @item monitor set libthread-db-search-path [PATH]
17408 @cindex gdbserver, search path for @code{libthread_db}
17409 When this command is issued, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
17410 directories to search for @code{libthread_db} (@pxref{Threads,,set
17411 libthread-db-search-path}). If you omit @var{path},
17412 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to its default value.
17413
17414 The special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path} is
17415 not supported in @code{gdbserver}.
17416
17417 @item monitor exit
17418 Tell gdbserver to exit immediately. This command should be followed by
17419 @code{disconnect} to close the debugging session. @code{gdbserver} will
17420 detach from any attached processes and kill any processes it created.
17421 Use @code{monitor exit} to terminate @code{gdbserver} at the end
17422 of a multi-process mode debug session.
17423
17424 @end table
17425
17426 @subsection Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
17427 @cindex tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
17428
17429 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints, fast
17430 tracepoints and static tracepoints.
17431
17432 For fast or static tracepoints to work, a special library called the
17433 @dfn{in-process agent} (IPA), must be loaded in the inferior process.
17434 This library is built and distributed as an integral part of
17435 @code{gdbserver}. In addition, support for static tracepoints
17436 requires building the in-process agent library with static tracepoints
17437 support. At present, the UST (LTTng Userspace Tracer,
17438 @url{http://lttng.org/ust}) tracing engine is supported. This support
17439 is automatically available if UST development headers are found in the
17440 standard include path when @code{gdbserver} is built, or if
17441 @code{gdbserver} was explicitly configured using @option{--with-ust}
17442 to point at such headers. You can explicitly disable the support
17443 using @option{--with-ust=no}.
17444
17445 There are several ways to load the in-process agent in your program:
17446
17447 @table @code
17448 @item Specifying it as dependency at link time
17449
17450 You can link your program dynamically with the in-process agent
17451 library. On most systems, this is accomplished by adding
17452 @code{-linproctrace} to the link command.
17453
17454 @item Using the system's preloading mechanisms
17455
17456 You can force loading the in-process agent at startup time by using
17457 your system's support for preloading shared libraries. Many Unixes
17458 support the concept of preloading user defined libraries. In most
17459 cases, you do that by specifying @code{LD_PRELOAD=libinproctrace.so}
17460 in the environment. See also the description of @code{gdbserver}'s
17461 @option{--wrapper} command line option.
17462
17463 @item Using @value{GDBN} to force loading the agent at run time
17464
17465 On some systems, you can force the inferior to load a shared library,
17466 by calling a dynamic loader function in the inferior that takes care
17467 of dynamically looking up and loading a shared library. On most Unix
17468 systems, the function is @code{dlopen}. You'll use the @code{call}
17469 command for that. For example:
17470
17471 @smallexample
17472 (@value{GDBP}) call dlopen ("libinproctrace.so", ...)
17473 @end smallexample
17474
17475 Note that on most Unix systems, for the @code{dlopen} function to be
17476 available, the program needs to be linked with @code{-ldl}.
17477 @end table
17478
17479 On systems that have a userspace dynamic loader, like most Unix
17480 systems, when you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target
17481 remote}, you'll find that the program is stopped at the dynamic
17482 loader's entry point, and no shared library has been loaded in the
17483 program's address space yet, including the in-process agent. In that
17484 case, before being able to use any of the fast or static tracepoints
17485 features, you need to let the loader run and load the shared
17486 libraries. The simplest way to do that is to run the program to the
17487 main procedure. E.g., if debugging a C or C@t{++} program, start
17488 @code{gdbserver} like so:
17489
17490 @smallexample
17491 $ gdbserver :9999 myprogram
17492 @end smallexample
17493
17494 Start GDB and connect to @code{gdbserver} like so, and run to main:
17495
17496 @smallexample
17497 $ gdb myprogram
17498 (@value{GDBP}) target remote myhost:9999
17499 0x00007f215893ba60 in ?? () from /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
17500 (@value{GDBP}) b main
17501 (@value{GDBP}) continue
17502 @end smallexample
17503
17504 The in-process tracing agent library should now be loaded into the
17505 process; you can confirm it with the @code{info sharedlibrary}
17506 command, which will list @file{libinproctrace.so} as loaded in the
17507 process. You are now ready to install fast tracepoints, list static
17508 tracepoint markers, probe static tracepoints markers, and start
17509 tracing.
17510
17511 @node Remote Configuration
17512 @section Remote Configuration
17513
17514 @kindex set remote
17515 @kindex show remote
17516 This section documents the configuration options available when
17517 debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
17518 extensions of the remote protocol, see @ref{system,
17519 system-call-allowed}.
17520
17521 @table @code
17522 @item set remoteaddresssize @var{bits}
17523 @cindex address size for remote targets
17524 @cindex bits in remote address
17525 Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
17526 number of bits. @value{GDBN} will mask off the address bits above
17527 that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
17528 default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
17529
17530 @item show remoteaddresssize
17531 Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
17532
17533 @item set remotebaud @var{n}
17534 @cindex baud rate for remote targets
17535 Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to @var{n} baud. The
17536 value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
17537 remote targets.
17538
17539 @item show remotebaud
17540 Show the current speed of the remote connection.
17541
17542 @item set remotebreak
17543 @cindex interrupt remote programs
17544 @cindex BREAK signal instead of Ctrl-C
17545 @anchor{set remotebreak}
17546 If set to on, @value{GDBN} sends a @code{BREAK} signal to the remote
17547 when you type @kbd{Ctrl-c} to interrupt the program running
17548 on the remote. If set to off, @value{GDBN} sends the @samp{Ctrl-C}
17549 character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems
17550 expect to see @samp{Ctrl-C} as the interrupt signal.
17551
17552 @item show remotebreak
17553 Show whether @value{GDBN} sends @code{BREAK} or @samp{Ctrl-C} to
17554 interrupt the remote program.
17555
17556 @item set remoteflow on
17557 @itemx set remoteflow off
17558 @kindex set remoteflow
17559 Enable or disable hardware flow control (@code{RTS}/@code{CTS})
17560 on the serial port used to communicate to the remote target.
17561
17562 @item show remoteflow
17563 @kindex show remoteflow
17564 Show the current setting of hardware flow control.
17565
17566 @item set remotelogbase @var{base}
17567 Set the base (a.k.a.@: radix) of logging serial protocol
17568 communications to @var{base}. Supported values of @var{base} are:
17569 @code{ascii}, @code{octal}, and @code{hex}. The default is
17570 @code{ascii}.
17571
17572 @item show remotelogbase
17573 Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
17574 protocol.
17575
17576 @item set remotelogfile @var{file}
17577 @cindex record serial communications on file
17578 Record remote serial communications on the named @var{file}. The
17579 default is not to record at all.
17580
17581 @item show remotelogfile.
17582 Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
17583 serial communications.
17584
17585 @item set remotetimeout @var{num}
17586 @cindex timeout for serial communications
17587 @cindex remote timeout
17588 Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
17589 @var{num} seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
17590
17591 @item show remotetimeout
17592 Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
17593 responses.
17594
17595 @cindex limit hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
17596 @cindex remote target, limit break- and watchpoints
17597 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}
17598 @anchor{set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit}
17599 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit @var{limit}
17600 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit @var{limit}
17601 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} remote hardware breakpoint or
17602 watchpoints. A limit of -1, the default, is treated as unlimited.
17603
17604 @cindex limit hardware watchpoints length
17605 @cindex remote target, limit watchpoints length
17606 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit}
17607 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit @var{limit}
17608 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} bytes for the maximum length of
17609 a remote hardware watchpoint. A limit of -1, the default, is treated
17610 as unlimited.
17611
17612 @item show remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit
17613 Show the current limit (in bytes) of the maximum length of
17614 a remote hardware watchpoint.
17615
17616 @item set remote exec-file @var{filename}
17617 @itemx show remote exec-file
17618 @anchor{set remote exec-file}
17619 @cindex executable file, for remote target
17620 Select the file used for @code{run} with @code{target
17621 extended-remote}. This should be set to a filename valid on the
17622 target system. If it is not set, the target will use a default
17623 filename (e.g.@: the last program run).
17624
17625 @item set remote interrupt-sequence
17626 @cindex interrupt remote programs
17627 @cindex select Ctrl-C, BREAK or BREAK-g
17628 Allow the user to select one of @samp{Ctrl-C}, a @code{BREAK} or
17629 @samp{BREAK-g} as the
17630 sequence to the remote target in order to interrupt the execution.
17631 @samp{Ctrl-C} is a default. Some system prefers @code{BREAK} which
17632 is high level of serial line for some certain time.
17633 Linux kernel prefers @samp{BREAK-g}, a.k.a Magic SysRq g.
17634 It is @code{BREAK} signal followed by character @code{g}.
17635
17636 @item show interrupt-sequence
17637 Show which of @samp{Ctrl-C}, @code{BREAK} or @code{BREAK-g}
17638 is sent by @value{GDBN} to interrupt the remote program.
17639 @code{BREAK-g} is BREAK signal followed by @code{g} and
17640 also known as Magic SysRq g.
17641
17642 @item set remote interrupt-on-connect
17643 @cindex send interrupt-sequence on start
17644 Specify whether interrupt-sequence is sent to remote target when
17645 @value{GDBN} connects to it. This is mostly needed when you debug
17646 Linux kernel. Linux kernel expects @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g}
17647 which is known as Magic SysRq g in order to connect @value{GDBN}.
17648
17649 @item show interrupt-on-connect
17650 Show whether interrupt-sequence is sent
17651 to remote target when @value{GDBN} connects to it.
17652
17653 @kindex set tcp
17654 @kindex show tcp
17655 @item set tcp auto-retry on
17656 @cindex auto-retry, for remote TCP target
17657 Enable auto-retry for remote TCP connections. This is useful if the remote
17658 debugging agent is launched in parallel with @value{GDBN}; there is a race
17659 condition because the agent may not become ready to accept the connection
17660 before @value{GDBN} attempts to connect. When auto-retry is
17661 enabled, if the initial attempt to connect fails, @value{GDBN} reattempts
17662 to establish the connection using the timeout specified by
17663 @code{set tcp connect-timeout}.
17664
17665 @item set tcp auto-retry off
17666 Do not auto-retry failed TCP connections.
17667
17668 @item show tcp auto-retry
17669 Show the current auto-retry setting.
17670
17671 @item set tcp connect-timeout @var{seconds}
17672 @cindex connection timeout, for remote TCP target
17673 @cindex timeout, for remote target connection
17674 Set the timeout for establishing a TCP connection to the remote target to
17675 @var{seconds}. The timeout affects both polling to retry failed connections
17676 (enabled by @code{set tcp auto-retry on}) and waiting for connections
17677 that are merely slow to complete, and represents an approximate cumulative
17678 value.
17679
17680 @item show tcp connect-timeout
17681 Show the current connection timeout setting.
17682 @end table
17683
17684 @cindex remote packets, enabling and disabling
17685 The @value{GDBN} remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by
17686 your debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you
17687 can use these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each
17688 packet can be set to @samp{on} (the remote target supports this
17689 packet), @samp{off} (the remote target does not support this packet),
17690 or @samp{auto} (detect remote target support for this packet). They
17691 all default to @samp{auto}. For more information about each packet,
17692 see @ref{Remote Protocol}.
17693
17694 During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands.
17695 If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug
17696 in @value{GDBN}. You may want to report the problem to the
17697 @value{GDBN} developers.
17698
17699 For each packet @var{name}, the command to enable or disable the
17700 packet is @code{set remote @var{name}-packet}. The available settings
17701 are:
17702
17703 @multitable @columnfractions 0.28 0.32 0.25
17704 @item Command Name
17705 @tab Remote Packet
17706 @tab Related Features
17707
17708 @item @code{fetch-register}
17709 @tab @code{p}
17710 @tab @code{info registers}
17711
17712 @item @code{set-register}
17713 @tab @code{P}
17714 @tab @code{set}
17715
17716 @item @code{binary-download}
17717 @tab @code{X}
17718 @tab @code{load}, @code{set}
17719
17720 @item @code{read-aux-vector}
17721 @tab @code{qXfer:auxv:read}
17722 @tab @code{info auxv}
17723
17724 @item @code{symbol-lookup}
17725 @tab @code{qSymbol}
17726 @tab Detecting multiple threads
17727
17728 @item @code{attach}
17729 @tab @code{vAttach}
17730 @tab @code{attach}
17731
17732 @item @code{verbose-resume}
17733 @tab @code{vCont}
17734 @tab Stepping or resuming multiple threads
17735
17736 @item @code{run}
17737 @tab @code{vRun}
17738 @tab @code{run}
17739
17740 @item @code{software-breakpoint}
17741 @tab @code{Z0}
17742 @tab @code{break}
17743
17744 @item @code{hardware-breakpoint}
17745 @tab @code{Z1}
17746 @tab @code{hbreak}
17747
17748 @item @code{write-watchpoint}
17749 @tab @code{Z2}
17750 @tab @code{watch}
17751
17752 @item @code{read-watchpoint}
17753 @tab @code{Z3}
17754 @tab @code{rwatch}
17755
17756 @item @code{access-watchpoint}
17757 @tab @code{Z4}
17758 @tab @code{awatch}
17759
17760 @item @code{target-features}
17761 @tab @code{qXfer:features:read}
17762 @tab @code{set architecture}
17763
17764 @item @code{library-info}
17765 @tab @code{qXfer:libraries:read}
17766 @tab @code{info sharedlibrary}
17767
17768 @item @code{memory-map}
17769 @tab @code{qXfer:memory-map:read}
17770 @tab @code{info mem}
17771
17772 @item @code{read-sdata-object}
17773 @tab @code{qXfer:sdata:read}
17774 @tab @code{print $_sdata}
17775
17776 @item @code{read-spu-object}
17777 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:read}
17778 @tab @code{info spu}
17779
17780 @item @code{write-spu-object}
17781 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:write}
17782 @tab @code{info spu}
17783
17784 @item @code{read-siginfo-object}
17785 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:read}
17786 @tab @code{print $_siginfo}
17787
17788 @item @code{write-siginfo-object}
17789 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:write}
17790 @tab @code{set $_siginfo}
17791
17792 @item @code{threads}
17793 @tab @code{qXfer:threads:read}
17794 @tab @code{info threads}
17795
17796 @item @code{get-thread-local-@*storage-address}
17797 @tab @code{qGetTLSAddr}
17798 @tab Displaying @code{__thread} variables
17799
17800 @item @code{get-thread-information-block-address}
17801 @tab @code{qGetTIBAddr}
17802 @tab Display MS-Windows Thread Information Block.
17803
17804 @item @code{search-memory}
17805 @tab @code{qSearch:memory}
17806 @tab @code{find}
17807
17808 @item @code{supported-packets}
17809 @tab @code{qSupported}
17810 @tab Remote communications parameters
17811
17812 @item @code{pass-signals}
17813 @tab @code{QPassSignals}
17814 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
17815
17816 @item @code{program-signals}
17817 @tab @code{QProgramSignals}
17818 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
17819
17820 @item @code{hostio-close-packet}
17821 @tab @code{vFile:close}
17822 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
17823
17824 @item @code{hostio-open-packet}
17825 @tab @code{vFile:open}
17826 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
17827
17828 @item @code{hostio-pread-packet}
17829 @tab @code{vFile:pread}
17830 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
17831
17832 @item @code{hostio-pwrite-packet}
17833 @tab @code{vFile:pwrite}
17834 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
17835
17836 @item @code{hostio-unlink-packet}
17837 @tab @code{vFile:unlink}
17838 @tab @code{remote delete}
17839
17840 @item @code{hostio-readlink-packet}
17841 @tab @code{vFile:readlink}
17842 @tab Host I/O
17843
17844 @item @code{noack-packet}
17845 @tab @code{QStartNoAckMode}
17846 @tab Packet acknowledgment
17847
17848 @item @code{osdata}
17849 @tab @code{qXfer:osdata:read}
17850 @tab @code{info os}
17851
17852 @item @code{query-attached}
17853 @tab @code{qAttached}
17854 @tab Querying remote process attach state.
17855
17856 @item @code{traceframe-info}
17857 @tab @code{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
17858 @tab Traceframe info
17859
17860 @item @code{install-in-trace}
17861 @tab @code{InstallInTrace}
17862 @tab Install tracepoint in tracing
17863
17864 @item @code{disable-randomization}
17865 @tab @code{QDisableRandomization}
17866 @tab @code{set disable-randomization}
17867
17868 @item @code{conditional-breakpoints-packet}
17869 @tab @code{Z0 and Z1}
17870 @tab @code{Support for target-side breakpoint condition evaluation}
17871 @end multitable
17872
17873 @node Remote Stub
17874 @section Implementing a Remote Stub
17875
17876 @cindex debugging stub, example
17877 @cindex remote stub, example
17878 @cindex stub example, remote debugging
17879 The stub files provided with @value{GDBN} implement the target side of the
17880 communication protocol, and the @value{GDBN} side is implemented in the
17881 @value{GDBN} source file @file{remote.c}. Normally, you can simply allow
17882 these subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
17883 implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
17884 with one of the existing stub files. @file{sparc-stub.c} is the best
17885 organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
17886
17887 @cindex remote serial debugging, overview
17888 To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
17889 @dfn{target} machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
17890 prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
17891 program, you need:
17892
17893 @enumerate
17894 @item
17895 A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these usually
17896 have a name like @file{crt0}. The startup routine may be supplied by
17897 your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your own.
17898
17899 @item
17900 A C subroutine library to support your program's
17901 subroutine calls, notably managing input and output.
17902
17903 @item
17904 A way of getting your program to the other machine---for example, a
17905 download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
17906 manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
17907 documentation.
17908 @end enumerate
17909
17910 The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
17911 communicate with the machine where @value{GDBN} is running (the @dfn{host}
17912 machine). In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
17913
17914 @table @emph
17915 @item On the host,
17916 @value{GDBN} already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
17917 else is set up, you can simply use the @samp{target remote} command
17918 (@pxref{Targets,,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
17919
17920 @item On the target,
17921 you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines that
17922 implement the @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol. The file containing these
17923 subroutines is called a @dfn{debugging stub}.
17924
17925 On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
17926 @code{gdbserver} instead of linking a stub into your program.
17927 @xref{Server,,Using the @code{gdbserver} Program}, for details.
17928 @end table
17929
17930 The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
17931 machine; for example, use @file{sparc-stub.c} to debug programs on
17932 @sc{sparc} boards.
17933
17934 @cindex remote serial stub list
17935 These working remote stubs are distributed with @value{GDBN}:
17936
17937 @table @code
17938
17939 @item i386-stub.c
17940 @cindex @file{i386-stub.c}
17941 @cindex Intel
17942 @cindex i386
17943 For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
17944
17945 @item m68k-stub.c
17946 @cindex @file{m68k-stub.c}
17947 @cindex Motorola 680x0
17948 @cindex m680x0
17949 For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
17950
17951 @item sh-stub.c
17952 @cindex @file{sh-stub.c}
17953 @cindex Renesas
17954 @cindex SH
17955 For Renesas SH architectures.
17956
17957 @item sparc-stub.c
17958 @cindex @file{sparc-stub.c}
17959 @cindex Sparc
17960 For @sc{sparc} architectures.
17961
17962 @item sparcl-stub.c
17963 @cindex @file{sparcl-stub.c}
17964 @cindex Fujitsu
17965 @cindex SparcLite
17966 For Fujitsu @sc{sparclite} architectures.
17967
17968 @end table
17969
17970 The @file{README} file in the @value{GDBN} distribution may list other
17971 recently added stubs.
17972
17973 @menu
17974 * Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
17975 * Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
17976 * Debug Session:: Putting it all together
17977 @end menu
17978
17979 @node Stub Contents
17980 @subsection What the Stub Can Do for You
17981
17982 @cindex remote serial stub
17983 The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
17984 subroutines:
17985
17986 @table @code
17987 @item set_debug_traps
17988 @findex set_debug_traps
17989 @cindex remote serial stub, initialization
17990 This routine arranges for @code{handle_exception} to run when your
17991 program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly in your
17992 program's startup code.
17993
17994 @item handle_exception
17995 @findex handle_exception
17996 @cindex remote serial stub, main routine
17997 This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
17998 explicitly---the setup code arranges for @code{handle_exception} to
17999 run when a trap is triggered.
18000
18001 @code{handle_exception} takes control when your program stops during
18002 execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates communications
18003 with @value{GDBN} on the host machine. This is where the communications
18004 protocol is implemented; @code{handle_exception} acts as the @value{GDBN}
18005 representative on the target machine. It begins by sending summary
18006 information on the state of your program, then continues to execute,
18007 retrieving and transmitting any information @value{GDBN} needs, until you
18008 execute a @value{GDBN} command that makes your program resume; at that point,
18009 @code{handle_exception} returns control to your own code on the target
18010 machine.
18011
18012 @item breakpoint
18013 @cindex @code{breakpoint} subroutine, remote
18014 Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
18015 breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be the only
18016 way for @value{GDBN} to get control. For instance, if your target
18017 machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call this;
18018 pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
18019 @code{handle_exception}---in effect, to @value{GDBN}. On some machines,
18020 simply receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
18021 again, in that situation, you don't need to call @code{breakpoint} from
18022 your own program---simply running @samp{target remote} from the host
18023 @value{GDBN} session gets control.
18024
18025 Call @code{breakpoint} if none of these is true, or if you simply want
18026 to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
18027 start of your debugging session.
18028 @end table
18029
18030 @node Bootstrapping
18031 @subsection What You Must Do for the Stub
18032
18033 @cindex remote stub, support routines
18034 The debugging stubs that come with @value{GDBN} are set up for a particular
18035 chip architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
18036 debugging target machine.
18037
18038 First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
18039 serial port.
18040
18041 @table @code
18042 @item int getDebugChar()
18043 @findex getDebugChar
18044 Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial port.
18045 It may be identical to @code{getchar} for your target system; a
18046 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
18047
18048 @item void putDebugChar(int)
18049 @findex putDebugChar
18050 Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial port.
18051 It may be identical to @code{putchar} for your target system; a
18052 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
18053 @end table
18054
18055 @cindex control C, and remote debugging
18056 @cindex interrupting remote targets
18057 If you want @value{GDBN} to be able to stop your program while it is
18058 running, you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange
18059 for it to stop when it receives a @code{^C} (@samp{\003}, the control-C
18060 character). That is the character which @value{GDBN} uses to tell the
18061 remote system to stop.
18062
18063 Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to @value{GDBN}
18064 probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
18065 is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the ``dirty'' part is that
18066 @value{GDBN} reports a @code{SIGTRAP} instead of a @code{SIGINT}).
18067
18068 Other routines you need to supply are:
18069
18070 @table @code
18071 @item void exceptionHandler (int @var{exception_number}, void *@var{exception_address})
18072 @findex exceptionHandler
18073 Write this function to install @var{exception_address} in the exception
18074 handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not have any
18075 way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your target system
18076 are like (for example, the processor's table might be in @sc{rom},
18077 containing entries which point to a table in @sc{ram}).
18078 @var{exception_number} is the exception number which should be changed;
18079 its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different numbers
18080 might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc). When this
18081 exception occurs, control should be transferred directly to
18082 @var{exception_address}, and the processor state (stack, registers,
18083 and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception occurs. So if
18084 you want to use a jump instruction to reach @var{exception_address}, it
18085 should be a simple jump, not a jump to subroutine.
18086
18087 For the 386, @var{exception_address} should be installed as an interrupt
18088 gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The gate
18089 should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level). The
18090 @sc{sparc} and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves without
18091 help from @code{exceptionHandler}.
18092
18093 @item void flush_i_cache()
18094 @findex flush_i_cache
18095 On @sc{sparc} and @sc{sparclite} only, write this subroutine to flush the
18096 instruction cache, if any, on your target machine. If there is no
18097 instruction cache, this subroutine may be a no-op.
18098
18099 On target machines that have instruction caches, @value{GDBN} requires this
18100 function to make certain that the state of your program is stable.
18101 @end table
18102
18103 @noindent
18104 You must also make sure this library routine is available:
18105
18106 @table @code
18107 @item void *memset(void *, int, int)
18108 @findex memset
18109 This is the standard library function @code{memset} that sets an area of
18110 memory to a known value. If you have one of the free versions of
18111 @code{libc.a}, @code{memset} can be found there; otherwise, you must
18112 either obtain it from your hardware manufacturer, or write your own.
18113 @end table
18114
18115 If you do not use the GNU C compiler, you may need other standard
18116 library subroutines as well; this varies from one stub to another,
18117 but in general the stubs are likely to use any of the common library
18118 subroutines which @code{@value{NGCC}} generates as inline code.
18119
18120
18121 @node Debug Session
18122 @subsection Putting it All Together
18123
18124 @cindex remote serial debugging summary
18125 In summary, when your program is ready to debug, you must follow these
18126 steps.
18127
18128 @enumerate
18129 @item
18130 Make sure you have defined the supporting low-level routines
18131 (@pxref{Bootstrapping,,What You Must Do for the Stub}):
18132 @display
18133 @code{getDebugChar}, @code{putDebugChar},
18134 @code{flush_i_cache}, @code{memset}, @code{exceptionHandler}.
18135 @end display
18136
18137 @item
18138 Insert these lines in your program's startup code, before the main
18139 procedure is called:
18140
18141 @smallexample
18142 set_debug_traps();
18143 breakpoint();
18144 @end smallexample
18145
18146 On some machines, when a breakpoint trap is raised, the hardware
18147 automatically makes the PC point to the instruction after the
18148 breakpoint. If your machine doesn't do that, you may need to adjust
18149 @code{handle_exception} to arrange for it to return to the instruction
18150 after the breakpoint on this first invocation, so that your program
18151 doesn't keep hitting the initial breakpoint instead of making
18152 progress.
18153
18154 @item
18155 For the 680x0 stub only, you need to provide a variable called
18156 @code{exceptionHook}. Normally you just use:
18157
18158 @smallexample
18159 void (*exceptionHook)() = 0;
18160 @end smallexample
18161
18162 @noindent
18163 but if before calling @code{set_debug_traps}, you set it to point to a
18164 function in your program, that function is called when
18165 @code{@value{GDBN}} continues after stopping on a trap (for example, bus
18166 error). The function indicated by @code{exceptionHook} is called with
18167 one parameter: an @code{int} which is the exception number.
18168
18169 @item
18170 Compile and link together: your program, the @value{GDBN} debugging stub for
18171 your target architecture, and the supporting subroutines.
18172
18173 @item
18174 Make sure you have a serial connection between your target machine and
18175 the @value{GDBN} host, and identify the serial port on the host.
18176
18177 @item
18178 @c The "remote" target now provides a `load' command, so we should
18179 @c document that. FIXME.
18180 Download your program to your target machine (or get it there by
18181 whatever means the manufacturer provides), and start it.
18182
18183 @item
18184 Start @value{GDBN} on the host, and connect to the target
18185 (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
18186
18187 @end enumerate
18188
18189 @node Configurations
18190 @chapter Configuration-Specific Information
18191
18192 While nearly all @value{GDBN} commands are available for all native and
18193 cross versions of the debugger, there are some exceptions. This chapter
18194 describes things that are only available in certain configurations.
18195
18196 There are three major categories of configurations: native
18197 configurations, where the host and target are the same, embedded
18198 operating system configurations, which are usually the same for several
18199 different processor architectures, and bare embedded processors, which
18200 are quite different from each other.
18201
18202 @menu
18203 * Native::
18204 * Embedded OS::
18205 * Embedded Processors::
18206 * Architectures::
18207 @end menu
18208
18209 @node Native
18210 @section Native
18211
18212 This section describes details specific to particular native
18213 configurations.
18214
18215 @menu
18216 * HP-UX:: HP-UX
18217 * BSD libkvm Interface:: Debugging BSD kernel memory images
18218 * SVR4 Process Information:: SVR4 process information
18219 * DJGPP Native:: Features specific to the DJGPP port
18220 * Cygwin Native:: Features specific to the Cygwin port
18221 * Hurd Native:: Features specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd
18222 * Neutrino:: Features specific to QNX Neutrino
18223 * Darwin:: Features specific to Darwin
18224 @end menu
18225
18226 @node HP-UX
18227 @subsection HP-UX
18228
18229 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
18230 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
18231 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
18232
18233
18234 @node BSD libkvm Interface
18235 @subsection BSD libkvm Interface
18236
18237 @cindex libkvm
18238 @cindex kernel memory image
18239 @cindex kernel crash dump
18240
18241 BSD-derived systems (FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD) have a kernel memory
18242 interface that provides a uniform interface for accessing kernel virtual
18243 memory images, including live systems and crash dumps. @value{GDBN}
18244 uses this interface to allow you to debug live kernels and kernel crash
18245 dumps on many native BSD configurations. This is implemented as a
18246 special @code{kvm} debugging target. For debugging a live system, load
18247 the currently running kernel into @value{GDBN} and connect to the
18248 @code{kvm} target:
18249
18250 @smallexample
18251 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm}
18252 @end smallexample
18253
18254 For debugging crash dumps, provide the file name of the crash dump as an
18255 argument:
18256
18257 @smallexample
18258 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm /var/crash/bsd.0}
18259 @end smallexample
18260
18261 Once connected to the @code{kvm} target, the following commands are
18262 available:
18263
18264 @table @code
18265 @kindex kvm
18266 @item kvm pcb
18267 Set current context from the @dfn{Process Control Block} (PCB) address.
18268
18269 @item kvm proc
18270 Set current context from proc address. This command isn't available on
18271 modern FreeBSD systems.
18272 @end table
18273
18274 @node SVR4 Process Information
18275 @subsection SVR4 Process Information
18276 @cindex /proc
18277 @cindex examine process image
18278 @cindex process info via @file{/proc}
18279
18280 Many versions of SVR4 and compatible systems provide a facility called
18281 @samp{/proc} that can be used to examine the image of a running
18282 process using file-system subroutines. If @value{GDBN} is configured
18283 for an operating system with this facility, the command @code{info
18284 proc} is available to report information about the process running
18285 your program, or about any process running on your system. @code{info
18286 proc} works only on SVR4 systems that include the @code{procfs} code.
18287 This includes, as of this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, OSF/1 (Digital
18288 Unix), Solaris, Irix, and Unixware, but not HP-UX, for example.
18289
18290 @table @code
18291 @kindex info proc
18292 @cindex process ID
18293 @item info proc
18294 @itemx info proc @var{process-id}
18295 Summarize available information about any running process. If a
18296 process ID is specified by @var{process-id}, display information about
18297 that process; otherwise display information about the program being
18298 debugged. The summary includes the debugged process ID, the command
18299 line used to invoke it, its current working directory, and its
18300 executable file's absolute file name.
18301
18302 On some systems, @var{process-id} can be of the form
18303 @samp{[@var{pid}]/@var{tid}} which specifies a certain thread ID
18304 within a process. If the optional @var{pid} part is missing, it means
18305 a thread from the process being debugged (the leading @samp{/} still
18306 needs to be present, or else @value{GDBN} will interpret the number as
18307 a process ID rather than a thread ID).
18308
18309 @item info proc mappings
18310 @cindex memory address space mappings
18311 Report the memory address space ranges accessible in the program, with
18312 information on whether the process has read, write, or execute access
18313 rights to each range. On @sc{gnu}/Linux systems, each memory range
18314 includes the object file which is mapped to that range, instead of the
18315 memory access rights to that range.
18316
18317 @item info proc stat
18318 @itemx info proc status
18319 @cindex process detailed status information
18320 These subcommands are specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux systems. They show
18321 the process-related information, including the user ID and group ID;
18322 how many threads are there in the process; its virtual memory usage;
18323 the signals that are pending, blocked, and ignored; its TTY; its
18324 consumption of system and user time; its stack size; its @samp{nice}
18325 value; etc. For more information, see the @samp{proc} man page
18326 (type @kbd{man 5 proc} from your shell prompt).
18327
18328 @item info proc all
18329 Show all the information about the process described under all of the
18330 above @code{info proc} subcommands.
18331
18332 @ignore
18333 @comment These sub-options of 'info proc' were not included when
18334 @comment procfs.c was re-written. Keep their descriptions around
18335 @comment against the day when someone finds the time to put them back in.
18336 @kindex info proc times
18337 @item info proc times
18338 Starting time, user CPU time, and system CPU time for your program and
18339 its children.
18340
18341 @kindex info proc id
18342 @item info proc id
18343 Report on the process IDs related to your program: its own process ID,
18344 the ID of its parent, the process group ID, and the session ID.
18345 @end ignore
18346
18347 @item set procfs-trace
18348 @kindex set procfs-trace
18349 @cindex @code{procfs} API calls
18350 This command enables and disables tracing of @code{procfs} API calls.
18351
18352 @item show procfs-trace
18353 @kindex show procfs-trace
18354 Show the current state of @code{procfs} API call tracing.
18355
18356 @item set procfs-file @var{file}
18357 @kindex set procfs-file
18358 Tell @value{GDBN} to write @code{procfs} API trace to the named
18359 @var{file}. @value{GDBN} appends the trace info to the previous
18360 contents of the file. The default is to display the trace on the
18361 standard output.
18362
18363 @item show procfs-file
18364 @kindex show procfs-file
18365 Show the file to which @code{procfs} API trace is written.
18366
18367 @item proc-trace-entry
18368 @itemx proc-trace-exit
18369 @itemx proc-untrace-entry
18370 @itemx proc-untrace-exit
18371 @kindex proc-trace-entry
18372 @kindex proc-trace-exit
18373 @kindex proc-untrace-entry
18374 @kindex proc-untrace-exit
18375 These commands enable and disable tracing of entries into and exits
18376 from the @code{syscall} interface.
18377
18378 @item info pidlist
18379 @kindex info pidlist
18380 @cindex process list, QNX Neutrino
18381 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all the
18382 processes and all the threads within each process.
18383
18384 @item info meminfo
18385 @kindex info meminfo
18386 @cindex mapinfo list, QNX Neutrino
18387 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all mapinfos.
18388 @end table
18389
18390 @node DJGPP Native
18391 @subsection Features for Debugging @sc{djgpp} Programs
18392 @cindex @sc{djgpp} debugging
18393 @cindex native @sc{djgpp} debugging
18394 @cindex MS-DOS-specific commands
18395
18396 @cindex DPMI
18397 @sc{djgpp} is a port of the @sc{gnu} development tools to MS-DOS and
18398 MS-Windows. @sc{djgpp} programs are 32-bit protected-mode programs
18399 that use the @dfn{DPMI} (DOS Protected-Mode Interface) API to run on
18400 top of real-mode DOS systems and their emulations.
18401
18402 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of @sc{djgpp} programs, and
18403 defines a few commands specific to the @sc{djgpp} port. This
18404 subsection describes those commands.
18405
18406 @table @code
18407 @kindex info dos
18408 @item info dos
18409 This is a prefix of @sc{djgpp}-specific commands which print
18410 information about the target system and important OS structures.
18411
18412 @kindex sysinfo
18413 @cindex MS-DOS system info
18414 @cindex free memory information (MS-DOS)
18415 @item info dos sysinfo
18416 This command displays assorted information about the underlying
18417 platform: the CPU type and features, the OS version and flavor, the
18418 DPMI version, and the available conventional and DPMI memory.
18419
18420 @cindex GDT
18421 @cindex LDT
18422 @cindex IDT
18423 @cindex segment descriptor tables
18424 @cindex descriptor tables display
18425 @item info dos gdt
18426 @itemx info dos ldt
18427 @itemx info dos idt
18428 These 3 commands display entries from, respectively, Global, Local,
18429 and Interrupt Descriptor Tables (GDT, LDT, and IDT). The descriptor
18430 tables are data structures which store a descriptor for each segment
18431 that is currently in use. The segment's selector is an index into a
18432 descriptor table; the table entry for that index holds the
18433 descriptor's base address and limit, and its attributes and access
18434 rights.
18435
18436 A typical @sc{djgpp} program uses 3 segments: a code segment, a data
18437 segment (used for both data and the stack), and a DOS segment (which
18438 allows access to DOS/BIOS data structures and absolute addresses in
18439 conventional memory). However, the DPMI host will usually define
18440 additional segments in order to support the DPMI environment.
18441
18442 @cindex garbled pointers
18443 These commands allow to display entries from the descriptor tables.
18444 Without an argument, all entries from the specified table are
18445 displayed. An argument, which should be an integer expression, means
18446 display a single entry whose index is given by the argument. For
18447 example, here's a convenient way to display information about the
18448 debugged program's data segment:
18449
18450 @smallexample
18451 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos ldt $ds}
18452 @exdent @code{0x13f: base=0x11970000 limit=0x0009ffff 32-Bit Data (Read/Write, Exp-up)}
18453 @end smallexample
18454
18455 @noindent
18456 This comes in handy when you want to see whether a pointer is outside
18457 the data segment's limit (i.e.@: @dfn{garbled}).
18458
18459 @cindex page tables display (MS-DOS)
18460 @item info dos pde
18461 @itemx info dos pte
18462 These two commands display entries from, respectively, the Page
18463 Directory and the Page Tables. Page Directories and Page Tables are
18464 data structures which control how virtual memory addresses are mapped
18465 into physical addresses. A Page Table includes an entry for every
18466 page of memory that is mapped into the program's address space; there
18467 may be several Page Tables, each one holding up to 4096 entries. A
18468 Page Directory has up to 4096 entries, one each for every Page Table
18469 that is currently in use.
18470
18471 Without an argument, @kbd{info dos pde} displays the entire Page
18472 Directory, and @kbd{info dos pte} displays all the entries in all of
18473 the Page Tables. An argument, an integer expression, given to the
18474 @kbd{info dos pde} command means display only that entry from the Page
18475 Directory table. An argument given to the @kbd{info dos pte} command
18476 means display entries from a single Page Table, the one pointed to by
18477 the specified entry in the Page Directory.
18478
18479 @cindex direct memory access (DMA) on MS-DOS
18480 These commands are useful when your program uses @dfn{DMA} (Direct
18481 Memory Access), which needs physical addresses to program the DMA
18482 controller.
18483
18484 These commands are supported only with some DPMI servers.
18485
18486 @cindex physical address from linear address
18487 @item info dos address-pte @var{addr}
18488 This command displays the Page Table entry for a specified linear
18489 address. The argument @var{addr} is a linear address which should
18490 already have the appropriate segment's base address added to it,
18491 because this command accepts addresses which may belong to @emph{any}
18492 segment. For example, here's how to display the Page Table entry for
18493 the page where a variable @code{i} is stored:
18494
18495 @smallexample
18496 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte __djgpp_base_address + (char *)&i}
18497 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x11a00d30:}
18498 @exdent @code{Base=0x02698000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0xd30}
18499 @end smallexample
18500
18501 @noindent
18502 This says that @code{i} is stored at offset @code{0xd30} from the page
18503 whose physical base address is @code{0x02698000}, and shows all the
18504 attributes of that page.
18505
18506 Note that you must cast the addresses of variables to a @code{char *},
18507 since otherwise the value of @code{__djgpp_base_address}, the base
18508 address of all variables and functions in a @sc{djgpp} program, will
18509 be added using the rules of C pointer arithmetics: if @code{i} is
18510 declared an @code{int}, @value{GDBN} will add 4 times the value of
18511 @code{__djgpp_base_address} to the address of @code{i}.
18512
18513 Here's another example, it displays the Page Table entry for the
18514 transfer buffer:
18515
18516 @smallexample
18517 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte *((unsigned *)&_go32_info_block + 3)}
18518 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x29110:}
18519 @exdent @code{Base=0x00029000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0x110}
18520 @end smallexample
18521
18522 @noindent
18523 (The @code{+ 3} offset is because the transfer buffer's address is the
18524 3rd member of the @code{_go32_info_block} structure.) The output
18525 clearly shows that this DPMI server maps the addresses in conventional
18526 memory 1:1, i.e.@: the physical (@code{0x00029000} + @code{0x110}) and
18527 linear (@code{0x29110}) addresses are identical.
18528
18529 This command is supported only with some DPMI servers.
18530 @end table
18531
18532 @cindex DOS serial data link, remote debugging
18533 In addition to native debugging, the DJGPP port supports remote
18534 debugging via a serial data link. The following commands are specific
18535 to remote serial debugging in the DJGPP port of @value{GDBN}.
18536
18537 @table @code
18538 @kindex set com1base
18539 @kindex set com1irq
18540 @kindex set com2base
18541 @kindex set com2irq
18542 @kindex set com3base
18543 @kindex set com3irq
18544 @kindex set com4base
18545 @kindex set com4irq
18546 @item set com1base @var{addr}
18547 This command sets the base I/O port address of the @file{COM1} serial
18548 port.
18549
18550 @item set com1irq @var{irq}
18551 This command sets the @dfn{Interrupt Request} (@code{IRQ}) line to use
18552 for the @file{COM1} serial port.
18553
18554 There are similar commands @samp{set com2base}, @samp{set com3irq},
18555 etc.@: for setting the port address and the @code{IRQ} lines for the
18556 other 3 COM ports.
18557
18558 @kindex show com1base
18559 @kindex show com1irq
18560 @kindex show com2base
18561 @kindex show com2irq
18562 @kindex show com3base
18563 @kindex show com3irq
18564 @kindex show com4base
18565 @kindex show com4irq
18566 The related commands @samp{show com1base}, @samp{show com1irq} etc.@:
18567 display the current settings of the base address and the @code{IRQ}
18568 lines used by the COM ports.
18569
18570 @item info serial
18571 @kindex info serial
18572 @cindex DOS serial port status
18573 This command prints the status of the 4 DOS serial ports. For each
18574 port, it prints whether it's active or not, its I/O base address and
18575 IRQ number, whether it uses a 16550-style FIFO, its baudrate, and the
18576 counts of various errors encountered so far.
18577 @end table
18578
18579
18580 @node Cygwin Native
18581 @subsection Features for Debugging MS Windows PE Executables
18582 @cindex MS Windows debugging
18583 @cindex native Cygwin debugging
18584 @cindex Cygwin-specific commands
18585
18586 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of MS Windows programs, including
18587 DLLs with and without symbolic debugging information.
18588
18589 @cindex Ctrl-BREAK, MS-Windows
18590 @cindex interrupt debuggee on MS-Windows
18591 MS-Windows programs that call @code{SetConsoleMode} to switch off the
18592 special meaning of the @samp{Ctrl-C} keystroke cannot be interrupted
18593 by typing @kbd{C-c}. For this reason, @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows
18594 supports @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} as an alternative interrupt key
18595 sequence, which can be used to interrupt the debuggee even if it
18596 ignores @kbd{C-c}.
18597
18598 There are various additional Cygwin-specific commands, described in
18599 this section. Working with DLLs that have no debugging symbols is
18600 described in @ref{Non-debug DLL Symbols}.
18601
18602 @table @code
18603 @kindex info w32
18604 @item info w32
18605 This is a prefix of MS Windows-specific commands which print
18606 information about the target system and important OS structures.
18607
18608 @item info w32 selector
18609 This command displays information returned by
18610 the Win32 API @code{GetThreadSelectorEntry} function.
18611 It takes an optional argument that is evaluated to
18612 a long value to give the information about this given selector.
18613 Without argument, this command displays information
18614 about the six segment registers.
18615
18616 @item info w32 thread-information-block
18617 This command displays thread specific information stored in the
18618 Thread Information Block (readable on the X86 CPU family using @code{$fs}
18619 selector for 32-bit programs and @code{$gs} for 64-bit programs).
18620
18621 @kindex info dll
18622 @item info dll
18623 This is a Cygwin-specific alias of @code{info shared}.
18624
18625 @kindex dll-symbols
18626 @item dll-symbols
18627 This command loads symbols from a dll similarly to
18628 add-sym command but without the need to specify a base address.
18629
18630 @kindex set cygwin-exceptions
18631 @cindex debugging the Cygwin DLL
18632 @cindex Cygwin DLL, debugging
18633 @item set cygwin-exceptions @var{mode}
18634 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that
18635 happen inside the Cygwin DLL. If @var{mode} is @code{off},
18636 @value{GDBN} will delay recognition of exceptions, and may ignore some
18637 exceptions which seem to be caused by internal Cygwin DLL
18638 ``bookkeeping''. This option is meant primarily for debugging the
18639 Cygwin DLL itself; the default value is @code{off} to avoid annoying
18640 @value{GDBN} users with false @code{SIGSEGV} signals.
18641
18642 @kindex show cygwin-exceptions
18643 @item show cygwin-exceptions
18644 Displays whether @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that happen
18645 inside the Cygwin DLL itself.
18646
18647 @kindex set new-console
18648 @item set new-console @var{mode}
18649 If @var{mode} is @code{on} the debuggee will
18650 be started in a new console on next start.
18651 If @var{mode} is @code{off}, the debuggee will
18652 be started in the same console as the debugger.
18653
18654 @kindex show new-console
18655 @item show new-console
18656 Displays whether a new console is used
18657 when the debuggee is started.
18658
18659 @kindex set new-group
18660 @item set new-group @var{mode}
18661 This boolean value controls whether the debuggee should
18662 start a new group or stay in the same group as the debugger.
18663 This affects the way the Windows OS handles
18664 @samp{Ctrl-C}.
18665
18666 @kindex show new-group
18667 @item show new-group
18668 Displays current value of new-group boolean.
18669
18670 @kindex set debugevents
18671 @item set debugevents
18672 This boolean value adds debug output concerning kernel events related
18673 to the debuggee seen by the debugger. This includes events that
18674 signal thread and process creation and exit, DLL loading and
18675 unloading, console interrupts, and debugging messages produced by the
18676 Windows @code{OutputDebugString} API call.
18677
18678 @kindex set debugexec
18679 @item set debugexec
18680 This boolean value adds debug output concerning execute events
18681 (such as resume thread) seen by the debugger.
18682
18683 @kindex set debugexceptions
18684 @item set debugexceptions
18685 This boolean value adds debug output concerning exceptions in the
18686 debuggee seen by the debugger.
18687
18688 @kindex set debugmemory
18689 @item set debugmemory
18690 This boolean value adds debug output concerning debuggee memory reads
18691 and writes by the debugger.
18692
18693 @kindex set shell
18694 @item set shell
18695 This boolean values specifies whether the debuggee is called
18696 via a shell or directly (default value is on).
18697
18698 @kindex show shell
18699 @item show shell
18700 Displays if the debuggee will be started with a shell.
18701
18702 @end table
18703
18704 @menu
18705 * Non-debug DLL Symbols:: Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
18706 @end menu
18707
18708 @node Non-debug DLL Symbols
18709 @subsubsection Support for DLLs without Debugging Symbols
18710 @cindex DLLs with no debugging symbols
18711 @cindex Minimal symbols and DLLs
18712
18713 Very often on windows, some of the DLLs that your program relies on do
18714 not include symbolic debugging information (for example,
18715 @file{kernel32.dll}). When @value{GDBN} doesn't recognize any debugging
18716 symbols in a DLL, it relies on the minimal amount of symbolic
18717 information contained in the DLL's export table. This section
18718 describes working with such symbols, known internally to @value{GDBN} as
18719 ``minimal symbols''.
18720
18721 Note that before the debugged program has started execution, no DLLs
18722 will have been loaded. The easiest way around this problem is simply to
18723 start the program --- either by setting a breakpoint or letting the
18724 program run once to completion. It is also possible to force
18725 @value{GDBN} to load a particular DLL before starting the executable ---
18726 see the shared library information in @ref{Files}, or the
18727 @code{dll-symbols} command in @ref{Cygwin Native}. Currently,
18728 explicitly loading symbols from a DLL with no debugging information will
18729 cause the symbol names to be duplicated in @value{GDBN}'s lookup table,
18730 which may adversely affect symbol lookup performance.
18731
18732 @subsubsection DLL Name Prefixes
18733
18734 In keeping with the naming conventions used by the Microsoft debugging
18735 tools, DLL export symbols are made available with a prefix based on the
18736 DLL name, for instance @code{KERNEL32!CreateFileA}. The plain name is
18737 also entered into the symbol table, so @code{CreateFileA} is often
18738 sufficient. In some cases there will be name clashes within a program
18739 (particularly if the executable itself includes full debugging symbols)
18740 necessitating the use of the fully qualified name when referring to the
18741 contents of the DLL. Use single-quotes around the name to avoid the
18742 exclamation mark (``!'') being interpreted as a language operator.
18743
18744 Note that the internal name of the DLL may be all upper-case, even
18745 though the file name of the DLL is lower-case, or vice-versa. Since
18746 symbols within @value{GDBN} are @emph{case-sensitive} this may cause
18747 some confusion. If in doubt, try the @code{info functions} and
18748 @code{info variables} commands or even @code{maint print msymbols}
18749 (@pxref{Symbols}). Here's an example:
18750
18751 @smallexample
18752 (@value{GDBP}) info function CreateFileA
18753 All functions matching regular expression "CreateFileA":
18754
18755 Non-debugging symbols:
18756 0x77e885f4 CreateFileA
18757 0x77e885f4 KERNEL32!CreateFileA
18758 @end smallexample
18759
18760 @smallexample
18761 (@value{GDBP}) info function !
18762 All functions matching regular expression "!":
18763
18764 Non-debugging symbols:
18765 0x6100114c cygwin1!__assert
18766 0x61004034 cygwin1!_dll_crt0@@0
18767 0x61004240 cygwin1!dll_crt0(per_process *)
18768 [etc...]
18769 @end smallexample
18770
18771 @subsubsection Working with Minimal Symbols
18772
18773 Symbols extracted from a DLL's export table do not contain very much
18774 type information. All that @value{GDBN} can do is guess whether a symbol
18775 refers to a function or variable depending on the linker section that
18776 contains the symbol. Also note that the actual contents of the memory
18777 contained in a DLL are not available unless the program is running. This
18778 means that you cannot examine the contents of a variable or disassemble
18779 a function within a DLL without a running program.
18780
18781 Variables are generally treated as pointers and dereferenced
18782 automatically. For this reason, it is often necessary to prefix a
18783 variable name with the address-of operator (``&'') and provide explicit
18784 type information in the command. Here's an example of the type of
18785 problem:
18786
18787 @smallexample
18788 (@value{GDBP}) print 'cygwin1!__argv'
18789 $1 = 268572168
18790 @end smallexample
18791
18792 @smallexample
18793 (@value{GDBP}) x 'cygwin1!__argv'
18794 0x10021610: "\230y\""
18795 @end smallexample
18796
18797 And two possible solutions:
18798
18799 @smallexample
18800 (@value{GDBP}) print ((char **)'cygwin1!__argv')[0]
18801 $2 = 0x22fd98 "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
18802 @end smallexample
18803
18804 @smallexample
18805 (@value{GDBP}) x/2x &'cygwin1!__argv'
18806 0x610c0aa8 <cygwin1!__argv>: 0x10021608 0x00000000
18807 (@value{GDBP}) x/x 0x10021608
18808 0x10021608: 0x0022fd98
18809 (@value{GDBP}) x/s 0x0022fd98
18810 0x22fd98: "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
18811 @end smallexample
18812
18813 Setting a break point within a DLL is possible even before the program
18814 starts execution. However, under these circumstances, @value{GDBN} can't
18815 examine the initial instructions of the function in order to skip the
18816 function's frame set-up code. You can work around this by using ``*&''
18817 to set the breakpoint at a raw memory address:
18818
18819 @smallexample
18820 (@value{GDBP}) break *&'python22!PyOS_Readline'
18821 Breakpoint 1 at 0x1e04eff0
18822 @end smallexample
18823
18824 The author of these extensions is not entirely convinced that setting a
18825 break point within a shared DLL like @file{kernel32.dll} is completely
18826 safe.
18827
18828 @node Hurd Native
18829 @subsection Commands Specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd Systems
18830 @cindex @sc{gnu} Hurd debugging
18831
18832 This subsection describes @value{GDBN} commands specific to the
18833 @sc{gnu} Hurd native debugging.
18834
18835 @table @code
18836 @item set signals
18837 @itemx set sigs
18838 @kindex set signals@r{, Hurd command}
18839 @kindex set sigs@r{, Hurd command}
18840 This command toggles the state of inferior signal interception by
18841 @value{GDBN}. Mach exceptions, such as breakpoint traps, are not
18842 affected by this command. @code{sigs} is a shorthand alias for
18843 @code{signals}.
18844
18845 @item show signals
18846 @itemx show sigs
18847 @kindex show signals@r{, Hurd command}
18848 @kindex show sigs@r{, Hurd command}
18849 Show the current state of intercepting inferior's signals.
18850
18851 @item set signal-thread
18852 @itemx set sigthread
18853 @kindex set signal-thread
18854 @kindex set sigthread
18855 This command tells @value{GDBN} which thread is the @code{libc} signal
18856 thread. That thread is run when a signal is delivered to a running
18857 process. @code{set sigthread} is the shorthand alias of @code{set
18858 signal-thread}.
18859
18860 @item show signal-thread
18861 @itemx show sigthread
18862 @kindex show signal-thread
18863 @kindex show sigthread
18864 These two commands show which thread will run when the inferior is
18865 delivered a signal.
18866
18867 @item set stopped
18868 @kindex set stopped@r{, Hurd command}
18869 This commands tells @value{GDBN} that the inferior process is stopped,
18870 as with the @code{SIGSTOP} signal. The stopped process can be
18871 continued by delivering a signal to it.
18872
18873 @item show stopped
18874 @kindex show stopped@r{, Hurd command}
18875 This command shows whether @value{GDBN} thinks the debuggee is
18876 stopped.
18877
18878 @item set exceptions
18879 @kindex set exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
18880 Use this command to turn off trapping of exceptions in the inferior.
18881 When exception trapping is off, neither breakpoints nor
18882 single-stepping will work. To restore the default, set exception
18883 trapping on.
18884
18885 @item show exceptions
18886 @kindex show exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
18887 Show the current state of trapping exceptions in the inferior.
18888
18889 @item set task pause
18890 @kindex set task@r{, Hurd commands}
18891 @cindex task attributes (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
18892 @cindex pause current task (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
18893 This command toggles task suspension when @value{GDBN} has control.
18894 Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the task is suspended
18895 whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to off will take
18896 effect the next time the inferior is continued. If this option is set
18897 to off, you can use @code{set thread default pause on} or @code{set
18898 thread pause on} (see below) to pause individual threads.
18899
18900 @item show task pause
18901 @kindex show task@r{, Hurd commands}
18902 Show the current state of task suspension.
18903
18904 @item set task detach-suspend-count
18905 @cindex task suspend count
18906 @cindex detach from task, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18907 This command sets the suspend count the task will be left with when
18908 @value{GDBN} detaches from it.
18909
18910 @item show task detach-suspend-count
18911 Show the suspend count the task will be left with when detaching.
18912
18913 @item set task exception-port
18914 @itemx set task excp
18915 @cindex task exception port, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18916 This command sets the task exception port to which @value{GDBN} will
18917 forward exceptions. The argument should be the value of the @dfn{send
18918 rights} of the task. @code{set task excp} is a shorthand alias.
18919
18920 @item set noninvasive
18921 @cindex noninvasive task options
18922 This command switches @value{GDBN} to a mode that is the least
18923 invasive as far as interfering with the inferior is concerned. This
18924 is the same as using @code{set task pause}, @code{set exceptions}, and
18925 @code{set signals} to values opposite to the defaults.
18926
18927 @item info send-rights
18928 @itemx info receive-rights
18929 @itemx info port-rights
18930 @itemx info port-sets
18931 @itemx info dead-names
18932 @itemx info ports
18933 @itemx info psets
18934 @cindex send rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18935 @cindex receive rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18936 @cindex port rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18937 @cindex port sets, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18938 @cindex dead names, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18939 These commands display information about, respectively, send rights,
18940 receive rights, port rights, port sets, and dead names of a task.
18941 There are also shorthand aliases: @code{info ports} for @code{info
18942 port-rights} and @code{info psets} for @code{info port-sets}.
18943
18944 @item set thread pause
18945 @kindex set thread@r{, Hurd command}
18946 @cindex thread properties, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18947 @cindex pause current thread (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
18948 This command toggles current thread suspension when @value{GDBN} has
18949 control. Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the current
18950 thread is suspended whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to
18951 off will take effect the next time the inferior is continued.
18952 Normally, this command has no effect, since when @value{GDBN} has
18953 control, the whole task is suspended. However, if you used @code{set
18954 task pause off} (see above), this command comes in handy to suspend
18955 only the current thread.
18956
18957 @item show thread pause
18958 @kindex show thread@r{, Hurd command}
18959 This command shows the state of current thread suspension.
18960
18961 @item set thread run
18962 This command sets whether the current thread is allowed to run.
18963
18964 @item show thread run
18965 Show whether the current thread is allowed to run.
18966
18967 @item set thread detach-suspend-count
18968 @cindex thread suspend count, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18969 @cindex detach from thread, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18970 This command sets the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on a
18971 thread when detaching. This number is relative to the suspend count
18972 found by @value{GDBN} when it notices the thread; use @code{set thread
18973 takeover-suspend-count} to force it to an absolute value.
18974
18975 @item show thread detach-suspend-count
18976 Show the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on the thread when
18977 detaching.
18978
18979 @item set thread exception-port
18980 @itemx set thread excp
18981 Set the thread exception port to which to forward exceptions. This
18982 overrides the port set by @code{set task exception-port} (see above).
18983 @code{set thread excp} is the shorthand alias.
18984
18985 @item set thread takeover-suspend-count
18986 Normally, @value{GDBN}'s thread suspend counts are relative to the
18987 value @value{GDBN} finds when it notices each thread. This command
18988 changes the suspend counts to be absolute instead.
18989
18990 @item set thread default
18991 @itemx show thread default
18992 @cindex thread default settings, @sc{gnu} Hurd
18993 Each of the above @code{set thread} commands has a @code{set thread
18994 default} counterpart (e.g., @code{set thread default pause}, @code{set
18995 thread default exception-port}, etc.). The @code{thread default}
18996 variety of commands sets the default thread properties for all
18997 threads; you can then change the properties of individual threads with
18998 the non-default commands.
18999 @end table
19000
19001
19002 @node Neutrino
19003 @subsection QNX Neutrino
19004 @cindex QNX Neutrino
19005
19006 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the QNX
19007 Neutrino target:
19008
19009 @table @code
19010 @item set debug nto-debug
19011 @kindex set debug nto-debug
19012 When set to on, enables debugging messages specific to the QNX
19013 Neutrino support.
19014
19015 @item show debug nto-debug
19016 @kindex show debug nto-debug
19017 Show the current state of QNX Neutrino messages.
19018 @end table
19019
19020 @node Darwin
19021 @subsection Darwin
19022 @cindex Darwin
19023
19024 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the Darwin target:
19025
19026 @table @code
19027 @item set debug darwin @var{num}
19028 @kindex set debug darwin
19029 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages specific to
19030 the Darwin support. Higher values produce more verbose output.
19031
19032 @item show debug darwin
19033 @kindex show debug darwin
19034 Show the current state of Darwin messages.
19035
19036 @item set debug mach-o @var{num}
19037 @kindex set debug mach-o
19038 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages while
19039 @value{GDBN} is reading Darwin object files. (@dfn{Mach-O} is the
19040 file format used on Darwin for object and executable files.) Higher
19041 values produce more verbose output. This is a command to diagnose
19042 problems internal to @value{GDBN} and should not be needed in normal
19043 usage.
19044
19045 @item show debug mach-o
19046 @kindex show debug mach-o
19047 Show the current state of Mach-O file messages.
19048
19049 @item set mach-exceptions on
19050 @itemx set mach-exceptions off
19051 @kindex set mach-exceptions
19052 On Darwin, faults are first reported as a Mach exception and are then
19053 mapped to a Posix signal. Use this command to turn on trapping of
19054 Mach exceptions in the inferior. This might be sometimes useful to
19055 better understand the cause of a fault. The default is off.
19056
19057 @item show mach-exceptions
19058 @kindex show mach-exceptions
19059 Show the current state of exceptions trapping.
19060 @end table
19061
19062
19063 @node Embedded OS
19064 @section Embedded Operating Systems
19065
19066 This section describes configurations involving the debugging of
19067 embedded operating systems that are available for several different
19068 architectures.
19069
19070 @menu
19071 * VxWorks:: Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
19072 @end menu
19073
19074 @value{GDBN} includes the ability to debug programs running on
19075 various real-time operating systems.
19076
19077 @node VxWorks
19078 @subsection Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
19079
19080 @cindex VxWorks
19081
19082 @table @code
19083
19084 @kindex target vxworks
19085 @item target vxworks @var{machinename}
19086 A VxWorks system, attached via TCP/IP. The argument @var{machinename}
19087 is the target system's machine name or IP address.
19088
19089 @end table
19090
19091 On VxWorks, @code{load} links @var{filename} dynamically on the
19092 current target system as well as adding its symbols in @value{GDBN}.
19093
19094 @value{GDBN} enables developers to spawn and debug tasks running on networked
19095 VxWorks targets from a Unix host. Already-running tasks spawned from
19096 the VxWorks shell can also be debugged. @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
19097 both the Unix host and on the VxWorks target. The program
19098 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host. (It may be
19099 installed with the name @code{vxgdb}, to distinguish it from a
19100 @value{GDBN} for debugging programs on the host itself.)
19101
19102 @table @code
19103 @item VxWorks-timeout @var{args}
19104 @kindex vxworks-timeout
19105 All VxWorks-based targets now support the option @code{vxworks-timeout}.
19106 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
19107 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses to rpc's. You might use this if
19108 your VxWorks target is a slow software simulator or is on the far side
19109 of a thin network line.
19110 @end table
19111
19112 The following information on connecting to VxWorks was current when
19113 this manual was produced; newer releases of VxWorks may use revised
19114 procedures.
19115
19116 @findex INCLUDE_RDB
19117 To use @value{GDBN} with VxWorks, you must rebuild your VxWorks kernel
19118 to include the remote debugging interface routines in the VxWorks
19119 library @file{rdb.a}. To do this, define @code{INCLUDE_RDB} in the
19120 VxWorks configuration file @file{configAll.h} and rebuild your VxWorks
19121 kernel. The resulting kernel contains @file{rdb.a}, and spawns the
19122 source debugging task @code{tRdbTask} when VxWorks is booted. For more
19123 information on configuring and remaking VxWorks, see the manufacturer's
19124 manual.
19125 @c VxWorks, see the @cite{VxWorks Programmer's Guide}.
19126
19127 Once you have included @file{rdb.a} in your VxWorks system image and set
19128 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
19129 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}} (or
19130 @code{vxgdb}, depending on your installation).
19131
19132 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
19133
19134 @smallexample
19135 (vxgdb)
19136 @end smallexample
19137
19138 @menu
19139 * VxWorks Connection:: Connecting to VxWorks
19140 * VxWorks Download:: VxWorks download
19141 * VxWorks Attach:: Running tasks
19142 @end menu
19143
19144 @node VxWorks Connection
19145 @subsubsection Connecting to VxWorks
19146
19147 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a VxWorks target on the
19148 network. To connect to a target whose host name is ``@code{tt}'', type:
19149
19150 @smallexample
19151 (vxgdb) target vxworks tt
19152 @end smallexample
19153
19154 @need 750
19155 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
19156
19157 @smallexample
19158 Attaching remote machine across net...
19159 Connected to tt.
19160 @end smallexample
19161
19162 @need 1000
19163 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol tables of any object modules
19164 loaded into the VxWorks target since it was last booted. @value{GDBN} locates
19165 these files by searching the directories listed in the command search
19166 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}); if it fails
19167 to find an object file, it displays a message such as:
19168
19169 @smallexample
19170 prog.o: No such file or directory.
19171 @end smallexample
19172
19173 When this happens, add the appropriate directory to the search path with
19174 the @value{GDBN} command @code{path}, and execute the @code{target}
19175 command again.
19176
19177 @node VxWorks Download
19178 @subsubsection VxWorks Download
19179
19180 @cindex download to VxWorks
19181 If you have connected to the VxWorks target and you want to debug an
19182 object that has not yet been loaded, you can use the @value{GDBN}
19183 @code{load} command to download a file from Unix to VxWorks
19184 incrementally. The object file given as an argument to the @code{load}
19185 command is actually opened twice: first by the VxWorks target in order
19186 to download the code, then by @value{GDBN} in order to read the symbol
19187 table. This can lead to problems if the current working directories on
19188 the two systems differ. If both systems have NFS mounted the same
19189 filesystems, you can avoid these problems by using absolute paths.
19190 Otherwise, it is simplest to set the working directory on both systems
19191 to the directory in which the object file resides, and then to reference
19192 the file by its name, without any path. For instance, a program
19193 @file{prog.o} may reside in @file{@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb} in VxWorks
19194 and in @file{@var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb} on the host. To load this
19195 program, type this on VxWorks:
19196
19197 @smallexample
19198 -> cd "@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb"
19199 @end smallexample
19200
19201 @noindent
19202 Then, in @value{GDBN}, type:
19203
19204 @smallexample
19205 (vxgdb) cd @var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb
19206 (vxgdb) load prog.o
19207 @end smallexample
19208
19209 @value{GDBN} displays a response similar to this:
19210
19211 @smallexample
19212 Reading symbol data from wherever/vw/demo/rdb/prog.o... done.
19213 @end smallexample
19214
19215 You can also use the @code{load} command to reload an object module
19216 after editing and recompiling the corresponding source file. Note that
19217 this makes @value{GDBN} delete all currently-defined breakpoints,
19218 auto-displays, and convenience variables, and to clear the value
19219 history. (This is necessary in order to preserve the integrity of
19220 debugger's data structures that reference the target system's symbol
19221 table.)
19222
19223 @node VxWorks Attach
19224 @subsubsection Running Tasks
19225
19226 @cindex running VxWorks tasks
19227 You can also attach to an existing task using the @code{attach} command as
19228 follows:
19229
19230 @smallexample
19231 (vxgdb) attach @var{task}
19232 @end smallexample
19233
19234 @noindent
19235 where @var{task} is the VxWorks hexadecimal task ID. The task can be running
19236 or suspended when you attach to it. Running tasks are suspended at
19237 the time of attachment.
19238
19239 @node Embedded Processors
19240 @section Embedded Processors
19241
19242 This section goes into details specific to particular embedded
19243 configurations.
19244
19245 @cindex send command to simulator
19246 Whenever a specific embedded processor has a simulator, @value{GDBN}
19247 allows to send an arbitrary command to the simulator.
19248
19249 @table @code
19250 @item sim @var{command}
19251 @kindex sim@r{, a command}
19252 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the simulator. Consult the
19253 documentation for the specific simulator in use for information about
19254 acceptable commands.
19255 @end table
19256
19257
19258 @menu
19259 * ARM:: ARM RDI
19260 * M32R/D:: Renesas M32R/D
19261 * M68K:: Motorola M68K
19262 * MicroBlaze:: Xilinx MicroBlaze
19263 * MIPS Embedded:: MIPS Embedded
19264 * OpenRISC 1000:: OpenRisc 1000
19265 * PA:: HP PA Embedded
19266 * PowerPC Embedded:: PowerPC Embedded
19267 * Sparclet:: Tsqware Sparclet
19268 * Sparclite:: Fujitsu Sparclite
19269 * Z8000:: Zilog Z8000
19270 * AVR:: Atmel AVR
19271 * CRIS:: CRIS
19272 * Super-H:: Renesas Super-H
19273 @end menu
19274
19275 @node ARM
19276 @subsection ARM
19277 @cindex ARM RDI
19278
19279 @table @code
19280 @kindex target rdi
19281 @item target rdi @var{dev}
19282 ARM Angel monitor, via RDI library interface to ADP protocol. You may
19283 use this target to communicate with both boards running the Angel
19284 monitor, or with the EmbeddedICE JTAG debug device.
19285
19286 @kindex target rdp
19287 @item target rdp @var{dev}
19288 ARM Demon monitor.
19289
19290 @end table
19291
19292 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARM-specific commands:
19293
19294 @table @code
19295 @item set arm disassembler
19296 @kindex set arm
19297 This commands selects from a list of disassembly styles. The
19298 @code{"std"} style is the standard style.
19299
19300 @item show arm disassembler
19301 @kindex show arm
19302 Show the current disassembly style.
19303
19304 @item set arm apcs32
19305 @cindex ARM 32-bit mode
19306 This command toggles ARM operation mode between 32-bit and 26-bit.
19307
19308 @item show arm apcs32
19309 Display the current usage of the ARM 32-bit mode.
19310
19311 @item set arm fpu @var{fputype}
19312 This command sets the ARM floating-point unit (FPU) type. The
19313 argument @var{fputype} can be one of these:
19314
19315 @table @code
19316 @item auto
19317 Determine the FPU type by querying the OS ABI.
19318 @item softfpa
19319 Software FPU, with mixed-endian doubles on little-endian ARM
19320 processors.
19321 @item fpa
19322 GCC-compiled FPA co-processor.
19323 @item softvfp
19324 Software FPU with pure-endian doubles.
19325 @item vfp
19326 VFP co-processor.
19327 @end table
19328
19329 @item show arm fpu
19330 Show the current type of the FPU.
19331
19332 @item set arm abi
19333 This command forces @value{GDBN} to use the specified ABI.
19334
19335 @item show arm abi
19336 Show the currently used ABI.
19337
19338 @item set arm fallback-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
19339 @value{GDBN} uses the symbol table, when available, to determine
19340 whether instructions are ARM or Thumb. This command controls
19341 @value{GDBN}'s default behavior when the symbol table is not
19342 available. The default is @samp{auto}, which causes @value{GDBN} to
19343 use the current execution mode (from the @code{T} bit in the @code{CPSR}
19344 register).
19345
19346 @item show arm fallback-mode
19347 Show the current fallback instruction mode.
19348
19349 @item set arm force-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
19350 This command overrides use of the symbol table to determine whether
19351 instructions are ARM or Thumb. The default is @samp{auto}, which
19352 causes @value{GDBN} to use the symbol table and then the setting
19353 of @samp{set arm fallback-mode}.
19354
19355 @item show arm force-mode
19356 Show the current forced instruction mode.
19357
19358 @item set debug arm
19359 Toggle whether to display ARM-specific debugging messages from the ARM
19360 target support subsystem.
19361
19362 @item show debug arm
19363 Show whether ARM-specific debugging messages are enabled.
19364 @end table
19365
19366 The following commands are available when an ARM target is debugged
19367 using the RDI interface:
19368
19369 @table @code
19370 @item rdilogfile @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19371 @kindex rdilogfile
19372 @cindex ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) logging
19373 Set the filename for the ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) packet log.
19374 With an argument, sets the log file to the specified @var{file}. With
19375 no argument, show the current log file name. The default log file is
19376 @file{rdi.log}.
19377
19378 @item rdilogenable @r{[}@var{arg}@r{]}
19379 @kindex rdilogenable
19380 Control logging of ADP packets. With an argument of 1 or @code{"yes"}
19381 enables logging, with an argument 0 or @code{"no"} disables it. With
19382 no arguments displays the current setting. When logging is enabled,
19383 ADP packets exchanged between @value{GDBN} and the RDI target device
19384 are logged to a file.
19385
19386 @item set rdiromatzero
19387 @kindex set rdiromatzero
19388 @cindex ROM at zero address, RDI
19389 Tell @value{GDBN} whether the target has ROM at address 0. If on,
19390 vector catching is disabled, so that zero address can be used. If off
19391 (the default), vector catching is enabled. For this command to take
19392 effect, it needs to be invoked prior to the @code{target rdi} command.
19393
19394 @item show rdiromatzero
19395 @kindex show rdiromatzero
19396 Show the current setting of ROM at zero address.
19397
19398 @item set rdiheartbeat
19399 @kindex set rdiheartbeat
19400 @cindex RDI heartbeat
19401 Enable or disable RDI heartbeat packets. It is not recommended to
19402 turn on this option, since it confuses ARM and EPI JTAG interface, as
19403 well as the Angel monitor.
19404
19405 @item show rdiheartbeat
19406 @kindex show rdiheartbeat
19407 Show the setting of RDI heartbeat packets.
19408 @end table
19409
19410 @table @code
19411 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
19412 The @value{GDBN} ARM simulator accepts the following optional arguments.
19413
19414 @table @code
19415 @item --swi-support=@var{type}
19416 Tell the simulator which SWI interfaces to support.
19417 @var{type} may be a comma separated list of the following values.
19418 The default value is @code{all}.
19419
19420 @table @code
19421 @item none
19422 @item demon
19423 @item angel
19424 @item redboot
19425 @item all
19426 @end table
19427 @end table
19428 @end table
19429
19430 @node M32R/D
19431 @subsection Renesas M32R/D and M32R/SDI
19432
19433 @table @code
19434 @kindex target m32r
19435 @item target m32r @var{dev}
19436 Renesas M32R/D ROM monitor.
19437
19438 @kindex target m32rsdi
19439 @item target m32rsdi @var{dev}
19440 Renesas M32R SDI server, connected via parallel port to the board.
19441 @end table
19442
19443 The following @value{GDBN} commands are specific to the M32R monitor:
19444
19445 @table @code
19446 @item set download-path @var{path}
19447 @kindex set download-path
19448 @cindex find downloadable @sc{srec} files (M32R)
19449 Set the default path for finding downloadable @sc{srec} files.
19450
19451 @item show download-path
19452 @kindex show download-path
19453 Show the default path for downloadable @sc{srec} files.
19454
19455 @item set board-address @var{addr}
19456 @kindex set board-address
19457 @cindex M32-EVA target board address
19458 Set the IP address for the M32R-EVA target board.
19459
19460 @item show board-address
19461 @kindex show board-address
19462 Show the current IP address of the target board.
19463
19464 @item set server-address @var{addr}
19465 @kindex set server-address
19466 @cindex download server address (M32R)
19467 Set the IP address for the download server, which is the @value{GDBN}'s
19468 host machine.
19469
19470 @item show server-address
19471 @kindex show server-address
19472 Display the IP address of the download server.
19473
19474 @item upload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19475 @kindex upload@r{, M32R}
19476 Upload the specified @sc{srec} @var{file} via the monitor's Ethernet
19477 upload capability. If no @var{file} argument is given, the current
19478 executable file is uploaded.
19479
19480 @item tload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19481 @kindex tload@r{, M32R}
19482 Test the @code{upload} command.
19483 @end table
19484
19485 The following commands are available for M32R/SDI:
19486
19487 @table @code
19488 @item sdireset
19489 @kindex sdireset
19490 @cindex reset SDI connection, M32R
19491 This command resets the SDI connection.
19492
19493 @item sdistatus
19494 @kindex sdistatus
19495 This command shows the SDI connection status.
19496
19497 @item debug_chaos
19498 @kindex debug_chaos
19499 @cindex M32R/Chaos debugging
19500 Instructs the remote that M32R/Chaos debugging is to be used.
19501
19502 @item use_debug_dma
19503 @kindex use_debug_dma
19504 Instructs the remote to use the DEBUG_DMA method of accessing memory.
19505
19506 @item use_mon_code
19507 @kindex use_mon_code
19508 Instructs the remote to use the MON_CODE method of accessing memory.
19509
19510 @item use_ib_break
19511 @kindex use_ib_break
19512 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by IB break.
19513
19514 @item use_dbt_break
19515 @kindex use_dbt_break
19516 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by DBT.
19517 @end table
19518
19519 @node M68K
19520 @subsection M68k
19521
19522 The Motorola m68k configuration includes ColdFire support, and a
19523 target command for the following ROM monitor.
19524
19525 @table @code
19526
19527 @kindex target dbug
19528 @item target dbug @var{dev}
19529 dBUG ROM monitor for Motorola ColdFire.
19530
19531 @end table
19532
19533 @node MicroBlaze
19534 @subsection MicroBlaze
19535 @cindex Xilinx MicroBlaze
19536 @cindex XMD, Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger
19537
19538 The MicroBlaze is a soft-core processor supported on various Xilinx
19539 FPGAs, such as Spartan or Virtex series. Boards with these processors
19540 usually have JTAG ports which connect to a host system running the Xilinx
19541 Embedded Development Kit (EDK) or Software Development Kit (SDK).
19542 This host system is used to download the configuration bitstream to
19543 the target FPGA. The Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger (XMD) program
19544 communicates with the target board using the JTAG interface and
19545 presents a @code{gdbserver} interface to the board. By default
19546 @code{xmd} uses port @code{1234}. (While it is possible to change
19547 this default port, it requires the use of undocumented @code{xmd}
19548 commands. Contact Xilinx support if you need to do this.)
19549
19550 Use these GDB commands to connect to the MicroBlaze target processor.
19551
19552 @table @code
19553 @item target remote :1234
19554 Use this command to connect to the target if you are running @value{GDBN}
19555 on the same system as @code{xmd}.
19556
19557 @item target remote @var{xmd-host}:1234
19558 Use this command to connect to the target if it is connected to @code{xmd}
19559 running on a different system named @var{xmd-host}.
19560
19561 @item load
19562 Use this command to download a program to the MicroBlaze target.
19563
19564 @item set debug microblaze @var{n}
19565 Enable MicroBlaze-specific debugging messages if non-zero.
19566
19567 @item show debug microblaze @var{n}
19568 Show MicroBlaze-specific debugging level.
19569 @end table
19570
19571 @node MIPS Embedded
19572 @subsection MIPS Embedded
19573
19574 @cindex MIPS boards
19575 @value{GDBN} can use the MIPS remote debugging protocol to talk to a
19576 MIPS board attached to a serial line. This is available when
19577 you configure @value{GDBN} with @samp{--target=mips-elf}.
19578
19579 @need 1000
19580 Use these @value{GDBN} commands to specify the connection to your target board:
19581
19582 @table @code
19583 @item target mips @var{port}
19584 @kindex target mips @var{port}
19585 To run a program on the board, start up @code{@value{GDBP}} with the
19586 name of your program as the argument. To connect to the board, use the
19587 command @samp{target mips @var{port}}, where @var{port} is the name of
19588 the serial port connected to the board. If the program has not already
19589 been downloaded to the board, you may use the @code{load} command to
19590 download it. You can then use all the usual @value{GDBN} commands.
19591
19592 For example, this sequence connects to the target board through a serial
19593 port, and loads and runs a program called @var{prog} through the
19594 debugger:
19595
19596 @smallexample
19597 host$ @value{GDBP} @var{prog}
19598 @value{GDBN} is free software and @dots{}
19599 (@value{GDBP}) target mips /dev/ttyb
19600 (@value{GDBP}) load @var{prog}
19601 (@value{GDBP}) run
19602 @end smallexample
19603
19604 @item target mips @var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}
19605 On some @value{GDBN} host configurations, you can specify a TCP
19606 connection (for instance, to a serial line managed by a terminal
19607 concentrator) instead of a serial port, using the syntax
19608 @samp{@var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}}.
19609
19610 @item target pmon @var{port}
19611 @kindex target pmon @var{port}
19612 PMON ROM monitor.
19613
19614 @item target ddb @var{port}
19615 @kindex target ddb @var{port}
19616 NEC's DDB variant of PMON for Vr4300.
19617
19618 @item target lsi @var{port}
19619 @kindex target lsi @var{port}
19620 LSI variant of PMON.
19621
19622 @kindex target r3900
19623 @item target r3900 @var{dev}
19624 Densan DVE-R3900 ROM monitor for Toshiba R3900 Mips.
19625
19626 @kindex target array
19627 @item target array @var{dev}
19628 Array Tech LSI33K RAID controller board.
19629
19630 @end table
19631
19632
19633 @noindent
19634 @value{GDBN} also supports these special commands for MIPS targets:
19635
19636 @table @code
19637 @item set mipsfpu double
19638 @itemx set mipsfpu single
19639 @itemx set mipsfpu none
19640 @itemx set mipsfpu auto
19641 @itemx show mipsfpu
19642 @kindex set mipsfpu
19643 @kindex show mipsfpu
19644 @cindex MIPS remote floating point
19645 @cindex floating point, MIPS remote
19646 If your target board does not support the MIPS floating point
19647 coprocessor, you should use the command @samp{set mipsfpu none} (if you
19648 need this, you may wish to put the command in your @value{GDBN} init
19649 file). This tells @value{GDBN} how to find the return value of
19650 functions which return floating point values. It also allows
19651 @value{GDBN} to avoid saving the floating point registers when calling
19652 functions on the board. If you are using a floating point coprocessor
19653 with only single precision floating point support, as on the @sc{r4650}
19654 processor, use the command @samp{set mipsfpu single}. The default
19655 double precision floating point coprocessor may be selected using
19656 @samp{set mipsfpu double}.
19657
19658 In previous versions the only choices were double precision or no
19659 floating point, so @samp{set mipsfpu on} will select double precision
19660 and @samp{set mipsfpu off} will select no floating point.
19661
19662 As usual, you can inquire about the @code{mipsfpu} variable with
19663 @samp{show mipsfpu}.
19664
19665 @item set timeout @var{seconds}
19666 @itemx set retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}
19667 @itemx show timeout
19668 @itemx show retransmit-timeout
19669 @cindex @code{timeout}, MIPS protocol
19670 @cindex @code{retransmit-timeout}, MIPS protocol
19671 @kindex set timeout
19672 @kindex show timeout
19673 @kindex set retransmit-timeout
19674 @kindex show retransmit-timeout
19675 You can control the timeout used while waiting for a packet, in the MIPS
19676 remote protocol, with the @code{set timeout @var{seconds}} command. The
19677 default is 5 seconds. Similarly, you can control the timeout used while
19678 waiting for an acknowledgment of a packet with the @code{set
19679 retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}} command. The default is 3 seconds.
19680 You can inspect both values with @code{show timeout} and @code{show
19681 retransmit-timeout}. (These commands are @emph{only} available when
19682 @value{GDBN} is configured for @samp{--target=mips-elf}.)
19683
19684 The timeout set by @code{set timeout} does not apply when @value{GDBN}
19685 is waiting for your program to stop. In that case, @value{GDBN} waits
19686 forever because it has no way of knowing how long the program is going
19687 to run before stopping.
19688
19689 @item set syn-garbage-limit @var{num}
19690 @kindex set syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
19691 @cindex synchronize with remote MIPS target
19692 Limit the maximum number of characters @value{GDBN} should ignore when
19693 it tries to synchronize with the remote target. The default is 10
19694 characters. Setting the limit to -1 means there's no limit.
19695
19696 @item show syn-garbage-limit
19697 @kindex show syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
19698 Show the current limit on the number of characters to ignore when
19699 trying to synchronize with the remote system.
19700
19701 @item set monitor-prompt @var{prompt}
19702 @kindex set monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
19703 @cindex remote monitor prompt
19704 Tell @value{GDBN} to expect the specified @var{prompt} string from the
19705 remote monitor. The default depends on the target:
19706 @table @asis
19707 @item pmon target
19708 @samp{PMON}
19709 @item ddb target
19710 @samp{NEC010}
19711 @item lsi target
19712 @samp{PMON>}
19713 @end table
19714
19715 @item show monitor-prompt
19716 @kindex show monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
19717 Show the current strings @value{GDBN} expects as the prompt from the
19718 remote monitor.
19719
19720 @item set monitor-warnings
19721 @kindex set monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
19722 Enable or disable monitor warnings about hardware breakpoints. This
19723 has effect only for the @code{lsi} target. When on, @value{GDBN} will
19724 display warning messages whose codes are returned by the @code{lsi}
19725 PMON monitor for breakpoint commands.
19726
19727 @item show monitor-warnings
19728 @kindex show monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
19729 Show the current setting of printing monitor warnings.
19730
19731 @item pmon @var{command}
19732 @kindex pmon@r{, MIPS remote}
19733 @cindex send PMON command
19734 This command allows sending an arbitrary @var{command} string to the
19735 monitor. The monitor must be in debug mode for this to work.
19736 @end table
19737
19738 @node OpenRISC 1000
19739 @subsection OpenRISC 1000
19740 @cindex OpenRISC 1000
19741
19742 @cindex or1k boards
19743 See OR1k Architecture document (@uref{www.opencores.org}) for more information
19744 about platform and commands.
19745
19746 @table @code
19747
19748 @kindex target jtag
19749 @item target jtag jtag://@var{host}:@var{port}
19750
19751 Connects to remote JTAG server.
19752 JTAG remote server can be either an or1ksim or JTAG server,
19753 connected via parallel port to the board.
19754
19755 Example: @code{target jtag jtag://localhost:9999}
19756
19757 @kindex or1ksim
19758 @item or1ksim @var{command}
19759 If connected to @code{or1ksim} OpenRISC 1000 Architectural
19760 Simulator, proprietary commands can be executed.
19761
19762 @kindex info or1k spr
19763 @item info or1k spr
19764 Displays spr groups.
19765
19766 @item info or1k spr @var{group}
19767 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno}
19768 Displays register names in selected group.
19769
19770 @item info or1k spr @var{group} @var{register}
19771 @itemx info or1k spr @var{register}
19772 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno}
19773 @itemx info or1k spr @var{registerno}
19774 Shows information about specified spr register.
19775
19776 @kindex spr
19777 @item spr @var{group} @var{register} @var{value}
19778 @itemx spr @var{register @var{value}}
19779 @itemx spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno @var{value}}
19780 @itemx spr @var{registerno @var{value}}
19781 Writes @var{value} to specified spr register.
19782 @end table
19783
19784 Some implementations of OpenRISC 1000 Architecture also have hardware trace.
19785 It is very similar to @value{GDBN} trace, except it does not interfere with normal
19786 program execution and is thus much faster. Hardware breakpoints/watchpoint
19787 triggers can be set using:
19788 @table @code
19789 @item $LEA/$LDATA
19790 Load effective address/data
19791 @item $SEA/$SDATA
19792 Store effective address/data
19793 @item $AEA/$ADATA
19794 Access effective address ($SEA or $LEA) or data ($SDATA/$LDATA)
19795 @item $FETCH
19796 Fetch data
19797 @end table
19798
19799 When triggered, it can capture low level data, like: @code{PC}, @code{LSEA},
19800 @code{LDATA}, @code{SDATA}, @code{READSPR}, @code{WRITESPR}, @code{INSTR}.
19801
19802 @code{htrace} commands:
19803 @cindex OpenRISC 1000 htrace
19804 @table @code
19805 @kindex hwatch
19806 @item hwatch @var{conditional}
19807 Set hardware watchpoint on combination of Load/Store Effective Address(es)
19808 or Data. For example:
19809
19810 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
19811
19812 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
19813
19814 @kindex htrace
19815 @item htrace info
19816 Display information about current HW trace configuration.
19817
19818 @item htrace trigger @var{conditional}
19819 Set starting criteria for HW trace.
19820
19821 @item htrace qualifier @var{conditional}
19822 Set acquisition qualifier for HW trace.
19823
19824 @item htrace stop @var{conditional}
19825 Set HW trace stopping criteria.
19826
19827 @item htrace record [@var{data}]*
19828 Selects the data to be recorded, when qualifier is met and HW trace was
19829 triggered.
19830
19831 @item htrace enable
19832 @itemx htrace disable
19833 Enables/disables the HW trace.
19834
19835 @item htrace rewind [@var{filename}]
19836 Clears currently recorded trace data.
19837
19838 If filename is specified, new trace file is made and any newly collected data
19839 will be written there.
19840
19841 @item htrace print [@var{start} [@var{len}]]
19842 Prints trace buffer, using current record configuration.
19843
19844 @item htrace mode continuous
19845 Set continuous trace mode.
19846
19847 @item htrace mode suspend
19848 Set suspend trace mode.
19849
19850 @end table
19851
19852 @node PowerPC Embedded
19853 @subsection PowerPC Embedded
19854
19855 @cindex DVC register
19856 @value{GDBN} supports using the DVC (Data Value Compare) register to
19857 implement in hardware simple hardware watchpoint conditions of the form:
19858
19859 @smallexample
19860 (@value{GDBP}) watch @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} \
19861 if @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} == @var{CONSTANT EXPRESSION}
19862 @end smallexample
19863
19864 The DVC register will be automatically used when @value{GDBN} detects
19865 such pattern in a condition expression, and the created watchpoint uses one
19866 debug register (either the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on and the
19867 variable is scalar, or the variable has a length of one byte). This feature
19868 is available in native @value{GDBN} running on a Linux kernel version 2.6.34
19869 or newer.
19870
19871 When running on PowerPC embedded processors, @value{GDBN} automatically uses
19872 ranged hardware watchpoints, unless the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on,
19873 in which case watchpoints using only one debug register are created when
19874 watching variables of scalar types.
19875
19876 You can create an artificial array to watch an arbitrary memory
19877 region using one of the following commands (@pxref{Expressions}):
19878
19879 @smallexample
19880 (@value{GDBP}) watch *((char *) @var{address})@@@var{length}
19881 (@value{GDBP}) watch @{char[@var{length}]@} @var{address}
19882 @end smallexample
19883
19884 PowerPC embedded processors support masked watchpoints. See the discussion
19885 about the @code{mask} argument in @ref{Set Watchpoints}.
19886
19887 @cindex ranged breakpoint
19888 PowerPC embedded processors support hardware accelerated
19889 @dfn{ranged breakpoints}. A ranged breakpoint stops execution of
19890 the inferior whenever it executes an instruction at any address within
19891 the range it specifies. To set a ranged breakpoint in @value{GDBN},
19892 use the @code{break-range} command.
19893
19894 @value{GDBN} provides the following PowerPC-specific commands:
19895
19896 @table @code
19897 @kindex break-range
19898 @item break-range @var{start-location}, @var{end-location}
19899 Set a breakpoint for an address range.
19900 @var{start-location} and @var{end-location} can specify a function name,
19901 a line number, an offset of lines from the current line or from the start
19902 location, or an address of an instruction (see @ref{Specify Location},
19903 for a list of all the possible ways to specify a @var{location}.)
19904 The breakpoint will stop execution of the inferior whenever it
19905 executes an instruction at any address within the specified range,
19906 (including @var{start-location} and @var{end-location}.)
19907
19908 @kindex set powerpc
19909 @item set powerpc soft-float
19910 @itemx show powerpc soft-float
19911 Force @value{GDBN} to use (or not use) a software floating point calling
19912 convention. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention based
19913 on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
19914
19915 @item set powerpc vector-abi
19916 @itemx show powerpc vector-abi
19917 Force @value{GDBN} to use the specified calling convention for vector
19918 arguments and return values. The valid options are @samp{auto};
19919 @samp{generic}, to avoid vector registers even if they are present;
19920 @samp{altivec}, to use AltiVec registers; and @samp{spe} to use SPE
19921 registers. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention
19922 based on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
19923
19924 @item set powerpc exact-watchpoints
19925 @itemx show powerpc exact-watchpoints
19926 Allow @value{GDBN} to use only one debug register when watching a variable
19927 of scalar type, thus assuming that the variable is accessed through the
19928 address of its first byte.
19929
19930 @kindex target dink32
19931 @item target dink32 @var{dev}
19932 DINK32 ROM monitor.
19933
19934 @kindex target ppcbug
19935 @item target ppcbug @var{dev}
19936 @kindex target ppcbug1
19937 @item target ppcbug1 @var{dev}
19938 PPCBUG ROM monitor for PowerPC.
19939
19940 @kindex target sds
19941 @item target sds @var{dev}
19942 SDS monitor, running on a PowerPC board (such as Motorola's ADS).
19943 @end table
19944
19945 @cindex SDS protocol
19946 The following commands specific to the SDS protocol are supported
19947 by @value{GDBN}:
19948
19949 @table @code
19950 @item set sdstimeout @var{nsec}
19951 @kindex set sdstimeout
19952 Set the timeout for SDS protocol reads to be @var{nsec} seconds. The
19953 default is 2 seconds.
19954
19955 @item show sdstimeout
19956 @kindex show sdstimeout
19957 Show the current value of the SDS timeout.
19958
19959 @item sds @var{command}
19960 @kindex sds@r{, a command}
19961 Send the specified @var{command} string to the SDS monitor.
19962 @end table
19963
19964
19965 @node PA
19966 @subsection HP PA Embedded
19967
19968 @table @code
19969
19970 @kindex target op50n
19971 @item target op50n @var{dev}
19972 OP50N monitor, running on an OKI HPPA board.
19973
19974 @kindex target w89k
19975 @item target w89k @var{dev}
19976 W89K monitor, running on a Winbond HPPA board.
19977
19978 @end table
19979
19980 @node Sparclet
19981 @subsection Tsqware Sparclet
19982
19983 @cindex Sparclet
19984
19985 @value{GDBN} enables developers to debug tasks running on
19986 Sparclet targets from a Unix host.
19987 @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
19988 both the Unix host and on the Sparclet target. The program
19989 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host.
19990
19991 @table @code
19992 @item remotetimeout @var{args}
19993 @kindex remotetimeout
19994 @value{GDBN} supports the option @code{remotetimeout}.
19995 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
19996 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses.
19997 @end table
19998
19999 @cindex compiling, on Sparclet
20000 When compiling for debugging, include the options @samp{-g} to get debug
20001 information and @samp{-Ttext} to relocate the program to where you wish to
20002 load it on the target. You may also want to add the options @samp{-n} or
20003 @samp{-N} in order to reduce the size of the sections. Example:
20004
20005 @smallexample
20006 sparclet-aout-gcc prog.c -Ttext 0x12010000 -g -o prog -N
20007 @end smallexample
20008
20009 You can use @code{objdump} to verify that the addresses are what you intended:
20010
20011 @smallexample
20012 sparclet-aout-objdump --headers --syms prog
20013 @end smallexample
20014
20015 @cindex running, on Sparclet
20016 Once you have set
20017 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
20018 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}}
20019 (or @code{sparclet-aout-gdb}, depending on your installation).
20020
20021 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
20022
20023 @smallexample
20024 (gdbslet)
20025 @end smallexample
20026
20027 @menu
20028 * Sparclet File:: Setting the file to debug
20029 * Sparclet Connection:: Connecting to Sparclet
20030 * Sparclet Download:: Sparclet download
20031 * Sparclet Execution:: Running and debugging
20032 @end menu
20033
20034 @node Sparclet File
20035 @subsubsection Setting File to Debug
20036
20037 The @value{GDBN} command @code{file} lets you choose with program to debug.
20038
20039 @smallexample
20040 (gdbslet) file prog
20041 @end smallexample
20042
20043 @need 1000
20044 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol table of @file{prog}.
20045 @value{GDBN} locates
20046 the file by searching the directories listed in the command search
20047 path.
20048 If the file was compiled with debug information (option @samp{-g}), source
20049 files will be searched as well.
20050 @value{GDBN} locates
20051 the source files by searching the directories listed in the directory search
20052 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}).
20053 If it fails
20054 to find a file, it displays a message such as:
20055
20056 @smallexample
20057 prog: No such file or directory.
20058 @end smallexample
20059
20060 When this happens, add the appropriate directories to the search paths with
20061 the @value{GDBN} commands @code{path} and @code{dir}, and execute the
20062 @code{target} command again.
20063
20064 @node Sparclet Connection
20065 @subsubsection Connecting to Sparclet
20066
20067 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a Sparclet target.
20068 To connect to a target on serial port ``@code{ttya}'', type:
20069
20070 @smallexample
20071 (gdbslet) target sparclet /dev/ttya
20072 Remote target sparclet connected to /dev/ttya
20073 main () at ../prog.c:3
20074 @end smallexample
20075
20076 @need 750
20077 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
20078
20079 @smallexample
20080 Connected to ttya.
20081 @end smallexample
20082
20083 @node Sparclet Download
20084 @subsubsection Sparclet Download
20085
20086 @cindex download to Sparclet
20087 Once connected to the Sparclet target,
20088 you can use the @value{GDBN}
20089 @code{load} command to download the file from the host to the target.
20090 The file name and load offset should be given as arguments to the @code{load}
20091 command.
20092 Since the file format is aout, the program must be loaded to the starting
20093 address. You can use @code{objdump} to find out what this value is. The load
20094 offset is an offset which is added to the VMA (virtual memory address)
20095 of each of the file's sections.
20096 For instance, if the program
20097 @file{prog} was linked to text address 0x1201000, with data at 0x12010160
20098 and bss at 0x12010170, in @value{GDBN}, type:
20099
20100 @smallexample
20101 (gdbslet) load prog 0x12010000
20102 Loading section .text, size 0xdb0 vma 0x12010000
20103 @end smallexample
20104
20105 If the code is loaded at a different address then what the program was linked
20106 to, you may need to use the @code{section} and @code{add-symbol-file} commands
20107 to tell @value{GDBN} where to map the symbol table.
20108
20109 @node Sparclet Execution
20110 @subsubsection Running and Debugging
20111
20112 @cindex running and debugging Sparclet programs
20113 You can now begin debugging the task using @value{GDBN}'s execution control
20114 commands, @code{b}, @code{step}, @code{run}, etc. See the @value{GDBN}
20115 manual for the list of commands.
20116
20117 @smallexample
20118 (gdbslet) b main
20119 Breakpoint 1 at 0x12010000: file prog.c, line 3.
20120 (gdbslet) run
20121 Starting program: prog
20122 Breakpoint 1, main (argc=1, argv=0xeffff21c) at prog.c:3
20123 3 char *symarg = 0;
20124 (gdbslet) step
20125 4 char *execarg = "hello!";
20126 (gdbslet)
20127 @end smallexample
20128
20129 @node Sparclite
20130 @subsection Fujitsu Sparclite
20131
20132 @table @code
20133
20134 @kindex target sparclite
20135 @item target sparclite @var{dev}
20136 Fujitsu sparclite boards, used only for the purpose of loading.
20137 You must use an additional command to debug the program.
20138 For example: target remote @var{dev} using @value{GDBN} standard
20139 remote protocol.
20140
20141 @end table
20142
20143 @node Z8000
20144 @subsection Zilog Z8000
20145
20146 @cindex Z8000
20147 @cindex simulator, Z8000
20148 @cindex Zilog Z8000 simulator
20149
20150 When configured for debugging Zilog Z8000 targets, @value{GDBN} includes
20151 a Z8000 simulator.
20152
20153 For the Z8000 family, @samp{target sim} simulates either the Z8002 (the
20154 unsegmented variant of the Z8000 architecture) or the Z8001 (the
20155 segmented variant). The simulator recognizes which architecture is
20156 appropriate by inspecting the object code.
20157
20158 @table @code
20159 @item target sim @var{args}
20160 @kindex sim
20161 @kindex target sim@r{, with Z8000}
20162 Debug programs on a simulated CPU. If the simulator supports setup
20163 options, specify them via @var{args}.
20164 @end table
20165
20166 @noindent
20167 After specifying this target, you can debug programs for the simulated
20168 CPU in the same style as programs for your host computer; use the
20169 @code{file} command to load a new program image, the @code{run} command
20170 to run your program, and so on.
20171
20172 As well as making available all the usual machine registers
20173 (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}), the Z8000 simulator provides three
20174 additional items of information as specially named registers:
20175
20176 @table @code
20177
20178 @item cycles
20179 Counts clock-ticks in the simulator.
20180
20181 @item insts
20182 Counts instructions run in the simulator.
20183
20184 @item time
20185 Execution time in 60ths of a second.
20186
20187 @end table
20188
20189 You can refer to these values in @value{GDBN} expressions with the usual
20190 conventions; for example, @w{@samp{b fputc if $cycles>5000}} sets a
20191 conditional breakpoint that suspends only after at least 5000
20192 simulated clock ticks.
20193
20194 @node AVR
20195 @subsection Atmel AVR
20196 @cindex AVR
20197
20198 When configured for debugging the Atmel AVR, @value{GDBN} supports the
20199 following AVR-specific commands:
20200
20201 @table @code
20202 @item info io_registers
20203 @kindex info io_registers@r{, AVR}
20204 @cindex I/O registers (Atmel AVR)
20205 This command displays information about the AVR I/O registers. For
20206 each register, @value{GDBN} prints its number and value.
20207 @end table
20208
20209 @node CRIS
20210 @subsection CRIS
20211 @cindex CRIS
20212
20213 When configured for debugging CRIS, @value{GDBN} provides the
20214 following CRIS-specific commands:
20215
20216 @table @code
20217 @item set cris-version @var{ver}
20218 @cindex CRIS version
20219 Set the current CRIS version to @var{ver}, either @samp{10} or @samp{32}.
20220 The CRIS version affects register names and sizes. This command is useful in
20221 case autodetection of the CRIS version fails.
20222
20223 @item show cris-version
20224 Show the current CRIS version.
20225
20226 @item set cris-dwarf2-cfi
20227 @cindex DWARF-2 CFI and CRIS
20228 Set the usage of DWARF-2 CFI for CRIS debugging. The default is @samp{on}.
20229 Change to @samp{off} when using @code{gcc-cris} whose version is below
20230 @code{R59}.
20231
20232 @item show cris-dwarf2-cfi
20233 Show the current state of using DWARF-2 CFI.
20234
20235 @item set cris-mode @var{mode}
20236 @cindex CRIS mode
20237 Set the current CRIS mode to @var{mode}. It should only be changed when
20238 debugging in guru mode, in which case it should be set to
20239 @samp{guru} (the default is @samp{normal}).
20240
20241 @item show cris-mode
20242 Show the current CRIS mode.
20243 @end table
20244
20245 @node Super-H
20246 @subsection Renesas Super-H
20247 @cindex Super-H
20248
20249 For the Renesas Super-H processor, @value{GDBN} provides these
20250 commands:
20251
20252 @table @code
20253 @item regs
20254 @kindex regs@r{, Super-H}
20255 Show the values of all Super-H registers.
20256
20257 @item set sh calling-convention @var{convention}
20258 @kindex set sh calling-convention
20259 Set the calling-convention used when calling functions from @value{GDBN}.
20260 Allowed values are @samp{gcc}, which is the default setting, and @samp{renesas}.
20261 With the @samp{gcc} setting, functions are called using the @value{NGCC} calling
20262 convention. If the DWARF-2 information of the called function specifies
20263 that the function follows the Renesas calling convention, the function
20264 is called using the Renesas calling convention. If the calling convention
20265 is set to @samp{renesas}, the Renesas calling convention is always used,
20266 regardless of the DWARF-2 information. This can be used to override the
20267 default of @samp{gcc} if debug information is missing, or the compiler
20268 does not emit the DWARF-2 calling convention entry for a function.
20269
20270 @item show sh calling-convention
20271 @kindex show sh calling-convention
20272 Show the current calling convention setting.
20273
20274 @end table
20275
20276
20277 @node Architectures
20278 @section Architectures
20279
20280 This section describes characteristics of architectures that affect
20281 all uses of @value{GDBN} with the architecture, both native and cross.
20282
20283 @menu
20284 * i386::
20285 * Alpha::
20286 * MIPS::
20287 * HPPA:: HP PA architecture
20288 * SPU:: Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
20289 * PowerPC::
20290 @end menu
20291
20292 @node i386
20293 @subsection x86 Architecture-specific Issues
20294
20295 @table @code
20296 @item set struct-convention @var{mode}
20297 @kindex set struct-convention
20298 @cindex struct return convention
20299 @cindex struct/union returned in registers
20300 Set the convention used by the inferior to return @code{struct}s and
20301 @code{union}s from functions to @var{mode}. Possible values of
20302 @var{mode} are @code{"pcc"}, @code{"reg"}, and @code{"default"} (the
20303 default). @code{"default"} or @code{"pcc"} means that @code{struct}s
20304 are returned on the stack, while @code{"reg"} means that a
20305 @code{struct} or a @code{union} whose size is 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes will
20306 be returned in a register.
20307
20308 @item show struct-convention
20309 @kindex show struct-convention
20310 Show the current setting of the convention to return @code{struct}s
20311 from functions.
20312 @end table
20313
20314 @node Alpha
20315 @subsection Alpha
20316
20317 See the following section.
20318
20319 @node MIPS
20320 @subsection MIPS
20321
20322 @cindex stack on Alpha
20323 @cindex stack on MIPS
20324 @cindex Alpha stack
20325 @cindex MIPS stack
20326 Alpha- and MIPS-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which
20327 sometimes requires @value{GDBN} to search backward in the object code to
20328 find the beginning of a function.
20329
20330 @cindex response time, MIPS debugging
20331 To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where
20332 @value{GDBN} may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search)
20333 you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these
20334 commands:
20335
20336 @table @code
20337 @cindex @code{heuristic-fence-post} (Alpha, MIPS)
20338 @item set heuristic-fence-post @var{limit}
20339 Restrict @value{GDBN} to examining at most @var{limit} bytes in its
20340 search for the beginning of a function. A value of @var{0} (the
20341 default) means there is no limit. However, except for @var{0}, the
20342 larger the limit the more bytes @code{heuristic-fence-post} must search
20343 and therefore the longer it takes to run. You should only need to use
20344 this command when debugging a stripped executable.
20345
20346 @item show heuristic-fence-post
20347 Display the current limit.
20348 @end table
20349
20350 @noindent
20351 These commands are available @emph{only} when @value{GDBN} is configured
20352 for debugging programs on Alpha or MIPS processors.
20353
20354 Several MIPS-specific commands are available when debugging MIPS
20355 programs:
20356
20357 @table @code
20358 @item set mips abi @var{arg}
20359 @kindex set mips abi
20360 @cindex set ABI for MIPS
20361 Tell @value{GDBN} which MIPS ABI is used by the inferior. Possible
20362 values of @var{arg} are:
20363
20364 @table @samp
20365 @item auto
20366 The default ABI associated with the current binary (this is the
20367 default).
20368 @item o32
20369 @item o64
20370 @item n32
20371 @item n64
20372 @item eabi32
20373 @item eabi64
20374 @end table
20375
20376 @item show mips abi
20377 @kindex show mips abi
20378 Show the MIPS ABI used by @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
20379
20380 @item set mipsfpu
20381 @itemx show mipsfpu
20382 @xref{MIPS Embedded, set mipsfpu}.
20383
20384 @item set mips mask-address @var{arg}
20385 @kindex set mips mask-address
20386 @cindex MIPS addresses, masking
20387 This command determines whether the most-significant 32 bits of 64-bit
20388 MIPS addresses are masked off. The argument @var{arg} can be
20389 @samp{on}, @samp{off}, or @samp{auto}. The latter is the default
20390 setting, which lets @value{GDBN} determine the correct value.
20391
20392 @item show mips mask-address
20393 @kindex show mips mask-address
20394 Show whether the upper 32 bits of MIPS addresses are masked off or
20395 not.
20396
20397 @item set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20398 @kindex set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20399 This command controls compatibility with 64-bit MIPS targets that
20400 transfer data in 32-bit quantities. If you have an old MIPS 64 target
20401 that transfers 32 bits for some registers, like @sc{sr} and @sc{fsr},
20402 and 64 bits for other registers, set this option to @samp{on}.
20403
20404 @item show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20405 @kindex show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20406 Show the current setting of compatibility with older MIPS 64 targets.
20407
20408 @item set debug mips
20409 @kindex set debug mips
20410 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the MIPS-specific
20411 target code in @value{GDBN}.
20412
20413 @item show debug mips
20414 @kindex show debug mips
20415 Show the current setting of MIPS debugging messages.
20416 @end table
20417
20418
20419 @node HPPA
20420 @subsection HPPA
20421 @cindex HPPA support
20422
20423 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the HP PA architecture, it provides the
20424 following special commands:
20425
20426 @table @code
20427 @item set debug hppa
20428 @kindex set debug hppa
20429 This command determines whether HPPA architecture-specific debugging
20430 messages are to be displayed.
20431
20432 @item show debug hppa
20433 Show whether HPPA debugging messages are displayed.
20434
20435 @item maint print unwind @var{address}
20436 @kindex maint print unwind@r{, HPPA}
20437 This command displays the contents of the unwind table entry at the
20438 given @var{address}.
20439
20440 @end table
20441
20442
20443 @node SPU
20444 @subsection Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
20445 @cindex Cell Broadband Engine
20446 @cindex SPU
20447
20448 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture,
20449 it provides the following special commands:
20450
20451 @table @code
20452 @item info spu event
20453 @kindex info spu
20454 Display SPU event facility status. Shows current event mask
20455 and pending event status.
20456
20457 @item info spu signal
20458 Display SPU signal notification facility status. Shows pending
20459 signal-control word and signal notification mode of both signal
20460 notification channels.
20461
20462 @item info spu mailbox
20463 Display SPU mailbox facility status. Shows all pending entries,
20464 in order of processing, in each of the SPU Write Outbound,
20465 SPU Write Outbound Interrupt, and SPU Read Inbound mailboxes.
20466
20467 @item info spu dma
20468 Display MFC DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
20469 DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
20470 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
20471
20472 @item info spu proxydma
20473 Display MFC Proxy-DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
20474 Proxy-DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
20475 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
20476
20477 @end table
20478
20479 When @value{GDBN} is debugging a combined PowerPC/SPU application
20480 on the Cell Broadband Engine, it provides in addition the following
20481 special commands:
20482
20483 @table @code
20484 @item set spu stop-on-load @var{arg}
20485 @kindex set spu
20486 Set whether to stop for new SPE threads. When set to @code{on}, @value{GDBN}
20487 will give control to the user when a new SPE thread enters its @code{main}
20488 function. The default is @code{off}.
20489
20490 @item show spu stop-on-load
20491 @kindex show spu
20492 Show whether to stop for new SPE threads.
20493
20494 @item set spu auto-flush-cache @var{arg}
20495 Set whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache. When set to
20496 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will automatically cause the SPE software-managed
20497 cache to be flushed whenever SPE execution stops. This provides a consistent
20498 view of PowerPC memory that is accessed via the cache. If an application
20499 does not use the software-managed cache, this option has no effect.
20500
20501 @item show spu auto-flush-cache
20502 Show whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache.
20503
20504 @end table
20505
20506 @node PowerPC
20507 @subsection PowerPC
20508 @cindex PowerPC architecture
20509
20510 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the PowerPC architecture, it provides a set of
20511 pseudo-registers to enable inspection of 128-bit wide Decimal Floating Point
20512 numbers stored in the floating point registers. These values must be stored
20513 in two consecutive registers, always starting at an even register like
20514 @code{f0} or @code{f2}.
20515
20516 The pseudo-registers go from @code{$dl0} through @code{$dl15}, and are formed
20517 by joining the even/odd register pairs @code{f0} and @code{f1} for @code{$dl0},
20518 @code{f2} and @code{f3} for @code{$dl1} and so on.
20519
20520 For POWER7 processors, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers, the 64-bit
20521 wide Extended Floating Point Registers (@samp{f32} through @samp{f63}).
20522
20523
20524 @node Controlling GDB
20525 @chapter Controlling @value{GDBN}
20526
20527 You can alter the way @value{GDBN} interacts with you by using the
20528 @code{set} command. For commands controlling how @value{GDBN} displays
20529 data, see @ref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}. Other settings are
20530 described here.
20531
20532 @menu
20533 * Prompt:: Prompt
20534 * Editing:: Command editing
20535 * Command History:: Command history
20536 * Screen Size:: Screen size
20537 * Numbers:: Numbers
20538 * ABI:: Configuring the current ABI
20539 * Auto-loading:: Automatically loading associated files
20540 * Messages/Warnings:: Optional warnings and messages
20541 * Debugging Output:: Optional messages about internal happenings
20542 * Other Misc Settings:: Other Miscellaneous Settings
20543 @end menu
20544
20545 @node Prompt
20546 @section Prompt
20547
20548 @cindex prompt
20549
20550 @value{GDBN} indicates its readiness to read a command by printing a string
20551 called the @dfn{prompt}. This string is normally @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. You
20552 can change the prompt string with the @code{set prompt} command. For
20553 instance, when debugging @value{GDBN} with @value{GDBN}, it is useful to change
20554 the prompt in one of the @value{GDBN} sessions so that you can always tell
20555 which one you are talking to.
20556
20557 @emph{Note:} @code{set prompt} does not add a space for you after the
20558 prompt you set. This allows you to set a prompt which ends in a space
20559 or a prompt that does not.
20560
20561 @table @code
20562 @kindex set prompt
20563 @item set prompt @var{newprompt}
20564 Directs @value{GDBN} to use @var{newprompt} as its prompt string henceforth.
20565
20566 @kindex show prompt
20567 @item show prompt
20568 Prints a line of the form: @samp{Gdb's prompt is: @var{your-prompt}}
20569 @end table
20570
20571 Versions of @value{GDBN} that ship with Python scripting enabled have
20572 prompt extensions. The commands for interacting with these extensions
20573 are:
20574
20575 @table @code
20576 @kindex set extended-prompt
20577 @item set extended-prompt @var{prompt}
20578 Set an extended prompt that allows for substitutions.
20579 @xref{gdb.prompt}, for a list of escape sequences that can be used for
20580 substitution. Any escape sequences specified as part of the prompt
20581 string are replaced with the corresponding strings each time the prompt
20582 is displayed.
20583
20584 For example:
20585
20586 @smallexample
20587 set extended-prompt Current working directory: \w (gdb)
20588 @end smallexample
20589
20590 Note that when an extended-prompt is set, it takes control of the
20591 @var{prompt_hook} hook. @xref{prompt_hook}, for further information.
20592
20593 @kindex show extended-prompt
20594 @item show extended-prompt
20595 Prints the extended prompt. Any escape sequences specified as part of
20596 the prompt string with @code{set extended-prompt}, are replaced with the
20597 corresponding strings each time the prompt is displayed.
20598 @end table
20599
20600 @node Editing
20601 @section Command Editing
20602 @cindex readline
20603 @cindex command line editing
20604
20605 @value{GDBN} reads its input commands via the @dfn{Readline} interface. This
20606 @sc{gnu} library provides consistent behavior for programs which provide a
20607 command line interface to the user. Advantages are @sc{gnu} Emacs-style
20608 or @dfn{vi}-style inline editing of commands, @code{csh}-like history
20609 substitution, and a storage and recall of command history across
20610 debugging sessions.
20611
20612 You may control the behavior of command line editing in @value{GDBN} with the
20613 command @code{set}.
20614
20615 @table @code
20616 @kindex set editing
20617 @cindex editing
20618 @item set editing
20619 @itemx set editing on
20620 Enable command line editing (enabled by default).
20621
20622 @item set editing off
20623 Disable command line editing.
20624
20625 @kindex show editing
20626 @item show editing
20627 Show whether command line editing is enabled.
20628 @end table
20629
20630 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
20631 @xref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library},
20632 @end ifset
20633 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
20634 @xref{Command Line Editing},
20635 @end ifclear
20636 for more details about the Readline
20637 interface. Users unfamiliar with @sc{gnu} Emacs or @code{vi} are
20638 encouraged to read that chapter.
20639
20640 @node Command History
20641 @section Command History
20642 @cindex command history
20643
20644 @value{GDBN} can keep track of the commands you type during your
20645 debugging sessions, so that you can be certain of precisely what
20646 happened. Use these commands to manage the @value{GDBN} command
20647 history facility.
20648
20649 @value{GDBN} uses the @sc{gnu} History library, a part of the Readline
20650 package, to provide the history facility.
20651 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
20652 @xref{Using History Interactively, , , history, GNU History Library},
20653 @end ifset
20654 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
20655 @xref{Using History Interactively},
20656 @end ifclear
20657 for the detailed description of the History library.
20658
20659 To issue a command to @value{GDBN} without affecting certain aspects of
20660 the state which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }
20661 (@pxref{Server Prefix}). This
20662 means that this command will not affect the command history, nor will it
20663 affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is
20664 pressed on a line by itself.
20665
20666 @cindex @code{server}, command prefix
20667 The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value
20668 history; to print a value without recording it into the value history,
20669 use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command.
20670
20671 Here is the description of @value{GDBN} commands related to command
20672 history.
20673
20674 @table @code
20675 @cindex history substitution
20676 @cindex history file
20677 @kindex set history filename
20678 @cindex @env{GDBHISTFILE}, environment variable
20679 @item set history filename @var{fname}
20680 Set the name of the @value{GDBN} command history file to @var{fname}.
20681 This is the file where @value{GDBN} reads an initial command history
20682 list, and where it writes the command history from this session when it
20683 exits. You can access this list through history expansion or through
20684 the history command editing characters listed below. This file defaults
20685 to the value of the environment variable @code{GDBHISTFILE}, or to
20686 @file{./.gdb_history} (@file{./_gdb_history} on MS-DOS) if this variable
20687 is not set.
20688
20689 @cindex save command history
20690 @kindex set history save
20691 @item set history save
20692 @itemx set history save on
20693 Record command history in a file, whose name may be specified with the
20694 @code{set history filename} command. By default, this option is disabled.
20695
20696 @item set history save off
20697 Stop recording command history in a file.
20698
20699 @cindex history size
20700 @kindex set history size
20701 @cindex @env{HISTSIZE}, environment variable
20702 @item set history size @var{size}
20703 Set the number of commands which @value{GDBN} keeps in its history list.
20704 This defaults to the value of the environment variable
20705 @code{HISTSIZE}, or to 256 if this variable is not set.
20706 @end table
20707
20708 History expansion assigns special meaning to the character @kbd{!}.
20709 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
20710 @xref{Event Designators, , , history, GNU History Library},
20711 @end ifset
20712 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
20713 @xref{Event Designators},
20714 @end ifclear
20715 for more details.
20716
20717 @cindex history expansion, turn on/off
20718 Since @kbd{!} is also the logical not operator in C, history expansion
20719 is off by default. If you decide to enable history expansion with the
20720 @code{set history expansion on} command, you may sometimes need to
20721 follow @kbd{!} (when it is used as logical not, in an expression) with
20722 a space or a tab to prevent it from being expanded. The readline
20723 history facilities do not attempt substitution on the strings
20724 @kbd{!=} and @kbd{!(}, even when history expansion is enabled.
20725
20726 The commands to control history expansion are:
20727
20728 @table @code
20729 @item set history expansion on
20730 @itemx set history expansion
20731 @kindex set history expansion
20732 Enable history expansion. History expansion is off by default.
20733
20734 @item set history expansion off
20735 Disable history expansion.
20736
20737 @c @group
20738 @kindex show history
20739 @item show history
20740 @itemx show history filename
20741 @itemx show history save
20742 @itemx show history size
20743 @itemx show history expansion
20744 These commands display the state of the @value{GDBN} history parameters.
20745 @code{show history} by itself displays all four states.
20746 @c @end group
20747 @end table
20748
20749 @table @code
20750 @kindex show commands
20751 @cindex show last commands
20752 @cindex display command history
20753 @item show commands
20754 Display the last ten commands in the command history.
20755
20756 @item show commands @var{n}
20757 Print ten commands centered on command number @var{n}.
20758
20759 @item show commands +
20760 Print ten commands just after the commands last printed.
20761 @end table
20762
20763 @node Screen Size
20764 @section Screen Size
20765 @cindex size of screen
20766 @cindex pauses in output
20767
20768 Certain commands to @value{GDBN} may produce large amounts of
20769 information output to the screen. To help you read all of it,
20770 @value{GDBN} pauses and asks you for input at the end of each page of
20771 output. Type @key{RET} when you want to continue the output, or @kbd{q}
20772 to discard the remaining output. Also, the screen width setting
20773 determines when to wrap lines of output. Depending on what is being
20774 printed, @value{GDBN} tries to break the line at a readable place,
20775 rather than simply letting it overflow onto the following line.
20776
20777 Normally @value{GDBN} knows the size of the screen from the terminal
20778 driver software. For example, on Unix @value{GDBN} uses the termcap data base
20779 together with the value of the @code{TERM} environment variable and the
20780 @code{stty rows} and @code{stty cols} settings. If this is not correct,
20781 you can override it with the @code{set height} and @code{set
20782 width} commands:
20783
20784 @table @code
20785 @kindex set height
20786 @kindex set width
20787 @kindex show width
20788 @kindex show height
20789 @item set height @var{lpp}
20790 @itemx show height
20791 @itemx set width @var{cpl}
20792 @itemx show width
20793 These @code{set} commands specify a screen height of @var{lpp} lines and
20794 a screen width of @var{cpl} characters. The associated @code{show}
20795 commands display the current settings.
20796
20797 If you specify a height of zero lines, @value{GDBN} does not pause during
20798 output no matter how long the output is. This is useful if output is to a
20799 file or to an editor buffer.
20800
20801 Likewise, you can specify @samp{set width 0} to prevent @value{GDBN}
20802 from wrapping its output.
20803
20804 @item set pagination on
20805 @itemx set pagination off
20806 @kindex set pagination
20807 Turn the output pagination on or off; the default is on. Turning
20808 pagination off is the alternative to @code{set height 0}. Note that
20809 running @value{GDBN} with the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode
20810 Options, -batch}) also automatically disables pagination.
20811
20812 @item show pagination
20813 @kindex show pagination
20814 Show the current pagination mode.
20815 @end table
20816
20817 @node Numbers
20818 @section Numbers
20819 @cindex number representation
20820 @cindex entering numbers
20821
20822 You can always enter numbers in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal in
20823 @value{GDBN} by the usual conventions: octal numbers begin with
20824 @samp{0}, decimal numbers end with @samp{.}, and hexadecimal numbers
20825 begin with @samp{0x}. Numbers that neither begin with @samp{0} or
20826 @samp{0x}, nor end with a @samp{.} are, by default, entered in base
20827 10; likewise, the default display for numbers---when no particular
20828 format is specified---is base 10. You can change the default base for
20829 both input and output with the commands described below.
20830
20831 @table @code
20832 @kindex set input-radix
20833 @item set input-radix @var{base}
20834 Set the default base for numeric input. Supported choices
20835 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
20836 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix; for
20837 example, any of
20838
20839 @smallexample
20840 set input-radix 012
20841 set input-radix 10.
20842 set input-radix 0xa
20843 @end smallexample
20844
20845 @noindent
20846 sets the input base to decimal. On the other hand, @samp{set input-radix 10}
20847 leaves the input radix unchanged, no matter what it was, since
20848 @samp{10}, being without any leading or trailing signs of its base, is
20849 interpreted in the current radix. Thus, if the current radix is 16,
20850 @samp{10} is interpreted in hex, i.e.@: as 16 decimal, which doesn't
20851 change the radix.
20852
20853 @kindex set output-radix
20854 @item set output-radix @var{base}
20855 Set the default base for numeric display. Supported choices
20856 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
20857 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix.
20858
20859 @kindex show input-radix
20860 @item show input-radix
20861 Display the current default base for numeric input.
20862
20863 @kindex show output-radix
20864 @item show output-radix
20865 Display the current default base for numeric display.
20866
20867 @item set radix @r{[}@var{base}@r{]}
20868 @itemx show radix
20869 @kindex set radix
20870 @kindex show radix
20871 These commands set and show the default base for both input and output
20872 of numbers. @code{set radix} sets the radix of input and output to
20873 the same base; without an argument, it resets the radix back to its
20874 default value of 10.
20875
20876 @end table
20877
20878 @node ABI
20879 @section Configuring the Current ABI
20880
20881 @value{GDBN} can determine the @dfn{ABI} (Application Binary Interface) of your
20882 application automatically. However, sometimes you need to override its
20883 conclusions. Use these commands to manage @value{GDBN}'s view of the
20884 current ABI.
20885
20886 @cindex OS ABI
20887 @kindex set osabi
20888 @kindex show osabi
20889
20890 One @value{GDBN} configuration can debug binaries for multiple operating
20891 system targets, either via remote debugging or native emulation.
20892 @value{GDBN} will autodetect the @dfn{OS ABI} (Operating System ABI) in use,
20893 but you can override its conclusion using the @code{set osabi} command.
20894 One example where this is useful is in debugging of binaries which use
20895 an alternate C library (e.g.@: @sc{uClibc} for @sc{gnu}/Linux) which does
20896 not have the same identifying marks that the standard C library for your
20897 platform provides.
20898
20899 @table @code
20900 @item show osabi
20901 Show the OS ABI currently in use.
20902
20903 @item set osabi
20904 With no argument, show the list of registered available OS ABI's.
20905
20906 @item set osabi @var{abi}
20907 Set the current OS ABI to @var{abi}.
20908 @end table
20909
20910 @cindex float promotion
20911
20912 Generally, the way that an argument of type @code{float} is passed to a
20913 function depends on whether the function is prototyped. For a prototyped
20914 (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) function, @code{float} arguments are passed unchanged,
20915 according to the architecture's convention for @code{float}. For unprototyped
20916 (i.e.@: K&R style) functions, @code{float} arguments are first promoted to type
20917 @code{double} and then passed.
20918
20919 Unfortunately, some forms of debug information do not reliably indicate whether
20920 a function is prototyped. If @value{GDBN} calls a function that is not marked
20921 as prototyped, it consults @kbd{set coerce-float-to-double}.
20922
20923 @table @code
20924 @kindex set coerce-float-to-double
20925 @item set coerce-float-to-double
20926 @itemx set coerce-float-to-double on
20927 Arguments of type @code{float} will be promoted to @code{double} when passed
20928 to an unprototyped function. This is the default setting.
20929
20930 @item set coerce-float-to-double off
20931 Arguments of type @code{float} will be passed directly to unprototyped
20932 functions.
20933
20934 @kindex show coerce-float-to-double
20935 @item show coerce-float-to-double
20936 Show the current setting of promoting @code{float} to @code{double}.
20937 @end table
20938
20939 @kindex set cp-abi
20940 @kindex show cp-abi
20941 @value{GDBN} needs to know the ABI used for your program's C@t{++}
20942 objects. The correct C@t{++} ABI depends on which C@t{++} compiler was
20943 used to build your application. @value{GDBN} only fully supports
20944 programs with a single C@t{++} ABI; if your program contains code using
20945 multiple C@t{++} ABI's or if @value{GDBN} can not identify your
20946 program's ABI correctly, you can tell @value{GDBN} which ABI to use.
20947 Currently supported ABI's include ``gnu-v2'', for @code{g++} versions
20948 before 3.0, ``gnu-v3'', for @code{g++} versions 3.0 and later, and
20949 ``hpaCC'' for the HP ANSI C@t{++} compiler. Other C@t{++} compilers may
20950 use the ``gnu-v2'' or ``gnu-v3'' ABI's as well. The default setting is
20951 ``auto''.
20952
20953 @table @code
20954 @item show cp-abi
20955 Show the C@t{++} ABI currently in use.
20956
20957 @item set cp-abi
20958 With no argument, show the list of supported C@t{++} ABI's.
20959
20960 @item set cp-abi @var{abi}
20961 @itemx set cp-abi auto
20962 Set the current C@t{++} ABI to @var{abi}, or return to automatic detection.
20963 @end table
20964
20965 @node Auto-loading
20966 @section Automatically loading associated files
20967 @cindex auto-loading
20968
20969 @value{GDBN} sometimes reads files with commands and settings automatically,
20970 without being explicitly told so by the user. We call this feature
20971 @dfn{auto-loading}. While auto-loading is useful for automatically adapting
20972 @value{GDBN} to the needs of your project, it can sometimes produce unexpected
20973 results or introduce security risks (e.g., if the file comes from untrusted
20974 sources).
20975
20976 For these reasons, @value{GDBN} includes commands and options to let you
20977 control when to auto-load files and which files should be auto-loaded.
20978
20979 @table @code
20980 @anchor{set auto-load off}
20981 @kindex set auto-load off
20982 @item set auto-load off
20983 Globally disable loading of all auto-loaded files.
20984 You may want to use this command with the @samp{-iex} option
20985 (@pxref{Option -init-eval-command}) such as:
20986 @smallexample
20987 $ @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load off" untrusted-executable corefile}
20988 @end smallexample
20989
20990 Be aware that system init file (@pxref{System-wide configuration})
20991 and init files from your home directory (@pxref{Home Directory Init File})
20992 still get read (as they come from generally trusted directories).
20993 To prevent @value{GDBN} from auto-loading even those init files, use the
20994 @option{-nx} option (@pxref{Mode Options}), in addition to
20995 @code{set auto-load no}.
20996
20997 @anchor{show auto-load}
20998 @kindex show auto-load
20999 @item show auto-load
21000 Show whether auto-loading of each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) is enabled
21001 or disabled.
21002
21003 @smallexample
21004 (gdb) show auto-load
21005 gdb-scripts: Auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is on.
21006 libthread-db: Auto-loading of inferior specific libthread_db is on.
21007 local-gdbinit: Auto-loading of .gdbinit script from current directory is on.
21008 python-scripts: Auto-loading of Python scripts is on.
21009 safe-path: List of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
21010 is /usr/local.
21011 @end smallexample
21012
21013 @anchor{info auto-load}
21014 @kindex info auto-load
21015 @item info auto-load
21016 Print whether each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) have been auto-loaded or
21017 not.
21018
21019 @smallexample
21020 (gdb) info auto-load
21021 gdb-scripts:
21022 Loaded Script
21023 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb
21024 libthread-db: No auto-loaded libthread-db.
21025 local-gdbinit: Local .gdbinit file "/home/user/gdb/.gdbinit" has been loaded.
21026 python-scripts:
21027 Loaded Script
21028 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py
21029 @end smallexample
21030 @end table
21031
21032 These are various kinds of files @value{GDBN} can automatically load:
21033
21034 @itemize @bullet
21035 @item
21036 @xref{objfile-gdb.py file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21037 @item
21038 @xref{objfile-gdb.gdb file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21039 @item
21040 @xref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section},
21041 controlled by @ref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21042 @item
21043 @xref{Init File in the Current Directory},
21044 controlled by @ref{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21045 @item
21046 @xref{libthread_db.so.1 file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load libthread-db}.
21047 @end itemize
21048
21049 These are @value{GDBN} control commands for the auto-loading:
21050
21051 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
21052 @item @xref{set auto-load off}.
21053 @tab Disable auto-loading globally.
21054 @item @xref{show auto-load}.
21055 @tab Show setting of all kinds of files.
21056 @item @xref{info auto-load}.
21057 @tab Show state of all kinds of files.
21058 @item @xref{set auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21059 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21060 @item @xref{show auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21061 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21062 @item @xref{info auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21063 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21064 @item @xref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21065 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21066 @item @xref{show auto-load python-scripts}.
21067 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21068 @item @xref{info auto-load python-scripts}.
21069 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21070 @item @xref{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21071 @tab Control for init file in the current directory.
21072 @item @xref{show auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21073 @tab Show setting of init file in the current directory.
21074 @item @xref{info auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21075 @tab Show state of init file in the current directory.
21076 @item @xref{set auto-load libthread-db}.
21077 @tab Control for thread debugging library.
21078 @item @xref{show auto-load libthread-db}.
21079 @tab Show setting of thread debugging library.
21080 @item @xref{info auto-load libthread-db}.
21081 @tab Show state of thread debugging library.
21082 @item @xref{set auto-load safe-path}.
21083 @tab Control directories trusted for automatic loading.
21084 @item @xref{show auto-load safe-path}.
21085 @tab Show directories trusted for automatic loading.
21086 @item @xref{add-auto-load-safe-path}.
21087 @tab Add directory trusted for automatic loading.
21088 @end multitable
21089
21090 @menu
21091 * Init File in the Current Directory:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load local-gdbinit}
21092 * libthread_db.so.1 file:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load libthread-db}
21093 * objfile-gdb.gdb file:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load gdb-script}
21094 * Auto-loading safe path:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load safe-path}
21095 * Auto-loading verbose mode:: @samp{set/show debug auto-load}
21096 @xref{Python Auto-loading}.
21097 @end menu
21098
21099 @node Init File in the Current Directory
21100 @subsection Automatically loading init file in the current directory
21101 @cindex auto-loading init file in the current directory
21102
21103 By default, @value{GDBN} reads and executes the canned sequences of commands
21104 from init file (if any) in the current working directory,
21105 see @ref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}.
21106
21107 @table @code
21108 @anchor{set auto-load local-gdbinit}
21109 @kindex set auto-load local-gdbinit
21110 @item set auto-load local-gdbinit [on|off]
21111 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands
21112 (@pxref{Sequences}) found in init file in the current directory.
21113
21114 @anchor{show auto-load local-gdbinit}
21115 @kindex show auto-load local-gdbinit
21116 @item show auto-load local-gdbinit
21117 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands from init file in the
21118 current directory is enabled or disabled.
21119
21120 @anchor{info auto-load local-gdbinit}
21121 @kindex info auto-load local-gdbinit
21122 @item info auto-load local-gdbinit
21123 Print whether canned sequences of commands from init file in the
21124 current directory have been auto-loaded.
21125 @end table
21126
21127 @node libthread_db.so.1 file
21128 @subsection Automatically loading thread debugging library
21129 @cindex auto-loading libthread_db.so.1
21130
21131 This feature is currently present only on @sc{gnu}/Linux native hosts.
21132
21133 @value{GDBN} reads in some cases thread debugging library from places specific
21134 to the inferior (@pxref{set libthread-db-search-path}).
21135
21136 The special @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entry @samp{$sdir} is processed
21137 without checking this @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} switch as system
21138 libraries have to be trusted in general. In all other cases of
21139 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entries @value{GDBN} checks first if @samp{set
21140 auto-load libthread-db} is enabled before trying to open such thread debugging
21141 library.
21142
21143 @table @code
21144 @anchor{set auto-load libthread-db}
21145 @kindex set auto-load libthread-db
21146 @item set auto-load libthread-db [on|off]
21147 Enable or disable the auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library.
21148
21149 @anchor{show auto-load libthread-db}
21150 @kindex show auto-load libthread-db
21151 @item show auto-load libthread-db
21152 Show whether auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library is
21153 enabled or disabled.
21154
21155 @anchor{info auto-load libthread-db}
21156 @kindex info auto-load libthread-db
21157 @item info auto-load libthread-db
21158 Print the list of all loaded inferior specific thread debugging libraries and
21159 for each such library print list of inferior @var{pid}s using it.
21160 @end table
21161
21162 @node objfile-gdb.gdb file
21163 @subsection The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb} file
21164 @cindex auto-loading @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb}
21165
21166 @value{GDBN} tries to load an @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb} file containing
21167 canned sequences of commands (@pxref{Sequences}), as long as @samp{set
21168 auto-load gdb-scripts} is set to @samp{on}.
21169
21170 For more background refer to the similar Python scripts auto-loading
21171 description (@pxref{objfile-gdb.py file}).
21172
21173 @table @code
21174 @anchor{set auto-load gdb-scripts}
21175 @kindex set auto-load gdb-scripts
21176 @item set auto-load gdb-scripts [on|off]
21177 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts.
21178
21179 @anchor{show auto-load gdb-scripts}
21180 @kindex show auto-load gdb-scripts
21181 @item show auto-load gdb-scripts
21182 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is enabled or
21183 disabled.
21184
21185 @anchor{info auto-load gdb-scripts}
21186 @kindex info auto-load gdb-scripts
21187 @cindex print list of auto-loaded canned sequences of commands scripts
21188 @item info auto-load gdb-scripts [@var{regexp}]
21189 Print the list of all canned sequences of commands scripts that @value{GDBN}
21190 auto-loaded.
21191 @end table
21192
21193 If @var{regexp} is supplied only canned sequences of commands scripts with
21194 matching names are printed.
21195
21196 @node Auto-loading safe path
21197 @subsection Security restriction for auto-loading
21198 @cindex auto-loading safe-path
21199
21200 As the files of inferior can come from untrusted source (such as submitted by
21201 an application user) @value{GDBN} does not always load any files automatically.
21202 @value{GDBN} provides the @samp{set auto-load safe-path} setting to list
21203 directories trusted for loading files not explicitly requested by user.
21204
21205 If the path is not set properly you will see a warning and the file will not
21206 get loaded:
21207
21208 @smallexample
21209 $ ./gdb -q ./gdb
21210 Reading symbols from /home/user/gdb/gdb...done.
21211 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been
21212 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set to "/usr/local".
21213 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py" auto-loading has been
21214 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set to "/usr/local".
21215 @end smallexample
21216
21217 The list of trusted directories is controlled by the following commands:
21218
21219 @table @code
21220 @anchor{set auto-load safe-path}
21221 @kindex set auto-load safe-path
21222 @item set auto-load safe-path @var{directories}
21223 Set the list of directories (and their subdirectories) trusted for automatic
21224 loading and execution of scripts. You can also enter a specific trusted file.
21225 The list of directories uses directory separator (@samp{:} on GNU and Unix
21226 systems, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS) to separate directories, similarly
21227 to the @env{PATH} environment variable.
21228
21229 @anchor{show auto-load safe-path}
21230 @kindex show auto-load safe-path
21231 @item show auto-load safe-path
21232 Show the list of directories trusted for automatic loading and execution of
21233 scripts.
21234
21235 @anchor{add-auto-load-safe-path}
21236 @kindex add-auto-load-safe-path
21237 @item add-auto-load-safe-path
21238 Add an entry (or list of entries) the list of directories trusted for automatic
21239 loading and execution of scripts. Multiple entries may be delimited by the
21240 host platform directory separator in use.
21241 @end table
21242
21243 Setting this variable to an empty string disables this security protection.
21244 This variable is supposed to be set to the system directories writable by the
21245 system superuser only. Users can add their source directories in init files in
21246 their home directories (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). See also deprecated
21247 init file in the current directory
21248 (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}).
21249
21250 To force @value{GDBN} to load the files it declined to load in the previous
21251 example, you could use one of the following ways:
21252
21253 @table @asis
21254 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{add-auto-load-safe-path ~/src/gdb}
21255 Specify this trusted directory (or a file) as additional component of the list.
21256 You have to specify also any existing directories displayed by
21257 by @samp{show auto-load safe-path} (such as @samp{/usr:/bin} in this example).
21258
21259 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path /usr:/bin:~/src/gdb" @dots{}}
21260 Specify this directory as in the previous case but just for a single
21261 @value{GDBN} session.
21262
21263 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path" @dots{}}
21264 Disable auto-loading safety for a single @value{GDBN} session.
21265 This assumes all the files you debug during this @value{GDBN} session will come
21266 from trusted sources.
21267
21268 @item @kbd{./configure --without-auto-load-safe-path}
21269 During compilation of @value{GDBN} you may disable any auto-loading safety.
21270 This assumes all the files you will ever debug with this @value{GDBN} come from
21271 trusted sources.
21272 @end table
21273
21274 On the other hand you can also explicitly forbid automatic files loading which
21275 also suppresses any such warning messages:
21276
21277 @table @asis
21278 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load no" @dots{}}
21279 You can use @value{GDBN} command-line option for a single @value{GDBN} session.
21280
21281 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{set auto-load no}
21282 Disable auto-loading globally for the user
21283 (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). While it is improbable, you could also
21284 use system init file instead (@pxref{System-wide configuration}).
21285 @end table
21286
21287 This setting applies to the file names as entered by user. If no entry matches
21288 @value{GDBN} tries as a last resort to also resolve all the file names into
21289 their canonical form (typically resolving symbolic links) and compare the
21290 entries again. @value{GDBN} already canonicalizes most of the filenames on its
21291 own before starting the comparison so a canonical form of directories is
21292 recommended to be entered.
21293
21294 @node Auto-loading verbose mode
21295 @subsection Displaying files tried for auto-load
21296 @cindex auto-loading verbose mode
21297
21298 For better visibility of all the file locations where you can place scripts to
21299 be auto-loaded with inferior --- or to protect yourself against accidental
21300 execution of untrusted scripts --- @value{GDBN} provides a feature for printing
21301 all the files attempted to be loaded. Both existing and non-existing files may
21302 be printed.
21303
21304 For example the list of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
21305 (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}) applies also to canonicalized filenames which
21306 may not be too obvious while setting it up.
21307
21308 @smallexample
21309 (gdb) set debug auto-load on
21310 (gdb) file ~/src/t/true
21311 auto-load: Loading canned sequences of commands script "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb"
21312 for objfile "/tmp/true".
21313 auto-load: Updating directories of "/usr:/opt".
21314 auto-load: Using directory "/usr".
21315 auto-load: Using directory "/opt".
21316 warning: File "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been declined
21317 by your `auto-load safe-path' set to "/usr:/opt".
21318 @end smallexample
21319
21320 @table @code
21321 @anchor{set debug auto-load}
21322 @kindex set debug auto-load
21323 @item set debug auto-load [on|off]
21324 Set whether to print the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded.
21325
21326 @anchor{show debug auto-load}
21327 @kindex show debug auto-load
21328 @item show debug auto-load
21329 Show whether printing of the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded is turned
21330 on or off.
21331 @end table
21332
21333 @node Messages/Warnings
21334 @section Optional Warnings and Messages
21335
21336 @cindex verbose operation
21337 @cindex optional warnings
21338 By default, @value{GDBN} is silent about its inner workings. If you are
21339 running on a slow machine, you may want to use the @code{set verbose}
21340 command. This makes @value{GDBN} tell you when it does a lengthy
21341 internal operation, so you will not think it has crashed.
21342
21343 Currently, the messages controlled by @code{set verbose} are those
21344 which announce that the symbol table for a source file is being read;
21345 see @code{symbol-file} in @ref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}.
21346
21347 @table @code
21348 @kindex set verbose
21349 @item set verbose on
21350 Enables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
21351
21352 @item set verbose off
21353 Disables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
21354
21355 @kindex show verbose
21356 @item show verbose
21357 Displays whether @code{set verbose} is on or off.
21358 @end table
21359
21360 By default, if @value{GDBN} encounters bugs in the symbol table of an
21361 object file, it is silent; but if you are debugging a compiler, you may
21362 find this information useful (@pxref{Symbol Errors, ,Errors Reading
21363 Symbol Files}).
21364
21365 @table @code
21366
21367 @kindex set complaints
21368 @item set complaints @var{limit}
21369 Permits @value{GDBN} to output @var{limit} complaints about each type of
21370 unusual symbols before becoming silent about the problem. Set
21371 @var{limit} to zero to suppress all complaints; set it to a large number
21372 to prevent complaints from being suppressed.
21373
21374 @kindex show complaints
21375 @item show complaints
21376 Displays how many symbol complaints @value{GDBN} is permitted to produce.
21377
21378 @end table
21379
21380 @anchor{confirmation requests}
21381 By default, @value{GDBN} is cautious, and asks what sometimes seems to be a
21382 lot of stupid questions to confirm certain commands. For example, if
21383 you try to run a program which is already running:
21384
21385 @smallexample
21386 (@value{GDBP}) run
21387 The program being debugged has been started already.
21388 Start it from the beginning? (y or n)
21389 @end smallexample
21390
21391 If you are willing to unflinchingly face the consequences of your own
21392 commands, you can disable this ``feature'':
21393
21394 @table @code
21395
21396 @kindex set confirm
21397 @cindex flinching
21398 @cindex confirmation
21399 @cindex stupid questions
21400 @item set confirm off
21401 Disables confirmation requests. Note that running @value{GDBN} with
21402 the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode Options, -batch}) also
21403 automatically disables confirmation requests.
21404
21405 @item set confirm on
21406 Enables confirmation requests (the default).
21407
21408 @kindex show confirm
21409 @item show confirm
21410 Displays state of confirmation requests.
21411
21412 @end table
21413
21414 @cindex command tracing
21415 If you need to debug user-defined commands or sourced files you may find it
21416 useful to enable @dfn{command tracing}. In this mode each command will be
21417 printed as it is executed, prefixed with one or more @samp{+} symbols, the
21418 quantity denoting the call depth of each command.
21419
21420 @table @code
21421 @kindex set trace-commands
21422 @cindex command scripts, debugging
21423 @item set trace-commands on
21424 Enable command tracing.
21425 @item set trace-commands off
21426 Disable command tracing.
21427 @item show trace-commands
21428 Display the current state of command tracing.
21429 @end table
21430
21431 @node Debugging Output
21432 @section Optional Messages about Internal Happenings
21433 @cindex optional debugging messages
21434
21435 @value{GDBN} has commands that enable optional debugging messages from
21436 various @value{GDBN} subsystems; normally these commands are of
21437 interest to @value{GDBN} maintainers, or when reporting a bug. This
21438 section documents those commands.
21439
21440 @table @code
21441 @kindex set exec-done-display
21442 @item set exec-done-display
21443 Turns on or off the notification of asynchronous commands'
21444 completion. When on, @value{GDBN} will print a message when an
21445 asynchronous command finishes its execution. The default is off.
21446 @kindex show exec-done-display
21447 @item show exec-done-display
21448 Displays the current setting of asynchronous command completion
21449 notification.
21450 @kindex set debug
21451 @cindex gdbarch debugging info
21452 @cindex architecture debugging info
21453 @item set debug arch
21454 Turns on or off display of gdbarch debugging info. The default is off
21455 @kindex show debug
21456 @item show debug arch
21457 Displays the current state of displaying gdbarch debugging info.
21458 @item set debug aix-thread
21459 @cindex AIX threads
21460 Display debugging messages about inner workings of the AIX thread
21461 module.
21462 @item show debug aix-thread
21463 Show the current state of AIX thread debugging info display.
21464 @item set debug check-physname
21465 @cindex physname
21466 Check the results of the ``physname'' computation. When reading DWARF
21467 debugging information for C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} attempts to compute
21468 each entity's name. @value{GDBN} can do this computation in two
21469 different ways, depending on exactly what information is present.
21470 When enabled, this setting causes @value{GDBN} to compute the names
21471 both ways and display any discrepancies.
21472 @item show debug check-physname
21473 Show the current state of ``physname'' checking.
21474 @item set debug dwarf2-die
21475 @cindex DWARF2 DIEs
21476 Dump DWARF2 DIEs after they are read in.
21477 The value is the number of nesting levels to print.
21478 A value of zero turns off the display.
21479 @item show debug dwarf2-die
21480 Show the current state of DWARF2 DIE debugging.
21481 @item set debug displaced
21482 @cindex displaced stepping debugging info
21483 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for the
21484 displaced stepping support. The default is off.
21485 @item show debug displaced
21486 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} debugging info
21487 related to displaced stepping.
21488 @item set debug event
21489 @cindex event debugging info
21490 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} event debugging info. The
21491 default is off.
21492 @item show debug event
21493 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} event debugging
21494 info.
21495 @item set debug expression
21496 @cindex expression debugging info
21497 Turns on or off display of debugging info about @value{GDBN}
21498 expression parsing. The default is off.
21499 @item show debug expression
21500 Displays the current state of displaying debugging info about
21501 @value{GDBN} expression parsing.
21502 @item set debug frame
21503 @cindex frame debugging info
21504 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} frame debugging info. The
21505 default is off.
21506 @item show debug frame
21507 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} frame debugging
21508 info.
21509 @item set debug gnu-nat
21510 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug messages
21511 Turns on or off debugging messages from the @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug support.
21512 @item show debug gnu-nat
21513 Show the current state of @sc{gnu}/Hurd debugging messages.
21514 @item set debug infrun
21515 @cindex inferior debugging info
21516 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for running the inferior.
21517 The default is off. @file{infrun.c} contains GDB's runtime state machine used
21518 for implementing operations such as single-stepping the inferior.
21519 @item show debug infrun
21520 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} inferior debugging.
21521 @item set debug jit
21522 @cindex just-in-time compilation, debugging messages
21523 Turns on or off debugging messages from JIT debug support.
21524 @item show debug jit
21525 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} JIT debugging.
21526 @item set debug lin-lwp
21527 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP debug messages
21528 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
21529 Turns on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP debug support.
21530 @item show debug lin-lwp
21531 Show the current state of Linux LWP debugging messages.
21532 @item set debug observer
21533 @cindex observer debugging info
21534 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} observer debugging. This
21535 includes info such as the notification of observable events.
21536 @item show debug observer
21537 Displays the current state of observer debugging.
21538 @item set debug overload
21539 @cindex C@t{++} overload debugging info
21540 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload debugging
21541 info. This includes info such as ranking of functions, etc. The default
21542 is off.
21543 @item show debug overload
21544 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload
21545 debugging info.
21546 @cindex expression parser, debugging info
21547 @cindex debug expression parser
21548 @item set debug parser
21549 Turns on or off the display of expression parser debugging output.
21550 Internally, this sets the @code{yydebug} variable in the expression
21551 parser. @xref{Tracing, , Tracing Your Parser, bison, Bison}, for
21552 details. The default is off.
21553 @item show debug parser
21554 Show the current state of expression parser debugging.
21555 @cindex packets, reporting on stdout
21556 @cindex serial connections, debugging
21557 @cindex debug remote protocol
21558 @cindex remote protocol debugging
21559 @cindex display remote packets
21560 @item set debug remote
21561 Turns on or off display of reports on all packets sent back and forth across
21562 the serial line to the remote machine. The info is printed on the
21563 @value{GDBN} standard output stream. The default is off.
21564 @item show debug remote
21565 Displays the state of display of remote packets.
21566 @item set debug serial
21567 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} serial debugging info. The
21568 default is off.
21569 @item show debug serial
21570 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} serial debugging
21571 info.
21572 @item set debug solib-frv
21573 @cindex FR-V shared-library debugging
21574 Turns on or off debugging messages for FR-V shared-library code.
21575 @item show debug solib-frv
21576 Display the current state of FR-V shared-library code debugging
21577 messages.
21578 @item set debug target
21579 @cindex target debugging info
21580 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} target debugging info. This info
21581 includes what is going on at the target level of GDB, as it happens. The
21582 default is 0. Set it to 1 to track events, and to 2 to also track the
21583 value of large memory transfers. Changes to this flag do not take effect
21584 until the next time you connect to a target or use the @code{run} command.
21585 @item show debug target
21586 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} target debugging
21587 info.
21588 @item set debug timestamp
21589 @cindex timestampping debugging info
21590 Turns on or off display of timestamps with @value{GDBN} debugging info.
21591 When enabled, seconds and microseconds are displayed before each debugging
21592 message.
21593 @item show debug timestamp
21594 Displays the current state of displaying timestamps with @value{GDBN}
21595 debugging info.
21596 @item set debugvarobj
21597 @cindex variable object debugging info
21598 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} variable object debugging
21599 info. The default is off.
21600 @item show debugvarobj
21601 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} variable object
21602 debugging info.
21603 @item set debug xml
21604 @cindex XML parser debugging
21605 Turns on or off debugging messages for built-in XML parsers.
21606 @item show debug xml
21607 Displays the current state of XML debugging messages.
21608 @end table
21609
21610 @node Other Misc Settings
21611 @section Other Miscellaneous Settings
21612 @cindex miscellaneous settings
21613
21614 @table @code
21615 @kindex set interactive-mode
21616 @item set interactive-mode
21617 If @code{on}, forces @value{GDBN} to assume that GDB was started
21618 in a terminal. In practice, this means that @value{GDBN} should wait
21619 for the user to answer queries generated by commands entered at
21620 the command prompt. If @code{off}, forces @value{GDBN} to operate
21621 in the opposite mode, and it uses the default answers to all queries.
21622 If @code{auto} (the default), @value{GDBN} tries to determine whether
21623 its standard input is a terminal, and works in interactive-mode if it
21624 is, non-interactively otherwise.
21625
21626 In the vast majority of cases, the debugger should be able to guess
21627 correctly which mode should be used. But this setting can be useful
21628 in certain specific cases, such as running a MinGW @value{GDBN}
21629 inside a cygwin window.
21630
21631 @kindex show interactive-mode
21632 @item show interactive-mode
21633 Displays whether the debugger is operating in interactive mode or not.
21634 @end table
21635
21636 @node Extending GDB
21637 @chapter Extending @value{GDBN}
21638 @cindex extending GDB
21639
21640 @value{GDBN} provides three mechanisms for extension. The first is based
21641 on composition of @value{GDBN} commands, the second is based on the
21642 Python scripting language, and the third is for defining new aliases of
21643 existing commands.
21644
21645 To facilitate the use of the first two extensions, @value{GDBN} is capable
21646 of evaluating the contents of a file. When doing so, @value{GDBN}
21647 can recognize which scripting language is being used by looking at
21648 the filename extension. Files with an unrecognized filename extension
21649 are always treated as a @value{GDBN} Command Files.
21650 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
21651
21652 You can control how @value{GDBN} evaluates these files with the following
21653 setting:
21654
21655 @table @code
21656 @kindex set script-extension
21657 @kindex show script-extension
21658 @item set script-extension off
21659 All scripts are always evaluated as @value{GDBN} Command Files.
21660
21661 @item set script-extension soft
21662 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
21663 extension. If this scripting language is supported, @value{GDBN}
21664 evaluates the script using that language. Otherwise, it evaluates
21665 the file as a @value{GDBN} Command File.
21666
21667 @item set script-extension strict
21668 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
21669 extension, and evaluates the script using that language. If the
21670 language is not supported, then the evaluation fails.
21671
21672 @item show script-extension
21673 Display the current value of the @code{script-extension} option.
21674
21675 @end table
21676
21677 @menu
21678 * Sequences:: Canned Sequences of Commands
21679 * Python:: Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
21680 * Aliases:: Creating new spellings of existing commands
21681 @end menu
21682
21683 @node Sequences
21684 @section Canned Sequences of Commands
21685
21686 Aside from breakpoint commands (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint
21687 Command Lists}), @value{GDBN} provides two ways to store sequences of
21688 commands for execution as a unit: user-defined commands and command
21689 files.
21690
21691 @menu
21692 * Define:: How to define your own commands
21693 * Hooks:: Hooks for user-defined commands
21694 * Command Files:: How to write scripts of commands to be stored in a file
21695 * Output:: Commands for controlled output
21696 @end menu
21697
21698 @node Define
21699 @subsection User-defined Commands
21700
21701 @cindex user-defined command
21702 @cindex arguments, to user-defined commands
21703 A @dfn{user-defined command} is a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands to
21704 which you assign a new name as a command. This is done with the
21705 @code{define} command. User commands may accept up to 10 arguments
21706 separated by whitespace. Arguments are accessed within the user command
21707 via @code{$arg0@dots{}$arg9}. A trivial example:
21708
21709 @smallexample
21710 define adder
21711 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
21712 end
21713 @end smallexample
21714
21715 @noindent
21716 To execute the command use:
21717
21718 @smallexample
21719 adder 1 2 3
21720 @end smallexample
21721
21722 @noindent
21723 This defines the command @code{adder}, which prints the sum of
21724 its three arguments. Note the arguments are text substitutions, so they may
21725 reference variables, use complex expressions, or even perform inferior
21726 functions calls.
21727
21728 @cindex argument count in user-defined commands
21729 @cindex how many arguments (user-defined commands)
21730 In addition, @code{$argc} may be used to find out how many arguments have
21731 been passed. This expands to a number in the range 0@dots{}10.
21732
21733 @smallexample
21734 define adder
21735 if $argc == 2
21736 print $arg0 + $arg1
21737 end
21738 if $argc == 3
21739 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
21740 end
21741 end
21742 @end smallexample
21743
21744 @table @code
21745
21746 @kindex define
21747 @item define @var{commandname}
21748 Define a command named @var{commandname}. If there is already a command
21749 by that name, you are asked to confirm that you want to redefine it.
21750 @var{commandname} may be a bare command name consisting of letters,
21751 numbers, dashes, and underscores. It may also start with any predefined
21752 prefix command. For example, @samp{define target my-target} creates
21753 a user-defined @samp{target my-target} command.
21754
21755 The definition of the command is made up of other @value{GDBN} command lines,
21756 which are given following the @code{define} command. The end of these
21757 commands is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
21758
21759 @kindex document
21760 @kindex end@r{ (user-defined commands)}
21761 @item document @var{commandname}
21762 Document the user-defined command @var{commandname}, so that it can be
21763 accessed by @code{help}. The command @var{commandname} must already be
21764 defined. This command reads lines of documentation just as @code{define}
21765 reads the lines of the command definition, ending with @code{end}.
21766 After the @code{document} command is finished, @code{help} on command
21767 @var{commandname} displays the documentation you have written.
21768
21769 You may use the @code{document} command again to change the
21770 documentation of a command. Redefining the command with @code{define}
21771 does not change the documentation.
21772
21773 @kindex dont-repeat
21774 @cindex don't repeat command
21775 @item dont-repeat
21776 Used inside a user-defined command, this tells @value{GDBN} that this
21777 command should not be repeated when the user hits @key{RET}
21778 (@pxref{Command Syntax, repeat last command}).
21779
21780 @kindex help user-defined
21781 @item help user-defined
21782 List all user-defined commands and all python commands defined in class
21783 COMAND_USER. The first line of the documentation or docstring is
21784 included (if any).
21785
21786 @kindex show user
21787 @item show user
21788 @itemx show user @var{commandname}
21789 Display the @value{GDBN} commands used to define @var{commandname} (but
21790 not its documentation). If no @var{commandname} is given, display the
21791 definitions for all user-defined commands.
21792 This does not work for user-defined python commands.
21793
21794 @cindex infinite recursion in user-defined commands
21795 @kindex show max-user-call-depth
21796 @kindex set max-user-call-depth
21797 @item show max-user-call-depth
21798 @itemx set max-user-call-depth
21799 The value of @code{max-user-call-depth} controls how many recursion
21800 levels are allowed in user-defined commands before @value{GDBN} suspects an
21801 infinite recursion and aborts the command.
21802 This does not apply to user-defined python commands.
21803 @end table
21804
21805 In addition to the above commands, user-defined commands frequently
21806 use control flow commands, described in @ref{Command Files}.
21807
21808 When user-defined commands are executed, the
21809 commands of the definition are not printed. An error in any command
21810 stops execution of the user-defined command.
21811
21812 If used interactively, commands that would ask for confirmation proceed
21813 without asking when used inside a user-defined command. Many @value{GDBN}
21814 commands that normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the
21815 messages when used in a user-defined command.
21816
21817 @node Hooks
21818 @subsection User-defined Command Hooks
21819 @cindex command hooks
21820 @cindex hooks, for commands
21821 @cindex hooks, pre-command
21822
21823 @kindex hook
21824 You may define @dfn{hooks}, which are a special kind of user-defined
21825 command. Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined
21826 command @samp{hook-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments)
21827 before that command.
21828
21829 @cindex hooks, post-command
21830 @kindex hookpost
21831 A hook may also be defined which is run after the command you executed.
21832 Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined command
21833 @samp{hookpost-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments) after
21834 that command. Post-execution hooks may exist simultaneously with
21835 pre-execution hooks, for the same command.
21836
21837 It is valid for a hook to call the command which it hooks. If this
21838 occurs, the hook is not re-executed, thereby avoiding infinite recursion.
21839
21840 @c It would be nice if hookpost could be passed a parameter indicating
21841 @c if the command it hooks executed properly or not. FIXME!
21842
21843 @kindex stop@r{, a pseudo-command}
21844 In addition, a pseudo-command, @samp{stop} exists. Defining
21845 (@samp{hook-stop}) makes the associated commands execute every time
21846 execution stops in your program: before breakpoint commands are run,
21847 displays are printed, or the stack frame is printed.
21848
21849 For example, to ignore @code{SIGALRM} signals while
21850 single-stepping, but treat them normally during normal execution,
21851 you could define:
21852
21853 @smallexample
21854 define hook-stop
21855 handle SIGALRM nopass
21856 end
21857
21858 define hook-run
21859 handle SIGALRM pass
21860 end
21861
21862 define hook-continue
21863 handle SIGALRM pass
21864 end
21865 @end smallexample
21866
21867 As a further example, to hook at the beginning and end of the @code{echo}
21868 command, and to add extra text to the beginning and end of the message,
21869 you could define:
21870
21871 @smallexample
21872 define hook-echo
21873 echo <<<---
21874 end
21875
21876 define hookpost-echo
21877 echo --->>>\n
21878 end
21879
21880 (@value{GDBP}) echo Hello World
21881 <<<---Hello World--->>>
21882 (@value{GDBP})
21883
21884 @end smallexample
21885
21886 You can define a hook for any single-word command in @value{GDBN}, but
21887 not for command aliases; you should define a hook for the basic command
21888 name, e.g.@: @code{backtrace} rather than @code{bt}.
21889 @c FIXME! So how does Joe User discover whether a command is an alias
21890 @c or not?
21891 You can hook a multi-word command by adding @code{hook-} or
21892 @code{hookpost-} to the last word of the command, e.g.@:
21893 @samp{define target hook-remote} to add a hook to @samp{target remote}.
21894
21895 If an error occurs during the execution of your hook, execution of
21896 @value{GDBN} commands stops and @value{GDBN} issues a prompt
21897 (before the command that you actually typed had a chance to run).
21898
21899 If you try to define a hook which does not match any known command, you
21900 get a warning from the @code{define} command.
21901
21902 @node Command Files
21903 @subsection Command Files
21904
21905 @cindex command files
21906 @cindex scripting commands
21907 A command file for @value{GDBN} is a text file made of lines that are
21908 @value{GDBN} commands. Comments (lines starting with @kbd{#}) may
21909 also be included. An empty line in a command file does nothing; it
21910 does not mean to repeat the last command, as it would from the
21911 terminal.
21912
21913 You can request the execution of a command file with the @code{source}
21914 command. Note that the @code{source} command is also used to evaluate
21915 scripts that are not Command Files. The exact behavior can be configured
21916 using the @code{script-extension} setting.
21917 @xref{Extending GDB,, Extending GDB}.
21918
21919 @table @code
21920 @kindex source
21921 @cindex execute commands from a file
21922 @item source [-s] [-v] @var{filename}
21923 Execute the command file @var{filename}.
21924 @end table
21925
21926 The lines in a command file are generally executed sequentially,
21927 unless the order of execution is changed by one of the
21928 @emph{flow-control commands} described below. The commands are not
21929 printed as they are executed. An error in any command terminates
21930 execution of the command file and control is returned to the console.
21931
21932 @value{GDBN} first searches for @var{filename} in the current directory.
21933 If the file is not found there, and @var{filename} does not specify a
21934 directory, then @value{GDBN} also looks for the file on the source search path
21935 (specified with the @samp{directory} command);
21936 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched because the compilation directory
21937 is not relevant to scripts.
21938
21939 If @code{-s} is specified, then @value{GDBN} searches for @var{filename}
21940 on the search path even if @var{filename} specifies a directory.
21941 The search is done by appending @var{filename} to each element of the
21942 search path. So, for example, if @var{filename} is @file{mylib/myscript}
21943 and the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
21944 look for the script @file{/home/user/mylib/myscript}.
21945 The search is also done if @var{filename} is an absolute path.
21946 For example, if @var{filename} is @file{/tmp/myscript} and
21947 the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
21948 look for the script @file{/home/user/tmp/myscript}.
21949 For DOS-like systems, if @var{filename} contains a drive specification,
21950 it is stripped before concatenation. For example, if @var{filename} is
21951 @file{d:myscript} and the search path contains @file{c:/tmp} then @value{GDBN}
21952 will look for the script @file{c:/tmp/myscript}.
21953
21954 If @code{-v}, for verbose mode, is given then @value{GDBN} displays
21955 each command as it is executed. The option must be given before
21956 @var{filename}, and is interpreted as part of the filename anywhere else.
21957
21958 Commands that would ask for confirmation if used interactively proceed
21959 without asking when used in a command file. Many @value{GDBN} commands that
21960 normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the messages
21961 when called from command files.
21962
21963 @value{GDBN} also accepts command input from standard input. In this
21964 mode, normal output goes to standard output and error output goes to
21965 standard error. Errors in a command file supplied on standard input do
21966 not terminate execution of the command file---execution continues with
21967 the next command.
21968
21969 @smallexample
21970 gdb < cmds > log 2>&1
21971 @end smallexample
21972
21973 (The syntax above will vary depending on the shell used.) This example
21974 will execute commands from the file @file{cmds}. All output and errors
21975 would be directed to @file{log}.
21976
21977 Since commands stored on command files tend to be more general than
21978 commands typed interactively, they frequently need to deal with
21979 complicated situations, such as different or unexpected values of
21980 variables and symbols, changes in how the program being debugged is
21981 built, etc. @value{GDBN} provides a set of flow-control commands to
21982 deal with these complexities. Using these commands, you can write
21983 complex scripts that loop over data structures, execute commands
21984 conditionally, etc.
21985
21986 @table @code
21987 @kindex if
21988 @kindex else
21989 @item if
21990 @itemx else
21991 This command allows to include in your script conditionally executed
21992 commands. The @code{if} command takes a single argument, which is an
21993 expression to evaluate. It is followed by a series of commands that
21994 are executed only if the expression is true (its value is nonzero).
21995 There can then optionally be an @code{else} line, followed by a series
21996 of commands that are only executed if the expression was false. The
21997 end of the list is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
21998
21999 @kindex while
22000 @item while
22001 This command allows to write loops. Its syntax is similar to
22002 @code{if}: the command takes a single argument, which is an expression
22003 to evaluate, and must be followed by the commands to execute, one per
22004 line, terminated by an @code{end}. These commands are called the
22005 @dfn{body} of the loop. The commands in the body of @code{while} are
22006 executed repeatedly as long as the expression evaluates to true.
22007
22008 @kindex loop_break
22009 @item loop_break
22010 This command exits the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included.
22011 Execution of the script continues after that @code{while}s @code{end}
22012 line.
22013
22014 @kindex loop_continue
22015 @item loop_continue
22016 This command skips the execution of the rest of the body of commands
22017 in the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included. Execution
22018 branches to the beginning of the @code{while} loop, where it evaluates
22019 the controlling expression.
22020
22021 @kindex end@r{ (if/else/while commands)}
22022 @item end
22023 Terminate the block of commands that are the body of @code{if},
22024 @code{else}, or @code{while} flow-control commands.
22025 @end table
22026
22027
22028 @node Output
22029 @subsection Commands for Controlled Output
22030
22031 During the execution of a command file or a user-defined command, normal
22032 @value{GDBN} output is suppressed; the only output that appears is what is
22033 explicitly printed by the commands in the definition. This section
22034 describes three commands useful for generating exactly the output you
22035 want.
22036
22037 @table @code
22038 @kindex echo
22039 @item echo @var{text}
22040 @c I do not consider backslash-space a standard C escape sequence
22041 @c because it is not in ANSI.
22042 Print @var{text}. Nonprinting characters can be included in
22043 @var{text} using C escape sequences, such as @samp{\n} to print a
22044 newline. @strong{No newline is printed unless you specify one.}
22045 In addition to the standard C escape sequences, a backslash followed
22046 by a space stands for a space. This is useful for displaying a
22047 string with spaces at the beginning or the end, since leading and
22048 trailing spaces are otherwise trimmed from all arguments.
22049 To print @samp{@w{ }and foo =@w{ }}, use the command
22050 @samp{echo \@w{ }and foo = \@w{ }}.
22051
22052 A backslash at the end of @var{text} can be used, as in C, to continue
22053 the command onto subsequent lines. For example,
22054
22055 @smallexample
22056 echo This is some text\n\
22057 which is continued\n\
22058 onto several lines.\n
22059 @end smallexample
22060
22061 produces the same output as
22062
22063 @smallexample
22064 echo This is some text\n
22065 echo which is continued\n
22066 echo onto several lines.\n
22067 @end smallexample
22068
22069 @kindex output
22070 @item output @var{expression}
22071 Print the value of @var{expression} and nothing but that value: no
22072 newlines, no @samp{$@var{nn} = }. The value is not entered in the
22073 value history either. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information
22074 on expressions.
22075
22076 @item output/@var{fmt} @var{expression}
22077 Print the value of @var{expression} in format @var{fmt}. You can use
22078 the same formats as for @code{print}. @xref{Output Formats,,Output
22079 Formats}, for more information.
22080
22081 @kindex printf
22082 @item printf @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
22083 Print the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
22084 the string @var{template}. To print several values, make
22085 @var{expressions} be a comma-separated list of individual expressions,
22086 which may be either numbers or pointers. Their values are printed as
22087 specified by @var{template}, exactly as a C program would do by
22088 executing the code below:
22089
22090 @smallexample
22091 printf (@var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{});
22092 @end smallexample
22093
22094 As in @code{C} @code{printf}, ordinary characters in @var{template}
22095 are printed verbatim, while @dfn{conversion specification} introduced
22096 by the @samp{%} character cause subsequent @var{expressions} to be
22097 evaluated, their values converted and formatted according to type and
22098 style information encoded in the conversion specifications, and then
22099 printed.
22100
22101 For example, you can print two values in hex like this:
22102
22103 @smallexample
22104 printf "foo, bar-foo = 0x%x, 0x%x\n", foo, bar-foo
22105 @end smallexample
22106
22107 @code{printf} supports all the standard @code{C} conversion
22108 specifications, including the flags and modifiers between the @samp{%}
22109 character and the conversion letter, with the following exceptions:
22110
22111 @itemize @bullet
22112 @item
22113 The argument-ordering modifiers, such as @samp{2$}, are not supported.
22114
22115 @item
22116 The modifier @samp{*} is not supported for specifying precision or
22117 width.
22118
22119 @item
22120 The @samp{'} flag (for separation of digits into groups according to
22121 @code{LC_NUMERIC'}) is not supported.
22122
22123 @item
22124 The type modifiers @samp{hh}, @samp{j}, @samp{t}, and @samp{z} are not
22125 supported.
22126
22127 @item
22128 The conversion letter @samp{n} (as in @samp{%n}) is not supported.
22129
22130 @item
22131 The conversion letters @samp{a} and @samp{A} are not supported.
22132 @end itemize
22133
22134 @noindent
22135 Note that the @samp{ll} type modifier is supported only if the
22136 underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} supports
22137 the @code{long long int} type, and the @samp{L} type modifier is
22138 supported only if @code{long double} type is available.
22139
22140 As in @code{C}, @code{printf} supports simple backslash-escape
22141 sequences, such as @code{\n}, @samp{\t}, @samp{\\}, @samp{\"},
22142 @samp{\a}, and @samp{\f}, that consist of backslash followed by a
22143 single character. Octal and hexadecimal escape sequences are not
22144 supported.
22145
22146 Additionally, @code{printf} supports conversion specifications for DFP
22147 (@dfn{Decimal Floating Point}) types using the following length modifiers
22148 together with a floating point specifier.
22149 letters:
22150
22151 @itemize @bullet
22152 @item
22153 @samp{H} for printing @code{Decimal32} types.
22154
22155 @item
22156 @samp{D} for printing @code{Decimal64} types.
22157
22158 @item
22159 @samp{DD} for printing @code{Decimal128} types.
22160 @end itemize
22161
22162 If the underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} has
22163 support for the three length modifiers for DFP types, other modifiers
22164 such as width and precision will also be available for @value{GDBN} to use.
22165
22166 In case there is no such @code{C} support, no additional modifiers will be
22167 available and the value will be printed in the standard way.
22168
22169 Here's an example of printing DFP types using the above conversion letters:
22170 @smallexample
22171 printf "D32: %Hf - D64: %Df - D128: %DDf\n",1.2345df,1.2E10dd,1.2E1dl
22172 @end smallexample
22173
22174 @kindex eval
22175 @item eval @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
22176 Convert the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
22177 the string @var{template} to a command line, and call it.
22178
22179 @end table
22180
22181 @node Python
22182 @section Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
22183 @cindex python scripting
22184 @cindex scripting with python
22185
22186 You can script @value{GDBN} using the @uref{http://www.python.org/,
22187 Python programming language}. This feature is available only if
22188 @value{GDBN} was configured using @option{--with-python}.
22189
22190 @cindex python directory
22191 Python scripts used by @value{GDBN} should be installed in
22192 @file{@var{data-directory}/python}, where @var{data-directory} is
22193 the data directory as determined at @value{GDBN} startup (@pxref{Data Files}).
22194 This directory, known as the @dfn{python directory},
22195 is automatically added to the Python Search Path in order to allow
22196 the Python interpreter to locate all scripts installed at this location.
22197
22198 Additionally, @value{GDBN} commands and convenience functions which
22199 are written in Python and are located in the
22200 @file{@var{data-directory}/python/gdb/command} or
22201 @file{@var{data-directory}/python/gdb/function} directories are
22202 automatically imported when @value{GDBN} starts.
22203
22204 @menu
22205 * Python Commands:: Accessing Python from @value{GDBN}.
22206 * Python API:: Accessing @value{GDBN} from Python.
22207 * Python Auto-loading:: Automatically loading Python code.
22208 * Python modules:: Python modules provided by @value{GDBN}.
22209 @end menu
22210
22211 @node Python Commands
22212 @subsection Python Commands
22213 @cindex python commands
22214 @cindex commands to access python
22215
22216 @value{GDBN} provides one command for accessing the Python interpreter,
22217 and one related setting:
22218
22219 @table @code
22220 @kindex python
22221 @item python @r{[}@var{code}@r{]}
22222 The @code{python} command can be used to evaluate Python code.
22223
22224 If given an argument, the @code{python} command will evaluate the
22225 argument as a Python command. For example:
22226
22227 @smallexample
22228 (@value{GDBP}) python print 23
22229 23
22230 @end smallexample
22231
22232 If you do not provide an argument to @code{python}, it will act as a
22233 multi-line command, like @code{define}. In this case, the Python
22234 script is made up of subsequent command lines, given after the
22235 @code{python} command. This command list is terminated using a line
22236 containing @code{end}. For example:
22237
22238 @smallexample
22239 (@value{GDBP}) python
22240 Type python script
22241 End with a line saying just "end".
22242 >print 23
22243 >end
22244 23
22245 @end smallexample
22246
22247 @kindex set python print-stack
22248 @item set python print-stack
22249 By default, @value{GDBN} will print only the message component of a
22250 Python exception when an error occurs in a Python script. This can be
22251 controlled using @code{set python print-stack}: if @code{full}, then
22252 full Python stack printing is enabled; if @code{none}, then Python stack
22253 and message printing is disabled; if @code{message}, the default, only
22254 the message component of the error is printed.
22255 @end table
22256
22257 It is also possible to execute a Python script from the @value{GDBN}
22258 interpreter:
22259
22260 @table @code
22261 @item source @file{script-name}
22262 The script name must end with @samp{.py} and @value{GDBN} must be configured
22263 to recognize the script language based on filename extension using
22264 the @code{script-extension} setting. @xref{Extending GDB, ,Extending GDB}.
22265
22266 @item python execfile ("script-name")
22267 This method is based on the @code{execfile} Python built-in function,
22268 and thus is always available.
22269 @end table
22270
22271 @node Python API
22272 @subsection Python API
22273 @cindex python api
22274 @cindex programming in python
22275
22276 @cindex python stdout
22277 @cindex python pagination
22278 At startup, @value{GDBN} overrides Python's @code{sys.stdout} and
22279 @code{sys.stderr} to print using @value{GDBN}'s output-paging streams.
22280 A Python program which outputs to one of these streams may have its
22281 output interrupted by the user (@pxref{Screen Size}). In this
22282 situation, a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception is thrown.
22283
22284 @menu
22285 * Basic Python:: Basic Python Functions.
22286 * Exception Handling:: How Python exceptions are translated.
22287 * Values From Inferior:: Python representation of values.
22288 * Types In Python:: Python representation of types.
22289 * Pretty Printing API:: Pretty-printing values.
22290 * Selecting Pretty-Printers:: How GDB chooses a pretty-printer.
22291 * Writing a Pretty-Printer:: Writing a Pretty-Printer.
22292 * Inferiors In Python:: Python representation of inferiors (processes)
22293 * Events In Python:: Listening for events from @value{GDBN}.
22294 * Threads In Python:: Accessing inferior threads from Python.
22295 * Commands In Python:: Implementing new commands in Python.
22296 * Parameters In Python:: Adding new @value{GDBN} parameters.
22297 * Functions In Python:: Writing new convenience functions.
22298 * Progspaces In Python:: Program spaces.
22299 * Objfiles In Python:: Object files.
22300 * Frames In Python:: Accessing inferior stack frames from Python.
22301 * Blocks In Python:: Accessing frame blocks from Python.
22302 * Symbols In Python:: Python representation of symbols.
22303 * Symbol Tables In Python:: Python representation of symbol tables.
22304 * Lazy Strings In Python:: Python representation of lazy strings.
22305 * Breakpoints In Python:: Manipulating breakpoints using Python.
22306 * Finish Breakpoints in Python:: Setting Breakpoints on function return
22307 using Python.
22308 @end menu
22309
22310 @node Basic Python
22311 @subsubsection Basic Python
22312
22313 @cindex python functions
22314 @cindex python module
22315 @cindex gdb module
22316 @value{GDBN} introduces a new Python module, named @code{gdb}. All
22317 methods and classes added by @value{GDBN} are placed in this module.
22318 @value{GDBN} automatically @code{import}s the @code{gdb} module for
22319 use in all scripts evaluated by the @code{python} command.
22320
22321 @findex gdb.PYTHONDIR
22322 @defvar gdb.PYTHONDIR
22323 A string containing the python directory (@pxref{Python}).
22324 @end defvar
22325
22326 @findex gdb.execute
22327 @defun gdb.execute (command @r{[}, from_tty @r{[}, to_string@r{]]})
22328 Evaluate @var{command}, a string, as a @value{GDBN} CLI command.
22329 If a GDB exception happens while @var{command} runs, it is
22330 translated as described in @ref{Exception Handling,,Exception Handling}.
22331
22332 @var{from_tty} specifies whether @value{GDBN} ought to consider this
22333 command as having originated from the user invoking it interactively.
22334 It must be a boolean value. If omitted, it defaults to @code{False}.
22335
22336 By default, any output produced by @var{command} is sent to
22337 @value{GDBN}'s standard output. If the @var{to_string} parameter is
22338 @code{True}, then output will be collected by @code{gdb.execute} and
22339 returned as a string. The default is @code{False}, in which case the
22340 return value is @code{None}. If @var{to_string} is @code{True}, the
22341 @value{GDBN} virtual terminal will be temporarily set to unlimited width
22342 and height, and its pagination will be disabled; @pxref{Screen Size}.
22343 @end defun
22344
22345 @findex gdb.breakpoints
22346 @defun gdb.breakpoints ()
22347 Return a sequence holding all of @value{GDBN}'s breakpoints.
22348 @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for more information.
22349 @end defun
22350
22351 @findex gdb.parameter
22352 @defun gdb.parameter (parameter)
22353 Return the value of a @value{GDBN} parameter. @var{parameter} is a
22354 string naming the parameter to look up; @var{parameter} may contain
22355 spaces if the parameter has a multi-part name. For example,
22356 @samp{print object} is a valid parameter name.
22357
22358 If the named parameter does not exist, this function throws a
22359 @code{gdb.error} (@pxref{Exception Handling}). Otherwise, the
22360 parameter's value is converted to a Python value of the appropriate
22361 type, and returned.
22362 @end defun
22363
22364 @findex gdb.history
22365 @defun gdb.history (number)
22366 Return a value from @value{GDBN}'s value history (@pxref{Value
22367 History}). @var{number} indicates which history element to return.
22368 If @var{number} is negative, then @value{GDBN} will take its absolute value
22369 and count backward from the last element (i.e., the most recent element) to
22370 find the value to return. If @var{number} is zero, then @value{GDBN} will
22371 return the most recent element. If the element specified by @var{number}
22372 doesn't exist in the value history, a @code{gdb.error} exception will be
22373 raised.
22374
22375 If no exception is raised, the return value is always an instance of
22376 @code{gdb.Value} (@pxref{Values From Inferior}).
22377 @end defun
22378
22379 @findex gdb.parse_and_eval
22380 @defun gdb.parse_and_eval (expression)
22381 Parse @var{expression} as an expression in the current language,
22382 evaluate it, and return the result as a @code{gdb.Value}.
22383 @var{expression} must be a string.
22384
22385 This function can be useful when implementing a new command
22386 (@pxref{Commands In Python}), as it provides a way to parse the
22387 command's argument as an expression. It is also useful simply to
22388 compute values, for example, it is the only way to get the value of a
22389 convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) as a @code{gdb.Value}.
22390 @end defun
22391
22392 @findex gdb.post_event
22393 @defun gdb.post_event (event)
22394 Put @var{event}, a callable object taking no arguments, into
22395 @value{GDBN}'s internal event queue. This callable will be invoked at
22396 some later point, during @value{GDBN}'s event processing. Events
22397 posted using @code{post_event} will be run in the order in which they
22398 were posted; however, there is no way to know when they will be
22399 processed relative to other events inside @value{GDBN}.
22400
22401 @value{GDBN} is not thread-safe. If your Python program uses multiple
22402 threads, you must be careful to only call @value{GDBN}-specific
22403 functions in the main @value{GDBN} thread. @code{post_event} ensures
22404 this. For example:
22405
22406 @smallexample
22407 (@value{GDBP}) python
22408 >import threading
22409 >
22410 >class Writer():
22411 > def __init__(self, message):
22412 > self.message = message;
22413 > def __call__(self):
22414 > gdb.write(self.message)
22415 >
22416 >class MyThread1 (threading.Thread):
22417 > def run (self):
22418 > gdb.post_event(Writer("Hello "))
22419 >
22420 >class MyThread2 (threading.Thread):
22421 > def run (self):
22422 > gdb.post_event(Writer("World\n"))
22423 >
22424 >MyThread1().start()
22425 >MyThread2().start()
22426 >end
22427 (@value{GDBP}) Hello World
22428 @end smallexample
22429 @end defun
22430
22431 @findex gdb.write
22432 @defun gdb.write (string @r{[}, stream{]})
22433 Print a string to @value{GDBN}'s paginated output stream. The
22434 optional @var{stream} determines the stream to print to. The default
22435 stream is @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream. Possible stream
22436 values are:
22437
22438 @table @code
22439 @findex STDOUT
22440 @findex gdb.STDOUT
22441 @item gdb.STDOUT
22442 @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream.
22443
22444 @findex STDERR
22445 @findex gdb.STDERR
22446 @item gdb.STDERR
22447 @value{GDBN}'s standard error stream.
22448
22449 @findex STDLOG
22450 @findex gdb.STDLOG
22451 @item gdb.STDLOG
22452 @value{GDBN}'s log stream (@pxref{Logging Output}).
22453 @end table
22454
22455 Writing to @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
22456 call this function and will automatically direct the output to the
22457 relevant stream.
22458 @end defun
22459
22460 @findex gdb.flush
22461 @defun gdb.flush ()
22462 Flush the buffer of a @value{GDBN} paginated stream so that the
22463 contents are displayed immediately. @value{GDBN} will flush the
22464 contents of a stream automatically when it encounters a newline in the
22465 buffer. The optional @var{stream} determines the stream to flush. The
22466 default stream is @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream. Possible
22467 stream values are:
22468
22469 @table @code
22470 @findex STDOUT
22471 @findex gdb.STDOUT
22472 @item gdb.STDOUT
22473 @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream.
22474
22475 @findex STDERR
22476 @findex gdb.STDERR
22477 @item gdb.STDERR
22478 @value{GDBN}'s standard error stream.
22479
22480 @findex STDLOG
22481 @findex gdb.STDLOG
22482 @item gdb.STDLOG
22483 @value{GDBN}'s log stream (@pxref{Logging Output}).
22484
22485 @end table
22486
22487 Flushing @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
22488 call this function for the relevant stream.
22489 @end defun
22490
22491 @findex gdb.target_charset
22492 @defun gdb.target_charset ()
22493 Return the name of the current target character set (@pxref{Character
22494 Sets}). This differs from @code{gdb.parameter('target-charset')} in
22495 that @samp{auto} is never returned.
22496 @end defun
22497
22498 @findex gdb.target_wide_charset
22499 @defun gdb.target_wide_charset ()
22500 Return the name of the current target wide character set
22501 (@pxref{Character Sets}). This differs from
22502 @code{gdb.parameter('target-wide-charset')} in that @samp{auto} is
22503 never returned.
22504 @end defun
22505
22506 @findex gdb.solib_name
22507 @defun gdb.solib_name (address)
22508 Return the name of the shared library holding the given @var{address}
22509 as a string, or @code{None}.
22510 @end defun
22511
22512 @findex gdb.decode_line
22513 @defun gdb.decode_line @r{[}expression@r{]}
22514 Return locations of the line specified by @var{expression}, or of the
22515 current line if no argument was given. This function returns a Python
22516 tuple containing two elements. The first element contains a string
22517 holding any unparsed section of @var{expression} (or @code{None} if
22518 the expression has been fully parsed). The second element contains
22519 either @code{None} or another tuple that contains all the locations
22520 that match the expression represented as @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line}
22521 objects (@pxref{Symbol Tables In Python}). If @var{expression} is
22522 provided, it is decoded the way that @value{GDBN}'s inbuilt
22523 @code{break} or @code{edit} commands do (@pxref{Specify Location}).
22524 @end defun
22525
22526 @defun gdb.prompt_hook (current_prompt)
22527 @anchor{prompt_hook}
22528
22529 If @var{prompt_hook} is callable, @value{GDBN} will call the method
22530 assigned to this operation before a prompt is displayed by
22531 @value{GDBN}.
22532
22533 The parameter @code{current_prompt} contains the current @value{GDBN}
22534 prompt. This method must return a Python string, or @code{None}. If
22535 a string is returned, the @value{GDBN} prompt will be set to that
22536 string. If @code{None} is returned, @value{GDBN} will continue to use
22537 the current prompt.
22538
22539 Some prompts cannot be substituted in @value{GDBN}. Secondary prompts
22540 such as those used by readline for command input, and annotation
22541 related prompts are prohibited from being changed.
22542 @end defun
22543
22544 @node Exception Handling
22545 @subsubsection Exception Handling
22546 @cindex python exceptions
22547 @cindex exceptions, python
22548
22549 When executing the @code{python} command, Python exceptions
22550 uncaught within the Python code are translated to calls to
22551 @value{GDBN} error-reporting mechanism. If the command that called
22552 @code{python} does not handle the error, @value{GDBN} will
22553 terminate it and print an error message containing the Python
22554 exception name, the associated value, and the Python call stack
22555 backtrace at the point where the exception was raised. Example:
22556
22557 @smallexample
22558 (@value{GDBP}) python print foo
22559 Traceback (most recent call last):
22560 File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
22561 NameError: name 'foo' is not defined
22562 @end smallexample
22563
22564 @value{GDBN} errors that happen in @value{GDBN} commands invoked by
22565 Python code are converted to Python exceptions. The type of the
22566 Python exception depends on the error.
22567
22568 @ftable @code
22569 @item gdb.error
22570 This is the base class for most exceptions generated by @value{GDBN}.
22571 It is derived from @code{RuntimeError}, for compatibility with earlier
22572 versions of @value{GDBN}.
22573
22574 If an error occurring in @value{GDBN} does not fit into some more
22575 specific category, then the generated exception will have this type.
22576
22577 @item gdb.MemoryError
22578 This is a subclass of @code{gdb.error} which is thrown when an
22579 operation tried to access invalid memory in the inferior.
22580
22581 @item KeyboardInterrupt
22582 User interrupt (via @kbd{C-c} or by typing @kbd{q} at a pagination
22583 prompt) is translated to a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception.
22584 @end ftable
22585
22586 In all cases, your exception handler will see the @value{GDBN} error
22587 message as its value and the Python call stack backtrace at the Python
22588 statement closest to where the @value{GDBN} error occured as the
22589 traceback.
22590
22591 @findex gdb.GdbError
22592 When implementing @value{GDBN} commands in Python via @code{gdb.Command},
22593 it is useful to be able to throw an exception that doesn't cause a
22594 traceback to be printed. For example, the user may have invoked the
22595 command incorrectly. Use the @code{gdb.GdbError} exception
22596 to handle this case. Example:
22597
22598 @smallexample
22599 (gdb) python
22600 >class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
22601 > """Greet the whole world."""
22602 > def __init__ (self):
22603 > super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_USER)
22604 > def invoke (self, args, from_tty):
22605 > argv = gdb.string_to_argv (args)
22606 > if len (argv) != 0:
22607 > raise gdb.GdbError ("hello-world takes no arguments")
22608 > print "Hello, World!"
22609 >HelloWorld ()
22610 >end
22611 (gdb) hello-world 42
22612 hello-world takes no arguments
22613 @end smallexample
22614
22615 @node Values From Inferior
22616 @subsubsection Values From Inferior
22617 @cindex values from inferior, with Python
22618 @cindex python, working with values from inferior
22619
22620 @cindex @code{gdb.Value}
22621 @value{GDBN} provides values it obtains from the inferior program in
22622 an object of type @code{gdb.Value}. @value{GDBN} uses this object
22623 for its internal bookkeeping of the inferior's values, and for
22624 fetching values when necessary.
22625
22626 Inferior values that are simple scalars can be used directly in
22627 Python expressions that are valid for the value's data type. Here's
22628 an example for an integer or floating-point value @code{some_val}:
22629
22630 @smallexample
22631 bar = some_val + 2
22632 @end smallexample
22633
22634 @noindent
22635 As result of this, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object
22636 whose values are of the same type as those of @code{some_val}.
22637
22638 Inferior values that are structures or instances of some class can
22639 be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}. For example, if
22640 @code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance holding a structure, you
22641 can access its @code{foo} element with:
22642
22643 @smallexample
22644 bar = some_val['foo']
22645 @end smallexample
22646
22647 Again, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object.
22648
22649 A @code{gdb.Value} that represents a function can be executed via
22650 inferior function call. Any arguments provided to the call must match
22651 the function's prototype, and must be provided in the order specified
22652 by that prototype.
22653
22654 For example, @code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance
22655 representing a function that takes two integers as arguments. To
22656 execute this function, call it like so:
22657
22658 @smallexample
22659 result = some_val (10,20)
22660 @end smallexample
22661
22662 Any values returned from a function call will be stored as a
22663 @code{gdb.Value}.
22664
22665 The following attributes are provided:
22666
22667 @table @code
22668 @defvar Value.address
22669 If this object is addressable, this read-only attribute holds a
22670 @code{gdb.Value} object representing the address. Otherwise,
22671 this attribute holds @code{None}.
22672 @end defvar
22673
22674 @cindex optimized out value in Python
22675 @defvar Value.is_optimized_out
22676 This read-only boolean attribute is true if the compiler optimized out
22677 this value, thus it is not available for fetching from the inferior.
22678 @end defvar
22679
22680 @defvar Value.type
22681 The type of this @code{gdb.Value}. The value of this attribute is a
22682 @code{gdb.Type} object (@pxref{Types In Python}).
22683 @end defvar
22684
22685 @defvar Value.dynamic_type
22686 The dynamic type of this @code{gdb.Value}. This uses C@t{++} run-time
22687 type information (@acronym{RTTI}) to determine the dynamic type of the
22688 value. If this value is of class type, it will return the class in
22689 which the value is embedded, if any. If this value is of pointer or
22690 reference to a class type, it will compute the dynamic type of the
22691 referenced object, and return a pointer or reference to that type,
22692 respectively. In all other cases, it will return the value's static
22693 type.
22694
22695 Note that this feature will only work when debugging a C@t{++} program
22696 that includes @acronym{RTTI} for the object in question. Otherwise,
22697 it will just return the static type of the value as in @kbd{ptype foo}
22698 (@pxref{Symbols, ptype}).
22699 @end defvar
22700
22701 @defvar Value.is_lazy
22702 The value of this read-only boolean attribute is @code{True} if this
22703 @code{gdb.Value} has not yet been fetched from the inferior.
22704 @value{GDBN} does not fetch values until necessary, for efficiency.
22705 For example:
22706
22707 @smallexample
22708 myval = gdb.parse_and_eval ('somevar')
22709 @end smallexample
22710
22711 The value of @code{somevar} is not fetched at this time. It will be
22712 fetched when the value is needed, or when the @code{fetch_lazy}
22713 method is invoked.
22714 @end defvar
22715 @end table
22716
22717 The following methods are provided:
22718
22719 @table @code
22720 @defun Value.__init__ (@var{val})
22721 Many Python values can be converted directly to a @code{gdb.Value} via
22722 this object initializer. Specifically:
22723
22724 @table @asis
22725 @item Python boolean
22726 A Python boolean is converted to the boolean type from the current
22727 language.
22728
22729 @item Python integer
22730 A Python integer is converted to the C @code{long} type for the
22731 current architecture.
22732
22733 @item Python long
22734 A Python long is converted to the C @code{long long} type for the
22735 current architecture.
22736
22737 @item Python float
22738 A Python float is converted to the C @code{double} type for the
22739 current architecture.
22740
22741 @item Python string
22742 A Python string is converted to a target string, using the current
22743 target encoding.
22744
22745 @item @code{gdb.Value}
22746 If @code{val} is a @code{gdb.Value}, then a copy of the value is made.
22747
22748 @item @code{gdb.LazyString}
22749 If @code{val} is a @code{gdb.LazyString} (@pxref{Lazy Strings In
22750 Python}), then the lazy string's @code{value} method is called, and
22751 its result is used.
22752 @end table
22753 @end defun
22754
22755 @defun Value.cast (type)
22756 Return a new instance of @code{gdb.Value} that is the result of
22757 casting this instance to the type described by @var{type}, which must
22758 be a @code{gdb.Type} object. If the cast cannot be performed for some
22759 reason, this method throws an exception.
22760 @end defun
22761
22762 @defun Value.dereference ()
22763 For pointer data types, this method returns a new @code{gdb.Value} object
22764 whose contents is the object pointed to by the pointer. For example, if
22765 @code{foo} is a C pointer to an @code{int}, declared in your C program as
22766
22767 @smallexample
22768 int *foo;
22769 @end smallexample
22770
22771 @noindent
22772 then you can use the corresponding @code{gdb.Value} to access what
22773 @code{foo} points to like this:
22774
22775 @smallexample
22776 bar = foo.dereference ()
22777 @end smallexample
22778
22779 The result @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Value} object holding the
22780 value pointed to by @code{foo}.
22781
22782 A similar function @code{Value.referenced_value} exists which also
22783 returns @code{gdb.Value} objects corresonding to the values pointed to
22784 by pointer values (and additionally, values referenced by reference
22785 values). However, the behavior of @code{Value.dereference}
22786 differs from @code{Value.referenced_value} by the fact that the
22787 behavior of @code{Value.dereference} is identical to applying the C
22788 unary operator @code{*} on a given value. For example, consider a
22789 reference to a pointer @code{ptrref}, declared in your C@t{++} program
22790 as
22791
22792 @smallexample
22793 typedef int *intptr;
22794 ...
22795 int val = 10;
22796 intptr ptr = &val;
22797 intptr &ptrref = ptr;
22798 @end smallexample
22799
22800 Though @code{ptrref} is a reference value, one can apply the method
22801 @code{Value.dereference} to the @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding
22802 to it and obtain a @code{gdb.Value} which is identical to that
22803 corresponding to @code{val}. However, if you apply the method
22804 @code{Value.referenced_value}, the result would be a @code{gdb.Value}
22805 object identical to that corresponding to @code{ptr}.
22806
22807 @smallexample
22808 py_ptrref = gdb.parse_and_eval ("ptrref")
22809 py_val = py_ptrref.dereference ()
22810 py_ptr = py_ptrref.referenced_value ()
22811 @end smallexample
22812
22813 The @code{gdb.Value} object @code{py_val} is identical to that
22814 corresponding to @code{val}, and @code{py_ptr} is identical to that
22815 corresponding to @code{ptr}. In general, @code{Value.dereference} can
22816 be applied whenever the C unary operator @code{*} can be applied
22817 to the corresponding C value. For those cases where applying both
22818 @code{Value.dereference} and @code{Value.referenced_value} is allowed,
22819 the results obtained need not be identical (as we have seen in the above
22820 example). The results are however identical when applied on
22821 @code{gdb.Value} objects corresponding to pointers (@code{gdb.Value}
22822 objects with type code @code{TYPE_CODE_PTR}) in a C/C@t{++} program.
22823 @end defun
22824
22825 @defun Value.referenced_value ()
22826 For pointer or reference data types, this method returns a new
22827 @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding to the value referenced by the
22828 pointer/reference value. For pointer data types,
22829 @code{Value.dereference} and @code{Value.referenced_value} produce
22830 identical results. The difference between these methods is that
22831 @code{Value.dereference} cannot get the values referenced by reference
22832 values. For example, consider a reference to an @code{int}, declared
22833 in your C@t{++} program as
22834
22835 @smallexample
22836 int val = 10;
22837 int &ref = val;
22838 @end smallexample
22839
22840 @noindent
22841 then applying @code{Value.dereference} to the @code{gdb.Value} object
22842 corresponding to @code{ref} will result in an error, while applying
22843 @code{Value.referenced_value} will result in a @code{gdb.Value} object
22844 identical to that corresponding to @code{val}.
22845
22846 @smallexample
22847 py_ref = gdb.parse_and_eval ("ref")
22848 er_ref = py_ref.dereference () # Results in error
22849 py_val = py_ref.referenced_value () # Returns the referenced value
22850 @end smallexample
22851
22852 The @code{gdb.Value} object @code{py_val} is identical to that
22853 corresponding to @code{val}.
22854 @end defun
22855
22856 @defun Value.dynamic_cast (type)
22857 Like @code{Value.cast}, but works as if the C@t{++} @code{dynamic_cast}
22858 operator were used. Consult a C@t{++} reference for details.
22859 @end defun
22860
22861 @defun Value.reinterpret_cast (type)
22862 Like @code{Value.cast}, but works as if the C@t{++} @code{reinterpret_cast}
22863 operator were used. Consult a C@t{++} reference for details.
22864 @end defun
22865
22866 @defun Value.string (@r{[}encoding@r{[}, errors@r{[}, length@r{]]]})
22867 If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
22868 converts the contents to a Python string. Otherwise, this method will
22869 throw an exception.
22870
22871 Strings are recognized in a language-specific way; whether a given
22872 @code{gdb.Value} represents a string is determined by the current
22873 language.
22874
22875 For C-like languages, a value is a string if it is a pointer to or an
22876 array of characters or ints. The string is assumed to be terminated
22877 by a zero of the appropriate width. However if the optional length
22878 argument is given, the string will be converted to that given length,
22879 ignoring any embedded zeros that the string may contain.
22880
22881 If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
22882 naming the encoding of the string in the @code{gdb.Value}, such as
22883 @code{"ascii"}, @code{"iso-8859-6"} or @code{"utf-8"}. It accepts
22884 the same encodings as the corresponding argument to Python's
22885 @code{string.decode} method, and the Python codec machinery will be used
22886 to convert the string. If @var{encoding} is not given, or if
22887 @var{encoding} is the empty string, then either the @code{target-charset}
22888 (@pxref{Character Sets}) will be used, or a language-specific encoding
22889 will be used, if the current language is able to supply one.
22890
22891 The optional @var{errors} argument is the same as the corresponding
22892 argument to Python's @code{string.decode} method.
22893
22894 If the optional @var{length} argument is given, the string will be
22895 fetched and converted to the given length.
22896 @end defun
22897
22898 @defun Value.lazy_string (@r{[}encoding @r{[}, length@r{]]})
22899 If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
22900 converts the contents to a @code{gdb.LazyString} (@pxref{Lazy Strings
22901 In Python}). Otherwise, this method will throw an exception.
22902
22903 If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
22904 naming the encoding of the @code{gdb.LazyString}. Some examples are:
22905 @samp{ascii}, @samp{iso-8859-6} or @samp{utf-8}. If the
22906 @var{encoding} argument is an encoding that @value{GDBN} does
22907 recognize, @value{GDBN} will raise an error.
22908
22909 When a lazy string is printed, the @value{GDBN} encoding machinery is
22910 used to convert the string during printing. If the optional
22911 @var{encoding} argument is not provided, or is an empty string,
22912 @value{GDBN} will automatically select the encoding most suitable for
22913 the string type. For further information on encoding in @value{GDBN}
22914 please see @ref{Character Sets}.
22915
22916 If the optional @var{length} argument is given, the string will be
22917 fetched and encoded to the length of characters specified. If
22918 the @var{length} argument is not provided, the string will be fetched
22919 and encoded until a null of appropriate width is found.
22920 @end defun
22921
22922 @defun Value.fetch_lazy ()
22923 If the @code{gdb.Value} object is currently a lazy value
22924 (@code{gdb.Value.is_lazy} is @code{True}), then the value is
22925 fetched from the inferior. Any errors that occur in the process
22926 will produce a Python exception.
22927
22928 If the @code{gdb.Value} object is not a lazy value, this method
22929 has no effect.
22930
22931 This method does not return a value.
22932 @end defun
22933
22934 @end table
22935
22936 @node Types In Python
22937 @subsubsection Types In Python
22938 @cindex types in Python
22939 @cindex Python, working with types
22940
22941 @tindex gdb.Type
22942 @value{GDBN} represents types from the inferior using the class
22943 @code{gdb.Type}.
22944
22945 The following type-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
22946 module:
22947
22948 @findex gdb.lookup_type
22949 @defun gdb.lookup_type (name @r{[}, block@r{]})
22950 This function looks up a type by name. @var{name} is the name of the
22951 type to look up. It must be a string.
22952
22953 If @var{block} is given, then @var{name} is looked up in that scope.
22954 Otherwise, it is searched for globally.
22955
22956 Ordinarily, this function will return an instance of @code{gdb.Type}.
22957 If the named type cannot be found, it will throw an exception.
22958 @end defun
22959
22960 If the type is a structure or class type, or an enum type, the fields
22961 of that type can be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}.
22962 For example, if @code{some_type} is a @code{gdb.Type} instance holding
22963 a structure type, you can access its @code{foo} field with:
22964
22965 @smallexample
22966 bar = some_type['foo']
22967 @end smallexample
22968
22969 @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Field} object; see below under the
22970 description of the @code{Type.fields} method for a description of the
22971 @code{gdb.Field} class.
22972
22973 An instance of @code{Type} has the following attributes:
22974
22975 @table @code
22976 @defvar Type.code
22977 The type code for this type. The type code will be one of the
22978 @code{TYPE_CODE_} constants defined below.
22979 @end defvar
22980
22981 @defvar Type.sizeof
22982 The size of this type, in target @code{char} units. Usually, a
22983 target's @code{char} type will be an 8-bit byte. However, on some
22984 unusual platforms, this type may have a different size.
22985 @end defvar
22986
22987 @defvar Type.tag
22988 The tag name for this type. The tag name is the name after
22989 @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} in C and C@t{++}; not all
22990 languages have this concept. If this type has no tag name, then
22991 @code{None} is returned.
22992 @end defvar
22993 @end table
22994
22995 The following methods are provided:
22996
22997 @table @code
22998 @defun Type.fields ()
22999 For structure and union types, this method returns the fields. Range
23000 types have two fields, the minimum and maximum values. Enum types
23001 have one field per enum constant. Function and method types have one
23002 field per parameter. The base types of C@t{++} classes are also
23003 represented as fields. If the type has no fields, or does not fit
23004 into one of these categories, an empty sequence will be returned.
23005
23006 Each field is a @code{gdb.Field} object, with some pre-defined attributes:
23007 @table @code
23008 @item bitpos
23009 This attribute is not available for @code{static} fields (as in
23010 C@t{++} or Java). For non-@code{static} fields, the value is the bit
23011 position of the field. For @code{enum} fields, the value is the
23012 enumeration member's integer representation.
23013
23014 @item name
23015 The name of the field, or @code{None} for anonymous fields.
23016
23017 @item artificial
23018 This is @code{True} if the field is artificial, usually meaning that
23019 it was provided by the compiler and not the user. This attribute is
23020 always provided, and is @code{False} if the field is not artificial.
23021
23022 @item is_base_class
23023 This is @code{True} if the field represents a base class of a C@t{++}
23024 structure. This attribute is always provided, and is @code{False}
23025 if the field is not a base class of the type that is the argument of
23026 @code{fields}, or if that type was not a C@t{++} class.
23027
23028 @item bitsize
23029 If the field is packed, or is a bitfield, then this will have a
23030 non-zero value, which is the size of the field in bits. Otherwise,
23031 this will be zero; in this case the field's size is given by its type.
23032
23033 @item type
23034 The type of the field. This is usually an instance of @code{Type},
23035 but it can be @code{None} in some situations.
23036 @end table
23037 @end defun
23038
23039 @defun Type.array (@var{n1} @r{[}, @var{n2}@r{]})
23040 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents an array of this
23041 type. If one argument is given, it is the inclusive upper bound of
23042 the array; in this case the lower bound is zero. If two arguments are
23043 given, the first argument is the lower bound of the array, and the
23044 second argument is the upper bound of the array. An array's length
23045 must not be negative, but the bounds can be.
23046 @end defun
23047
23048 @defun Type.const ()
23049 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
23050 @code{const}-qualified variant of this type.
23051 @end defun
23052
23053 @defun Type.volatile ()
23054 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
23055 @code{volatile}-qualified variant of this type.
23056 @end defun
23057
23058 @defun Type.unqualified ()
23059 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents an unqualified
23060 variant of this type. That is, the result is neither @code{const} nor
23061 @code{volatile}.
23062 @end defun
23063
23064 @defun Type.range ()
23065 Return a Python @code{Tuple} object that contains two elements: the
23066 low bound of the argument type and the high bound of that type. If
23067 the type does not have a range, @value{GDBN} will raise a
23068 @code{gdb.error} exception (@pxref{Exception Handling}).
23069 @end defun
23070
23071 @defun Type.reference ()
23072 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a reference to this
23073 type.
23074 @end defun
23075
23076 @defun Type.pointer ()
23077 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a pointer to this
23078 type.
23079 @end defun
23080
23081 @defun Type.strip_typedefs ()
23082 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} that represents the real type,
23083 after removing all layers of typedefs.
23084 @end defun
23085
23086 @defun Type.target ()
23087 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents the target type
23088 of this type.
23089
23090 For a pointer type, the target type is the type of the pointed-to
23091 object. For an array type (meaning C-like arrays), the target type is
23092 the type of the elements of the array. For a function or method type,
23093 the target type is the type of the return value. For a complex type,
23094 the target type is the type of the elements. For a typedef, the
23095 target type is the aliased type.
23096
23097 If the type does not have a target, this method will throw an
23098 exception.
23099 @end defun
23100
23101 @defun Type.template_argument (n @r{[}, block@r{]})
23102 If this @code{gdb.Type} is an instantiation of a template, this will
23103 return a new @code{gdb.Type} which represents the type of the
23104 @var{n}th template argument.
23105
23106 If this @code{gdb.Type} is not a template type, this will throw an
23107 exception. Ordinarily, only C@t{++} code will have template types.
23108
23109 If @var{block} is given, then @var{name} is looked up in that scope.
23110 Otherwise, it is searched for globally.
23111 @end defun
23112 @end table
23113
23114
23115 Each type has a code, which indicates what category this type falls
23116 into. The available type categories are represented by constants
23117 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
23118
23119 @table @code
23120 @findex TYPE_CODE_PTR
23121 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_PTR
23122 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_PTR
23123 The type is a pointer.
23124
23125 @findex TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23126 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23127 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23128 The type is an array.
23129
23130 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23131 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23132 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23133 The type is a structure.
23134
23135 @findex TYPE_CODE_UNION
23136 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_UNION
23137 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_UNION
23138 The type is a union.
23139
23140 @findex TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23141 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23142 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23143 The type is an enum.
23144
23145 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23146 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23147 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23148 A bit flags type, used for things such as status registers.
23149
23150 @findex TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23151 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23152 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23153 The type is a function.
23154
23155 @findex TYPE_CODE_INT
23156 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INT
23157 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_INT
23158 The type is an integer type.
23159
23160 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLT
23161 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLT
23162 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLT
23163 A floating point type.
23164
23165 @findex TYPE_CODE_VOID
23166 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_VOID
23167 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_VOID
23168 The special type @code{void}.
23169
23170 @findex TYPE_CODE_SET
23171 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_SET
23172 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_SET
23173 A Pascal set type.
23174
23175 @findex TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23176 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23177 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23178 A range type, that is, an integer type with bounds.
23179
23180 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRING
23181 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRING
23182 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRING
23183 A string type. Note that this is only used for certain languages with
23184 language-defined string types; C strings are not represented this way.
23185
23186 @findex TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23187 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23188 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23189 A string of bits.
23190
23191 @findex TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23192 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23193 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23194 An unknown or erroneous type.
23195
23196 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23197 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23198 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23199 A method type, as found in C@t{++} or Java.
23200
23201 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23202 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23203 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23204 A pointer-to-member-function.
23205
23206 @findex TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23207 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23208 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23209 A pointer-to-member.
23210
23211 @findex TYPE_CODE_REF
23212 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_REF
23213 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_REF
23214 A reference type.
23215
23216 @findex TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23217 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23218 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23219 A character type.
23220
23221 @findex TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23222 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23223 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23224 A boolean type.
23225
23226 @findex TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23227 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23228 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23229 A complex float type.
23230
23231 @findex TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23232 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23233 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23234 A typedef to some other type.
23235
23236 @findex TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23237 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23238 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23239 A C@t{++} namespace.
23240
23241 @findex TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23242 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23243 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23244 A decimal floating point type.
23245
23246 @findex TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23247 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23248 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23249 A function internal to @value{GDBN}. This is the type used to represent
23250 convenience functions.
23251 @end table
23252
23253 Further support for types is provided in the @code{gdb.types}
23254 Python module (@pxref{gdb.types}).
23255
23256 @node Pretty Printing API
23257 @subsubsection Pretty Printing API
23258
23259 An example output is provided (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
23260
23261 A pretty-printer is just an object that holds a value and implements a
23262 specific interface, defined here.
23263
23264 @defun pretty_printer.children (self)
23265 @value{GDBN} will call this method on a pretty-printer to compute the
23266 children of the pretty-printer's value.
23267
23268 This method must return an object conforming to the Python iterator
23269 protocol. Each item returned by the iterator must be a tuple holding
23270 two elements. The first element is the ``name'' of the child; the
23271 second element is the child's value. The value can be any Python
23272 object which is convertible to a @value{GDBN} value.
23273
23274 This method is optional. If it does not exist, @value{GDBN} will act
23275 as though the value has no children.
23276 @end defun
23277
23278 @defun pretty_printer.display_hint (self)
23279 The CLI may call this method and use its result to change the
23280 formatting of a value. The result will also be supplied to an MI
23281 consumer as a @samp{displayhint} attribute of the variable being
23282 printed.
23283
23284 This method is optional. If it does exist, this method must return a
23285 string.
23286
23287 Some display hints are predefined by @value{GDBN}:
23288
23289 @table @samp
23290 @item array
23291 Indicate that the object being printed is ``array-like''. The CLI
23292 uses this to respect parameters such as @code{set print elements} and
23293 @code{set print array}.
23294
23295 @item map
23296 Indicate that the object being printed is ``map-like'', and that the
23297 children of this value can be assumed to alternate between keys and
23298 values.
23299
23300 @item string
23301 Indicate that the object being printed is ``string-like''. If the
23302 printer's @code{to_string} method returns a Python string of some
23303 kind, then @value{GDBN} will call its internal language-specific
23304 string-printing function to format the string. For the CLI this means
23305 adding quotation marks, possibly escaping some characters, respecting
23306 @code{set print elements}, and the like.
23307 @end table
23308 @end defun
23309
23310 @defun pretty_printer.to_string (self)
23311 @value{GDBN} will call this method to display the string
23312 representation of the value passed to the object's constructor.
23313
23314 When printing from the CLI, if the @code{to_string} method exists,
23315 then @value{GDBN} will prepend its result to the values returned by
23316 @code{children}. Exactly how this formatting is done is dependent on
23317 the display hint, and may change as more hints are added. Also,
23318 depending on the print settings (@pxref{Print Settings}), the CLI may
23319 print just the result of @code{to_string} in a stack trace, omitting
23320 the result of @code{children}.
23321
23322 If this method returns a string, it is printed verbatim.
23323
23324 Otherwise, if this method returns an instance of @code{gdb.Value},
23325 then @value{GDBN} prints this value. This may result in a call to
23326 another pretty-printer.
23327
23328 If instead the method returns a Python value which is convertible to a
23329 @code{gdb.Value}, then @value{GDBN} performs the conversion and prints
23330 the resulting value. Again, this may result in a call to another
23331 pretty-printer. Python scalars (integers, floats, and booleans) and
23332 strings are convertible to @code{gdb.Value}; other types are not.
23333
23334 Finally, if this method returns @code{None} then no further operations
23335 are peformed in this method and nothing is printed.
23336
23337 If the result is not one of these types, an exception is raised.
23338 @end defun
23339
23340 @value{GDBN} provides a function which can be used to look up the
23341 default pretty-printer for a @code{gdb.Value}:
23342
23343 @findex gdb.default_visualizer
23344 @defun gdb.default_visualizer (value)
23345 This function takes a @code{gdb.Value} object as an argument. If a
23346 pretty-printer for this value exists, then it is returned. If no such
23347 printer exists, then this returns @code{None}.
23348 @end defun
23349
23350 @node Selecting Pretty-Printers
23351 @subsubsection Selecting Pretty-Printers
23352
23353 The Python list @code{gdb.pretty_printers} contains an array of
23354 functions or callable objects that have been registered via addition
23355 as a pretty-printer. Printers in this list are called @code{global}
23356 printers, they're available when debugging all inferiors.
23357 Each @code{gdb.Progspace} contains a @code{pretty_printers} attribute.
23358 Each @code{gdb.Objfile} also contains a @code{pretty_printers}
23359 attribute.
23360
23361 Each function on these lists is passed a single @code{gdb.Value}
23362 argument and should return a pretty-printer object conforming to the
23363 interface definition above (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}). If a function
23364 cannot create a pretty-printer for the value, it should return
23365 @code{None}.
23366
23367 @value{GDBN} first checks the @code{pretty_printers} attribute of each
23368 @code{gdb.Objfile} in the current program space and iteratively calls
23369 each enabled lookup routine in the list for that @code{gdb.Objfile}
23370 until it receives a pretty-printer object.
23371 If no pretty-printer is found in the objfile lists, @value{GDBN} then
23372 searches the pretty-printer list of the current program space,
23373 calling each enabled function until an object is returned.
23374 After these lists have been exhausted, it tries the global
23375 @code{gdb.pretty_printers} list, again calling each enabled function until an
23376 object is returned.
23377
23378 The order in which the objfiles are searched is not specified. For a
23379 given list, functions are always invoked from the head of the list,
23380 and iterated over sequentially until the end of the list, or a printer
23381 object is returned.
23382
23383 For various reasons a pretty-printer may not work.
23384 For example, the underlying data structure may have changed and
23385 the pretty-printer is out of date.
23386
23387 The consequences of a broken pretty-printer are severe enough that
23388 @value{GDBN} provides support for enabling and disabling individual
23389 printers. For example, if @code{print frame-arguments} is on,
23390 a backtrace can become highly illegible if any argument is printed
23391 with a broken printer.
23392
23393 Pretty-printers are enabled and disabled by attaching an @code{enabled}
23394 attribute to the registered function or callable object. If this attribute
23395 is present and its value is @code{False}, the printer is disabled, otherwise
23396 the printer is enabled.
23397
23398 @node Writing a Pretty-Printer
23399 @subsubsection Writing a Pretty-Printer
23400 @cindex writing a pretty-printer
23401
23402 A pretty-printer consists of two parts: a lookup function to detect
23403 if the type is supported, and the printer itself.
23404
23405 Here is an example showing how a @code{std::string} printer might be
23406 written. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for details on the API this class
23407 must provide.
23408
23409 @smallexample
23410 class StdStringPrinter(object):
23411 "Print a std::string"
23412
23413 def __init__(self, val):
23414 self.val = val
23415
23416 def to_string(self):
23417 return self.val['_M_dataplus']['_M_p']
23418
23419 def display_hint(self):
23420 return 'string'
23421 @end smallexample
23422
23423 And here is an example showing how a lookup function for the printer
23424 example above might be written.
23425
23426 @smallexample
23427 def str_lookup_function(val):
23428 lookup_tag = val.type.tag
23429 if lookup_tag == None:
23430 return None
23431 regex = re.compile("^std::basic_string<char,.*>$")
23432 if regex.match(lookup_tag):
23433 return StdStringPrinter(val)
23434 return None
23435 @end smallexample
23436
23437 The example lookup function extracts the value's type, and attempts to
23438 match it to a type that it can pretty-print. If it is a type the
23439 printer can pretty-print, it will return a printer object. If not, it
23440 returns @code{None}.
23441
23442 We recommend that you put your core pretty-printers into a Python
23443 package. If your pretty-printers are for use with a library, we
23444 further recommend embedding a version number into the package name.
23445 This practice will enable @value{GDBN} to load multiple versions of
23446 your pretty-printers at the same time, because they will have
23447 different names.
23448
23449 You should write auto-loaded code (@pxref{Python Auto-loading}) such that it
23450 can be evaluated multiple times without changing its meaning. An
23451 ideal auto-load file will consist solely of @code{import}s of your
23452 printer modules, followed by a call to a register pretty-printers with
23453 the current objfile.
23454
23455 Taken as a whole, this approach will scale nicely to multiple
23456 inferiors, each potentially using a different library version.
23457 Embedding a version number in the Python package name will ensure that
23458 @value{GDBN} is able to load both sets of printers simultaneously.
23459 Then, because the search for pretty-printers is done by objfile, and
23460 because your auto-loaded code took care to register your library's
23461 printers with a specific objfile, @value{GDBN} will find the correct
23462 printers for the specific version of the library used by each
23463 inferior.
23464
23465 To continue the @code{std::string} example (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}),
23466 this code might appear in @code{gdb.libstdcxx.v6}:
23467
23468 @smallexample
23469 def register_printers(objfile):
23470 objfile.pretty_printers.append(str_lookup_function)
23471 @end smallexample
23472
23473 @noindent
23474 And then the corresponding contents of the auto-load file would be:
23475
23476 @smallexample
23477 import gdb.libstdcxx.v6
23478 gdb.libstdcxx.v6.register_printers(gdb.current_objfile())
23479 @end smallexample
23480
23481 The previous example illustrates a basic pretty-printer.
23482 There are a few things that can be improved on.
23483 The printer doesn't have a name, making it hard to identify in a
23484 list of installed printers. The lookup function has a name, but
23485 lookup functions can have arbitrary, even identical, names.
23486
23487 Second, the printer only handles one type, whereas a library typically has
23488 several types. One could install a lookup function for each desired type
23489 in the library, but one could also have a single lookup function recognize
23490 several types. The latter is the conventional way this is handled.
23491 If a pretty-printer can handle multiple data types, then its
23492 @dfn{subprinters} are the printers for the individual data types.
23493
23494 The @code{gdb.printing} module provides a formal way of solving these
23495 problems (@pxref{gdb.printing}).
23496 Here is another example that handles multiple types.
23497
23498 These are the types we are going to pretty-print:
23499
23500 @smallexample
23501 struct foo @{ int a, b; @};
23502 struct bar @{ struct foo x, y; @};
23503 @end smallexample
23504
23505 Here are the printers:
23506
23507 @smallexample
23508 class fooPrinter:
23509 """Print a foo object."""
23510
23511 def __init__(self, val):
23512 self.val = val
23513
23514 def to_string(self):
23515 return ("a=<" + str(self.val["a"]) +
23516 "> b=<" + str(self.val["b"]) + ">")
23517
23518 class barPrinter:
23519 """Print a bar object."""
23520
23521 def __init__(self, val):
23522 self.val = val
23523
23524 def to_string(self):
23525 return ("x=<" + str(self.val["x"]) +
23526 "> y=<" + str(self.val["y"]) + ">")
23527 @end smallexample
23528
23529 This example doesn't need a lookup function, that is handled by the
23530 @code{gdb.printing} module. Instead a function is provided to build up
23531 the object that handles the lookup.
23532
23533 @smallexample
23534 import gdb.printing
23535
23536 def build_pretty_printer():
23537 pp = gdb.printing.RegexpCollectionPrettyPrinter(
23538 "my_library")
23539 pp.add_printer('foo', '^foo$', fooPrinter)
23540 pp.add_printer('bar', '^bar$', barPrinter)
23541 return pp
23542 @end smallexample
23543
23544 And here is the autoload support:
23545
23546 @smallexample
23547 import gdb.printing
23548 import my_library
23549 gdb.printing.register_pretty_printer(
23550 gdb.current_objfile(),
23551 my_library.build_pretty_printer())
23552 @end smallexample
23553
23554 Finally, when this printer is loaded into @value{GDBN}, here is the
23555 corresponding output of @samp{info pretty-printer}:
23556
23557 @smallexample
23558 (gdb) info pretty-printer
23559 my_library.so:
23560 my_library
23561 foo
23562 bar
23563 @end smallexample
23564
23565 @node Inferiors In Python
23566 @subsubsection Inferiors In Python
23567 @cindex inferiors in Python
23568
23569 @findex gdb.Inferior
23570 Programs which are being run under @value{GDBN} are called inferiors
23571 (@pxref{Inferiors and Programs}). Python scripts can access
23572 information about and manipulate inferiors controlled by @value{GDBN}
23573 via objects of the @code{gdb.Inferior} class.
23574
23575 The following inferior-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
23576 module:
23577
23578 @defun gdb.inferiors ()
23579 Return a tuple containing all inferior objects.
23580 @end defun
23581
23582 @defun gdb.selected_inferior ()
23583 Return an object representing the current inferior.
23584 @end defun
23585
23586 A @code{gdb.Inferior} object has the following attributes:
23587
23588 @table @code
23589 @defvar Inferior.num
23590 ID of inferior, as assigned by GDB.
23591 @end defvar
23592
23593 @defvar Inferior.pid
23594 Process ID of the inferior, as assigned by the underlying operating
23595 system.
23596 @end defvar
23597
23598 @defvar Inferior.was_attached
23599 Boolean signaling whether the inferior was created using `attach', or
23600 started by @value{GDBN} itself.
23601 @end defvar
23602 @end table
23603
23604 A @code{gdb.Inferior} object has the following methods:
23605
23606 @table @code
23607 @defun Inferior.is_valid ()
23608 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Inferior} object is valid,
23609 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Inferior} object will become invalid
23610 if the inferior no longer exists within @value{GDBN}. All other
23611 @code{gdb.Inferior} methods will throw an exception if it is invalid
23612 at the time the method is called.
23613 @end defun
23614
23615 @defun Inferior.threads ()
23616 This method returns a tuple holding all the threads which are valid
23617 when it is called. If there are no valid threads, the method will
23618 return an empty tuple.
23619 @end defun
23620
23621 @findex gdb.read_memory
23622 @defun Inferior.read_memory (address, length)
23623 Read @var{length} bytes of memory from the inferior, starting at
23624 @var{address}. Returns a buffer object, which behaves much like an array
23625 or a string. It can be modified and given to the @code{gdb.write_memory}
23626 function.
23627 @end defun
23628
23629 @findex gdb.write_memory
23630 @defun Inferior.write_memory (address, buffer @r{[}, length@r{]})
23631 Write the contents of @var{buffer} to the inferior, starting at
23632 @var{address}. The @var{buffer} parameter must be a Python object
23633 which supports the buffer protocol, i.e., a string, an array or the
23634 object returned from @code{gdb.read_memory}. If given, @var{length}
23635 determines the number of bytes from @var{buffer} to be written.
23636 @end defun
23637
23638 @findex gdb.search_memory
23639 @defun Inferior.search_memory (address, length, pattern)
23640 Search a region of the inferior memory starting at @var{address} with
23641 the given @var{length} using the search pattern supplied in
23642 @var{pattern}. The @var{pattern} parameter must be a Python object
23643 which supports the buffer protocol, i.e., a string, an array or the
23644 object returned from @code{gdb.read_memory}. Returns a Python @code{Long}
23645 containing the address where the pattern was found, or @code{None} if
23646 the pattern could not be found.
23647 @end defun
23648 @end table
23649
23650 @node Events In Python
23651 @subsubsection Events In Python
23652 @cindex inferior events in Python
23653
23654 @value{GDBN} provides a general event facility so that Python code can be
23655 notified of various state changes, particularly changes that occur in
23656 the inferior.
23657
23658 An @dfn{event} is just an object that describes some state change. The
23659 type of the object and its attributes will vary depending on the details
23660 of the change. All the existing events are described below.
23661
23662 In order to be notified of an event, you must register an event handler
23663 with an @dfn{event registry}. An event registry is an object in the
23664 @code{gdb.events} module which dispatches particular events. A registry
23665 provides methods to register and unregister event handlers:
23666
23667 @table @code
23668 @defun EventRegistry.connect (object)
23669 Add the given callable @var{object} to the registry. This object will be
23670 called when an event corresponding to this registry occurs.
23671 @end defun
23672
23673 @defun EventRegistry.disconnect (object)
23674 Remove the given @var{object} from the registry. Once removed, the object
23675 will no longer receive notifications of events.
23676 @end defun
23677 @end table
23678
23679 Here is an example:
23680
23681 @smallexample
23682 def exit_handler (event):
23683 print "event type: exit"
23684 print "exit code: %d" % (event.exit_code)
23685
23686 gdb.events.exited.connect (exit_handler)
23687 @end smallexample
23688
23689 In the above example we connect our handler @code{exit_handler} to the
23690 registry @code{events.exited}. Once connected, @code{exit_handler} gets
23691 called when the inferior exits. The argument @dfn{event} in this example is
23692 of type @code{gdb.ExitedEvent}. As you can see in the example the
23693 @code{ExitedEvent} object has an attribute which indicates the exit code of
23694 the inferior.
23695
23696 The following is a listing of the event registries that are available and
23697 details of the events they emit:
23698
23699 @table @code
23700
23701 @item events.cont
23702 Emits @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
23703
23704 Some events can be thread specific when @value{GDBN} is running in non-stop
23705 mode. When represented in Python, these events all extend
23706 @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}. Note, this event is not emitted directly; instead,
23707 events which are emitted by this or other modules might extend this event.
23708 Examples of these events are @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} and
23709 @code{gdb.ContinueEvent}.
23710
23711 @table @code
23712 @defvar ThreadEvent.inferior_thread
23713 In non-stop mode this attribute will be set to the specific thread which was
23714 involved in the emitted event. Otherwise, it will be set to @code{None}.
23715 @end defvar
23716 @end table
23717
23718 Emits @code{gdb.ContinueEvent} which extends @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
23719
23720 This event indicates that the inferior has been continued after a stop. For
23721 inherited attribute refer to @code{gdb.ThreadEvent} above.
23722
23723 @item events.exited
23724 Emits @code{events.ExitedEvent} which indicates that the inferior has exited.
23725 @code{events.ExitedEvent} has two attributes:
23726 @table @code
23727 @defvar ExitedEvent.exit_code
23728 An integer representing the exit code, if available, which the inferior
23729 has returned. (The exit code could be unavailable if, for example,
23730 @value{GDBN} detaches from the inferior.) If the exit code is unavailable,
23731 the attribute does not exist.
23732 @end defvar
23733 @defvar ExitedEvent inferior
23734 A reference to the inferior which triggered the @code{exited} event.
23735 @end defvar
23736 @end table
23737
23738 @item events.stop
23739 Emits @code{gdb.StopEvent} which extends @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
23740
23741 Indicates that the inferior has stopped. All events emitted by this registry
23742 extend StopEvent. As a child of @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}, @code{gdb.StopEvent}
23743 will indicate the stopped thread when @value{GDBN} is running in non-stop
23744 mode. Refer to @code{gdb.ThreadEvent} above for more details.
23745
23746 Emits @code{gdb.SignalEvent} which extends @code{gdb.StopEvent}.
23747
23748 This event indicates that the inferior or one of its threads has received as
23749 signal. @code{gdb.SignalEvent} has the following attributes:
23750
23751 @table @code
23752 @defvar SignalEvent.stop_signal
23753 A string representing the signal received by the inferior. A list of possible
23754 signal values can be obtained by running the command @code{info signals} in
23755 the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
23756 @end defvar
23757 @end table
23758
23759 Also emits @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} which extends @code{gdb.StopEvent}.
23760
23761 @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} event indicates that one or more breakpoints have
23762 been hit, and has the following attributes:
23763
23764 @table @code
23765 @defvar BreakpointEvent.breakpoints
23766 A sequence containing references to all the breakpoints (type
23767 @code{gdb.Breakpoint}) that were hit.
23768 @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for details of the @code{gdb.Breakpoint} object.
23769 @end defvar
23770 @defvar BreakpointEvent.breakpoint
23771 A reference to the first breakpoint that was hit.
23772 This function is maintained for backward compatibility and is now deprecated
23773 in favor of the @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent.breakpoints} attribute.
23774 @end defvar
23775 @end table
23776
23777 @item events.new_objfile
23778 Emits @code{gdb.NewObjFileEvent} which indicates that a new object file has
23779 been loaded by @value{GDBN}. @code{gdb.NewObjFileEvent} has one attribute:
23780
23781 @table @code
23782 @defvar NewObjFileEvent.new_objfile
23783 A reference to the object file (@code{gdb.Objfile}) which has been loaded.
23784 @xref{Objfiles In Python}, for details of the @code{gdb.Objfile} object.
23785 @end defvar
23786 @end table
23787
23788 @end table
23789
23790 @node Threads In Python
23791 @subsubsection Threads In Python
23792 @cindex threads in python
23793
23794 @findex gdb.InferiorThread
23795 Python scripts can access information about, and manipulate inferior threads
23796 controlled by @value{GDBN}, via objects of the @code{gdb.InferiorThread} class.
23797
23798 The following thread-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
23799 module:
23800
23801 @findex gdb.selected_thread
23802 @defun gdb.selected_thread ()
23803 This function returns the thread object for the selected thread. If there
23804 is no selected thread, this will return @code{None}.
23805 @end defun
23806
23807 A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object has the following attributes:
23808
23809 @table @code
23810 @defvar InferiorThread.name
23811 The name of the thread. If the user specified a name using
23812 @code{thread name}, then this returns that name. Otherwise, if an
23813 OS-supplied name is available, then it is returned. Otherwise, this
23814 returns @code{None}.
23815
23816 This attribute can be assigned to. The new value must be a string
23817 object, which sets the new name, or @code{None}, which removes any
23818 user-specified thread name.
23819 @end defvar
23820
23821 @defvar InferiorThread.num
23822 ID of the thread, as assigned by GDB.
23823 @end defvar
23824
23825 @defvar InferiorThread.ptid
23826 ID of the thread, as assigned by the operating system. This attribute is a
23827 tuple containing three integers. The first is the Process ID (PID); the second
23828 is the Lightweight Process ID (LWPID), and the third is the Thread ID (TID).
23829 Either the LWPID or TID may be 0, which indicates that the operating system
23830 does not use that identifier.
23831 @end defvar
23832 @end table
23833
23834 A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object has the following methods:
23835
23836 @table @code
23837 @defun InferiorThread.is_valid ()
23838 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object is valid,
23839 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object will become
23840 invalid if the thread exits, or the inferior that the thread belongs
23841 is deleted. All other @code{gdb.InferiorThread} methods will throw an
23842 exception if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
23843 @end defun
23844
23845 @defun InferiorThread.switch ()
23846 This changes @value{GDBN}'s currently selected thread to the one represented
23847 by this object.
23848 @end defun
23849
23850 @defun InferiorThread.is_stopped ()
23851 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is stopped.
23852 @end defun
23853
23854 @defun InferiorThread.is_running ()
23855 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is running.
23856 @end defun
23857
23858 @defun InferiorThread.is_exited ()
23859 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is exited.
23860 @end defun
23861 @end table
23862
23863 @node Commands In Python
23864 @subsubsection Commands In Python
23865
23866 @cindex commands in python
23867 @cindex python commands
23868 You can implement new @value{GDBN} CLI commands in Python. A CLI
23869 command is implemented using an instance of the @code{gdb.Command}
23870 class, most commonly using a subclass.
23871
23872 @defun Command.__init__ (name, @var{command_class} @r{[}, @var{completer_class} @r{[}, @var{prefix}@r{]]})
23873 The object initializer for @code{Command} registers the new command
23874 with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked from the
23875 subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
23876
23877 @var{name} is the name of the command. If @var{name} consists of
23878 multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
23879 commands. In this case, if one of the prefix commands does not exist,
23880 an exception is raised.
23881
23882 There is no support for multi-line commands.
23883
23884 @var{command_class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
23885 defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to categorize the
23886 new command in the help system.
23887
23888 @var{completer_class} is an optional argument. If given, it should be
23889 one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined below. This argument
23890 tells @value{GDBN} how to perform completion for this command. If not
23891 given, @value{GDBN} will attempt to complete using the object's
23892 @code{complete} method (see below); if no such method is found, an
23893 error will occur when completion is attempted.
23894
23895 @var{prefix} is an optional argument. If @code{True}, then the new
23896 command is a prefix command; sub-commands of this command may be
23897 registered.
23898
23899 The help text for the new command is taken from the Python
23900 documentation string for the command's class, if there is one. If no
23901 documentation string is provided, the default value ``This command is
23902 not documented.'' is used.
23903 @end defun
23904
23905 @cindex don't repeat Python command
23906 @defun Command.dont_repeat ()
23907 By default, a @value{GDBN} command is repeated when the user enters a
23908 blank line at the command prompt. A command can suppress this
23909 behavior by invoking the @code{dont_repeat} method. This is similar
23910 to the user command @code{dont-repeat}, see @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
23911 @end defun
23912
23913 @defun Command.invoke (argument, from_tty)
23914 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when this command is invoked.
23915
23916 @var{argument} is a string. It is the argument to the command, after
23917 leading and trailing whitespace has been stripped.
23918
23919 @var{from_tty} is a boolean argument. When true, this means that the
23920 command was entered by the user at the terminal; when false it means
23921 that the command came from elsewhere.
23922
23923 If this method throws an exception, it is turned into a @value{GDBN}
23924 @code{error} call. Otherwise, the return value is ignored.
23925
23926 @findex gdb.string_to_argv
23927 To break @var{argument} up into an argv-like string use
23928 @code{gdb.string_to_argv}. This function behaves identically to
23929 @value{GDBN}'s internal argument lexer @code{buildargv}.
23930 It is recommended to use this for consistency.
23931 Arguments are separated by spaces and may be quoted.
23932 Example:
23933
23934 @smallexample
23935 print gdb.string_to_argv ("1 2\ \\\"3 '4 \"5' \"6 '7\"")
23936 ['1', '2 "3', '4 "5', "6 '7"]
23937 @end smallexample
23938
23939 @end defun
23940
23941 @cindex completion of Python commands
23942 @defun Command.complete (text, word)
23943 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when the user attempts
23944 completion on this command. All forms of completion are handled by
23945 this method, that is, the @key{TAB} and @key{M-?} key bindings
23946 (@pxref{Completion}), and the @code{complete} command (@pxref{Help,
23947 complete}).
23948
23949 The arguments @var{text} and @var{word} are both strings. @var{text}
23950 holds the complete command line up to the cursor's location.
23951 @var{word} holds the last word of the command line; this is computed
23952 using a word-breaking heuristic.
23953
23954 The @code{complete} method can return several values:
23955 @itemize @bullet
23956 @item
23957 If the return value is a sequence, the contents of the sequence are
23958 used as the completions. It is up to @code{complete} to ensure that the
23959 contents actually do complete the word. A zero-length sequence is
23960 allowed, it means that there were no completions available. Only
23961 string elements of the sequence are used; other elements in the
23962 sequence are ignored.
23963
23964 @item
23965 If the return value is one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined
23966 below, then the corresponding @value{GDBN}-internal completion
23967 function is invoked, and its result is used.
23968
23969 @item
23970 All other results are treated as though there were no available
23971 completions.
23972 @end itemize
23973 @end defun
23974
23975 When a new command is registered, it must be declared as a member of
23976 some general class of commands. This is used to classify top-level
23977 commands in the on-line help system; note that prefix commands are not
23978 listed under their own category but rather that of their top-level
23979 command. The available classifications are represented by constants
23980 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
23981
23982 @table @code
23983 @findex COMMAND_NONE
23984 @findex gdb.COMMAND_NONE
23985 @item gdb.COMMAND_NONE
23986 The command does not belong to any particular class. A command in
23987 this category will not be displayed in any of the help categories.
23988
23989 @findex COMMAND_RUNNING
23990 @findex gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
23991 @item gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
23992 The command is related to running the inferior. For example,
23993 @code{start}, @code{step}, and @code{continue} are in this category.
23994 Type @kbd{help running} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
23995 commands in this category.
23996
23997 @findex COMMAND_DATA
23998 @findex gdb.COMMAND_DATA
23999 @item gdb.COMMAND_DATA
24000 The command is related to data or variables. For example,
24001 @code{call}, @code{find}, and @code{print} are in this category. Type
24002 @kbd{help data} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands
24003 in this category.
24004
24005 @findex COMMAND_STACK
24006 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STACK
24007 @item gdb.COMMAND_STACK
24008 The command has to do with manipulation of the stack. For example,
24009 @code{backtrace}, @code{frame}, and @code{return} are in this
24010 category. Type @kbd{help stack} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a
24011 list of commands in this category.
24012
24013 @findex COMMAND_FILES
24014 @findex gdb.COMMAND_FILES
24015 @item gdb.COMMAND_FILES
24016 This class is used for file-related commands. For example,
24017 @code{file}, @code{list} and @code{section} are in this category.
24018 Type @kbd{help files} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24019 commands in this category.
24020
24021 @findex COMMAND_SUPPORT
24022 @findex gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
24023 @item gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
24024 This should be used for ``support facilities'', generally meaning
24025 things that are useful to the user when interacting with @value{GDBN},
24026 but not related to the state of the inferior. For example,
24027 @code{help}, @code{make}, and @code{shell} are in this category. Type
24028 @kbd{help support} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24029 commands in this category.
24030
24031 @findex COMMAND_STATUS
24032 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
24033 @item gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
24034 The command is an @samp{info}-related command, that is, related to the
24035 state of @value{GDBN} itself. For example, @code{info}, @code{macro},
24036 and @code{show} are in this category. Type @kbd{help status} at the
24037 @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this category.
24038
24039 @findex COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24040 @findex gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24041 @item gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24042 The command has to do with breakpoints. For example, @code{break},
24043 @code{clear}, and @code{delete} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
24044 breakpoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in
24045 this category.
24046
24047 @findex COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24048 @findex gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24049 @item gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24050 The command has to do with tracepoints. For example, @code{trace},
24051 @code{actions}, and @code{tfind} are in this category. Type
24052 @kbd{help tracepoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24053 commands in this category.
24054
24055 @findex COMMAND_USER
24056 @findex gdb.COMMAND_USER
24057 @item gdb.COMMAND_USER
24058 The command is a general purpose command for the user, and typically
24059 does not fit in one of the other categories.
24060 Type @kbd{help user-defined} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see
24061 a list of commands in this category, as well as the list of gdb macros
24062 (@pxref{Sequences}).
24063
24064 @findex COMMAND_OBSCURE
24065 @findex gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
24066 @item gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
24067 The command is only used in unusual circumstances, or is not of
24068 general interest to users. For example, @code{checkpoint},
24069 @code{fork}, and @code{stop} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
24070 obscure} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this
24071 category.
24072
24073 @findex COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24074 @findex gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24075 @item gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24076 The command is only useful to @value{GDBN} maintainers. The
24077 @code{maintenance} and @code{flushregs} commands are in this category.
24078 Type @kbd{help internals} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24079 commands in this category.
24080 @end table
24081
24082 A new command can use a predefined completion function, either by
24083 specifying it via an argument at initialization, or by returning it
24084 from the @code{complete} method. These predefined completion
24085 constants are all defined in the @code{gdb} module:
24086
24087 @table @code
24088 @findex COMPLETE_NONE
24089 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
24090 @item gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
24091 This constant means that no completion should be done.
24092
24093 @findex COMPLETE_FILENAME
24094 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
24095 @item gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
24096 This constant means that filename completion should be performed.
24097
24098 @findex COMPLETE_LOCATION
24099 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
24100 @item gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
24101 This constant means that location completion should be done.
24102 @xref{Specify Location}.
24103
24104 @findex COMPLETE_COMMAND
24105 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
24106 @item gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
24107 This constant means that completion should examine @value{GDBN}
24108 command names.
24109
24110 @findex COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24111 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24112 @item gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24113 This constant means that completion should be done using symbol names
24114 as the source.
24115 @end table
24116
24117 The following code snippet shows how a trivial CLI command can be
24118 implemented in Python:
24119
24120 @smallexample
24121 class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
24122 """Greet the whole world."""
24123
24124 def __init__ (self):
24125 super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_USER)
24126
24127 def invoke (self, arg, from_tty):
24128 print "Hello, World!"
24129
24130 HelloWorld ()
24131 @end smallexample
24132
24133 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
24134 registration of the command with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
24135 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
24136 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
24137
24138 @node Parameters In Python
24139 @subsubsection Parameters In Python
24140
24141 @cindex parameters in python
24142 @cindex python parameters
24143 @tindex gdb.Parameter
24144 @tindex Parameter
24145 You can implement new @value{GDBN} parameters using Python. A new
24146 parameter is implemented as an instance of the @code{gdb.Parameter}
24147 class.
24148
24149 Parameters are exposed to the user via the @code{set} and
24150 @code{show} commands. @xref{Help}.
24151
24152 There are many parameters that already exist and can be set in
24153 @value{GDBN}. Two examples are: @code{set follow fork} and
24154 @code{set charset}. Setting these parameters influences certain
24155 behavior in @value{GDBN}. Similarly, you can define parameters that
24156 can be used to influence behavior in custom Python scripts and commands.
24157
24158 @defun Parameter.__init__ (name, @var{command-class}, @var{parameter-class} @r{[}, @var{enum-sequence}@r{]})
24159 The object initializer for @code{Parameter} registers the new
24160 parameter with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked
24161 from the subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
24162
24163 @var{name} is the name of the new parameter. If @var{name} consists
24164 of multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
24165 parameters. An example of this can be illustrated with the
24166 @code{set print} set of parameters. If @var{name} is
24167 @code{print foo}, then @code{print} will be searched as the prefix
24168 parameter. In this case the parameter can subsequently be accessed in
24169 @value{GDBN} as @code{set print foo}.
24170
24171 If @var{name} consists of multiple words, and no prefix parameter group
24172 can be found, an exception is raised.
24173
24174 @var{command-class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
24175 (@pxref{Commands In Python}). This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to
24176 categorize the new parameter in the help system.
24177
24178 @var{parameter-class} should be one of the @samp{PARAM_} constants
24179 defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} the type of the new
24180 parameter; this information is used for input validation and
24181 completion.
24182
24183 If @var{parameter-class} is @code{PARAM_ENUM}, then
24184 @var{enum-sequence} must be a sequence of strings. These strings
24185 represent the possible values for the parameter.
24186
24187 If @var{parameter-class} is not @code{PARAM_ENUM}, then the presence
24188 of a fourth argument will cause an exception to be thrown.
24189
24190 The help text for the new parameter is taken from the Python
24191 documentation string for the parameter's class, if there is one. If
24192 there is no documentation string, a default value is used.
24193 @end defun
24194
24195 @defvar Parameter.set_doc
24196 If this attribute exists, and is a string, then its value is used as
24197 the help text for this parameter's @code{set} command. The value is
24198 examined when @code{Parameter.__init__} is invoked; subsequent changes
24199 have no effect.
24200 @end defvar
24201
24202 @defvar Parameter.show_doc
24203 If this attribute exists, and is a string, then its value is used as
24204 the help text for this parameter's @code{show} command. The value is
24205 examined when @code{Parameter.__init__} is invoked; subsequent changes
24206 have no effect.
24207 @end defvar
24208
24209 @defvar Parameter.value
24210 The @code{value} attribute holds the underlying value of the
24211 parameter. It can be read and assigned to just as any other
24212 attribute. @value{GDBN} does validation when assignments are made.
24213 @end defvar
24214
24215 There are two methods that should be implemented in any
24216 @code{Parameter} class. These are:
24217
24218 @defun Parameter.get_set_string (self)
24219 @value{GDBN} will call this method when a @var{parameter}'s value has
24220 been changed via the @code{set} API (for example, @kbd{set foo off}).
24221 The @code{value} attribute has already been populated with the new
24222 value and may be used in output. This method must return a string.
24223 @end defun
24224
24225 @defun Parameter.get_show_string (self, svalue)
24226 @value{GDBN} will call this method when a @var{parameter}'s
24227 @code{show} API has been invoked (for example, @kbd{show foo}). The
24228 argument @code{svalue} receives the string representation of the
24229 current value. This method must return a string.
24230 @end defun
24231
24232 When a new parameter is defined, its type must be specified. The
24233 available types are represented by constants defined in the @code{gdb}
24234 module:
24235
24236 @table @code
24237 @findex PARAM_BOOLEAN
24238 @findex gdb.PARAM_BOOLEAN
24239 @item gdb.PARAM_BOOLEAN
24240 The value is a plain boolean. The Python boolean values, @code{True}
24241 and @code{False} are the only valid values.
24242
24243 @findex PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24244 @findex gdb.PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24245 @item gdb.PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24246 The value has three possible states: true, false, and @samp{auto}. In
24247 Python, true and false are represented using boolean constants, and
24248 @samp{auto} is represented using @code{None}.
24249
24250 @findex PARAM_UINTEGER
24251 @findex gdb.PARAM_UINTEGER
24252 @item gdb.PARAM_UINTEGER
24253 The value is an unsigned integer. The value of 0 should be
24254 interpreted to mean ``unlimited''.
24255
24256 @findex PARAM_INTEGER
24257 @findex gdb.PARAM_INTEGER
24258 @item gdb.PARAM_INTEGER
24259 The value is a signed integer. The value of 0 should be interpreted
24260 to mean ``unlimited''.
24261
24262 @findex PARAM_STRING
24263 @findex gdb.PARAM_STRING
24264 @item gdb.PARAM_STRING
24265 The value is a string. When the user modifies the string, any escape
24266 sequences, such as @samp{\t}, @samp{\f}, and octal escapes, are
24267 translated into corresponding characters and encoded into the current
24268 host charset.
24269
24270 @findex PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24271 @findex gdb.PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24272 @item gdb.PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24273 The value is a string. When the user modifies the string, escapes are
24274 passed through untranslated.
24275
24276 @findex PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24277 @findex gdb.PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24278 @item gdb.PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24279 The value is a either a filename (a string), or @code{None}.
24280
24281 @findex PARAM_FILENAME
24282 @findex gdb.PARAM_FILENAME
24283 @item gdb.PARAM_FILENAME
24284 The value is a filename. This is just like
24285 @code{PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE}, but uses file names for completion.
24286
24287 @findex PARAM_ZINTEGER
24288 @findex gdb.PARAM_ZINTEGER
24289 @item gdb.PARAM_ZINTEGER
24290 The value is an integer. This is like @code{PARAM_INTEGER}, except 0
24291 is interpreted as itself.
24292
24293 @findex PARAM_ENUM
24294 @findex gdb.PARAM_ENUM
24295 @item gdb.PARAM_ENUM
24296 The value is a string, which must be one of a collection string
24297 constants provided when the parameter is created.
24298 @end table
24299
24300 @node Functions In Python
24301 @subsubsection Writing new convenience functions
24302
24303 @cindex writing convenience functions
24304 @cindex convenience functions in python
24305 @cindex python convenience functions
24306 @tindex gdb.Function
24307 @tindex Function
24308 You can implement new convenience functions (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
24309 in Python. A convenience function is an instance of a subclass of the
24310 class @code{gdb.Function}.
24311
24312 @defun Function.__init__ (name)
24313 The initializer for @code{Function} registers the new function with
24314 @value{GDBN}. The argument @var{name} is the name of the function,
24315 a string. The function will be visible to the user as a convenience
24316 variable of type @code{internal function}, whose name is the same as
24317 the given @var{name}.
24318
24319 The documentation for the new function is taken from the documentation
24320 string for the new class.
24321 @end defun
24322
24323 @defun Function.invoke (@var{*args})
24324 When a convenience function is evaluated, its arguments are converted
24325 to instances of @code{gdb.Value}, and then the function's
24326 @code{invoke} method is called. Note that @value{GDBN} does not
24327 predetermine the arity of convenience functions. Instead, all
24328 available arguments are passed to @code{invoke}, following the
24329 standard Python calling convention. In particular, a convenience
24330 function can have default values for parameters without ill effect.
24331
24332 The return value of this method is used as its value in the enclosing
24333 expression. If an ordinary Python value is returned, it is converted
24334 to a @code{gdb.Value} following the usual rules.
24335 @end defun
24336
24337 The following code snippet shows how a trivial convenience function can
24338 be implemented in Python:
24339
24340 @smallexample
24341 class Greet (gdb.Function):
24342 """Return string to greet someone.
24343 Takes a name as argument."""
24344
24345 def __init__ (self):
24346 super (Greet, self).__init__ ("greet")
24347
24348 def invoke (self, name):
24349 return "Hello, %s!" % name.string ()
24350
24351 Greet ()
24352 @end smallexample
24353
24354 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
24355 registration of the function with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
24356 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
24357 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
24358
24359 @node Progspaces In Python
24360 @subsubsection Program Spaces In Python
24361
24362 @cindex progspaces in python
24363 @tindex gdb.Progspace
24364 @tindex Progspace
24365 A program space, or @dfn{progspace}, represents a symbolic view
24366 of an address space.
24367 It consists of all of the objfiles of the program.
24368 @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
24369 @xref{Inferiors and Programs, program spaces}, for more details
24370 about program spaces.
24371
24372 The following progspace-related functions are available in the
24373 @code{gdb} module:
24374
24375 @findex gdb.current_progspace
24376 @defun gdb.current_progspace ()
24377 This function returns the program space of the currently selected inferior.
24378 @xref{Inferiors and Programs}.
24379 @end defun
24380
24381 @findex gdb.progspaces
24382 @defun gdb.progspaces ()
24383 Return a sequence of all the progspaces currently known to @value{GDBN}.
24384 @end defun
24385
24386 Each progspace is represented by an instance of the @code{gdb.Progspace}
24387 class.
24388
24389 @defvar Progspace.filename
24390 The file name of the progspace as a string.
24391 @end defvar
24392
24393 @defvar Progspace.pretty_printers
24394 The @code{pretty_printers} attribute is a list of functions. It is
24395 used to look up pretty-printers. A @code{Value} is passed to each
24396 function in order; if the function returns @code{None}, then the
24397 search continues. Otherwise, the return value should be an object
24398 which is used to format the value. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for more
24399 information.
24400 @end defvar
24401
24402 @node Objfiles In Python
24403 @subsubsection Objfiles In Python
24404
24405 @cindex objfiles in python
24406 @tindex gdb.Objfile
24407 @tindex Objfile
24408 @value{GDBN} loads symbols for an inferior from various
24409 symbol-containing files (@pxref{Files}). These include the primary
24410 executable file, any shared libraries used by the inferior, and any
24411 separate debug info files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}).
24412 @value{GDBN} calls these symbol-containing files @dfn{objfiles}.
24413
24414 The following objfile-related functions are available in the
24415 @code{gdb} module:
24416
24417 @findex gdb.current_objfile
24418 @defun gdb.current_objfile ()
24419 When auto-loading a Python script (@pxref{Python Auto-loading}), @value{GDBN}
24420 sets the ``current objfile'' to the corresponding objfile. This
24421 function returns the current objfile. If there is no current objfile,
24422 this function returns @code{None}.
24423 @end defun
24424
24425 @findex gdb.objfiles
24426 @defun gdb.objfiles ()
24427 Return a sequence of all the objfiles current known to @value{GDBN}.
24428 @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
24429 @end defun
24430
24431 Each objfile is represented by an instance of the @code{gdb.Objfile}
24432 class.
24433
24434 @defvar Objfile.filename
24435 The file name of the objfile as a string.
24436 @end defvar
24437
24438 @defvar Objfile.pretty_printers
24439 The @code{pretty_printers} attribute is a list of functions. It is
24440 used to look up pretty-printers. A @code{Value} is passed to each
24441 function in order; if the function returns @code{None}, then the
24442 search continues. Otherwise, the return value should be an object
24443 which is used to format the value. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for more
24444 information.
24445 @end defvar
24446
24447 A @code{gdb.Objfile} object has the following methods:
24448
24449 @defun Objfile.is_valid ()
24450 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Objfile} object is valid,
24451 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Objfile} object can become invalid
24452 if the object file it refers to is not loaded in @value{GDBN} any
24453 longer. All other @code{gdb.Objfile} methods will throw an exception
24454 if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
24455 @end defun
24456
24457 @node Frames In Python
24458 @subsubsection Accessing inferior stack frames from Python.
24459
24460 @cindex frames in python
24461 When the debugged program stops, @value{GDBN} is able to analyze its call
24462 stack (@pxref{Frames,,Stack frames}). The @code{gdb.Frame} class
24463 represents a frame in the stack. A @code{gdb.Frame} object is only valid
24464 while its corresponding frame exists in the inferior's stack. If you try
24465 to use an invalid frame object, @value{GDBN} will throw a @code{gdb.error}
24466 exception (@pxref{Exception Handling}).
24467
24468 Two @code{gdb.Frame} objects can be compared for equality with the @code{==}
24469 operator, like:
24470
24471 @smallexample
24472 (@value{GDBP}) python print gdb.newest_frame() == gdb.selected_frame ()
24473 True
24474 @end smallexample
24475
24476 The following frame-related functions are available in the @code{gdb} module:
24477
24478 @findex gdb.selected_frame
24479 @defun gdb.selected_frame ()
24480 Return the selected frame object. (@pxref{Selection,,Selecting a Frame}).
24481 @end defun
24482
24483 @findex gdb.newest_frame
24484 @defun gdb.newest_frame ()
24485 Return the newest frame object for the selected thread.
24486 @end defun
24487
24488 @defun gdb.frame_stop_reason_string (reason)
24489 Return a string explaining the reason why @value{GDBN} stopped unwinding
24490 frames, as expressed by the given @var{reason} code (an integer, see the
24491 @code{unwind_stop_reason} method further down in this section).
24492 @end defun
24493
24494 A @code{gdb.Frame} object has the following methods:
24495
24496 @table @code
24497 @defun Frame.is_valid ()
24498 Returns true if the @code{gdb.Frame} object is valid, false if not.
24499 A frame object can become invalid if the frame it refers to doesn't
24500 exist anymore in the inferior. All @code{gdb.Frame} methods will throw
24501 an exception if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
24502 @end defun
24503
24504 @defun Frame.name ()
24505 Returns the function name of the frame, or @code{None} if it can't be
24506 obtained.
24507 @end defun
24508
24509 @defun Frame.type ()
24510 Returns the type of the frame. The value can be one of:
24511 @table @code
24512 @item gdb.NORMAL_FRAME
24513 An ordinary stack frame.
24514
24515 @item gdb.DUMMY_FRAME
24516 A fake stack frame that was created by @value{GDBN} when performing an
24517 inferior function call.
24518
24519 @item gdb.INLINE_FRAME
24520 A frame representing an inlined function. The function was inlined
24521 into a @code{gdb.NORMAL_FRAME} that is older than this one.
24522
24523 @item gdb.TAILCALL_FRAME
24524 A frame representing a tail call. @xref{Tail Call Frames}.
24525
24526 @item gdb.SIGTRAMP_FRAME
24527 A signal trampoline frame. This is the frame created by the OS when
24528 it calls into a signal handler.
24529
24530 @item gdb.ARCH_FRAME
24531 A fake stack frame representing a cross-architecture call.
24532
24533 @item gdb.SENTINEL_FRAME
24534 This is like @code{gdb.NORMAL_FRAME}, but it is only used for the
24535 newest frame.
24536 @end table
24537 @end defun
24538
24539 @defun Frame.unwind_stop_reason ()
24540 Return an integer representing the reason why it's not possible to find
24541 more frames toward the outermost frame. Use
24542 @code{gdb.frame_stop_reason_string} to convert the value returned by this
24543 function to a string. The value can be one of:
24544
24545 @table @code
24546 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NO_REASON
24547 No particular reason (older frames should be available).
24548
24549 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NULL_ID
24550 The previous frame's analyzer returns an invalid result.
24551
24552 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_OUTERMOST
24553 This frame is the outermost.
24554
24555 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_UNAVAILABLE
24556 Cannot unwind further, because that would require knowing the
24557 values of registers or memory that have not been collected.
24558
24559 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_INNER_ID
24560 This frame ID looks like it ought to belong to a NEXT frame,
24561 but we got it for a PREV frame. Normally, this is a sign of
24562 unwinder failure. It could also indicate stack corruption.
24563
24564 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_SAME_ID
24565 This frame has the same ID as the previous one. That means
24566 that unwinding further would almost certainly give us another
24567 frame with exactly the same ID, so break the chain. Normally,
24568 this is a sign of unwinder failure. It could also indicate
24569 stack corruption.
24570
24571 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NO_SAVED_PC
24572 The frame unwinder did not find any saved PC, but we needed
24573 one to unwind further.
24574
24575 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_FIRST_ERROR
24576 Any stop reason greater or equal to this value indicates some kind
24577 of error. This special value facilitates writing code that tests
24578 for errors in unwinding in a way that will work correctly even if
24579 the list of the other values is modified in future @value{GDBN}
24580 versions. Using it, you could write:
24581 @smallexample
24582 reason = gdb.selected_frame().unwind_stop_reason ()
24583 reason_str = gdb.frame_stop_reason_string (reason)
24584 if reason >= gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_FIRST_ERROR:
24585 print "An error occured: %s" % reason_str
24586 @end smallexample
24587 @end table
24588
24589 @end defun
24590
24591 @defun Frame.pc ()
24592 Returns the frame's resume address.
24593 @end defun
24594
24595 @defun Frame.block ()
24596 Return the frame's code block. @xref{Blocks In Python}.
24597 @end defun
24598
24599 @defun Frame.function ()
24600 Return the symbol for the function corresponding to this frame.
24601 @xref{Symbols In Python}.
24602 @end defun
24603
24604 @defun Frame.older ()
24605 Return the frame that called this frame.
24606 @end defun
24607
24608 @defun Frame.newer ()
24609 Return the frame called by this frame.
24610 @end defun
24611
24612 @defun Frame.find_sal ()
24613 Return the frame's symtab and line object.
24614 @xref{Symbol Tables In Python}.
24615 @end defun
24616
24617 @defun Frame.read_var (variable @r{[}, block@r{]})
24618 Return the value of @var{variable} in this frame. If the optional
24619 argument @var{block} is provided, search for the variable from that
24620 block; otherwise start at the frame's current block (which is
24621 determined by the frame's current program counter). @var{variable}
24622 must be a string or a @code{gdb.Symbol} object. @var{block} must be a
24623 @code{gdb.Block} object.
24624 @end defun
24625
24626 @defun Frame.select ()
24627 Set this frame to be the selected frame. @xref{Stack, ,Examining the
24628 Stack}.
24629 @end defun
24630 @end table
24631
24632 @node Blocks In Python
24633 @subsubsection Accessing frame blocks from Python.
24634
24635 @cindex blocks in python
24636 @tindex gdb.Block
24637
24638 Within each frame, @value{GDBN} maintains information on each block
24639 stored in that frame. These blocks are organized hierarchically, and
24640 are represented individually in Python as a @code{gdb.Block}.
24641 Please see @ref{Frames In Python}, for a more in-depth discussion on
24642 frames. Furthermore, see @ref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}, for more
24643 detailed technical information on @value{GDBN}'s book-keeping of the
24644 stack.
24645
24646 A @code{gdb.Block} is iterable. The iterator returns the symbols
24647 (@pxref{Symbols In Python}) local to the block.
24648
24649 The following block-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
24650 module:
24651
24652 @findex gdb.block_for_pc
24653 @defun gdb.block_for_pc (pc)
24654 Return the @code{gdb.Block} containing the given @var{pc} value. If the
24655 block cannot be found for the @var{pc} value specified, the function
24656 will return @code{None}.
24657 @end defun
24658
24659 A @code{gdb.Block} object has the following methods:
24660
24661 @table @code
24662 @defun Block.is_valid ()
24663 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is valid,
24664 @code{False} if not. A block object can become invalid if the block it
24665 refers to doesn't exist anymore in the inferior. All other
24666 @code{gdb.Block} methods will throw an exception if it is invalid at
24667 the time the method is called. The block's validity is also checked
24668 during iteration over symbols of the block.
24669 @end defun
24670 @end table
24671
24672 A @code{gdb.Block} object has the following attributes:
24673
24674 @table @code
24675 @defvar Block.start
24676 The start address of the block. This attribute is not writable.
24677 @end defvar
24678
24679 @defvar Block.end
24680 The end address of the block. This attribute is not writable.
24681 @end defvar
24682
24683 @defvar Block.function
24684 The name of the block represented as a @code{gdb.Symbol}. If the
24685 block is not named, then this attribute holds @code{None}. This
24686 attribute is not writable.
24687 @end defvar
24688
24689 @defvar Block.superblock
24690 The block containing this block. If this parent block does not exist,
24691 this attribute holds @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
24692 @end defvar
24693
24694 @defvar Block.global_block
24695 The global block associated with this block. This attribute is not
24696 writable.
24697 @end defvar
24698
24699 @defvar Block.static_block
24700 The static block associated with this block. This attribute is not
24701 writable.
24702 @end defvar
24703
24704 @defvar Block.is_global
24705 @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is a global block,
24706 @code{False} if not. This attribute is not
24707 writable.
24708 @end defvar
24709
24710 @defvar Block.is_static
24711 @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is a static block,
24712 @code{False} if not. This attribute is not writable.
24713 @end defvar
24714 @end table
24715
24716 @node Symbols In Python
24717 @subsubsection Python representation of Symbols.
24718
24719 @cindex symbols in python
24720 @tindex gdb.Symbol
24721
24722 @value{GDBN} represents every variable, function and type as an
24723 entry in a symbol table. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
24724 Similarly, Python represents these symbols in @value{GDBN} with the
24725 @code{gdb.Symbol} object.
24726
24727 The following symbol-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
24728 module:
24729
24730 @findex gdb.lookup_symbol
24731 @defun gdb.lookup_symbol (name @r{[}, block @r{[}, domain@r{]]})
24732 This function searches for a symbol by name. The search scope can be
24733 restricted to the parameters defined in the optional domain and block
24734 arguments.
24735
24736 @var{name} is the name of the symbol. It must be a string. The
24737 optional @var{block} argument restricts the search to symbols visible
24738 in that @var{block}. The @var{block} argument must be a
24739 @code{gdb.Block} object. If omitted, the block for the current frame
24740 is used. The optional @var{domain} argument restricts
24741 the search to the domain type. The @var{domain} argument must be a
24742 domain constant defined in the @code{gdb} module and described later
24743 in this chapter.
24744
24745 The result is a tuple of two elements.
24746 The first element is a @code{gdb.Symbol} object or @code{None} if the symbol
24747 is not found.
24748 If the symbol is found, the second element is @code{True} if the symbol
24749 is a field of a method's object (e.g., @code{this} in C@t{++}),
24750 otherwise it is @code{False}.
24751 If the symbol is not found, the second element is @code{False}.
24752 @end defun
24753
24754 @findex gdb.lookup_global_symbol
24755 @defun gdb.lookup_global_symbol (name @r{[}, domain@r{]})
24756 This function searches for a global symbol by name.
24757 The search scope can be restricted to by the domain argument.
24758
24759 @var{name} is the name of the symbol. It must be a string.
24760 The optional @var{domain} argument restricts the search to the domain type.
24761 The @var{domain} argument must be a domain constant defined in the @code{gdb}
24762 module and described later in this chapter.
24763
24764 The result is a @code{gdb.Symbol} object or @code{None} if the symbol
24765 is not found.
24766 @end defun
24767
24768 A @code{gdb.Symbol} object has the following attributes:
24769
24770 @table @code
24771 @defvar Symbol.type
24772 The type of the symbol or @code{None} if no type is recorded.
24773 This attribute is represented as a @code{gdb.Type} object.
24774 @xref{Types In Python}. This attribute is not writable.
24775 @end defvar
24776
24777 @defvar Symbol.symtab
24778 The symbol table in which the symbol appears. This attribute is
24779 represented as a @code{gdb.Symtab} object. @xref{Symbol Tables In
24780 Python}. This attribute is not writable.
24781 @end defvar
24782
24783 @defvar Symbol.line
24784 The line number in the source code at which the symbol was defined.
24785 This is an integer.
24786 @end defvar
24787
24788 @defvar Symbol.name
24789 The name of the symbol as a string. This attribute is not writable.
24790 @end defvar
24791
24792 @defvar Symbol.linkage_name
24793 The name of the symbol, as used by the linker (i.e., may be mangled).
24794 This attribute is not writable.
24795 @end defvar
24796
24797 @defvar Symbol.print_name
24798 The name of the symbol in a form suitable for output. This is either
24799 @code{name} or @code{linkage_name}, depending on whether the user
24800 asked @value{GDBN} to display demangled or mangled names.
24801 @end defvar
24802
24803 @defvar Symbol.addr_class
24804 The address class of the symbol. This classifies how to find the value
24805 of a symbol. Each address class is a constant defined in the
24806 @code{gdb} module and described later in this chapter.
24807 @end defvar
24808
24809 @defvar Symbol.needs_frame
24810 This is @code{True} if evaluating this symbol's value requires a frame
24811 (@pxref{Frames In Python}) and @code{False} otherwise. Typically,
24812 local variables will require a frame, but other symbols will not.
24813 @end defvar
24814
24815 @defvar Symbol.is_argument
24816 @code{True} if the symbol is an argument of a function.
24817 @end defvar
24818
24819 @defvar Symbol.is_constant
24820 @code{True} if the symbol is a constant.
24821 @end defvar
24822
24823 @defvar Symbol.is_function
24824 @code{True} if the symbol is a function or a method.
24825 @end defvar
24826
24827 @defvar Symbol.is_variable
24828 @code{True} if the symbol is a variable.
24829 @end defvar
24830 @end table
24831
24832 A @code{gdb.Symbol} object has the following methods:
24833
24834 @table @code
24835 @defun Symbol.is_valid ()
24836 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symbol} object is valid,
24837 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symbol} object can become invalid if
24838 the symbol it refers to does not exist in @value{GDBN} any longer.
24839 All other @code{gdb.Symbol} methods will throw an exception if it is
24840 invalid at the time the method is called.
24841 @end defun
24842
24843 @defun Symbol.value (@r{[}frame@r{]})
24844 Compute the value of the symbol, as a @code{gdb.Value}. For
24845 functions, this computes the address of the function, cast to the
24846 appropriate type. If the symbol requires a frame in order to compute
24847 its value, then @var{frame} must be given. If @var{frame} is not
24848 given, or if @var{frame} is invalid, then this method will throw an
24849 exception.
24850 @end defun
24851 @end table
24852
24853 The available domain categories in @code{gdb.Symbol} are represented
24854 as constants in the @code{gdb} module:
24855
24856 @table @code
24857 @findex SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
24858 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
24859 @item gdb.SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
24860 This is used when a domain has not been discovered or none of the
24861 following domains apply. This usually indicates an error either
24862 in the symbol information or in @value{GDBN}'s handling of symbols.
24863 @findex SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
24864 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
24865 @item gdb.SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
24866 This domain contains variables, function names, typedef names and enum
24867 type values.
24868 @findex SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
24869 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
24870 @item gdb.SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
24871 This domain holds struct, union and enum type names.
24872 @findex SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
24873 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
24874 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
24875 This domain contains names of labels (for gotos).
24876 @findex SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
24877 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
24878 @item gdb.SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
24879 This domain holds a subset of the @code{SYMBOLS_VAR_DOMAIN}; it
24880 contains everything minus functions and types.
24881 @findex SYMBOL_FUNCTIONS_DOMAIN
24882 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_FUNCTIONS_DOMAIN
24883 @item gdb.SYMBOL_FUNCTION_DOMAIN
24884 This domain contains all functions.
24885 @findex SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
24886 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
24887 @item gdb.SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
24888 This domain contains all types.
24889 @end table
24890
24891 The available address class categories in @code{gdb.Symbol} are represented
24892 as constants in the @code{gdb} module:
24893
24894 @table @code
24895 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
24896 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
24897 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
24898 If this is returned by address class, it indicates an error either in
24899 the symbol information or in @value{GDBN}'s handling of symbols.
24900 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
24901 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
24902 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
24903 Value is constant int.
24904 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
24905 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
24906 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
24907 Value is at a fixed address.
24908 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
24909 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
24910 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
24911 Value is in a register.
24912 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
24913 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
24914 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
24915 Value is an argument. This value is at the offset stored within the
24916 symbol inside the frame's argument list.
24917 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
24918 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
24919 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
24920 Value address is stored in the frame's argument list. Just like
24921 @code{LOC_ARG} except that the value's address is stored at the
24922 offset, not the value itself.
24923 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
24924 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
24925 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
24926 Value is a specified register. Just like @code{LOC_REGISTER} except
24927 the register holds the address of the argument instead of the argument
24928 itself.
24929 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
24930 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
24931 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
24932 Value is a local variable.
24933 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
24934 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
24935 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
24936 Value not used. Symbols in the domain @code{SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN} all
24937 have this class.
24938 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
24939 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
24940 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
24941 Value is a block.
24942 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
24943 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
24944 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
24945 Value is a byte-sequence.
24946 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
24947 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
24948 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
24949 Value is at a fixed address, but the address of the variable has to be
24950 determined from the minimal symbol table whenever the variable is
24951 referenced.
24952 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
24953 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
24954 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
24955 The value does not actually exist in the program.
24956 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
24957 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
24958 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
24959 The value's address is a computed location.
24960 @end table
24961
24962 @node Symbol Tables In Python
24963 @subsubsection Symbol table representation in Python.
24964
24965 @cindex symbol tables in python
24966 @tindex gdb.Symtab
24967 @tindex gdb.Symtab_and_line
24968
24969 Access to symbol table data maintained by @value{GDBN} on the inferior
24970 is exposed to Python via two objects: @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} and
24971 @code{gdb.Symtab}. Symbol table and line data for a frame is returned
24972 from the @code{find_sal} method in @code{gdb.Frame} object.
24973 @xref{Frames In Python}.
24974
24975 For more information on @value{GDBN}'s symbol table management, see
24976 @ref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, for more information.
24977
24978 A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object has the following attributes:
24979
24980 @table @code
24981 @defvar Symtab_and_line.symtab
24982 The symbol table object (@code{gdb.Symtab}) for this frame.
24983 This attribute is not writable.
24984 @end defvar
24985
24986 @defvar Symtab_and_line.pc
24987 Indicates the current program counter address. This attribute is not
24988 writable.
24989 @end defvar
24990
24991 @defvar Symtab_and_line.line
24992 Indicates the current line number for this object. This
24993 attribute is not writable.
24994 @end defvar
24995 @end table
24996
24997 A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object has the following methods:
24998
24999 @table @code
25000 @defun Symtab_and_line.is_valid ()
25001 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object is valid,
25002 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object can become
25003 invalid if the Symbol table and line object it refers to does not
25004 exist in @value{GDBN} any longer. All other
25005 @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} methods will throw an exception if it is
25006 invalid at the time the method is called.
25007 @end defun
25008 @end table
25009
25010 A @code{gdb.Symtab} object has the following attributes:
25011
25012 @table @code
25013 @defvar Symtab.filename
25014 The symbol table's source filename. This attribute is not writable.
25015 @end defvar
25016
25017 @defvar Symtab.objfile
25018 The symbol table's backing object file. @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
25019 This attribute is not writable.
25020 @end defvar
25021 @end table
25022
25023 A @code{gdb.Symtab} object has the following methods:
25024
25025 @table @code
25026 @defun Symtab.is_valid ()
25027 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symtab} object is valid,
25028 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symtab} object can become invalid if
25029 the symbol table it refers to does not exist in @value{GDBN} any
25030 longer. All other @code{gdb.Symtab} methods will throw an exception
25031 if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
25032 @end defun
25033
25034 @defun Symtab.fullname ()
25035 Return the symbol table's source absolute file name.
25036 @end defun
25037 @end table
25038
25039 @node Breakpoints In Python
25040 @subsubsection Manipulating breakpoints using Python
25041
25042 @cindex breakpoints in python
25043 @tindex gdb.Breakpoint
25044
25045 Python code can manipulate breakpoints via the @code{gdb.Breakpoint}
25046 class.
25047
25048 @defun Breakpoint.__init__ (spec @r{[}, type @r{[}, wp_class @r{[},internal@r{]]]})
25049 Create a new breakpoint. @var{spec} is a string naming the
25050 location of the breakpoint, or an expression that defines a
25051 watchpoint. The contents can be any location recognized by the
25052 @code{break} command, or in the case of a watchpoint, by the @code{watch}
25053 command. The optional @var{type} denotes the breakpoint to create
25054 from the types defined later in this chapter. This argument can be
25055 either: @code{gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT} or @code{gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT}. @var{type}
25056 defaults to @code{gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT}. The optional @var{internal} argument
25057 allows the breakpoint to become invisible to the user. The breakpoint
25058 will neither be reported when created, nor will it be listed in the
25059 output from @code{info breakpoints} (but will be listed with the
25060 @code{maint info breakpoints} command). The optional @var{wp_class}
25061 argument defines the class of watchpoint to create, if @var{type} is
25062 @code{gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT}. If a watchpoint class is not provided, it is
25063 assumed to be a @code{gdb.WP_WRITE} class.
25064 @end defun
25065
25066 @defun Breakpoint.stop (self)
25067 The @code{gdb.Breakpoint} class can be sub-classed and, in
25068 particular, you may choose to implement the @code{stop} method.
25069 If this method is defined as a sub-class of @code{gdb.Breakpoint},
25070 it will be called when the inferior reaches any location of a
25071 breakpoint which instantiates that sub-class. If the method returns
25072 @code{True}, the inferior will be stopped at the location of the
25073 breakpoint, otherwise the inferior will continue.
25074
25075 If there are multiple breakpoints at the same location with a
25076 @code{stop} method, each one will be called regardless of the
25077 return status of the previous. This ensures that all @code{stop}
25078 methods have a chance to execute at that location. In this scenario
25079 if one of the methods returns @code{True} but the others return
25080 @code{False}, the inferior will still be stopped.
25081
25082 You should not alter the execution state of the inferior (i.e.@:, step,
25083 next, etc.), alter the current frame context (i.e.@:, change the current
25084 active frame), or alter, add or delete any breakpoint. As a general
25085 rule, you should not alter any data within @value{GDBN} or the inferior
25086 at this time.
25087
25088 Example @code{stop} implementation:
25089
25090 @smallexample
25091 class MyBreakpoint (gdb.Breakpoint):
25092 def stop (self):
25093 inf_val = gdb.parse_and_eval("foo")
25094 if inf_val == 3:
25095 return True
25096 return False
25097 @end smallexample
25098 @end defun
25099
25100 The available watchpoint types represented by constants are defined in the
25101 @code{gdb} module:
25102
25103 @table @code
25104 @findex WP_READ
25105 @findex gdb.WP_READ
25106 @item gdb.WP_READ
25107 Read only watchpoint.
25108
25109 @findex WP_WRITE
25110 @findex gdb.WP_WRITE
25111 @item gdb.WP_WRITE
25112 Write only watchpoint.
25113
25114 @findex WP_ACCESS
25115 @findex gdb.WP_ACCESS
25116 @item gdb.WP_ACCESS
25117 Read/Write watchpoint.
25118 @end table
25119
25120 @defun Breakpoint.is_valid ()
25121 Return @code{True} if this @code{Breakpoint} object is valid,
25122 @code{False} otherwise. A @code{Breakpoint} object can become invalid
25123 if the user deletes the breakpoint. In this case, the object still
25124 exists, but the underlying breakpoint does not. In the cases of
25125 watchpoint scope, the watchpoint remains valid even if execution of the
25126 inferior leaves the scope of that watchpoint.
25127 @end defun
25128
25129 @defun Breakpoint.delete
25130 Permanently deletes the @value{GDBN} breakpoint. This also
25131 invalidates the Python @code{Breakpoint} object. Any further access
25132 to this object's attributes or methods will raise an error.
25133 @end defun
25134
25135 @defvar Breakpoint.enabled
25136 This attribute is @code{True} if the breakpoint is enabled, and
25137 @code{False} otherwise. This attribute is writable.
25138 @end defvar
25139
25140 @defvar Breakpoint.silent
25141 This attribute is @code{True} if the breakpoint is silent, and
25142 @code{False} otherwise. This attribute is writable.
25143
25144 Note that a breakpoint can also be silent if it has commands and the
25145 first command is @code{silent}. This is not reported by the
25146 @code{silent} attribute.
25147 @end defvar
25148
25149 @defvar Breakpoint.thread
25150 If the breakpoint is thread-specific, this attribute holds the thread
25151 id. If the breakpoint is not thread-specific, this attribute is
25152 @code{None}. This attribute is writable.
25153 @end defvar
25154
25155 @defvar Breakpoint.task
25156 If the breakpoint is Ada task-specific, this attribute holds the Ada task
25157 id. If the breakpoint is not task-specific (or the underlying
25158 language is not Ada), this attribute is @code{None}. This attribute
25159 is writable.
25160 @end defvar
25161
25162 @defvar Breakpoint.ignore_count
25163 This attribute holds the ignore count for the breakpoint, an integer.
25164 This attribute is writable.
25165 @end defvar
25166
25167 @defvar Breakpoint.number
25168 This attribute holds the breakpoint's number --- the identifier used by
25169 the user to manipulate the breakpoint. This attribute is not writable.
25170 @end defvar
25171
25172 @defvar Breakpoint.type
25173 This attribute holds the breakpoint's type --- the identifier used to
25174 determine the actual breakpoint type or use-case. This attribute is not
25175 writable.
25176 @end defvar
25177
25178 @defvar Breakpoint.visible
25179 This attribute tells whether the breakpoint is visible to the user
25180 when set, or when the @samp{info breakpoints} command is run. This
25181 attribute is not writable.
25182 @end defvar
25183
25184 The available types are represented by constants defined in the @code{gdb}
25185 module:
25186
25187 @table @code
25188 @findex BP_BREAKPOINT
25189 @findex gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT
25190 @item gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT
25191 Normal code breakpoint.
25192
25193 @findex BP_WATCHPOINT
25194 @findex gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT
25195 @item gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT
25196 Watchpoint breakpoint.
25197
25198 @findex BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25199 @findex gdb.BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25200 @item gdb.BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25201 Hardware assisted watchpoint.
25202
25203 @findex BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25204 @findex gdb.BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25205 @item gdb.BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25206 Hardware assisted read watchpoint.
25207
25208 @findex BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25209 @findex gdb.BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25210 @item gdb.BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25211 Hardware assisted access watchpoint.
25212 @end table
25213
25214 @defvar Breakpoint.hit_count
25215 This attribute holds the hit count for the breakpoint, an integer.
25216 This attribute is writable, but currently it can only be set to zero.
25217 @end defvar
25218
25219 @defvar Breakpoint.location
25220 This attribute holds the location of the breakpoint, as specified by
25221 the user. It is a string. If the breakpoint does not have a location
25222 (that is, it is a watchpoint) the attribute's value is @code{None}. This
25223 attribute is not writable.
25224 @end defvar
25225
25226 @defvar Breakpoint.expression
25227 This attribute holds a breakpoint expression, as specified by
25228 the user. It is a string. If the breakpoint does not have an
25229 expression (the breakpoint is not a watchpoint) the attribute's value
25230 is @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
25231 @end defvar
25232
25233 @defvar Breakpoint.condition
25234 This attribute holds the condition of the breakpoint, as specified by
25235 the user. It is a string. If there is no condition, this attribute's
25236 value is @code{None}. This attribute is writable.
25237 @end defvar
25238
25239 @defvar Breakpoint.commands
25240 This attribute holds the commands attached to the breakpoint. If
25241 there are commands, this attribute's value is a string holding all the
25242 commands, separated by newlines. If there are no commands, this
25243 attribute is @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
25244 @end defvar
25245
25246 @node Finish Breakpoints in Python
25247 @subsubsection Finish Breakpoints
25248
25249 @cindex python finish breakpoints
25250 @tindex gdb.FinishBreakpoint
25251
25252 A finish breakpoint is a temporary breakpoint set at the return address of
25253 a frame, based on the @code{finish} command. @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint}
25254 extends @code{gdb.Breakpoint}. The underlying breakpoint will be disabled
25255 and deleted when the execution will run out of the breakpoint scope (i.e.@:
25256 @code{Breakpoint.stop} or @code{FinishBreakpoint.out_of_scope} triggered).
25257 Finish breakpoints are thread specific and must be create with the right
25258 thread selected.
25259
25260 @defun FinishBreakpoint.__init__ (@r{[}frame@r{]} @r{[}, internal@r{]})
25261 Create a finish breakpoint at the return address of the @code{gdb.Frame}
25262 object @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is not provided, this defaults to the
25263 newest frame. The optional @var{internal} argument allows the breakpoint to
25264 become invisible to the user. @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for further
25265 details about this argument.
25266 @end defun
25267
25268 @defun FinishBreakpoint.out_of_scope (self)
25269 In some circumstances (e.g.@: @code{longjmp}, C@t{++} exceptions, @value{GDBN}
25270 @code{return} command, @dots{}), a function may not properly terminate, and
25271 thus never hit the finish breakpoint. When @value{GDBN} notices such a
25272 situation, the @code{out_of_scope} callback will be triggered.
25273
25274 You may want to sub-class @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint} and override this
25275 method:
25276
25277 @smallexample
25278 class MyFinishBreakpoint (gdb.FinishBreakpoint)
25279 def stop (self):
25280 print "normal finish"
25281 return True
25282
25283 def out_of_scope ():
25284 print "abnormal finish"
25285 @end smallexample
25286 @end defun
25287
25288 @defvar FinishBreakpoint.return_value
25289 When @value{GDBN} is stopped at a finish breakpoint and the frame
25290 used to build the @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint} object had debug symbols, this
25291 attribute will contain a @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding to the return
25292 value of the function. The value will be @code{None} if the function return
25293 type is @code{void} or if the return value was not computable. This attribute
25294 is not writable.
25295 @end defvar
25296
25297 @node Lazy Strings In Python
25298 @subsubsection Python representation of lazy strings.
25299
25300 @cindex lazy strings in python
25301 @tindex gdb.LazyString
25302
25303 A @dfn{lazy string} is a string whose contents is not retrieved or
25304 encoded until it is needed.
25305
25306 A @code{gdb.LazyString} is represented in @value{GDBN} as an
25307 @code{address} that points to a region of memory, an @code{encoding}
25308 that will be used to encode that region of memory, and a @code{length}
25309 to delimit the region of memory that represents the string. The
25310 difference between a @code{gdb.LazyString} and a string wrapped within
25311 a @code{gdb.Value} is that a @code{gdb.LazyString} will be treated
25312 differently by @value{GDBN} when printing. A @code{gdb.LazyString} is
25313 retrieved and encoded during printing, while a @code{gdb.Value}
25314 wrapping a string is immediately retrieved and encoded on creation.
25315
25316 A @code{gdb.LazyString} object has the following functions:
25317
25318 @defun LazyString.value ()
25319 Convert the @code{gdb.LazyString} to a @code{gdb.Value}. This value
25320 will point to the string in memory, but will lose all the delayed
25321 retrieval, encoding and handling that @value{GDBN} applies to a
25322 @code{gdb.LazyString}.
25323 @end defun
25324
25325 @defvar LazyString.address
25326 This attribute holds the address of the string. This attribute is not
25327 writable.
25328 @end defvar
25329
25330 @defvar LazyString.length
25331 This attribute holds the length of the string in characters. If the
25332 length is -1, then the string will be fetched and encoded up to the
25333 first null of appropriate width. This attribute is not writable.
25334 @end defvar
25335
25336 @defvar LazyString.encoding
25337 This attribute holds the encoding that will be applied to the string
25338 when the string is printed by @value{GDBN}. If the encoding is not
25339 set, or contains an empty string, then @value{GDBN} will select the
25340 most appropriate encoding when the string is printed. This attribute
25341 is not writable.
25342 @end defvar
25343
25344 @defvar LazyString.type
25345 This attribute holds the type that is represented by the lazy string's
25346 type. For a lazy string this will always be a pointer type. To
25347 resolve this to the lazy string's character type, use the type's
25348 @code{target} method. @xref{Types In Python}. This attribute is not
25349 writable.
25350 @end defvar
25351
25352 @node Python Auto-loading
25353 @subsection Python Auto-loading
25354 @cindex Python auto-loading
25355
25356 When a new object file is read (for example, due to the @code{file}
25357 command, or because the inferior has loaded a shared library),
25358 @value{GDBN} will look for Python support scripts in several ways:
25359 @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} (@pxref{objfile-gdb.py file})
25360 and @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25361 (@pxref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}).
25362
25363 The auto-loading feature is useful for supplying application-specific
25364 debugging commands and scripts.
25365
25366 Auto-loading can be enabled or disabled,
25367 and the list of auto-loaded scripts can be printed.
25368
25369 @table @code
25370 @anchor{set auto-load python-scripts}
25371 @kindex set auto-load python-scripts
25372 @item set auto-load python-scripts [on|off]
25373 Enable or disable the auto-loading of Python scripts.
25374
25375 @anchor{show auto-load python-scripts}
25376 @kindex show auto-load python-scripts
25377 @item show auto-load python-scripts
25378 Show whether auto-loading of Python scripts is enabled or disabled.
25379
25380 @anchor{info auto-load python-scripts}
25381 @kindex info auto-load python-scripts
25382 @cindex print list of auto-loaded Python scripts
25383 @item info auto-load python-scripts [@var{regexp}]
25384 Print the list of all Python scripts that @value{GDBN} auto-loaded.
25385
25386 Also printed is the list of Python scripts that were mentioned in
25387 the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section and were not found
25388 (@pxref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}).
25389 This is useful because their names are not printed when @value{GDBN}
25390 tries to load them and fails. There may be many of them, and printing
25391 an error message for each one is problematic.
25392
25393 If @var{regexp} is supplied only Python scripts with matching names are printed.
25394
25395 Example:
25396
25397 @smallexample
25398 (gdb) info auto-load python-scripts
25399 Loaded Script
25400 Yes py-section-script.py
25401 full name: /tmp/py-section-script.py
25402 No my-foo-pretty-printers.py
25403 @end smallexample
25404 @end table
25405
25406 When reading an auto-loaded file, @value{GDBN} sets the
25407 @dfn{current objfile}. This is available via the @code{gdb.current_objfile}
25408 function (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}). This can be useful for
25409 registering objfile-specific pretty-printers.
25410
25411 @menu
25412 * objfile-gdb.py file:: The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} file
25413 * dotdebug_gdb_scripts section:: The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25414 * Which flavor to choose?::
25415 @end menu
25416
25417 @node objfile-gdb.py file
25418 @subsubsection The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} file
25419 @cindex @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py}
25420
25421 When a new object file is read, @value{GDBN} looks for
25422 a file named @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py},
25423 where @var{objfile} is the object file's real name, formed by ensuring
25424 that the file name is absolute, following all symlinks, and resolving
25425 @code{.} and @code{..} components. If this file exists and is
25426 readable, @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as a Python script.
25427
25428 If this file does not exist, and if the parameter
25429 @code{debug-file-directory} is set (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}),
25430 then @value{GDBN} will look for @var{real-name} in all of the
25431 directories mentioned in the value of @code{debug-file-directory}.
25432
25433 Finally, if this file does not exist, then @value{GDBN} will look for
25434 a file named @file{@var{data-directory}/auto-load/@var{real-name}}, where
25435 @var{data-directory} is @value{GDBN}'s data directory (available via
25436 @code{show data-directory}, @pxref{Data Files}), and @var{real-name}
25437 is the object file's real name, as described above.
25438
25439 @value{GDBN} does not track which files it has already auto-loaded this way.
25440 @value{GDBN} will load the associated script every time the corresponding
25441 @var{objfile} is opened.
25442 So your @file{-gdb.py} file should be careful to avoid errors if it
25443 is evaluated more than once.
25444
25445 @node dotdebug_gdb_scripts section
25446 @subsubsection The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25447 @cindex @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25448
25449 For systems using file formats like ELF and COFF,
25450 when @value{GDBN} loads a new object file
25451 it will look for a special section named @samp{.debug_gdb_scripts}.
25452 If this section exists, its contents is a list of names of scripts to load.
25453
25454 @value{GDBN} will look for each specified script file first in the
25455 current directory and then along the source search path
25456 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}),
25457 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched, since the compilation
25458 directory is not relevant to scripts.
25459
25460 Entries can be placed in section @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} with,
25461 for example, this GCC macro:
25462
25463 @example
25464 /* Note: The "MS" section flags are to remove duplicates. */
25465 #define DEFINE_GDB_SCRIPT(script_name) \
25466 asm("\
25467 .pushsection \".debug_gdb_scripts\", \"MS\",@@progbits,1\n\
25468 .byte 1\n\
25469 .asciz \"" script_name "\"\n\
25470 .popsection \n\
25471 ");
25472 @end example
25473
25474 @noindent
25475 Then one can reference the macro in a header or source file like this:
25476
25477 @example
25478 DEFINE_GDB_SCRIPT ("my-app-scripts.py")
25479 @end example
25480
25481 The script name may include directories if desired.
25482
25483 If the macro is put in a header, any application or library
25484 using this header will get a reference to the specified script.
25485
25486 @node Which flavor to choose?
25487 @subsubsection Which flavor to choose?
25488
25489 Given the multiple ways of auto-loading Python scripts, it might not always
25490 be clear which one to choose. This section provides some guidance.
25491
25492 Benefits of the @file{-gdb.py} way:
25493
25494 @itemize @bullet
25495 @item
25496 Can be used with file formats that don't support multiple sections.
25497
25498 @item
25499 Ease of finding scripts for public libraries.
25500
25501 Scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section are searched for
25502 in the source search path.
25503 For publicly installed libraries, e.g., @file{libstdc++}, there typically
25504 isn't a source directory in which to find the script.
25505
25506 @item
25507 Doesn't require source code additions.
25508 @end itemize
25509
25510 Benefits of the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} way:
25511
25512 @itemize @bullet
25513 @item
25514 Works with static linking.
25515
25516 Scripts for libraries done the @file{-gdb.py} way require an objfile to
25517 trigger their loading. When an application is statically linked the only
25518 objfile available is the executable, and it is cumbersome to attach all the
25519 scripts from all the input libraries to the executable's @file{-gdb.py} script.
25520
25521 @item
25522 Works with classes that are entirely inlined.
25523
25524 Some classes can be entirely inlined, and thus there may not be an associated
25525 shared library to attach a @file{-gdb.py} script to.
25526
25527 @item
25528 Scripts needn't be copied out of the source tree.
25529
25530 In some circumstances, apps can be built out of large collections of internal
25531 libraries, and the build infrastructure necessary to install the
25532 @file{-gdb.py} scripts in a place where @value{GDBN} can find them is
25533 cumbersome. It may be easier to specify the scripts in the
25534 @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section as relative paths, and add a path to the
25535 top of the source tree to the source search path.
25536 @end itemize
25537
25538 @node Python modules
25539 @subsection Python modules
25540 @cindex python modules
25541
25542 @value{GDBN} comes with several modules to assist writing Python code.
25543
25544 @menu
25545 * gdb.printing:: Building and registering pretty-printers.
25546 * gdb.types:: Utilities for working with types.
25547 * gdb.prompt:: Utilities for prompt value substitution.
25548 @end menu
25549
25550 @node gdb.printing
25551 @subsubsection gdb.printing
25552 @cindex gdb.printing
25553
25554 This module provides a collection of utilities for working with
25555 pretty-printers.
25556
25557 @table @code
25558 @item PrettyPrinter (@var{name}, @var{subprinters}=None)
25559 This class specifies the API that makes @samp{info pretty-printer},
25560 @samp{enable pretty-printer} and @samp{disable pretty-printer} work.
25561 Pretty-printers should generally inherit from this class.
25562
25563 @item SubPrettyPrinter (@var{name})
25564 For printers that handle multiple types, this class specifies the
25565 corresponding API for the subprinters.
25566
25567 @item RegexpCollectionPrettyPrinter (@var{name})
25568 Utility class for handling multiple printers, all recognized via
25569 regular expressions.
25570 @xref{Writing a Pretty-Printer}, for an example.
25571
25572 @item FlagEnumerationPrinter (@var{name})
25573 A pretty-printer which handles printing of @code{enum} values. Unlike
25574 @value{GDBN}'s built-in @code{enum} printing, this printer attempts to
25575 work properly when there is some overlap between the enumeration
25576 constants. @var{name} is the name of the printer and also the name of
25577 the @code{enum} type to look up.
25578
25579 @item register_pretty_printer (@var{obj}, @var{printer}, @var{replace}=False)
25580 Register @var{printer} with the pretty-printer list of @var{obj}.
25581 If @var{replace} is @code{True} then any existing copy of the printer
25582 is replaced. Otherwise a @code{RuntimeError} exception is raised
25583 if a printer with the same name already exists.
25584 @end table
25585
25586 @node gdb.types
25587 @subsubsection gdb.types
25588 @cindex gdb.types
25589
25590 This module provides a collection of utilities for working with
25591 @code{gdb.Types} objects.
25592
25593 @table @code
25594 @item get_basic_type (@var{type})
25595 Return @var{type} with const and volatile qualifiers stripped,
25596 and with typedefs and C@t{++} references converted to the underlying type.
25597
25598 C@t{++} example:
25599
25600 @smallexample
25601 typedef const int const_int;
25602 const_int foo (3);
25603 const_int& foo_ref (foo);
25604 int main () @{ return 0; @}
25605 @end smallexample
25606
25607 Then in gdb:
25608
25609 @smallexample
25610 (gdb) start
25611 (gdb) python import gdb.types
25612 (gdb) python foo_ref = gdb.parse_and_eval("foo_ref")
25613 (gdb) python print gdb.types.get_basic_type(foo_ref.type)
25614 int
25615 @end smallexample
25616
25617 @item has_field (@var{type}, @var{field})
25618 Return @code{True} if @var{type}, assumed to be a type with fields
25619 (e.g., a structure or union), has field @var{field}.
25620
25621 @item make_enum_dict (@var{enum_type})
25622 Return a Python @code{dictionary} type produced from @var{enum_type}.
25623
25624 @item deep_items (@var{type})
25625 Returns a Python iterator similar to the standard
25626 @code{gdb.Type.iteritems} method, except that the iterator returned
25627 by @code{deep_items} will recursively traverse anonymous struct or
25628 union fields. For example:
25629
25630 @smallexample
25631 struct A
25632 @{
25633 int a;
25634 union @{
25635 int b0;
25636 int b1;
25637 @};
25638 @};
25639 @end smallexample
25640
25641 @noindent
25642 Then in @value{GDBN}:
25643 @smallexample
25644 (@value{GDBP}) python import gdb.types
25645 (@value{GDBP}) python struct_a = gdb.lookup_type("struct A")
25646 (@value{GDBP}) python print struct_a.keys ()
25647 @{['a', '']@}
25648 (@value{GDBP}) python print [k for k,v in gdb.types.deep_items(struct_a)]
25649 @{['a', 'b0', 'b1']@}
25650 @end smallexample
25651
25652 @end table
25653
25654 @node gdb.prompt
25655 @subsubsection gdb.prompt
25656 @cindex gdb.prompt
25657
25658 This module provides a method for prompt value-substitution.
25659
25660 @table @code
25661 @item substitute_prompt (@var{string})
25662 Return @var{string} with escape sequences substituted by values. Some
25663 escape sequences take arguments. You can specify arguments inside
25664 ``@{@}'' immediately following the escape sequence.
25665
25666 The escape sequences you can pass to this function are:
25667
25668 @table @code
25669 @item \\
25670 Substitute a backslash.
25671 @item \e
25672 Substitute an ESC character.
25673 @item \f
25674 Substitute the selected frame; an argument names a frame parameter.
25675 @item \n
25676 Substitute a newline.
25677 @item \p
25678 Substitute a parameter's value; the argument names the parameter.
25679 @item \r
25680 Substitute a carriage return.
25681 @item \t
25682 Substitute the selected thread; an argument names a thread parameter.
25683 @item \v
25684 Substitute the version of GDB.
25685 @item \w
25686 Substitute the current working directory.
25687 @item \[
25688 Begin a sequence of non-printing characters. These sequences are
25689 typically used with the ESC character, and are not counted in the string
25690 length. Example: ``\[\e[0;34m\](gdb)\[\e[0m\]'' will return a
25691 blue-colored ``(gdb)'' prompt where the length is five.
25692 @item \]
25693 End a sequence of non-printing characters.
25694 @end table
25695
25696 For example:
25697
25698 @smallexample
25699 substitute_prompt (``frame: \f,
25700 print arguments: \p@{print frame-arguments@}'')
25701 @end smallexample
25702
25703 @exdent will return the string:
25704
25705 @smallexample
25706 "frame: main, print arguments: scalars"
25707 @end smallexample
25708 @end table
25709
25710 @node Aliases
25711 @section Creating new spellings of existing commands
25712 @cindex aliases for commands
25713
25714 It is often useful to define alternate spellings of existing commands.
25715 For example, if a new @value{GDBN} command defined in Python has
25716 a long name to type, it is handy to have an abbreviated version of it
25717 that involves less typing.
25718
25719 @value{GDBN} itself uses aliases. For example @samp{s} is an alias
25720 of the @samp{step} command even though it is otherwise an ambiguous
25721 abbreviation of other commands like @samp{set} and @samp{show}.
25722
25723 Aliases are also used to provide shortened or more common versions
25724 of multi-word commands. For example, @value{GDBN} provides the
25725 @samp{tty} alias of the @samp{set inferior-tty} command.
25726
25727 You can define a new alias with the @samp{alias} command.
25728
25729 @table @code
25730
25731 @kindex alias
25732 @item alias [-a] [--] @var{ALIAS} = @var{COMMAND}
25733
25734 @end table
25735
25736 @var{ALIAS} specifies the name of the new alias.
25737 Each word of @var{ALIAS} must consist of letters, numbers, dashes and
25738 underscores.
25739
25740 @var{COMMAND} specifies the name of an existing command
25741 that is being aliased.
25742
25743 The @samp{-a} option specifies that the new alias is an abbreviation
25744 of the command. Abbreviations are not shown in command
25745 lists displayed by the @samp{help} command.
25746
25747 The @samp{--} option specifies the end of options,
25748 and is useful when @var{ALIAS} begins with a dash.
25749
25750 Here is a simple example showing how to make an abbreviation
25751 of a command so that there is less to type.
25752 Suppose you were tired of typing @samp{disas}, the current
25753 shortest unambiguous abbreviation of the @samp{disassemble} command
25754 and you wanted an even shorter version named @samp{di}.
25755 The following will accomplish this.
25756
25757 @smallexample
25758 (gdb) alias -a di = disas
25759 @end smallexample
25760
25761 Note that aliases are different from user-defined commands.
25762 With a user-defined command, you also need to write documentation
25763 for it with the @samp{document} command.
25764 An alias automatically picks up the documentation of the existing command.
25765
25766 Here is an example where we make @samp{elms} an abbreviation of
25767 @samp{elements} in the @samp{set print elements} command.
25768 This is to show that you can make an abbreviation of any part
25769 of a command.
25770
25771 @smallexample
25772 (gdb) alias -a set print elms = set print elements
25773 (gdb) alias -a show print elms = show print elements
25774 (gdb) set p elms 20
25775 (gdb) show p elms
25776 Limit on string chars or array elements to print is 200.
25777 @end smallexample
25778
25779 Note that if you are defining an alias of a @samp{set} command,
25780 and you want to have an alias for the corresponding @samp{show}
25781 command, then you need to define the latter separately.
25782
25783 Unambiguously abbreviated commands are allowed in @var{COMMAND} and
25784 @var{ALIAS}, just as they are normally.
25785
25786 @smallexample
25787 (gdb) alias -a set pr elms = set p ele
25788 @end smallexample
25789
25790 Finally, here is an example showing the creation of a one word
25791 alias for a more complex command.
25792 This creates alias @samp{spe} of the command @samp{set print elements}.
25793
25794 @smallexample
25795 (gdb) alias spe = set print elements
25796 (gdb) spe 20
25797 @end smallexample
25798
25799 @node Interpreters
25800 @chapter Command Interpreters
25801 @cindex command interpreters
25802
25803 @value{GDBN} supports multiple command interpreters, and some command
25804 infrastructure to allow users or user interface writers to switch
25805 between interpreters or run commands in other interpreters.
25806
25807 @value{GDBN} currently supports two command interpreters, the console
25808 interpreter (sometimes called the command-line interpreter or @sc{cli})
25809 and the machine interface interpreter (or @sc{gdb/mi}). This manual
25810 describes both of these interfaces in great detail.
25811
25812 By default, @value{GDBN} will start with the console interpreter.
25813 However, the user may choose to start @value{GDBN} with another
25814 interpreter by specifying the @option{-i} or @option{--interpreter}
25815 startup options. Defined interpreters include:
25816
25817 @table @code
25818 @item console
25819 @cindex console interpreter
25820 The traditional console or command-line interpreter. This is the most often
25821 used interpreter with @value{GDBN}. With no interpreter specified at runtime,
25822 @value{GDBN} will use this interpreter.
25823
25824 @item mi
25825 @cindex mi interpreter
25826 The newest @sc{gdb/mi} interface (currently @code{mi2}). Used primarily
25827 by programs wishing to use @value{GDBN} as a backend for a debugger GUI
25828 or an IDE. For more information, see @ref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi}
25829 Interface}.
25830
25831 @item mi2
25832 @cindex mi2 interpreter
25833 The current @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
25834
25835 @item mi1
25836 @cindex mi1 interpreter
25837 The @sc{gdb/mi} interface included in @value{GDBN} 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
25838
25839 @end table
25840
25841 @cindex invoke another interpreter
25842 The interpreter being used by @value{GDBN} may not be dynamically
25843 switched at runtime. Although possible, this could lead to a very
25844 precarious situation. Consider an IDE using @sc{gdb/mi}. If a user
25845 enters the command "interpreter-set console" in a console view,
25846 @value{GDBN} would switch to using the console interpreter, rendering
25847 the IDE inoperable!
25848
25849 @kindex interpreter-exec
25850 Although you may only choose a single interpreter at startup, you may execute
25851 commands in any interpreter from the current interpreter using the appropriate
25852 command. If you are running the console interpreter, simply use the
25853 @code{interpreter-exec} command:
25854
25855 @smallexample
25856 interpreter-exec mi "-data-list-register-names"
25857 @end smallexample
25858
25859 @sc{gdb/mi} has a similar command, although it is only available in versions of
25860 @value{GDBN} which support @sc{gdb/mi} version 2 (or greater).
25861
25862 @node TUI
25863 @chapter @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
25864 @cindex TUI
25865 @cindex Text User Interface
25866
25867 @menu
25868 * TUI Overview:: TUI overview
25869 * TUI Keys:: TUI key bindings
25870 * TUI Single Key Mode:: TUI single key mode
25871 * TUI Commands:: TUI-specific commands
25872 * TUI Configuration:: TUI configuration variables
25873 @end menu
25874
25875 The @value{GDBN} Text User Interface (TUI) is a terminal
25876 interface which uses the @code{curses} library to show the source
25877 file, the assembly output, the program registers and @value{GDBN}
25878 commands in separate text windows. The TUI mode is supported only
25879 on platforms where a suitable version of the @code{curses} library
25880 is available.
25881
25882 The TUI mode is enabled by default when you invoke @value{GDBN} as
25883 @samp{@value{GDBP} -tui}.
25884 You can also switch in and out of TUI mode while @value{GDBN} runs by
25885 using various TUI commands and key bindings, such as @kbd{C-x C-a}.
25886 @xref{TUI Keys, ,TUI Key Bindings}.
25887
25888 @node TUI Overview
25889 @section TUI Overview
25890
25891 In TUI mode, @value{GDBN} can display several text windows:
25892
25893 @table @emph
25894 @item command
25895 This window is the @value{GDBN} command window with the @value{GDBN}
25896 prompt and the @value{GDBN} output. The @value{GDBN} input is still
25897 managed using readline.
25898
25899 @item source
25900 The source window shows the source file of the program. The current
25901 line and active breakpoints are displayed in this window.
25902
25903 @item assembly
25904 The assembly window shows the disassembly output of the program.
25905
25906 @item register
25907 This window shows the processor registers. Registers are highlighted
25908 when their values change.
25909 @end table
25910
25911 The source and assembly windows show the current program position
25912 by highlighting the current line and marking it with a @samp{>} marker.
25913 Breakpoints are indicated with two markers. The first marker
25914 indicates the breakpoint type:
25915
25916 @table @code
25917 @item B
25918 Breakpoint which was hit at least once.
25919
25920 @item b
25921 Breakpoint which was never hit.
25922
25923 @item H
25924 Hardware breakpoint which was hit at least once.
25925
25926 @item h
25927 Hardware breakpoint which was never hit.
25928 @end table
25929
25930 The second marker indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled or not:
25931
25932 @table @code
25933 @item +
25934 Breakpoint is enabled.
25935
25936 @item -
25937 Breakpoint is disabled.
25938 @end table
25939
25940 The source, assembly and register windows are updated when the current
25941 thread changes, when the frame changes, or when the program counter
25942 changes.
25943
25944 These windows are not all visible at the same time. The command
25945 window is always visible. The others can be arranged in several
25946 layouts:
25947
25948 @itemize @bullet
25949 @item
25950 source only,
25951
25952 @item
25953 assembly only,
25954
25955 @item
25956 source and assembly,
25957
25958 @item
25959 source and registers, or
25960
25961 @item
25962 assembly and registers.
25963 @end itemize
25964
25965 A status line above the command window shows the following information:
25966
25967 @table @emph
25968 @item target
25969 Indicates the current @value{GDBN} target.
25970 (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
25971
25972 @item process
25973 Gives the current process or thread number.
25974 When no process is being debugged, this field is set to @code{No process}.
25975
25976 @item function
25977 Gives the current function name for the selected frame.
25978 The name is demangled if demangling is turned on (@pxref{Print Settings}).
25979 When there is no symbol corresponding to the current program counter,
25980 the string @code{??} is displayed.
25981
25982 @item line
25983 Indicates the current line number for the selected frame.
25984 When the current line number is not known, the string @code{??} is displayed.
25985
25986 @item pc
25987 Indicates the current program counter address.
25988 @end table
25989
25990 @node TUI Keys
25991 @section TUI Key Bindings
25992 @cindex TUI key bindings
25993
25994 The TUI installs several key bindings in the readline keymaps
25995 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
25996 (@pxref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library}).
25997 @end ifset
25998 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
25999 (@pxref{Command Line Editing}).
26000 @end ifclear
26001 The following key bindings are installed for both TUI mode and the
26002 @value{GDBN} standard mode.
26003
26004 @table @kbd
26005 @kindex C-x C-a
26006 @item C-x C-a
26007 @kindex C-x a
26008 @itemx C-x a
26009 @kindex C-x A
26010 @itemx C-x A
26011 Enter or leave the TUI mode. When leaving the TUI mode,
26012 the curses window management stops and @value{GDBN} operates using
26013 its standard mode, writing on the terminal directly. When reentering
26014 the TUI mode, control is given back to the curses windows.
26015 The screen is then refreshed.
26016
26017 @kindex C-x 1
26018 @item C-x 1
26019 Use a TUI layout with only one window. The layout will
26020 either be @samp{source} or @samp{assembly}. When the TUI mode
26021 is not active, it will switch to the TUI mode.
26022
26023 Think of this key binding as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 1} binding.
26024
26025 @kindex C-x 2
26026 @item C-x 2
26027 Use a TUI layout with at least two windows. When the current
26028 layout already has two windows, the next layout with two windows is used.
26029 When a new layout is chosen, one window will always be common to the
26030 previous layout and the new one.
26031
26032 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 2} binding.
26033
26034 @kindex C-x o
26035 @item C-x o
26036 Change the active window. The TUI associates several key bindings
26037 (like scrolling and arrow keys) with the active window. This command
26038 gives the focus to the next TUI window.
26039
26040 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x o} binding.
26041
26042 @kindex C-x s
26043 @item C-x s
26044 Switch in and out of the TUI SingleKey mode that binds single
26045 keys to @value{GDBN} commands (@pxref{TUI Single Key Mode}).
26046 @end table
26047
26048 The following key bindings only work in the TUI mode:
26049
26050 @table @asis
26051 @kindex PgUp
26052 @item @key{PgUp}
26053 Scroll the active window one page up.
26054
26055 @kindex PgDn
26056 @item @key{PgDn}
26057 Scroll the active window one page down.
26058
26059 @kindex Up
26060 @item @key{Up}
26061 Scroll the active window one line up.
26062
26063 @kindex Down
26064 @item @key{Down}
26065 Scroll the active window one line down.
26066
26067 @kindex Left
26068 @item @key{Left}
26069 Scroll the active window one column left.
26070
26071 @kindex Right
26072 @item @key{Right}
26073 Scroll the active window one column right.
26074
26075 @kindex C-L
26076 @item @kbd{C-L}
26077 Refresh the screen.
26078 @end table
26079
26080 Because the arrow keys scroll the active window in the TUI mode, they
26081 are not available for their normal use by readline unless the command
26082 window has the focus. When another window is active, you must use
26083 other readline key bindings such as @kbd{C-p}, @kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-b}
26084 and @kbd{C-f} to control the command window.
26085
26086 @node TUI Single Key Mode
26087 @section TUI Single Key Mode
26088 @cindex TUI single key mode
26089
26090 The TUI also provides a @dfn{SingleKey} mode, which binds several
26091 frequently used @value{GDBN} commands to single keys. Type @kbd{C-x s} to
26092 switch into this mode, where the following key bindings are used:
26093
26094 @table @kbd
26095 @kindex c @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26096 @item c
26097 continue
26098
26099 @kindex d @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26100 @item d
26101 down
26102
26103 @kindex f @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26104 @item f
26105 finish
26106
26107 @kindex n @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26108 @item n
26109 next
26110
26111 @kindex q @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26112 @item q
26113 exit the SingleKey mode.
26114
26115 @kindex r @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26116 @item r
26117 run
26118
26119 @kindex s @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26120 @item s
26121 step
26122
26123 @kindex u @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26124 @item u
26125 up
26126
26127 @kindex v @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26128 @item v
26129 info locals
26130
26131 @kindex w @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26132 @item w
26133 where
26134 @end table
26135
26136 Other keys temporarily switch to the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
26137 The key that was pressed is inserted in the editing buffer so that
26138 it is possible to type most @value{GDBN} commands without interaction
26139 with the TUI SingleKey mode. Once the command is entered the TUI
26140 SingleKey mode is restored. The only way to permanently leave
26141 this mode is by typing @kbd{q} or @kbd{C-x s}.
26142
26143
26144 @node TUI Commands
26145 @section TUI-specific Commands
26146 @cindex TUI commands
26147
26148 The TUI has specific commands to control the text windows.
26149 These commands are always available, even when @value{GDBN} is not in
26150 the TUI mode. When @value{GDBN} is in the standard mode, most
26151 of these commands will automatically switch to the TUI mode.
26152
26153 Note that if @value{GDBN}'s @code{stdout} is not connected to a
26154 terminal, or @value{GDBN} has been started with the machine interface
26155 interpreter (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}), most of
26156 these commands will fail with an error, because it would not be
26157 possible or desirable to enable curses window management.
26158
26159 @table @code
26160 @item info win
26161 @kindex info win
26162 List and give the size of all displayed windows.
26163
26164 @item layout next
26165 @kindex layout
26166 Display the next layout.
26167
26168 @item layout prev
26169 Display the previous layout.
26170
26171 @item layout src
26172 Display the source window only.
26173
26174 @item layout asm
26175 Display the assembly window only.
26176
26177 @item layout split
26178 Display the source and assembly window.
26179
26180 @item layout regs
26181 Display the register window together with the source or assembly window.
26182
26183 @item focus next
26184 @kindex focus
26185 Make the next window active for scrolling.
26186
26187 @item focus prev
26188 Make the previous window active for scrolling.
26189
26190 @item focus src
26191 Make the source window active for scrolling.
26192
26193 @item focus asm
26194 Make the assembly window active for scrolling.
26195
26196 @item focus regs
26197 Make the register window active for scrolling.
26198
26199 @item focus cmd
26200 Make the command window active for scrolling.
26201
26202 @item refresh
26203 @kindex refresh
26204 Refresh the screen. This is similar to typing @kbd{C-L}.
26205
26206 @item tui reg float
26207 @kindex tui reg
26208 Show the floating point registers in the register window.
26209
26210 @item tui reg general
26211 Show the general registers in the register window.
26212
26213 @item tui reg next
26214 Show the next register group. The list of register groups as well as
26215 their order is target specific. The predefined register groups are the
26216 following: @code{general}, @code{float}, @code{system}, @code{vector},
26217 @code{all}, @code{save}, @code{restore}.
26218
26219 @item tui reg system
26220 Show the system registers in the register window.
26221
26222 @item update
26223 @kindex update
26224 Update the source window and the current execution point.
26225
26226 @item winheight @var{name} +@var{count}
26227 @itemx winheight @var{name} -@var{count}
26228 @kindex winheight
26229 Change the height of the window @var{name} by @var{count}
26230 lines. Positive counts increase the height, while negative counts
26231 decrease it.
26232
26233 @item tabset @var{nchars}
26234 @kindex tabset
26235 Set the width of tab stops to be @var{nchars} characters.
26236 @end table
26237
26238 @node TUI Configuration
26239 @section TUI Configuration Variables
26240 @cindex TUI configuration variables
26241
26242 Several configuration variables control the appearance of TUI windows.
26243
26244 @table @code
26245 @item set tui border-kind @var{kind}
26246 @kindex set tui border-kind
26247 Select the border appearance for the source, assembly and register windows.
26248 The possible values are the following:
26249 @table @code
26250 @item space
26251 Use a space character to draw the border.
26252
26253 @item ascii
26254 Use @sc{ascii} characters @samp{+}, @samp{-} and @samp{|} to draw the border.
26255
26256 @item acs
26257 Use the Alternate Character Set to draw the border. The border is
26258 drawn using character line graphics if the terminal supports them.
26259 @end table
26260
26261 @item set tui border-mode @var{mode}
26262 @kindex set tui border-mode
26263 @itemx set tui active-border-mode @var{mode}
26264 @kindex set tui active-border-mode
26265 Select the display attributes for the borders of the inactive windows
26266 or the active window. The @var{mode} can be one of the following:
26267 @table @code
26268 @item normal
26269 Use normal attributes to display the border.
26270
26271 @item standout
26272 Use standout mode.
26273
26274 @item reverse
26275 Use reverse video mode.
26276
26277 @item half
26278 Use half bright mode.
26279
26280 @item half-standout
26281 Use half bright and standout mode.
26282
26283 @item bold
26284 Use extra bright or bold mode.
26285
26286 @item bold-standout
26287 Use extra bright or bold and standout mode.
26288 @end table
26289 @end table
26290
26291 @node Emacs
26292 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
26293
26294 @cindex Emacs
26295 @cindex @sc{gnu} Emacs
26296 A special interface allows you to use @sc{gnu} Emacs to view (and
26297 edit) the source files for the program you are debugging with
26298 @value{GDBN}.
26299
26300 To use this interface, use the command @kbd{M-x gdb} in Emacs. Give the
26301 executable file you want to debug as an argument. This command starts
26302 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess of Emacs, with input and output through a newly
26303 created Emacs buffer.
26304 @c (Do not use the @code{-tui} option to run @value{GDBN} from Emacs.)
26305
26306 Running @value{GDBN} under Emacs can be just like running @value{GDBN} normally except for two
26307 things:
26308
26309 @itemize @bullet
26310 @item
26311 All ``terminal'' input and output goes through an Emacs buffer, called
26312 the GUD buffer.
26313
26314 This applies both to @value{GDBN} commands and their output, and to the input
26315 and output done by the program you are debugging.
26316
26317 This is useful because it means that you can copy the text of previous
26318 commands and input them again; you can even use parts of the output
26319 in this way.
26320
26321 All the facilities of Emacs' Shell mode are available for interacting
26322 with your program. In particular, you can send signals the usual
26323 way---for example, @kbd{C-c C-c} for an interrupt, @kbd{C-c C-z} for a
26324 stop.
26325
26326 @item
26327 @value{GDBN} displays source code through Emacs.
26328
26329 Each time @value{GDBN} displays a stack frame, Emacs automatically finds the
26330 source file for that frame and puts an arrow (@samp{=>}) at the
26331 left margin of the current line. Emacs uses a separate buffer for
26332 source display, and splits the screen to show both your @value{GDBN} session
26333 and the source.
26334
26335 Explicit @value{GDBN} @code{list} or search commands still produce output as
26336 usual, but you probably have no reason to use them from Emacs.
26337 @end itemize
26338
26339 We call this @dfn{text command mode}. Emacs 22.1, and later, also uses
26340 a graphical mode, enabled by default, which provides further buffers
26341 that can control the execution and describe the state of your program.
26342 @xref{GDB Graphical Interface,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}.
26343
26344 If you specify an absolute file name when prompted for the @kbd{M-x
26345 gdb} argument, then Emacs sets your current working directory to where
26346 your program resides. If you only specify the file name, then Emacs
26347 sets your current working directory to the directory associated
26348 with the previous buffer. In this case, @value{GDBN} may find your
26349 program by searching your environment's @code{PATH} variable, but on
26350 some operating systems it might not find the source. So, although the
26351 @value{GDBN} input and output session proceeds normally, the auxiliary
26352 buffer does not display the current source and line of execution.
26353
26354 The initial working directory of @value{GDBN} is printed on the top
26355 line of the GUD buffer and this serves as a default for the commands
26356 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files,
26357 ,Commands to Specify Files}.
26358
26359 By default, @kbd{M-x gdb} calls the program called @file{gdb}. If you
26360 need to call @value{GDBN} by a different name (for example, if you
26361 keep several configurations around, with different names) you can
26362 customize the Emacs variable @code{gud-gdb-command-name} to run the
26363 one you want.
26364
26365 In the GUD buffer, you can use these special Emacs commands in
26366 addition to the standard Shell mode commands:
26367
26368 @table @kbd
26369 @item C-h m
26370 Describe the features of Emacs' GUD Mode.
26371
26372 @item C-c C-s
26373 Execute to another source line, like the @value{GDBN} @code{step} command; also
26374 update the display window to show the current file and location.
26375
26376 @item C-c C-n
26377 Execute to next source line in this function, skipping all function
26378 calls, like the @value{GDBN} @code{next} command. Then update the display window
26379 to show the current file and location.
26380
26381 @item C-c C-i
26382 Execute one instruction, like the @value{GDBN} @code{stepi} command; update
26383 display window accordingly.
26384
26385 @item C-c C-f
26386 Execute until exit from the selected stack frame, like the @value{GDBN}
26387 @code{finish} command.
26388
26389 @item C-c C-r
26390 Continue execution of your program, like the @value{GDBN} @code{continue}
26391 command.
26392
26393 @item C-c <
26394 Go up the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument
26395 (@pxref{Arguments, , Numeric Arguments, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}),
26396 like the @value{GDBN} @code{up} command.
26397
26398 @item C-c >
26399 Go down the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument, like the
26400 @value{GDBN} @code{down} command.
26401 @end table
26402
26403 In any source file, the Emacs command @kbd{C-x @key{SPC}} (@code{gud-break})
26404 tells @value{GDBN} to set a breakpoint on the source line point is on.
26405
26406 In text command mode, if you type @kbd{M-x speedbar}, Emacs displays a
26407 separate frame which shows a backtrace when the GUD buffer is current.
26408 Move point to any frame in the stack and type @key{RET} to make it
26409 become the current frame and display the associated source in the
26410 source buffer. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-2} to make the
26411 selected frame become the current one. In graphical mode, the
26412 speedbar displays watch expressions.
26413
26414 If you accidentally delete the source-display buffer, an easy way to get
26415 it back is to type the command @code{f} in the @value{GDBN} buffer, to
26416 request a frame display; when you run under Emacs, this recreates
26417 the source buffer if necessary to show you the context of the current
26418 frame.
26419
26420 The source files displayed in Emacs are in ordinary Emacs buffers
26421 which are visiting the source files in the usual way. You can edit
26422 the files with these buffers if you wish; but keep in mind that @value{GDBN}
26423 communicates with Emacs in terms of line numbers. If you add or
26424 delete lines from the text, the line numbers that @value{GDBN} knows cease
26425 to correspond properly with the code.
26426
26427 A more detailed description of Emacs' interaction with @value{GDBN} is
26428 given in the Emacs manual (@pxref{Debuggers,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu}
26429 Emacs Manual}).
26430
26431 @c The following dropped because Epoch is nonstandard. Reactivate
26432 @c if/when v19 does something similar. ---doc@cygnus.com 19dec1990
26433 @ignore
26434 @kindex Emacs Epoch environment
26435 @kindex Epoch
26436 @kindex inspect
26437
26438 Version 18 of @sc{gnu} Emacs has a built-in window system
26439 called the @code{epoch}
26440 environment. Users of this environment can use a new command,
26441 @code{inspect} which performs identically to @code{print} except that
26442 each value is printed in its own window.
26443 @end ignore
26444
26445
26446 @node GDB/MI
26447 @chapter The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface
26448
26449 @unnumberedsec Function and Purpose
26450
26451 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, its purpose
26452 @sc{gdb/mi} is a line based machine oriented text interface to
26453 @value{GDBN} and is activated by specifying using the
26454 @option{--interpreter} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}). It
26455 is specifically intended to support the development of systems which
26456 use the debugger as just one small component of a larger system.
26457
26458 This chapter is a specification of the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. It is written
26459 in the form of a reference manual.
26460
26461 Note that @sc{gdb/mi} is still under construction, so some of the
26462 features described below are incomplete and subject to change
26463 (@pxref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, , @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends}).
26464
26465 @unnumberedsec Notation and Terminology
26466
26467 @cindex notational conventions, for @sc{gdb/mi}
26468 This chapter uses the following notation:
26469
26470 @itemize @bullet
26471 @item
26472 @code{|} separates two alternatives.
26473
26474 @item
26475 @code{[ @var{something} ]} indicates that @var{something} is optional:
26476 it may or may not be given.
26477
26478 @item
26479 @code{( @var{group} )*} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
26480 may repeat zero or more times.
26481
26482 @item
26483 @code{( @var{group} )+} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
26484 may repeat one or more times.
26485
26486 @item
26487 @code{"@var{string}"} means a literal @var{string}.
26488 @end itemize
26489
26490 @ignore
26491 @heading Dependencies
26492 @end ignore
26493
26494 @menu
26495 * GDB/MI General Design::
26496 * GDB/MI Command Syntax::
26497 * GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI::
26498 * GDB/MI Development and Front Ends::
26499 * GDB/MI Output Records::
26500 * GDB/MI Simple Examples::
26501 * GDB/MI Command Description Format::
26502 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands::
26503 * GDB/MI Program Context::
26504 * GDB/MI Thread Commands::
26505 * GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands::
26506 * GDB/MI Program Execution::
26507 * GDB/MI Stack Manipulation::
26508 * GDB/MI Variable Objects::
26509 * GDB/MI Data Manipulation::
26510 * GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands::
26511 * GDB/MI Symbol Query::
26512 * GDB/MI File Commands::
26513 @ignore
26514 * GDB/MI Kod Commands::
26515 * GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands::
26516 * GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands::
26517 @end ignore
26518 * GDB/MI Target Manipulation::
26519 * GDB/MI File Transfer Commands::
26520 * GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands::
26521 @end menu
26522
26523 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
26524 @node GDB/MI General Design
26525 @section @sc{gdb/mi} General Design
26526 @cindex GDB/MI General Design
26527
26528 Interaction of a @sc{GDB/MI} frontend with @value{GDBN} involves three
26529 parts---commands sent to @value{GDBN}, responses to those commands
26530 and notifications. Each command results in exactly one response,
26531 indicating either successful completion of the command, or an error.
26532 For the commands that do not resume the target, the response contains the
26533 requested information. For the commands that resume the target, the
26534 response only indicates whether the target was successfully resumed.
26535 Notifications is the mechanism for reporting changes in the state of the
26536 target, or in @value{GDBN} state, that cannot conveniently be associated with
26537 a command and reported as part of that command response.
26538
26539 The important examples of notifications are:
26540 @itemize @bullet
26541
26542 @item
26543 Exec notifications. These are used to report changes in
26544 target state---when a target is resumed, or stopped. It would not
26545 be feasible to include this information in response of resuming
26546 commands, because one resume commands can result in multiple events in
26547 different threads. Also, quite some time may pass before any event
26548 happens in the target, while a frontend needs to know whether the resuming
26549 command itself was successfully executed.
26550
26551 @item
26552 Console output, and status notifications. Console output
26553 notifications are used to report output of CLI commands, as well as
26554 diagnostics for other commands. Status notifications are used to
26555 report the progress of a long-running operation. Naturally, including
26556 this information in command response would mean no output is produced
26557 until the command is finished, which is undesirable.
26558
26559 @item
26560 General notifications. Commands may have various side effects on
26561 the @value{GDBN} or target state beyond their official purpose. For example,
26562 a command may change the selected thread. Although such changes can
26563 be included in command response, using notification allows for more
26564 orthogonal frontend design.
26565
26566 @end itemize
26567
26568 There's no guarantee that whenever an MI command reports an error,
26569 @value{GDBN} or the target are in any specific state, and especially,
26570 the state is not reverted to the state before the MI command was
26571 processed. Therefore, whenever an MI command results in an error,
26572 we recommend that the frontend refreshes all the information shown in
26573 the user interface.
26574
26575
26576 @menu
26577 * Context management::
26578 * Asynchronous and non-stop modes::
26579 * Thread groups::
26580 @end menu
26581
26582 @node Context management
26583 @subsection Context management
26584
26585 In most cases when @value{GDBN} accesses the target, this access is
26586 done in context of a specific thread and frame (@pxref{Frames}).
26587 Often, even when accessing global data, the target requires that a thread
26588 be specified. The CLI interface maintains the selected thread and frame,
26589 and supplies them to target on each command. This is convenient,
26590 because a command line user would not want to specify that information
26591 explicitly on each command, and because user interacts with
26592 @value{GDBN} via a single terminal, so no confusion is possible as
26593 to what thread and frame are the current ones.
26594
26595 In the case of MI, the concept of selected thread and frame is less
26596 useful. First, a frontend can easily remember this information
26597 itself. Second, a graphical frontend can have more than one window,
26598 each one used for debugging a different thread, and the frontend might
26599 want to access additional threads for internal purposes. This
26600 increases the risk that by relying on implicitly selected thread, the
26601 frontend may be operating on a wrong one. Therefore, each MI command
26602 should explicitly specify which thread and frame to operate on. To
26603 make it possible, each MI command accepts the @samp{--thread} and
26604 @samp{--frame} options, the value to each is @value{GDBN} identifier
26605 for thread and frame to operate on.
26606
26607 Usually, each top-level window in a frontend allows the user to select
26608 a thread and a frame, and remembers the user selection for further
26609 operations. However, in some cases @value{GDBN} may suggest that the
26610 current thread be changed. For example, when stopping on a breakpoint
26611 it is reasonable to switch to the thread where breakpoint is hit. For
26612 another example, if the user issues the CLI @samp{thread} command via
26613 the frontend, it is desirable to change the frontend's selected thread to the
26614 one specified by user. @value{GDBN} communicates the suggestion to
26615 change current thread using the @samp{=thread-selected} notification.
26616 No such notification is available for the selected frame at the moment.
26617
26618 Note that historically, MI shares the selected thread with CLI, so
26619 frontends used the @code{-thread-select} to execute commands in the
26620 right context. However, getting this to work right is cumbersome. The
26621 simplest way is for frontend to emit @code{-thread-select} command
26622 before every command. This doubles the number of commands that need
26623 to be sent. The alternative approach is to suppress @code{-thread-select}
26624 if the selected thread in @value{GDBN} is supposed to be identical to the
26625 thread the frontend wants to operate on. However, getting this
26626 optimization right can be tricky. In particular, if the frontend
26627 sends several commands to @value{GDBN}, and one of the commands changes the
26628 selected thread, then the behaviour of subsequent commands will
26629 change. So, a frontend should either wait for response from such
26630 problematic commands, or explicitly add @code{-thread-select} for
26631 all subsequent commands. No frontend is known to do this exactly
26632 right, so it is suggested to just always pass the @samp{--thread} and
26633 @samp{--frame} options.
26634
26635 @node Asynchronous and non-stop modes
26636 @subsection Asynchronous command execution and non-stop mode
26637
26638 On some targets, @value{GDBN} is capable of processing MI commands
26639 even while the target is running. This is called @dfn{asynchronous
26640 command execution} (@pxref{Background Execution}). The frontend may
26641 specify a preferrence for asynchronous execution using the
26642 @code{-gdb-set target-async 1} command, which should be emitted before
26643 either running the executable or attaching to the target. After the
26644 frontend has started the executable or attached to the target, it can
26645 find if asynchronous execution is enabled using the
26646 @code{-list-target-features} command.
26647
26648 Even if @value{GDBN} can accept a command while target is running,
26649 many commands that access the target do not work when the target is
26650 running. Therefore, asynchronous command execution is most useful
26651 when combined with non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}). Then,
26652 it is possible to examine the state of one thread, while other threads
26653 are running.
26654
26655 When a given thread is running, MI commands that try to access the
26656 target in the context of that thread may not work, or may work only on
26657 some targets. In particular, commands that try to operate on thread's
26658 stack will not work, on any target. Commands that read memory, or
26659 modify breakpoints, may work or not work, depending on the target. Note
26660 that even commands that operate on global state, such as @code{print},
26661 @code{set}, and breakpoint commands, still access the target in the
26662 context of a specific thread, so frontend should try to find a
26663 stopped thread and perform the operation on that thread (using the
26664 @samp{--thread} option).
26665
26666 Which commands will work in the context of a running thread is
26667 highly target dependent. However, the two commands
26668 @code{-exec-interrupt}, to stop a thread, and @code{-thread-info},
26669 to find the state of a thread, will always work.
26670
26671 @node Thread groups
26672 @subsection Thread groups
26673 @value{GDBN} may be used to debug several processes at the same time.
26674 On some platfroms, @value{GDBN} may support debugging of several
26675 hardware systems, each one having several cores with several different
26676 processes running on each core. This section describes the MI
26677 mechanism to support such debugging scenarios.
26678
26679 The key observation is that regardless of the structure of the
26680 target, MI can have a global list of threads, because most commands that
26681 accept the @samp{--thread} option do not need to know what process that
26682 thread belongs to. Therefore, it is not necessary to introduce
26683 neither additional @samp{--process} option, nor an notion of the
26684 current process in the MI interface. The only strictly new feature
26685 that is required is the ability to find how the threads are grouped
26686 into processes.
26687
26688 To allow the user to discover such grouping, and to support arbitrary
26689 hierarchy of machines/cores/processes, MI introduces the concept of a
26690 @dfn{thread group}. Thread group is a collection of threads and other
26691 thread groups. A thread group always has a string identifier, a type,
26692 and may have additional attributes specific to the type. A new
26693 command, @code{-list-thread-groups}, returns the list of top-level
26694 thread groups, which correspond to processes that @value{GDBN} is
26695 debugging at the moment. By passing an identifier of a thread group
26696 to the @code{-list-thread-groups} command, it is possible to obtain
26697 the members of specific thread group.
26698
26699 To allow the user to easily discover processes, and other objects, he
26700 wishes to debug, a concept of @dfn{available thread group} is
26701 introduced. Available thread group is an thread group that
26702 @value{GDBN} is not debugging, but that can be attached to, using the
26703 @code{-target-attach} command. The list of available top-level thread
26704 groups can be obtained using @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}.
26705 In general, the content of a thread group may be only retrieved only
26706 after attaching to that thread group.
26707
26708 Thread groups are related to inferiors (@pxref{Inferiors and
26709 Programs}). Each inferior corresponds to a thread group of a special
26710 type @samp{process}, and some additional operations are permitted on
26711 such thread groups.
26712
26713 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
26714 @node GDB/MI Command Syntax
26715 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Syntax
26716
26717 @menu
26718 * GDB/MI Input Syntax::
26719 * GDB/MI Output Syntax::
26720 @end menu
26721
26722 @node GDB/MI Input Syntax
26723 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Input Syntax
26724
26725 @cindex input syntax for @sc{gdb/mi}
26726 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, input syntax
26727 @table @code
26728 @item @var{command} @expansion{}
26729 @code{@var{cli-command} | @var{mi-command}}
26730
26731 @item @var{cli-command} @expansion{}
26732 @code{[ @var{token} ] @var{cli-command} @var{nl}}, where
26733 @var{cli-command} is any existing @value{GDBN} CLI command.
26734
26735 @item @var{mi-command} @expansion{}
26736 @code{[ @var{token} ] "-" @var{operation} ( " " @var{option} )*
26737 @code{[} " --" @code{]} ( " " @var{parameter} )* @var{nl}}
26738
26739 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
26740 "any sequence of digits"
26741
26742 @item @var{option} @expansion{}
26743 @code{"-" @var{parameter} [ " " @var{parameter} ]}
26744
26745 @item @var{parameter} @expansion{}
26746 @code{@var{non-blank-sequence} | @var{c-string}}
26747
26748 @item @var{operation} @expansion{}
26749 @emph{any of the operations described in this chapter}
26750
26751 @item @var{non-blank-sequence} @expansion{}
26752 @emph{anything, provided it doesn't contain special characters such as
26753 "-", @var{nl}, """ and of course " "}
26754
26755 @item @var{c-string} @expansion{}
26756 @code{""" @var{seven-bit-iso-c-string-content} """}
26757
26758 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
26759 @code{CR | CR-LF}
26760 @end table
26761
26762 @noindent
26763 Notes:
26764
26765 @itemize @bullet
26766 @item
26767 The CLI commands are still handled by the @sc{mi} interpreter; their
26768 output is described below.
26769
26770 @item
26771 The @code{@var{token}}, when present, is passed back when the command
26772 finishes.
26773
26774 @item
26775 Some @sc{mi} commands accept optional arguments as part of the parameter
26776 list. Each option is identified by a leading @samp{-} (dash) and may be
26777 followed by an optional argument parameter. Options occur first in the
26778 parameter list and can be delimited from normal parameters using
26779 @samp{--} (this is useful when some parameters begin with a dash).
26780 @end itemize
26781
26782 Pragmatics:
26783
26784 @itemize @bullet
26785 @item
26786 We want easy access to the existing CLI syntax (for debugging).
26787
26788 @item
26789 We want it to be easy to spot a @sc{mi} operation.
26790 @end itemize
26791
26792 @node GDB/MI Output Syntax
26793 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax
26794
26795 @cindex output syntax of @sc{gdb/mi}
26796 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, output syntax
26797 The output from @sc{gdb/mi} consists of zero or more out-of-band records
26798 followed, optionally, by a single result record. This result record
26799 is for the most recent command. The sequence of output records is
26800 terminated by @samp{(gdb)}.
26801
26802 If an input command was prefixed with a @code{@var{token}} then the
26803 corresponding output for that command will also be prefixed by that same
26804 @var{token}.
26805
26806 @table @code
26807 @item @var{output} @expansion{}
26808 @code{( @var{out-of-band-record} )* [ @var{result-record} ] "(gdb)" @var{nl}}
26809
26810 @item @var{result-record} @expansion{}
26811 @code{ [ @var{token} ] "^" @var{result-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
26812
26813 @item @var{out-of-band-record} @expansion{}
26814 @code{@var{async-record} | @var{stream-record}}
26815
26816 @item @var{async-record} @expansion{}
26817 @code{@var{exec-async-output} | @var{status-async-output} | @var{notify-async-output}}
26818
26819 @item @var{exec-async-output} @expansion{}
26820 @code{[ @var{token} ] "*" @var{async-output}}
26821
26822 @item @var{status-async-output} @expansion{}
26823 @code{[ @var{token} ] "+" @var{async-output}}
26824
26825 @item @var{notify-async-output} @expansion{}
26826 @code{[ @var{token} ] "=" @var{async-output}}
26827
26828 @item @var{async-output} @expansion{}
26829 @code{@var{async-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
26830
26831 @item @var{result-class} @expansion{}
26832 @code{"done" | "running" | "connected" | "error" | "exit"}
26833
26834 @item @var{async-class} @expansion{}
26835 @code{"stopped" | @var{others}} (where @var{others} will be added
26836 depending on the needs---this is still in development).
26837
26838 @item @var{result} @expansion{}
26839 @code{ @var{variable} "=" @var{value}}
26840
26841 @item @var{variable} @expansion{}
26842 @code{ @var{string} }
26843
26844 @item @var{value} @expansion{}
26845 @code{ @var{const} | @var{tuple} | @var{list} }
26846
26847 @item @var{const} @expansion{}
26848 @code{@var{c-string}}
26849
26850 @item @var{tuple} @expansion{}
26851 @code{ "@{@}" | "@{" @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "@}" }
26852
26853 @item @var{list} @expansion{}
26854 @code{ "[]" | "[" @var{value} ( "," @var{value} )* "]" | "["
26855 @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "]" }
26856
26857 @item @var{stream-record} @expansion{}
26858 @code{@var{console-stream-output} | @var{target-stream-output} | @var{log-stream-output}}
26859
26860 @item @var{console-stream-output} @expansion{}
26861 @code{"~" @var{c-string}}
26862
26863 @item @var{target-stream-output} @expansion{}
26864 @code{"@@" @var{c-string}}
26865
26866 @item @var{log-stream-output} @expansion{}
26867 @code{"&" @var{c-string}}
26868
26869 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
26870 @code{CR | CR-LF}
26871
26872 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
26873 @emph{any sequence of digits}.
26874 @end table
26875
26876 @noindent
26877 Notes:
26878
26879 @itemize @bullet
26880 @item
26881 All output sequences end in a single line containing a period.
26882
26883 @item
26884 The @code{@var{token}} is from the corresponding request. Note that
26885 for all async output, while the token is allowed by the grammar and
26886 may be output by future versions of @value{GDBN} for select async
26887 output messages, it is generally omitted. Frontends should treat
26888 all async output as reporting general changes in the state of the
26889 target and there should be no need to associate async output to any
26890 prior command.
26891
26892 @item
26893 @cindex status output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26894 @var{status-async-output} contains on-going status information about the
26895 progress of a slow operation. It can be discarded. All status output is
26896 prefixed by @samp{+}.
26897
26898 @item
26899 @cindex async output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26900 @var{exec-async-output} contains asynchronous state change on the target
26901 (stopped, started, disappeared). All async output is prefixed by
26902 @samp{*}.
26903
26904 @item
26905 @cindex notify output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26906 @var{notify-async-output} contains supplementary information that the
26907 client should handle (e.g., a new breakpoint information). All notify
26908 output is prefixed by @samp{=}.
26909
26910 @item
26911 @cindex console output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26912 @var{console-stream-output} is output that should be displayed as is in the
26913 console. It is the textual response to a CLI command. All the console
26914 output is prefixed by @samp{~}.
26915
26916 @item
26917 @cindex target output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26918 @var{target-stream-output} is the output produced by the target program.
26919 All the target output is prefixed by @samp{@@}.
26920
26921 @item
26922 @cindex log output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26923 @var{log-stream-output} is output text coming from @value{GDBN}'s internals, for
26924 instance messages that should be displayed as part of an error log. All
26925 the log output is prefixed by @samp{&}.
26926
26927 @item
26928 @cindex list output in @sc{gdb/mi}
26929 New @sc{gdb/mi} commands should only output @var{lists} containing
26930 @var{values}.
26931
26932
26933 @end itemize
26934
26935 @xref{GDB/MI Stream Records, , @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records}, for more
26936 details about the various output records.
26937
26938 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
26939 @node GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI
26940 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Compatibility with CLI
26941
26942 @cindex compatibility, @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI
26943 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, compatibility with CLI
26944
26945 For the developers convenience CLI commands can be entered directly,
26946 but there may be some unexpected behaviour. For example, commands
26947 that query the user will behave as if the user replied yes, breakpoint
26948 command lists are not executed and some CLI commands, such as
26949 @code{if}, @code{when} and @code{define}, prompt for further input with
26950 @samp{>}, which is not valid MI output.
26951
26952 This feature may be removed at some stage in the future and it is
26953 recommended that front ends use the @code{-interpreter-exec} command
26954 (@pxref{-interpreter-exec}).
26955
26956 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
26957 @node GDB/MI Development and Front Ends
26958 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends
26959 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi} development
26960
26961 The application which takes the MI output and presents the state of the
26962 program being debugged to the user is called a @dfn{front end}.
26963
26964 Although @sc{gdb/mi} is still incomplete, it is currently being used
26965 by a variety of front ends to @value{GDBN}. This makes it difficult
26966 to introduce new functionality without breaking existing usage. This
26967 section tries to minimize the problems by describing how the protocol
26968 might change.
26969
26970 Some changes in MI need not break a carefully designed front end, and
26971 for these the MI version will remain unchanged. The following is a
26972 list of changes that may occur within one level, so front ends should
26973 parse MI output in a way that can handle them:
26974
26975 @itemize @bullet
26976 @item
26977 New MI commands may be added.
26978
26979 @item
26980 New fields may be added to the output of any MI command.
26981
26982 @item
26983 The range of values for fields with specified values, e.g.,
26984 @code{in_scope} (@pxref{-var-update}) may be extended.
26985
26986 @c The format of field's content e.g type prefix, may change so parse it
26987 @c at your own risk. Yes, in general?
26988
26989 @c The order of fields may change? Shouldn't really matter but it might
26990 @c resolve inconsistencies.
26991 @end itemize
26992
26993 If the changes are likely to break front ends, the MI version level
26994 will be increased by one. This will allow the front end to parse the
26995 output according to the MI version. Apart from mi0, new versions of
26996 @value{GDBN} will not support old versions of MI and it will be the
26997 responsibility of the front end to work with the new one.
26998
26999 @c Starting with mi3, add a new command -mi-version that prints the MI
27000 @c version?
27001
27002 The best way to avoid unexpected changes in MI that might break your front
27003 end is to make your project known to @value{GDBN} developers and
27004 follow development on @email{gdb@@sourceware.org} and
27005 @email{gdb-patches@@sourceware.org}.
27006 @cindex mailing lists
27007
27008 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27009 @node GDB/MI Output Records
27010 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Output Records
27011
27012 @menu
27013 * GDB/MI Result Records::
27014 * GDB/MI Stream Records::
27015 * GDB/MI Async Records::
27016 * GDB/MI Frame Information::
27017 * GDB/MI Thread Information::
27018 * GDB/MI Ada Exception Information::
27019 @end menu
27020
27021 @node GDB/MI Result Records
27022 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Result Records
27023
27024 @cindex result records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27025 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, result records
27026 In addition to a number of out-of-band notifications, the response to a
27027 @sc{gdb/mi} command includes one of the following result indications:
27028
27029 @table @code
27030 @findex ^done
27031 @item "^done" [ "," @var{results} ]
27032 The synchronous operation was successful, @code{@var{results}} are the return
27033 values.
27034
27035 @item "^running"
27036 @findex ^running
27037 This result record is equivalent to @samp{^done}. Historically, it
27038 was output instead of @samp{^done} if the command has resumed the
27039 target. This behaviour is maintained for backward compatibility, but
27040 all frontends should treat @samp{^done} and @samp{^running}
27041 identically and rely on the @samp{*running} output record to determine
27042 which threads are resumed.
27043
27044 @item "^connected"
27045 @findex ^connected
27046 @value{GDBN} has connected to a remote target.
27047
27048 @item "^error" "," @var{c-string}
27049 @findex ^error
27050 The operation failed. The @code{@var{c-string}} contains the corresponding
27051 error message.
27052
27053 @item "^exit"
27054 @findex ^exit
27055 @value{GDBN} has terminated.
27056
27057 @end table
27058
27059 @node GDB/MI Stream Records
27060 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records
27061
27062 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, stream records
27063 @cindex stream records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27064 @value{GDBN} internally maintains a number of output streams: the console, the
27065 target, and the log. The output intended for each of these streams is
27066 funneled through the @sc{gdb/mi} interface using @dfn{stream records}.
27067
27068 Each stream record begins with a unique @dfn{prefix character} which
27069 identifies its stream (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, , @sc{gdb/mi} Output
27070 Syntax}). In addition to the prefix, each stream record contains a
27071 @code{@var{string-output}}. This is either raw text (with an implicit new
27072 line) or a quoted C string (which does not contain an implicit newline).
27073
27074 @table @code
27075 @item "~" @var{string-output}
27076 The console output stream contains text that should be displayed in the
27077 CLI console window. It contains the textual responses to CLI commands.
27078
27079 @item "@@" @var{string-output}
27080 The target output stream contains any textual output from the running
27081 target. This is only present when GDB's event loop is truly
27082 asynchronous, which is currently only the case for remote targets.
27083
27084 @item "&" @var{string-output}
27085 The log stream contains debugging messages being produced by @value{GDBN}'s
27086 internals.
27087 @end table
27088
27089 @node GDB/MI Async Records
27090 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Async Records
27091
27092 @cindex async records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27093 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, async records
27094 @dfn{Async} records are used to notify the @sc{gdb/mi} client of
27095 additional changes that have occurred. Those changes can either be a
27096 consequence of @sc{gdb/mi} commands (e.g., a breakpoint modified) or a result of
27097 target activity (e.g., target stopped).
27098
27099 The following is the list of possible async records:
27100
27101 @table @code
27102
27103 @item *running,thread-id="@var{thread}"
27104 The target is now running. The @var{thread} field tells which
27105 specific thread is now running, and can be @samp{all} if all threads
27106 are running. The frontend should assume that no interaction with a
27107 running thread is possible after this notification is produced.
27108 The frontend should not assume that this notification is output
27109 only once for any command. @value{GDBN} may emit this notification
27110 several times, either for different threads, because it cannot resume
27111 all threads together, or even for a single thread, if the thread must
27112 be stepped though some code before letting it run freely.
27113
27114 @item *stopped,reason="@var{reason}",thread-id="@var{id}",stopped-threads="@var{stopped}",core="@var{core}"
27115 The target has stopped. The @var{reason} field can have one of the
27116 following values:
27117
27118 @table @code
27119 @item breakpoint-hit
27120 A breakpoint was reached.
27121 @item watchpoint-trigger
27122 A watchpoint was triggered.
27123 @item read-watchpoint-trigger
27124 A read watchpoint was triggered.
27125 @item access-watchpoint-trigger
27126 An access watchpoint was triggered.
27127 @item function-finished
27128 An -exec-finish or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27129 @item location-reached
27130 An -exec-until or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27131 @item watchpoint-scope
27132 A watchpoint has gone out of scope.
27133 @item end-stepping-range
27134 An -exec-next, -exec-next-instruction, -exec-step, -exec-step-instruction or
27135 similar CLI command was accomplished.
27136 @item exited-signalled
27137 The inferior exited because of a signal.
27138 @item exited
27139 The inferior exited.
27140 @item exited-normally
27141 The inferior exited normally.
27142 @item signal-received
27143 A signal was received by the inferior.
27144 @item solib-event
27145 The inferior has stopped due to a library being loaded or unloaded.
27146 This can happen when @code{stop-on-solib-events} (@pxref{Files}) is
27147 set or when a @code{catch load} or @code{catch unload} catchpoint is
27148 in use (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}).
27149 @item fork
27150 The inferior has forked. This is reported when @code{catch fork}
27151 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27152 @item vfork
27153 The inferior has vforked. This is reported in when @code{catch vfork}
27154 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27155 @item syscall-entry
27156 The inferior entered a system call. This is reported when @code{catch
27157 syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27158 @item syscall-entry
27159 The inferior returned from a system call. This is reported when
27160 @code{catch syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27161 @item exec
27162 The inferior called @code{exec}. This is reported when @code{catch exec}
27163 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27164 @end table
27165
27166 The @var{id} field identifies the thread that directly caused the stop
27167 -- for example by hitting a breakpoint. Depending on whether all-stop
27168 mode is in effect (@pxref{All-Stop Mode}), @value{GDBN} may either
27169 stop all threads, or only the thread that directly triggered the stop.
27170 If all threads are stopped, the @var{stopped} field will have the
27171 value of @code{"all"}. Otherwise, the value of the @var{stopped}
27172 field will be a list of thread identifiers. Presently, this list will
27173 always include a single thread, but frontend should be prepared to see
27174 several threads in the list. The @var{core} field reports the
27175 processor core on which the stop event has happened. This field may be absent
27176 if such information is not available.
27177
27178 @item =thread-group-added,id="@var{id}"
27179 @itemx =thread-group-removed,id="@var{id}"
27180 A thread group was either added or removed. The @var{id} field
27181 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. When a thread
27182 group is added, it generally might not be associated with a running
27183 process. When a thread group is removed, its id becomes invalid and
27184 cannot be used in any way.
27185
27186 @item =thread-group-started,id="@var{id}",pid="@var{pid}"
27187 A thread group became associated with a running program,
27188 either because the program was just started or the thread group
27189 was attached to a program. The @var{id} field contains the
27190 @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. The @var{pid} field
27191 contains process identifier, specific to the operating system.
27192
27193 @item =thread-group-exited,id="@var{id}"[,exit-code="@var{code}"]
27194 A thread group is no longer associated with a running program,
27195 either because the program has exited, or because it was detached
27196 from. The @var{id} field contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the
27197 thread group. @var{code} is the exit code of the inferior; it exists
27198 only when the inferior exited with some code.
27199
27200 @item =thread-created,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27201 @itemx =thread-exited,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27202 A thread either was created, or has exited. The @var{id} field
27203 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread. The @var{gid}
27204 field identifies the thread group this thread belongs to.
27205
27206 @item =thread-selected,id="@var{id}"
27207 Informs that the selected thread was changed as result of the last
27208 command. This notification is not emitted as result of @code{-thread-select}
27209 command but is emitted whenever an MI command that is not documented
27210 to change the selected thread actually changes it. In particular,
27211 invoking, directly or indirectly (via user-defined command), the CLI
27212 @code{thread} command, will generate this notification.
27213
27214 We suggest that in response to this notification, front ends
27215 highlight the selected thread and cause subsequent commands to apply to
27216 that thread.
27217
27218 @item =library-loaded,...
27219 Reports that a new library file was loaded by the program. This
27220 notification has 4 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name},
27221 @var{host-name}, and @var{symbols-loaded}. The @var{id} field is an
27222 opaque identifier of the library. For remote debugging case,
27223 @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} fields give the name of the
27224 library file on the target, and on the host respectively. For native
27225 debugging, both those fields have the same value. The
27226 @var{symbols-loaded} field is emitted only for backward compatibility
27227 and should not be relied on to convey any useful information. The
27228 @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the thread
27229 group in whose context the library was loaded. If the field is
27230 absent, it means the library was loaded in the context of all present
27231 thread groups.
27232
27233 @item =library-unloaded,...
27234 Reports that a library was unloaded by the program. This notification
27235 has 3 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} with
27236 the same meaning as for the @code{=library-loaded} notification.
27237 The @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the
27238 thread group in whose context the library was unloaded. If the field is
27239 absent, it means the library was unloaded in the context of all present
27240 thread groups.
27241
27242 @item =breakpoint-created,bkpt=@{...@}
27243 @itemx =breakpoint-modified,bkpt=@{...@}
27244 @itemx =breakpoint-deleted,bkpt=@{...@}
27245 Reports that a breakpoint was created, modified, or deleted,
27246 respectively. Only user-visible breakpoints are reported to the MI
27247 user.
27248
27249 The @var{bkpt} argument is of the same form as returned by the various
27250 breakpoint commands; @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands}.
27251
27252 Note that if a breakpoint is emitted in the result record of a
27253 command, then it will not also be emitted in an async record.
27254
27255 @end table
27256
27257 @node GDB/MI Frame Information
27258 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Frame Information
27259
27260 Response from many MI commands includes an information about stack
27261 frame. This information is a tuple that may have the following
27262 fields:
27263
27264 @table @code
27265 @item level
27266 The level of the stack frame. The innermost frame has the level of
27267 zero. This field is always present.
27268
27269 @item func
27270 The name of the function corresponding to the frame. This field may
27271 be absent if @value{GDBN} is unable to determine the function name.
27272
27273 @item addr
27274 The code address for the frame. This field is always present.
27275
27276 @item file
27277 The name of the source files that correspond to the frame's code
27278 address. This field may be absent.
27279
27280 @item line
27281 The source line corresponding to the frames' code address. This field
27282 may be absent.
27283
27284 @item from
27285 The name of the binary file (either executable or shared library) the
27286 corresponds to the frame's code address. This field may be absent.
27287
27288 @end table
27289
27290 @node GDB/MI Thread Information
27291 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Information
27292
27293 Whenever @value{GDBN} has to report an information about a thread, it
27294 uses a tuple with the following fields:
27295
27296 @table @code
27297 @item id
27298 The numeric id assigned to the thread by @value{GDBN}. This field is
27299 always present.
27300
27301 @item target-id
27302 Target-specific string identifying the thread. This field is always present.
27303
27304 @item details
27305 Additional information about the thread provided by the target.
27306 It is supposed to be human-readable and not interpreted by the
27307 frontend. This field is optional.
27308
27309 @item state
27310 Either @samp{stopped} or @samp{running}, depending on whether the
27311 thread is presently running. This field is always present.
27312
27313 @item core
27314 The value of this field is an integer number of the processor core the
27315 thread was last seen on. This field is optional.
27316 @end table
27317
27318 @node GDB/MI Ada Exception Information
27319 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Exception Information
27320
27321 Whenever a @code{*stopped} record is emitted because the program
27322 stopped after hitting an exception catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}),
27323 @value{GDBN} provides the name of the exception that was raised via
27324 the @code{exception-name} field.
27325
27326 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27327 @node GDB/MI Simple Examples
27328 @section Simple Examples of @sc{gdb/mi} Interaction
27329 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, simple examples
27330
27331 This subsection presents several simple examples of interaction using
27332 the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. In these examples, @samp{->} means that the
27333 following line is passed to @sc{gdb/mi} as input, while @samp{<-} means
27334 the output received from @sc{gdb/mi}.
27335
27336 Note the line breaks shown in the examples are here only for
27337 readability, they don't appear in the real output.
27338
27339 @subheading Setting a Breakpoint
27340
27341 Setting a breakpoint generates synchronous output which contains detailed
27342 information of the breakpoint.
27343
27344 @smallexample
27345 -> -break-insert main
27346 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
27347 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
27348 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",times="0"@}
27349 <- (gdb)
27350 @end smallexample
27351
27352 @subheading Program Execution
27353
27354 Program execution generates asynchronous records and MI gives the
27355 reason that execution stopped.
27356
27357 @smallexample
27358 -> -exec-run
27359 <- ^running
27360 <- (gdb)
27361 <- *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
27362 frame=@{addr="0x08048564",func="main",
27363 args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},@{name="argv",value="0xbfc4d4d4"@}],
27364 file="myprog.c",fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68"@}
27365 <- (gdb)
27366 -> -exec-continue
27367 <- ^running
27368 <- (gdb)
27369 <- *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
27370 <- (gdb)
27371 @end smallexample
27372
27373 @subheading Quitting @value{GDBN}
27374
27375 Quitting @value{GDBN} just prints the result class @samp{^exit}.
27376
27377 @smallexample
27378 -> (gdb)
27379 <- -gdb-exit
27380 <- ^exit
27381 @end smallexample
27382
27383 Please note that @samp{^exit} is printed immediately, but it might
27384 take some time for @value{GDBN} to actually exit. During that time, @value{GDBN}
27385 performs necessary cleanups, including killing programs being debugged
27386 or disconnecting from debug hardware, so the frontend should wait till
27387 @value{GDBN} exits and should only forcibly kill @value{GDBN} if it
27388 fails to exit in reasonable time.
27389
27390 @subheading A Bad Command
27391
27392 Here's what happens if you pass a non-existent command:
27393
27394 @smallexample
27395 -> -rubbish
27396 <- ^error,msg="Undefined MI command: rubbish"
27397 <- (gdb)
27398 @end smallexample
27399
27400
27401 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27402 @node GDB/MI Command Description Format
27403 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Description Format
27404
27405 The remaining sections describe blocks of commands. Each block of
27406 commands is laid out in a fashion similar to this section.
27407
27408 @subheading Motivation
27409
27410 The motivation for this collection of commands.
27411
27412 @subheading Introduction
27413
27414 A brief introduction to this collection of commands as a whole.
27415
27416 @subheading Commands
27417
27418 For each command in the block, the following is described:
27419
27420 @subsubheading Synopsis
27421
27422 @smallexample
27423 -command @var{args}@dots{}
27424 @end smallexample
27425
27426 @subsubheading Result
27427
27428 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27429
27430 The corresponding @value{GDBN} CLI command(s), if any.
27431
27432 @subsubheading Example
27433
27434 Example(s) formatted for readability. Some of the described commands have
27435 not been implemented yet and these are labeled N.A.@: (not available).
27436
27437
27438 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27439 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands
27440 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Commands
27441
27442 @cindex breakpoint commands for @sc{gdb/mi}
27443 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, breakpoint commands
27444 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
27445 breakpoints.
27446
27447 @subheading The @code{-break-after} Command
27448 @findex -break-after
27449
27450 @subsubheading Synopsis
27451
27452 @smallexample
27453 -break-after @var{number} @var{count}
27454 @end smallexample
27455
27456 The breakpoint number @var{number} is not in effect until it has been
27457 hit @var{count} times. To see how this is reflected in the output of
27458 the @samp{-break-list} command, see the description of the
27459 @samp{-break-list} command below.
27460
27461 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27462
27463 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ignore}.
27464
27465 @subsubheading Example
27466
27467 @smallexample
27468 (gdb)
27469 -break-insert main
27470 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
27471 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
27472 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
27473 (gdb)
27474 -break-after 1 3
27475 ~
27476 ^done
27477 (gdb)
27478 -break-list
27479 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
27480 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27481 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27482 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27483 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27484 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27485 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27486 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27487 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
27488 line="5",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
27489 (gdb)
27490 @end smallexample
27491
27492 @ignore
27493 @subheading The @code{-break-catch} Command
27494 @findex -break-catch
27495 @end ignore
27496
27497 @subheading The @code{-break-commands} Command
27498 @findex -break-commands
27499
27500 @subsubheading Synopsis
27501
27502 @smallexample
27503 -break-commands @var{number} [ @var{command1} ... @var{commandN} ]
27504 @end smallexample
27505
27506 Specifies the CLI commands that should be executed when breakpoint
27507 @var{number} is hit. The parameters @var{command1} to @var{commandN}
27508 are the commands. If no command is specified, any previously-set
27509 commands are cleared. @xref{Break Commands}. Typical use of this
27510 functionality is tracing a program, that is, printing of values of
27511 some variables whenever breakpoint is hit and then continuing.
27512
27513 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27514
27515 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{commands}.
27516
27517 @subsubheading Example
27518
27519 @smallexample
27520 (gdb)
27521 -break-insert main
27522 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
27523 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
27524 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
27525 (gdb)
27526 -break-commands 1 "print v" "continue"
27527 ^done
27528 (gdb)
27529 @end smallexample
27530
27531 @subheading The @code{-break-condition} Command
27532 @findex -break-condition
27533
27534 @subsubheading Synopsis
27535
27536 @smallexample
27537 -break-condition @var{number} @var{expr}
27538 @end smallexample
27539
27540 Breakpoint @var{number} will stop the program only if the condition in
27541 @var{expr} is true. The condition becomes part of the
27542 @samp{-break-list} output (see the description of the @samp{-break-list}
27543 command below).
27544
27545 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27546
27547 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{condition}.
27548
27549 @subsubheading Example
27550
27551 @smallexample
27552 (gdb)
27553 -break-condition 1 1
27554 ^done
27555 (gdb)
27556 -break-list
27557 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
27558 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27559 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27560 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27561 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27562 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27563 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27564 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27565 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
27566 line="5",cond="1",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
27567 (gdb)
27568 @end smallexample
27569
27570 @subheading The @code{-break-delete} Command
27571 @findex -break-delete
27572
27573 @subsubheading Synopsis
27574
27575 @smallexample
27576 -break-delete ( @var{breakpoint} )+
27577 @end smallexample
27578
27579 Delete the breakpoint(s) whose number(s) are specified in the argument
27580 list. This is obviously reflected in the breakpoint list.
27581
27582 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27583
27584 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete}.
27585
27586 @subsubheading Example
27587
27588 @smallexample
27589 (gdb)
27590 -break-delete 1
27591 ^done
27592 (gdb)
27593 -break-list
27594 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
27595 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27596 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27597 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27598 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27599 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27600 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27601 body=[]@}
27602 (gdb)
27603 @end smallexample
27604
27605 @subheading The @code{-break-disable} Command
27606 @findex -break-disable
27607
27608 @subsubheading Synopsis
27609
27610 @smallexample
27611 -break-disable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
27612 @end smallexample
27613
27614 Disable the named @var{breakpoint}(s). The field @samp{enabled} in the
27615 break list is now set to @samp{n} for the named @var{breakpoint}(s).
27616
27617 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27618
27619 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable}.
27620
27621 @subsubheading Example
27622
27623 @smallexample
27624 (gdb)
27625 -break-disable 2
27626 ^done
27627 (gdb)
27628 -break-list
27629 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
27630 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27631 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27632 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27633 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27634 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27635 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27636 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
27637 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
27638 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
27639 (gdb)
27640 @end smallexample
27641
27642 @subheading The @code{-break-enable} Command
27643 @findex -break-enable
27644
27645 @subsubheading Synopsis
27646
27647 @smallexample
27648 -break-enable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
27649 @end smallexample
27650
27651 Enable (previously disabled) @var{breakpoint}(s).
27652
27653 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27654
27655 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable}.
27656
27657 @subsubheading Example
27658
27659 @smallexample
27660 (gdb)
27661 -break-enable 2
27662 ^done
27663 (gdb)
27664 -break-list
27665 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
27666 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27667 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27668 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27669 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27670 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27671 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27672 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27673 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
27674 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
27675 (gdb)
27676 @end smallexample
27677
27678 @subheading The @code{-break-info} Command
27679 @findex -break-info
27680
27681 @subsubheading Synopsis
27682
27683 @smallexample
27684 -break-info @var{breakpoint}
27685 @end smallexample
27686
27687 @c REDUNDANT???
27688 Get information about a single breakpoint.
27689
27690 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27691
27692 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break @var{breakpoint}}.
27693
27694 @subsubheading Example
27695 N.A.
27696
27697 @subheading The @code{-break-insert} Command
27698 @findex -break-insert
27699
27700 @subsubheading Synopsis
27701
27702 @smallexample
27703 -break-insert [ -t ] [ -h ] [ -f ] [ -d ] [ -a ]
27704 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
27705 [ -p @var{thread} ] [ @var{location} ]
27706 @end smallexample
27707
27708 @noindent
27709 If specified, @var{location}, can be one of:
27710
27711 @itemize @bullet
27712 @item function
27713 @c @item +offset
27714 @c @item -offset
27715 @c @item linenum
27716 @item filename:linenum
27717 @item filename:function
27718 @item *address
27719 @end itemize
27720
27721 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
27722
27723 @table @samp
27724 @item -t
27725 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
27726 @item -h
27727 Insert a hardware breakpoint.
27728 @item -c @var{condition}
27729 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
27730 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
27731 Initialize the @var{ignore-count}.
27732 @item -f
27733 If @var{location} cannot be parsed (for example if it
27734 refers to unknown files or functions), create a pending
27735 breakpoint. Without this flag, @value{GDBN} will report
27736 an error, and won't create a breakpoint, if @var{location}
27737 cannot be parsed.
27738 @item -d
27739 Create a disabled breakpoint.
27740 @item -a
27741 Create a tracepoint. @xref{Tracepoints}. When this parameter
27742 is used together with @samp{-h}, a fast tracepoint is created.
27743 @end table
27744
27745 @subsubheading Result
27746
27747 The result is in the form:
27748
27749 @smallexample
27750 ^done,bkpt=@{number="@var{number}",type="@var{type}",disp="del"|"keep",
27751 enabled="y"|"n",addr="@var{hex}",func="@var{funcname}",file="@var{filename}",
27752 fullname="@var{full_filename}",line="@var{lineno}",[thread="@var{threadno},]
27753 times="@var{times}"@}
27754 @end smallexample
27755
27756 @noindent
27757 where @var{number} is the @value{GDBN} number for this breakpoint,
27758 @var{funcname} is the name of the function where the breakpoint was
27759 inserted, @var{filename} is the name of the source file which contains
27760 this function, @var{lineno} is the source line number within that file
27761 and @var{times} the number of times that the breakpoint has been hit
27762 (always 0 for -break-insert but may be greater for -break-info or -break-list
27763 which use the same output).
27764
27765 Note: this format is open to change.
27766 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
27767
27768 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27769
27770 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{break}, @samp{tbreak},
27771 @samp{hbreak}, @samp{thbreak}, and @samp{rbreak}.
27772
27773 @subsubheading Example
27774
27775 @smallexample
27776 (gdb)
27777 -break-insert main
27778 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",
27779 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="4",times="0"@}
27780 (gdb)
27781 -break-insert -t foo
27782 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c",
27783 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="11",times="0"@}
27784 (gdb)
27785 -break-list
27786 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
27787 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27788 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27789 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27790 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27791 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27792 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27793 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27794 addr="0x0001072c", func="main",file="recursive2.c",
27795 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,"line="4",times="0"@},
27796 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
27797 addr="0x00010774",func="foo",file="recursive2.c",
27798 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}]@}
27799 (gdb)
27800 -break-insert -r foo.*
27801 ~int foo(int, int);
27802 ^done,bkpt=@{number="3",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c,
27803 "fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}
27804 (gdb)
27805 @end smallexample
27806
27807 @subheading The @code{-break-list} Command
27808 @findex -break-list
27809
27810 @subsubheading Synopsis
27811
27812 @smallexample
27813 -break-list
27814 @end smallexample
27815
27816 Displays the list of inserted breakpoints, showing the following fields:
27817
27818 @table @samp
27819 @item Number
27820 number of the breakpoint
27821 @item Type
27822 type of the breakpoint: @samp{breakpoint} or @samp{watchpoint}
27823 @item Disposition
27824 should the breakpoint be deleted or disabled when it is hit: @samp{keep}
27825 or @samp{nokeep}
27826 @item Enabled
27827 is the breakpoint enabled or no: @samp{y} or @samp{n}
27828 @item Address
27829 memory location at which the breakpoint is set
27830 @item What
27831 logical location of the breakpoint, expressed by function name, file
27832 name, line number
27833 @item Times
27834 number of times the breakpoint has been hit
27835 @end table
27836
27837 If there are no breakpoints or watchpoints, the @code{BreakpointTable}
27838 @code{body} field is an empty list.
27839
27840 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27841
27842 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break}.
27843
27844 @subsubheading Example
27845
27846 @smallexample
27847 (gdb)
27848 -break-list
27849 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
27850 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27851 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27852 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27853 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27854 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27855 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27856 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27857 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",line="5",times="0"@},
27858 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27859 addr="0x00010114",func="foo",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
27860 line="13",times="0"@}]@}
27861 (gdb)
27862 @end smallexample
27863
27864 Here's an example of the result when there are no breakpoints:
27865
27866 @smallexample
27867 (gdb)
27868 -break-list
27869 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
27870 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27871 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27872 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27873 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27874 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27875 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27876 body=[]@}
27877 (gdb)
27878 @end smallexample
27879
27880 @subheading The @code{-break-passcount} Command
27881 @findex -break-passcount
27882
27883 @subsubheading Synopsis
27884
27885 @smallexample
27886 -break-passcount @var{tracepoint-number} @var{passcount}
27887 @end smallexample
27888
27889 Set the passcount for tracepoint @var{tracepoint-number} to
27890 @var{passcount}. If the breakpoint referred to by @var{tracepoint-number}
27891 is not a tracepoint, error is emitted. This corresponds to CLI
27892 command @samp{passcount}.
27893
27894 @subheading The @code{-break-watch} Command
27895 @findex -break-watch
27896
27897 @subsubheading Synopsis
27898
27899 @smallexample
27900 -break-watch [ -a | -r ]
27901 @end smallexample
27902
27903 Create a watchpoint. With the @samp{-a} option it will create an
27904 @dfn{access} watchpoint, i.e., a watchpoint that triggers either on a
27905 read from or on a write to the memory location. With the @samp{-r}
27906 option, the watchpoint created is a @dfn{read} watchpoint, i.e., it will
27907 trigger only when the memory location is accessed for reading. Without
27908 either of the options, the watchpoint created is a regular watchpoint,
27909 i.e., it will trigger when the memory location is accessed for writing.
27910 @xref{Set Watchpoints, , Setting Watchpoints}.
27911
27912 Note that @samp{-break-list} will report a single list of watchpoints and
27913 breakpoints inserted.
27914
27915 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
27916
27917 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{watch}, @samp{awatch}, and
27918 @samp{rwatch}.
27919
27920 @subsubheading Example
27921
27922 Setting a watchpoint on a variable in the @code{main} function:
27923
27924 @smallexample
27925 (gdb)
27926 -break-watch x
27927 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@}
27928 (gdb)
27929 -exec-continue
27930 ^running
27931 (gdb)
27932 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@},
27933 value=@{old="-268439212",new="55"@},
27934 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
27935 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="5"@}
27936 (gdb)
27937 @end smallexample
27938
27939 Setting a watchpoint on a variable local to a function. @value{GDBN} will stop
27940 the program execution twice: first for the variable changing value, then
27941 for the watchpoint going out of scope.
27942
27943 @smallexample
27944 (gdb)
27945 -break-watch C
27946 ^done,wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@}
27947 (gdb)
27948 -exec-continue
27949 ^running
27950 (gdb)
27951 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",
27952 wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@},value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
27953 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
27954 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
27955 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
27956 (gdb)
27957 -exec-continue
27958 ^running
27959 (gdb)
27960 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="5",
27961 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
27962 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
27963 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
27964 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
27965 (gdb)
27966 @end smallexample
27967
27968 Listing breakpoints and watchpoints, at different points in the program
27969 execution. Note that once the watchpoint goes out of scope, it is
27970 deleted.
27971
27972 @smallexample
27973 (gdb)
27974 -break-watch C
27975 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@}
27976 (gdb)
27977 -break-list
27978 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
27979 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
27980 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
27981 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
27982 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
27983 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
27984 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
27985 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
27986 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
27987 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
27988 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c"line="8",times="1"@},
27989 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
27990 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="0"@}]@}
27991 (gdb)
27992 -exec-continue
27993 ^running
27994 (gdb)
27995 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@},
27996 value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
27997 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
27998 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
27999 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
28000 (gdb)
28001 -break-list
28002 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28003 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28004 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28005 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28006 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28007 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28008 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28009 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28010 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28011 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28012 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",times="1"@},
28013 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
28014 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="-5"@}]@}
28015 (gdb)
28016 -exec-continue
28017 ^running
28018 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="2",
28019 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
28020 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28021 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28022 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
28023 (gdb)
28024 -break-list
28025 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28026 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28027 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28028 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28029 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28030 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28031 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28032 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28033 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28034 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28035 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
28036 times="1"@}]@}
28037 (gdb)
28038 @end smallexample
28039
28040 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28041 @node GDB/MI Program Context
28042 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Context
28043
28044 @subheading The @code{-exec-arguments} Command
28045 @findex -exec-arguments
28046
28047
28048 @subsubheading Synopsis
28049
28050 @smallexample
28051 -exec-arguments @var{args}
28052 @end smallexample
28053
28054 Set the inferior program arguments, to be used in the next
28055 @samp{-exec-run}.
28056
28057 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28058
28059 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set args}.
28060
28061 @subsubheading Example
28062
28063 @smallexample
28064 (gdb)
28065 -exec-arguments -v word
28066 ^done
28067 (gdb)
28068 @end smallexample
28069
28070
28071 @ignore
28072 @subheading The @code{-exec-show-arguments} Command
28073 @findex -exec-show-arguments
28074
28075 @subsubheading Synopsis
28076
28077 @smallexample
28078 -exec-show-arguments
28079 @end smallexample
28080
28081 Print the arguments of the program.
28082
28083 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28084
28085 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show args}.
28086
28087 @subsubheading Example
28088 N.A.
28089 @end ignore
28090
28091
28092 @subheading The @code{-environment-cd} Command
28093 @findex -environment-cd
28094
28095 @subsubheading Synopsis
28096
28097 @smallexample
28098 -environment-cd @var{pathdir}
28099 @end smallexample
28100
28101 Set @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
28102
28103 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28104
28105 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{cd}.
28106
28107 @subsubheading Example
28108
28109 @smallexample
28110 (gdb)
28111 -environment-cd /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
28112 ^done
28113 (gdb)
28114 @end smallexample
28115
28116
28117 @subheading The @code{-environment-directory} Command
28118 @findex -environment-directory
28119
28120 @subsubheading Synopsis
28121
28122 @smallexample
28123 -environment-directory [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
28124 @end smallexample
28125
28126 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for source files.
28127 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the default
28128 search path. If directories @var{pathdir} are supplied in addition to the
28129 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
28130 occurs as normal.
28131 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
28132 multiple directories in a single command
28133 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
28134 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
28135 If blanks are needed as
28136 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
28137 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
28138 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
28139 character must not be used
28140 in any directory name.
28141 If no directories are specified, the current search path is displayed.
28142
28143 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28144
28145 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dir}.
28146
28147 @subsubheading Example
28148
28149 @smallexample
28150 (gdb)
28151 -environment-directory /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
28152 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
28153 (gdb)
28154 -environment-directory ""
28155 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
28156 (gdb)
28157 -environment-directory -r /home/jjohnstn/src/gdb /usr/src
28158 ^done,source-path="/home/jjohnstn/src/gdb:/usr/src:$cdir:$cwd"
28159 (gdb)
28160 -environment-directory -r
28161 ^done,source-path="$cdir:$cwd"
28162 (gdb)
28163 @end smallexample
28164
28165
28166 @subheading The @code{-environment-path} Command
28167 @findex -environment-path
28168
28169 @subsubheading Synopsis
28170
28171 @smallexample
28172 -environment-path [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
28173 @end smallexample
28174
28175 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for object files.
28176 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the original
28177 search path that existed at gdb start-up. If directories @var{pathdir} are
28178 supplied in addition to the
28179 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
28180 occurs as normal.
28181 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
28182 multiple directories in a single command
28183 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
28184 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
28185 If blanks are needed as
28186 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
28187 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
28188 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
28189 character must not be used
28190 in any directory name.
28191 If no directories are specified, the current path is displayed.
28192
28193
28194 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28195
28196 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{path}.
28197
28198 @subsubheading Example
28199
28200 @smallexample
28201 (gdb)
28202 -environment-path
28203 ^done,path="/usr/bin"
28204 (gdb)
28205 -environment-path /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb /bin
28206 ^done,path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb:/bin:/usr/bin"
28207 (gdb)
28208 -environment-path -r /usr/local/bin
28209 ^done,path="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
28210 (gdb)
28211 @end smallexample
28212
28213
28214 @subheading The @code{-environment-pwd} Command
28215 @findex -environment-pwd
28216
28217 @subsubheading Synopsis
28218
28219 @smallexample
28220 -environment-pwd
28221 @end smallexample
28222
28223 Show the current working directory.
28224
28225 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28226
28227 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{pwd}.
28228
28229 @subsubheading Example
28230
28231 @smallexample
28232 (gdb)
28233 -environment-pwd
28234 ^done,cwd="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb"
28235 (gdb)
28236 @end smallexample
28237
28238 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28239 @node GDB/MI Thread Commands
28240 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Commands
28241
28242
28243 @subheading The @code{-thread-info} Command
28244 @findex -thread-info
28245
28246 @subsubheading Synopsis
28247
28248 @smallexample
28249 -thread-info [ @var{thread-id} ]
28250 @end smallexample
28251
28252 Reports information about either a specific thread, if
28253 the @var{thread-id} parameter is present, or about all
28254 threads. When printing information about all threads,
28255 also reports the current thread.
28256
28257 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28258
28259 The @samp{info thread} command prints the same information
28260 about all threads.
28261
28262 @subsubheading Result
28263
28264 The result is a list of threads. The following attributes are
28265 defined for a given thread:
28266
28267 @table @samp
28268 @item current
28269 This field exists only for the current thread. It has the value @samp{*}.
28270
28271 @item id
28272 The identifier that @value{GDBN} uses to refer to the thread.
28273
28274 @item target-id
28275 The identifier that the target uses to refer to the thread.
28276
28277 @item details
28278 Extra information about the thread, in a target-specific format. This
28279 field is optional.
28280
28281 @item name
28282 The name of the thread. If the user specified a name using the
28283 @code{thread name} command, then this name is given. Otherwise, if
28284 @value{GDBN} can extract the thread name from the target, then that
28285 name is given. If @value{GDBN} cannot find the thread name, then this
28286 field is omitted.
28287
28288 @item frame
28289 The stack frame currently executing in the thread.
28290
28291 @item state
28292 The thread's state. The @samp{state} field may have the following
28293 values:
28294
28295 @table @code
28296 @item stopped
28297 The thread is stopped. Frame information is available for stopped
28298 threads.
28299
28300 @item running
28301 The thread is running. There's no frame information for running
28302 threads.
28303
28304 @end table
28305
28306 @item core
28307 If @value{GDBN} can find the CPU core on which this thread is running,
28308 then this field is the core identifier. This field is optional.
28309
28310 @end table
28311
28312 @subsubheading Example
28313
28314 @smallexample
28315 -thread-info
28316 ^done,threads=[
28317 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
28318 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",
28319 args=[]@},state="running"@},
28320 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
28321 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",
28322 args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
28323 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},
28324 state="running"@}],
28325 current-thread-id="1"
28326 (gdb)
28327 @end smallexample
28328
28329 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-ids} Command
28330 @findex -thread-list-ids
28331
28332 @subsubheading Synopsis
28333
28334 @smallexample
28335 -thread-list-ids
28336 @end smallexample
28337
28338 Produces a list of the currently known @value{GDBN} thread ids. At the
28339 end of the list it also prints the total number of such threads.
28340
28341 This command is retained for historical reasons, the
28342 @code{-thread-info} command should be used instead.
28343
28344 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28345
28346 Part of @samp{info threads} supplies the same information.
28347
28348 @subsubheading Example
28349
28350 @smallexample
28351 (gdb)
28352 -thread-list-ids
28353 ^done,thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
28354 current-thread-id="1",number-of-threads="3"
28355 (gdb)
28356 @end smallexample
28357
28358
28359 @subheading The @code{-thread-select} Command
28360 @findex -thread-select
28361
28362 @subsubheading Synopsis
28363
28364 @smallexample
28365 -thread-select @var{threadnum}
28366 @end smallexample
28367
28368 Make @var{threadnum} the current thread. It prints the number of the new
28369 current thread, and the topmost frame for that thread.
28370
28371 This command is deprecated in favor of explicitly using the
28372 @samp{--thread} option to each command.
28373
28374 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28375
28376 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{thread}.
28377
28378 @subsubheading Example
28379
28380 @smallexample
28381 (gdb)
28382 -exec-next
28383 ^running
28384 (gdb)
28385 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",thread-id="2",line="187",
28386 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/linux-dp.c"
28387 (gdb)
28388 -thread-list-ids
28389 ^done,
28390 thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
28391 number-of-threads="3"
28392 (gdb)
28393 -thread-select 3
28394 ^done,new-thread-id="3",
28395 frame=@{level="0",func="vprintf",
28396 args=[@{name="format",value="0x8048e9c \"%*s%c %d %c\\n\""@},
28397 @{name="arg",value="0x2"@}],file="vprintf.c",line="31"@}
28398 (gdb)
28399 @end smallexample
28400
28401 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28402 @node GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands
28403 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Tasking Commands
28404
28405 @subheading The @code{-ada-task-info} Command
28406 @findex -ada-task-info
28407
28408 @subsubheading Synopsis
28409
28410 @smallexample
28411 -ada-task-info [ @var{task-id} ]
28412 @end smallexample
28413
28414 Reports information about either a specific Ada task, if the
28415 @var{task-id} parameter is present, or about all Ada tasks.
28416
28417 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28418
28419 The @samp{info tasks} command prints the same information
28420 about all Ada tasks (@pxref{Ada Tasks}).
28421
28422 @subsubheading Result
28423
28424 The result is a table of Ada tasks. The following columns are
28425 defined for each Ada task:
28426
28427 @table @samp
28428 @item current
28429 This field exists only for the current thread. It has the value @samp{*}.
28430
28431 @item id
28432 The identifier that @value{GDBN} uses to refer to the Ada task.
28433
28434 @item task-id
28435 The identifier that the target uses to refer to the Ada task.
28436
28437 @item thread-id
28438 The identifier of the thread corresponding to the Ada task.
28439
28440 This field should always exist, as Ada tasks are always implemented
28441 on top of a thread. But if @value{GDBN} cannot find this corresponding
28442 thread for any reason, the field is omitted.
28443
28444 @item parent-id
28445 This field exists only when the task was created by another task.
28446 In this case, it provides the ID of the parent task.
28447
28448 @item priority
28449 The base priority of the task.
28450
28451 @item state
28452 The current state of the task. For a detailed description of the
28453 possible states, see @ref{Ada Tasks}.
28454
28455 @item name
28456 The name of the task.
28457
28458 @end table
28459
28460 @subsubheading Example
28461
28462 @smallexample
28463 -ada-task-info
28464 ^done,tasks=@{nr_rows="3",nr_cols="8",
28465 hdr=[@{width="1",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr=""@},
28466 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="id",colhdr="ID"@},
28467 @{width="9",alignment="1",col_name="task-id",colhdr="TID"@},
28468 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="thread-id",colhdr=""@},
28469 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="parent-id",colhdr="P-ID"@},
28470 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="priority",colhdr="Pri"@},
28471 @{width="22",alignment="-1",col_name="state",colhdr="State"@},
28472 @{width="1",alignment="2",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@}],
28473 body=[@{current="*",id="1",task-id=" 644010",thread-id="1",priority="48",
28474 state="Child Termination Wait",name="main_task"@}]@}
28475 (gdb)
28476 @end smallexample
28477
28478 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28479 @node GDB/MI Program Execution
28480 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Execution
28481
28482 These are the asynchronous commands which generate the out-of-band
28483 record @samp{*stopped}. Currently @value{GDBN} only really executes
28484 asynchronously with remote targets and this interaction is mimicked in
28485 other cases.
28486
28487 @subheading The @code{-exec-continue} Command
28488 @findex -exec-continue
28489
28490 @subsubheading Synopsis
28491
28492 @smallexample
28493 -exec-continue [--reverse] [--all|--thread-group N]
28494 @end smallexample
28495
28496 Resumes the execution of the inferior program, which will continue
28497 to execute until it reaches a debugger stop event. If the
28498 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, execution resumes in reverse until
28499 it reaches a stop event. Stop events may include
28500 @itemize @bullet
28501 @item
28502 breakpoints or watchpoints
28503 @item
28504 signals or exceptions
28505 @item
28506 the end of the process (or its beginning under @samp{--reverse})
28507 @item
28508 the end or beginning of a replay log if one is being used.
28509 @end itemize
28510 In all-stop mode (@pxref{All-Stop
28511 Mode}), may resume only one thread, or all threads, depending on the
28512 value of the @samp{scheduler-locking} variable. If @samp{--all} is
28513 specified, all threads (in all inferiors) will be resumed. The @samp{--all} option is
28514 ignored in all-stop mode. If the @samp{--thread-group} options is
28515 specified, then all threads in that thread group are resumed.
28516
28517 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28518
28519 The corresponding @value{GDBN} corresponding is @samp{continue}.
28520
28521 @subsubheading Example
28522
28523 @smallexample
28524 -exec-continue
28525 ^running
28526 (gdb)
28527 @@Hello world
28528 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="2",frame=@{
28529 func="foo",args=[],file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",
28530 line="13"@}
28531 (gdb)
28532 @end smallexample
28533
28534
28535 @subheading The @code{-exec-finish} Command
28536 @findex -exec-finish
28537
28538 @subsubheading Synopsis
28539
28540 @smallexample
28541 -exec-finish [--reverse]
28542 @end smallexample
28543
28544 Resumes the execution of the inferior program until the current
28545 function is exited. Displays the results returned by the function.
28546 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes the reverse
28547 execution of the inferior program until the point where current
28548 function was called.
28549
28550 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28551
28552 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{finish}.
28553
28554 @subsubheading Example
28555
28556 Function returning @code{void}.
28557
28558 @smallexample
28559 -exec-finish
28560 ^running
28561 (gdb)
28562 @@hello from foo
28563 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
28564 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="7"@}
28565 (gdb)
28566 @end smallexample
28567
28568 Function returning other than @code{void}. The name of the internal
28569 @value{GDBN} variable storing the result is printed, together with the
28570 value itself.
28571
28572 @smallexample
28573 -exec-finish
28574 ^running
28575 (gdb)
28576 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{addr="0x000107b0",func="foo",
28577 args=[@{name="a",value="1"],@{name="b",value="9"@}@},
28578 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
28579 gdb-result-var="$1",return-value="0"
28580 (gdb)
28581 @end smallexample
28582
28583
28584 @subheading The @code{-exec-interrupt} Command
28585 @findex -exec-interrupt
28586
28587 @subsubheading Synopsis
28588
28589 @smallexample
28590 -exec-interrupt [--all|--thread-group N]
28591 @end smallexample
28592
28593 Interrupts the background execution of the target. Note how the token
28594 associated with the stop message is the one for the execution command
28595 that has been interrupted. The token for the interrupt itself only
28596 appears in the @samp{^done} output. If the user is trying to
28597 interrupt a non-running program, an error message will be printed.
28598
28599 Note that when asynchronous execution is enabled, this command is
28600 asynchronous just like other execution commands. That is, first the
28601 @samp{^done} response will be printed, and the target stop will be
28602 reported after that using the @samp{*stopped} notification.
28603
28604 In non-stop mode, only the context thread is interrupted by default.
28605 All threads (in all inferiors) will be interrupted if the
28606 @samp{--all} option is specified. If the @samp{--thread-group}
28607 option is specified, all threads in that group will be interrupted.
28608
28609 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28610
28611 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interrupt}.
28612
28613 @subsubheading Example
28614
28615 @smallexample
28616 (gdb)
28617 111-exec-continue
28618 111^running
28619
28620 (gdb)
28621 222-exec-interrupt
28622 222^done
28623 (gdb)
28624 111*stopped,signal-name="SIGINT",signal-meaning="Interrupt",
28625 frame=@{addr="0x00010140",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
28626 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="13"@}
28627 (gdb)
28628
28629 (gdb)
28630 -exec-interrupt
28631 ^error,msg="mi_cmd_exec_interrupt: Inferior not executing."
28632 (gdb)
28633 @end smallexample
28634
28635 @subheading The @code{-exec-jump} Command
28636 @findex -exec-jump
28637
28638 @subsubheading Synopsis
28639
28640 @smallexample
28641 -exec-jump @var{location}
28642 @end smallexample
28643
28644 Resumes execution of the inferior program at the location specified by
28645 parameter. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
28646 different forms of @var{location}.
28647
28648 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28649
28650 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{jump}.
28651
28652 @subsubheading Example
28653
28654 @smallexample
28655 -exec-jump foo.c:10
28656 *running,thread-id="all"
28657 ^running
28658 @end smallexample
28659
28660
28661 @subheading The @code{-exec-next} Command
28662 @findex -exec-next
28663
28664 @subsubheading Synopsis
28665
28666 @smallexample
28667 -exec-next [--reverse]
28668 @end smallexample
28669
28670 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
28671 of the next source line is reached.
28672
28673 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
28674 of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the previous
28675 source line. If you issue this command on the first line of a
28676 function, it will take you back to the caller of that function, to the
28677 source line where the function was called.
28678
28679
28680 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28681
28682 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{next}.
28683
28684 @subsubheading Example
28685
28686 @smallexample
28687 -exec-next
28688 ^running
28689 (gdb)
28690 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="8",file="hello.c"
28691 (gdb)
28692 @end smallexample
28693
28694
28695 @subheading The @code{-exec-next-instruction} Command
28696 @findex -exec-next-instruction
28697
28698 @subsubheading Synopsis
28699
28700 @smallexample
28701 -exec-next-instruction [--reverse]
28702 @end smallexample
28703
28704 Executes one machine instruction. If the instruction is a function
28705 call, continues until the function returns. If the program stops at an
28706 instruction in the middle of a source line, the address will be
28707 printed as well.
28708
28709 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
28710 of the inferior program, stopping at the previous instruction. If the
28711 previously executed instruction was a return from another function,
28712 it will continue to execute in reverse until the call to that function
28713 (from the current stack frame) is reached.
28714
28715 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28716
28717 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{nexti}.
28718
28719 @subsubheading Example
28720
28721 @smallexample
28722 (gdb)
28723 -exec-next-instruction
28724 ^running
28725
28726 (gdb)
28727 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
28728 addr="0x000100d4",line="5",file="hello.c"
28729 (gdb)
28730 @end smallexample
28731
28732
28733 @subheading The @code{-exec-return} Command
28734 @findex -exec-return
28735
28736 @subsubheading Synopsis
28737
28738 @smallexample
28739 -exec-return
28740 @end smallexample
28741
28742 Makes current function return immediately. Doesn't execute the inferior.
28743 Displays the new current frame.
28744
28745 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28746
28747 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{return}.
28748
28749 @subsubheading Example
28750
28751 @smallexample
28752 (gdb)
28753 200-break-insert callee4
28754 200^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x00010734",
28755 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
28756 (gdb)
28757 000-exec-run
28758 000^running
28759 (gdb)
28760 000*stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
28761 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
28762 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28763 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
28764 (gdb)
28765 205-break-delete
28766 205^done
28767 (gdb)
28768 111-exec-return
28769 111^done,frame=@{level="0",func="callee3",
28770 args=[@{name="strarg",
28771 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28772 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28773 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
28774 (gdb)
28775 @end smallexample
28776
28777
28778 @subheading The @code{-exec-run} Command
28779 @findex -exec-run
28780
28781 @subsubheading Synopsis
28782
28783 @smallexample
28784 -exec-run [--all | --thread-group N]
28785 @end smallexample
28786
28787 Starts execution of the inferior from the beginning. The inferior
28788 executes until either a breakpoint is encountered or the program
28789 exits. In the latter case the output will include an exit code, if
28790 the program has exited exceptionally.
28791
28792 When no option is specified, the current inferior is started. If the
28793 @samp{--thread-group} option is specified, it should refer to a thread
28794 group of type @samp{process}, and that thread group will be started.
28795 If the @samp{--all} option is specified, then all inferiors will be started.
28796
28797 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28798
28799 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{run}.
28800
28801 @subsubheading Examples
28802
28803 @smallexample
28804 (gdb)
28805 -break-insert main
28806 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",line="4"@}
28807 (gdb)
28808 -exec-run
28809 ^running
28810 (gdb)
28811 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
28812 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
28813 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}
28814 (gdb)
28815 @end smallexample
28816
28817 @noindent
28818 Program exited normally:
28819
28820 @smallexample
28821 (gdb)
28822 -exec-run
28823 ^running
28824 (gdb)
28825 x = 55
28826 *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
28827 (gdb)
28828 @end smallexample
28829
28830 @noindent
28831 Program exited exceptionally:
28832
28833 @smallexample
28834 (gdb)
28835 -exec-run
28836 ^running
28837 (gdb)
28838 x = 55
28839 *stopped,reason="exited",exit-code="01"
28840 (gdb)
28841 @end smallexample
28842
28843 Another way the program can terminate is if it receives a signal such as
28844 @code{SIGINT}. In this case, @sc{gdb/mi} displays this:
28845
28846 @smallexample
28847 (gdb)
28848 *stopped,reason="exited-signalled",signal-name="SIGINT",
28849 signal-meaning="Interrupt"
28850 @end smallexample
28851
28852
28853 @c @subheading -exec-signal
28854
28855
28856 @subheading The @code{-exec-step} Command
28857 @findex -exec-step
28858
28859 @subsubheading Synopsis
28860
28861 @smallexample
28862 -exec-step [--reverse]
28863 @end smallexample
28864
28865 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
28866 of the next source line is reached, if the next source line is not a
28867 function call. If it is, stop at the first instruction of the called
28868 function. If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse
28869 execution of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the
28870 previously executed source line.
28871
28872 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28873
28874 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{step}.
28875
28876 @subsubheading Example
28877
28878 Stepping into a function:
28879
28880 @smallexample
28881 -exec-step
28882 ^running
28883 (gdb)
28884 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
28885 frame=@{func="foo",args=[@{name="a",value="10"@},
28886 @{name="b",value="0"@}],file="recursive2.c",
28887 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@}
28888 (gdb)
28889 @end smallexample
28890
28891 Regular stepping:
28892
28893 @smallexample
28894 -exec-step
28895 ^running
28896 (gdb)
28897 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="14",file="recursive2.c"
28898 (gdb)
28899 @end smallexample
28900
28901
28902 @subheading The @code{-exec-step-instruction} Command
28903 @findex -exec-step-instruction
28904
28905 @subsubheading Synopsis
28906
28907 @smallexample
28908 -exec-step-instruction [--reverse]
28909 @end smallexample
28910
28911 Resumes the inferior which executes one machine instruction. If the
28912 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution of the
28913 inferior program, stopping at the previously executed instruction.
28914 The output, once @value{GDBN} has stopped, will vary depending on
28915 whether we have stopped in the middle of a source line or not. In the
28916 former case, the address at which the program stopped will be printed
28917 as well.
28918
28919 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28920
28921 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{stepi}.
28922
28923 @subsubheading Example
28924
28925 @smallexample
28926 (gdb)
28927 -exec-step-instruction
28928 ^running
28929
28930 (gdb)
28931 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
28932 frame=@{func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
28933 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
28934 (gdb)
28935 -exec-step-instruction
28936 ^running
28937
28938 (gdb)
28939 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
28940 frame=@{addr="0x000100f4",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
28941 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
28942 (gdb)
28943 @end smallexample
28944
28945
28946 @subheading The @code{-exec-until} Command
28947 @findex -exec-until
28948
28949 @subsubheading Synopsis
28950
28951 @smallexample
28952 -exec-until [ @var{location} ]
28953 @end smallexample
28954
28955 Executes the inferior until the @var{location} specified in the
28956 argument is reached. If there is no argument, the inferior executes
28957 until a source line greater than the current one is reached. The
28958 reason for stopping in this case will be @samp{location-reached}.
28959
28960 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28961
28962 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{until}.
28963
28964 @subsubheading Example
28965
28966 @smallexample
28967 (gdb)
28968 -exec-until recursive2.c:6
28969 ^running
28970 (gdb)
28971 x = 55
28972 *stopped,reason="location-reached",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
28973 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="6"@}
28974 (gdb)
28975 @end smallexample
28976
28977 @ignore
28978 @subheading -file-clear
28979 Is this going away????
28980 @end ignore
28981
28982 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28983 @node GDB/MI Stack Manipulation
28984 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Stack Manipulation Commands
28985
28986
28987 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-frame} Command
28988 @findex -stack-info-frame
28989
28990 @subsubheading Synopsis
28991
28992 @smallexample
28993 -stack-info-frame
28994 @end smallexample
28995
28996 Get info on the selected frame.
28997
28998 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28999
29000 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info frame} or @samp{frame}
29001 (without arguments).
29002
29003 @subsubheading Example
29004
29005 @smallexample
29006 (gdb)
29007 -stack-info-frame
29008 ^done,frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
29009 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29010 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@}
29011 (gdb)
29012 @end smallexample
29013
29014 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-depth} Command
29015 @findex -stack-info-depth
29016
29017 @subsubheading Synopsis
29018
29019 @smallexample
29020 -stack-info-depth [ @var{max-depth} ]
29021 @end smallexample
29022
29023 Return the depth of the stack. If the integer argument @var{max-depth}
29024 is specified, do not count beyond @var{max-depth} frames.
29025
29026 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29027
29028 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
29029
29030 @subsubheading Example
29031
29032 For a stack with frame levels 0 through 11:
29033
29034 @smallexample
29035 (gdb)
29036 -stack-info-depth
29037 ^done,depth="12"
29038 (gdb)
29039 -stack-info-depth 4
29040 ^done,depth="4"
29041 (gdb)
29042 -stack-info-depth 12
29043 ^done,depth="12"
29044 (gdb)
29045 -stack-info-depth 11
29046 ^done,depth="11"
29047 (gdb)
29048 -stack-info-depth 13
29049 ^done,depth="12"
29050 (gdb)
29051 @end smallexample
29052
29053 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-arguments} Command
29054 @findex -stack-list-arguments
29055
29056 @subsubheading Synopsis
29057
29058 @smallexample
29059 -stack-list-arguments @var{print-values}
29060 [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
29061 @end smallexample
29062
29063 Display a list of the arguments for the frames between @var{low-frame}
29064 and @var{high-frame} (inclusive). If @var{low-frame} and
29065 @var{high-frame} are not provided, list the arguments for the whole
29066 call stack. If the two arguments are equal, show the single frame
29067 at the corresponding level. It is an error if @var{low-frame} is
29068 larger than the actual number of frames. On the other hand,
29069 @var{high-frame} may be larger than the actual number of frames, in
29070 which case only existing frames will be returned.
29071
29072 If @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
29073 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
29074 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
29075 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
29076 structures and unions.
29077
29078 Use of this command to obtain arguments in a single frame is
29079 deprecated in favor of the @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
29080
29081 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29082
29083 @value{GDBN} does not have an equivalent command. @code{gdbtk} has a
29084 @samp{gdb_get_args} command which partially overlaps with the
29085 functionality of @samp{-stack-list-arguments}.
29086
29087 @subsubheading Example
29088
29089 @smallexample
29090 (gdb)
29091 -stack-list-frames
29092 ^done,
29093 stack=[
29094 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
29095 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29096 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@},
29097 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
29098 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29099 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@},
29100 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x0001078c",func="callee2",
29101 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29102 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="22"@},
29103 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107b4",func="callee1",
29104 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29105 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="27"@},
29106 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107e0",func="main",
29107 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29108 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="32"@}]
29109 (gdb)
29110 -stack-list-arguments 0
29111 ^done,
29112 stack-args=[
29113 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
29114 frame=@{level="1",args=[name="strarg"]@},
29115 frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@},
29116 frame=@{level="3",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg",name="fltarg"]@},
29117 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
29118 (gdb)
29119 -stack-list-arguments 1
29120 ^done,
29121 stack-args=[
29122 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
29123 frame=@{level="1",
29124 args=[@{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
29125 frame=@{level="2",args=[
29126 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
29127 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
29128 @{frame=@{level="3",args=[
29129 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
29130 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@},
29131 @{name="fltarg",value="3.5"@}]@},
29132 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
29133 (gdb)
29134 -stack-list-arguments 0 2 2
29135 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@}]
29136 (gdb)
29137 -stack-list-arguments 1 2 2
29138 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",
29139 args=[@{name="intarg",value="2"@},
29140 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@}]
29141 (gdb)
29142 @end smallexample
29143
29144 @c @subheading -stack-list-exception-handlers
29145
29146
29147 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-frames} Command
29148 @findex -stack-list-frames
29149
29150 @subsubheading Synopsis
29151
29152 @smallexample
29153 -stack-list-frames [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
29154 @end smallexample
29155
29156 List the frames currently on the stack. For each frame it displays the
29157 following info:
29158
29159 @table @samp
29160 @item @var{level}
29161 The frame number, 0 being the topmost frame, i.e., the innermost function.
29162 @item @var{addr}
29163 The @code{$pc} value for that frame.
29164 @item @var{func}
29165 Function name.
29166 @item @var{file}
29167 File name of the source file where the function lives.
29168 @item @var{fullname}
29169 The full file name of the source file where the function lives.
29170 @item @var{line}
29171 Line number corresponding to the @code{$pc}.
29172 @item @var{from}
29173 The shared library where this function is defined. This is only given
29174 if the frame's function is not known.
29175 @end table
29176
29177 If invoked without arguments, this command prints a backtrace for the
29178 whole stack. If given two integer arguments, it shows the frames whose
29179 levels are between the two arguments (inclusive). If the two arguments
29180 are equal, it shows the single frame at the corresponding level. It is
29181 an error if @var{low-frame} is larger than the actual number of
29182 frames. On the other hand, @var{high-frame} may be larger than the
29183 actual number of frames, in which case only existing frames will be returned.
29184
29185 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29186
29187 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{backtrace} and @samp{where}.
29188
29189 @subsubheading Example
29190
29191 Full stack backtrace:
29192
29193 @smallexample
29194 (gdb)
29195 -stack-list-frames
29196 ^done,stack=
29197 [frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0001076c",func="foo",
29198 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@},
29199 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29200 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29201 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29202 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29203 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29204 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29205 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29206 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29207 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29208 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29209 frame=@{level="6",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29210 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29211 frame=@{level="7",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29212 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29213 frame=@{level="8",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29214 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29215 frame=@{level="9",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29216 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29217 frame=@{level="10",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29218 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29219 frame=@{level="11",addr="0x00010738",func="main",
29220 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}]
29221 (gdb)
29222 @end smallexample
29223
29224 Show frames between @var{low_frame} and @var{high_frame}:
29225
29226 @smallexample
29227 (gdb)
29228 -stack-list-frames 3 5
29229 ^done,stack=
29230 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29231 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29232 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29233 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29234 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29235 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
29236 (gdb)
29237 @end smallexample
29238
29239 Show a single frame:
29240
29241 @smallexample
29242 (gdb)
29243 -stack-list-frames 3 3
29244 ^done,stack=
29245 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
29246 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
29247 (gdb)
29248 @end smallexample
29249
29250
29251 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-locals} Command
29252 @findex -stack-list-locals
29253
29254 @subsubheading Synopsis
29255
29256 @smallexample
29257 -stack-list-locals @var{print-values}
29258 @end smallexample
29259
29260 Display the local variable names for the selected frame. If
29261 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
29262 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
29263 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
29264 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
29265 structures and unions. In this last case, a frontend can immediately
29266 display the value of simple data types and create variable objects for
29267 other data types when the user wishes to explore their values in
29268 more detail.
29269
29270 This command is deprecated in favor of the
29271 @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
29272
29273 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29274
29275 @samp{info locals} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_get_locals} in @code{gdbtk}.
29276
29277 @subsubheading Example
29278
29279 @smallexample
29280 (gdb)
29281 -stack-list-locals 0
29282 ^done,locals=[name="A",name="B",name="C"]
29283 (gdb)
29284 -stack-list-locals --all-values
29285 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",value="1"@},@{name="B",value="2"@},
29286 @{name="C",value="@{1, 2, 3@}"@}]
29287 -stack-list-locals --simple-values
29288 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",type="int",value="1"@},
29289 @{name="B",type="int",value="2"@},@{name="C",type="int [3]"@}]
29290 (gdb)
29291 @end smallexample
29292
29293 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-variables} Command
29294 @findex -stack-list-variables
29295
29296 @subsubheading Synopsis
29297
29298 @smallexample
29299 -stack-list-variables @var{print-values}
29300 @end smallexample
29301
29302 Display the names of local variables and function arguments for the selected frame. If
29303 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
29304 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
29305 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
29306 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
29307 structures and unions.
29308
29309 @subsubheading Example
29310
29311 @smallexample
29312 (gdb)
29313 -stack-list-variables --thread 1 --frame 0 --all-values
29314 ^done,variables=[@{name="x",value="11"@},@{name="s",value="@{a = 1, b = 2@}"@}]
29315 (gdb)
29316 @end smallexample
29317
29318
29319 @subheading The @code{-stack-select-frame} Command
29320 @findex -stack-select-frame
29321
29322 @subsubheading Synopsis
29323
29324 @smallexample
29325 -stack-select-frame @var{framenum}
29326 @end smallexample
29327
29328 Change the selected frame. Select a different frame @var{framenum} on
29329 the stack.
29330
29331 This command in deprecated in favor of passing the @samp{--frame}
29332 option to every command.
29333
29334 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29335
29336 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{frame}, @samp{up},
29337 @samp{down}, @samp{select-frame}, @samp{up-silent}, and @samp{down-silent}.
29338
29339 @subsubheading Example
29340
29341 @smallexample
29342 (gdb)
29343 -stack-select-frame 2
29344 ^done
29345 (gdb)
29346 @end smallexample
29347
29348 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29349 @node GDB/MI Variable Objects
29350 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Variable Objects
29351
29352 @ignore
29353
29354 @subheading Motivation for Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
29355
29356 For the implementation of a variable debugger window (locals, watched
29357 expressions, etc.), we are proposing the adaptation of the existing code
29358 used by @code{Insight}.
29359
29360 The two main reasons for that are:
29361
29362 @enumerate 1
29363 @item
29364 It has been proven in practice (it is already on its second generation).
29365
29366 @item
29367 It will shorten development time (needless to say how important it is
29368 now).
29369 @end enumerate
29370
29371 The original interface was designed to be used by Tcl code, so it was
29372 slightly changed so it could be used through @sc{gdb/mi}. This section
29373 describes the @sc{gdb/mi} operations that will be available and gives some
29374 hints about their use.
29375
29376 @emph{Note}: In addition to the set of operations described here, we
29377 expect the @sc{gui} implementation of a variable window to require, at
29378 least, the following operations:
29379
29380 @itemize @bullet
29381 @item @code{-gdb-show} @code{output-radix}
29382 @item @code{-stack-list-arguments}
29383 @item @code{-stack-list-locals}
29384 @item @code{-stack-select-frame}
29385 @end itemize
29386
29387 @end ignore
29388
29389 @subheading Introduction to Variable Objects
29390
29391 @cindex variable objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
29392
29393 Variable objects are "object-oriented" MI interface for examining and
29394 changing values of expressions. Unlike some other MI interfaces that
29395 work with expressions, variable objects are specifically designed for
29396 simple and efficient presentation in the frontend. A variable object
29397 is identified by string name. When a variable object is created, the
29398 frontend specifies the expression for that variable object. The
29399 expression can be a simple variable, or it can be an arbitrary complex
29400 expression, and can even involve CPU registers. After creating a
29401 variable object, the frontend can invoke other variable object
29402 operations---for example to obtain or change the value of a variable
29403 object, or to change display format.
29404
29405 Variable objects have hierarchical tree structure. Any variable object
29406 that corresponds to a composite type, such as structure in C, has
29407 a number of child variable objects, for example corresponding to each
29408 element of a structure. A child variable object can itself have
29409 children, recursively. Recursion ends when we reach
29410 leaf variable objects, which always have built-in types. Child variable
29411 objects are created only by explicit request, so if a frontend
29412 is not interested in the children of a particular variable object, no
29413 child will be created.
29414
29415 For a leaf variable object it is possible to obtain its value as a
29416 string, or set the value from a string. String value can be also
29417 obtained for a non-leaf variable object, but it's generally a string
29418 that only indicates the type of the object, and does not list its
29419 contents. Assignment to a non-leaf variable object is not allowed.
29420
29421 A frontend does not need to read the values of all variable objects each time
29422 the program stops. Instead, MI provides an update command that lists all
29423 variable objects whose values has changed since the last update
29424 operation. This considerably reduces the amount of data that must
29425 be transferred to the frontend. As noted above, children variable
29426 objects are created on demand, and only leaf variable objects have a
29427 real value. As result, gdb will read target memory only for leaf
29428 variables that frontend has created.
29429
29430 The automatic update is not always desirable. For example, a frontend
29431 might want to keep a value of some expression for future reference,
29432 and never update it. For another example, fetching memory is
29433 relatively slow for embedded targets, so a frontend might want
29434 to disable automatic update for the variables that are either not
29435 visible on the screen, or ``closed''. This is possible using so
29436 called ``frozen variable objects''. Such variable objects are never
29437 implicitly updated.
29438
29439 Variable objects can be either @dfn{fixed} or @dfn{floating}. For the
29440 fixed variable object, the expression is parsed when the variable
29441 object is created, including associating identifiers to specific
29442 variables. The meaning of expression never changes. For a floating
29443 variable object the values of variables whose names appear in the
29444 expressions are re-evaluated every time in the context of the current
29445 frame. Consider this example:
29446
29447 @smallexample
29448 void do_work(...)
29449 @{
29450 struct work_state state;
29451
29452 if (...)
29453 do_work(...);
29454 @}
29455 @end smallexample
29456
29457 If a fixed variable object for the @code{state} variable is created in
29458 this function, and we enter the recursive call, the variable
29459 object will report the value of @code{state} in the top-level
29460 @code{do_work} invocation. On the other hand, a floating variable
29461 object will report the value of @code{state} in the current frame.
29462
29463 If an expression specified when creating a fixed variable object
29464 refers to a local variable, the variable object becomes bound to the
29465 thread and frame in which the variable object is created. When such
29466 variable object is updated, @value{GDBN} makes sure that the
29467 thread/frame combination the variable object is bound to still exists,
29468 and re-evaluates the variable object in context of that thread/frame.
29469
29470 The following is the complete set of @sc{gdb/mi} operations defined to
29471 access this functionality:
29472
29473 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
29474 @item @strong{Operation}
29475 @tab @strong{Description}
29476
29477 @item @code{-enable-pretty-printing}
29478 @tab enable Python-based pretty-printing
29479 @item @code{-var-create}
29480 @tab create a variable object
29481 @item @code{-var-delete}
29482 @tab delete the variable object and/or its children
29483 @item @code{-var-set-format}
29484 @tab set the display format of this variable
29485 @item @code{-var-show-format}
29486 @tab show the display format of this variable
29487 @item @code{-var-info-num-children}
29488 @tab tells how many children this object has
29489 @item @code{-var-list-children}
29490 @tab return a list of the object's children
29491 @item @code{-var-info-type}
29492 @tab show the type of this variable object
29493 @item @code{-var-info-expression}
29494 @tab print parent-relative expression that this variable object represents
29495 @item @code{-var-info-path-expression}
29496 @tab print full expression that this variable object represents
29497 @item @code{-var-show-attributes}
29498 @tab is this variable editable? does it exist here?
29499 @item @code{-var-evaluate-expression}
29500 @tab get the value of this variable
29501 @item @code{-var-assign}
29502 @tab set the value of this variable
29503 @item @code{-var-update}
29504 @tab update the variable and its children
29505 @item @code{-var-set-frozen}
29506 @tab set frozeness attribute
29507 @item @code{-var-set-update-range}
29508 @tab set range of children to display on update
29509 @end multitable
29510
29511 In the next subsection we describe each operation in detail and suggest
29512 how it can be used.
29513
29514 @subheading Description And Use of Operations on Variable Objects
29515
29516 @subheading The @code{-enable-pretty-printing} Command
29517 @findex -enable-pretty-printing
29518
29519 @smallexample
29520 -enable-pretty-printing
29521 @end smallexample
29522
29523 @value{GDBN} allows Python-based visualizers to affect the output of the
29524 MI variable object commands. However, because there was no way to
29525 implement this in a fully backward-compatible way, a front end must
29526 request that this functionality be enabled.
29527
29528 Once enabled, this feature cannot be disabled.
29529
29530 Note that if Python support has not been compiled into @value{GDBN},
29531 this command will still succeed (and do nothing).
29532
29533 This feature is currently (as of @value{GDBN} 7.0) experimental, and
29534 may work differently in future versions of @value{GDBN}.
29535
29536 @subheading The @code{-var-create} Command
29537 @findex -var-create
29538
29539 @subsubheading Synopsis
29540
29541 @smallexample
29542 -var-create @{@var{name} | "-"@}
29543 @{@var{frame-addr} | "*" | "@@"@} @var{expression}
29544 @end smallexample
29545
29546 This operation creates a variable object, which allows the monitoring of
29547 a variable, the result of an expression, a memory cell or a CPU
29548 register.
29549
29550 The @var{name} parameter is the string by which the object can be
29551 referenced. It must be unique. If @samp{-} is specified, the varobj
29552 system will generate a string ``varNNNNNN'' automatically. It will be
29553 unique provided that one does not specify @var{name} of that format.
29554 The command fails if a duplicate name is found.
29555
29556 The frame under which the expression should be evaluated can be
29557 specified by @var{frame-addr}. A @samp{*} indicates that the current
29558 frame should be used. A @samp{@@} indicates that a floating variable
29559 object must be created.
29560
29561 @var{expression} is any expression valid on the current language set (must not
29562 begin with a @samp{*}), or one of the following:
29563
29564 @itemize @bullet
29565 @item
29566 @samp{*@var{addr}}, where @var{addr} is the address of a memory cell
29567
29568 @item
29569 @samp{*@var{addr}-@var{addr}} --- a memory address range (TBD)
29570
29571 @item
29572 @samp{$@var{regname}} --- a CPU register name
29573 @end itemize
29574
29575 @cindex dynamic varobj
29576 A varobj's contents may be provided by a Python-based pretty-printer. In this
29577 case the varobj is known as a @dfn{dynamic varobj}. Dynamic varobjs
29578 have slightly different semantics in some cases. If the
29579 @code{-enable-pretty-printing} command is not sent, then @value{GDBN}
29580 will never create a dynamic varobj. This ensures backward
29581 compatibility for existing clients.
29582
29583 @subsubheading Result
29584
29585 This operation returns attributes of the newly-created varobj. These
29586 are:
29587
29588 @table @samp
29589 @item name
29590 The name of the varobj.
29591
29592 @item numchild
29593 The number of children of the varobj. This number is not necessarily
29594 reliable for a dynamic varobj. Instead, you must examine the
29595 @samp{has_more} attribute.
29596
29597 @item value
29598 The varobj's scalar value. For a varobj whose type is some sort of
29599 aggregate (e.g., a @code{struct}), or for a dynamic varobj, this value
29600 will not be interesting.
29601
29602 @item type
29603 The varobj's type. This is a string representation of the type, as
29604 would be printed by the @value{GDBN} CLI. If @samp{print object}
29605 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
29606 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
29607 @emph{declared} one.
29608
29609 @item thread-id
29610 If a variable object is bound to a specific thread, then this is the
29611 thread's identifier.
29612
29613 @item has_more
29614 For a dynamic varobj, this indicates whether there appear to be any
29615 children available. For a non-dynamic varobj, this will be 0.
29616
29617 @item dynamic
29618 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
29619 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
29620 then this attribute will not be present.
29621
29622 @item displayhint
29623 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
29624 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
29625 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
29626 @end table
29627
29628 Typical output will look like this:
29629
29630 @smallexample
29631 name="@var{name}",numchild="@var{N}",type="@var{type}",thread-id="@var{M}",
29632 has_more="@var{has_more}"
29633 @end smallexample
29634
29635
29636 @subheading The @code{-var-delete} Command
29637 @findex -var-delete
29638
29639 @subsubheading Synopsis
29640
29641 @smallexample
29642 -var-delete [ -c ] @var{name}
29643 @end smallexample
29644
29645 Deletes a previously created variable object and all of its children.
29646 With the @samp{-c} option, just deletes the children.
29647
29648 Returns an error if the object @var{name} is not found.
29649
29650
29651 @subheading The @code{-var-set-format} Command
29652 @findex -var-set-format
29653
29654 @subsubheading Synopsis
29655
29656 @smallexample
29657 -var-set-format @var{name} @var{format-spec}
29658 @end smallexample
29659
29660 Sets the output format for the value of the object @var{name} to be
29661 @var{format-spec}.
29662
29663 @anchor{-var-set-format}
29664 The syntax for the @var{format-spec} is as follows:
29665
29666 @smallexample
29667 @var{format-spec} @expansion{}
29668 @{binary | decimal | hexadecimal | octal | natural@}
29669 @end smallexample
29670
29671 The natural format is the default format choosen automatically
29672 based on the variable type (like decimal for an @code{int}, hex
29673 for pointers, etc.).
29674
29675 For a variable with children, the format is set only on the
29676 variable itself, and the children are not affected.
29677
29678 @subheading The @code{-var-show-format} Command
29679 @findex -var-show-format
29680
29681 @subsubheading Synopsis
29682
29683 @smallexample
29684 -var-show-format @var{name}
29685 @end smallexample
29686
29687 Returns the format used to display the value of the object @var{name}.
29688
29689 @smallexample
29690 @var{format} @expansion{}
29691 @var{format-spec}
29692 @end smallexample
29693
29694
29695 @subheading The @code{-var-info-num-children} Command
29696 @findex -var-info-num-children
29697
29698 @subsubheading Synopsis
29699
29700 @smallexample
29701 -var-info-num-children @var{name}
29702 @end smallexample
29703
29704 Returns the number of children of a variable object @var{name}:
29705
29706 @smallexample
29707 numchild=@var{n}
29708 @end smallexample
29709
29710 Note that this number is not completely reliable for a dynamic varobj.
29711 It will return the current number of children, but more children may
29712 be available.
29713
29714
29715 @subheading The @code{-var-list-children} Command
29716 @findex -var-list-children
29717
29718 @subsubheading Synopsis
29719
29720 @smallexample
29721 -var-list-children [@var{print-values}] @var{name} [@var{from} @var{to}]
29722 @end smallexample
29723 @anchor{-var-list-children}
29724
29725 Return a list of the children of the specified variable object and
29726 create variable objects for them, if they do not already exist. With
29727 a single argument or if @var{print-values} has a value of 0 or
29728 @code{--no-values}, print only the names of the variables; if
29729 @var{print-values} is 1 or @code{--all-values}, also print their
29730 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values} print the name and
29731 value for simple data types and just the name for arrays, structures
29732 and unions.
29733
29734 @var{from} and @var{to}, if specified, indicate the range of children
29735 to report. If @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is
29736 reset and all children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting
29737 at @var{from} (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be
29738 reported.
29739
29740 If a child range is requested, it will only affect the current call to
29741 @code{-var-list-children}, but not future calls to @code{-var-update}.
29742 For this, you must instead use @code{-var-set-update-range}. The
29743 intent of this approach is to enable a front end to implement any
29744 update approach it likes; for example, scrolling a view may cause the
29745 front end to request more children with @code{-var-list-children}, and
29746 then the front end could call @code{-var-set-update-range} with a
29747 different range to ensure that future updates are restricted to just
29748 the visible items.
29749
29750 For each child the following results are returned:
29751
29752 @table @var
29753
29754 @item name
29755 Name of the variable object created for this child.
29756
29757 @item exp
29758 The expression to be shown to the user by the front end to designate this child.
29759 For example this may be the name of a structure member.
29760
29761 For a dynamic varobj, this value cannot be used to form an
29762 expression. There is no way to do this at all with a dynamic varobj.
29763
29764 For C/C@t{++} structures there are several pseudo children returned to
29765 designate access qualifiers. For these pseudo children @var{exp} is
29766 @samp{public}, @samp{private}, or @samp{protected}. In this case the
29767 type and value are not present.
29768
29769 A dynamic varobj will not report the access qualifying
29770 pseudo-children, regardless of the language. This information is not
29771 available at all with a dynamic varobj.
29772
29773 @item numchild
29774 Number of children this child has. For a dynamic varobj, this will be
29775 0.
29776
29777 @item type
29778 The type of the child. If @samp{print object}
29779 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
29780 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
29781 @emph{declared} one.
29782
29783 @item value
29784 If values were requested, this is the value.
29785
29786 @item thread-id
29787 If this variable object is associated with a thread, this is the thread id.
29788 Otherwise this result is not present.
29789
29790 @item frozen
29791 If the variable object is frozen, this variable will be present with a value of 1.
29792 @end table
29793
29794 The result may have its own attributes:
29795
29796 @table @samp
29797 @item displayhint
29798 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
29799 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
29800 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
29801
29802 @item has_more
29803 This is an integer attribute which is nonzero if there are children
29804 remaining after the end of the selected range.
29805 @end table
29806
29807 @subsubheading Example
29808
29809 @smallexample
29810 (gdb)
29811 -var-list-children n
29812 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
29813 numchild=@var{n},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
29814 (gdb)
29815 -var-list-children --all-values n
29816 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
29817 numchild=@var{n},value=@var{value},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
29818 @end smallexample
29819
29820
29821 @subheading The @code{-var-info-type} Command
29822 @findex -var-info-type
29823
29824 @subsubheading Synopsis
29825
29826 @smallexample
29827 -var-info-type @var{name}
29828 @end smallexample
29829
29830 Returns the type of the specified variable @var{name}. The type is
29831 returned as a string in the same format as it is output by the
29832 @value{GDBN} CLI:
29833
29834 @smallexample
29835 type=@var{typename}
29836 @end smallexample
29837
29838
29839 @subheading The @code{-var-info-expression} Command
29840 @findex -var-info-expression
29841
29842 @subsubheading Synopsis
29843
29844 @smallexample
29845 -var-info-expression @var{name}
29846 @end smallexample
29847
29848 Returns a string that is suitable for presenting this
29849 variable object in user interface. The string is generally
29850 not valid expression in the current language, and cannot be evaluated.
29851
29852 For example, if @code{a} is an array, and variable object
29853 @code{A} was created for @code{a}, then we'll get this output:
29854
29855 @smallexample
29856 (gdb) -var-info-expression A.1
29857 ^done,lang="C",exp="1"
29858 @end smallexample
29859
29860 @noindent
29861 Here, the values of @code{lang} can be @code{@{"C" | "C++" | "Java"@}}.
29862
29863 Note that the output of the @code{-var-list-children} command also
29864 includes those expressions, so the @code{-var-info-expression} command
29865 is of limited use.
29866
29867 @subheading The @code{-var-info-path-expression} Command
29868 @findex -var-info-path-expression
29869
29870 @subsubheading Synopsis
29871
29872 @smallexample
29873 -var-info-path-expression @var{name}
29874 @end smallexample
29875
29876 Returns an expression that can be evaluated in the current
29877 context and will yield the same value that a variable object has.
29878 Compare this with the @code{-var-info-expression} command, which
29879 result can be used only for UI presentation. Typical use of
29880 the @code{-var-info-path-expression} command is creating a
29881 watchpoint from a variable object.
29882
29883 This command is currently not valid for children of a dynamic varobj,
29884 and will give an error when invoked on one.
29885
29886 For example, suppose @code{C} is a C@t{++} class, derived from class
29887 @code{Base}, and that the @code{Base} class has a member called
29888 @code{m_size}. Assume a variable @code{c} is has the type of
29889 @code{C} and a variable object @code{C} was created for variable
29890 @code{c}. Then, we'll get this output:
29891 @smallexample
29892 (gdb) -var-info-path-expression C.Base.public.m_size
29893 ^done,path_expr=((Base)c).m_size)
29894 @end smallexample
29895
29896 @subheading The @code{-var-show-attributes} Command
29897 @findex -var-show-attributes
29898
29899 @subsubheading Synopsis
29900
29901 @smallexample
29902 -var-show-attributes @var{name}
29903 @end smallexample
29904
29905 List attributes of the specified variable object @var{name}:
29906
29907 @smallexample
29908 status=@var{attr} [ ( ,@var{attr} )* ]
29909 @end smallexample
29910
29911 @noindent
29912 where @var{attr} is @code{@{ @{ editable | noneditable @} | TBD @}}.
29913
29914 @subheading The @code{-var-evaluate-expression} Command
29915 @findex -var-evaluate-expression
29916
29917 @subsubheading Synopsis
29918
29919 @smallexample
29920 -var-evaluate-expression [-f @var{format-spec}] @var{name}
29921 @end smallexample
29922
29923 Evaluates the expression that is represented by the specified variable
29924 object and returns its value as a string. The format of the string
29925 can be specified with the @samp{-f} option. The possible values of
29926 this option are the same as for @code{-var-set-format}
29927 (@pxref{-var-set-format}). If the @samp{-f} option is not specified,
29928 the current display format will be used. The current display format
29929 can be changed using the @code{-var-set-format} command.
29930
29931 @smallexample
29932 value=@var{value}
29933 @end smallexample
29934
29935 Note that one must invoke @code{-var-list-children} for a variable
29936 before the value of a child variable can be evaluated.
29937
29938 @subheading The @code{-var-assign} Command
29939 @findex -var-assign
29940
29941 @subsubheading Synopsis
29942
29943 @smallexample
29944 -var-assign @var{name} @var{expression}
29945 @end smallexample
29946
29947 Assigns the value of @var{expression} to the variable object specified
29948 by @var{name}. The object must be @samp{editable}. If the variable's
29949 value is altered by the assign, the variable will show up in any
29950 subsequent @code{-var-update} list.
29951
29952 @subsubheading Example
29953
29954 @smallexample
29955 (gdb)
29956 -var-assign var1 3
29957 ^done,value="3"
29958 (gdb)
29959 -var-update *
29960 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",in_scope="true",type_changed="false"@}]
29961 (gdb)
29962 @end smallexample
29963
29964 @subheading The @code{-var-update} Command
29965 @findex -var-update
29966
29967 @subsubheading Synopsis
29968
29969 @smallexample
29970 -var-update [@var{print-values}] @{@var{name} | "*"@}
29971 @end smallexample
29972
29973 Reevaluate the expressions corresponding to the variable object
29974 @var{name} and all its direct and indirect children, and return the
29975 list of variable objects whose values have changed; @var{name} must
29976 be a root variable object. Here, ``changed'' means that the result of
29977 @code{-var-evaluate-expression} before and after the
29978 @code{-var-update} is different. If @samp{*} is used as the variable
29979 object names, all existing variable objects are updated, except
29980 for frozen ones (@pxref{-var-set-frozen}). The option
29981 @var{print-values} determines whether both names and values, or just
29982 names are printed. The possible values of this option are the same
29983 as for @code{-var-list-children} (@pxref{-var-list-children}). It is
29984 recommended to use the @samp{--all-values} option, to reduce the
29985 number of MI commands needed on each program stop.
29986
29987 With the @samp{*} parameter, if a variable object is bound to a
29988 currently running thread, it will not be updated, without any
29989 diagnostic.
29990
29991 If @code{-var-set-update-range} was previously used on a varobj, then
29992 only the selected range of children will be reported.
29993
29994 @code{-var-update} reports all the changed varobjs in a tuple named
29995 @samp{changelist}.
29996
29997 Each item in the change list is itself a tuple holding:
29998
29999 @table @samp
30000 @item name
30001 The name of the varobj.
30002
30003 @item value
30004 If values were requested for this update, then this field will be
30005 present and will hold the value of the varobj.
30006
30007 @item in_scope
30008 @anchor{-var-update}
30009 This field is a string which may take one of three values:
30010
30011 @table @code
30012 @item "true"
30013 The variable object's current value is valid.
30014
30015 @item "false"
30016 The variable object does not currently hold a valid value but it may
30017 hold one in the future if its associated expression comes back into
30018 scope.
30019
30020 @item "invalid"
30021 The variable object no longer holds a valid value.
30022 This can occur when the executable file being debugged has changed,
30023 either through recompilation or by using the @value{GDBN} @code{file}
30024 command. The front end should normally choose to delete these variable
30025 objects.
30026 @end table
30027
30028 In the future new values may be added to this list so the front should
30029 be prepared for this possibility. @xref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, ,@sc{GDB/MI} Development and Front Ends}.
30030
30031 @item type_changed
30032 This is only present if the varobj is still valid. If the type
30033 changed, then this will be the string @samp{true}; otherwise it will
30034 be @samp{false}.
30035
30036 When a varobj's type changes, its children are also likely to have
30037 become incorrect. Therefore, the varobj's children are automatically
30038 deleted when this attribute is @samp{true}. Also, the varobj's update
30039 range, when set using the @code{-var-set-update-range} command, is
30040 unset.
30041
30042 @item new_type
30043 If the varobj's type changed, then this field will be present and will
30044 hold the new type.
30045
30046 @item new_num_children
30047 For a dynamic varobj, if the number of children changed, or if the
30048 type changed, this will be the new number of children.
30049
30050 The @samp{numchild} field in other varobj responses is generally not
30051 valid for a dynamic varobj -- it will show the number of children that
30052 @value{GDBN} knows about, but because dynamic varobjs lazily
30053 instantiate their children, this will not reflect the number of
30054 children which may be available.
30055
30056 The @samp{new_num_children} attribute only reports changes to the
30057 number of children known by @value{GDBN}. This is the only way to
30058 detect whether an update has removed children (which necessarily can
30059 only happen at the end of the update range).
30060
30061 @item displayhint
30062 The display hint, if any.
30063
30064 @item has_more
30065 This is an integer value, which will be 1 if there are more children
30066 available outside the varobj's update range.
30067
30068 @item dynamic
30069 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
30070 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
30071 then this attribute will not be present.
30072
30073 @item new_children
30074 If new children were added to a dynamic varobj within the selected
30075 update range (as set by @code{-var-set-update-range}), then they will
30076 be listed in this attribute.
30077 @end table
30078
30079 @subsubheading Example
30080
30081 @smallexample
30082 (gdb)
30083 -var-assign var1 3
30084 ^done,value="3"
30085 (gdb)
30086 -var-update --all-values var1
30087 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",value="3",in_scope="true",
30088 type_changed="false"@}]
30089 (gdb)
30090 @end smallexample
30091
30092 @subheading The @code{-var-set-frozen} Command
30093 @findex -var-set-frozen
30094 @anchor{-var-set-frozen}
30095
30096 @subsubheading Synopsis
30097
30098 @smallexample
30099 -var-set-frozen @var{name} @var{flag}
30100 @end smallexample
30101
30102 Set the frozenness flag on the variable object @var{name}. The
30103 @var{flag} parameter should be either @samp{1} to make the variable
30104 frozen or @samp{0} to make it unfrozen. If a variable object is
30105 frozen, then neither itself, nor any of its children, are
30106 implicitly updated by @code{-var-update} of
30107 a parent variable or by @code{-var-update *}. Only
30108 @code{-var-update} of the variable itself will update its value and
30109 values of its children. After a variable object is unfrozen, it is
30110 implicitly updated by all subsequent @code{-var-update} operations.
30111 Unfreezing a variable does not update it, only subsequent
30112 @code{-var-update} does.
30113
30114 @subsubheading Example
30115
30116 @smallexample
30117 (gdb)
30118 -var-set-frozen V 1
30119 ^done
30120 (gdb)
30121 @end smallexample
30122
30123 @subheading The @code{-var-set-update-range} command
30124 @findex -var-set-update-range
30125 @anchor{-var-set-update-range}
30126
30127 @subsubheading Synopsis
30128
30129 @smallexample
30130 -var-set-update-range @var{name} @var{from} @var{to}
30131 @end smallexample
30132
30133 Set the range of children to be returned by future invocations of
30134 @code{-var-update}.
30135
30136 @var{from} and @var{to} indicate the range of children to report. If
30137 @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is reset and all
30138 children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting at @var{from}
30139 (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be reported.
30140
30141 @subsubheading Example
30142
30143 @smallexample
30144 (gdb)
30145 -var-set-update-range V 1 2
30146 ^done
30147 @end smallexample
30148
30149 @subheading The @code{-var-set-visualizer} command
30150 @findex -var-set-visualizer
30151 @anchor{-var-set-visualizer}
30152
30153 @subsubheading Synopsis
30154
30155 @smallexample
30156 -var-set-visualizer @var{name} @var{visualizer}
30157 @end smallexample
30158
30159 Set a visualizer for the variable object @var{name}.
30160
30161 @var{visualizer} is the visualizer to use. The special value
30162 @samp{None} means to disable any visualizer in use.
30163
30164 If not @samp{None}, @var{visualizer} must be a Python expression.
30165 This expression must evaluate to a callable object which accepts a
30166 single argument. @value{GDBN} will call this object with the value of
30167 the varobj @var{name} as an argument (this is done so that the same
30168 Python pretty-printing code can be used for both the CLI and MI).
30169 When called, this object must return an object which conforms to the
30170 pretty-printing interface (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}).
30171
30172 The pre-defined function @code{gdb.default_visualizer} may be used to
30173 select a visualizer by following the built-in process
30174 (@pxref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}). This is done automatically when
30175 a varobj is created, and so ordinarily is not needed.
30176
30177 This feature is only available if Python support is enabled. The MI
30178 command @code{-list-features} (@pxref{GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands})
30179 can be used to check this.
30180
30181 @subsubheading Example
30182
30183 Resetting the visualizer:
30184
30185 @smallexample
30186 (gdb)
30187 -var-set-visualizer V None
30188 ^done
30189 @end smallexample
30190
30191 Reselecting the default (type-based) visualizer:
30192
30193 @smallexample
30194 (gdb)
30195 -var-set-visualizer V gdb.default_visualizer
30196 ^done
30197 @end smallexample
30198
30199 Suppose @code{SomeClass} is a visualizer class. A lambda expression
30200 can be used to instantiate this class for a varobj:
30201
30202 @smallexample
30203 (gdb)
30204 -var-set-visualizer V "lambda val: SomeClass()"
30205 ^done
30206 @end smallexample
30207
30208 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
30209 @node GDB/MI Data Manipulation
30210 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Data Manipulation
30211
30212 @cindex data manipulation, in @sc{gdb/mi}
30213 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, data manipulation
30214 This section describes the @sc{gdb/mi} commands that manipulate data:
30215 examine memory and registers, evaluate expressions, etc.
30216
30217 @c REMOVED FROM THE INTERFACE.
30218 @c @subheading -data-assign
30219 @c Change the value of a program variable. Plenty of side effects.
30220 @c @subsubheading GDB Command
30221 @c set variable
30222 @c @subsubheading Example
30223 @c N.A.
30224
30225 @subheading The @code{-data-disassemble} Command
30226 @findex -data-disassemble
30227
30228 @subsubheading Synopsis
30229
30230 @smallexample
30231 -data-disassemble
30232 [ -s @var{start-addr} -e @var{end-addr} ]
30233 | [ -f @var{filename} -l @var{linenum} [ -n @var{lines} ] ]
30234 -- @var{mode}
30235 @end smallexample
30236
30237 @noindent
30238 Where:
30239
30240 @table @samp
30241 @item @var{start-addr}
30242 is the beginning address (or @code{$pc})
30243 @item @var{end-addr}
30244 is the end address
30245 @item @var{filename}
30246 is the name of the file to disassemble
30247 @item @var{linenum}
30248 is the line number to disassemble around
30249 @item @var{lines}
30250 is the number of disassembly lines to be produced. If it is -1,
30251 the whole function will be disassembled, in case no @var{end-addr} is
30252 specified. If @var{end-addr} is specified as a non-zero value, and
30253 @var{lines} is lower than the number of disassembly lines between
30254 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only @var{lines} lines are
30255 displayed; if @var{lines} is higher than the number of lines between
30256 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only the lines up to @var{end-addr}
30257 are displayed.
30258 @item @var{mode}
30259 is either 0 (meaning only disassembly), 1 (meaning mixed source and
30260 disassembly), 2 (meaning disassembly with raw opcodes), or 3 (meaning
30261 mixed source and disassembly with raw opcodes).
30262 @end table
30263
30264 @subsubheading Result
30265
30266 The output for each instruction is composed of four fields:
30267
30268 @itemize @bullet
30269 @item Address
30270 @item Func-name
30271 @item Offset
30272 @item Instruction
30273 @end itemize
30274
30275 Note that whatever included in the instruction field, is not manipulated
30276 directly by @sc{gdb/mi}, i.e., it is not possible to adjust its format.
30277
30278 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30279
30280 There's no direct mapping from this command to the CLI.
30281
30282 @subsubheading Example
30283
30284 Disassemble from the current value of @code{$pc} to @code{$pc + 20}:
30285
30286 @smallexample
30287 (gdb)
30288 -data-disassemble -s $pc -e "$pc + 20" -- 0
30289 ^done,
30290 asm_insns=[
30291 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
30292 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
30293 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
30294 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
30295 @{address="0x000107c8",func-name="main",offset="12",
30296 inst="or %o2, 0x140, %o1\t! 0x11940 <_lib_version+8>"@},
30297 @{address="0x000107cc",func-name="main",offset="16",
30298 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
30299 @{address="0x000107d0",func-name="main",offset="20",
30300 inst="or %o2, 0x168, %o4\t! 0x11968 <_lib_version+48>"@}]
30301 (gdb)
30302 @end smallexample
30303
30304 Disassemble the whole @code{main} function. Line 32 is part of
30305 @code{main}.
30306
30307 @smallexample
30308 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -- 0
30309 ^done,asm_insns=[
30310 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
30311 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
30312 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
30313 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
30314 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
30315 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
30316 [@dots{}]
30317 @{address="0x0001081c",func-name="main",offset="96",inst="ret "@},
30318 @{address="0x00010820",func-name="main",offset="100",inst="restore "@}]
30319 (gdb)
30320 @end smallexample
30321
30322 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main}:
30323
30324 @smallexample
30325 (gdb)
30326 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 0
30327 ^done,asm_insns=[
30328 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
30329 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
30330 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
30331 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
30332 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
30333 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]
30334 (gdb)
30335 @end smallexample
30336
30337 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main} in mixed mode:
30338
30339 @smallexample
30340 (gdb)
30341 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 1
30342 ^done,asm_insns=[
30343 src_and_asm_line=@{line="31",
30344 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
30345 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
30346 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
30347 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@}]@},
30348 src_and_asm_line=@{line="32",
30349 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
30350 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
30351 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
30352 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
30353 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
30354 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]@}]
30355 (gdb)
30356 @end smallexample
30357
30358
30359 @subheading The @code{-data-evaluate-expression} Command
30360 @findex -data-evaluate-expression
30361
30362 @subsubheading Synopsis
30363
30364 @smallexample
30365 -data-evaluate-expression @var{expr}
30366 @end smallexample
30367
30368 Evaluate @var{expr} as an expression. The expression could contain an
30369 inferior function call. The function call will execute synchronously.
30370 If the expression contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
30371
30372 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30373
30374 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{print}, @samp{output}, and
30375 @samp{call}. In @code{gdbtk} only, there's a corresponding
30376 @samp{gdb_eval} command.
30377
30378 @subsubheading Example
30379
30380 In the following example, the numbers that precede the commands are the
30381 @dfn{tokens} described in @ref{GDB/MI Command Syntax, ,@sc{gdb/mi}
30382 Command Syntax}. Notice how @sc{gdb/mi} returns the same tokens in its
30383 output.
30384
30385 @smallexample
30386 211-data-evaluate-expression A
30387 211^done,value="1"
30388 (gdb)
30389 311-data-evaluate-expression &A
30390 311^done,value="0xefffeb7c"
30391 (gdb)
30392 411-data-evaluate-expression A+3
30393 411^done,value="4"
30394 (gdb)
30395 511-data-evaluate-expression "A + 3"
30396 511^done,value="4"
30397 (gdb)
30398 @end smallexample
30399
30400
30401 @subheading The @code{-data-list-changed-registers} Command
30402 @findex -data-list-changed-registers
30403
30404 @subsubheading Synopsis
30405
30406 @smallexample
30407 -data-list-changed-registers
30408 @end smallexample
30409
30410 Display a list of the registers that have changed.
30411
30412 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30413
30414 @value{GDBN} doesn't have a direct analog for this command; @code{gdbtk}
30415 has the corresponding command @samp{gdb_changed_register_list}.
30416
30417 @subsubheading Example
30418
30419 On a PPC MBX board:
30420
30421 @smallexample
30422 (gdb)
30423 -exec-continue
30424 ^running
30425
30426 (gdb)
30427 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",frame=@{
30428 func="main",args=[],file="try.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",
30429 line="5"@}
30430 (gdb)
30431 -data-list-changed-registers
30432 ^done,changed-registers=["0","1","2","4","5","6","7","8","9",
30433 "10","11","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23",
30434 "24","25","26","27","28","30","31","64","65","66","67","69"]
30435 (gdb)
30436 @end smallexample
30437
30438
30439 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-names} Command
30440 @findex -data-list-register-names
30441
30442 @subsubheading Synopsis
30443
30444 @smallexample
30445 -data-list-register-names [ ( @var{regno} )+ ]
30446 @end smallexample
30447
30448 Show a list of register names for the current target. If no arguments
30449 are given, it shows a list of the names of all the registers. If
30450 integer numbers are given as arguments, it will print a list of the
30451 names of the registers corresponding to the arguments. To ensure
30452 consistency between a register name and its number, the output list may
30453 include empty register names.
30454
30455 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30456
30457 @value{GDBN} does not have a command which corresponds to
30458 @samp{-data-list-register-names}. In @code{gdbtk} there is a
30459 corresponding command @samp{gdb_regnames}.
30460
30461 @subsubheading Example
30462
30463 For the PPC MBX board:
30464 @smallexample
30465 (gdb)
30466 -data-list-register-names
30467 ^done,register-names=["r0","r1","r2","r3","r4","r5","r6","r7",
30468 "r8","r9","r10","r11","r12","r13","r14","r15","r16","r17","r18",
30469 "r19","r20","r21","r22","r23","r24","r25","r26","r27","r28","r29",
30470 "r30","r31","f0","f1","f2","f3","f4","f5","f6","f7","f8","f9",
30471 "f10","f11","f12","f13","f14","f15","f16","f17","f18","f19","f20",
30472 "f21","f22","f23","f24","f25","f26","f27","f28","f29","f30","f31",
30473 "", "pc","ps","cr","lr","ctr","xer"]
30474 (gdb)
30475 -data-list-register-names 1 2 3
30476 ^done,register-names=["r1","r2","r3"]
30477 (gdb)
30478 @end smallexample
30479
30480 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-values} Command
30481 @findex -data-list-register-values
30482
30483 @subsubheading Synopsis
30484
30485 @smallexample
30486 -data-list-register-values @var{fmt} [ ( @var{regno} )*]
30487 @end smallexample
30488
30489 Display the registers' contents. @var{fmt} is the format according to
30490 which the registers' contents are to be returned, followed by an optional
30491 list of numbers specifying the registers to display. A missing list of
30492 numbers indicates that the contents of all the registers must be returned.
30493
30494 Allowed formats for @var{fmt} are:
30495
30496 @table @code
30497 @item x
30498 Hexadecimal
30499 @item o
30500 Octal
30501 @item t
30502 Binary
30503 @item d
30504 Decimal
30505 @item r
30506 Raw
30507 @item N
30508 Natural
30509 @end table
30510
30511 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30512
30513 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{info reg}, @samp{info
30514 all-reg}, and (in @code{gdbtk}) @samp{gdb_fetch_registers}.
30515
30516 @subsubheading Example
30517
30518 For a PPC MBX board (note: line breaks are for readability only, they
30519 don't appear in the actual output):
30520
30521 @smallexample
30522 (gdb)
30523 -data-list-register-values r 64 65
30524 ^done,register-values=[@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
30525 @{number="65",value="0x00029002"@}]
30526 (gdb)
30527 -data-list-register-values x
30528 ^done,register-values=[@{number="0",value="0xfe0043c8"@},
30529 @{number="1",value="0x3fff88"@},@{number="2",value="0xfffffffe"@},
30530 @{number="3",value="0x0"@},@{number="4",value="0xa"@},
30531 @{number="5",value="0x3fff68"@},@{number="6",value="0x3fff58"@},
30532 @{number="7",value="0xfe011e98"@},@{number="8",value="0x2"@},
30533 @{number="9",value="0xfa202820"@},@{number="10",value="0xfa202808"@},
30534 @{number="11",value="0x1"@},@{number="12",value="0x0"@},
30535 @{number="13",value="0x4544"@},@{number="14",value="0xffdfffff"@},
30536 @{number="15",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="16",value="0xfffffeff"@},
30537 @{number="17",value="0xefffffed"@},@{number="18",value="0xfffffffe"@},
30538 @{number="19",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="20",value="0xffffffff"@},
30539 @{number="21",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="22",value="0xfffffff7"@},
30540 @{number="23",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="24",value="0xffffffff"@},
30541 @{number="25",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="26",value="0xfffffffb"@},
30542 @{number="27",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="28",value="0xf7bfffff"@},
30543 @{number="29",value="0x0"@},@{number="30",value="0xfe010000"@},
30544 @{number="31",value="0x0"@},@{number="32",value="0x0"@},
30545 @{number="33",value="0x0"@},@{number="34",value="0x0"@},
30546 @{number="35",value="0x0"@},@{number="36",value="0x0"@},
30547 @{number="37",value="0x0"@},@{number="38",value="0x0"@},
30548 @{number="39",value="0x0"@},@{number="40",value="0x0"@},
30549 @{number="41",value="0x0"@},@{number="42",value="0x0"@},
30550 @{number="43",value="0x0"@},@{number="44",value="0x0"@},
30551 @{number="45",value="0x0"@},@{number="46",value="0x0"@},
30552 @{number="47",value="0x0"@},@{number="48",value="0x0"@},
30553 @{number="49",value="0x0"@},@{number="50",value="0x0"@},
30554 @{number="51",value="0x0"@},@{number="52",value="0x0"@},
30555 @{number="53",value="0x0"@},@{number="54",value="0x0"@},
30556 @{number="55",value="0x0"@},@{number="56",value="0x0"@},
30557 @{number="57",value="0x0"@},@{number="58",value="0x0"@},
30558 @{number="59",value="0x0"@},@{number="60",value="0x0"@},
30559 @{number="61",value="0x0"@},@{number="62",value="0x0"@},
30560 @{number="63",value="0x0"@},@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
30561 @{number="65",value="0x29002"@},@{number="66",value="0x202f04b5"@},
30562 @{number="67",value="0xfe0043b0"@},@{number="68",value="0xfe00b3e4"@},
30563 @{number="69",value="0x20002b03"@}]
30564 (gdb)
30565 @end smallexample
30566
30567
30568 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory} Command
30569 @findex -data-read-memory
30570
30571 This command is deprecated, use @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} instead.
30572
30573 @subsubheading Synopsis
30574
30575 @smallexample
30576 -data-read-memory [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
30577 @var{address} @var{word-format} @var{word-size}
30578 @var{nr-rows} @var{nr-cols} [ @var{aschar} ]
30579 @end smallexample
30580
30581 @noindent
30582 where:
30583
30584 @table @samp
30585 @item @var{address}
30586 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
30587 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
30588 quoted using the C convention.
30589
30590 @item @var{word-format}
30591 The format to be used to print the memory words. The notation is the
30592 same as for @value{GDBN}'s @code{print} command (@pxref{Output Formats,
30593 ,Output Formats}).
30594
30595 @item @var{word-size}
30596 The size of each memory word in bytes.
30597
30598 @item @var{nr-rows}
30599 The number of rows in the output table.
30600
30601 @item @var{nr-cols}
30602 The number of columns in the output table.
30603
30604 @item @var{aschar}
30605 If present, indicates that each row should include an @sc{ascii} dump. The
30606 value of @var{aschar} is used as a padding character when a byte is not a
30607 member of the printable @sc{ascii} character set (printable @sc{ascii}
30608 characters are those whose code is between 32 and 126, inclusively).
30609
30610 @item @var{byte-offset}
30611 An offset to add to the @var{address} before fetching memory.
30612 @end table
30613
30614 This command displays memory contents as a table of @var{nr-rows} by
30615 @var{nr-cols} words, each word being @var{word-size} bytes. In total,
30616 @code{@var{nr-rows} * @var{nr-cols} * @var{word-size}} bytes are read
30617 (returned as @samp{total-bytes}). Should less than the requested number
30618 of bytes be returned by the target, the missing words are identified
30619 using @samp{N/A}. The number of bytes read from the target is returned
30620 in @samp{nr-bytes} and the starting address used to read memory in
30621 @samp{addr}.
30622
30623 The address of the next/previous row or page is available in
30624 @samp{next-row} and @samp{prev-row}, @samp{next-page} and
30625 @samp{prev-page}.
30626
30627 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30628
30629 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}. @code{gdbtk} has
30630 @samp{gdb_get_mem} memory read command.
30631
30632 @subsubheading Example
30633
30634 Read six bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+6} but then offset by
30635 @code{-6} bytes. Format as three rows of two columns. One byte per
30636 word. Display each word in hex.
30637
30638 @smallexample
30639 (gdb)
30640 9-data-read-memory -o -6 -- bytes+6 x 1 3 2
30641 9^done,addr="0x00001390",nr-bytes="6",total-bytes="6",
30642 next-row="0x00001396",prev-row="0x0000138e",next-page="0x00001396",
30643 prev-page="0x0000138a",memory=[
30644 @{addr="0x00001390",data=["0x00","0x01"]@},
30645 @{addr="0x00001392",data=["0x02","0x03"]@},
30646 @{addr="0x00001394",data=["0x04","0x05"]@}]
30647 (gdb)
30648 @end smallexample
30649
30650 Read two bytes of memory starting at address @code{shorts + 64} and
30651 display as a single word formatted in decimal.
30652
30653 @smallexample
30654 (gdb)
30655 5-data-read-memory shorts+64 d 2 1 1
30656 5^done,addr="0x00001510",nr-bytes="2",total-bytes="2",
30657 next-row="0x00001512",prev-row="0x0000150e",
30658 next-page="0x00001512",prev-page="0x0000150e",memory=[
30659 @{addr="0x00001510",data=["128"]@}]
30660 (gdb)
30661 @end smallexample
30662
30663 Read thirty two bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+16} and format
30664 as eight rows of four columns. Include a string encoding with @samp{x}
30665 used as the non-printable character.
30666
30667 @smallexample
30668 (gdb)
30669 4-data-read-memory bytes+16 x 1 8 4 x
30670 4^done,addr="0x000013a0",nr-bytes="32",total-bytes="32",
30671 next-row="0x000013c0",prev-row="0x0000139c",
30672 next-page="0x000013c0",prev-page="0x00001380",memory=[
30673 @{addr="0x000013a0",data=["0x10","0x11","0x12","0x13"],ascii="xxxx"@},
30674 @{addr="0x000013a4",data=["0x14","0x15","0x16","0x17"],ascii="xxxx"@},
30675 @{addr="0x000013a8",data=["0x18","0x19","0x1a","0x1b"],ascii="xxxx"@},
30676 @{addr="0x000013ac",data=["0x1c","0x1d","0x1e","0x1f"],ascii="xxxx"@},
30677 @{addr="0x000013b0",data=["0x20","0x21","0x22","0x23"],ascii=" !\"#"@},
30678 @{addr="0x000013b4",data=["0x24","0x25","0x26","0x27"],ascii="$%&'"@},
30679 @{addr="0x000013b8",data=["0x28","0x29","0x2a","0x2b"],ascii="()*+"@},
30680 @{addr="0x000013bc",data=["0x2c","0x2d","0x2e","0x2f"],ascii=",-./"@}]
30681 (gdb)
30682 @end smallexample
30683
30684 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} Command
30685 @findex -data-read-memory-bytes
30686
30687 @subsubheading Synopsis
30688
30689 @smallexample
30690 -data-read-memory-bytes [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
30691 @var{address} @var{count}
30692 @end smallexample
30693
30694 @noindent
30695 where:
30696
30697 @table @samp
30698 @item @var{address}
30699 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
30700 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
30701 quoted using the C convention.
30702
30703 @item @var{count}
30704 The number of bytes to read. This should be an integer literal.
30705
30706 @item @var{byte-offset}
30707 The offsets in bytes relative to @var{address} at which to start
30708 reading. This should be an integer literal. This option is provided
30709 so that a frontend is not required to first evaluate address and then
30710 perform address arithmetics itself.
30711
30712 @end table
30713
30714 This command attempts to read all accessible memory regions in the
30715 specified range. First, all regions marked as unreadable in the memory
30716 map (if one is defined) will be skipped. @xref{Memory Region
30717 Attributes}. Second, @value{GDBN} will attempt to read the remaining
30718 regions. For each one, if reading full region results in an errors,
30719 @value{GDBN} will try to read a subset of the region.
30720
30721 In general, every single byte in the region may be readable or not,
30722 and the only way to read every readable byte is to try a read at
30723 every address, which is not practical. Therefore, @value{GDBN} will
30724 attempt to read all accessible bytes at either beginning or the end
30725 of the region, using a binary division scheme. This heuristic works
30726 well for reading accross a memory map boundary. Note that if a region
30727 has a readable range that is neither at the beginning or the end,
30728 @value{GDBN} will not read it.
30729
30730 The result record (@pxref{GDB/MI Result Records}) that is output of
30731 the command includes a field named @samp{memory} whose content is a
30732 list of tuples. Each tuple represent a successfully read memory block
30733 and has the following fields:
30734
30735 @table @code
30736 @item begin
30737 The start address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
30738
30739 @item end
30740 The end address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
30741
30742 @item offset
30743 The offset of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal, relative to
30744 the start address passed to @code{-data-read-memory-bytes}.
30745
30746 @item contents
30747 The contents of the memory block, in hex.
30748
30749 @end table
30750
30751
30752
30753 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30754
30755 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}.
30756
30757 @subsubheading Example
30758
30759 @smallexample
30760 (gdb)
30761 -data-read-memory-bytes &a 10
30762 ^done,memory=[@{begin="0xbffff154",offset="0x00000000",
30763 end="0xbffff15e",
30764 contents="01000000020000000300"@}]
30765 (gdb)
30766 @end smallexample
30767
30768
30769 @subheading The @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} Command
30770 @findex -data-write-memory-bytes
30771
30772 @subsubheading Synopsis
30773
30774 @smallexample
30775 -data-write-memory-bytes @var{address} @var{contents}
30776 @end smallexample
30777
30778 @noindent
30779 where:
30780
30781 @table @samp
30782 @item @var{address}
30783 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
30784 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
30785 quoted using the C convention.
30786
30787 @item @var{contents}
30788 The hex-encoded bytes to write.
30789
30790 @end table
30791
30792 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30793
30794 There's no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
30795
30796 @subsubheading Example
30797
30798 @smallexample
30799 (gdb)
30800 -data-write-memory-bytes &a "aabbccdd"
30801 ^done
30802 (gdb)
30803 @end smallexample
30804
30805
30806 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
30807 @node GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands
30808 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Tracepoint Commands
30809
30810 The commands defined in this section implement MI support for
30811 tracepoints. For detailed introduction, see @ref{Tracepoints}.
30812
30813 @subheading The @code{-trace-find} Command
30814 @findex -trace-find
30815
30816 @subsubheading Synopsis
30817
30818 @smallexample
30819 -trace-find @var{mode} [@var{parameters}@dots{}]
30820 @end smallexample
30821
30822 Find a trace frame using criteria defined by @var{mode} and
30823 @var{parameters}. The following table lists permissible
30824 modes and their parameters. For details of operation, see @ref{tfind}.
30825
30826 @table @samp
30827
30828 @item none
30829 No parameters are required. Stops examining trace frames.
30830
30831 @item frame-number
30832 An integer is required as parameter. Selects tracepoint frame with
30833 that index.
30834
30835 @item tracepoint-number
30836 An integer is required as parameter. Finds next
30837 trace frame that corresponds to tracepoint with the specified number.
30838
30839 @item pc
30840 An address is required as parameter. Finds
30841 next trace frame that corresponds to any tracepoint at the specified
30842 address.
30843
30844 @item pc-inside-range
30845 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds next trace
30846 frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address inside the
30847 specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
30848
30849 @item pc-outside-range
30850 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds
30851 next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address outside
30852 the specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
30853
30854 @item line
30855 Line specification is required as parameter. @xref{Specify Location}.
30856 Finds next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at
30857 the specified location.
30858
30859 @end table
30860
30861 If @samp{none} was passed as @var{mode}, the response does not
30862 have fields. Otherwise, the response may have the following fields:
30863
30864 @table @samp
30865 @item found
30866 This field has either @samp{0} or @samp{1} as the value, depending
30867 on whether a matching tracepoint was found.
30868
30869 @item traceframe
30870 The index of the found traceframe. This field is present iff
30871 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
30872
30873 @item tracepoint
30874 The index of the found tracepoint. This field is present iff
30875 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
30876
30877 @item frame
30878 The information about the frame corresponding to the found trace
30879 frame. This field is present only if a trace frame was found.
30880 @xref{GDB/MI Frame Information}, for description of this field.
30881
30882 @end table
30883
30884 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30885
30886 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tfind}.
30887
30888 @subheading -trace-define-variable
30889 @findex -trace-define-variable
30890
30891 @subsubheading Synopsis
30892
30893 @smallexample
30894 -trace-define-variable @var{name} [ @var{value} ]
30895 @end smallexample
30896
30897 Create trace variable @var{name} if it does not exist. If
30898 @var{value} is specified, sets the initial value of the specified
30899 trace variable to that value. Note that the @var{name} should start
30900 with the @samp{$} character.
30901
30902 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30903
30904 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariable}.
30905
30906 @subheading -trace-list-variables
30907 @findex -trace-list-variables
30908
30909 @subsubheading Synopsis
30910
30911 @smallexample
30912 -trace-list-variables
30913 @end smallexample
30914
30915 Return a table of all defined trace variables. Each element of the
30916 table has the following fields:
30917
30918 @table @samp
30919 @item name
30920 The name of the trace variable. This field is always present.
30921
30922 @item initial
30923 The initial value. This is a 64-bit signed integer. This
30924 field is always present.
30925
30926 @item current
30927 The value the trace variable has at the moment. This is a 64-bit
30928 signed integer. This field is absent iff current value is
30929 not defined, for example if the trace was never run, or is
30930 presently running.
30931
30932 @end table
30933
30934 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30935
30936 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariables}.
30937
30938 @subsubheading Example
30939
30940 @smallexample
30941 (gdb)
30942 -trace-list-variables
30943 ^done,trace-variables=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="3",
30944 hdr=[@{width="15",alignment="-1",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@},
30945 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="initial",colhdr="Initial"@},
30946 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr="Current"@}],
30947 body=[variable=@{name="$trace_timestamp",initial="0"@}
30948 variable=@{name="$foo",initial="10",current="15"@}]@}
30949 (gdb)
30950 @end smallexample
30951
30952 @subheading -trace-save
30953 @findex -trace-save
30954
30955 @subsubheading Synopsis
30956
30957 @smallexample
30958 -trace-save [-r ] @var{filename}
30959 @end smallexample
30960
30961 Saves the collected trace data to @var{filename}. Without the
30962 @samp{-r} option, the data is downloaded from the target and saved
30963 in a local file. With the @samp{-r} option the target is asked
30964 to perform the save.
30965
30966 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30967
30968 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tsave}.
30969
30970
30971 @subheading -trace-start
30972 @findex -trace-start
30973
30974 @subsubheading Synopsis
30975
30976 @smallexample
30977 -trace-start
30978 @end smallexample
30979
30980 Starts a tracing experiments. The result of this command does not
30981 have any fields.
30982
30983 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30984
30985 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstart}.
30986
30987 @subheading -trace-status
30988 @findex -trace-status
30989
30990 @subsubheading Synopsis
30991
30992 @smallexample
30993 -trace-status
30994 @end smallexample
30995
30996 Obtains the status of a tracing experiment. The result may include
30997 the following fields:
30998
30999 @table @samp
31000
31001 @item supported
31002 May have a value of either @samp{0}, when no tracing operations are
31003 supported, @samp{1}, when all tracing operations are supported, or
31004 @samp{file} when examining trace file. In the latter case, examining
31005 of trace frame is possible but new tracing experiement cannot be
31006 started. This field is always present.
31007
31008 @item running
31009 May have a value of either @samp{0} or @samp{1} depending on whether
31010 tracing experiement is in progress on target. This field is present
31011 if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
31012
31013 @item stop-reason
31014 Report the reason why the tracing was stopped last time. This field
31015 may be absent iff tracing was never stopped on target yet. The
31016 value of @samp{request} means the tracing was stopped as result of
31017 the @code{-trace-stop} command. The value of @samp{overflow} means
31018 the tracing buffer is full. The value of @samp{disconnection} means
31019 tracing was automatically stopped when @value{GDBN} has disconnected.
31020 The value of @samp{passcount} means tracing was stopped when a
31021 tracepoint was passed a maximal number of times for that tracepoint.
31022 This field is present if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
31023
31024 @item stopping-tracepoint
31025 The number of tracepoint whose passcount as exceeded. This field is
31026 present iff the @samp{stop-reason} field has the value of
31027 @samp{passcount}.
31028
31029 @item frames
31030 @itemx frames-created
31031 The @samp{frames} field is a count of the total number of trace frames
31032 in the trace buffer, while @samp{frames-created} is the total created
31033 during the run, including ones that were discarded, such as when a
31034 circular trace buffer filled up. Both fields are optional.
31035
31036 @item buffer-size
31037 @itemx buffer-free
31038 These fields tell the current size of the tracing buffer and the
31039 remaining space. These fields are optional.
31040
31041 @item circular
31042 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
31043 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
31044 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
31045 and may fill up.
31046
31047 @item disconnected
31048 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
31049 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
31050 that the trace run will stop.
31051
31052 @end table
31053
31054 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31055
31056 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstatus}.
31057
31058 @subheading -trace-stop
31059 @findex -trace-stop
31060
31061 @subsubheading Synopsis
31062
31063 @smallexample
31064 -trace-stop
31065 @end smallexample
31066
31067 Stops a tracing experiment. The result of this command has the same
31068 fields as @code{-trace-status}, except that the @samp{supported} and
31069 @samp{running} fields are not output.
31070
31071 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31072
31073 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstop}.
31074
31075
31076 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31077 @node GDB/MI Symbol Query
31078 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Symbol Query Commands
31079
31080
31081 @ignore
31082 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-address} Command
31083 @findex -symbol-info-address
31084
31085 @subsubheading Synopsis
31086
31087 @smallexample
31088 -symbol-info-address @var{symbol}
31089 @end smallexample
31090
31091 Describe where @var{symbol} is stored.
31092
31093 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31094
31095 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info address}.
31096
31097 @subsubheading Example
31098 N.A.
31099
31100
31101 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-file} Command
31102 @findex -symbol-info-file
31103
31104 @subsubheading Synopsis
31105
31106 @smallexample
31107 -symbol-info-file
31108 @end smallexample
31109
31110 Show the file for the symbol.
31111
31112 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31113
31114 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @code{gdbtk} has
31115 @samp{gdb_find_file}.
31116
31117 @subsubheading Example
31118 N.A.
31119
31120
31121 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-function} Command
31122 @findex -symbol-info-function
31123
31124 @subsubheading Synopsis
31125
31126 @smallexample
31127 -symbol-info-function
31128 @end smallexample
31129
31130 Show which function the symbol lives in.
31131
31132 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31133
31134 @samp{gdb_get_function} in @code{gdbtk}.
31135
31136 @subsubheading Example
31137 N.A.
31138
31139
31140 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-line} Command
31141 @findex -symbol-info-line
31142
31143 @subsubheading Synopsis
31144
31145 @smallexample
31146 -symbol-info-line
31147 @end smallexample
31148
31149 Show the core addresses of the code for a source line.
31150
31151 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31152
31153 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info line}.
31154 @code{gdbtk} has the @samp{gdb_get_line} and @samp{gdb_get_file} commands.
31155
31156 @subsubheading Example
31157 N.A.
31158
31159
31160 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-symbol} Command
31161 @findex -symbol-info-symbol
31162
31163 @subsubheading Synopsis
31164
31165 @smallexample
31166 -symbol-info-symbol @var{addr}
31167 @end smallexample
31168
31169 Describe what symbol is at location @var{addr}.
31170
31171 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31172
31173 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info symbol}.
31174
31175 @subsubheading Example
31176 N.A.
31177
31178
31179 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-functions} Command
31180 @findex -symbol-list-functions
31181
31182 @subsubheading Synopsis
31183
31184 @smallexample
31185 -symbol-list-functions
31186 @end smallexample
31187
31188 List the functions in the executable.
31189
31190 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31191
31192 @samp{info functions} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_listfunc} and
31193 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
31194
31195 @subsubheading Example
31196 N.A.
31197 @end ignore
31198
31199
31200 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-lines} Command
31201 @findex -symbol-list-lines
31202
31203 @subsubheading Synopsis
31204
31205 @smallexample
31206 -symbol-list-lines @var{filename}
31207 @end smallexample
31208
31209 Print the list of lines that contain code and their associated program
31210 addresses for the given source filename. The entries are sorted in
31211 ascending PC order.
31212
31213 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31214
31215 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
31216
31217 @subsubheading Example
31218 @smallexample
31219 (gdb)
31220 -symbol-list-lines basics.c
31221 ^done,lines=[@{pc="0x08048554",line="7"@},@{pc="0x0804855a",line="8"@}]
31222 (gdb)
31223 @end smallexample
31224
31225
31226 @ignore
31227 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-types} Command
31228 @findex -symbol-list-types
31229
31230 @subsubheading Synopsis
31231
31232 @smallexample
31233 -symbol-list-types
31234 @end smallexample
31235
31236 List all the type names.
31237
31238 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31239
31240 The corresponding commands are @samp{info types} in @value{GDBN},
31241 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
31242
31243 @subsubheading Example
31244 N.A.
31245
31246
31247 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-variables} Command
31248 @findex -symbol-list-variables
31249
31250 @subsubheading Synopsis
31251
31252 @smallexample
31253 -symbol-list-variables
31254 @end smallexample
31255
31256 List all the global and static variable names.
31257
31258 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31259
31260 @samp{info variables} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
31261
31262 @subsubheading Example
31263 N.A.
31264
31265
31266 @subheading The @code{-symbol-locate} Command
31267 @findex -symbol-locate
31268
31269 @subsubheading Synopsis
31270
31271 @smallexample
31272 -symbol-locate
31273 @end smallexample
31274
31275 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31276
31277 @samp{gdb_loc} in @code{gdbtk}.
31278
31279 @subsubheading Example
31280 N.A.
31281
31282
31283 @subheading The @code{-symbol-type} Command
31284 @findex -symbol-type
31285
31286 @subsubheading Synopsis
31287
31288 @smallexample
31289 -symbol-type @var{variable}
31290 @end smallexample
31291
31292 Show type of @var{variable}.
31293
31294 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31295
31296 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ptype}, @code{gdbtk} has
31297 @samp{gdb_obj_variable}.
31298
31299 @subsubheading Example
31300 N.A.
31301 @end ignore
31302
31303
31304 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31305 @node GDB/MI File Commands
31306 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Commands
31307
31308 This section describes the GDB/MI commands to specify executable file names
31309 and to read in and obtain symbol table information.
31310
31311 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-and-symbols} Command
31312 @findex -file-exec-and-symbols
31313
31314 @subsubheading Synopsis
31315
31316 @smallexample
31317 -file-exec-and-symbols @var{file}
31318 @end smallexample
31319
31320 Specify the executable file to be debugged. This file is the one from
31321 which the symbol table is also read. If no file is specified, the
31322 command clears the executable and symbol information. If breakpoints
31323 are set when using this command with no arguments, @value{GDBN} will produce
31324 error messages. Otherwise, no output is produced, except a completion
31325 notification.
31326
31327 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31328
31329 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{file}.
31330
31331 @subsubheading Example
31332
31333 @smallexample
31334 (gdb)
31335 -file-exec-and-symbols /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
31336 ^done
31337 (gdb)
31338 @end smallexample
31339
31340
31341 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-file} Command
31342 @findex -file-exec-file
31343
31344 @subsubheading Synopsis
31345
31346 @smallexample
31347 -file-exec-file @var{file}
31348 @end smallexample
31349
31350 Specify the executable file to be debugged. Unlike
31351 @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols}, the symbol table is @emph{not} read
31352 from this file. If used without argument, @value{GDBN} clears the information
31353 about the executable file. No output is produced, except a completion
31354 notification.
31355
31356 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31357
31358 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{exec-file}.
31359
31360 @subsubheading Example
31361
31362 @smallexample
31363 (gdb)
31364 -file-exec-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
31365 ^done
31366 (gdb)
31367 @end smallexample
31368
31369
31370 @ignore
31371 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-sections} Command
31372 @findex -file-list-exec-sections
31373
31374 @subsubheading Synopsis
31375
31376 @smallexample
31377 -file-list-exec-sections
31378 @end smallexample
31379
31380 List the sections of the current executable file.
31381
31382 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31383
31384 The @value{GDBN} command @samp{info file} shows, among the rest, the same
31385 information as this command. @code{gdbtk} has a corresponding command
31386 @samp{gdb_load_info}.
31387
31388 @subsubheading Example
31389 N.A.
31390 @end ignore
31391
31392
31393 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-file} Command
31394 @findex -file-list-exec-source-file
31395
31396 @subsubheading Synopsis
31397
31398 @smallexample
31399 -file-list-exec-source-file
31400 @end smallexample
31401
31402 List the line number, the current source file, and the absolute path
31403 to the current source file for the current executable. The macro
31404 information field has a value of @samp{1} or @samp{0} depending on
31405 whether or not the file includes preprocessor macro information.
31406
31407 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31408
31409 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info source}
31410
31411 @subsubheading Example
31412
31413 @smallexample
31414 (gdb)
31415 123-file-list-exec-source-file
31416 123^done,line="1",file="foo.c",fullname="/home/bar/foo.c,macro-info="1"
31417 (gdb)
31418 @end smallexample
31419
31420
31421 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-files} Command
31422 @findex -file-list-exec-source-files
31423
31424 @subsubheading Synopsis
31425
31426 @smallexample
31427 -file-list-exec-source-files
31428 @end smallexample
31429
31430 List the source files for the current executable.
31431
31432 It will always output the filename, but only when @value{GDBN} can find
31433 the absolute file name of a source file, will it output the fullname.
31434
31435 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31436
31437 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info sources}.
31438 @code{gdbtk} has an analogous command @samp{gdb_listfiles}.
31439
31440 @subsubheading Example
31441 @smallexample
31442 (gdb)
31443 -file-list-exec-source-files
31444 ^done,files=[
31445 @{file=foo.c,fullname=/home/foo.c@},
31446 @{file=/home/bar.c,fullname=/home/bar.c@},
31447 @{file=gdb_could_not_find_fullpath.c@}]
31448 (gdb)
31449 @end smallexample
31450
31451 @ignore
31452 @subheading The @code{-file-list-shared-libraries} Command
31453 @findex -file-list-shared-libraries
31454
31455 @subsubheading Synopsis
31456
31457 @smallexample
31458 -file-list-shared-libraries
31459 @end smallexample
31460
31461 List the shared libraries in the program.
31462
31463 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31464
31465 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info shared}.
31466
31467 @subsubheading Example
31468 N.A.
31469
31470
31471 @subheading The @code{-file-list-symbol-files} Command
31472 @findex -file-list-symbol-files
31473
31474 @subsubheading Synopsis
31475
31476 @smallexample
31477 -file-list-symbol-files
31478 @end smallexample
31479
31480 List symbol files.
31481
31482 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31483
31484 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info file} (part of it).
31485
31486 @subsubheading Example
31487 N.A.
31488 @end ignore
31489
31490
31491 @subheading The @code{-file-symbol-file} Command
31492 @findex -file-symbol-file
31493
31494 @subsubheading Synopsis
31495
31496 @smallexample
31497 -file-symbol-file @var{file}
31498 @end smallexample
31499
31500 Read symbol table info from the specified @var{file} argument. When
31501 used without arguments, clears @value{GDBN}'s symbol table info. No output is
31502 produced, except for a completion notification.
31503
31504 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31505
31506 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{symbol-file}.
31507
31508 @subsubheading Example
31509
31510 @smallexample
31511 (gdb)
31512 -file-symbol-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
31513 ^done
31514 (gdb)
31515 @end smallexample
31516
31517 @ignore
31518 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31519 @node GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands
31520 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Memory Overlay Commands
31521
31522 The memory overlay commands are not implemented.
31523
31524 @c @subheading -overlay-auto
31525
31526 @c @subheading -overlay-list-mapping-state
31527
31528 @c @subheading -overlay-list-overlays
31529
31530 @c @subheading -overlay-map
31531
31532 @c @subheading -overlay-off
31533
31534 @c @subheading -overlay-on
31535
31536 @c @subheading -overlay-unmap
31537
31538 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31539 @node GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands
31540 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Signal Handling Commands
31541
31542 Signal handling commands are not implemented.
31543
31544 @c @subheading -signal-handle
31545
31546 @c @subheading -signal-list-handle-actions
31547
31548 @c @subheading -signal-list-signal-types
31549 @end ignore
31550
31551
31552 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31553 @node GDB/MI Target Manipulation
31554 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Target Manipulation Commands
31555
31556
31557 @subheading The @code{-target-attach} Command
31558 @findex -target-attach
31559
31560 @subsubheading Synopsis
31561
31562 @smallexample
31563 -target-attach @var{pid} | @var{gid} | @var{file}
31564 @end smallexample
31565
31566 Attach to a process @var{pid} or a file @var{file} outside of
31567 @value{GDBN}, or a thread group @var{gid}. If attaching to a thread
31568 group, the id previously returned by
31569 @samp{-list-thread-groups --available} must be used.
31570
31571 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31572
31573 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{attach}.
31574
31575 @subsubheading Example
31576 @smallexample
31577 (gdb)
31578 -target-attach 34
31579 =thread-created,id="1"
31580 *stopped,thread-id="1",frame=@{addr="0xb7f7e410",func="bar",args=[]@}
31581 ^done
31582 (gdb)
31583 @end smallexample
31584
31585 @ignore
31586 @subheading The @code{-target-compare-sections} Command
31587 @findex -target-compare-sections
31588
31589 @subsubheading Synopsis
31590
31591 @smallexample
31592 -target-compare-sections [ @var{section} ]
31593 @end smallexample
31594
31595 Compare data of section @var{section} on target to the exec file.
31596 Without the argument, all sections are compared.
31597
31598 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31599
31600 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{compare-sections}.
31601
31602 @subsubheading Example
31603 N.A.
31604 @end ignore
31605
31606
31607 @subheading The @code{-target-detach} Command
31608 @findex -target-detach
31609
31610 @subsubheading Synopsis
31611
31612 @smallexample
31613 -target-detach [ @var{pid} | @var{gid} ]
31614 @end smallexample
31615
31616 Detach from the remote target which normally resumes its execution.
31617 If either @var{pid} or @var{gid} is specified, detaches from either
31618 the specified process, or specified thread group. There's no output.
31619
31620 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31621
31622 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{detach}.
31623
31624 @subsubheading Example
31625
31626 @smallexample
31627 (gdb)
31628 -target-detach
31629 ^done
31630 (gdb)
31631 @end smallexample
31632
31633
31634 @subheading The @code{-target-disconnect} Command
31635 @findex -target-disconnect
31636
31637 @subsubheading Synopsis
31638
31639 @smallexample
31640 -target-disconnect
31641 @end smallexample
31642
31643 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output and the target is
31644 generally not resumed.
31645
31646 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31647
31648 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disconnect}.
31649
31650 @subsubheading Example
31651
31652 @smallexample
31653 (gdb)
31654 -target-disconnect
31655 ^done
31656 (gdb)
31657 @end smallexample
31658
31659
31660 @subheading The @code{-target-download} Command
31661 @findex -target-download
31662
31663 @subsubheading Synopsis
31664
31665 @smallexample
31666 -target-download
31667 @end smallexample
31668
31669 Loads the executable onto the remote target.
31670 It prints out an update message every half second, which includes the fields:
31671
31672 @table @samp
31673 @item section
31674 The name of the section.
31675 @item section-sent
31676 The size of what has been sent so far for that section.
31677 @item section-size
31678 The size of the section.
31679 @item total-sent
31680 The total size of what was sent so far (the current and the previous sections).
31681 @item total-size
31682 The size of the overall executable to download.
31683 @end table
31684
31685 @noindent
31686 Each message is sent as status record (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, ,
31687 @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax}).
31688
31689 In addition, it prints the name and size of the sections, as they are
31690 downloaded. These messages include the following fields:
31691
31692 @table @samp
31693 @item section
31694 The name of the section.
31695 @item section-size
31696 The size of the section.
31697 @item total-size
31698 The size of the overall executable to download.
31699 @end table
31700
31701 @noindent
31702 At the end, a summary is printed.
31703
31704 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31705
31706 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{load}.
31707
31708 @subsubheading Example
31709
31710 Note: each status message appears on a single line. Here the messages
31711 have been broken down so that they can fit onto a page.
31712
31713 @smallexample
31714 (gdb)
31715 -target-download
31716 +download,@{section=".text",section-size="6668",total-size="9880"@}
31717 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="512",section-size="6668",
31718 total-sent="512",total-size="9880"@}
31719 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1024",section-size="6668",
31720 total-sent="1024",total-size="9880"@}
31721 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1536",section-size="6668",
31722 total-sent="1536",total-size="9880"@}
31723 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2048",section-size="6668",
31724 total-sent="2048",total-size="9880"@}
31725 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2560",section-size="6668",
31726 total-sent="2560",total-size="9880"@}
31727 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3072",section-size="6668",
31728 total-sent="3072",total-size="9880"@}
31729 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3584",section-size="6668",
31730 total-sent="3584",total-size="9880"@}
31731 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4096",section-size="6668",
31732 total-sent="4096",total-size="9880"@}
31733 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4608",section-size="6668",
31734 total-sent="4608",total-size="9880"@}
31735 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5120",section-size="6668",
31736 total-sent="5120",total-size="9880"@}
31737 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5632",section-size="6668",
31738 total-sent="5632",total-size="9880"@}
31739 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6144",section-size="6668",
31740 total-sent="6144",total-size="9880"@}
31741 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6656",section-size="6668",
31742 total-sent="6656",total-size="9880"@}
31743 +download,@{section=".init",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
31744 +download,@{section=".fini",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
31745 +download,@{section=".data",section-size="3156",total-size="9880"@}
31746 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="512",section-size="3156",
31747 total-sent="7236",total-size="9880"@}
31748 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1024",section-size="3156",
31749 total-sent="7748",total-size="9880"@}
31750 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1536",section-size="3156",
31751 total-sent="8260",total-size="9880"@}
31752 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2048",section-size="3156",
31753 total-sent="8772",total-size="9880"@}
31754 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2560",section-size="3156",
31755 total-sent="9284",total-size="9880"@}
31756 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="3072",section-size="3156",
31757 total-sent="9796",total-size="9880"@}
31758 ^done,address="0x10004",load-size="9880",transfer-rate="6586",
31759 write-rate="429"
31760 (gdb)
31761 @end smallexample
31762
31763
31764 @ignore
31765 @subheading The @code{-target-exec-status} Command
31766 @findex -target-exec-status
31767
31768 @subsubheading Synopsis
31769
31770 @smallexample
31771 -target-exec-status
31772 @end smallexample
31773
31774 Provide information on the state of the target (whether it is running or
31775 not, for instance).
31776
31777 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31778
31779 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
31780
31781 @subsubheading Example
31782 N.A.
31783
31784
31785 @subheading The @code{-target-list-available-targets} Command
31786 @findex -target-list-available-targets
31787
31788 @subsubheading Synopsis
31789
31790 @smallexample
31791 -target-list-available-targets
31792 @end smallexample
31793
31794 List the possible targets to connect to.
31795
31796 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31797
31798 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{help target}.
31799
31800 @subsubheading Example
31801 N.A.
31802
31803
31804 @subheading The @code{-target-list-current-targets} Command
31805 @findex -target-list-current-targets
31806
31807 @subsubheading Synopsis
31808
31809 @smallexample
31810 -target-list-current-targets
31811 @end smallexample
31812
31813 Describe the current target.
31814
31815 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31816
31817 The corresponding information is printed by @samp{info file} (among
31818 other things).
31819
31820 @subsubheading Example
31821 N.A.
31822
31823
31824 @subheading The @code{-target-list-parameters} Command
31825 @findex -target-list-parameters
31826
31827 @subsubheading Synopsis
31828
31829 @smallexample
31830 -target-list-parameters
31831 @end smallexample
31832
31833 @c ????
31834 @end ignore
31835
31836 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31837
31838 No equivalent.
31839
31840 @subsubheading Example
31841 N.A.
31842
31843
31844 @subheading The @code{-target-select} Command
31845 @findex -target-select
31846
31847 @subsubheading Synopsis
31848
31849 @smallexample
31850 -target-select @var{type} @var{parameters @dots{}}
31851 @end smallexample
31852
31853 Connect @value{GDBN} to the remote target. This command takes two args:
31854
31855 @table @samp
31856 @item @var{type}
31857 The type of target, for instance @samp{remote}, etc.
31858 @item @var{parameters}
31859 Device names, host names and the like. @xref{Target Commands, ,
31860 Commands for Managing Targets}, for more details.
31861 @end table
31862
31863 The output is a connection notification, followed by the address at
31864 which the target program is, in the following form:
31865
31866 @smallexample
31867 ^connected,addr="@var{address}",func="@var{function name}",
31868 args=[@var{arg list}]
31869 @end smallexample
31870
31871 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31872
31873 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{target}.
31874
31875 @subsubheading Example
31876
31877 @smallexample
31878 (gdb)
31879 -target-select remote /dev/ttya
31880 ^connected,addr="0xfe00a300",func="??",args=[]
31881 (gdb)
31882 @end smallexample
31883
31884 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31885 @node GDB/MI File Transfer Commands
31886 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Transfer Commands
31887
31888
31889 @subheading The @code{-target-file-put} Command
31890 @findex -target-file-put
31891
31892 @subsubheading Synopsis
31893
31894 @smallexample
31895 -target-file-put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
31896 @end smallexample
31897
31898 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
31899 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
31900
31901 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31902
31903 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote put}.
31904
31905 @subsubheading Example
31906
31907 @smallexample
31908 (gdb)
31909 -target-file-put localfile remotefile
31910 ^done
31911 (gdb)
31912 @end smallexample
31913
31914
31915 @subheading The @code{-target-file-get} Command
31916 @findex -target-file-get
31917
31918 @subsubheading Synopsis
31919
31920 @smallexample
31921 -target-file-get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
31922 @end smallexample
31923
31924 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
31925 on the host system.
31926
31927 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31928
31929 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote get}.
31930
31931 @subsubheading Example
31932
31933 @smallexample
31934 (gdb)
31935 -target-file-get remotefile localfile
31936 ^done
31937 (gdb)
31938 @end smallexample
31939
31940
31941 @subheading The @code{-target-file-delete} Command
31942 @findex -target-file-delete
31943
31944 @subsubheading Synopsis
31945
31946 @smallexample
31947 -target-file-delete @var{targetfile}
31948 @end smallexample
31949
31950 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
31951
31952 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31953
31954 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote delete}.
31955
31956 @subsubheading Example
31957
31958 @smallexample
31959 (gdb)
31960 -target-file-delete remotefile
31961 ^done
31962 (gdb)
31963 @end smallexample
31964
31965
31966 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31967 @node GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands
31968 @section Miscellaneous @sc{gdb/mi} Commands
31969
31970 @c @subheading -gdb-complete
31971
31972 @subheading The @code{-gdb-exit} Command
31973 @findex -gdb-exit
31974
31975 @subsubheading Synopsis
31976
31977 @smallexample
31978 -gdb-exit
31979 @end smallexample
31980
31981 Exit @value{GDBN} immediately.
31982
31983 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31984
31985 Approximately corresponds to @samp{quit}.
31986
31987 @subsubheading Example
31988
31989 @smallexample
31990 (gdb)
31991 -gdb-exit
31992 ^exit
31993 @end smallexample
31994
31995
31996 @ignore
31997 @subheading The @code{-exec-abort} Command
31998 @findex -exec-abort
31999
32000 @subsubheading Synopsis
32001
32002 @smallexample
32003 -exec-abort
32004 @end smallexample
32005
32006 Kill the inferior running program.
32007
32008 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32009
32010 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{kill}.
32011
32012 @subsubheading Example
32013 N.A.
32014 @end ignore
32015
32016
32017 @subheading The @code{-gdb-set} Command
32018 @findex -gdb-set
32019
32020 @subsubheading Synopsis
32021
32022 @smallexample
32023 -gdb-set
32024 @end smallexample
32025
32026 Set an internal @value{GDBN} variable.
32027 @c IS THIS A DOLLAR VARIABLE? OR SOMETHING LIKE ANNOTATE ?????
32028
32029 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32030
32031 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set}.
32032
32033 @subsubheading Example
32034
32035 @smallexample
32036 (gdb)
32037 -gdb-set $foo=3
32038 ^done
32039 (gdb)
32040 @end smallexample
32041
32042
32043 @subheading The @code{-gdb-show} Command
32044 @findex -gdb-show
32045
32046 @subsubheading Synopsis
32047
32048 @smallexample
32049 -gdb-show
32050 @end smallexample
32051
32052 Show the current value of a @value{GDBN} variable.
32053
32054 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32055
32056 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show}.
32057
32058 @subsubheading Example
32059
32060 @smallexample
32061 (gdb)
32062 -gdb-show annotate
32063 ^done,value="0"
32064 (gdb)
32065 @end smallexample
32066
32067 @c @subheading -gdb-source
32068
32069
32070 @subheading The @code{-gdb-version} Command
32071 @findex -gdb-version
32072
32073 @subsubheading Synopsis
32074
32075 @smallexample
32076 -gdb-version
32077 @end smallexample
32078
32079 Show version information for @value{GDBN}. Used mostly in testing.
32080
32081 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32082
32083 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{show version}. @value{GDBN} by
32084 default shows this information when you start an interactive session.
32085
32086 @subsubheading Example
32087
32088 @c This example modifies the actual output from GDB to avoid overfull
32089 @c box in TeX.
32090 @smallexample
32091 (gdb)
32092 -gdb-version
32093 ~GNU gdb 5.2.1
32094 ~Copyright 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
32095 ~GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and
32096 ~you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under
32097 ~ certain conditions.
32098 ~Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
32099 ~There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for
32100 ~ details.
32101 ~This GDB was configured as
32102 "--host=sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1 --target=ppc-eabi".
32103 ^done
32104 (gdb)
32105 @end smallexample
32106
32107 @subheading The @code{-list-features} Command
32108 @findex -list-features
32109
32110 Returns a list of particular features of the MI protocol that
32111 this version of gdb implements. A feature can be a command,
32112 or a new field in an output of some command, or even an
32113 important bugfix. While a frontend can sometimes detect presence
32114 of a feature at runtime, it is easier to perform detection at debugger
32115 startup.
32116
32117 The command returns a list of strings, with each string naming an
32118 available feature. Each returned string is just a name, it does not
32119 have any internal structure. The list of possible feature names
32120 is given below.
32121
32122 Example output:
32123
32124 @smallexample
32125 (gdb) -list-features
32126 ^done,result=["feature1","feature2"]
32127 @end smallexample
32128
32129 The current list of features is:
32130
32131 @table @samp
32132 @item frozen-varobjs
32133 Indicates support for the @code{-var-set-frozen} command, as well
32134 as possible presense of the @code{frozen} field in the output
32135 of @code{-varobj-create}.
32136 @item pending-breakpoints
32137 Indicates support for the @option{-f} option to the @code{-break-insert}
32138 command.
32139 @item python
32140 Indicates Python scripting support, Python-based
32141 pretty-printing commands, and possible presence of the
32142 @samp{display_hint} field in the output of @code{-var-list-children}
32143 @item thread-info
32144 Indicates support for the @code{-thread-info} command.
32145 @item data-read-memory-bytes
32146 Indicates support for the @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} and the
32147 @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} commands.
32148 @item breakpoint-notifications
32149 Indicates that changes to breakpoints and breakpoints created via the
32150 CLI will be announced via async records.
32151 @item ada-task-info
32152 Indicates support for the @code{-ada-task-info} command.
32153 @end table
32154
32155 @subheading The @code{-list-target-features} Command
32156 @findex -list-target-features
32157
32158 Returns a list of particular features that are supported by the
32159 target. Those features affect the permitted MI commands, but
32160 unlike the features reported by the @code{-list-features} command, the
32161 features depend on which target GDB is using at the moment. Whenever
32162 a target can change, due to commands such as @code{-target-select},
32163 @code{-target-attach} or @code{-exec-run}, the list of target features
32164 may change, and the frontend should obtain it again.
32165 Example output:
32166
32167 @smallexample
32168 (gdb) -list-features
32169 ^done,result=["async"]
32170 @end smallexample
32171
32172 The current list of features is:
32173
32174 @table @samp
32175 @item async
32176 Indicates that the target is capable of asynchronous command
32177 execution, which means that @value{GDBN} will accept further commands
32178 while the target is running.
32179
32180 @item reverse
32181 Indicates that the target is capable of reverse execution.
32182 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
32183
32184 @end table
32185
32186 @subheading The @code{-list-thread-groups} Command
32187 @findex -list-thread-groups
32188
32189 @subheading Synopsis
32190
32191 @smallexample
32192 -list-thread-groups [ --available ] [ --recurse 1 ] [ @var{group} ... ]
32193 @end smallexample
32194
32195 Lists thread groups (@pxref{Thread groups}). When a single thread
32196 group is passed as the argument, lists the children of that group.
32197 When several thread group are passed, lists information about those
32198 thread groups. Without any parameters, lists information about all
32199 top-level thread groups.
32200
32201 Normally, thread groups that are being debugged are reported.
32202 With the @samp{--available} option, @value{GDBN} reports thread groups
32203 available on the target.
32204
32205 The output of this command may have either a @samp{threads} result or
32206 a @samp{groups} result. The @samp{thread} result has a list of tuples
32207 as value, with each tuple describing a thread (@pxref{GDB/MI Thread
32208 Information}). The @samp{groups} result has a list of tuples as value,
32209 each tuple describing a thread group. If top-level groups are
32210 requested (that is, no parameter is passed), or when several groups
32211 are passed, the output always has a @samp{groups} result. The format
32212 of the @samp{group} result is described below.
32213
32214 To reduce the number of roundtrips it's possible to list thread groups
32215 together with their children, by passing the @samp{--recurse} option
32216 and the recursion depth. Presently, only recursion depth of 1 is
32217 permitted. If this option is present, then every reported thread group
32218 will also include its children, either as @samp{group} or
32219 @samp{threads} field.
32220
32221 In general, any combination of option and parameters is permitted, with
32222 the following caveats:
32223
32224 @itemize @bullet
32225 @item
32226 When a single thread group is passed, the output will typically
32227 be the @samp{threads} result. Because threads may not contain
32228 anything, the @samp{recurse} option will be ignored.
32229
32230 @item
32231 When the @samp{--available} option is passed, limited information may
32232 be available. In particular, the list of threads of a process might
32233 be inaccessible. Further, specifying specific thread groups might
32234 not give any performance advantage over listing all thread groups.
32235 The frontend should assume that @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}
32236 is always an expensive operation and cache the results.
32237
32238 @end itemize
32239
32240 The @samp{groups} result is a list of tuples, where each tuple may
32241 have the following fields:
32242
32243 @table @code
32244 @item id
32245 Identifier of the thread group. This field is always present.
32246 The identifier is an opaque string; frontends should not try to
32247 convert it to an integer, even though it might look like one.
32248
32249 @item type
32250 The type of the thread group. At present, only @samp{process} is a
32251 valid type.
32252
32253 @item pid
32254 The target-specific process identifier. This field is only present
32255 for thread groups of type @samp{process} and only if the process exists.
32256
32257 @item num_children
32258 The number of children this thread group has. This field may be
32259 absent for an available thread group.
32260
32261 @item threads
32262 This field has a list of tuples as value, each tuple describing a
32263 thread. It may be present if the @samp{--recurse} option is
32264 specified, and it's actually possible to obtain the threads.
32265
32266 @item cores
32267 This field is a list of integers, each identifying a core that one
32268 thread of the group is running on. This field may be absent if
32269 such information is not available.
32270
32271 @item executable
32272 The name of the executable file that corresponds to this thread group.
32273 The field is only present for thread groups of type @samp{process},
32274 and only if there is a corresponding executable file.
32275
32276 @end table
32277
32278 @subheading Example
32279
32280 @smallexample
32281 @value{GDBP}
32282 -list-thread-groups
32283 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2"@}]
32284 -list-thread-groups 17
32285 ^done,threads=[@{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
32286 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",args=[]@},state="running"@},
32287 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
32288 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
32289 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},state="running"@}]]
32290 -list-thread-groups --available
32291 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2]@}]
32292 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1
32293 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
32294 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
32295 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},..]
32296 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1 17 18
32297 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
32298 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
32299 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},...]
32300 @end smallexample
32301
32302
32303 @subheading The @code{-add-inferior} Command
32304 @findex -add-inferior
32305
32306 @subheading Synopsis
32307
32308 @smallexample
32309 -add-inferior
32310 @end smallexample
32311
32312 Creates a new inferior (@pxref{Inferiors and Programs}). The created
32313 inferior is not associated with any executable. Such association may
32314 be established with the @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols} command
32315 (@pxref{GDB/MI File Commands}). The command response has a single
32316 field, @samp{thread-group}, whose value is the identifier of the
32317 thread group corresponding to the new inferior.
32318
32319 @subheading Example
32320
32321 @smallexample
32322 @value{GDBP}
32323 -add-inferior
32324 ^done,thread-group="i3"
32325 @end smallexample
32326
32327 @subheading The @code{-interpreter-exec} Command
32328 @findex -interpreter-exec
32329
32330 @subheading Synopsis
32331
32332 @smallexample
32333 -interpreter-exec @var{interpreter} @var{command}
32334 @end smallexample
32335 @anchor{-interpreter-exec}
32336
32337 Execute the specified @var{command} in the given @var{interpreter}.
32338
32339 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
32340
32341 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interpreter-exec}.
32342
32343 @subheading Example
32344
32345 @smallexample
32346 (gdb)
32347 -interpreter-exec console "break main"
32348 &"During symbol reading, couldn't parse type; debugger out of date?.\n"
32349 &"During symbol reading, bad structure-type format.\n"
32350 ~"Breakpoint 1 at 0x8074fc6: file ../../src/gdb/main.c, line 743.\n"
32351 ^done
32352 (gdb)
32353 @end smallexample
32354
32355 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-set} Command
32356 @findex -inferior-tty-set
32357
32358 @subheading Synopsis
32359
32360 @smallexample
32361 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
32362 @end smallexample
32363
32364 Set terminal for future runs of the program being debugged.
32365
32366 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
32367
32368 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set inferior-tty} /dev/pts/1.
32369
32370 @subheading Example
32371
32372 @smallexample
32373 (gdb)
32374 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
32375 ^done
32376 (gdb)
32377 @end smallexample
32378
32379 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-show} Command
32380 @findex -inferior-tty-show
32381
32382 @subheading Synopsis
32383
32384 @smallexample
32385 -inferior-tty-show
32386 @end smallexample
32387
32388 Show terminal for future runs of program being debugged.
32389
32390 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
32391
32392 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show inferior-tty}.
32393
32394 @subheading Example
32395
32396 @smallexample
32397 (gdb)
32398 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
32399 ^done
32400 (gdb)
32401 -inferior-tty-show
32402 ^done,inferior_tty_terminal="/dev/pts/1"
32403 (gdb)
32404 @end smallexample
32405
32406 @subheading The @code{-enable-timings} Command
32407 @findex -enable-timings
32408
32409 @subheading Synopsis
32410
32411 @smallexample
32412 -enable-timings [yes | no]
32413 @end smallexample
32414
32415 Toggle the printing of the wallclock, user and system times for an MI
32416 command as a field in its output. This command is to help frontend
32417 developers optimize the performance of their code. No argument is
32418 equivalent to @samp{yes}.
32419
32420 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
32421
32422 No equivalent.
32423
32424 @subheading Example
32425
32426 @smallexample
32427 (gdb)
32428 -enable-timings
32429 ^done
32430 (gdb)
32431 -break-insert main
32432 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
32433 addr="0x080484ed",func="main",file="myprog.c",
32434 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73",times="0"@},
32435 time=@{wallclock="0.05185",user="0.00800",system="0.00000"@}
32436 (gdb)
32437 -enable-timings no
32438 ^done
32439 (gdb)
32440 -exec-run
32441 ^running
32442 (gdb)
32443 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
32444 frame=@{addr="0x080484ed",func="main",args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},
32445 @{name="argv",value="0xbfb60364"@}],file="myprog.c",
32446 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73"@}
32447 (gdb)
32448 @end smallexample
32449
32450 @node Annotations
32451 @chapter @value{GDBN} Annotations
32452
32453 This chapter describes annotations in @value{GDBN}. Annotations were
32454 designed to interface @value{GDBN} to graphical user interfaces or other
32455 similar programs which want to interact with @value{GDBN} at a
32456 relatively high level.
32457
32458 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
32459 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
32460
32461 @ignore
32462 This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}.
32463 @end ignore
32464
32465 @menu
32466 * Annotations Overview:: What annotations are; the general syntax.
32467 * Server Prefix:: Issuing a command without affecting user state.
32468 * Prompting:: Annotations marking @value{GDBN}'s need for input.
32469 * Errors:: Annotations for error messages.
32470 * Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid.
32471 * Annotations for Running::
32472 Whether the program is running, how it stopped, etc.
32473 * Source Annotations:: Annotations describing source code.
32474 @end menu
32475
32476 @node Annotations Overview
32477 @section What is an Annotation?
32478 @cindex annotations
32479
32480 Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z}
32481 characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional
32482 information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation
32483 is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional
32484 information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the
32485 additional information, and a newline. The additional information
32486 cannot contain newline characters.
32487
32488 Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z}
32489 characters denotes literal output from @value{GDBN}. Currently there is
32490 no need for @value{GDBN} to output a newline followed by two
32491 @samp{control-z} characters, but if there was such a need, the
32492 annotations could be extended with an @samp{escape} annotation which
32493 means those three characters as output.
32494
32495 The annotation @var{level}, which is specified using the
32496 @option{--annotate} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}), controls
32497 how much information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt,
32498 values of expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0
32499 is for no annotations, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a
32500 subprocess of @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable
32501 for programs that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 annotations have
32502 been made obsolete (@pxref{Limitations, , Limitations of the Annotation
32503 Interface, annotate, GDB's Obsolete Annotations}).
32504
32505 @table @code
32506 @kindex set annotate
32507 @item set annotate @var{level}
32508 The @value{GDBN} command @code{set annotate} sets the level of
32509 annotations to the specified @var{level}.
32510
32511 @item show annotate
32512 @kindex show annotate
32513 Show the current annotation level.
32514 @end table
32515
32516 This chapter describes level 3 annotations.
32517
32518 A simple example of starting up @value{GDBN} with annotations is:
32519
32520 @smallexample
32521 $ @kbd{gdb --annotate=3}
32522 GNU gdb 6.0
32523 Copyright 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
32524 GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License,
32525 and you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it
32526 under certain conditions.
32527 Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
32528 There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty"
32529 for details.
32530 This GDB was configured as "i386-pc-linux-gnu"
32531
32532 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
32533 (@value{GDBP})
32534 ^Z^Zprompt
32535 @kbd{quit}
32536
32537 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
32538 $
32539 @end smallexample
32540
32541 Here @samp{quit} is input to @value{GDBN}; the rest is output from
32542 @value{GDBN}. The three lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z}
32543 denotes a @samp{control-z} character) are annotations; the rest is
32544 output from @value{GDBN}.
32545
32546 @node Server Prefix
32547 @section The Server Prefix
32548 @cindex server prefix
32549
32550 If you prefix a command with @samp{server } then it will not affect
32551 the command history, nor will it affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which
32552 command to repeat if @key{RET} is pressed on a line by itself. This
32553 means that commands can be run behind a user's back by a front-end in
32554 a transparent manner.
32555
32556 The @code{server } prefix does not affect the recording of values into
32557 the value history; to print a value without recording it into the
32558 value history, use the @code{output} command instead of the
32559 @code{print} command.
32560
32561 Using this prefix also disables confirmation requests
32562 (@pxref{confirmation requests}).
32563
32564 @node Prompting
32565 @section Annotation for @value{GDBN} Input
32566
32567 @cindex annotations for prompts
32568 When @value{GDBN} prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible
32569 to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is
32570 over, etc.
32571
32572 Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each
32573 input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which
32574 denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain
32575 annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-}
32576 annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be
32577 associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type
32578 features the following annotations:
32579
32580 @smallexample
32581 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
32582 ^Z^Zprompt
32583 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
32584 @end smallexample
32585
32586 The input types are
32587
32588 @table @code
32589 @findex pre-prompt annotation
32590 @findex prompt annotation
32591 @findex post-prompt annotation
32592 @item prompt
32593 When @value{GDBN} is prompting for a command (the main @value{GDBN} prompt).
32594
32595 @findex pre-commands annotation
32596 @findex commands annotation
32597 @findex post-commands annotation
32598 @item commands
32599 When @value{GDBN} prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands}
32600 command. The annotations are repeated for each command which is input.
32601
32602 @findex pre-overload-choice annotation
32603 @findex overload-choice annotation
32604 @findex post-overload-choice annotation
32605 @item overload-choice
32606 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to select between various overloaded functions.
32607
32608 @findex pre-query annotation
32609 @findex query annotation
32610 @findex post-query annotation
32611 @item query
32612 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation.
32613
32614 @findex pre-prompt-for-continue annotation
32615 @findex prompt-for-continue annotation
32616 @findex post-prompt-for-continue annotation
32617 @item prompt-for-continue
32618 When @value{GDBN} is asking the user to press return to continue. Note: Don't
32619 expect this to work well; instead use @code{set height 0} to disable
32620 prompting. This is because the counting of lines is buggy in the
32621 presence of annotations.
32622 @end table
32623
32624 @node Errors
32625 @section Errors
32626 @cindex annotations for errors, warnings and interrupts
32627
32628 @findex quit annotation
32629 @smallexample
32630 ^Z^Zquit
32631 @end smallexample
32632
32633 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an interrupt.
32634
32635 @findex error annotation
32636 @smallexample
32637 ^Z^Zerror
32638 @end smallexample
32639
32640 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an error.
32641
32642 Quit and error annotations indicate that any annotations which @value{GDBN} was
32643 in the middle of may end abruptly. For example, if a
32644 @code{value-history-begin} annotation is followed by a @code{error}, one
32645 cannot expect to receive the matching @code{value-history-end}. One
32646 cannot expect not to receive it either, however; an error annotation
32647 does not necessarily mean that @value{GDBN} is immediately returning all the way
32648 to the top level.
32649
32650 @findex error-begin annotation
32651 A quit or error annotation may be preceded by
32652
32653 @smallexample
32654 ^Z^Zerror-begin
32655 @end smallexample
32656
32657 Any output between that and the quit or error annotation is the error
32658 message.
32659
32660 Warning messages are not yet annotated.
32661 @c If we want to change that, need to fix warning(), type_error(),
32662 @c range_error(), and possibly other places.
32663
32664 @node Invalidation
32665 @section Invalidation Notices
32666
32667 @cindex annotations for invalidation messages
32668 The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have
32669 changed.
32670
32671 @table @code
32672 @findex frames-invalid annotation
32673 @item ^Z^Zframes-invalid
32674
32675 The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may
32676 have changed.
32677
32678 @findex breakpoints-invalid annotation
32679 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid
32680
32681 The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or
32682 deleted a breakpoint.
32683 @end table
32684
32685 @node Annotations for Running
32686 @section Running the Program
32687 @cindex annotations for running programs
32688
32689 @findex starting annotation
32690 @findex stopping annotation
32691 When the program starts executing due to a @value{GDBN} command such as
32692 @code{step} or @code{continue},
32693
32694 @smallexample
32695 ^Z^Zstarting
32696 @end smallexample
32697
32698 is output. When the program stops,
32699
32700 @smallexample
32701 ^Z^Zstopped
32702 @end smallexample
32703
32704 is output. Before the @code{stopped} annotation, a variety of
32705 annotations describe how the program stopped.
32706
32707 @table @code
32708 @findex exited annotation
32709 @item ^Z^Zexited @var{exit-status}
32710 The program exited, and @var{exit-status} is the exit status (zero for
32711 successful exit, otherwise nonzero).
32712
32713 @findex signalled annotation
32714 @findex signal-name annotation
32715 @findex signal-name-end annotation
32716 @findex signal-string annotation
32717 @findex signal-string-end annotation
32718 @item ^Z^Zsignalled
32719 The program exited with a signal. After the @code{^Z^Zsignalled}, the
32720 annotation continues:
32721
32722 @smallexample
32723 @var{intro-text}
32724 ^Z^Zsignal-name
32725 @var{name}
32726 ^Z^Zsignal-name-end
32727 @var{middle-text}
32728 ^Z^Zsignal-string
32729 @var{string}
32730 ^Z^Zsignal-string-end
32731 @var{end-text}
32732 @end smallexample
32733
32734 @noindent
32735 where @var{name} is the name of the signal, such as @code{SIGILL} or
32736 @code{SIGSEGV}, and @var{string} is the explanation of the signal, such
32737 as @code{Illegal Instruction} or @code{Segmentation fault}.
32738 @var{intro-text}, @var{middle-text}, and @var{end-text} are for the
32739 user's benefit and have no particular format.
32740
32741 @findex signal annotation
32742 @item ^Z^Zsignal
32743 The syntax of this annotation is just like @code{signalled}, but @value{GDBN} is
32744 just saying that the program received the signal, not that it was
32745 terminated with it.
32746
32747 @findex breakpoint annotation
32748 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoint @var{number}
32749 The program hit breakpoint number @var{number}.
32750
32751 @findex watchpoint annotation
32752 @item ^Z^Zwatchpoint @var{number}
32753 The program hit watchpoint number @var{number}.
32754 @end table
32755
32756 @node Source Annotations
32757 @section Displaying Source
32758 @cindex annotations for source display
32759
32760 @findex source annotation
32761 The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code:
32762
32763 @smallexample
32764 ^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr}
32765 @end smallexample
32766
32767 where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source
32768 file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the
32769 first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position
32770 within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most
32771 debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line),
32772 @var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the
32773 line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and
32774 @var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the
32775 source which is being displayed. @var{addr} is in the form @samp{0x}
32776 followed by one or more lowercase hex digits (note that this does not
32777 depend on the language).
32778
32779 @node JIT Interface
32780 @chapter JIT Compilation Interface
32781 @cindex just-in-time compilation
32782 @cindex JIT compilation interface
32783
32784 This chapter documents @value{GDBN}'s @dfn{just-in-time} (JIT) compilation
32785 interface. A JIT compiler is a program or library that generates native
32786 executable code at runtime and executes it, usually in order to achieve good
32787 performance while maintaining platform independence.
32788
32789 Programs that use JIT compilation are normally difficult to debug because
32790 portions of their code are generated at runtime, instead of being loaded from
32791 object files, which is where @value{GDBN} normally finds the program's symbols
32792 and debug information. In order to debug programs that use JIT compilation,
32793 @value{GDBN} has an interface that allows the program to register in-memory
32794 symbol files with @value{GDBN} at runtime.
32795
32796 If you are using @value{GDBN} to debug a program that uses this interface, then
32797 it should work transparently so long as you have not stripped the binary. If
32798 you are developing a JIT compiler, then the interface is documented in the rest
32799 of this chapter. At this time, the only known client of this interface is the
32800 LLVM JIT.
32801
32802 Broadly speaking, the JIT interface mirrors the dynamic loader interface. The
32803 JIT compiler communicates with @value{GDBN} by writing data into a global
32804 variable and calling a fuction at a well-known symbol. When @value{GDBN}
32805 attaches, it reads a linked list of symbol files from the global variable to
32806 find existing code, and puts a breakpoint in the function so that it can find
32807 out about additional code.
32808
32809 @menu
32810 * Declarations:: Relevant C struct declarations
32811 * Registering Code:: Steps to register code
32812 * Unregistering Code:: Steps to unregister code
32813 * Custom Debug Info:: Emit debug information in a custom format
32814 @end menu
32815
32816 @node Declarations
32817 @section JIT Declarations
32818
32819 These are the relevant struct declarations that a C program should include to
32820 implement the interface:
32821
32822 @smallexample
32823 typedef enum
32824 @{
32825 JIT_NOACTION = 0,
32826 JIT_REGISTER_FN,
32827 JIT_UNREGISTER_FN
32828 @} jit_actions_t;
32829
32830 struct jit_code_entry
32831 @{
32832 struct jit_code_entry *next_entry;
32833 struct jit_code_entry *prev_entry;
32834 const char *symfile_addr;
32835 uint64_t symfile_size;
32836 @};
32837
32838 struct jit_descriptor
32839 @{
32840 uint32_t version;
32841 /* This type should be jit_actions_t, but we use uint32_t
32842 to be explicit about the bitwidth. */
32843 uint32_t action_flag;
32844 struct jit_code_entry *relevant_entry;
32845 struct jit_code_entry *first_entry;
32846 @};
32847
32848 /* GDB puts a breakpoint in this function. */
32849 void __attribute__((noinline)) __jit_debug_register_code() @{ @};
32850
32851 /* Make sure to specify the version statically, because the
32852 debugger may check the version before we can set it. */
32853 struct jit_descriptor __jit_debug_descriptor = @{ 1, 0, 0, 0 @};
32854 @end smallexample
32855
32856 If the JIT is multi-threaded, then it is important that the JIT synchronize any
32857 modifications to this global data properly, which can easily be done by putting
32858 a global mutex around modifications to these structures.
32859
32860 @node Registering Code
32861 @section Registering Code
32862
32863 To register code with @value{GDBN}, the JIT should follow this protocol:
32864
32865 @itemize @bullet
32866 @item
32867 Generate an object file in memory with symbols and other desired debug
32868 information. The file must include the virtual addresses of the sections.
32869
32870 @item
32871 Create a code entry for the file, which gives the start and size of the symbol
32872 file.
32873
32874 @item
32875 Add it to the linked list in the JIT descriptor.
32876
32877 @item
32878 Point the relevant_entry field of the descriptor at the entry.
32879
32880 @item
32881 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_REGISTER} and call
32882 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
32883 @end itemize
32884
32885 When @value{GDBN} is attached and the breakpoint fires, @value{GDBN} uses the
32886 @code{relevant_entry} pointer so it doesn't have to walk the list looking for
32887 new code. However, the linked list must still be maintained in order to allow
32888 @value{GDBN} to attach to a running process and still find the symbol files.
32889
32890 @node Unregistering Code
32891 @section Unregistering Code
32892
32893 If code is freed, then the JIT should use the following protocol:
32894
32895 @itemize @bullet
32896 @item
32897 Remove the code entry corresponding to the code from the linked list.
32898
32899 @item
32900 Point the @code{relevant_entry} field of the descriptor at the code entry.
32901
32902 @item
32903 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_UNREGISTER} and call
32904 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
32905 @end itemize
32906
32907 If the JIT frees or recompiles code without unregistering it, then @value{GDBN}
32908 and the JIT will leak the memory used for the associated symbol files.
32909
32910 @node Custom Debug Info
32911 @section Custom Debug Info
32912 @cindex custom JIT debug info
32913 @cindex JIT debug info reader
32914
32915 Generating debug information in platform-native file formats (like ELF
32916 or COFF) may be an overkill for JIT compilers; especially if all the
32917 debug info is used for is displaying a meaningful backtrace. The
32918 issue can be resolved by having the JIT writers decide on a debug info
32919 format and also provide a reader that parses the debug info generated
32920 by the JIT compiler. This section gives a brief overview on writing
32921 such a parser. More specific details can be found in the source file
32922 @file{gdb/jit-reader.in}, which is also installed as a header at
32923 @file{@var{includedir}/gdb/jit-reader.h} for easy inclusion.
32924
32925 The reader is implemented as a shared object (so this functionality is
32926 not available on platforms which don't allow loading shared objects at
32927 runtime). Two @value{GDBN} commands, @code{jit-reader-load} and
32928 @code{jit-reader-unload} are provided, to be used to load and unload
32929 the readers from a preconfigured directory. Once loaded, the shared
32930 object is used the parse the debug information emitted by the JIT
32931 compiler.
32932
32933 @menu
32934 * Using JIT Debug Info Readers:: How to use supplied readers correctly
32935 * Writing JIT Debug Info Readers:: Creating a debug-info reader
32936 @end menu
32937
32938 @node Using JIT Debug Info Readers
32939 @subsection Using JIT Debug Info Readers
32940 @kindex jit-reader-load
32941 @kindex jit-reader-unload
32942
32943 Readers can be loaded and unloaded using the @code{jit-reader-load}
32944 and @code{jit-reader-unload} commands.
32945
32946 @table @code
32947 @item jit-reader-load @var{reader-name}
32948 Load the JIT reader named @var{reader-name}. On a UNIX system, this
32949 will usually load @file{@var{libdir}/gdb/@var{reader-name}}, where
32950 @var{libdir} is the system library directory, usually
32951 @file{/usr/local/lib}. Only one reader can be active at a time;
32952 trying to load a second reader when one is already loaded will result
32953 in @value{GDBN} reporting an error. A new JIT reader can be loaded by
32954 first unloading the current one using @code{jit-reader-load} and then
32955 invoking @code{jit-reader-load}.
32956
32957 @item jit-reader-unload
32958 Unload the currently loaded JIT reader.
32959
32960 @end table
32961
32962 @node Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
32963 @subsection Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
32964 @cindex writing JIT debug info readers
32965
32966 As mentioned, a reader is essentially a shared object conforming to a
32967 certain ABI. This ABI is described in @file{jit-reader.h}.
32968
32969 @file{jit-reader.h} defines the structures, macros and functions
32970 required to write a reader. It is installed (along with
32971 @value{GDBN}), in @file{@var{includedir}/gdb} where @var{includedir} is
32972 the system include directory.
32973
32974 Readers need to be released under a GPL compatible license. A reader
32975 can be declared as released under such a license by placing the macro
32976 @code{GDB_DECLARE_GPL_COMPATIBLE_READER} in a source file.
32977
32978 The entry point for readers is the symbol @code{gdb_init_reader},
32979 which is expected to be a function with the prototype
32980
32981 @findex gdb_init_reader
32982 @smallexample
32983 extern struct gdb_reader_funcs *gdb_init_reader (void);
32984 @end smallexample
32985
32986 @cindex @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs}
32987
32988 @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs} contains a set of pointers to callback
32989 functions. These functions are executed to read the debug info
32990 generated by the JIT compiler (@code{read}), to unwind stack frames
32991 (@code{unwind}) and to create canonical frame IDs
32992 (@code{get_Frame_id}). It also has a callback that is called when the
32993 reader is being unloaded (@code{destroy}). The struct looks like this
32994
32995 @smallexample
32996 struct gdb_reader_funcs
32997 @{
32998 /* Must be set to GDB_READER_INTERFACE_VERSION. */
32999 int reader_version;
33000
33001 /* For use by the reader. */
33002 void *priv_data;
33003
33004 gdb_read_debug_info *read;
33005 gdb_unwind_frame *unwind;
33006 gdb_get_frame_id *get_frame_id;
33007 gdb_destroy_reader *destroy;
33008 @};
33009 @end smallexample
33010
33011 @cindex @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks}
33012 @cindex @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}
33013
33014 The callbacks are provided with another set of callbacks by
33015 @value{GDBN} to do their job. For @code{read}, these callbacks are
33016 passed in a @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} and for @code{unwind}
33017 and @code{get_frame_id}, in a @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}.
33018 @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} has callbacks to create new object
33019 files and new symbol tables inside those object files. @code{struct
33020 gdb_unwind_callbacks} has callbacks to read registers off the current
33021 frame and to write out the values of the registers in the previous
33022 frame. Both have a callback (@code{target_read}) to read bytes off the
33023 target's address space.
33024
33025 @node In-Process Agent
33026 @chapter In-Process Agent
33027 @cindex debugging agent
33028 The traditional debugging model is conceptually low-speed, but works fine,
33029 because most bugs can be reproduced in debugging-mode execution. However,
33030 as multi-core or many-core processors are becoming mainstream, and
33031 multi-threaded programs become more and more popular, there should be more
33032 and more bugs that only manifest themselves at normal-mode execution, for
33033 example, thread races, because debugger's interference with the program's
33034 timing may conceal the bugs. On the other hand, in some applications,
33035 it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt the program's execution
33036 long enough for the developer to learn anything helpful about its behavior.
33037 If the program's correctness depends on its real-time behavior, delays
33038 introduced by a debugger might cause the program to fail, even when the
33039 code itself is correct. It is useful to be able to observe the program's
33040 behavior without interrupting it.
33041
33042 Therefore, traditional debugging model is too intrusive to reproduce
33043 some bugs. In order to reduce the interference with the program, we can
33044 reduce the number of operations performed by debugger. The
33045 @dfn{In-Process Agent}, a shared library, is running within the same
33046 process with inferior, and is able to perform some debugging operations
33047 itself. As a result, debugger is only involved when necessary, and
33048 performance of debugging can be improved accordingly. Note that
33049 interference with program can be reduced but can't be removed completely,
33050 because the in-process agent will still stop or slow down the program.
33051
33052 The in-process agent can interpret and execute Agent Expressions
33053 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) during performing debugging operations. The
33054 agent expressions can be used for different purposes, such as collecting
33055 data in tracepoints, and condition evaluation in breakpoints.
33056
33057 @anchor{Control Agent}
33058 You can control whether the in-process agent is used as an aid for
33059 debugging with the following commands:
33060
33061 @table @code
33062 @kindex set agent on
33063 @item set agent on
33064 Causes the in-process agent to perform some operations on behalf of the
33065 debugger. Just which operations requested by the user will be done
33066 by the in-process agent depends on the its capabilities. For example,
33067 if you request to evaluate breakpoint conditions in the in-process agent,
33068 and the in-process agent has such capability as well, then breakpoint
33069 conditions will be evaluated in the in-process agent.
33070
33071 @kindex set agent off
33072 @item set agent off
33073 Disables execution of debugging operations by the in-process agent. All
33074 of the operations will be performed by @value{GDBN}.
33075
33076 @kindex show agent
33077 @item show agent
33078 Display the current setting of execution of debugging operations by
33079 the in-process agent.
33080 @end table
33081
33082 @node GDB Bugs
33083 @chapter Reporting Bugs in @value{GDBN}
33084 @cindex bugs in @value{GDBN}
33085 @cindex reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
33086
33087 Your bug reports play an essential role in making @value{GDBN} reliable.
33088
33089 Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or it
33090 may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is to help
33091 the entire community by making the next version of @value{GDBN} work better. Bug
33092 reports are your contribution to the maintenance of @value{GDBN}.
33093
33094 In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
33095 information that enables us to fix the bug.
33096
33097 @menu
33098 * Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
33099 * Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
33100 @end menu
33101
33102 @node Bug Criteria
33103 @section Have You Found a Bug?
33104 @cindex bug criteria
33105
33106 If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
33107
33108 @itemize @bullet
33109 @cindex fatal signal
33110 @cindex debugger crash
33111 @cindex crash of debugger
33112 @item
33113 If the debugger gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is a
33114 @value{GDBN} bug. Reliable debuggers never crash.
33115
33116 @cindex error on valid input
33117 @item
33118 If @value{GDBN} produces an error message for valid input, that is a
33119 bug. (Note that if you're cross debugging, the problem may also be
33120 somewhere in the connection to the target.)
33121
33122 @cindex invalid input
33123 @item
33124 If @value{GDBN} does not produce an error message for invalid input,
33125 that is a bug. However, you should note that your idea of
33126 ``invalid input'' might be our idea of ``an extension'' or ``support
33127 for traditional practice''.
33128
33129 @item
33130 If you are an experienced user of debugging tools, your suggestions
33131 for improvement of @value{GDBN} are welcome in any case.
33132 @end itemize
33133
33134 @node Bug Reporting
33135 @section How to Report Bugs
33136 @cindex bug reports
33137 @cindex @value{GDBN} bugs, reporting
33138
33139 A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu} products.
33140 If you obtained @value{GDBN} from a support organization, we recommend you
33141 contact that organization first.
33142
33143 You can find contact information for many support companies and
33144 individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
33145 distribution.
33146 @c should add a web page ref...
33147
33148 @ifset BUGURL
33149 @ifset BUGURL_DEFAULT
33150 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
33151 @value{GDBN}. The preferred method is to submit them directly using
33152 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/, @value{GDBN}'s Bugs web
33153 page}. Alternatively, the @email{bug-gdb@@gnu.org, e-mail gateway} can
33154 be used.
33155
33156 @strong{Do not send bug reports to @samp{info-gdb}, or to
33157 @samp{help-gdb}, or to any newsgroups.} Most users of @value{GDBN} do
33158 not want to receive bug reports. Those that do have arranged to receive
33159 @samp{bug-gdb}.
33160
33161 The mailing list @samp{bug-gdb} has a newsgroup @samp{gnu.gdb.bug} which
33162 serves as a repeater. The mailing list and the newsgroup carry exactly
33163 the same messages. Often people think of posting bug reports to the
33164 newsgroup instead of mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one
33165 problem which can be crucial: a newsgroup posting often lacks a mail
33166 path back to the sender. Thus, if we need to ask for more information,
33167 we may be unable to reach you. For this reason, it is better to send
33168 bug reports to the mailing list.
33169 @end ifset
33170 @ifclear BUGURL_DEFAULT
33171 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
33172 @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.
33173 @end ifclear
33174 @end ifset
33175
33176 The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
33177 @strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
33178 fact or leave it out, state it!
33179
33180 Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
33181 problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
33182 assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does not matter.
33183 Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is a
33184 stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where that
33185 name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name were different, the contents
33186 of that location would fool the debugger into doing the right thing despite
33187 the bug. Play it safe and give a specific, complete example. That is the
33188 easiest thing for you to do, and the most helpful.
33189
33190 Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the
33191 bug. It may be that the bug has been reported previously, but neither
33192 you nor we can know that unless your bug report is complete and
33193 self-contained.
33194
33195 Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
33196 bell?'' Those bug reports are useless, and we urge everyone to
33197 @emph{refuse to respond to them} except to chide the sender to report
33198 bugs properly.
33199
33200 To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
33201
33202 @itemize @bullet
33203 @item
33204 The version of @value{GDBN}. @value{GDBN} announces it if you start
33205 with no arguments; you can also print it at any time using @code{show
33206 version}.
33207
33208 Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
33209 the bug in the current version of @value{GDBN}.
33210
33211 @item
33212 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
33213 version number.
33214
33215 @item
33216 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile @value{GDBN}---e.g.@:
33217 ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1''.
33218
33219 @item
33220 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the program you are
33221 debugging---e.g.@: ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1'', or ``HP92453-01 A.10.32.03 HP
33222 C Compiler''. For @value{NGCC}, you can say @kbd{@value{GCC} --version}
33223 to get this information; for other compilers, see the documentation for
33224 those compilers.
33225
33226 @item
33227 The command arguments you gave the compiler to compile your example and
33228 observe the bug. For example, did you use @samp{-O}? To guarantee
33229 you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy of the
33230 Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
33231
33232 If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
33233 and then we might not encounter the bug.
33234
33235 @item
33236 A complete input script, and all necessary source files, that will
33237 reproduce the bug.
33238
33239 @item
33240 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
33241 incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
33242
33243 Of course, if the bug is that @value{GDBN} gets a fatal signal, then we
33244 will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
33245 not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
33246 a chance to make a mistake.
33247
33248 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
33249 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your
33250 copy of @value{GDBN} is out of synch, or you have encountered a bug in
33251 the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
33252 crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
33253 ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
33254 us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
33255 to draw any conclusion from our observations.
33256
33257 @pindex script
33258 @cindex recording a session script
33259 To collect all this information, you can use a session recording program
33260 such as @command{script}, which is available on many Unix systems.
33261 Just run your @value{GDBN} session inside @command{script} and then
33262 include the @file{typescript} file with your bug report.
33263
33264 Another way to record a @value{GDBN} session is to run @value{GDBN}
33265 inside Emacs and then save the entire buffer to a file.
33266
33267 @item
33268 If you wish to suggest changes to the @value{GDBN} source, send us context
33269 diffs. If you even discuss something in the @value{GDBN} source, refer to
33270 it by context, not by line number.
33271
33272 The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
33273 sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
33274
33275 @end itemize
33276
33277 Here are some things that are not necessary:
33278
33279 @itemize @bullet
33280 @item
33281 A description of the envelope of the bug.
33282
33283 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
33284 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
33285 changes will not affect it.
33286
33287 This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
33288 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
33289 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
33290 We recommend that you save your time for something else.
33291
33292 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
33293 of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
33294 output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
33295 less time, and so on.
33296
33297 However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
33298 report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
33299
33300 @item
33301 A patch for the bug.
33302
33303 A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
33304 the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
33305 a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
33306 to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
33307
33308 Sometimes with a program as complicated as @value{GDBN} it is very hard to
33309 construct an example that will make the program follow a certain path
33310 through the code. If you do not send us the example, we will not be able
33311 to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that the bug is fixed.
33312
33313 And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
33314 patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
33315 help us to understand.
33316
33317 @item
33318 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
33319
33320 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
33321 things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
33322 @end itemize
33323
33324 @c The readline documentation is distributed with the readline code
33325 @c and consists of the two following files:
33326 @c rluser.texi
33327 @c hsuser.texi
33328 @c Use -I with makeinfo to point to the appropriate directory,
33329 @c environment var TEXINPUTS with TeX.
33330 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
33331 @include rluser.texi
33332 @include hsuser.texi
33333 @end ifclear
33334
33335 @node In Memoriam
33336 @appendix In Memoriam
33337
33338 The @value{GDBN} project mourns the loss of the following long-time
33339 contributors:
33340
33341 @table @code
33342 @item Fred Fish
33343 Fred was a long-standing contributor to @value{GDBN} (1991-2006), and
33344 to Free Software in general. Outside of @value{GDBN}, he was known in
33345 the Amiga world for his series of Fish Disks, and the GeekGadget project.
33346
33347 @item Michael Snyder
33348 Michael was one of the Global Maintainers of the @value{GDBN} project,
33349 with contributions recorded as early as 1996, until 2011. In addition
33350 to his day to day participation, he was a large driving force behind
33351 adding Reverse Debugging to @value{GDBN}.
33352 @end table
33353
33354 Beyond their technical contributions to the project, they were also
33355 enjoyable members of the Free Software Community. We will miss them.
33356
33357 @node Formatting Documentation
33358 @appendix Formatting Documentation
33359
33360 @cindex @value{GDBN} reference card
33361 @cindex reference card
33362 The @value{GDBN} 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
33363 for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the @file{gdb}
33364 subdirectory of the main source directory@footnote{In
33365 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/refcard.ps} of the version @value{GDBVN}
33366 release.}. If you can use PostScript or Ghostscript with your printer,
33367 you can print the reference card immediately with @file{refcard.ps}.
33368
33369 The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
33370 can format it, using @TeX{}, by typing:
33371
33372 @smallexample
33373 make refcard.dvi
33374 @end smallexample
33375
33376 The @value{GDBN} reference card is designed to print in @dfn{landscape}
33377 mode on US ``letter'' size paper;
33378 that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
33379 high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
33380 your @sc{dvi} output program.
33381
33382 @cindex documentation
33383
33384 All the documentation for @value{GDBN} comes as part of the machine-readable
33385 distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
33386 a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
33387 on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info
33388 formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
33389 and @TeX{} (or @code{texi2roff}) to typeset the printed version.
33390
33391 @value{GDBN} includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info
33392 version of this manual in the @file{gdb} subdirectory. The main Info
33393 file is @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/gdb.info}, and it refers to
33394 subordinate files matching @samp{gdb.info*} in the same directory. If
33395 necessary, you can print out these files, or read them with any editor;
33396 but they are easier to read using the @code{info} subsystem in @sc{gnu}
33397 Emacs or the standalone @code{info} program, available as part of the
33398 @sc{gnu} Texinfo distribution.
33399
33400 If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
33401 Info formatting programs, such as @code{texinfo-format-buffer} or
33402 @code{makeinfo}.
33403
33404 If you have @code{makeinfo} installed, and are in the top level
33405 @value{GDBN} source directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, in the case of
33406 version @value{GDBVN}), you can make the Info file by typing:
33407
33408 @smallexample
33409 cd gdb
33410 make gdb.info
33411 @end smallexample
33412
33413 If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need @TeX{},
33414 a program to print its @sc{dvi} output files, and @file{texinfo.tex}, the
33415 Texinfo definitions file.
33416
33417 @TeX{} is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
33418 produces output files called @sc{dvi} files. To print a typeset
33419 document, you need a program to print @sc{dvi} files. If your system
33420 has @TeX{} installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise
33421 command to use depends on your system; @kbd{lpr -d} is common; another
33422 (for PostScript devices) is @kbd{dvips}. The @sc{dvi} print command may
33423 require a file name without any extension or a @samp{.dvi} extension.
33424
33425 @TeX{} also requires a macro definitions file called
33426 @file{texinfo.tex}. This file tells @TeX{} how to typeset a document
33427 written in Texinfo format. On its own, @TeX{} cannot either read or
33428 typeset a Texinfo file. @file{texinfo.tex} is distributed with GDB
33429 and is located in the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}/texinfo}
33430 directory.
33431
33432 If you have @TeX{} and a @sc{dvi} printer program installed, you can
33433 typeset and print this manual. First switch to the @file{gdb}
33434 subdirectory of the main source directory (for example, to
33435 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb}) and type:
33436
33437 @smallexample
33438 make gdb.dvi
33439 @end smallexample
33440
33441 Then give @file{gdb.dvi} to your @sc{dvi} printing program.
33442
33443 @node Installing GDB
33444 @appendix Installing @value{GDBN}
33445 @cindex installation
33446
33447 @menu
33448 * Requirements:: Requirements for building @value{GDBN}
33449 * Running Configure:: Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} script
33450 * Separate Objdir:: Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
33451 * Config Names:: Specifying names for hosts and targets
33452 * Configure Options:: Summary of options for configure
33453 * System-wide configuration:: Having a system-wide init file
33454 @end menu
33455
33456 @node Requirements
33457 @section Requirements for Building @value{GDBN}
33458 @cindex building @value{GDBN}, requirements for
33459
33460 Building @value{GDBN} requires various tools and packages to be available.
33461 Other packages will be used only if they are found.
33462
33463 @heading Tools/Packages Necessary for Building @value{GDBN}
33464 @table @asis
33465 @item ISO C90 compiler
33466 @value{GDBN} is written in ISO C90. It should be buildable with any
33467 working C90 compiler, e.g.@: GCC.
33468
33469 @end table
33470
33471 @heading Tools/Packages Optional for Building @value{GDBN}
33472 @table @asis
33473 @item Expat
33474 @anchor{Expat}
33475 @value{GDBN} can use the Expat XML parsing library. This library may be
33476 included with your operating system distribution; if it is not, you
33477 can get the latest version from @url{http://expat.sourceforge.net}.
33478 The @file{configure} script will search for this library in several
33479 standard locations; if it is installed in an unusual path, you can
33480 use the @option{--with-libexpat-prefix} option to specify its location.
33481
33482 Expat is used for:
33483
33484 @itemize @bullet
33485 @item
33486 Remote protocol memory maps (@pxref{Memory Map Format})
33487 @item
33488 Target descriptions (@pxref{Target Descriptions})
33489 @item
33490 Remote shared library lists (@xref{Library List Format},
33491 or alternatively @pxref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets})
33492 @item
33493 MS-Windows shared libraries (@pxref{Shared Libraries})
33494 @item
33495 Traceframe info (@pxref{Traceframe Info Format})
33496 @end itemize
33497
33498 @item zlib
33499 @cindex compressed debug sections
33500 @value{GDBN} will use the @samp{zlib} library, if available, to read
33501 compressed debug sections. Some linkers, such as GNU gold, are capable
33502 of producing binaries with compressed debug sections. If @value{GDBN}
33503 is compiled with @samp{zlib}, it will be able to read the debug
33504 information in such binaries.
33505
33506 The @samp{zlib} library is likely included with your operating system
33507 distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
33508 @url{http://zlib.net}.
33509
33510 @item iconv
33511 @value{GDBN}'s features related to character sets (@pxref{Character
33512 Sets}) require a functioning @code{iconv} implementation. If you are
33513 on a GNU system, then this is provided by the GNU C Library. Some
33514 other systems also provide a working @code{iconv}.
33515
33516 If @value{GDBN} is using the @code{iconv} program which is installed
33517 in a non-standard place, you will need to tell @value{GDBN} where to find it.
33518 This is done with @option{--with-iconv-bin} which specifies the
33519 directory that contains the @code{iconv} program.
33520
33521 On systems without @code{iconv}, you can install GNU Libiconv. If you
33522 have previously installed Libiconv, you can use the
33523 @option{--with-libiconv-prefix} option to configure.
33524
33525 @value{GDBN}'s top-level @file{configure} and @file{Makefile} will
33526 arrange to build Libiconv if a directory named @file{libiconv} appears
33527 in the top-most source directory. If Libiconv is built this way, and
33528 if the operating system does not provide a suitable @code{iconv}
33529 implementation, then the just-built library will automatically be used
33530 by @value{GDBN}. One easy way to set this up is to download GNU
33531 Libiconv, unpack it, and then rename the directory holding the
33532 Libiconv source code to @samp{libiconv}.
33533 @end table
33534
33535 @node Running Configure
33536 @section Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} Script
33537 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}
33538 @value{GDBN} comes with a @file{configure} script that automates the process
33539 of preparing @value{GDBN} for installation; you can then use @code{make} to
33540 build the @code{gdb} program.
33541 @iftex
33542 @c irrelevant in info file; it's as current as the code it lives with.
33543 @footnote{If you have a more recent version of @value{GDBN} than @value{GDBVN},
33544 look at the @file{README} file in the sources; we may have improved the
33545 installation procedures since publishing this manual.}
33546 @end iftex
33547
33548 The @value{GDBN} distribution includes all the source code you need for
33549 @value{GDBN} in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by
33550 appending the version number to @samp{gdb}.
33551
33552 For example, the @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN} distribution is in the
33553 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory. That directory contains:
33554
33555 @table @code
33556 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure @r{(and supporting files)}
33557 script for configuring @value{GDBN} and all its supporting libraries
33558
33559 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb
33560 the source specific to @value{GDBN} itself
33561
33562 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/bfd
33563 source for the Binary File Descriptor library
33564
33565 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/include
33566 @sc{gnu} include files
33567
33568 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/libiberty
33569 source for the @samp{-liberty} free software library
33570
33571 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/opcodes
33572 source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
33573
33574 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/readline
33575 source for the @sc{gnu} command-line interface
33576
33577 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/glob
33578 source for the @sc{gnu} filename pattern-matching subroutine
33579
33580 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/mmalloc
33581 source for the @sc{gnu} memory-mapped malloc package
33582 @end table
33583
33584 The simplest way to configure and build @value{GDBN} is to run @file{configure}
33585 from the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory, which in
33586 this example is the @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory.
33587
33588 First switch to the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory
33589 if you are not already in it; then run @file{configure}. Pass the
33590 identifier for the platform on which @value{GDBN} will run as an
33591 argument.
33592
33593 For example:
33594
33595 @smallexample
33596 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
33597 ./configure @var{host}
33598 make
33599 @end smallexample
33600
33601 @noindent
33602 where @var{host} is an identifier such as @samp{sun4} or
33603 @samp{decstation}, that identifies the platform where @value{GDBN} will run.
33604 (You can often leave off @var{host}; @file{configure} tries to guess the
33605 correct value by examining your system.)
33606
33607 Running @samp{configure @var{host}} and then running @code{make} builds the
33608 @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, @file{mmalloc}, and @file{libiberty}
33609 libraries, then @code{gdb} itself. The configured source files, and the
33610 binaries, are left in the corresponding source directories.
33611
33612 @need 750
33613 @file{configure} is a Bourne-shell (@code{/bin/sh}) script; if your
33614 system does not recognize this automatically when you run a different
33615 shell, you may need to run @code{sh} on it explicitly:
33616
33617 @smallexample
33618 sh configure @var{host}
33619 @end smallexample
33620
33621 If you run @file{configure} from a directory that contains source
33622 directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the
33623 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} source directory for version @value{GDBVN},
33624 @file{configure}
33625 creates configuration files for every directory level underneath (unless
33626 you tell it not to, with the @samp{--norecursion} option).
33627
33628 You should run the @file{configure} script from the top directory in the
33629 source tree, the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory. If you run
33630 @file{configure} from one of the subdirectories, you will configure only
33631 that subdirectory. That is usually not what you want. In particular,
33632 if you run the first @file{configure} from the @file{gdb} subdirectory
33633 of the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory, you will omit the
33634 configuration of @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, and other sibling
33635 directories of the @file{gdb} subdirectory. This leads to build errors
33636 about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
33637
33638 You can install @code{@value{GDBP}} anywhere; it has no hardwired paths.
33639 However, you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by
33640 the @samp{SHELL} environment variable) is publicly readable. Remember
33641 that @value{GDBN} uses the shell to start your program---some systems refuse to
33642 let @value{GDBN} debug child processes whose programs are not readable.
33643
33644 @node Separate Objdir
33645 @section Compiling @value{GDBN} in Another Directory
33646
33647 If you want to run @value{GDBN} versions for several host or target machines,
33648 you need a different @code{gdb} compiled for each combination of
33649 host and target. @file{configure} is designed to make this easy by
33650 allowing you to generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory,
33651 rather than in the source directory. If your @code{make} program
33652 handles the @samp{VPATH} feature (@sc{gnu} @code{make} does), running
33653 @code{make} in each of these directories builds the @code{gdb}
33654 program specified there.
33655
33656 To build @code{gdb} in a separate directory, run @file{configure}
33657 with the @samp{--srcdir} option to specify where to find the source.
33658 (You also need to specify a path to find @file{configure}
33659 itself from your working directory. If the path to @file{configure}
33660 would be the same as the argument to @samp{--srcdir}, you can leave out
33661 the @samp{--srcdir} option; it is assumed.)
33662
33663 For example, with version @value{GDBVN}, you can build @value{GDBN} in a
33664 separate directory for a Sun 4 like this:
33665
33666 @smallexample
33667 @group
33668 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
33669 mkdir ../gdb-sun4
33670 cd ../gdb-sun4
33671 ../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure sun4
33672 make
33673 @end group
33674 @end smallexample
33675
33676 When @file{configure} builds a configuration using a remote source
33677 directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
33678 (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In
33679 the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library @file{libiberty.a} in the
33680 directory @file{gdb-sun4/libiberty}, and @value{GDBN} itself in
33681 @file{gdb-sun4/gdb}.
33682
33683 Make sure that your path to the @file{configure} script has just one
33684 instance of @file{gdb} in it. If your path to @file{configure} looks
33685 like @file{../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/configure}, you are configuring only
33686 one subdirectory of @value{GDBN}, not the whole package. This leads to
33687 build errors about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
33688
33689 One popular reason to build several @value{GDBN} configurations in separate
33690 directories is to configure @value{GDBN} for cross-compiling (where
33691 @value{GDBN} runs on one machine---the @dfn{host}---while debugging
33692 programs that run on another machine---the @dfn{target}).
33693 You specify a cross-debugging target by
33694 giving the @samp{--target=@var{target}} option to @file{configure}.
33695
33696 When you run @code{make} to build a program or library, you must run
33697 it in a configured directory---whatever directory you were in when you
33698 called @file{configure} (or one of its subdirectories).
33699
33700 The @code{Makefile} that @file{configure} generates in each source
33701 directory also runs recursively. If you type @code{make} in a source
33702 directory such as @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} (or in a separate configured
33703 directory configured with @samp{--srcdir=@var{dirname}/gdb-@value{GDBVN}}), you
33704 will build all the required libraries, and then build GDB.
33705
33706 When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
33707 directories, you can run @code{make} on them in parallel (for example,
33708 if they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
33709 with each other.
33710
33711 @node Config Names
33712 @section Specifying Names for Hosts and Targets
33713
33714 The specifications used for hosts and targets in the @file{configure}
33715 script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short predefined
33716 aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes three pieces
33717 of information in the following pattern:
33718
33719 @smallexample
33720 @var{architecture}-@var{vendor}-@var{os}
33721 @end smallexample
33722
33723 For example, you can use the alias @code{sun4} as a @var{host} argument,
33724 or as the value for @var{target} in a @code{--target=@var{target}}
33725 option. The equivalent full name is @samp{sparc-sun-sunos4}.
33726
33727 The @file{configure} script accompanying @value{GDBN} does not provide
33728 any query facility to list all supported host and target names or
33729 aliases. @file{configure} calls the Bourne shell script
33730 @code{config.sub} to map abbreviations to full names; you can read the
33731 script, if you wish, or you can use it to test your guesses on
33732 abbreviations---for example:
33733
33734 @smallexample
33735 % sh config.sub i386-linux
33736 i386-pc-linux-gnu
33737 % sh config.sub alpha-linux
33738 alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
33739 % sh config.sub hp9k700
33740 hppa1.1-hp-hpux
33741 % sh config.sub sun4
33742 sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
33743 % sh config.sub sun3
33744 m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
33745 % sh config.sub i986v
33746 Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized
33747 @end smallexample
33748
33749 @noindent
33750 @code{config.sub} is also distributed in the @value{GDBN} source
33751 directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, for version @value{GDBVN}).
33752
33753 @node Configure Options
33754 @section @file{configure} Options
33755
33756 Here is a summary of the @file{configure} options and arguments that
33757 are most often useful for building @value{GDBN}. @file{configure} also has
33758 several other options not listed here. @inforef{What Configure
33759 Does,,configure.info}, for a full explanation of @file{configure}.
33760
33761 @smallexample
33762 configure @r{[}--help@r{]}
33763 @r{[}--prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
33764 @r{[}--exec-prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
33765 @r{[}--srcdir=@var{dirname}@r{]}
33766 @r{[}--norecursion@r{]} @r{[}--rm@r{]}
33767 @r{[}--target=@var{target}@r{]}
33768 @var{host}
33769 @end smallexample
33770
33771 @noindent
33772 You may introduce options with a single @samp{-} rather than
33773 @samp{--} if you prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use
33774 @samp{--}.
33775
33776 @table @code
33777 @item --help
33778 Display a quick summary of how to invoke @file{configure}.
33779
33780 @item --prefix=@var{dir}
33781 Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
33782 @file{@var{dir}}.
33783
33784 @item --exec-prefix=@var{dir}
33785 Configure the source to install programs under directory
33786 @file{@var{dir}}.
33787
33788 @c avoid splitting the warning from the explanation:
33789 @need 2000
33790 @item --srcdir=@var{dirname}
33791 @strong{Warning: using this option requires @sc{gnu} @code{make}, or another
33792 @code{make} that implements the @code{VPATH} feature.}@*
33793 Use this option to make configurations in directories separate from the
33794 @value{GDBN} source directories. Among other things, you can use this to
33795 build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, in separate
33796 directories. @file{configure} writes configuration-specific files in
33797 the current directory, but arranges for them to use the source in the
33798 directory @var{dirname}. @file{configure} creates directories under
33799 the working directory in parallel to the source directories below
33800 @var{dirname}.
33801
33802 @item --norecursion
33803 Configure only the directory level where @file{configure} is executed; do not
33804 propagate configuration to subdirectories.
33805
33806 @item --target=@var{target}
33807 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
33808 @var{target}. Without this option, @value{GDBN} is configured to debug
33809 programs that run on the same machine (@var{host}) as @value{GDBN} itself.
33810
33811 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available targets.
33812
33813 @item @var{host} @dots{}
33814 Configure @value{GDBN} to run on the specified @var{host}.
33815
33816 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available hosts.
33817 @end table
33818
33819 There are many other options available as well, but they are generally
33820 needed for special purposes only.
33821
33822 @node System-wide configuration
33823 @section System-wide configuration and settings
33824 @cindex system-wide init file
33825
33826 @value{GDBN} can be configured to have a system-wide init file;
33827 this file will be read and executed at startup (@pxref{Startup, , What
33828 @value{GDBN} does during startup}).
33829
33830 Here is the corresponding configure option:
33831
33832 @table @code
33833 @item --with-system-gdbinit=@var{file}
33834 Specify that the default location of the system-wide init file is
33835 @var{file}.
33836 @end table
33837
33838 If @value{GDBN} has been configured with the option @option{--prefix=$prefix},
33839 it may be subject to relocation. Two possible cases:
33840
33841 @itemize @bullet
33842 @item
33843 If the default location of this init file contains @file{$prefix},
33844 it will be subject to relocation. Suppose that the configure options
33845 are @option{--prefix=$prefix --with-system-gdbinit=$prefix/etc/gdbinit};
33846 if @value{GDBN} is moved from @file{$prefix} to @file{$install}, the system
33847 init file is looked for as @file{$install/etc/gdbinit} instead of
33848 @file{$prefix/etc/gdbinit}.
33849
33850 @item
33851 By contrast, if the default location does not contain the prefix,
33852 it will not be relocated. E.g.@: if @value{GDBN} has been configured with
33853 @option{--prefix=/usr/local --with-system-gdbinit=/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
33854 then @value{GDBN} will always look for @file{/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
33855 wherever @value{GDBN} is installed.
33856 @end itemize
33857
33858 @node Maintenance Commands
33859 @appendix Maintenance Commands
33860 @cindex maintenance commands
33861 @cindex internal commands
33862
33863 In addition to commands intended for @value{GDBN} users, @value{GDBN}
33864 includes a number of commands intended for @value{GDBN} developers,
33865 that are not documented elsewhere in this manual. These commands are
33866 provided here for reference. (For commands that turn on debugging
33867 messages, see @ref{Debugging Output}.)
33868
33869 @table @code
33870 @kindex maint agent
33871 @kindex maint agent-eval
33872 @item maint agent @var{expression}
33873 @itemx maint agent-eval @var{expression}
33874 Translate the given @var{expression} into remote agent bytecodes.
33875 This command is useful for debugging the Agent Expression mechanism
33876 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}). The @samp{agent} version produces an
33877 expression useful for data collection, such as by tracepoints, while
33878 @samp{maint agent-eval} produces an expression that evaluates directly
33879 to a result. For instance, a collection expression for @code{globa +
33880 globb} will include bytecodes to record four bytes of memory at each
33881 of the addresses of @code{globa} and @code{globb}, while discarding
33882 the result of the addition, while an evaluation expression will do the
33883 addition and return the sum.
33884
33885 @kindex maint info breakpoints
33886 @item @anchor{maint info breakpoints}maint info breakpoints
33887 Using the same format as @samp{info breakpoints}, display both the
33888 breakpoints you've set explicitly, and those @value{GDBN} is using for
33889 internal purposes. Internal breakpoints are shown with negative
33890 breakpoint numbers. The type column identifies what kind of breakpoint
33891 is shown:
33892
33893 @table @code
33894 @item breakpoint
33895 Normal, explicitly set breakpoint.
33896
33897 @item watchpoint
33898 Normal, explicitly set watchpoint.
33899
33900 @item longjmp
33901 Internal breakpoint, used to handle correctly stepping through
33902 @code{longjmp} calls.
33903
33904 @item longjmp resume
33905 Internal breakpoint at the target of a @code{longjmp}.
33906
33907 @item until
33908 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{until} command.
33909
33910 @item finish
33911 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{finish} command.
33912
33913 @item shlib events
33914 Shared library events.
33915
33916 @end table
33917
33918 @kindex set displaced-stepping
33919 @kindex show displaced-stepping
33920 @cindex displaced stepping support
33921 @cindex out-of-line single-stepping
33922 @item set displaced-stepping
33923 @itemx show displaced-stepping
33924 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will do @dfn{displaced stepping}
33925 if the target supports it. Displaced stepping is a way to single-step
33926 over breakpoints without removing them from the inferior, by executing
33927 an out-of-line copy of the instruction that was originally at the
33928 breakpoint location. It is also known as out-of-line single-stepping.
33929
33930 @table @code
33931 @item set displaced-stepping on
33932 If the target architecture supports it, @value{GDBN} will use
33933 displaced stepping to step over breakpoints.
33934
33935 @item set displaced-stepping off
33936 @value{GDBN} will not use displaced stepping to step over breakpoints,
33937 even if such is supported by the target architecture.
33938
33939 @cindex non-stop mode, and @samp{set displaced-stepping}
33940 @item set displaced-stepping auto
33941 This is the default mode. @value{GDBN} will use displaced stepping
33942 only if non-stop mode is active (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) and the target
33943 architecture supports displaced stepping.
33944 @end table
33945
33946 @kindex maint check-symtabs
33947 @item maint check-symtabs
33948 Check the consistency of psymtabs and symtabs.
33949
33950 @kindex maint cplus first_component
33951 @item maint cplus first_component @var{name}
33952 Print the first C@t{++} class/namespace component of @var{name}.
33953
33954 @kindex maint cplus namespace
33955 @item maint cplus namespace
33956 Print the list of possible C@t{++} namespaces.
33957
33958 @kindex maint demangle
33959 @item maint demangle @var{name}
33960 Demangle a C@t{++} or Objective-C mangled @var{name}.
33961
33962 @kindex maint deprecate
33963 @kindex maint undeprecate
33964 @cindex deprecated commands
33965 @item maint deprecate @var{command} @r{[}@var{replacement}@r{]}
33966 @itemx maint undeprecate @var{command}
33967 Deprecate or undeprecate the named @var{command}. Deprecated commands
33968 cause @value{GDBN} to issue a warning when you use them. The optional
33969 argument @var{replacement} says which newer command should be used in
33970 favor of the deprecated one; if it is given, @value{GDBN} will mention
33971 the replacement as part of the warning.
33972
33973 @kindex maint dump-me
33974 @item maint dump-me
33975 @cindex @code{SIGQUIT} signal, dump core of @value{GDBN}
33976 Cause a fatal signal in the debugger and force it to dump its core.
33977 This is supported only on systems which support aborting a program
33978 with the @code{SIGQUIT} signal.
33979
33980 @kindex maint internal-error
33981 @kindex maint internal-warning
33982 @item maint internal-error @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
33983 @itemx maint internal-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
33984 Cause @value{GDBN} to call the internal function @code{internal_error}
33985 or @code{internal_warning} and hence behave as though an internal error
33986 or internal warning has been detected. In addition to reporting the
33987 internal problem, these functions give the user the opportunity to
33988 either quit @value{GDBN} or create a core file of the current
33989 @value{GDBN} session.
33990
33991 These commands take an optional parameter @var{message-text} that is
33992 used as the text of the error or warning message.
33993
33994 Here's an example of using @code{internal-error}:
33995
33996 @smallexample
33997 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint internal-error testing, 1, 2}
33998 @dots{}/maint.c:121: internal-error: testing, 1, 2
33999 A problem internal to GDB has been detected. Further
34000 debugging may prove unreliable.
34001 Quit this debugging session? (y or n) @kbd{n}
34002 Create a core file? (y or n) @kbd{n}
34003 (@value{GDBP})
34004 @end smallexample
34005
34006 @cindex @value{GDBN} internal error
34007 @cindex internal errors, control of @value{GDBN} behavior
34008
34009 @kindex maint set internal-error
34010 @kindex maint show internal-error
34011 @kindex maint set internal-warning
34012 @kindex maint show internal-warning
34013 @item maint set internal-error @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
34014 @itemx maint show internal-error @var{action}
34015 @itemx maint set internal-warning @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
34016 @itemx maint show internal-warning @var{action}
34017 When @value{GDBN} reports an internal problem (error or warning) it
34018 gives the user the opportunity to both quit @value{GDBN} and create a
34019 core file of the current @value{GDBN} session. These commands let you
34020 override the default behaviour for each particular @var{action},
34021 described in the table below.
34022
34023 @table @samp
34024 @item quit
34025 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
34026 quit. The default is to ask the user what to do.
34027
34028 @item corefile
34029 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
34030 create a core file. The default is to ask the user what to do.
34031 @end table
34032
34033 @kindex maint packet
34034 @item maint packet @var{text}
34035 If @value{GDBN} is talking to an inferior via the serial protocol,
34036 then this command sends the string @var{text} to the inferior, and
34037 displays the response packet. @value{GDBN} supplies the initial
34038 @samp{$} character, the terminating @samp{#} character, and the
34039 checksum.
34040
34041 @kindex maint print architecture
34042 @item maint print architecture @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34043 Print the entire architecture configuration. The optional argument
34044 @var{file} names the file where the output goes.
34045
34046 @kindex maint print c-tdesc
34047 @item maint print c-tdesc
34048 Print the current target description (@pxref{Target Descriptions}) as
34049 a C source file. The created source file can be used in @value{GDBN}
34050 when an XML parser is not available to parse the description.
34051
34052 @kindex maint print dummy-frames
34053 @item maint print dummy-frames
34054 Prints the contents of @value{GDBN}'s internal dummy-frame stack.
34055
34056 @smallexample
34057 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{b add}
34058 @dots{}
34059 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{print add(2,3)}
34060 Breakpoint 2, add (a=2, b=3) at @dots{}
34061 58 return (a + b);
34062 The program being debugged stopped while in a function called from GDB.
34063 @dots{}
34064 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print dummy-frames}
34065 0x1a57c80: pc=0x01014068 fp=0x0200bddc sp=0x0200bdd6
34066 top=0x0200bdd4 id=@{stack=0x200bddc,code=0x101405c@}
34067 call_lo=0x01014000 call_hi=0x01014001
34068 (@value{GDBP})
34069 @end smallexample
34070
34071 Takes an optional file parameter.
34072
34073 @kindex maint print registers
34074 @kindex maint print raw-registers
34075 @kindex maint print cooked-registers
34076 @kindex maint print register-groups
34077 @kindex maint print remote-registers
34078 @item maint print registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34079 @itemx maint print raw-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34080 @itemx maint print cooked-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34081 @itemx maint print register-groups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34082 @itemx maint print remote-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34083 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register data structures.
34084
34085 The command @code{maint print raw-registers} includes the contents of
34086 the raw register cache; the command @code{maint print
34087 cooked-registers} includes the (cooked) value of all registers,
34088 including registers which aren't available on the target nor visible
34089 to user; the command @code{maint print register-groups} includes the
34090 groups that each register is a member of; and the command @code{maint
34091 print remote-registers} includes the remote target's register numbers
34092 and offsets in the `G' packets. @xref{Registers,, Registers, gdbint,
34093 @value{GDBN} Internals}.
34094
34095 These commands take an optional parameter, a file name to which to
34096 write the information.
34097
34098 @kindex maint print reggroups
34099 @item maint print reggroups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
34100 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register group data structures. The
34101 optional argument @var{file} tells to what file to write the
34102 information.
34103
34104 The register groups info looks like this:
34105
34106 @smallexample
34107 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print reggroups}
34108 Group Type
34109 general user
34110 float user
34111 all user
34112 vector user
34113 system user
34114 save internal
34115 restore internal
34116 @end smallexample
34117
34118 @kindex flushregs
34119 @item flushregs
34120 This command forces @value{GDBN} to flush its internal register cache.
34121
34122 @kindex maint print objfiles
34123 @cindex info for known object files
34124 @item maint print objfiles
34125 Print a dump of all known object files. For each object file, this
34126 command prints its name, address in memory, and all of its psymtabs
34127 and symtabs.
34128
34129 @kindex maint print section-scripts
34130 @cindex info for known .debug_gdb_scripts-loaded scripts
34131 @item maint print section-scripts [@var{regexp}]
34132 Print a dump of scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_section} section.
34133 If @var{regexp} is specified, only print scripts loaded by object files
34134 matching @var{regexp}.
34135 For each script, this command prints its name as specified in the objfile,
34136 and the full path if known.
34137 @xref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}.
34138
34139 @kindex maint print statistics
34140 @cindex bcache statistics
34141 @item maint print statistics
34142 This command prints, for each object file in the program, various data
34143 about that object file followed by the byte cache (@dfn{bcache})
34144 statistics for the object file. The objfile data includes the number
34145 of minimal, partial, full, and stabs symbols, the number of types
34146 defined by the objfile, the number of as yet unexpanded psym tables,
34147 the number of line tables and string tables, and the amount of memory
34148 used by the various tables. The bcache statistics include the counts,
34149 sizes, and counts of duplicates of all and unique objects, max,
34150 average, and median entry size, total memory used and its overhead and
34151 savings, and various measures of the hash table size and chain
34152 lengths.
34153
34154 @kindex maint print target-stack
34155 @cindex target stack description
34156 @item maint print target-stack
34157 A @dfn{target} is an interface between the debugger and a particular
34158 kind of file or process. Targets can be stacked in @dfn{strata},
34159 so that more than one target can potentially respond to a request.
34160 In particular, memory accesses will walk down the stack of targets
34161 until they find a target that is interested in handling that particular
34162 address.
34163
34164 This command prints a short description of each layer that was pushed on
34165 the @dfn{target stack}, starting from the top layer down to the bottom one.
34166
34167 @kindex maint print type
34168 @cindex type chain of a data type
34169 @item maint print type @var{expr}
34170 Print the type chain for a type specified by @var{expr}. The argument
34171 can be either a type name or a symbol. If it is a symbol, the type of
34172 that symbol is described. The type chain produced by this command is
34173 a recursive definition of the data type as stored in @value{GDBN}'s
34174 data structures, including its flags and contained types.
34175
34176 @kindex maint set dwarf2 always-disassemble
34177 @kindex maint show dwarf2 always-disassemble
34178 @item maint set dwarf2 always-disassemble
34179 @item maint show dwarf2 always-disassemble
34180 Control the behavior of @code{info address} when using DWARF debugging
34181 information.
34182
34183 The default is @code{off}, which means that @value{GDBN} should try to
34184 describe a variable's location in an easily readable format. When
34185 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will instead display the DWARF location
34186 expression in an assembly-like format. Note that some locations are
34187 too complex for @value{GDBN} to describe simply; in this case you will
34188 always see the disassembly form.
34189
34190 Here is an example of the resulting disassembly:
34191
34192 @smallexample
34193 (gdb) info addr argc
34194 Symbol "argc" is a complex DWARF expression:
34195 1: DW_OP_fbreg 0
34196 @end smallexample
34197
34198 For more information on these expressions, see
34199 @uref{http://www.dwarfstd.org/, the DWARF standard}.
34200
34201 @kindex maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
34202 @kindex maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
34203 @item maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
34204 @itemx maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
34205 Control the DWARF 2 compilation unit cache.
34206
34207 @cindex DWARF 2 compilation units cache
34208 In object files with inter-compilation-unit references, such as those
34209 produced by the GCC option @samp{-feliminate-dwarf2-dups}, the DWARF 2
34210 reader needs to frequently refer to previously read compilation units.
34211 This setting controls how long a compilation unit will remain in the
34212 cache if it is not referenced. A higher limit means that cached
34213 compilation units will be stored in memory longer, and more total
34214 memory will be used. Setting it to zero disables caching, which will
34215 slow down @value{GDBN} startup, but reduce memory consumption.
34216
34217 @kindex maint set profile
34218 @kindex maint show profile
34219 @cindex profiling GDB
34220 @item maint set profile
34221 @itemx maint show profile
34222 Control profiling of @value{GDBN}.
34223
34224 Profiling will be disabled until you use the @samp{maint set profile}
34225 command to enable it. When you enable profiling, the system will begin
34226 collecting timing and execution count data; when you disable profiling or
34227 exit @value{GDBN}, the results will be written to a log file. Remember that
34228 if you use profiling, @value{GDBN} will overwrite the profiling log file
34229 (often called @file{gmon.out}). If you have a record of important profiling
34230 data in a @file{gmon.out} file, be sure to move it to a safe location.
34231
34232 Configuring with @samp{--enable-profiling} arranges for @value{GDBN} to be
34233 compiled with the @samp{-pg} compiler option.
34234
34235 @kindex maint set show-debug-regs
34236 @kindex maint show show-debug-regs
34237 @cindex hardware debug registers
34238 @item maint set show-debug-regs
34239 @itemx maint show show-debug-regs
34240 Control whether to show variables that mirror the hardware debug
34241 registers. Use @code{ON} to enable, @code{OFF} to disable. If
34242 enabled, the debug registers values are shown when @value{GDBN} inserts or
34243 removes a hardware breakpoint or watchpoint, and when the inferior
34244 triggers a hardware-assisted breakpoint or watchpoint.
34245
34246 @kindex maint set show-all-tib
34247 @kindex maint show show-all-tib
34248 @item maint set show-all-tib
34249 @itemx maint show show-all-tib
34250 Control whether to show all non zero areas within a 1k block starting
34251 at thread local base, when using the @samp{info w32 thread-information-block}
34252 command.
34253
34254 @kindex maint space
34255 @cindex memory used by commands
34256 @item maint space
34257 Control whether to display memory usage for each command. If set to a
34258 nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much memory each command
34259 took, following the command's own output. This can also be requested
34260 by invoking @value{GDBN} with the @option{--statistics} command-line
34261 switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
34262
34263 @kindex maint time
34264 @cindex time of command execution
34265 @item maint time
34266 Control whether to display the execution time of @value{GDBN} for each command.
34267 If set to a nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much time it
34268 took to execute each command, following the command's own output.
34269 Both CPU time and wallclock time are printed.
34270 Printing both is useful when trying to determine whether the cost is
34271 CPU or, e.g., disk/network, latency.
34272 Note that the CPU time printed is for @value{GDBN} only, it does not include
34273 the execution time of the inferior because there's no mechanism currently
34274 to compute how much time was spent by @value{GDBN} and how much time was
34275 spent by the program been debugged.
34276 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
34277 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
34278
34279 @kindex maint translate-address
34280 @item maint translate-address @r{[}@var{section}@r{]} @var{addr}
34281 Find the symbol stored at the location specified by the address
34282 @var{addr} and an optional section name @var{section}. If found,
34283 @value{GDBN} prints the name of the closest symbol and an offset from
34284 the symbol's location to the specified address. This is similar to
34285 the @code{info address} command (@pxref{Symbols}), except that this
34286 command also allows to find symbols in other sections.
34287
34288 If section was not specified, the section in which the symbol was found
34289 is also printed. For dynamically linked executables, the name of
34290 executable or shared library containing the symbol is printed as well.
34291
34292 @end table
34293
34294 The following command is useful for non-interactive invocations of
34295 @value{GDBN}, such as in the test suite.
34296
34297 @table @code
34298 @item set watchdog @var{nsec}
34299 @kindex set watchdog
34300 @cindex watchdog timer
34301 @cindex timeout for commands
34302 Set the maximum number of seconds @value{GDBN} will wait for the
34303 target operation to finish. If this time expires, @value{GDBN}
34304 reports and error and the command is aborted.
34305
34306 @item show watchdog
34307 Show the current setting of the target wait timeout.
34308 @end table
34309
34310 @node Remote Protocol
34311 @appendix @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol
34312
34313 @menu
34314 * Overview::
34315 * Packets::
34316 * Stop Reply Packets::
34317 * General Query Packets::
34318 * Architecture-Specific Protocol Details::
34319 * Tracepoint Packets::
34320 * Host I/O Packets::
34321 * Interrupts::
34322 * Notification Packets::
34323 * Remote Non-Stop::
34324 * Packet Acknowledgment::
34325 * Examples::
34326 * File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension::
34327 * Library List Format::
34328 * Library List Format for SVR4 Targets::
34329 * Memory Map Format::
34330 * Thread List Format::
34331 * Traceframe Info Format::
34332 @end menu
34333
34334 @node Overview
34335 @section Overview
34336
34337 There may be occasions when you need to know something about the
34338 protocol---for example, if there is only one serial port to your target
34339 machine, you might want your program to do something special if it
34340 recognizes a packet meant for @value{GDBN}.
34341
34342 In the examples below, @samp{->} and @samp{<-} are used to indicate
34343 transmitted and received data, respectively.
34344
34345 @cindex protocol, @value{GDBN} remote serial
34346 @cindex serial protocol, @value{GDBN} remote
34347 @cindex remote serial protocol
34348 All @value{GDBN} commands and responses (other than acknowledgments
34349 and notifications, see @ref{Notification Packets}) are sent as a
34350 @var{packet}. A @var{packet} is introduced with the character
34351 @samp{$}, the actual @var{packet-data}, and the terminating character
34352 @samp{#} followed by a two-digit @var{checksum}:
34353
34354 @smallexample
34355 @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
34356 @end smallexample
34357 @noindent
34358
34359 @cindex checksum, for @value{GDBN} remote
34360 @noindent
34361 The two-digit @var{checksum} is computed as the modulo 256 sum of all
34362 characters between the leading @samp{$} and the trailing @samp{#} (an
34363 eight bit unsigned checksum).
34364
34365 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0 the protocol
34366 specification also included an optional two-digit @var{sequence-id}:
34367
34368 @smallexample
34369 @code{$}@var{sequence-id}@code{:}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
34370 @end smallexample
34371
34372 @cindex sequence-id, for @value{GDBN} remote
34373 @noindent
34374 That @var{sequence-id} was appended to the acknowledgment. @value{GDBN}
34375 has never output @var{sequence-id}s. Stubs that handle packets added
34376 since @value{GDBN} 5.0 must not accept @var{sequence-id}.
34377
34378 When either the host or the target machine receives a packet, the first
34379 response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
34380 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request
34381 retransmission):
34382
34383 @smallexample
34384 -> @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
34385 <- @code{+}
34386 @end smallexample
34387 @noindent
34388
34389 The @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments can be disabled
34390 once a connection is established.
34391 @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}, for details.
34392
34393 The host (@value{GDBN}) sends @var{command}s, and the target (the
34394 debugging stub incorporated in your program) sends a @var{response}. In
34395 the case of step and continue @var{command}s, the response is only sent
34396 when the operation has completed, and the target has again stopped all
34397 threads in all attached processes. This is the default all-stop mode
34398 behavior, but the remote protocol also supports @value{GDBN}'s non-stop
34399 execution mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}, for details.
34400
34401 @var{packet-data} consists of a sequence of characters with the
34402 exception of @samp{#} and @samp{$} (see @samp{X} packet for additional
34403 exceptions).
34404
34405 @cindex remote protocol, field separator
34406 Fields within the packet should be separated using @samp{,} @samp{;} or
34407 @samp{:}. Except where otherwise noted all numbers are represented in
34408 @sc{hex} with leading zeros suppressed.
34409
34410 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0, the character
34411 @samp{:} could not appear as the third character in a packet (as it
34412 would potentially conflict with the @var{sequence-id}).
34413
34414 @cindex remote protocol, binary data
34415 @anchor{Binary Data}
34416 Binary data in most packets is encoded either as two hexadecimal
34417 digits per byte of binary data. This allowed the traditional remote
34418 protocol to work over connections which were only seven-bit clean.
34419 Some packets designed more recently assume an eight-bit clean
34420 connection, and use a more efficient encoding to send and receive
34421 binary data.
34422
34423 The binary data representation uses @code{7d} (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}})
34424 as an escape character. Any escaped byte is transmitted as the escape
34425 character followed by the original character XORed with @code{0x20}.
34426 For example, the byte @code{0x7d} would be transmitted as the two
34427 bytes @code{0x7d 0x5d}. The bytes @code{0x23} (@sc{ascii} @samp{#}),
34428 @code{0x24} (@sc{ascii} @samp{$}), and @code{0x7d} (@sc{ascii}
34429 @samp{@}}) must always be escaped. Responses sent by the stub
34430 must also escape @code{0x2a} (@sc{ascii} @samp{*}), so that it
34431 is not interpreted as the start of a run-length encoded sequence
34432 (described next).
34433
34434 Response @var{data} can be run-length encoded to save space.
34435 Run-length encoding replaces runs of identical characters with one
34436 instance of the repeated character, followed by a @samp{*} and a
34437 repeat count. The repeat count is itself sent encoded, to avoid
34438 binary characters in @var{data}: a value of @var{n} is sent as
34439 @code{@var{n}+29}. For a repeat count greater or equal to 3, this
34440 produces a printable @sc{ascii} character, e.g.@: a space (@sc{ascii}
34441 code 32) for a repeat count of 3. (This is because run-length
34442 encoding starts to win for counts 3 or more.) Thus, for example,
34443 @samp{0* } is a run-length encoding of ``0000'': the space character
34444 after @samp{*} means repeat the leading @code{0} @w{@code{32 - 29 =
34445 3}} more times.
34446
34447 The printable characters @samp{#} and @samp{$} or with a numeric value
34448 greater than 126 must not be used. Runs of six repeats (@samp{#}) or
34449 seven repeats (@samp{$}) can be expanded using a repeat count of only
34450 five (@samp{"}). For example, @samp{00000000} can be encoded as
34451 @samp{0*"00}.
34452
34453 The error response returned for some packets includes a two character
34454 error number. That number is not well defined.
34455
34456 @cindex empty response, for unsupported packets
34457 For any @var{command} not supported by the stub, an empty response
34458 (@samp{$#00}) should be returned. That way it is possible to extend the
34459 protocol. A newer @value{GDBN} can tell if a packet is supported based
34460 on that response.
34461
34462 At a minimum, a stub is required to support the @samp{g} and @samp{G}
34463 commands for register access, and the @samp{m} and @samp{M} commands
34464 for memory access. Stubs that only control single-threaded targets
34465 can implement run control with the @samp{c} (continue), and @samp{s}
34466 (step) commands. Stubs that support multi-threading targets should
34467 support the @samp{vCont} command. All other commands are optional.
34468
34469 @node Packets
34470 @section Packets
34471
34472 The following table provides a complete list of all currently defined
34473 @var{command}s and their corresponding response @var{data}.
34474 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for details about the File
34475 I/O extension of the remote protocol.
34476
34477 Each packet's description has a template showing the packet's overall
34478 syntax, followed by an explanation of the packet's meaning. We
34479 include spaces in some of the templates for clarity; these are not
34480 part of the packet's syntax. No @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to
34481 separate its components. For example, a template like @samp{foo
34482 @var{bar} @var{baz}} describes a packet beginning with the three ASCII
34483 bytes @samp{foo}, followed by a @var{bar}, followed directly by a
34484 @var{baz}. @value{GDBN} does not transmit a space character between the
34485 @samp{foo} and the @var{bar}, or between the @var{bar} and the
34486 @var{baz}.
34487
34488 @cindex @var{thread-id}, in remote protocol
34489 @anchor{thread-id syntax}
34490 Several packets and replies include a @var{thread-id} field to identify
34491 a thread. Normally these are positive numbers with a target-specific
34492 interpretation, formatted as big-endian hex strings. A @var{thread-id}
34493 can also be a literal @samp{-1} to indicate all threads, or @samp{0} to
34494 pick any thread.
34495
34496 In addition, the remote protocol supports a multiprocess feature in
34497 which the @var{thread-id} syntax is extended to optionally include both
34498 process and thread ID fields, as @samp{p@var{pid}.@var{tid}}.
34499 The @var{pid} (process) and @var{tid} (thread) components each have the
34500 format described above: a positive number with target-specific
34501 interpretation formatted as a big-endian hex string, literal @samp{-1}
34502 to indicate all processes or threads (respectively), or @samp{0} to
34503 indicate an arbitrary process or thread. Specifying just a process, as
34504 @samp{p@var{pid}}, is equivalent to @samp{p@var{pid}.-1}. It is an
34505 error to specify all processes but a specific thread, such as
34506 @samp{p-1.@var{tid}}. Note that the @samp{p} prefix is @emph{not} used
34507 for those packets and replies explicitly documented to include a process
34508 ID, rather than a @var{thread-id}.
34509
34510 The multiprocess @var{thread-id} syntax extensions are only used if both
34511 @value{GDBN} and the stub report support for the @samp{multiprocess}
34512 feature using @samp{qSupported}. @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for
34513 more information.
34514
34515 Note that all packet forms beginning with an upper- or lower-case
34516 letter, other than those described here, are reserved for future use.
34517
34518 Here are the packet descriptions.
34519
34520 @table @samp
34521
34522 @item !
34523 @cindex @samp{!} packet
34524 @anchor{extended mode}
34525 Enable extended mode. In extended mode, the remote server is made
34526 persistent. The @samp{R} packet is used to restart the program being
34527 debugged.
34528
34529 Reply:
34530 @table @samp
34531 @item OK
34532 The remote target both supports and has enabled extended mode.
34533 @end table
34534
34535 @item ?
34536 @cindex @samp{?} packet
34537 Indicate the reason the target halted. The reply is the same as for
34538 step and continue. This packet has a special interpretation when the
34539 target is in non-stop mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}.
34540
34541 Reply:
34542 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34543
34544 @item A @var{arglen},@var{argnum},@var{arg},@dots{}
34545 @cindex @samp{A} packet
34546 Initialized @code{argv[]} array passed into program. @var{arglen}
34547 specifies the number of bytes in the hex encoded byte stream
34548 @var{arg}. See @code{gdbserver} for more details.
34549
34550 Reply:
34551 @table @samp
34552 @item OK
34553 The arguments were set.
34554 @item E @var{NN}
34555 An error occurred.
34556 @end table
34557
34558 @item b @var{baud}
34559 @cindex @samp{b} packet
34560 (Don't use this packet; its behavior is not well-defined.)
34561 Change the serial line speed to @var{baud}.
34562
34563 JTC: @emph{When does the transport layer state change? When it's
34564 received, or after the ACK is transmitted. In either case, there are
34565 problems if the command or the acknowledgment packet is dropped.}
34566
34567 Stan: @emph{If people really wanted to add something like this, and get
34568 it working for the first time, they ought to modify ser-unix.c to send
34569 some kind of out-of-band message to a specially-setup stub and have the
34570 switch happen "in between" packets, so that from remote protocol's point
34571 of view, nothing actually happened.}
34572
34573 @item B @var{addr},@var{mode}
34574 @cindex @samp{B} packet
34575 Set (@var{mode} is @samp{S}) or clear (@var{mode} is @samp{C}) a
34576 breakpoint at @var{addr}.
34577
34578 Don't use this packet. Use the @samp{Z} and @samp{z} packets instead
34579 (@pxref{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}).
34580
34581 @cindex @samp{bc} packet
34582 @anchor{bc}
34583 @item bc
34584 Backward continue. Execute the target system in reverse. No parameter.
34585 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
34586
34587 Reply:
34588 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34589
34590 @cindex @samp{bs} packet
34591 @anchor{bs}
34592 @item bs
34593 Backward single step. Execute one instruction in reverse. No parameter.
34594 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
34595
34596 Reply:
34597 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34598
34599 @item c @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
34600 @cindex @samp{c} packet
34601 Continue. @var{addr} is address to resume. If @var{addr} is omitted,
34602 resume at current address.
34603
34604 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
34605 packet}.
34606
34607 Reply:
34608 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34609
34610 @item C @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
34611 @cindex @samp{C} packet
34612 Continue with signal @var{sig} (hex signal number). If
34613 @samp{;@var{addr}} is omitted, resume at same address.
34614
34615 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
34616 packet}.
34617
34618 Reply:
34619 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34620
34621 @item d
34622 @cindex @samp{d} packet
34623 Toggle debug flag.
34624
34625 Don't use this packet; instead, define a general set packet
34626 (@pxref{General Query Packets}).
34627
34628 @item D
34629 @itemx D;@var{pid}
34630 @cindex @samp{D} packet
34631 The first form of the packet is used to detach @value{GDBN} from the
34632 remote system. It is sent to the remote target
34633 before @value{GDBN} disconnects via the @code{detach} command.
34634
34635 The second form, including a process ID, is used when multiprocess
34636 protocol extensions are enabled (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}), to
34637 detach only a specific process. The @var{pid} is specified as a
34638 big-endian hex string.
34639
34640 Reply:
34641 @table @samp
34642 @item OK
34643 for success
34644 @item E @var{NN}
34645 for an error
34646 @end table
34647
34648 @item F @var{RC},@var{EE},@var{CF};@var{XX}
34649 @cindex @samp{F} packet
34650 A reply from @value{GDBN} to an @samp{F} packet sent by the target.
34651 This is part of the File-I/O protocol extension. @xref{File-I/O
34652 Remote Protocol Extension}, for the specification.
34653
34654 @item g
34655 @anchor{read registers packet}
34656 @cindex @samp{g} packet
34657 Read general registers.
34658
34659 Reply:
34660 @table @samp
34661 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
34662 Each byte of register data is described by two hex digits. The bytes
34663 with the register are transmitted in target byte order. The size of
34664 each register and their position within the @samp{g} packet are
34665 determined by the @value{GDBN} internal gdbarch functions
34666 @code{DEPRECATED_REGISTER_RAW_SIZE} and @code{gdbarch_register_name}. The
34667 specification of several standard @samp{g} packets is specified below.
34668
34669 When reading registers from a trace frame (@pxref{Analyze Collected
34670 Data,,Using the Collected Data}), the stub may also return a string of
34671 literal @samp{x}'s in place of the register data digits, to indicate
34672 that the corresponding register has not been collected, thus its value
34673 is unavailable. For example, for an architecture with 4 registers of
34674 4 bytes each, the following reply indicates to @value{GDBN} that
34675 registers 0 and 2 have not been collected, while registers 1 and 3
34676 have been collected, and both have zero value:
34677
34678 @smallexample
34679 -> @code{g}
34680 <- @code{xxxxxxxx00000000xxxxxxxx00000000}
34681 @end smallexample
34682
34683 @item E @var{NN}
34684 for an error.
34685 @end table
34686
34687 @item G @var{XX@dots{}}
34688 @cindex @samp{G} packet
34689 Write general registers. @xref{read registers packet}, for a
34690 description of the @var{XX@dots{}} data.
34691
34692 Reply:
34693 @table @samp
34694 @item OK
34695 for success
34696 @item E @var{NN}
34697 for an error
34698 @end table
34699
34700 @item H @var{op} @var{thread-id}
34701 @cindex @samp{H} packet
34702 Set thread for subsequent operations (@samp{m}, @samp{M}, @samp{g},
34703 @samp{G}, et.al.). @var{op} depends on the operation to be performed:
34704 it should be @samp{c} for step and continue operations (note that this
34705 is deprecated, supporting the @samp{vCont} command is a better
34706 option), @samp{g} for other operations. The thread designator
34707 @var{thread-id} has the format and interpretation described in
34708 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
34709
34710 Reply:
34711 @table @samp
34712 @item OK
34713 for success
34714 @item E @var{NN}
34715 for an error
34716 @end table
34717
34718 @c FIXME: JTC:
34719 @c 'H': How restrictive (or permissive) is the thread model. If a
34720 @c thread is selected and stopped, are other threads allowed
34721 @c to continue to execute? As I mentioned above, I think the
34722 @c semantics of each command when a thread is selected must be
34723 @c described. For example:
34724 @c
34725 @c 'g': If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
34726 @c selected, returns the register block from that thread;
34727 @c otherwise returns current registers.
34728 @c
34729 @c 'G' If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
34730 @c selected, sets the registers of the register block of
34731 @c that thread; otherwise sets current registers.
34732
34733 @item i @r{[}@var{addr}@r{[},@var{nnn}@r{]]}
34734 @anchor{cycle step packet}
34735 @cindex @samp{i} packet
34736 Step the remote target by a single clock cycle. If @samp{,@var{nnn}} is
34737 present, cycle step @var{nnn} cycles. If @var{addr} is present, cycle
34738 step starting at that address.
34739
34740 @item I
34741 @cindex @samp{I} packet
34742 Signal, then cycle step. @xref{step with signal packet}. @xref{cycle
34743 step packet}.
34744
34745 @item k
34746 @cindex @samp{k} packet
34747 Kill request.
34748
34749 FIXME: @emph{There is no description of how to operate when a specific
34750 thread context has been selected (i.e.@: does 'k' kill only that
34751 thread?)}.
34752
34753 @item m @var{addr},@var{length}
34754 @cindex @samp{m} packet
34755 Read @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
34756 Note that @var{addr} may not be aligned to any particular boundary.
34757
34758 The stub need not use any particular size or alignment when gathering
34759 data from memory for the response; even if @var{addr} is word-aligned
34760 and @var{length} is a multiple of the word size, the stub is free to
34761 use byte accesses, or not. For this reason, this packet may not be
34762 suitable for accessing memory-mapped I/O devices.
34763 @cindex alignment of remote memory accesses
34764 @cindex size of remote memory accesses
34765 @cindex memory, alignment and size of remote accesses
34766
34767 Reply:
34768 @table @samp
34769 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
34770 Memory contents; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexadecimal
34771 number. The reply may contain fewer bytes than requested if the
34772 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
34773 @item E @var{NN}
34774 @var{NN} is errno
34775 @end table
34776
34777 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
34778 @cindex @samp{M} packet
34779 Write @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
34780 @var{XX@dots{}} is the data; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit
34781 hexadecimal number.
34782
34783 Reply:
34784 @table @samp
34785 @item OK
34786 for success
34787 @item E @var{NN}
34788 for an error (this includes the case where only part of the data was
34789 written).
34790 @end table
34791
34792 @item p @var{n}
34793 @cindex @samp{p} packet
34794 Read the value of register @var{n}; @var{n} is in hex.
34795 @xref{read registers packet}, for a description of how the returned
34796 register value is encoded.
34797
34798 Reply:
34799 @table @samp
34800 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
34801 the register's value
34802 @item E @var{NN}
34803 for an error
34804 @item
34805 Indicating an unrecognized @var{query}.
34806 @end table
34807
34808 @item P @var{n@dots{}}=@var{r@dots{}}
34809 @anchor{write register packet}
34810 @cindex @samp{P} packet
34811 Write register @var{n@dots{}} with value @var{r@dots{}}. The register
34812 number @var{n} is in hexadecimal, and @var{r@dots{}} contains two hex
34813 digits for each byte in the register (target byte order).
34814
34815 Reply:
34816 @table @samp
34817 @item OK
34818 for success
34819 @item E @var{NN}
34820 for an error
34821 @end table
34822
34823 @item q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
34824 @itemx Q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
34825 @cindex @samp{q} packet
34826 @cindex @samp{Q} packet
34827 General query (@samp{q}) and set (@samp{Q}). These packets are
34828 described fully in @ref{General Query Packets}.
34829
34830 @item r
34831 @cindex @samp{r} packet
34832 Reset the entire system.
34833
34834 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{R} packet instead.
34835
34836 @item R @var{XX}
34837 @cindex @samp{R} packet
34838 Restart the program being debugged. @var{XX}, while needed, is ignored.
34839 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
34840
34841 The @samp{R} packet has no reply.
34842
34843 @item s @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
34844 @cindex @samp{s} packet
34845 Single step. @var{addr} is the address at which to resume. If
34846 @var{addr} is omitted, resume at same address.
34847
34848 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
34849 packet}.
34850
34851 Reply:
34852 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34853
34854 @item S @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
34855 @anchor{step with signal packet}
34856 @cindex @samp{S} packet
34857 Step with signal. This is analogous to the @samp{C} packet, but
34858 requests a single-step, rather than a normal resumption of execution.
34859
34860 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
34861 packet}.
34862
34863 Reply:
34864 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34865
34866 @item t @var{addr}:@var{PP},@var{MM}
34867 @cindex @samp{t} packet
34868 Search backwards starting at address @var{addr} for a match with pattern
34869 @var{PP} and mask @var{MM}. @var{PP} and @var{MM} are 4 bytes.
34870 @var{addr} must be at least 3 digits.
34871
34872 @item T @var{thread-id}
34873 @cindex @samp{T} packet
34874 Find out if the thread @var{thread-id} is alive. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
34875
34876 Reply:
34877 @table @samp
34878 @item OK
34879 thread is still alive
34880 @item E @var{NN}
34881 thread is dead
34882 @end table
34883
34884 @item v
34885 Packets starting with @samp{v} are identified by a multi-letter name,
34886 up to the first @samp{;} or @samp{?} (or the end of the packet).
34887
34888 @item vAttach;@var{pid}
34889 @cindex @samp{vAttach} packet
34890 Attach to a new process with the specified process ID @var{pid}.
34891 The process ID is a
34892 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. In all-stop mode, all
34893 threads in the attached process are stopped; in non-stop mode, it may be
34894 attached without being stopped if that is supported by the target.
34895
34896 @c In non-stop mode, on a successful vAttach, the stub should set the
34897 @c current thread to a thread of the newly-attached process. After
34898 @c attaching, GDB queries for the attached process's thread ID with qC.
34899 @c Also note that, from a user perspective, whether or not the
34900 @c target is stopped on attach in non-stop mode depends on whether you
34901 @c use the foreground or background version of the attach command, not
34902 @c on what vAttach does; GDB does the right thing with respect to either
34903 @c stopping or restarting threads.
34904
34905 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
34906
34907 Reply:
34908 @table @samp
34909 @item E @var{nn}
34910 for an error
34911 @item @r{Any stop packet}
34912 for success in all-stop mode (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
34913 @item OK
34914 for success in non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop})
34915 @end table
34916
34917 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@r{[}:@var{thread-id}@r{]]}@dots{}
34918 @cindex @samp{vCont} packet
34919 @anchor{vCont packet}
34920 Resume the inferior, specifying different actions for each thread.
34921 If an action is specified with no @var{thread-id}, then it is applied to any
34922 threads that don't have a specific action specified; if no default action is
34923 specified then other threads should remain stopped in all-stop mode and
34924 in their current state in non-stop mode.
34925 Specifying multiple
34926 default actions is an error; specifying no actions is also an error.
34927 Thread IDs are specified using the syntax described in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
34928
34929 Currently supported actions are:
34930
34931 @table @samp
34932 @item c
34933 Continue.
34934 @item C @var{sig}
34935 Continue with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
34936 @item s
34937 Step.
34938 @item S @var{sig}
34939 Step with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
34940 @item t
34941 Stop.
34942 @end table
34943
34944 The optional argument @var{addr} normally associated with the
34945 @samp{c}, @samp{C}, @samp{s}, and @samp{S} packets is
34946 not supported in @samp{vCont}.
34947
34948 The @samp{t} action is only relevant in non-stop mode
34949 (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}) and may be ignored by the stub otherwise.
34950 A stop reply should be generated for any affected thread not already stopped.
34951 When a thread is stopped by means of a @samp{t} action,
34952 the corresponding stop reply should indicate that the thread has stopped with
34953 signal @samp{0}, regardless of whether the target uses some other signal
34954 as an implementation detail.
34955
34956 The stub must support @samp{vCont} if it reports support for
34957 multiprocess extensions (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}). Note that in
34958 this case @samp{vCont} actions can be specified to apply to all threads
34959 in a process by using the @samp{p@var{pid}.-1} form of the
34960 @var{thread-id}.
34961
34962 Reply:
34963 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
34964
34965 @item vCont?
34966 @cindex @samp{vCont?} packet
34967 Request a list of actions supported by the @samp{vCont} packet.
34968
34969 Reply:
34970 @table @samp
34971 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@dots{}@r{]}
34972 The @samp{vCont} packet is supported. Each @var{action} is a supported
34973 command in the @samp{vCont} packet.
34974 @item
34975 The @samp{vCont} packet is not supported.
34976 @end table
34977
34978 @item vFile:@var{operation}:@var{parameter}@dots{}
34979 @cindex @samp{vFile} packet
34980 Perform a file operation on the target system. For details,
34981 see @ref{Host I/O Packets}.
34982
34983 @item vFlashErase:@var{addr},@var{length}
34984 @cindex @samp{vFlashErase} packet
34985 Direct the stub to erase @var{length} bytes of flash starting at
34986 @var{addr}. The region may enclose any number of flash blocks, but
34987 its start and end must fall on block boundaries, as indicated by the
34988 flash block size appearing in the memory map (@pxref{Memory Map
34989 Format}). @value{GDBN} groups flash memory programming operations
34990 together, and sends a @samp{vFlashDone} request after each group; the
34991 stub is allowed to delay erase operation until the @samp{vFlashDone}
34992 packet is received.
34993
34994 Reply:
34995 @table @samp
34996 @item OK
34997 for success
34998 @item E @var{NN}
34999 for an error
35000 @end table
35001
35002 @item vFlashWrite:@var{addr}:@var{XX@dots{}}
35003 @cindex @samp{vFlashWrite} packet
35004 Direct the stub to write data to flash address @var{addr}. The data
35005 is passed in binary form using the same encoding as for the @samp{X}
35006 packet (@pxref{Binary Data}). The memory ranges specified by
35007 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets preceding a @samp{vFlashDone} packet must
35008 not overlap, and must appear in order of increasing addresses
35009 (although @samp{vFlashErase} packets for higher addresses may already
35010 have been received; the ordering is guaranteed only between
35011 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets). If a packet writes to an address that was
35012 neither erased by a preceding @samp{vFlashErase} packet nor by some other
35013 target-specific method, the results are unpredictable.
35014
35015
35016 Reply:
35017 @table @samp
35018 @item OK
35019 for success
35020 @item E.memtype
35021 for vFlashWrite addressing non-flash memory
35022 @item E @var{NN}
35023 for an error
35024 @end table
35025
35026 @item vFlashDone
35027 @cindex @samp{vFlashDone} packet
35028 Indicate to the stub that flash programming operation is finished.
35029 The stub is permitted to delay or batch the effects of a group of
35030 @samp{vFlashErase} and @samp{vFlashWrite} packets until a
35031 @samp{vFlashDone} packet is received. The contents of the affected
35032 regions of flash memory are unpredictable until the @samp{vFlashDone}
35033 request is completed.
35034
35035 @item vKill;@var{pid}
35036 @cindex @samp{vKill} packet
35037 Kill the process with the specified process ID. @var{pid} is a
35038 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. This packet is used in
35039 preference to @samp{k} when multiprocess protocol extensions are
35040 supported; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
35041
35042 Reply:
35043 @table @samp
35044 @item E @var{nn}
35045 for an error
35046 @item OK
35047 for success
35048 @end table
35049
35050 @item vRun;@var{filename}@r{[};@var{argument}@r{]}@dots{}
35051 @cindex @samp{vRun} packet
35052 Run the program @var{filename}, passing it each @var{argument} on its
35053 command line. The file and arguments are hex-encoded strings. If
35054 @var{filename} is an empty string, the stub may use a default program
35055 (e.g.@: the last program run). The program is created in the stopped
35056 state.
35057
35058 @c FIXME: What about non-stop mode?
35059
35060 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
35061
35062 Reply:
35063 @table @samp
35064 @item E @var{nn}
35065 for an error
35066 @item @r{Any stop packet}
35067 for success (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
35068 @end table
35069
35070 @item vStopped
35071 @anchor{vStopped packet}
35072 @cindex @samp{vStopped} packet
35073
35074 In non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}), acknowledge a previous stop
35075 reply and prompt for the stub to report another one.
35076
35077 Reply:
35078 @table @samp
35079 @item @r{Any stop packet}
35080 if there is another unreported stop event (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
35081 @item OK
35082 if there are no unreported stop events
35083 @end table
35084
35085 @item X @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
35086 @anchor{X packet}
35087 @cindex @samp{X} packet
35088 Write data to memory, where the data is transmitted in binary.
35089 @var{addr} is address, @var{length} is number of bytes,
35090 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
35091
35092 Reply:
35093 @table @samp
35094 @item OK
35095 for success
35096 @item E @var{NN}
35097 for an error
35098 @end table
35099
35100 @item z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
35101 @itemx Z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
35102 @anchor{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}
35103 @cindex @samp{z} packet
35104 @cindex @samp{Z} packets
35105 Insert (@samp{Z}) or remove (@samp{z}) a @var{type} breakpoint or
35106 watchpoint starting at address @var{address} of kind @var{kind}.
35107
35108 Each breakpoint and watchpoint packet @var{type} is documented
35109 separately.
35110
35111 @emph{Implementation notes: A remote target shall return an empty string
35112 for an unrecognized breakpoint or watchpoint packet @var{type}. A
35113 remote target shall support either both or neither of a given
35114 @samp{Z@var{type}@dots{}} and @samp{z@var{type}@dots{}} packet pair. To
35115 avoid potential problems with duplicate packets, the operations should
35116 be implemented in an idempotent way.}
35117
35118 @item z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35119 @itemx Z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}
35120 @cindex @samp{z0} packet
35121 @cindex @samp{Z0} packet
35122 Insert (@samp{Z0}) or remove (@samp{z0}) a memory breakpoint at address
35123 @var{addr} of type @var{kind}.
35124
35125 A memory breakpoint is implemented by replacing the instruction at
35126 @var{addr} with a software breakpoint or trap instruction. The
35127 @var{kind} is target-specific and typically indicates the size of
35128 the breakpoint in bytes that should be inserted. E.g., the @sc{arm}
35129 and @sc{mips} can insert either a 2 or 4 byte breakpoint. Some
35130 architectures have additional meanings for @var{kind};
35131 @var{cond_list} is an optional list of conditional expressions in bytecode
35132 form that should be evaluated on the target's side. These are the
35133 conditions that should be taken into consideration when deciding if
35134 the breakpoint trigger should be reported back to @var{GDBN}.
35135
35136 The @var{cond_list} parameter is comprised of a series of expressions,
35137 concatenated without separators. Each expression has the following form:
35138
35139 @table @samp
35140
35141 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
35142 @var{len} is the length of the bytecode expression and @var{expr} is the
35143 actual conditional expression in bytecode form.
35144
35145 @end table
35146
35147 see @ref{Architecture-Specific Protocol Details}.
35148
35149 @emph{Implementation note: It is possible for a target to copy or move
35150 code that contains memory breakpoints (e.g., when implementing
35151 overlays). The behavior of this packet, in the presence of such a
35152 target, is not defined.}
35153
35154 Reply:
35155 @table @samp
35156 @item OK
35157 success
35158 @item
35159 not supported
35160 @item E @var{NN}
35161 for an error
35162 @end table
35163
35164 @item z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35165 @itemx Z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}
35166 @cindex @samp{z1} packet
35167 @cindex @samp{Z1} packet
35168 Insert (@samp{Z1}) or remove (@samp{z1}) a hardware breakpoint at
35169 address @var{addr}.
35170
35171 A hardware breakpoint is implemented using a mechanism that is not
35172 dependant on being able to modify the target's memory. @var{kind}
35173 and @var{cond_list} have the same meaning as in @samp{Z0} packets.
35174
35175 @emph{Implementation note: A hardware breakpoint is not affected by code
35176 movement.}
35177
35178 Reply:
35179 @table @samp
35180 @item OK
35181 success
35182 @item
35183 not supported
35184 @item E @var{NN}
35185 for an error
35186 @end table
35187
35188 @item z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35189 @itemx Z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35190 @cindex @samp{z2} packet
35191 @cindex @samp{Z2} packet
35192 Insert (@samp{Z2}) or remove (@samp{z2}) a write watchpoint at @var{addr}.
35193 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
35194
35195 Reply:
35196 @table @samp
35197 @item OK
35198 success
35199 @item
35200 not supported
35201 @item E @var{NN}
35202 for an error
35203 @end table
35204
35205 @item z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35206 @itemx Z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35207 @cindex @samp{z3} packet
35208 @cindex @samp{Z3} packet
35209 Insert (@samp{Z3}) or remove (@samp{z3}) a read watchpoint at @var{addr}.
35210 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
35211
35212 Reply:
35213 @table @samp
35214 @item OK
35215 success
35216 @item
35217 not supported
35218 @item E @var{NN}
35219 for an error
35220 @end table
35221
35222 @item z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35223 @itemx Z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
35224 @cindex @samp{z4} packet
35225 @cindex @samp{Z4} packet
35226 Insert (@samp{Z4}) or remove (@samp{z4}) an access watchpoint at @var{addr}.
35227 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
35228
35229 Reply:
35230 @table @samp
35231 @item OK
35232 success
35233 @item
35234 not supported
35235 @item E @var{NN}
35236 for an error
35237 @end table
35238
35239 @end table
35240
35241 @node Stop Reply Packets
35242 @section Stop Reply Packets
35243 @cindex stop reply packets
35244
35245 The @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}, @samp{s}, @samp{vCont},
35246 @samp{vAttach}, @samp{vRun}, @samp{vStopped}, and @samp{?} packets can
35247 receive any of the below as a reply. Except for @samp{?}
35248 and @samp{vStopped}, that reply is only returned
35249 when the target halts. In the below the exact meaning of @dfn{signal
35250 number} is defined by the header @file{include/gdb/signals.h} in the
35251 @value{GDBN} source code.
35252
35253 As in the description of request packets, we include spaces in the
35254 reply templates for clarity; these are not part of the reply packet's
35255 syntax. No @value{GDBN} stop reply packet uses spaces to separate its
35256 components.
35257
35258 @table @samp
35259
35260 @item S @var{AA}
35261 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
35262 number). This is equivalent to a @samp{T} response with no
35263 @var{n}:@var{r} pairs.
35264
35265 @item T @var{AA} @var{n1}:@var{r1};@var{n2}:@var{r2};@dots{}
35266 @cindex @samp{T} packet reply
35267 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
35268 number). This is equivalent to an @samp{S} response, except that the
35269 @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pairs can carry values of important registers
35270 and other information directly in the stop reply packet, reducing
35271 round-trip latency. Single-step and breakpoint traps are reported
35272 this way. Each @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair is interpreted as follows:
35273
35274 @itemize @bullet
35275 @item
35276 If @var{n} is a hexadecimal number, it is a register number, and the
35277 corresponding @var{r} gives that register's value. @var{r} is a
35278 series of bytes in target byte order, with each byte given by a
35279 two-digit hex number.
35280
35281 @item
35282 If @var{n} is @samp{thread}, then @var{r} is the @var{thread-id} of
35283 the stopped thread, as specified in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
35284
35285 @item
35286 If @var{n} is @samp{core}, then @var{r} is the hexadecimal number of
35287 the core on which the stop event was detected.
35288
35289 @item
35290 If @var{n} is a recognized @dfn{stop reason}, it describes a more
35291 specific event that stopped the target. The currently defined stop
35292 reasons are listed below. @var{aa} should be @samp{05}, the trap
35293 signal. At most one stop reason should be present.
35294
35295 @item
35296 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} should ignore this @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair
35297 and go on to the next; this allows us to extend the protocol in the
35298 future.
35299 @end itemize
35300
35301 The currently defined stop reasons are:
35302
35303 @table @samp
35304 @item watch
35305 @itemx rwatch
35306 @itemx awatch
35307 The packet indicates a watchpoint hit, and @var{r} is the data address, in
35308 hex.
35309
35310 @cindex shared library events, remote reply
35311 @item library
35312 The packet indicates that the loaded libraries have changed.
35313 @value{GDBN} should use @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} to fetch a new
35314 list of loaded libraries. @var{r} is ignored.
35315
35316 @cindex replay log events, remote reply
35317 @item replaylog
35318 The packet indicates that the target cannot continue replaying
35319 logged execution events, because it has reached the end (or the
35320 beginning when executing backward) of the log. The value of @var{r}
35321 will be either @samp{begin} or @samp{end}. @xref{Reverse Execution},
35322 for more information.
35323 @end table
35324
35325 @item W @var{AA}
35326 @itemx W @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
35327 The process exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This is only
35328 applicable to certain targets.
35329
35330 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the exited
35331 process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported support for
35332 multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
35333 The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
35334
35335 @item X @var{AA}
35336 @itemx X @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
35337 The process terminated with signal @var{AA}.
35338
35339 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the
35340 terminated process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported
35341 support for multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess
35342 extensions}. The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
35343
35344 @item O @var{XX}@dots{}
35345 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data, to be
35346 written as the program's console output. This can happen at any time
35347 while the program is running and the debugger should continue to wait
35348 for @samp{W}, @samp{T}, etc. This reply is not permitted in non-stop mode.
35349
35350 @item F @var{call-id},@var{parameter}@dots{}
35351 @var{call-id} is the identifier which says which host system call should
35352 be called. This is just the name of the function. Translation into the
35353 correct system call is only applicable as it's defined in @value{GDBN}.
35354 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for a list of implemented
35355 system calls.
35356
35357 @samp{@var{parameter}@dots{}} is a list of parameters as defined for
35358 this very system call.
35359
35360 The target replies with this packet when it expects @value{GDBN} to
35361 call a host system call on behalf of the target. @value{GDBN} replies
35362 with an appropriate @samp{F} packet and keeps up waiting for the next
35363 reply packet from the target. The latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
35364 or @samp{s} action is expected to be continued. @xref{File-I/O Remote
35365 Protocol Extension}, for more details.
35366
35367 @end table
35368
35369 @node General Query Packets
35370 @section General Query Packets
35371 @cindex remote query requests
35372
35373 Packets starting with @samp{q} are @dfn{general query packets};
35374 packets starting with @samp{Q} are @dfn{general set packets}. General
35375 query and set packets are a semi-unified form for retrieving and
35376 sending information to and from the stub.
35377
35378 The initial letter of a query or set packet is followed by a name
35379 indicating what sort of thing the packet applies to. For example,
35380 @value{GDBN} may use a @samp{qSymbol} packet to exchange symbol
35381 definitions with the stub. These packet names follow some
35382 conventions:
35383
35384 @itemize @bullet
35385 @item
35386 The name must not contain commas, colons or semicolons.
35387 @item
35388 Most @value{GDBN} query and set packets have a leading upper case
35389 letter.
35390 @item
35391 The names of custom vendor packets should use a company prefix, in
35392 lower case, followed by a period. For example, packets designed at
35393 the Acme Corporation might begin with @samp{qacme.foo} (for querying
35394 foos) or @samp{Qacme.bar} (for setting bars).
35395 @end itemize
35396
35397 The name of a query or set packet should be separated from any
35398 parameters by a @samp{:}; the parameters themselves should be
35399 separated by @samp{,} or @samp{;}. Stubs must be careful to match the
35400 full packet name, and check for a separator or the end of the packet,
35401 in case two packet names share a common prefix. New packets should not begin
35402 with @samp{qC}, @samp{qP}, or @samp{qL}@footnote{The @samp{qP} and @samp{qL}
35403 packets predate these conventions, and have arguments without any terminator
35404 for the packet name; we suspect they are in widespread use in places that
35405 are difficult to upgrade. The @samp{qC} packet has no arguments, but some
35406 existing stubs (e.g.@: RedBoot) are known to not check for the end of the
35407 packet.}.
35408
35409 Like the descriptions of the other packets, each description here
35410 has a template showing the packet's overall syntax, followed by an
35411 explanation of the packet's meaning. We include spaces in some of the
35412 templates for clarity; these are not part of the packet's syntax. No
35413 @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to separate its components.
35414
35415 Here are the currently defined query and set packets:
35416
35417 @table @samp
35418
35419 @item QAgent:1
35420 @item QAgent:0
35421 Turn on or off the agent as a helper to perform some debugging operations
35422 delegated from @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Control Agent}).
35423
35424 @item QAllow:@var{op}:@var{val}@dots{}
35425 @cindex @samp{QAllow} packet
35426 Specify which operations @value{GDBN} expects to request of the
35427 target, as a semicolon-separated list of operation name and value
35428 pairs. Possible values for @var{op} include @samp{WriteReg},
35429 @samp{WriteMem}, @samp{InsertBreak}, @samp{InsertTrace},
35430 @samp{InsertFastTrace}, and @samp{Stop}. @var{val} is either 0,
35431 indicating that @value{GDBN} will not request the operation, or 1,
35432 indicating that it may. (The target can then use this to set up its
35433 own internals optimally, for instance if the debugger never expects to
35434 insert breakpoints, it may not need to install its own trap handler.)
35435
35436 @item qC
35437 @cindex current thread, remote request
35438 @cindex @samp{qC} packet
35439 Return the current thread ID.
35440
35441 Reply:
35442 @table @samp
35443 @item QC @var{thread-id}
35444 Where @var{thread-id} is a thread ID as documented in
35445 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
35446 @item @r{(anything else)}
35447 Any other reply implies the old thread ID.
35448 @end table
35449
35450 @item qCRC:@var{addr},@var{length}
35451 @cindex CRC of memory block, remote request
35452 @cindex @samp{qCRC} packet
35453 Compute the CRC checksum of a block of memory using CRC-32 defined in
35454 IEEE 802.3. The CRC is computed byte at a time, taking the most
35455 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern code
35456 @code{0xffffffff} is used to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC.
35457
35458 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC used in validating separate debug
35459 files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files, , Debugging Information in Separate
35460 Files}). However the algorithm is slightly different. When validating
35461 separate debug files, the CRC is computed taking the @emph{least}
35462 significant bit of each byte first, and the final result is inverted to
35463 detect trailing zeros.
35464
35465 Reply:
35466 @table @samp
35467 @item E @var{NN}
35468 An error (such as memory fault)
35469 @item C @var{crc32}
35470 The specified memory region's checksum is @var{crc32}.
35471 @end table
35472
35473 @item QDisableRandomization:@var{value}
35474 @cindex disable address space randomization, remote request
35475 @cindex @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet
35476 Some target operating systems will randomize the virtual address space
35477 of the inferior process as a security feature, but provide a feature
35478 to disable such randomization, e.g.@: to allow for a more deterministic
35479 debugging experience. On such systems, this packet with a @var{value}
35480 of 1 directs the target to disable address space randomization for
35481 processes subsequently started via @samp{vRun} packets, while a packet
35482 with a @var{value} of 0 tells the target to enable address space
35483 randomization.
35484
35485 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
35486
35487 Reply:
35488 @table @samp
35489 @item OK
35490 The request succeeded.
35491
35492 @item E @var{nn}
35493 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
35494
35495 @item
35496 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QDisableRandomization} is not supported
35497 by the stub.
35498 @end table
35499
35500 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
35501 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
35502 This should only be done on targets that actually support disabling
35503 address space randomization.
35504
35505 @item qfThreadInfo
35506 @itemx qsThreadInfo
35507 @cindex list active threads, remote request
35508 @cindex @samp{qfThreadInfo} packet
35509 @cindex @samp{qsThreadInfo} packet
35510 Obtain a list of all active thread IDs from the target (OS). Since there
35511 may be too many active threads to fit into one reply packet, this query
35512 works iteratively: it may require more than one query/reply sequence to
35513 obtain the entire list of threads. The first query of the sequence will
35514 be the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query; subsequent queries in the
35515 sequence will be the @samp{qsThreadInfo} query.
35516
35517 NOTE: This packet replaces the @samp{qL} query (see below).
35518
35519 Reply:
35520 @table @samp
35521 @item m @var{thread-id}
35522 A single thread ID
35523 @item m @var{thread-id},@var{thread-id}@dots{}
35524 a comma-separated list of thread IDs
35525 @item l
35526 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
35527 @end table
35528
35529 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
35530 more thread IDs, separated by commas.
35531 @value{GDBN} will respond to each reply with a request for more thread
35532 ids (using the @samp{qs} form of the query), until the target responds
35533 with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for @dfn{last}).
35534 Refer to @ref{thread-id syntax}, for the format of the @var{thread-id}
35535 fields.
35536
35537 @item qGetTLSAddr:@var{thread-id},@var{offset},@var{lm}
35538 @cindex get thread-local storage address, remote request
35539 @cindex @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet
35540 Fetch the address associated with thread local storage specified
35541 by @var{thread-id}, @var{offset}, and @var{lm}.
35542
35543 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the
35544 thread for which to fetch the TLS address. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
35545
35546 @var{offset} is the (big endian, hex encoded) offset associated with the
35547 thread local variable. (This offset is obtained from the debug
35548 information associated with the variable.)
35549
35550 @var{lm} is the (big endian, hex encoded) OS/ABI-specific encoding of the
35551 load module associated with the thread local storage. For example,
35552 a @sc{gnu}/Linux system will pass the link map address of the shared
35553 object associated with the thread local storage under consideration.
35554 Other operating environments may choose to represent the load module
35555 differently, so the precise meaning of this parameter will vary.
35556
35557 Reply:
35558 @table @samp
35559 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
35560 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the address of the thread
35561 local storage requested.
35562
35563 @item E @var{nn}
35564 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
35565
35566 @item
35567 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTLSAddr} is not supported by the stub.
35568 @end table
35569
35570 @item qGetTIBAddr:@var{thread-id}
35571 @cindex get thread information block address
35572 @cindex @samp{qGetTIBAddr} packet
35573 Fetch address of the Windows OS specific Thread Information Block.
35574
35575 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the thread.
35576
35577 Reply:
35578 @table @samp
35579 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
35580 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the linear address of the
35581 thread information block.
35582
35583 @item E @var{nn}
35584 An error occured. This means that either the thread was not found, or the
35585 address could not be retrieved.
35586
35587 @item
35588 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTIBAddr} is not supported by the stub.
35589 @end table
35590
35591 @item qL @var{startflag} @var{threadcount} @var{nextthread}
35592 Obtain thread information from RTOS. Where: @var{startflag} (one hex
35593 digit) is one to indicate the first query and zero to indicate a
35594 subsequent query; @var{threadcount} (two hex digits) is the maximum
35595 number of threads the response packet can contain; and @var{nextthread}
35596 (eight hex digits), for subsequent queries (@var{startflag} is zero), is
35597 returned in the response as @var{argthread}.
35598
35599 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query instead (see above).
35600
35601 Reply:
35602 @table @samp
35603 @item qM @var{count} @var{done} @var{argthread} @var{thread}@dots{}
35604 Where: @var{count} (two hex digits) is the number of threads being
35605 returned; @var{done} (one hex digit) is zero to indicate more threads
35606 and one indicates no further threads; @var{argthreadid} (eight hex
35607 digits) is @var{nextthread} from the request packet; @var{thread}@dots{}
35608 is a sequence of thread IDs from the target. @var{threadid} (eight hex
35609 digits). See @code{remote.c:parse_threadlist_response()}.
35610 @end table
35611
35612 @item qOffsets
35613 @cindex section offsets, remote request
35614 @cindex @samp{qOffsets} packet
35615 Get section offsets that the target used when relocating the downloaded
35616 image.
35617
35618 Reply:
35619 @table @samp
35620 @item Text=@var{xxx};Data=@var{yyy}@r{[};Bss=@var{zzz}@r{]}
35621 Relocate the @code{Text} section by @var{xxx} from its original address.
35622 Relocate the @code{Data} section by @var{yyy} from its original address.
35623 If the object file format provides segment information (e.g.@: @sc{elf}
35624 @samp{PT_LOAD} program headers), @value{GDBN} will relocate entire
35625 segments by the supplied offsets.
35626
35627 @emph{Note: while a @code{Bss} offset may be included in the response,
35628 @value{GDBN} ignores this and instead applies the @code{Data} offset
35629 to the @code{Bss} section.}
35630
35631 @item TextSeg=@var{xxx}@r{[};DataSeg=@var{yyy}@r{]}
35632 Relocate the first segment of the object file, which conventionally
35633 contains program code, to a starting address of @var{xxx}. If
35634 @samp{DataSeg} is specified, relocate the second segment, which
35635 conventionally contains modifiable data, to a starting address of
35636 @var{yyy}. @value{GDBN} will report an error if the object file
35637 does not contain segment information, or does not contain at least
35638 as many segments as mentioned in the reply. Extra segments are
35639 kept at fixed offsets relative to the last relocated segment.
35640 @end table
35641
35642 @item qP @var{mode} @var{thread-id}
35643 @cindex thread information, remote request
35644 @cindex @samp{qP} packet
35645 Returns information on @var{thread-id}. Where: @var{mode} is a hex
35646 encoded 32 bit mode; @var{thread-id} is a thread ID
35647 (@pxref{thread-id syntax}).
35648
35649 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} query instead
35650 (see below).
35651
35652 Reply: see @code{remote.c:remote_unpack_thread_info_response()}.
35653
35654 @item QNonStop:1
35655 @item QNonStop:0
35656 @cindex non-stop mode, remote request
35657 @cindex @samp{QNonStop} packet
35658 @anchor{QNonStop}
35659 Enter non-stop (@samp{QNonStop:1}) or all-stop (@samp{QNonStop:0}) mode.
35660 @xref{Remote Non-Stop}, for more information.
35661
35662 Reply:
35663 @table @samp
35664 @item OK
35665 The request succeeded.
35666
35667 @item E @var{nn}
35668 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
35669
35670 @item
35671 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QNonStop} is not supported by
35672 the stub.
35673 @end table
35674
35675 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
35676 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
35677 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set non-stop} command;
35678 @pxref{Non-Stop Mode}.
35679
35680 @item QPassSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
35681 @cindex pass signals to inferior, remote request
35682 @cindex @samp{QPassSignals} packet
35683 @anchor{QPassSignals}
35684 Each listed @var{signal} should be passed directly to the inferior process.
35685 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
35686 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
35687 strictly greater than the previous item. These signals do not need to stop
35688 the inferior, or be reported to @value{GDBN}. All other signals should be
35689 reported to @value{GDBN}. Multiple @samp{QPassSignals} packets do not
35690 combine; any earlier @samp{QPassSignals} list is completely replaced by the
35691 new list. This packet improves performance when using @samp{handle
35692 @var{signal} nostop noprint pass}.
35693
35694 Reply:
35695 @table @samp
35696 @item OK
35697 The request succeeded.
35698
35699 @item E @var{nn}
35700 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
35701
35702 @item
35703 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QPassSignals} is not supported by
35704 the stub.
35705 @end table
35706
35707 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote pass-signals}
35708 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote pass-signals}).
35709 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
35710 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
35711
35712 @item QProgramSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
35713 @cindex signals the inferior may see, remote request
35714 @cindex @samp{QProgramSignals} packet
35715 @anchor{QProgramSignals}
35716 Each listed @var{signal} may be delivered to the inferior process.
35717 Others should be silently discarded.
35718
35719 In some cases, the remote stub may need to decide whether to deliver a
35720 signal to the program or not without @value{GDBN} involvement. One
35721 example of that is while detaching --- the program's threads may have
35722 stopped for signals that haven't yet had a chance of being reported to
35723 @value{GDBN}, and so the remote stub can use the signal list specified
35724 by this packet to know whether to deliver or ignore those pending
35725 signals.
35726
35727 This does not influence whether to deliver a signal as requested by a
35728 resumption packet (@pxref{vCont packet}).
35729
35730 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
35731 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
35732 strictly greater than the previous item. Multiple
35733 @samp{QProgramSignals} packets do not combine; any earlier
35734 @samp{QProgramSignals} list is completely replaced by the new list.
35735
35736 Reply:
35737 @table @samp
35738 @item OK
35739 The request succeeded.
35740
35741 @item E @var{nn}
35742 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
35743
35744 @item
35745 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QProgramSignals} is not supported
35746 by the stub.
35747 @end table
35748
35749 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote program-signals}
35750 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote program-signals}).
35751 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
35752 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
35753
35754 @item qRcmd,@var{command}
35755 @cindex execute remote command, remote request
35756 @cindex @samp{qRcmd} packet
35757 @var{command} (hex encoded) is passed to the local interpreter for
35758 execution. Invalid commands should be reported using the output
35759 string. Before the final result packet, the target may also respond
35760 with a number of intermediate @samp{O@var{output}} console output
35761 packets. @emph{Implementors should note that providing access to a
35762 stubs's interpreter may have security implications}.
35763
35764 Reply:
35765 @table @samp
35766 @item OK
35767 A command response with no output.
35768 @item @var{OUTPUT}
35769 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
35770 @item E @var{NN}
35771 Indicate a badly formed request.
35772 @item
35773 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qRcmd} is not recognized.
35774 @end table
35775
35776 (Note that the @code{qRcmd} packet's name is separated from the
35777 command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
35778 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
35779 packets.)
35780
35781 @item qSearch:memory:@var{address};@var{length};@var{search-pattern}
35782 @cindex searching memory, in remote debugging
35783 @cindex @samp{qSearch:memory} packet
35784 @anchor{qSearch memory}
35785 Search @var{length} bytes at @var{address} for @var{search-pattern}.
35786 @var{address} and @var{length} are encoded in hex.
35787 @var{search-pattern} is a sequence of bytes, hex encoded.
35788
35789 Reply:
35790 @table @samp
35791 @item 0
35792 The pattern was not found.
35793 @item 1,address
35794 The pattern was found at @var{address}.
35795 @item E @var{NN}
35796 A badly formed request or an error was encountered while searching memory.
35797 @item
35798 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSearch:memory} is not recognized.
35799 @end table
35800
35801 @item QStartNoAckMode
35802 @cindex @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet
35803 @anchor{QStartNoAckMode}
35804 Request that the remote stub disable the normal @samp{+}/@samp{-}
35805 protocol acknowledgments (@pxref{Packet Acknowledgment}).
35806
35807 Reply:
35808 @table @samp
35809 @item OK
35810 The stub has switched to no-acknowledgment mode.
35811 @value{GDBN} acknowledges this reponse,
35812 but neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or expect further
35813 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments in the current connection.
35814 @item
35815 An empty reply indicates that the stub does not support no-acknowledgment mode.
35816 @end table
35817
35818 @item qSupported @r{[}:@var{gdbfeature} @r{[};@var{gdbfeature}@r{]}@dots{} @r{]}
35819 @cindex supported packets, remote query
35820 @cindex features of the remote protocol
35821 @cindex @samp{qSupported} packet
35822 @anchor{qSupported}
35823 Tell the remote stub about features supported by @value{GDBN}, and
35824 query the stub for features it supports. This packet allows
35825 @value{GDBN} and the remote stub to take advantage of each others'
35826 features. @samp{qSupported} also consolidates multiple feature probes
35827 at startup, to improve @value{GDBN} performance---a single larger
35828 packet performs better than multiple smaller probe packets on
35829 high-latency links. Some features may enable behavior which must not
35830 be on by default, e.g.@: because it would confuse older clients or
35831 stubs. Other features may describe packets which could be
35832 automatically probed for, but are not. These features must be
35833 reported before @value{GDBN} will use them. This ``default
35834 unsupported'' behavior is not appropriate for all packets, but it
35835 helps to keep the initial connection time under control with new
35836 versions of @value{GDBN} which support increasing numbers of packets.
35837
35838 Reply:
35839 @table @samp
35840 @item @var{stubfeature} @r{[};@var{stubfeature}@r{]}@dots{}
35841 The stub supports or does not support each returned @var{stubfeature},
35842 depending on the form of each @var{stubfeature} (see below for the
35843 possible forms).
35844 @item
35845 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSupported} is not recognized,
35846 or that no features needed to be reported to @value{GDBN}.
35847 @end table
35848
35849 The allowed forms for each feature (either a @var{gdbfeature} in the
35850 @samp{qSupported} packet, or a @var{stubfeature} in the response)
35851 are:
35852
35853 @table @samp
35854 @item @var{name}=@var{value}
35855 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and associated
35856 with the specified @var{value}. The format of @var{value} depends
35857 on the feature, but it must not include a semicolon.
35858 @item @var{name}+
35859 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and does not
35860 need an associated value.
35861 @item @var{name}-
35862 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is not supported.
35863 @item @var{name}?
35864 The remote protocol feature @var{name} may be supported, and
35865 @value{GDBN} should auto-detect support in some other way when it is
35866 needed. This form will not be used for @var{gdbfeature} notifications,
35867 but may be used for @var{stubfeature} responses.
35868 @end table
35869
35870 Whenever the stub receives a @samp{qSupported} request, the
35871 supplied set of @value{GDBN} features should override any previous
35872 request. This allows @value{GDBN} to put the stub in a known
35873 state, even if the stub had previously been communicating with
35874 a different version of @value{GDBN}.
35875
35876 The following values of @var{gdbfeature} (for the packet sent by @value{GDBN})
35877 are defined:
35878
35879 @table @samp
35880 @item multiprocess
35881 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports multiprocess
35882 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
35883 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
35884 including @samp{multiprocess+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
35885 @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for details.
35886
35887 @item xmlRegisters
35888 This feature indicates that @value{GDBN} supports the XML target
35889 description. If the stub sees @samp{xmlRegisters=} with target
35890 specific strings separated by a comma, it will report register
35891 description.
35892
35893 @item qRelocInsn
35894 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports the
35895 @samp{qRelocInsn} packet (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
35896 instruction reply packet}).
35897 @end table
35898
35899 Stubs should ignore any unknown values for
35900 @var{gdbfeature}. Any @value{GDBN} which sends a @samp{qSupported}
35901 packet supports receiving packets of unlimited length (earlier
35902 versions of @value{GDBN} may reject overly long responses). Additional values
35903 for @var{gdbfeature} may be defined in the future to let the stub take
35904 advantage of new features in @value{GDBN}, e.g.@: incompatible
35905 improvements in the remote protocol---the @samp{multiprocess} feature is
35906 an example of such a feature. The stub's reply should be independent
35907 of the @var{gdbfeature} entries sent by @value{GDBN}; first @value{GDBN}
35908 describes all the features it supports, and then the stub replies with
35909 all the features it supports.
35910
35911 Similarly, @value{GDBN} will silently ignore unrecognized stub feature
35912 responses, as long as each response uses one of the standard forms.
35913
35914 Some features are flags. A stub which supports a flag feature
35915 should respond with a @samp{+} form response. Other features
35916 require values, and the stub should respond with an @samp{=}
35917 form response.
35918
35919 Each feature has a default value, which @value{GDBN} will use if
35920 @samp{qSupported} is not available or if the feature is not mentioned
35921 in the @samp{qSupported} response. The default values are fixed; a
35922 stub is free to omit any feature responses that match the defaults.
35923
35924 Not all features can be probed, but for those which can, the probing
35925 mechanism is useful: in some cases, a stub's internal
35926 architecture may not allow the protocol layer to know some information
35927 about the underlying target in advance. This is especially common in
35928 stubs which may be configured for multiple targets.
35929
35930 These are the currently defined stub features and their properties:
35931
35932 @multitable @columnfractions 0.35 0.2 0.12 0.2
35933 @c NOTE: The first row should be @headitem, but we do not yet require
35934 @c a new enough version of Texinfo (4.7) to use @headitem.
35935 @item Feature Name
35936 @tab Value Required
35937 @tab Default
35938 @tab Probe Allowed
35939
35940 @item @samp{PacketSize}
35941 @tab Yes
35942 @tab @samp{-}
35943 @tab No
35944
35945 @item @samp{qXfer:auxv:read}
35946 @tab No
35947 @tab @samp{-}
35948 @tab Yes
35949
35950 @item @samp{qXfer:features:read}
35951 @tab No
35952 @tab @samp{-}
35953 @tab Yes
35954
35955 @item @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
35956 @tab No
35957 @tab @samp{-}
35958 @tab Yes
35959
35960 @item @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
35961 @tab No
35962 @tab @samp{-}
35963 @tab Yes
35964
35965 @item @samp{qXfer:sdata:read}
35966 @tab No
35967 @tab @samp{-}
35968 @tab Yes
35969
35970 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:read}
35971 @tab No
35972 @tab @samp{-}
35973 @tab Yes
35974
35975 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:write}
35976 @tab No
35977 @tab @samp{-}
35978 @tab Yes
35979
35980 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read}
35981 @tab No
35982 @tab @samp{-}
35983 @tab Yes
35984
35985 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write}
35986 @tab No
35987 @tab @samp{-}
35988 @tab Yes
35989
35990 @item @samp{qXfer:threads:read}
35991 @tab No
35992 @tab @samp{-}
35993 @tab Yes
35994
35995 @item @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
35996 @tab No
35997 @tab @samp{-}
35998 @tab Yes
35999
36000 @item @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
36001 @tab No
36002 @tab @samp{-}
36003 @tab Yes
36004
36005 @item @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
36006 @tab No
36007 @tab @samp{-}
36008 @tab Yes
36009
36010 @item @samp{QNonStop}
36011 @tab No
36012 @tab @samp{-}
36013 @tab Yes
36014
36015 @item @samp{QPassSignals}
36016 @tab No
36017 @tab @samp{-}
36018 @tab Yes
36019
36020 @item @samp{QStartNoAckMode}
36021 @tab No
36022 @tab @samp{-}
36023 @tab Yes
36024
36025 @item @samp{multiprocess}
36026 @tab No
36027 @tab @samp{-}
36028 @tab No
36029
36030 @item @samp{ConditionalBreakpoints}
36031 @tab No
36032 @tab @samp{-}
36033 @tab No
36034
36035 @item @samp{ConditionalTracepoints}
36036 @tab No
36037 @tab @samp{-}
36038 @tab No
36039
36040 @item @samp{ReverseContinue}
36041 @tab No
36042 @tab @samp{-}
36043 @tab No
36044
36045 @item @samp{ReverseStep}
36046 @tab No
36047 @tab @samp{-}
36048 @tab No
36049
36050 @item @samp{TracepointSource}
36051 @tab No
36052 @tab @samp{-}
36053 @tab No
36054
36055 @item @samp{QAgent}
36056 @tab No
36057 @tab @samp{-}
36058 @tab No
36059
36060 @item @samp{QAllow}
36061 @tab No
36062 @tab @samp{-}
36063 @tab No
36064
36065 @item @samp{QDisableRandomization}
36066 @tab No
36067 @tab @samp{-}
36068 @tab No
36069
36070 @item @samp{EnableDisableTracepoints}
36071 @tab No
36072 @tab @samp{-}
36073 @tab No
36074
36075 @item @samp{tracenz}
36076 @tab No
36077 @tab @samp{-}
36078 @tab No
36079
36080 @end multitable
36081
36082 These are the currently defined stub features, in more detail:
36083
36084 @table @samp
36085 @cindex packet size, remote protocol
36086 @item PacketSize=@var{bytes}
36087 The remote stub can accept packets up to at least @var{bytes} in
36088 length. @value{GDBN} will send packets up to this size for bulk
36089 transfers, and will never send larger packets. This is a limit on the
36090 data characters in the packet, including the frame and checksum.
36091 There is no trailing NUL byte in a remote protocol packet; if the stub
36092 stores packets in a NUL-terminated format, it should allow an extra
36093 byte in its buffer for the NUL. If this stub feature is not supported,
36094 @value{GDBN} guesses based on the size of the @samp{g} packet response.
36095
36096 @item qXfer:auxv:read
36097 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet
36098 (@pxref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}).
36099
36100 @item qXfer:features:read
36101 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:features:read} packet
36102 (@pxref{qXfer target description read}).
36103
36104 @item qXfer:libraries:read
36105 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet
36106 (@pxref{qXfer library list read}).
36107
36108 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read
36109 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet
36110 (@pxref{qXfer svr4 library list read}).
36111
36112 @item qXfer:memory-map:read
36113 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read} packet
36114 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}).
36115
36116 @item qXfer:sdata:read
36117 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:sdata:read} packet
36118 (@pxref{qXfer sdata read}).
36119
36120 @item qXfer:spu:read
36121 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:read} packet
36122 (@pxref{qXfer spu read}).
36123
36124 @item qXfer:spu:write
36125 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:write} packet
36126 (@pxref{qXfer spu write}).
36127
36128 @item qXfer:siginfo:read
36129 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read} packet
36130 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo read}).
36131
36132 @item qXfer:siginfo:write
36133 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write} packet
36134 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo write}).
36135
36136 @item qXfer:threads:read
36137 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
36138 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}).
36139
36140 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read
36141 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
36142 packet (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}).
36143
36144 @item qXfer:uib:read
36145 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
36146 packet (@pxref{qXfer unwind info block}).
36147
36148 @item qXfer:fdpic:read
36149 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
36150 packet (@pxref{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}).
36151
36152 @item QNonStop
36153 The remote stub understands the @samp{QNonStop} packet
36154 (@pxref{QNonStop}).
36155
36156 @item QPassSignals
36157 The remote stub understands the @samp{QPassSignals} packet
36158 (@pxref{QPassSignals}).
36159
36160 @item QStartNoAckMode
36161 The remote stub understands the @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet and
36162 prefers to operate in no-acknowledgment mode. @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}.
36163
36164 @item multiprocess
36165 @anchor{multiprocess extensions}
36166 @cindex multiprocess extensions, in remote protocol
36167 The remote stub understands the multiprocess extensions to the remote
36168 protocol syntax. The multiprocess extensions affect the syntax of
36169 thread IDs in both packets and replies (@pxref{thread-id syntax}), and
36170 add process IDs to the @samp{D} packet and @samp{W} and @samp{X}
36171 replies. Note that reporting this feature indicates support for the
36172 syntactic extensions only, not that the stub necessarily supports
36173 debugging of more than one process at a time. The stub must not use
36174 multiprocess extensions in packet replies unless @value{GDBN} has also
36175 indicated it supports them in its @samp{qSupported} request.
36176
36177 @item qXfer:osdata:read
36178 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet
36179 ((@pxref{qXfer osdata read}).
36180
36181 @item ConditionalBreakpoints
36182 The target accepts and implements evaluation of conditional expressions
36183 defined for breakpoints. The target will only report breakpoint triggers
36184 when such conditions are true (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
36185
36186 @item ConditionalTracepoints
36187 The remote stub accepts and implements conditional expressions defined
36188 for tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoint Conditions}).
36189
36190 @item ReverseContinue
36191 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse continue packet
36192 (@pxref{bc}).
36193
36194 @item ReverseStep
36195 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse step packet
36196 (@pxref{bs}).
36197
36198 @item TracepointSource
36199 The remote stub understands the @samp{QTDPsrc} packet that supplies
36200 the source form of tracepoint definitions.
36201
36202 @item QAgent
36203 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAgent} packet.
36204
36205 @item QAllow
36206 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAllow} packet.
36207
36208 @item QDisableRandomization
36209 The remote stub understands the @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet.
36210
36211 @item StaticTracepoint
36212 @cindex static tracepoints, in remote protocol
36213 The remote stub supports static tracepoints.
36214
36215 @item InstallInTrace
36216 @anchor{install tracepoint in tracing}
36217 The remote stub supports installing tracepoint in tracing.
36218
36219 @item EnableDisableTracepoints
36220 The remote stub supports the @samp{QTEnable} (@pxref{QTEnable}) and
36221 @samp{QTDisable} (@pxref{QTDisable}) packets that allow tracepoints
36222 to be enabled and disabled while a trace experiment is running.
36223
36224 @item tracenz
36225 @cindex string tracing, in remote protocol
36226 The remote stub supports the @samp{tracenz} bytecode for collecting strings.
36227 See @ref{Bytecode Descriptions} for details about the bytecode.
36228
36229 @end table
36230
36231 @item qSymbol::
36232 @cindex symbol lookup, remote request
36233 @cindex @samp{qSymbol} packet
36234 Notify the target that @value{GDBN} is prepared to serve symbol lookup
36235 requests. Accept requests from the target for the values of symbols.
36236
36237 Reply:
36238 @table @samp
36239 @item OK
36240 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
36241 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
36242 The target requests the value of symbol @var{sym_name} (hex encoded).
36243 @value{GDBN} may provide the value by using the
36244 @samp{qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}} message, described
36245 below.
36246 @end table
36247
36248 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}
36249 Set the value of @var{sym_name} to @var{sym_value}.
36250
36251 @var{sym_name} (hex encoded) is the name of a symbol whose value the
36252 target has previously requested.
36253
36254 @var{sym_value} (hex) is the value for symbol @var{sym_name}. If
36255 @value{GDBN} cannot supply a value for @var{sym_name}, then this field
36256 will be empty.
36257
36258 Reply:
36259 @table @samp
36260 @item OK
36261 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
36262 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
36263 The target requests the value of a new symbol @var{sym_name} (hex
36264 encoded). @value{GDBN} will continue to supply the values of symbols
36265 (if available), until the target ceases to request them.
36266 @end table
36267
36268 @item qTBuffer
36269 @item QTBuffer
36270 @item QTDisconnected
36271 @itemx QTDP
36272 @itemx QTDPsrc
36273 @itemx QTDV
36274 @itemx qTfP
36275 @itemx qTfV
36276 @itemx QTFrame
36277 @itemx qTMinFTPILen
36278
36279 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
36280
36281 @item qThreadExtraInfo,@var{thread-id}
36282 @cindex thread attributes info, remote request
36283 @cindex @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} packet
36284 Obtain a printable string description of a thread's attributes from
36285 the target OS. @var{thread-id} is a thread ID;
36286 see @ref{thread-id syntax}. This
36287 string may contain anything that the target OS thinks is interesting
36288 for @value{GDBN} to tell the user about the thread. The string is
36289 displayed in @value{GDBN}'s @code{info threads} display. Some
36290 examples of possible thread extra info strings are @samp{Runnable}, or
36291 @samp{Blocked on Mutex}.
36292
36293 Reply:
36294 @table @samp
36295 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
36296 Where @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is a hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data,
36297 comprising the printable string containing the extra information about
36298 the thread's attributes.
36299 @end table
36300
36301 (Note that the @code{qThreadExtraInfo} packet's name is separated from
36302 the command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
36303 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
36304 packets.)
36305
36306 @item QTNotes
36307 @item qTP
36308 @item QTSave
36309 @item qTsP
36310 @item qTsV
36311 @itemx QTStart
36312 @itemx QTStop
36313 @itemx QTEnable
36314 @itemx QTDisable
36315 @itemx QTinit
36316 @itemx QTro
36317 @itemx qTStatus
36318 @itemx qTV
36319 @itemx qTfSTM
36320 @itemx qTsSTM
36321 @itemx qTSTMat
36322 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
36323
36324 @item qXfer:@var{object}:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36325 @cindex read special object, remote request
36326 @cindex @samp{qXfer} packet
36327 @anchor{qXfer read}
36328 Read uninterpreted bytes from the target's special data area
36329 identified by the keyword @var{object}. Request @var{length} bytes
36330 starting at @var{offset} bytes into the data. The content and
36331 encoding of @var{annex} is specific to @var{object}; it can supply
36332 additional details about what data to access.
36333
36334 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
36335 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:read:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
36336 formats, listed below.
36337
36338 @table @samp
36339 @item qXfer:auxv:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36340 @anchor{qXfer auxiliary vector read}
36341 Access the target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}. @xref{OS Information,
36342 auxiliary vector}. Note @var{annex} must be empty.
36343
36344 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36345 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36346
36347 @item qXfer:features:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36348 @anchor{qXfer target description read}
36349 Access the @dfn{target description}. @xref{Target Descriptions}. The
36350 annex specifies which XML document to access. The main description is
36351 always loaded from the @samp{target.xml} annex.
36352
36353 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36354 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36355
36356 @item qXfer:libraries:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36357 @anchor{qXfer library list read}
36358 Access the target's list of loaded libraries. @xref{Library List Format}.
36359 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
36360 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36361
36362 Targets which maintain a list of libraries in the program's memory do
36363 not need to implement this packet; it is designed for platforms where
36364 the operating system manages the list of loaded libraries.
36365
36366 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36367 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36368
36369 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36370 @anchor{qXfer svr4 library list read}
36371 Access the target's list of loaded libraries when the target is an SVR4
36372 platform. @xref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets}. The annex part
36373 of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36374
36375 This packet is optional for better performance on SVR4 targets.
36376 @value{GDBN} uses memory read packets to read the SVR4 library list otherwise.
36377
36378 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36379 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36380
36381 @item qXfer:memory-map:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36382 @anchor{qXfer memory map read}
36383 Access the target's @dfn{memory-map}. @xref{Memory Map Format}. The
36384 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
36385 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36386
36387 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36388 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36389
36390 @item qXfer:sdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36391 @anchor{qXfer sdata read}
36392
36393 Read contents of the extra collected static tracepoint marker
36394 information. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must
36395 be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}). @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint
36396 Action Lists}.
36397
36398 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36399 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
36400 (@pxref{qSupported}).
36401
36402 @item qXfer:siginfo:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36403 @anchor{qXfer siginfo read}
36404 Read contents of the extra signal information on the target
36405 system. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
36406 empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36407
36408 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36409 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
36410 (@pxref{qSupported}).
36411
36412 @item qXfer:spu:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36413 @anchor{qXfer spu read}
36414 Read contents of an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
36415 annex specifies which file to read; it must be of the form
36416 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
36417 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
36418 in that context to be accessed.
36419
36420 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36421 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
36422 (@pxref{qSupported}).
36423
36424 @item qXfer:threads:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36425 @anchor{qXfer threads read}
36426 Access the list of threads on target. @xref{Thread List Format}. The
36427 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
36428 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36429
36430 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36431 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36432
36433 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36434 @anchor{qXfer traceframe info read}
36435
36436 Return a description of the current traceframe's contents.
36437 @xref{Traceframe Info Format}. The annex part of the generic
36438 @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
36439
36440 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36441 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36442
36443 @item qXfer:uib:read:@var{pc}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36444 @anchor{qXfer unwind info block}
36445
36446 Return the unwind information block for @var{pc}. This packet is used
36447 on OpenVMS/ia64 to ask the kernel unwind information.
36448
36449 This packet is not probed by default.
36450
36451 @item qXfer:fdpic:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
36452 @anchor{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}
36453 Read contents of @code{loadmap}s on the target system. The
36454 annex, either @samp{exec} or @samp{interp}, specifies which @code{loadmap},
36455 executable @code{loadmap} or interpreter @code{loadmap} to read.
36456
36457 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36458 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36459
36460 @item qXfer:osdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
36461 @anchor{qXfer osdata read}
36462 Access the target's @dfn{operating system information}.
36463 @xref{Operating System Information}.
36464
36465 @end table
36466
36467 Reply:
36468 @table @samp
36469 @item m @var{data}
36470 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the
36471 target. There may be more data at a higher address (although
36472 it is permitted to return @samp{m} even for the last valid
36473 block of data, as long as at least one byte of data was read).
36474 @var{data} may have fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the
36475 request.
36476
36477 @item l @var{data}
36478 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the target.
36479 There is no more data to be read. @var{data} may have fewer bytes
36480 than the @var{length} in the request.
36481
36482 @item l
36483 The @var{offset} in the request is at the end of the data.
36484 There is no more data to be read.
36485
36486 @item E00
36487 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
36488
36489 @item E @var{nn}
36490 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered reading the data.
36491 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
36492
36493 @item
36494 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not recognized by
36495 the stub, or that the object does not support reading.
36496 @end table
36497
36498 @item qXfer:@var{object}:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
36499 @cindex write data into object, remote request
36500 @anchor{qXfer write}
36501 Write uninterpreted bytes into the target's special data area
36502 identified by the keyword @var{object}, starting at @var{offset} bytes
36503 into the data. @var{data}@dots{} is the binary-encoded data
36504 (@pxref{Binary Data}) to be written. The content and encoding of @var{annex}
36505 is specific to @var{object}; it can supply additional details about what data
36506 to access.
36507
36508 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
36509 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:write:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
36510 formats, listed below.
36511
36512 @table @samp
36513 @item qXfer:siginfo:write::@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
36514 @anchor{qXfer siginfo write}
36515 Write @var{data} to the extra signal information on the target system.
36516 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
36517 empty (@pxref{qXfer write}).
36518
36519 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36520 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
36521 (@pxref{qSupported}).
36522
36523 @item qXfer:spu:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
36524 @anchor{qXfer spu write}
36525 Write @var{data} to an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
36526 annex specifies which file to write; it must be of the form
36527 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
36528 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
36529 in that context to be accessed.
36530
36531 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36532 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36533 @end table
36534
36535 Reply:
36536 @table @samp
36537 @item @var{nn}
36538 @var{nn} (hex encoded) is the number of bytes written.
36539 This may be fewer bytes than supplied in the request.
36540
36541 @item E00
36542 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
36543
36544 @item E @var{nn}
36545 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered writing the data.
36546 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
36547
36548 @item
36549 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not
36550 recognized by the stub, or that the object does not support writing.
36551 @end table
36552
36553 @item qXfer:@var{object}:@var{operation}:@dots{}
36554 Requests of this form may be added in the future. When a stub does
36555 not recognize the @var{object} keyword, or its support for
36556 @var{object} does not recognize the @var{operation} keyword, the stub
36557 must respond with an empty packet.
36558
36559 @item qAttached:@var{pid}
36560 @cindex query attached, remote request
36561 @cindex @samp{qAttached} packet
36562 Return an indication of whether the remote server attached to an
36563 existing process or created a new process. When the multiprocess
36564 protocol extensions are supported (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}),
36565 @var{pid} is an integer in hexadecimal format identifying the target
36566 process. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} will omit the @var{pid} field and
36567 the query packet will be simplified as @samp{qAttached}.
36568
36569 This query is used, for example, to know whether the remote process
36570 should be detached or killed when a @value{GDBN} session is ended with
36571 the @code{quit} command.
36572
36573 Reply:
36574 @table @samp
36575 @item 1
36576 The remote server attached to an existing process.
36577 @item 0
36578 The remote server created a new process.
36579 @item E @var{NN}
36580 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
36581 @end table
36582
36583 @end table
36584
36585 @node Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
36586 @section Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
36587
36588 This section describes how the remote protocol is applied to specific
36589 target architectures. Also see @ref{Standard Target Features}, for
36590 details of XML target descriptions for each architecture.
36591
36592 @subsection ARM
36593
36594 @subsubsection Breakpoint Kinds
36595
36596 These breakpoint kinds are defined for the @samp{Z0} and @samp{Z1} packets.
36597
36598 @table @r
36599
36600 @item 2
36601 16-bit Thumb mode breakpoint.
36602
36603 @item 3
36604 32-bit Thumb mode (Thumb-2) breakpoint.
36605
36606 @item 4
36607 32-bit ARM mode breakpoint.
36608
36609 @end table
36610
36611 @subsection MIPS
36612
36613 @subsubsection Register Packet Format
36614
36615 The following @code{g}/@code{G} packets have previously been defined.
36616 In the below, some thirty-two bit registers are transferred as
36617 sixty-four bits. Those registers should be zero/sign extended (which?)
36618 to fill the space allocated. Register bytes are transferred in target
36619 byte order. The two nibbles within a register byte are transferred
36620 most-significant - least-significant.
36621
36622 @table @r
36623
36624 @item MIPS32
36625
36626 All registers are transferred as thirty-two bit quantities in the order:
36627 32 general-purpose; sr; lo; hi; bad; cause; pc; 32 floating-point
36628 registers; fsr; fir; fp.
36629
36630 @item MIPS64
36631
36632 All registers are transferred as sixty-four bit quantities (including
36633 thirty-two bit registers such as @code{sr}). The ordering is the same
36634 as @code{MIPS32}.
36635
36636 @end table
36637
36638 @node Tracepoint Packets
36639 @section Tracepoint Packets
36640 @cindex tracepoint packets
36641 @cindex packets, tracepoint
36642
36643 Here we describe the packets @value{GDBN} uses to implement
36644 tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
36645
36646 @table @samp
36647
36648 @item QTDP:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{ena}:@var{step}:@var{pass}[:F@var{flen}][:X@var{len},@var{bytes}]@r{[}-@r{]}
36649 Create a new tracepoint, number @var{n}, at @var{addr}. If @var{ena}
36650 is @samp{E}, then the tracepoint is enabled; if it is @samp{D}, then
36651 the tracepoint is disabled. @var{step} is the tracepoint's step
36652 count, and @var{pass} is its pass count. If an @samp{F} is present,
36653 then the tracepoint is to be a fast tracepoint, and the @var{flen} is
36654 the number of bytes that the target should copy elsewhere to make room
36655 for the tracepoint. If an @samp{X} is present, it introduces a
36656 tracepoint condition, which consists of a hexadecimal length, followed
36657 by a comma and hex-encoded bytes, in a manner similar to action
36658 encodings as described below. If the trailing @samp{-} is present,
36659 further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow to specify this tracepoint's
36660 actions.
36661
36662 Replies:
36663 @table @samp
36664 @item OK
36665 The packet was understood and carried out.
36666 @item qRelocInsn
36667 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
36668 @item
36669 The packet was not recognized.
36670 @end table
36671
36672 @item QTDP:-@var{n}:@var{addr}:@r{[}S@r{]}@var{action}@dots{}@r{[}-@r{]}
36673 Define actions to be taken when a tracepoint is hit. @var{n} and
36674 @var{addr} must be the same as in the initial @samp{QTDP} packet for
36675 this tracepoint. This packet may only be sent immediately after
36676 another @samp{QTDP} packet that ended with a @samp{-}. If the
36677 trailing @samp{-} is present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow,
36678 specifying more actions for this tracepoint.
36679
36680 In the series of action packets for a given tracepoint, at most one
36681 can have an @samp{S} before its first @var{action}. If such a packet
36682 is sent, it and the following packets define ``while-stepping''
36683 actions. Any prior packets define ordinary actions --- that is, those
36684 taken when the tracepoint is first hit. If no action packet has an
36685 @samp{S}, then all the packets in the series specify ordinary
36686 tracepoint actions.
36687
36688 The @samp{@var{action}@dots{}} portion of the packet is a series of
36689 actions, concatenated without separators. Each action has one of the
36690 following forms:
36691
36692 @table @samp
36693
36694 @item R @var{mask}
36695 Collect the registers whose bits are set in @var{mask}. @var{mask} is
36696 a hexadecimal number whose @var{i}'th bit is set if register number
36697 @var{i} should be collected. (The least significant bit is numbered
36698 zero.) Note that @var{mask} may be any number of digits long; it may
36699 not fit in a 32-bit word.
36700
36701 @item M @var{basereg},@var{offset},@var{len}
36702 Collect @var{len} bytes of memory starting at the address in register
36703 number @var{basereg}, plus @var{offset}. If @var{basereg} is
36704 @samp{-1}, then the range has a fixed address: @var{offset} is the
36705 address of the lowest byte to collect. The @var{basereg},
36706 @var{offset}, and @var{len} parameters are all unsigned hexadecimal
36707 values (the @samp{-1} value for @var{basereg} is a special case).
36708
36709 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
36710 Evaluate @var{expr}, whose length is @var{len}, and collect memory as
36711 it directs. @var{expr} is an agent expression, as described in
36712 @ref{Agent Expressions}. Each byte of the expression is encoded as a
36713 two-digit hex number in the packet; @var{len} is the number of bytes
36714 in the expression (and thus one-half the number of hex digits in the
36715 packet).
36716
36717 @end table
36718
36719 Any number of actions may be packed together in a single @samp{QTDP}
36720 packet, as long as the packet does not exceed the maximum packet
36721 length (400 bytes, for many stubs). There may be only one @samp{R}
36722 action per tracepoint, and it must precede any @samp{M} or @samp{X}
36723 actions. Any registers referred to by @samp{M} and @samp{X} actions
36724 must be collected by a preceding @samp{R} action. (The
36725 ``while-stepping'' actions are treated as if they were attached to a
36726 separate tracepoint, as far as these restrictions are concerned.)
36727
36728 Replies:
36729 @table @samp
36730 @item OK
36731 The packet was understood and carried out.
36732 @item qRelocInsn
36733 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
36734 @item
36735 The packet was not recognized.
36736 @end table
36737
36738 @item QTDPsrc:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{type}:@var{start}:@var{slen}:@var{bytes}
36739 @cindex @samp{QTDPsrc} packet
36740 Specify a source string of tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr}.
36741 This is useful to get accurate reproduction of the tracepoints
36742 originally downloaded at the beginning of the trace run. @var{type}
36743 is the name of the tracepoint part, such as @samp{cond} for the
36744 tracepoint's conditional expression (see below for a list of types), while
36745 @var{bytes} is the string, encoded in hexadecimal.
36746
36747 @var{start} is the offset of the @var{bytes} within the overall source
36748 string, while @var{slen} is the total length of the source string.
36749 This is intended for handling source strings that are longer than will
36750 fit in a single packet.
36751 @c Add detailed example when this info is moved into a dedicated
36752 @c tracepoint descriptions section.
36753
36754 The available string types are @samp{at} for the location,
36755 @samp{cond} for the conditional, and @samp{cmd} for an action command.
36756 @value{GDBN} sends a separate packet for each command in the action
36757 list, in the same order in which the commands are stored in the list.
36758
36759 The target does not need to do anything with source strings except
36760 report them back as part of the replies to the @samp{qTfP}/@samp{qTsP}
36761 query packets.
36762
36763 Although this packet is optional, and @value{GDBN} will only send it
36764 if the target replies with @samp{TracepointSource} @xref{General
36765 Query Packets}, it makes both disconnected tracing and trace files
36766 much easier to use. Otherwise the user must be careful that the
36767 tracepoints in effect while looking at trace frames are identical to
36768 the ones in effect during the trace run; even a small discrepancy
36769 could cause @samp{tdump} not to work, or a particular trace frame not
36770 be found.
36771
36772 @item QTDV:@var{n}:@var{value}
36773 @cindex define trace state variable, remote request
36774 @cindex @samp{QTDV} packet
36775 Create a new trace state variable, number @var{n}, with an initial
36776 value of @var{value}, which is a 64-bit signed integer. Both @var{n}
36777 and @var{value} are encoded as hexadecimal values. @value{GDBN} has
36778 the option of not using this packet for initial values of zero; the
36779 target should simply create the trace state variables as they are
36780 mentioned in expressions.
36781
36782 @item QTFrame:@var{n}
36783 Select the @var{n}'th tracepoint frame from the buffer, and use the
36784 register and memory contents recorded there to answer subsequent
36785 request packets from @value{GDBN}.
36786
36787 A successful reply from the stub indicates that the stub has found the
36788 requested frame. The response is a series of parts, concatenated
36789 without separators, describing the frame we selected. Each part has
36790 one of the following forms:
36791
36792 @table @samp
36793 @item F @var{f}
36794 The selected frame is number @var{n} in the trace frame buffer;
36795 @var{f} is a hexadecimal number. If @var{f} is @samp{-1}, then there
36796 was no frame matching the criteria in the request packet.
36797
36798 @item T @var{t}
36799 The selected trace frame records a hit of tracepoint number @var{t};
36800 @var{t} is a hexadecimal number.
36801
36802 @end table
36803
36804 @item QTFrame:pc:@var{addr}
36805 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
36806 currently selected frame whose PC is @var{addr};
36807 @var{addr} is a hexadecimal number.
36808
36809 @item QTFrame:tdp:@var{t}
36810 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
36811 currently selected frame that is a hit of tracepoint @var{t}; @var{t}
36812 is a hexadecimal number.
36813
36814 @item QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}
36815 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
36816 currently selected frame whose PC is between @var{start} (inclusive)
36817 and @var{end} (inclusive); @var{start} and @var{end} are hexadecimal
36818 numbers.
36819
36820 @item QTFrame:outside:@var{start}:@var{end}
36821 Like @samp{QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}}, but select the first
36822 frame @emph{outside} the given range of addresses (exclusive).
36823
36824 @item qTMinFTPILen
36825 This packet requests the minimum length of instruction at which a fast
36826 tracepoint (@pxref{Set Tracepoints}) may be placed. For instance, on
36827 the 32-bit x86 architecture, it is possible to use a 4-byte jump, but
36828 it depends on the target system being able to create trampolines in
36829 the first 64K of memory, which might or might not be possible for that
36830 system. So the reply to this packet will be 4 if it is able to
36831 arrange for that.
36832
36833 Replies:
36834
36835 @table @samp
36836 @item 0
36837 The minimum instruction length is currently unknown.
36838 @item @var{length}
36839 The minimum instruction length is @var{length}, where @var{length} is greater
36840 or equal to 1. @var{length} is a hexadecimal number. A reply of 1 means
36841 that a fast tracepoint may be placed on any instruction regardless of size.
36842 @item E
36843 An error has occurred.
36844 @item
36845 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the stub.
36846 @end table
36847
36848 @item QTStart
36849 Begin the tracepoint experiment. Begin collecting data from
36850 tracepoint hits in the trace frame buffer. This packet supports the
36851 @samp{qRelocInsn} reply (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
36852 instruction reply packet}).
36853
36854 @item QTStop
36855 End the tracepoint experiment. Stop collecting trace frames.
36856
36857 @item QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
36858 @anchor{QTEnable}
36859 Enable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
36860 experiment. If the tracepoint was previously disabled, then collection
36861 of data from it will resume.
36862
36863 @item QTDisable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
36864 @anchor{QTDisable}
36865 Disable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
36866 experiment. No more data will be collected from the tracepoint unless
36867 @samp{QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}} is subsequently issued.
36868
36869 @item QTinit
36870 Clear the table of tracepoints, and empty the trace frame buffer.
36871
36872 @item QTro:@var{start1},@var{end1}:@var{start2},@var{end2}:@dots{}
36873 Establish the given ranges of memory as ``transparent''. The stub
36874 will answer requests for these ranges from memory's current contents,
36875 if they were not collected as part of the tracepoint hit.
36876
36877 @value{GDBN} uses this to mark read-only regions of memory, like those
36878 containing program code. Since these areas never change, they should
36879 still have the same contents they did when the tracepoint was hit, so
36880 there's no reason for the stub to refuse to provide their contents.
36881
36882 @item QTDisconnected:@var{value}
36883 Set the choice to what to do with the tracing run when @value{GDBN}
36884 disconnects from the target. A @var{value} of 1 directs the target to
36885 continue the tracing run, while 0 tells the target to stop tracing if
36886 @value{GDBN} is no longer in the picture.
36887
36888 @item qTStatus
36889 Ask the stub if there is a trace experiment running right now.
36890
36891 The reply has the form:
36892
36893 @table @samp
36894
36895 @item T@var{running}@r{[};@var{field}@r{]}@dots{}
36896 @var{running} is a single digit @code{1} if the trace is presently
36897 running, or @code{0} if not. It is followed by semicolon-separated
36898 optional fields that an agent may use to report additional status.
36899
36900 @end table
36901
36902 If the trace is not running, the agent may report any of several
36903 explanations as one of the optional fields:
36904
36905 @table @samp
36906
36907 @item tnotrun:0
36908 No trace has been run yet.
36909
36910 @item tstop[:@var{text}]:0
36911 The trace was stopped by a user-originated stop command. The optional
36912 @var{text} field is a user-supplied string supplied as part of the
36913 stop command (for instance, an explanation of why the trace was
36914 stopped manually). It is hex-encoded.
36915
36916 @item tfull:0
36917 The trace stopped because the trace buffer filled up.
36918
36919 @item tdisconnected:0
36920 The trace stopped because @value{GDBN} disconnected from the target.
36921
36922 @item tpasscount:@var{tpnum}
36923 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} exceeded its pass count.
36924
36925 @item terror:@var{text}:@var{tpnum}
36926 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} had an error. The
36927 string @var{text} is available to describe the nature of the error
36928 (for instance, a divide by zero in the condition expression).
36929 @var{text} is hex encoded.
36930
36931 @item tunknown:0
36932 The trace stopped for some other reason.
36933
36934 @end table
36935
36936 Additional optional fields supply statistical and other information.
36937 Although not required, they are extremely useful for users monitoring
36938 the progress of a trace run. If a trace has stopped, and these
36939 numbers are reported, they must reflect the state of the just-stopped
36940 trace.
36941
36942 @table @samp
36943
36944 @item tframes:@var{n}
36945 The number of trace frames in the buffer.
36946
36947 @item tcreated:@var{n}
36948 The total number of trace frames created during the run. This may
36949 be larger than the trace frame count, if the buffer is circular.
36950
36951 @item tsize:@var{n}
36952 The total size of the trace buffer, in bytes.
36953
36954 @item tfree:@var{n}
36955 The number of bytes still unused in the buffer.
36956
36957 @item circular:@var{n}
36958 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
36959 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
36960 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
36961 and may fill up.
36962
36963 @item disconn:@var{n}
36964 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
36965 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
36966 that the trace run will stop.
36967
36968 @end table
36969
36970 @item qTP:@var{tp}:@var{addr}
36971 @cindex tracepoint status, remote request
36972 @cindex @samp{qTP} packet
36973 Ask the stub for the current state of tracepoint number @var{tp} at
36974 address @var{addr}.
36975
36976 Replies:
36977 @table @samp
36978 @item V@var{hits}:@var{usage}
36979 The tracepoint has been hit @var{hits} times so far during the trace
36980 run, and accounts for @var{usage} in the trace buffer. Note that
36981 @code{while-stepping} steps are not counted as separate hits, but the
36982 steps' space consumption is added into the usage number.
36983
36984 @end table
36985
36986 @item qTV:@var{var}
36987 @cindex trace state variable value, remote request
36988 @cindex @samp{qTV} packet
36989 Ask the stub for the value of the trace state variable number @var{var}.
36990
36991 Replies:
36992 @table @samp
36993 @item V@var{value}
36994 The value of the variable is @var{value}. This will be the current
36995 value of the variable if the user is examining a running target, or a
36996 saved value if the variable was collected in the trace frame that the
36997 user is looking at. Note that multiple requests may result in
36998 different reply values, such as when requesting values while the
36999 program is running.
37000
37001 @item U
37002 The value of the variable is unknown. This would occur, for example,
37003 if the user is examining a trace frame in which the requested variable
37004 was not collected.
37005 @end table
37006
37007 @item qTfP
37008 @itemx qTsP
37009 These packets request data about tracepoints that are being used by
37010 the target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfP} to get the first piece
37011 of data, and multiple @code{qTsP} to get additional pieces. Replies
37012 to these packets generally take the form of the @code{QTDP} packets
37013 that define tracepoints. (FIXME add detailed syntax)
37014
37015 @item qTfV
37016 @itemx qTsV
37017 These packets request data about trace state variables that are on the
37018 target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfV} to get the first vari of data,
37019 and multiple @code{qTsV} to get additional variables. Replies to
37020 these packets follow the syntax of the @code{QTDV} packets that define
37021 trace state variables.
37022
37023 @item qTfSTM
37024 @itemx qTsSTM
37025 These packets request data about static tracepoint markers that exist
37026 in the target program. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfSTM} to get the
37027 first piece of data, and multiple @code{qTsSTM} to get additional
37028 pieces. Replies to these packets take the following form:
37029
37030 Reply:
37031 @table @samp
37032 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}
37033 A single marker
37034 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra},@var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}@dots{}
37035 a comma-separated list of markers
37036 @item l
37037 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
37038 @item E @var{nn}
37039 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
37040 @item
37041 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the
37042 stub.
37043 @end table
37044
37045 @var{address} is encoded in hex.
37046 @var{id} and @var{extra} are strings encoded in hex.
37047
37048 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
37049 more markers, separated by commas. @value{GDBN} will respond to each
37050 reply with a request for more markers (using the @samp{qs} form of the
37051 query), until the target responds with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for
37052 @dfn{last}).
37053
37054 @item qTSTMat:@var{address}
37055 This packets requests data about static tracepoint markers in the
37056 target program at @var{address}. Replies to this packet follow the
37057 syntax of the @samp{qTfSTM} and @code{qTsSTM} packets that list static
37058 tracepoint markers.
37059
37060 @item QTSave:@var{filename}
37061 This packet directs the target to save trace data to the file name
37062 @var{filename} in the target's filesystem. @var{filename} is encoded
37063 as a hex string; the interpretation of the file name (relative vs
37064 absolute, wild cards, etc) is up to the target.
37065
37066 @item qTBuffer:@var{offset},@var{len}
37067 Return up to @var{len} bytes of the current contents of trace buffer,
37068 starting at @var{offset}. The trace buffer is treated as if it were
37069 a contiguous collection of traceframes, as per the trace file format.
37070 The reply consists as many hex-encoded bytes as the target can deliver
37071 in a packet; it is not an error to return fewer than were asked for.
37072 A reply consisting of just @code{l} indicates that no bytes are
37073 available.
37074
37075 @item QTBuffer:circular:@var{value}
37076 This packet directs the target to use a circular trace buffer if
37077 @var{value} is 1, or a linear buffer if the value is 0.
37078
37079 @item QTNotes:@r{[}@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@r{[};@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@dots{}
37080 This packet adds optional textual notes to the trace run. Allowable
37081 types include @code{user}, @code{notes}, and @code{tstop}, the
37082 @var{text} fields are arbitrary strings, hex-encoded.
37083
37084 @end table
37085
37086 @subsection Relocate instruction reply packet
37087 When installing fast tracepoints in memory, the target may need to
37088 relocate the instruction currently at the tracepoint address to a
37089 different address in memory. For most instructions, a simple copy is
37090 enough, but, for example, call instructions that implicitly push the
37091 return address on the stack, and relative branches or other
37092 PC-relative instructions require offset adjustment, so that the effect
37093 of executing the instruction at a different address is the same as if
37094 it had executed in the original location.
37095
37096 In response to several of the tracepoint packets, the target may also
37097 respond with a number of intermediate @samp{qRelocInsn} request
37098 packets before the final result packet, to have @value{GDBN} handle
37099 this relocation operation. If a packet supports this mechanism, its
37100 documentation will explicitly say so. See for example the above
37101 descriptions for the @samp{QTStart} and @samp{QTDP} packets. The
37102 format of the request is:
37103
37104 @table @samp
37105 @item qRelocInsn:@var{from};@var{to}
37106
37107 This requests @value{GDBN} to copy instruction at address @var{from}
37108 to address @var{to}, possibly adjusted so that executing the
37109 instruction at @var{to} has the same effect as executing it at
37110 @var{from}. @value{GDBN} writes the adjusted instruction to target
37111 memory starting at @var{to}.
37112 @end table
37113
37114 Replies:
37115 @table @samp
37116 @item qRelocInsn:@var{adjusted_size}
37117 Informs the stub the relocation is complete. @var{adjusted_size} is
37118 the length in bytes of resulting relocated instruction sequence.
37119 @item E @var{NN}
37120 A badly formed request was detected, or an error was encountered while
37121 relocating the instruction.
37122 @end table
37123
37124 @node Host I/O Packets
37125 @section Host I/O Packets
37126 @cindex Host I/O, remote protocol
37127 @cindex file transfer, remote protocol
37128
37129 The @dfn{Host I/O} packets allow @value{GDBN} to perform I/O
37130 operations on the far side of a remote link. For example, Host I/O is
37131 used to upload and download files to a remote target with its own
37132 filesystem. Host I/O uses the same constant values and data structure
37133 layout as the target-initiated File-I/O protocol. However, the
37134 Host I/O packets are structured differently. The target-initiated
37135 protocol relies on target memory to store parameters and buffers.
37136 Host I/O requests are initiated by @value{GDBN}, and the
37137 target's memory is not involved. @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol
37138 Extension}, for more details on the target-initiated protocol.
37139
37140 The Host I/O request packets all encode a single operation along with
37141 its arguments. They have this format:
37142
37143 @table @samp
37144
37145 @item vFile:@var{operation}: @var{parameter}@dots{}
37146 @var{operation} is the name of the particular request; the target
37147 should compare the entire packet name up to the second colon when checking
37148 for a supported operation. The format of @var{parameter} depends on
37149 the operation. Numbers are always passed in hexadecimal. Negative
37150 numbers have an explicit minus sign (i.e.@: two's complement is not
37151 used). Strings (e.g.@: filenames) are encoded as a series of
37152 hexadecimal bytes. The last argument to a system call may be a
37153 buffer of escaped binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
37154
37155 @end table
37156
37157 The valid responses to Host I/O packets are:
37158
37159 @table @samp
37160
37161 @item F @var{result} [, @var{errno}] [; @var{attachment}]
37162 @var{result} is the integer value returned by this operation, usually
37163 non-negative for success and -1 for errors. If an error has occured,
37164 @var{errno} will be included in the result. @var{errno} will have a
37165 value defined by the File-I/O protocol (@pxref{Errno Values}). For
37166 operations which return data, @var{attachment} supplies the data as a
37167 binary buffer. Binary buffers in response packets are escaped in the
37168 normal way (@pxref{Binary Data}). See the individual packet
37169 documentation for the interpretation of @var{result} and
37170 @var{attachment}.
37171
37172 @item
37173 An empty response indicates that this operation is not recognized.
37174
37175 @end table
37176
37177 These are the supported Host I/O operations:
37178
37179 @table @samp
37180 @item vFile:open: @var{pathname}, @var{flags}, @var{mode}
37181 Open a file at @var{pathname} and return a file descriptor for it, or
37182 return -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string,
37183 @var{flags} is an integer indicating a mask of open flags
37184 (@pxref{Open Flags}), and @var{mode} is an integer indicating a mask
37185 of mode bits to use if the file is created (@pxref{mode_t Values}).
37186 @xref{open}, for details of the open flags and mode values.
37187
37188 @item vFile:close: @var{fd}
37189 Close the open file corresponding to @var{fd} and return 0, or
37190 -1 if an error occurs.
37191
37192 @item vFile:pread: @var{fd}, @var{count}, @var{offset}
37193 Read data from the open file corresponding to @var{fd}. Up to
37194 @var{count} bytes will be read from the file, starting at @var{offset}
37195 relative to the start of the file. The target may read fewer bytes;
37196 common reasons include packet size limits and an end-of-file
37197 condition. The number of bytes read is returned. Zero should only be
37198 returned for a successful read at the end of the file, or if
37199 @var{count} was zero.
37200
37201 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
37202 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
37203 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
37204 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
37205 some characters were escaped.
37206
37207 @item vFile:pwrite: @var{fd}, @var{offset}, @var{data}
37208 Write @var{data} (a binary buffer) to the open file corresponding
37209 to @var{fd}. Start the write at @var{offset} from the start of the
37210 file. Unlike many @code{write} system calls, there is no
37211 separate @var{count} argument; the length of @var{data} in the
37212 packet is used. @samp{vFile:write} returns the number of bytes written,
37213 which may be shorter than the length of @var{data}, or -1 if an
37214 error occurred.
37215
37216 @item vFile:unlink: @var{pathname}
37217 Delete the file at @var{pathname} on the target. Return 0,
37218 or -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string.
37219
37220 @item vFile:readlink: @var{filename}
37221 Read value of symbolic link @var{filename} on the target. Return
37222 the number of bytes read, or -1 if an error occurs.
37223
37224 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
37225 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
37226 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
37227 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
37228 some characters were escaped.
37229
37230 @end table
37231
37232 @node Interrupts
37233 @section Interrupts
37234 @cindex interrupts (remote protocol)
37235
37236 When a program on the remote target is running, @value{GDBN} may
37237 attempt to interrupt it by sending a @samp{Ctrl-C}, @code{BREAK} or
37238 a @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g},
37239 control of which is specified via @value{GDBN}'s @samp{interrupt-sequence}.
37240
37241 The precise meaning of @code{BREAK} is defined by the transport
37242 mechanism and may, in fact, be undefined. @value{GDBN} does not
37243 currently define a @code{BREAK} mechanism for any of the network
37244 interfaces except for TCP, in which case @value{GDBN} sends the
37245 @code{telnet} BREAK sequence.
37246
37247 @samp{Ctrl-C}, on the other hand, is defined and implemented for all
37248 transport mechanisms. It is represented by sending the single byte
37249 @code{0x03} without any of the usual packet overhead described in
37250 the Overview section (@pxref{Overview}). When a @code{0x03} byte is
37251 transmitted as part of a packet, it is considered to be packet data
37252 and does @emph{not} represent an interrupt. E.g., an @samp{X} packet
37253 (@pxref{X packet}), used for binary downloads, may include an unescaped
37254 @code{0x03} as part of its packet.
37255
37256 @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g} is also known as Magic SysRq g.
37257 When Linux kernel receives this sequence from serial port,
37258 it stops execution and connects to gdb.
37259
37260 Stubs are not required to recognize these interrupt mechanisms and the
37261 precise meaning associated with receipt of the interrupt is
37262 implementation defined. If the target supports debugging of multiple
37263 threads and/or processes, it should attempt to interrupt all
37264 currently-executing threads and processes.
37265 If the stub is successful at interrupting the
37266 running program, it should send one of the stop
37267 reply packets (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}) to @value{GDBN} as a result
37268 of successfully stopping the program in all-stop mode, and a stop reply
37269 for each stopped thread in non-stop mode.
37270 Interrupts received while the
37271 program is stopped are discarded.
37272
37273 @node Notification Packets
37274 @section Notification Packets
37275 @cindex notification packets
37276 @cindex packets, notification
37277
37278 The @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol includes @dfn{notifications},
37279 packets that require no acknowledgment. Both the GDB and the stub
37280 may send notifications (although the only notifications defined at
37281 present are sent by the stub). Notifications carry information
37282 without incurring the round-trip latency of an acknowledgment, and so
37283 are useful for low-impact communications where occasional packet loss
37284 is not a problem.
37285
37286 A notification packet has the form @samp{% @var{data} #
37287 @var{checksum}}, where @var{data} is the content of the notification,
37288 and @var{checksum} is a checksum of @var{data}, computed and formatted
37289 as for ordinary @value{GDBN} packets. A notification's @var{data}
37290 never contains @samp{$}, @samp{%} or @samp{#} characters. Upon
37291 receiving a notification, the recipient sends no @samp{+} or @samp{-}
37292 to acknowledge the notification's receipt or to report its corruption.
37293
37294 Every notification's @var{data} begins with a name, which contains no
37295 colon characters, followed by a colon character.
37296
37297 Recipients should silently ignore corrupted notifications and
37298 notifications they do not understand. Recipients should restart
37299 timeout periods on receipt of a well-formed notification, whether or
37300 not they understand it.
37301
37302 Senders should only send the notifications described here when this
37303 protocol description specifies that they are permitted. In the
37304 future, we may extend the protocol to permit existing notifications in
37305 new contexts; this rule helps older senders avoid confusing newer
37306 recipients.
37307
37308 (Older versions of @value{GDBN} ignore bytes received until they see
37309 the @samp{$} byte that begins an ordinary packet, so new stubs may
37310 transmit notifications without fear of confusing older clients. There
37311 are no notifications defined for @value{GDBN} to send at the moment, but we
37312 assume that most older stubs would ignore them, as well.)
37313
37314 The following notification packets from the stub to @value{GDBN} are
37315 defined:
37316
37317 @table @samp
37318 @item Stop: @var{reply}
37319 Report an asynchronous stop event in non-stop mode.
37320 The @var{reply} has the form of a stop reply, as
37321 described in @ref{Stop Reply Packets}. Refer to @ref{Remote Non-Stop},
37322 for information on how these notifications are acknowledged by
37323 @value{GDBN}.
37324 @end table
37325
37326 @node Remote Non-Stop
37327 @section Remote Protocol Support for Non-Stop Mode
37328
37329 @value{GDBN}'s remote protocol supports non-stop debugging of
37330 multi-threaded programs, as described in @ref{Non-Stop Mode}. If the stub
37331 supports non-stop mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN} by including
37332 @samp{QNonStop+} in its @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37333
37334 @value{GDBN} typically sends a @samp{QNonStop} packet only when
37335 establishing a new connection with the stub. Entering non-stop mode
37336 does not alter the state of any currently-running threads, but targets
37337 must stop all threads in any already-attached processes when entering
37338 all-stop mode. @value{GDBN} uses the @samp{?} packet as necessary to
37339 probe the target state after a mode change.
37340
37341 In non-stop mode, when an attached process encounters an event that
37342 would otherwise be reported with a stop reply, it uses the
37343 asynchronous notification mechanism (@pxref{Notification Packets}) to
37344 inform @value{GDBN}. In contrast to all-stop mode, where all threads
37345 in all processes are stopped when a stop reply is sent, in non-stop
37346 mode only the thread reporting the stop event is stopped. That is,
37347 when reporting a @samp{S} or @samp{T} response to indicate completion
37348 of a step operation, hitting a breakpoint, or a fault, only the
37349 affected thread is stopped; any other still-running threads continue
37350 to run. When reporting a @samp{W} or @samp{X} response, all running
37351 threads belonging to other attached processes continue to run.
37352
37353 Only one stop reply notification at a time may be pending; if
37354 additional stop events occur before @value{GDBN} has acknowledged the
37355 previous notification, they must be queued by the stub for later
37356 synchronous transmission in response to @samp{vStopped} packets from
37357 @value{GDBN}. Because the notification mechanism is unreliable,
37358 the stub is permitted to resend a stop reply notification
37359 if it believes @value{GDBN} may not have received it. @value{GDBN}
37360 ignores additional stop reply notifications received before it has
37361 finished processing a previous notification and the stub has completed
37362 sending any queued stop events.
37363
37364 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} must be prepared to receive a stop reply
37365 notification at any time. Specifically, they may appear when
37366 @value{GDBN} is not otherwise reading input from the stub, or when
37367 @value{GDBN} is expecting to read a normal synchronous response or a
37368 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgment to a packet it has sent.
37369 Notification packets are distinct from any other communication from
37370 the stub so there is no ambiguity.
37371
37372 After receiving a stop reply notification, @value{GDBN} shall
37373 acknowledge it by sending a @samp{vStopped} packet (@pxref{vStopped packet})
37374 as a regular, synchronous request to the stub. Such acknowledgment
37375 is not required to happen immediately, as @value{GDBN} is permitted to
37376 send other, unrelated packets to the stub first, which the stub should
37377 process normally.
37378
37379 Upon receiving a @samp{vStopped} packet, if the stub has other queued
37380 stop events to report to @value{GDBN}, it shall respond by sending a
37381 normal stop reply response. @value{GDBN} shall then send another
37382 @samp{vStopped} packet to solicit further responses; again, it is
37383 permitted to send other, unrelated packets as well which the stub
37384 should process normally.
37385
37386 If the stub receives a @samp{vStopped} packet and there are no
37387 additional stop events to report, the stub shall return an @samp{OK}
37388 response. At this point, if further stop events occur, the stub shall
37389 send a new stop reply notification, @value{GDBN} shall accept the
37390 notification, and the process shall be repeated.
37391
37392 In non-stop mode, the target shall respond to the @samp{?} packet as
37393 follows. First, any incomplete stop reply notification/@samp{vStopped}
37394 sequence in progress is abandoned. The target must begin a new
37395 sequence reporting stop events for all stopped threads, whether or not
37396 it has previously reported those events to @value{GDBN}. The first
37397 stop reply is sent as a synchronous reply to the @samp{?} packet, and
37398 subsequent stop replies are sent as responses to @samp{vStopped} packets
37399 using the mechanism described above. The target must not send
37400 asynchronous stop reply notifications until the sequence is complete.
37401 If all threads are running when the target receives the @samp{?} packet,
37402 or if the target is not attached to any process, it shall respond
37403 @samp{OK}.
37404
37405 @node Packet Acknowledgment
37406 @section Packet Acknowledgment
37407
37408 @cindex acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
37409 @cindex packet acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
37410 By default, when either the host or the target machine receives a packet,
37411 the first response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
37412 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request retransmission).
37413 This mechanism allows the @value{GDBN} remote protocol to operate over
37414 unreliable transport mechanisms, such as a serial line.
37415
37416 In cases where the transport mechanism is itself reliable (such as a pipe or
37417 TCP connection), the @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are redundant.
37418 It may be desirable to disable them in that case to reduce communication
37419 overhead, or for other reasons. This can be accomplished by means of the
37420 @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet; @pxref{QStartNoAckMode}.
37421
37422 When in no-acknowledgment mode, neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or
37423 expect @samp{+}/@samp{-} protocol acknowledgments. The packet
37424 and response format still includes the normal checksum, as described in
37425 @ref{Overview}, but the checksum may be ignored by the receiver.
37426
37427 If the stub supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and prefers to operate in
37428 no-acknowledgment mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN}
37429 by including @samp{QStartNoAckMode+} in its response to @samp{qSupported};
37430 @pxref{qSupported}.
37431 If @value{GDBN} also supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and it has not been
37432 disabled via the @code{set remote noack-packet off} command
37433 (@pxref{Remote Configuration}),
37434 @value{GDBN} may then send a @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet to the stub.
37435 Only then may the stub actually turn off packet acknowledgments.
37436 @value{GDBN} sends a final @samp{+} acknowledgment of the stub's @samp{OK}
37437 response, which can be safely ignored by the stub.
37438
37439 Note that @code{set remote noack-packet} command only affects negotiation
37440 between @value{GDBN} and the stub when subsequent connections are made;
37441 it does not affect the protocol acknowledgment state for any current
37442 connection.
37443 Since @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are enabled by default when a
37444 new connection is established,
37445 there is also no protocol request to re-enable the acknowledgments
37446 for the current connection, once disabled.
37447
37448 @node Examples
37449 @section Examples
37450
37451 Example sequence of a target being re-started. Notice how the restart
37452 does not get any direct output:
37453
37454 @smallexample
37455 -> @code{R00}
37456 <- @code{+}
37457 @emph{target restarts}
37458 -> @code{?}
37459 <- @code{+}
37460 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
37461 -> @code{+}
37462 @end smallexample
37463
37464 Example sequence of a target being stepped by a single instruction:
37465
37466 @smallexample
37467 -> @code{G1445@dots{}}
37468 <- @code{+}
37469 -> @code{s}
37470 <- @code{+}
37471 @emph{time passes}
37472 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
37473 -> @code{+}
37474 -> @code{g}
37475 <- @code{+}
37476 <- @code{1455@dots{}}
37477 -> @code{+}
37478 @end smallexample
37479
37480 @node File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
37481 @section File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
37482 @cindex File-I/O remote protocol extension
37483
37484 @menu
37485 * File-I/O Overview::
37486 * Protocol Basics::
37487 * The F Request Packet::
37488 * The F Reply Packet::
37489 * The Ctrl-C Message::
37490 * Console I/O::
37491 * List of Supported Calls::
37492 * Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes::
37493 * Constants::
37494 * File-I/O Examples::
37495 @end menu
37496
37497 @node File-I/O Overview
37498 @subsection File-I/O Overview
37499 @cindex file-i/o overview
37500
37501 The @dfn{File I/O remote protocol extension} (short: File-I/O) allows the
37502 target to use the host's file system and console I/O to perform various
37503 system calls. System calls on the target system are translated into a
37504 remote protocol packet to the host system, which then performs the needed
37505 actions and returns a response packet to the target system.
37506 This simulates file system operations even on targets that lack file systems.
37507
37508 The protocol is defined to be independent of both the host and target systems.
37509 It uses its own internal representation of datatypes and values. Both
37510 @value{GDBN} and the target's @value{GDBN} stub are responsible for
37511 translating the system-dependent value representations into the internal
37512 protocol representations when data is transmitted.
37513
37514 The communication is synchronous. A system call is possible only when
37515 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
37516 or @samp{s} packets. While @value{GDBN} handles the request for a system call,
37517 the target is stopped to allow deterministic access to the target's
37518 memory. Therefore File-I/O is not interruptible by target signals. On
37519 the other hand, it is possible to interrupt File-I/O by a user interrupt
37520 (@samp{Ctrl-C}) within @value{GDBN}.
37521
37522 The target's request to perform a host system call does not finish
37523 the latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} action. That means,
37524 after finishing the system call, the target returns to continuing the
37525 previous activity (continue, step). No additional continue or step
37526 request from @value{GDBN} is required.
37527
37528 @smallexample
37529 (@value{GDBP}) continue
37530 <- target requests 'system call X'
37531 target is stopped, @value{GDBN} executes system call
37532 -> @value{GDBN} returns result
37533 ... target continues, @value{GDBN} returns to wait for the target
37534 <- target hits breakpoint and sends a Txx packet
37535 @end smallexample
37536
37537 The protocol only supports I/O on the console and to regular files on
37538 the host file system. Character or block special devices, pipes,
37539 named pipes, sockets or any other communication method on the host
37540 system are not supported by this protocol.
37541
37542 File I/O is not supported in non-stop mode.
37543
37544 @node Protocol Basics
37545 @subsection Protocol Basics
37546 @cindex protocol basics, file-i/o
37547
37548 The File-I/O protocol uses the @code{F} packet as the request as well
37549 as reply packet. Since a File-I/O system call can only occur when
37550 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the continuing or stepping target,
37551 the File-I/O request is a reply that @value{GDBN} has to expect as a result
37552 of a previous @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} packet.
37553 This @code{F} packet contains all information needed to allow @value{GDBN}
37554 to call the appropriate host system call:
37555
37556 @itemize @bullet
37557 @item
37558 A unique identifier for the requested system call.
37559
37560 @item
37561 All parameters to the system call. Pointers are given as addresses
37562 in the target memory address space. Pointers to strings are given as
37563 pointer/length pair. Numerical values are given as they are.
37564 Numerical control flags are given in a protocol-specific representation.
37565
37566 @end itemize
37567
37568 At this point, @value{GDBN} has to perform the following actions.
37569
37570 @itemize @bullet
37571 @item
37572 If the parameters include pointer values to data needed as input to a
37573 system call, @value{GDBN} requests this data from the target with a
37574 standard @code{m} packet request. This additional communication has to be
37575 expected by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{m}
37576 packet.
37577
37578 @item
37579 @value{GDBN} translates all value from protocol representation to host
37580 representation as needed. Datatypes are coerced into the host types.
37581
37582 @item
37583 @value{GDBN} calls the system call.
37584
37585 @item
37586 It then coerces datatypes back to protocol representation.
37587
37588 @item
37589 If the system call is expected to return data in buffer space specified
37590 by pointer parameters to the call, the data is transmitted to the
37591 target using a @code{M} or @code{X} packet. This packet has to be expected
37592 by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{M} or @code{X}
37593 packet.
37594
37595 @end itemize
37596
37597 Eventually @value{GDBN} replies with another @code{F} packet which contains all
37598 necessary information for the target to continue. This at least contains
37599
37600 @itemize @bullet
37601 @item
37602 Return value.
37603
37604 @item
37605 @code{errno}, if has been changed by the system call.
37606
37607 @item
37608 ``Ctrl-C'' flag.
37609
37610 @end itemize
37611
37612 After having done the needed type and value coercion, the target continues
37613 the latest continue or step action.
37614
37615 @node The F Request Packet
37616 @subsection The @code{F} Request Packet
37617 @cindex file-i/o request packet
37618 @cindex @code{F} request packet
37619
37620 The @code{F} request packet has the following format:
37621
37622 @table @samp
37623 @item F@var{call-id},@var{parameter@dots{}}
37624
37625 @var{call-id} is the identifier to indicate the host system call to be called.
37626 This is just the name of the function.
37627
37628 @var{parameter@dots{}} are the parameters to the system call.
37629 Parameters are hexadecimal integer values, either the actual values in case
37630 of scalar datatypes, pointers to target buffer space in case of compound
37631 datatypes and unspecified memory areas, or pointer/length pairs in case
37632 of string parameters. These are appended to the @var{call-id} as a
37633 comma-delimited list. All values are transmitted in ASCII
37634 string representation, pointer/length pairs separated by a slash.
37635
37636 @end table
37637
37638
37639
37640 @node The F Reply Packet
37641 @subsection The @code{F} Reply Packet
37642 @cindex file-i/o reply packet
37643 @cindex @code{F} reply packet
37644
37645 The @code{F} reply packet has the following format:
37646
37647 @table @samp
37648
37649 @item F@var{retcode},@var{errno},@var{Ctrl-C flag};@var{call-specific attachment}
37650
37651 @var{retcode} is the return code of the system call as hexadecimal value.
37652
37653 @var{errno} is the @code{errno} set by the call, in protocol-specific
37654 representation.
37655 This parameter can be omitted if the call was successful.
37656
37657 @var{Ctrl-C flag} is only sent if the user requested a break. In this
37658 case, @var{errno} must be sent as well, even if the call was successful.
37659 The @var{Ctrl-C flag} itself consists of the character @samp{C}:
37660
37661 @smallexample
37662 F0,0,C
37663 @end smallexample
37664
37665 @noindent
37666 or, if the call was interrupted before the host call has been performed:
37667
37668 @smallexample
37669 F-1,4,C
37670 @end smallexample
37671
37672 @noindent
37673 assuming 4 is the protocol-specific representation of @code{EINTR}.
37674
37675 @end table
37676
37677
37678 @node The Ctrl-C Message
37679 @subsection The @samp{Ctrl-C} Message
37680 @cindex ctrl-c message, in file-i/o protocol
37681
37682 If the @samp{Ctrl-C} flag is set in the @value{GDBN}
37683 reply packet (@pxref{The F Reply Packet}),
37684 the target should behave as if it had
37685 gotten a break message. The meaning for the target is ``system call
37686 interrupted by @code{SIGINT}''. Consequentially, the target should actually stop
37687 (as with a break message) and return to @value{GDBN} with a @code{T02}
37688 packet.
37689
37690 It's important for the target to know in which
37691 state the system call was interrupted. There are two possible cases:
37692
37693 @itemize @bullet
37694 @item
37695 The system call hasn't been performed on the host yet.
37696
37697 @item
37698 The system call on the host has been finished.
37699
37700 @end itemize
37701
37702 These two states can be distinguished by the target by the value of the
37703 returned @code{errno}. If it's the protocol representation of @code{EINTR}, the system
37704 call hasn't been performed. This is equivalent to the @code{EINTR} handling
37705 on POSIX systems. In any other case, the target may presume that the
37706 system call has been finished --- successfully or not --- and should behave
37707 as if the break message arrived right after the system call.
37708
37709 @value{GDBN} must behave reliably. If the system call has not been called
37710 yet, @value{GDBN} may send the @code{F} reply immediately, setting @code{EINTR} as
37711 @code{errno} in the packet. If the system call on the host has been finished
37712 before the user requests a break, the full action must be finished by
37713 @value{GDBN}. This requires sending @code{M} or @code{X} packets as necessary.
37714 The @code{F} packet may only be sent when either nothing has happened
37715 or the full action has been completed.
37716
37717 @node Console I/O
37718 @subsection Console I/O
37719 @cindex console i/o as part of file-i/o
37720
37721 By default and if not explicitly closed by the target system, the file
37722 descriptors 0, 1 and 2 are connected to the @value{GDBN} console. Output
37723 on the @value{GDBN} console is handled as any other file output operation
37724 (@code{write(1, @dots{})} or @code{write(2, @dots{})}). Console input is handled
37725 by @value{GDBN} so that after the target read request from file descriptor
37726 0 all following typing is buffered until either one of the following
37727 conditions is met:
37728
37729 @itemize @bullet
37730 @item
37731 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-c}. The behaviour is as explained above, and the
37732 @code{read}
37733 system call is treated as finished.
37734
37735 @item
37736 The user presses @key{RET}. This is treated as end of input with a trailing
37737 newline.
37738
37739 @item
37740 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-d}. This is treated as end of input. No trailing
37741 character (neither newline nor @samp{Ctrl-D}) is appended to the input.
37742
37743 @end itemize
37744
37745 If the user has typed more characters than fit in the buffer given to
37746 the @code{read} call, the trailing characters are buffered in @value{GDBN} until
37747 either another @code{read(0, @dots{})} is requested by the target, or debugging
37748 is stopped at the user's request.
37749
37750
37751 @node List of Supported Calls
37752 @subsection List of Supported Calls
37753 @cindex list of supported file-i/o calls
37754
37755 @menu
37756 * open::
37757 * close::
37758 * read::
37759 * write::
37760 * lseek::
37761 * rename::
37762 * unlink::
37763 * stat/fstat::
37764 * gettimeofday::
37765 * isatty::
37766 * system::
37767 @end menu
37768
37769 @node open
37770 @unnumberedsubsubsec open
37771 @cindex open, file-i/o system call
37772
37773 @table @asis
37774 @item Synopsis:
37775 @smallexample
37776 int open(const char *pathname, int flags);
37777 int open(const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
37778 @end smallexample
37779
37780 @item Request:
37781 @samp{Fopen,@var{pathptr}/@var{len},@var{flags},@var{mode}}
37782
37783 @noindent
37784 @var{flags} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
37785
37786 @table @code
37787 @item O_CREAT
37788 If the file does not exist it will be created. The host
37789 rules apply as far as file ownership and time stamps
37790 are concerned.
37791
37792 @item O_EXCL
37793 When used with @code{O_CREAT}, if the file already exists it is
37794 an error and open() fails.
37795
37796 @item O_TRUNC
37797 If the file already exists and the open mode allows
37798 writing (@code{O_RDWR} or @code{O_WRONLY} is given) it will be
37799 truncated to zero length.
37800
37801 @item O_APPEND
37802 The file is opened in append mode.
37803
37804 @item O_RDONLY
37805 The file is opened for reading only.
37806
37807 @item O_WRONLY
37808 The file is opened for writing only.
37809
37810 @item O_RDWR
37811 The file is opened for reading and writing.
37812 @end table
37813
37814 @noindent
37815 Other bits are silently ignored.
37816
37817
37818 @noindent
37819 @var{mode} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
37820
37821 @table @code
37822 @item S_IRUSR
37823 User has read permission.
37824
37825 @item S_IWUSR
37826 User has write permission.
37827
37828 @item S_IRGRP
37829 Group has read permission.
37830
37831 @item S_IWGRP
37832 Group has write permission.
37833
37834 @item S_IROTH
37835 Others have read permission.
37836
37837 @item S_IWOTH
37838 Others have write permission.
37839 @end table
37840
37841 @noindent
37842 Other bits are silently ignored.
37843
37844
37845 @item Return value:
37846 @code{open} returns the new file descriptor or -1 if an error
37847 occurred.
37848
37849 @item Errors:
37850
37851 @table @code
37852 @item EEXIST
37853 @var{pathname} already exists and @code{O_CREAT} and @code{O_EXCL} were used.
37854
37855 @item EISDIR
37856 @var{pathname} refers to a directory.
37857
37858 @item EACCES
37859 The requested access is not allowed.
37860
37861 @item ENAMETOOLONG
37862 @var{pathname} was too long.
37863
37864 @item ENOENT
37865 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
37866
37867 @item ENODEV
37868 @var{pathname} refers to a device, pipe, named pipe or socket.
37869
37870 @item EROFS
37871 @var{pathname} refers to a file on a read-only filesystem and
37872 write access was requested.
37873
37874 @item EFAULT
37875 @var{pathname} is an invalid pointer value.
37876
37877 @item ENOSPC
37878 No space on device to create the file.
37879
37880 @item EMFILE
37881 The process already has the maximum number of files open.
37882
37883 @item ENFILE
37884 The limit on the total number of files open on the system
37885 has been reached.
37886
37887 @item EINTR
37888 The call was interrupted by the user.
37889 @end table
37890
37891 @end table
37892
37893 @node close
37894 @unnumberedsubsubsec close
37895 @cindex close, file-i/o system call
37896
37897 @table @asis
37898 @item Synopsis:
37899 @smallexample
37900 int close(int fd);
37901 @end smallexample
37902
37903 @item Request:
37904 @samp{Fclose,@var{fd}}
37905
37906 @item Return value:
37907 @code{close} returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred.
37908
37909 @item Errors:
37910
37911 @table @code
37912 @item EBADF
37913 @var{fd} isn't a valid open file descriptor.
37914
37915 @item EINTR
37916 The call was interrupted by the user.
37917 @end table
37918
37919 @end table
37920
37921 @node read
37922 @unnumberedsubsubsec read
37923 @cindex read, file-i/o system call
37924
37925 @table @asis
37926 @item Synopsis:
37927 @smallexample
37928 int read(int fd, void *buf, unsigned int count);
37929 @end smallexample
37930
37931 @item Request:
37932 @samp{Fread,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
37933
37934 @item Return value:
37935 On success, the number of bytes read is returned.
37936 Zero indicates end of file. If count is zero, read
37937 returns zero as well. On error, -1 is returned.
37938
37939 @item Errors:
37940
37941 @table @code
37942 @item EBADF
37943 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
37944 reading.
37945
37946 @item EFAULT
37947 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
37948
37949 @item EINTR
37950 The call was interrupted by the user.
37951 @end table
37952
37953 @end table
37954
37955 @node write
37956 @unnumberedsubsubsec write
37957 @cindex write, file-i/o system call
37958
37959 @table @asis
37960 @item Synopsis:
37961 @smallexample
37962 int write(int fd, const void *buf, unsigned int count);
37963 @end smallexample
37964
37965 @item Request:
37966 @samp{Fwrite,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
37967
37968 @item Return value:
37969 On success, the number of bytes written are returned.
37970 Zero indicates nothing was written. On error, -1
37971 is returned.
37972
37973 @item Errors:
37974
37975 @table @code
37976 @item EBADF
37977 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
37978 writing.
37979
37980 @item EFAULT
37981 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
37982
37983 @item EFBIG
37984 An attempt was made to write a file that exceeds the
37985 host-specific maximum file size allowed.
37986
37987 @item ENOSPC
37988 No space on device to write the data.
37989
37990 @item EINTR
37991 The call was interrupted by the user.
37992 @end table
37993
37994 @end table
37995
37996 @node lseek
37997 @unnumberedsubsubsec lseek
37998 @cindex lseek, file-i/o system call
37999
38000 @table @asis
38001 @item Synopsis:
38002 @smallexample
38003 long lseek (int fd, long offset, int flag);
38004 @end smallexample
38005
38006 @item Request:
38007 @samp{Flseek,@var{fd},@var{offset},@var{flag}}
38008
38009 @var{flag} is one of:
38010
38011 @table @code
38012 @item SEEK_SET
38013 The offset is set to @var{offset} bytes.
38014
38015 @item SEEK_CUR
38016 The offset is set to its current location plus @var{offset}
38017 bytes.
38018
38019 @item SEEK_END
38020 The offset is set to the size of the file plus @var{offset}
38021 bytes.
38022 @end table
38023
38024 @item Return value:
38025 On success, the resulting unsigned offset in bytes from
38026 the beginning of the file is returned. Otherwise, a
38027 value of -1 is returned.
38028
38029 @item Errors:
38030
38031 @table @code
38032 @item EBADF
38033 @var{fd} is not a valid open file descriptor.
38034
38035 @item ESPIPE
38036 @var{fd} is associated with the @value{GDBN} console.
38037
38038 @item EINVAL
38039 @var{flag} is not a proper value.
38040
38041 @item EINTR
38042 The call was interrupted by the user.
38043 @end table
38044
38045 @end table
38046
38047 @node rename
38048 @unnumberedsubsubsec rename
38049 @cindex rename, file-i/o system call
38050
38051 @table @asis
38052 @item Synopsis:
38053 @smallexample
38054 int rename(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);
38055 @end smallexample
38056
38057 @item Request:
38058 @samp{Frename,@var{oldpathptr}/@var{len},@var{newpathptr}/@var{len}}
38059
38060 @item Return value:
38061 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
38062
38063 @item Errors:
38064
38065 @table @code
38066 @item EISDIR
38067 @var{newpath} is an existing directory, but @var{oldpath} is not a
38068 directory.
38069
38070 @item EEXIST
38071 @var{newpath} is a non-empty directory.
38072
38073 @item EBUSY
38074 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} is a directory that is in use by some
38075 process.
38076
38077 @item EINVAL
38078 An attempt was made to make a directory a subdirectory
38079 of itself.
38080
38081 @item ENOTDIR
38082 A component used as a directory in @var{oldpath} or new
38083 path is not a directory. Or @var{oldpath} is a directory
38084 and @var{newpath} exists but is not a directory.
38085
38086 @item EFAULT
38087 @var{oldpathptr} or @var{newpathptr} are invalid pointer values.
38088
38089 @item EACCES
38090 No access to the file or the path of the file.
38091
38092 @item ENAMETOOLONG
38093
38094 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} was too long.
38095
38096 @item ENOENT
38097 A directory component in @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} does not exist.
38098
38099 @item EROFS
38100 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
38101
38102 @item ENOSPC
38103 The device containing the file has no room for the new
38104 directory entry.
38105
38106 @item EINTR
38107 The call was interrupted by the user.
38108 @end table
38109
38110 @end table
38111
38112 @node unlink
38113 @unnumberedsubsubsec unlink
38114 @cindex unlink, file-i/o system call
38115
38116 @table @asis
38117 @item Synopsis:
38118 @smallexample
38119 int unlink(const char *pathname);
38120 @end smallexample
38121
38122 @item Request:
38123 @samp{Funlink,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len}}
38124
38125 @item Return value:
38126 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
38127
38128 @item Errors:
38129
38130 @table @code
38131 @item EACCES
38132 No access to the file or the path of the file.
38133
38134 @item EPERM
38135 The system does not allow unlinking of directories.
38136
38137 @item EBUSY
38138 The file @var{pathname} cannot be unlinked because it's
38139 being used by another process.
38140
38141 @item EFAULT
38142 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
38143
38144 @item ENAMETOOLONG
38145 @var{pathname} was too long.
38146
38147 @item ENOENT
38148 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
38149
38150 @item ENOTDIR
38151 A component of the path is not a directory.
38152
38153 @item EROFS
38154 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
38155
38156 @item EINTR
38157 The call was interrupted by the user.
38158 @end table
38159
38160 @end table
38161
38162 @node stat/fstat
38163 @unnumberedsubsubsec stat/fstat
38164 @cindex fstat, file-i/o system call
38165 @cindex stat, file-i/o system call
38166
38167 @table @asis
38168 @item Synopsis:
38169 @smallexample
38170 int stat(const char *pathname, struct stat *buf);
38171 int fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
38172 @end smallexample
38173
38174 @item Request:
38175 @samp{Fstat,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len},@var{bufptr}}@*
38176 @samp{Ffstat,@var{fd},@var{bufptr}}
38177
38178 @item Return value:
38179 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
38180
38181 @item Errors:
38182
38183 @table @code
38184 @item EBADF
38185 @var{fd} is not a valid open file.
38186
38187 @item ENOENT
38188 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist or the
38189 path is an empty string.
38190
38191 @item ENOTDIR
38192 A component of the path is not a directory.
38193
38194 @item EFAULT
38195 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
38196
38197 @item EACCES
38198 No access to the file or the path of the file.
38199
38200 @item ENAMETOOLONG
38201 @var{pathname} was too long.
38202
38203 @item EINTR
38204 The call was interrupted by the user.
38205 @end table
38206
38207 @end table
38208
38209 @node gettimeofday
38210 @unnumberedsubsubsec gettimeofday
38211 @cindex gettimeofday, file-i/o system call
38212
38213 @table @asis
38214 @item Synopsis:
38215 @smallexample
38216 int gettimeofday(struct timeval *tv, void *tz);
38217 @end smallexample
38218
38219 @item Request:
38220 @samp{Fgettimeofday,@var{tvptr},@var{tzptr}}
38221
38222 @item Return value:
38223 On success, 0 is returned, -1 otherwise.
38224
38225 @item Errors:
38226
38227 @table @code
38228 @item EINVAL
38229 @var{tz} is a non-NULL pointer.
38230
38231 @item EFAULT
38232 @var{tvptr} and/or @var{tzptr} is an invalid pointer value.
38233 @end table
38234
38235 @end table
38236
38237 @node isatty
38238 @unnumberedsubsubsec isatty
38239 @cindex isatty, file-i/o system call
38240
38241 @table @asis
38242 @item Synopsis:
38243 @smallexample
38244 int isatty(int fd);
38245 @end smallexample
38246
38247 @item Request:
38248 @samp{Fisatty,@var{fd}}
38249
38250 @item Return value:
38251 Returns 1 if @var{fd} refers to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise.
38252
38253 @item Errors:
38254
38255 @table @code
38256 @item EINTR
38257 The call was interrupted by the user.
38258 @end table
38259
38260 @end table
38261
38262 Note that the @code{isatty} call is treated as a special case: it returns
38263 1 to the target if the file descriptor is attached
38264 to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise. Implementing through system calls
38265 would require implementing @code{ioctl} and would be more complex than
38266 needed.
38267
38268
38269 @node system
38270 @unnumberedsubsubsec system
38271 @cindex system, file-i/o system call
38272
38273 @table @asis
38274 @item Synopsis:
38275 @smallexample
38276 int system(const char *command);
38277 @end smallexample
38278
38279 @item Request:
38280 @samp{Fsystem,@var{commandptr}/@var{len}}
38281
38282 @item Return value:
38283 If @var{len} is zero, the return value indicates whether a shell is
38284 available. A zero return value indicates a shell is not available.
38285 For non-zero @var{len}, the value returned is -1 on error and the
38286 return status of the command otherwise. Only the exit status of the
38287 command is returned, which is extracted from the host's @code{system}
38288 return value by calling @code{WEXITSTATUS(retval)}. In case
38289 @file{/bin/sh} could not be executed, 127 is returned.
38290
38291 @item Errors:
38292
38293 @table @code
38294 @item EINTR
38295 The call was interrupted by the user.
38296 @end table
38297
38298 @end table
38299
38300 @value{GDBN} takes over the full task of calling the necessary host calls
38301 to perform the @code{system} call. The return value of @code{system} on
38302 the host is simplified before it's returned
38303 to the target. Any termination signal information from the child process
38304 is discarded, and the return value consists
38305 entirely of the exit status of the called command.
38306
38307 Due to security concerns, the @code{system} call is by default refused
38308 by @value{GDBN}. The user has to allow this call explicitly with the
38309 @code{set remote system-call-allowed 1} command.
38310
38311 @table @code
38312 @item set remote system-call-allowed
38313 @kindex set remote system-call-allowed
38314 Control whether to allow the @code{system} calls in the File I/O
38315 protocol for the remote target. The default is zero (disabled).
38316
38317 @item show remote system-call-allowed
38318 @kindex show remote system-call-allowed
38319 Show whether the @code{system} calls are allowed in the File I/O
38320 protocol.
38321 @end table
38322
38323 @node Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
38324 @subsection Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
38325 @cindex protocol-specific representation of datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
38326
38327 @menu
38328 * Integral Datatypes::
38329 * Pointer Values::
38330 * Memory Transfer::
38331 * struct stat::
38332 * struct timeval::
38333 @end menu
38334
38335 @node Integral Datatypes
38336 @unnumberedsubsubsec Integral Datatypes
38337 @cindex integral datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
38338
38339 The integral datatypes used in the system calls are @code{int},
38340 @code{unsigned int}, @code{long}, @code{unsigned long},
38341 @code{mode_t}, and @code{time_t}.
38342
38343 @code{int}, @code{unsigned int}, @code{mode_t} and @code{time_t} are
38344 implemented as 32 bit values in this protocol.
38345
38346 @code{long} and @code{unsigned long} are implemented as 64 bit types.
38347
38348 @xref{Limits}, for corresponding MIN and MAX values (similar to those
38349 in @file{limits.h}) to allow range checking on host and target.
38350
38351 @code{time_t} datatypes are defined as seconds since the Epoch.
38352
38353 All integral datatypes transferred as part of a memory read or write of a
38354 structured datatype e.g.@: a @code{struct stat} have to be given in big endian
38355 byte order.
38356
38357 @node Pointer Values
38358 @unnumberedsubsubsec Pointer Values
38359 @cindex pointer values, in file-i/o protocol
38360
38361 Pointers to target data are transmitted as they are. An exception
38362 is made for pointers to buffers for which the length isn't
38363 transmitted as part of the function call, namely strings. Strings
38364 are transmitted as a pointer/length pair, both as hex values, e.g.@:
38365
38366 @smallexample
38367 @code{1aaf/12}
38368 @end smallexample
38369
38370 @noindent
38371 which is a pointer to data of length 18 bytes at position 0x1aaf.
38372 The length is defined as the full string length in bytes, including
38373 the trailing null byte. For example, the string @code{"hello world"}
38374 at address 0x123456 is transmitted as
38375
38376 @smallexample
38377 @code{123456/d}
38378 @end smallexample
38379
38380 @node Memory Transfer
38381 @unnumberedsubsubsec Memory Transfer
38382 @cindex memory transfer, in file-i/o protocol
38383
38384 Structured data which is transferred using a memory read or write (for
38385 example, a @code{struct stat}) is expected to be in a protocol-specific format
38386 with all scalar multibyte datatypes being big endian. Translation to
38387 this representation needs to be done both by the target before the @code{F}
38388 packet is sent, and by @value{GDBN} before
38389 it transfers memory to the target. Transferred pointers to structured
38390 data should point to the already-coerced data at any time.
38391
38392
38393 @node struct stat
38394 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct stat
38395 @cindex struct stat, in file-i/o protocol
38396
38397 The buffer of type @code{struct stat} used by the target and @value{GDBN}
38398 is defined as follows:
38399
38400 @smallexample
38401 struct stat @{
38402 unsigned int st_dev; /* device */
38403 unsigned int st_ino; /* inode */
38404 mode_t st_mode; /* protection */
38405 unsigned int st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
38406 unsigned int st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
38407 unsigned int st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
38408 unsigned int st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
38409 unsigned long st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
38410 unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
38411 unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
38412 time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
38413 time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
38414 time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
38415 @};
38416 @end smallexample
38417
38418 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
38419 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
38420 structure is of size 64 bytes.
38421
38422 The values of several fields have a restricted meaning and/or
38423 range of values.
38424
38425 @table @code
38426
38427 @item st_dev
38428 A value of 0 represents a file, 1 the console.
38429
38430 @item st_ino
38431 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
38432
38433 @item st_mode
38434 Valid mode bits are described in @ref{Constants}. Any other
38435 bits have currently no meaning for the target.
38436
38437 @item st_uid
38438 @itemx st_gid
38439 @itemx st_rdev
38440 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
38441
38442 @item st_atime
38443 @itemx st_mtime
38444 @itemx st_ctime
38445 These values have a host and file system dependent
38446 accuracy. Especially on Windows hosts, the file system may not
38447 support exact timing values.
38448 @end table
38449
38450 The target gets a @code{struct stat} of the above representation and is
38451 responsible for coercing it to the target representation before
38452 continuing.
38453
38454 Note that due to size differences between the host, target, and protocol
38455 representations of @code{struct stat} members, these members could eventually
38456 get truncated on the target.
38457
38458 @node struct timeval
38459 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct timeval
38460 @cindex struct timeval, in file-i/o protocol
38461
38462 The buffer of type @code{struct timeval} used by the File-I/O protocol
38463 is defined as follows:
38464
38465 @smallexample
38466 struct timeval @{
38467 time_t tv_sec; /* second */
38468 long tv_usec; /* microsecond */
38469 @};
38470 @end smallexample
38471
38472 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
38473 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
38474 structure is of size 8 bytes.
38475
38476 @node Constants
38477 @subsection Constants
38478 @cindex constants, in file-i/o protocol
38479
38480 The following values are used for the constants inside of the
38481 protocol. @value{GDBN} and target are responsible for translating these
38482 values before and after the call as needed.
38483
38484 @menu
38485 * Open Flags::
38486 * mode_t Values::
38487 * Errno Values::
38488 * Lseek Flags::
38489 * Limits::
38490 @end menu
38491
38492 @node Open Flags
38493 @unnumberedsubsubsec Open Flags
38494 @cindex open flags, in file-i/o protocol
38495
38496 All values are given in hexadecimal representation.
38497
38498 @smallexample
38499 O_RDONLY 0x0
38500 O_WRONLY 0x1
38501 O_RDWR 0x2
38502 O_APPEND 0x8
38503 O_CREAT 0x200
38504 O_TRUNC 0x400
38505 O_EXCL 0x800
38506 @end smallexample
38507
38508 @node mode_t Values
38509 @unnumberedsubsubsec mode_t Values
38510 @cindex mode_t values, in file-i/o protocol
38511
38512 All values are given in octal representation.
38513
38514 @smallexample
38515 S_IFREG 0100000
38516 S_IFDIR 040000
38517 S_IRUSR 0400
38518 S_IWUSR 0200
38519 S_IXUSR 0100
38520 S_IRGRP 040
38521 S_IWGRP 020
38522 S_IXGRP 010
38523 S_IROTH 04
38524 S_IWOTH 02
38525 S_IXOTH 01
38526 @end smallexample
38527
38528 @node Errno Values
38529 @unnumberedsubsubsec Errno Values
38530 @cindex errno values, in file-i/o protocol
38531
38532 All values are given in decimal representation.
38533
38534 @smallexample
38535 EPERM 1
38536 ENOENT 2
38537 EINTR 4
38538 EBADF 9
38539 EACCES 13
38540 EFAULT 14
38541 EBUSY 16
38542 EEXIST 17
38543 ENODEV 19
38544 ENOTDIR 20
38545 EISDIR 21
38546 EINVAL 22
38547 ENFILE 23
38548 EMFILE 24
38549 EFBIG 27
38550 ENOSPC 28
38551 ESPIPE 29
38552 EROFS 30
38553 ENAMETOOLONG 91
38554 EUNKNOWN 9999
38555 @end smallexample
38556
38557 @code{EUNKNOWN} is used as a fallback error value if a host system returns
38558 any error value not in the list of supported error numbers.
38559
38560 @node Lseek Flags
38561 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lseek Flags
38562 @cindex lseek flags, in file-i/o protocol
38563
38564 @smallexample
38565 SEEK_SET 0
38566 SEEK_CUR 1
38567 SEEK_END 2
38568 @end smallexample
38569
38570 @node Limits
38571 @unnumberedsubsubsec Limits
38572 @cindex limits, in file-i/o protocol
38573
38574 All values are given in decimal representation.
38575
38576 @smallexample
38577 INT_MIN -2147483648
38578 INT_MAX 2147483647
38579 UINT_MAX 4294967295
38580 LONG_MIN -9223372036854775808
38581 LONG_MAX 9223372036854775807
38582 ULONG_MAX 18446744073709551615
38583 @end smallexample
38584
38585 @node File-I/O Examples
38586 @subsection File-I/O Examples
38587 @cindex file-i/o examples
38588
38589 Example sequence of a write call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
38590 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be written:
38591
38592 @smallexample
38593 <- @code{Fwrite,3,1234,6}
38594 @emph{request memory read from target}
38595 -> @code{m1234,6}
38596 <- XXXXXX
38597 @emph{return "6 bytes written"}
38598 -> @code{F6}
38599 @end smallexample
38600
38601 Example sequence of a read call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
38602 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be read:
38603
38604 @smallexample
38605 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
38606 @emph{request memory write to target}
38607 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
38608 @emph{return "6 bytes read"}
38609 -> @code{F6}
38610 @end smallexample
38611
38612 Example sequence of a read call, call fails on the host due to invalid
38613 file descriptor (@code{EBADF}):
38614
38615 @smallexample
38616 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
38617 -> @code{F-1,9}
38618 @end smallexample
38619
38620 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} before syscall on
38621 host is called:
38622
38623 @smallexample
38624 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
38625 -> @code{F-1,4,C}
38626 <- @code{T02}
38627 @end smallexample
38628
38629 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} after syscall on
38630 host is called:
38631
38632 @smallexample
38633 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
38634 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
38635 <- @code{T02}
38636 @end smallexample
38637
38638 @node Library List Format
38639 @section Library List Format
38640 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
38641
38642 On some platforms, a dynamic loader (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) runs in the
38643 same process as your application to manage libraries. In this case,
38644 @value{GDBN} can use the loader's symbol table and normal memory
38645 operations to maintain a list of shared libraries. On other
38646 platforms, the operating system manages loaded libraries.
38647 @value{GDBN} can not retrieve the list of currently loaded libraries
38648 through memory operations, so it uses the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
38649 packet (@pxref{qXfer library list read}) instead. The remote stub
38650 queries the target's operating system and reports which libraries
38651 are loaded.
38652
38653 The @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet returns an XML document which
38654 lists loaded libraries and their offsets. Each library has an
38655 associated name and one or more segment or section base addresses,
38656 which report where the library was loaded in memory.
38657
38658 For the common case of libraries that are fully linked binaries, the
38659 library should have a list of segments. If the target supports
38660 dynamic linking of a relocatable object file, its library XML element
38661 should instead include a list of allocated sections. The segment or
38662 section bases are start addresses, not relocation offsets; they do not
38663 depend on the library's link-time base addresses.
38664
38665 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
38666 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
38667
38668 A simple memory map, with one loaded library relocated by a single
38669 offset, looks like this:
38670
38671 @smallexample
38672 <library-list>
38673 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6">
38674 <segment address="0x10000000"/>
38675 </library>
38676 </library-list>
38677 @end smallexample
38678
38679 Another simple memory map, with one loaded library with three
38680 allocated sections (.text, .data, .bss), looks like this:
38681
38682 @smallexample
38683 <library-list>
38684 <library name="sharedlib.o">
38685 <section address="0x10000000"/>
38686 <section address="0x20000000"/>
38687 <section address="0x30000000"/>
38688 </library>
38689 </library-list>
38690 @end smallexample
38691
38692 The format of a library list is described by this DTD:
38693
38694 @smallexample
38695 <!-- library-list: Root element with versioning -->
38696 <!ELEMENT library-list (library)*>
38697 <!ATTLIST library-list version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
38698 <!ELEMENT library (segment*, section*)>
38699 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
38700 <!ELEMENT segment EMPTY>
38701 <!ATTLIST segment address CDATA #REQUIRED>
38702 <!ELEMENT section EMPTY>
38703 <!ATTLIST section address CDATA #REQUIRED>
38704 @end smallexample
38705
38706 In addition, segments and section descriptors cannot be mixed within a
38707 single library element, and you must supply at least one segment or
38708 section for each library.
38709
38710 @node Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
38711 @section Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
38712 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
38713
38714 On SVR4 platforms @value{GDBN} can use the symbol table of a dynamic loader
38715 (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) and normal memory operations to maintain a list of
38716 shared libraries. Still a special library list provided by this packet is
38717 more efficient for the @value{GDBN} remote protocol.
38718
38719 The @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet returns an XML document which lists
38720 loaded libraries and their SVR4 linker parameters. For each library on SVR4
38721 target, the following parameters are reported:
38722
38723 @itemize @minus
38724 @item
38725 @code{name}, the absolute file name from the @code{l_name} field of
38726 @code{struct link_map}.
38727 @item
38728 @code{lm} with address of @code{struct link_map} used for TLS
38729 (Thread Local Storage) access.
38730 @item
38731 @code{l_addr}, the displacement as read from the field @code{l_addr} of
38732 @code{struct link_map}. For prelinked libraries this is not an absolute
38733 memory address. It is a displacement of absolute memory address against
38734 address the file was prelinked to during the library load.
38735 @item
38736 @code{l_ld}, which is memory address of the @code{PT_DYNAMIC} segment
38737 @end itemize
38738
38739 Additionally the single @code{main-lm} attribute specifies address of
38740 @code{struct link_map} used for the main executable. This parameter is used
38741 for TLS access and its presence is optional.
38742
38743 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
38744 SVR4 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
38745
38746 A simple memory map, with two loaded libraries (which do not use prelink),
38747 looks like this:
38748
38749 @smallexample
38750 <library-list-svr4 version="1.0" main-lm="0xe4f8f8">
38751 <library name="/lib/ld-linux.so.2" lm="0xe4f51c" l_addr="0xe2d000"
38752 l_ld="0xe4eefc"/>
38753 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6" lm="0xe4fbe8" l_addr="0x154000"
38754 l_ld="0x152350"/>
38755 </library-list-svr>
38756 @end smallexample
38757
38758 The format of an SVR4 library list is described by this DTD:
38759
38760 @smallexample
38761 <!-- library-list-svr4: Root element with versioning -->
38762 <!ELEMENT library-list-svr4 (library)*>
38763 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
38764 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 main-lm CDATA #IMPLIED>
38765 <!ELEMENT library EMPTY>
38766 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
38767 <!ATTLIST library lm CDATA #REQUIRED>
38768 <!ATTLIST library l_addr CDATA #REQUIRED>
38769 <!ATTLIST library l_ld CDATA #REQUIRED>
38770 @end smallexample
38771
38772 @node Memory Map Format
38773 @section Memory Map Format
38774 @cindex memory map format
38775
38776 To be able to write into flash memory, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain a
38777 memory map from the target. This section describes the format of the
38778 memory map.
38779
38780 The memory map is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
38781 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}) packet and is an XML document that
38782 lists memory regions.
38783
38784 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
38785 memory maps. @xref{Expat}.
38786
38787 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
38788
38789 @smallexample
38790 <?xml version="1.0"?>
38791 <!DOCTYPE memory-map
38792 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
38793 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-memory-map.dtd">
38794 <memory-map>
38795 region...
38796 </memory-map>
38797 @end smallexample
38798
38799 Each region can be either:
38800
38801 @itemize
38802
38803 @item
38804 A region of RAM starting at @var{addr} and extending for @var{length}
38805 bytes from there:
38806
38807 @smallexample
38808 <memory type="ram" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
38809 @end smallexample
38810
38811
38812 @item
38813 A region of read-only memory:
38814
38815 @smallexample
38816 <memory type="rom" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
38817 @end smallexample
38818
38819
38820 @item
38821 A region of flash memory, with erasure blocks @var{blocksize}
38822 bytes in length:
38823
38824 @smallexample
38825 <memory type="flash" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}">
38826 <property name="blocksize">@var{blocksize}</property>
38827 </memory>
38828 @end smallexample
38829
38830 @end itemize
38831
38832 Regions must not overlap. @value{GDBN} assumes that areas of memory not covered
38833 by the memory map are RAM, and uses the ordinary @samp{M} and @samp{X}
38834 packets to write to addresses in such ranges.
38835
38836 The formal DTD for memory map format is given below:
38837
38838 @smallexample
38839 <!-- ................................................... -->
38840 <!-- Memory Map XML DTD ................................ -->
38841 <!-- File: memory-map.dtd .............................. -->
38842 <!-- .................................... .............. -->
38843 <!-- memory-map.dtd -->
38844 <!-- memory-map: Root element with versioning -->
38845 <!ELEMENT memory-map (memory | property)>
38846 <!ATTLIST memory-map version CDATA #FIXED "1.0.0">
38847 <!ELEMENT memory (property)>
38848 <!-- memory: Specifies a memory region,
38849 and its type, or device. -->
38850 <!ATTLIST memory type CDATA #REQUIRED
38851 start CDATA #REQUIRED
38852 length CDATA #REQUIRED
38853 device CDATA #IMPLIED>
38854 <!-- property: Generic attribute tag -->
38855 <!ELEMENT property (#PCDATA | property)*>
38856 <!ATTLIST property name CDATA #REQUIRED>
38857 @end smallexample
38858
38859 @node Thread List Format
38860 @section Thread List Format
38861 @cindex thread list format
38862
38863 To efficiently update the list of threads and their attributes,
38864 @value{GDBN} issues the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
38865 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}) and obtains the XML document with
38866 the following structure:
38867
38868 @smallexample
38869 <?xml version="1.0"?>
38870 <threads>
38871 <thread id="id" core="0">
38872 ... description ...
38873 </thread>
38874 </threads>
38875 @end smallexample
38876
38877 Each @samp{thread} element must have the @samp{id} attribute that
38878 identifies the thread (@pxref{thread-id syntax}). The
38879 @samp{core} attribute, if present, specifies which processor core
38880 the thread was last executing on. The content of the of @samp{thread}
38881 element is interpreted as human-readable auxilliary information.
38882
38883 @node Traceframe Info Format
38884 @section Traceframe Info Format
38885 @cindex traceframe info format
38886
38887 To be able to know which objects in the inferior can be examined when
38888 inspecting a tracepoint hit, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain the list of
38889 memory ranges, registers and trace state variables that have been
38890 collected in a traceframe.
38891
38892 This list is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
38893 (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}) packet and is an XML document.
38894
38895 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
38896 traceframe info discovery. @xref{Expat}.
38897
38898 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
38899
38900 @smallexample
38901 <?xml version="1.0"?>
38902 <!DOCTYPE traceframe-info
38903 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
38904 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-traceframe-info.dtd">
38905 <traceframe-info>
38906 block...
38907 </traceframe-info>
38908 @end smallexample
38909
38910 Each traceframe block can be either:
38911
38912 @itemize
38913
38914 @item
38915 A region of collected memory starting at @var{addr} and extending for
38916 @var{length} bytes from there:
38917
38918 @smallexample
38919 <memory start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
38920 @end smallexample
38921
38922 @end itemize
38923
38924 The formal DTD for the traceframe info format is given below:
38925
38926 @smallexample
38927 <!ELEMENT traceframe-info (memory)* >
38928 <!ATTLIST traceframe-info version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
38929
38930 <!ELEMENT memory EMPTY>
38931 <!ATTLIST memory start CDATA #REQUIRED
38932 length CDATA #REQUIRED>
38933 @end smallexample
38934
38935 @include agentexpr.texi
38936
38937 @node Target Descriptions
38938 @appendix Target Descriptions
38939 @cindex target descriptions
38940
38941 One of the challenges of using @value{GDBN} to debug embedded systems
38942 is that there are so many minor variants of each processor
38943 architecture in use. It is common practice for vendors to start with
38944 a standard processor core --- ARM, PowerPC, or MIPS, for example ---
38945 and then make changes to adapt it to a particular market niche. Some
38946 architectures have hundreds of variants, available from dozens of
38947 vendors. This leads to a number of problems:
38948
38949 @itemize @bullet
38950 @item
38951 With so many different customized processors, it is difficult for
38952 the @value{GDBN} maintainers to keep up with the changes.
38953 @item
38954 Since individual variants may have short lifetimes or limited
38955 audiences, it may not be worthwhile to carry information about every
38956 variant in the @value{GDBN} source tree.
38957 @item
38958 When @value{GDBN} does support the architecture of the embedded system
38959 at hand, the task of finding the correct architecture name to give the
38960 @command{set architecture} command can be error-prone.
38961 @end itemize
38962
38963 To address these problems, the @value{GDBN} remote protocol allows a
38964 target system to not only identify itself to @value{GDBN}, but to
38965 actually describe its own features. This lets @value{GDBN} support
38966 processor variants it has never seen before --- to the extent that the
38967 descriptions are accurate, and that @value{GDBN} understands them.
38968
38969 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
38970 target descriptions. @xref{Expat}.
38971
38972 @menu
38973 * Retrieving Descriptions:: How descriptions are fetched from a target.
38974 * Target Description Format:: The contents of a target description.
38975 * Predefined Target Types:: Standard types available for target
38976 descriptions.
38977 * Standard Target Features:: Features @value{GDBN} knows about.
38978 @end menu
38979
38980 @node Retrieving Descriptions
38981 @section Retrieving Descriptions
38982
38983 Target descriptions can be read from the target automatically, or
38984 specified by the user manually. The default behavior is to read the
38985 description from the target. @value{GDBN} retrieves it via the remote
38986 protocol using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{General Query Packets,
38987 qXfer}). The @var{annex} in the @samp{qXfer} packet will be
38988 @samp{target.xml}. The contents of the @samp{target.xml} annex are an
38989 XML document, of the form described in @ref{Target Description
38990 Format}.
38991
38992 Alternatively, you can specify a file to read for the target description.
38993 If a file is set, the target will not be queried. The commands to
38994 specify a file are:
38995
38996 @table @code
38997 @cindex set tdesc filename
38998 @item set tdesc filename @var{path}
38999 Read the target description from @var{path}.
39000
39001 @cindex unset tdesc filename
39002 @item unset tdesc filename
39003 Do not read the XML target description from a file. @value{GDBN}
39004 will use the description supplied by the current target.
39005
39006 @cindex show tdesc filename
39007 @item show tdesc filename
39008 Show the filename to read for a target description, if any.
39009 @end table
39010
39011
39012 @node Target Description Format
39013 @section Target Description Format
39014 @cindex target descriptions, XML format
39015
39016 A target description annex is an @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/, XML}
39017 document which complies with the Document Type Definition provided in
39018 the @value{GDBN} sources in @file{gdb/features/gdb-target.dtd}. This
39019 means you can use generally available tools like @command{xmllint} to
39020 check that your feature descriptions are well-formed and valid.
39021 However, to help people unfamiliar with XML write descriptions for
39022 their targets, we also describe the grammar here.
39023
39024 Target descriptions can identify the architecture of the remote target
39025 and (for some architectures) provide information about custom register
39026 sets. They can also identify the OS ABI of the remote target.
39027 @value{GDBN} can use this information to autoconfigure for your
39028 target, or to warn you if you connect to an unsupported target.
39029
39030 Here is a simple target description:
39031
39032 @smallexample
39033 <target version="1.0">
39034 <architecture>i386:x86-64</architecture>
39035 </target>
39036 @end smallexample
39037
39038 @noindent
39039 This minimal description only says that the target uses
39040 the x86-64 architecture.
39041
39042 A target description has the following overall form, with [ ] marking
39043 optional elements and @dots{} marking repeatable elements. The elements
39044 are explained further below.
39045
39046 @smallexample
39047 <?xml version="1.0"?>
39048 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "gdb-target.dtd">
39049 <target version="1.0">
39050 @r{[}@var{architecture}@r{]}
39051 @r{[}@var{osabi}@r{]}
39052 @r{[}@var{compatible}@r{]}
39053 @r{[}@var{feature}@dots{}@r{]}
39054 </target>
39055 @end smallexample
39056
39057 @noindent
39058 The description is generally insensitive to whitespace and line
39059 breaks, under the usual common-sense rules. The XML version
39060 declaration and document type declaration can generally be omitted
39061 (@value{GDBN} does not require them), but specifying them may be
39062 useful for XML validation tools. The @samp{version} attribute for
39063 @samp{<target>} may also be omitted, but we recommend
39064 including it; if future versions of @value{GDBN} use an incompatible
39065 revision of @file{gdb-target.dtd}, they will detect and report
39066 the version mismatch.
39067
39068 @subsection Inclusion
39069 @cindex target descriptions, inclusion
39070 @cindex XInclude
39071 @ifnotinfo
39072 @cindex <xi:include>
39073 @end ifnotinfo
39074
39075 It can sometimes be valuable to split a target description up into
39076 several different annexes, either for organizational purposes, or to
39077 share files between different possible target descriptions. You can
39078 divide a description into multiple files by replacing any element of
39079 the target description with an inclusion directive of the form:
39080
39081 @smallexample
39082 <xi:include href="@var{document}"/>
39083 @end smallexample
39084
39085 @noindent
39086 When @value{GDBN} encounters an element of this form, it will retrieve
39087 the named XML @var{document}, and replace the inclusion directive with
39088 the contents of that document. If the current description was read
39089 using @samp{qXfer}, then so will be the included document;
39090 @var{document} will be interpreted as the name of an annex. If the
39091 current description was read from a file, @value{GDBN} will look for
39092 @var{document} as a file in the same directory where it found the
39093 original description.
39094
39095 @subsection Architecture
39096 @cindex <architecture>
39097
39098 An @samp{<architecture>} element has this form:
39099
39100 @smallexample
39101 <architecture>@var{arch}</architecture>
39102 @end smallexample
39103
39104 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
39105 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
39106
39107 @subsection OS ABI
39108 @cindex @code{<osabi>}
39109
39110 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
39111 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
39112
39113 An @samp{<osabi>} element has this form:
39114
39115 @smallexample
39116 <osabi>@var{abi-name}</osabi>
39117 @end smallexample
39118
39119 @var{abi-name} is an OS ABI name from the same selection accepted by
39120 @w{@code{set osabi}} (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
39121
39122 @subsection Compatible Architecture
39123 @cindex @code{<compatible>}
39124
39125 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
39126 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
39127
39128 A @samp{<compatible>} element has this form:
39129
39130 @smallexample
39131 <compatible>@var{arch}</compatible>
39132 @end smallexample
39133
39134 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
39135 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
39136
39137 A @samp{<compatible>} element is used to specify that the target
39138 is able to run binaries in some other than the main target architecture
39139 given by the @samp{<architecture>} element. For example, on the
39140 Cell Broadband Engine, the main architecture is @code{powerpc:common}
39141 or @code{powerpc:common64}, but the system is able to run binaries
39142 in the @code{spu} architecture as well. The way to describe this
39143 capability with @samp{<compatible>} is as follows:
39144
39145 @smallexample
39146 <architecture>powerpc:common</architecture>
39147 <compatible>spu</compatible>
39148 @end smallexample
39149
39150 @subsection Features
39151 @cindex <feature>
39152
39153 Each @samp{<feature>} describes some logical portion of the target
39154 system. Features are currently used to describe available CPU
39155 registers and the types of their contents. A @samp{<feature>} element
39156 has this form:
39157
39158 @smallexample
39159 <feature name="@var{name}">
39160 @r{[}@var{type}@dots{}@r{]}
39161 @var{reg}@dots{}
39162 </feature>
39163 @end smallexample
39164
39165 @noindent
39166 Each feature's name should be unique within the description. The name
39167 of a feature does not matter unless @value{GDBN} has some special
39168 knowledge of the contents of that feature; if it does, the feature
39169 should have its standard name. @xref{Standard Target Features}.
39170
39171 @subsection Types
39172
39173 Any register's value is a collection of bits which @value{GDBN} must
39174 interpret. The default interpretation is a two's complement integer,
39175 but other types can be requested by name in the register description.
39176 Some predefined types are provided by @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Predefined
39177 Target Types}), and the description can define additional composite types.
39178
39179 Each type element must have an @samp{id} attribute, which gives
39180 a unique (within the containing @samp{<feature>}) name to the type.
39181 Types must be defined before they are used.
39182
39183 @cindex <vector>
39184 Some targets offer vector registers, which can be treated as arrays
39185 of scalar elements. These types are written as @samp{<vector>} elements,
39186 specifying the array element type, @var{type}, and the number of elements,
39187 @var{count}:
39188
39189 @smallexample
39190 <vector id="@var{id}" type="@var{type}" count="@var{count}"/>
39191 @end smallexample
39192
39193 @cindex <union>
39194 If a register's value is usefully viewed in multiple ways, define it
39195 with a union type containing the useful representations. The
39196 @samp{<union>} element contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements,
39197 each of which has a @var{name} and a @var{type}:
39198
39199 @smallexample
39200 <union id="@var{id}">
39201 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
39202 @dots{}
39203 </union>
39204 @end smallexample
39205
39206 @cindex <struct>
39207 If a register's value is composed from several separate values, define
39208 it with a structure type. There are two forms of the @samp{<struct>}
39209 element; a @samp{<struct>} element must either contain only bitfields
39210 or contain no bitfields. If the structure contains only bitfields,
39211 its total size in bytes must be specified, each bitfield must have an
39212 explicit start and end, and bitfields are automatically assigned an
39213 integer type. The field's @var{start} should be less than or
39214 equal to its @var{end}, and zero represents the least significant bit.
39215
39216 @smallexample
39217 <struct id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
39218 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}"/>
39219 @dots{}
39220 </struct>
39221 @end smallexample
39222
39223 If the structure contains no bitfields, then each field has an
39224 explicit type, and no implicit padding is added.
39225
39226 @smallexample
39227 <struct id="@var{id}">
39228 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
39229 @dots{}
39230 </struct>
39231 @end smallexample
39232
39233 @cindex <flags>
39234 If a register's value is a series of single-bit flags, define it with
39235 a flags type. The @samp{<flags>} element has an explicit @var{size}
39236 and contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements. Each field has a
39237 @var{name}, a @var{start}, and an @var{end}. Only single-bit flags
39238 are supported.
39239
39240 @smallexample
39241 <flags id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
39242 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}"/>
39243 @dots{}
39244 </flags>
39245 @end smallexample
39246
39247 @subsection Registers
39248 @cindex <reg>
39249
39250 Each register is represented as an element with this form:
39251
39252 @smallexample
39253 <reg name="@var{name}"
39254 bitsize="@var{size}"
39255 @r{[}regnum="@var{num}"@r{]}
39256 @r{[}save-restore="@var{save-restore}"@r{]}
39257 @r{[}type="@var{type}"@r{]}
39258 @r{[}group="@var{group}"@r{]}/>
39259 @end smallexample
39260
39261 @noindent
39262 The components are as follows:
39263
39264 @table @var
39265
39266 @item name
39267 The register's name; it must be unique within the target description.
39268
39269 @item bitsize
39270 The register's size, in bits.
39271
39272 @item regnum
39273 The register's number. If omitted, a register's number is one greater
39274 than that of the previous register (either in the current feature or in
39275 a preceding feature); the first register in the target description
39276 defaults to zero. This register number is used to read or write
39277 the register; e.g.@: it is used in the remote @code{p} and @code{P}
39278 packets, and registers appear in the @code{g} and @code{G} packets
39279 in order of increasing register number.
39280
39281 @item save-restore
39282 Whether the register should be preserved across inferior function
39283 calls; this must be either @code{yes} or @code{no}. The default is
39284 @code{yes}, which is appropriate for most registers except for
39285 some system control registers; this is not related to the target's
39286 ABI.
39287
39288 @item type
39289 The type of the register. @var{type} may be a predefined type, a type
39290 defined in the current feature, or one of the special types @code{int}
39291 and @code{float}. @code{int} is an integer type of the correct size
39292 for @var{bitsize}, and @code{float} is a floating point type (in the
39293 architecture's normal floating point format) of the correct size for
39294 @var{bitsize}. The default is @code{int}.
39295
39296 @item group
39297 The register group to which this register belongs. @var{group} must
39298 be either @code{general}, @code{float}, or @code{vector}. If no
39299 @var{group} is specified, @value{GDBN} will not display the register
39300 in @code{info registers}.
39301
39302 @end table
39303
39304 @node Predefined Target Types
39305 @section Predefined Target Types
39306 @cindex target descriptions, predefined types
39307
39308 Type definitions in the self-description can build up composite types
39309 from basic building blocks, but can not define fundamental types. Instead,
39310 standard identifiers are provided by @value{GDBN} for the fundamental
39311 types. The currently supported types are:
39312
39313 @table @code
39314
39315 @item int8
39316 @itemx int16
39317 @itemx int32
39318 @itemx int64
39319 @itemx int128
39320 Signed integer types holding the specified number of bits.
39321
39322 @item uint8
39323 @itemx uint16
39324 @itemx uint32
39325 @itemx uint64
39326 @itemx uint128
39327 Unsigned integer types holding the specified number of bits.
39328
39329 @item code_ptr
39330 @itemx data_ptr
39331 Pointers to unspecified code and data. The program counter and
39332 any dedicated return address register may be marked as code
39333 pointers; printing a code pointer converts it into a symbolic
39334 address. The stack pointer and any dedicated address registers
39335 may be marked as data pointers.
39336
39337 @item ieee_single
39338 Single precision IEEE floating point.
39339
39340 @item ieee_double
39341 Double precision IEEE floating point.
39342
39343 @item arm_fpa_ext
39344 The 12-byte extended precision format used by ARM FPA registers.
39345
39346 @item i387_ext
39347 The 10-byte extended precision format used by x87 registers.
39348
39349 @item i386_eflags
39350 32bit @sc{eflags} register used by x86.
39351
39352 @item i386_mxcsr
39353 32bit @sc{mxcsr} register used by x86.
39354
39355 @end table
39356
39357 @node Standard Target Features
39358 @section Standard Target Features
39359 @cindex target descriptions, standard features
39360
39361 A target description must contain either no registers or all the
39362 target's registers. If the description contains no registers, then
39363 @value{GDBN} will assume a default register layout, selected based on
39364 the architecture. If the description contains any registers, the
39365 default layout will not be used; the standard registers must be
39366 described in the target description, in such a way that @value{GDBN}
39367 can recognize them.
39368
39369 This is accomplished by giving specific names to feature elements
39370 which contain standard registers. @value{GDBN} will look for features
39371 with those names and verify that they contain the expected registers;
39372 if any known feature is missing required registers, or if any required
39373 feature is missing, @value{GDBN} will reject the target
39374 description. You can add additional registers to any of the
39375 standard features --- @value{GDBN} will display them just as if
39376 they were added to an unrecognized feature.
39377
39378 This section lists the known features and their expected contents.
39379 Sample XML documents for these features are included in the
39380 @value{GDBN} source tree, in the directory @file{gdb/features}.
39381
39382 Names recognized by @value{GDBN} should include the name of the
39383 company or organization which selected the name, and the overall
39384 architecture to which the feature applies; so e.g.@: the feature
39385 containing ARM core registers is named @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}.
39386
39387 The names of registers are not case sensitive for the purpose
39388 of recognizing standard features, but @value{GDBN} will only display
39389 registers using the capitalization used in the description.
39390
39391 @menu
39392 * ARM Features::
39393 * i386 Features::
39394 * MIPS Features::
39395 * M68K Features::
39396 * PowerPC Features::
39397 * TIC6x Features::
39398 @end menu
39399
39400
39401 @node ARM Features
39402 @subsection ARM Features
39403 @cindex target descriptions, ARM features
39404
39405 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core} feature is required for non-M-profile
39406 ARM targets.
39407 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp},
39408 @samp{lr}, @samp{pc}, and @samp{cpsr}.
39409
39410 For M-profile targets (e.g. Cortex-M3), the @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}
39411 feature is replaced by @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.m-profile}. It should contain
39412 registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp}, @samp{lr}, @samp{pc},
39413 and @samp{xpsr}.
39414
39415 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.fpa} feature is optional. If present, it
39416 should contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f7} and @samp{fps}.
39417
39418 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.xscale.iwmmxt} feature is optional. If present,
39419 it should contain at least registers @samp{wR0} through @samp{wR15} and
39420 @samp{wCGR0} through @samp{wCGR3}. The @samp{wCID}, @samp{wCon},
39421 @samp{wCSSF}, and @samp{wCASF} registers are optional.
39422
39423 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} feature is optional. If present, it
39424 should contain at least registers @samp{d0} through @samp{d15}. If
39425 they are present, @samp{d16} through @samp{d31} should also be included.
39426 @value{GDBN} will synthesize the single-precision registers from
39427 halves of the double-precision registers.
39428
39429 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.neon} feature is optional. It does not
39430 need to contain registers; it instructs @value{GDBN} to display the
39431 VFP double-precision registers as vectors and to synthesize the
39432 quad-precision registers from pairs of double-precision registers.
39433 If this feature is present, @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} must also
39434 be present and include 32 double-precision registers.
39435
39436 @node i386 Features
39437 @subsection i386 Features
39438 @cindex target descriptions, i386 features
39439
39440 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.core} feature is required for i386/amd64
39441 targets. It should describe the following registers:
39442
39443 @itemize @minus
39444 @item
39445 @samp{eax} through @samp{edi} plus @samp{eip} for i386
39446 @item
39447 @samp{rax} through @samp{r15} plus @samp{rip} for amd64
39448 @item
39449 @samp{eflags}, @samp{cs}, @samp{ss}, @samp{ds}, @samp{es},
39450 @samp{fs}, @samp{gs}
39451 @item
39452 @samp{st0} through @samp{st7}
39453 @item
39454 @samp{fctrl}, @samp{fstat}, @samp{ftag}, @samp{fiseg}, @samp{fioff},
39455 @samp{foseg}, @samp{fooff} and @samp{fop}
39456 @end itemize
39457
39458 The register sets may be different, depending on the target.
39459
39460 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature is optional. It should
39461 describe registers:
39462
39463 @itemize @minus
39464 @item
39465 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm7} for i386
39466 @item
39467 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm15} for amd64
39468 @item
39469 @samp{mxcsr}
39470 @end itemize
39471
39472 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.avx} feature is optional and requires the
39473 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature. It should
39474 describe the upper 128 bits of @sc{ymm} registers:
39475
39476 @itemize @minus
39477 @item
39478 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm7h} for i386
39479 @item
39480 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm15h} for amd64
39481 @end itemize
39482
39483 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.linux} feature is optional. It should
39484 describe a single register, @samp{orig_eax}.
39485
39486 @node MIPS Features
39487 @subsection MIPS Features
39488 @cindex target descriptions, MIPS features
39489
39490 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cpu} feature is required for MIPS targets.
39491 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31}, @samp{lo},
39492 @samp{hi}, and @samp{pc}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending
39493 on the target.
39494
39495 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cp0} feature is also required. It should
39496 contain at least the @samp{status}, @samp{badvaddr}, and @samp{cause}
39497 registers. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
39498
39499 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.fpu} feature is currently required, though
39500 it may be optional in a future version of @value{GDBN}. It should
39501 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31}, @samp{fcsr}, and
39502 @samp{fir}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
39503
39504 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.dsp} feature is optional. It should
39505 contain registers @samp{hi1} through @samp{hi3}, @samp{lo1} through
39506 @samp{lo3}, and @samp{dspctl}. The @samp{dspctl} register should
39507 be 32-bit and the rest may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
39508
39509 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.linux} feature is optional. It should
39510 contain a single register, @samp{restart}, which is used by the
39511 Linux kernel to control restartable syscalls.
39512
39513 @node M68K Features
39514 @subsection M68K Features
39515 @cindex target descriptions, M68K features
39516
39517 @table @code
39518 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.m68k.core}
39519 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.core}
39520 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.fido.core}
39521 One of those features must be always present.
39522 The feature that is present determines which flavor of m68k is
39523 used. The feature that is present should contain registers
39524 @samp{d0} through @samp{d7}, @samp{a0} through @samp{a5}, @samp{fp},
39525 @samp{sp}, @samp{ps} and @samp{pc}.
39526
39527 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.fp}
39528 This feature is optional. If present, it should contain registers
39529 @samp{fp0} through @samp{fp7}, @samp{fpcontrol}, @samp{fpstatus} and
39530 @samp{fpiaddr}.
39531 @end table
39532
39533 @node PowerPC Features
39534 @subsection PowerPC Features
39535 @cindex target descriptions, PowerPC features
39536
39537 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} feature is required for PowerPC
39538 targets. It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31},
39539 @samp{pc}, @samp{msr}, @samp{cr}, @samp{lr}, @samp{ctr}, and
39540 @samp{xer}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
39541
39542 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.fpu} feature is optional. It should
39543 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31} and @samp{fpscr}.
39544
39545 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.altivec} feature is optional. It should
39546 contain registers @samp{vr0} through @samp{vr31}, @samp{vscr},
39547 and @samp{vrsave}.
39548
39549 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.vsx} feature is optional. It should
39550 contain registers @samp{vs0h} through @samp{vs31h}. @value{GDBN}
39551 will combine these registers with the floating point registers
39552 (@samp{f0} through @samp{f31}) and the altivec registers (@samp{vr0}
39553 through @samp{vr31}) to present the 128-bit wide registers @samp{vs0}
39554 through @samp{vs63}, the set of vector registers for POWER7.
39555
39556 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.spe} feature is optional. It should
39557 contain registers @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}, @samp{acc}, and
39558 @samp{spefscr}. SPE targets should provide 32-bit registers in
39559 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} and provide the upper halves in
39560 @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}. @value{GDBN} will combine
39561 these to present registers @samp{ev0} through @samp{ev31} to the
39562 user.
39563
39564 @node TIC6x Features
39565 @subsection TMS320C6x Features
39566 @cindex target descriptions, TIC6x features
39567 @cindex target descriptions, TMS320C6x features
39568 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.core} feature is required for TMS320C6x
39569 targets. It should contain registers @samp{A0} through @samp{A15},
39570 registers @samp{B0} through @samp{B15}, @samp{CSR} and @samp{PC}.
39571
39572 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.gp} feature is optional. It should
39573 contain registers @samp{A16} through @samp{A31} and @samp{B16}
39574 through @samp{B31}.
39575
39576 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.c6xp} feature is optional. It should
39577 contain registers @samp{TSR}, @samp{ILC} and @samp{RILC}.
39578
39579 @node Operating System Information
39580 @appendix Operating System Information
39581 @cindex operating system information
39582
39583 @menu
39584 * Process list::
39585 @end menu
39586
39587 Users of @value{GDBN} often wish to obtain information about the state of
39588 the operating system running on the target---for example the list of
39589 processes, or the list of open files. This section describes the
39590 mechanism that makes it possible. This mechanism is similar to the
39591 target features mechanism (@pxref{Target Descriptions}), but focuses
39592 on a different aspect of target.
39593
39594 Operating system information is retrived from the target via the
39595 remote protocol, using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{qXfer osdata
39596 read}). The object name in the request should be @samp{osdata}, and
39597 the @var{annex} identifies the data to be fetched.
39598
39599 @node Process list
39600 @appendixsection Process list
39601 @cindex operating system information, process list
39602
39603 When requesting the process list, the @var{annex} field in the
39604 @samp{qXfer} request should be @samp{processes}. The returned data is
39605 an XML document. The formal syntax of this document is defined in
39606 @file{gdb/features/osdata.dtd}.
39607
39608 An example document is:
39609
39610 @smallexample
39611 <?xml version="1.0"?>
39612 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "osdata.dtd">
39613 <osdata type="processes">
39614 <item>
39615 <column name="pid">1</column>
39616 <column name="user">root</column>
39617 <column name="command">/sbin/init</column>
39618 <column name="cores">1,2,3</column>
39619 </item>
39620 </osdata>
39621 @end smallexample
39622
39623 Each item should include a column whose name is @samp{pid}. The value
39624 of that column should identify the process on the target. The
39625 @samp{user} and @samp{command} columns are optional, and will be
39626 displayed by @value{GDBN}. The @samp{cores} column, if present,
39627 should contain a comma-separated list of cores that this process
39628 is running on. Target may provide additional columns,
39629 which @value{GDBN} currently ignores.
39630
39631 @node Trace File Format
39632 @appendix Trace File Format
39633 @cindex trace file format
39634
39635 The trace file comes in three parts: a header, a textual description
39636 section, and a trace frame section with binary data.
39637
39638 The header has the form @code{\x7fTRACE0\n}. The first byte is
39639 @code{0x7f} so as to indicate that the file contains binary data,
39640 while the @code{0} is a version number that may have different values
39641 in the future.
39642
39643 The description section consists of multiple lines of @sc{ascii} text
39644 separated by newline characters (@code{0xa}). The lines may include a
39645 variety of optional descriptive or context-setting information, such
39646 as tracepoint definitions or register set size. @value{GDBN} will
39647 ignore any line that it does not recognize. An empty line marks the end
39648 of this section.
39649
39650 @c FIXME add some specific types of data
39651
39652 The trace frame section consists of a number of consecutive frames.
39653 Each frame begins with a two-byte tracepoint number, followed by a
39654 four-byte size giving the amount of data in the frame. The data in
39655 the frame consists of a number of blocks, each introduced by a
39656 character indicating its type (at least register, memory, and trace
39657 state variable). The data in this section is raw binary, not a
39658 hexadecimal or other encoding; its endianness matches the target's
39659 endianness.
39660
39661 @c FIXME bi-arch may require endianness/arch info in description section
39662
39663 @table @code
39664 @item R @var{bytes}
39665 Register block. The number and ordering of bytes matches that of a
39666 @code{g} packet in the remote protocol. Note that these are the
39667 actual bytes, in target order and @value{GDBN} register order, not a
39668 hexadecimal encoding.
39669
39670 @item M @var{address} @var{length} @var{bytes}...
39671 Memory block. This is a contiguous block of memory, at the 8-byte
39672 address @var{address}, with a 2-byte length @var{length}, followed by
39673 @var{length} bytes.
39674
39675 @item V @var{number} @var{value}
39676 Trace state variable block. This records the 8-byte signed value
39677 @var{value} of trace state variable numbered @var{number}.
39678
39679 @end table
39680
39681 Future enhancements of the trace file format may include additional types
39682 of blocks.
39683
39684 @node Index Section Format
39685 @appendix @code{.gdb_index} section format
39686 @cindex .gdb_index section format
39687 @cindex index section format
39688
39689 This section documents the index section that is created by @code{save
39690 gdb-index} (@pxref{Index Files}). The index section is
39691 DWARF-specific; some knowledge of DWARF is assumed in this
39692 description.
39693
39694 The mapped index file format is designed to be directly
39695 @code{mmap}able on any architecture. In most cases, a datum is
39696 represented using a little-endian 32-bit integer value, called an
39697 @code{offset_type}. Big endian machines must byte-swap the values
39698 before using them. Exceptions to this rule are noted. The data is
39699 laid out such that alignment is always respected.
39700
39701 A mapped index consists of several areas, laid out in order.
39702
39703 @enumerate
39704 @item
39705 The file header. This is a sequence of values, of @code{offset_type}
39706 unless otherwise noted:
39707
39708 @enumerate
39709 @item
39710 The version number, currently 6. Versions 1, 2 and 3 are obsolete.
39711 Version 4 uses a different hashing function from versions 5 and 6.
39712 Version 6 includes symbols for inlined functions, whereas versions
39713 4 and 5 do not. @value{GDBN} will only read version 4 and 5 indices
39714 if the @code{--use-deprecated-index-sections} option is used.
39715
39716 @item
39717 The offset, from the start of the file, of the CU list.
39718
39719 @item
39720 The offset, from the start of the file, of the types CU list. Note
39721 that this area can be empty, in which case this offset will be equal
39722 to the next offset.
39723
39724 @item
39725 The offset, from the start of the file, of the address area.
39726
39727 @item
39728 The offset, from the start of the file, of the symbol table.
39729
39730 @item
39731 The offset, from the start of the file, of the constant pool.
39732 @end enumerate
39733
39734 @item
39735 The CU list. This is a sequence of pairs of 64-bit little-endian
39736 values, sorted by the CU offset. The first element in each pair is
39737 the offset of a CU in the @code{.debug_info} section. The second
39738 element in each pair is the length of that CU. References to a CU
39739 elsewhere in the map are done using a CU index, which is just the
39740 0-based index into this table. Note that if there are type CUs, then
39741 conceptually CUs and type CUs form a single list for the purposes of
39742 CU indices.
39743
39744 @item
39745 The types CU list. This is a sequence of triplets of 64-bit
39746 little-endian values. In a triplet, the first value is the CU offset,
39747 the second value is the type offset in the CU, and the third value is
39748 the type signature. The types CU list is not sorted.
39749
39750 @item
39751 The address area. The address area consists of a sequence of address
39752 entries. Each address entry has three elements:
39753
39754 @enumerate
39755 @item
39756 The low address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value.
39757
39758 @item
39759 The high address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value. Like
39760 @code{DW_AT_high_pc}, the value is one byte beyond the end.
39761
39762 @item
39763 The CU index. This is an @code{offset_type} value.
39764 @end enumerate
39765
39766 @item
39767 The symbol table. This is an open-addressed hash table. The size of
39768 the hash table is always a power of 2.
39769
39770 Each slot in the hash table consists of a pair of @code{offset_type}
39771 values. The first value is the offset of the symbol's name in the
39772 constant pool. The second value is the offset of the CU vector in the
39773 constant pool.
39774
39775 If both values are 0, then this slot in the hash table is empty. This
39776 is ok because while 0 is a valid constant pool index, it cannot be a
39777 valid index for both a string and a CU vector.
39778
39779 The hash value for a table entry is computed by applying an
39780 iterative hash function to the symbol's name. Starting with an
39781 initial value of @code{r = 0}, each (unsigned) character @samp{c} in
39782 the string is incorporated into the hash using the formula depending on the
39783 index version:
39784
39785 @table @asis
39786 @item Version 4
39787 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + c - 113}.
39788
39789 @item Versions 5 and 6
39790 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + tolower (c) - 113}.
39791 @end table
39792
39793 The terminating @samp{\0} is not incorporated into the hash.
39794
39795 The step size used in the hash table is computed via
39796 @code{((hash * 17) & (size - 1)) | 1}, where @samp{hash} is the hash
39797 value, and @samp{size} is the size of the hash table. The step size
39798 is used to find the next candidate slot when handling a hash
39799 collision.
39800
39801 The names of C@t{++} symbols in the hash table are canonicalized. We
39802 don't currently have a simple description of the canonicalization
39803 algorithm; if you intend to create new index sections, you must read
39804 the code.
39805
39806 @item
39807 The constant pool. This is simply a bunch of bytes. It is organized
39808 so that alignment is correct: CU vectors are stored first, followed by
39809 strings.
39810
39811 A CU vector in the constant pool is a sequence of @code{offset_type}
39812 values. The first value is the number of CU indices in the vector.
39813 Each subsequent value is the index of a CU in the CU list. This
39814 element in the hash table is used to indicate which CUs define the
39815 symbol.
39816
39817 A string in the constant pool is zero-terminated.
39818 @end enumerate
39819
39820 @include gpl.texi
39821
39822 @node GNU Free Documentation License
39823 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
39824 @include fdl.texi
39825
39826 @node Index
39827 @unnumbered Index
39828
39829 @printindex cp
39830
39831 @tex
39832 % I think something like @colophon should be in texinfo. In the
39833 % meantime:
39834 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
39835 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
39836 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
39837 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
39838 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
39839 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/},}
39840 \centerline{{\bf\fontname\tenbf}, and}
39841 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
39842 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
39843 \page\colophon
39844 % Blame: doc@cygnus.com, 1991.
39845 @end tex
39846
39847 @bye
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