2013-01-03 Pedro Alves <palves@redhat.com>
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gdb / doc / gdb.texinfo
1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1988-2013 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 @c To avoid file-name clashes between index.html and Index.html, when
22 @c the manual is produced on a Posix host and then moved to a
23 @c case-insensitive filesystem (e.g., MS-Windows), we separate the
24 @c indices into two: Concept Index and all the rest.
25 @syncodeindex ky fn
26 @syncodeindex tp fn
27
28 @c readline appendices use @vindex, @findex and @ftable,
29 @c annotate.texi and gdbmi use @findex.
30 @syncodeindex vr fn
31 @syncodeindex fn fn
32
33 @c !!set GDB manual's edition---not the same as GDB version!
34 @c This is updated by GNU Press.
35 @set EDITION Tenth
36
37 @c !!set GDB edit command default editor
38 @set EDITOR /bin/ex
39
40 @c THIS MANUAL REQUIRES TEXINFO 4.0 OR LATER.
41
42 @c This is a dir.info fragment to support semi-automated addition of
43 @c manuals to an info tree.
44 @dircategory Software development
45 @direntry
46 * Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
47 @end direntry
48
49 @copying
50 Copyright @copyright{} 1988-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
51
52 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
53 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
54 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
55 Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
56 Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
57 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
58
59 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You are free to copy and modify
60 this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
61 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
62 @end copying
63
64 @ifnottex
65 This file documents the @sc{gnu} debugger @value{GDBN}.
66
67 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, of @cite{Debugging with
68 @value{GDBN}: the @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger} for @value{GDBN}
69 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
70 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
71 @end ifset
72 Version @value{GDBVN}.
73
74 @insertcopying
75 @end ifnottex
76
77 @titlepage
78 @title Debugging with @value{GDBN}
79 @subtitle The @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger
80 @sp 1
81 @subtitle @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN}
82 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
83 @sp 1
84 @subtitle @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
85 @end ifset
86 @author Richard Stallman, Roland Pesch, Stan Shebs, et al.
87 @page
88 @tex
89 {\parskip=0pt
90 \hfill (Send bugs and comments on @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.)\par
91 \hfill {\it Debugging with @value{GDBN}}\par
92 \hfill \TeX{}info \texinfoversion\par
93 }
94 @end tex
95
96 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
97 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
98 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
99 Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA@*
100 ISBN 978-0-9831592-3-0 @*
101
102 @insertcopying
103 @end titlepage
104 @page
105
106 @ifnottex
107 @node Top, Summary, (dir), (dir)
108
109 @top Debugging with @value{GDBN}
110
111 This file describes @value{GDBN}, the @sc{gnu} symbolic debugger.
112
113 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN}
114 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
115 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
116 @end ifset
117 Version @value{GDBVN}.
118
119 Copyright (C) 1988-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
120
121 This edition of the GDB manual is dedicated to the memory of Fred
122 Fish. Fred was a long-standing contributor to GDB and to Free
123 software in general. We will miss him.
124
125 @menu
126 * Summary:: Summary of @value{GDBN}
127 * Sample Session:: A sample @value{GDBN} session
128
129 * Invocation:: Getting in and out of @value{GDBN}
130 * Commands:: @value{GDBN} commands
131 * Running:: Running programs under @value{GDBN}
132 * Stopping:: Stopping and continuing
133 * Reverse Execution:: Running programs backward
134 * Process Record and Replay:: Recording inferior's execution and replaying it
135 * Stack:: Examining the stack
136 * Source:: Examining source files
137 * Data:: Examining data
138 * Optimized Code:: Debugging optimized code
139 * Macros:: Preprocessor Macros
140 * Tracepoints:: Debugging remote targets non-intrusively
141 * Overlays:: Debugging programs that use overlays
142
143 * Languages:: Using @value{GDBN} with different languages
144
145 * Symbols:: Examining the symbol table
146 * Altering:: Altering execution
147 * GDB Files:: @value{GDBN} files
148 * Targets:: Specifying a debugging target
149 * Remote Debugging:: Debugging remote programs
150 * Configurations:: Configuration-specific information
151 * Controlling GDB:: Controlling @value{GDBN}
152 * Extending GDB:: Extending @value{GDBN}
153 * Interpreters:: Command Interpreters
154 * TUI:: @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
155 * Emacs:: Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
156 * GDB/MI:: @value{GDBN}'s Machine Interface.
157 * Annotations:: @value{GDBN}'s annotation interface.
158 * JIT Interface:: Using the JIT debugging interface.
159 * In-Process Agent:: In-Process Agent
160
161 * GDB Bugs:: Reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
162
163 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
164 * Command Line Editing: (rluserman). Command Line Editing
165 * Using History Interactively: (history). Using History Interactively
166 @end ifset
167 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
168 * Command Line Editing:: Command Line Editing
169 * Using History Interactively:: Using History Interactively
170 @end ifclear
171 * In Memoriam:: In Memoriam
172 * Formatting Documentation:: How to format and print @value{GDBN} documentation
173 * Installing GDB:: Installing GDB
174 * Maintenance Commands:: Maintenance Commands
175 * Remote Protocol:: GDB Remote Serial Protocol
176 * Agent Expressions:: The GDB Agent Expression Mechanism
177 * Target Descriptions:: How targets can describe themselves to
178 @value{GDBN}
179 * Operating System Information:: Getting additional information from
180 the operating system
181 * Trace File Format:: GDB trace file format
182 * Index Section Format:: .gdb_index section format
183 * Copying:: GNU General Public License says
184 how you can copy and share GDB
185 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
186 * Concept Index:: Index of @value{GDBN} concepts
187 * Command and Variable Index:: Index of @value{GDBN} commands, variables,
188 functions, and Python data types
189 @end menu
190
191 @end ifnottex
192
193 @contents
194
195 @node Summary
196 @unnumbered Summary of @value{GDBN}
197
198 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
199 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes---or what another
200 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
201
202 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
203 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
204
205 @itemize @bullet
206 @item
207 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
208
209 @item
210 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
211
212 @item
213 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
214
215 @item
216 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
217 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
218 @end itemize
219
220 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C and C@t{++}.
221 For more information, see @ref{Supported Languages,,Supported Languages}.
222 For more information, see @ref{C,,C and C++}.
223
224 Support for D is partial. For information on D, see
225 @ref{D,,D}.
226
227 @cindex Modula-2
228 Support for Modula-2 is partial. For information on Modula-2, see
229 @ref{Modula-2,,Modula-2}.
230
231 Support for OpenCL C is partial. For information on OpenCL C, see
232 @ref{OpenCL C,,OpenCL C}.
233
234 @cindex Pascal
235 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
236 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
237 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
238 syntax.
239
240 @cindex Fortran
241 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, although
242 it may be necessary to refer to some variables with a trailing
243 underscore.
244
245 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Objective-C,
246 using either the Apple/NeXT or the GNU Objective-C runtime.
247
248 @menu
249 * Free Software:: Freely redistributable software
250 * Free Documentation:: Free Software Needs Free Documentation
251 * Contributors:: Contributors to GDB
252 @end menu
253
254 @node Free Software
255 @unnumberedsec Free Software
256
257 @value{GDBN} is @dfn{free software}, protected by the @sc{gnu}
258 General Public License
259 (GPL). The GPL gives you the freedom to copy or adapt a licensed
260 program---but every person getting a copy also gets with it the
261 freedom to modify that copy (which means that they must get access to
262 the source code), and the freedom to distribute further copies.
263 Typical software companies use copyrights to limit your freedoms; the
264 Free Software Foundation uses the GPL to preserve these freedoms.
265
266 Fundamentally, the General Public License is a license which says that
267 you have these freedoms and that you cannot take these freedoms away
268 from anyone else.
269
270 @node Free Documentation
271 @unnumberedsec Free Software Needs Free Documentation
272
273 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
274 the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
275 include with the free software. Many of our most important
276 programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
277 texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
278 when an important free software package does not come with a free
279 manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
280 gaps today.
281
282 Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
283 normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
284 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
285 copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
286 them from the free software world.
287
288 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
289 from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
290 manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
291 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
292 contract to make it non-free.
293
294 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
295 price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
296 charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
297 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
298 problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
299 are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
300 modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
301
302 The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
303 free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
304 commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
305 accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
306
307 Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
308 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
309 are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
310 provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
311 manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
312 a changed version of the program is not really available to our
313 community.
314
315 Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
316 acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
317 author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
318 authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
319 to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
320 may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
321 with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
322 are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
323 of the manual.
324
325 However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
326 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
327 media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
328 obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
329 manual to replace it.
330
331 Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
332 lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
333 free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
334 the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
335 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
336 the free software community.
337
338 If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
339 the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
340 license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
341 don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
342 will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
343 option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
344 what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
345 try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
346 is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
347
348 You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
349 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
350 copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
351 improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
352 at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
353 and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
354 Check the history of the book, and try to reward the publishers that
355 have paid or pay the authors to work on it.
356
357 The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
358 published by other publishers, at
359 @url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
360
361 @node Contributors
362 @unnumberedsec Contributors to @value{GDBN}
363
364 Richard Stallman was the original author of @value{GDBN}, and of many
365 other @sc{gnu} programs. Many others have contributed to its
366 development. This section attempts to credit major contributors. One
367 of the virtues of free software is that everyone is free to contribute
368 to it; with regret, we cannot actually acknowledge everyone here. The
369 file @file{ChangeLog} in the @value{GDBN} distribution approximates a
370 blow-by-blow account.
371
372 Changes much prior to version 2.0 are lost in the mists of time.
373
374 @quotation
375 @emph{Plea:} Additions to this section are particularly welcome. If you
376 or your friends (or enemies, to be evenhanded) have been unfairly
377 omitted from this list, we would like to add your names!
378 @end quotation
379
380 So that they may not regard their many labors as thankless, we
381 particularly thank those who shepherded @value{GDBN} through major
382 releases:
383 Andrew Cagney (releases 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1 and 5.0);
384 Jim Blandy (release 4.18);
385 Jason Molenda (release 4.17);
386 Stan Shebs (release 4.14);
387 Fred Fish (releases 4.16, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10, and 4.9);
388 Stu Grossman and John Gilmore (releases 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4);
389 John Gilmore (releases 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.9);
390 Jim Kingdon (releases 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3);
391 and Randy Smith (releases 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0).
392
393 Richard Stallman, assisted at various times by Peter TerMaat, Chris
394 Hanson, and Richard Mlynarik, handled releases through 2.8.
395
396 Michael Tiemann is the author of most of the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} support
397 in @value{GDBN}, with significant additional contributions from Per
398 Bothner and Daniel Berlin. James Clark wrote the @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
399 demangler. Early work on C@t{++} was by Peter TerMaat (who also did
400 much general update work leading to release 3.0).
401
402 @value{GDBN} uses the BFD subroutine library to examine multiple
403 object-file formats; BFD was a joint project of David V.
404 Henkel-Wallace, Rich Pixley, Steve Chamberlain, and John Gilmore.
405
406 David Johnson wrote the original COFF support; Pace Willison did
407 the original support for encapsulated COFF.
408
409 Brent Benson of Harris Computer Systems contributed DWARF 2 support.
410
411 Adam de Boor and Bradley Davis contributed the ISI Optimum V support.
412 Per Bothner, Noboyuki Hikichi, and Alessandro Forin contributed MIPS
413 support.
414 Jean-Daniel Fekete contributed Sun 386i support.
415 Chris Hanson improved the HP9000 support.
416 Noboyuki Hikichi and Tomoyuki Hasei contributed Sony/News OS 3 support.
417 David Johnson contributed Encore Umax support.
418 Jyrki Kuoppala contributed Altos 3068 support.
419 Jeff Law contributed HP PA and SOM support.
420 Keith Packard contributed NS32K support.
421 Doug Rabson contributed Acorn Risc Machine support.
422 Bob Rusk contributed Harris Nighthawk CX-UX support.
423 Chris Smith contributed Convex support (and Fortran debugging).
424 Jonathan Stone contributed Pyramid support.
425 Michael Tiemann contributed SPARC support.
426 Tim Tucker contributed support for the Gould NP1 and Gould Powernode.
427 Pace Willison contributed Intel 386 support.
428 Jay Vosburgh contributed Symmetry support.
429 Marko Mlinar contributed OpenRISC 1000 support.
430
431 Andreas Schwab contributed M68K @sc{gnu}/Linux support.
432
433 Rich Schaefer and Peter Schauer helped with support of SunOS shared
434 libraries.
435
436 Jay Fenlason and Roland McGrath ensured that @value{GDBN} and GAS agree
437 about several machine instruction sets.
438
439 Patrick Duval, Ted Goldstein, Vikram Koka and Glenn Engel helped develop
440 remote debugging. Intel Corporation, Wind River Systems, AMD, and ARM
441 contributed remote debugging modules for the i960, VxWorks, A29K UDI,
442 and RDI targets, respectively.
443
444 Brian Fox is the author of the readline libraries providing
445 command-line editing and command history.
446
447 Andrew Beers of SUNY Buffalo wrote the language-switching code, the
448 Modula-2 support, and contributed the Languages chapter of this manual.
449
450 Fred Fish wrote most of the support for Unix System Vr4.
451 He also enhanced the command-completion support to cover C@t{++} overloaded
452 symbols.
453
454 Hitachi America (now Renesas America), Ltd. sponsored the support for
455 H8/300, H8/500, and Super-H processors.
456
457 NEC sponsored the support for the v850, Vr4xxx, and Vr5xxx processors.
458
459 Mitsubishi (now Renesas) sponsored the support for D10V, D30V, and M32R/D
460 processors.
461
462 Toshiba sponsored the support for the TX39 Mips processor.
463
464 Matsushita sponsored the support for the MN10200 and MN10300 processors.
465
466 Fujitsu sponsored the support for SPARClite and FR30 processors.
467
468 Kung Hsu, Jeff Law, and Rick Sladkey added support for hardware
469 watchpoints.
470
471 Michael Snyder added support for tracepoints.
472
473 Stu Grossman wrote gdbserver.
474
475 Jim Kingdon, Peter Schauer, Ian Taylor, and Stu Grossman made
476 nearly innumerable bug fixes and cleanups throughout @value{GDBN}.
477
478 The following people at the Hewlett-Packard Company contributed
479 support for the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, HP-UX 10.20, 10.30, and 11.0
480 (narrow mode), HP's implementation of kernel threads, HP's aC@t{++}
481 compiler, and the Text User Interface (nee Terminal User Interface):
482 Ben Krepp, Richard Title, John Bishop, Susan Macchia, Kathy Mann,
483 Satish Pai, India Paul, Steve Rehrauer, and Elena Zannoni. Kim Haase
484 provided HP-specific information in this manual.
485
486 DJ Delorie ported @value{GDBN} to MS-DOS, for the DJGPP project.
487 Robert Hoehne made significant contributions to the DJGPP port.
488
489 Cygnus Solutions has sponsored @value{GDBN} maintenance and much of its
490 development since 1991. Cygnus engineers who have worked on @value{GDBN}
491 fulltime include Mark Alexander, Jim Blandy, Per Bothner, Kevin
492 Buettner, Edith Epstein, Chris Faylor, Fred Fish, Martin Hunt, Jim
493 Ingham, John Gilmore, Stu Grossman, Kung Hsu, Jim Kingdon, John Metzler,
494 Fernando Nasser, Geoffrey Noer, Dawn Perchik, Rich Pixley, Zdenek
495 Radouch, Keith Seitz, Stan Shebs, David Taylor, and Elena Zannoni. In
496 addition, Dave Brolley, Ian Carmichael, Steve Chamberlain, Nick Clifton,
497 JT Conklin, Stan Cox, DJ Delorie, Ulrich Drepper, Frank Eigler, Doug
498 Evans, Sean Fagan, David Henkel-Wallace, Richard Henderson, Jeff
499 Holcomb, Jeff Law, Jim Lemke, Tom Lord, Bob Manson, Michael Meissner,
500 Jason Merrill, Catherine Moore, Drew Moseley, Ken Raeburn, Gavin
501 Romig-Koch, Rob Savoye, Jamie Smith, Mike Stump, Ian Taylor, Angela
502 Thomas, Michael Tiemann, Tom Tromey, Ron Unrau, Jim Wilson, and David
503 Zuhn have made contributions both large and small.
504
505 Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, and Elena Zannoni, while working for
506 Cygnus Solutions, implemented the original @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
507
508 Jim Blandy added support for preprocessor macros, while working for Red
509 Hat.
510
511 Andrew Cagney designed @value{GDBN}'s architecture vector. Many
512 people including Andrew Cagney, Stephane Carrez, Randolph Chung, Nick
513 Duffek, Richard Henderson, Mark Kettenis, Grace Sainsbury, Kei
514 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Andreas Schwab, Jason
515 Thorpe, Corinna Vinschen, Ulrich Weigand, and Elena Zannoni, helped
516 with the migration of old architectures to this new framework.
517
518 Andrew Cagney completely re-designed and re-implemented @value{GDBN}'s
519 unwinder framework, this consisting of a fresh new design featuring
520 frame IDs, independent frame sniffers, and the sentinel frame. Mark
521 Kettenis implemented the @sc{dwarf 2} unwinder, Jeff Johnston the
522 libunwind unwinder, and Andrew Cagney the dummy, sentinel, tramp, and
523 trad unwinders. The architecture-specific changes, each involving a
524 complete rewrite of the architecture's frame code, were carried out by
525 Jim Blandy, Joel Brobecker, Kevin Buettner, Andrew Cagney, Stephane
526 Carrez, Randolph Chung, Orjan Friberg, Richard Henderson, Daniel
527 Jacobowitz, Jeff Johnston, Mark Kettenis, Theodore A. Roth, Kei
528 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Corinna Vinschen, and Ulrich
529 Weigand.
530
531 Christian Zankel, Ross Morley, Bob Wilson, and Maxim Grigoriev from
532 Tensilica, Inc.@: contributed support for Xtensa processors. Others
533 who have worked on the Xtensa port of @value{GDBN} in the past include
534 Steve Tjiang, John Newlin, and Scott Foehner.
535
536 Michael Eager and staff of Xilinx, Inc., contributed support for the
537 Xilinx MicroBlaze architecture.
538
539 @node Sample Session
540 @chapter A Sample @value{GDBN} Session
541
542 You can use this manual at your leisure to read all about @value{GDBN}.
543 However, a handful of commands are enough to get started using the
544 debugger. This chapter illustrates those commands.
545
546 @iftex
547 In this sample session, we emphasize user input like this: @b{input},
548 to make it easier to pick out from the surrounding output.
549 @end iftex
550
551 @c FIXME: this example may not be appropriate for some configs, where
552 @c FIXME...primary interest is in remote use.
553
554 One of the preliminary versions of @sc{gnu} @code{m4} (a generic macro
555 processor) exhibits the following bug: sometimes, when we change its
556 quote strings from the default, the commands used to capture one macro
557 definition within another stop working. In the following short @code{m4}
558 session, we define a macro @code{foo} which expands to @code{0000}; we
559 then use the @code{m4} built-in @code{defn} to define @code{bar} as the
560 same thing. However, when we change the open quote string to
561 @code{<QUOTE>} and the close quote string to @code{<UNQUOTE>}, the same
562 procedure fails to define a new synonym @code{baz}:
563
564 @smallexample
565 $ @b{cd gnu/m4}
566 $ @b{./m4}
567 @b{define(foo,0000)}
568
569 @b{foo}
570 0000
571 @b{define(bar,defn(`foo'))}
572
573 @b{bar}
574 0000
575 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
576
577 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
578 @b{baz}
579 @b{Ctrl-d}
580 m4: End of input: 0: fatal error: EOF in string
581 @end smallexample
582
583 @noindent
584 Let us use @value{GDBN} to try to see what is going on.
585
586 @smallexample
587 $ @b{@value{GDBP} m4}
588 @c FIXME: this falsifies the exact text played out, to permit smallbook
589 @c FIXME... format to come out better.
590 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
591 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
592 the conditions.
593 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
594 for details.
595
596 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
597 (@value{GDBP})
598 @end smallexample
599
600 @noindent
601 @value{GDBN} reads only enough symbol data to know where to find the
602 rest when needed; as a result, the first prompt comes up very quickly.
603 We now tell @value{GDBN} to use a narrower display width than usual, so
604 that examples fit in this manual.
605
606 @smallexample
607 (@value{GDBP}) @b{set width 70}
608 @end smallexample
609
610 @noindent
611 We need to see how the @code{m4} built-in @code{changequote} works.
612 Having looked at the source, we know the relevant subroutine is
613 @code{m4_changequote}, so we set a breakpoint there with the @value{GDBN}
614 @code{break} command.
615
616 @smallexample
617 (@value{GDBP}) @b{break m4_changequote}
618 Breakpoint 1 at 0x62f4: file builtin.c, line 879.
619 @end smallexample
620
621 @noindent
622 Using the @code{run} command, we start @code{m4} running under @value{GDBN}
623 control; as long as control does not reach the @code{m4_changequote}
624 subroutine, the program runs as usual:
625
626 @smallexample
627 (@value{GDBP}) @b{run}
628 Starting program: /work/Editorial/gdb/gnu/m4/m4
629 @b{define(foo,0000)}
630
631 @b{foo}
632 0000
633 @end smallexample
634
635 @noindent
636 To trigger the breakpoint, we call @code{changequote}. @value{GDBN}
637 suspends execution of @code{m4}, displaying information about the
638 context where it stops.
639
640 @smallexample
641 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
642
643 Breakpoint 1, m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
644 at builtin.c:879
645 879 if (bad_argc(TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[0]),argc,1,3))
646 @end smallexample
647
648 @noindent
649 Now we use the command @code{n} (@code{next}) to advance execution to
650 the next line of the current function.
651
652 @smallexample
653 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
654 882 set_quotes((argc >= 2) ? TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[1])\
655 : nil,
656 @end smallexample
657
658 @noindent
659 @code{set_quotes} looks like a promising subroutine. We can go into it
660 by using the command @code{s} (@code{step}) instead of @code{next}.
661 @code{step} goes to the next line to be executed in @emph{any}
662 subroutine, so it steps into @code{set_quotes}.
663
664 @smallexample
665 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
666 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
667 at input.c:530
668 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
669 @end smallexample
670
671 @noindent
672 The display that shows the subroutine where @code{m4} is now
673 suspended (and its arguments) is called a stack frame display. It
674 shows a summary of the stack. We can use the @code{backtrace}
675 command (which can also be spelled @code{bt}), to see where we are
676 in the stack as a whole: the @code{backtrace} command displays a
677 stack frame for each active subroutine.
678
679 @smallexample
680 (@value{GDBP}) @b{bt}
681 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
682 at input.c:530
683 #1 0x6344 in m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
684 at builtin.c:882
685 #2 0x8174 in expand_macro (sym=0x33320) at macro.c:242
686 #3 0x7a88 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=209696, td=0xf7fffa30)
687 at macro.c:71
688 #4 0x79dc in expand_input () at macro.c:40
689 #5 0x2930 in main (argc=0, argv=0xf7fffb20) at m4.c:195
690 @end smallexample
691
692 @noindent
693 We step through a few more lines to see what happens. The first two
694 times, we can use @samp{s}; the next two times we use @code{n} to avoid
695 falling into the @code{xstrdup} subroutine.
696
697 @smallexample
698 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
699 0x3b5c 532 if (rquote != def_rquote)
700 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
701 0x3b80 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? \
702 def_lquote : xstrdup(lq);
703 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
704 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
705 : xstrdup(rq);
706 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
707 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
708 @end smallexample
709
710 @noindent
711 The last line displayed looks a little odd; we can examine the variables
712 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} to see if they are in fact the new left
713 and right quotes we specified. We use the command @code{p}
714 (@code{print}) to see their values.
715
716 @smallexample
717 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p lquote}
718 $1 = 0x35d40 "<QUOTE>"
719 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p rquote}
720 $2 = 0x35d50 "<UNQUOTE>"
721 @end smallexample
722
723 @noindent
724 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} are indeed the new left and right quotes.
725 To look at some context, we can display ten lines of source
726 surrounding the current line with the @code{l} (@code{list}) command.
727
728 @smallexample
729 (@value{GDBP}) @b{l}
730 533 xfree(rquote);
731 534
732 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? def_lquote\
733 : xstrdup (lq);
734 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
735 : xstrdup (rq);
736 537
737 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
738 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
739 540 @}
740 541
741 542 void
742 @end smallexample
743
744 @noindent
745 Let us step past the two lines that set @code{len_lquote} and
746 @code{len_rquote}, and then examine the values of those variables.
747
748 @smallexample
749 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
750 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
751 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
752 540 @}
753 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote}
754 $3 = 9
755 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote}
756 $4 = 7
757 @end smallexample
758
759 @noindent
760 That certainly looks wrong, assuming @code{len_lquote} and
761 @code{len_rquote} are meant to be the lengths of @code{lquote} and
762 @code{rquote} respectively. We can set them to better values using
763 the @code{p} command, since it can print the value of
764 any expression---and that expression can include subroutine calls and
765 assignments.
766
767 @smallexample
768 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote=strlen(lquote)}
769 $5 = 7
770 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote=strlen(rquote)}
771 $6 = 9
772 @end smallexample
773
774 @noindent
775 Is that enough to fix the problem of using the new quotes with the
776 @code{m4} built-in @code{defn}? We can allow @code{m4} to continue
777 executing with the @code{c} (@code{continue}) command, and then try the
778 example that caused trouble initially:
779
780 @smallexample
781 (@value{GDBP}) @b{c}
782 Continuing.
783
784 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
785
786 baz
787 0000
788 @end smallexample
789
790 @noindent
791 Success! The new quotes now work just as well as the default ones. The
792 problem seems to have been just the two typos defining the wrong
793 lengths. We allow @code{m4} exit by giving it an EOF as input:
794
795 @smallexample
796 @b{Ctrl-d}
797 Program exited normally.
798 @end smallexample
799
800 @noindent
801 The message @samp{Program exited normally.} is from @value{GDBN}; it
802 indicates @code{m4} has finished executing. We can end our @value{GDBN}
803 session with the @value{GDBN} @code{quit} command.
804
805 @smallexample
806 (@value{GDBP}) @b{quit}
807 @end smallexample
808
809 @node Invocation
810 @chapter Getting In and Out of @value{GDBN}
811
812 This chapter discusses how to start @value{GDBN}, and how to get out of it.
813 The essentials are:
814 @itemize @bullet
815 @item
816 type @samp{@value{GDBP}} to start @value{GDBN}.
817 @item
818 type @kbd{quit} or @kbd{Ctrl-d} to exit.
819 @end itemize
820
821 @menu
822 * Invoking GDB:: How to start @value{GDBN}
823 * Quitting GDB:: How to quit @value{GDBN}
824 * Shell Commands:: How to use shell commands inside @value{GDBN}
825 * Logging Output:: How to log @value{GDBN}'s output to a file
826 @end menu
827
828 @node Invoking GDB
829 @section Invoking @value{GDBN}
830
831 Invoke @value{GDBN} by running the program @code{@value{GDBP}}. Once started,
832 @value{GDBN} reads commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit.
833
834 You can also run @code{@value{GDBP}} with a variety of arguments and options,
835 to specify more of your debugging environment at the outset.
836
837 The command-line options described here are designed
838 to cover a variety of situations; in some environments, some of these
839 options may effectively be unavailable.
840
841 The most usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument,
842 specifying an executable program:
843
844 @smallexample
845 @value{GDBP} @var{program}
846 @end smallexample
847
848 @noindent
849 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file
850 specified:
851
852 @smallexample
853 @value{GDBP} @var{program} @var{core}
854 @end smallexample
855
856 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
857 to debug a running process:
858
859 @smallexample
860 @value{GDBP} @var{program} 1234
861 @end smallexample
862
863 @noindent
864 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
865 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
866
867 Taking advantage of the second command-line argument requires a fairly
868 complete operating system; when you use @value{GDBN} as a remote
869 debugger attached to a bare board, there may not be any notion of
870 ``process'', and there is often no way to get a core dump. @value{GDBN}
871 will warn you if it is unable to attach or to read core dumps.
872
873 You can optionally have @code{@value{GDBP}} pass any arguments after the
874 executable file to the inferior using @code{--args}. This option stops
875 option processing.
876 @smallexample
877 @value{GDBP} --args gcc -O2 -c foo.c
878 @end smallexample
879 This will cause @code{@value{GDBP}} to debug @code{gcc}, and to set
880 @code{gcc}'s command-line arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to @samp{-O2 -c foo.c}.
881
882 You can run @code{@value{GDBP}} without printing the front material, which describes
883 @value{GDBN}'s non-warranty, by specifying @code{-silent}:
884
885 @smallexample
886 @value{GDBP} -silent
887 @end smallexample
888
889 @noindent
890 You can further control how @value{GDBN} starts up by using command-line
891 options. @value{GDBN} itself can remind you of the options available.
892
893 @noindent
894 Type
895
896 @smallexample
897 @value{GDBP} -help
898 @end smallexample
899
900 @noindent
901 to display all available options and briefly describe their use
902 (@samp{@value{GDBP} -h} is a shorter equivalent).
903
904 All options and command line arguments you give are processed
905 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the
906 @samp{-x} option is used.
907
908
909 @menu
910 * File Options:: Choosing files
911 * Mode Options:: Choosing modes
912 * Startup:: What @value{GDBN} does during startup
913 @end menu
914
915 @node File Options
916 @subsection Choosing Files
917
918 When @value{GDBN} starts, it reads any arguments other than options as
919 specifying an executable file and core file (or process ID). This is
920 the same as if the arguments were specified by the @samp{-se} and
921 @samp{-c} (or @samp{-p}) options respectively. (@value{GDBN} reads the
922 first argument that does not have an associated option flag as
923 equivalent to the @samp{-se} option followed by that argument; and the
924 second argument that does not have an associated option flag, if any, as
925 equivalent to the @samp{-c}/@samp{-p} option followed by that argument.)
926 If the second argument begins with a decimal digit, @value{GDBN} will
927 first attempt to attach to it as a process, and if that fails, attempt
928 to open it as a corefile. If you have a corefile whose name begins with
929 a digit, you can prevent @value{GDBN} from treating it as a pid by
930 prefixing it with @file{./}, e.g.@: @file{./12345}.
931
932 If @value{GDBN} has not been configured to included core file support,
933 such as for most embedded targets, then it will complain about a second
934 argument and ignore it.
935
936 Many options have both long and short forms; both are shown in the
937 following list. @value{GDBN} also recognizes the long forms if you truncate
938 them, so long as enough of the option is present to be unambiguous.
939 (If you prefer, you can flag option arguments with @samp{--} rather
940 than @samp{-}, though we illustrate the more usual convention.)
941
942 @c NOTE: the @cindex entries here use double dashes ON PURPOSE. This
943 @c way, both those who look for -foo and --foo in the index, will find
944 @c it.
945
946 @table @code
947 @item -symbols @var{file}
948 @itemx -s @var{file}
949 @cindex @code{--symbols}
950 @cindex @code{-s}
951 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
952
953 @item -exec @var{file}
954 @itemx -e @var{file}
955 @cindex @code{--exec}
956 @cindex @code{-e}
957 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when appropriate,
958 and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core dump.
959
960 @item -se @var{file}
961 @cindex @code{--se}
962 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
963 file.
964
965 @item -core @var{file}
966 @itemx -c @var{file}
967 @cindex @code{--core}
968 @cindex @code{-c}
969 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
970
971 @item -pid @var{number}
972 @itemx -p @var{number}
973 @cindex @code{--pid}
974 @cindex @code{-p}
975 Connect to process ID @var{number}, as with the @code{attach} command.
976
977 @item -command @var{file}
978 @itemx -x @var{file}
979 @cindex @code{--command}
980 @cindex @code{-x}
981 Execute commands from file @var{file}. The contents of this file is
982 evaluated exactly as the @code{source} command would.
983 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
984
985 @item -eval-command @var{command}
986 @itemx -ex @var{command}
987 @cindex @code{--eval-command}
988 @cindex @code{-ex}
989 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command.
990
991 This option may be used multiple times to call multiple commands. It may
992 also be interleaved with @samp{-command} as required.
993
994 @smallexample
995 @value{GDBP} -ex 'target sim' -ex 'load' \
996 -x setbreakpoints -ex 'run' a.out
997 @end smallexample
998
999 @item -init-command @var{file}
1000 @itemx -ix @var{file}
1001 @cindex @code{--init-command}
1002 @cindex @code{-ix}
1003 Execute commands from file @var{file} before loading the inferior (but
1004 after loading gdbinit files).
1005 @xref{Startup}.
1006
1007 @item -init-eval-command @var{command}
1008 @itemx -iex @var{command}
1009 @cindex @code{--init-eval-command}
1010 @cindex @code{-iex}
1011 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command before loading the inferior (but
1012 after loading gdbinit files).
1013 @xref{Startup}.
1014
1015 @item -directory @var{directory}
1016 @itemx -d @var{directory}
1017 @cindex @code{--directory}
1018 @cindex @code{-d}
1019 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source and script files.
1020
1021 @item -r
1022 @itemx -readnow
1023 @cindex @code{--readnow}
1024 @cindex @code{-r}
1025 Read each symbol file's entire symbol table immediately, rather than
1026 the default, which is to read it incrementally as it is needed.
1027 This makes startup slower, but makes future operations faster.
1028
1029 @end table
1030
1031 @node Mode Options
1032 @subsection Choosing Modes
1033
1034 You can run @value{GDBN} in various alternative modes---for example, in
1035 batch mode or quiet mode.
1036
1037 @table @code
1038 @anchor{-nx}
1039 @item -nx
1040 @itemx -n
1041 @cindex @code{--nx}
1042 @cindex @code{-n}
1043 Do not execute commands found in any initialization file.
1044 There are three init files, loaded in the following order:
1045
1046 @table @code
1047 @item @file{system.gdbinit}
1048 This is the system-wide init file.
1049 Its location is specified with the @code{--with-system-gdbinit}
1050 configure option (@pxref{System-wide configuration}).
1051 It is loaded first when @value{GDBN} starts, before command line options
1052 have been processed.
1053 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}
1054 This is the init file in your home directory.
1055 It is loaded next, after @file{system.gdbinit}, and before
1056 command options have been processed.
1057 @item @file{./.gdbinit}
1058 This is the init file in the current directory.
1059 It is loaded last, after command line options other than @code{-x} and
1060 @code{-ex} have been processed. Command line options @code{-x} and
1061 @code{-ex} are processed last, after @file{./.gdbinit} has been loaded.
1062 @end table
1063
1064 For further documentation on startup processing, @xref{Startup}.
1065 For documentation on how to write command files,
1066 @xref{Command Files,,Command Files}.
1067
1068 @anchor{-nh}
1069 @item -nh
1070 @cindex @code{--nh}
1071 Do not execute commands found in @file{~/.gdbinit}, the init file
1072 in your home directory.
1073 @xref{Startup}.
1074
1075 @item -quiet
1076 @itemx -silent
1077 @itemx -q
1078 @cindex @code{--quiet}
1079 @cindex @code{--silent}
1080 @cindex @code{-q}
1081 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
1082 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
1083
1084 @item -batch
1085 @cindex @code{--batch}
1086 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the
1087 command files specified with @samp{-x} (and all commands from
1088 initialization files, if not inhibited with @samp{-n}). Exit with
1089 nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN} commands
1090 in the command files. Batch mode also disables pagination, sets unlimited
1091 terminal width and height @pxref{Screen Size}, and acts as if @kbd{set confirm
1092 off} were in effect (@pxref{Messages/Warnings}).
1093
1094 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for
1095 example to download and run a program on another computer; in order to
1096 make this more useful, the message
1097
1098 @smallexample
1099 Program exited normally.
1100 @end smallexample
1101
1102 @noindent
1103 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under
1104 @value{GDBN} control terminates) is not issued when running in batch
1105 mode.
1106
1107 @item -batch-silent
1108 @cindex @code{--batch-silent}
1109 Run in batch mode exactly like @samp{-batch}, but totally silently. All
1110 @value{GDBN} output to @code{stdout} is prevented (@code{stderr} is
1111 unaffected). This is much quieter than @samp{-silent} and would be useless
1112 for an interactive session.
1113
1114 This is particularly useful when using targets that give @samp{Loading section}
1115 messages, for example.
1116
1117 Note that targets that give their output via @value{GDBN}, as opposed to
1118 writing directly to @code{stdout}, will also be made silent.
1119
1120 @item -return-child-result
1121 @cindex @code{--return-child-result}
1122 The return code from @value{GDBN} will be the return code from the child
1123 process (the process being debugged), with the following exceptions:
1124
1125 @itemize @bullet
1126 @item
1127 @value{GDBN} exits abnormally. E.g., due to an incorrect argument or an
1128 internal error. In this case the exit code is the same as it would have been
1129 without @samp{-return-child-result}.
1130 @item
1131 The user quits with an explicit value. E.g., @samp{quit 1}.
1132 @item
1133 The child process never runs, or is not allowed to terminate, in which case
1134 the exit code will be -1.
1135 @end itemize
1136
1137 This option is useful in conjunction with @samp{-batch} or @samp{-batch-silent},
1138 when @value{GDBN} is being used as a remote program loader or simulator
1139 interface.
1140
1141 @item -nowindows
1142 @itemx -nw
1143 @cindex @code{--nowindows}
1144 @cindex @code{-nw}
1145 ``No windows''. If @value{GDBN} comes with a graphical user interface
1146 (GUI) built in, then this option tells @value{GDBN} to only use the command-line
1147 interface. If no GUI is available, this option has no effect.
1148
1149 @item -windows
1150 @itemx -w
1151 @cindex @code{--windows}
1152 @cindex @code{-w}
1153 If @value{GDBN} includes a GUI, then this option requires it to be
1154 used if possible.
1155
1156 @item -cd @var{directory}
1157 @cindex @code{--cd}
1158 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
1159 instead of the current directory.
1160
1161 @item -data-directory @var{directory}
1162 @cindex @code{--data-directory}
1163 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its data directory.
1164 The data directory is where @value{GDBN} searches for its
1165 auxiliary files. @xref{Data Files}.
1166
1167 @item -fullname
1168 @itemx -f
1169 @cindex @code{--fullname}
1170 @cindex @code{-f}
1171 @sc{gnu} Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a
1172 subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line
1173 number in a standard, recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is
1174 displayed (which includes each time your program stops). This
1175 recognizable format looks like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by
1176 the file name, line number and character position separated by colons,
1177 and a newline. The Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two
1178 @samp{\032} characters as a signal to display the source code for the
1179 frame.
1180
1181 @item -annotate @var{level}
1182 @cindex @code{--annotate}
1183 This option sets the @dfn{annotation level} inside @value{GDBN}. Its
1184 effect is identical to using @samp{set annotate @var{level}}
1185 (@pxref{Annotations}). The annotation @var{level} controls how much
1186 information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt, values of
1187 expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0 is the
1188 normal, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a subprocess of
1189 @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable for programs
1190 that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 has been deprecated.
1191
1192 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
1193 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
1194
1195 @item --args
1196 @cindex @code{--args}
1197 Change interpretation of command line so that arguments following the
1198 executable file are passed as command line arguments to the inferior.
1199 This option stops option processing.
1200
1201 @item -baud @var{bps}
1202 @itemx -b @var{bps}
1203 @cindex @code{--baud}
1204 @cindex @code{-b}
1205 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
1206 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
1207
1208 @item -l @var{timeout}
1209 @cindex @code{-l}
1210 Set the timeout (in seconds) of any communication used by @value{GDBN}
1211 for remote debugging.
1212
1213 @item -tty @var{device}
1214 @itemx -t @var{device}
1215 @cindex @code{--tty}
1216 @cindex @code{-t}
1217 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
1218 @c FIXME: kingdon thinks there is more to -tty. Investigate.
1219
1220 @c resolve the situation of these eventually
1221 @item -tui
1222 @cindex @code{--tui}
1223 Activate the @dfn{Text User Interface} when starting. The Text User
1224 Interface manages several text windows on the terminal, showing
1225 source, assembly, registers and @value{GDBN} command outputs
1226 (@pxref{TUI, ,@value{GDBN} Text User Interface}). Do not use this
1227 option if you run @value{GDBN} from Emacs (@pxref{Emacs, ,
1228 Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}).
1229
1230 @c @item -xdb
1231 @c @cindex @code{--xdb}
1232 @c Run in XDB compatibility mode, allowing the use of certain XDB commands.
1233 @c For information, see the file @file{xdb_trans.html}, which is usually
1234 @c installed in the directory @code{/opt/langtools/wdb/doc} on HP-UX
1235 @c systems.
1236
1237 @item -interpreter @var{interp}
1238 @cindex @code{--interpreter}
1239 Use the interpreter @var{interp} for interface with the controlling
1240 program or device. This option is meant to be set by programs which
1241 communicate with @value{GDBN} using it as a back end.
1242 @xref{Interpreters, , Command Interpreters}.
1243
1244 @samp{--interpreter=mi} (or @samp{--interpreter=mi2}) causes
1245 @value{GDBN} to use the @dfn{@sc{gdb/mi} interface} (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,
1246 The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}) included since @value{GDBN} version 6.0. The
1247 previous @sc{gdb/mi} interface, included in @value{GDBN} version 5.3 and
1248 selected with @samp{--interpreter=mi1}, is deprecated. Earlier
1249 @sc{gdb/mi} interfaces are no longer supported.
1250
1251 @item -write
1252 @cindex @code{--write}
1253 Open the executable and core files for both reading and writing. This
1254 is equivalent to the @samp{set write on} command inside @value{GDBN}
1255 (@pxref{Patching}).
1256
1257 @item -statistics
1258 @cindex @code{--statistics}
1259 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print statistics about time and
1260 memory usage after it completes each command and returns to the prompt.
1261
1262 @item -version
1263 @cindex @code{--version}
1264 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print its version number and
1265 no-warranty blurb, and exit.
1266
1267 @end table
1268
1269 @node Startup
1270 @subsection What @value{GDBN} Does During Startup
1271 @cindex @value{GDBN} startup
1272
1273 Here's the description of what @value{GDBN} does during session startup:
1274
1275 @enumerate
1276 @item
1277 Sets up the command interpreter as specified by the command line
1278 (@pxref{Mode Options, interpreter}).
1279
1280 @item
1281 @cindex init file
1282 Reads the system-wide @dfn{init file} (if @option{--with-system-gdbinit} was
1283 used when building @value{GDBN}; @pxref{System-wide configuration,
1284 ,System-wide configuration and settings}) and executes all the commands in
1285 that file.
1286
1287 @anchor{Home Directory Init File}
1288 @item
1289 Reads the init file (if any) in your home directory@footnote{On
1290 DOS/Windows systems, the home directory is the one pointed to by the
1291 @code{HOME} environment variable.} and executes all the commands in
1292 that file.
1293
1294 @anchor{Option -init-eval-command}
1295 @item
1296 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-iex} and
1297 @samp{-ix} options in their specified order. Usually you should use the
1298 @samp{-ex} and @samp{-x} options instead, but this way you can apply
1299 settings before @value{GDBN} init files get executed and before inferior
1300 gets loaded.
1301
1302 @item
1303 Processes command line options and operands.
1304
1305 @anchor{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}
1306 @item
1307 Reads and executes the commands from init file (if any) in the current
1308 working directory as long as @samp{set auto-load local-gdbinit} is set to
1309 @samp{on} (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory}).
1310 This is only done if the current directory is
1311 different from your home directory. Thus, you can have more than one
1312 init file, one generic in your home directory, and another, specific
1313 to the program you are debugging, in the directory where you invoke
1314 @value{GDBN}.
1315
1316 @item
1317 If the command line specified a program to debug, or a process to
1318 attach to, or a core file, @value{GDBN} loads any auto-loaded
1319 scripts provided for the program or for its loaded shared libraries.
1320 @xref{Auto-loading}.
1321
1322 If you wish to disable the auto-loading during startup,
1323 you must do something like the following:
1324
1325 @smallexample
1326 $ gdb -iex "set auto-load python-scripts off" myprogram
1327 @end smallexample
1328
1329 Option @samp{-ex} does not work because the auto-loading is then turned
1330 off too late.
1331
1332 @item
1333 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-ex} and
1334 @samp{-x} options in their specified order. @xref{Command Files}, for
1335 more details about @value{GDBN} command files.
1336
1337 @item
1338 Reads the command history recorded in the @dfn{history file}.
1339 @xref{Command History}, for more details about the command history and the
1340 files where @value{GDBN} records it.
1341 @end enumerate
1342
1343 Init files use the same syntax as @dfn{command files} (@pxref{Command
1344 Files}) and are processed by @value{GDBN} in the same way. The init
1345 file in your home directory can set options (such as @samp{set
1346 complaints}) that affect subsequent processing of command line options
1347 and operands. Init files are not executed if you use the @samp{-nx}
1348 option (@pxref{Mode Options, ,Choosing Modes}).
1349
1350 To display the list of init files loaded by gdb at startup, you
1351 can use @kbd{gdb --help}.
1352
1353 @cindex init file name
1354 @cindex @file{.gdbinit}
1355 @cindex @file{gdb.ini}
1356 The @value{GDBN} init files are normally called @file{.gdbinit}.
1357 The DJGPP port of @value{GDBN} uses the name @file{gdb.ini}, due to
1358 the limitations of file names imposed by DOS filesystems. The Windows
1359 port of @value{GDBN} uses the standard name, but if it finds a
1360 @file{gdb.ini} file in your home directory, it warns you about that
1361 and suggests to rename the file to the standard name.
1362
1363
1364 @node Quitting GDB
1365 @section Quitting @value{GDBN}
1366 @cindex exiting @value{GDBN}
1367 @cindex leaving @value{GDBN}
1368
1369 @table @code
1370 @kindex quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1371 @kindex q @r{(@code{quit})}
1372 @item quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1373 @itemx q
1374 To exit @value{GDBN}, use the @code{quit} command (abbreviated
1375 @code{q}), or type an end-of-file character (usually @kbd{Ctrl-d}). If you
1376 do not supply @var{expression}, @value{GDBN} will terminate normally;
1377 otherwise it will terminate using the result of @var{expression} as the
1378 error code.
1379 @end table
1380
1381 @cindex interrupt
1382 An interrupt (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}) does not exit from @value{GDBN}, but rather
1383 terminates the action of any @value{GDBN} command that is in progress and
1384 returns to @value{GDBN} command level. It is safe to type the interrupt
1385 character at any time because @value{GDBN} does not allow it to take effect
1386 until a time when it is safe.
1387
1388 If you have been using @value{GDBN} to control an attached process or
1389 device, you can release it with the @code{detach} command
1390 (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
1391
1392 @node Shell Commands
1393 @section Shell Commands
1394
1395 If you need to execute occasional shell commands during your
1396 debugging session, there is no need to leave or suspend @value{GDBN}; you can
1397 just use the @code{shell} command.
1398
1399 @table @code
1400 @kindex shell
1401 @kindex !
1402 @cindex shell escape
1403 @item shell @var{command-string}
1404 @itemx !@var{command-string}
1405 Invoke a standard shell to execute @var{command-string}.
1406 Note that no space is needed between @code{!} and @var{command-string}.
1407 If it exists, the environment variable @code{SHELL} determines which
1408 shell to run. Otherwise @value{GDBN} uses the default shell
1409 (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix systems, @file{COMMAND.COM} on MS-DOS, etc.).
1410 @end table
1411
1412 The utility @code{make} is often needed in development environments.
1413 You do not have to use the @code{shell} command for this purpose in
1414 @value{GDBN}:
1415
1416 @table @code
1417 @kindex make
1418 @cindex calling make
1419 @item make @var{make-args}
1420 Execute the @code{make} program with the specified
1421 arguments. This is equivalent to @samp{shell make @var{make-args}}.
1422 @end table
1423
1424 @node Logging Output
1425 @section Logging Output
1426 @cindex logging @value{GDBN} output
1427 @cindex save @value{GDBN} output to a file
1428
1429 You may want to save the output of @value{GDBN} commands to a file.
1430 There are several commands to control @value{GDBN}'s logging.
1431
1432 @table @code
1433 @kindex set logging
1434 @item set logging on
1435 Enable logging.
1436 @item set logging off
1437 Disable logging.
1438 @cindex logging file name
1439 @item set logging file @var{file}
1440 Change the name of the current logfile. The default logfile is @file{gdb.txt}.
1441 @item set logging overwrite [on|off]
1442 By default, @value{GDBN} will append to the logfile. Set @code{overwrite} if
1443 you want @code{set logging on} to overwrite the logfile instead.
1444 @item set logging redirect [on|off]
1445 By default, @value{GDBN} output will go to both the terminal and the logfile.
1446 Set @code{redirect} if you want output to go only to the log file.
1447 @kindex show logging
1448 @item show logging
1449 Show the current values of the logging settings.
1450 @end table
1451
1452 @node Commands
1453 @chapter @value{GDBN} Commands
1454
1455 You can abbreviate a @value{GDBN} command to the first few letters of the command
1456 name, if that abbreviation is unambiguous; and you can repeat certain
1457 @value{GDBN} commands by typing just @key{RET}. You can also use the @key{TAB}
1458 key to get @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest of a word in a command (or to
1459 show you the alternatives available, if there is more than one possibility).
1460
1461 @menu
1462 * Command Syntax:: How to give commands to @value{GDBN}
1463 * Completion:: Command completion
1464 * Help:: How to ask @value{GDBN} for help
1465 @end menu
1466
1467 @node Command Syntax
1468 @section Command Syntax
1469
1470 A @value{GDBN} command is a single line of input. There is no limit on
1471 how long it can be. It starts with a command name, which is followed by
1472 arguments whose meaning depends on the command name. For example, the
1473 command @code{step} accepts an argument which is the number of times to
1474 step, as in @samp{step 5}. You can also use the @code{step} command
1475 with no arguments. Some commands do not allow any arguments.
1476
1477 @cindex abbreviation
1478 @value{GDBN} command names may always be truncated if that abbreviation is
1479 unambiguous. Other possible command abbreviations are listed in the
1480 documentation for individual commands. In some cases, even ambiguous
1481 abbreviations are allowed; for example, @code{s} is specially defined as
1482 equivalent to @code{step} even though there are other commands whose
1483 names start with @code{s}. You can test abbreviations by using them as
1484 arguments to the @code{help} command.
1485
1486 @cindex repeating commands
1487 @kindex RET @r{(repeat last command)}
1488 A blank line as input to @value{GDBN} (typing just @key{RET}) means to
1489 repeat the previous command. Certain commands (for example, @code{run})
1490 will not repeat this way; these are commands whose unintentional
1491 repetition might cause trouble and which you are unlikely to want to
1492 repeat. User-defined commands can disable this feature; see
1493 @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
1494
1495 The @code{list} and @code{x} commands, when you repeat them with
1496 @key{RET}, construct new arguments rather than repeating
1497 exactly as typed. This permits easy scanning of source or memory.
1498
1499 @value{GDBN} can also use @key{RET} in another way: to partition lengthy
1500 output, in a way similar to the common utility @code{more}
1501 (@pxref{Screen Size,,Screen Size}). Since it is easy to press one
1502 @key{RET} too many in this situation, @value{GDBN} disables command
1503 repetition after any command that generates this sort of display.
1504
1505 @kindex # @r{(a comment)}
1506 @cindex comment
1507 Any text from a @kbd{#} to the end of the line is a comment; it does
1508 nothing. This is useful mainly in command files (@pxref{Command
1509 Files,,Command Files}).
1510
1511 @cindex repeating command sequences
1512 @kindex Ctrl-o @r{(operate-and-get-next)}
1513 The @kbd{Ctrl-o} binding is useful for repeating a complex sequence of
1514 commands. This command accepts the current line, like @key{RET}, and
1515 then fetches the next line relative to the current line from the history
1516 for editing.
1517
1518 @node Completion
1519 @section Command Completion
1520
1521 @cindex completion
1522 @cindex word completion
1523 @value{GDBN} can fill in the rest of a word in a command for you, if there is
1524 only one possibility; it can also show you what the valid possibilities
1525 are for the next word in a command, at any time. This works for @value{GDBN}
1526 commands, @value{GDBN} subcommands, and the names of symbols in your program.
1527
1528 Press the @key{TAB} key whenever you want @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest
1529 of a word. If there is only one possibility, @value{GDBN} fills in the
1530 word, and waits for you to finish the command (or press @key{RET} to
1531 enter it). For example, if you type
1532
1533 @c FIXME "@key" does not distinguish its argument sufficiently to permit
1534 @c complete accuracy in these examples; space introduced for clarity.
1535 @c If texinfo enhancements make it unnecessary, it would be nice to
1536 @c replace " @key" by "@key" in the following...
1537 @smallexample
1538 (@value{GDBP}) info bre @key{TAB}
1539 @end smallexample
1540
1541 @noindent
1542 @value{GDBN} fills in the rest of the word @samp{breakpoints}, since that is
1543 the only @code{info} subcommand beginning with @samp{bre}:
1544
1545 @smallexample
1546 (@value{GDBP}) info breakpoints
1547 @end smallexample
1548
1549 @noindent
1550 You can either press @key{RET} at this point, to run the @code{info
1551 breakpoints} command, or backspace and enter something else, if
1552 @samp{breakpoints} does not look like the command you expected. (If you
1553 were sure you wanted @code{info breakpoints} in the first place, you
1554 might as well just type @key{RET} immediately after @samp{info bre},
1555 to exploit command abbreviations rather than command completion).
1556
1557 If there is more than one possibility for the next word when you press
1558 @key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} sounds a bell. You can either supply more
1559 characters and try again, or just press @key{TAB} a second time;
1560 @value{GDBN} displays all the possible completions for that word. For
1561 example, you might want to set a breakpoint on a subroutine whose name
1562 begins with @samp{make_}, but when you type @kbd{b make_@key{TAB}} @value{GDBN}
1563 just sounds the bell. Typing @key{TAB} again displays all the
1564 function names in your program that begin with those characters, for
1565 example:
1566
1567 @smallexample
1568 (@value{GDBP}) b make_ @key{TAB}
1569 @exdent @value{GDBN} sounds bell; press @key{TAB} again, to see:
1570 make_a_section_from_file make_environ
1571 make_abs_section make_function_type
1572 make_blockvector make_pointer_type
1573 make_cleanup make_reference_type
1574 make_command make_symbol_completion_list
1575 (@value{GDBP}) b make_
1576 @end smallexample
1577
1578 @noindent
1579 After displaying the available possibilities, @value{GDBN} copies your
1580 partial input (@samp{b make_} in the example) so you can finish the
1581 command.
1582
1583 If you just want to see the list of alternatives in the first place, you
1584 can press @kbd{M-?} rather than pressing @key{TAB} twice. @kbd{M-?}
1585 means @kbd{@key{META} ?}. You can type this either by holding down a
1586 key designated as the @key{META} shift on your keyboard (if there is
1587 one) while typing @kbd{?}, or as @key{ESC} followed by @kbd{?}.
1588
1589 @cindex quotes in commands
1590 @cindex completion of quoted strings
1591 Sometimes the string you need, while logically a ``word'', may contain
1592 parentheses or other characters that @value{GDBN} normally excludes from
1593 its notion of a word. To permit word completion to work in this
1594 situation, you may enclose words in @code{'} (single quote marks) in
1595 @value{GDBN} commands.
1596
1597 The most likely situation where you might need this is in typing the
1598 name of a C@t{++} function. This is because C@t{++} allows function
1599 overloading (multiple definitions of the same function, distinguished
1600 by argument type). For example, when you want to set a breakpoint you
1601 may need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name}
1602 that takes an @code{int} parameter, @code{name(int)}, or the version
1603 that takes a @code{float} parameter, @code{name(float)}. To use the
1604 word-completion facilities in this situation, type a single quote
1605 @code{'} at the beginning of the function name. This alerts
1606 @value{GDBN} that it may need to consider more information than usual
1607 when you press @key{TAB} or @kbd{M-?} to request word completion:
1608
1609 @smallexample
1610 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble( @kbd{M-?}
1611 bubble(double,double) bubble(int,int)
1612 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1613 @end smallexample
1614
1615 In some cases, @value{GDBN} can tell that completing a name requires using
1616 quotes. When this happens, @value{GDBN} inserts the quote for you (while
1617 completing as much as it can) if you do not type the quote in the first
1618 place:
1619
1620 @smallexample
1621 (@value{GDBP}) b bub @key{TAB}
1622 @exdent @value{GDBN} alters your input line to the following, and rings a bell:
1623 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1624 @end smallexample
1625
1626 @noindent
1627 In general, @value{GDBN} can tell that a quote is needed (and inserts it) if
1628 you have not yet started typing the argument list when you ask for
1629 completion on an overloaded symbol.
1630
1631 For more information about overloaded functions, see @ref{C Plus Plus
1632 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}. You can use the command @code{set
1633 overload-resolution off} to disable overload resolution;
1634 see @ref{Debugging C Plus Plus, ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
1635
1636 @cindex completion of structure field names
1637 @cindex structure field name completion
1638 @cindex completion of union field names
1639 @cindex union field name completion
1640 When completing in an expression which looks up a field in a
1641 structure, @value{GDBN} also tries@footnote{The completer can be
1642 confused by certain kinds of invalid expressions. Also, it only
1643 examines the static type of the expression, not the dynamic type.} to
1644 limit completions to the field names available in the type of the
1645 left-hand-side:
1646
1647 @smallexample
1648 (@value{GDBP}) p gdb_stdout.@kbd{M-?}
1649 magic to_fputs to_rewind
1650 to_data to_isatty to_write
1651 to_delete to_put to_write_async_safe
1652 to_flush to_read
1653 @end smallexample
1654
1655 @noindent
1656 This is because the @code{gdb_stdout} is a variable of the type
1657 @code{struct ui_file} that is defined in @value{GDBN} sources as
1658 follows:
1659
1660 @smallexample
1661 struct ui_file
1662 @{
1663 int *magic;
1664 ui_file_flush_ftype *to_flush;
1665 ui_file_write_ftype *to_write;
1666 ui_file_write_async_safe_ftype *to_write_async_safe;
1667 ui_file_fputs_ftype *to_fputs;
1668 ui_file_read_ftype *to_read;
1669 ui_file_delete_ftype *to_delete;
1670 ui_file_isatty_ftype *to_isatty;
1671 ui_file_rewind_ftype *to_rewind;
1672 ui_file_put_ftype *to_put;
1673 void *to_data;
1674 @}
1675 @end smallexample
1676
1677
1678 @node Help
1679 @section Getting Help
1680 @cindex online documentation
1681 @kindex help
1682
1683 You can always ask @value{GDBN} itself for information on its commands,
1684 using the command @code{help}.
1685
1686 @table @code
1687 @kindex h @r{(@code{help})}
1688 @item help
1689 @itemx h
1690 You can use @code{help} (abbreviated @code{h}) with no arguments to
1691 display a short list of named classes of commands:
1692
1693 @smallexample
1694 (@value{GDBP}) help
1695 List of classes of commands:
1696
1697 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1698 breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
1699 data -- Examining data
1700 files -- Specifying and examining files
1701 internals -- Maintenance commands
1702 obscure -- Obscure features
1703 running -- Running the program
1704 stack -- Examining the stack
1705 status -- Status inquiries
1706 support -- Support facilities
1707 tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without
1708 stopping the program
1709 user-defined -- User-defined commands
1710
1711 Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
1712 commands in that class.
1713 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1714 documentation.
1715 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1716 (@value{GDBP})
1717 @end smallexample
1718 @c the above line break eliminates huge line overfull...
1719
1720 @item help @var{class}
1721 Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
1722 list of the individual commands in that class. For example, here is the
1723 help display for the class @code{status}:
1724
1725 @smallexample
1726 (@value{GDBP}) help status
1727 Status inquiries.
1728
1729 List of commands:
1730
1731 @c Line break in "show" line falsifies real output, but needed
1732 @c to fit in smallbook page size.
1733 info -- Generic command for showing things
1734 about the program being debugged
1735 show -- Generic command for showing things
1736 about the debugger
1737
1738 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1739 documentation.
1740 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1741 (@value{GDBP})
1742 @end smallexample
1743
1744 @item help @var{command}
1745 With a command name as @code{help} argument, @value{GDBN} displays a
1746 short paragraph on how to use that command.
1747
1748 @kindex apropos
1749 @item apropos @var{args}
1750 The @code{apropos} command searches through all of the @value{GDBN}
1751 commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression specified in
1752 @var{args}. It prints out all matches found. For example:
1753
1754 @smallexample
1755 apropos alias
1756 @end smallexample
1757
1758 @noindent
1759 results in:
1760
1761 @smallexample
1762 @c @group
1763 alias -- Define a new command that is an alias of an existing command
1764 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1765 d -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1766 del -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1767 delete -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1768 @c @end group
1769 @end smallexample
1770
1771 @kindex complete
1772 @item complete @var{args}
1773 The @code{complete @var{args}} command lists all the possible completions
1774 for the beginning of a command. Use @var{args} to specify the beginning of the
1775 command you want completed. For example:
1776
1777 @smallexample
1778 complete i
1779 @end smallexample
1780
1781 @noindent results in:
1782
1783 @smallexample
1784 @group
1785 if
1786 ignore
1787 info
1788 inspect
1789 @end group
1790 @end smallexample
1791
1792 @noindent This is intended for use by @sc{gnu} Emacs.
1793 @end table
1794
1795 In addition to @code{help}, you can use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{info}
1796 and @code{show} to inquire about the state of your program, or the state
1797 of @value{GDBN} itself. Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this
1798 manual introduces each of them in the appropriate context. The listings
1799 under @code{info} and under @code{show} in the Command, Variable, and
1800 Function Index point to all the sub-commands. @xref{Command and Variable
1801 Index}.
1802
1803 @c @group
1804 @table @code
1805 @kindex info
1806 @kindex i @r{(@code{info})}
1807 @item info
1808 This command (abbreviated @code{i}) is for describing the state of your
1809 program. For example, you can show the arguments passed to a function
1810 with @code{info args}, list the registers currently in use with @code{info
1811 registers}, or list the breakpoints you have set with @code{info breakpoints}.
1812 You can get a complete list of the @code{info} sub-commands with
1813 @w{@code{help info}}.
1814
1815 @kindex set
1816 @item set
1817 You can assign the result of an expression to an environment variable with
1818 @code{set}. For example, you can set the @value{GDBN} prompt to a $-sign with
1819 @code{set prompt $}.
1820
1821 @kindex show
1822 @item show
1823 In contrast to @code{info}, @code{show} is for describing the state of
1824 @value{GDBN} itself.
1825 You can change most of the things you can @code{show}, by using the
1826 related command @code{set}; for example, you can control what number
1827 system is used for displays with @code{set radix}, or simply inquire
1828 which is currently in use with @code{show radix}.
1829
1830 @kindex info set
1831 To display all the settable parameters and their current
1832 values, you can use @code{show} with no arguments; you may also use
1833 @code{info set}. Both commands produce the same display.
1834 @c FIXME: "info set" violates the rule that "info" is for state of
1835 @c FIXME...program. Ck w/ GNU: "info set" to be called something else,
1836 @c FIXME...or change desc of rule---eg "state of prog and debugging session"?
1837 @end table
1838 @c @end group
1839
1840 Here are three miscellaneous @code{show} subcommands, all of which are
1841 exceptional in lacking corresponding @code{set} commands:
1842
1843 @table @code
1844 @kindex show version
1845 @cindex @value{GDBN} version number
1846 @item show version
1847 Show what version of @value{GDBN} is running. You should include this
1848 information in @value{GDBN} bug-reports. If multiple versions of
1849 @value{GDBN} are in use at your site, you may need to determine which
1850 version of @value{GDBN} you are running; as @value{GDBN} evolves, new
1851 commands are introduced, and old ones may wither away. Also, many
1852 system vendors ship variant versions of @value{GDBN}, and there are
1853 variant versions of @value{GDBN} in @sc{gnu}/Linux distributions as well.
1854 The version number is the same as the one announced when you start
1855 @value{GDBN}.
1856
1857 @kindex show copying
1858 @kindex info copying
1859 @cindex display @value{GDBN} copyright
1860 @item show copying
1861 @itemx info copying
1862 Display information about permission for copying @value{GDBN}.
1863
1864 @kindex show warranty
1865 @kindex info warranty
1866 @item show warranty
1867 @itemx info warranty
1868 Display the @sc{gnu} ``NO WARRANTY'' statement, or a warranty,
1869 if your version of @value{GDBN} comes with one.
1870
1871 @end table
1872
1873 @node Running
1874 @chapter Running Programs Under @value{GDBN}
1875
1876 When you run a program under @value{GDBN}, you must first generate
1877 debugging information when you compile it.
1878
1879 You may start @value{GDBN} with its arguments, if any, in an environment
1880 of your choice. If you are doing native debugging, you may redirect
1881 your program's input and output, debug an already running process, or
1882 kill a child process.
1883
1884 @menu
1885 * Compilation:: Compiling for debugging
1886 * Starting:: Starting your program
1887 * Arguments:: Your program's arguments
1888 * Environment:: Your program's environment
1889
1890 * Working Directory:: Your program's working directory
1891 * Input/Output:: Your program's input and output
1892 * Attach:: Debugging an already-running process
1893 * Kill Process:: Killing the child process
1894
1895 * Inferiors and Programs:: Debugging multiple inferiors and programs
1896 * Threads:: Debugging programs with multiple threads
1897 * Forks:: Debugging forks
1898 * Checkpoint/Restart:: Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
1899 @end menu
1900
1901 @node Compilation
1902 @section Compiling for Debugging
1903
1904 In order to debug a program effectively, you need to generate
1905 debugging information when you compile it. This debugging information
1906 is stored in the object file; it describes the data type of each
1907 variable or function and the correspondence between source line numbers
1908 and addresses in the executable code.
1909
1910 To request debugging information, specify the @samp{-g} option when you run
1911 the compiler.
1912
1913 Programs that are to be shipped to your customers are compiled with
1914 optimizations, using the @samp{-O} compiler option. However, some
1915 compilers are unable to handle the @samp{-g} and @samp{-O} options
1916 together. Using those compilers, you cannot generate optimized
1917 executables containing debugging information.
1918
1919 @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler, supports @samp{-g} with or
1920 without @samp{-O}, making it possible to debug optimized code. We
1921 recommend that you @emph{always} use @samp{-g} whenever you compile a
1922 program. You may think your program is correct, but there is no sense
1923 in pushing your luck. For more information, see @ref{Optimized Code}.
1924
1925 Older versions of the @sc{gnu} C compiler permitted a variant option
1926 @w{@samp{-gg}} for debugging information. @value{GDBN} no longer supports this
1927 format; if your @sc{gnu} C compiler has this option, do not use it.
1928
1929 @value{GDBN} knows about preprocessor macros and can show you their
1930 expansion (@pxref{Macros}). Most compilers do not include information
1931 about preprocessor macros in the debugging information if you specify
1932 the @option{-g} flag alone. Version 3.1 and later of @value{NGCC},
1933 the @sc{gnu} C compiler, provides macro information if you are using
1934 the DWARF debugging format, and specify the option @option{-g3}.
1935
1936 @xref{Debugging Options,,Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC,
1937 gcc.info, Using the @sc{gnu} Compiler Collection (GCC)}, for more
1938 information on @value{NGCC} options affecting debug information.
1939
1940 You will have the best debugging experience if you use the latest
1941 version of the DWARF debugging format that your compiler supports.
1942 DWARF is currently the most expressive and best supported debugging
1943 format in @value{GDBN}.
1944
1945 @need 2000
1946 @node Starting
1947 @section Starting your Program
1948 @cindex starting
1949 @cindex running
1950
1951 @table @code
1952 @kindex run
1953 @kindex r @r{(@code{run})}
1954 @item run
1955 @itemx r
1956 Use the @code{run} command to start your program under @value{GDBN}.
1957 You must first specify the program name (except on VxWorks) with an
1958 argument to @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Invocation, ,Getting In and Out of
1959 @value{GDBN}}), or by using the @code{file} or @code{exec-file} command
1960 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
1961
1962 @end table
1963
1964 If you are running your program in an execution environment that
1965 supports processes, @code{run} creates an inferior process and makes
1966 that process run your program. In some environments without processes,
1967 @code{run} jumps to the start of your program. Other targets,
1968 like @samp{remote}, are always running. If you get an error
1969 message like this one:
1970
1971 @smallexample
1972 The "remote" target does not support "run".
1973 Try "help target" or "continue".
1974 @end smallexample
1975
1976 @noindent
1977 then use @code{continue} to run your program. You may need @code{load}
1978 first (@pxref{load}).
1979
1980 The execution of a program is affected by certain information it
1981 receives from its superior. @value{GDBN} provides ways to specify this
1982 information, which you must do @emph{before} starting your program. (You
1983 can change it after starting your program, but such changes only affect
1984 your program the next time you start it.) This information may be
1985 divided into four categories:
1986
1987 @table @asis
1988 @item The @emph{arguments.}
1989 Specify the arguments to give your program as the arguments of the
1990 @code{run} command. If a shell is available on your target, the shell
1991 is used to pass the arguments, so that you may use normal conventions
1992 (such as wildcard expansion or variable substitution) in describing
1993 the arguments.
1994 In Unix systems, you can control which shell is used with the
1995 @code{SHELL} environment variable.
1996 @xref{Arguments, ,Your Program's Arguments}.
1997
1998 @item The @emph{environment.}
1999 Your program normally inherits its environment from @value{GDBN}, but you can
2000 use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{set environment} and @code{unset
2001 environment} to change parts of the environment that affect
2002 your program. @xref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}.
2003
2004 @item The @emph{working directory.}
2005 Your program inherits its working directory from @value{GDBN}. You can set
2006 the @value{GDBN} working directory with the @code{cd} command in @value{GDBN}.
2007 @xref{Working Directory, ,Your Program's Working Directory}.
2008
2009 @item The @emph{standard input and output.}
2010 Your program normally uses the same device for standard input and
2011 standard output as @value{GDBN} is using. You can redirect input and output
2012 in the @code{run} command line, or you can use the @code{tty} command to
2013 set a different device for your program.
2014 @xref{Input/Output, ,Your Program's Input and Output}.
2015
2016 @cindex pipes
2017 @emph{Warning:} While input and output redirection work, you cannot use
2018 pipes to pass the output of the program you are debugging to another
2019 program; if you attempt this, @value{GDBN} is likely to wind up debugging the
2020 wrong program.
2021 @end table
2022
2023 When you issue the @code{run} command, your program begins to execute
2024 immediately. @xref{Stopping, ,Stopping and Continuing}, for discussion
2025 of how to arrange for your program to stop. Once your program has
2026 stopped, you may call functions in your program, using the @code{print}
2027 or @code{call} commands. @xref{Data, ,Examining Data}.
2028
2029 If the modification time of your symbol file has changed since the last
2030 time @value{GDBN} read its symbols, @value{GDBN} discards its symbol
2031 table, and reads it again. When it does this, @value{GDBN} tries to retain
2032 your current breakpoints.
2033
2034 @table @code
2035 @kindex start
2036 @item start
2037 @cindex run to main procedure
2038 The name of the main procedure can vary from language to language.
2039 With C or C@t{++}, the main procedure name is always @code{main}, but
2040 other languages such as Ada do not require a specific name for their
2041 main procedure. The debugger provides a convenient way to start the
2042 execution of the program and to stop at the beginning of the main
2043 procedure, depending on the language used.
2044
2045 The @samp{start} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
2046 breakpoint at the beginning of the main procedure and then invoking
2047 the @samp{run} command.
2048
2049 @cindex elaboration phase
2050 Some programs contain an @dfn{elaboration} phase where some startup code is
2051 executed before the main procedure is called. This depends on the
2052 languages used to write your program. In C@t{++}, for instance,
2053 constructors for static and global objects are executed before
2054 @code{main} is called. It is therefore possible that the debugger stops
2055 before reaching the main procedure. However, the temporary breakpoint
2056 will remain to halt execution.
2057
2058 Specify the arguments to give to your program as arguments to the
2059 @samp{start} command. These arguments will be given verbatim to the
2060 underlying @samp{run} command. Note that the same arguments will be
2061 reused if no argument is provided during subsequent calls to
2062 @samp{start} or @samp{run}.
2063
2064 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration. In
2065 these cases, using the @code{start} command would stop the execution of
2066 your program too late, as the program would have already completed the
2067 elaboration phase. Under these circumstances, insert breakpoints in your
2068 elaboration code before running your program.
2069
2070 @kindex set exec-wrapper
2071 @item set exec-wrapper @var{wrapper}
2072 @itemx show exec-wrapper
2073 @itemx unset exec-wrapper
2074 When @samp{exec-wrapper} is set, the specified wrapper is used to
2075 launch programs for debugging. @value{GDBN} starts your program
2076 with a shell command of the form @kbd{exec @var{wrapper}
2077 @var{program}}. Quoting is added to @var{program} and its
2078 arguments, but not to @var{wrapper}, so you should add quotes if
2079 appropriate for your shell. The wrapper runs until it executes
2080 your program, and then @value{GDBN} takes control.
2081
2082 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
2083 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
2084 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
2085 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
2086
2087 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
2088 the debugged program, without setting the variable in your shell's
2089 environment:
2090
2091 @smallexample
2092 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper env 'LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so'
2093 (@value{GDBP}) run
2094 @end smallexample
2095
2096 This command is available when debugging locally on most targets, excluding
2097 @sc{djgpp}, Cygwin, MS Windows, and QNX Neutrino.
2098
2099 @kindex set disable-randomization
2100 @item set disable-randomization
2101 @itemx set disable-randomization on
2102 This option (enabled by default in @value{GDBN}) will turn off the native
2103 randomization of the virtual address space of the started program. This option
2104 is useful for multiple debugging sessions to make the execution better
2105 reproducible and memory addresses reusable across debugging sessions.
2106
2107 This feature is implemented only on certain targets, including @sc{gnu}/Linux.
2108 On @sc{gnu}/Linux you can get the same behavior using
2109
2110 @smallexample
2111 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper setarch `uname -m` -R
2112 @end smallexample
2113
2114 @item set disable-randomization off
2115 Leave the behavior of the started executable unchanged. Some bugs rear their
2116 ugly heads only when the program is loaded at certain addresses. If your bug
2117 disappears when you run the program under @value{GDBN}, that might be because
2118 @value{GDBN} by default disables the address randomization on platforms, such
2119 as @sc{gnu}/Linux, which do that for stand-alone programs. Use @kbd{set
2120 disable-randomization off} to try to reproduce such elusive bugs.
2121
2122 On targets where it is available, virtual address space randomization
2123 protects the programs against certain kinds of security attacks. In these
2124 cases the attacker needs to know the exact location of a concrete executable
2125 code. Randomizing its location makes it impossible to inject jumps misusing
2126 a code at its expected addresses.
2127
2128 Prelinking shared libraries provides a startup performance advantage but it
2129 makes addresses in these libraries predictable for privileged processes by
2130 having just unprivileged access at the target system. Reading the shared
2131 library binary gives enough information for assembling the malicious code
2132 misusing it. Still even a prelinked shared library can get loaded at a new
2133 random address just requiring the regular relocation process during the
2134 startup. Shared libraries not already prelinked are always loaded at
2135 a randomly chosen address.
2136
2137 Position independent executables (PIE) contain position independent code
2138 similar to the shared libraries and therefore such executables get loaded at
2139 a randomly chosen address upon startup. PIE executables always load even
2140 already prelinked shared libraries at a random address. You can build such
2141 executable using @command{gcc -fPIE -pie}.
2142
2143 Heap (malloc storage), stack and custom mmap areas are always placed randomly
2144 (as long as the randomization is enabled).
2145
2146 @item show disable-randomization
2147 Show the current setting of the explicit disable of the native randomization of
2148 the virtual address space of the started program.
2149
2150 @end table
2151
2152 @node Arguments
2153 @section Your Program's Arguments
2154
2155 @cindex arguments (to your program)
2156 The arguments to your program can be specified by the arguments of the
2157 @code{run} command.
2158 They are passed to a shell, which expands wildcard characters and
2159 performs redirection of I/O, and thence to your program. Your
2160 @code{SHELL} environment variable (if it exists) specifies what shell
2161 @value{GDBN} uses. If you do not define @code{SHELL}, @value{GDBN} uses
2162 the default shell (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix).
2163
2164 On non-Unix systems, the program is usually invoked directly by
2165 @value{GDBN}, which emulates I/O redirection via the appropriate system
2166 calls, and the wildcard characters are expanded by the startup code of
2167 the program, not by the shell.
2168
2169 @code{run} with no arguments uses the same arguments used by the previous
2170 @code{run}, or those set by the @code{set args} command.
2171
2172 @table @code
2173 @kindex set args
2174 @item set args
2175 Specify the arguments to be used the next time your program is run. If
2176 @code{set args} has no arguments, @code{run} executes your program
2177 with no arguments. Once you have run your program with arguments,
2178 using @code{set args} before the next @code{run} is the only way to run
2179 it again without arguments.
2180
2181 @kindex show args
2182 @item show args
2183 Show the arguments to give your program when it is started.
2184 @end table
2185
2186 @node Environment
2187 @section Your Program's Environment
2188
2189 @cindex environment (of your program)
2190 The @dfn{environment} consists of a set of environment variables and
2191 their values. Environment variables conventionally record such things as
2192 your user name, your home directory, your terminal type, and your search
2193 path for programs to run. Usually you set up environment variables with
2194 the shell and they are inherited by all the other programs you run. When
2195 debugging, it can be useful to try running your program with a modified
2196 environment without having to start @value{GDBN} over again.
2197
2198 @table @code
2199 @kindex path
2200 @item path @var{directory}
2201 Add @var{directory} to the front of the @code{PATH} environment variable
2202 (the search path for executables) that will be passed to your program.
2203 The value of @code{PATH} used by @value{GDBN} does not change.
2204 You may specify several directory names, separated by whitespace or by a
2205 system-dependent separator character (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on
2206 MS-DOS and MS-Windows). If @var{directory} is already in the path, it
2207 is moved to the front, so it is searched sooner.
2208
2209 You can use the string @samp{$cwd} to refer to whatever is the current
2210 working directory at the time @value{GDBN} searches the path. If you
2211 use @samp{.} instead, it refers to the directory where you executed the
2212 @code{path} command. @value{GDBN} replaces @samp{.} in the
2213 @var{directory} argument (with the current path) before adding
2214 @var{directory} to the search path.
2215 @c 'path' is explicitly nonrepeatable, but RMS points out it is silly to
2216 @c document that, since repeating it would be a no-op.
2217
2218 @kindex show paths
2219 @item show paths
2220 Display the list of search paths for executables (the @code{PATH}
2221 environment variable).
2222
2223 @kindex show environment
2224 @item show environment @r{[}@var{varname}@r{]}
2225 Print the value of environment variable @var{varname} to be given to
2226 your program when it starts. If you do not supply @var{varname},
2227 print the names and values of all environment variables to be given to
2228 your program. You can abbreviate @code{environment} as @code{env}.
2229
2230 @kindex set environment
2231 @item set environment @var{varname} @r{[}=@var{value}@r{]}
2232 Set environment variable @var{varname} to @var{value}. The value
2233 changes for your program only, not for @value{GDBN} itself. @var{value} may
2234 be any string; the values of environment variables are just strings, and
2235 any interpretation is supplied by your program itself. The @var{value}
2236 parameter is optional; if it is eliminated, the variable is set to a
2237 null value.
2238 @c "any string" here does not include leading, trailing
2239 @c blanks. Gnu asks: does anyone care?
2240
2241 For example, this command:
2242
2243 @smallexample
2244 set env USER = foo
2245 @end smallexample
2246
2247 @noindent
2248 tells the debugged program, when subsequently run, that its user is named
2249 @samp{foo}. (The spaces around @samp{=} are used for clarity here; they
2250 are not actually required.)
2251
2252 @kindex unset environment
2253 @item unset environment @var{varname}
2254 Remove variable @var{varname} from the environment to be passed to your
2255 program. This is different from @samp{set env @var{varname} =};
2256 @code{unset environment} removes the variable from the environment,
2257 rather than assigning it an empty value.
2258 @end table
2259
2260 @emph{Warning:} On Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program using
2261 the shell indicated
2262 by your @code{SHELL} environment variable if it exists (or
2263 @code{/bin/sh} if not). If your @code{SHELL} variable names a shell
2264 that runs an initialization file---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell, or
2265 @file{.bashrc} for BASH---any variables you set in that file affect
2266 your program. You may wish to move setting of environment variables to
2267 files that are only run when you sign on, such as @file{.login} or
2268 @file{.profile}.
2269
2270 @node Working Directory
2271 @section Your Program's Working Directory
2272
2273 @cindex working directory (of your program)
2274 Each time you start your program with @code{run}, it inherits its
2275 working directory from the current working directory of @value{GDBN}.
2276 The @value{GDBN} working directory is initially whatever it inherited
2277 from its parent process (typically the shell), but you can specify a new
2278 working directory in @value{GDBN} with the @code{cd} command.
2279
2280 The @value{GDBN} working directory also serves as a default for the commands
2281 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2282 Specify Files}.
2283
2284 @table @code
2285 @kindex cd
2286 @cindex change working directory
2287 @item cd @r{[}@var{directory}@r{]}
2288 Set the @value{GDBN} working directory to @var{directory}. If not
2289 given, @var{directory} uses @file{'~'}.
2290
2291 @kindex pwd
2292 @item pwd
2293 Print the @value{GDBN} working directory.
2294 @end table
2295
2296 It is generally impossible to find the current working directory of
2297 the process being debugged (since a program can change its directory
2298 during its run). If you work on a system where @value{GDBN} is
2299 configured with the @file{/proc} support, you can use the @code{info
2300 proc} command (@pxref{SVR4 Process Information}) to find out the
2301 current working directory of the debuggee.
2302
2303 @node Input/Output
2304 @section Your Program's Input and Output
2305
2306 @cindex redirection
2307 @cindex i/o
2308 @cindex terminal
2309 By default, the program you run under @value{GDBN} does input and output to
2310 the same terminal that @value{GDBN} uses. @value{GDBN} switches the terminal
2311 to its own terminal modes to interact with you, but it records the terminal
2312 modes your program was using and switches back to them when you continue
2313 running your program.
2314
2315 @table @code
2316 @kindex info terminal
2317 @item info terminal
2318 Displays information recorded by @value{GDBN} about the terminal modes your
2319 program is using.
2320 @end table
2321
2322 You can redirect your program's input and/or output using shell
2323 redirection with the @code{run} command. For example,
2324
2325 @smallexample
2326 run > outfile
2327 @end smallexample
2328
2329 @noindent
2330 starts your program, diverting its output to the file @file{outfile}.
2331
2332 @kindex tty
2333 @cindex controlling terminal
2334 Another way to specify where your program should do input and output is
2335 with the @code{tty} command. This command accepts a file name as
2336 argument, and causes this file to be the default for future @code{run}
2337 commands. It also resets the controlling terminal for the child
2338 process, for future @code{run} commands. For example,
2339
2340 @smallexample
2341 tty /dev/ttyb
2342 @end smallexample
2343
2344 @noindent
2345 directs that processes started with subsequent @code{run} commands
2346 default to do input and output on the terminal @file{/dev/ttyb} and have
2347 that as their controlling terminal.
2348
2349 An explicit redirection in @code{run} overrides the @code{tty} command's
2350 effect on the input/output device, but not its effect on the controlling
2351 terminal.
2352
2353 When you use the @code{tty} command or redirect input in the @code{run}
2354 command, only the input @emph{for your program} is affected. The input
2355 for @value{GDBN} still comes from your terminal. @code{tty} is an alias
2356 for @code{set inferior-tty}.
2357
2358 @cindex inferior tty
2359 @cindex set inferior controlling terminal
2360 You can use the @code{show inferior-tty} command to tell @value{GDBN} to
2361 display the name of the terminal that will be used for future runs of your
2362 program.
2363
2364 @table @code
2365 @item set inferior-tty /dev/ttyb
2366 @kindex set inferior-tty
2367 Set the tty for the program being debugged to /dev/ttyb.
2368
2369 @item show inferior-tty
2370 @kindex show inferior-tty
2371 Show the current tty for the program being debugged.
2372 @end table
2373
2374 @node Attach
2375 @section Debugging an Already-running Process
2376 @kindex attach
2377 @cindex attach
2378
2379 @table @code
2380 @item attach @var{process-id}
2381 This command attaches to a running process---one that was started
2382 outside @value{GDBN}. (@code{info files} shows your active
2383 targets.) The command takes as argument a process ID. The usual way to
2384 find out the @var{process-id} of a Unix process is with the @code{ps} utility,
2385 or with the @samp{jobs -l} shell command.
2386
2387 @code{attach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} a second time after
2388 executing the command.
2389 @end table
2390
2391 To use @code{attach}, your program must be running in an environment
2392 which supports processes; for example, @code{attach} does not work for
2393 programs on bare-board targets that lack an operating system. You must
2394 also have permission to send the process a signal.
2395
2396 When you use @code{attach}, the debugger finds the program running in
2397 the process first by looking in the current working directory, then (if
2398 the program is not found) by using the source file search path
2399 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}). You can also use
2400 the @code{file} command to load the program. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2401 Specify Files}.
2402
2403 The first thing @value{GDBN} does after arranging to debug the specified
2404 process is to stop it. You can examine and modify an attached process
2405 with all the @value{GDBN} commands that are ordinarily available when
2406 you start processes with @code{run}. You can insert breakpoints; you
2407 can step and continue; you can modify storage. If you would rather the
2408 process continue running, you may use the @code{continue} command after
2409 attaching @value{GDBN} to the process.
2410
2411 @table @code
2412 @kindex detach
2413 @item detach
2414 When you have finished debugging the attached process, you can use the
2415 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control. Detaching
2416 the process continues its execution. After the @code{detach} command,
2417 that process and @value{GDBN} become completely independent once more, and you
2418 are ready to @code{attach} another process or start one with @code{run}.
2419 @code{detach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
2420 executing the command.
2421 @end table
2422
2423 If you exit @value{GDBN} while you have an attached process, you detach
2424 that process. If you use the @code{run} command, you kill that process.
2425 By default, @value{GDBN} asks for confirmation if you try to do either of these
2426 things; you can control whether or not you need to confirm by using the
2427 @code{set confirm} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
2428 Messages}).
2429
2430 @node Kill Process
2431 @section Killing the Child Process
2432
2433 @table @code
2434 @kindex kill
2435 @item kill
2436 Kill the child process in which your program is running under @value{GDBN}.
2437 @end table
2438
2439 This command is useful if you wish to debug a core dump instead of a
2440 running process. @value{GDBN} ignores any core dump file while your program
2441 is running.
2442
2443 On some operating systems, a program cannot be executed outside @value{GDBN}
2444 while you have breakpoints set on it inside @value{GDBN}. You can use the
2445 @code{kill} command in this situation to permit running your program
2446 outside the debugger.
2447
2448 The @code{kill} command is also useful if you wish to recompile and
2449 relink your program, since on many systems it is impossible to modify an
2450 executable file while it is running in a process. In this case, when you
2451 next type @code{run}, @value{GDBN} notices that the file has changed, and
2452 reads the symbol table again (while trying to preserve your current
2453 breakpoint settings).
2454
2455 @node Inferiors and Programs
2456 @section Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs
2457
2458 @value{GDBN} lets you run and debug multiple programs in a single
2459 session. In addition, @value{GDBN} on some systems may let you run
2460 several programs simultaneously (otherwise you have to exit from one
2461 before starting another). In the most general case, you can have
2462 multiple threads of execution in each of multiple processes, launched
2463 from multiple executables.
2464
2465 @cindex inferior
2466 @value{GDBN} represents the state of each program execution with an
2467 object called an @dfn{inferior}. An inferior typically corresponds to
2468 a process, but is more general and applies also to targets that do not
2469 have processes. Inferiors may be created before a process runs, and
2470 may be retained after a process exits. Inferiors have unique
2471 identifiers that are different from process ids. Usually each
2472 inferior will also have its own distinct address space, although some
2473 embedded targets may have several inferiors running in different parts
2474 of a single address space. Each inferior may in turn have multiple
2475 threads running in it.
2476
2477 To find out what inferiors exist at any moment, use @w{@code{info
2478 inferiors}}:
2479
2480 @table @code
2481 @kindex info inferiors
2482 @item info inferiors
2483 Print a list of all inferiors currently being managed by @value{GDBN}.
2484
2485 @value{GDBN} displays for each inferior (in this order):
2486
2487 @enumerate
2488 @item
2489 the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2490
2491 @item
2492 the target system's inferior identifier
2493
2494 @item
2495 the name of the executable the inferior is running.
2496
2497 @end enumerate
2498
2499 @noindent
2500 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} inferior number
2501 indicates the current inferior.
2502
2503 For example,
2504 @end table
2505 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2506
2507 @smallexample
2508 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2509 Num Description Executable
2510 2 process 2307 hello
2511 * 1 process 3401 goodbye
2512 @end smallexample
2513
2514 To switch focus between inferiors, use the @code{inferior} command:
2515
2516 @table @code
2517 @kindex inferior @var{infno}
2518 @item inferior @var{infno}
2519 Make inferior number @var{infno} the current inferior. The argument
2520 @var{infno} is the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}, as shown
2521 in the first field of the @samp{info inferiors} display.
2522 @end table
2523
2524
2525 You can get multiple executables into a debugging session via the
2526 @code{add-inferior} and @w{@code{clone-inferior}} commands. On some
2527 systems @value{GDBN} can add inferiors to the debug session
2528 automatically by following calls to @code{fork} and @code{exec}. To
2529 remove inferiors from the debugging session use the
2530 @w{@code{remove-inferiors}} command.
2531
2532 @table @code
2533 @kindex add-inferior
2534 @item add-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ -exec @var{executable} ]
2535 Adds @var{n} inferiors to be run using @var{executable} as the
2536 executable. @var{n} defaults to 1. If no executable is specified,
2537 the inferiors begins empty, with no program. You can still assign or
2538 change the program assigned to the inferior at any time by using the
2539 @code{file} command with the executable name as its argument.
2540
2541 @kindex clone-inferior
2542 @item clone-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ @var{infno} ]
2543 Adds @var{n} inferiors ready to execute the same program as inferior
2544 @var{infno}. @var{n} defaults to 1. @var{infno} defaults to the
2545 number of the current inferior. This is a convenient command when you
2546 want to run another instance of the inferior you are debugging.
2547
2548 @smallexample
2549 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2550 Num Description Executable
2551 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2552 (@value{GDBP}) clone-inferior
2553 Added inferior 2.
2554 1 inferiors added.
2555 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2556 Num Description Executable
2557 2 <null> helloworld
2558 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2559 @end smallexample
2560
2561 You can now simply switch focus to inferior 2 and run it.
2562
2563 @kindex remove-inferiors
2564 @item remove-inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2565 Removes the inferior or inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}. It is not
2566 possible to remove an inferior that is running with this command. For
2567 those, use the @code{kill} or @code{detach} command first.
2568
2569 @end table
2570
2571 To quit debugging one of the running inferiors that is not the current
2572 inferior, you can either detach from it by using the @w{@code{detach
2573 inferior}} command (allowing it to run independently), or kill it
2574 using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}} command:
2575
2576 @table @code
2577 @kindex detach inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2578 @item detach inferior @var{infno}@dots{}
2579 Detach from the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN}
2580 inferior number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry
2581 still stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors},
2582 but its Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2583
2584 @kindex kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2585 @item kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2586 Kill the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN} inferior
2587 number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry still
2588 stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors}, but its
2589 Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2590 @end table
2591
2592 After the successful completion of a command such as @code{detach},
2593 @code{detach inferiors}, @code{kill} or @code{kill inferiors}, or after
2594 a normal process exit, the inferior is still valid and listed with
2595 @code{info inferiors}, ready to be restarted.
2596
2597
2598 To be notified when inferiors are started or exit under @value{GDBN}'s
2599 control use @w{@code{set print inferior-events}}:
2600
2601 @table @code
2602 @kindex set print inferior-events
2603 @cindex print messages on inferior start and exit
2604 @item set print inferior-events
2605 @itemx set print inferior-events on
2606 @itemx set print inferior-events off
2607 The @code{set print inferior-events} command allows you to enable or
2608 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new
2609 inferiors have started or that inferiors have exited or have been
2610 detached. By default, these messages will not be printed.
2611
2612 @kindex show print inferior-events
2613 @item show print inferior-events
2614 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that
2615 inferiors have started, exited or have been detached.
2616 @end table
2617
2618 Many commands will work the same with multiple programs as with a
2619 single program: e.g., @code{print myglobal} will simply display the
2620 value of @code{myglobal} in the current inferior.
2621
2622
2623 Occasionaly, when debugging @value{GDBN} itself, it may be useful to
2624 get more info about the relationship of inferiors, programs, address
2625 spaces in a debug session. You can do that with the @w{@code{maint
2626 info program-spaces}} command.
2627
2628 @table @code
2629 @kindex maint info program-spaces
2630 @item maint info program-spaces
2631 Print a list of all program spaces currently being managed by
2632 @value{GDBN}.
2633
2634 @value{GDBN} displays for each program space (in this order):
2635
2636 @enumerate
2637 @item
2638 the program space number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2639
2640 @item
2641 the name of the executable loaded into the program space, with e.g.,
2642 the @code{file} command.
2643
2644 @end enumerate
2645
2646 @noindent
2647 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} program space number
2648 indicates the current program space.
2649
2650 In addition, below each program space line, @value{GDBN} prints extra
2651 information that isn't suitable to display in tabular form. For
2652 example, the list of inferiors bound to the program space.
2653
2654 @smallexample
2655 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2656 Id Executable
2657 2 goodbye
2658 Bound inferiors: ID 1 (process 21561)
2659 * 1 hello
2660 @end smallexample
2661
2662 Here we can see that no inferior is running the program @code{hello},
2663 while @code{process 21561} is running the program @code{goodbye}. On
2664 some targets, it is possible that multiple inferiors are bound to the
2665 same program space. The most common example is that of debugging both
2666 the parent and child processes of a @code{vfork} call. For example,
2667
2668 @smallexample
2669 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2670 Id Executable
2671 * 1 vfork-test
2672 Bound inferiors: ID 2 (process 18050), ID 1 (process 18045)
2673 @end smallexample
2674
2675 Here, both inferior 2 and inferior 1 are running in the same program
2676 space as a result of inferior 1 having executed a @code{vfork} call.
2677 @end table
2678
2679 @node Threads
2680 @section Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads
2681
2682 @cindex threads of execution
2683 @cindex multiple threads
2684 @cindex switching threads
2685 In some operating systems, such as HP-UX and Solaris, a single program
2686 may have more than one @dfn{thread} of execution. The precise semantics
2687 of threads differ from one operating system to another, but in general
2688 the threads of a single program are akin to multiple processes---except
2689 that they share one address space (that is, they can all examine and
2690 modify the same variables). On the other hand, each thread has its own
2691 registers and execution stack, and perhaps private memory.
2692
2693 @value{GDBN} provides these facilities for debugging multi-thread
2694 programs:
2695
2696 @itemize @bullet
2697 @item automatic notification of new threads
2698 @item @samp{thread @var{threadno}}, a command to switch among threads
2699 @item @samp{info threads}, a command to inquire about existing threads
2700 @item @samp{thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{args}},
2701 a command to apply a command to a list of threads
2702 @item thread-specific breakpoints
2703 @item @samp{set print thread-events}, which controls printing of
2704 messages on thread start and exit.
2705 @item @samp{set libthread-db-search-path @var{path}}, which lets
2706 the user specify which @code{libthread_db} to use if the default choice
2707 isn't compatible with the program.
2708 @end itemize
2709
2710 @quotation
2711 @emph{Warning:} These facilities are not yet available on every
2712 @value{GDBN} configuration where the operating system supports threads.
2713 If your @value{GDBN} does not support threads, these commands have no
2714 effect. For example, a system without thread support shows no output
2715 from @samp{info threads}, and always rejects the @code{thread} command,
2716 like this:
2717
2718 @smallexample
2719 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2720 (@value{GDBP}) thread 1
2721 Thread ID 1 not known. Use the "info threads" command to
2722 see the IDs of currently known threads.
2723 @end smallexample
2724 @c FIXME to implementors: how hard would it be to say "sorry, this GDB
2725 @c doesn't support threads"?
2726 @end quotation
2727
2728 @cindex focus of debugging
2729 @cindex current thread
2730 The @value{GDBN} thread debugging facility allows you to observe all
2731 threads while your program runs---but whenever @value{GDBN} takes
2732 control, one thread in particular is always the focus of debugging.
2733 This thread is called the @dfn{current thread}. Debugging commands show
2734 program information from the perspective of the current thread.
2735
2736 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message
2737 @cindex thread identifier (system)
2738 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2739 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2740 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2741 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2742 the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2743 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2744 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2745 @sc{gnu}/Linux, you might see
2746
2747 @smallexample
2748 [New Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 25582)]
2749 @end smallexample
2750
2751 @noindent
2752 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread. In contrast, on an SGI system,
2753 the @var{systag} is simply something like @samp{process 368}, with no
2754 further qualifier.
2755
2756 @c FIXME!! (1) Does the [New...] message appear even for the very first
2757 @c thread of a program, or does it only appear for the
2758 @c second---i.e.@: when it becomes obvious we have a multithread
2759 @c program?
2760 @c (2) *Is* there necessarily a first thread always? Or do some
2761 @c multithread systems permit starting a program with multiple
2762 @c threads ab initio?
2763
2764 @cindex thread number
2765 @cindex thread identifier (GDB)
2766 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2767 number---always a single integer---with each thread in your program.
2768
2769 @table @code
2770 @kindex info threads
2771 @item info threads @r{[}@var{id}@dots{}@r{]}
2772 Display a summary of all threads currently in your program. Optional
2773 argument @var{id}@dots{} is one or more thread ids separated by spaces, and
2774 means to print information only about the specified thread or threads.
2775 @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2776
2777 @enumerate
2778 @item
2779 the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2780
2781 @item
2782 the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2783
2784 @item
2785 the thread's name, if one is known. A thread can either be named by
2786 the user (see @code{thread name}, below), or, in some cases, by the
2787 program itself.
2788
2789 @item
2790 the current stack frame summary for that thread
2791 @end enumerate
2792
2793 @noindent
2794 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2795 indicates the current thread.
2796
2797 For example,
2798 @end table
2799 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2800
2801 @smallexample
2802 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2803 Id Target Id Frame
2804 3 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2805 2 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2806 * 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
2807 at threadtest.c:68
2808 @end smallexample
2809
2810 On Solaris, you can display more information about user threads with a
2811 Solaris-specific command:
2812
2813 @table @code
2814 @item maint info sol-threads
2815 @kindex maint info sol-threads
2816 @cindex thread info (Solaris)
2817 Display info on Solaris user threads.
2818 @end table
2819
2820 @table @code
2821 @kindex thread @var{threadno}
2822 @item thread @var{threadno}
2823 Make thread number @var{threadno} the current thread. The command
2824 argument @var{threadno} is the internal @value{GDBN} thread number, as
2825 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display.
2826 @value{GDBN} responds by displaying the system identifier of the thread
2827 you selected, and its current stack frame summary:
2828
2829 @smallexample
2830 (@value{GDBP}) thread 2
2831 [Switching to thread 2 (Thread 0xb7fdab70 (LWP 12747))]
2832 #0 some_function (ignore=0x0) at example.c:8
2833 8 printf ("hello\n");
2834 @end smallexample
2835
2836 @noindent
2837 As with the @samp{[New @dots{}]} message, the form of the text after
2838 @samp{Switching to} depends on your system's conventions for identifying
2839 threads.
2840
2841 @vindex $_thread@r{, convenience variable}
2842 The debugger convenience variable @samp{$_thread} contains the number
2843 of the current thread. You may find this useful in writing breakpoint
2844 conditional expressions, command scripts, and so forth. See
2845 @xref{Convenience Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for general
2846 information on convenience variables.
2847
2848 @kindex thread apply
2849 @cindex apply command to several threads
2850 @item thread apply [@var{threadno} | all] @var{command}
2851 The @code{thread apply} command allows you to apply the named
2852 @var{command} to one or more threads. Specify the numbers of the
2853 threads that you want affected with the command argument
2854 @var{threadno}. It can be a single thread number, one of the numbers
2855 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display; or it
2856 could be a range of thread numbers, as in @code{2-4}. To apply a
2857 command to all threads, type @kbd{thread apply all @var{command}}.
2858
2859 @kindex thread name
2860 @cindex name a thread
2861 @item thread name [@var{name}]
2862 This command assigns a name to the current thread. If no argument is
2863 given, any existing user-specified name is removed. The thread name
2864 appears in the @samp{info threads} display.
2865
2866 On some systems, such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, @value{GDBN} is able to
2867 determine the name of the thread as given by the OS. On these
2868 systems, a name specified with @samp{thread name} will override the
2869 system-give name, and removing the user-specified name will cause
2870 @value{GDBN} to once again display the system-specified name.
2871
2872 @kindex thread find
2873 @cindex search for a thread
2874 @item thread find [@var{regexp}]
2875 Search for and display thread ids whose name or @var{systag}
2876 matches the supplied regular expression.
2877
2878 As well as being the complement to the @samp{thread name} command,
2879 this command also allows you to identify a thread by its target
2880 @var{systag}. For instance, on @sc{gnu}/Linux, the target @var{systag}
2881 is the LWP id.
2882
2883 @smallexample
2884 (@value{GDBN}) thread find 26688
2885 Thread 4 has target id 'Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688)'
2886 (@value{GDBN}) info thread 4
2887 Id Target Id Frame
2888 4 Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688) 0x00000031ca6cd372 in select ()
2889 @end smallexample
2890
2891 @kindex set print thread-events
2892 @cindex print messages on thread start and exit
2893 @item set print thread-events
2894 @itemx set print thread-events on
2895 @itemx set print thread-events off
2896 The @code{set print thread-events} command allows you to enable or
2897 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new threads have
2898 started or that threads have exited. By default, these messages will
2899 be printed if detection of these events is supported by the target.
2900 Note that these messages cannot be disabled on all targets.
2901
2902 @kindex show print thread-events
2903 @item show print thread-events
2904 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that threads
2905 have started and exited.
2906 @end table
2907
2908 @xref{Thread Stops,,Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs}, for
2909 more information about how @value{GDBN} behaves when you stop and start
2910 programs with multiple threads.
2911
2912 @xref{Set Watchpoints,,Setting Watchpoints}, for information about
2913 watchpoints in programs with multiple threads.
2914
2915 @anchor{set libthread-db-search-path}
2916 @table @code
2917 @kindex set libthread-db-search-path
2918 @cindex search path for @code{libthread_db}
2919 @item set libthread-db-search-path @r{[}@var{path}@r{]}
2920 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
2921 directories @value{GDBN} will use to search for @code{libthread_db}.
2922 If you omit @var{path}, @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to
2923 its default value (@code{$sdir:$pdir} on @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems).
2924 Internally, the default value comes from the @code{LIBTHREAD_DB_SEARCH_PATH}
2925 macro.
2926
2927 On @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems, @value{GDBN} uses a ``helper''
2928 @code{libthread_db} library to obtain information about threads in the
2929 inferior process. @value{GDBN} will use @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2930 to find @code{libthread_db}. @value{GDBN} also consults first if inferior
2931 specific thread debugging library loading is enabled
2932 by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
2933
2934 A special entry @samp{$sdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2935 refers to the default system directories that are
2936 normally searched for loading shared libraries. The @samp{$sdir} entry
2937 is the only kind not needing to be enabled by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db}
2938 (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
2939
2940 A special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2941 refers to the directory from which @code{libpthread}
2942 was loaded in the inferior process.
2943
2944 For any @code{libthread_db} library @value{GDBN} finds in above directories,
2945 @value{GDBN} attempts to initialize it with the current inferior process.
2946 If this initialization fails (which could happen because of a version
2947 mismatch between @code{libthread_db} and @code{libpthread}), @value{GDBN}
2948 will unload @code{libthread_db}, and continue with the next directory.
2949 If none of @code{libthread_db} libraries initialize successfully,
2950 @value{GDBN} will issue a warning and thread debugging will be disabled.
2951
2952 Setting @code{libthread-db-search-path} is currently implemented
2953 only on some platforms.
2954
2955 @kindex show libthread-db-search-path
2956 @item show libthread-db-search-path
2957 Display current libthread_db search path.
2958
2959 @kindex set debug libthread-db
2960 @kindex show debug libthread-db
2961 @cindex debugging @code{libthread_db}
2962 @item set debug libthread-db
2963 @itemx show debug libthread-db
2964 Turns on or off display of @code{libthread_db}-related events.
2965 Use @code{1} to enable, @code{0} to disable.
2966 @end table
2967
2968 @node Forks
2969 @section Debugging Forks
2970
2971 @cindex fork, debugging programs which call
2972 @cindex multiple processes
2973 @cindex processes, multiple
2974 On most systems, @value{GDBN} has no special support for debugging
2975 programs which create additional processes using the @code{fork}
2976 function. When a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug the
2977 parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have
2978 set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child
2979 will get a @code{SIGTRAP} signal which (unless it catches the signal)
2980 will cause it to terminate.
2981
2982 However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround
2983 which isn't too painful. Put a call to @code{sleep} in the code which
2984 the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep
2985 only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists,
2986 so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run @value{GDBN}
2987 on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the @code{ps} program to
2988 get its process ID. Then tell @value{GDBN} (a new invocation of
2989 @value{GDBN} if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to
2990 the child process (@pxref{Attach}). From that point on you can debug
2991 the child process just like any other process which you attached to.
2992
2993 On some systems, @value{GDBN} provides support for debugging programs that
2994 create additional processes using the @code{fork} or @code{vfork} functions.
2995 Currently, the only platforms with this feature are HP-UX (11.x and later
2996 only?) and @sc{gnu}/Linux (kernel version 2.5.60 and later).
2997
2998 By default, when a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug
2999 the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.
3000
3001 If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process,
3002 use the command @w{@code{set follow-fork-mode}}.
3003
3004 @table @code
3005 @kindex set follow-fork-mode
3006 @item set follow-fork-mode @var{mode}
3007 Set the debugger response to a program call of @code{fork} or
3008 @code{vfork}. A call to @code{fork} or @code{vfork} creates a new
3009 process. The @var{mode} argument can be:
3010
3011 @table @code
3012 @item parent
3013 The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs
3014 unimpeded. This is the default.
3015
3016 @item child
3017 The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs
3018 unimpeded.
3019
3020 @end table
3021
3022 @kindex show follow-fork-mode
3023 @item show follow-fork-mode
3024 Display the current debugger response to a @code{fork} or @code{vfork} call.
3025 @end table
3026
3027 @cindex debugging multiple processes
3028 On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the
3029 command @w{@code{set detach-on-fork}}.
3030
3031 @table @code
3032 @kindex set detach-on-fork
3033 @item set detach-on-fork @var{mode}
3034 Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or
3035 retain debugger control over them both.
3036
3037 @table @code
3038 @item on
3039 The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of
3040 @code{follow-fork-mode}) will be detached and allowed to run
3041 independently. This is the default.
3042
3043 @item off
3044 Both processes will be held under the control of @value{GDBN}.
3045 One process (child or parent, depending on the value of
3046 @code{follow-fork-mode}) is debugged as usual, while the other
3047 is held suspended.
3048
3049 @end table
3050
3051 @kindex show detach-on-fork
3052 @item show detach-on-fork
3053 Show whether detach-on-fork mode is on/off.
3054 @end table
3055
3056 If you choose to set @samp{detach-on-fork} mode off, then @value{GDBN}
3057 will retain control of all forked processes (including nested forks).
3058 You can list the forked processes under the control of @value{GDBN} by
3059 using the @w{@code{info inferiors}} command, and switch from one fork
3060 to another by using the @code{inferior} command (@pxref{Inferiors and
3061 Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs}).
3062
3063 To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach
3064 from it by using the @w{@code{detach inferiors}} command (allowing it
3065 to run independently), or kill it using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}}
3066 command. @xref{Inferiors and Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors
3067 and Programs}.
3068
3069 If you ask to debug a child process and a @code{vfork} is followed by an
3070 @code{exec}, @value{GDBN} executes the new target up to the first
3071 breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on
3072 @code{main} in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on
3073 the child process's @code{main}.
3074
3075 On some systems, when a child process is spawned by @code{vfork}, you
3076 cannot debug the child or parent until an @code{exec} call completes.
3077
3078 If you issue a @code{run} command to @value{GDBN} after an @code{exec}
3079 call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent
3080 process, use the @code{file} command with the parent executable name
3081 as its argument. By default, after an @code{exec} call executes,
3082 @value{GDBN} discards the symbols of the previous executable image.
3083 You can change this behaviour with the @w{@code{set follow-exec-mode}}
3084 command.
3085
3086 @table @code
3087 @kindex set follow-exec-mode
3088 @item set follow-exec-mode @var{mode}
3089
3090 Set debugger response to a program call of @code{exec}. An
3091 @code{exec} call replaces the program image of a process.
3092
3093 @code{follow-exec-mode} can be:
3094
3095 @table @code
3096 @item new
3097 @value{GDBN} creates a new inferior and rebinds the process to this
3098 new inferior. The program the process was running before the
3099 @code{exec} call can be restarted afterwards by restarting the
3100 original inferior.
3101
3102 For example:
3103
3104 @smallexample
3105 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3106 (gdb) info inferior
3107 Id Description Executable
3108 * 1 <null> prog1
3109 (@value{GDBP}) run
3110 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3111 Program exited normally.
3112 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3113 Id Description Executable
3114 * 2 <null> prog2
3115 1 <null> prog1
3116 @end smallexample
3117
3118 @item same
3119 @value{GDBN} keeps the process bound to the same inferior. The new
3120 executable image replaces the previous executable loaded in the
3121 inferior. Restarting the inferior after the @code{exec} call, with
3122 e.g., the @code{run} command, restarts the executable the process was
3123 running after the @code{exec} call. This is the default mode.
3124
3125 For example:
3126
3127 @smallexample
3128 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3129 Id Description Executable
3130 * 1 <null> prog1
3131 (@value{GDBP}) run
3132 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3133 Program exited normally.
3134 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3135 Id Description Executable
3136 * 1 <null> prog2
3137 @end smallexample
3138
3139 @end table
3140 @end table
3141
3142 You can use the @code{catch} command to make @value{GDBN} stop whenever
3143 a @code{fork}, @code{vfork}, or @code{exec} call is made. @xref{Set
3144 Catchpoints, ,Setting Catchpoints}.
3145
3146 @node Checkpoint/Restart
3147 @section Setting a @emph{Bookmark} to Return to Later
3148
3149 @cindex checkpoint
3150 @cindex restart
3151 @cindex bookmark
3152 @cindex snapshot of a process
3153 @cindex rewind program state
3154
3155 On certain operating systems@footnote{Currently, only
3156 @sc{gnu}/Linux.}, @value{GDBN} is able to save a @dfn{snapshot} of a
3157 program's state, called a @dfn{checkpoint}, and come back to it
3158 later.
3159
3160 Returning to a checkpoint effectively undoes everything that has
3161 happened in the program since the @code{checkpoint} was saved. This
3162 includes changes in memory, registers, and even (within some limits)
3163 system state. Effectively, it is like going back in time to the
3164 moment when the checkpoint was saved.
3165
3166 Thus, if you're stepping thru a program and you think you're
3167 getting close to the point where things go wrong, you can save
3168 a checkpoint. Then, if you accidentally go too far and miss
3169 the critical statement, instead of having to restart your program
3170 from the beginning, you can just go back to the checkpoint and
3171 start again from there.
3172
3173 This can be especially useful if it takes a lot of time or
3174 steps to reach the point where you think the bug occurs.
3175
3176 To use the @code{checkpoint}/@code{restart} method of debugging:
3177
3178 @table @code
3179 @kindex checkpoint
3180 @item checkpoint
3181 Save a snapshot of the debugged program's current execution state.
3182 The @code{checkpoint} command takes no arguments, but each checkpoint
3183 is assigned a small integer id, similar to a breakpoint id.
3184
3185 @kindex info checkpoints
3186 @item info checkpoints
3187 List the checkpoints that have been saved in the current debugging
3188 session. For each checkpoint, the following information will be
3189 listed:
3190
3191 @table @code
3192 @item Checkpoint ID
3193 @item Process ID
3194 @item Code Address
3195 @item Source line, or label
3196 @end table
3197
3198 @kindex restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3199 @item restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3200 Restore the program state that was saved as checkpoint number
3201 @var{checkpoint-id}. All program variables, registers, stack frames
3202 etc.@: will be returned to the values that they had when the checkpoint
3203 was saved. In essence, gdb will ``wind back the clock'' to the point
3204 in time when the checkpoint was saved.
3205
3206 Note that breakpoints, @value{GDBN} variables, command history etc.
3207 are not affected by restoring a checkpoint. In general, a checkpoint
3208 only restores things that reside in the program being debugged, not in
3209 the debugger.
3210
3211 @kindex delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3212 @item delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3213 Delete the previously-saved checkpoint identified by @var{checkpoint-id}.
3214
3215 @end table
3216
3217 Returning to a previously saved checkpoint will restore the user state
3218 of the program being debugged, plus a significant subset of the system
3219 (OS) state, including file pointers. It won't ``un-write'' data from
3220 a file, but it will rewind the file pointer to the previous location,
3221 so that the previously written data can be overwritten. For files
3222 opened in read mode, the pointer will also be restored so that the
3223 previously read data can be read again.
3224
3225 Of course, characters that have been sent to a printer (or other
3226 external device) cannot be ``snatched back'', and characters received
3227 from eg.@: a serial device can be removed from internal program buffers,
3228 but they cannot be ``pushed back'' into the serial pipeline, ready to
3229 be received again. Similarly, the actual contents of files that have
3230 been changed cannot be restored (at this time).
3231
3232 However, within those constraints, you actually can ``rewind'' your
3233 program to a previously saved point in time, and begin debugging it
3234 again --- and you can change the course of events so as to debug a
3235 different execution path this time.
3236
3237 @cindex checkpoints and process id
3238 Finally, there is one bit of internal program state that will be
3239 different when you return to a checkpoint --- the program's process
3240 id. Each checkpoint will have a unique process id (or @var{pid}),
3241 and each will be different from the program's original @var{pid}.
3242 If your program has saved a local copy of its process id, this could
3243 potentially pose a problem.
3244
3245 @subsection A Non-obvious Benefit of Using Checkpoints
3246
3247 On some systems such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, address space randomization
3248 is performed on new processes for security reasons. This makes it
3249 difficult or impossible to set a breakpoint, or watchpoint, on an
3250 absolute address if you have to restart the program, since the
3251 absolute location of a symbol will change from one execution to the
3252 next.
3253
3254 A checkpoint, however, is an @emph{identical} copy of a process.
3255 Therefore if you create a checkpoint at (eg.@:) the start of main,
3256 and simply return to that checkpoint instead of restarting the
3257 process, you can avoid the effects of address randomization and
3258 your symbols will all stay in the same place.
3259
3260 @node Stopping
3261 @chapter Stopping and Continuing
3262
3263 The principal purposes of using a debugger are so that you can stop your
3264 program before it terminates; or so that, if your program runs into
3265 trouble, you can investigate and find out why.
3266
3267 Inside @value{GDBN}, your program may stop for any of several reasons,
3268 such as a signal, a breakpoint, or reaching a new line after a
3269 @value{GDBN} command such as @code{step}. You may then examine and
3270 change variables, set new breakpoints or remove old ones, and then
3271 continue execution. Usually, the messages shown by @value{GDBN} provide
3272 ample explanation of the status of your program---but you can also
3273 explicitly request this information at any time.
3274
3275 @table @code
3276 @kindex info program
3277 @item info program
3278 Display information about the status of your program: whether it is
3279 running or not, what process it is, and why it stopped.
3280 @end table
3281
3282 @menu
3283 * Breakpoints:: Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
3284 * Continuing and Stepping:: Resuming execution
3285 * Skipping Over Functions and Files::
3286 Skipping over functions and files
3287 * Signals:: Signals
3288 * Thread Stops:: Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
3289 @end menu
3290
3291 @node Breakpoints
3292 @section Breakpoints, Watchpoints, and Catchpoints
3293
3294 @cindex breakpoints
3295 A @dfn{breakpoint} makes your program stop whenever a certain point in
3296 the program is reached. For each breakpoint, you can add conditions to
3297 control in finer detail whether your program stops. You can set
3298 breakpoints with the @code{break} command and its variants (@pxref{Set
3299 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}), to specify the place where your program
3300 should stop by line number, function name or exact address in the
3301 program.
3302
3303 On some systems, you can set breakpoints in shared libraries before
3304 the executable is run. There is a minor limitation on HP-UX systems:
3305 you must wait until the executable is run in order to set breakpoints
3306 in shared library routines that are not called directly by the program
3307 (for example, routines that are arguments in a @code{pthread_create}
3308 call).
3309
3310 @cindex watchpoints
3311 @cindex data breakpoints
3312 @cindex memory tracing
3313 @cindex breakpoint on memory address
3314 @cindex breakpoint on variable modification
3315 A @dfn{watchpoint} is a special breakpoint that stops your program
3316 when the value of an expression changes. The expression may be a value
3317 of a variable, or it could involve values of one or more variables
3318 combined by operators, such as @samp{a + b}. This is sometimes called
3319 @dfn{data breakpoints}. You must use a different command to set
3320 watchpoints (@pxref{Set Watchpoints, ,Setting Watchpoints}), but aside
3321 from that, you can manage a watchpoint like any other breakpoint: you
3322 enable, disable, and delete both breakpoints and watchpoints using the
3323 same commands.
3324
3325 You can arrange to have values from your program displayed automatically
3326 whenever @value{GDBN} stops at a breakpoint. @xref{Auto Display,,
3327 Automatic Display}.
3328
3329 @cindex catchpoints
3330 @cindex breakpoint on events
3331 A @dfn{catchpoint} is another special breakpoint that stops your program
3332 when a certain kind of event occurs, such as the throwing of a C@t{++}
3333 exception or the loading of a library. As with watchpoints, you use a
3334 different command to set a catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints, ,Setting
3335 Catchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a catchpoint like any
3336 other breakpoint. (To stop when your program receives a signal, use the
3337 @code{handle} command; see @ref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
3338
3339 @cindex breakpoint numbers
3340 @cindex numbers for breakpoints
3341 @value{GDBN} assigns a number to each breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3342 catchpoint when you create it; these numbers are successive integers
3343 starting with one. In many of the commands for controlling various
3344 features of breakpoints you use the breakpoint number to say which
3345 breakpoint you want to change. Each breakpoint may be @dfn{enabled} or
3346 @dfn{disabled}; if disabled, it has no effect on your program until you
3347 enable it again.
3348
3349 @cindex breakpoint ranges
3350 @cindex ranges of breakpoints
3351 Some @value{GDBN} commands accept a range of breakpoints on which to
3352 operate. A breakpoint range is either a single breakpoint number, like
3353 @samp{5}, or two such numbers, in increasing order, separated by a
3354 hyphen, like @samp{5-7}. When a breakpoint range is given to a command,
3355 all breakpoints in that range are operated on.
3356
3357 @menu
3358 * Set Breaks:: Setting breakpoints
3359 * Set Watchpoints:: Setting watchpoints
3360 * Set Catchpoints:: Setting catchpoints
3361 * Delete Breaks:: Deleting breakpoints
3362 * Disabling:: Disabling breakpoints
3363 * Conditions:: Break conditions
3364 * Break Commands:: Breakpoint command lists
3365 * Dynamic Printf:: Dynamic printf
3366 * Save Breakpoints:: How to save breakpoints in a file
3367 * Static Probe Points:: Listing static probe points
3368 * Error in Breakpoints:: ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
3369 * Breakpoint-related Warnings:: ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
3370 @end menu
3371
3372 @node Set Breaks
3373 @subsection Setting Breakpoints
3374
3375 @c FIXME LMB what does GDB do if no code on line of breakpt?
3376 @c consider in particular declaration with/without initialization.
3377 @c
3378 @c FIXME 2 is there stuff on this already? break at fun start, already init?
3379
3380 @kindex break
3381 @kindex b @r{(@code{break})}
3382 @vindex $bpnum@r{, convenience variable}
3383 @cindex latest breakpoint
3384 Breakpoints are set with the @code{break} command (abbreviated
3385 @code{b}). The debugger convenience variable @samp{$bpnum} records the
3386 number of the breakpoint you've set most recently; see @ref{Convenience
3387 Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for a discussion of what you can do with
3388 convenience variables.
3389
3390 @table @code
3391 @item break @var{location}
3392 Set a breakpoint at the given @var{location}, which can specify a
3393 function name, a line number, or an address of an instruction.
3394 (@xref{Specify Location}, for a list of all the possible ways to
3395 specify a @var{location}.) The breakpoint will stop your program just
3396 before it executes any of the code in the specified @var{location}.
3397
3398 When using source languages that permit overloading of symbols, such as
3399 C@t{++}, a function name may refer to more than one possible place to break.
3400 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}, for a discussion of
3401 that situation.
3402
3403 It is also possible to insert a breakpoint that will stop the program
3404 only if a specific thread (@pxref{Thread-Specific Breakpoints})
3405 or a specific task (@pxref{Ada Tasks}) hits that breakpoint.
3406
3407 @item break
3408 When called without any arguments, @code{break} sets a breakpoint at
3409 the next instruction to be executed in the selected stack frame
3410 (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}). In any selected frame but the
3411 innermost, this makes your program stop as soon as control
3412 returns to that frame. This is similar to the effect of a
3413 @code{finish} command in the frame inside the selected frame---except
3414 that @code{finish} does not leave an active breakpoint. If you use
3415 @code{break} without an argument in the innermost frame, @value{GDBN} stops
3416 the next time it reaches the current location; this may be useful
3417 inside loops.
3418
3419 @value{GDBN} normally ignores breakpoints when it resumes execution, until at
3420 least one instruction has been executed. If it did not do this, you
3421 would be unable to proceed past a breakpoint without first disabling the
3422 breakpoint. This rule applies whether or not the breakpoint already
3423 existed when your program stopped.
3424
3425 @item break @dots{} if @var{cond}
3426 Set a breakpoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
3427 @var{cond} each time the breakpoint is reached, and stop only if the
3428 value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
3429 @samp{@dots{}} stands for one of the possible arguments described
3430 above (or no argument) specifying where to break. @xref{Conditions,
3431 ,Break Conditions}, for more information on breakpoint conditions.
3432
3433 @kindex tbreak
3434 @item tbreak @var{args}
3435 Set a breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args} are the
3436 same as for the @code{break} command, and the breakpoint is set in the same
3437 way, but the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the first time your
3438 program stops there. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3439
3440 @kindex hbreak
3441 @cindex hardware breakpoints
3442 @item hbreak @var{args}
3443 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint. @var{args} are the same as for the
3444 @code{break} command and the breakpoint is set in the same way, but the
3445 breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware may not
3446 have this support. The main purpose of this is EPROM/ROM code
3447 debugging, so you can set a breakpoint at an instruction without
3448 changing the instruction. This can be used with the new trap-generation
3449 provided by SPARClite DSU and most x86-based targets. These targets
3450 will generate traps when a program accesses some data or instruction
3451 address that is assigned to the debug registers. However the hardware
3452 breakpoint registers can take a limited number of breakpoints. For
3453 example, on the DSU, only two data breakpoints can be set at a time, and
3454 @value{GDBN} will reject this command if more than two are used. Delete
3455 or disable unused hardware breakpoints before setting new ones
3456 (@pxref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}).
3457 @xref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3458 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3459 breakpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3460 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3461
3462 @kindex thbreak
3463 @item thbreak @var{args}
3464 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args}
3465 are the same as for the @code{hbreak} command and the breakpoint is set in
3466 the same way. However, like the @code{tbreak} command,
3467 the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the
3468 first time your program stops there. Also, like the @code{hbreak}
3469 command, the breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware
3470 may not have this support. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3471 See also @ref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3472
3473 @kindex rbreak
3474 @cindex regular expression
3475 @cindex breakpoints at functions matching a regexp
3476 @cindex set breakpoints in many functions
3477 @item rbreak @var{regex}
3478 Set breakpoints on all functions matching the regular expression
3479 @var{regex}. This command sets an unconditional breakpoint on all
3480 matches, printing a list of all breakpoints it set. Once these
3481 breakpoints are set, they are treated just like the breakpoints set with
3482 the @code{break} command. You can delete them, disable them, or make
3483 them conditional the same way as any other breakpoint.
3484
3485 The syntax of the regular expression is the standard one used with tools
3486 like @file{grep}. Note that this is different from the syntax used by
3487 shells, so for instance @code{foo*} matches all functions that include
3488 an @code{fo} followed by zero or more @code{o}s. There is an implicit
3489 @code{.*} leading and trailing the regular expression you supply, so to
3490 match only functions that begin with @code{foo}, use @code{^foo}.
3491
3492 @cindex non-member C@t{++} functions, set breakpoint in
3493 When debugging C@t{++} programs, @code{rbreak} is useful for setting
3494 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
3495 classes.
3496
3497 @cindex set breakpoints on all functions
3498 The @code{rbreak} command can be used to set breakpoints in
3499 @strong{all} the functions in a program, like this:
3500
3501 @smallexample
3502 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak .
3503 @end smallexample
3504
3505 @item rbreak @var{file}:@var{regex}
3506 If @code{rbreak} is called with a filename qualification, it limits
3507 the search for functions matching the given regular expression to the
3508 specified @var{file}. This can be used, for example, to set breakpoints on
3509 every function in a given file:
3510
3511 @smallexample
3512 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak file.c:.
3513 @end smallexample
3514
3515 The colon separating the filename qualifier from the regex may
3516 optionally be surrounded by spaces.
3517
3518 @kindex info breakpoints
3519 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info breakpoints}
3520 @item info breakpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3521 @itemx info break @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3522 Print a table of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints set and
3523 not deleted. Optional argument @var{n} means print information only
3524 about the specified breakpoint(s) (or watchpoint(s) or catchpoint(s)).
3525 For each breakpoint, following columns are printed:
3526
3527 @table @emph
3528 @item Breakpoint Numbers
3529 @item Type
3530 Breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint.
3531 @item Disposition
3532 Whether the breakpoint is marked to be disabled or deleted when hit.
3533 @item Enabled or Disabled
3534 Enabled breakpoints are marked with @samp{y}. @samp{n} marks breakpoints
3535 that are not enabled.
3536 @item Address
3537 Where the breakpoint is in your program, as a memory address. For a
3538 pending breakpoint whose address is not yet known, this field will
3539 contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Such breakpoint won't fire until a shared
3540 library that has the symbol or line referred by breakpoint is loaded.
3541 See below for details. A breakpoint with several locations will
3542 have @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in this field---see below for details.
3543 @item What
3544 Where the breakpoint is in the source for your program, as a file and
3545 line number. For a pending breakpoint, the original string passed to
3546 the breakpoint command will be listed as it cannot be resolved until
3547 the appropriate shared library is loaded in the future.
3548 @end table
3549
3550 @noindent
3551 If a breakpoint is conditional, there are two evaluation modes: ``host'' and
3552 ``target''. If mode is ``host'', breakpoint condition evaluation is done by
3553 @value{GDBN} on the host's side. If it is ``target'', then the condition
3554 is evaluated by the target. The @code{info break} command shows
3555 the condition on the line following the affected breakpoint, together with
3556 its condition evaluation mode in between parentheses.
3557
3558 Breakpoint commands, if any, are listed after that. A pending breakpoint is
3559 allowed to have a condition specified for it. The condition is not parsed for
3560 validity until a shared library is loaded that allows the pending
3561 breakpoint to resolve to a valid location.
3562
3563 @noindent
3564 @code{info break} with a breakpoint
3565 number @var{n} as argument lists only that breakpoint. The
3566 convenience variable @code{$_} and the default examining-address for
3567 the @code{x} command are set to the address of the last breakpoint
3568 listed (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}).
3569
3570 @noindent
3571 @code{info break} displays a count of the number of times the breakpoint
3572 has been hit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the
3573 @code{ignore} command. You can ignore a large number of breakpoint
3574 hits, look at the breakpoint info to see how many times the breakpoint
3575 was hit, and then run again, ignoring one less than that number. This
3576 will get you quickly to the last hit of that breakpoint.
3577
3578 @noindent
3579 For a breakpoints with an enable count (xref) greater than 1,
3580 @code{info break} also displays that count.
3581
3582 @end table
3583
3584 @value{GDBN} allows you to set any number of breakpoints at the same place in
3585 your program. There is nothing silly or meaningless about this. When
3586 the breakpoints are conditional, this is even useful
3587 (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
3588
3589 @cindex multiple locations, breakpoints
3590 @cindex breakpoints, multiple locations
3591 It is possible that a breakpoint corresponds to several locations
3592 in your program. Examples of this situation are:
3593
3594 @itemize @bullet
3595 @item
3596 Multiple functions in the program may have the same name.
3597
3598 @item
3599 For a C@t{++} constructor, the @value{NGCC} compiler generates several
3600 instances of the function body, used in different cases.
3601
3602 @item
3603 For a C@t{++} template function, a given line in the function can
3604 correspond to any number of instantiations.
3605
3606 @item
3607 For an inlined function, a given source line can correspond to
3608 several places where that function is inlined.
3609 @end itemize
3610
3611 In all those cases, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at all
3612 the relevant locations.
3613
3614 A breakpoint with multiple locations is displayed in the breakpoint
3615 table using several rows---one header row, followed by one row for
3616 each breakpoint location. The header row has @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in the
3617 address column. The rows for individual locations contain the actual
3618 addresses for locations, and show the functions to which those
3619 locations belong. The number column for a location is of the form
3620 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number}.
3621
3622 For example:
3623
3624 @smallexample
3625 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
3626 1 breakpoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
3627 stop only if i==1
3628 breakpoint already hit 1 time
3629 1.1 y 0x080486a2 in void foo<int>() at t.cc:8
3630 1.2 y 0x080486ca in void foo<double>() at t.cc:8
3631 @end smallexample
3632
3633 Each location can be individually enabled or disabled by passing
3634 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number} as argument to the
3635 @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands. Note that you cannot
3636 delete the individual locations from the list, you can only delete the
3637 entire list of locations that belong to their parent breakpoint (with
3638 the @kbd{delete @var{num}} command, where @var{num} is the number of
3639 the parent breakpoint, 1 in the above example). Disabling or enabling
3640 the parent breakpoint (@pxref{Disabling}) affects all of the locations
3641 that belong to that breakpoint.
3642
3643 @cindex pending breakpoints
3644 It's quite common to have a breakpoint inside a shared library.
3645 Shared libraries can be loaded and unloaded explicitly,
3646 and possibly repeatedly, as the program is executed. To support
3647 this use case, @value{GDBN} updates breakpoint locations whenever
3648 any shared library is loaded or unloaded. Typically, you would
3649 set a breakpoint in a shared library at the beginning of your
3650 debugging session, when the library is not loaded, and when the
3651 symbols from the library are not available. When you try to set
3652 breakpoint, @value{GDBN} will ask you if you want to set
3653 a so called @dfn{pending breakpoint}---breakpoint whose address
3654 is not yet resolved.
3655
3656 After the program is run, whenever a new shared library is loaded,
3657 @value{GDBN} reevaluates all the breakpoints. When a newly loaded
3658 shared library contains the symbol or line referred to by some
3659 pending breakpoint, that breakpoint is resolved and becomes an
3660 ordinary breakpoint. When a library is unloaded, all breakpoints
3661 that refer to its symbols or source lines become pending again.
3662
3663 This logic works for breakpoints with multiple locations, too. For
3664 example, if you have a breakpoint in a C@t{++} template function, and
3665 a newly loaded shared library has an instantiation of that template,
3666 a new location is added to the list of locations for the breakpoint.
3667
3668 Except for having unresolved address, pending breakpoints do not
3669 differ from regular breakpoints. You can set conditions or commands,
3670 enable and disable them and perform other breakpoint operations.
3671
3672 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling what
3673 happens when the @samp{break} command cannot resolve breakpoint
3674 address specification to an address:
3675
3676 @kindex set breakpoint pending
3677 @kindex show breakpoint pending
3678 @table @code
3679 @item set breakpoint pending auto
3680 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} cannot find the breakpoint
3681 location, it queries you whether a pending breakpoint should be created.
3682
3683 @item set breakpoint pending on
3684 This indicates that an unrecognized breakpoint location should automatically
3685 result in a pending breakpoint being created.
3686
3687 @item set breakpoint pending off
3688 This indicates that pending breakpoints are not to be created. Any
3689 unrecognized breakpoint location results in an error. This setting does
3690 not affect any pending breakpoints previously created.
3691
3692 @item show breakpoint pending
3693 Show the current behavior setting for creating pending breakpoints.
3694 @end table
3695
3696 The settings above only affect the @code{break} command and its
3697 variants. Once breakpoint is set, it will be automatically updated
3698 as shared libraries are loaded and unloaded.
3699
3700 @cindex automatic hardware breakpoints
3701 For some targets, @value{GDBN} can automatically decide if hardware or
3702 software breakpoints should be used, depending on whether the
3703 breakpoint address is read-only or read-write. This applies to
3704 breakpoints set with the @code{break} command as well as to internal
3705 breakpoints set by commands like @code{next} and @code{finish}. For
3706 breakpoints set with @code{hbreak}, @value{GDBN} will always use hardware
3707 breakpoints.
3708
3709 You can control this automatic behaviour with the following commands::
3710
3711 @kindex set breakpoint auto-hw
3712 @kindex show breakpoint auto-hw
3713 @table @code
3714 @item set breakpoint auto-hw on
3715 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} sets a breakpoint, it
3716 will try to use the target memory map to decide if software or hardware
3717 breakpoint must be used.
3718
3719 @item set breakpoint auto-hw off
3720 This indicates @value{GDBN} should not automatically select breakpoint
3721 type. If the target provides a memory map, @value{GDBN} will warn when
3722 trying to set software breakpoint at a read-only address.
3723 @end table
3724
3725 @value{GDBN} normally implements breakpoints by replacing the program code
3726 at the breakpoint address with a special instruction, which, when
3727 executed, given control to the debugger. By default, the program
3728 code is so modified only when the program is resumed. As soon as
3729 the program stops, @value{GDBN} restores the original instructions. This
3730 behaviour guards against leaving breakpoints inserted in the
3731 target should gdb abrubptly disconnect. However, with slow remote
3732 targets, inserting and removing breakpoint can reduce the performance.
3733 This behavior can be controlled with the following commands::
3734
3735 @kindex set breakpoint always-inserted
3736 @kindex show breakpoint always-inserted
3737 @table @code
3738 @item set breakpoint always-inserted off
3739 All breakpoints, including newly added by the user, are inserted in
3740 the target only when the target is resumed. All breakpoints are
3741 removed from the target when it stops.
3742
3743 @item set breakpoint always-inserted on
3744 Causes all breakpoints to be inserted in the target at all times. If
3745 the user adds a new breakpoint, or changes an existing breakpoint, the
3746 breakpoints in the target are updated immediately. A breakpoint is
3747 removed from the target only when breakpoint itself is removed.
3748
3749 @cindex non-stop mode, and @code{breakpoint always-inserted}
3750 @item set breakpoint always-inserted auto
3751 This is the default mode. If @value{GDBN} is controlling the inferior
3752 in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}), gdb behaves as if
3753 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is on. If @value{GDBN} is
3754 controlling the inferior in all-stop mode, @value{GDBN} behaves as if
3755 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is off.
3756 @end table
3757
3758 @value{GDBN} handles conditional breakpoints by evaluating these conditions
3759 when a breakpoint breaks. If the condition is true, then the process being
3760 debugged stops, otherwise the process is resumed.
3761
3762 If the target supports evaluating conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} may
3763 download the breakpoint, together with its conditions, to it.
3764
3765 This feature can be controlled via the following commands:
3766
3767 @kindex set breakpoint condition-evaluation
3768 @kindex show breakpoint condition-evaluation
3769 @table @code
3770 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation host
3771 This option commands @value{GDBN} to evaluate the breakpoint
3772 conditions on the host's side. Unconditional breakpoints are sent to
3773 the target which in turn receives the triggers and reports them back to GDB
3774 for condition evaluation. This is the standard evaluation mode.
3775
3776 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation target
3777 This option commands @value{GDBN} to download breakpoint conditions
3778 to the target at the moment of their insertion. The target
3779 is responsible for evaluating the conditional expression and reporting
3780 breakpoint stop events back to @value{GDBN} whenever the condition
3781 is true. Due to limitations of target-side evaluation, some conditions
3782 cannot be evaluated there, e.g., conditions that depend on local data
3783 that is only known to the host. Examples include
3784 conditional expressions involving convenience variables, complex types
3785 that cannot be handled by the agent expression parser and expressions
3786 that are too long to be sent over to the target, specially when the
3787 target is a remote system. In these cases, the conditions will be
3788 evaluated by @value{GDBN}.
3789
3790 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation auto
3791 This is the default mode. If the target supports evaluating breakpoint
3792 conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} will download breakpoint conditions to
3793 the target (limitations mentioned previously apply). If the target does
3794 not support breakpoint condition evaluation, then @value{GDBN} will fallback
3795 to evaluating all these conditions on the host's side.
3796 @end table
3797
3798
3799 @cindex negative breakpoint numbers
3800 @cindex internal @value{GDBN} breakpoints
3801 @value{GDBN} itself sometimes sets breakpoints in your program for
3802 special purposes, such as proper handling of @code{longjmp} (in C
3803 programs). These internal breakpoints are assigned negative numbers,
3804 starting with @code{-1}; @samp{info breakpoints} does not display them.
3805 You can see these breakpoints with the @value{GDBN} maintenance command
3806 @samp{maint info breakpoints} (@pxref{maint info breakpoints}).
3807
3808
3809 @node Set Watchpoints
3810 @subsection Setting Watchpoints
3811
3812 @cindex setting watchpoints
3813 You can use a watchpoint to stop execution whenever the value of an
3814 expression changes, without having to predict a particular place where
3815 this may happen. (This is sometimes called a @dfn{data breakpoint}.)
3816 The expression may be as simple as the value of a single variable, or
3817 as complex as many variables combined by operators. Examples include:
3818
3819 @itemize @bullet
3820 @item
3821 A reference to the value of a single variable.
3822
3823 @item
3824 An address cast to an appropriate data type. For example,
3825 @samp{*(int *)0x12345678} will watch a 4-byte region at the specified
3826 address (assuming an @code{int} occupies 4 bytes).
3827
3828 @item
3829 An arbitrarily complex expression, such as @samp{a*b + c/d}. The
3830 expression can use any operators valid in the program's native
3831 language (@pxref{Languages}).
3832 @end itemize
3833
3834 You can set a watchpoint on an expression even if the expression can
3835 not be evaluated yet. For instance, you can set a watchpoint on
3836 @samp{*global_ptr} before @samp{global_ptr} is initialized.
3837 @value{GDBN} will stop when your program sets @samp{global_ptr} and
3838 the expression produces a valid value. If the expression becomes
3839 valid in some other way than changing a variable (e.g.@: if the memory
3840 pointed to by @samp{*global_ptr} becomes readable as the result of a
3841 @code{malloc} call), @value{GDBN} may not stop until the next time
3842 the expression changes.
3843
3844 @cindex software watchpoints
3845 @cindex hardware watchpoints
3846 Depending on your system, watchpoints may be implemented in software or
3847 hardware. @value{GDBN} does software watchpointing by single-stepping your
3848 program and testing the variable's value each time, which is hundreds of
3849 times slower than normal execution. (But this may still be worth it, to
3850 catch errors where you have no clue what part of your program is the
3851 culprit.)
3852
3853 On some systems, such as HP-UX, PowerPC, @sc{gnu}/Linux and most other
3854 x86-based targets, @value{GDBN} includes support for hardware
3855 watchpoints, which do not slow down the running of your program.
3856
3857 @table @code
3858 @kindex watch
3859 @item watch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3860 Set a watchpoint for an expression. @value{GDBN} will break when the
3861 expression @var{expr} is written into by the program and its value
3862 changes. The simplest (and the most popular) use of this command is
3863 to watch the value of a single variable:
3864
3865 @smallexample
3866 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo
3867 @end smallexample
3868
3869 If the command includes a @code{@r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}}
3870 argument, @value{GDBN} breaks only when the thread identified by
3871 @var{threadnum} changes the value of @var{expr}. If any other threads
3872 change the value of @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} will not break. Note
3873 that watchpoints restricted to a single thread in this way only work
3874 with Hardware Watchpoints.
3875
3876 Ordinarily a watchpoint respects the scope of variables in @var{expr}
3877 (see below). The @code{-location} argument tells @value{GDBN} to
3878 instead watch the memory referred to by @var{expr}. In this case,
3879 @value{GDBN} will evaluate @var{expr}, take the address of the result,
3880 and watch the memory at that address. The type of the result is used
3881 to determine the size of the watched memory. If the expression's
3882 result does not have an address, then @value{GDBN} will print an
3883 error.
3884
3885 The @code{@r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}} argument allows creation
3886 of masked watchpoints, if the current architecture supports this
3887 feature (e.g., PowerPC Embedded architecture, see @ref{PowerPC
3888 Embedded}.) A @dfn{masked watchpoint} specifies a mask in addition
3889 to an address to watch. The mask specifies that some bits of an address
3890 (the bits which are reset in the mask) should be ignored when matching
3891 the address accessed by the inferior against the watchpoint address.
3892 Thus, a masked watchpoint watches many addresses simultaneously---those
3893 addresses whose unmasked bits are identical to the unmasked bits in the
3894 watchpoint address. The @code{mask} argument implies @code{-location}.
3895 Examples:
3896
3897 @smallexample
3898 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo mask 0xffff00ff
3899 (@value{GDBP}) watch *0xdeadbeef mask 0xffffff00
3900 @end smallexample
3901
3902 @kindex rwatch
3903 @item rwatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3904 Set a watchpoint that will break when the value of @var{expr} is read
3905 by the program.
3906
3907 @kindex awatch
3908 @item awatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
3909 Set a watchpoint that will break when @var{expr} is either read from
3910 or written into by the program.
3911
3912 @kindex info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3913 @item info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
3914 This command prints a list of watchpoints, using the same format as
3915 @code{info break} (@pxref{Set Breaks}).
3916 @end table
3917
3918 If you watch for a change in a numerically entered address you need to
3919 dereference it, as the address itself is just a constant number which will
3920 never change. @value{GDBN} refuses to create a watchpoint that watches
3921 a never-changing value:
3922
3923 @smallexample
3924 (@value{GDBP}) watch 0x600850
3925 Cannot watch constant value 0x600850.
3926 (@value{GDBP}) watch *(int *) 0x600850
3927 Watchpoint 1: *(int *) 6293584
3928 @end smallexample
3929
3930 @value{GDBN} sets a @dfn{hardware watchpoint} if possible. Hardware
3931 watchpoints execute very quickly, and the debugger reports a change in
3932 value at the exact instruction where the change occurs. If @value{GDBN}
3933 cannot set a hardware watchpoint, it sets a software watchpoint, which
3934 executes more slowly and reports the change in value at the next
3935 @emph{statement}, not the instruction, after the change occurs.
3936
3937 @cindex use only software watchpoints
3938 You can force @value{GDBN} to use only software watchpoints with the
3939 @kbd{set can-use-hw-watchpoints 0} command. With this variable set to
3940 zero, @value{GDBN} will never try to use hardware watchpoints, even if
3941 the underlying system supports them. (Note that hardware-assisted
3942 watchpoints that were set @emph{before} setting
3943 @code{can-use-hw-watchpoints} to zero will still use the hardware
3944 mechanism of watching expression values.)
3945
3946 @table @code
3947 @item set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3948 @kindex set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3949 Set whether or not to use hardware watchpoints.
3950
3951 @item show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3952 @kindex show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3953 Show the current mode of using hardware watchpoints.
3954 @end table
3955
3956 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3957 watchpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3958 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3959
3960 When you issue the @code{watch} command, @value{GDBN} reports
3961
3962 @smallexample
3963 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: @var{expr}
3964 @end smallexample
3965
3966 @noindent
3967 if it was able to set a hardware watchpoint.
3968
3969 Currently, the @code{awatch} and @code{rwatch} commands can only set
3970 hardware watchpoints, because accesses to data that don't change the
3971 value of the watched expression cannot be detected without examining
3972 every instruction as it is being executed, and @value{GDBN} does not do
3973 that currently. If @value{GDBN} finds that it is unable to set a
3974 hardware breakpoint with the @code{awatch} or @code{rwatch} command, it
3975 will print a message like this:
3976
3977 @smallexample
3978 Expression cannot be implemented with read/access watchpoint.
3979 @end smallexample
3980
3981 Sometimes, @value{GDBN} cannot set a hardware watchpoint because the
3982 data type of the watched expression is wider than what a hardware
3983 watchpoint on the target machine can handle. For example, some systems
3984 can only watch regions that are up to 4 bytes wide; on such systems you
3985 cannot set hardware watchpoints for an expression that yields a
3986 double-precision floating-point number (which is typically 8 bytes
3987 wide). As a work-around, it might be possible to break the large region
3988 into a series of smaller ones and watch them with separate watchpoints.
3989
3990 If you set too many hardware watchpoints, @value{GDBN} might be unable
3991 to insert all of them when you resume the execution of your program.
3992 Since the precise number of active watchpoints is unknown until such
3993 time as the program is about to be resumed, @value{GDBN} might not be
3994 able to warn you about this when you set the watchpoints, and the
3995 warning will be printed only when the program is resumed:
3996
3997 @smallexample
3998 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: Could not insert watchpoint
3999 @end smallexample
4000
4001 @noindent
4002 If this happens, delete or disable some of the watchpoints.
4003
4004 Watching complex expressions that reference many variables can also
4005 exhaust the resources available for hardware-assisted watchpoints.
4006 That's because @value{GDBN} needs to watch every variable in the
4007 expression with separately allocated resources.
4008
4009 If you call a function interactively using @code{print} or @code{call},
4010 any watchpoints you have set will be inactive until @value{GDBN} reaches another
4011 kind of breakpoint or the call completes.
4012
4013 @value{GDBN} automatically deletes watchpoints that watch local
4014 (automatic) variables, or expressions that involve such variables, when
4015 they go out of scope, that is, when the execution leaves the block in
4016 which these variables were defined. In particular, when the program
4017 being debugged terminates, @emph{all} local variables go out of scope,
4018 and so only watchpoints that watch global variables remain set. If you
4019 rerun the program, you will need to set all such watchpoints again. One
4020 way of doing that would be to set a code breakpoint at the entry to the
4021 @code{main} function and when it breaks, set all the watchpoints.
4022
4023 @cindex watchpoints and threads
4024 @cindex threads and watchpoints
4025 In multi-threaded programs, watchpoints will detect changes to the
4026 watched expression from every thread.
4027
4028 @quotation
4029 @emph{Warning:} In multi-threaded programs, software watchpoints
4030 have only limited usefulness. If @value{GDBN} creates a software
4031 watchpoint, it can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a
4032 single thread}. If you are confident that the expression can only
4033 change due to the current thread's activity (and if you are also
4034 confident that no other thread can become current), then you can use
4035 software watchpoints as usual. However, @value{GDBN} may not notice
4036 when a non-current thread's activity changes the expression. (Hardware
4037 watchpoints, in contrast, watch an expression in all threads.)
4038 @end quotation
4039
4040 @xref{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}.
4041
4042 @node Set Catchpoints
4043 @subsection Setting Catchpoints
4044 @cindex catchpoints, setting
4045 @cindex exception handlers
4046 @cindex event handling
4047
4048 You can use @dfn{catchpoints} to cause the debugger to stop for certain
4049 kinds of program events, such as C@t{++} exceptions or the loading of a
4050 shared library. Use the @code{catch} command to set a catchpoint.
4051
4052 @table @code
4053 @kindex catch
4054 @item catch @var{event}
4055 Stop when @var{event} occurs. @var{event} can be any of the following:
4056 @table @code
4057 @item throw
4058 @cindex stop on C@t{++} exceptions
4059 The throwing of a C@t{++} exception.
4060
4061 @item catch
4062 The catching of a C@t{++} exception.
4063
4064 @item exception
4065 @cindex Ada exception catching
4066 @cindex catch Ada exceptions
4067 An Ada exception being raised. If an exception name is specified
4068 at the end of the command (eg @code{catch exception Program_Error}),
4069 the debugger will stop only when this specific exception is raised.
4070 Otherwise, the debugger stops execution when any Ada exception is raised.
4071
4072 When inserting an exception catchpoint on a user-defined exception whose
4073 name is identical to one of the exceptions defined by the language, the
4074 fully qualified name must be used as the exception name. Otherwise,
4075 @value{GDBN} will assume that it should stop on the pre-defined exception
4076 rather than the user-defined one. For instance, assuming an exception
4077 called @code{Constraint_Error} is defined in package @code{Pck}, then
4078 the command to use to catch such exceptions is @kbd{catch exception
4079 Pck.Constraint_Error}.
4080
4081 @item exception unhandled
4082 An exception that was raised but is not handled by the program.
4083
4084 @item assert
4085 A failed Ada assertion.
4086
4087 @item exec
4088 @cindex break on fork/exec
4089 A call to @code{exec}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4090 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4091
4092 @item syscall
4093 @itemx syscall @r{[}@var{name} @r{|} @var{number}@r{]} @dots{}
4094 @cindex break on a system call.
4095 A call to or return from a system call, a.k.a.@: @dfn{syscall}. A
4096 syscall is a mechanism for application programs to request a service
4097 from the operating system (OS) or one of the OS system services.
4098 @value{GDBN} can catch some or all of the syscalls issued by the
4099 debuggee, and show the related information for each syscall. If no
4100 argument is specified, calls to and returns from all system calls
4101 will be caught.
4102
4103 @var{name} can be any system call name that is valid for the
4104 underlying OS. Just what syscalls are valid depends on the OS. On
4105 GNU and Unix systems, you can find the full list of valid syscall
4106 names on @file{/usr/include/asm/unistd.h}.
4107
4108 @c For MS-Windows, the syscall names and the corresponding numbers
4109 @c can be found, e.g., on this URL:
4110 @c http://www.metasploit.com/users/opcode/syscalls.html
4111 @c but we don't support Windows syscalls yet.
4112
4113 Normally, @value{GDBN} knows in advance which syscalls are valid for
4114 each OS, so you can use the @value{GDBN} command-line completion
4115 facilities (@pxref{Completion,, command completion}) to list the
4116 available choices.
4117
4118 You may also specify the system call numerically. A syscall's
4119 number is the value passed to the OS's syscall dispatcher to
4120 identify the requested service. When you specify the syscall by its
4121 name, @value{GDBN} uses its database of syscalls to convert the name
4122 into the corresponding numeric code, but using the number directly
4123 may be useful if @value{GDBN}'s database does not have the complete
4124 list of syscalls on your system (e.g., because @value{GDBN} lags
4125 behind the OS upgrades).
4126
4127 The example below illustrates how this command works if you don't provide
4128 arguments to it:
4129
4130 @smallexample
4131 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4132 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4133 (@value{GDBP}) r
4134 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4135
4136 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'close'), \
4137 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4138 (@value{GDBP}) c
4139 Continuing.
4140
4141 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'close'), \
4142 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4143 (@value{GDBP})
4144 @end smallexample
4145
4146 Here is an example of catching a system call by name:
4147
4148 @smallexample
4149 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall chroot
4150 Catchpoint 1 (syscall 'chroot' [61])
4151 (@value{GDBP}) r
4152 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4153
4154 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'chroot'), \
4155 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4156 (@value{GDBP}) c
4157 Continuing.
4158
4159 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'chroot'), \
4160 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4161 (@value{GDBP})
4162 @end smallexample
4163
4164 An example of specifying a system call numerically. In the case
4165 below, the syscall number has a corresponding entry in the XML
4166 file, so @value{GDBN} finds its name and prints it:
4167
4168 @smallexample
4169 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4170 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 'exit_group')
4171 (@value{GDBP}) r
4172 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4173
4174 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'exit_group'), \
4175 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4176 (@value{GDBP}) c
4177 Continuing.
4178
4179 Program exited normally.
4180 (@value{GDBP})
4181 @end smallexample
4182
4183 However, there can be situations when there is no corresponding name
4184 in XML file for that syscall number. In this case, @value{GDBN} prints
4185 a warning message saying that it was not able to find the syscall name,
4186 but the catchpoint will be set anyway. See the example below:
4187
4188 @smallexample
4189 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 764
4190 warning: The number '764' does not represent a known syscall.
4191 Catchpoint 2 (syscall 764)
4192 (@value{GDBP})
4193 @end smallexample
4194
4195 If you configure @value{GDBN} using the @samp{--without-expat} option,
4196 it will not be able to display syscall names. Also, if your
4197 architecture does not have an XML file describing its system calls,
4198 you will not be able to see the syscall names. It is important to
4199 notice that these two features are used for accessing the syscall
4200 name database. In either case, you will see a warning like this:
4201
4202 @smallexample
4203 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4204 warning: Could not open "syscalls/i386-linux.xml"
4205 warning: Could not load the syscall XML file 'syscalls/i386-linux.xml'.
4206 GDB will not be able to display syscall names.
4207 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4208 (@value{GDBP})
4209 @end smallexample
4210
4211 Of course, the file name will change depending on your architecture and system.
4212
4213 Still using the example above, you can also try to catch a syscall by its
4214 number. In this case, you would see something like:
4215
4216 @smallexample
4217 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4218 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 252)
4219 @end smallexample
4220
4221 Again, in this case @value{GDBN} would not be able to display syscall's names.
4222
4223 @item fork
4224 A call to @code{fork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4225 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4226
4227 @item vfork
4228 A call to @code{vfork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
4229 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
4230
4231 @item load @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4232 @itemx unload @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4233 The loading or unloading of a shared library. If @var{regexp} is
4234 given, then the catchpoint will stop only if the regular expression
4235 matches one of the affected libraries.
4236
4237 @item signal @r{[}@var{signal}@dots{} @r{|} @samp{all}@r{]}
4238 The delivery of a signal.
4239
4240 With no arguments, this catchpoint will catch any signal that is not
4241 used internally by @value{GDBN}, specifically, all signals except
4242 @samp{SIGTRAP} and @samp{SIGINT}.
4243
4244 With the argument @samp{all}, all signals, including those used by
4245 @value{GDBN}, will be caught. This argument cannot be used with other
4246 signal names.
4247
4248 Otherwise, the arguments are a list of signal names as given to
4249 @code{handle} (@pxref{Signals}). Only signals specified in this list
4250 will be caught.
4251
4252 One reason that @code{catch signal} can be more useful than
4253 @code{handle} is that you can attach commands and conditions to the
4254 catchpoint.
4255
4256 When a signal is caught by a catchpoint, the signal's @code{stop} and
4257 @code{print} settings, as specified by @code{handle}, are ignored.
4258 However, whether the signal is still delivered to the inferior depends
4259 on the @code{pass} setting; this can be changed in the catchpoint's
4260 commands.
4261
4262 @end table
4263
4264 @item tcatch @var{event}
4265 Set a catchpoint that is enabled only for one stop. The catchpoint is
4266 automatically deleted after the first time the event is caught.
4267
4268 @end table
4269
4270 Use the @code{info break} command to list the current catchpoints.
4271
4272 There are currently some limitations to C@t{++} exception handling
4273 (@code{catch throw} and @code{catch catch}) in @value{GDBN}:
4274
4275 @itemize @bullet
4276 @item
4277 If you call a function interactively, @value{GDBN} normally returns
4278 control to you when the function has finished executing. If the call
4279 raises an exception, however, the call may bypass the mechanism that
4280 returns control to you and cause your program either to abort or to
4281 simply continue running until it hits a breakpoint, catches a signal
4282 that @value{GDBN} is listening for, or exits. This is the case even if
4283 you set a catchpoint for the exception; catchpoints on exceptions are
4284 disabled within interactive calls.
4285
4286 @item
4287 You cannot raise an exception interactively.
4288
4289 @item
4290 You cannot install an exception handler interactively.
4291 @end itemize
4292
4293 @cindex raise exceptions
4294 Sometimes @code{catch} is not the best way to debug exception handling:
4295 if you need to know exactly where an exception is raised, it is better to
4296 stop @emph{before} the exception handler is called, since that way you
4297 can see the stack before any unwinding takes place. If you set a
4298 breakpoint in an exception handler instead, it may not be easy to find
4299 out where the exception was raised.
4300
4301 To stop just before an exception handler is called, you need some
4302 knowledge of the implementation. In the case of @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, exceptions are
4303 raised by calling a library function named @code{__raise_exception}
4304 which has the following ANSI C interface:
4305
4306 @smallexample
4307 /* @var{addr} is where the exception identifier is stored.
4308 @var{id} is the exception identifier. */
4309 void __raise_exception (void **addr, void *id);
4310 @end smallexample
4311
4312 @noindent
4313 To make the debugger catch all exceptions before any stack
4314 unwinding takes place, set a breakpoint on @code{__raise_exception}
4315 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Exceptions}).
4316
4317 With a conditional breakpoint (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions})
4318 that depends on the value of @var{id}, you can stop your program when
4319 a specific exception is raised. You can use multiple conditional
4320 breakpoints to stop your program when any of a number of exceptions are
4321 raised.
4322
4323
4324 @node Delete Breaks
4325 @subsection Deleting Breakpoints
4326
4327 @cindex clearing breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4328 @cindex deleting breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4329 It is often necessary to eliminate a breakpoint, watchpoint, or
4330 catchpoint once it has done its job and you no longer want your program
4331 to stop there. This is called @dfn{deleting} the breakpoint. A
4332 breakpoint that has been deleted no longer exists; it is forgotten.
4333
4334 With the @code{clear} command you can delete breakpoints according to
4335 where they are in your program. With the @code{delete} command you can
4336 delete individual breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints by specifying
4337 their breakpoint numbers.
4338
4339 It is not necessary to delete a breakpoint to proceed past it. @value{GDBN}
4340 automatically ignores breakpoints on the first instruction to be executed
4341 when you continue execution without changing the execution address.
4342
4343 @table @code
4344 @kindex clear
4345 @item clear
4346 Delete any breakpoints at the next instruction to be executed in the
4347 selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). When
4348 the innermost frame is selected, this is a good way to delete a
4349 breakpoint where your program just stopped.
4350
4351 @item clear @var{location}
4352 Delete any breakpoints set at the specified @var{location}.
4353 @xref{Specify Location}, for the various forms of @var{location}; the
4354 most useful ones are listed below:
4355
4356 @table @code
4357 @item clear @var{function}
4358 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{function}
4359 Delete any breakpoints set at entry to the named @var{function}.
4360
4361 @item clear @var{linenum}
4362 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
4363 Delete any breakpoints set at or within the code of the specified
4364 @var{linenum} of the specified @var{filename}.
4365 @end table
4366
4367 @cindex delete breakpoints
4368 @kindex delete
4369 @kindex d @r{(@code{delete})}
4370 @item delete @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4371 Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint
4372 ranges specified as arguments. If no argument is specified, delete all
4373 breakpoints (@value{GDBN} asks confirmation, unless you have @code{set
4374 confirm off}). You can abbreviate this command as @code{d}.
4375 @end table
4376
4377 @node Disabling
4378 @subsection Disabling Breakpoints
4379
4380 @cindex enable/disable a breakpoint
4381 Rather than deleting a breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint, you might
4382 prefer to @dfn{disable} it. This makes the breakpoint inoperative as if
4383 it had been deleted, but remembers the information on the breakpoint so
4384 that you can @dfn{enable} it again later.
4385
4386 You disable and enable breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints with
4387 the @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands, optionally specifying
4388 one or more breakpoint numbers as arguments. Use @code{info break} to
4389 print a list of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints if you
4390 do not know which numbers to use.
4391
4392 Disabling and enabling a breakpoint that has multiple locations
4393 affects all of its locations.
4394
4395 A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of several
4396 different states of enablement:
4397
4398 @itemize @bullet
4399 @item
4400 Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set
4401 with the @code{break} command starts out in this state.
4402 @item
4403 Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.
4404 @item
4405 Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes
4406 disabled.
4407 @item
4408 Enabled for a count. The breakpoint stops your program for the next
4409 N times, then becomes disabled.
4410 @item
4411 Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but
4412 immediately after it does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint
4413 set with the @code{tbreak} command starts out in this state.
4414 @end itemize
4415
4416 You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints,
4417 watchpoints, and catchpoints:
4418
4419 @table @code
4420 @kindex disable
4421 @kindex dis @r{(@code{disable})}
4422 @item disable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4423 Disable the specified breakpoints---or all breakpoints, if none are
4424 listed. A disabled breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All
4425 options such as ignore-counts, conditions and commands are remembered in
4426 case the breakpoint is enabled again later. You may abbreviate
4427 @code{disable} as @code{dis}.
4428
4429 @kindex enable
4430 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4431 Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined breakpoints). They
4432 become effective once again in stopping your program.
4433
4434 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} once @var{range}@dots{}
4435 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} disables any
4436 of these breakpoints immediately after stopping your program.
4437
4438 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} count @var{count} @var{range}@dots{}
4439 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} records
4440 @var{count} with each of the specified breakpoints, and decrements a
4441 breakpoint's count when it is hit. When any count reaches 0,
4442 @value{GDBN} disables that breakpoint. If a breakpoint has an ignore
4443 count (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}), that will be
4444 decremented to 0 before @var{count} is affected.
4445
4446 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} delete @var{range}@dots{}
4447 Enable the specified breakpoints to work once, then die. @value{GDBN}
4448 deletes any of these breakpoints as soon as your program stops there.
4449 Breakpoints set by the @code{tbreak} command start out in this state.
4450 @end table
4451
4452 @c FIXME: I think the following ``Except for [...] @code{tbreak}'' is
4453 @c confusing: tbreak is also initially enabled.
4454 Except for a breakpoint set with @code{tbreak} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
4455 ,Setting Breakpoints}), breakpoints that you set are initially enabled;
4456 subsequently, they become disabled or enabled only when you use one of
4457 the commands above. (The command @code{until} can set and delete a
4458 breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other
4459 breakpoints; see @ref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and
4460 Stepping}.)
4461
4462 @node Conditions
4463 @subsection Break Conditions
4464 @cindex conditional breakpoints
4465 @cindex breakpoint conditions
4466
4467 @c FIXME what is scope of break condition expr? Context where wanted?
4468 @c in particular for a watchpoint?
4469 The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a
4470 specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for a
4471 breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
4472 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A breakpoint with
4473 a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it,
4474 and your program stops only if the condition is @emph{true}.
4475
4476 This is the converse of using assertions for program validation; in that
4477 situation, you want to stop when the assertion is violated---that is,
4478 when the condition is false. In C, if you want to test an assertion expressed
4479 by the condition @var{assert}, you should set the condition
4480 @samp{! @var{assert}} on the appropriate breakpoint.
4481
4482 Conditions are also accepted for watchpoints; you may not need them,
4483 since a watchpoint is inspecting the value of an expression anyhow---but
4484 it might be simpler, say, to just set a watchpoint on a variable name,
4485 and specify a condition that tests whether the new value is an interesting
4486 one.
4487
4488 Break conditions can have side effects, and may even call functions in
4489 your program. This can be useful, for example, to activate functions
4490 that log program progress, or to use your own print functions to
4491 format special data structures. The effects are completely predictable
4492 unless there is another enabled breakpoint at the same address. (In
4493 that case, @value{GDBN} might see the other breakpoint first and stop your
4494 program without checking the condition of this one.) Note that
4495 breakpoint commands are usually more convenient and flexible than break
4496 conditions for the
4497 purpose of performing side effects when a breakpoint is reached
4498 (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}).
4499
4500 Breakpoint conditions can also be evaluated on the target's side if
4501 the target supports it. Instead of evaluating the conditions locally,
4502 @value{GDBN} encodes the expression into an agent expression
4503 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) suitable for execution on the target,
4504 independently of @value{GDBN}. Global variables become raw memory
4505 locations, locals become stack accesses, and so forth.
4506
4507 In this case, @value{GDBN} will only be notified of a breakpoint trigger
4508 when its condition evaluates to true. This mechanism may provide faster
4509 response times depending on the performance characteristics of the target
4510 since it does not need to keep @value{GDBN} informed about
4511 every breakpoint trigger, even those with false conditions.
4512
4513 Break conditions can be specified when a breakpoint is set, by using
4514 @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{break} command. @xref{Set
4515 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}. They can also be changed at any time
4516 with the @code{condition} command.
4517
4518 You can also use the @code{if} keyword with the @code{watch} command.
4519 The @code{catch} command does not recognize the @code{if} keyword;
4520 @code{condition} is the only way to impose a further condition on a
4521 catchpoint.
4522
4523 @table @code
4524 @kindex condition
4525 @item condition @var{bnum} @var{expression}
4526 Specify @var{expression} as the break condition for breakpoint,
4527 watchpoint, or catchpoint number @var{bnum}. After you set a condition,
4528 breakpoint @var{bnum} stops your program only if the value of
4529 @var{expression} is true (nonzero, in C). When you use
4530 @code{condition}, @value{GDBN} checks @var{expression} immediately for
4531 syntactic correctness, and to determine whether symbols in it have
4532 referents in the context of your breakpoint. If @var{expression} uses
4533 symbols not referenced in the context of the breakpoint, @value{GDBN}
4534 prints an error message:
4535
4536 @smallexample
4537 No symbol "foo" in current context.
4538 @end smallexample
4539
4540 @noindent
4541 @value{GDBN} does
4542 not actually evaluate @var{expression} at the time the @code{condition}
4543 command (or a command that sets a breakpoint with a condition, like
4544 @code{break if @dots{}}) is given, however. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
4545
4546 @item condition @var{bnum}
4547 Remove the condition from breakpoint number @var{bnum}. It becomes
4548 an ordinary unconditional breakpoint.
4549 @end table
4550
4551 @cindex ignore count (of breakpoint)
4552 A special case of a breakpoint condition is to stop only when the
4553 breakpoint has been reached a certain number of times. This is so
4554 useful that there is a special way to do it, using the @dfn{ignore
4555 count} of the breakpoint. Every breakpoint has an ignore count, which
4556 is an integer. Most of the time, the ignore count is zero, and
4557 therefore has no effect. But if your program reaches a breakpoint whose
4558 ignore count is positive, then instead of stopping, it just decrements
4559 the ignore count by one and continues. As a result, if the ignore count
4560 value is @var{n}, the breakpoint does not stop the next @var{n} times
4561 your program reaches it.
4562
4563 @table @code
4564 @kindex ignore
4565 @item ignore @var{bnum} @var{count}
4566 Set the ignore count of breakpoint number @var{bnum} to @var{count}.
4567 The next @var{count} times the breakpoint is reached, your program's
4568 execution does not stop; other than to decrement the ignore count, @value{GDBN}
4569 takes no action.
4570
4571 To make the breakpoint stop the next time it is reached, specify
4572 a count of zero.
4573
4574 When you use @code{continue} to resume execution of your program from a
4575 breakpoint, you can specify an ignore count directly as an argument to
4576 @code{continue}, rather than using @code{ignore}. @xref{Continuing and
4577 Stepping,,Continuing and Stepping}.
4578
4579 If a breakpoint has a positive ignore count and a condition, the
4580 condition is not checked. Once the ignore count reaches zero,
4581 @value{GDBN} resumes checking the condition.
4582
4583 You could achieve the effect of the ignore count with a condition such
4584 as @w{@samp{$foo-- <= 0}} using a debugger convenience variable that
4585 is decremented each time. @xref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
4586 Variables}.
4587 @end table
4588
4589 Ignore counts apply to breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints.
4590
4591
4592 @node Break Commands
4593 @subsection Breakpoint Command Lists
4594
4595 @cindex breakpoint commands
4596 You can give any breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint) a series of
4597 commands to execute when your program stops due to that breakpoint. For
4598 example, you might want to print the values of certain expressions, or
4599 enable other breakpoints.
4600
4601 @table @code
4602 @kindex commands
4603 @kindex end@r{ (breakpoint commands)}
4604 @item commands @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
4605 @itemx @dots{} @var{command-list} @dots{}
4606 @itemx end
4607 Specify a list of commands for the given breakpoints. The commands
4608 themselves appear on the following lines. Type a line containing just
4609 @code{end} to terminate the commands.
4610
4611 To remove all commands from a breakpoint, type @code{commands} and
4612 follow it immediately with @code{end}; that is, give no commands.
4613
4614 With no argument, @code{commands} refers to the last breakpoint,
4615 watchpoint, or catchpoint set (not to the breakpoint most recently
4616 encountered). If the most recent breakpoints were set with a single
4617 command, then the @code{commands} will apply to all the breakpoints
4618 set by that command. This applies to breakpoints set by
4619 @code{rbreak}, and also applies when a single @code{break} command
4620 creates multiple breakpoints (@pxref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous
4621 Expressions}).
4622 @end table
4623
4624 Pressing @key{RET} as a means of repeating the last @value{GDBN} command is
4625 disabled within a @var{command-list}.
4626
4627 You can use breakpoint commands to start your program up again. Simply
4628 use the @code{continue} command, or @code{step}, or any other command
4629 that resumes execution.
4630
4631 Any other commands in the command list, after a command that resumes
4632 execution, are ignored. This is because any time you resume execution
4633 (even with a simple @code{next} or @code{step}), you may encounter
4634 another breakpoint---which could have its own command list, leading to
4635 ambiguities about which list to execute.
4636
4637 @kindex silent
4638 If the first command you specify in a command list is @code{silent}, the
4639 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint is not printed. This may
4640 be desirable for breakpoints that are to print a specific message and
4641 then continue. If none of the remaining commands print anything, you
4642 see no sign that the breakpoint was reached. @code{silent} is
4643 meaningful only at the beginning of a breakpoint command list.
4644
4645 The commands @code{echo}, @code{output}, and @code{printf} allow you to
4646 print precisely controlled output, and are often useful in silent
4647 breakpoints. @xref{Output, ,Commands for Controlled Output}.
4648
4649 For example, here is how you could use breakpoint commands to print the
4650 value of @code{x} at entry to @code{foo} whenever @code{x} is positive.
4651
4652 @smallexample
4653 break foo if x>0
4654 commands
4655 silent
4656 printf "x is %d\n",x
4657 cont
4658 end
4659 @end smallexample
4660
4661 One application for breakpoint commands is to compensate for one bug so
4662 you can test for another. Put a breakpoint just after the erroneous line
4663 of code, give it a condition to detect the case in which something
4664 erroneous has been done, and give it commands to assign correct values
4665 to any variables that need them. End with the @code{continue} command
4666 so that your program does not stop, and start with the @code{silent}
4667 command so that no output is produced. Here is an example:
4668
4669 @smallexample
4670 break 403
4671 commands
4672 silent
4673 set x = y + 4
4674 cont
4675 end
4676 @end smallexample
4677
4678 @node Dynamic Printf
4679 @subsection Dynamic Printf
4680
4681 @cindex dynamic printf
4682 @cindex dprintf
4683 The dynamic printf command @code{dprintf} combines a breakpoint with
4684 formatted printing of your program's data to give you the effect of
4685 inserting @code{printf} calls into your program on-the-fly, without
4686 having to recompile it.
4687
4688 In its most basic form, the output goes to the GDB console. However,
4689 you can set the variable @code{dprintf-style} for alternate handling.
4690 For instance, you can ask to format the output by calling your
4691 program's @code{printf} function. This has the advantage that the
4692 characters go to the program's output device, so they can recorded in
4693 redirects to files and so forth.
4694
4695 If you are doing remote debugging with a stub or agent, you can also
4696 ask to have the printf handled by the remote agent. In addition to
4697 ensuring that the output goes to the remote program's device along
4698 with any other output the program might produce, you can also ask that
4699 the dprintf remain active even after disconnecting from the remote
4700 target. Using the stub/agent is also more efficient, as it can do
4701 everything without needing to communicate with @value{GDBN}.
4702
4703 @table @code
4704 @kindex dprintf
4705 @item dprintf @var{location},@var{template},@var{expression}[,@var{expression}@dots{}]
4706 Whenever execution reaches @var{location}, print the values of one or
4707 more @var{expressions} under the control of the string @var{template}.
4708 To print several values, separate them with commas.
4709
4710 @item set dprintf-style @var{style}
4711 Set the dprintf output to be handled in one of several different
4712 styles enumerated below. A change of style affects all existing
4713 dynamic printfs immediately. (If you need individual control over the
4714 print commands, simply define normal breakpoints with
4715 explicitly-supplied command lists.)
4716
4717 @item gdb
4718 @kindex dprintf-style gdb
4719 Handle the output using the @value{GDBN} @code{printf} command.
4720
4721 @item call
4722 @kindex dprintf-style call
4723 Handle the output by calling a function in your program (normally
4724 @code{printf}).
4725
4726 @item agent
4727 @kindex dprintf-style agent
4728 Have the remote debugging agent (such as @code{gdbserver}) handle
4729 the output itself. This style is only available for agents that
4730 support running commands on the target.
4731
4732 @item set dprintf-function @var{function}
4733 Set the function to call if the dprintf style is @code{call}. By
4734 default its value is @code{printf}. You may set it to any expression.
4735 that @value{GDBN} can evaluate to a function, as per the @code{call}
4736 command.
4737
4738 @item set dprintf-channel @var{channel}
4739 Set a ``channel'' for dprintf. If set to a non-empty value,
4740 @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as an expression and pass the result as
4741 a first argument to the @code{dprintf-function}, in the manner of
4742 @code{fprintf} and similar functions. Otherwise, the dprintf format
4743 string will be the first argument, in the manner of @code{printf}.
4744
4745 As an example, if you wanted @code{dprintf} output to go to a logfile
4746 that is a standard I/O stream assigned to the variable @code{mylog},
4747 you could do the following:
4748
4749 @example
4750 (gdb) set dprintf-style call
4751 (gdb) set dprintf-function fprintf
4752 (gdb) set dprintf-channel mylog
4753 (gdb) dprintf 25,"at line 25, glob=%d\n",glob
4754 Dprintf 1 at 0x123456: file main.c, line 25.
4755 (gdb) info break
4756 1 dprintf keep y 0x00123456 in main at main.c:25
4757 call (void) fprintf (mylog,"at line 25, glob=%d\n",glob)
4758 continue
4759 (gdb)
4760 @end example
4761
4762 Note that the @code{info break} displays the dynamic printf commands
4763 as normal breakpoint commands; you can thus easily see the effect of
4764 the variable settings.
4765
4766 @item set disconnected-dprintf on
4767 @itemx set disconnected-dprintf off
4768 @kindex set disconnected-dprintf
4769 Choose whether @code{dprintf} commands should continue to run if
4770 @value{GDBN} has disconnected from the target. This only applies
4771 if the @code{dprintf-style} is @code{agent}.
4772
4773 @item show disconnected-dprintf off
4774 @kindex show disconnected-dprintf
4775 Show the current choice for disconnected @code{dprintf}.
4776
4777 @end table
4778
4779 @value{GDBN} does not check the validity of function and channel,
4780 relying on you to supply values that are meaningful for the contexts
4781 in which they are being used. For instance, the function and channel
4782 may be the values of local variables, but if that is the case, then
4783 all enabled dynamic prints must be at locations within the scope of
4784 those locals. If evaluation fails, @value{GDBN} will report an error.
4785
4786 @node Save Breakpoints
4787 @subsection How to save breakpoints to a file
4788
4789 To save breakpoint definitions to a file use the @w{@code{save
4790 breakpoints}} command.
4791
4792 @table @code
4793 @kindex save breakpoints
4794 @cindex save breakpoints to a file for future sessions
4795 @item save breakpoints [@var{filename}]
4796 This command saves all current breakpoint definitions together with
4797 their commands and ignore counts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
4798 suitable for use in a later debugging session. This includes all
4799 types of breakpoints (breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints,
4800 tracepoints). To read the saved breakpoint definitions, use the
4801 @code{source} command (@pxref{Command Files}). Note that watchpoints
4802 with expressions involving local variables may fail to be recreated
4803 because it may not be possible to access the context where the
4804 watchpoint is valid anymore. Because the saved breakpoint definitions
4805 are simply a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands that recreate the
4806 breakpoints, you can edit the file in your favorite editing program,
4807 and remove the breakpoint definitions you're not interested in, or
4808 that can no longer be recreated.
4809 @end table
4810
4811 @node Static Probe Points
4812 @subsection Static Probe Points
4813
4814 @cindex static probe point, SystemTap
4815 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{SDT} probes in the code. @acronym{SDT} stands
4816 for Statically Defined Tracing, and the probes are designed to have a tiny
4817 runtime code and data footprint, and no dynamic relocations. They are
4818 usable from assembly, C and C@t{++} languages. See
4819 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/UserSpaceProbeImplementation}
4820 for a good reference on how the @acronym{SDT} probes are implemented.
4821
4822 Currently, @code{SystemTap} (@uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/})
4823 @acronym{SDT} probes are supported on ELF-compatible systems. See
4824 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/AddingUserSpaceProbingToApps}
4825 for more information on how to add @code{SystemTap} @acronym{SDT} probes
4826 in your applications.
4827
4828 @cindex semaphores on static probe points
4829 Some probes have an associated semaphore variable; for instance, this
4830 happens automatically if you defined your probe using a DTrace-style
4831 @file{.d} file. If your probe has a semaphore, @value{GDBN} will
4832 automatically enable it when you specify a breakpoint using the
4833 @samp{-probe-stap} notation. But, if you put a breakpoint at a probe's
4834 location by some other method (e.g., @code{break file:line}), then
4835 @value{GDBN} will not automatically set the semaphore.
4836
4837 You can examine the available static static probes using @code{info
4838 probes}, with optional arguments:
4839
4840 @table @code
4841 @kindex info probes
4842 @item info probes stap @r{[}@var{provider} @r{[}@var{name} @r{[}@var{objfile}@r{]}@r{]}@r{]}
4843 If given, @var{provider} is a regular expression used to match against provider
4844 names when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probes by all
4845 probes from all providers are listed.
4846
4847 If given, @var{name} is a regular expression to match against probe names
4848 when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probe names are not
4849 considered when deciding whether to display them.
4850
4851 If given, @var{objfile} is a regular expression used to select which
4852 object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine. If not
4853 given, all object files are considered.
4854
4855 @item info probes all
4856 List the available static probes, from all types.
4857 @end table
4858
4859 @vindex $_probe_arg@r{, convenience variable}
4860 A probe may specify up to twelve arguments. These are available at the
4861 point at which the probe is defined---that is, when the current PC is
4862 at the probe's location. The arguments are available using the
4863 convenience variables (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
4864 @code{$_probe_arg0}@dots{}@code{$_probe_arg11}. Each probe argument is
4865 an integer of the appropriate size; types are not preserved. The
4866 convenience variable @code{$_probe_argc} holds the number of arguments
4867 at the current probe point.
4868
4869 These variables are always available, but attempts to access them at
4870 any location other than a probe point will cause @value{GDBN} to give
4871 an error message.
4872
4873
4874 @c @ifclear BARETARGET
4875 @node Error in Breakpoints
4876 @subsection ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
4877
4878 If you request too many active hardware-assisted breakpoints and
4879 watchpoints, you will see this error message:
4880
4881 @c FIXME: the precise wording of this message may change; the relevant
4882 @c source change is not committed yet (Sep 3, 1999).
4883 @smallexample
4884 Stopped; cannot insert breakpoints.
4885 You may have requested too many hardware breakpoints and watchpoints.
4886 @end smallexample
4887
4888 @noindent
4889 This message is printed when you attempt to resume the program, since
4890 only then @value{GDBN} knows exactly how many hardware breakpoints and
4891 watchpoints it needs to insert.
4892
4893 When this message is printed, you need to disable or remove some of the
4894 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints, and then continue.
4895
4896 @node Breakpoint-related Warnings
4897 @subsection ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
4898 @cindex breakpoint address adjusted
4899
4900 Some processor architectures place constraints on the addresses at
4901 which breakpoints may be placed. For architectures thus constrained,
4902 @value{GDBN} will attempt to adjust the breakpoint's address to comply
4903 with the constraints dictated by the architecture.
4904
4905 One example of such an architecture is the Fujitsu FR-V. The FR-V is
4906 a VLIW architecture in which a number of RISC-like instructions may be
4907 bundled together for parallel execution. The FR-V architecture
4908 constrains the location of a breakpoint instruction within such a
4909 bundle to the instruction with the lowest address. @value{GDBN}
4910 honors this constraint by adjusting a breakpoint's address to the
4911 first in the bundle.
4912
4913 It is not uncommon for optimized code to have bundles which contain
4914 instructions from different source statements, thus it may happen that
4915 a breakpoint's address will be adjusted from one source statement to
4916 another. Since this adjustment may significantly alter @value{GDBN}'s
4917 breakpoint related behavior from what the user expects, a warning is
4918 printed when the breakpoint is first set and also when the breakpoint
4919 is hit.
4920
4921 A warning like the one below is printed when setting a breakpoint
4922 that's been subject to address adjustment:
4923
4924 @smallexample
4925 warning: Breakpoint address adjusted from 0x00010414 to 0x00010410.
4926 @end smallexample
4927
4928 Such warnings are printed both for user settable and @value{GDBN}'s
4929 internal breakpoints. If you see one of these warnings, you should
4930 verify that a breakpoint set at the adjusted address will have the
4931 desired affect. If not, the breakpoint in question may be removed and
4932 other breakpoints may be set which will have the desired behavior.
4933 E.g., it may be sufficient to place the breakpoint at a later
4934 instruction. A conditional breakpoint may also be useful in some
4935 cases to prevent the breakpoint from triggering too often.
4936
4937 @value{GDBN} will also issue a warning when stopping at one of these
4938 adjusted breakpoints:
4939
4940 @smallexample
4941 warning: Breakpoint 1 address previously adjusted from 0x00010414
4942 to 0x00010410.
4943 @end smallexample
4944
4945 When this warning is encountered, it may be too late to take remedial
4946 action except in cases where the breakpoint is hit earlier or more
4947 frequently than expected.
4948
4949 @node Continuing and Stepping
4950 @section Continuing and Stepping
4951
4952 @cindex stepping
4953 @cindex continuing
4954 @cindex resuming execution
4955 @dfn{Continuing} means resuming program execution until your program
4956 completes normally. In contrast, @dfn{stepping} means executing just
4957 one more ``step'' of your program, where ``step'' may mean either one
4958 line of source code, or one machine instruction (depending on what
4959 particular command you use). Either when continuing or when stepping,
4960 your program may stop even sooner, due to a breakpoint or a signal. (If
4961 it stops due to a signal, you may want to use @code{handle}, or use
4962 @samp{signal 0} to resume execution. @xref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
4963
4964 @table @code
4965 @kindex continue
4966 @kindex c @r{(@code{continue})}
4967 @kindex fg @r{(resume foreground execution)}
4968 @item continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4969 @itemx c @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4970 @itemx fg @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4971 Resume program execution, at the address where your program last stopped;
4972 any breakpoints set at that address are bypassed. The optional argument
4973 @var{ignore-count} allows you to specify a further number of times to
4974 ignore a breakpoint at this location; its effect is like that of
4975 @code{ignore} (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
4976
4977 The argument @var{ignore-count} is meaningful only when your program
4978 stopped due to a breakpoint. At other times, the argument to
4979 @code{continue} is ignored.
4980
4981 The synonyms @code{c} and @code{fg} (for @dfn{foreground}, as the
4982 debugged program is deemed to be the foreground program) are provided
4983 purely for convenience, and have exactly the same behavior as
4984 @code{continue}.
4985 @end table
4986
4987 To resume execution at a different place, you can use @code{return}
4988 (@pxref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}) to go back to the
4989 calling function; or @code{jump} (@pxref{Jumping, ,Continuing at a
4990 Different Address}) to go to an arbitrary location in your program.
4991
4992 A typical technique for using stepping is to set a breakpoint
4993 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Catchpoints}) at the
4994 beginning of the function or the section of your program where a problem
4995 is believed to lie, run your program until it stops at that breakpoint,
4996 and then step through the suspect area, examining the variables that are
4997 interesting, until you see the problem happen.
4998
4999 @table @code
5000 @kindex step
5001 @kindex s @r{(@code{step})}
5002 @item step
5003 Continue running your program until control reaches a different source
5004 line, then stop it and return control to @value{GDBN}. This command is
5005 abbreviated @code{s}.
5006
5007 @quotation
5008 @c "without debugging information" is imprecise; actually "without line
5009 @c numbers in the debugging information". (gcc -g1 has debugging info but
5010 @c not line numbers). But it seems complex to try to make that
5011 @c distinction here.
5012 @emph{Warning:} If you use the @code{step} command while control is
5013 within a function that was compiled without debugging information,
5014 execution proceeds until control reaches a function that does have
5015 debugging information. Likewise, it will not step into a function which
5016 is compiled without debugging information. To step through functions
5017 without debugging information, use the @code{stepi} command, described
5018 below.
5019 @end quotation
5020
5021 The @code{step} command only stops at the first instruction of a source
5022 line. This prevents the multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
5023 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc. @code{step} continues
5024 to stop if a function that has debugging information is called within
5025 the line. In other words, @code{step} @emph{steps inside} any functions
5026 called within the line.
5027
5028 Also, the @code{step} command only enters a function if there is line
5029 number information for the function. Otherwise it acts like the
5030 @code{next} command. This avoids problems when using @code{cc -gl}
5031 on @acronym{MIPS} machines. Previously, @code{step} entered subroutines if there
5032 was any debugging information about the routine.
5033
5034 @item step @var{count}
5035 Continue running as in @code{step}, but do so @var{count} times. If a
5036 breakpoint is reached, or a signal not related to stepping occurs before
5037 @var{count} steps, stepping stops right away.
5038
5039 @kindex next
5040 @kindex n @r{(@code{next})}
5041 @item next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5042 Continue to the next source line in the current (innermost) stack frame.
5043 This is similar to @code{step}, but function calls that appear within
5044 the line of code are executed without stopping. Execution stops when
5045 control reaches a different line of code at the original stack level
5046 that was executing when you gave the @code{next} command. This command
5047 is abbreviated @code{n}.
5048
5049 An argument @var{count} is a repeat count, as for @code{step}.
5050
5051
5052 @c FIX ME!! Do we delete this, or is there a way it fits in with
5053 @c the following paragraph? --- Vctoria
5054 @c
5055 @c @code{next} within a function that lacks debugging information acts like
5056 @c @code{step}, but any function calls appearing within the code of the
5057 @c function are executed without stopping.
5058
5059 The @code{next} command only stops at the first instruction of a
5060 source line. This prevents multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
5061 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc.
5062
5063 @kindex set step-mode
5064 @item set step-mode
5065 @cindex functions without line info, and stepping
5066 @cindex stepping into functions with no line info
5067 @itemx set step-mode on
5068 The @code{set step-mode on} command causes the @code{step} command to
5069 stop at the first instruction of a function which contains no debug line
5070 information rather than stepping over it.
5071
5072 This is useful in cases where you may be interested in inspecting the
5073 machine instructions of a function which has no symbolic info and do not
5074 want @value{GDBN} to automatically skip over this function.
5075
5076 @item set step-mode off
5077 Causes the @code{step} command to step over any functions which contains no
5078 debug information. This is the default.
5079
5080 @item show step-mode
5081 Show whether @value{GDBN} will stop in or step over functions without
5082 source line debug information.
5083
5084 @kindex finish
5085 @kindex fin @r{(@code{finish})}
5086 @item finish
5087 Continue running until just after function in the selected stack frame
5088 returns. Print the returned value (if any). This command can be
5089 abbreviated as @code{fin}.
5090
5091 Contrast this with the @code{return} command (@pxref{Returning,
5092 ,Returning from a Function}).
5093
5094 @kindex until
5095 @kindex u @r{(@code{until})}
5096 @cindex run until specified location
5097 @item until
5098 @itemx u
5099 Continue running until a source line past the current line, in the
5100 current stack frame, is reached. This command is used to avoid single
5101 stepping through a loop more than once. It is like the @code{next}
5102 command, except that when @code{until} encounters a jump, it
5103 automatically continues execution until the program counter is greater
5104 than the address of the jump.
5105
5106 This means that when you reach the end of a loop after single stepping
5107 though it, @code{until} makes your program continue execution until it
5108 exits the loop. In contrast, a @code{next} command at the end of a loop
5109 simply steps back to the beginning of the loop, which forces you to step
5110 through the next iteration.
5111
5112 @code{until} always stops your program if it attempts to exit the current
5113 stack frame.
5114
5115 @code{until} may produce somewhat counterintuitive results if the order
5116 of machine code does not match the order of the source lines. For
5117 example, in the following excerpt from a debugging session, the @code{f}
5118 (@code{frame}) command shows that execution is stopped at line
5119 @code{206}; yet when we use @code{until}, we get to line @code{195}:
5120
5121 @smallexample
5122 (@value{GDBP}) f
5123 #0 main (argc=4, argv=0xf7fffae8) at m4.c:206
5124 206 expand_input();
5125 (@value{GDBP}) until
5126 195 for ( ; argc > 0; NEXTARG) @{
5127 @end smallexample
5128
5129 This happened because, for execution efficiency, the compiler had
5130 generated code for the loop closure test at the end, rather than the
5131 start, of the loop---even though the test in a C @code{for}-loop is
5132 written before the body of the loop. The @code{until} command appeared
5133 to step back to the beginning of the loop when it advanced to this
5134 expression; however, it has not really gone to an earlier
5135 statement---not in terms of the actual machine code.
5136
5137 @code{until} with no argument works by means of single
5138 instruction stepping, and hence is slower than @code{until} with an
5139 argument.
5140
5141 @item until @var{location}
5142 @itemx u @var{location}
5143 Continue running your program until either the specified location is
5144 reached, or the current stack frame returns. @var{location} is any of
5145 the forms described in @ref{Specify Location}.
5146 This form of the command uses temporary breakpoints, and
5147 hence is quicker than @code{until} without an argument. The specified
5148 location is actually reached only if it is in the current frame. This
5149 implies that @code{until} can be used to skip over recursive function
5150 invocations. For instance in the code below, if the current location is
5151 line @code{96}, issuing @code{until 99} will execute the program up to
5152 line @code{99} in the same invocation of factorial, i.e., after the inner
5153 invocations have returned.
5154
5155 @smallexample
5156 94 int factorial (int value)
5157 95 @{
5158 96 if (value > 1) @{
5159 97 value *= factorial (value - 1);
5160 98 @}
5161 99 return (value);
5162 100 @}
5163 @end smallexample
5164
5165
5166 @kindex advance @var{location}
5167 @item advance @var{location}
5168 Continue running the program up to the given @var{location}. An argument is
5169 required, which should be of one of the forms described in
5170 @ref{Specify Location}.
5171 Execution will also stop upon exit from the current stack
5172 frame. This command is similar to @code{until}, but @code{advance} will
5173 not skip over recursive function calls, and the target location doesn't
5174 have to be in the same frame as the current one.
5175
5176
5177 @kindex stepi
5178 @kindex si @r{(@code{stepi})}
5179 @item stepi
5180 @itemx stepi @var{arg}
5181 @itemx si
5182 Execute one machine instruction, then stop and return to the debugger.
5183
5184 It is often useful to do @samp{display/i $pc} when stepping by machine
5185 instructions. This makes @value{GDBN} automatically display the next
5186 instruction to be executed, each time your program stops. @xref{Auto
5187 Display,, Automatic Display}.
5188
5189 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{step}.
5190
5191 @need 750
5192 @kindex nexti
5193 @kindex ni @r{(@code{nexti})}
5194 @item nexti
5195 @itemx nexti @var{arg}
5196 @itemx ni
5197 Execute one machine instruction, but if it is a function call,
5198 proceed until the function returns.
5199
5200 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{next}.
5201 @end table
5202
5203 @node Skipping Over Functions and Files
5204 @section Skipping Over Functions and Files
5205 @cindex skipping over functions and files
5206
5207 The program you are debugging may contain some functions which are
5208 uninteresting to debug. The @code{skip} comand lets you tell @value{GDBN} to
5209 skip a function or all functions in a file when stepping.
5210
5211 For example, consider the following C function:
5212
5213 @smallexample
5214 101 int func()
5215 102 @{
5216 103 foo(boring());
5217 104 bar(boring());
5218 105 @}
5219 @end smallexample
5220
5221 @noindent
5222 Suppose you wish to step into the functions @code{foo} and @code{bar}, but you
5223 are not interested in stepping through @code{boring}. If you run @code{step}
5224 at line 103, you'll enter @code{boring()}, but if you run @code{next}, you'll
5225 step over both @code{foo} and @code{boring}!
5226
5227 One solution is to @code{step} into @code{boring} and use the @code{finish}
5228 command to immediately exit it. But this can become tedious if @code{boring}
5229 is called from many places.
5230
5231 A more flexible solution is to execute @kbd{skip boring}. This instructs
5232 @value{GDBN} never to step into @code{boring}. Now when you execute
5233 @code{step} at line 103, you'll step over @code{boring} and directly into
5234 @code{foo}.
5235
5236 You can also instruct @value{GDBN} to skip all functions in a file, with, for
5237 example, @code{skip file boring.c}.
5238
5239 @table @code
5240 @kindex skip function
5241 @item skip @r{[}@var{linespec}@r{]}
5242 @itemx skip function @r{[}@var{linespec}@r{]}
5243 After running this command, the function named by @var{linespec} or the
5244 function containing the line named by @var{linespec} will be skipped over when
5245 stepping. @xref{Specify Location}.
5246
5247 If you do not specify @var{linespec}, the function you're currently debugging
5248 will be skipped.
5249
5250 (If you have a function called @code{file} that you want to skip, use
5251 @kbd{skip function file}.)
5252
5253 @kindex skip file
5254 @item skip file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
5255 After running this command, any function whose source lives in @var{filename}
5256 will be skipped over when stepping.
5257
5258 If you do not specify @var{filename}, functions whose source lives in the file
5259 you're currently debugging will be skipped.
5260 @end table
5261
5262 Skips can be listed, deleted, disabled, and enabled, much like breakpoints.
5263 These are the commands for managing your list of skips:
5264
5265 @table @code
5266 @kindex info skip
5267 @item info skip @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5268 Print details about the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified,
5269 print a table with details about all functions and files marked for skipping.
5270 @code{info skip} prints the following information about each skip:
5271
5272 @table @emph
5273 @item Identifier
5274 A number identifying this skip.
5275 @item Type
5276 The type of this skip, either @samp{function} or @samp{file}.
5277 @item Enabled or Disabled
5278 Enabled skips are marked with @samp{y}. Disabled skips are marked with @samp{n}.
5279 @item Address
5280 For function skips, this column indicates the address in memory of the function
5281 being skipped. If you've set a function skip on a function which has not yet
5282 been loaded, this field will contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Once a shared library
5283 which has the function is loaded, @code{info skip} will show the function's
5284 address here.
5285 @item What
5286 For file skips, this field contains the filename being skipped. For functions
5287 skips, this field contains the function name and its line number in the file
5288 where it is defined.
5289 @end table
5290
5291 @kindex skip delete
5292 @item skip delete @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5293 Delete the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, delete all
5294 skips.
5295
5296 @kindex skip enable
5297 @item skip enable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5298 Enable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, enable all
5299 skips.
5300
5301 @kindex skip disable
5302 @item skip disable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5303 Disable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, disable all
5304 skips.
5305
5306 @end table
5307
5308 @node Signals
5309 @section Signals
5310 @cindex signals
5311
5312 A signal is an asynchronous event that can happen in a program. The
5313 operating system defines the possible kinds of signals, and gives each
5314 kind a name and a number. For example, in Unix @code{SIGINT} is the
5315 signal a program gets when you type an interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c});
5316 @code{SIGSEGV} is the signal a program gets from referencing a place in
5317 memory far away from all the areas in use; @code{SIGALRM} occurs when
5318 the alarm clock timer goes off (which happens only if your program has
5319 requested an alarm).
5320
5321 @cindex fatal signals
5322 Some signals, including @code{SIGALRM}, are a normal part of the
5323 functioning of your program. Others, such as @code{SIGSEGV}, indicate
5324 errors; these signals are @dfn{fatal} (they kill your program immediately) if the
5325 program has not specified in advance some other way to handle the signal.
5326 @code{SIGINT} does not indicate an error in your program, but it is normally
5327 fatal so it can carry out the purpose of the interrupt: to kill the program.
5328
5329 @value{GDBN} has the ability to detect any occurrence of a signal in your
5330 program. You can tell @value{GDBN} in advance what to do for each kind of
5331 signal.
5332
5333 @cindex handling signals
5334 Normally, @value{GDBN} is set up to let the non-erroneous signals like
5335 @code{SIGALRM} be silently passed to your program
5336 (so as not to interfere with their role in the program's functioning)
5337 but to stop your program immediately whenever an error signal happens.
5338 You can change these settings with the @code{handle} command.
5339
5340 @table @code
5341 @kindex info signals
5342 @kindex info handle
5343 @item info signals
5344 @itemx info handle
5345 Print a table of all the kinds of signals and how @value{GDBN} has been told to
5346 handle each one. You can use this to see the signal numbers of all
5347 the defined types of signals.
5348
5349 @item info signals @var{sig}
5350 Similar, but print information only about the specified signal number.
5351
5352 @code{info handle} is an alias for @code{info signals}.
5353
5354 @item catch signal @r{[}@var{signal}@dots{} @r{|} @samp{all}@r{]}
5355 Set a catchpoint for the indicated signals. @xref{Set Catchpoints},
5356 for details about this command.
5357
5358 @kindex handle
5359 @item handle @var{signal} @r{[}@var{keywords}@dots{}@r{]}
5360 Change the way @value{GDBN} handles signal @var{signal}. @var{signal}
5361 can be the number of a signal or its name (with or without the
5362 @samp{SIG} at the beginning); a list of signal numbers of the form
5363 @samp{@var{low}-@var{high}}; or the word @samp{all}, meaning all the
5364 known signals. Optional arguments @var{keywords}, described below,
5365 say what change to make.
5366 @end table
5367
5368 @c @group
5369 The keywords allowed by the @code{handle} command can be abbreviated.
5370 Their full names are:
5371
5372 @table @code
5373 @item nostop
5374 @value{GDBN} should not stop your program when this signal happens. It may
5375 still print a message telling you that the signal has come in.
5376
5377 @item stop
5378 @value{GDBN} should stop your program when this signal happens. This implies
5379 the @code{print} keyword as well.
5380
5381 @item print
5382 @value{GDBN} should print a message when this signal happens.
5383
5384 @item noprint
5385 @value{GDBN} should not mention the occurrence of the signal at all. This
5386 implies the @code{nostop} keyword as well.
5387
5388 @item pass
5389 @itemx noignore
5390 @value{GDBN} should allow your program to see this signal; your program
5391 can handle the signal, or else it may terminate if the signal is fatal
5392 and not handled. @code{pass} and @code{noignore} are synonyms.
5393
5394 @item nopass
5395 @itemx ignore
5396 @value{GDBN} should not allow your program to see this signal.
5397 @code{nopass} and @code{ignore} are synonyms.
5398 @end table
5399 @c @end group
5400
5401 When a signal stops your program, the signal is not visible to the
5402 program until you
5403 continue. Your program sees the signal then, if @code{pass} is in
5404 effect for the signal in question @emph{at that time}. In other words,
5405 after @value{GDBN} reports a signal, you can use the @code{handle}
5406 command with @code{pass} or @code{nopass} to control whether your
5407 program sees that signal when you continue.
5408
5409 The default is set to @code{nostop}, @code{noprint}, @code{pass} for
5410 non-erroneous signals such as @code{SIGALRM}, @code{SIGWINCH} and
5411 @code{SIGCHLD}, and to @code{stop}, @code{print}, @code{pass} for the
5412 erroneous signals.
5413
5414 You can also use the @code{signal} command to prevent your program from
5415 seeing a signal, or cause it to see a signal it normally would not see,
5416 or to give it any signal at any time. For example, if your program stopped
5417 due to some sort of memory reference error, you might store correct
5418 values into the erroneous variables and continue, hoping to see more
5419 execution; but your program would probably terminate immediately as
5420 a result of the fatal signal once it saw the signal. To prevent this,
5421 you can continue with @samp{signal 0}. @xref{Signaling, ,Giving your
5422 Program a Signal}.
5423
5424 @cindex extra signal information
5425 @anchor{extra signal information}
5426
5427 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can inspect extra signal information
5428 associated with the intercepted signal, before it is actually
5429 delivered to the program being debugged. This information is exported
5430 by the convenience variable @code{$_siginfo}, and consists of data
5431 that is passed by the kernel to the signal handler at the time of the
5432 receipt of a signal. The data type of the information itself is
5433 target dependent. You can see the data type using the @code{ptype
5434 $_siginfo} command. On Unix systems, it typically corresponds to the
5435 standard @code{siginfo_t} type, as defined in the @file{signal.h}
5436 system header.
5437
5438 Here's an example, on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, printing the stray
5439 referenced address that raised a segmentation fault.
5440
5441 @smallexample
5442 @group
5443 (@value{GDBP}) continue
5444 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
5445 0x0000000000400766 in main ()
5446 69 *(int *)p = 0;
5447 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo
5448 type = struct @{
5449 int si_signo;
5450 int si_errno;
5451 int si_code;
5452 union @{
5453 int _pad[28];
5454 struct @{...@} _kill;
5455 struct @{...@} _timer;
5456 struct @{...@} _rt;
5457 struct @{...@} _sigchld;
5458 struct @{...@} _sigfault;
5459 struct @{...@} _sigpoll;
5460 @} _sifields;
5461 @}
5462 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault
5463 type = struct @{
5464 void *si_addr;
5465 @}
5466 (@value{GDBP}) p $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault.si_addr
5467 $1 = (void *) 0x7ffff7ff7000
5468 @end group
5469 @end smallexample
5470
5471 Depending on target support, @code{$_siginfo} may also be writable.
5472
5473 @node Thread Stops
5474 @section Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs
5475
5476 @cindex stopped threads
5477 @cindex threads, stopped
5478
5479 @cindex continuing threads
5480 @cindex threads, continuing
5481
5482 @value{GDBN} supports debugging programs with multiple threads
5483 (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads}). There
5484 are two modes of controlling execution of your program within the
5485 debugger. In the default mode, referred to as @dfn{all-stop mode},
5486 when any thread in your program stops (for example, at a breakpoint
5487 or while being stepped), all other threads in the program are also stopped by
5488 @value{GDBN}. On some targets, @value{GDBN} also supports
5489 @dfn{non-stop mode}, in which other threads can continue to run freely while
5490 you examine the stopped thread in the debugger.
5491
5492 @menu
5493 * All-Stop Mode:: All threads stop when GDB takes control
5494 * Non-Stop Mode:: Other threads continue to execute
5495 * Background Execution:: Running your program asynchronously
5496 * Thread-Specific Breakpoints:: Controlling breakpoints
5497 * Interrupted System Calls:: GDB may interfere with system calls
5498 * Observer Mode:: GDB does not alter program behavior
5499 @end menu
5500
5501 @node All-Stop Mode
5502 @subsection All-Stop Mode
5503
5504 @cindex all-stop mode
5505
5506 In all-stop mode, whenever your program stops under @value{GDBN} for any reason,
5507 @emph{all} threads of execution stop, not just the current thread. This
5508 allows you to examine the overall state of the program, including
5509 switching between threads, without worrying that things may change
5510 underfoot.
5511
5512 Conversely, whenever you restart the program, @emph{all} threads start
5513 executing. @emph{This is true even when single-stepping} with commands
5514 like @code{step} or @code{next}.
5515
5516 In particular, @value{GDBN} cannot single-step all threads in lockstep.
5517 Since thread scheduling is up to your debugging target's operating
5518 system (not controlled by @value{GDBN}), other threads may
5519 execute more than one statement while the current thread completes a
5520 single step. Moreover, in general other threads stop in the middle of a
5521 statement, rather than at a clean statement boundary, when the program
5522 stops.
5523
5524 You might even find your program stopped in another thread after
5525 continuing or even single-stepping. This happens whenever some other
5526 thread runs into a breakpoint, a signal, or an exception before the
5527 first thread completes whatever you requested.
5528
5529 @cindex automatic thread selection
5530 @cindex switching threads automatically
5531 @cindex threads, automatic switching
5532 Whenever @value{GDBN} stops your program, due to a breakpoint or a
5533 signal, it automatically selects the thread where that breakpoint or
5534 signal happened. @value{GDBN} alerts you to the context switch with a
5535 message such as @samp{[Switching to Thread @var{n}]} to identify the
5536 thread.
5537
5538 On some OSes, you can modify @value{GDBN}'s default behavior by
5539 locking the OS scheduler to allow only a single thread to run.
5540
5541 @table @code
5542 @item set scheduler-locking @var{mode}
5543 @cindex scheduler locking mode
5544 @cindex lock scheduler
5545 Set the scheduler locking mode. If it is @code{off}, then there is no
5546 locking and any thread may run at any time. If @code{on}, then only the
5547 current thread may run when the inferior is resumed. The @code{step}
5548 mode optimizes for single-stepping; it prevents other threads
5549 from preempting the current thread while you are stepping, so that
5550 the focus of debugging does not change unexpectedly.
5551 Other threads only rarely (or never) get a chance to run
5552 when you step. They are more likely to run when you @samp{next} over a
5553 function call, and they are completely free to run when you use commands
5554 like @samp{continue}, @samp{until}, or @samp{finish}. However, unless another
5555 thread hits a breakpoint during its timeslice, @value{GDBN} does not change
5556 the current thread away from the thread that you are debugging.
5557
5558 @item show scheduler-locking
5559 Display the current scheduler locking mode.
5560 @end table
5561
5562 @cindex resume threads of multiple processes simultaneously
5563 By default, when you issue one of the execution commands such as
5564 @code{continue}, @code{next} or @code{step}, @value{GDBN} allows only
5565 threads of the current inferior to run. For example, if @value{GDBN}
5566 is attached to two inferiors, each with two threads, the
5567 @code{continue} command resumes only the two threads of the current
5568 inferior. This is useful, for example, when you debug a program that
5569 forks and you want to hold the parent stopped (so that, for instance,
5570 it doesn't run to exit), while you debug the child. In other
5571 situations, you may not be interested in inspecting the current state
5572 of any of the processes @value{GDBN} is attached to, and you may want
5573 to resume them all until some breakpoint is hit. In the latter case,
5574 you can instruct @value{GDBN} to allow all threads of all the
5575 inferiors to run with the @w{@code{set schedule-multiple}} command.
5576
5577 @table @code
5578 @kindex set schedule-multiple
5579 @item set schedule-multiple
5580 Set the mode for allowing threads of multiple processes to be resumed
5581 when an execution command is issued. When @code{on}, all threads of
5582 all processes are allowed to run. When @code{off}, only the threads
5583 of the current process are resumed. The default is @code{off}. The
5584 @code{scheduler-locking} mode takes precedence when set to @code{on},
5585 or while you are stepping and set to @code{step}.
5586
5587 @item show schedule-multiple
5588 Display the current mode for resuming the execution of threads of
5589 multiple processes.
5590 @end table
5591
5592 @node Non-Stop Mode
5593 @subsection Non-Stop Mode
5594
5595 @cindex non-stop mode
5596
5597 @c This section is really only a place-holder, and needs to be expanded
5598 @c with more details.
5599
5600 For some multi-threaded targets, @value{GDBN} supports an optional
5601 mode of operation in which you can examine stopped program threads in
5602 the debugger while other threads continue to execute freely. This
5603 minimizes intrusion when debugging live systems, such as programs
5604 where some threads have real-time constraints or must continue to
5605 respond to external events. This is referred to as @dfn{non-stop} mode.
5606
5607 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops to report a debugging event,
5608 @emph{only} that thread is stopped; @value{GDBN} does not stop other
5609 threads as well, in contrast to the all-stop mode behavior. Additionally,
5610 execution commands such as @code{continue} and @code{step} apply by default
5611 only to the current thread in non-stop mode, rather than all threads as
5612 in all-stop mode. This allows you to control threads explicitly in
5613 ways that are not possible in all-stop mode --- for example, stepping
5614 one thread while allowing others to run freely, stepping
5615 one thread while holding all others stopped, or stepping several threads
5616 independently and simultaneously.
5617
5618 To enter non-stop mode, use this sequence of commands before you run
5619 or attach to your program:
5620
5621 @smallexample
5622 # Enable the async interface.
5623 set target-async 1
5624
5625 # If using the CLI, pagination breaks non-stop.
5626 set pagination off
5627
5628 # Finally, turn it on!
5629 set non-stop on
5630 @end smallexample
5631
5632 You can use these commands to manipulate the non-stop mode setting:
5633
5634 @table @code
5635 @kindex set non-stop
5636 @item set non-stop on
5637 Enable selection of non-stop mode.
5638 @item set non-stop off
5639 Disable selection of non-stop mode.
5640 @kindex show non-stop
5641 @item show non-stop
5642 Show the current non-stop enablement setting.
5643 @end table
5644
5645 Note these commands only reflect whether non-stop mode is enabled,
5646 not whether the currently-executing program is being run in non-stop mode.
5647 In particular, the @code{set non-stop} preference is only consulted when
5648 @value{GDBN} starts or connects to the target program, and it is generally
5649 not possible to switch modes once debugging has started. Furthermore,
5650 since not all targets support non-stop mode, even when you have enabled
5651 non-stop mode, @value{GDBN} may still fall back to all-stop operation by
5652 default.
5653
5654 In non-stop mode, all execution commands apply only to the current thread
5655 by default. That is, @code{continue} only continues one thread.
5656 To continue all threads, issue @code{continue -a} or @code{c -a}.
5657
5658 You can use @value{GDBN}'s background execution commands
5659 (@pxref{Background Execution}) to run some threads in the background
5660 while you continue to examine or step others from @value{GDBN}.
5661 The MI execution commands (@pxref{GDB/MI Program Execution}) are
5662 always executed asynchronously in non-stop mode.
5663
5664 Suspending execution is done with the @code{interrupt} command when
5665 running in the background, or @kbd{Ctrl-c} during foreground execution.
5666 In all-stop mode, this stops the whole process;
5667 but in non-stop mode the interrupt applies only to the current thread.
5668 To stop the whole program, use @code{interrupt -a}.
5669
5670 Other execution commands do not currently support the @code{-a} option.
5671
5672 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops, @value{GDBN} doesn't automatically make
5673 that thread current, as it does in all-stop mode. This is because the
5674 thread stop notifications are asynchronous with respect to @value{GDBN}'s
5675 command interpreter, and it would be confusing if @value{GDBN} unexpectedly
5676 changed to a different thread just as you entered a command to operate on the
5677 previously current thread.
5678
5679 @node Background Execution
5680 @subsection Background Execution
5681
5682 @cindex foreground execution
5683 @cindex background execution
5684 @cindex asynchronous execution
5685 @cindex execution, foreground, background and asynchronous
5686
5687 @value{GDBN}'s execution commands have two variants: the normal
5688 foreground (synchronous) behavior, and a background
5689 (asynchronous) behavior. In foreground execution, @value{GDBN} waits for
5690 the program to report that some thread has stopped before prompting for
5691 another command. In background execution, @value{GDBN} immediately gives
5692 a command prompt so that you can issue other commands while your program runs.
5693
5694 You need to explicitly enable asynchronous mode before you can use
5695 background execution commands. You can use these commands to
5696 manipulate the asynchronous mode setting:
5697
5698 @table @code
5699 @kindex set target-async
5700 @item set target-async on
5701 Enable asynchronous mode.
5702 @item set target-async off
5703 Disable asynchronous mode.
5704 @kindex show target-async
5705 @item show target-async
5706 Show the current target-async setting.
5707 @end table
5708
5709 If the target doesn't support async mode, @value{GDBN} issues an error
5710 message if you attempt to use the background execution commands.
5711
5712 To specify background execution, add a @code{&} to the command. For example,
5713 the background form of the @code{continue} command is @code{continue&}, or
5714 just @code{c&}. The execution commands that accept background execution
5715 are:
5716
5717 @table @code
5718 @kindex run&
5719 @item run
5720 @xref{Starting, , Starting your Program}.
5721
5722 @item attach
5723 @kindex attach&
5724 @xref{Attach, , Debugging an Already-running Process}.
5725
5726 @item step
5727 @kindex step&
5728 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, step}.
5729
5730 @item stepi
5731 @kindex stepi&
5732 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, stepi}.
5733
5734 @item next
5735 @kindex next&
5736 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, next}.
5737
5738 @item nexti
5739 @kindex nexti&
5740 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, nexti}.
5741
5742 @item continue
5743 @kindex continue&
5744 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, continue}.
5745
5746 @item finish
5747 @kindex finish&
5748 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, finish}.
5749
5750 @item until
5751 @kindex until&
5752 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, until}.
5753
5754 @end table
5755
5756 Background execution is especially useful in conjunction with non-stop
5757 mode for debugging programs with multiple threads; see @ref{Non-Stop Mode}.
5758 However, you can also use these commands in the normal all-stop mode with
5759 the restriction that you cannot issue another execution command until the
5760 previous one finishes. Examples of commands that are valid in all-stop
5761 mode while the program is running include @code{help} and @code{info break}.
5762
5763 You can interrupt your program while it is running in the background by
5764 using the @code{interrupt} command.
5765
5766 @table @code
5767 @kindex interrupt
5768 @item interrupt
5769 @itemx interrupt -a
5770
5771 Suspend execution of the running program. In all-stop mode,
5772 @code{interrupt} stops the whole process, but in non-stop mode, it stops
5773 only the current thread. To stop the whole program in non-stop mode,
5774 use @code{interrupt -a}.
5775 @end table
5776
5777 @node Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5778 @subsection Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5779
5780 When your program has multiple threads (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging
5781 Programs with Multiple Threads}), you can choose whether to set
5782 breakpoints on all threads, or on a particular thread.
5783
5784 @table @code
5785 @cindex breakpoints and threads
5786 @cindex thread breakpoints
5787 @kindex break @dots{} thread @var{threadno}
5788 @item break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno}
5789 @itemx break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno} if @dots{}
5790 @var{linespec} specifies source lines; there are several ways of
5791 writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always to
5792 specify some source line.
5793
5794 Use the qualifier @samp{thread @var{threadno}} with a breakpoint command
5795 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
5796 particular thread reaches this breakpoint. @var{threadno} is one of the
5797 numeric thread identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
5798 column of the @samp{info threads} display.
5799
5800 If you do not specify @samp{thread @var{threadno}} when you set a
5801 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} threads of your
5802 program.
5803
5804 You can use the @code{thread} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
5805 well; in this case, place @samp{thread @var{threadno}} before or
5806 after the breakpoint condition, like this:
5807
5808 @smallexample
5809 (@value{GDBP}) break frik.c:13 thread 28 if bartab > lim
5810 @end smallexample
5811
5812 @end table
5813
5814 @node Interrupted System Calls
5815 @subsection Interrupted System Calls
5816
5817 @cindex thread breakpoints and system calls
5818 @cindex system calls and thread breakpoints
5819 @cindex premature return from system calls
5820 There is an unfortunate side effect when using @value{GDBN} to debug
5821 multi-threaded programs. If one thread stops for a
5822 breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a
5823 system call, then the system call may return prematurely. This is a
5824 consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals
5825 that @value{GDBN} uses to implement breakpoints and other events that
5826 stop execution.
5827
5828 To handle this problem, your program should check the return value of
5829 each system call and react appropriately. This is good programming
5830 style anyways.
5831
5832 For example, do not write code like this:
5833
5834 @smallexample
5835 sleep (10);
5836 @end smallexample
5837
5838 The call to @code{sleep} will return early if a different thread stops
5839 at a breakpoint or for some other reason.
5840
5841 Instead, write this:
5842
5843 @smallexample
5844 int unslept = 10;
5845 while (unslept > 0)
5846 unslept = sleep (unslept);
5847 @end smallexample
5848
5849 A system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still
5850 conforming to its specification. But @value{GDBN} does cause your
5851 multi-threaded program to behave differently than it would without
5852 @value{GDBN}.
5853
5854 Also, @value{GDBN} uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to
5855 monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction.
5856 When such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return
5857 prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.
5858
5859 @node Observer Mode
5860 @subsection Observer Mode
5861
5862 If you want to build on non-stop mode and observe program behavior
5863 without any chance of disruption by @value{GDBN}, you can set
5864 variables to disable all of the debugger's attempts to modify state,
5865 whether by writing memory, inserting breakpoints, etc. These operate
5866 at a low level, intercepting operations from all commands.
5867
5868 When all of these are set to @code{off}, then @value{GDBN} is said to
5869 be @dfn{observer mode}. As a convenience, the variable
5870 @code{observer} can be set to disable these, plus enable non-stop
5871 mode.
5872
5873 Note that @value{GDBN} will not prevent you from making nonsensical
5874 combinations of these settings. For instance, if you have enabled
5875 @code{may-insert-breakpoints} but disabled @code{may-write-memory},
5876 then breakpoints that work by writing trap instructions into the code
5877 stream will still not be able to be placed.
5878
5879 @table @code
5880
5881 @kindex observer
5882 @item set observer on
5883 @itemx set observer off
5884 When set to @code{on}, this disables all the permission variables
5885 below (except for @code{insert-fast-tracepoints}), plus enables
5886 non-stop debugging. Setting this to @code{off} switches back to
5887 normal debugging, though remaining in non-stop mode.
5888
5889 @item show observer
5890 Show whether observer mode is on or off.
5891
5892 @kindex may-write-registers
5893 @item set may-write-registers on
5894 @itemx set may-write-registers off
5895 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the values of
5896 registers, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}, or the
5897 @code{jump} command. It defaults to @code{on}.
5898
5899 @item show may-write-registers
5900 Show the current permission to write registers.
5901
5902 @kindex may-write-memory
5903 @item set may-write-memory on
5904 @itemx set may-write-memory off
5905 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the contents
5906 of memory, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}. It
5907 defaults to @code{on}.
5908
5909 @item show may-write-memory
5910 Show the current permission to write memory.
5911
5912 @kindex may-insert-breakpoints
5913 @item set may-insert-breakpoints on
5914 @itemx set may-insert-breakpoints off
5915 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert breakpoints.
5916 This affects all breakpoints, including internal breakpoints defined
5917 by @value{GDBN}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5918
5919 @item show may-insert-breakpoints
5920 Show the current permission to insert breakpoints.
5921
5922 @kindex may-insert-tracepoints
5923 @item set may-insert-tracepoints on
5924 @itemx set may-insert-tracepoints off
5925 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert (regular)
5926 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
5927 non-fast tracepoints, fast tracepoints being under the control of
5928 @code{may-insert-fast-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5929
5930 @item show may-insert-tracepoints
5931 Show the current permission to insert tracepoints.
5932
5933 @kindex may-insert-fast-tracepoints
5934 @item set may-insert-fast-tracepoints on
5935 @itemx set may-insert-fast-tracepoints off
5936 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert fast
5937 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
5938 fast tracepoints, regular (non-fast) tracepoints being under the
5939 control of @code{may-insert-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5940
5941 @item show may-insert-fast-tracepoints
5942 Show the current permission to insert fast tracepoints.
5943
5944 @kindex may-interrupt
5945 @item set may-interrupt on
5946 @itemx set may-interrupt off
5947 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to interrupt or stop
5948 program execution. When this variable is @code{off}, the
5949 @code{interrupt} command will have no effect, nor will
5950 @kbd{Ctrl-c}. It defaults to @code{on}.
5951
5952 @item show may-interrupt
5953 Show the current permission to interrupt or stop the program.
5954
5955 @end table
5956
5957 @node Reverse Execution
5958 @chapter Running programs backward
5959 @cindex reverse execution
5960 @cindex running programs backward
5961
5962 When you are debugging a program, it is not unusual to realize that
5963 you have gone too far, and some event of interest has already happened.
5964 If the target environment supports it, @value{GDBN} can allow you to
5965 ``rewind'' the program by running it backward.
5966
5967 A target environment that supports reverse execution should be able
5968 to ``undo'' the changes in machine state that have taken place as the
5969 program was executing normally. Variables, registers etc.@: should
5970 revert to their previous values. Obviously this requires a great
5971 deal of sophistication on the part of the target environment; not
5972 all target environments can support reverse execution.
5973
5974 When a program is executed in reverse, the instructions that
5975 have most recently been executed are ``un-executed'', in reverse
5976 order. The program counter runs backward, following the previous
5977 thread of execution in reverse. As each instruction is ``un-executed'',
5978 the values of memory and/or registers that were changed by that
5979 instruction are reverted to their previous states. After executing
5980 a piece of source code in reverse, all side effects of that code
5981 should be ``undone'', and all variables should be returned to their
5982 prior values@footnote{
5983 Note that some side effects are easier to undo than others. For instance,
5984 memory and registers are relatively easy, but device I/O is hard. Some
5985 targets may be able undo things like device I/O, and some may not.
5986
5987 The contract between @value{GDBN} and the reverse executing target
5988 requires only that the target do something reasonable when
5989 @value{GDBN} tells it to execute backwards, and then report the
5990 results back to @value{GDBN}. Whatever the target reports back to
5991 @value{GDBN}, @value{GDBN} will report back to the user. @value{GDBN}
5992 assumes that the memory and registers that the target reports are in a
5993 consistant state, but @value{GDBN} accepts whatever it is given.
5994 }.
5995
5996 If you are debugging in a target environment that supports
5997 reverse execution, @value{GDBN} provides the following commands.
5998
5999 @table @code
6000 @kindex reverse-continue
6001 @kindex rc @r{(@code{reverse-continue})}
6002 @item reverse-continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
6003 @itemx rc @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
6004 Beginning at the point where your program last stopped, start executing
6005 in reverse. Reverse execution will stop for breakpoints and synchronous
6006 exceptions (signals), just like normal execution. Behavior of
6007 asynchronous signals depends on the target environment.
6008
6009 @kindex reverse-step
6010 @kindex rs @r{(@code{step})}
6011 @item reverse-step @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6012 Run the program backward until control reaches the start of a
6013 different source line; then stop it, and return control to @value{GDBN}.
6014
6015 Like the @code{step} command, @code{reverse-step} will only stop
6016 at the beginning of a source line. It ``un-executes'' the previously
6017 executed source line. If the previous source line included calls to
6018 debuggable functions, @code{reverse-step} will step (backward) into
6019 the called function, stopping at the beginning of the @emph{last}
6020 statement in the called function (typically a return statement).
6021
6022 Also, as with the @code{step} command, if non-debuggable functions are
6023 called, @code{reverse-step} will run thru them backward without stopping.
6024
6025 @kindex reverse-stepi
6026 @kindex rsi @r{(@code{reverse-stepi})}
6027 @item reverse-stepi @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6028 Reverse-execute one machine instruction. Note that the instruction
6029 to be reverse-executed is @emph{not} the one pointed to by the program
6030 counter, but the instruction executed prior to that one. For instance,
6031 if the last instruction was a jump, @code{reverse-stepi} will take you
6032 back from the destination of the jump to the jump instruction itself.
6033
6034 @kindex reverse-next
6035 @kindex rn @r{(@code{reverse-next})}
6036 @item reverse-next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6037 Run backward to the beginning of the previous line executed in
6038 the current (innermost) stack frame. If the line contains function
6039 calls, they will be ``un-executed'' without stopping. Starting from
6040 the first line of a function, @code{reverse-next} will take you back
6041 to the caller of that function, @emph{before} the function was called,
6042 just as the normal @code{next} command would take you from the last
6043 line of a function back to its return to its caller
6044 @footnote{Unless the code is too heavily optimized.}.
6045
6046 @kindex reverse-nexti
6047 @kindex rni @r{(@code{reverse-nexti})}
6048 @item reverse-nexti @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6049 Like @code{nexti}, @code{reverse-nexti} executes a single instruction
6050 in reverse, except that called functions are ``un-executed'' atomically.
6051 That is, if the previously executed instruction was a return from
6052 another function, @code{reverse-nexti} will continue to execute
6053 in reverse until the call to that function (from the current stack
6054 frame) is reached.
6055
6056 @kindex reverse-finish
6057 @item reverse-finish
6058 Just as the @code{finish} command takes you to the point where the
6059 current function returns, @code{reverse-finish} takes you to the point
6060 where it was called. Instead of ending up at the end of the current
6061 function invocation, you end up at the beginning.
6062
6063 @kindex set exec-direction
6064 @item set exec-direction
6065 Set the direction of target execution.
6066 @item set exec-direction reverse
6067 @cindex execute forward or backward in time
6068 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in reverse, until the
6069 exec-direction mode is changed to ``forward''. Affected commands include
6070 @code{step, stepi, next, nexti, continue, and finish}. The @code{return}
6071 command cannot be used in reverse mode.
6072 @item set exec-direction forward
6073 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in the normal fashion.
6074 This is the default.
6075 @end table
6076
6077
6078 @node Process Record and Replay
6079 @chapter Recording Inferior's Execution and Replaying It
6080 @cindex process record and replay
6081 @cindex recording inferior's execution and replaying it
6082
6083 On some platforms, @value{GDBN} provides a special @dfn{process record
6084 and replay} target that can record a log of the process execution, and
6085 replay it later with both forward and reverse execution commands.
6086
6087 @cindex replay mode
6088 When this target is in use, if the execution log includes the record
6089 for the next instruction, @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{replay
6090 mode}. In the replay mode, the inferior does not really execute code
6091 instructions. Instead, all the events that normally happen during
6092 code execution are taken from the execution log. While code is not
6093 really executed in replay mode, the values of registers (including the
6094 program counter register) and the memory of the inferior are still
6095 changed as they normally would. Their contents are taken from the
6096 execution log.
6097
6098 @cindex record mode
6099 If the record for the next instruction is not in the execution log,
6100 @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{record mode}. In this mode, the
6101 inferior executes normally, and @value{GDBN} records the execution log
6102 for future replay.
6103
6104 The process record and replay target supports reverse execution
6105 (@pxref{Reverse Execution}), even if the platform on which the
6106 inferior runs does not. However, the reverse execution is limited in
6107 this case by the range of the instructions recorded in the execution
6108 log. In other words, reverse execution on platforms that don't
6109 support it directly can only be done in the replay mode.
6110
6111 When debugging in the reverse direction, @value{GDBN} will work in
6112 replay mode as long as the execution log includes the record for the
6113 previous instruction; otherwise, it will work in record mode, if the
6114 platform supports reverse execution, or stop if not.
6115
6116 For architecture environments that support process record and replay,
6117 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands:
6118
6119 @table @code
6120 @kindex target record
6121 @kindex record
6122 @kindex rec
6123 @item target record
6124 This command starts the process record and replay target. The process
6125 record and replay target can only debug a process that is already
6126 running. Therefore, you need first to start the process with the
6127 @kbd{run} or @kbd{start} commands, and then start the recording with
6128 the @kbd{target record} command.
6129
6130 Both @code{record} and @code{rec} are aliases of @code{target record}.
6131
6132 @cindex displaced stepping, and process record and replay
6133 Displaced stepping (@pxref{Maintenance Commands,, displaced stepping})
6134 will be automatically disabled when process record and replay target
6135 is started. That's because the process record and replay target
6136 doesn't support displaced stepping.
6137
6138 @cindex non-stop mode, and process record and replay
6139 @cindex asynchronous execution, and process record and replay
6140 If the inferior is in the non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) or in
6141 the asynchronous execution mode (@pxref{Background Execution}), the
6142 process record and replay target cannot be started because it doesn't
6143 support these two modes.
6144
6145 @kindex record stop
6146 @kindex rec s
6147 @item record stop
6148 Stop the process record and replay target. When process record and
6149 replay target stops, the entire execution log will be deleted and the
6150 inferior will either be terminated, or will remain in its final state.
6151
6152 When you stop the process record and replay target in record mode (at
6153 the end of the execution log), the inferior will be stopped at the
6154 next instruction that would have been recorded. In other words, if
6155 you record for a while and then stop recording, the inferior process
6156 will be left in the same state as if the recording never happened.
6157
6158 On the other hand, if the process record and replay target is stopped
6159 while in replay mode (that is, not at the end of the execution log,
6160 but at some earlier point), the inferior process will become ``live''
6161 at that earlier state, and it will then be possible to continue the
6162 usual ``live'' debugging of the process from that state.
6163
6164 When the inferior process exits, or @value{GDBN} detaches from it,
6165 process record and replay target will automatically stop itself.
6166
6167 @kindex record save
6168 @item record save @var{filename}
6169 Save the execution log to a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6170 Default filename is @file{gdb_record.@var{process_id}}, where
6171 @var{process_id} is the process ID of the inferior.
6172
6173 @kindex record restore
6174 @item record restore @var{filename}
6175 Restore the execution log from a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6176 File must have been created with @code{record save}.
6177
6178 @kindex set record insn-number-max
6179 @item set record insn-number-max @var{limit}
6180 Set the limit of instructions to be recorded. Default value is 200000.
6181
6182 If @var{limit} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will start
6183 deleting instructions from the log once the number of the record
6184 instructions becomes greater than @var{limit}. For every new recorded
6185 instruction, @value{GDBN} will delete the earliest recorded
6186 instruction to keep the number of recorded instructions at the limit.
6187 (Since deleting recorded instructions loses information, @value{GDBN}
6188 lets you control what happens when the limit is reached, by means of
6189 the @code{stop-at-limit} option, described below.)
6190
6191 If @var{limit} is zero, @value{GDBN} will never delete recorded
6192 instructions from the execution log. The number of recorded
6193 instructions is unlimited in this case.
6194
6195 @kindex show record insn-number-max
6196 @item show record insn-number-max
6197 Show the limit of instructions to be recorded.
6198
6199 @kindex set record stop-at-limit
6200 @item set record stop-at-limit
6201 Control the behavior when the number of recorded instructions reaches
6202 the limit. If ON (the default), @value{GDBN} will stop when the limit
6203 is reached for the first time and ask you whether you want to stop the
6204 inferior or continue running it and recording the execution log. If
6205 you decide to continue recording, each new recorded instruction will
6206 cause the oldest one to be deleted.
6207
6208 If this option is OFF, @value{GDBN} will automatically delete the
6209 oldest record to make room for each new one, without asking.
6210
6211 @kindex show record stop-at-limit
6212 @item show record stop-at-limit
6213 Show the current setting of @code{stop-at-limit}.
6214
6215 @kindex set record memory-query
6216 @item set record memory-query
6217 Control the behavior when @value{GDBN} is unable to record memory
6218 changes caused by an instruction. If ON, @value{GDBN} will query
6219 whether to stop the inferior in that case.
6220
6221 If this option is OFF (the default), @value{GDBN} will automatically
6222 ignore the effect of such instructions on memory. Later, when
6223 @value{GDBN} replays this execution log, it will mark the log of this
6224 instruction as not accessible, and it will not affect the replay
6225 results.
6226
6227 @kindex show record memory-query
6228 @item show record memory-query
6229 Show the current setting of @code{memory-query}.
6230
6231 @kindex info record
6232 @item info record
6233 Show various statistics about the state of process record and its
6234 in-memory execution log buffer, including:
6235
6236 @itemize @bullet
6237 @item
6238 Whether in record mode or replay mode.
6239 @item
6240 Lowest recorded instruction number (counting from when the current execution log started recording instructions).
6241 @item
6242 Highest recorded instruction number.
6243 @item
6244 Current instruction about to be replayed (if in replay mode).
6245 @item
6246 Number of instructions contained in the execution log.
6247 @item
6248 Maximum number of instructions that may be contained in the execution log.
6249 @end itemize
6250
6251 @kindex record delete
6252 @kindex rec del
6253 @item record delete
6254 When record target runs in replay mode (``in the past''), delete the
6255 subsequent execution log and begin to record a new execution log starting
6256 from the current address. This means you will abandon the previously
6257 recorded ``future'' and begin recording a new ``future''.
6258 @end table
6259
6260
6261 @node Stack
6262 @chapter Examining the Stack
6263
6264 When your program has stopped, the first thing you need to know is where it
6265 stopped and how it got there.
6266
6267 @cindex call stack
6268 Each time your program performs a function call, information about the call
6269 is generated.
6270 That information includes the location of the call in your program,
6271 the arguments of the call,
6272 and the local variables of the function being called.
6273 The information is saved in a block of data called a @dfn{stack frame}.
6274 The stack frames are allocated in a region of memory called the @dfn{call
6275 stack}.
6276
6277 When your program stops, the @value{GDBN} commands for examining the
6278 stack allow you to see all of this information.
6279
6280 @cindex selected frame
6281 One of the stack frames is @dfn{selected} by @value{GDBN} and many
6282 @value{GDBN} commands refer implicitly to the selected frame. In
6283 particular, whenever you ask @value{GDBN} for the value of a variable in
6284 your program, the value is found in the selected frame. There are
6285 special @value{GDBN} commands to select whichever frame you are
6286 interested in. @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6287
6288 When your program stops, @value{GDBN} automatically selects the
6289 currently executing frame and describes it briefly, similar to the
6290 @code{frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}).
6291
6292 @menu
6293 * Frames:: Stack frames
6294 * Backtrace:: Backtraces
6295 * Selection:: Selecting a frame
6296 * Frame Info:: Information on a frame
6297
6298 @end menu
6299
6300 @node Frames
6301 @section Stack Frames
6302
6303 @cindex frame, definition
6304 @cindex stack frame
6305 The call stack is divided up into contiguous pieces called @dfn{stack
6306 frames}, or @dfn{frames} for short; each frame is the data associated
6307 with one call to one function. The frame contains the arguments given
6308 to the function, the function's local variables, and the address at
6309 which the function is executing.
6310
6311 @cindex initial frame
6312 @cindex outermost frame
6313 @cindex innermost frame
6314 When your program is started, the stack has only one frame, that of the
6315 function @code{main}. This is called the @dfn{initial} frame or the
6316 @dfn{outermost} frame. Each time a function is called, a new frame is
6317 made. Each time a function returns, the frame for that function invocation
6318 is eliminated. If a function is recursive, there can be many frames for
6319 the same function. The frame for the function in which execution is
6320 actually occurring is called the @dfn{innermost} frame. This is the most
6321 recently created of all the stack frames that still exist.
6322
6323 @cindex frame pointer
6324 Inside your program, stack frames are identified by their addresses. A
6325 stack frame consists of many bytes, each of which has its own address; each
6326 kind of computer has a convention for choosing one byte whose
6327 address serves as the address of the frame. Usually this address is kept
6328 in a register called the @dfn{frame pointer register}
6329 (@pxref{Registers, $fp}) while execution is going on in that frame.
6330
6331 @cindex frame number
6332 @value{GDBN} assigns numbers to all existing stack frames, starting with
6333 zero for the innermost frame, one for the frame that called it,
6334 and so on upward. These numbers do not really exist in your program;
6335 they are assigned by @value{GDBN} to give you a way of designating stack
6336 frames in @value{GDBN} commands.
6337
6338 @c The -fomit-frame-pointer below perennially causes hbox overflow
6339 @c underflow problems.
6340 @cindex frameless execution
6341 Some compilers provide a way to compile functions so that they operate
6342 without stack frames. (For example, the @value{NGCC} option
6343 @smallexample
6344 @samp{-fomit-frame-pointer}
6345 @end smallexample
6346 generates functions without a frame.)
6347 This is occasionally done with heavily used library functions to save
6348 the frame setup time. @value{GDBN} has limited facilities for dealing
6349 with these function invocations. If the innermost function invocation
6350 has no stack frame, @value{GDBN} nevertheless regards it as though
6351 it had a separate frame, which is numbered zero as usual, allowing
6352 correct tracing of the function call chain. However, @value{GDBN} has
6353 no provision for frameless functions elsewhere in the stack.
6354
6355 @table @code
6356 @kindex frame@r{, command}
6357 @cindex current stack frame
6358 @item frame @var{args}
6359 The @code{frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame to another,
6360 and to print the stack frame you select. @var{args} may be either the
6361 address of the frame or the stack frame number. Without an argument,
6362 @code{frame} prints the current stack frame.
6363
6364 @kindex select-frame
6365 @cindex selecting frame silently
6366 @item select-frame
6367 The @code{select-frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame
6368 to another without printing the frame. This is the silent version of
6369 @code{frame}.
6370 @end table
6371
6372 @node Backtrace
6373 @section Backtraces
6374
6375 @cindex traceback
6376 @cindex call stack traces
6377 A backtrace is a summary of how your program got where it is. It shows one
6378 line per frame, for many frames, starting with the currently executing
6379 frame (frame zero), followed by its caller (frame one), and on up the
6380 stack.
6381
6382 @table @code
6383 @kindex backtrace
6384 @kindex bt @r{(@code{backtrace})}
6385 @item backtrace
6386 @itemx bt
6387 Print a backtrace of the entire stack: one line per frame for all
6388 frames in the stack.
6389
6390 You can stop the backtrace at any time by typing the system interrupt
6391 character, normally @kbd{Ctrl-c}.
6392
6393 @item backtrace @var{n}
6394 @itemx bt @var{n}
6395 Similar, but print only the innermost @var{n} frames.
6396
6397 @item backtrace -@var{n}
6398 @itemx bt -@var{n}
6399 Similar, but print only the outermost @var{n} frames.
6400
6401 @item backtrace full
6402 @itemx bt full
6403 @itemx bt full @var{n}
6404 @itemx bt full -@var{n}
6405 Print the values of the local variables also. @var{n} specifies the
6406 number of frames to print, as described above.
6407 @end table
6408
6409 @kindex where
6410 @kindex info stack
6411 The names @code{where} and @code{info stack} (abbreviated @code{info s})
6412 are additional aliases for @code{backtrace}.
6413
6414 @cindex multiple threads, backtrace
6415 In a multi-threaded program, @value{GDBN} by default shows the
6416 backtrace only for the current thread. To display the backtrace for
6417 several or all of the threads, use the command @code{thread apply}
6418 (@pxref{Threads, thread apply}). For example, if you type @kbd{thread
6419 apply all backtrace}, @value{GDBN} will display the backtrace for all
6420 the threads; this is handy when you debug a core dump of a
6421 multi-threaded program.
6422
6423 Each line in the backtrace shows the frame number and the function name.
6424 The program counter value is also shown---unless you use @code{set
6425 print address off}. The backtrace also shows the source file name and
6426 line number, as well as the arguments to the function. The program
6427 counter value is omitted if it is at the beginning of the code for that
6428 line number.
6429
6430 Here is an example of a backtrace. It was made with the command
6431 @samp{bt 3}, so it shows the innermost three frames.
6432
6433 @smallexample
6434 @group
6435 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
6436 at builtin.c:993
6437 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=0x2b600, data=...) at macro.c:242
6438 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=177664, td=0xf7fffb08)
6439 at macro.c:71
6440 (More stack frames follow...)
6441 @end group
6442 @end smallexample
6443
6444 @noindent
6445 The display for frame zero does not begin with a program counter
6446 value, indicating that your program has stopped at the beginning of the
6447 code for line @code{993} of @code{builtin.c}.
6448
6449 @noindent
6450 The value of parameter @code{data} in frame 1 has been replaced by
6451 @code{@dots{}}. By default, @value{GDBN} prints the value of a parameter
6452 only if it is a scalar (integer, pointer, enumeration, etc). See command
6453 @kbd{set print frame-arguments} in @ref{Print Settings} for more details
6454 on how to configure the way function parameter values are printed.
6455
6456 @cindex optimized out, in backtrace
6457 @cindex function call arguments, optimized out
6458 If your program was compiled with optimizations, some compilers will
6459 optimize away arguments passed to functions if those arguments are
6460 never used after the call. Such optimizations generate code that
6461 passes arguments through registers, but doesn't store those arguments
6462 in the stack frame. @value{GDBN} has no way of displaying such
6463 arguments in stack frames other than the innermost one. Here's what
6464 such a backtrace might look like:
6465
6466 @smallexample
6467 @group
6468 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
6469 at builtin.c:993
6470 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=<optimized out>) at macro.c:242
6471 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=<optimized out>, td=0xf7fffb08)
6472 at macro.c:71
6473 (More stack frames follow...)
6474 @end group
6475 @end smallexample
6476
6477 @noindent
6478 The values of arguments that were not saved in their stack frames are
6479 shown as @samp{<optimized out>}.
6480
6481 If you need to display the values of such optimized-out arguments,
6482 either deduce that from other variables whose values depend on the one
6483 you are interested in, or recompile without optimizations.
6484
6485 @cindex backtrace beyond @code{main} function
6486 @cindex program entry point
6487 @cindex startup code, and backtrace
6488 Most programs have a standard user entry point---a place where system
6489 libraries and startup code transition into user code. For C this is
6490 @code{main}@footnote{
6491 Note that embedded programs (the so-called ``free-standing''
6492 environment) are not required to have a @code{main} function as the
6493 entry point. They could even have multiple entry points.}.
6494 When @value{GDBN} finds the entry function in a backtrace
6495 it will terminate the backtrace, to avoid tracing into highly
6496 system-specific (and generally uninteresting) code.
6497
6498 If you need to examine the startup code, or limit the number of levels
6499 in a backtrace, you can change this behavior:
6500
6501 @table @code
6502 @item set backtrace past-main
6503 @itemx set backtrace past-main on
6504 @kindex set backtrace
6505 Backtraces will continue past the user entry point.
6506
6507 @item set backtrace past-main off
6508 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the user entry point. This is the
6509 default.
6510
6511 @item show backtrace past-main
6512 @kindex show backtrace
6513 Display the current user entry point backtrace policy.
6514
6515 @item set backtrace past-entry
6516 @itemx set backtrace past-entry on
6517 Backtraces will continue past the internal entry point of an application.
6518 This entry point is encoded by the linker when the application is built,
6519 and is likely before the user entry point @code{main} (or equivalent) is called.
6520
6521 @item set backtrace past-entry off
6522 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the internal entry point of an
6523 application. This is the default.
6524
6525 @item show backtrace past-entry
6526 Display the current internal entry point backtrace policy.
6527
6528 @item set backtrace limit @var{n}
6529 @itemx set backtrace limit 0
6530 @cindex backtrace limit
6531 Limit the backtrace to @var{n} levels. A value of zero means
6532 unlimited.
6533
6534 @item show backtrace limit
6535 Display the current limit on backtrace levels.
6536 @end table
6537
6538 @node Selection
6539 @section Selecting a Frame
6540
6541 Most commands for examining the stack and other data in your program work on
6542 whichever stack frame is selected at the moment. Here are the commands for
6543 selecting a stack frame; all of them finish by printing a brief description
6544 of the stack frame just selected.
6545
6546 @table @code
6547 @kindex frame@r{, selecting}
6548 @kindex f @r{(@code{frame})}
6549 @item frame @var{n}
6550 @itemx f @var{n}
6551 Select frame number @var{n}. Recall that frame zero is the innermost
6552 (currently executing) frame, frame one is the frame that called the
6553 innermost one, and so on. The highest-numbered frame is the one for
6554 @code{main}.
6555
6556 @item frame @var{addr}
6557 @itemx f @var{addr}
6558 Select the frame at address @var{addr}. This is useful mainly if the
6559 chaining of stack frames has been damaged by a bug, making it
6560 impossible for @value{GDBN} to assign numbers properly to all frames. In
6561 addition, this can be useful when your program has multiple stacks and
6562 switches between them.
6563
6564 On the SPARC architecture, @code{frame} needs two addresses to
6565 select an arbitrary frame: a frame pointer and a stack pointer.
6566
6567 On the @acronym{MIPS} and Alpha architecture, it needs two addresses: a stack
6568 pointer and a program counter.
6569
6570 On the 29k architecture, it needs three addresses: a register stack
6571 pointer, a program counter, and a memory stack pointer.
6572
6573 @kindex up
6574 @item up @var{n}
6575 Move @var{n} frames up the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
6576 advances toward the outermost frame, to higher frame numbers, to frames
6577 that have existed longer. @var{n} defaults to one.
6578
6579 @kindex down
6580 @kindex do @r{(@code{down})}
6581 @item down @var{n}
6582 Move @var{n} frames down the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
6583 advances toward the innermost frame, to lower frame numbers, to frames
6584 that were created more recently. @var{n} defaults to one. You may
6585 abbreviate @code{down} as @code{do}.
6586 @end table
6587
6588 All of these commands end by printing two lines of output describing the
6589 frame. The first line shows the frame number, the function name, the
6590 arguments, and the source file and line number of execution in that
6591 frame. The second line shows the text of that source line.
6592
6593 @need 1000
6594 For example:
6595
6596 @smallexample
6597 @group
6598 (@value{GDBP}) up
6599 #1 0x22f0 in main (argc=1, argv=0xf7fffbf4, env=0xf7fffbfc)
6600 at env.c:10
6601 10 read_input_file (argv[i]);
6602 @end group
6603 @end smallexample
6604
6605 After such a printout, the @code{list} command with no arguments
6606 prints ten lines centered on the point of execution in the frame.
6607 You can also edit the program at the point of execution with your favorite
6608 editing program by typing @code{edit}.
6609 @xref{List, ,Printing Source Lines},
6610 for details.
6611
6612 @table @code
6613 @kindex down-silently
6614 @kindex up-silently
6615 @item up-silently @var{n}
6616 @itemx down-silently @var{n}
6617 These two commands are variants of @code{up} and @code{down},
6618 respectively; they differ in that they do their work silently, without
6619 causing display of the new frame. They are intended primarily for use
6620 in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the output might be unnecessary and
6621 distracting.
6622 @end table
6623
6624 @node Frame Info
6625 @section Information About a Frame
6626
6627 There are several other commands to print information about the selected
6628 stack frame.
6629
6630 @table @code
6631 @item frame
6632 @itemx f
6633 When used without any argument, this command does not change which
6634 frame is selected, but prints a brief description of the currently
6635 selected stack frame. It can be abbreviated @code{f}. With an
6636 argument, this command is used to select a stack frame.
6637 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6638
6639 @kindex info frame
6640 @kindex info f @r{(@code{info frame})}
6641 @item info frame
6642 @itemx info f
6643 This command prints a verbose description of the selected stack frame,
6644 including:
6645
6646 @itemize @bullet
6647 @item
6648 the address of the frame
6649 @item
6650 the address of the next frame down (called by this frame)
6651 @item
6652 the address of the next frame up (caller of this frame)
6653 @item
6654 the language in which the source code corresponding to this frame is written
6655 @item
6656 the address of the frame's arguments
6657 @item
6658 the address of the frame's local variables
6659 @item
6660 the program counter saved in it (the address of execution in the caller frame)
6661 @item
6662 which registers were saved in the frame
6663 @end itemize
6664
6665 @noindent The verbose description is useful when
6666 something has gone wrong that has made the stack format fail to fit
6667 the usual conventions.
6668
6669 @item info frame @var{addr}
6670 @itemx info f @var{addr}
6671 Print a verbose description of the frame at address @var{addr}, without
6672 selecting that frame. The selected frame remains unchanged by this
6673 command. This requires the same kind of address (more than one for some
6674 architectures) that you specify in the @code{frame} command.
6675 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
6676
6677 @kindex info args
6678 @item info args
6679 Print the arguments of the selected frame, each on a separate line.
6680
6681 @item info locals
6682 @kindex info locals
6683 Print the local variables of the selected frame, each on a separate
6684 line. These are all variables (declared either static or automatic)
6685 accessible at the point of execution of the selected frame.
6686
6687 @end table
6688
6689
6690 @node Source
6691 @chapter Examining Source Files
6692
6693 @value{GDBN} can print parts of your program's source, since the debugging
6694 information recorded in the program tells @value{GDBN} what source files were
6695 used to build it. When your program stops, @value{GDBN} spontaneously prints
6696 the line where it stopped. Likewise, when you select a stack frame
6697 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}), @value{GDBN} prints the line where
6698 execution in that frame has stopped. You can print other portions of
6699 source files by explicit command.
6700
6701 If you use @value{GDBN} through its @sc{gnu} Emacs interface, you may
6702 prefer to use Emacs facilities to view source; see @ref{Emacs, ,Using
6703 @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}.
6704
6705 @menu
6706 * List:: Printing source lines
6707 * Specify Location:: How to specify code locations
6708 * Edit:: Editing source files
6709 * Search:: Searching source files
6710 * Source Path:: Specifying source directories
6711 * Machine Code:: Source and machine code
6712 @end menu
6713
6714 @node List
6715 @section Printing Source Lines
6716
6717 @kindex list
6718 @kindex l @r{(@code{list})}
6719 To print lines from a source file, use the @code{list} command
6720 (abbreviated @code{l}). By default, ten lines are printed.
6721 There are several ways to specify what part of the file you want to
6722 print; see @ref{Specify Location}, for the full list.
6723
6724 Here are the forms of the @code{list} command most commonly used:
6725
6726 @table @code
6727 @item list @var{linenum}
6728 Print lines centered around line number @var{linenum} in the
6729 current source file.
6730
6731 @item list @var{function}
6732 Print lines centered around the beginning of function
6733 @var{function}.
6734
6735 @item list
6736 Print more lines. If the last lines printed were printed with a
6737 @code{list} command, this prints lines following the last lines
6738 printed; however, if the last line printed was a solitary line printed
6739 as part of displaying a stack frame (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the
6740 Stack}), this prints lines centered around that line.
6741
6742 @item list -
6743 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
6744 @end table
6745
6746 @cindex @code{list}, how many lines to display
6747 By default, @value{GDBN} prints ten source lines with any of these forms of
6748 the @code{list} command. You can change this using @code{set listsize}:
6749
6750 @table @code
6751 @kindex set listsize
6752 @item set listsize @var{count}
6753 Make the @code{list} command display @var{count} source lines (unless
6754 the @code{list} argument explicitly specifies some other number).
6755 Setting @var{count} to -1 means there's no limit and 0 means suppress
6756 display of source lines.
6757
6758 @kindex show listsize
6759 @item show listsize
6760 Display the number of lines that @code{list} prints.
6761 @end table
6762
6763 Repeating a @code{list} command with @key{RET} discards the argument,
6764 so it is equivalent to typing just @code{list}. This is more useful
6765 than listing the same lines again. An exception is made for an
6766 argument of @samp{-}; that argument is preserved in repetition so that
6767 each repetition moves up in the source file.
6768
6769 In general, the @code{list} command expects you to supply zero, one or two
6770 @dfn{linespecs}. Linespecs specify source lines; there are several ways
6771 of writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always
6772 to specify some source line.
6773
6774 Here is a complete description of the possible arguments for @code{list}:
6775
6776 @table @code
6777 @item list @var{linespec}
6778 Print lines centered around the line specified by @var{linespec}.
6779
6780 @item list @var{first},@var{last}
6781 Print lines from @var{first} to @var{last}. Both arguments are
6782 linespecs. When a @code{list} command has two linespecs, and the
6783 source file of the second linespec is omitted, this refers to
6784 the same source file as the first linespec.
6785
6786 @item list ,@var{last}
6787 Print lines ending with @var{last}.
6788
6789 @item list @var{first},
6790 Print lines starting with @var{first}.
6791
6792 @item list +
6793 Print lines just after the lines last printed.
6794
6795 @item list -
6796 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
6797
6798 @item list
6799 As described in the preceding table.
6800 @end table
6801
6802 @node Specify Location
6803 @section Specifying a Location
6804 @cindex specifying location
6805 @cindex linespec
6806
6807 Several @value{GDBN} commands accept arguments that specify a location
6808 of your program's code. Since @value{GDBN} is a source-level
6809 debugger, a location usually specifies some line in the source code;
6810 for that reason, locations are also known as @dfn{linespecs}.
6811
6812 Here are all the different ways of specifying a code location that
6813 @value{GDBN} understands:
6814
6815 @table @code
6816 @item @var{linenum}
6817 Specifies the line number @var{linenum} of the current source file.
6818
6819 @item -@var{offset}
6820 @itemx +@var{offset}
6821 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines before or after the @dfn{current
6822 line}. For the @code{list} command, the current line is the last one
6823 printed; for the breakpoint commands, this is the line at which
6824 execution stopped in the currently selected @dfn{stack frame}
6825 (@pxref{Frames, ,Frames}, for a description of stack frames.) When
6826 used as the second of the two linespecs in a @code{list} command,
6827 this specifies the line @var{offset} lines up or down from the first
6828 linespec.
6829
6830 @item @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
6831 Specifies the line @var{linenum} in the source file @var{filename}.
6832 If @var{filename} is a relative file name, then it will match any
6833 source file name with the same trailing components. For example, if
6834 @var{filename} is @samp{gcc/expr.c}, then it will match source file
6835 name of @file{/build/trunk/gcc/expr.c}, but not
6836 @file{/build/trunk/libcpp/expr.c} or @file{/build/trunk/gcc/x-expr.c}.
6837
6838 @item @var{function}
6839 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}.
6840 For example, in C, this is the line with the open brace.
6841
6842 @item @var{function}:@var{label}
6843 Specifies the line where @var{label} appears in @var{function}.
6844
6845 @item @var{filename}:@var{function}
6846 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}
6847 in the file @var{filename}. You only need the file name with a
6848 function name to avoid ambiguity when there are identically named
6849 functions in different source files.
6850
6851 @item @var{label}
6852 Specifies the line at which the label named @var{label} appears.
6853 @value{GDBN} searches for the label in the function corresponding to
6854 the currently selected stack frame. If there is no current selected
6855 stack frame (for instance, if the inferior is not running), then
6856 @value{GDBN} will not search for a label.
6857
6858 @item *@var{address}
6859 Specifies the program address @var{address}. For line-oriented
6860 commands, such as @code{list} and @code{edit}, this specifies a source
6861 line that contains @var{address}. For @code{break} and other
6862 breakpoint oriented commands, this can be used to set breakpoints in
6863 parts of your program which do not have debugging information or
6864 source files.
6865
6866 Here @var{address} may be any expression valid in the current working
6867 language (@pxref{Languages, working language}) that specifies a code
6868 address. In addition, as a convenience, @value{GDBN} extends the
6869 semantics of expressions used in locations to cover the situations
6870 that frequently happen during debugging. Here are the various forms
6871 of @var{address}:
6872
6873 @table @code
6874 @item @var{expression}
6875 Any expression valid in the current working language.
6876
6877 @item @var{funcaddr}
6878 An address of a function or procedure derived from its name. In C,
6879 C@t{++}, Java, Objective-C, Fortran, minimal, and assembly, this is
6880 simply the function's name @var{function} (and actually a special case
6881 of a valid expression). In Pascal and Modula-2, this is
6882 @code{&@var{function}}. In Ada, this is @code{@var{function}'Address}
6883 (although the Pascal form also works).
6884
6885 This form specifies the address of the function's first instruction,
6886 before the stack frame and arguments have been set up.
6887
6888 @item '@var{filename}'::@var{funcaddr}
6889 Like @var{funcaddr} above, but also specifies the name of the source
6890 file explicitly. This is useful if the name of the function does not
6891 specify the function unambiguously, e.g., if there are several
6892 functions with identical names in different source files.
6893 @end table
6894
6895 @cindex breakpoint at static probe point
6896 @item -pstap|-probe-stap @r{[}@var{objfile}:@r{[}@var{provider}:@r{]}@r{]}@var{name}
6897 The @sc{gnu}/Linux tool @code{SystemTap} provides a way for
6898 applications to embed static probes. @xref{Static Probe Points}, for more
6899 information on finding and using static probes. This form of linespec
6900 specifies the location of such a static probe.
6901
6902 If @var{objfile} is given, only probes coming from that shared library
6903 or executable matching @var{objfile} as a regular expression are considered.
6904 If @var{provider} is given, then only probes from that provider are considered.
6905 If several probes match the spec, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at
6906 each one of those probes.
6907
6908 @end table
6909
6910
6911 @node Edit
6912 @section Editing Source Files
6913 @cindex editing source files
6914
6915 @kindex edit
6916 @kindex e @r{(@code{edit})}
6917 To edit the lines in a source file, use the @code{edit} command.
6918 The editing program of your choice
6919 is invoked with the current line set to
6920 the active line in the program.
6921 Alternatively, there are several ways to specify what part of the file you
6922 want to print if you want to see other parts of the program:
6923
6924 @table @code
6925 @item edit @var{location}
6926 Edit the source file specified by @code{location}. Editing starts at
6927 that @var{location}, e.g., at the specified source line of the
6928 specified file. @xref{Specify Location}, for all the possible forms
6929 of the @var{location} argument; here are the forms of the @code{edit}
6930 command most commonly used:
6931
6932 @table @code
6933 @item edit @var{number}
6934 Edit the current source file with @var{number} as the active line number.
6935
6936 @item edit @var{function}
6937 Edit the file containing @var{function} at the beginning of its definition.
6938 @end table
6939
6940 @end table
6941
6942 @subsection Choosing your Editor
6943 You can customize @value{GDBN} to use any editor you want
6944 @footnote{
6945 The only restriction is that your editor (say @code{ex}), recognizes the
6946 following command-line syntax:
6947 @smallexample
6948 ex +@var{number} file
6949 @end smallexample
6950 The optional numeric value +@var{number} specifies the number of the line in
6951 the file where to start editing.}.
6952 By default, it is @file{@value{EDITOR}}, but you can change this
6953 by setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} before using
6954 @value{GDBN}. For example, to configure @value{GDBN} to use the
6955 @code{vi} editor, you could use these commands with the @code{sh} shell:
6956 @smallexample
6957 EDITOR=/usr/bin/vi
6958 export EDITOR
6959 gdb @dots{}
6960 @end smallexample
6961 or in the @code{csh} shell,
6962 @smallexample
6963 setenv EDITOR /usr/bin/vi
6964 gdb @dots{}
6965 @end smallexample
6966
6967 @node Search
6968 @section Searching Source Files
6969 @cindex searching source files
6970
6971 There are two commands for searching through the current source file for a
6972 regular expression.
6973
6974 @table @code
6975 @kindex search
6976 @kindex forward-search
6977 @kindex fo @r{(@code{forward-search})}
6978 @item forward-search @var{regexp}
6979 @itemx search @var{regexp}
6980 The command @samp{forward-search @var{regexp}} checks each line,
6981 starting with the one following the last line listed, for a match for
6982 @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can use the
6983 synonym @samp{search @var{regexp}} or abbreviate the command name as
6984 @code{fo}.
6985
6986 @kindex reverse-search
6987 @item reverse-search @var{regexp}
6988 The command @samp{reverse-search @var{regexp}} checks each line, starting
6989 with the one before the last line listed and going backward, for a match
6990 for @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can abbreviate
6991 this command as @code{rev}.
6992 @end table
6993
6994 @node Source Path
6995 @section Specifying Source Directories
6996
6997 @cindex source path
6998 @cindex directories for source files
6999 Executable programs sometimes do not record the directories of the source
7000 files from which they were compiled, just the names. Even when they do,
7001 the directories could be moved between the compilation and your debugging
7002 session. @value{GDBN} has a list of directories to search for source files;
7003 this is called the @dfn{source path}. Each time @value{GDBN} wants a source file,
7004 it tries all the directories in the list, in the order they are present
7005 in the list, until it finds a file with the desired name.
7006
7007 For example, suppose an executable references the file
7008 @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}, and our source path is
7009 @file{/mnt/cross}. The file is first looked up literally; if this
7010 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} is tried; if this
7011 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/foo.c} is opened; if this fails, an error
7012 message is printed. @value{GDBN} does not look up the parts of the
7013 source file name, such as @file{/mnt/cross/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}.
7014 Likewise, the subdirectories of the source path are not searched: if
7015 the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the binary refers to
7016 @file{foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would not find it under
7017 @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib}.
7018
7019 Plain file names, relative file names with leading directories, file
7020 names containing dots, etc.@: are all treated as described above; for
7021 instance, if the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the source file
7022 is recorded as @file{../lib/foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would first try
7023 @file{../lib/foo.c}, then @file{/mnt/cross/../lib/foo.c}, and after
7024 that---@file{/mnt/cross/foo.c}.
7025
7026 Note that the executable search path is @emph{not} used to locate the
7027 source files.
7028
7029 Whenever you reset or rearrange the source path, @value{GDBN} clears out
7030 any information it has cached about where source files are found and where
7031 each line is in the file.
7032
7033 @kindex directory
7034 @kindex dir
7035 When you start @value{GDBN}, its source path includes only @samp{cdir}
7036 and @samp{cwd}, in that order.
7037 To add other directories, use the @code{directory} command.
7038
7039 The search path is used to find both program source files and @value{GDBN}
7040 script files (read using the @samp{-command} option and @samp{source} command).
7041
7042 In addition to the source path, @value{GDBN} provides a set of commands
7043 that manage a list of source path substitution rules. A @dfn{substitution
7044 rule} specifies how to rewrite source directories stored in the program's
7045 debug information in case the sources were moved to a different
7046 directory between compilation and debugging. A rule is made of
7047 two strings, the first specifying what needs to be rewritten in
7048 the path, and the second specifying how it should be rewritten.
7049 In @ref{set substitute-path}, we name these two parts @var{from} and
7050 @var{to} respectively. @value{GDBN} does a simple string replacement
7051 of @var{from} with @var{to} at the start of the directory part of the
7052 source file name, and uses that result instead of the original file
7053 name to look up the sources.
7054
7055 Using the previous example, suppose the @file{foo-1.0} tree has been
7056 moved from @file{/usr/src} to @file{/mnt/cross}, then you can tell
7057 @value{GDBN} to replace @file{/usr/src} in all source path names with
7058 @file{/mnt/cross}. The first lookup will then be
7059 @file{/mnt/cross/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} in place of the original location
7060 of @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}. To define a source path
7061 substitution rule, use the @code{set substitute-path} command
7062 (@pxref{set substitute-path}).
7063
7064 To avoid unexpected substitution results, a rule is applied only if the
7065 @var{from} part of the directory name ends at a directory separator.
7066 For instance, a rule substituting @file{/usr/source} into
7067 @file{/mnt/cross} will be applied to @file{/usr/source/foo-1.0} but
7068 not to @file{/usr/sourceware/foo-2.0}. And because the substitution
7069 is applied only at the beginning of the directory name, this rule will
7070 not be applied to @file{/root/usr/source/baz.c} either.
7071
7072 In many cases, you can achieve the same result using the @code{directory}
7073 command. However, @code{set substitute-path} can be more efficient in
7074 the case where the sources are organized in a complex tree with multiple
7075 subdirectories. With the @code{directory} command, you need to add each
7076 subdirectory of your project. If you moved the entire tree while
7077 preserving its internal organization, then @code{set substitute-path}
7078 allows you to direct the debugger to all the sources with one single
7079 command.
7080
7081 @code{set substitute-path} is also more than just a shortcut command.
7082 The source path is only used if the file at the original location no
7083 longer exists. On the other hand, @code{set substitute-path} modifies
7084 the debugger behavior to look at the rewritten location instead. So, if
7085 for any reason a source file that is not relevant to your executable is
7086 located at the original location, a substitution rule is the only
7087 method available to point @value{GDBN} at the new location.
7088
7089 @cindex @samp{--with-relocated-sources}
7090 @cindex default source path substitution
7091 You can configure a default source path substitution rule by
7092 configuring @value{GDBN} with the
7093 @samp{--with-relocated-sources=@var{dir}} option. The @var{dir}
7094 should be the name of a directory under @value{GDBN}'s configured
7095 prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or @samp{--exec-prefix}), and
7096 directory names in debug information under @var{dir} will be adjusted
7097 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
7098 location. This is useful if @value{GDBN}, libraries or executables
7099 with debug information and corresponding source code are being moved
7100 together.
7101
7102 @table @code
7103 @item directory @var{dirname} @dots{}
7104 @item dir @var{dirname} @dots{}
7105 Add directory @var{dirname} to the front of the source path. Several
7106 directory names may be given to this command, separated by @samp{:}
7107 (@samp{;} on MS-DOS and MS-Windows, where @samp{:} usually appears as
7108 part of absolute file names) or
7109 whitespace. You may specify a directory that is already in the source
7110 path; this moves it forward, so @value{GDBN} searches it sooner.
7111
7112 @kindex cdir
7113 @kindex cwd
7114 @vindex $cdir@r{, convenience variable}
7115 @vindex $cwd@r{, convenience variable}
7116 @cindex compilation directory
7117 @cindex current directory
7118 @cindex working directory
7119 @cindex directory, current
7120 @cindex directory, compilation
7121 You can use the string @samp{$cdir} to refer to the compilation
7122 directory (if one is recorded), and @samp{$cwd} to refer to the current
7123 working directory. @samp{$cwd} is not the same as @samp{.}---the former
7124 tracks the current working directory as it changes during your @value{GDBN}
7125 session, while the latter is immediately expanded to the current
7126 directory at the time you add an entry to the source path.
7127
7128 @item directory
7129 Reset the source path to its default value (@samp{$cdir:$cwd} on Unix systems). This requires confirmation.
7130
7131 @c RET-repeat for @code{directory} is explicitly disabled, but since
7132 @c repeating it would be a no-op we do not say that. (thanks to RMS)
7133
7134 @item set directories @var{path-list}
7135 @kindex set directories
7136 Set the source path to @var{path-list}.
7137 @samp{$cdir:$cwd} are added if missing.
7138
7139 @item show directories
7140 @kindex show directories
7141 Print the source path: show which directories it contains.
7142
7143 @anchor{set substitute-path}
7144 @item set substitute-path @var{from} @var{to}
7145 @kindex set substitute-path
7146 Define a source path substitution rule, and add it at the end of the
7147 current list of existing substitution rules. If a rule with the same
7148 @var{from} was already defined, then the old rule is also deleted.
7149
7150 For example, if the file @file{/foo/bar/baz.c} was moved to
7151 @file{/mnt/cross/baz.c}, then the command
7152
7153 @smallexample
7154 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/cross
7155 @end smallexample
7156
7157 @noindent
7158 will tell @value{GDBN} to replace @samp{/usr/src} with
7159 @samp{/mnt/cross}, which will allow @value{GDBN} to find the file
7160 @file{baz.c} even though it was moved.
7161
7162 In the case when more than one substitution rule have been defined,
7163 the rules are evaluated one by one in the order where they have been
7164 defined. The first one matching, if any, is selected to perform
7165 the substitution.
7166
7167 For instance, if we had entered the following commands:
7168
7169 @smallexample
7170 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src/include /mnt/include
7171 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/src
7172 @end smallexample
7173
7174 @noindent
7175 @value{GDBN} would then rewrite @file{/usr/src/include/defs.h} into
7176 @file{/mnt/include/defs.h} by using the first rule. However, it would
7177 use the second rule to rewrite @file{/usr/src/lib/foo.c} into
7178 @file{/mnt/src/lib/foo.c}.
7179
7180
7181 @item unset substitute-path [path]
7182 @kindex unset substitute-path
7183 If a path is specified, search the current list of substitution rules
7184 for a rule that would rewrite that path. Delete that rule if found.
7185 A warning is emitted by the debugger if no rule could be found.
7186
7187 If no path is specified, then all substitution rules are deleted.
7188
7189 @item show substitute-path [path]
7190 @kindex show substitute-path
7191 If a path is specified, then print the source path substitution rule
7192 which would rewrite that path, if any.
7193
7194 If no path is specified, then print all existing source path substitution
7195 rules.
7196
7197 @end table
7198
7199 If your source path is cluttered with directories that are no longer of
7200 interest, @value{GDBN} may sometimes cause confusion by finding the wrong
7201 versions of source. You can correct the situation as follows:
7202
7203 @enumerate
7204 @item
7205 Use @code{directory} with no argument to reset the source path to its default value.
7206
7207 @item
7208 Use @code{directory} with suitable arguments to reinstall the
7209 directories you want in the source path. You can add all the
7210 directories in one command.
7211 @end enumerate
7212
7213 @node Machine Code
7214 @section Source and Machine Code
7215 @cindex source line and its code address
7216
7217 You can use the command @code{info line} to map source lines to program
7218 addresses (and vice versa), and the command @code{disassemble} to display
7219 a range of addresses as machine instructions. You can use the command
7220 @code{set disassemble-next-line} to set whether to disassemble next
7221 source line when execution stops. When run under @sc{gnu} Emacs
7222 mode, the @code{info line} command causes the arrow to point to the
7223 line specified. Also, @code{info line} prints addresses in symbolic form as
7224 well as hex.
7225
7226 @table @code
7227 @kindex info line
7228 @item info line @var{linespec}
7229 Print the starting and ending addresses of the compiled code for
7230 source line @var{linespec}. You can specify source lines in any of
7231 the ways documented in @ref{Specify Location}.
7232 @end table
7233
7234 For example, we can use @code{info line} to discover the location of
7235 the object code for the first line of function
7236 @code{m4_changequote}:
7237
7238 @c FIXME: I think this example should also show the addresses in
7239 @c symbolic form, as they usually would be displayed.
7240 @smallexample
7241 (@value{GDBP}) info line m4_changequote
7242 Line 895 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x634c and ends at 0x6350.
7243 @end smallexample
7244
7245 @noindent
7246 @cindex code address and its source line
7247 We can also inquire (using @code{*@var{addr}} as the form for
7248 @var{linespec}) what source line covers a particular address:
7249 @smallexample
7250 (@value{GDBP}) info line *0x63ff
7251 Line 926 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x63e4 and ends at 0x6404.
7252 @end smallexample
7253
7254 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info line}
7255 @cindex @code{x} command, default address
7256 @kindex x@r{(examine), and} info line
7257 After @code{info line}, the default address for the @code{x} command
7258 is changed to the starting address of the line, so that @samp{x/i} is
7259 sufficient to begin examining the machine code (@pxref{Memory,
7260 ,Examining Memory}). Also, this address is saved as the value of the
7261 convenience variable @code{$_} (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
7262 Variables}).
7263
7264 @table @code
7265 @kindex disassemble
7266 @cindex assembly instructions
7267 @cindex instructions, assembly
7268 @cindex machine instructions
7269 @cindex listing machine instructions
7270 @item disassemble
7271 @itemx disassemble /m
7272 @itemx disassemble /r
7273 This specialized command dumps a range of memory as machine
7274 instructions. It can also print mixed source+disassembly by specifying
7275 the @code{/m} modifier and print the raw instructions in hex as well as
7276 in symbolic form by specifying the @code{/r}.
7277 The default memory range is the function surrounding the
7278 program counter of the selected frame. A single argument to this
7279 command is a program counter value; @value{GDBN} dumps the function
7280 surrounding this value. When two arguments are given, they should
7281 be separated by a comma, possibly surrounded by whitespace. The
7282 arguments specify a range of addresses to dump, in one of two forms:
7283
7284 @table @code
7285 @item @var{start},@var{end}
7286 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to @var{end} (exclusive)
7287 @item @var{start},+@var{length}
7288 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to
7289 @code{@var{start}+@var{length}} (exclusive).
7290 @end table
7291
7292 @noindent
7293 When 2 arguments are specified, the name of the function is also
7294 printed (since there could be several functions in the given range).
7295
7296 The argument(s) can be any expression yielding a numeric value, such as
7297 @samp{0x32c4}, @samp{&main+10} or @samp{$pc - 8}.
7298
7299 If the range of memory being disassembled contains current program counter,
7300 the instruction at that location is shown with a @code{=>} marker.
7301 @end table
7302
7303 The following example shows the disassembly of a range of addresses of
7304 HP PA-RISC 2.0 code:
7305
7306 @smallexample
7307 (@value{GDBP}) disas 0x32c4, 0x32e4
7308 Dump of assembler code from 0x32c4 to 0x32e4:
7309 0x32c4 <main+204>: addil 0,dp
7310 0x32c8 <main+208>: ldw 0x22c(sr0,r1),r26
7311 0x32cc <main+212>: ldil 0x3000,r31
7312 0x32d0 <main+216>: ble 0x3f8(sr4,r31)
7313 0x32d4 <main+220>: ldo 0(r31),rp
7314 0x32d8 <main+224>: addil -0x800,dp
7315 0x32dc <main+228>: ldo 0x588(r1),r26
7316 0x32e0 <main+232>: ldil 0x3000,r31
7317 End of assembler dump.
7318 @end smallexample
7319
7320 Here is an example showing mixed source+assembly for Intel x86, when the
7321 program is stopped just after function prologue:
7322
7323 @smallexample
7324 (@value{GDBP}) disas /m main
7325 Dump of assembler code for function main:
7326 5 @{
7327 0x08048330 <+0>: push %ebp
7328 0x08048331 <+1>: mov %esp,%ebp
7329 0x08048333 <+3>: sub $0x8,%esp
7330 0x08048336 <+6>: and $0xfffffff0,%esp
7331 0x08048339 <+9>: sub $0x10,%esp
7332
7333 6 printf ("Hello.\n");
7334 => 0x0804833c <+12>: movl $0x8048440,(%esp)
7335 0x08048343 <+19>: call 0x8048284 <puts@@plt>
7336
7337 7 return 0;
7338 8 @}
7339 0x08048348 <+24>: mov $0x0,%eax
7340 0x0804834d <+29>: leave
7341 0x0804834e <+30>: ret
7342
7343 End of assembler dump.
7344 @end smallexample
7345
7346 Here is another example showing raw instructions in hex for AMD x86-64,
7347
7348 @smallexample
7349 (gdb) disas /r 0x400281,+10
7350 Dump of assembler code from 0x400281 to 0x40028b:
7351 0x0000000000400281: 38 36 cmp %dh,(%rsi)
7352 0x0000000000400283: 2d 36 34 2e 73 sub $0x732e3436,%eax
7353 0x0000000000400288: 6f outsl %ds:(%rsi),(%dx)
7354 0x0000000000400289: 2e 32 00 xor %cs:(%rax),%al
7355 End of assembler dump.
7356 @end smallexample
7357
7358 Some architectures have more than one commonly-used set of instruction
7359 mnemonics or other syntax.
7360
7361 For programs that were dynamically linked and use shared libraries,
7362 instructions that call functions or branch to locations in the shared
7363 libraries might show a seemingly bogus location---it's actually a
7364 location of the relocation table. On some architectures, @value{GDBN}
7365 might be able to resolve these to actual function names.
7366
7367 @table @code
7368 @kindex set disassembly-flavor
7369 @cindex Intel disassembly flavor
7370 @cindex AT&T disassembly flavor
7371 @item set disassembly-flavor @var{instruction-set}
7372 Select the instruction set to use when disassembling the
7373 program via the @code{disassemble} or @code{x/i} commands.
7374
7375 Currently this command is only defined for the Intel x86 family. You
7376 can set @var{instruction-set} to either @code{intel} or @code{att}.
7377 The default is @code{att}, the AT&T flavor used by default by Unix
7378 assemblers for x86-based targets.
7379
7380 @kindex show disassembly-flavor
7381 @item show disassembly-flavor
7382 Show the current setting of the disassembly flavor.
7383 @end table
7384
7385 @table @code
7386 @kindex set disassemble-next-line
7387 @kindex show disassemble-next-line
7388 @item set disassemble-next-line
7389 @itemx show disassemble-next-line
7390 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will disassemble the next source
7391 line or instruction when execution stops. If ON, @value{GDBN} will
7392 display disassembly of the next source line when execution of the
7393 program being debugged stops. This is @emph{in addition} to
7394 displaying the source line itself, which @value{GDBN} always does if
7395 possible. If the next source line cannot be displayed for some reason
7396 (e.g., if @value{GDBN} cannot find the source file, or there's no line
7397 info in the debug info), @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of the
7398 next @emph{instruction} instead of showing the next source line. If
7399 AUTO, @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of next instruction only
7400 if the source line cannot be displayed. This setting causes
7401 @value{GDBN} to display some feedback when you step through a function
7402 with no line info or whose source file is unavailable. The default is
7403 OFF, which means never display the disassembly of the next line or
7404 instruction.
7405 @end table
7406
7407
7408 @node Data
7409 @chapter Examining Data
7410
7411 @cindex printing data
7412 @cindex examining data
7413 @kindex print
7414 @kindex inspect
7415 The usual way to examine data in your program is with the @code{print}
7416 command (abbreviated @code{p}), or its synonym @code{inspect}. It
7417 evaluates and prints the value of an expression of the language your
7418 program is written in (@pxref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with
7419 Different Languages}). It may also print the expression using a
7420 Python-based pretty-printer (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
7421
7422 @table @code
7423 @item print @var{expr}
7424 @itemx print /@var{f} @var{expr}
7425 @var{expr} is an expression (in the source language). By default the
7426 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
7427 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
7428 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
7429 Formats}.
7430
7431 @item print
7432 @itemx print /@var{f}
7433 @cindex reprint the last value
7434 If you omit @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} displays the last value again (from the
7435 @dfn{value history}; @pxref{Value History, ,Value History}). This allows you to
7436 conveniently inspect the same value in an alternative format.
7437 @end table
7438
7439 A more low-level way of examining data is with the @code{x} command.
7440 It examines data in memory at a specified address and prints it in a
7441 specified format. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
7442
7443 If you are interested in information about types, or about how the
7444 fields of a struct or a class are declared, use the @code{ptype @var{exp}}
7445 command rather than @code{print}. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol
7446 Table}.
7447
7448 @cindex exploring hierarchical data structures
7449 @kindex explore
7450 Another way of examining values of expressions and type information is
7451 through the Python extension command @code{explore} (available only if
7452 the @value{GDBN} build is configured with @code{--with-python}). It
7453 offers an interactive way to start at the highest level (or, the most
7454 abstract level) of the data type of an expression (or, the data type
7455 itself) and explore all the way down to leaf scalar values/fields
7456 embedded in the higher level data types.
7457
7458 @table @code
7459 @item explore @var{arg}
7460 @var{arg} is either an expression (in the source language), or a type
7461 visible in the current context of the program being debugged.
7462 @end table
7463
7464 The working of the @code{explore} command can be illustrated with an
7465 example. If a data type @code{struct ComplexStruct} is defined in your
7466 C program as
7467
7468 @smallexample
7469 struct SimpleStruct
7470 @{
7471 int i;
7472 double d;
7473 @};
7474
7475 struct ComplexStruct
7476 @{
7477 struct SimpleStruct *ss_p;
7478 int arr[10];
7479 @};
7480 @end smallexample
7481
7482 @noindent
7483 followed by variable declarations as
7484
7485 @smallexample
7486 struct SimpleStruct ss = @{ 10, 1.11 @};
7487 struct ComplexStruct cs = @{ &ss, @{ 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 @} @};
7488 @end smallexample
7489
7490 @noindent
7491 then, the value of the variable @code{cs} can be explored using the
7492 @code{explore} command as follows.
7493
7494 @smallexample
7495 (gdb) explore cs
7496 The value of `cs' is a struct/class of type `struct ComplexStruct' with
7497 the following fields:
7498
7499 ss_p = <Enter 0 to explore this field of type `struct SimpleStruct *'>
7500 arr = <Enter 1 to explore this field of type `int [10]'>
7501
7502 Enter the field number of choice:
7503 @end smallexample
7504
7505 @noindent
7506 Since the fields of @code{cs} are not scalar values, you are being
7507 prompted to chose the field you want to explore. Let's say you choose
7508 the field @code{ss_p} by entering @code{0}. Then, since this field is a
7509 pointer, you will be asked if it is pointing to a single value. From
7510 the declaration of @code{cs} above, it is indeed pointing to a single
7511 value, hence you enter @code{y}. If you enter @code{n}, then you will
7512 be asked if it were pointing to an array of values, in which case this
7513 field will be explored as if it were an array.
7514
7515 @smallexample
7516 `cs.ss_p' is a pointer to a value of type `struct SimpleStruct'
7517 Continue exploring it as a pointer to a single value [y/n]: y
7518 The value of `*(cs.ss_p)' is a struct/class of type `struct
7519 SimpleStruct' with the following fields:
7520
7521 i = 10 .. (Value of type `int')
7522 d = 1.1100000000000001 .. (Value of type `double')
7523
7524 Press enter to return to parent value:
7525 @end smallexample
7526
7527 @noindent
7528 If the field @code{arr} of @code{cs} was chosen for exploration by
7529 entering @code{1} earlier, then since it is as array, you will be
7530 prompted to enter the index of the element in the array that you want
7531 to explore.
7532
7533 @smallexample
7534 `cs.arr' is an array of `int'.
7535 Enter the index of the element you want to explore in `cs.arr': 5
7536
7537 `(cs.arr)[5]' is a scalar value of type `int'.
7538
7539 (cs.arr)[5] = 4
7540
7541 Press enter to return to parent value:
7542 @end smallexample
7543
7544 In general, at any stage of exploration, you can go deeper towards the
7545 leaf values by responding to the prompts appropriately, or hit the
7546 return key to return to the enclosing data structure (the @i{higher}
7547 level data structure).
7548
7549 Similar to exploring values, you can use the @code{explore} command to
7550 explore types. Instead of specifying a value (which is typically a
7551 variable name or an expression valid in the current context of the
7552 program being debugged), you specify a type name. If you consider the
7553 same example as above, your can explore the type
7554 @code{struct ComplexStruct} by passing the argument
7555 @code{struct ComplexStruct} to the @code{explore} command.
7556
7557 @smallexample
7558 (gdb) explore struct ComplexStruct
7559 @end smallexample
7560
7561 @noindent
7562 By responding to the prompts appropriately in the subsequent interactive
7563 session, you can explore the type @code{struct ComplexStruct} in a
7564 manner similar to how the value @code{cs} was explored in the above
7565 example.
7566
7567 The @code{explore} command also has two sub-commands,
7568 @code{explore value} and @code{explore type}. The former sub-command is
7569 a way to explicitly specify that value exploration of the argument is
7570 being invoked, while the latter is a way to explicitly specify that type
7571 exploration of the argument is being invoked.
7572
7573 @table @code
7574 @item explore value @var{expr}
7575 @cindex explore value
7576 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the value of the
7577 expression @var{expr} (if @var{expr} is an expression valid in the
7578 current context of the program being debugged). The behavior of this
7579 command is identical to that of the behavior of the @code{explore}
7580 command being passed the argument @var{expr}.
7581
7582 @item explore type @var{arg}
7583 @cindex explore type
7584 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the type of @var{arg} (if
7585 @var{arg} is a type visible in the current context of program being
7586 debugged), or the type of the value/expression @var{arg} (if @var{arg}
7587 is an expression valid in the current context of the program being
7588 debugged). If @var{arg} is a type, then the behavior of this command is
7589 identical to that of the @code{explore} command being passed the
7590 argument @var{arg}. If @var{arg} is an expression, then the behavior of
7591 this command will be identical to that of the @code{explore} command
7592 being passed the type of @var{arg} as the argument.
7593 @end table
7594
7595 @menu
7596 * Expressions:: Expressions
7597 * Ambiguous Expressions:: Ambiguous Expressions
7598 * Variables:: Program variables
7599 * Arrays:: Artificial arrays
7600 * Output Formats:: Output formats
7601 * Memory:: Examining memory
7602 * Auto Display:: Automatic display
7603 * Print Settings:: Print settings
7604 * Pretty Printing:: Python pretty printing
7605 * Value History:: Value history
7606 * Convenience Vars:: Convenience variables
7607 * Convenience Funs:: Convenience functions
7608 * Registers:: Registers
7609 * Floating Point Hardware:: Floating point hardware
7610 * Vector Unit:: Vector Unit
7611 * OS Information:: Auxiliary data provided by operating system
7612 * Memory Region Attributes:: Memory region attributes
7613 * Dump/Restore Files:: Copy between memory and a file
7614 * Core File Generation:: Cause a program dump its core
7615 * Character Sets:: Debugging programs that use a different
7616 character set than GDB does
7617 * Caching Remote Data:: Data caching for remote targets
7618 * Searching Memory:: Searching memory for a sequence of bytes
7619 @end menu
7620
7621 @node Expressions
7622 @section Expressions
7623
7624 @cindex expressions
7625 @code{print} and many other @value{GDBN} commands accept an expression and
7626 compute its value. Any kind of constant, variable or operator defined
7627 by the programming language you are using is valid in an expression in
7628 @value{GDBN}. This includes conditional expressions, function calls,
7629 casts, and string constants. It also includes preprocessor macros, if
7630 you compiled your program to include this information; see
7631 @ref{Compilation}.
7632
7633 @cindex arrays in expressions
7634 @value{GDBN} supports array constants in expressions input by
7635 the user. The syntax is @{@var{element}, @var{element}@dots{}@}. For example,
7636 you can use the command @code{print @{1, 2, 3@}} to create an array
7637 of three integers. If you pass an array to a function or assign it
7638 to a program variable, @value{GDBN} copies the array to memory that
7639 is @code{malloc}ed in the target program.
7640
7641 Because C is so widespread, most of the expressions shown in examples in
7642 this manual are in C. @xref{Languages, , Using @value{GDBN} with Different
7643 Languages}, for information on how to use expressions in other
7644 languages.
7645
7646 In this section, we discuss operators that you can use in @value{GDBN}
7647 expressions regardless of your programming language.
7648
7649 @cindex casts, in expressions
7650 Casts are supported in all languages, not just in C, because it is so
7651 useful to cast a number into a pointer in order to examine a structure
7652 at that address in memory.
7653 @c FIXME: casts supported---Mod2 true?
7654
7655 @value{GDBN} supports these operators, in addition to those common
7656 to programming languages:
7657
7658 @table @code
7659 @item @@
7660 @samp{@@} is a binary operator for treating parts of memory as arrays.
7661 @xref{Arrays, ,Artificial Arrays}, for more information.
7662
7663 @item ::
7664 @samp{::} allows you to specify a variable in terms of the file or
7665 function where it is defined. @xref{Variables, ,Program Variables}.
7666
7667 @cindex @{@var{type}@}
7668 @cindex type casting memory
7669 @cindex memory, viewing as typed object
7670 @cindex casts, to view memory
7671 @item @{@var{type}@} @var{addr}
7672 Refers to an object of type @var{type} stored at address @var{addr} in
7673 memory. @var{addr} may be any expression whose value is an integer or
7674 pointer (but parentheses are required around binary operators, just as in
7675 a cast). This construct is allowed regardless of what kind of data is
7676 normally supposed to reside at @var{addr}.
7677 @end table
7678
7679 @node Ambiguous Expressions
7680 @section Ambiguous Expressions
7681 @cindex ambiguous expressions
7682
7683 Expressions can sometimes contain some ambiguous elements. For instance,
7684 some programming languages (notably Ada, C@t{++} and Objective-C) permit
7685 a single function name to be defined several times, for application in
7686 different contexts. This is called @dfn{overloading}. Another example
7687 involving Ada is generics. A @dfn{generic package} is similar to C@t{++}
7688 templates and is typically instantiated several times, resulting in
7689 the same function name being defined in different contexts.
7690
7691 In some cases and depending on the language, it is possible to adjust
7692 the expression to remove the ambiguity. For instance in C@t{++}, you
7693 can specify the signature of the function you want to break on, as in
7694 @kbd{break @var{function}(@var{types})}. In Ada, using the fully
7695 qualified name of your function often makes the expression unambiguous
7696 as well.
7697
7698 When an ambiguity that needs to be resolved is detected, the debugger
7699 has the capability to display a menu of numbered choices for each
7700 possibility, and then waits for the selection with the prompt @samp{>}.
7701 The first option is always @samp{[0] cancel}, and typing @kbd{0 @key{RET}}
7702 aborts the current command. If the command in which the expression was
7703 used allows more than one choice to be selected, the next option in the
7704 menu is @samp{[1] all}, and typing @kbd{1 @key{RET}} selects all possible
7705 choices.
7706
7707 For example, the following session excerpt shows an attempt to set a
7708 breakpoint at the overloaded symbol @code{String::after}.
7709 We choose three particular definitions of that function name:
7710
7711 @c FIXME! This is likely to change to show arg type lists, at least
7712 @smallexample
7713 @group
7714 (@value{GDBP}) b String::after
7715 [0] cancel
7716 [1] all
7717 [2] file:String.cc; line number:867
7718 [3] file:String.cc; line number:860
7719 [4] file:String.cc; line number:875
7720 [5] file:String.cc; line number:853
7721 [6] file:String.cc; line number:846
7722 [7] file:String.cc; line number:735
7723 > 2 4 6
7724 Breakpoint 1 at 0xb26c: file String.cc, line 867.
7725 Breakpoint 2 at 0xb344: file String.cc, line 875.
7726 Breakpoint 3 at 0xafcc: file String.cc, line 846.
7727 Multiple breakpoints were set.
7728 Use the "delete" command to delete unwanted
7729 breakpoints.
7730 (@value{GDBP})
7731 @end group
7732 @end smallexample
7733
7734 @table @code
7735 @kindex set multiple-symbols
7736 @item set multiple-symbols @var{mode}
7737 @cindex multiple-symbols menu
7738
7739 This option allows you to adjust the debugger behavior when an expression
7740 is ambiguous.
7741
7742 By default, @var{mode} is set to @code{all}. If the command with which
7743 the expression is used allows more than one choice, then @value{GDBN}
7744 automatically selects all possible choices. For instance, inserting
7745 a breakpoint on a function using an ambiguous name results in a breakpoint
7746 inserted on each possible match. However, if a unique choice must be made,
7747 then @value{GDBN} uses the menu to help you disambiguate the expression.
7748 For instance, printing the address of an overloaded function will result
7749 in the use of the menu.
7750
7751 When @var{mode} is set to @code{ask}, the debugger always uses the menu
7752 when an ambiguity is detected.
7753
7754 Finally, when @var{mode} is set to @code{cancel}, the debugger reports
7755 an error due to the ambiguity and the command is aborted.
7756
7757 @kindex show multiple-symbols
7758 @item show multiple-symbols
7759 Show the current value of the @code{multiple-symbols} setting.
7760 @end table
7761
7762 @node Variables
7763 @section Program Variables
7764
7765 The most common kind of expression to use is the name of a variable
7766 in your program.
7767
7768 Variables in expressions are understood in the selected stack frame
7769 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}); they must be either:
7770
7771 @itemize @bullet
7772 @item
7773 global (or file-static)
7774 @end itemize
7775
7776 @noindent or
7777
7778 @itemize @bullet
7779 @item
7780 visible according to the scope rules of the
7781 programming language from the point of execution in that frame
7782 @end itemize
7783
7784 @noindent This means that in the function
7785
7786 @smallexample
7787 foo (a)
7788 int a;
7789 @{
7790 bar (a);
7791 @{
7792 int b = test ();
7793 bar (b);
7794 @}
7795 @}
7796 @end smallexample
7797
7798 @noindent
7799 you can examine and use the variable @code{a} whenever your program is
7800 executing within the function @code{foo}, but you can only use or
7801 examine the variable @code{b} while your program is executing inside
7802 the block where @code{b} is declared.
7803
7804 @cindex variable name conflict
7805 There is an exception: you can refer to a variable or function whose
7806 scope is a single source file even if the current execution point is not
7807 in this file. But it is possible to have more than one such variable or
7808 function with the same name (in different source files). If that
7809 happens, referring to that name has unpredictable effects. If you wish,
7810 you can specify a static variable in a particular function or file by
7811 using the colon-colon (@code{::}) notation:
7812
7813 @cindex colon-colon, context for variables/functions
7814 @ifnotinfo
7815 @c info cannot cope with a :: index entry, but why deprive hard copy readers?
7816 @cindex @code{::}, context for variables/functions
7817 @end ifnotinfo
7818 @smallexample
7819 @var{file}::@var{variable}
7820 @var{function}::@var{variable}
7821 @end smallexample
7822
7823 @noindent
7824 Here @var{file} or @var{function} is the name of the context for the
7825 static @var{variable}. In the case of file names, you can use quotes to
7826 make sure @value{GDBN} parses the file name as a single word---for example,
7827 to print a global value of @code{x} defined in @file{f2.c}:
7828
7829 @smallexample
7830 (@value{GDBP}) p 'f2.c'::x
7831 @end smallexample
7832
7833 The @code{::} notation is normally used for referring to
7834 static variables, since you typically disambiguate uses of local variables
7835 in functions by selecting the appropriate frame and using the
7836 simple name of the variable. However, you may also use this notation
7837 to refer to local variables in frames enclosing the selected frame:
7838
7839 @smallexample
7840 void
7841 foo (int a)
7842 @{
7843 if (a < 10)
7844 bar (a);
7845 else
7846 process (a); /* Stop here */
7847 @}
7848
7849 int
7850 bar (int a)
7851 @{
7852 foo (a + 5);
7853 @}
7854 @end smallexample
7855
7856 @noindent
7857 For example, if there is a breakpoint at the commented line,
7858 here is what you might see
7859 when the program stops after executing the call @code{bar(0)}:
7860
7861 @smallexample
7862 (@value{GDBP}) p a
7863 $1 = 10
7864 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
7865 $2 = 5
7866 (@value{GDBP}) up 2
7867 #2 0x080483d0 in foo (a=5) at foobar.c:12
7868 (@value{GDBP}) p a
7869 $3 = 5
7870 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
7871 $4 = 0
7872 @end smallexample
7873
7874 @cindex C@t{++} scope resolution
7875 These uses of @samp{::} are very rarely in conflict with the very similar
7876 use of the same notation in C@t{++}. @value{GDBN} also supports use of the C@t{++}
7877 scope resolution operator in @value{GDBN} expressions.
7878 @c FIXME: Um, so what happens in one of those rare cases where it's in
7879 @c conflict?? --mew
7880
7881 @cindex wrong values
7882 @cindex variable values, wrong
7883 @cindex function entry/exit, wrong values of variables
7884 @cindex optimized code, wrong values of variables
7885 @quotation
7886 @emph{Warning:} Occasionally, a local variable may appear to have the
7887 wrong value at certain points in a function---just after entry to a new
7888 scope, and just before exit.
7889 @end quotation
7890 You may see this problem when you are stepping by machine instructions.
7891 This is because, on most machines, it takes more than one instruction to
7892 set up a stack frame (including local variable definitions); if you are
7893 stepping by machine instructions, variables may appear to have the wrong
7894 values until the stack frame is completely built. On exit, it usually
7895 also takes more than one machine instruction to destroy a stack frame;
7896 after you begin stepping through that group of instructions, local
7897 variable definitions may be gone.
7898
7899 This may also happen when the compiler does significant optimizations.
7900 To be sure of always seeing accurate values, turn off all optimization
7901 when compiling.
7902
7903 @cindex ``No symbol "foo" in current context''
7904 Another possible effect of compiler optimizations is to optimize
7905 unused variables out of existence, or assign variables to registers (as
7906 opposed to memory addresses). Depending on the support for such cases
7907 offered by the debug info format used by the compiler, @value{GDBN}
7908 might not be able to display values for such local variables. If that
7909 happens, @value{GDBN} will print a message like this:
7910
7911 @smallexample
7912 No symbol "foo" in current context.
7913 @end smallexample
7914
7915 To solve such problems, either recompile without optimizations, or use a
7916 different debug info format, if the compiler supports several such
7917 formats. @xref{Compilation}, for more information on choosing compiler
7918 options. @xref{C, ,C and C@t{++}}, for more information about debug
7919 info formats that are best suited to C@t{++} programs.
7920
7921 If you ask to print an object whose contents are unknown to
7922 @value{GDBN}, e.g., because its data type is not completely specified
7923 by the debug information, @value{GDBN} will say @samp{<incomplete
7924 type>}. @xref{Symbols, incomplete type}, for more about this.
7925
7926 If you append @kbd{@@entry} string to a function parameter name you get its
7927 value at the time the function got called. If the value is not available an
7928 error message is printed. Entry values are available only with some compilers.
7929 Entry values are normally also printed at the function parameter list according
7930 to @ref{set print entry-values}.
7931
7932 @smallexample
7933 Breakpoint 1, d (i=30) at gdb.base/entry-value.c:29
7934 29 i++;
7935 (gdb) next
7936 30 e (i);
7937 (gdb) print i
7938 $1 = 31
7939 (gdb) print i@@entry
7940 $2 = 30
7941 @end smallexample
7942
7943 Strings are identified as arrays of @code{char} values without specified
7944 signedness. Arrays of either @code{signed char} or @code{unsigned char} get
7945 printed as arrays of 1 byte sized integers. @code{-fsigned-char} or
7946 @code{-funsigned-char} @value{NGCC} options have no effect as @value{GDBN}
7947 defines literal string type @code{"char"} as @code{char} without a sign.
7948 For program code
7949
7950 @smallexample
7951 char var0[] = "A";
7952 signed char var1[] = "A";
7953 @end smallexample
7954
7955 You get during debugging
7956 @smallexample
7957 (gdb) print var0
7958 $1 = "A"
7959 (gdb) print var1
7960 $2 = @{65 'A', 0 '\0'@}
7961 @end smallexample
7962
7963 @node Arrays
7964 @section Artificial Arrays
7965
7966 @cindex artificial array
7967 @cindex arrays
7968 @kindex @@@r{, referencing memory as an array}
7969 It is often useful to print out several successive objects of the
7970 same type in memory; a section of an array, or an array of
7971 dynamically determined size for which only a pointer exists in the
7972 program.
7973
7974 You can do this by referring to a contiguous span of memory as an
7975 @dfn{artificial array}, using the binary operator @samp{@@}. The left
7976 operand of @samp{@@} should be the first element of the desired array
7977 and be an individual object. The right operand should be the desired length
7978 of the array. The result is an array value whose elements are all of
7979 the type of the left argument. The first element is actually the left
7980 argument; the second element comes from bytes of memory immediately
7981 following those that hold the first element, and so on. Here is an
7982 example. If a program says
7983
7984 @smallexample
7985 int *array = (int *) malloc (len * sizeof (int));
7986 @end smallexample
7987
7988 @noindent
7989 you can print the contents of @code{array} with
7990
7991 @smallexample
7992 p *array@@len
7993 @end smallexample
7994
7995 The left operand of @samp{@@} must reside in memory. Array values made
7996 with @samp{@@} in this way behave just like other arrays in terms of
7997 subscripting, and are coerced to pointers when used in expressions.
7998 Artificial arrays most often appear in expressions via the value history
7999 (@pxref{Value History, ,Value History}), after printing one out.
8000
8001 Another way to create an artificial array is to use a cast.
8002 This re-interprets a value as if it were an array.
8003 The value need not be in memory:
8004 @smallexample
8005 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[2])0x12345678
8006 $1 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
8007 @end smallexample
8008
8009 As a convenience, if you leave the array length out (as in
8010 @samp{(@var{type}[])@var{value}}) @value{GDBN} calculates the size to fill
8011 the value (as @samp{sizeof(@var{value})/sizeof(@var{type})}:
8012 @smallexample
8013 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[])0x12345678
8014 $2 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
8015 @end smallexample
8016
8017 Sometimes the artificial array mechanism is not quite enough; in
8018 moderately complex data structures, the elements of interest may not
8019 actually be adjacent---for example, if you are interested in the values
8020 of pointers in an array. One useful work-around in this situation is
8021 to use a convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
8022 Variables}) as a counter in an expression that prints the first
8023 interesting value, and then repeat that expression via @key{RET}. For
8024 instance, suppose you have an array @code{dtab} of pointers to
8025 structures, and you are interested in the values of a field @code{fv}
8026 in each structure. Here is an example of what you might type:
8027
8028 @smallexample
8029 set $i = 0
8030 p dtab[$i++]->fv
8031 @key{RET}
8032 @key{RET}
8033 @dots{}
8034 @end smallexample
8035
8036 @node Output Formats
8037 @section Output Formats
8038
8039 @cindex formatted output
8040 @cindex output formats
8041 By default, @value{GDBN} prints a value according to its data type. Sometimes
8042 this is not what you want. For example, you might want to print a number
8043 in hex, or a pointer in decimal. Or you might want to view data in memory
8044 at a certain address as a character string or as an instruction. To do
8045 these things, specify an @dfn{output format} when you print a value.
8046
8047 The simplest use of output formats is to say how to print a value
8048 already computed. This is done by starting the arguments of the
8049 @code{print} command with a slash and a format letter. The format
8050 letters supported are:
8051
8052 @table @code
8053 @item x
8054 Regard the bits of the value as an integer, and print the integer in
8055 hexadecimal.
8056
8057 @item d
8058 Print as integer in signed decimal.
8059
8060 @item u
8061 Print as integer in unsigned decimal.
8062
8063 @item o
8064 Print as integer in octal.
8065
8066 @item t
8067 Print as integer in binary. The letter @samp{t} stands for ``two''.
8068 @footnote{@samp{b} cannot be used because these format letters are also
8069 used with the @code{x} command, where @samp{b} stands for ``byte'';
8070 see @ref{Memory,,Examining Memory}.}
8071
8072 @item a
8073 @cindex unknown address, locating
8074 @cindex locate address
8075 Print as an address, both absolute in hexadecimal and as an offset from
8076 the nearest preceding symbol. You can use this format used to discover
8077 where (in what function) an unknown address is located:
8078
8079 @smallexample
8080 (@value{GDBP}) p/a 0x54320
8081 $3 = 0x54320 <_initialize_vx+396>
8082 @end smallexample
8083
8084 @noindent
8085 The command @code{info symbol 0x54320} yields similar results.
8086 @xref{Symbols, info symbol}.
8087
8088 @item c
8089 Regard as an integer and print it as a character constant. This
8090 prints both the numerical value and its character representation. The
8091 character representation is replaced with the octal escape @samp{\nnn}
8092 for characters outside the 7-bit @sc{ascii} range.
8093
8094 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays @code{char},
8095 @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} data as character
8096 constants. Single-byte members of vectors are displayed as integer
8097 data.
8098
8099 @item f
8100 Regard the bits of the value as a floating point number and print
8101 using typical floating point syntax.
8102
8103 @item s
8104 @cindex printing strings
8105 @cindex printing byte arrays
8106 Regard as a string, if possible. With this format, pointers to single-byte
8107 data are displayed as null-terminated strings and arrays of single-byte data
8108 are displayed as fixed-length strings. Other values are displayed in their
8109 natural types.
8110
8111 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays pointers to and arrays of
8112 @code{char}, @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} as
8113 strings. Single-byte members of a vector are displayed as an integer
8114 array.
8115
8116 @item r
8117 @cindex raw printing
8118 Print using the @samp{raw} formatting. By default, @value{GDBN} will
8119 use a Python-based pretty-printer, if one is available (@pxref{Pretty
8120 Printing}). This typically results in a higher-level display of the
8121 value's contents. The @samp{r} format bypasses any Python
8122 pretty-printer which might exist.
8123 @end table
8124
8125 For example, to print the program counter in hex (@pxref{Registers}), type
8126
8127 @smallexample
8128 p/x $pc
8129 @end smallexample
8130
8131 @noindent
8132 Note that no space is required before the slash; this is because command
8133 names in @value{GDBN} cannot contain a slash.
8134
8135 To reprint the last value in the value history with a different format,
8136 you can use the @code{print} command with just a format and no
8137 expression. For example, @samp{p/x} reprints the last value in hex.
8138
8139 @node Memory
8140 @section Examining Memory
8141
8142 You can use the command @code{x} (for ``examine'') to examine memory in
8143 any of several formats, independently of your program's data types.
8144
8145 @cindex examining memory
8146 @table @code
8147 @kindex x @r{(examine memory)}
8148 @item x/@var{nfu} @var{addr}
8149 @itemx x @var{addr}
8150 @itemx x
8151 Use the @code{x} command to examine memory.
8152 @end table
8153
8154 @var{n}, @var{f}, and @var{u} are all optional parameters that specify how
8155 much memory to display and how to format it; @var{addr} is an
8156 expression giving the address where you want to start displaying memory.
8157 If you use defaults for @var{nfu}, you need not type the slash @samp{/}.
8158 Several commands set convenient defaults for @var{addr}.
8159
8160 @table @r
8161 @item @var{n}, the repeat count
8162 The repeat count is a decimal integer; the default is 1. It specifies
8163 how much memory (counting by units @var{u}) to display.
8164 @c This really is **decimal**; unaffected by 'set radix' as of GDB
8165 @c 4.1.2.
8166
8167 @item @var{f}, the display format
8168 The display format is one of the formats used by @code{print}
8169 (@samp{x}, @samp{d}, @samp{u}, @samp{o}, @samp{t}, @samp{a}, @samp{c},
8170 @samp{f}, @samp{s}), and in addition @samp{i} (for machine instructions).
8171 The default is @samp{x} (hexadecimal) initially. The default changes
8172 each time you use either @code{x} or @code{print}.
8173
8174 @item @var{u}, the unit size
8175 The unit size is any of
8176
8177 @table @code
8178 @item b
8179 Bytes.
8180 @item h
8181 Halfwords (two bytes).
8182 @item w
8183 Words (four bytes). This is the initial default.
8184 @item g
8185 Giant words (eight bytes).
8186 @end table
8187
8188 Each time you specify a unit size with @code{x}, that size becomes the
8189 default unit the next time you use @code{x}. For the @samp{i} format,
8190 the unit size is ignored and is normally not written. For the @samp{s} format,
8191 the unit size defaults to @samp{b}, unless it is explicitly given.
8192 Use @kbd{x /hs} to display 16-bit char strings and @kbd{x /ws} to display
8193 32-bit strings. The next use of @kbd{x /s} will again display 8-bit strings.
8194 Note that the results depend on the programming language of the
8195 current compilation unit. If the language is C, the @samp{s}
8196 modifier will use the UTF-16 encoding while @samp{w} will use
8197 UTF-32. The encoding is set by the programming language and cannot
8198 be altered.
8199
8200 @item @var{addr}, starting display address
8201 @var{addr} is the address where you want @value{GDBN} to begin displaying
8202 memory. The expression need not have a pointer value (though it may);
8203 it is always interpreted as an integer address of a byte of memory.
8204 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information on expressions. The default for
8205 @var{addr} is usually just after the last address examined---but several
8206 other commands also set the default address: @code{info breakpoints} (to
8207 the address of the last breakpoint listed), @code{info line} (to the
8208 starting address of a line), and @code{print} (if you use it to display
8209 a value from memory).
8210 @end table
8211
8212 For example, @samp{x/3uh 0x54320} is a request to display three halfwords
8213 (@code{h}) of memory, formatted as unsigned decimal integers (@samp{u}),
8214 starting at address @code{0x54320}. @samp{x/4xw $sp} prints the four
8215 words (@samp{w}) of memory above the stack pointer (here, @samp{$sp};
8216 @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}) in hexadecimal (@samp{x}).
8217
8218 Since the letters indicating unit sizes are all distinct from the
8219 letters specifying output formats, you do not have to remember whether
8220 unit size or format comes first; either order works. The output
8221 specifications @samp{4xw} and @samp{4wx} mean exactly the same thing.
8222 (However, the count @var{n} must come first; @samp{wx4} does not work.)
8223
8224 Even though the unit size @var{u} is ignored for the formats @samp{s}
8225 and @samp{i}, you might still want to use a count @var{n}; for example,
8226 @samp{3i} specifies that you want to see three machine instructions,
8227 including any operands. For convenience, especially when used with
8228 the @code{display} command, the @samp{i} format also prints branch delay
8229 slot instructions, if any, beyond the count specified, which immediately
8230 follow the last instruction that is within the count. The command
8231 @code{disassemble} gives an alternative way of inspecting machine
8232 instructions; see @ref{Machine Code,,Source and Machine Code}.
8233
8234 All the defaults for the arguments to @code{x} are designed to make it
8235 easy to continue scanning memory with minimal specifications each time
8236 you use @code{x}. For example, after you have inspected three machine
8237 instructions with @samp{x/3i @var{addr}}, you can inspect the next seven
8238 with just @samp{x/7}. If you use @key{RET} to repeat the @code{x} command,
8239 the repeat count @var{n} is used again; the other arguments default as
8240 for successive uses of @code{x}.
8241
8242 When examining machine instructions, the instruction at current program
8243 counter is shown with a @code{=>} marker. For example:
8244
8245 @smallexample
8246 (@value{GDBP}) x/5i $pc-6
8247 0x804837f <main+11>: mov %esp,%ebp
8248 0x8048381 <main+13>: push %ecx
8249 0x8048382 <main+14>: sub $0x4,%esp
8250 => 0x8048385 <main+17>: movl $0x8048460,(%esp)
8251 0x804838c <main+24>: call 0x80482d4 <puts@@plt>
8252 @end smallexample
8253
8254 @cindex @code{$_}, @code{$__}, and value history
8255 The addresses and contents printed by the @code{x} command are not saved
8256 in the value history because there is often too much of them and they
8257 would get in the way. Instead, @value{GDBN} makes these values available for
8258 subsequent use in expressions as values of the convenience variables
8259 @code{$_} and @code{$__}. After an @code{x} command, the last address
8260 examined is available for use in expressions in the convenience variable
8261 @code{$_}. The contents of that address, as examined, are available in
8262 the convenience variable @code{$__}.
8263
8264 If the @code{x} command has a repeat count, the address and contents saved
8265 are from the last memory unit printed; this is not the same as the last
8266 address printed if several units were printed on the last line of output.
8267
8268 @cindex remote memory comparison
8269 @cindex verify remote memory image
8270 When you are debugging a program running on a remote target machine
8271 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), you may wish to verify the program's image in the
8272 remote machine's memory against the executable file you downloaded to
8273 the target. The @code{compare-sections} command is provided for such
8274 situations.
8275
8276 @table @code
8277 @kindex compare-sections
8278 @item compare-sections @r{[}@var{section-name}@r{]}
8279 Compare the data of a loadable section @var{section-name} in the
8280 executable file of the program being debugged with the same section in
8281 the remote machine's memory, and report any mismatches. With no
8282 arguments, compares all loadable sections. This command's
8283 availability depends on the target's support for the @code{"qCRC"}
8284 remote request.
8285 @end table
8286
8287 @node Auto Display
8288 @section Automatic Display
8289 @cindex automatic display
8290 @cindex display of expressions
8291
8292 If you find that you want to print the value of an expression frequently
8293 (to see how it changes), you might want to add it to the @dfn{automatic
8294 display list} so that @value{GDBN} prints its value each time your program stops.
8295 Each expression added to the list is given a number to identify it;
8296 to remove an expression from the list, you specify that number.
8297 The automatic display looks like this:
8298
8299 @smallexample
8300 2: foo = 38
8301 3: bar[5] = (struct hack *) 0x3804
8302 @end smallexample
8303
8304 @noindent
8305 This display shows item numbers, expressions and their current values. As with
8306 displays you request manually using @code{x} or @code{print}, you can
8307 specify the output format you prefer; in fact, @code{display} decides
8308 whether to use @code{print} or @code{x} depending your format
8309 specification---it uses @code{x} if you specify either the @samp{i}
8310 or @samp{s} format, or a unit size; otherwise it uses @code{print}.
8311
8312 @table @code
8313 @kindex display
8314 @item display @var{expr}
8315 Add the expression @var{expr} to the list of expressions to display
8316 each time your program stops. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
8317
8318 @code{display} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
8319
8320 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{expr}
8321 For @var{fmt} specifying only a display format and not a size or
8322 count, add the expression @var{expr} to the auto-display list but
8323 arrange to display it each time in the specified format @var{fmt}.
8324 @xref{Output Formats,,Output Formats}.
8325
8326 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{addr}
8327 For @var{fmt} @samp{i} or @samp{s}, or including a unit-size or a
8328 number of units, add the expression @var{addr} as a memory address to
8329 be examined each time your program stops. Examining means in effect
8330 doing @samp{x/@var{fmt} @var{addr}}. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
8331 @end table
8332
8333 For example, @samp{display/i $pc} can be helpful, to see the machine
8334 instruction about to be executed each time execution stops (@samp{$pc}
8335 is a common name for the program counter; @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
8336
8337 @table @code
8338 @kindex delete display
8339 @kindex undisplay
8340 @item undisplay @var{dnums}@dots{}
8341 @itemx delete display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8342 Remove items from the list of expressions to display. Specify the
8343 numbers of the displays that you want affected with the command
8344 argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one of the
8345 numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display} display;
8346 or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8347
8348 @code{undisplay} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
8349 (Otherwise you would just get the error @samp{No display number @dots{}}.)
8350
8351 @kindex disable display
8352 @item disable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8353 Disable the display of item numbers @var{dnums}. A disabled display
8354 item is not printed automatically, but is not forgotten. It may be
8355 enabled again later. Specify the numbers of the displays that you
8356 want affected with the command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a
8357 single display number, one of the numbers shown in the first field of
8358 the @samp{info display} display; or it could be a range of display
8359 numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8360
8361 @kindex enable display
8362 @item enable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
8363 Enable display of item numbers @var{dnums}. It becomes effective once
8364 again in auto display of its expression, until you specify otherwise.
8365 Specify the numbers of the displays that you want affected with the
8366 command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one
8367 of the numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display}
8368 display; or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
8369
8370 @item display
8371 Display the current values of the expressions on the list, just as is
8372 done when your program stops.
8373
8374 @kindex info display
8375 @item info display
8376 Print the list of expressions previously set up to display
8377 automatically, each one with its item number, but without showing the
8378 values. This includes disabled expressions, which are marked as such.
8379 It also includes expressions which would not be displayed right now
8380 because they refer to automatic variables not currently available.
8381 @end table
8382
8383 @cindex display disabled out of scope
8384 If a display expression refers to local variables, then it does not make
8385 sense outside the lexical context for which it was set up. Such an
8386 expression is disabled when execution enters a context where one of its
8387 variables is not defined. For example, if you give the command
8388 @code{display last_char} while inside a function with an argument
8389 @code{last_char}, @value{GDBN} displays this argument while your program
8390 continues to stop inside that function. When it stops elsewhere---where
8391 there is no variable @code{last_char}---the display is disabled
8392 automatically. The next time your program stops where @code{last_char}
8393 is meaningful, you can enable the display expression once again.
8394
8395 @node Print Settings
8396 @section Print Settings
8397
8398 @cindex format options
8399 @cindex print settings
8400 @value{GDBN} provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures,
8401 and symbols are printed.
8402
8403 @noindent
8404 These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
8405
8406 @table @code
8407 @kindex set print
8408 @item set print address
8409 @itemx set print address on
8410 @cindex print/don't print memory addresses
8411 @value{GDBN} prints memory addresses showing the location of stack
8412 traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth,
8413 even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default
8414 is @code{on}. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with
8415 @code{set print address on}:
8416
8417 @smallexample
8418 @group
8419 (@value{GDBP}) f
8420 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
8421 at input.c:530
8422 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
8423 @end group
8424 @end smallexample
8425
8426 @item set print address off
8427 Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example,
8428 this is the same stack frame displayed with @code{set print address off}:
8429
8430 @smallexample
8431 @group
8432 (@value{GDBP}) set print addr off
8433 (@value{GDBP}) f
8434 #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530
8435 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
8436 @end group
8437 @end smallexample
8438
8439 You can use @samp{set print address off} to eliminate all machine
8440 dependent displays from the @value{GDBN} interface. For example, with
8441 @code{print address off}, you should get the same text for backtraces on
8442 all machines---whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
8443
8444 @kindex show print
8445 @item show print address
8446 Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
8447 @end table
8448
8449 When @value{GDBN} prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the
8450 closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely
8451 identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single
8452 source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with
8453 @code{info line}, for example @samp{info line *0x4537}. Alternately,
8454 you can set @value{GDBN} to print the source file and line number when
8455 it prints a symbolic address:
8456
8457 @table @code
8458 @item set print symbol-filename on
8459 @cindex source file and line of a symbol
8460 @cindex symbol, source file and line
8461 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the source file name and line number of a
8462 symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
8463
8464 @item set print symbol-filename off
8465 Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the
8466 default.
8467
8468 @item show print symbol-filename
8469 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} will print the source file name and
8470 line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
8471 @end table
8472
8473 Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line
8474 numbers is when disassembling code; @value{GDBN} shows you the line
8475 number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
8476
8477 Also, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being
8478 printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
8479
8480 @table @code
8481 @item set print max-symbolic-offset @var{max-offset}
8482 @cindex maximum value for offset of closest symbol
8483 Tell @value{GDBN} to only display the symbolic form of an address if the
8484 offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than
8485 @var{max-offset}. The default is 0, which tells @value{GDBN}
8486 to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes it.
8487
8488 @item show print max-symbolic-offset
8489 Ask how large the maximum offset is that @value{GDBN} prints in a
8490 symbolic address.
8491 @end table
8492
8493 @cindex wild pointer, interpreting
8494 @cindex pointer, finding referent
8495 If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try
8496 @samp{set print symbol-filename on}. Then you can determine the name
8497 and source file location of the variable where it points, using
8498 @samp{p/a @var{pointer}}. This interprets the address in symbolic form.
8499 For example, here @value{GDBN} shows that a variable @code{ptt} points
8500 at another variable @code{t}, defined in @file{hi2.c}:
8501
8502 @smallexample
8503 (@value{GDBP}) set print symbol-filename on
8504 (@value{GDBP}) p/a ptt
8505 $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
8506 @end smallexample
8507
8508 @quotation
8509 @emph{Warning:} For pointers that point to a local variable, @samp{p/a}
8510 does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with
8511 the appropriate @code{set print} options turned on.
8512 @end quotation
8513
8514 You can also enable @samp{/a}-like formatting all the time using
8515 @samp{set print symbol on}:
8516
8517 @table @code
8518 @item set print symbol on
8519 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the symbol corresponding to an address, if
8520 one exists.
8521
8522 @item set print symbol off
8523 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print the symbol corresponding to an
8524 address. In this mode, @value{GDBN} will still print the symbol
8525 corresponding to pointers to functions. This is the default.
8526
8527 @item show print symbol
8528 Show whether @value{GDBN} will display the symbol corresponding to an
8529 address.
8530 @end table
8531
8532 Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
8533
8534 @table @code
8535 @item set print array
8536 @itemx set print array on
8537 @cindex pretty print arrays
8538 Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read,
8539 but uses more space. The default is off.
8540
8541 @item set print array off
8542 Return to compressed format for arrays.
8543
8544 @item show print array
8545 Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying
8546 arrays.
8547
8548 @cindex print array indexes
8549 @item set print array-indexes
8550 @itemx set print array-indexes on
8551 Print the index of each element when displaying arrays. May be more
8552 convenient to locate a given element in the array or quickly find the
8553 index of a given element in that printed array. The default is off.
8554
8555 @item set print array-indexes off
8556 Stop printing element indexes when displaying arrays.
8557
8558 @item show print array-indexes
8559 Show whether the index of each element is printed when displaying
8560 arrays.
8561
8562 @item set print elements @var{number-of-elements}
8563 @cindex number of array elements to print
8564 @cindex limit on number of printed array elements
8565 Set a limit on how many elements of an array @value{GDBN} will print.
8566 If @value{GDBN} is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has
8567 printed the number of elements set by the @code{set print elements} command.
8568 This limit also applies to the display of strings.
8569 When @value{GDBN} starts, this limit is set to 200.
8570 Setting @var{number-of-elements} to zero means that the printing is unlimited.
8571
8572 @item show print elements
8573 Display the number of elements of a large array that @value{GDBN} will print.
8574 If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
8575
8576 @item set print frame-arguments @var{value}
8577 @kindex set print frame-arguments
8578 @cindex printing frame argument values
8579 @cindex print all frame argument values
8580 @cindex print frame argument values for scalars only
8581 @cindex do not print frame argument values
8582 This command allows to control how the values of arguments are printed
8583 when the debugger prints a frame (@pxref{Frames}). The possible
8584 values are:
8585
8586 @table @code
8587 @item all
8588 The values of all arguments are printed.
8589
8590 @item scalars
8591 Print the value of an argument only if it is a scalar. The value of more
8592 complex arguments such as arrays, structures, unions, etc, is replaced
8593 by @code{@dots{}}. This is the default. Here is an example where
8594 only scalar arguments are shown:
8595
8596 @smallexample
8597 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=3, s=@dots{}, ss=0xbf8d508c, u=@dots{}, e=green)
8598 at frame-args.c:23
8599 @end smallexample
8600
8601 @item none
8602 None of the argument values are printed. Instead, the value of each argument
8603 is replaced by @code{@dots{}}. In this case, the example above now becomes:
8604
8605 @smallexample
8606 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=@dots{}, s=@dots{}, ss=@dots{}, u=@dots{}, e=@dots{})
8607 at frame-args.c:23
8608 @end smallexample
8609 @end table
8610
8611 By default, only scalar arguments are printed. This command can be used
8612 to configure the debugger to print the value of all arguments, regardless
8613 of their type. However, it is often advantageous to not print the value
8614 of more complex parameters. For instance, it reduces the amount of
8615 information printed in each frame, making the backtrace more readable.
8616 Also, it improves performance when displaying Ada frames, because
8617 the computation of large arguments can sometimes be CPU-intensive,
8618 especially in large applications. Setting @code{print frame-arguments}
8619 to @code{scalars} (the default) or @code{none} avoids this computation,
8620 thus speeding up the display of each Ada frame.
8621
8622 @item show print frame-arguments
8623 Show how the value of arguments should be displayed when printing a frame.
8624
8625 @anchor{set print entry-values}
8626 @item set print entry-values @var{value}
8627 @kindex set print entry-values
8628 Set printing of frame argument values at function entry. In some cases
8629 @value{GDBN} can determine the value of function argument which was passed by
8630 the function caller, even if the value was modified inside the called function
8631 and therefore is different. With optimized code, the current value could be
8632 unavailable, but the entry value may still be known.
8633
8634 The default value is @code{default} (see below for its description). Older
8635 @value{GDBN} behaved as with the setting @code{no}. Compilers not supporting
8636 this feature will behave in the @code{default} setting the same way as with the
8637 @code{no} setting.
8638
8639 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
8640 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_GNU_call_site} tags. With
8641 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
8642 this information.
8643
8644 The @var{value} parameter can be one of the following:
8645
8646 @table @code
8647 @item no
8648 Print only actual parameter values, never print values from function entry
8649 point.
8650 @smallexample
8651 #0 equal (val=5)
8652 #0 different (val=6)
8653 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>)
8654 #0 born (val=10)
8655 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8656 @end smallexample
8657
8658 @item only
8659 Print only parameter values from function entry point. The actual parameter
8660 values are never printed.
8661 @smallexample
8662 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
8663 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
8664 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8665 #0 born (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8666 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8667 @end smallexample
8668
8669 @item preferred
8670 Print only parameter values from function entry point. If value from function
8671 entry point is not known while the actual value is known, print the actual
8672 value for such parameter.
8673 @smallexample
8674 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
8675 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
8676 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8677 #0 born (val=10)
8678 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8679 @end smallexample
8680
8681 @item if-needed
8682 Print actual parameter values. If actual parameter value is not known while
8683 value from function entry point is known, print the entry point value for such
8684 parameter.
8685 @smallexample
8686 #0 equal (val=5)
8687 #0 different (val=6)
8688 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8689 #0 born (val=10)
8690 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8691 @end smallexample
8692
8693 @item both
8694 Always print both the actual parameter value and its value from function entry
8695 point, even if values of one or both are not available due to compiler
8696 optimizations.
8697 @smallexample
8698 #0 equal (val=5, val@@entry=5)
8699 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8700 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
8701 #0 born (val=10, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8702 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
8703 @end smallexample
8704
8705 @item compact
8706 Print the actual parameter value if it is known and also its value from
8707 function entry point if it is known. If neither is known, print for the actual
8708 value @code{<optimized out>}. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and if both
8709 values are known and identical, print the shortened
8710 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
8711 @smallexample
8712 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
8713 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8714 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
8715 #0 born (val=10)
8716 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8717 @end smallexample
8718
8719 @item default
8720 Always print the actual parameter value. Print also its value from function
8721 entry point, but only if it is known. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and
8722 if both values are known and identical, print the shortened
8723 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
8724 @smallexample
8725 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
8726 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
8727 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
8728 #0 born (val=10)
8729 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
8730 @end smallexample
8731 @end table
8732
8733 For analysis messages on possible failures of frame argument values at function
8734 entry resolution see @ref{set debug entry-values}.
8735
8736 @item show print entry-values
8737 Show the method being used for printing of frame argument values at function
8738 entry.
8739
8740 @item set print repeats
8741 @cindex repeated array elements
8742 Set the threshold for suppressing display of repeated array
8743 elements. When the number of consecutive identical elements of an
8744 array exceeds the threshold, @value{GDBN} prints the string
8745 @code{"<repeats @var{n} times>"}, where @var{n} is the number of
8746 identical repetitions, instead of displaying the identical elements
8747 themselves. Setting the threshold to zero will cause all elements to
8748 be individually printed. The default threshold is 10.
8749
8750 @item show print repeats
8751 Display the current threshold for printing repeated identical
8752 elements.
8753
8754 @item set print null-stop
8755 @cindex @sc{null} elements in arrays
8756 Cause @value{GDBN} to stop printing the characters of an array when the first
8757 @sc{null} is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually
8758 contain only short strings.
8759 The default is off.
8760
8761 @item show print null-stop
8762 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops printing an array on the first
8763 @sc{null} character.
8764
8765 @item set print pretty on
8766 @cindex print structures in indented form
8767 @cindex indentation in structure display
8768 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in an indented format with one member
8769 per line, like this:
8770
8771 @smallexample
8772 @group
8773 $1 = @{
8774 next = 0x0,
8775 flags = @{
8776 sweet = 1,
8777 sour = 1
8778 @},
8779 meat = 0x54 "Pork"
8780 @}
8781 @end group
8782 @end smallexample
8783
8784 @item set print pretty off
8785 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in a compact format, like this:
8786
8787 @smallexample
8788 @group
8789 $1 = @{next = 0x0, flags = @{sweet = 1, sour = 1@}, \
8790 meat = 0x54 "Pork"@}
8791 @end group
8792 @end smallexample
8793
8794 @noindent
8795 This is the default format.
8796
8797 @item show print pretty
8798 Show which format @value{GDBN} is using to print structures.
8799
8800 @item set print sevenbit-strings on
8801 @cindex eight-bit characters in strings
8802 @cindex octal escapes in strings
8803 Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set,
8804 @value{GDBN} displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or
8805 character values) using the notation @code{\}@var{nnn}. This setting is
8806 best if you are working in English (@sc{ascii}) and you use the
8807 high-order bit of characters as a marker or ``meta'' bit.
8808
8809 @item set print sevenbit-strings off
8810 Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more
8811 international character sets, and is the default.
8812
8813 @item show print sevenbit-strings
8814 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} is printing only seven-bit characters.
8815
8816 @item set print union on
8817 @cindex unions in structures, printing
8818 Tell @value{GDBN} to print unions which are contained in structures
8819 and other unions. This is the default setting.
8820
8821 @item set print union off
8822 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print unions which are contained in
8823 structures and other unions. @value{GDBN} will print @code{"@{...@}"}
8824 instead.
8825
8826 @item show print union
8827 Ask @value{GDBN} whether or not it will print unions which are contained in
8828 structures and other unions.
8829
8830 For example, given the declarations
8831
8832 @smallexample
8833 typedef enum @{Tree, Bug@} Species;
8834 typedef enum @{Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling@} Tree_forms;
8835 typedef enum @{Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly@}
8836 Bug_forms;
8837
8838 struct thing @{
8839 Species it;
8840 union @{
8841 Tree_forms tree;
8842 Bug_forms bug;
8843 @} form;
8844 @};
8845
8846 struct thing foo = @{Tree, @{Acorn@}@};
8847 @end smallexample
8848
8849 @noindent
8850 with @code{set print union on} in effect @samp{p foo} would print
8851
8852 @smallexample
8853 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon@}@}
8854 @end smallexample
8855
8856 @noindent
8857 and with @code{set print union off} in effect it would print
8858
8859 @smallexample
8860 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{...@}@}
8861 @end smallexample
8862
8863 @noindent
8864 @code{set print union} affects programs written in C-like languages
8865 and in Pascal.
8866 @end table
8867
8868 @need 1000
8869 @noindent
8870 These settings are of interest when debugging C@t{++} programs:
8871
8872 @table @code
8873 @cindex demangling C@t{++} names
8874 @item set print demangle
8875 @itemx set print demangle on
8876 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than in the encoded
8877 (``mangled'') form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe
8878 linkage. The default is on.
8879
8880 @item show print demangle
8881 Show whether C@t{++} names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
8882
8883 @item set print asm-demangle
8884 @itemx set print asm-demangle on
8885 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even
8886 in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies.
8887 The default is off.
8888
8889 @item show print asm-demangle
8890 Show whether C@t{++} names in assembly listings are printed in mangled
8891 or demangled form.
8892
8893 @cindex C@t{++} symbol decoding style
8894 @cindex symbol decoding style, C@t{++}
8895 @kindex set demangle-style
8896 @item set demangle-style @var{style}
8897 Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to
8898 represent C@t{++} names. The choices for @var{style} are currently:
8899
8900 @table @code
8901 @item auto
8902 Allow @value{GDBN} to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
8903 This is the default.
8904
8905 @item gnu
8906 Decode based on the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler (@code{g++}) encoding algorithm.
8907
8908 @item hp
8909 Decode based on the HP ANSI C@t{++} (@code{aCC}) encoding algorithm.
8910
8911 @item lucid
8912 Decode based on the Lucid C@t{++} compiler (@code{lcc}) encoding algorithm.
8913
8914 @item arm
8915 Decode using the algorithm in the @cite{C@t{++} Annotated Reference Manual}.
8916 @strong{Warning:} this setting alone is not sufficient to allow
8917 debugging @code{cfront}-generated executables. @value{GDBN} would
8918 require further enhancement to permit that.
8919
8920 @end table
8921 If you omit @var{style}, you will see a list of possible formats.
8922
8923 @item show demangle-style
8924 Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C@t{++} symbols.
8925
8926 @item set print object
8927 @itemx set print object on
8928 @cindex derived type of an object, printing
8929 @cindex display derived types
8930 When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the @emph{actual}
8931 (derived) type of the object rather than the @emph{declared} type, using
8932 the virtual function table. Note that the virtual function table is
8933 required---this feature can only work for objects that have run-time
8934 type identification; a single virtual method in the object's declared
8935 type is sufficient. Note that this setting is also taken into account when
8936 working with variable objects via MI (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
8937
8938 @item set print object off
8939 Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the
8940 virtual function table. This is the default setting.
8941
8942 @item show print object
8943 Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
8944
8945 @item set print static-members
8946 @itemx set print static-members on
8947 @cindex static members of C@t{++} objects
8948 Print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object. The default is on.
8949
8950 @item set print static-members off
8951 Do not print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object.
8952
8953 @item show print static-members
8954 Show whether C@t{++} static members are printed or not.
8955
8956 @item set print pascal_static-members
8957 @itemx set print pascal_static-members on
8958 @cindex static members of Pascal objects
8959 @cindex Pascal objects, static members display
8960 Print static members when displaying a Pascal object. The default is on.
8961
8962 @item set print pascal_static-members off
8963 Do not print static members when displaying a Pascal object.
8964
8965 @item show print pascal_static-members
8966 Show whether Pascal static members are printed or not.
8967
8968 @c These don't work with HP ANSI C++ yet.
8969 @item set print vtbl
8970 @itemx set print vtbl on
8971 @cindex pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables
8972 @cindex virtual functions (C@t{++}) display
8973 @cindex VTBL display
8974 Pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables. The default is off.
8975 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
8976 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
8977
8978 @item set print vtbl off
8979 Do not pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables.
8980
8981 @item show print vtbl
8982 Show whether C@t{++} virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.
8983 @end table
8984
8985 @node Pretty Printing
8986 @section Pretty Printing
8987
8988 @value{GDBN} provides a mechanism to allow pretty-printing of values using
8989 Python code. It greatly simplifies the display of complex objects. This
8990 mechanism works for both MI and the CLI.
8991
8992 @menu
8993 * Pretty-Printer Introduction:: Introduction to pretty-printers
8994 * Pretty-Printer Example:: An example pretty-printer
8995 * Pretty-Printer Commands:: Pretty-printer commands
8996 @end menu
8997
8998 @node Pretty-Printer Introduction
8999 @subsection Pretty-Printer Introduction
9000
9001 When @value{GDBN} prints a value, it first sees if there is a pretty-printer
9002 registered for the value. If there is then @value{GDBN} invokes the
9003 pretty-printer to print the value. Otherwise the value is printed normally.
9004
9005 Pretty-printers are normally named. This makes them easy to manage.
9006 The @samp{info pretty-printer} command will list all the installed
9007 pretty-printers with their names.
9008 If a pretty-printer can handle multiple data types, then its
9009 @dfn{subprinters} are the printers for the individual data types.
9010 Each such subprinter has its own name.
9011 The format of the name is @var{printer-name};@var{subprinter-name}.
9012
9013 Pretty-printers are installed by @dfn{registering} them with @value{GDBN}.
9014 Typically they are automatically loaded and registered when the corresponding
9015 debug information is loaded, thus making them available without having to
9016 do anything special.
9017
9018 There are three places where a pretty-printer can be registered.
9019
9020 @itemize @bullet
9021 @item
9022 Pretty-printers registered globally are available when debugging
9023 all inferiors.
9024
9025 @item
9026 Pretty-printers registered with a program space are available only
9027 when debugging that program.
9028 @xref{Progspaces In Python}, for more details on program spaces in Python.
9029
9030 @item
9031 Pretty-printers registered with an objfile are loaded and unloaded
9032 with the corresponding objfile (e.g., shared library).
9033 @xref{Objfiles In Python}, for more details on objfiles in Python.
9034 @end itemize
9035
9036 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for further information on how
9037 pretty-printers are selected,
9038
9039 @xref{Writing a Pretty-Printer}, for implementing pretty printers
9040 for new types.
9041
9042 @node Pretty-Printer Example
9043 @subsection Pretty-Printer Example
9044
9045 Here is how a C@t{++} @code{std::string} looks without a pretty-printer:
9046
9047 @smallexample
9048 (@value{GDBP}) print s
9049 $1 = @{
9050 static npos = 4294967295,
9051 _M_dataplus = @{
9052 <std::allocator<char>> = @{
9053 <__gnu_cxx::new_allocator<char>> = @{
9054 <No data fields>@}, <No data fields>
9055 @},
9056 members of std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>,
9057 std::allocator<char> >::_Alloc_hider:
9058 _M_p = 0x804a014 "abcd"
9059 @}
9060 @}
9061 @end smallexample
9062
9063 With a pretty-printer for @code{std::string} only the contents are printed:
9064
9065 @smallexample
9066 (@value{GDBP}) print s
9067 $2 = "abcd"
9068 @end smallexample
9069
9070 @node Pretty-Printer Commands
9071 @subsection Pretty-Printer Commands
9072 @cindex pretty-printer commands
9073
9074 @table @code
9075 @kindex info pretty-printer
9076 @item info pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
9077 Print the list of installed pretty-printers.
9078 This includes disabled pretty-printers, which are marked as such.
9079
9080 @var{object-regexp} is a regular expression matching the objects
9081 whose pretty-printers to list.
9082 Objects can be @code{global}, the program space's file
9083 (@pxref{Progspaces In Python}),
9084 and the object files within that program space (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}).
9085 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for details on how @value{GDBN}
9086 looks up a printer from these three objects.
9087
9088 @var{name-regexp} is a regular expression matching the name of the printers
9089 to list.
9090
9091 @kindex disable pretty-printer
9092 @item disable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
9093 Disable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
9094 A disabled pretty-printer is not forgotten, it may be enabled again later.
9095
9096 @kindex enable pretty-printer
9097 @item enable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
9098 Enable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
9099 @end table
9100
9101 Example:
9102
9103 Suppose we have three pretty-printers installed: one from library1.so
9104 named @code{foo} that prints objects of type @code{foo}, and
9105 another from library2.so named @code{bar} that prints two types of objects,
9106 @code{bar1} and @code{bar2}.
9107
9108 @smallexample
9109 (gdb) info pretty-printer
9110 library1.so:
9111 foo
9112 library2.so:
9113 bar
9114 bar1
9115 bar2
9116 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
9117 library2.so:
9118 bar
9119 bar1
9120 bar2
9121 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library1
9122 1 printer disabled
9123 2 of 3 printers enabled
9124 (gdb) info pretty-printer
9125 library1.so:
9126 foo [disabled]
9127 library2.so:
9128 bar
9129 bar1
9130 bar2
9131 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar:bar1
9132 1 printer disabled
9133 1 of 3 printers enabled
9134 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
9135 library1.so:
9136 foo [disabled]
9137 library2.so:
9138 bar
9139 bar1 [disabled]
9140 bar2
9141 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar
9142 1 printer disabled
9143 0 of 3 printers enabled
9144 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
9145 library1.so:
9146 foo [disabled]
9147 library2.so:
9148 bar [disabled]
9149 bar1 [disabled]
9150 bar2
9151 @end smallexample
9152
9153 Note that for @code{bar} the entire printer can be disabled,
9154 as can each individual subprinter.
9155
9156 @node Value History
9157 @section Value History
9158
9159 @cindex value history
9160 @cindex history of values printed by @value{GDBN}
9161 Values printed by the @code{print} command are saved in the @value{GDBN}
9162 @dfn{value history}. This allows you to refer to them in other expressions.
9163 Values are kept until the symbol table is re-read or discarded
9164 (for example with the @code{file} or @code{symbol-file} commands).
9165 When the symbol table changes, the value history is discarded,
9166 since the values may contain pointers back to the types defined in the
9167 symbol table.
9168
9169 @cindex @code{$}
9170 @cindex @code{$$}
9171 @cindex history number
9172 The values printed are given @dfn{history numbers} by which you can
9173 refer to them. These are successive integers starting with one.
9174 @code{print} shows you the history number assigned to a value by
9175 printing @samp{$@var{num} = } before the value; here @var{num} is the
9176 history number.
9177
9178 To refer to any previous value, use @samp{$} followed by the value's
9179 history number. The way @code{print} labels its output is designed to
9180 remind you of this. Just @code{$} refers to the most recent value in
9181 the history, and @code{$$} refers to the value before that.
9182 @code{$$@var{n}} refers to the @var{n}th value from the end; @code{$$2}
9183 is the value just prior to @code{$$}, @code{$$1} is equivalent to
9184 @code{$$}, and @code{$$0} is equivalent to @code{$}.
9185
9186 For example, suppose you have just printed a pointer to a structure and
9187 want to see the contents of the structure. It suffices to type
9188
9189 @smallexample
9190 p *$
9191 @end smallexample
9192
9193 If you have a chain of structures where the component @code{next} points
9194 to the next one, you can print the contents of the next one with this:
9195
9196 @smallexample
9197 p *$.next
9198 @end smallexample
9199
9200 @noindent
9201 You can print successive links in the chain by repeating this
9202 command---which you can do by just typing @key{RET}.
9203
9204 Note that the history records values, not expressions. If the value of
9205 @code{x} is 4 and you type these commands:
9206
9207 @smallexample
9208 print x
9209 set x=5
9210 @end smallexample
9211
9212 @noindent
9213 then the value recorded in the value history by the @code{print} command
9214 remains 4 even though the value of @code{x} has changed.
9215
9216 @table @code
9217 @kindex show values
9218 @item show values
9219 Print the last ten values in the value history, with their item numbers.
9220 This is like @samp{p@ $$9} repeated ten times, except that @code{show
9221 values} does not change the history.
9222
9223 @item show values @var{n}
9224 Print ten history values centered on history item number @var{n}.
9225
9226 @item show values +
9227 Print ten history values just after the values last printed. If no more
9228 values are available, @code{show values +} produces no display.
9229 @end table
9230
9231 Pressing @key{RET} to repeat @code{show values @var{n}} has exactly the
9232 same effect as @samp{show values +}.
9233
9234 @node Convenience Vars
9235 @section Convenience Variables
9236
9237 @cindex convenience variables
9238 @cindex user-defined variables
9239 @value{GDBN} provides @dfn{convenience variables} that you can use within
9240 @value{GDBN} to hold on to a value and refer to it later. These variables
9241 exist entirely within @value{GDBN}; they are not part of your program, and
9242 setting a convenience variable has no direct effect on further execution
9243 of your program. That is why you can use them freely.
9244
9245 Convenience variables are prefixed with @samp{$}. Any name preceded by
9246 @samp{$} can be used for a convenience variable, unless it is one of
9247 the predefined machine-specific register names (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
9248 (Value history references, in contrast, are @emph{numbers} preceded
9249 by @samp{$}. @xref{Value History, ,Value History}.)
9250
9251 You can save a value in a convenience variable with an assignment
9252 expression, just as you would set a variable in your program.
9253 For example:
9254
9255 @smallexample
9256 set $foo = *object_ptr
9257 @end smallexample
9258
9259 @noindent
9260 would save in @code{$foo} the value contained in the object pointed to by
9261 @code{object_ptr}.
9262
9263 Using a convenience variable for the first time creates it, but its
9264 value is @code{void} until you assign a new value. You can alter the
9265 value with another assignment at any time.
9266
9267 Convenience variables have no fixed types. You can assign a convenience
9268 variable any type of value, including structures and arrays, even if
9269 that variable already has a value of a different type. The convenience
9270 variable, when used as an expression, has the type of its current value.
9271
9272 @table @code
9273 @kindex show convenience
9274 @cindex show all user variables and functions
9275 @item show convenience
9276 Print a list of convenience variables used so far, and their values,
9277 as well as a list of the convenience functions.
9278 Abbreviated @code{show conv}.
9279
9280 @kindex init-if-undefined
9281 @cindex convenience variables, initializing
9282 @item init-if-undefined $@var{variable} = @var{expression}
9283 Set a convenience variable if it has not already been set. This is useful
9284 for user-defined commands that keep some state. It is similar, in concept,
9285 to using local static variables with initializers in C (except that
9286 convenience variables are global). It can also be used to allow users to
9287 override default values used in a command script.
9288
9289 If the variable is already defined then the expression is not evaluated so
9290 any side-effects do not occur.
9291 @end table
9292
9293 One of the ways to use a convenience variable is as a counter to be
9294 incremented or a pointer to be advanced. For example, to print
9295 a field from successive elements of an array of structures:
9296
9297 @smallexample
9298 set $i = 0
9299 print bar[$i++]->contents
9300 @end smallexample
9301
9302 @noindent
9303 Repeat that command by typing @key{RET}.
9304
9305 Some convenience variables are created automatically by @value{GDBN} and given
9306 values likely to be useful.
9307
9308 @table @code
9309 @vindex $_@r{, convenience variable}
9310 @item $_
9311 The variable @code{$_} is automatically set by the @code{x} command to
9312 the last address examined (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}). Other
9313 commands which provide a default address for @code{x} to examine also
9314 set @code{$_} to that address; these commands include @code{info line}
9315 and @code{info breakpoint}. The type of @code{$_} is @code{void *}
9316 except when set by the @code{x} command, in which case it is a pointer
9317 to the type of @code{$__}.
9318
9319 @vindex $__@r{, convenience variable}
9320 @item $__
9321 The variable @code{$__} is automatically set by the @code{x} command
9322 to the value found in the last address examined. Its type is chosen
9323 to match the format in which the data was printed.
9324
9325 @item $_exitcode
9326 @vindex $_exitcode@r{, convenience variable}
9327 The variable @code{$_exitcode} is automatically set to the exit code when
9328 the program being debugged terminates.
9329
9330 @item $_probe_argc
9331 @itemx $_probe_arg0@dots{}$_probe_arg11
9332 Arguments to a static probe. @xref{Static Probe Points}.
9333
9334 @item $_sdata
9335 @vindex $_sdata@r{, inspect, convenience variable}
9336 The variable @code{$_sdata} contains extra collected static tracepoint
9337 data. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}. Note that
9338 @code{$_sdata} could be empty, if not inspecting a trace buffer, or
9339 if extra static tracepoint data has not been collected.
9340
9341 @item $_siginfo
9342 @vindex $_siginfo@r{, convenience variable}
9343 The variable @code{$_siginfo} contains extra signal information
9344 (@pxref{extra signal information}). Note that @code{$_siginfo}
9345 could be empty, if the application has not yet received any signals.
9346 For example, it will be empty before you execute the @code{run} command.
9347
9348 @item $_tlb
9349 @vindex $_tlb@r{, convenience variable}
9350 The variable @code{$_tlb} is automatically set when debugging
9351 applications running on MS-Windows in native mode or connected to
9352 gdbserver that supports the @code{qGetTIBAddr} request.
9353 @xref{General Query Packets}.
9354 This variable contains the address of the thread information block.
9355
9356 @end table
9357
9358 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
9359 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
9360 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
9361
9362 @node Convenience Funs
9363 @section Convenience Functions
9364
9365 @cindex convenience functions
9366 @value{GDBN} also supplies some @dfn{convenience functions}. These
9367 have a syntax similar to convenience variables. A convenience
9368 function can be used in an expression just like an ordinary function;
9369 however, a convenience function is implemented internally to
9370 @value{GDBN}.
9371
9372 These functions require @value{GDBN} to be configured with
9373 @code{Python} support.
9374
9375 @table @code
9376
9377 @item $_memeq(@var{buf1}, @var{buf2}, @var{length})
9378 @findex $_memeq@r{, convenience function}
9379 Returns one if the @var{length} bytes at the addresses given by
9380 @var{buf1} and @var{buf2} are equal.
9381 Otherwise it returns zero.
9382
9383 @item $_regex(@var{str}, @var{regex})
9384 @findex $_regex@r{, convenience function}
9385 Returns one if the string @var{str} matches the regular expression
9386 @var{regex}. Otherwise it returns zero.
9387 The syntax of the regular expression is that specified by @code{Python}'s
9388 regular expression support.
9389
9390 @item $_streq(@var{str1}, @var{str2})
9391 @findex $_streq@r{, convenience function}
9392 Returns one if the strings @var{str1} and @var{str2} are equal.
9393 Otherwise it returns zero.
9394
9395 @item $_strlen(@var{str})
9396 @findex $_strlen@r{, convenience function}
9397 Returns the length of string @var{str}.
9398
9399 @end table
9400
9401 @value{GDBN} provides the ability to list and get help on
9402 convenience functions.
9403
9404 @table @code
9405 @item help function
9406 @kindex help function
9407 @cindex show all convenience functions
9408 Print a list of all convenience functions.
9409 @end table
9410
9411 @node Registers
9412 @section Registers
9413
9414 @cindex registers
9415 You can refer to machine register contents, in expressions, as variables
9416 with names starting with @samp{$}. The names of registers are different
9417 for each machine; use @code{info registers} to see the names used on
9418 your machine.
9419
9420 @table @code
9421 @kindex info registers
9422 @item info registers
9423 Print the names and values of all registers except floating-point
9424 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
9425
9426 @kindex info all-registers
9427 @cindex floating point registers
9428 @item info all-registers
9429 Print the names and values of all registers, including floating-point
9430 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
9431
9432 @item info registers @var{regname} @dots{}
9433 Print the @dfn{relativized} value of each specified register @var{regname}.
9434 As discussed in detail below, register values are normally relative to
9435 the selected stack frame. @var{regname} may be any register name valid on
9436 the machine you are using, with or without the initial @samp{$}.
9437 @end table
9438
9439 @cindex stack pointer register
9440 @cindex program counter register
9441 @cindex process status register
9442 @cindex frame pointer register
9443 @cindex standard registers
9444 @value{GDBN} has four ``standard'' register names that are available (in
9445 expressions) on most machines---whenever they do not conflict with an
9446 architecture's canonical mnemonics for registers. The register names
9447 @code{$pc} and @code{$sp} are used for the program counter register and
9448 the stack pointer. @code{$fp} is used for a register that contains a
9449 pointer to the current stack frame, and @code{$ps} is used for a
9450 register that contains the processor status. For example,
9451 you could print the program counter in hex with
9452
9453 @smallexample
9454 p/x $pc
9455 @end smallexample
9456
9457 @noindent
9458 or print the instruction to be executed next with
9459
9460 @smallexample
9461 x/i $pc
9462 @end smallexample
9463
9464 @noindent
9465 or add four to the stack pointer@footnote{This is a way of removing
9466 one word from the stack, on machines where stacks grow downward in
9467 memory (most machines, nowadays). This assumes that the innermost
9468 stack frame is selected; setting @code{$sp} is not allowed when other
9469 stack frames are selected. To pop entire frames off the stack,
9470 regardless of machine architecture, use @code{return};
9471 see @ref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}.} with
9472
9473 @smallexample
9474 set $sp += 4
9475 @end smallexample
9476
9477 Whenever possible, these four standard register names are available on
9478 your machine even though the machine has different canonical mnemonics,
9479 so long as there is no conflict. The @code{info registers} command
9480 shows the canonical names. For example, on the SPARC, @code{info
9481 registers} displays the processor status register as @code{$psr} but you
9482 can also refer to it as @code{$ps}; and on x86-based machines @code{$ps}
9483 is an alias for the @sc{eflags} register.
9484
9485 @value{GDBN} always considers the contents of an ordinary register as an
9486 integer when the register is examined in this way. Some machines have
9487 special registers which can hold nothing but floating point; these
9488 registers are considered to have floating point values. There is no way
9489 to refer to the contents of an ordinary register as floating point value
9490 (although you can @emph{print} it as a floating point value with
9491 @samp{print/f $@var{regname}}).
9492
9493 Some registers have distinct ``raw'' and ``virtual'' data formats. This
9494 means that the data format in which the register contents are saved by
9495 the operating system is not the same one that your program normally
9496 sees. For example, the registers of the 68881 floating point
9497 coprocessor are always saved in ``extended'' (raw) format, but all C
9498 programs expect to work with ``double'' (virtual) format. In such
9499 cases, @value{GDBN} normally works with the virtual format only (the format
9500 that makes sense for your program), but the @code{info registers} command
9501 prints the data in both formats.
9502
9503 @cindex SSE registers (x86)
9504 @cindex MMX registers (x86)
9505 Some machines have special registers whose contents can be interpreted
9506 in several different ways. For example, modern x86-based machines
9507 have SSE and MMX registers that can hold several values packed
9508 together in several different formats. @value{GDBN} refers to such
9509 registers in @code{struct} notation:
9510
9511 @smallexample
9512 (@value{GDBP}) print $xmm1
9513 $1 = @{
9514 v4_float = @{0, 3.43859137e-038, 1.54142831e-044, 1.821688e-044@},
9515 v2_double = @{9.92129282474342e-303, 2.7585945287983262e-313@},
9516 v16_int8 = "\000\000\000\000\3706;\001\v\000\000\000\r\000\000",
9517 v8_int16 = @{0, 0, 14072, 315, 11, 0, 13, 0@},
9518 v4_int32 = @{0, 20657912, 11, 13@},
9519 v2_int64 = @{88725056443645952, 55834574859@},
9520 uint128 = 0x0000000d0000000b013b36f800000000
9521 @}
9522 @end smallexample
9523
9524 @noindent
9525 To set values of such registers, you need to tell @value{GDBN} which
9526 view of the register you wish to change, as if you were assigning
9527 value to a @code{struct} member:
9528
9529 @smallexample
9530 (@value{GDBP}) set $xmm1.uint128 = 0x000000000000000000000000FFFFFFFF
9531 @end smallexample
9532
9533 Normally, register values are relative to the selected stack frame
9534 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). This means that you get the
9535 value that the register would contain if all stack frames farther in
9536 were exited and their saved registers restored. In order to see the
9537 true contents of hardware registers, you must select the innermost
9538 frame (with @samp{frame 0}).
9539
9540 However, @value{GDBN} must deduce where registers are saved, from the machine
9541 code generated by your compiler. If some registers are not saved, or if
9542 @value{GDBN} is unable to locate the saved registers, the selected stack
9543 frame makes no difference.
9544
9545 @node Floating Point Hardware
9546 @section Floating Point Hardware
9547 @cindex floating point
9548
9549 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give
9550 you more information about the status of the floating point hardware.
9551
9552 @table @code
9553 @kindex info float
9554 @item info float
9555 Display hardware-dependent information about the floating
9556 point unit. The exact contents and layout vary depending on the
9557 floating point chip. Currently, @samp{info float} is supported on
9558 the ARM and x86 machines.
9559 @end table
9560
9561 @node Vector Unit
9562 @section Vector Unit
9563 @cindex vector unit
9564
9565 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give you
9566 more information about the status of the vector unit.
9567
9568 @table @code
9569 @kindex info vector
9570 @item info vector
9571 Display information about the vector unit. The exact contents and
9572 layout vary depending on the hardware.
9573 @end table
9574
9575 @node OS Information
9576 @section Operating System Auxiliary Information
9577 @cindex OS information
9578
9579 @value{GDBN} provides interfaces to useful OS facilities that can help
9580 you debug your program.
9581
9582 @cindex auxiliary vector
9583 @cindex vector, auxiliary
9584 Some operating systems supply an @dfn{auxiliary vector} to programs at
9585 startup. This is akin to the arguments and environment that you
9586 specify for a program, but contains a system-dependent variety of
9587 binary values that tell system libraries important details about the
9588 hardware, operating system, and process. Each value's purpose is
9589 identified by an integer tag; the meanings are well-known but system-specific.
9590 Depending on the configuration and operating system facilities,
9591 @value{GDBN} may be able to show you this information. For remote
9592 targets, this functionality may further depend on the remote stub's
9593 support of the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet, see
9594 @ref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}.
9595
9596 @table @code
9597 @kindex info auxv
9598 @item info auxv
9599 Display the auxiliary vector of the inferior, which can be either a
9600 live process or a core dump file. @value{GDBN} prints each tag value
9601 numerically, and also shows names and text descriptions for recognized
9602 tags. Some values in the vector are numbers, some bit masks, and some
9603 pointers to strings or other data. @value{GDBN} displays each value in the
9604 most appropriate form for a recognized tag, and in hexadecimal for
9605 an unrecognized tag.
9606 @end table
9607
9608 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can access operating system-specific
9609 information and show it to you. The types of information available
9610 will differ depending on the type of operating system running on the
9611 target. The mechanism used to fetch the data is described in
9612 @ref{Operating System Information}. For remote targets, this
9613 functionality depends on the remote stub's support of the
9614 @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet, see @ref{qXfer osdata read}.
9615
9616 @table @code
9617 @kindex info os
9618 @item info os @var{infotype}
9619
9620 Display OS information of the requested type.
9621
9622 On @sc{gnu}/Linux, the following values of @var{infotype} are valid:
9623
9624 @anchor{linux info os infotypes}
9625 @table @code
9626 @kindex info os processes
9627 @item processes
9628 Display the list of processes on the target. For each process,
9629 @value{GDBN} prints the process identifier, the name of the user, the
9630 command corresponding to the process, and the list of processor cores
9631 that the process is currently running on. (To understand what these
9632 properties mean, for this and the following info types, please consult
9633 the general @sc{gnu}/Linux documentation.)
9634
9635 @kindex info os procgroups
9636 @item procgroups
9637 Display the list of process groups on the target. For each process,
9638 @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process group that it belongs
9639 to, the command corresponding to the process group leader, the process
9640 identifier, and the command line of the process. The list is sorted
9641 first by the process group identifier, then by the process identifier,
9642 so that processes belonging to the same process group are grouped together
9643 and the process group leader is listed first.
9644
9645 @kindex info os threads
9646 @item threads
9647 Display the list of threads running on the target. For each thread,
9648 @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process that the thread
9649 belongs to, the command of the process, the thread identifier, and the
9650 processor core that it is currently running on. The main thread of a
9651 process is not listed.
9652
9653 @kindex info os files
9654 @item files
9655 Display the list of open file descriptors on the target. For each
9656 file descriptor, @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process
9657 owning the descriptor, the command of the owning process, the value
9658 of the descriptor, and the target of the descriptor.
9659
9660 @kindex info os sockets
9661 @item sockets
9662 Display the list of Internet-domain sockets on the target. For each
9663 socket, @value{GDBN} prints the address and port of the local and
9664 remote endpoints, the current state of the connection, the creator of
9665 the socket, the IP address family of the socket, and the type of the
9666 connection.
9667
9668 @kindex info os shm
9669 @item shm
9670 Display the list of all System V shared-memory regions on the target.
9671 For each shared-memory region, @value{GDBN} prints the region key,
9672 the shared-memory identifier, the access permissions, the size of the
9673 region, the process that created the region, the process that last
9674 attached to or detached from the region, the current number of live
9675 attaches to the region, and the times at which the region was last
9676 attached to, detach from, and changed.
9677
9678 @kindex info os semaphores
9679 @item semaphores
9680 Display the list of all System V semaphore sets on the target. For each
9681 semaphore set, @value{GDBN} prints the semaphore set key, the semaphore
9682 set identifier, the access permissions, the number of semaphores in the
9683 set, the user and group of the owner and creator of the semaphore set,
9684 and the times at which the semaphore set was operated upon and changed.
9685
9686 @kindex info os msg
9687 @item msg
9688 Display the list of all System V message queues on the target. For each
9689 message queue, @value{GDBN} prints the message queue key, the message
9690 queue identifier, the access permissions, the current number of bytes
9691 on the queue, the current number of messages on the queue, the processes
9692 that last sent and received a message on the queue, the user and group
9693 of the owner and creator of the message queue, the times at which a
9694 message was last sent and received on the queue, and the time at which
9695 the message queue was last changed.
9696
9697 @kindex info os modules
9698 @item modules
9699 Display the list of all loaded kernel modules on the target. For each
9700 module, @value{GDBN} prints the module name, the size of the module in
9701 bytes, the number of times the module is used, the dependencies of the
9702 module, the status of the module, and the address of the loaded module
9703 in memory.
9704 @end table
9705
9706 @item info os
9707 If @var{infotype} is omitted, then list the possible values for
9708 @var{infotype} and the kind of OS information available for each
9709 @var{infotype}. If the target does not return a list of possible
9710 types, this command will report an error.
9711 @end table
9712
9713 @node Memory Region Attributes
9714 @section Memory Region Attributes
9715 @cindex memory region attributes
9716
9717 @dfn{Memory region attributes} allow you to describe special handling
9718 required by regions of your target's memory. @value{GDBN} uses
9719 attributes to determine whether to allow certain types of memory
9720 accesses; whether to use specific width accesses; and whether to cache
9721 target memory. By default the description of memory regions is
9722 fetched from the target (if the current target supports this), but the
9723 user can override the fetched regions.
9724
9725 Defined memory regions can be individually enabled and disabled. When a
9726 memory region is disabled, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when
9727 accessing memory in that region. Similarly, if no memory regions have
9728 been defined, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when accessing
9729 all memory.
9730
9731 When a memory region is defined, it is given a number to identify it;
9732 to enable, disable, or remove a memory region, you specify that number.
9733
9734 @table @code
9735 @kindex mem
9736 @item mem @var{lower} @var{upper} @var{attributes}@dots{}
9737 Define a memory region bounded by @var{lower} and @var{upper} with
9738 attributes @var{attributes}@dots{}, and add it to the list of regions
9739 monitored by @value{GDBN}. Note that @var{upper} == 0 is a special
9740 case: it is treated as the target's maximum memory address.
9741 (0xffff on 16 bit targets, 0xffffffff on 32 bit targets, etc.)
9742
9743 @item mem auto
9744 Discard any user changes to the memory regions and use target-supplied
9745 regions, if available, or no regions if the target does not support.
9746
9747 @kindex delete mem
9748 @item delete mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9749 Remove memory regions @var{nums}@dots{} from the list of regions
9750 monitored by @value{GDBN}.
9751
9752 @kindex disable mem
9753 @item disable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9754 Disable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
9755 A disabled memory region is not forgotten.
9756 It may be enabled again later.
9757
9758 @kindex enable mem
9759 @item enable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
9760 Enable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
9761
9762 @kindex info mem
9763 @item info mem
9764 Print a table of all defined memory regions, with the following columns
9765 for each region:
9766
9767 @table @emph
9768 @item Memory Region Number
9769 @item Enabled or Disabled.
9770 Enabled memory regions are marked with @samp{y}.
9771 Disabled memory regions are marked with @samp{n}.
9772
9773 @item Lo Address
9774 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the memory region.
9775
9776 @item Hi Address
9777 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the memory region.
9778
9779 @item Attributes
9780 The list of attributes set for this memory region.
9781 @end table
9782 @end table
9783
9784
9785 @subsection Attributes
9786
9787 @subsubsection Memory Access Mode
9788 The access mode attributes set whether @value{GDBN} may make read or
9789 write accesses to a memory region.
9790
9791 While these attributes prevent @value{GDBN} from performing invalid
9792 memory accesses, they do nothing to prevent the target system, I/O DMA,
9793 etc.@: from accessing memory.
9794
9795 @table @code
9796 @item ro
9797 Memory is read only.
9798 @item wo
9799 Memory is write only.
9800 @item rw
9801 Memory is read/write. This is the default.
9802 @end table
9803
9804 @subsubsection Memory Access Size
9805 The access size attribute tells @value{GDBN} to use specific sized
9806 accesses in the memory region. Often memory mapped device registers
9807 require specific sized accesses. If no access size attribute is
9808 specified, @value{GDBN} may use accesses of any size.
9809
9810 @table @code
9811 @item 8
9812 Use 8 bit memory accesses.
9813 @item 16
9814 Use 16 bit memory accesses.
9815 @item 32
9816 Use 32 bit memory accesses.
9817 @item 64
9818 Use 64 bit memory accesses.
9819 @end table
9820
9821 @c @subsubsection Hardware/Software Breakpoints
9822 @c The hardware/software breakpoint attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
9823 @c will use hardware or software breakpoints for the internal breakpoints
9824 @c used by the step, next, finish, until, etc. commands.
9825 @c
9826 @c @table @code
9827 @c @item hwbreak
9828 @c Always use hardware breakpoints
9829 @c @item swbreak (default)
9830 @c @end table
9831
9832 @subsubsection Data Cache
9833 The data cache attributes set whether @value{GDBN} will cache target
9834 memory. While this generally improves performance by reducing debug
9835 protocol overhead, it can lead to incorrect results because @value{GDBN}
9836 does not know about volatile variables or memory mapped device
9837 registers.
9838
9839 @table @code
9840 @item cache
9841 Enable @value{GDBN} to cache target memory.
9842 @item nocache
9843 Disable @value{GDBN} from caching target memory. This is the default.
9844 @end table
9845
9846 @subsection Memory Access Checking
9847 @value{GDBN} can be instructed to refuse accesses to memory that is
9848 not explicitly described. This can be useful if accessing such
9849 regions has undesired effects for a specific target, or to provide
9850 better error checking. The following commands control this behaviour.
9851
9852 @table @code
9853 @kindex set mem inaccessible-by-default
9854 @item set mem inaccessible-by-default [on|off]
9855 If @code{on} is specified, make @value{GDBN} treat memory not
9856 explicitly described by the memory ranges as non-existent and refuse accesses
9857 to such memory. The checks are only performed if there's at least one
9858 memory range defined. If @code{off} is specified, make @value{GDBN}
9859 treat the memory not explicitly described by the memory ranges as RAM.
9860 The default value is @code{on}.
9861 @kindex show mem inaccessible-by-default
9862 @item show mem inaccessible-by-default
9863 Show the current handling of accesses to unknown memory.
9864 @end table
9865
9866
9867 @c @subsubsection Memory Write Verification
9868 @c The memory write verification attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
9869 @c will re-reads data after each write to verify the write was successful.
9870 @c
9871 @c @table @code
9872 @c @item verify
9873 @c @item noverify (default)
9874 @c @end table
9875
9876 @node Dump/Restore Files
9877 @section Copy Between Memory and a File
9878 @cindex dump/restore files
9879 @cindex append data to a file
9880 @cindex dump data to a file
9881 @cindex restore data from a file
9882
9883 You can use the commands @code{dump}, @code{append}, and
9884 @code{restore} to copy data between target memory and a file. The
9885 @code{dump} and @code{append} commands write data to a file, and the
9886 @code{restore} command reads data from a file back into the inferior's
9887 memory. Files may be in binary, Motorola S-record, Intel hex, or
9888 Tektronix Hex format; however, @value{GDBN} can only append to binary
9889 files.
9890
9891 @table @code
9892
9893 @kindex dump
9894 @item dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
9895 @itemx dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
9896 Dump the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
9897 or the value of @var{expr}, to @var{filename} in the given format.
9898
9899 The @var{format} parameter may be any one of:
9900 @table @code
9901 @item binary
9902 Raw binary form.
9903 @item ihex
9904 Intel hex format.
9905 @item srec
9906 Motorola S-record format.
9907 @item tekhex
9908 Tektronix Hex format.
9909 @end table
9910
9911 @value{GDBN} uses the same definitions of these formats as the
9912 @sc{gnu} binary utilities, like @samp{objdump} and @samp{objcopy}. If
9913 @var{format} is omitted, @value{GDBN} dumps the data in raw binary
9914 form.
9915
9916 @kindex append
9917 @item append @r{[}binary@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
9918 @itemx append @r{[}binary@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
9919 Append the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
9920 or the value of @var{expr}, to the file @var{filename}, in raw binary form.
9921 (@value{GDBN} can only append data to files in raw binary form.)
9922
9923 @kindex restore
9924 @item restore @var{filename} @r{[}binary@r{]} @var{bias} @var{start} @var{end}
9925 Restore the contents of file @var{filename} into memory. The
9926 @code{restore} command can automatically recognize any known @sc{bfd}
9927 file format, except for raw binary. To restore a raw binary file you
9928 must specify the optional keyword @code{binary} after the filename.
9929
9930 If @var{bias} is non-zero, its value will be added to the addresses
9931 contained in the file. Binary files always start at address zero, so
9932 they will be restored at address @var{bias}. Other bfd files have
9933 a built-in location; they will be restored at offset @var{bias}
9934 from that location.
9935
9936 If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are non-zero, then only data between
9937 file offset @var{start} and file offset @var{end} will be restored.
9938 These offsets are relative to the addresses in the file, before
9939 the @var{bias} argument is applied.
9940
9941 @end table
9942
9943 @node Core File Generation
9944 @section How to Produce a Core File from Your Program
9945 @cindex dump core from inferior
9946
9947 A @dfn{core file} or @dfn{core dump} is a file that records the memory
9948 image of a running process and its process status (register values
9949 etc.). Its primary use is post-mortem debugging of a program that
9950 crashed while it ran outside a debugger. A program that crashes
9951 automatically produces a core file, unless this feature is disabled by
9952 the user. @xref{Files}, for information on invoking @value{GDBN} in
9953 the post-mortem debugging mode.
9954
9955 Occasionally, you may wish to produce a core file of the program you
9956 are debugging in order to preserve a snapshot of its state.
9957 @value{GDBN} has a special command for that.
9958
9959 @table @code
9960 @kindex gcore
9961 @kindex generate-core-file
9962 @item generate-core-file [@var{file}]
9963 @itemx gcore [@var{file}]
9964 Produce a core dump of the inferior process. The optional argument
9965 @var{file} specifies the file name where to put the core dump. If not
9966 specified, the file name defaults to @file{core.@var{pid}}, where
9967 @var{pid} is the inferior process ID.
9968
9969 Note that this command is implemented only for some systems (as of
9970 this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, and S390).
9971 @end table
9972
9973 @node Character Sets
9974 @section Character Sets
9975 @cindex character sets
9976 @cindex charset
9977 @cindex translating between character sets
9978 @cindex host character set
9979 @cindex target character set
9980
9981 If the program you are debugging uses a different character set to
9982 represent characters and strings than the one @value{GDBN} uses itself,
9983 @value{GDBN} can automatically translate between the character sets for
9984 you. The character set @value{GDBN} uses we call the @dfn{host
9985 character set}; the one the inferior program uses we call the
9986 @dfn{target character set}.
9987
9988 For example, if you are running @value{GDBN} on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, which
9989 uses the ISO Latin 1 character set, but you are using @value{GDBN}'s
9990 remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Debugging}) to debug a program
9991 running on an IBM mainframe, which uses the @sc{ebcdic} character set,
9992 then the host character set is Latin-1, and the target character set is
9993 @sc{ebcdic}. If you give @value{GDBN} the command @code{set
9994 target-charset EBCDIC-US}, then @value{GDBN} translates between
9995 @sc{ebcdic} and Latin 1 as you print character or string values, or use
9996 character and string literals in expressions.
9997
9998 @value{GDBN} has no way to automatically recognize which character set
9999 the inferior program uses; you must tell it, using the @code{set
10000 target-charset} command, described below.
10001
10002 Here are the commands for controlling @value{GDBN}'s character set
10003 support:
10004
10005 @table @code
10006 @item set target-charset @var{charset}
10007 @kindex set target-charset
10008 Set the current target character set to @var{charset}. To display the
10009 list of supported target character sets, type
10010 @kbd{@w{set target-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
10011
10012 @item set host-charset @var{charset}
10013 @kindex set host-charset
10014 Set the current host character set to @var{charset}.
10015
10016 By default, @value{GDBN} uses a host character set appropriate to the
10017 system it is running on; you can override that default using the
10018 @code{set host-charset} command. On some systems, @value{GDBN} cannot
10019 automatically determine the appropriate host character set. In this
10020 case, @value{GDBN} uses @samp{UTF-8}.
10021
10022 @value{GDBN} can only use certain character sets as its host character
10023 set. If you type @kbd{@w{set host-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
10024 @value{GDBN} will list the host character sets it supports.
10025
10026 @item set charset @var{charset}
10027 @kindex set charset
10028 Set the current host and target character sets to @var{charset}. As
10029 above, if you type @kbd{@w{set charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
10030 @value{GDBN} will list the names of the character sets that can be used
10031 for both host and target.
10032
10033 @item show charset
10034 @kindex show charset
10035 Show the names of the current host and target character sets.
10036
10037 @item show host-charset
10038 @kindex show host-charset
10039 Show the name of the current host character set.
10040
10041 @item show target-charset
10042 @kindex show target-charset
10043 Show the name of the current target character set.
10044
10045 @item set target-wide-charset @var{charset}
10046 @kindex set target-wide-charset
10047 Set the current target's wide character set to @var{charset}. This is
10048 the character set used by the target's @code{wchar_t} type. To
10049 display the list of supported wide character sets, type
10050 @kbd{@w{set target-wide-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
10051
10052 @item show target-wide-charset
10053 @kindex show target-wide-charset
10054 Show the name of the current target's wide character set.
10055 @end table
10056
10057 Here is an example of @value{GDBN}'s character set support in action.
10058 Assume that the following source code has been placed in the file
10059 @file{charset-test.c}:
10060
10061 @smallexample
10062 #include <stdio.h>
10063
10064 char ascii_hello[]
10065 = @{72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 44, 32, 119,
10066 111, 114, 108, 100, 33, 10, 0@};
10067 char ibm1047_hello[]
10068 = @{200, 133, 147, 147, 150, 107, 64, 166,
10069 150, 153, 147, 132, 90, 37, 0@};
10070
10071 main ()
10072 @{
10073 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10074 @}
10075 @end smallexample
10076
10077 In this program, @code{ascii_hello} and @code{ibm1047_hello} are arrays
10078 containing the string @samp{Hello, world!} followed by a newline,
10079 encoded in the @sc{ascii} and @sc{ibm1047} character sets.
10080
10081 We compile the program, and invoke the debugger on it:
10082
10083 @smallexample
10084 $ gcc -g charset-test.c -o charset-test
10085 $ gdb -nw charset-test
10086 GNU gdb 2001-12-19-cvs
10087 Copyright 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
10088 @dots{}
10089 (@value{GDBP})
10090 @end smallexample
10091
10092 We can use the @code{show charset} command to see what character sets
10093 @value{GDBN} is currently using to interpret and display characters and
10094 strings:
10095
10096 @smallexample
10097 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
10098 The current host and target character set is `ISO-8859-1'.
10099 (@value{GDBP})
10100 @end smallexample
10101
10102 For the sake of printing this manual, let's use @sc{ascii} as our
10103 initial character set:
10104 @smallexample
10105 (@value{GDBP}) set charset ASCII
10106 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
10107 The current host and target character set is `ASCII'.
10108 (@value{GDBP})
10109 @end smallexample
10110
10111 Let's assume that @sc{ascii} is indeed the correct character set for our
10112 host system --- in other words, let's assume that if @value{GDBN} prints
10113 characters using the @sc{ascii} character set, our terminal will display
10114 them properly. Since our current target character set is also
10115 @sc{ascii}, the contents of @code{ascii_hello} print legibly:
10116
10117 @smallexample
10118 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
10119 $1 = 0x401698 "Hello, world!\n"
10120 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
10121 $2 = 72 'H'
10122 (@value{GDBP})
10123 @end smallexample
10124
10125 @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and string
10126 literals you use in expressions:
10127
10128 @smallexample
10129 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
10130 $3 = 43 '+'
10131 (@value{GDBP})
10132 @end smallexample
10133
10134 The @sc{ascii} character set uses the number 43 to encode the @samp{+}
10135 character.
10136
10137 @value{GDBN} relies on the user to tell it which character set the
10138 target program uses. If we print @code{ibm1047_hello} while our target
10139 character set is still @sc{ascii}, we get jibberish:
10140
10141 @smallexample
10142 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
10143 $4 = 0x4016a8 "\310\205\223\223\226k@@\246\226\231\223\204Z%"
10144 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
10145 $5 = 200 '\310'
10146 (@value{GDBP})
10147 @end smallexample
10148
10149 If we invoke the @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
10150 @value{GDBN} tells us the character sets it supports:
10151
10152 @smallexample
10153 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
10154 ASCII EBCDIC-US IBM1047 ISO-8859-1
10155 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
10156 @end smallexample
10157
10158 We can select @sc{ibm1047} as our target character set, and examine the
10159 program's strings again. Now the @sc{ascii} string is wrong, but
10160 @value{GDBN} translates the contents of @code{ibm1047_hello} from the
10161 target character set, @sc{ibm1047}, to the host character set,
10162 @sc{ascii}, and they display correctly:
10163
10164 @smallexample
10165 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset IBM1047
10166 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
10167 The current host character set is `ASCII'.
10168 The current target character set is `IBM1047'.
10169 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
10170 $6 = 0x401698 "\110\145%%?\054\040\167?\162%\144\041\012"
10171 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
10172 $7 = 72 '\110'
10173 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
10174 $8 = 0x4016a8 "Hello, world!\n"
10175 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
10176 $9 = 200 'H'
10177 (@value{GDBP})
10178 @end smallexample
10179
10180 As above, @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and
10181 string literals you use in expressions:
10182
10183 @smallexample
10184 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
10185 $10 = 78 '+'
10186 (@value{GDBP})
10187 @end smallexample
10188
10189 The @sc{ibm1047} character set uses the number 78 to encode the @samp{+}
10190 character.
10191
10192 @node Caching Remote Data
10193 @section Caching Data of Remote Targets
10194 @cindex caching data of remote targets
10195
10196 @value{GDBN} caches data exchanged between the debugger and a
10197 remote target (@pxref{Remote Debugging}). Such caching generally improves
10198 performance, because it reduces the overhead of the remote protocol by
10199 bundling memory reads and writes into large chunks. Unfortunately, simply
10200 caching everything would lead to incorrect results, since @value{GDBN}
10201 does not necessarily know anything about volatile values, memory-mapped I/O
10202 addresses, etc. Furthermore, in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode})
10203 memory can be changed @emph{while} a gdb command is executing.
10204 Therefore, by default, @value{GDBN} only caches data
10205 known to be on the stack@footnote{In non-stop mode, it is moderately
10206 rare for a running thread to modify the stack of a stopped thread
10207 in a way that would interfere with a backtrace, and caching of
10208 stack reads provides a significant speed up of remote backtraces.}.
10209 Other regions of memory can be explicitly marked as
10210 cacheable; see @pxref{Memory Region Attributes}.
10211
10212 @table @code
10213 @kindex set remotecache
10214 @item set remotecache on
10215 @itemx set remotecache off
10216 This option no longer does anything; it exists for compatibility
10217 with old scripts.
10218
10219 @kindex show remotecache
10220 @item show remotecache
10221 Show the current state of the obsolete remotecache flag.
10222
10223 @kindex set stack-cache
10224 @item set stack-cache on
10225 @itemx set stack-cache off
10226 Enable or disable caching of stack accesses. When @code{ON}, use
10227 caching. By default, this option is @code{ON}.
10228
10229 @kindex show stack-cache
10230 @item show stack-cache
10231 Show the current state of data caching for memory accesses.
10232
10233 @kindex info dcache
10234 @item info dcache @r{[}line@r{]}
10235 Print the information about the data cache performance. The
10236 information displayed includes the dcache width and depth, and for
10237 each cache line, its number, address, and how many times it was
10238 referenced. This command is useful for debugging the data cache
10239 operation.
10240
10241 If a line number is specified, the contents of that line will be
10242 printed in hex.
10243
10244 @item set dcache size @var{size}
10245 @cindex dcache size
10246 @kindex set dcache size
10247 Set maximum number of entries in dcache (dcache depth above).
10248
10249 @item set dcache line-size @var{line-size}
10250 @cindex dcache line-size
10251 @kindex set dcache line-size
10252 Set number of bytes each dcache entry caches (dcache width above).
10253 Must be a power of 2.
10254
10255 @item show dcache size
10256 @kindex show dcache size
10257 Show maximum number of dcache entries. See also @ref{Caching Remote Data, info dcache}.
10258
10259 @item show dcache line-size
10260 @kindex show dcache line-size
10261 Show default size of dcache lines. See also @ref{Caching Remote Data, info dcache}.
10262
10263 @end table
10264
10265 @node Searching Memory
10266 @section Search Memory
10267 @cindex searching memory
10268
10269 Memory can be searched for a particular sequence of bytes with the
10270 @code{find} command.
10271
10272 @table @code
10273 @kindex find
10274 @item find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, +@var{len}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
10275 @itemx find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, @var{end_addr}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
10276 Search memory for the sequence of bytes specified by @var{val1}, @var{val2},
10277 etc. The search begins at address @var{start_addr} and continues for either
10278 @var{len} bytes or through to @var{end_addr} inclusive.
10279 @end table
10280
10281 @var{s} and @var{n} are optional parameters.
10282 They may be specified in either order, apart or together.
10283
10284 @table @r
10285 @item @var{s}, search query size
10286 The size of each search query value.
10287
10288 @table @code
10289 @item b
10290 bytes
10291 @item h
10292 halfwords (two bytes)
10293 @item w
10294 words (four bytes)
10295 @item g
10296 giant words (eight bytes)
10297 @end table
10298
10299 All values are interpreted in the current language.
10300 This means, for example, that if the current source language is C/C@t{++}
10301 then searching for the string ``hello'' includes the trailing '\0'.
10302
10303 If the value size is not specified, it is taken from the
10304 value's type in the current language.
10305 This is useful when one wants to specify the search
10306 pattern as a mixture of types.
10307 Note that this means, for example, that in the case of C-like languages
10308 a search for an untyped 0x42 will search for @samp{(int) 0x42}
10309 which is typically four bytes.
10310
10311 @item @var{n}, maximum number of finds
10312 The maximum number of matches to print. The default is to print all finds.
10313 @end table
10314
10315 You can use strings as search values. Quote them with double-quotes
10316 (@code{"}).
10317 The string value is copied into the search pattern byte by byte,
10318 regardless of the endianness of the target and the size specification.
10319
10320 The address of each match found is printed as well as a count of the
10321 number of matches found.
10322
10323 The address of the last value found is stored in convenience variable
10324 @samp{$_}.
10325 A count of the number of matches is stored in @samp{$numfound}.
10326
10327 For example, if stopped at the @code{printf} in this function:
10328
10329 @smallexample
10330 void
10331 hello ()
10332 @{
10333 static char hello[] = "hello-hello";
10334 static struct @{ char c; short s; int i; @}
10335 __attribute__ ((packed)) mixed
10336 = @{ 'c', 0x1234, 0x87654321 @};
10337 printf ("%s\n", hello);
10338 @}
10339 @end smallexample
10340
10341 @noindent
10342 you get during debugging:
10343
10344 @smallexample
10345 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), "hello"
10346 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
10347 1 pattern found
10348 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'
10349 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
10350 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
10351 2 patterns found
10352 (gdb) find /b1 &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 0x65, 'l'
10353 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
10354 1 pattern found
10355 (gdb) find &mixed, +sizeof(mixed), (char) 'c', (short) 0x1234, (int) 0x87654321
10356 0x8049560 <mixed.1625>
10357 1 pattern found
10358 (gdb) print $numfound
10359 $1 = 1
10360 (gdb) print $_
10361 $2 = (void *) 0x8049560
10362 @end smallexample
10363
10364 @node Optimized Code
10365 @chapter Debugging Optimized Code
10366 @cindex optimized code, debugging
10367 @cindex debugging optimized code
10368
10369 Almost all compilers support optimization. With optimization
10370 disabled, the compiler generates assembly code that corresponds
10371 directly to your source code, in a simplistic way. As the compiler
10372 applies more powerful optimizations, the generated assembly code
10373 diverges from your original source code. With help from debugging
10374 information generated by the compiler, @value{GDBN} can map from
10375 the running program back to constructs from your original source.
10376
10377 @value{GDBN} is more accurate with optimization disabled. If you
10378 can recompile without optimization, it is easier to follow the
10379 progress of your program during debugging. But, there are many cases
10380 where you may need to debug an optimized version.
10381
10382 When you debug a program compiled with @samp{-g -O}, remember that the
10383 optimizer has rearranged your code; the debugger shows you what is
10384 really there. Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
10385 exactly match your source file! An extreme example: if you define a
10386 variable, but never use it, @value{GDBN} never sees that
10387 variable---because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
10388
10389 Some things do not work as well with @samp{-g -O} as with just
10390 @samp{-g}, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling. If in
10391 doubt, recompile with @samp{-g} alone, and if this fixes the problem,
10392 please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
10393 @xref{Variables}, for more information about debugging optimized code.
10394
10395 @menu
10396 * Inline Functions:: How @value{GDBN} presents inlining
10397 * Tail Call Frames:: @value{GDBN} analysis of jumps to functions
10398 @end menu
10399
10400 @node Inline Functions
10401 @section Inline Functions
10402 @cindex inline functions, debugging
10403
10404 @dfn{Inlining} is an optimization that inserts a copy of the function
10405 body directly at each call site, instead of jumping to a shared
10406 routine. @value{GDBN} displays inlined functions just like
10407 non-inlined functions. They appear in backtraces. You can view their
10408 arguments and local variables, step into them with @code{step}, skip
10409 them with @code{next}, and escape from them with @code{finish}.
10410 You can check whether a function was inlined by using the
10411 @code{info frame} command.
10412
10413 For @value{GDBN} to support inlined functions, the compiler must
10414 record information about inlining in the debug information ---
10415 @value{NGCC} using the @sc{dwarf 2} format does this, and several
10416 other compilers do also. @value{GDBN} only supports inlined functions
10417 when using @sc{dwarf 2}. Versions of @value{NGCC} before 4.1
10418 do not emit two required attributes (@samp{DW_AT_call_file} and
10419 @samp{DW_AT_call_line}); @value{GDBN} does not display inlined
10420 function calls with earlier versions of @value{NGCC}. It instead
10421 displays the arguments and local variables of inlined functions as
10422 local variables in the caller.
10423
10424 The body of an inlined function is directly included at its call site;
10425 unlike a non-inlined function, there are no instructions devoted to
10426 the call. @value{GDBN} still pretends that the call site and the
10427 start of the inlined function are different instructions. Stepping to
10428 the call site shows the call site, and then stepping again shows
10429 the first line of the inlined function, even though no additional
10430 instructions are executed.
10431
10432 This makes source-level debugging much clearer; you can see both the
10433 context of the call and then the effect of the call. Only stepping by
10434 a single instruction using @code{stepi} or @code{nexti} does not do
10435 this; single instruction steps always show the inlined body.
10436
10437 There are some ways that @value{GDBN} does not pretend that inlined
10438 function calls are the same as normal calls:
10439
10440 @itemize @bullet
10441 @item
10442 Setting breakpoints at the call site of an inlined function may not
10443 work, because the call site does not contain any code. @value{GDBN}
10444 may incorrectly move the breakpoint to the next line of the enclosing
10445 function, after the call. This limitation will be removed in a future
10446 version of @value{GDBN}; until then, set a breakpoint on an earlier line
10447 or inside the inlined function instead.
10448
10449 @item
10450 @value{GDBN} cannot locate the return value of inlined calls after
10451 using the @code{finish} command. This is a limitation of compiler-generated
10452 debugging information; after @code{finish}, you can step to the next line
10453 and print a variable where your program stored the return value.
10454
10455 @end itemize
10456
10457 @node Tail Call Frames
10458 @section Tail Call Frames
10459 @cindex tail call frames, debugging
10460
10461 Function @code{B} can call function @code{C} in its very last statement. In
10462 unoptimized compilation the call of @code{C} is immediately followed by return
10463 instruction at the end of @code{B} code. Optimizing compiler may replace the
10464 call and return in function @code{B} into one jump to function @code{C}
10465 instead. Such use of a jump instruction is called @dfn{tail call}.
10466
10467 During execution of function @code{C}, there will be no indication in the
10468 function call stack frames that it was tail-called from @code{B}. If function
10469 @code{A} regularly calls function @code{B} which tail-calls function @code{C},
10470 then @value{GDBN} will see @code{A} as the caller of @code{C}. However, in
10471 some cases @value{GDBN} can determine that @code{C} was tail-called from
10472 @code{B}, and it will then create fictitious call frame for that, with the
10473 return address set up as if @code{B} called @code{C} normally.
10474
10475 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
10476 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_GNU_call_site} tags. With
10477 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
10478 this information.
10479
10480 @kbd{info frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info}) will indicate the tail call frame
10481 kind by text @code{tail call frame} such as in this sample @value{GDBN} output:
10482
10483 @smallexample
10484 (gdb) x/i $pc - 2
10485 0x40066b <b(int, double)+11>: jmp 0x400640 <c(int, double)>
10486 (gdb) info frame
10487 Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
10488 rip = 0x40066d in b (amd64-entry-value.cc:59); saved rip 0x4004c5
10489 tail call frame, caller of frame at 0x7fffffffda30
10490 source language c++.
10491 Arglist at unknown address.
10492 Locals at unknown address, Previous frame's sp is 0x7fffffffda30
10493 @end smallexample
10494
10495 The detection of all the possible code path executions can find them ambiguous.
10496 There is no execution history stored (possible @ref{Reverse Execution} is never
10497 used for this purpose) and the last known caller could have reached the known
10498 callee by multiple different jump sequences. In such case @value{GDBN} still
10499 tries to show at least all the unambiguous top tail callers and all the
10500 unambiguous bottom tail calees, if any.
10501
10502 @table @code
10503 @anchor{set debug entry-values}
10504 @item set debug entry-values
10505 @kindex set debug entry-values
10506 When set to on, enables printing of analysis messages for both frame argument
10507 values at function entry and tail calls. It will show all the possible valid
10508 tail calls code paths it has considered. It will also print the intersection
10509 of them with the final unambiguous (possibly partial or even empty) code path
10510 result.
10511
10512 @item show debug entry-values
10513 @kindex show debug entry-values
10514 Show the current state of analysis messages printing for both frame argument
10515 values at function entry and tail calls.
10516 @end table
10517
10518 The analysis messages for tail calls can for example show why the virtual tail
10519 call frame for function @code{c} has not been recognized (due to the indirect
10520 reference by variable @code{x}):
10521
10522 @smallexample
10523 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void);
10524 void (*x) (void) = c;
10525 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
10526 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ a (); @}
10527 int main (void) @{ x (); return 0; @}
10528
10529 Breakpoint 1, DW_OP_GNU_entry_value resolving cannot find
10530 DW_TAG_GNU_call_site 0x40039a in main
10531 a () at t.c:3
10532 3 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
10533 (gdb) bt
10534 #0 a () at t.c:3
10535 #1 0x000000000040039a in main () at t.c:5
10536 @end smallexample
10537
10538 Another possibility is an ambiguous virtual tail call frames resolution:
10539
10540 @smallexample
10541 int i;
10542 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) f (void) @{ i++; @}
10543 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) e (void) @{ f (); @}
10544 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) d (void) @{ f (); @}
10545 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ d (); @}
10546 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (void)
10547 @{ if (i) c (); else e (); @}
10548 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ b (); @}
10549 int main (void) @{ a (); return 0; @}
10550
10551 tailcall: initial: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004ce(b) 0x4004b2(c) 0x4004a2(d)
10552 tailcall: compare: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004cc(b) 0x400492(e)
10553 tailcall: reduced: 0x4004d2(a) |
10554 (gdb) bt
10555 #0 f () at t.c:2
10556 #1 0x00000000004004d2 in a () at t.c:8
10557 #2 0x0000000000400395 in main () at t.c:9
10558 @end smallexample
10559
10560 @set CALLSEQ1A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}c@value{ARROW}d@value{ARROW}f}
10561 @set CALLSEQ2A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}e@value{ARROW}f}
10562
10563 @c Convert CALLSEQ#A to CALLSEQ#B depending on HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK.
10564 @ifset HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
10565 @set ARROW @click{}
10566 @set CALLSEQ1B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ1A}}
10567 @set CALLSEQ2B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ2A}}
10568 @end ifset
10569 @ifclear HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
10570 @set ARROW ->
10571 @set CALLSEQ1B @value{CALLSEQ1A}
10572 @set CALLSEQ2B @value{CALLSEQ2A}
10573 @end ifclear
10574
10575 Frames #0 and #2 are real, #1 is a virtual tail call frame.
10576 The code can have possible execution paths @value{CALLSEQ1B} or
10577 @value{CALLSEQ2B}, @value{GDBN} cannot find which one from the inferior state.
10578
10579 @code{initial:} state shows some random possible calling sequence @value{GDBN}
10580 has found. It then finds another possible calling sequcen - that one is
10581 prefixed by @code{compare:}. The non-ambiguous intersection of these two is
10582 printed as the @code{reduced:} calling sequence. That one could have many
10583 futher @code{compare:} and @code{reduced:} statements as long as there remain
10584 any non-ambiguous sequence entries.
10585
10586 For the frame of function @code{b} in both cases there are different possible
10587 @code{$pc} values (@code{0x4004cc} or @code{0x4004ce}), therefore this frame is
10588 also ambigous. The only non-ambiguous frame is the one for function @code{a},
10589 therefore this one is displayed to the user while the ambiguous frames are
10590 omitted.
10591
10592 There can be also reasons why printing of frame argument values at function
10593 entry may fail:
10594
10595 @smallexample
10596 int v;
10597 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (int i) @{ v++; @}
10598 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i);
10599 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (int i) @{ a (i); @}
10600 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i)
10601 @{ if (i) b (i - 1); else c (0); @}
10602 int main (void) @{ a (5); return 0; @}
10603
10604 (gdb) bt
10605 #0 c (i=i@@entry=0) at t.c:2
10606 #1 0x0000000000400428 in a (DW_OP_GNU_entry_value resolving has found
10607 function "a" at 0x400420 can call itself via tail calls
10608 i=<optimized out>) at t.c:6
10609 #2 0x000000000040036e in main () at t.c:7
10610 @end smallexample
10611
10612 @value{GDBN} cannot find out from the inferior state if and how many times did
10613 function @code{a} call itself (via function @code{b}) as these calls would be
10614 tail calls. Such tail calls would modify thue @code{i} variable, therefore
10615 @value{GDBN} cannot be sure the value it knows would be right - @value{GDBN}
10616 prints @code{<optimized out>} instead.
10617
10618 @node Macros
10619 @chapter C Preprocessor Macros
10620
10621 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, provide a way to define and invoke
10622 ``preprocessor macros'' which expand into strings of tokens.
10623 @value{GDBN} can evaluate expressions containing macro invocations, show
10624 the result of macro expansion, and show a macro's definition, including
10625 where it was defined.
10626
10627 You may need to compile your program specially to provide @value{GDBN}
10628 with information about preprocessor macros. Most compilers do not
10629 include macros in their debugging information, even when you compile
10630 with the @option{-g} flag. @xref{Compilation}.
10631
10632 A program may define a macro at one point, remove that definition later,
10633 and then provide a different definition after that. Thus, at different
10634 points in the program, a macro may have different definitions, or have
10635 no definition at all. If there is a current stack frame, @value{GDBN}
10636 uses the macros in scope at that frame's source code line. Otherwise,
10637 @value{GDBN} uses the macros in scope at the current listing location;
10638 see @ref{List}.
10639
10640 Whenever @value{GDBN} evaluates an expression, it always expands any
10641 macro invocations present in the expression. @value{GDBN} also provides
10642 the following commands for working with macros explicitly.
10643
10644 @table @code
10645
10646 @kindex macro expand
10647 @cindex macro expansion, showing the results of preprocessor
10648 @cindex preprocessor macro expansion, showing the results of
10649 @cindex expanding preprocessor macros
10650 @item macro expand @var{expression}
10651 @itemx macro exp @var{expression}
10652 Show the results of expanding all preprocessor macro invocations in
10653 @var{expression}. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does
10654 not parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression;
10655 it can be any string of tokens.
10656
10657 @kindex macro exp1
10658 @item macro expand-once @var{expression}
10659 @itemx macro exp1 @var{expression}
10660 @cindex expand macro once
10661 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Show the results of
10662 expanding those preprocessor macro invocations that appear explicitly in
10663 @var{expression}. Macro invocations appearing in that expansion are
10664 left unchanged. This command allows you to see the effect of a
10665 particular macro more clearly, without being confused by further
10666 expansions. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does not
10667 parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression; it
10668 can be any string of tokens.
10669
10670 @kindex info macro
10671 @cindex macro definition, showing
10672 @cindex definition of a macro, showing
10673 @cindex macros, from debug info
10674 @item info macro [-a|-all] [--] @var{macro}
10675 Show the current definition or all definitions of the named @var{macro},
10676 and describe the source location or compiler command-line where that
10677 definition was established. The optional double dash is to signify the end of
10678 argument processing and the beginning of @var{macro} for non C-like macros where
10679 the macro may begin with a hyphen.
10680
10681 @kindex info macros
10682 @item info macros @var{linespec}
10683 Show all macro definitions that are in effect at the location specified
10684 by @var{linespec}, and describe the source location or compiler
10685 command-line where those definitions were established.
10686
10687 @kindex macro define
10688 @cindex user-defined macros
10689 @cindex defining macros interactively
10690 @cindex macros, user-defined
10691 @item macro define @var{macro} @var{replacement-list}
10692 @itemx macro define @var{macro}(@var{arglist}) @var{replacement-list}
10693 Introduce a definition for a preprocessor macro named @var{macro},
10694 invocations of which are replaced by the tokens given in
10695 @var{replacement-list}. The first form of this command defines an
10696 ``object-like'' macro, which takes no arguments; the second form
10697 defines a ``function-like'' macro, which takes the arguments given in
10698 @var{arglist}.
10699
10700 A definition introduced by this command is in scope in every
10701 expression evaluated in @value{GDBN}, until it is removed with the
10702 @code{macro undef} command, described below. The definition overrides
10703 all definitions for @var{macro} present in the program being debugged,
10704 as well as any previous user-supplied definition.
10705
10706 @kindex macro undef
10707 @item macro undef @var{macro}
10708 Remove any user-supplied definition for the macro named @var{macro}.
10709 This command only affects definitions provided with the @code{macro
10710 define} command, described above; it cannot remove definitions present
10711 in the program being debugged.
10712
10713 @kindex macro list
10714 @item macro list
10715 List all the macros defined using the @code{macro define} command.
10716 @end table
10717
10718 @cindex macros, example of debugging with
10719 Here is a transcript showing the above commands in action. First, we
10720 show our source files:
10721
10722 @smallexample
10723 $ cat sample.c
10724 #include <stdio.h>
10725 #include "sample.h"
10726
10727 #define M 42
10728 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10729
10730 main ()
10731 @{
10732 #define N 28
10733 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10734 #undef N
10735 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10736 #define N 1729
10737 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
10738 @}
10739 $ cat sample.h
10740 #define Q <
10741 $
10742 @end smallexample
10743
10744 Now, we compile the program using the @sc{gnu} C compiler,
10745 @value{NGCC}. We pass the @option{-gdwarf-2}@footnote{This is the
10746 minimum. Recent versions of @value{NGCC} support @option{-gdwarf-3}
10747 and @option{-gdwarf-4}; we recommend always choosing the most recent
10748 version of DWARF.} @emph{and} @option{-g3} flags to ensure the compiler
10749 includes information about preprocessor macros in the debugging
10750 information.
10751
10752 @smallexample
10753 $ gcc -gdwarf-2 -g3 sample.c -o sample
10754 $
10755 @end smallexample
10756
10757 Now, we start @value{GDBN} on our sample program:
10758
10759 @smallexample
10760 $ gdb -nw sample
10761 GNU gdb 2002-05-06-cvs
10762 Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
10763 GDB is free software, @dots{}
10764 (@value{GDBP})
10765 @end smallexample
10766
10767 We can expand macros and examine their definitions, even when the
10768 program is not running. @value{GDBN} uses the current listing position
10769 to decide which macro definitions are in scope:
10770
10771 @smallexample
10772 (@value{GDBP}) list main
10773 3
10774 4 #define M 42
10775 5 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10776 6
10777 7 main ()
10778 8 @{
10779 9 #define N 28
10780 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10781 11 #undef N
10782 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10783 (@value{GDBP}) info macro ADD
10784 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:5
10785 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
10786 (@value{GDBP}) info macro Q
10787 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.h:1
10788 included at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:2
10789 #define Q <
10790 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand ADD(1)
10791 expands to: (42 + 1)
10792 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand-once ADD(1)
10793 expands to: once (M + 1)
10794 (@value{GDBP})
10795 @end smallexample
10796
10797 In the example above, note that @code{macro expand-once} expands only
10798 the macro invocation explicit in the original text --- the invocation of
10799 @code{ADD} --- but does not expand the invocation of the macro @code{M},
10800 which was introduced by @code{ADD}.
10801
10802 Once the program is running, @value{GDBN} uses the macro definitions in
10803 force at the source line of the current stack frame:
10804
10805 @smallexample
10806 (@value{GDBP}) break main
10807 Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048370: file sample.c, line 10.
10808 (@value{GDBP}) run
10809 Starting program: /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample
10810
10811 Breakpoint 1, main () at sample.c:10
10812 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
10813 (@value{GDBP})
10814 @end smallexample
10815
10816 At line 10, the definition of the macro @code{N} at line 9 is in force:
10817
10818 @smallexample
10819 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10820 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:9
10821 #define N 28
10822 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
10823 expands to: 28 < 42
10824 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
10825 $1 = 1
10826 (@value{GDBP})
10827 @end smallexample
10828
10829 As we step over directives that remove @code{N}'s definition, and then
10830 give it a new definition, @value{GDBN} finds the definition (or lack
10831 thereof) in force at each point:
10832
10833 @smallexample
10834 (@value{GDBP}) next
10835 Hello, world!
10836 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
10837 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10838 The symbol `N' has no definition as a C/C++ preprocessor macro
10839 at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:12
10840 (@value{GDBP}) next
10841 We're so creative.
10842 14 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
10843 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
10844 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:13
10845 #define N 1729
10846 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
10847 expands to: 1729 < 42
10848 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
10849 $2 = 0
10850 (@value{GDBP})
10851 @end smallexample
10852
10853 In addition to source files, macros can be defined on the compilation command
10854 line using the @option{-D@var{name}=@var{value}} syntax. For macros defined in
10855 such a way, @value{GDBN} displays the location of their definition as line zero
10856 of the source file submitted to the compiler.
10857
10858 @smallexample
10859 (@value{GDBP}) info macro __STDC__
10860 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:0
10861 -D__STDC__=1
10862 (@value{GDBP})
10863 @end smallexample
10864
10865
10866 @node Tracepoints
10867 @chapter Tracepoints
10868 @c This chapter is based on the documentation written by Michael
10869 @c Snyder, David Taylor, Jim Blandy, and Elena Zannoni.
10870
10871 @cindex tracepoints
10872 In some applications, it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt
10873 the program's execution long enough for the developer to learn
10874 anything helpful about its behavior. If the program's correctness
10875 depends on its real-time behavior, delays introduced by a debugger
10876 might cause the program to change its behavior drastically, or perhaps
10877 fail, even when the code itself is correct. It is useful to be able
10878 to observe the program's behavior without interrupting it.
10879
10880 Using @value{GDBN}'s @code{trace} and @code{collect} commands, you can
10881 specify locations in the program, called @dfn{tracepoints}, and
10882 arbitrary expressions to evaluate when those tracepoints are reached.
10883 Later, using the @code{tfind} command, you can examine the values
10884 those expressions had when the program hit the tracepoints. The
10885 expressions may also denote objects in memory---structures or arrays,
10886 for example---whose values @value{GDBN} should record; while visiting
10887 a particular tracepoint, you may inspect those objects as if they were
10888 in memory at that moment. However, because @value{GDBN} records these
10889 values without interacting with you, it can do so quickly and
10890 unobtrusively, hopefully not disturbing the program's behavior.
10891
10892 The tracepoint facility is currently available only for remote
10893 targets. @xref{Targets}. In addition, your remote target must know
10894 how to collect trace data. This functionality is implemented in the
10895 remote stub; however, none of the stubs distributed with @value{GDBN}
10896 support tracepoints as of this writing. The format of the remote
10897 packets used to implement tracepoints are described in @ref{Tracepoint
10898 Packets}.
10899
10900 It is also possible to get trace data from a file, in a manner reminiscent
10901 of corefiles; you specify the filename, and use @code{tfind} to search
10902 through the file. @xref{Trace Files}, for more details.
10903
10904 This chapter describes the tracepoint commands and features.
10905
10906 @menu
10907 * Set Tracepoints::
10908 * Analyze Collected Data::
10909 * Tracepoint Variables::
10910 * Trace Files::
10911 @end menu
10912
10913 @node Set Tracepoints
10914 @section Commands to Set Tracepoints
10915
10916 Before running such a @dfn{trace experiment}, an arbitrary number of
10917 tracepoints can be set. A tracepoint is actually a special type of
10918 breakpoint (@pxref{Set Breaks}), so you can manipulate it using
10919 standard breakpoint commands. For instance, as with breakpoints,
10920 tracepoint numbers are successive integers starting from one, and many
10921 of the commands associated with tracepoints take the tracepoint number
10922 as their argument, to identify which tracepoint to work on.
10923
10924 For each tracepoint, you can specify, in advance, some arbitrary set
10925 of data that you want the target to collect in the trace buffer when
10926 it hits that tracepoint. The collected data can include registers,
10927 local variables, or global data. Later, you can use @value{GDBN}
10928 commands to examine the values these data had at the time the
10929 tracepoint was hit.
10930
10931 Tracepoints do not support every breakpoint feature. Ignore counts on
10932 tracepoints have no effect, and tracepoints cannot run @value{GDBN}
10933 commands when they are hit. Tracepoints may not be thread-specific
10934 either.
10935
10936 @cindex fast tracepoints
10937 Some targets may support @dfn{fast tracepoints}, which are inserted in
10938 a different way (such as with a jump instead of a trap), that is
10939 faster but possibly restricted in where they may be installed.
10940
10941 @cindex static tracepoints
10942 @cindex markers, static tracepoints
10943 @cindex probing markers, static tracepoints
10944 Regular and fast tracepoints are dynamic tracing facilities, meaning
10945 that they can be used to insert tracepoints at (almost) any location
10946 in the target. Some targets may also support controlling @dfn{static
10947 tracepoints} from @value{GDBN}. With static tracing, a set of
10948 instrumentation points, also known as @dfn{markers}, are embedded in
10949 the target program, and can be activated or deactivated by name or
10950 address. These are usually placed at locations which facilitate
10951 investigating what the target is actually doing. @value{GDBN}'s
10952 support for static tracing includes being able to list instrumentation
10953 points, and attach them with @value{GDBN} defined high level
10954 tracepoints that expose the whole range of convenience of
10955 @value{GDBN}'s tracepoints support. Namely, support for collecting
10956 registers values and values of global or local (to the instrumentation
10957 point) variables; tracepoint conditions and trace state variables.
10958 The act of installing a @value{GDBN} static tracepoint on an
10959 instrumentation point, or marker, is referred to as @dfn{probing} a
10960 static tracepoint marker.
10961
10962 @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints on some target systems.
10963 @xref{Server,,Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}}.
10964
10965 This section describes commands to set tracepoints and associated
10966 conditions and actions.
10967
10968 @menu
10969 * Create and Delete Tracepoints::
10970 * Enable and Disable Tracepoints::
10971 * Tracepoint Passcounts::
10972 * Tracepoint Conditions::
10973 * Trace State Variables::
10974 * Tracepoint Actions::
10975 * Listing Tracepoints::
10976 * Listing Static Tracepoint Markers::
10977 * Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments::
10978 * Tracepoint Restrictions::
10979 @end menu
10980
10981 @node Create and Delete Tracepoints
10982 @subsection Create and Delete Tracepoints
10983
10984 @table @code
10985 @cindex set tracepoint
10986 @kindex trace
10987 @item trace @var{location}
10988 The @code{trace} command is very similar to the @code{break} command.
10989 Its argument @var{location} can be a source line, a function name, or
10990 an address in the target program. @xref{Specify Location}. The
10991 @code{trace} command defines a tracepoint, which is a point in the
10992 target program where the debugger will briefly stop, collect some
10993 data, and then allow the program to continue. Setting a tracepoint or
10994 changing its actions takes effect immediately if the remote stub
10995 supports the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature (@pxref{install tracepoint
10996 in tracing}).
10997 If remote stub doesn't support the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature, all
10998 these changes don't take effect until the next @code{tstart}
10999 command, and once a trace experiment is running, further changes will
11000 not have any effect until the next trace experiment starts. In addition,
11001 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{pending tracepoints}---tracepoints whose
11002 address is not yet resolved. (This is similar to pending breakpoints.)
11003 Pending tracepoints are not downloaded to the target and not installed
11004 until they are resolved. The resolution of pending tracepoints requires
11005 @value{GDBN} support---when debugging with the remote target, and
11006 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the remote stub (@pxref{disconnected
11007 tracing}), pending tracepoints can not be resolved (and downloaded to
11008 the remote stub) while @value{GDBN} is disconnected.
11009
11010 Here are some examples of using the @code{trace} command:
11011
11012 @smallexample
11013 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo.c:121} // a source file and line number
11014
11015 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace +2} // 2 lines forward
11016
11017 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace my_function} // first source line of function
11018
11019 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *my_function} // EXACT start address of function
11020
11021 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *0x2117c4} // an address
11022 @end smallexample
11023
11024 @noindent
11025 You can abbreviate @code{trace} as @code{tr}.
11026
11027 @item trace @var{location} if @var{cond}
11028 Set a tracepoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
11029 @var{cond} each time the tracepoint is reached, and collect data only
11030 if the value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
11031 @xref{Tracepoint Conditions, ,Tracepoint Conditions}, for more
11032 information on tracepoint conditions.
11033
11034 @item ftrace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
11035 @cindex set fast tracepoint
11036 @cindex fast tracepoints, setting
11037 @kindex ftrace
11038 The @code{ftrace} command sets a fast tracepoint. For targets that
11039 support them, fast tracepoints will use a more efficient but possibly
11040 less general technique to trigger data collection, such as a jump
11041 instruction instead of a trap, or some sort of hardware support. It
11042 may not be possible to create a fast tracepoint at the desired
11043 location, in which case the command will exit with an explanatory
11044 message.
11045
11046 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{ftrace} exactly as for
11047 @code{trace}.
11048
11049 On 32-bit x86-architecture systems, fast tracepoints normally need to
11050 be placed at an instruction that is 5 bytes or longer, but can be
11051 placed at 4-byte instructions if the low 64K of memory of the target
11052 program is available to install trampolines. Some Unix-type systems,
11053 such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, exclude low addresses from the program's
11054 address space; but for instance with the Linux kernel it is possible
11055 to let @value{GDBN} use this area by doing a @command{sysctl} command
11056 to set the @code{mmap_min_addr} kernel parameter, as in
11057
11058 @example
11059 sudo sysctl -w vm.mmap_min_addr=32768
11060 @end example
11061
11062 @noindent
11063 which sets the low address to 32K, which leaves plenty of room for
11064 trampolines. The minimum address should be set to a page boundary.
11065
11066 @item strace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
11067 @cindex set static tracepoint
11068 @cindex static tracepoints, setting
11069 @cindex probe static tracepoint marker
11070 @kindex strace
11071 The @code{strace} command sets a static tracepoint. For targets that
11072 support it, setting a static tracepoint probes a static
11073 instrumentation point, or marker, found at @var{location}. It may not
11074 be possible to set a static tracepoint at the desired location, in
11075 which case the command will exit with an explanatory message.
11076
11077 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{strace} exactly as for
11078 @code{trace}, with the addition that the user can also specify
11079 @code{-m @var{marker}} as @var{location}. This probes the marker
11080 identified by the @var{marker} string identifier. This identifier
11081 depends on the static tracepoint backend library your program is
11082 using. You can find all the marker identifiers in the @samp{ID} field
11083 of the @code{info static-tracepoint-markers} command output.
11084 @xref{Listing Static Tracepoint Markers,,Listing Static Tracepoint
11085 Markers}. For example, in the following small program using the UST
11086 tracing engine:
11087
11088 @smallexample
11089 main ()
11090 @{
11091 trace_mark(ust, bar33, "str %s", "FOOBAZ");
11092 @}
11093 @end smallexample
11094
11095 @noindent
11096 the marker id is composed of joining the first two arguments to the
11097 @code{trace_mark} call with a slash, which translates to:
11098
11099 @smallexample
11100 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
11101 Cnt Enb ID Address What
11102 1 n ust/bar33 0x0000000000400ddc in main at stexample.c:22
11103 Data: "str %s"
11104 [etc...]
11105 @end smallexample
11106
11107 @noindent
11108 so you may probe the marker above with:
11109
11110 @smallexample
11111 (@value{GDBP}) strace -m ust/bar33
11112 @end smallexample
11113
11114 Static tracepoints accept an extra collect action --- @code{collect
11115 $_sdata}. This collects arbitrary user data passed in the probe point
11116 call to the tracing library. In the UST example above, you'll see
11117 that the third argument to @code{trace_mark} is a printf-like format
11118 string. The user data is then the result of running that formating
11119 string against the following arguments. Note that @code{info
11120 static-tracepoint-markers} command output lists that format string in
11121 the @samp{Data:} field.
11122
11123 You can inspect this data when analyzing the trace buffer, by printing
11124 the $_sdata variable like any other variable available to
11125 @value{GDBN}. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}.
11126
11127 @vindex $tpnum
11128 @cindex last tracepoint number
11129 @cindex recent tracepoint number
11130 @cindex tracepoint number
11131 The convenience variable @code{$tpnum} records the tracepoint number
11132 of the most recently set tracepoint.
11133
11134 @kindex delete tracepoint
11135 @cindex tracepoint deletion
11136 @item delete tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
11137 Permanently delete one or more tracepoints. With no argument, the
11138 default is to delete all tracepoints. Note that the regular
11139 @code{delete} command can remove tracepoints also.
11140
11141 Examples:
11142
11143 @smallexample
11144 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace 1 2 3} // remove three tracepoints
11145
11146 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace} // remove all tracepoints
11147 @end smallexample
11148
11149 @noindent
11150 You can abbreviate this command as @code{del tr}.
11151 @end table
11152
11153 @node Enable and Disable Tracepoints
11154 @subsection Enable and Disable Tracepoints
11155
11156 These commands are deprecated; they are equivalent to plain @code{disable} and @code{enable}.
11157
11158 @table @code
11159 @kindex disable tracepoint
11160 @item disable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
11161 Disable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints if no argument
11162 @var{num} is given. A disabled tracepoint will have no effect during
11163 a trace experiment, but it is not forgotten. You can re-enable
11164 a disabled tracepoint using the @code{enable tracepoint} command.
11165 If the command is issued during a trace experiment and the debug target
11166 has support for disabling tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the
11167 change will be effective immediately. Otherwise, it will be applied to the
11168 next trace experiment.
11169
11170 @kindex enable tracepoint
11171 @item enable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
11172 Enable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints. If this command is
11173 issued during a trace experiment and the debug target supports enabling
11174 tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the enabled tracepoints will
11175 become effective immediately. Otherwise, they will become effective the
11176 next time a trace experiment is run.
11177 @end table
11178
11179 @node Tracepoint Passcounts
11180 @subsection Tracepoint Passcounts
11181
11182 @table @code
11183 @kindex passcount
11184 @cindex tracepoint pass count
11185 @item passcount @r{[}@var{n} @r{[}@var{num}@r{]]}
11186 Set the @dfn{passcount} of a tracepoint. The passcount is a way to
11187 automatically stop a trace experiment. If a tracepoint's passcount is
11188 @var{n}, then the trace experiment will be automatically stopped on
11189 the @var{n}'th time that tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number
11190 @var{num} is not specified, the @code{passcount} command sets the
11191 passcount of the most recently defined tracepoint. If no passcount is
11192 given, the trace experiment will run until stopped explicitly by the
11193 user.
11194
11195 Examples:
11196
11197 @smallexample
11198 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 5 2} // Stop on the 5th execution of
11199 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// tracepoint 2}
11200
11201 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 12} // Stop on the 12th execution of the
11202 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// most recently defined tracepoint.}
11203 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
11204 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 3}
11205 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace bar}
11206 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 2}
11207 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace baz}
11208 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 1} // Stop tracing when foo has been
11209 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// executed 3 times OR when bar has}
11210 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// been executed 2 times}
11211 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// OR when baz has been executed 1 time.}
11212 @end smallexample
11213 @end table
11214
11215 @node Tracepoint Conditions
11216 @subsection Tracepoint Conditions
11217 @cindex conditional tracepoints
11218 @cindex tracepoint conditions
11219
11220 The simplest sort of tracepoint collects data every time your program
11221 reaches a specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for
11222 a tracepoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
11223 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A
11224 tracepoint with a condition evaluates the expression each time your
11225 program reaches it, and data collection happens only if the condition
11226 is true.
11227
11228 Tracepoint conditions can be specified when a tracepoint is set, by
11229 using @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{trace} command.
11230 @xref{Create and Delete Tracepoints, ,Setting Tracepoints}. They can
11231 also be set or changed at any time with the @code{condition} command,
11232 just as with breakpoints.
11233
11234 Unlike breakpoint conditions, @value{GDBN} does not actually evaluate
11235 the conditional expression itself. Instead, @value{GDBN} encodes the
11236 expression into an agent expression (@pxref{Agent Expressions})
11237 suitable for execution on the target, independently of @value{GDBN}.
11238 Global variables become raw memory locations, locals become stack
11239 accesses, and so forth.
11240
11241 For instance, suppose you have a function that is usually called
11242 frequently, but should not be called after an error has occurred. You
11243 could use the following tracepoint command to collect data about calls
11244 of that function that happen while the error code is propagating
11245 through the program; an unconditional tracepoint could end up
11246 collecting thousands of useless trace frames that you would have to
11247 search through.
11248
11249 @smallexample
11250 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{trace normal_operation if errcode > 0}
11251 @end smallexample
11252
11253 @node Trace State Variables
11254 @subsection Trace State Variables
11255 @cindex trace state variables
11256
11257 A @dfn{trace state variable} is a special type of variable that is
11258 created and managed by target-side code. The syntax is the same as
11259 that for GDB's convenience variables (a string prefixed with ``$''),
11260 but they are stored on the target. They must be created explicitly,
11261 using a @code{tvariable} command. They are always 64-bit signed
11262 integers.
11263
11264 Trace state variables are remembered by @value{GDBN}, and downloaded
11265 to the target along with tracepoint information when the trace
11266 experiment starts. There are no intrinsic limits on the number of
11267 trace state variables, beyond memory limitations of the target.
11268
11269 @cindex convenience variables, and trace state variables
11270 Although trace state variables are managed by the target, you can use
11271 them in print commands and expressions as if they were convenience
11272 variables; @value{GDBN} will get the current value from the target
11273 while the trace experiment is running. Trace state variables share
11274 the same namespace as other ``$'' variables, which means that you
11275 cannot have trace state variables with names like @code{$23} or
11276 @code{$pc}, nor can you have a trace state variable and a convenience
11277 variable with the same name.
11278
11279 @table @code
11280
11281 @item tvariable $@var{name} [ = @var{expression} ]
11282 @kindex tvariable
11283 The @code{tvariable} command creates a new trace state variable named
11284 @code{$@var{name}}, and optionally gives it an initial value of
11285 @var{expression}. @var{expression} is evaluated when this command is
11286 entered; the result will be converted to an integer if possible,
11287 otherwise @value{GDBN} will report an error. A subsequent
11288 @code{tvariable} command specifying the same name does not create a
11289 variable, but instead assigns the supplied initial value to the
11290 existing variable of that name, overwriting any previous initial
11291 value. The default initial value is 0.
11292
11293 @item info tvariables
11294 @kindex info tvariables
11295 List all the trace state variables along with their initial values.
11296 Their current values may also be displayed, if the trace experiment is
11297 currently running.
11298
11299 @item delete tvariable @r{[} $@var{name} @dots{} @r{]}
11300 @kindex delete tvariable
11301 Delete the given trace state variables, or all of them if no arguments
11302 are specified.
11303
11304 @end table
11305
11306 @node Tracepoint Actions
11307 @subsection Tracepoint Action Lists
11308
11309 @table @code
11310 @kindex actions
11311 @cindex tracepoint actions
11312 @item actions @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
11313 This command will prompt for a list of actions to be taken when the
11314 tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number @var{num} is not
11315 specified, this command sets the actions for the one that was most
11316 recently defined (so that you can define a tracepoint and then say
11317 @code{actions} without bothering about its number). You specify the
11318 actions themselves on the following lines, one action at a time, and
11319 terminate the actions list with a line containing just @code{end}. So
11320 far, the only defined actions are @code{collect}, @code{teval}, and
11321 @code{while-stepping}.
11322
11323 @code{actions} is actually equivalent to @code{commands} (@pxref{Break
11324 Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}), except that only the defined
11325 actions are allowed; any other @value{GDBN} command is rejected.
11326
11327 @cindex remove actions from a tracepoint
11328 To remove all actions from a tracepoint, type @samp{actions @var{num}}
11329 and follow it immediately with @samp{end}.
11330
11331 @smallexample
11332 (@value{GDBP}) @b{collect @var{data}} // collect some data
11333
11334 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while-stepping 5} // single-step 5 times, collect data
11335
11336 (@value{GDBP}) @b{end} // signals the end of actions.
11337 @end smallexample
11338
11339 In the following example, the action list begins with @code{collect}
11340 commands indicating the things to be collected when the tracepoint is
11341 hit. Then, in order to single-step and collect additional data
11342 following the tracepoint, a @code{while-stepping} command is used,
11343 followed by the list of things to be collected after each step in a
11344 sequence of single steps. The @code{while-stepping} command is
11345 terminated by its own separate @code{end} command. Lastly, the action
11346 list is terminated by an @code{end} command.
11347
11348 @smallexample
11349 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
11350 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11351 Enter actions for tracepoint 1, one per line:
11352 > collect bar,baz
11353 > collect $regs
11354 > while-stepping 12
11355 > collect $pc, arr[i]
11356 > end
11357 end
11358 @end smallexample
11359
11360 @kindex collect @r{(tracepoints)}
11361 @item collect@r{[}/@var{mods}@r{]} @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11362 Collect values of the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit.
11363 This command accepts a comma-separated list of any valid expressions.
11364 In addition to global, static, or local variables, the following
11365 special arguments are supported:
11366
11367 @table @code
11368 @item $regs
11369 Collect all registers.
11370
11371 @item $args
11372 Collect all function arguments.
11373
11374 @item $locals
11375 Collect all local variables.
11376
11377 @item $_ret
11378 Collect the return address. This is helpful if you want to see more
11379 of a backtrace.
11380
11381 @item $_probe_argc
11382 Collects the number of arguments from the static probe at which the
11383 tracepoint is located.
11384 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
11385
11386 @item $_probe_arg@var{n}
11387 @var{n} is an integer between 0 and 11. Collects the @var{n}th argument
11388 from the static probe at which the tracepoint is located.
11389 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
11390
11391 @item $_sdata
11392 @vindex $_sdata@r{, collect}
11393 Collect static tracepoint marker specific data. Only available for
11394 static tracepoints. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action
11395 Lists}. On the UST static tracepoints library backend, an
11396 instrumentation point resembles a @code{printf} function call. The
11397 tracing library is able to collect user specified data formatted to a
11398 character string using the format provided by the programmer that
11399 instrumented the program. Other backends have similar mechanisms.
11400 Here's an example of a UST marker call:
11401
11402 @smallexample
11403 const char master_name[] = "$your_name";
11404 trace_mark(channel1, marker1, "hello %s", master_name)
11405 @end smallexample
11406
11407 In this case, collecting @code{$_sdata} collects the string
11408 @samp{hello $yourname}. When analyzing the trace buffer, you can
11409 inspect @samp{$_sdata} like any other variable available to
11410 @value{GDBN}.
11411 @end table
11412
11413 You can give several consecutive @code{collect} commands, each one
11414 with a single argument, or one @code{collect} command with several
11415 arguments separated by commas; the effect is the same.
11416
11417 The optional @var{mods} changes the usual handling of the arguments.
11418 @code{s} requests that pointers to chars be handled as strings, in
11419 particular collecting the contents of the memory being pointed at, up
11420 to the first zero. The upper bound is by default the value of the
11421 @code{print elements} variable; if @code{s} is followed by a decimal
11422 number, that is the upper bound instead. So for instance
11423 @samp{collect/s25 mystr} collects as many as 25 characters at
11424 @samp{mystr}.
11425
11426 The command @code{info scope} (@pxref{Symbols, info scope}) is
11427 particularly useful for figuring out what data to collect.
11428
11429 @kindex teval @r{(tracepoints)}
11430 @item teval @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11431 Evaluate the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit. This
11432 command accepts a comma-separated list of expressions. The results
11433 are discarded, so this is mainly useful for assigning values to trace
11434 state variables (@pxref{Trace State Variables}) without adding those
11435 values to the trace buffer, as would be the case if the @code{collect}
11436 action were used.
11437
11438 @kindex while-stepping @r{(tracepoints)}
11439 @item while-stepping @var{n}
11440 Perform @var{n} single-step instruction traces after the tracepoint,
11441 collecting new data after each step. The @code{while-stepping}
11442 command is followed by the list of what to collect while stepping
11443 (followed by its own @code{end} command):
11444
11445 @smallexample
11446 > while-stepping 12
11447 > collect $regs, myglobal
11448 > end
11449 >
11450 @end smallexample
11451
11452 @noindent
11453 Note that @code{$pc} is not automatically collected by
11454 @code{while-stepping}; you need to explicitly collect that register if
11455 you need it. You may abbreviate @code{while-stepping} as @code{ws} or
11456 @code{stepping}.
11457
11458 @item set default-collect @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
11459 @kindex set default-collect
11460 @cindex default collection action
11461 This variable is a list of expressions to collect at each tracepoint
11462 hit. It is effectively an additional @code{collect} action prepended
11463 to every tracepoint action list. The expressions are parsed
11464 individually for each tracepoint, so for instance a variable named
11465 @code{xyz} may be interpreted as a global for one tracepoint, and a
11466 local for another, as appropriate to the tracepoint's location.
11467
11468 @item show default-collect
11469 @kindex show default-collect
11470 Show the list of expressions that are collected by default at each
11471 tracepoint hit.
11472
11473 @end table
11474
11475 @node Listing Tracepoints
11476 @subsection Listing Tracepoints
11477
11478 @table @code
11479 @kindex info tracepoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
11480 @kindex info tp @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
11481 @cindex information about tracepoints
11482 @item info tracepoints @r{[}@var{num}@dots{}@r{]}
11483 Display information about the tracepoint @var{num}. If you don't
11484 specify a tracepoint number, displays information about all the
11485 tracepoints defined so far. The format is similar to that used for
11486 @code{info breakpoints}; in fact, @code{info tracepoints} is the same
11487 command, simply restricting itself to tracepoints.
11488
11489 A tracepoint's listing may include additional information specific to
11490 tracing:
11491
11492 @itemize @bullet
11493 @item
11494 its passcount as given by the @code{passcount @var{n}} command
11495
11496 @item
11497 the state about installed on target of each location
11498 @end itemize
11499
11500 @smallexample
11501 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info trace}
11502 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
11503 1 tracepoint keep y 0x0804ab57 in foo() at main.cxx:7
11504 while-stepping 20
11505 collect globfoo, $regs
11506 end
11507 collect globfoo2
11508 end
11509 pass count 1200
11510 2 tracepoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
11511 collect $eip
11512 2.1 y 0x0804859c in func4 at change-loc.h:35
11513 installed on target
11514 2.2 y 0xb7ffc480 in func4 at change-loc.h:35
11515 installed on target
11516 2.3 y <PENDING> set_tracepoint
11517 3 tracepoint keep y 0x080485b1 in foo at change-loc.c:29
11518 not installed on target
11519 (@value{GDBP})
11520 @end smallexample
11521
11522 @noindent
11523 This command can be abbreviated @code{info tp}.
11524 @end table
11525
11526 @node Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
11527 @subsection Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
11528
11529 @table @code
11530 @kindex info static-tracepoint-markers
11531 @cindex information about static tracepoint markers
11532 @item info static-tracepoint-markers
11533 Display information about all static tracepoint markers defined in the
11534 program.
11535
11536 For each marker, the following columns are printed:
11537
11538 @table @emph
11539 @item Count
11540 An incrementing counter, output to help readability. This is not a
11541 stable identifier.
11542 @item ID
11543 The marker ID, as reported by the target.
11544 @item Enabled or Disabled
11545 Probed markers are tagged with @samp{y}. @samp{n} identifies marks
11546 that are not enabled.
11547 @item Address
11548 Where the marker is in your program, as a memory address.
11549 @item What
11550 Where the marker is in the source for your program, as a file and line
11551 number. If the debug information included in the program does not
11552 allow @value{GDBN} to locate the source of the marker, this column
11553 will be left blank.
11554 @end table
11555
11556 @noindent
11557 In addition, the following information may be printed for each marker:
11558
11559 @table @emph
11560 @item Data
11561 User data passed to the tracing library by the marker call. In the
11562 UST backend, this is the format string passed as argument to the
11563 marker call.
11564 @item Static tracepoints probing the marker
11565 The list of static tracepoints attached to the marker.
11566 @end table
11567
11568 @smallexample
11569 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
11570 Cnt ID Enb Address What
11571 1 ust/bar2 y 0x0000000000400e1a in main at stexample.c:25
11572 Data: number1 %d number2 %d
11573 Probed by static tracepoints: #2
11574 2 ust/bar33 n 0x0000000000400c87 in main at stexample.c:24
11575 Data: str %s
11576 (@value{GDBP})
11577 @end smallexample
11578 @end table
11579
11580 @node Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
11581 @subsection Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
11582
11583 @table @code
11584 @kindex tstart [ @var{notes} ]
11585 @cindex start a new trace experiment
11586 @cindex collected data discarded
11587 @item tstart
11588 This command starts the trace experiment, and begins collecting data.
11589 It has the side effect of discarding all the data collected in the
11590 trace buffer during the previous trace experiment. If any arguments
11591 are supplied, they are taken as a note and stored with the trace
11592 experiment's state. The notes may be arbitrary text, and are
11593 especially useful with disconnected tracing in a multi-user context;
11594 the notes can explain what the trace is doing, supply user contact
11595 information, and so forth.
11596
11597 @kindex tstop [ @var{notes} ]
11598 @cindex stop a running trace experiment
11599 @item tstop
11600 This command stops the trace experiment. If any arguments are
11601 supplied, they are recorded with the experiment as a note. This is
11602 useful if you are stopping a trace started by someone else, for
11603 instance if the trace is interfering with the system's behavior and
11604 needs to be stopped quickly.
11605
11606 @strong{Note}: a trace experiment and data collection may stop
11607 automatically if any tracepoint's passcount is reached
11608 (@pxref{Tracepoint Passcounts}), or if the trace buffer becomes full.
11609
11610 @kindex tstatus
11611 @cindex status of trace data collection
11612 @cindex trace experiment, status of
11613 @item tstatus
11614 This command displays the status of the current trace data
11615 collection.
11616 @end table
11617
11618 Here is an example of the commands we described so far:
11619
11620 @smallexample
11621 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace gdb_c_test}
11622 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11623 Enter actions for tracepoint #1, one per line.
11624 > collect $regs,$locals,$args
11625 > while-stepping 11
11626 > collect $regs
11627 > end
11628 > end
11629 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
11630 [time passes @dots{}]
11631 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstop}
11632 @end smallexample
11633
11634 @anchor{disconnected tracing}
11635 @cindex disconnected tracing
11636 You can choose to continue running the trace experiment even if
11637 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target, voluntarily or
11638 involuntarily. For commands such as @code{detach}, the debugger will
11639 ask what you want to do with the trace. But for unexpected
11640 terminations (@value{GDBN} crash, network outage), it would be
11641 unfortunate to lose hard-won trace data, so the variable
11642 @code{disconnected-tracing} lets you decide whether the trace should
11643 continue running without @value{GDBN}.
11644
11645 @table @code
11646 @item set disconnected-tracing on
11647 @itemx set disconnected-tracing off
11648 @kindex set disconnected-tracing
11649 Choose whether a tracing run should continue to run if @value{GDBN}
11650 has disconnected from the target. Note that @code{detach} or
11651 @code{quit} will ask you directly what to do about a running trace no
11652 matter what this variable's setting, so the variable is mainly useful
11653 for handling unexpected situations, such as loss of the network.
11654
11655 @item show disconnected-tracing
11656 @kindex show disconnected-tracing
11657 Show the current choice for disconnected tracing.
11658
11659 @end table
11660
11661 When you reconnect to the target, the trace experiment may or may not
11662 still be running; it might have filled the trace buffer in the
11663 meantime, or stopped for one of the other reasons. If it is running,
11664 it will continue after reconnection.
11665
11666 Upon reconnection, the target will upload information about the
11667 tracepoints in effect. @value{GDBN} will then compare that
11668 information to the set of tracepoints currently defined, and attempt
11669 to match them up, allowing for the possibility that the numbers may
11670 have changed due to creation and deletion in the meantime. If one of
11671 the target's tracepoints does not match any in @value{GDBN}, the
11672 debugger will create a new tracepoint, so that you have a number with
11673 which to specify that tracepoint. This matching-up process is
11674 necessarily heuristic, and it may result in useless tracepoints being
11675 created; you may simply delete them if they are of no use.
11676
11677 @cindex circular trace buffer
11678 If your target agent supports a @dfn{circular trace buffer}, then you
11679 can run a trace experiment indefinitely without filling the trace
11680 buffer; when space runs out, the agent deletes already-collected trace
11681 frames, oldest first, until there is enough room to continue
11682 collecting. This is especially useful if your tracepoints are being
11683 hit too often, and your trace gets terminated prematurely because the
11684 buffer is full. To ask for a circular trace buffer, simply set
11685 @samp{circular-trace-buffer} to on. You can set this at any time,
11686 including during tracing; if the agent can do it, it will change
11687 buffer handling on the fly, otherwise it will not take effect until
11688 the next run.
11689
11690 @table @code
11691 @item set circular-trace-buffer on
11692 @itemx set circular-trace-buffer off
11693 @kindex set circular-trace-buffer
11694 Choose whether a tracing run should use a linear or circular buffer
11695 for trace data. A linear buffer will not lose any trace data, but may
11696 fill up prematurely, while a circular buffer will discard old trace
11697 data, but it will have always room for the latest tracepoint hits.
11698
11699 @item show circular-trace-buffer
11700 @kindex show circular-trace-buffer
11701 Show the current choice for the trace buffer. Note that this may not
11702 match the agent's current buffer handling, nor is it guaranteed to
11703 match the setting that might have been in effect during a past run,
11704 for instance if you are looking at frames from a trace file.
11705
11706 @end table
11707
11708 @table @code
11709 @item set trace-user @var{text}
11710 @kindex set trace-user
11711
11712 @item show trace-user
11713 @kindex show trace-user
11714
11715 @item set trace-notes @var{text}
11716 @kindex set trace-notes
11717 Set the trace run's notes.
11718
11719 @item show trace-notes
11720 @kindex show trace-notes
11721 Show the trace run's notes.
11722
11723 @item set trace-stop-notes @var{text}
11724 @kindex set trace-stop-notes
11725 Set the trace run's stop notes. The handling of the note is as for
11726 @code{tstop} arguments; the set command is convenient way to fix a
11727 stop note that is mistaken or incomplete.
11728
11729 @item show trace-stop-notes
11730 @kindex show trace-stop-notes
11731 Show the trace run's stop notes.
11732
11733 @end table
11734
11735 @node Tracepoint Restrictions
11736 @subsection Tracepoint Restrictions
11737
11738 @cindex tracepoint restrictions
11739 There are a number of restrictions on the use of tracepoints. As
11740 described above, tracepoint data gathering occurs on the target
11741 without interaction from @value{GDBN}. Thus the full capabilities of
11742 the debugger are not available during data gathering, and then at data
11743 examination time, you will be limited by only having what was
11744 collected. The following items describe some common problems, but it
11745 is not exhaustive, and you may run into additional difficulties not
11746 mentioned here.
11747
11748 @itemize @bullet
11749
11750 @item
11751 Tracepoint expressions are intended to gather objects (lvalues). Thus
11752 the full flexibility of GDB's expression evaluator is not available.
11753 You cannot call functions, cast objects to aggregate types, access
11754 convenience variables or modify values (except by assignment to trace
11755 state variables). Some language features may implicitly call
11756 functions (for instance Objective-C fields with accessors), and therefore
11757 cannot be collected either.
11758
11759 @item
11760 Collection of local variables, either individually or in bulk with
11761 @code{$locals} or @code{$args}, during @code{while-stepping} may
11762 behave erratically. The stepping action may enter a new scope (for
11763 instance by stepping into a function), or the location of the variable
11764 may change (for instance it is loaded into a register). The
11765 tracepoint data recorded uses the location information for the
11766 variables that is correct for the tracepoint location. When the
11767 tracepoint is created, it is not possible, in general, to determine
11768 where the steps of a @code{while-stepping} sequence will advance the
11769 program---particularly if a conditional branch is stepped.
11770
11771 @item
11772 Collection of an incompletely-initialized or partially-destroyed object
11773 may result in something that @value{GDBN} cannot display, or displays
11774 in a misleading way.
11775
11776 @item
11777 When @value{GDBN} displays a pointer to character it automatically
11778 dereferences the pointer to also display characters of the string
11779 being pointed to. However, collecting the pointer during tracing does
11780 not automatically collect the string. You need to explicitly
11781 dereference the pointer and provide size information if you want to
11782 collect not only the pointer, but the memory pointed to. For example,
11783 @code{*ptr@@50} can be used to collect the 50 element array pointed to
11784 by @code{ptr}.
11785
11786 @item
11787 It is not possible to collect a complete stack backtrace at a
11788 tracepoint. Instead, you may collect the registers and a few hundred
11789 bytes from the stack pointer with something like @code{*(unsigned char *)$esp@@300}
11790 (adjust to use the name of the actual stack pointer register on your
11791 target architecture, and the amount of stack you wish to capture).
11792 Then the @code{backtrace} command will show a partial backtrace when
11793 using a trace frame. The number of stack frames that can be examined
11794 depends on the sizes of the frames in the collected stack. Note that
11795 if you ask for a block so large that it goes past the bottom of the
11796 stack, the target agent may report an error trying to read from an
11797 invalid address.
11798
11799 @item
11800 If you do not collect registers at a tracepoint, @value{GDBN} can
11801 infer that the value of @code{$pc} must be the same as the address of
11802 the tracepoint and use that when you are looking at a trace frame
11803 for that tracepoint. However, this cannot work if the tracepoint has
11804 multiple locations (for instance if it was set in a function that was
11805 inlined), or if it has a @code{while-stepping} loop. In those cases
11806 @value{GDBN} will warn you that it can't infer @code{$pc}, and default
11807 it to zero.
11808
11809 @end itemize
11810
11811 @node Analyze Collected Data
11812 @section Using the Collected Data
11813
11814 After the tracepoint experiment ends, you use @value{GDBN} commands
11815 for examining the trace data. The basic idea is that each tracepoint
11816 collects a trace @dfn{snapshot} every time it is hit and another
11817 snapshot every time it single-steps. All these snapshots are
11818 consecutively numbered from zero and go into a buffer, and you can
11819 examine them later. The way you examine them is to @dfn{focus} on a
11820 specific trace snapshot. When the remote stub is focused on a trace
11821 snapshot, it will respond to all @value{GDBN} requests for memory and
11822 registers by reading from the buffer which belongs to that snapshot,
11823 rather than from @emph{real} memory or registers of the program being
11824 debugged. This means that @strong{all} @value{GDBN} commands
11825 (@code{print}, @code{info registers}, @code{backtrace}, etc.) will
11826 behave as if we were currently debugging the program state as it was
11827 when the tracepoint occurred. Any requests for data that are not in
11828 the buffer will fail.
11829
11830 @menu
11831 * tfind:: How to select a trace snapshot
11832 * tdump:: How to display all data for a snapshot
11833 * save tracepoints:: How to save tracepoints for a future run
11834 @end menu
11835
11836 @node tfind
11837 @subsection @code{tfind @var{n}}
11838
11839 @kindex tfind
11840 @cindex select trace snapshot
11841 @cindex find trace snapshot
11842 The basic command for selecting a trace snapshot from the buffer is
11843 @code{tfind @var{n}}, which finds trace snapshot number @var{n},
11844 counting from zero. If no argument @var{n} is given, the next
11845 snapshot is selected.
11846
11847 Here are the various forms of using the @code{tfind} command.
11848
11849 @table @code
11850 @item tfind start
11851 Find the first snapshot in the buffer. This is a synonym for
11852 @code{tfind 0} (since 0 is the number of the first snapshot).
11853
11854 @item tfind none
11855 Stop debugging trace snapshots, resume @emph{live} debugging.
11856
11857 @item tfind end
11858 Same as @samp{tfind none}.
11859
11860 @item tfind
11861 No argument means find the next trace snapshot.
11862
11863 @item tfind -
11864 Find the previous trace snapshot before the current one. This permits
11865 retracing earlier steps.
11866
11867 @item tfind tracepoint @var{num}
11868 Find the next snapshot associated with tracepoint @var{num}. Search
11869 proceeds forward from the last examined trace snapshot. If no
11870 argument @var{num} is given, it means find the next snapshot collected
11871 for the same tracepoint as the current snapshot.
11872
11873 @item tfind pc @var{addr}
11874 Find the next snapshot associated with the value @var{addr} of the
11875 program counter. Search proceeds forward from the last examined trace
11876 snapshot. If no argument @var{addr} is given, it means find the next
11877 snapshot with the same value of PC as the current snapshot.
11878
11879 @item tfind outside @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
11880 Find the next snapshot whose PC is outside the given range of
11881 addresses (exclusive).
11882
11883 @item tfind range @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
11884 Find the next snapshot whose PC is between @var{addr1} and
11885 @var{addr2} (inclusive).
11886
11887 @item tfind line @r{[}@var{file}:@r{]}@var{n}
11888 Find the next snapshot associated with the source line @var{n}. If
11889 the optional argument @var{file} is given, refer to line @var{n} in
11890 that source file. Search proceeds forward from the last examined
11891 trace snapshot. If no argument @var{n} is given, it means find the
11892 next line other than the one currently being examined; thus saying
11893 @code{tfind line} repeatedly can appear to have the same effect as
11894 stepping from line to line in a @emph{live} debugging session.
11895 @end table
11896
11897 The default arguments for the @code{tfind} commands are specifically
11898 designed to make it easy to scan through the trace buffer. For
11899 instance, @code{tfind} with no argument selects the next trace
11900 snapshot, and @code{tfind -} with no argument selects the previous
11901 trace snapshot. So, by giving one @code{tfind} command, and then
11902 simply hitting @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine all the trace
11903 snapshots in order. Or, by saying @code{tfind -} and then hitting
11904 @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine the snapshots in reverse order.
11905 The @code{tfind line} command with no argument selects the snapshot
11906 for the next source line executed. The @code{tfind pc} command with
11907 no argument selects the next snapshot with the same program counter
11908 (PC) as the current frame. The @code{tfind tracepoint} command with
11909 no argument selects the next trace snapshot collected by the same
11910 tracepoint as the current one.
11911
11912 In addition to letting you scan through the trace buffer manually,
11913 these commands make it easy to construct @value{GDBN} scripts that
11914 scan through the trace buffer and print out whatever collected data
11915 you are interested in. Thus, if we want to examine the PC, FP, and SP
11916 registers from each trace frame in the buffer, we can say this:
11917
11918 @smallexample
11919 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
11920 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
11921 > printf "Frame %d, PC = %08X, SP = %08X, FP = %08X\n", \
11922 $trace_frame, $pc, $sp, $fp
11923 > tfind
11924 > end
11925
11926 Frame 0, PC = 0020DC64, SP = 0030BF3C, FP = 0030BF44
11927 Frame 1, PC = 0020DC6C, SP = 0030BF38, FP = 0030BF44
11928 Frame 2, PC = 0020DC70, SP = 0030BF34, FP = 0030BF44
11929 Frame 3, PC = 0020DC74, SP = 0030BF30, FP = 0030BF44
11930 Frame 4, PC = 0020DC78, SP = 0030BF2C, FP = 0030BF44
11931 Frame 5, PC = 0020DC7C, SP = 0030BF28, FP = 0030BF44
11932 Frame 6, PC = 0020DC80, SP = 0030BF24, FP = 0030BF44
11933 Frame 7, PC = 0020DC84, SP = 0030BF20, FP = 0030BF44
11934 Frame 8, PC = 0020DC88, SP = 0030BF1C, FP = 0030BF44
11935 Frame 9, PC = 0020DC8E, SP = 0030BF18, FP = 0030BF44
11936 Frame 10, PC = 00203F6C, SP = 0030BE3C, FP = 0030BF14
11937 @end smallexample
11938
11939 Or, if we want to examine the variable @code{X} at each source line in
11940 the buffer:
11941
11942 @smallexample
11943 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
11944 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
11945 > printf "Frame %d, X == %d\n", $trace_frame, X
11946 > tfind line
11947 > end
11948
11949 Frame 0, X = 1
11950 Frame 7, X = 2
11951 Frame 13, X = 255
11952 @end smallexample
11953
11954 @node tdump
11955 @subsection @code{tdump}
11956 @kindex tdump
11957 @cindex dump all data collected at tracepoint
11958 @cindex tracepoint data, display
11959
11960 This command takes no arguments. It prints all the data collected at
11961 the current trace snapshot.
11962
11963 @smallexample
11964 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace 444}
11965 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
11966 Enter actions for tracepoint #2, one per line:
11967 > collect $regs, $locals, $args, gdb_long_test
11968 > end
11969
11970 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
11971
11972 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind line 444}
11973 #0 gdb_test (p1=0x11, p2=0x22, p3=0x33, p4=0x44, p5=0x55, p6=0x66)
11974 at gdb_test.c:444
11975 444 printp( "%s: arguments = 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X\n", )
11976
11977 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tdump}
11978 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 1:
11979 d0 0xc4aa0085 -995491707
11980 d1 0x18 24
11981 d2 0x80 128
11982 d3 0x33 51
11983 d4 0x71aea3d 119204413
11984 d5 0x22 34
11985 d6 0xe0 224
11986 d7 0x380035 3670069
11987 a0 0x19e24a 1696330
11988 a1 0x3000668 50333288
11989 a2 0x100 256
11990 a3 0x322000 3284992
11991 a4 0x3000698 50333336
11992 a5 0x1ad3cc 1758156
11993 fp 0x30bf3c 0x30bf3c
11994 sp 0x30bf34 0x30bf34
11995 ps 0x0 0
11996 pc 0x20b2c8 0x20b2c8
11997 fpcontrol 0x0 0
11998 fpstatus 0x0 0
11999 fpiaddr 0x0 0
12000 p = 0x20e5b4 "gdb-test"
12001 p1 = (void *) 0x11
12002 p2 = (void *) 0x22
12003 p3 = (void *) 0x33
12004 p4 = (void *) 0x44
12005 p5 = (void *) 0x55
12006 p6 = (void *) 0x66
12007 gdb_long_test = 17 '\021'
12008
12009 (@value{GDBP})
12010 @end smallexample
12011
12012 @code{tdump} works by scanning the tracepoint's current collection
12013 actions and printing the value of each expression listed. So
12014 @code{tdump} can fail, if after a run, you change the tracepoint's
12015 actions to mention variables that were not collected during the run.
12016
12017 Also, for tracepoints with @code{while-stepping} loops, @code{tdump}
12018 uses the collected value of @code{$pc} to distinguish between trace
12019 frames that were collected at the tracepoint hit, and frames that were
12020 collected while stepping. This allows it to correctly choose whether
12021 to display the basic list of collections, or the collections from the
12022 body of the while-stepping loop. However, if @code{$pc} was not collected,
12023 then @code{tdump} will always attempt to dump using the basic collection
12024 list, and may fail if a while-stepping frame does not include all the
12025 same data that is collected at the tracepoint hit.
12026 @c This is getting pretty arcane, example would be good.
12027
12028 @node save tracepoints
12029 @subsection @code{save tracepoints @var{filename}}
12030 @kindex save tracepoints
12031 @kindex save-tracepoints
12032 @cindex save tracepoints for future sessions
12033
12034 This command saves all current tracepoint definitions together with
12035 their actions and passcounts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
12036 suitable for use in a later debugging session. To read the saved
12037 tracepoint definitions, use the @code{source} command (@pxref{Command
12038 Files}). The @w{@code{save-tracepoints}} command is a deprecated
12039 alias for @w{@code{save tracepoints}}
12040
12041 @node Tracepoint Variables
12042 @section Convenience Variables for Tracepoints
12043 @cindex tracepoint variables
12044 @cindex convenience variables for tracepoints
12045
12046 @table @code
12047 @vindex $trace_frame
12048 @item (int) $trace_frame
12049 The current trace snapshot (a.k.a.@: @dfn{frame}) number, or -1 if no
12050 snapshot is selected.
12051
12052 @vindex $tracepoint
12053 @item (int) $tracepoint
12054 The tracepoint for the current trace snapshot.
12055
12056 @vindex $trace_line
12057 @item (int) $trace_line
12058 The line number for the current trace snapshot.
12059
12060 @vindex $trace_file
12061 @item (char []) $trace_file
12062 The source file for the current trace snapshot.
12063
12064 @vindex $trace_func
12065 @item (char []) $trace_func
12066 The name of the function containing @code{$tracepoint}.
12067 @end table
12068
12069 Note: @code{$trace_file} is not suitable for use in @code{printf},
12070 use @code{output} instead.
12071
12072 Here's a simple example of using these convenience variables for
12073 stepping through all the trace snapshots and printing some of their
12074 data. Note that these are not the same as trace state variables,
12075 which are managed by the target.
12076
12077 @smallexample
12078 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
12079
12080 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while $trace_frame != -1}
12081 > output $trace_file
12082 > printf ", line %d (tracepoint #%d)\n", $trace_line, $tracepoint
12083 > tfind
12084 > end
12085 @end smallexample
12086
12087 @node Trace Files
12088 @section Using Trace Files
12089 @cindex trace files
12090
12091 In some situations, the target running a trace experiment may no
12092 longer be available; perhaps it crashed, or the hardware was needed
12093 for a different activity. To handle these cases, you can arrange to
12094 dump the trace data into a file, and later use that file as a source
12095 of trace data, via the @code{target tfile} command.
12096
12097 @table @code
12098
12099 @kindex tsave
12100 @item tsave [ -r ] @var{filename}
12101 Save the trace data to @var{filename}. By default, this command
12102 assumes that @var{filename} refers to the host filesystem, so if
12103 necessary @value{GDBN} will copy raw trace data up from the target and
12104 then save it. If the target supports it, you can also supply the
12105 optional argument @code{-r} (``remote'') to direct the target to save
12106 the data directly into @var{filename} in its own filesystem, which may be
12107 more efficient if the trace buffer is very large. (Note, however, that
12108 @code{target tfile} can only read from files accessible to the host.)
12109
12110 @kindex target tfile
12111 @kindex tfile
12112 @item target tfile @var{filename}
12113 Use the file named @var{filename} as a source of trace data. Commands
12114 that examine data work as they do with a live target, but it is not
12115 possible to run any new trace experiments. @code{tstatus} will report
12116 the state of the trace run at the moment the data was saved, as well
12117 as the current trace frame you are examining. @var{filename} must be
12118 on a filesystem accessible to the host.
12119
12120 @end table
12121
12122 @node Overlays
12123 @chapter Debugging Programs That Use Overlays
12124 @cindex overlays
12125
12126 If your program is too large to fit completely in your target system's
12127 memory, you can sometimes use @dfn{overlays} to work around this
12128 problem. @value{GDBN} provides some support for debugging programs that
12129 use overlays.
12130
12131 @menu
12132 * How Overlays Work:: A general explanation of overlays.
12133 * Overlay Commands:: Managing overlays in @value{GDBN}.
12134 * Automatic Overlay Debugging:: @value{GDBN} can find out which overlays are
12135 mapped by asking the inferior.
12136 * Overlay Sample Program:: A sample program using overlays.
12137 @end menu
12138
12139 @node How Overlays Work
12140 @section How Overlays Work
12141 @cindex mapped overlays
12142 @cindex unmapped overlays
12143 @cindex load address, overlay's
12144 @cindex mapped address
12145 @cindex overlay area
12146
12147 Suppose you have a computer whose instruction address space is only 64
12148 kilobytes long, but which has much more memory which can be accessed by
12149 other means: special instructions, segment registers, or memory
12150 management hardware, for example. Suppose further that you want to
12151 adapt a program which is larger than 64 kilobytes to run on this system.
12152
12153 One solution is to identify modules of your program which are relatively
12154 independent, and need not call each other directly; call these modules
12155 @dfn{overlays}. Separate the overlays from the main program, and place
12156 their machine code in the larger memory. Place your main program in
12157 instruction memory, but leave at least enough space there to hold the
12158 largest overlay as well.
12159
12160 Now, to call a function located in an overlay, you must first copy that
12161 overlay's machine code from the large memory into the space set aside
12162 for it in the instruction memory, and then jump to its entry point
12163 there.
12164
12165 @c NB: In the below the mapped area's size is greater or equal to the
12166 @c size of all overlays. This is intentional to remind the developer
12167 @c that overlays don't necessarily need to be the same size.
12168
12169 @smallexample
12170 @group
12171 Data Instruction Larger
12172 Address Space Address Space Address Space
12173 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
12174 | | | | | |
12175 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+<-- overlay 1
12176 | program | | main | .----| overlay 1 | load address
12177 | variables | | program | | +-----------+
12178 | and heap | | | | | |
12179 +-----------+ | | | +-----------+<-- overlay 2
12180 | | +-----------+ | | | load address
12181 +-----------+ | | | .-| overlay 2 |
12182 | | | | | |
12183 mapped --->+-----------+ | | +-----------+
12184 address | | | | | |
12185 | overlay | <-' | | |
12186 | area | <---' +-----------+<-- overlay 3
12187 | | <---. | | load address
12188 +-----------+ `--| overlay 3 |
12189 | | | |
12190 +-----------+ | |
12191 +-----------+
12192 | |
12193 +-----------+
12194
12195 @anchor{A code overlay}A code overlay
12196 @end group
12197 @end smallexample
12198
12199 The diagram (@pxref{A code overlay}) shows a system with separate data
12200 and instruction address spaces. To map an overlay, the program copies
12201 its code from the larger address space to the instruction address space.
12202 Since the overlays shown here all use the same mapped address, only one
12203 may be mapped at a time. For a system with a single address space for
12204 data and instructions, the diagram would be similar, except that the
12205 program variables and heap would share an address space with the main
12206 program and the overlay area.
12207
12208 An overlay loaded into instruction memory and ready for use is called a
12209 @dfn{mapped} overlay; its @dfn{mapped address} is its address in the
12210 instruction memory. An overlay not present (or only partially present)
12211 in instruction memory is called @dfn{unmapped}; its @dfn{load address}
12212 is its address in the larger memory. The mapped address is also called
12213 the @dfn{virtual memory address}, or @dfn{VMA}; the load address is also
12214 called the @dfn{load memory address}, or @dfn{LMA}.
12215
12216 Unfortunately, overlays are not a completely transparent way to adapt a
12217 program to limited instruction memory. They introduce a new set of
12218 global constraints you must keep in mind as you design your program:
12219
12220 @itemize @bullet
12221
12222 @item
12223 Before calling or returning to a function in an overlay, your program
12224 must make sure that overlay is actually mapped. Otherwise, the call or
12225 return will transfer control to the right address, but in the wrong
12226 overlay, and your program will probably crash.
12227
12228 @item
12229 If the process of mapping an overlay is expensive on your system, you
12230 will need to choose your overlays carefully to minimize their effect on
12231 your program's performance.
12232
12233 @item
12234 The executable file you load onto your system must contain each
12235 overlay's instructions, appearing at the overlay's load address, not its
12236 mapped address. However, each overlay's instructions must be relocated
12237 and its symbols defined as if the overlay were at its mapped address.
12238 You can use GNU linker scripts to specify different load and relocation
12239 addresses for pieces of your program; see @ref{Overlay Description,,,
12240 ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}.
12241
12242 @item
12243 The procedure for loading executable files onto your system must be able
12244 to load their contents into the larger address space as well as the
12245 instruction and data spaces.
12246
12247 @end itemize
12248
12249 The overlay system described above is rather simple, and could be
12250 improved in many ways:
12251
12252 @itemize @bullet
12253
12254 @item
12255 If your system has suitable bank switch registers or memory management
12256 hardware, you could use those facilities to make an overlay's load area
12257 contents simply appear at their mapped address in instruction space.
12258 This would probably be faster than copying the overlay to its mapped
12259 area in the usual way.
12260
12261 @item
12262 If your overlays are small enough, you could set aside more than one
12263 overlay area, and have more than one overlay mapped at a time.
12264
12265 @item
12266 You can use overlays to manage data, as well as instructions. In
12267 general, data overlays are even less transparent to your design than
12268 code overlays: whereas code overlays only require care when you call or
12269 return to functions, data overlays require care every time you access
12270 the data. Also, if you change the contents of a data overlay, you
12271 must copy its contents back out to its load address before you can copy a
12272 different data overlay into the same mapped area.
12273
12274 @end itemize
12275
12276
12277 @node Overlay Commands
12278 @section Overlay Commands
12279
12280 To use @value{GDBN}'s overlay support, each overlay in your program must
12281 correspond to a separate section of the executable file. The section's
12282 virtual memory address and load memory address must be the overlay's
12283 mapped and load addresses. Identifying overlays with sections allows
12284 @value{GDBN} to determine the appropriate address of a function or
12285 variable, depending on whether the overlay is mapped or not.
12286
12287 @value{GDBN}'s overlay commands all start with the word @code{overlay};
12288 you can abbreviate this as @code{ov} or @code{ovly}. The commands are:
12289
12290 @table @code
12291 @item overlay off
12292 @kindex overlay
12293 Disable @value{GDBN}'s overlay support. When overlay support is
12294 disabled, @value{GDBN} assumes that all functions and variables are
12295 always present at their mapped addresses. By default, @value{GDBN}'s
12296 overlay support is disabled.
12297
12298 @item overlay manual
12299 @cindex manual overlay debugging
12300 Enable @dfn{manual} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
12301 relies on you to tell it which overlays are mapped, and which are not,
12302 using the @code{overlay map-overlay} and @code{overlay unmap-overlay}
12303 commands described below.
12304
12305 @item overlay map-overlay @var{overlay}
12306 @itemx overlay map @var{overlay}
12307 @cindex map an overlay
12308 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is now mapped; @var{overlay} must
12309 be the name of the object file section containing the overlay. When an
12310 overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the overlay's
12311 functions and variables at their mapped addresses. @value{GDBN} assumes
12312 that any other overlays whose mapped ranges overlap that of
12313 @var{overlay} are now unmapped.
12314
12315 @item overlay unmap-overlay @var{overlay}
12316 @itemx overlay unmap @var{overlay}
12317 @cindex unmap an overlay
12318 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is no longer mapped; @var{overlay}
12319 must be the name of the object file section containing the overlay.
12320 When an overlay is unmapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the
12321 overlay's functions and variables at their load addresses.
12322
12323 @item overlay auto
12324 Enable @dfn{automatic} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
12325 consults a data structure the overlay manager maintains in the inferior
12326 to see which overlays are mapped. For details, see @ref{Automatic
12327 Overlay Debugging}.
12328
12329 @item overlay load-target
12330 @itemx overlay load
12331 @cindex reloading the overlay table
12332 Re-read the overlay table from the inferior. Normally, @value{GDBN}
12333 re-reads the table @value{GDBN} automatically each time the inferior
12334 stops, so this command should only be necessary if you have changed the
12335 overlay mapping yourself using @value{GDBN}. This command is only
12336 useful when using automatic overlay debugging.
12337
12338 @item overlay list-overlays
12339 @itemx overlay list
12340 @cindex listing mapped overlays
12341 Display a list of the overlays currently mapped, along with their mapped
12342 addresses, load addresses, and sizes.
12343
12344 @end table
12345
12346 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a code address, it includes the name
12347 of the function the address falls in:
12348
12349 @smallexample
12350 (@value{GDBP}) print main
12351 $3 = @{int ()@} 0x11a0 <main>
12352 @end smallexample
12353 @noindent
12354 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} recognizes code in
12355 unmapped overlays, and prints the names of unmapped functions with
12356 asterisks around them. For example, if @code{foo} is a function in an
12357 unmapped overlay, @value{GDBN} prints it this way:
12358
12359 @smallexample
12360 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
12361 No sections are mapped.
12362 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
12363 $5 = @{int (int)@} 0x100000 <*foo*>
12364 @end smallexample
12365 @noindent
12366 When @code{foo}'s overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} prints the function's
12367 name normally:
12368
12369 @smallexample
12370 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
12371 Section .ov.foo.text, loaded at 0x100000 - 0x100034,
12372 mapped at 0x1016 - 0x104a
12373 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
12374 $6 = @{int (int)@} 0x1016 <foo>
12375 @end smallexample
12376
12377 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} can find the correct
12378 address for functions and variables in an overlay, whether or not the
12379 overlay is mapped. This allows most @value{GDBN} commands, like
12380 @code{break} and @code{disassemble}, to work normally, even on unmapped
12381 code. However, @value{GDBN}'s breakpoint support has some limitations:
12382
12383 @itemize @bullet
12384 @item
12385 @cindex breakpoints in overlays
12386 @cindex overlays, setting breakpoints in
12387 You can set breakpoints in functions in unmapped overlays, as long as
12388 @value{GDBN} can write to the overlay at its load address.
12389 @item
12390 @value{GDBN} can not set hardware or simulator-based breakpoints in
12391 unmapped overlays. However, if you set a breakpoint at the end of your
12392 overlay manager (and tell @value{GDBN} which overlays are now mapped, if
12393 you are using manual overlay management), @value{GDBN} will re-set its
12394 breakpoints properly.
12395 @end itemize
12396
12397
12398 @node Automatic Overlay Debugging
12399 @section Automatic Overlay Debugging
12400 @cindex automatic overlay debugging
12401
12402 @value{GDBN} can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which
12403 are not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
12404 inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the
12405 @code{overlay auto} command (@pxref{Overlay Commands}), @value{GDBN}
12406 looks in the inferior's memory for certain variables describing the
12407 current state of the overlays.
12408
12409 Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
12410 @value{GDBN}'s automatic overlay debugging:
12411
12412 @table @asis
12413
12414 @item @code{_ovly_table}:
12415 This variable must be an array of the following structures:
12416
12417 @smallexample
12418 struct
12419 @{
12420 /* The overlay's mapped address. */
12421 unsigned long vma;
12422
12423 /* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
12424 unsigned long size;
12425
12426 /* The overlay's load address. */
12427 unsigned long lma;
12428
12429 /* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
12430 zero otherwise. */
12431 unsigned long mapped;
12432 @}
12433 @end smallexample
12434
12435 @item @code{_novlys}:
12436 This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
12437 number of elements in @code{_ovly_table}.
12438
12439 @end table
12440
12441 To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, @value{GDBN}
12442 looks for an entry in @w{@code{_ovly_table}} whose @code{vma} and
12443 @code{lma} members equal the VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the
12444 executable file. When @value{GDBN} finds a matching entry, it consults
12445 the entry's @code{mapped} member to determine whether the overlay is
12446 currently mapped.
12447
12448 In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
12449 @code{_ovly_debug_event}. If this function is defined, @value{GDBN}
12450 will silently set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then
12451 calls this function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this
12452 will enable @value{GDBN} to accurately keep track of which overlays
12453 are in program memory, and update any breakpoints that may be set
12454 in overlays. This will allow breakpoints to work even if the
12455 overlays are kept in ROM or other non-writable memory while they
12456 are not being executed.
12457
12458 @node Overlay Sample Program
12459 @section Overlay Sample Program
12460 @cindex overlay example program
12461
12462 When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
12463 at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
12464 addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (@pxref{Overlay
12465 Description,,, ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}). Unfortunately,
12466 since linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
12467 architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
12468 portable sample code demonstrating @value{GDBN}'s overlay support.
12469
12470 However, the @value{GDBN} source distribution does contain an overlaid
12471 program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
12472 suite. The program consists of the following files from
12473 @file{gdb/testsuite/gdb.base}:
12474
12475 @table @file
12476 @item overlays.c
12477 The main program file.
12478 @item ovlymgr.c
12479 A simple overlay manager, used by @file{overlays.c}.
12480 @item foo.c
12481 @itemx bar.c
12482 @itemx baz.c
12483 @itemx grbx.c
12484 Overlay modules, loaded and used by @file{overlays.c}.
12485 @item d10v.ld
12486 @itemx m32r.ld
12487 Linker scripts for linking the test program on the @code{d10v-elf}
12488 and @code{m32r-elf} targets.
12489 @end table
12490
12491 You can build the test program using the @code{d10v-elf} GCC
12492 cross-compiler like this:
12493
12494 @smallexample
12495 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
12496 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
12497 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
12498 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
12499 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
12500 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
12501 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
12502 baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
12503 @end smallexample
12504
12505 The build process is identical for any other architecture, except that
12506 you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for the
12507 target system for @code{d10v-elf-gcc} and @code{d10v.ld}.
12508
12509
12510 @node Languages
12511 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages
12512 @cindex languages
12513
12514 Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
12515 rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
12516 dereferencing a pointer @code{p} is accomplished by @code{*p}, but in
12517 Modula-2, it is accomplished by @code{p^}. Values can also be
12518 represented (and displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as
12519 @samp{0x1ae}, while in Modula-2 they appear as @samp{1AEH}.
12520
12521 @cindex working language
12522 Language-specific information is built into @value{GDBN} for some languages,
12523 allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
12524 native language, and allowing @value{GDBN} to output values in a manner
12525 consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
12526 language you use to build expressions is called the @dfn{working
12527 language}.
12528
12529 @menu
12530 * Setting:: Switching between source languages
12531 * Show:: Displaying the language
12532 * Checks:: Type and range checks
12533 * Supported Languages:: Supported languages
12534 * Unsupported Languages:: Unsupported languages
12535 @end menu
12536
12537 @node Setting
12538 @section Switching Between Source Languages
12539
12540 There are two ways to control the working language---either have @value{GDBN}
12541 set it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the
12542 @code{set language} command for either purpose. On startup, @value{GDBN}
12543 defaults to setting the language automatically. The working language is
12544 used to determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values
12545 are printed, etc.
12546
12547 In addition to the working language, every source file that
12548 @value{GDBN} knows about has its own working language. For some object
12549 file formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular
12550 source file is in. However, most of the time @value{GDBN} infers the
12551 language from the name of the file. The language of a source file
12552 controls whether C@t{++} names are demangled---this way @code{backtrace} can
12553 show each frame appropriately for its own language. There is no way to
12554 set the language of a source file from within @value{GDBN}, but you can
12555 set the language associated with a filename extension. @xref{Show, ,
12556 Displaying the Language}.
12557
12558 This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such
12559 as @code{cfront} or @code{f2c}, that generates C but is written in
12560 another language. In that case, make the
12561 program use @code{#line} directives in its C output; that way
12562 @value{GDBN} will know the correct language of the source code of the original
12563 program, and will display that source code, not the generated C code.
12564
12565 @menu
12566 * Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
12567 * Manually:: Setting the working language manually
12568 * Automatically:: Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
12569 @end menu
12570
12571 @node Filenames
12572 @subsection List of Filename Extensions and Languages
12573
12574 If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then
12575 @value{GDBN} infers that its language is the one indicated.
12576
12577 @table @file
12578 @item .ada
12579 @itemx .ads
12580 @itemx .adb
12581 @itemx .a
12582 Ada source file.
12583
12584 @item .c
12585 C source file
12586
12587 @item .C
12588 @itemx .cc
12589 @itemx .cp
12590 @itemx .cpp
12591 @itemx .cxx
12592 @itemx .c++
12593 C@t{++} source file
12594
12595 @item .d
12596 D source file
12597
12598 @item .m
12599 Objective-C source file
12600
12601 @item .f
12602 @itemx .F
12603 Fortran source file
12604
12605 @item .mod
12606 Modula-2 source file
12607
12608 @item .s
12609 @itemx .S
12610 Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
12611 @value{GDBN} does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
12612 @end table
12613
12614 In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
12615 extension. @xref{Show, , Displaying the Language}.
12616
12617 @node Manually
12618 @subsection Setting the Working Language
12619
12620 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically,
12621 expressions are interpreted the same way in your debugging session and
12622 your program.
12623
12624 @kindex set language
12625 If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue the
12626 command @samp{set language @var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the name of
12627 a language, such as
12628 @code{c} or @code{modula-2}.
12629 For a list of the supported languages, type @samp{set language}.
12630
12631 Setting the language manually prevents @value{GDBN} from updating the working
12632 language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try
12633 to debug a program when the working language is not the same as the
12634 source language, when an expression is acceptable to both
12635 languages---but means different things. For instance, if the current
12636 source file were written in C, and @value{GDBN} was parsing Modula-2, a
12637 command such as:
12638
12639 @smallexample
12640 print a = b + c
12641 @end smallexample
12642
12643 @noindent
12644 might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add
12645 @code{b} and @code{c} and place the result in @code{a}. The result
12646 printed would be the value of @code{a}. In Modula-2, this means to compare
12647 @code{a} to the result of @code{b+c}, yielding a @code{BOOLEAN} value.
12648
12649 @node Automatically
12650 @subsection Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language
12651
12652 To have @value{GDBN} set the working language automatically, use
12653 @samp{set language local} or @samp{set language auto}. @value{GDBN}
12654 then infers the working language. That is, when your program stops in a
12655 frame (usually by encountering a breakpoint), @value{GDBN} sets the
12656 working language to the language recorded for the function in that
12657 frame. If the language for a frame is unknown (that is, if the function
12658 or block corresponding to the frame was defined in a source file that
12659 does not have a recognized extension), the current working language is
12660 not changed, and @value{GDBN} issues a warning.
12661
12662 This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
12663 entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
12664 written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
12665 a different source language. Using @samp{set language auto} in this
12666 case frees you from having to set the working language manually.
12667
12668 @node Show
12669 @section Displaying the Language
12670
12671 The following commands help you find out which language is the
12672 working language, and also what language source files were written in.
12673
12674 @table @code
12675 @item show language
12676 @kindex show language
12677 Display the current working language. This is the
12678 language you can use with commands such as @code{print} to
12679 build and compute expressions that may involve variables in your program.
12680
12681 @item info frame
12682 @kindex info frame@r{, show the source language}
12683 Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes the
12684 working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
12685 @xref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}, to identify the other
12686 information listed here.
12687
12688 @item info source
12689 @kindex info source@r{, show the source language}
12690 Display the source language of this source file.
12691 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, to identify the other
12692 information listed here.
12693 @end table
12694
12695 In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
12696 not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
12697 with a language explicitly:
12698
12699 @table @code
12700 @item set extension-language @var{ext} @var{language}
12701 @kindex set extension-language
12702 Tell @value{GDBN} that source files with extension @var{ext} are to be
12703 assumed as written in the source language @var{language}.
12704
12705 @item info extensions
12706 @kindex info extensions
12707 List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.
12708 @end table
12709
12710 @node Checks
12711 @section Type and Range Checking
12712
12713 Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly common
12714 errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These include
12715 checking the type of arguments to functions and operators and making
12716 sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such as
12717 these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been compiled
12718 by eliminating type mismatches and providing active checks for range
12719 errors when your program is running.
12720
12721 By default @value{GDBN} checks for these errors according to the
12722 rules of the current source language. Although @value{GDBN} does not check
12723 the statements in your program, it can check expressions entered directly
12724 into @value{GDBN} for evaluation via the @code{print} command, for example.
12725
12726 @menu
12727 * Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
12728 * Range Checking:: An overview of range checking
12729 @end menu
12730
12731 @cindex type checking
12732 @cindex checks, type
12733 @node Type Checking
12734 @subsection An Overview of Type Checking
12735
12736 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, are strongly typed, meaning that the
12737 arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
12738 otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch
12739 errors from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
12740
12741 @smallexample
12742 int klass::my_method(char *b) @{ return b ? 1 : 2; @}
12743
12744 (@value{GDBP}) print obj.my_method (0)
12745 $1 = 2
12746 @exdent but
12747 (@value{GDBP}) print obj.my_method (0x1234)
12748 Cannot resolve method klass::my_method to any overloaded instance
12749 @end smallexample
12750
12751 The second example fails because in C@t{++} the integer constant
12752 @samp{0x1234} is not type-compatible with the pointer parameter type.
12753
12754 For the expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
12755 @value{GDBN} to not enforce strict type checking or
12756 to treat any mismatches as errors and abandon the expression;
12757 When type checking is disabled, @value{GDBN} successfully evaluates
12758 expressions like the second example above.
12759
12760 Even if type checking is off, there may be other reasons
12761 related to type that prevent @value{GDBN} from evaluating an expression.
12762 For instance, @value{GDBN} does not know how to add an @code{int} and
12763 a @code{struct foo}. These particular type errors have nothing to do
12764 with the language in use and usually arise from expressions which make
12765 little sense to evaluate anyway.
12766
12767 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling type checking:
12768
12769 @kindex set check type
12770 @kindex show check type
12771 @table @code
12772 @item set check type on
12773 @itemx set check type off
12774 Set strict type checking on or off. If any type mismatches occur in
12775 evaluating an expression while type checking is on, @value{GDBN} prints a
12776 message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
12777
12778 @item show check type
12779 Show the current setting of type checking and whether @value{GDBN}
12780 is enforcing strict type checking rules.
12781 @end table
12782
12783 @cindex range checking
12784 @cindex checks, range
12785 @node Range Checking
12786 @subsection An Overview of Range Checking
12787
12788 In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
12789 bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
12790 checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
12791 computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
12792 not exceed the bounds of the array.
12793
12794 For expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
12795 @value{GDBN} to treat range errors in one of three ways: ignore them,
12796 always treat them as errors and abandon the expression, or issue
12797 warnings but evaluate the expression anyway.
12798
12799 A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
12800 array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member
12801 of any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an
12802 error. In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the
12803 result to ``wrap around'' to lower values---for example, if @var{m} is
12804 the largest integer value, and @var{s} is the smallest, then
12805
12806 @smallexample
12807 @var{m} + 1 @result{} @var{s}
12808 @end smallexample
12809
12810 This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
12811 specific to individual compilers or machines. @xref{Supported Languages, ,
12812 Supported Languages}, for further details on specific languages.
12813
12814 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the range checker:
12815
12816 @kindex set check range
12817 @kindex show check range
12818 @table @code
12819 @item set check range auto
12820 Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
12821 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
12822 each language.
12823
12824 @item set check range on
12825 @itemx set check range off
12826 Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
12827 current working language. A warning is issued if the setting does not
12828 match the language default. If a range error occurs and range checking is on,
12829 then a message is printed and evaluation of the expression is aborted.
12830
12831 @item set check range warn
12832 Output messages when the @value{GDBN} range checker detects a range error,
12833 but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
12834 expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as accessing
12835 memory that the process does not own (a typical example from many Unix
12836 systems).
12837
12838 @item show range
12839 Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not it is
12840 being set automatically by @value{GDBN}.
12841 @end table
12842
12843 @node Supported Languages
12844 @section Supported Languages
12845
12846 @value{GDBN} supports C, C@t{++}, D, Go, Objective-C, Fortran, Java,
12847 OpenCL C, Pascal, assembly, Modula-2, and Ada.
12848 @c This is false ...
12849 Some @value{GDBN} features may be used in expressions regardless of the
12850 language you use: the @value{GDBN} @code{@@} and @code{::} operators,
12851 and the @samp{@{type@}addr} construct (@pxref{Expressions,
12852 ,Expressions}) can be used with the constructs of any supported
12853 language.
12854
12855 The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
12856 supported by @value{GDBN}. These sections are not meant to be language
12857 tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
12858 @value{GDBN} expression parser accepts, and what input and output
12859 formats should look like for different languages. There are many good
12860 books written on each of these languages; please look to these for a
12861 language reference or tutorial.
12862
12863 @menu
12864 * C:: C and C@t{++}
12865 * D:: D
12866 * Go:: Go
12867 * Objective-C:: Objective-C
12868 * OpenCL C:: OpenCL C
12869 * Fortran:: Fortran
12870 * Pascal:: Pascal
12871 * Modula-2:: Modula-2
12872 * Ada:: Ada
12873 @end menu
12874
12875 @node C
12876 @subsection C and C@t{++}
12877
12878 @cindex C and C@t{++}
12879 @cindex expressions in C or C@t{++}
12880
12881 Since C and C@t{++} are so closely related, many features of @value{GDBN} apply
12882 to both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
12883 together.
12884
12885 @cindex C@t{++}
12886 @cindex @code{g++}, @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler
12887 @cindex @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
12888 The C@t{++} debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C@t{++}
12889 compiler and @value{GDBN}. Therefore, to debug your C@t{++} code
12890 effectively, you must compile your C@t{++} programs with a supported
12891 C@t{++} compiler, such as @sc{gnu} @code{g++}, or the HP ANSI C@t{++}
12892 compiler (@code{aCC}).
12893
12894 @menu
12895 * C Operators:: C and C@t{++} operators
12896 * C Constants:: C and C@t{++} constants
12897 * C Plus Plus Expressions:: C@t{++} expressions
12898 * C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C@t{++}
12899 * C Checks:: C and C@t{++} type and range checks
12900 * Debugging C:: @value{GDBN} and C
12901 * Debugging C Plus Plus:: @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
12902 * Decimal Floating Point:: Numbers in Decimal Floating Point format
12903 @end menu
12904
12905 @node C Operators
12906 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Operators
12907
12908 @cindex C and C@t{++} operators
12909
12910 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
12911 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
12912 often defined on groups of types.
12913
12914 For the purposes of C and C@t{++}, the following definitions hold:
12915
12916 @itemize @bullet
12917
12918 @item
12919 @emph{Integral types} include @code{int} with any of its storage-class
12920 specifiers; @code{char}; @code{enum}; and, for C@t{++}, @code{bool}.
12921
12922 @item
12923 @emph{Floating-point types} include @code{float}, @code{double}, and
12924 @code{long double} (if supported by the target platform).
12925
12926 @item
12927 @emph{Pointer types} include all types defined as @code{(@var{type} *)}.
12928
12929 @item
12930 @emph{Scalar types} include all of the above.
12931
12932 @end itemize
12933
12934 @noindent
12935 The following operators are supported. They are listed here
12936 in order of increasing precedence:
12937
12938 @table @code
12939 @item ,
12940 The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a comma-separated list
12941 are evaluated from left to right, with the result of the entire
12942 expression being the last expression evaluated.
12943
12944 @item =
12945 Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
12946 assigned. Defined on scalar types.
12947
12948 @item @var{op}=
12949 Used in an expression of the form @w{@code{@var{a} @var{op}= @var{b}}},
12950 and translated to @w{@code{@var{a} = @var{a op b}}}.
12951 @w{@code{@var{op}=}} and @code{=} have the same precedence.
12952 @var{op} is any one of the operators @code{|}, @code{^}, @code{&},
12953 @code{<<}, @code{>>}, @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%}.
12954
12955 @item ?:
12956 The ternary operator. @code{@var{a} ? @var{b} : @var{c}} can be thought
12957 of as: if @var{a} then @var{b} else @var{c}. @var{a} should be of an
12958 integral type.
12959
12960 @item ||
12961 Logical @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12962
12963 @item &&
12964 Logical @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
12965
12966 @item |
12967 Bitwise @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12968
12969 @item ^
12970 Bitwise exclusive-@sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
12971
12972 @item &
12973 Bitwise @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
12974
12975 @item ==@r{, }!=
12976 Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of these
12977 expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
12978
12979 @item <@r{, }>@r{, }<=@r{, }>=
12980 Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
12981 Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for false
12982 and non-zero for true.
12983
12984 @item <<@r{, }>>
12985 left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
12986
12987 @item @@
12988 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
12989
12990 @item +@r{, }-
12991 Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types, floating-point types and
12992 pointer types.
12993
12994 @item *@r{, }/@r{, }%
12995 Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and division are
12996 defined on integral and floating-point types. Modulus is defined on
12997 integral types.
12998
12999 @item ++@r{, }--
13000 Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
13001 operation is performed before the variable is used in an expression;
13002 when appearing after it, the variable's value is used before the
13003 operation takes place.
13004
13005 @item *
13006 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence as
13007 @code{++}.
13008
13009 @item &
13010 Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as @code{++}.
13011
13012 For debugging C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} implements a use of @samp{&} beyond what is
13013 allowed in the C@t{++} language itself: you can use @samp{&(&@var{ref})}
13014 to examine the address
13015 where a C@t{++} reference variable (declared with @samp{&@var{ref}}) is
13016 stored.
13017
13018 @item -
13019 Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
13020 precedence as @code{++}.
13021
13022 @item !
13023 Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
13024 @code{++}.
13025
13026 @item ~
13027 Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
13028 @code{++}.
13029
13030
13031 @item .@r{, }->
13032 Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For convenience,
13033 @value{GDBN} regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether to dereference a
13034 pointer based on the stored type information.
13035 Defined on @code{struct} and @code{union} data.
13036
13037 @item .*@r{, }->*
13038 Dereferences of pointers to members.
13039
13040 @item []
13041 Array indexing. @code{@var{a}[@var{i}]} is defined as
13042 @code{*(@var{a}+@var{i})}. Same precedence as @code{->}.
13043
13044 @item ()
13045 Function parameter list. Same precedence as @code{->}.
13046
13047 @item ::
13048 C@t{++} scope resolution operator. Defined on @code{struct}, @code{union},
13049 and @code{class} types.
13050
13051 @item ::
13052 Doubled colons also represent the @value{GDBN} scope operator
13053 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). Same precedence as @code{::},
13054 above.
13055 @end table
13056
13057 If an operator is redefined in the user code, @value{GDBN} usually
13058 attempts to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
13059 predefined meaning.
13060
13061 @node C Constants
13062 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Constants
13063
13064 @cindex C and C@t{++} constants
13065
13066 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of C and C@t{++} in the
13067 following ways:
13068
13069 @itemize @bullet
13070 @item
13071 Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
13072 specified by a leading @samp{0} (i.e.@: zero), and hexadecimal constants
13073 by a leading @samp{0x} or @samp{0X}. Constants may also end with a letter
13074 @samp{l}, specifying that the constant should be treated as a
13075 @code{long} value.
13076
13077 @item
13078 Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a decimal
13079 point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally followed by an
13080 exponent. An exponent is of the form:
13081 @samp{@w{e@r{[[}+@r{]|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}}, where @var{nnn} is another
13082 sequence of digits. The @samp{+} is optional for positive exponents.
13083 A floating-point constant may also end with a letter @samp{f} or
13084 @samp{F}, specifying that the constant should be treated as being of
13085 the @code{float} (as opposed to the default @code{double}) type; or with
13086 a letter @samp{l} or @samp{L}, which specifies a @code{long double}
13087 constant.
13088
13089 @item
13090 Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
13091 integral equivalents.
13092
13093 @item
13094 Character constants are a single character surrounded by single quotes
13095 (@code{'}), or a number---the ordinal value of the corresponding character
13096 (usually its @sc{ascii} value). Within quotes, the single character may
13097 be represented by a letter or by @dfn{escape sequences}, which are of
13098 the form @samp{\@var{nnn}}, where @var{nnn} is the octal representation
13099 of the character's ordinal value; or of the form @samp{\@var{x}}, where
13100 @samp{@var{x}} is a predefined special character---for example,
13101 @samp{\n} for newline.
13102
13103 Wide character constants can be written by prefixing a character
13104 constant with @samp{L}, as in C. For example, @samp{L'x'} is the wide
13105 form of @samp{x}. The target wide character set is used when
13106 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
13107
13108 @item
13109 String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded by
13110 double quotes (@code{"}). Any valid character constant (as described
13111 above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be preceded by
13112 a backslash, so for instance @samp{"a\"b'c"} is a string of five
13113 characters.
13114
13115 Wide string constants can be written by prefixing a string constant
13116 with @samp{L}, as in C. The target wide character set is used when
13117 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
13118
13119 @item
13120 Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write pointers
13121 to constants using the C operator @samp{&}.
13122
13123 @item
13124 Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces @samp{@{}
13125 and @samp{@}}; for example, @samp{@{1,2,3@}} is a three-element array of
13126 integers, @samp{@{@{1,2@}, @{3,4@}, @{5,6@}@}} is a three-by-two array,
13127 and @samp{@{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"@}} is a three-element array of pointers.
13128 @end itemize
13129
13130 @node C Plus Plus Expressions
13131 @subsubsection C@t{++} Expressions
13132
13133 @cindex expressions in C@t{++}
13134 @value{GDBN} expression handling can interpret most C@t{++} expressions.
13135
13136 @cindex debugging C@t{++} programs
13137 @cindex C@t{++} compilers
13138 @cindex debug formats and C@t{++}
13139 @cindex @value{NGCC} and C@t{++}
13140 @quotation
13141 @emph{Warning:} @value{GDBN} can only debug C@t{++} code if you use
13142 the proper compiler and the proper debug format. Currently,
13143 @value{GDBN} works best when debugging C@t{++} code that is compiled
13144 with the most recent version of @value{NGCC} possible. The DWARF
13145 debugging format is preferred; @value{NGCC} defaults to this on most
13146 popular platforms. Other compilers and/or debug formats are likely to
13147 work badly or not at all when using @value{GDBN} to debug C@t{++}
13148 code. @xref{Compilation}.
13149 @end quotation
13150
13151 @enumerate
13152
13153 @cindex member functions
13154 @item
13155 Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
13156
13157 @smallexample
13158 count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
13159 @end smallexample
13160
13161 @vindex this@r{, inside C@t{++} member functions}
13162 @cindex namespace in C@t{++}
13163 @item
13164 While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame), your
13165 expressions have the same namespace available as the member function;
13166 that is, @value{GDBN} allows implicit references to the class instance
13167 pointer @code{this} following the same rules as C@t{++}. @code{using}
13168 declarations in the current scope are also respected by @value{GDBN}.
13169
13170 @cindex call overloaded functions
13171 @cindex overloaded functions, calling
13172 @cindex type conversions in C@t{++}
13173 @item
13174 You can call overloaded functions; @value{GDBN} resolves the function
13175 call to the right definition, with some restrictions. @value{GDBN} does not
13176 perform overload resolution involving user-defined type conversions,
13177 calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates that do not exist
13178 in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis argument lists or
13179 default arguments.
13180
13181 It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
13182 promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions, conversions of
13183 class objects to base classes, and standard conversions such as those of
13184 functions or arrays to pointers; it requires an exact match on the
13185 number of function arguments.
13186
13187 Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
13188 @code{set overload-resolution off}. @xref{Debugging C Plus Plus,
13189 ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
13190
13191 You must specify @code{set overload-resolution off} in order to use an
13192 explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
13193 @smallexample
13194 p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
13195 @end smallexample
13196
13197 The @value{GDBN} command-completion facility can simplify this;
13198 see @ref{Completion, ,Command Completion}.
13199
13200 @cindex reference declarations
13201 @item
13202 @value{GDBN} understands variables declared as C@t{++} references; you can use
13203 them in expressions just as you do in C@t{++} source---they are automatically
13204 dereferenced.
13205
13206 In the parameter list shown when @value{GDBN} displays a frame, the values of
13207 reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables); this
13208 avoids clutter, since references are often used for large structures.
13209 The @emph{address} of a reference variable is always shown, unless
13210 you have specified @samp{set print address off}.
13211
13212 @item
13213 @value{GDBN} supports the C@t{++} name resolution operator @code{::}---your
13214 expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do. Since
13215 one scope may be defined in another, you can use @code{::} repeatedly if
13216 necessary, for example in an expression like
13217 @samp{@var{scope1}::@var{scope2}::@var{name}}. @value{GDBN} also allows
13218 resolving name scope by reference to source files, in both C and C@t{++}
13219 debugging (@pxref{Variables, ,Program Variables}).
13220
13221 @item
13222 @value{GDBN} performs argument-dependent lookup, following the C@t{++}
13223 specification.
13224 @end enumerate
13225
13226 @node C Defaults
13227 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Defaults
13228
13229 @cindex C and C@t{++} defaults
13230
13231 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set range checking automatically, it
13232 defaults to @code{off} whenever the working language changes to
13233 C or C@t{++}. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
13234 selects the working language.
13235
13236 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, it
13237 recognizes source files whose names end with @file{.c}, @file{.C}, or
13238 @file{.cc}, etc, and when @value{GDBN} enters code compiled from one of
13239 these files, it sets the working language to C or C@t{++}.
13240 @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language},
13241 for further details.
13242
13243 @node C Checks
13244 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Type and Range Checks
13245
13246 @cindex C and C@t{++} checks
13247
13248 By default, when @value{GDBN} parses C or C@t{++} expressions, strict type
13249 checking is used. However, if you turn type checking off, @value{GDBN}
13250 will allow certain non-standard conversions, such as promoting integer
13251 constants to pointers.
13252
13253 Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations. Array
13254 indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a pointer
13255 that is not itself an array.
13256
13257 @node Debugging C
13258 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and C
13259
13260 The @code{set print union} and @code{show print union} commands apply to
13261 the @code{union} type. When set to @samp{on}, any @code{union} that is
13262 inside a @code{struct} or @code{class} is also printed. Otherwise, it
13263 appears as @samp{@{...@}}.
13264
13265 The @code{@@} operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
13266 with pointers and a memory allocation function. @xref{Expressions,
13267 ,Expressions}.
13268
13269 @node Debugging C Plus Plus
13270 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}
13271
13272 @cindex commands for C@t{++}
13273
13274 Some @value{GDBN} commands are particularly useful with C@t{++}, and some are
13275 designed specifically for use with C@t{++}. Here is a summary:
13276
13277 @table @code
13278 @cindex break in overloaded functions
13279 @item @r{breakpoint menus}
13280 When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
13281 @value{GDBN} has the capability to display a menu of possible breakpoint
13282 locations to help you specify which function definition you want.
13283 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}.
13284
13285 @cindex overloading in C@t{++}
13286 @item rbreak @var{regex}
13287 Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for setting
13288 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
13289 classes.
13290 @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
13291
13292 @cindex C@t{++} exception handling
13293 @item catch throw
13294 @itemx catch catch
13295 Debug C@t{++} exception handling using these commands. @xref{Set
13296 Catchpoints, , Setting Catchpoints}.
13297
13298 @cindex inheritance
13299 @item ptype @var{typename}
13300 Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for type
13301 @var{typename}.
13302 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
13303
13304 @item info vtbl @var{expression}.
13305 The @code{info vtbl} command can be used to display the virtual
13306 method tables of the object computed by @var{expression}. This shows
13307 one entry per virtual table; there may be multiple virtual tables when
13308 multiple inheritance is in use.
13309
13310 @cindex C@t{++} symbol display
13311 @item set print demangle
13312 @itemx show print demangle
13313 @itemx set print asm-demangle
13314 @itemx show print asm-demangle
13315 Control whether C@t{++} symbols display in their source form, both when
13316 displaying code as C@t{++} source and when displaying disassemblies.
13317 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13318
13319 @item set print object
13320 @itemx show print object
13321 Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of objects.
13322 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13323
13324 @item set print vtbl
13325 @itemx show print vtbl
13326 Control the format for printing virtual function tables.
13327 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
13328 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
13329 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
13330
13331 @kindex set overload-resolution
13332 @cindex overloaded functions, overload resolution
13333 @item set overload-resolution on
13334 Enable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. The default
13335 is on. For overloaded functions, @value{GDBN} evaluates the arguments
13336 and searches for a function whose signature matches the argument types,
13337 using the standard C@t{++} conversion rules (see @ref{C Plus Plus
13338 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}, for details).
13339 If it cannot find a match, it emits a message.
13340
13341 @item set overload-resolution off
13342 Disable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. For
13343 overloaded functions that are not class member functions, @value{GDBN}
13344 chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in the
13345 symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct type. For
13346 overloaded functions that are class member functions, @value{GDBN}
13347 searches for a function whose signature @emph{exactly} matches the
13348 argument types.
13349
13350 @kindex show overload-resolution
13351 @item show overload-resolution
13352 Show the current setting of overload resolution.
13353
13354 @item @r{Overloaded symbol names}
13355 You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol, using
13356 the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in C@t{++}: type
13357 @code{@var{symbol}(@var{types})} rather than just @var{symbol}. You can
13358 also use the @value{GDBN} command-line word completion facilities to list the
13359 available choices, or to finish the type list for you.
13360 @xref{Completion,, Command Completion}, for details on how to do this.
13361 @end table
13362
13363 @node Decimal Floating Point
13364 @subsubsection Decimal Floating Point format
13365 @cindex decimal floating point format
13366
13367 @value{GDBN} can examine, set and perform computations with numbers in
13368 decimal floating point format, which in the C language correspond to the
13369 @code{_Decimal32}, @code{_Decimal64} and @code{_Decimal128} types as
13370 specified by the extension to support decimal floating-point arithmetic.
13371
13372 There are two encodings in use, depending on the architecture: BID (Binary
13373 Integer Decimal) for x86 and x86-64, and DPD (Densely Packed Decimal) for
13374 PowerPC. @value{GDBN} will use the appropriate encoding for the configured
13375 target.
13376
13377 Because of a limitation in @file{libdecnumber}, the library used by @value{GDBN}
13378 to manipulate decimal floating point numbers, it is not possible to convert
13379 (using a cast, for example) integers wider than 32-bit to decimal float.
13380
13381 In addition, in order to imitate @value{GDBN}'s behaviour with binary floating
13382 point computations, error checking in decimal float operations ignores
13383 underflow, overflow and divide by zero exceptions.
13384
13385 In the PowerPC architecture, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers
13386 to inspect @code{_Decimal128} values stored in floating point registers.
13387 See @ref{PowerPC,,PowerPC} for more details.
13388
13389 @node D
13390 @subsection D
13391
13392 @cindex D
13393 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in D and compiled with
13394 GDC, LDC or DMD compilers. Currently @value{GDBN} supports only one D
13395 specific feature --- dynamic arrays.
13396
13397 @node Go
13398 @subsection Go
13399
13400 @cindex Go (programming language)
13401 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Go and compiled with
13402 @file{gccgo} or @file{6g} compilers.
13403
13404 Here is a summary of the Go-specific features and restrictions:
13405
13406 @table @code
13407 @cindex current Go package
13408 @item The current Go package
13409 The name of the current package does not need to be specified when
13410 specifying global variables and functions.
13411
13412 For example, given the program:
13413
13414 @example
13415 package main
13416 var myglob = "Shall we?"
13417 func main () @{
13418 // ...
13419 @}
13420 @end example
13421
13422 When stopped inside @code{main} either of these work:
13423
13424 @example
13425 (gdb) p myglob
13426 (gdb) p main.myglob
13427 @end example
13428
13429 @cindex builtin Go types
13430 @item Builtin Go types
13431 The @code{string} type is recognized by @value{GDBN} and is printed
13432 as a string.
13433
13434 @cindex builtin Go functions
13435 @item Builtin Go functions
13436 The @value{GDBN} expression parser recognizes the @code{unsafe.Sizeof}
13437 function and handles it internally.
13438
13439 @cindex restrictions on Go expressions
13440 @item Restrictions on Go expressions
13441 All Go operators are supported except @code{&^}.
13442 The Go @code{_} ``blank identifier'' is not supported.
13443 Automatic dereferencing of pointers is not supported.
13444 @end table
13445
13446 @node Objective-C
13447 @subsection Objective-C
13448
13449 @cindex Objective-C
13450 This section provides information about some commands and command
13451 options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also
13452 @ref{Symbols, info classes}, and @ref{Symbols, info selectors}, for a
13453 few more commands specific to Objective-C support.
13454
13455 @menu
13456 * Method Names in Commands::
13457 * The Print Command with Objective-C::
13458 @end menu
13459
13460 @node Method Names in Commands
13461 @subsubsection Method Names in Commands
13462
13463 The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
13464 names as line specifications:
13465
13466 @kindex clear@r{, and Objective-C}
13467 @kindex break@r{, and Objective-C}
13468 @kindex info line@r{, and Objective-C}
13469 @kindex jump@r{, and Objective-C}
13470 @kindex list@r{, and Objective-C}
13471 @itemize
13472 @item @code{clear}
13473 @item @code{break}
13474 @item @code{info line}
13475 @item @code{jump}
13476 @item @code{list}
13477 @end itemize
13478
13479 A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
13480
13481 @smallexample
13482 -[@var{Class} @var{methodName}]
13483 @end smallexample
13484
13485 where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
13486 plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
13487 name @var{Class} and method name @var{methodName} are enclosed in
13488 brackets, similar to the way messages are specified in Objective-C
13489 source code. For example, to set a breakpoint at the @code{create}
13490 instance method of class @code{Fruit} in the program currently being
13491 debugged, enter:
13492
13493 @smallexample
13494 break -[Fruit create]
13495 @end smallexample
13496
13497 To list ten program lines around the @code{initialize} class method,
13498 enter:
13499
13500 @smallexample
13501 list +[NSText initialize]
13502 @end smallexample
13503
13504 In the current version of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus sign is
13505 required. In future versions of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus
13506 sign will be optional, but you can use it to narrow the search. It
13507 is also possible to specify just a method name:
13508
13509 @smallexample
13510 break create
13511 @end smallexample
13512
13513 You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
13514 your program's source files contain more than one @code{create} method,
13515 you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
13516 method. Indicate your choice by number, or type @samp{0} to exit if
13517 none apply.
13518
13519 As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
13520 @code{makeKeyAndOrderFront:} method of the @code{NSWindow} class, enter:
13521
13522 @smallexample
13523 clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]
13524 @end smallexample
13525
13526 @node The Print Command with Objective-C
13527 @subsubsection The Print Command With Objective-C
13528 @cindex Objective-C, print objects
13529 @kindex print-object
13530 @kindex po @r{(@code{print-object})}
13531
13532 The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For example:
13533
13534 @smallexample
13535 print -[@var{object} hash]
13536 @end smallexample
13537
13538 @cindex print an Objective-C object description
13539 @cindex @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, and printing Objective-C objects
13540 @noindent
13541 will tell @value{GDBN} to send the @code{hash} message to @var{object}
13542 and print the result. Also, an additional command has been added,
13543 @code{print-object} or @code{po} for short, which is meant to print
13544 the description of an object. However, this command may only work
13545 with certain Objective-C libraries that have a particular hook
13546 function, @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, defined.
13547
13548 @node OpenCL C
13549 @subsection OpenCL C
13550
13551 @cindex OpenCL C
13552 This section provides information about @value{GDBN}s OpenCL C support.
13553
13554 @menu
13555 * OpenCL C Datatypes::
13556 * OpenCL C Expressions::
13557 * OpenCL C Operators::
13558 @end menu
13559
13560 @node OpenCL C Datatypes
13561 @subsubsection OpenCL C Datatypes
13562
13563 @cindex OpenCL C Datatypes
13564 @value{GDBN} supports the builtin scalar and vector datatypes specified
13565 by OpenCL 1.1. In addition the half- and double-precision floating point
13566 data types of the @code{cl_khr_fp16} and @code{cl_khr_fp64} OpenCL
13567 extensions are also known to @value{GDBN}.
13568
13569 @node OpenCL C Expressions
13570 @subsubsection OpenCL C Expressions
13571
13572 @cindex OpenCL C Expressions
13573 @value{GDBN} supports accesses to vector components including the access as
13574 lvalue where possible. Since OpenCL C is based on C99 most C expressions
13575 supported by @value{GDBN} can be used as well.
13576
13577 @node OpenCL C Operators
13578 @subsubsection OpenCL C Operators
13579
13580 @cindex OpenCL C Operators
13581 @value{GDBN} supports the operators specified by OpenCL 1.1 for scalar and
13582 vector data types.
13583
13584 @node Fortran
13585 @subsection Fortran
13586 @cindex Fortran-specific support in @value{GDBN}
13587
13588 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it
13589 currently supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
13590
13591 @cindex trailing underscore, in Fortran symbols
13592 Some Fortran compilers (@sc{gnu} Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
13593 among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
13594 functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
13595 will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
13596 underscore.
13597
13598 @menu
13599 * Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
13600 * Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
13601 * Special Fortran Commands:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Fortran
13602 @end menu
13603
13604 @node Fortran Operators
13605 @subsubsection Fortran Operators and Expressions
13606
13607 @cindex Fortran operators and expressions
13608
13609 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
13610 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
13611 arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
13612
13613 @table @code
13614 @item **
13615 The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the power
13616 of the second one.
13617
13618 @item :
13619 The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high) to
13620 represent a section of array.
13621
13622 @item %
13623 The access component operator. Normally used to access elements in derived
13624 types. Also suitable for unions. As unions aren't part of regular Fortran,
13625 this can only happen when accessing a register that uses a gdbarch-defined
13626 union type.
13627 @end table
13628
13629 @node Fortran Defaults
13630 @subsubsection Fortran Defaults
13631
13632 @cindex Fortran Defaults
13633
13634 Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so @value{GDBN} by
13635 default uses case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can
13636 change that with the @samp{set case-insensitive} command, see
13637 @ref{Symbols}, for the details.
13638
13639 @node Special Fortran Commands
13640 @subsubsection Special Fortran Commands
13641
13642 @cindex Special Fortran commands
13643
13644 @value{GDBN} has some commands to support Fortran-specific features,
13645 such as displaying common blocks.
13646
13647 @table @code
13648 @cindex @code{COMMON} blocks, Fortran
13649 @kindex info common
13650 @item info common @r{[}@var{common-name}@r{]}
13651 This command prints the values contained in the Fortran @code{COMMON}
13652 block whose name is @var{common-name}. With no argument, the names of
13653 all @code{COMMON} blocks visible at the current program location are
13654 printed.
13655 @end table
13656
13657 @node Pascal
13658 @subsection Pascal
13659
13660 @cindex Pascal support in @value{GDBN}, limitations
13661 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
13662 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
13663 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
13664 syntax.
13665
13666 The Pascal-specific command @code{set print pascal_static-members}
13667 controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed.
13668 @xref{Print Settings, pascal_static-members}.
13669
13670 @node Modula-2
13671 @subsection Modula-2
13672
13673 @cindex Modula-2, @value{GDBN} support
13674
13675 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} to support Modula-2 only support
13676 output from the @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being
13677 developed). Other Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and
13678 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
13679 to give an error as @value{GDBN} reads in the executable's symbol
13680 table.
13681
13682 @cindex expressions in Modula-2
13683 @menu
13684 * M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
13685 * Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
13686 * M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
13687 * M2 Types:: Modula-2 types
13688 * M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
13689 * Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
13690 * M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
13691 * M2 Scope:: The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
13692 * GDB/M2:: @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
13693 @end menu
13694
13695 @node M2 Operators
13696 @subsubsection Operators
13697 @cindex Modula-2 operators
13698
13699 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
13700 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
13701 often defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
13702 following definitions hold:
13703
13704 @itemize @bullet
13705
13706 @item
13707 @emph{Integral types} consist of @code{INTEGER}, @code{CARDINAL}, and
13708 their subranges.
13709
13710 @item
13711 @emph{Character types} consist of @code{CHAR} and its subranges.
13712
13713 @item
13714 @emph{Floating-point types} consist of @code{REAL}.
13715
13716 @item
13717 @emph{Pointer types} consist of anything declared as @code{POINTER TO
13718 @var{type}}.
13719
13720 @item
13721 @emph{Scalar types} consist of all of the above.
13722
13723 @item
13724 @emph{Set types} consist of @code{SET} and @code{BITSET} types.
13725
13726 @item
13727 @emph{Boolean types} consist of @code{BOOLEAN}.
13728 @end itemize
13729
13730 @noindent
13731 The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
13732 increasing precedence:
13733
13734 @table @code
13735 @item ,
13736 Function argument or array index separator.
13737
13738 @item :=
13739 Assignment. The value of @var{var} @code{:=} @var{value} is
13740 @var{value}.
13741
13742 @item <@r{, }>
13743 Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
13744 types.
13745
13746 @item <=@r{, }>=
13747 Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to
13748 on integral, floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on
13749 set types. Same precedence as @code{<}.
13750
13751 @item =@r{, }<>@r{, }#
13752 Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar types.
13753 Same precedence as @code{<}. In @value{GDBN} scripts, only @code{<>} is
13754 available for inequality, since @code{#} conflicts with the script
13755 comment character.
13756
13757 @item IN
13758 Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their members.
13759 Same precedence as @code{<}.
13760
13761 @item OR
13762 Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
13763
13764 @item AND@r{, }&
13765 Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
13766
13767 @item @@
13768 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
13769
13770 @item +@r{, }-
13771 Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or union
13772 and difference on set types.
13773
13774 @item *
13775 Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set intersection
13776 on set types.
13777
13778 @item /
13779 Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on set
13780 types. Same precedence as @code{*}.
13781
13782 @item DIV@r{, }MOD
13783 Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
13784 precedence as @code{*}.
13785
13786 @item -
13787 Negative. Defined on @code{INTEGER} and @code{REAL} data.
13788
13789 @item ^
13790 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
13791
13792 @item NOT
13793 Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
13794 @code{^}.
13795
13796 @item .
13797 @code{RECORD} field selector. Defined on @code{RECORD} data. Same
13798 precedence as @code{^}.
13799
13800 @item []
13801 Array indexing. Defined on @code{ARRAY} data. Same precedence as @code{^}.
13802
13803 @item ()
13804 Procedure argument list. Defined on @code{PROCEDURE} objects. Same precedence
13805 as @code{^}.
13806
13807 @item ::@r{, }.
13808 @value{GDBN} and Modula-2 scope operators.
13809 @end table
13810
13811 @quotation
13812 @emph{Warning:} Set expressions and their operations are not yet supported, so @value{GDBN}
13813 treats the use of the operator @code{IN}, or the use of operators
13814 @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{=}, , @code{<>}, @code{#},
13815 @code{<=}, and @code{>=} on sets as an error.
13816 @end quotation
13817
13818
13819 @node Built-In Func/Proc
13820 @subsubsection Built-in Functions and Procedures
13821 @cindex Modula-2 built-ins
13822
13823 Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
13824 In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
13825
13826 @table @var
13827
13828 @item a
13829 represents an @code{ARRAY} variable.
13830
13831 @item c
13832 represents a @code{CHAR} constant or variable.
13833
13834 @item i
13835 represents a variable or constant of integral type.
13836
13837 @item m
13838 represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in the
13839 same function with the metavariable @var{s}. The type of @var{s} should
13840 be @code{SET OF @var{mtype}} (where @var{mtype} is the type of @var{m}).
13841
13842 @item n
13843 represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point type.
13844
13845 @item r
13846 represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
13847
13848 @item t
13849 represents a type.
13850
13851 @item v
13852 represents a variable.
13853
13854 @item x
13855 represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
13856 explanation of the function for details.
13857 @end table
13858
13859 All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described below.
13860
13861 @table @code
13862 @item ABS(@var{n})
13863 Returns the absolute value of @var{n}.
13864
13865 @item CAP(@var{c})
13866 If @var{c} is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case
13867 equivalent, otherwise it returns its argument.
13868
13869 @item CHR(@var{i})
13870 Returns the character whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
13871
13872 @item DEC(@var{v})
13873 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
13874
13875 @item DEC(@var{v},@var{i})
13876 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
13877 new value.
13878
13879 @item EXCL(@var{m},@var{s})
13880 Removes the element @var{m} from the set @var{s}. Returns the new
13881 set.
13882
13883 @item FLOAT(@var{i})
13884 Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer @var{i}.
13885
13886 @item HIGH(@var{a})
13887 Returns the index of the last member of @var{a}.
13888
13889 @item INC(@var{v})
13890 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
13891
13892 @item INC(@var{v},@var{i})
13893 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
13894 new value.
13895
13896 @item INCL(@var{m},@var{s})
13897 Adds the element @var{m} to the set @var{s} if it is not already
13898 there. Returns the new set.
13899
13900 @item MAX(@var{t})
13901 Returns the maximum value of the type @var{t}.
13902
13903 @item MIN(@var{t})
13904 Returns the minimum value of the type @var{t}.
13905
13906 @item ODD(@var{i})
13907 Returns boolean TRUE if @var{i} is an odd number.
13908
13909 @item ORD(@var{x})
13910 Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the ordinal
13911 value of a character is its @sc{ascii} value (on machines supporting the
13912 @sc{ascii} character set). @var{x} must be of an ordered type, which include
13913 integral, character and enumerated types.
13914
13915 @item SIZE(@var{x})
13916 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
13917
13918 @item TRUNC(@var{r})
13919 Returns the integral part of @var{r}.
13920
13921 @item TSIZE(@var{x})
13922 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
13923
13924 @item VAL(@var{t},@var{i})
13925 Returns the member of the type @var{t} whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
13926 @end table
13927
13928 @quotation
13929 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
13930 @value{GDBN} treats the use of procedures @code{INCL} and @code{EXCL} as
13931 an error.
13932 @end quotation
13933
13934 @cindex Modula-2 constants
13935 @node M2 Constants
13936 @subsubsection Constants
13937
13938 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
13939 ways:
13940
13941 @itemize @bullet
13942
13943 @item
13944 Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
13945 expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with the
13946 rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by a
13947 trailing @samp{H}, and octal integers by a trailing @samp{B}.
13948
13949 @item
13950 Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed by a
13951 decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional exponent can
13952 then be specified, in the form @samp{E@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}, where
13953 @samp{@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}} is the desired exponent. All of the
13954 digits of the floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10)
13955 digits.
13956
13957 @item
13958 Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a pair of
13959 like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}). They may
13960 also be expressed by their ordinal value (their @sc{ascii} value, usually)
13961 followed by a @samp{C}.
13962
13963 @item
13964 String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
13965 pair of like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}).
13966 Escape sequences in the style of C are also allowed. @xref{C
13967 Constants, ,C and C@t{++} Constants}, for a brief explanation of escape
13968 sequences.
13969
13970 @item
13971 Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
13972
13973 @item
13974 Boolean constants consist of the identifiers @code{TRUE} and
13975 @code{FALSE}.
13976
13977 @item
13978 Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
13979
13980 @item
13981 Set constants are not yet supported.
13982 @end itemize
13983
13984 @node M2 Types
13985 @subsubsection Modula-2 Types
13986 @cindex Modula-2 types
13987
13988 Currently @value{GDBN} can print the following data types in Modula-2
13989 syntax: array types, record types, set types, pointer types, procedure
13990 types, enumerated types, subrange types and base types. You can also
13991 print the contents of variables declared using these type.
13992 This section gives a number of simple source code examples together with
13993 sample @value{GDBN} sessions.
13994
13995 The first example contains the following section of code:
13996
13997 @smallexample
13998 VAR
13999 s: SET OF CHAR ;
14000 r: [20..40] ;
14001 @end smallexample
14002
14003 @noindent
14004 and you can request @value{GDBN} to interrogate the type and value of
14005 @code{r} and @code{s}.
14006
14007 @smallexample
14008 (@value{GDBP}) print s
14009 @{'A'..'C', 'Z'@}
14010 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14011 SET OF CHAR
14012 (@value{GDBP}) print r
14013 21
14014 (@value{GDBP}) ptype r
14015 [20..40]
14016 @end smallexample
14017
14018 @noindent
14019 Likewise if your source code declares @code{s} as:
14020
14021 @smallexample
14022 VAR
14023 s: SET ['A'..'Z'] ;
14024 @end smallexample
14025
14026 @noindent
14027 then you may query the type of @code{s} by:
14028
14029 @smallexample
14030 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14031 type = SET ['A'..'Z']
14032 @end smallexample
14033
14034 @noindent
14035 Note that at present you cannot interactively manipulate set
14036 expressions using the debugger.
14037
14038 The following example shows how you might declare an array in Modula-2
14039 and how you can interact with @value{GDBN} to print its type and contents:
14040
14041 @smallexample
14042 VAR
14043 s: ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR ;
14044 @end smallexample
14045
14046 @smallexample
14047 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14048 ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR
14049 @end smallexample
14050
14051 Note that the array handling is not yet complete and although the type
14052 is printed correctly, expression handling still assumes that all
14053 arrays have a lower bound of zero and not @code{-10} as in the example
14054 above.
14055
14056 Here are some more type related Modula-2 examples:
14057
14058 @smallexample
14059 TYPE
14060 colour = (blue, red, yellow, green) ;
14061 t = [blue..yellow] ;
14062 VAR
14063 s: t ;
14064 BEGIN
14065 s := blue ;
14066 @end smallexample
14067
14068 @noindent
14069 The @value{GDBN} interaction shows how you can query the data type
14070 and value of a variable.
14071
14072 @smallexample
14073 (@value{GDBP}) print s
14074 $1 = blue
14075 (@value{GDBP}) ptype t
14076 type = [blue..yellow]
14077 @end smallexample
14078
14079 @noindent
14080 In this example a Modula-2 array is declared and its contents
14081 displayed. Observe that the contents are written in the same way as
14082 their @code{C} counterparts.
14083
14084 @smallexample
14085 VAR
14086 s: ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
14087 BEGIN
14088 s[1] := 1 ;
14089 @end smallexample
14090
14091 @smallexample
14092 (@value{GDBP}) print s
14093 $1 = @{1, 0, 0, 0, 0@}
14094 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14095 type = ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
14096 @end smallexample
14097
14098 The Modula-2 language interface to @value{GDBN} also understands
14099 pointer types as shown in this example:
14100
14101 @smallexample
14102 VAR
14103 s: POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
14104 BEGIN
14105 NEW(s) ;
14106 s^[1] := 1 ;
14107 @end smallexample
14108
14109 @noindent
14110 and you can request that @value{GDBN} describes the type of @code{s}.
14111
14112 @smallexample
14113 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14114 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
14115 @end smallexample
14116
14117 @value{GDBN} handles compound types as we can see in this example.
14118 Here we combine array types, record types, pointer types and subrange
14119 types:
14120
14121 @smallexample
14122 TYPE
14123 foo = RECORD
14124 f1: CARDINAL ;
14125 f2: CHAR ;
14126 f3: myarray ;
14127 END ;
14128
14129 myarray = ARRAY myrange OF CARDINAL ;
14130 myrange = [-2..2] ;
14131 VAR
14132 s: POINTER TO ARRAY myrange OF foo ;
14133 @end smallexample
14134
14135 @noindent
14136 and you can ask @value{GDBN} to describe the type of @code{s} as shown
14137 below.
14138
14139 @smallexample
14140 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
14141 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [-2..2] OF foo = RECORD
14142 f1 : CARDINAL;
14143 f2 : CHAR;
14144 f3 : ARRAY [-2..2] OF CARDINAL;
14145 END
14146 @end smallexample
14147
14148 @node M2 Defaults
14149 @subsubsection Modula-2 Defaults
14150 @cindex Modula-2 defaults
14151
14152 If type and range checking are set automatically by @value{GDBN}, they
14153 both default to @code{on} whenever the working language changes to
14154 Modula-2. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
14155 selected the working language.
14156
14157 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, then entering
14158 code compiled from a file whose name ends with @file{.mod} sets the
14159 working language to Modula-2. @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN}
14160 Infer the Source Language}, for further details.
14161
14162 @node Deviations
14163 @subsubsection Deviations from Standard Modula-2
14164 @cindex Modula-2, deviations from
14165
14166 A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
14167 This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
14168
14169 @itemize @bullet
14170 @item
14171 Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
14172 integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
14173 debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in a
14174 pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
14175 through direct assignment to another pointer variable or expression that
14176 returned a pointer.)
14177
14178 @item
14179 C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to represent
14180 non-printable characters. @value{GDBN} prints out strings with these
14181 escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters are
14182 printed using the @samp{CHR(@var{nnn})} format.
14183
14184 @item
14185 The assignment operator (@code{:=}) returns the value of its right-hand
14186 argument.
14187
14188 @item
14189 All built-in procedures both modify @emph{and} return their argument.
14190 @end itemize
14191
14192 @node M2 Checks
14193 @subsubsection Modula-2 Type and Range Checks
14194 @cindex Modula-2 checks
14195
14196 @quotation
14197 @emph{Warning:} in this release, @value{GDBN} does not yet perform type or
14198 range checking.
14199 @end quotation
14200 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range checks added
14201
14202 @value{GDBN} considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
14203
14204 @itemize @bullet
14205 @item
14206 They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a @code{TYPE
14207 @var{t1} = @var{t2}} statement
14208
14209 @item
14210 They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of the
14211 @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other compilers.)
14212 @end itemize
14213
14214 As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
14215 whose types are not equivalent is an error.
14216
14217 Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment, array
14218 index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.
14219
14220 @node M2 Scope
14221 @subsubsection The Scope Operators @code{::} and @code{.}
14222 @cindex scope
14223 @cindex @code{.}, Modula-2 scope operator
14224 @cindex colon, doubled as scope operator
14225 @ifinfo
14226 @vindex colon-colon@r{, in Modula-2}
14227 @c Info cannot handle :: but TeX can.
14228 @end ifinfo
14229 @ifnotinfo
14230 @vindex ::@r{, in Modula-2}
14231 @end ifnotinfo
14232
14233 There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
14234 (@code{.}) and the @value{GDBN} scope operator (@code{::}). The two have
14235 similar syntax:
14236
14237 @smallexample
14238
14239 @var{module} . @var{id}
14240 @var{scope} :: @var{id}
14241 @end smallexample
14242
14243 @noindent
14244 where @var{scope} is the name of a module or a procedure,
14245 @var{module} the name of a module, and @var{id} is any declared
14246 identifier within your program, except another module.
14247
14248 Using the @code{::} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the scope
14249 specified by @var{scope} for the identifier @var{id}. If it is not
14250 found in the specified scope, then @value{GDBN} searches all scopes
14251 enclosing the one specified by @var{scope}.
14252
14253 Using the @code{.} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the current scope for
14254 the identifier specified by @var{id} that was imported from the
14255 definition module specified by @var{module}. With this operator, it is
14256 an error if the identifier @var{id} was not imported from definition
14257 module @var{module}, or if @var{id} is not an identifier in
14258 @var{module}.
14259
14260 @node GDB/M2
14261 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
14262
14263 Some @value{GDBN} commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
14264 Five subcommands of @code{set print} and @code{show print} apply
14265 specifically to C and C@t{++}: @samp{vtbl}, @samp{demangle},
14266 @samp{asm-demangle}, @samp{object}, and @samp{union}. The first four
14267 apply to C@t{++}, and the last to the C @code{union} type, which has no direct
14268 analogue in Modula-2.
14269
14270 The @code{@@} operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), while available
14271 with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its
14272 intent is to aid the debugging of @dfn{dynamic arrays}, which cannot be
14273 created in Modula-2 as they can in C or C@t{++}. However, because an
14274 address can be specified by an integral constant, the construct
14275 @samp{@{@var{type}@}@var{adrexp}} is still useful.
14276
14277 @cindex @code{#} in Modula-2
14278 In @value{GDBN} scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator @code{#} is
14279 interpreted as the beginning of a comment. Use @code{<>} instead.
14280
14281 @node Ada
14282 @subsection Ada
14283 @cindex Ada
14284
14285 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} for Ada only support
14286 output from the @sc{gnu} Ada (GNAT) compiler.
14287 Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
14288 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
14289 to be difficult.
14290
14291
14292 @cindex expressions in Ada
14293 @menu
14294 * Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
14295 and semantics supported by Ada mode
14296 in @value{GDBN}.
14297 * Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
14298 * Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
14299 * Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
14300 * Ada Tasks:: Listing and setting breakpoints in tasks.
14301 * Ada Tasks and Core Files:: Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
14302 * Ravenscar Profile:: Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar
14303 Profile
14304 * Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.
14305 @end menu
14306
14307 @node Ada Mode Intro
14308 @subsubsection Introduction
14309 @cindex Ada mode, general
14310
14311 The Ada mode of @value{GDBN} supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
14312 syntax, with some extensions.
14313 The philosophy behind the design of this subset is
14314
14315 @itemize @bullet
14316 @item
14317 That @value{GDBN} should provide basic literals and access to operations for
14318 arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and subprogram calls,
14319 leaving more sophisticated computations to subprograms written into the
14320 program (which therefore may be called from @value{GDBN}).
14321
14322 @item
14323 That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
14324 are not particularly important to the @value{GDBN} user.
14325
14326 @item
14327 That brevity is important to the @value{GDBN} user.
14328 @end itemize
14329
14330 Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if all names declared in
14331 user-written packages are directly visible, even if they are not visible
14332 according to Ada rules, thus making it unnecessary to fully qualify most
14333 names with their packages, regardless of context. Where this causes
14334 ambiguity, @value{GDBN} asks the user's intent.
14335
14336 The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main program.
14337 As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped in a program that
14338 was translated from an Ada source file.
14339
14340 While in Ada mode, you may use `@t{--}' for comments. This is useful
14341 mostly for documenting command files. The standard @value{GDBN} comment
14342 (@samp{#}) still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
14343 middle (to allow based literals).
14344
14345 The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call in which
14346 the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the number of
14347 actual parameters and some information about their types to attempt to narrow
14348 the set of definitions. It also makes very limited use of context, preferring
14349 procedures to functions in the context of the @code{call} command, and
14350 functions to procedures elsewhere.
14351
14352 @node Omissions from Ada
14353 @subsubsection Omissions from Ada
14354 @cindex Ada, omissions from
14355
14356 Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
14357
14358 @itemize @bullet
14359 @item
14360 Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
14361
14362 @itemize @minus
14363 @item
14364 @t{'First}, @t{'Last}, and @t{'Length}
14365 on array objects (not on types and subtypes).
14366
14367 @item
14368 @t{'Min} and @t{'Max}.
14369
14370 @item
14371 @t{'Pos} and @t{'Val}.
14372
14373 @item
14374 @t{'Tag}.
14375
14376 @item
14377 @t{'Range} on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
14378 operand of the membership (@code{in}) operator.
14379
14380 @item
14381 @t{'Access}, @t{'Unchecked_Access}, and
14382 @t{'Unrestricted_Access} (a GNAT extension).
14383
14384 @item
14385 @t{'Address}.
14386 @end itemize
14387
14388 @item
14389 The names in
14390 @code{Characters.Latin_1} are not available and
14391 concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in strings are
14392 not currently available.
14393
14394 @item
14395 Equality tests (@samp{=} and @samp{/=}) on arrays test for bitwise
14396 equality of representations. They will generally work correctly
14397 for strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration types.
14398 They may not work correctly for arrays whose element
14399 types have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values
14400 (in particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
14401 zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused bits with
14402 indeterminate values.
14403
14404 @item
14405 The other component-by-component array operations (@code{and}, @code{or},
14406 @code{xor}, @code{not}, and relational tests other than equality)
14407 are not implemented.
14408
14409 @item
14410 @cindex array aggregates (Ada)
14411 @cindex record aggregates (Ada)
14412 @cindex aggregates (Ada)
14413 There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
14414 permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these examples:
14415
14416 @smallexample
14417 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
14418 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
14419 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
14420 (@value{GDBP}) set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
14421 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
14422 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
14423 @end smallexample
14424
14425 Changing a
14426 discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
14427 undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
14428 However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning to
14429 them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then performing an
14430 aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable @code{A_Rec}
14431 declared to have a type such as:
14432
14433 @smallexample
14434 type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
14435 Id : Integer;
14436 Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
14437 end record;
14438 @end smallexample
14439
14440 you can assign a value with a different size of @code{Vals} with two
14441 assignments:
14442
14443 @smallexample
14444 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec.Len := 4
14445 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
14446 @end smallexample
14447
14448 As this example also illustrates, @value{GDBN} is very loose about the usual
14449 rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
14450 components of an array or record aggregate (such as the @code{Len}
14451 component in the assignment to @code{A_Rec} above); they will retain their
14452 original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic values as
14453 indices in component associations. You may even use overlapping or
14454 redundant component associations, although which component values are
14455 assigned in such cases is not defined.
14456
14457 @item
14458 Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
14459
14460 @item
14461 The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less selective)
14462 than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of the context in
14463 which a subexpression appears to resolve its meaning, and it is much
14464 looser in its rules for allowing type matches. As a result, some
14465 function calls will be ambiguous, and the user will be asked to choose
14466 the proper resolution.
14467
14468 @item
14469 The @code{new} operator is not implemented.
14470
14471 @item
14472 Entry calls are not implemented.
14473
14474 @item
14475 Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX floating-point
14476 formats are not supported.
14477
14478 @item
14479 It is not possible to slice a packed array.
14480
14481 @item
14482 The names @code{True} and @code{False}, when not part of a qualified name,
14483 are interpreted as if implicitly prefixed by @code{Standard}, regardless of
14484 context.
14485 Should your program
14486 redefine these names in a package or procedure (at best a dubious practice),
14487 you will have to use fully qualified names to access their new definitions.
14488 @end itemize
14489
14490 @node Additions to Ada
14491 @subsubsection Additions to Ada
14492 @cindex Ada, deviations from
14493
14494 As it does for other languages, @value{GDBN} makes certain generic
14495 extensions to Ada (@pxref{Expressions}):
14496
14497 @itemize @bullet
14498 @item
14499 If the expression @var{E} is a variable residing in memory (typically
14500 a local variable or array element) and @var{N} is a positive integer,
14501 then @code{@var{E}@@@var{N}} displays the values of @var{E} and the
14502 @var{N}-1 adjacent variables following it in memory as an array. In
14503 Ada, this operator is generally not necessary, since its prime use is
14504 in displaying parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in
14505 Ada. However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs in
14506 which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
14507
14508 @item
14509 @code{@var{B}::@var{var}} means ``the variable named @var{var} that
14510 appears in function or file @var{B}.'' When @var{B} is a file name,
14511 you must typically surround it in single quotes.
14512
14513 @item
14514 The expression @code{@{@var{type}@} @var{addr}} means ``the variable of type
14515 @var{type} that appears at address @var{addr}.''
14516
14517 @item
14518 A name starting with @samp{$} is a convenience variable
14519 (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) or a machine register (@pxref{Registers}).
14520 @end itemize
14521
14522 In addition, @value{GDBN} provides a few other shortcuts and outright
14523 additions specific to Ada:
14524
14525 @itemize @bullet
14526 @item
14527 The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
14528 its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
14529
14530 @smallexample
14531 (@value{GDBP}) set x := y + 3
14532 (@value{GDBP}) print A(tmp := y + 1)
14533 @end smallexample
14534
14535 @item
14536 The semicolon is allowed as an ``operator,'' returning as its value
14537 the value of its right-hand operand.
14538 This allows, for example,
14539 complex conditional breaks:
14540
14541 @smallexample
14542 (@value{GDBP}) break f
14543 (@value{GDBP}) condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
14544 @end smallexample
14545
14546 @item
14547 Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to introduce special
14548 characters into strings, one may instead use a special bracket notation,
14549 which is also used to print strings. A sequence of characters of the form
14550 @samp{["@var{XX}"]} within a string or character literal denotes the
14551 (single) character whose numeric encoding is @var{XX} in hexadecimal. The
14552 sequence of characters @samp{["""]} also denotes a single quotation mark
14553 in strings. For example,
14554 @smallexample
14555 "One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
14556 @end smallexample
14557 @noindent
14558 contains an ASCII newline character (@code{Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF})
14559 after each period.
14560
14561 @item
14562 The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes @t{'Pos}, @t{'Min}, and
14563 @t{'Max} is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is valid
14564 to write
14565
14566 @smallexample
14567 (@value{GDBP}) print 'max(x, y)
14568 @end smallexample
14569
14570 @item
14571 When printing arrays, @value{GDBN} uses positional notation when the
14572 array has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation otherwise.
14573 For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers with a lower bound
14574 of 3 might print as
14575
14576 @smallexample
14577 (3 => 10, 17, 1)
14578 @end smallexample
14579
14580 @noindent
14581 That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a @code{=>}
14582 clause.
14583
14584 @item
14585 You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
14586 multi-character subsequence of
14587 their names (an exact match gets preference).
14588 For example, you may use @t{a'len}, @t{a'gth}, or @t{a'lh}
14589 in place of @t{a'length}.
14590
14591 @item
14592 @cindex quoting Ada internal identifiers
14593 Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps identifiers you type
14594 to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses upper-case characters for
14595 some of its internal identifiers, which are normally of no interest to users.
14596 For the rare occasions when you actually have to look at them,
14597 enclose them in angle brackets to avoid the lower-case mapping.
14598 For example,
14599 @smallexample
14600 (@value{GDBP}) print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
14601 @end smallexample
14602
14603 @item
14604 Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
14605 access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the object's
14606 specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag). Likewise, component
14607 selection on such a value will operate on the specific type of the
14608 object.
14609
14610 @end itemize
14611
14612 @node Stopping Before Main Program
14613 @subsubsection Stopping at the Very Beginning
14614
14615 @cindex breakpointing Ada elaboration code
14616 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
14617 before reaching the main procedure.
14618 As defined in the Ada Reference
14619 Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
14620 @code{adainit}. To run your program up to the beginning of
14621 elaboration, simply use the following two commands:
14622 @code{tbreak adainit} and @code{run}.
14623
14624 @node Ada Tasks
14625 @subsubsection Extensions for Ada Tasks
14626 @cindex Ada, tasking
14627
14628 Support for Ada tasks is analogous to that for threads (@pxref{Threads}).
14629 @value{GDBN} provides the following task-related commands:
14630
14631 @table @code
14632 @kindex info tasks
14633 @item info tasks
14634 This command shows a list of current Ada tasks, as in the following example:
14635
14636
14637 @smallexample
14638 @iftex
14639 @leftskip=0.5cm
14640 @end iftex
14641 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14642 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14643 1 8088000 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14644 2 80a4000 1 15 Accept Statement b
14645 3 809a800 1 15 Child Activation Wait a
14646 * 4 80ae800 3 15 Runnable c
14647
14648 @end smallexample
14649
14650 @noindent
14651 In this listing, the asterisk before the last task indicates it to be the
14652 task currently being inspected.
14653
14654 @table @asis
14655 @item ID
14656 Represents @value{GDBN}'s internal task number.
14657
14658 @item TID
14659 The Ada task ID.
14660
14661 @item P-ID
14662 The parent's task ID (@value{GDBN}'s internal task number).
14663
14664 @item Pri
14665 The base priority of the task.
14666
14667 @item State
14668 Current state of the task.
14669
14670 @table @code
14671 @item Unactivated
14672 The task has been created but has not been activated. It cannot be
14673 executing.
14674
14675 @item Runnable
14676 The task is not blocked for any reason known to Ada. (It may be waiting
14677 for a mutex, though.) It is conceptually "executing" in normal mode.
14678
14679 @item Terminated
14680 The task is terminated, in the sense of ARM 9.3 (5). Any dependents
14681 that were waiting on terminate alternatives have been awakened and have
14682 terminated themselves.
14683
14684 @item Child Activation Wait
14685 The task is waiting for created tasks to complete activation.
14686
14687 @item Accept Statement
14688 The task is waiting on an accept or selective wait statement.
14689
14690 @item Waiting on entry call
14691 The task is waiting on an entry call.
14692
14693 @item Async Select Wait
14694 The task is waiting to start the abortable part of an asynchronous
14695 select statement.
14696
14697 @item Delay Sleep
14698 The task is waiting on a select statement with only a delay
14699 alternative open.
14700
14701 @item Child Termination Wait
14702 The task is sleeping having completed a master within itself, and is
14703 waiting for the tasks dependent on that master to become terminated or
14704 waiting on a terminate Phase.
14705
14706 @item Wait Child in Term Alt
14707 The task is sleeping waiting for tasks on terminate alternatives to
14708 finish terminating.
14709
14710 @item Accepting RV with @var{taskno}
14711 The task is accepting a rendez-vous with the task @var{taskno}.
14712 @end table
14713
14714 @item Name
14715 Name of the task in the program.
14716
14717 @end table
14718
14719 @kindex info task @var{taskno}
14720 @item info task @var{taskno}
14721 This command shows detailled informations on the specified task, as in
14722 the following example:
14723 @smallexample
14724 @iftex
14725 @leftskip=0.5cm
14726 @end iftex
14727 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14728 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14729 1 8077880 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14730 * 2 807c468 1 15 Runnable task_1
14731 (@value{GDBP}) info task 2
14732 Ada Task: 0x807c468
14733 Name: task_1
14734 Thread: 0x807f378
14735 Parent: 1 (main_task)
14736 Base Priority: 15
14737 State: Runnable
14738 @end smallexample
14739
14740 @item task
14741 @kindex task@r{ (Ada)}
14742 @cindex current Ada task ID
14743 This command prints the ID of the current task.
14744
14745 @smallexample
14746 @iftex
14747 @leftskip=0.5cm
14748 @end iftex
14749 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14750 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14751 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14752 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
14753 (@value{GDBP}) task
14754 [Current task is 2]
14755 @end smallexample
14756
14757 @item task @var{taskno}
14758 @cindex Ada task switching
14759 This command is like the @code{thread @var{threadno}}
14760 command (@pxref{Threads}). It switches the context of debugging
14761 from the current task to the given task.
14762
14763 @smallexample
14764 @iftex
14765 @leftskip=0.5cm
14766 @end iftex
14767 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14768 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14769 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14770 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
14771 (@value{GDBP}) task 1
14772 [Switching to task 1]
14773 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
14774 (@value{GDBP}) bt
14775 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
14776 #1 0x8056714 in system.os_interface.pthread_cond_wait ()
14777 #2 0x805cb63 in system.task_primitives.operations.sleep ()
14778 #3 0x806153e in system.tasking.stages.activate_tasks ()
14779 #4 0x804aacc in un () at un.adb:5
14780 @end smallexample
14781
14782 @item break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno}
14783 @itemx break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno} if @dots{}
14784 @cindex breakpoints and tasks, in Ada
14785 @cindex task breakpoints, in Ada
14786 @kindex break @dots{} task @var{taskno}@r{ (Ada)}
14787 These commands are like the @code{break @dots{} thread @dots{}}
14788 command (@pxref{Thread Stops}).
14789 @var{linespec} specifies source lines, as described
14790 in @ref{Specify Location}.
14791
14792 Use the qualifier @samp{task @var{taskno}} with a breakpoint command
14793 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
14794 particular Ada task reaches this breakpoint. @var{taskno} is one of the
14795 numeric task identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
14796 column of the @samp{info tasks} display.
14797
14798 If you do not specify @samp{task @var{taskno}} when you set a
14799 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} tasks of your
14800 program.
14801
14802 You can use the @code{task} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
14803 well; in this case, place @samp{task @var{taskno}} before the
14804 breakpoint condition (before the @code{if}).
14805
14806 For example,
14807
14808 @smallexample
14809 @iftex
14810 @leftskip=0.5cm
14811 @end iftex
14812 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14813 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14814 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14815 2 140045060 1 15 Accept/Select Wait t2
14816 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
14817 * 4 140056040 1 15 Runnable t3
14818 (@value{GDBP}) b 15 task 2
14819 Breakpoint 5 at 0x120044cb0: file test_task_debug.adb, line 15.
14820 (@value{GDBP}) cont
14821 Continuing.
14822 task # 1 running
14823 task # 2 running
14824
14825 Breakpoint 5, test_task_debug () at test_task_debug.adb:15
14826 15 flush;
14827 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
14828 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
14829 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
14830 * 2 140045060 1 15 Runnable t2
14831 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
14832 4 140056040 1 15 Delay Sleep t3
14833 @end smallexample
14834 @end table
14835
14836 @node Ada Tasks and Core Files
14837 @subsubsection Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
14838 @cindex Ada tasking and core file debugging
14839
14840 When inspecting a core file, as opposed to debugging a live program,
14841 tasking support may be limited or even unavailable, depending on
14842 the platform being used.
14843 For instance, on x86-linux, the list of tasks is available, but task
14844 switching is not supported. On Tru64, however, task switching will work
14845 as usual.
14846
14847 On certain platforms, including Tru64, the debugger needs to perform some
14848 memory writes in order to provide Ada tasking support. When inspecting
14849 a core file, this means that the core file must be opened with read-write
14850 privileges, using the command @samp{"set write on"} (@pxref{Patching}).
14851 Under these circumstances, you should make a backup copy of the core
14852 file before inspecting it with @value{GDBN}.
14853
14854 @node Ravenscar Profile
14855 @subsubsection Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar Profile
14856 @cindex Ravenscar Profile
14857
14858 The @dfn{Ravenscar Profile} is a subset of the Ada tasking features,
14859 specifically designed for systems with safety-critical real-time
14860 requirements.
14861
14862 @table @code
14863 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching on
14864 @cindex task switching with program using Ravenscar Profile
14865 @item set ravenscar task-switching on
14866 Allows task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
14867 Profile. This is the default.
14868
14869 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching off
14870 @item set ravenscar task-switching off
14871 Turn off task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
14872 Profile. This is mostly intended to disable the code that adds support
14873 for the Ravenscar Profile, in case a bug in either @value{GDBN} or in
14874 the Ravenscar runtime is preventing @value{GDBN} from working properly.
14875 To be effective, this command should be run before the program is started.
14876
14877 @kindex show ravenscar task-switching
14878 @item show ravenscar task-switching
14879 Show whether it is possible to switch from task to task in a program
14880 using the Ravenscar Profile.
14881
14882 @end table
14883
14884 @node Ada Glitches
14885 @subsubsection Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
14886 @cindex Ada, problems
14887
14888 Besides the omissions listed previously (@pxref{Omissions from Ada}),
14889 we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in
14890 @value{GDBN},
14891 some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
14892 and the GNU Ada compiler.
14893
14894 @itemize @bullet
14895 @item
14896 Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as objects in
14897 storage are invisible to the debugger.
14898
14899 @item
14900 Named parameter associations in function argument lists are ignored (the
14901 argument lists are treated as positional).
14902
14903 @item
14904 Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the debugger.
14905
14906 @item
14907 Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried out using
14908 floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that only approximate those on
14909 the host machine.
14910
14911 @item
14912 The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix @code{Standard} for any of
14913 the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. @value{GDBN} knows about
14914 this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and will never
14915 look for a name you have so qualified among local symbols, nor match against
14916 symbols in other packages or subprograms. If you have
14917 defined entities anywhere in your program other than parameters and
14918 local variables whose simple names match names in @code{Standard},
14919 GNAT's lack of qualification here can cause confusion. When this happens,
14920 you can usually resolve the confusion
14921 by qualifying the problematic names with package
14922 @code{Standard} explicitly.
14923 @end itemize
14924
14925 Older versions of the compiler sometimes generate erroneous debugging
14926 information, resulting in the debugger incorrectly printing the value
14927 of affected entities. In some cases, the debugger is able to work
14928 around an issue automatically. In other cases, the debugger is able
14929 to work around the issue, but the work-around has to be specifically
14930 enabled.
14931
14932 @kindex set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
14933 @kindex show ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
14934 @table @code
14935
14936 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS on
14937 Configure GDB to strictly follow the GNAT encoding when computing the
14938 value of Ada entities, particularly when @code{PAD} and @code{PAD___XVS}
14939 types are involved (see @code{ada/exp_dbug.ads} in the GCC sources for
14940 a complete description of the encoding used by the GNAT compiler).
14941 This is the default.
14942
14943 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS off
14944 This is related to the encoding using by the GNAT compiler. If @value{GDBN}
14945 sometimes prints the wrong value for certain entities, changing @code{ada
14946 trust-PAD-over-XVS} to @code{off} activates a work-around which may fix
14947 the issue. It is always safe to set @code{ada trust-PAD-over-XVS} to
14948 @code{off}, but this incurs a slight performance penalty, so it is
14949 recommended to leave this setting to @code{on} unless necessary.
14950
14951 @end table
14952
14953 @node Unsupported Languages
14954 @section Unsupported Languages
14955
14956 @cindex unsupported languages
14957 @cindex minimal language
14958 In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages,
14959 @value{GDBN} also provides a pseudo-language, called @code{minimal}.
14960 It does not represent a real programming language, but provides a set
14961 of capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide.
14962 This should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging
14963 an application that uses a language currently not supported by @value{GDBN}.
14964
14965 If the language is set to @code{auto}, @value{GDBN} will automatically
14966 select this language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported
14967 language.
14968
14969 @node Symbols
14970 @chapter Examining the Symbol Table
14971
14972 The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
14973 symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
14974 program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
14975 does not change as your program executes. @value{GDBN} finds it in your
14976 program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started @value{GDBN}
14977 (@pxref{File Options, ,Choosing Files}), or by one of the
14978 file-management commands (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
14979
14980 @cindex symbol names
14981 @cindex names of symbols
14982 @cindex quoting names
14983 Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
14984 characters, which @value{GDBN} ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The
14985 most frequent case is in referring to static variables in other
14986 source files (@pxref{Variables,,Program Variables}). File names
14987 are recorded in object files as debugging symbols, but @value{GDBN} would
14988 ordinarily parse a typical file name, like @file{foo.c}, as the three words
14989 @samp{foo} @samp{.} @samp{c}. To allow @value{GDBN} to recognize
14990 @samp{foo.c} as a single symbol, enclose it in single quotes; for example,
14991
14992 @smallexample
14993 p 'foo.c'::x
14994 @end smallexample
14995
14996 @noindent
14997 looks up the value of @code{x} in the scope of the file @file{foo.c}.
14998
14999 @table @code
15000 @cindex case-insensitive symbol names
15001 @cindex case sensitivity in symbol names
15002 @kindex set case-sensitive
15003 @item set case-sensitive on
15004 @itemx set case-sensitive off
15005 @itemx set case-sensitive auto
15006 Normally, when @value{GDBN} looks up symbols, it matches their names
15007 with case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
15008 Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command @code{set
15009 case-sensitive} lets you do that by specifying @code{on} for
15010 case-sensitive matches or @code{off} for case-insensitive ones. If
15011 you specify @code{auto}, case sensitivity is reset to the default
15012 suitable for the source language. The default is case-sensitive
15013 matches for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
15014 case-insensitive matches.
15015
15016 @kindex show case-sensitive
15017 @item show case-sensitive
15018 This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for symbols
15019 lookups.
15020
15021 @kindex set print type methods
15022 @item set print type methods
15023 @itemx set print type methods on
15024 @itemx set print type methods off
15025 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a class, it displays any methods
15026 declared in that class. You can control this behavior either by
15027 passing the appropriate flag to @code{ptype}, or using @command{set
15028 print type methods}. Specifying @code{on} will cause @value{GDBN} to
15029 display the methods; this is the default. Specifying @code{off} will
15030 cause @value{GDBN} to omit the methods.
15031
15032 @kindex show print type methods
15033 @item show print type methods
15034 This command shows the current setting of method display when printing
15035 classes.
15036
15037 @kindex set print type typedefs
15038 @item set print type typedefs
15039 @itemx set print type typedefs on
15040 @itemx set print type typedefs off
15041
15042 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a class, it displays any typedefs
15043 defined in that class. You can control this behavior either by
15044 passing the appropriate flag to @code{ptype}, or using @command{set
15045 print type typedefs}. Specifying @code{on} will cause @value{GDBN} to
15046 display the typedef definitions; this is the default. Specifying
15047 @code{off} will cause @value{GDBN} to omit the typedef definitions.
15048 Note that this controls whether the typedef definition itself is
15049 printed, not whether typedef names are substituted when printing other
15050 types.
15051
15052 @kindex show print type typedefs
15053 @item show print type typedefs
15054 This command shows the current setting of typedef display when
15055 printing classes.
15056
15057 @kindex info address
15058 @cindex address of a symbol
15059 @item info address @var{symbol}
15060 Describe where the data for @var{symbol} is stored. For a register
15061 variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a non-register
15062 local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at which the variable
15063 is always stored.
15064
15065 Note the contrast with @samp{print &@var{symbol}}, which does not work
15066 at all for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints
15067 the exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
15068
15069 @kindex info symbol
15070 @cindex symbol from address
15071 @cindex closest symbol and offset for an address
15072 @item info symbol @var{addr}
15073 Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address @var{addr}.
15074 If no symbol is stored exactly at @var{addr}, @value{GDBN} prints the
15075 nearest symbol and an offset from it:
15076
15077 @smallexample
15078 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x54320
15079 _initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
15080 @end smallexample
15081
15082 @noindent
15083 This is the opposite of the @code{info address} command. You can use
15084 it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its address.
15085
15086 For dynamically linked executables, the name of executable or shared
15087 library containing the symbol is also printed:
15088
15089 @smallexample
15090 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x400225
15091 _start + 5 in section .text of /tmp/a.out
15092 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x2aaaac2811cf
15093 __read_nocancel + 6 in section .text of /usr/lib64/libc.so.6
15094 @end smallexample
15095
15096 @kindex whatis
15097 @item whatis[/@var{flags}] [@var{arg}]
15098 Print the data type of @var{arg}, which can be either an expression
15099 or a name of a data type. With no argument, print the data type of
15100 @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
15101
15102 If @var{arg} is an expression (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), it
15103 is not actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
15104 assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place.
15105
15106 If @var{arg} is a variable or an expression, @code{whatis} prints its
15107 literal type as it is used in the source code. If the type was
15108 defined using a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will @emph{not} print
15109 the data type underlying the @code{typedef}. If the type of the
15110 variable or the expression is a compound data type, such as
15111 @code{struct} or @code{class}, @code{whatis} never prints their
15112 fields or methods. It just prints the @code{struct}/@code{class}
15113 name (a.k.a.@: its @dfn{tag}). If you want to see the members of
15114 such a compound data type, use @code{ptype}.
15115
15116 If @var{arg} is a type name that was defined using @code{typedef},
15117 @code{whatis} @dfn{unrolls} only one level of that @code{typedef}.
15118 Unrolling means that @code{whatis} will show the underlying type used
15119 in the @code{typedef} declaration of @var{arg}. However, if that
15120 underlying type is also a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will not
15121 unroll it.
15122
15123 For C code, the type names may also have the form @samp{class
15124 @var{class-name}}, @samp{struct @var{struct-tag}}, @samp{union
15125 @var{union-tag}} or @samp{enum @var{enum-tag}}.
15126
15127 @var{flags} can be used to modify how the type is displayed.
15128 Available flags are:
15129
15130 @table @code
15131 @item r
15132 Display in ``raw'' form. Normally, @value{GDBN} substitutes template
15133 parameters and typedefs defined in a class when printing the class'
15134 members. The @code{/r} flag disables this.
15135
15136 @item m
15137 Do not print methods defined in the class.
15138
15139 @item M
15140 Print methods defined in the class. This is the default, but the flag
15141 exists in case you change the default with @command{set print type methods}.
15142
15143 @item t
15144 Do not print typedefs defined in the class. Note that this controls
15145 whether the typedef definition itself is printed, not whether typedef
15146 names are substituted when printing other types.
15147
15148 @item T
15149 Print typedefs defined in the class. This is the default, but the flag
15150 exists in case you change the default with @command{set print type typedefs}.
15151 @end table
15152
15153 @kindex ptype
15154 @item ptype[/@var{flags}] [@var{arg}]
15155 @code{ptype} accepts the same arguments as @code{whatis}, but prints a
15156 detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the type.
15157 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
15158
15159 Contrary to @code{whatis}, @code{ptype} always unrolls any
15160 @code{typedef}s in its argument declaration, whether the argument is
15161 a variable, expression, or a data type. This means that @code{ptype}
15162 of a variable or an expression will not print literally its type as
15163 present in the source code---use @code{whatis} for that. @code{typedef}s at
15164 the pointer or reference targets are also unrolled. Only @code{typedef}s of
15165 fields, methods and inner @code{class typedef}s of @code{struct}s,
15166 @code{class}es and @code{union}s are not unrolled even with @code{ptype}.
15167
15168 For example, for this variable declaration:
15169
15170 @smallexample
15171 typedef double real_t;
15172 struct complex @{ real_t real; double imag; @};
15173 typedef struct complex complex_t;
15174 complex_t var;
15175 real_t *real_pointer_var;
15176 @end smallexample
15177
15178 @noindent
15179 the two commands give this output:
15180
15181 @smallexample
15182 @group
15183 (@value{GDBP}) whatis var
15184 type = complex_t
15185 (@value{GDBP}) ptype var
15186 type = struct complex @{
15187 real_t real;
15188 double imag;
15189 @}
15190 (@value{GDBP}) whatis complex_t
15191 type = struct complex
15192 (@value{GDBP}) whatis struct complex
15193 type = struct complex
15194 (@value{GDBP}) ptype struct complex
15195 type = struct complex @{
15196 real_t real;
15197 double imag;
15198 @}
15199 (@value{GDBP}) whatis real_pointer_var
15200 type = real_t *
15201 (@value{GDBP}) ptype real_pointer_var
15202 type = double *
15203 @end group
15204 @end smallexample
15205
15206 @noindent
15207 As with @code{whatis}, using @code{ptype} without an argument refers to
15208 the type of @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
15209
15210 @cindex incomplete type
15211 Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete specifications
15212 of complex data structure. If the debug information included in the
15213 program does not allow @value{GDBN} to display a full declaration of
15214 the data type, it will say @samp{<incomplete type>}. For example,
15215 given these declarations:
15216
15217 @smallexample
15218 struct foo;
15219 struct foo *fooptr;
15220 @end smallexample
15221
15222 @noindent
15223 but no definition for @code{struct foo} itself, @value{GDBN} will say:
15224
15225 @smallexample
15226 (@value{GDBP}) ptype foo
15227 $1 = <incomplete type>
15228 @end smallexample
15229
15230 @noindent
15231 ``Incomplete type'' is C terminology for data types that are not
15232 completely specified.
15233
15234 @kindex info types
15235 @item info types @var{regexp}
15236 @itemx info types
15237 Print a brief description of all types whose names match the regular
15238 expression @var{regexp} (or all types in your program, if you supply
15239 no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though it were a
15240 complete line; thus, @samp{i type value} gives information on all
15241 types in your program whose names include the string @code{value}, but
15242 @samp{i type ^value$} gives information only on types whose complete
15243 name is @code{value}.
15244
15245 This command differs from @code{ptype} in two ways: first, like
15246 @code{whatis}, it does not print a detailed description; second, it
15247 lists all source files where a type is defined.
15248
15249 @kindex info type-printers
15250 @item info type-printers
15251 Versions of @value{GDBN} that ship with Python scripting enabled may
15252 have ``type printers'' available. When using @command{ptype} or
15253 @command{whatis}, these printers are consulted when the name of a type
15254 is needed. @xref{Type Printing API}, for more information on writing
15255 type printers.
15256
15257 @code{info type-printers} displays all the available type printers.
15258
15259 @kindex enable type-printer
15260 @kindex disable type-printer
15261 @item enable type-printer @var{name}@dots{}
15262 @item disable type-printer @var{name}@dots{}
15263 These commands can be used to enable or disable type printers.
15264
15265 @kindex info scope
15266 @cindex local variables
15267 @item info scope @var{location}
15268 List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
15269 accepts a @var{location} argument---a function name, a source line, or
15270 an address preceded by a @samp{*}, and prints all the variables local
15271 to the scope defined by that location. (@xref{Specify Location}, for
15272 details about supported forms of @var{location}.) For example:
15273
15274 @smallexample
15275 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info scope command_line_handler}
15276 Scope for command_line_handler:
15277 Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
15278 Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
15279 Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
15280 Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
15281 Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
15282 Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
15283 Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
15284 @end smallexample
15285
15286 @noindent
15287 This command is especially useful for determining what data to collect
15288 during a @dfn{trace experiment}, see @ref{Tracepoint Actions,
15289 collect}.
15290
15291 @kindex info source
15292 @item info source
15293 Show information about the current source file---that is, the source file for
15294 the function containing the current point of execution:
15295 @itemize @bullet
15296 @item
15297 the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
15298 @item
15299 the directory it was compiled in,
15300 @item
15301 its length, in lines,
15302 @item
15303 which programming language it is written in,
15304 @item
15305 whether the executable includes debugging information for that file, and
15306 if so, what format the information is in (e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
15307 @item
15308 whether the debugging information includes information about
15309 preprocessor macros.
15310 @end itemize
15311
15312
15313 @kindex info sources
15314 @item info sources
15315 Print the names of all source files in your program for which there is
15316 debugging information, organized into two lists: files whose symbols
15317 have already been read, and files whose symbols will be read when needed.
15318
15319 @kindex info functions
15320 @item info functions
15321 Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
15322
15323 @item info functions @var{regexp}
15324 Print the names and data types of all defined functions
15325 whose names contain a match for regular expression @var{regexp}.
15326 Thus, @samp{info fun step} finds all functions whose names
15327 include @code{step}; @samp{info fun ^step} finds those whose names
15328 start with @code{step}. If a function name contains characters
15329 that conflict with the regular expression language (e.g.@:
15330 @samp{operator*()}), they may be quoted with a backslash.
15331
15332 @kindex info variables
15333 @item info variables
15334 Print the names and data types of all variables that are defined
15335 outside of functions (i.e.@: excluding local variables).
15336
15337 @item info variables @var{regexp}
15338 Print the names and data types of all variables (except for local
15339 variables) whose names contain a match for regular expression
15340 @var{regexp}.
15341
15342 @kindex info classes
15343 @cindex Objective-C, classes and selectors
15344 @item info classes
15345 @itemx info classes @var{regexp}
15346 Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or
15347 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
15348 expression.
15349
15350 @kindex info selectors
15351 @item info selectors
15352 @itemx info selectors @var{regexp}
15353 Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or
15354 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
15355 expression.
15356
15357 @ignore
15358 This was never implemented.
15359 @kindex info methods
15360 @item info methods
15361 @itemx info methods @var{regexp}
15362 The @code{info methods} command permits the user to examine all defined
15363 methods within C@t{++} program, or (with the @var{regexp} argument) a
15364 specific set of methods found in the various C@t{++} classes. Many
15365 C@t{++} classes provide a large number of methods. Thus, the output
15366 from the @code{ptype} command can be overwhelming and hard to use. The
15367 @code{info-methods} command filters the methods, printing only those
15368 which match the regular-expression @var{regexp}.
15369 @end ignore
15370
15371 @cindex opaque data types
15372 @kindex set opaque-type-resolution
15373 @item set opaque-type-resolution on
15374 Tell @value{GDBN} to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
15375 declared as a pointer to a @code{struct}, @code{class}, or
15376 @code{union}---for example, @code{struct MyType *}---that is used in one
15377 source file although the full declaration of @code{struct MyType} is in
15378 another source file. The default is on.
15379
15380 A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect until
15381 the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
15382
15383 @item set opaque-type-resolution off
15384 Tell @value{GDBN} not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type
15385 is printed as follows:
15386 @smallexample
15387 @{<no data fields>@}
15388 @end smallexample
15389
15390 @kindex show opaque-type-resolution
15391 @item show opaque-type-resolution
15392 Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
15393
15394 @kindex maint print symbols
15395 @cindex symbol dump
15396 @kindex maint print psymbols
15397 @cindex partial symbol dump
15398 @item maint print symbols @var{filename}
15399 @itemx maint print psymbols @var{filename}
15400 @itemx maint print msymbols @var{filename}
15401 Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file @var{filename}.
15402 These commands are used to debug the @value{GDBN} symbol-reading code. Only
15403 symbols with debugging data are included. If you use @samp{maint print
15404 symbols}, @value{GDBN} includes all the symbols for which it has already
15405 collected full details: that is, @var{filename} reflects symbols for
15406 only those files whose symbols @value{GDBN} has read. You can use the
15407 command @code{info sources} to find out which files these are. If you
15408 use @samp{maint print psymbols} instead, the dump shows information about
15409 symbols that @value{GDBN} only knows partially---that is, symbols defined in
15410 files that @value{GDBN} has skimmed, but not yet read completely. Finally,
15411 @samp{maint print msymbols} dumps just the minimal symbol information
15412 required for each object file from which @value{GDBN} has read some symbols.
15413 @xref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}, for a discussion of how
15414 @value{GDBN} reads symbols (in the description of @code{symbol-file}).
15415
15416 @kindex maint info symtabs
15417 @kindex maint info psymtabs
15418 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal symbol tables
15419 @cindex symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15420 @cindex full symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15421 @cindex partial symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
15422 @item maint info symtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
15423 @itemx maint info psymtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
15424
15425 List the @code{struct symtab} or @code{struct partial_symtab}
15426 structures whose names match @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
15427 given, list them all. The output includes expressions which you can
15428 copy into a @value{GDBN} debugging this one to examine a particular
15429 structure in more detail. For example:
15430
15431 @smallexample
15432 (@value{GDBP}) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
15433 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
15434 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
15435 @{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
15436 ((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
15437 readin no
15438 fullname (null)
15439 text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
15440 globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @@ 9)
15441 statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @@ 2882)
15442 dependencies (none)
15443 @}
15444 @}
15445 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
15446 (@value{GDBP})
15447 @end smallexample
15448 @noindent
15449 We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename contains
15450 the string @samp{dwarf2read}, belonging to the @samp{gdb} executable;
15451 and we see that @value{GDBN} has not read in any symtabs yet at all.
15452 If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause @value{GDBN} to
15453 read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
15454
15455 @smallexample
15456 (@value{GDBP}) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
15457 Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
15458 line 1574.
15459 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
15460 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
15461 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
15462 @{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
15463 ((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
15464 dirname (null)
15465 fullname (null)
15466 blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
15467 linetable ((struct linetable *) 0x8370fa0)
15468 debugformat DWARF 2
15469 @}
15470 @}
15471 (@value{GDBP})
15472 @end smallexample
15473 @end table
15474
15475
15476 @node Altering
15477 @chapter Altering Execution
15478
15479 Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to
15480 find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to
15481 correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by
15482 experiment, using the @value{GDBN} features for altering execution of the
15483 program.
15484
15485 For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
15486 locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
15487 address, or even return prematurely from a function.
15488
15489 @menu
15490 * Assignment:: Assignment to variables
15491 * Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
15492 * Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
15493 * Returning:: Returning from a function
15494 * Calling:: Calling your program's functions
15495 * Patching:: Patching your program
15496 @end menu
15497
15498 @node Assignment
15499 @section Assignment to Variables
15500
15501 @cindex assignment
15502 @cindex setting variables
15503 To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
15504 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}. For example,
15505
15506 @smallexample
15507 print x=4
15508 @end smallexample
15509
15510 @noindent
15511 stores the value 4 into the variable @code{x}, and then prints the
15512 value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
15513 @xref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages}, for more
15514 information on operators in supported languages.
15515
15516 @kindex set variable
15517 @cindex variables, setting
15518 If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
15519 @code{set} command instead of the @code{print} command. @code{set} is
15520 really the same as @code{print} except that the expression's value is
15521 not printed and is not put in the value history (@pxref{Value History,
15522 ,Value History}). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
15523
15524 If the beginning of the argument string of the @code{set} command
15525 appears identical to a @code{set} subcommand, use the @code{set
15526 variable} command instead of just @code{set}. This command is identical
15527 to @code{set} except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
15528 program has a variable @code{width}, you get an error if you try to set
15529 a new value with just @samp{set width=13}, because @value{GDBN} has the
15530 command @code{set width}:
15531
15532 @smallexample
15533 (@value{GDBP}) whatis width
15534 type = double
15535 (@value{GDBP}) p width
15536 $4 = 13
15537 (@value{GDBP}) set width=47
15538 Invalid syntax in expression.
15539 @end smallexample
15540
15541 @noindent
15542 The invalid expression, of course, is @samp{=47}. In
15543 order to actually set the program's variable @code{width}, use
15544
15545 @smallexample
15546 (@value{GDBP}) set var width=47
15547 @end smallexample
15548
15549 Because the @code{set} command has many subcommands that can conflict
15550 with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
15551 @code{set variable} command instead of just @code{set}. For example, if
15552 your program has a variable @code{g}, you run into problems if you try
15553 to set a new value with just @samp{set g=4}, because @value{GDBN} has
15554 the command @code{set gnutarget}, abbreviated @code{set g}:
15555
15556 @smallexample
15557 @group
15558 (@value{GDBP}) whatis g
15559 type = double
15560 (@value{GDBP}) p g
15561 $1 = 1
15562 (@value{GDBP}) set g=4
15563 (@value{GDBP}) p g
15564 $2 = 1
15565 (@value{GDBP}) r
15566 The program being debugged has been started already.
15567 Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
15568 Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
15569 "/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
15570 Invalid bfd target.
15571 (@value{GDBP}) show g
15572 The current BFD target is "=4".
15573 @end group
15574 @end smallexample
15575
15576 @noindent
15577 The program variable @code{g} did not change, and you silently set the
15578 @code{gnutarget} to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
15579 @code{g}, use
15580
15581 @smallexample
15582 (@value{GDBP}) set var g=4
15583 @end smallexample
15584
15585 @value{GDBN} allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
15586 freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
15587 and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
15588 same length or shorter.
15589 @comment FIXME: how do structs align/pad in these conversions?
15590 @comment /doc@cygnus.com 18dec1990
15591
15592 To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the @samp{@{@dots{}@}}
15593 construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
15594 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). For example, @code{@{int@}0x83040} refers
15595 to memory location @code{0x83040} as an integer (which implies a certain size
15596 and representation in memory), and
15597
15598 @smallexample
15599 set @{int@}0x83040 = 4
15600 @end smallexample
15601
15602 @noindent
15603 stores the value 4 into that memory location.
15604
15605 @node Jumping
15606 @section Continuing at a Different Address
15607
15608 Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
15609 it stopped, with the @code{continue} command. You can instead continue at
15610 an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
15611
15612 @table @code
15613 @kindex jump
15614 @kindex j @r{(@code{jump})}
15615 @item jump @var{linespec}
15616 @itemx j @var{linespec}
15617 @itemx jump @var{location}
15618 @itemx j @var{location}
15619 Resume execution at line @var{linespec} or at address given by
15620 @var{location}. Execution stops again immediately if there is a
15621 breakpoint there. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
15622 different forms of @var{linespec} and @var{location}. It is common
15623 practice to use the @code{tbreak} command in conjunction with
15624 @code{jump}. @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
15625
15626 The @code{jump} command does not change the current stack frame, or
15627 the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
15628 register other than the program counter. If line @var{linespec} is in
15629 a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
15630 be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
15631 of local variables. For this reason, the @code{jump} command requests
15632 confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
15633 executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
15634 well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
15635 @end table
15636
15637 @c Doesn't work on HP-UX; have to set $pcoqh and $pcoqt.
15638 On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the @code{jump}
15639 command by storing a new value into the register @code{$pc}. The
15640 difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
15641 changes the address of where it @emph{will} run when you continue. For
15642 example,
15643
15644 @smallexample
15645 set $pc = 0x485
15646 @end smallexample
15647
15648 @noindent
15649 makes the next @code{continue} command or stepping command execute at
15650 address @code{0x485}, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
15651 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}.
15652
15653 The most common occasion to use the @code{jump} command is to back
15654 up---perhaps with more breakpoints set---over a portion of a program
15655 that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
15656 detail.
15657
15658 @c @group
15659 @node Signaling
15660 @section Giving your Program a Signal
15661 @cindex deliver a signal to a program
15662
15663 @table @code
15664 @kindex signal
15665 @item signal @var{signal}
15666 Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give it the
15667 signal @var{signal}. @var{signal} can be the name or the number of a
15668 signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and @code{signal
15669 SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
15670
15671 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, continue execution without
15672 giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
15673 a signal and would ordinarily see the signal when resumed with the
15674 @code{continue} command; @samp{signal 0} causes it to resume without a
15675 signal.
15676
15677 @code{signal} does not repeat when you press @key{RET} a second time
15678 after executing the command.
15679 @end table
15680 @c @end group
15681
15682 Invoking the @code{signal} command is not the same as invoking the
15683 @code{kill} utility from the shell. Sending a signal with @code{kill}
15684 causes @value{GDBN} to decide what to do with the signal depending on
15685 the signal handling tables (@pxref{Signals}). The @code{signal} command
15686 passes the signal directly to your program.
15687
15688
15689 @node Returning
15690 @section Returning from a Function
15691
15692 @table @code
15693 @cindex returning from a function
15694 @kindex return
15695 @item return
15696 @itemx return @var{expression}
15697 You can cancel execution of a function call with the @code{return}
15698 command. If you give an
15699 @var{expression} argument, its value is used as the function's return
15700 value.
15701 @end table
15702
15703 When you use @code{return}, @value{GDBN} discards the selected stack frame
15704 (and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
15705 discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
15706 be returned, give that value as the argument to @code{return}.
15707
15708 This pops the selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a
15709 Frame}), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the
15710 innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
15711 specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values
15712 of functions.
15713
15714 The @code{return} command does not resume execution; it leaves the
15715 program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
15716 returned. In contrast, the @code{finish} command (@pxref{Continuing
15717 and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}) resumes execution until the
15718 selected stack frame returns naturally.
15719
15720 @value{GDBN} needs to know how the @var{expression} argument should be set for
15721 the inferior. The concrete registers assignment depends on the OS ABI and the
15722 type being returned by the selected stack frame. For example it is common for
15723 OS ABI to return floating point values in FPU registers while integer values in
15724 CPU registers. Still some ABIs return even floating point values in CPU
15725 registers. Larger integer widths (such as @code{long long int}) also have
15726 specific placement rules. @value{GDBN} already knows the OS ABI from its
15727 current target so it needs to find out also the type being returned to make the
15728 assignment into the right register(s).
15729
15730 Normally, the selected stack frame has debug info. @value{GDBN} will always
15731 use the debug info instead of the implicit type of @var{expression} when the
15732 debug info is available. For example, if you type @kbd{return -1}, and the
15733 function in the current stack frame is declared to return a @code{long long
15734 int}, @value{GDBN} transparently converts the implicit @code{int} value of -1
15735 into a @code{long long int}:
15736
15737 @smallexample
15738 Breakpoint 1, func () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:29
15739 29 return 31;
15740 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
15741 Make func return now? (y or n) y
15742 #0 0x004004f6 in main () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:43
15743 43 printf ("result=%lld\n", func ());
15744 (@value{GDBP})
15745 @end smallexample
15746
15747 However, if the selected stack frame does not have a debug info, e.g., if the
15748 function was compiled without debug info, @value{GDBN} has to find out the type
15749 to return from user. Specifying a different type by mistake may set the value
15750 in different inferior registers than the caller code expects. For example,
15751 typing @kbd{return -1} with its implicit type @code{int} would set only a part
15752 of a @code{long long int} result for a debug info less function (on 32-bit
15753 architectures). Therefore the user is required to specify the return type by
15754 an appropriate cast explicitly:
15755
15756 @smallexample
15757 Breakpoint 2, 0x0040050b in func ()
15758 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
15759 Return value type not available for selected stack frame.
15760 Please use an explicit cast of the value to return.
15761 (@value{GDBP}) return (long long int) -1
15762 Make selected stack frame return now? (y or n) y
15763 #0 0x00400526 in main ()
15764 (@value{GDBP})
15765 @end smallexample
15766
15767 @node Calling
15768 @section Calling Program Functions
15769
15770 @table @code
15771 @cindex calling functions
15772 @cindex inferior functions, calling
15773 @item print @var{expr}
15774 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} and display the resulting value.
15775 @var{expr} may include calls to functions in the program being
15776 debugged.
15777
15778 @kindex call
15779 @item call @var{expr}
15780 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} without displaying @code{void}
15781 returned values.
15782
15783 You can use this variant of the @code{print} command if you want to
15784 execute a function from your program that does not return anything
15785 (a.k.a.@: @dfn{a void function}), but without cluttering the output
15786 with @code{void} returned values that @value{GDBN} will otherwise
15787 print. If the result is not void, it is printed and saved in the
15788 value history.
15789 @end table
15790
15791 It is possible for the function you call via the @code{print} or
15792 @code{call} command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in
15793 the function, or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens
15794 in that case is controlled by the @code{set unwindonsignal} command.
15795
15796 Similarly, with a C@t{++} program it is possible for the function you
15797 call via the @code{print} or @code{call} command to generate an
15798 exception that is not handled due to the constraints of the dummy
15799 frame. In this case, any exception that is raised in the frame, but has
15800 an out-of-frame exception handler will not be found. GDB builds a
15801 dummy-frame for the inferior function call, and the unwinder cannot
15802 seek for exception handlers outside of this dummy-frame. What happens
15803 in that case is controlled by the
15804 @code{set unwind-on-terminating-exception} command.
15805
15806 @table @code
15807 @item set unwindonsignal
15808 @kindex set unwindonsignal
15809 @cindex unwind stack in called functions
15810 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding
15811 Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a function
15812 that @value{GDBN} called in the program being debugged. If set to on,
15813 @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores
15814 the context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
15815 default), @value{GDBN} stops in the frame where the signal was
15816 received.
15817
15818 @item show unwindonsignal
15819 @kindex show unwindonsignal
15820 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
15821 @value{GDBN}.
15822
15823 @item set unwind-on-terminating-exception
15824 @kindex set unwind-on-terminating-exception
15825 @cindex unwind stack in called functions with unhandled exceptions
15826 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding on unhandled exception.
15827 Set unwinding of the stack if a C@t{++} exception is raised, but left
15828 unhandled while in a function that @value{GDBN} called in the program being
15829 debugged. If set to on (the default), @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack
15830 it created for the call and restores the context to what it was before
15831 the call. If set to off, @value{GDBN} the exception is delivered to
15832 the default C@t{++} exception handler and the inferior terminated.
15833
15834 @item show unwind-on-terminating-exception
15835 @kindex show unwind-on-terminating-exception
15836 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
15837 @value{GDBN}.
15838
15839 @end table
15840
15841 @cindex weak alias functions
15842 Sometimes, a function you wish to call is actually a @dfn{weak alias}
15843 for another function. In such case, @value{GDBN} might not pick up
15844 the type information, including the types of the function arguments,
15845 which causes @value{GDBN} to call the inferior function incorrectly.
15846 As a result, the called function will function erroneously and may
15847 even crash. A solution to that is to use the name of the aliased
15848 function instead.
15849
15850 @node Patching
15851 @section Patching Programs
15852
15853 @cindex patching binaries
15854 @cindex writing into executables
15855 @cindex writing into corefiles
15856
15857 By default, @value{GDBN} opens the file containing your program's
15858 executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental
15859 alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally
15860 patching your program's binary.
15861
15862 If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
15863 explicitly with the @code{set write} command. For example, you might
15864 want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
15865 repairs.
15866
15867 @table @code
15868 @kindex set write
15869 @item set write on
15870 @itemx set write off
15871 If you specify @samp{set write on}, @value{GDBN} opens executable and
15872 core files for both reading and writing; if you specify @kbd{set write
15873 off} (the default), @value{GDBN} opens them read-only.
15874
15875 If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using the
15876 @code{exec-file} or @code{core-file} command) after changing @code{set
15877 write}, for your new setting to take effect.
15878
15879 @item show write
15880 @kindex show write
15881 Display whether executable files and core files are opened for writing
15882 as well as reading.
15883 @end table
15884
15885 @node GDB Files
15886 @chapter @value{GDBN} Files
15887
15888 @value{GDBN} needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged,
15889 both in order to read its symbol table and in order to start your
15890 program. To debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell
15891 @value{GDBN} the name of the core dump file.
15892
15893 @menu
15894 * Files:: Commands to specify files
15895 * Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
15896 * MiniDebugInfo:: Debugging information in a special section
15897 * Index Files:: Index files speed up GDB
15898 * Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files
15899 * Data Files:: GDB data files
15900 @end menu
15901
15902 @node Files
15903 @section Commands to Specify Files
15904
15905 @cindex symbol table
15906 @cindex core dump file
15907
15908 You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
15909 way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to
15910 @value{GDBN}'s start-up commands (@pxref{Invocation, , Getting In and
15911 Out of @value{GDBN}}).
15912
15913 Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
15914 @value{GDBN} session. Or you may run @value{GDBN} and forget to
15915 specify a file you want to use. Or you are debugging a remote target
15916 via @code{gdbserver} (@pxref{Server, file, Using the @code{gdbserver}
15917 Program}). In these situations the @value{GDBN} commands to specify
15918 new files are useful.
15919
15920 @table @code
15921 @cindex executable file
15922 @kindex file
15923 @item file @var{filename}
15924 Use @var{filename} as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
15925 symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the program
15926 executed when you use the @code{run} command. If you do not specify a
15927 directory and the file is not found in the @value{GDBN} working directory,
15928 @value{GDBN} uses the environment variable @code{PATH} as a list of
15929 directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a program
15930 to run. You can change the value of this variable, for both @value{GDBN}
15931 and your program, using the @code{path} command.
15932
15933 @cindex unlinked object files
15934 @cindex patching object files
15935 You can load unlinked object @file{.o} files into @value{GDBN} using
15936 the @code{file} command. You will not be able to ``run'' an object
15937 file, but you can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also,
15938 if the underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use
15939 @kbd{gdb -write} to patch object files using this technique. Note
15940 that @value{GDBN} can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this
15941 case, so branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to
15942 the wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
15943
15944 @item file
15945 @code{file} with no argument makes @value{GDBN} discard any information it
15946 has on both executable file and the symbol table.
15947
15948 @kindex exec-file
15949 @item exec-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
15950 Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is found
15951 in @var{filename}. @value{GDBN} searches the environment variable @code{PATH}
15952 if necessary to locate your program. Omitting @var{filename} means to
15953 discard information on the executable file.
15954
15955 @kindex symbol-file
15956 @item symbol-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
15957 Read symbol table information from file @var{filename}. @code{PATH} is
15958 searched when necessary. Use the @code{file} command to get both symbol
15959 table and program to run from the same file.
15960
15961 @code{symbol-file} with no argument clears out @value{GDBN} information on your
15962 program's symbol table.
15963
15964 The @code{symbol-file} command causes @value{GDBN} to forget the contents of
15965 some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because they may
15966 contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols and data types,
15967 which are part of the old symbol table data being discarded inside
15968 @value{GDBN}.
15969
15970 @code{symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
15971 executing it once.
15972
15973 When @value{GDBN} is configured for a particular environment, it
15974 understands debugging information in whatever format is the standard
15975 generated for that environment; you may use either a @sc{gnu} compiler, or
15976 other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
15977 Best results are usually obtained from @sc{gnu} compilers; for example,
15978 using @code{@value{NGCC}} you can generate debugging information for
15979 optimized code.
15980
15981 For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3 systems
15982 using COFF, the @code{symbol-file} command does not normally read the
15983 symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the symbol table
15984 quickly to find which source files and which symbols are present. The
15985 details are read later, one source file at a time, as they are needed.
15986
15987 The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make @value{GDBN}
15988 start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
15989 occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular source
15990 file are being read. (The @code{set verbose} command can turn these
15991 pauses into messages if desired. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional
15992 Warnings and Messages}.)
15993
15994 We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When the
15995 symbol table is stored in COFF format, @code{symbol-file} reads the
15996 symbol table data in full right away. Note that ``stabs-in-COFF''
15997 still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
15998 in stabs format.
15999
16000 @kindex readnow
16001 @cindex reading symbols immediately
16002 @cindex symbols, reading immediately
16003 @item symbol-file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
16004 @itemx file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
16005 You can override the @value{GDBN} two-stage strategy for reading symbol
16006 tables by using the @samp{-readnow} option with any of the commands that
16007 load symbol table information, if you want to be sure @value{GDBN} has the
16008 entire symbol table available.
16009
16010 @c FIXME: for now no mention of directories, since this seems to be in
16011 @c flux. 13mar1992 status is that in theory GDB would look either in
16012 @c current dir or in same dir as myprog; but issues like competing
16013 @c GDB's, or clutter in system dirs, mean that in practice right now
16014 @c only current dir is used. FFish says maybe a special GDB hierarchy
16015 @c (eg rooted in val of env var GDBSYMS) could exist for mappable symbol
16016 @c files.
16017
16018 @kindex core-file
16019 @item core-file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
16020 @itemx core
16021 Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the ``contents
16022 of memory''. Traditionally, core files contain only some parts of the
16023 address space of the process that generated them; @value{GDBN} can access the
16024 executable file itself for other parts.
16025
16026 @code{core-file} with no argument specifies that no core file is
16027 to be used.
16028
16029 Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually running
16030 under @value{GDBN}. So, if you have been running your program and you
16031 wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the subprocess in which
16032 the program is running. To do this, use the @code{kill} command
16033 (@pxref{Kill Process, ,Killing the Child Process}).
16034
16035 @kindex add-symbol-file
16036 @cindex dynamic linking
16037 @item add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address}
16038 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
16039 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} -s @var{section} @var{address} @dots{}
16040 The @code{add-symbol-file} command reads additional symbol table
16041 information from the file @var{filename}. You would use this command
16042 when @var{filename} has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
16043 into the program that is running. @var{address} should be the memory
16044 address at which the file has been loaded; @value{GDBN} cannot figure
16045 this out for itself. You can additionally specify an arbitrary number
16046 of @samp{-s @var{section} @var{address}} pairs, to give an explicit
16047 section name and base address for that section. You can specify any
16048 @var{address} as an expression.
16049
16050 The symbol table of the file @var{filename} is added to the symbol table
16051 originally read with the @code{symbol-file} command. You can use the
16052 @code{add-symbol-file} command any number of times; the new symbol data
16053 thus read keeps adding to the old. To discard all old symbol data
16054 instead, use the @code{symbol-file} command without any arguments.
16055
16056 @cindex relocatable object files, reading symbols from
16057 @cindex object files, relocatable, reading symbols from
16058 @cindex reading symbols from relocatable object files
16059 @cindex symbols, reading from relocatable object files
16060 @cindex @file{.o} files, reading symbols from
16061 Although @var{filename} is typically a shared library file, an
16062 executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
16063 relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
16064 information from relocatable @file{.o} files, as long as:
16065
16066 @itemize @bullet
16067 @item
16068 the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols defined in
16069 that file, not to symbols defined by other object files,
16070 @item
16071 every section the file's symbolic information refers to has actually
16072 been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the file, and
16073 @item
16074 you can determine the address at which every section was loaded, and
16075 provide these to the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
16076 @end itemize
16077
16078 @noindent
16079 Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can load
16080 relocatable files into an already running program; such systems
16081 typically make the requirements above easy to meet. However, it's
16082 important to recognize that many native systems use complex link
16083 procedures (@code{.linkonce} section factoring and C@t{++} constructor table
16084 assembly, for example) that make the requirements difficult to meet. In
16085 general, one cannot assume that using @code{add-symbol-file} to read a
16086 relocatable object file's symbolic information will have the same effect
16087 as linking the relocatable object file into the program in the normal
16088 way.
16089
16090 @code{add-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
16091
16092 @kindex add-symbol-file-from-memory
16093 @cindex @code{syscall DSO}
16094 @cindex load symbols from memory
16095 @item add-symbol-file-from-memory @var{address}
16096 Load symbols from the given @var{address} in a dynamically loaded
16097 object file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
16098 For example, the Linux kernel maps a @code{syscall DSO} into each
16099 process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
16100 some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
16101 evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file header.
16102 For this command to work, you must have used @code{symbol-file} or
16103 @code{exec-file} commands in advance.
16104
16105 @kindex add-shared-symbol-files
16106 @kindex assf
16107 @item add-shared-symbol-files @var{library-file}
16108 @itemx assf @var{library-file}
16109 The @code{add-shared-symbol-files} command can currently be used only
16110 in the Cygwin build of @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows OS, where it is an
16111 alias for the @code{dll-symbols} command (@pxref{Cygwin Native}).
16112 @value{GDBN} automatically looks for shared libraries, however if
16113 @value{GDBN} does not find yours, you can invoke
16114 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}. It takes one argument: the shared
16115 library's file name. @code{assf} is a shorthand alias for
16116 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}.
16117
16118 @kindex section
16119 @item section @var{section} @var{addr}
16120 The @code{section} command changes the base address of the named
16121 @var{section} of the exec file to @var{addr}. This can be used if the
16122 exec file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the
16123 @code{a.out} format), or when the addresses specified in the file
16124 itself are wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The
16125 @code{info files} command, described below, lists all the sections and
16126 their addresses.
16127
16128 @kindex info files
16129 @kindex info target
16130 @item info files
16131 @itemx info target
16132 @code{info files} and @code{info target} are synonymous; both print the
16133 current target (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}),
16134 including the names of the executable and core dump files currently in
16135 use by @value{GDBN}, and the files from which symbols were loaded. The
16136 command @code{help target} lists all possible targets rather than
16137 current ones.
16138
16139 @kindex maint info sections
16140 @item maint info sections
16141 Another command that can give you extra information about program sections
16142 is @code{maint info sections}. In addition to the section information
16143 displayed by @code{info files}, this command displays the flags and file
16144 offset of each section in the executable and core dump files. In addition,
16145 @code{maint info sections} provides the following command options (which
16146 may be arbitrarily combined):
16147
16148 @table @code
16149 @item ALLOBJ
16150 Display sections for all loaded object files, including shared libraries.
16151 @item @var{sections}
16152 Display info only for named @var{sections}.
16153 @item @var{section-flags}
16154 Display info only for sections for which @var{section-flags} are true.
16155 The section flags that @value{GDBN} currently knows about are:
16156 @table @code
16157 @item ALLOC
16158 Section will have space allocated in the process when loaded.
16159 Set for all sections except those containing debug information.
16160 @item LOAD
16161 Section will be loaded from the file into the child process memory.
16162 Set for pre-initialized code and data, clear for @code{.bss} sections.
16163 @item RELOC
16164 Section needs to be relocated before loading.
16165 @item READONLY
16166 Section cannot be modified by the child process.
16167 @item CODE
16168 Section contains executable code only.
16169 @item DATA
16170 Section contains data only (no executable code).
16171 @item ROM
16172 Section will reside in ROM.
16173 @item CONSTRUCTOR
16174 Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
16175 @item HAS_CONTENTS
16176 Section is not empty.
16177 @item NEVER_LOAD
16178 An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
16179 @item COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY
16180 A notification to the linker that the section contains
16181 COFF shared library information.
16182 @item IS_COMMON
16183 Section contains common symbols.
16184 @end table
16185 @end table
16186 @kindex set trust-readonly-sections
16187 @cindex read-only sections
16188 @item set trust-readonly-sections on
16189 Tell @value{GDBN} that readonly sections in your object file
16190 really are read-only (i.e.@: that their contents will not change).
16191 In that case, @value{GDBN} can fetch values from these sections
16192 out of the object file, rather than from the target program.
16193 For some targets (notably embedded ones), this can be a significant
16194 enhancement to debugging performance.
16195
16196 The default is off.
16197
16198 @item set trust-readonly-sections off
16199 Tell @value{GDBN} not to trust readonly sections. This means that
16200 the contents of the section might change while the program is running,
16201 and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
16202
16203 @item show trust-readonly-sections
16204 Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
16205 @end table
16206
16207 All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file names
16208 as arguments. @value{GDBN} always converts the file name to an absolute file
16209 name and remembers it that way.
16210
16211 @cindex shared libraries
16212 @anchor{Shared Libraries}
16213 @value{GDBN} supports @sc{gnu}/Linux, MS-Windows, HP-UX, SunOS, SVr4, Irix,
16214 and IBM RS/6000 AIX shared libraries.
16215
16216 On MS-Windows @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support
16217 shared libraries. @xref{Expat}.
16218
16219 @value{GDBN} automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
16220 when you use the @code{run} command, or when you examine a core file.
16221 (Before you issue the @code{run} command, @value{GDBN} does not understand
16222 references to a function in a shared library, however---unless you are
16223 debugging a core file).
16224
16225 On HP-UX, if the program loads a library explicitly, @value{GDBN}
16226 automatically loads the symbols at the time of the @code{shl_load} call.
16227
16228 @c FIXME: some @value{GDBN} release may permit some refs to undef
16229 @c FIXME...symbols---eg in a break cmd---assuming they are from a shared
16230 @c FIXME...lib; check this from time to time when updating manual
16231
16232 There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
16233 symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
16234 particularly large or there are many of them.
16235
16236 To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
16237 commands:
16238
16239 @table @code
16240 @kindex set auto-solib-add
16241 @item set auto-solib-add @var{mode}
16242 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, symbols from all shared object libraries
16243 will be loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
16244 attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic linker
16245 informs @value{GDBN} that a new library has been loaded. If @var{mode}
16246 is @code{off}, symbols must be loaded manually, using the
16247 @code{sharedlibrary} command. The default value is @code{on}.
16248
16249 @cindex memory used for symbol tables
16250 If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
16251 takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the @value{GDBN}
16252 memory footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the
16253 symbols from shared libraries. To that end, type @kbd{set
16254 auto-solib-add off} before running the inferior, then load each
16255 library whose debug symbols you do need with @kbd{sharedlibrary
16256 @var{regexp}}, where @var{regexp} is a regular expression that matches
16257 the libraries whose symbols you want to be loaded.
16258
16259 @kindex show auto-solib-add
16260 @item show auto-solib-add
16261 Display the current autoloading mode.
16262 @end table
16263
16264 @cindex load shared library
16265 To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the @code{sharedlibrary}
16266 command:
16267
16268 @table @code
16269 @kindex info sharedlibrary
16270 @kindex info share
16271 @item info share @var{regex}
16272 @itemx info sharedlibrary @var{regex}
16273 Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded
16274 that match @var{regex}. If @var{regex} is omitted then print
16275 all shared libraries that are loaded.
16276
16277 @kindex sharedlibrary
16278 @kindex share
16279 @item sharedlibrary @var{regex}
16280 @itemx share @var{regex}
16281 Load shared object library symbols for files matching a
16282 Unix regular expression.
16283 As with files loaded automatically, it only loads shared libraries
16284 required by your program for a core file or after typing @code{run}. If
16285 @var{regex} is omitted all shared libraries required by your program are
16286 loaded.
16287
16288 @item nosharedlibrary
16289 @kindex nosharedlibrary
16290 @cindex unload symbols from shared libraries
16291 Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all symbols
16292 that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols from shared
16293 libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests are not
16294 discarded.
16295 @end table
16296
16297 Sometimes you may wish that @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control
16298 when any of shared library events happen. The best way to do this is
16299 to use @code{catch load} and @code{catch unload} (@pxref{Set
16300 Catchpoints}).
16301
16302 @value{GDBN} also supports the the @code{set stop-on-solib-events}
16303 command for this. This command exists for historical reasons. It is
16304 less useful than setting a catchpoint, because it does not allow for
16305 conditions or commands as a catchpoint does.
16306
16307 @table @code
16308 @item set stop-on-solib-events
16309 @kindex set stop-on-solib-events
16310 This command controls whether @value{GDBN} should give you control
16311 when the dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event.
16312 The most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
16313 shared library.
16314
16315 @item show stop-on-solib-events
16316 @kindex show stop-on-solib-events
16317 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control when shared
16318 library events happen.
16319 @end table
16320
16321 Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
16322 configurations. @value{GDBN} needs to have access to the target's libraries;
16323 this can be accomplished either by providing copies of the libraries
16324 on the host system, or by asking @value{GDBN} to automatically retrieve the
16325 libraries from the target. If copies of the target libraries are
16326 provided, they need to be the same as the target libraries, although the
16327 copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies on the host are
16328 not.
16329
16330 @cindex where to look for shared libraries
16331 For remote debugging, you need to tell @value{GDBN} where the target
16332 libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies---otherwise, it
16333 may try to load the host's libraries. @value{GDBN} has two variables
16334 to specify the search directories for target libraries.
16335
16336 @table @code
16337 @cindex prefix for shared library file names
16338 @cindex system root, alternate
16339 @kindex set solib-absolute-prefix
16340 @kindex set sysroot
16341 @item set sysroot @var{path}
16342 Use @var{path} as the system root for the program being debugged. Any
16343 absolute shared library paths will be prefixed with @var{path}; many
16344 runtime loaders store the absolute paths to the shared library in the
16345 target program's memory. If you use @code{set sysroot} to find shared
16346 libraries, they need to be laid out in the same way that they are on
16347 the target, with e.g.@: a @file{/lib} and @file{/usr/lib} hierarchy
16348 under @var{path}.
16349
16350 If @var{path} starts with the sequence @file{remote:}, @value{GDBN} will
16351 retrieve the target libraries from the remote system. This is only
16352 supported when using a remote target that supports the @code{remote get}
16353 command (@pxref{File Transfer,,Sending files to a remote system}).
16354 The part of @var{path} following the initial @file{remote:}
16355 (if present) is used as system root prefix on the remote file system.
16356 @footnote{If you want to specify a local system root using a directory
16357 that happens to be named @file{remote:}, you need to use some equivalent
16358 variant of the name like @file{./remote:}.}
16359
16360 For targets with an MS-DOS based filesystem, such as MS-Windows and
16361 SymbianOS, @value{GDBN} tries prefixing a few variants of the target
16362 absolute file name with @var{path}. But first, on Unix hosts,
16363 @value{GDBN} converts all backslash directory separators into forward
16364 slashes, because the backslash is not a directory separator on Unix:
16365
16366 @smallexample
16367 c:\foo\bar.dll @result{} c:/foo/bar.dll
16368 @end smallexample
16369
16370 Then, @value{GDBN} attempts prefixing the target file name with
16371 @var{path}, and looks for the resulting file name in the host file
16372 system:
16373
16374 @smallexample
16375 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c:/foo/bar.dll
16376 @end smallexample
16377
16378 If that does not find the shared library, @value{GDBN} tries removing
16379 the @samp{:} character from the drive spec, both for convenience, and,
16380 for the case of the host file system not supporting file names with
16381 colons:
16382
16383 @smallexample
16384 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c/foo/bar.dll
16385 @end smallexample
16386
16387 This makes it possible to have a system root that mirrors a target
16388 with more than one drive. E.g., you may want to setup your local
16389 copies of the target system shared libraries like so (note @samp{c} vs
16390 @samp{z}):
16391
16392 @smallexample
16393 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/foo.dll}
16394 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/bar.dll}
16395 @file{/path/to/sysroot/z/sys/bin/bar.dll}
16396 @end smallexample
16397
16398 @noindent
16399 and point the system root at @file{/path/to/sysroot}, so that
16400 @value{GDBN} can find the correct copies of both
16401 @file{c:\sys\bin\foo.dll}, and @file{z:\sys\bin\bar.dll}.
16402
16403 If that still does not find the shared library, @value{GDBN} tries
16404 removing the whole drive spec from the target file name:
16405
16406 @smallexample
16407 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/foo/bar.dll
16408 @end smallexample
16409
16410 This last lookup makes it possible to not care about the drive name,
16411 if you don't want or need to.
16412
16413 The @code{set solib-absolute-prefix} command is an alias for @code{set
16414 sysroot}.
16415
16416 @cindex default system root
16417 @cindex @samp{--with-sysroot}
16418 You can set the default system root by using the configure-time
16419 @samp{--with-sysroot} option. If the system root is inside
16420 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
16421 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default system root will be updated
16422 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
16423 location.
16424
16425 @kindex show sysroot
16426 @item show sysroot
16427 Display the current shared library prefix.
16428
16429 @kindex set solib-search-path
16430 @item set solib-search-path @var{path}
16431 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
16432 directories to search for shared libraries. @samp{solib-search-path}
16433 is used after @samp{sysroot} fails to locate the library, or if the
16434 path to the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want to
16435 use @samp{solib-search-path} instead of @samp{sysroot}, be sure to set
16436 @samp{sysroot} to a nonexistent directory to prevent @value{GDBN} from
16437 finding your host's libraries. @samp{sysroot} is preferred; setting
16438 it to a nonexistent directory may interfere with automatic loading
16439 of shared library symbols.
16440
16441 @kindex show solib-search-path
16442 @item show solib-search-path
16443 Display the current shared library search path.
16444
16445 @cindex DOS file-name semantics of file names.
16446 @kindex set target-file-system-kind (unix|dos-based|auto)
16447 @kindex show target-file-system-kind
16448 @item set target-file-system-kind @var{kind}
16449 Set assumed file system kind for target reported file names.
16450
16451 Shared library file names as reported by the target system may not
16452 make sense as is on the system @value{GDBN} is running on. For
16453 example, when remote debugging a target that has MS-DOS based file
16454 system semantics, from a Unix host, the target may be reporting to
16455 @value{GDBN} a list of loaded shared libraries with file names such as
16456 @file{c:\Windows\kernel32.dll}. On Unix hosts, there's no concept of
16457 drive letters, so the @samp{c:\} prefix is not normally understood as
16458 indicating an absolute file name, and neither is the backslash
16459 normally considered a directory separator character. In that case,
16460 the native file system would interpret this whole absolute file name
16461 as a relative file name with no directory components. This would make
16462 it impossible to point @value{GDBN} at a copy of the remote target's
16463 shared libraries on the host using @code{set sysroot}, and impractical
16464 with @code{set solib-search-path}. Setting
16465 @code{target-file-system-kind} to @code{dos-based} tells @value{GDBN}
16466 to interpret such file names similarly to how the target would, and to
16467 map them to file names valid on @value{GDBN}'s native file system
16468 semantics. The value of @var{kind} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition
16469 to one of the supported file system kinds. In that case, @value{GDBN}
16470 tries to determine the appropriate file system variant based on the
16471 current target's operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the
16472 Current ABI}). The supported file system settings are:
16473
16474 @table @code
16475 @item unix
16476 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is of Unix
16477 kind. Only file names starting the forward slash (@samp{/}) character
16478 are considered absolute, and the directory separator character is also
16479 the forward slash.
16480
16481 @item dos-based
16482 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is DOS based.
16483 File names starting with either a forward slash, or a drive letter
16484 followed by a colon (e.g., @samp{c:}), are considered absolute, and
16485 both the slash (@samp{/}) and the backslash (@samp{\\}) characters are
16486 considered directory separators.
16487
16488 @item auto
16489 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the file system kind associated with the
16490 target operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
16491 This is the default.
16492 @end table
16493 @end table
16494
16495 @cindex file name canonicalization
16496 @cindex base name differences
16497 When processing file names provided by the user, @value{GDBN}
16498 frequently needs to compare them to the file names recorded in the
16499 program's debug info. Normally, @value{GDBN} compares just the
16500 @dfn{base names} of the files as strings, which is reasonably fast
16501 even for very large programs. (The base name of a file is the last
16502 portion of its name, after stripping all the leading directories.)
16503 This shortcut in comparison is based upon the assumption that files
16504 cannot have more than one base name. This is usually true, but
16505 references to files that use symlinks or similar filesystem
16506 facilities violate that assumption. If your program records files
16507 using such facilities, or if you provide file names to @value{GDBN}
16508 using symlinks etc., you can set @code{basenames-may-differ} to
16509 @code{true} to instruct @value{GDBN} to completely canonicalize each
16510 pair of file names it needs to compare. This will make file-name
16511 comparisons accurate, but at a price of a significant slowdown.
16512
16513 @table @code
16514 @item set basenames-may-differ
16515 @kindex set basenames-may-differ
16516 Set whether a source file may have multiple base names.
16517
16518 @item show basenames-may-differ
16519 @kindex show basenames-may-differ
16520 Show whether a source file may have multiple base names.
16521 @end table
16522
16523 @node Separate Debug Files
16524 @section Debugging Information in Separate Files
16525 @cindex separate debugging information files
16526 @cindex debugging information in separate files
16527 @cindex @file{.debug} subdirectories
16528 @cindex debugging information directory, global
16529 @cindex global debugging information directories
16530 @cindex build ID, and separate debugging files
16531 @cindex @file{.build-id} directory
16532
16533 @value{GDBN} allows you to put a program's debugging information in a
16534 file separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows
16535 @value{GDBN} to find and load the debugging information automatically.
16536 Since debugging information can be very large---sometimes larger
16537 than the executable code itself---some systems distribute debugging
16538 information for their executables in separate files, which users can
16539 install only when they need to debug a problem.
16540
16541 @value{GDBN} supports two ways of specifying the separate debug info
16542 file:
16543
16544 @itemize @bullet
16545 @item
16546 The executable contains a @dfn{debug link} that specifies the name of
16547 the separate debug info file. The separate debug file's name is
16548 usually @file{@var{executable}.debug}, where @var{executable} is the
16549 name of the corresponding executable file without leading directories
16550 (e.g., @file{ls.debug} for @file{/usr/bin/ls}). In addition, the
16551 debug link specifies a 32-bit @dfn{Cyclic Redundancy Check} (CRC)
16552 checksum for the debug file, which @value{GDBN} uses to validate that
16553 the executable and the debug file came from the same build.
16554
16555 @item
16556 The executable contains a @dfn{build ID}, a unique bit string that is
16557 also present in the corresponding debug info file. (This is supported
16558 only on some operating systems, notably those which use the ELF format
16559 for binary files and the @sc{gnu} Binutils.) For more details about
16560 this feature, see the description of the @option{--build-id}
16561 command-line option in @ref{Options, , Command Line Options, ld.info,
16562 The GNU Linker}. The debug info file's name is not specified
16563 explicitly by the build ID, but can be computed from the build ID, see
16564 below.
16565 @end itemize
16566
16567 Depending on the way the debug info file is specified, @value{GDBN}
16568 uses two different methods of looking for the debug file:
16569
16570 @itemize @bullet
16571 @item
16572 For the ``debug link'' method, @value{GDBN} looks up the named file in
16573 the directory of the executable file, then in a subdirectory of that
16574 directory named @file{.debug}, and finally under each one of the global debug
16575 directories, in a subdirectory whose name is identical to the leading
16576 directories of the executable's absolute file name.
16577
16578 @item
16579 For the ``build ID'' method, @value{GDBN} looks in the
16580 @file{.build-id} subdirectory of each one of the global debug directories for
16581 a file named @file{@var{nn}/@var{nnnnnnnn}.debug}, where @var{nn} are the
16582 first 2 hex characters of the build ID bit string, and @var{nnnnnnnn}
16583 are the rest of the bit string. (Real build ID strings are 32 or more
16584 hex characters, not 10.)
16585 @end itemize
16586
16587 So, for example, suppose you ask @value{GDBN} to debug
16588 @file{/usr/bin/ls}, which has a debug link that specifies the
16589 file @file{ls.debug}, and a build ID whose value in hex is
16590 @code{abcdef1234}. If the list of the global debug directories includes
16591 @file{/usr/lib/debug}, then @value{GDBN} will look for the following
16592 debug information files, in the indicated order:
16593
16594 @itemize @minus
16595 @item
16596 @file{/usr/lib/debug/.build-id/ab/cdef1234.debug}
16597 @item
16598 @file{/usr/bin/ls.debug}
16599 @item
16600 @file{/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug}
16601 @item
16602 @file{/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug}.
16603 @end itemize
16604
16605 @anchor{debug-file-directory}
16606 Global debugging info directories default to what is set by @value{GDBN}
16607 configure option @option{--with-separate-debug-dir}. During @value{GDBN} run
16608 you can also set the global debugging info directories, and view the list
16609 @value{GDBN} is currently using.
16610
16611 @table @code
16612
16613 @kindex set debug-file-directory
16614 @item set debug-file-directory @var{directories}
16615 Set the directories which @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
16616 information files to @var{directory}. Multiple path components can be set
16617 concatenating them by a path separator.
16618
16619 @kindex show debug-file-directory
16620 @item show debug-file-directory
16621 Show the directories @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
16622 information files.
16623
16624 @end table
16625
16626 @cindex @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections
16627 @cindex debug link sections
16628 A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
16629 @code{.gnu_debuglink}. The section must contain:
16630
16631 @itemize
16632 @item
16633 A filename, with any leading directory components removed, followed by
16634 a zero byte,
16635 @item
16636 zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next four-byte
16637 boundary within the section, and
16638 @item
16639 a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for the
16640 executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the debugging
16641 information file's full contents by the function given below, passing
16642 zero as the @var{crc} argument.
16643 @end itemize
16644
16645 Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
16646 contain a section named @code{.gnu_debuglink} with the contents
16647 described above.
16648
16649 @cindex @code{.note.gnu.build-id} sections
16650 @cindex build ID sections
16651 The build ID is a special section in the executable file (and in other
16652 ELF binary files that @value{GDBN} may consider). This section is
16653 often named @code{.note.gnu.build-id}, but that name is not mandatory.
16654 It contains unique identification for the built files---the ID remains
16655 the same across multiple builds of the same build tree. The default
16656 algorithm SHA1 produces 160 bits (40 hexadecimal characters) of the
16657 content for the build ID string. The same section with an identical
16658 value is present in the original built binary with symbols, in its
16659 stripped variant, and in the separate debugging information file.
16660
16661 The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
16662 executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
16663 debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
16664 should have the same names, addresses, and sizes as the original file,
16665 but they need not contain any data---much like a @code{.bss} section
16666 in an ordinary executable.
16667
16668 The @sc{gnu} binary utilities (Binutils) package includes the
16669 @samp{objcopy} utility that can produce
16670 the separated executable / debugging information file pairs using the
16671 following commands:
16672
16673 @smallexample
16674 @kbd{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.debug}
16675 @kbd{strip -g foo}
16676 @end smallexample
16677
16678 @noindent
16679 These commands remove the debugging
16680 information from the executable file @file{foo} and place it in the file
16681 @file{foo.debug}. You can use the first, second or both methods to link the
16682 two files:
16683
16684 @itemize @bullet
16685 @item
16686 The debug link method needs the following additional command to also leave
16687 behind a debug link in @file{foo}:
16688
16689 @smallexample
16690 @kbd{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.debug foo}
16691 @end smallexample
16692
16693 Ulrich Drepper's @file{elfutils} package, starting with version 0.53, contains
16694 a version of the @code{strip} command such that the command @kbd{strip foo -f
16695 foo.debug} has the same functionality as the two @code{objcopy} commands and
16696 the @code{ln -s} command above, together.
16697
16698 @item
16699 Build ID gets embedded into the main executable using @code{ld --build-id} or
16700 the @value{NGCC} counterpart @code{gcc -Wl,--build-id}. Build ID support plus
16701 compatibility fixes for debug files separation are present in @sc{gnu} binary
16702 utilities (Binutils) package since version 2.18.
16703 @end itemize
16704
16705 @noindent
16706
16707 @cindex CRC algorithm definition
16708 The CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink} is the CRC-32 defined in
16709 IEEE 802.3 using the polynomial:
16710
16711 @c TexInfo requires naked braces for multi-digit exponents for Tex
16712 @c output, but this causes HTML output to barf. HTML has to be set using
16713 @c raw commands. So we end up having to specify this equation in 2
16714 @c different ways!
16715 @ifhtml
16716 @display
16717 @html
16718 <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>
16719 + <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
16720 @end html
16721 @end display
16722 @end ifhtml
16723 @ifnothtml
16724 @display
16725 @math{x^{32} + x^{26} + x^{23} + x^{22} + x^{16} + x^{12} + x^{11}}
16726 @math{+ x^{10} + x^8 + x^7 + x^5 + x^4 + x^2 + x + 1}
16727 @end display
16728 @end ifnothtml
16729
16730 The function is computed byte at a time, taking the least
16731 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern
16732 @code{0xffffffff} is used, to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC and
16733 the final result is inverted to ensure trailing zeros also affect the
16734 CRC.
16735
16736 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC polynomial as used in handling the
16737 @dfn{Remote Serial Protocol} @code{qCRC} packet (@pxref{Remote Protocol,
16738 , @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol}). However in the
16739 case of the Remote Serial Protocol, the CRC is computed @emph{most}
16740 significant bit first, and the result is not inverted, so trailing
16741 zeros have no effect on the CRC value.
16742
16743 To complete the description, we show below the code of the function
16744 which produces the CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink}. Inverting the
16745 initially supplied @code{crc} argument means that an initial call to
16746 this function passing in zero will start computing the CRC using
16747 @code{0xffffffff}.
16748
16749 @kindex gnu_debuglink_crc32
16750 @smallexample
16751 unsigned long
16752 gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
16753 unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
16754 @{
16755 static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
16756 @{
16757 0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
16758 0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
16759 0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
16760 0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
16761 0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
16762 0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
16763 0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
16764 0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
16765 0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
16766 0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
16767 0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
16768 0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
16769 0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
16770 0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
16771 0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
16772 0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
16773 0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
16774 0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
16775 0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
16776 0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
16777 0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
16778 0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
16779 0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
16780 0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
16781 0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
16782 0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
16783 0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
16784 0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
16785 0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
16786 0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
16787 0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
16788 0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
16789 0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
16790 0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
16791 0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
16792 0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
16793 0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
16794 0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
16795 0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
16796 0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
16797 0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
16798 0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
16799 0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
16800 0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
16801 0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
16802 0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
16803 0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
16804 0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
16805 0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
16806 0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
16807 0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
16808 0x2d02ef8d
16809 @};
16810 unsigned char *end;
16811
16812 crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
16813 for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
16814 crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
16815 return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
16816 @}
16817 @end smallexample
16818
16819 @noindent
16820 This computation does not apply to the ``build ID'' method.
16821
16822 @node MiniDebugInfo
16823 @section Debugging information in a special section
16824 @cindex separate debug sections
16825 @cindex @samp{.gnu_debugdata} section
16826
16827 Some systems ship pre-built executables and libraries that have a
16828 special @samp{.gnu_debugdata} section. This feature is called
16829 @dfn{MiniDebugInfo}. This section holds an LZMA-compressed object and
16830 is used to supply extra symbols for backtraces.
16831
16832 The intent of this section is to provide extra minimal debugging
16833 information for use in simple backtraces. It is not intended to be a
16834 replacement for full separate debugging information (@pxref{Separate
16835 Debug Files}). The example below shows the intended use; however,
16836 @value{GDBN} does not currently put restrictions on what sort of
16837 debugging information might be included in the section.
16838
16839 @value{GDBN} has support for this extension. If the section exists,
16840 then it is used provided that no other source of debugging information
16841 can be found, and that @value{GDBN} was configured with LZMA support.
16842
16843 This section can be easily created using @command{objcopy} and other
16844 standard utilities:
16845
16846 @smallexample
16847 # Extract the dynamic symbols from the main binary, there is no need
16848 # to also have these in the normal symbol table
16849 nm -D @var{binary} --format=posix --defined-only \
16850 | awk '@{ print $1 @}' | sort > dynsyms
16851
16852 # Extract all the text (i.e. function) symbols from the debuginfo .
16853 nm @var{binary} --format=posix --defined-only \
16854 | awk '@{ if ($2 == "T" || $2 == "t") print $1 @}' \
16855 | sort > funcsyms
16856
16857 # Keep all the function symbols not already in the dynamic symbol
16858 # table.
16859 comm -13 dynsyms funcsyms > keep_symbols
16860
16861 # Copy the full debuginfo, keeping only a minimal set of symbols and
16862 # removing some unnecessary sections.
16863 objcopy -S --remove-section .gdb_index --remove-section .comment \
16864 --keep-symbols=keep_symbols @var{binary} mini_debuginfo
16865
16866 # Inject the compressed data into the .gnu_debugdata section of the
16867 # original binary.
16868 xz mini_debuginfo
16869 objcopy --add-section .gnu_debugdata=mini_debuginfo.xz @var{binary}
16870 @end smallexample
16871
16872 @node Index Files
16873 @section Index Files Speed Up @value{GDBN}
16874 @cindex index files
16875 @cindex @samp{.gdb_index} section
16876
16877 When @value{GDBN} finds a symbol file, it scans the symbols in the
16878 file in order to construct an internal symbol table. This lets most
16879 @value{GDBN} operations work quickly---at the cost of a delay early
16880 on. For large programs, this delay can be quite lengthy, so
16881 @value{GDBN} provides a way to build an index, which speeds up
16882 startup.
16883
16884 The index is stored as a section in the symbol file. @value{GDBN} can
16885 write the index to a file, then you can put it into the symbol file
16886 using @command{objcopy}.
16887
16888 To create an index file, use the @code{save gdb-index} command:
16889
16890 @table @code
16891 @item save gdb-index @var{directory}
16892 @kindex save gdb-index
16893 Create an index file for each symbol file currently known by
16894 @value{GDBN}. Each file is named after its corresponding symbol file,
16895 with @samp{.gdb-index} appended, and is written into the given
16896 @var{directory}.
16897 @end table
16898
16899 Once you have created an index file you can merge it into your symbol
16900 file, here named @file{symfile}, using @command{objcopy}:
16901
16902 @smallexample
16903 $ objcopy --add-section .gdb_index=symfile.gdb-index \
16904 --set-section-flags .gdb_index=readonly symfile symfile
16905 @end smallexample
16906
16907 @value{GDBN} will normally ignore older versions of @file{.gdb_index}
16908 sections that have been deprecated. Usually they are deprecated because
16909 they are missing a new feature or have performance issues.
16910 To tell @value{GDBN} to use a deprecated index section anyway
16911 specify @code{set use-deprecated-index-sections on}.
16912 The default is @code{off}.
16913 This can speed up startup, but may result in some functionality being lost.
16914 @xref{Index Section Format}.
16915
16916 @emph{Warning:} Setting @code{use-deprecated-index-sections} to @code{on}
16917 must be done before gdb reads the file. The following will not work:
16918
16919 @smallexample
16920 $ gdb -ex "set use-deprecated-index-sections on" <program>
16921 @end smallexample
16922
16923 Instead you must do, for example,
16924
16925 @smallexample
16926 $ gdb -iex "set use-deprecated-index-sections on" <program>
16927 @end smallexample
16928
16929 There are currently some limitation on indices. They only work when
16930 for DWARF debugging information, not stabs. And, they do not
16931 currently work for programs using Ada.
16932
16933 @node Symbol Errors
16934 @section Errors Reading Symbol Files
16935
16936 While reading a symbol file, @value{GDBN} occasionally encounters problems,
16937 such as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
16938 output. By default, @value{GDBN} does not notify you of such problems, since
16939 they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
16940 debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information
16941 about ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask @value{GDBN} to print
16942 only one message about each such type of problem, no matter how many
16943 times the problem occurs; or you can ask @value{GDBN} to print more messages,
16944 to see how many times the problems occur, with the @code{set
16945 complaints} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
16946 Messages}).
16947
16948 The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
16949
16950 @table @code
16951 @item inner block not inside outer block in @var{symbol}
16952
16953 The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
16954 (such as at the start of a function or a block of statements). This
16955 error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully contained
16956 in its outer scope blocks.
16957
16958 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it had
16959 the same scope as the outer block. In the error message, @var{symbol}
16960 may be shown as ``@code{(don't know)}'' if the outer block is not a
16961 function.
16962
16963 @item block at @var{address} out of order
16964
16965 The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
16966 order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does not
16967 do so.
16968
16969 @value{GDBN} does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble
16970 locating symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You
16971 can often determine what source file is affected by specifying
16972 @code{set verbose on}. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
16973 Messages}.)
16974
16975 @item bad block start address patched
16976
16977 The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
16978 smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is known
16979 to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
16980
16981 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
16982 starting on the previous source line.
16983
16984 @item bad string table offset in symbol @var{n}
16985
16986 @cindex foo
16987 Symbol number @var{n} contains a pointer into the string table which is
16988 larger than the size of the string table.
16989
16990 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
16991 name @code{foo}, which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
16992 with this name.
16993
16994 @item unknown symbol type @code{0x@var{nn}}
16995
16996 The symbol information contains new data types that @value{GDBN} does
16997 not yet know how to read. @code{0x@var{nn}} is the symbol type of the
16998 uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
16999
17000 @value{GDBN} circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
17001 This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain symbols
17002 are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and feel like
17003 debugging it, you can debug @code{@value{GDBP}} with itself, breakpoint
17004 on @code{complain}, then go up to the function @code{read_dbx_symtab}
17005 and examine @code{*bufp} to see the symbol.
17006
17007 @item stub type has NULL name
17008
17009 @value{GDBN} could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
17010
17011 @item const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got@dots{}
17012 The symbol information for a C@t{++} member function is missing some
17013 information that recent versions of the compiler should have output for
17014 it.
17015
17016 @item info mismatch between compiler and debugger
17017
17018 @value{GDBN} could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.
17019
17020 @end table
17021
17022 @node Data Files
17023 @section GDB Data Files
17024
17025 @cindex prefix for data files
17026 @value{GDBN} will sometimes read an auxiliary data file. These files
17027 are kept in a directory known as the @dfn{data directory}.
17028
17029 You can set the data directory's name, and view the name @value{GDBN}
17030 is currently using.
17031
17032 @table @code
17033 @kindex set data-directory
17034 @item set data-directory @var{directory}
17035 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files
17036 to @var{directory}.
17037
17038 @kindex show data-directory
17039 @item show data-directory
17040 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files.
17041 @end table
17042
17043 @cindex default data directory
17044 @cindex @samp{--with-gdb-datadir}
17045 You can set the default data directory by using the configure-time
17046 @samp{--with-gdb-datadir} option. If the data directory is inside
17047 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
17048 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default data directory will be updated
17049 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
17050 location.
17051
17052 The data directory may also be specified with the
17053 @code{--data-directory} command line option.
17054 @xref{Mode Options}.
17055
17056 @node Targets
17057 @chapter Specifying a Debugging Target
17058
17059 @cindex debugging target
17060 A @dfn{target} is the execution environment occupied by your program.
17061
17062 Often, @value{GDBN} runs in the same host environment as your program;
17063 in that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when
17064 you use the @code{file} or @code{core} commands. When you need more
17065 flexibility---for example, running @value{GDBN} on a physically separate
17066 host, or controlling a standalone system over a serial port or a
17067 realtime system over a TCP/IP connection---you can use the @code{target}
17068 command to specify one of the target types configured for @value{GDBN}
17069 (@pxref{Target Commands, ,Commands for Managing Targets}).
17070
17071 @cindex target architecture
17072 It is possible to build @value{GDBN} for several different @dfn{target
17073 architectures}. When @value{GDBN} is built like that, you can choose
17074 one of the available architectures with the @kbd{set architecture}
17075 command.
17076
17077 @table @code
17078 @kindex set architecture
17079 @kindex show architecture
17080 @item set architecture @var{arch}
17081 This command sets the current target architecture to @var{arch}. The
17082 value of @var{arch} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition to one of the
17083 supported architectures.
17084
17085 @item show architecture
17086 Show the current target architecture.
17087
17088 @item set processor
17089 @itemx processor
17090 @kindex set processor
17091 @kindex show processor
17092 These are alias commands for, respectively, @code{set architecture}
17093 and @code{show architecture}.
17094 @end table
17095
17096 @menu
17097 * Active Targets:: Active targets
17098 * Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
17099 * Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order
17100 @end menu
17101
17102 @node Active Targets
17103 @section Active Targets
17104
17105 @cindex stacking targets
17106 @cindex active targets
17107 @cindex multiple targets
17108
17109 There are multiple classes of targets such as: processes, executable files or
17110 recording sessions. Core files belong to the process class, making core file
17111 and process mutually exclusive. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} can work concurrently
17112 on multiple active targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for
17113 example) start a process and inspect its activity, while still having access to
17114 the executable file after the process finishes. Or if you start process
17115 recording (@pxref{Reverse Execution}) and @code{reverse-step} there, you are
17116 presented a virtual layer of the recording target, while the process target
17117 remains stopped at the chronologically last point of the process execution.
17118
17119 Use the @code{core-file} and @code{exec-file} commands to select a new core
17120 file or executable target (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}). To
17121 specify as a target a process that is already running, use the @code{attach}
17122 command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
17123
17124 @node Target Commands
17125 @section Commands for Managing Targets
17126
17127 @table @code
17128 @item target @var{type} @var{parameters}
17129 Connects the @value{GDBN} host environment to a target machine or
17130 process. A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
17131 facilities. You use the argument @var{type} to specify the type or
17132 protocol of the target machine.
17133
17134 Further @var{parameters} are interpreted by the target protocol, but
17135 typically include things like device names or host names to connect
17136 with, process numbers, and baud rates.
17137
17138 The @code{target} command does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again
17139 after executing the command.
17140
17141 @kindex help target
17142 @item help target
17143 Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
17144 currently selected, use either @code{info target} or @code{info files}
17145 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
17146
17147 @item help target @var{name}
17148 Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
17149 select it.
17150
17151 @kindex set gnutarget
17152 @item set gnutarget @var{args}
17153 @value{GDBN} uses its own library BFD to read your files. @value{GDBN}
17154 knows whether it is reading an @dfn{executable},
17155 a @dfn{core}, or a @dfn{.o} file; however, you can specify the file format
17156 with the @code{set gnutarget} command. Unlike most @code{target} commands,
17157 with @code{gnutarget} the @code{target} refers to a program, not a machine.
17158
17159 @quotation
17160 @emph{Warning:} To specify a file format with @code{set gnutarget},
17161 you must know the actual BFD name.
17162 @end quotation
17163
17164 @noindent
17165 @xref{Files, , Commands to Specify Files}.
17166
17167 @kindex show gnutarget
17168 @item show gnutarget
17169 Use the @code{show gnutarget} command to display what file format
17170 @code{gnutarget} is set to read. If you have not set @code{gnutarget},
17171 @value{GDBN} will determine the file format for each file automatically,
17172 and @code{show gnutarget} displays @samp{The current BDF target is "auto"}.
17173 @end table
17174
17175 @cindex common targets
17176 Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
17177 configuration):
17178
17179 @table @code
17180 @kindex target
17181 @item target exec @var{program}
17182 @cindex executable file target
17183 An executable file. @samp{target exec @var{program}} is the same as
17184 @samp{exec-file @var{program}}.
17185
17186 @item target core @var{filename}
17187 @cindex core dump file target
17188 A core dump file. @samp{target core @var{filename}} is the same as
17189 @samp{core-file @var{filename}}.
17190
17191 @item target remote @var{medium}
17192 @cindex remote target
17193 A remote system connected to @value{GDBN} via a serial line or network
17194 connection. This command tells @value{GDBN} to use its own remote
17195 protocol over @var{medium} for debugging. @xref{Remote Debugging}.
17196
17197 For example, if you have a board connected to @file{/dev/ttya} on the
17198 machine running @value{GDBN}, you could say:
17199
17200 @smallexample
17201 target remote /dev/ttya
17202 @end smallexample
17203
17204 @code{target remote} supports the @code{load} command. This is only
17205 useful if you have some other way of getting the stub to the target
17206 system, and you can put it somewhere in memory where it won't get
17207 clobbered by the download.
17208
17209 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
17210 @cindex built-in simulator target
17211 Builtin CPU simulator. @value{GDBN} includes simulators for most architectures.
17212 In general,
17213 @smallexample
17214 target sim
17215 load
17216 run
17217 @end smallexample
17218 @noindent
17219 works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map, device
17220 drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some simulators do
17221 provide these. For info about any processor-specific simulator details,
17222 see the appropriate section in @ref{Embedded Processors, ,Embedded
17223 Processors}.
17224
17225 @end table
17226
17227 Some configurations may include these targets as well:
17228
17229 @table @code
17230
17231 @item target nrom @var{dev}
17232 @cindex NetROM ROM emulator target
17233 NetROM ROM emulator. This target only supports downloading.
17234
17235 @end table
17236
17237 Different targets are available on different configurations of @value{GDBN};
17238 your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
17239
17240 Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code once
17241 you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to control
17242 various aspects of this process.
17243
17244 @table @code
17245
17246 @item set hash
17247 @kindex set hash@r{, for remote monitors}
17248 @cindex hash mark while downloading
17249 This command controls whether a hash mark @samp{#} is displayed while
17250 downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
17251 displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
17252 monitor.
17253
17254 @item show hash
17255 @kindex show hash@r{, for remote monitors}
17256 Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
17257
17258 @item set debug monitor
17259 @kindex set debug monitor
17260 @cindex display remote monitor communications
17261 Enable or disable display of communications messages between
17262 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
17263
17264 @item show debug monitor
17265 @kindex show debug monitor
17266 Show the current status of displaying communications between
17267 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
17268 @end table
17269
17270 @table @code
17271
17272 @kindex load @var{filename}
17273 @item load @var{filename}
17274 @anchor{load}
17275 Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
17276 @value{GDBN}, the @code{load} command may be available. Where it exists, it
17277 is meant to make @var{filename} (an executable) available for debugging
17278 on the remote system---by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
17279 @code{load} also records the @var{filename} symbol table in @value{GDBN}, like
17280 the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
17281
17282 If your @value{GDBN} does not have a @code{load} command, attempting to
17283 execute it gets the error message ``@code{You can't do that when your
17284 target is @dots{}}''
17285
17286 The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the executable.
17287 For some object file formats, you can specify the load address when you
17288 link the program; for other formats, like a.out, the object file format
17289 specifies a fixed address.
17290 @c FIXME! This would be a good place for an xref to the GNU linker doc.
17291
17292 Depending on the remote side capabilities, @value{GDBN} may be able to
17293 load programs into flash memory.
17294
17295 @code{load} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
17296 @end table
17297
17298 @node Byte Order
17299 @section Choosing Target Byte Order
17300
17301 @cindex choosing target byte order
17302 @cindex target byte order
17303
17304 Some types of processors, such as the @acronym{MIPS}, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
17305 offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
17306 orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
17307 designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about
17308 which to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust
17309 @value{GDBN}'s idea of processor endian-ness manually.
17310
17311 @table @code
17312 @kindex set endian
17313 @item set endian big
17314 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is big-endian.
17315
17316 @item set endian little
17317 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is little-endian.
17318
17319 @item set endian auto
17320 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the byte order associated with the
17321 executable.
17322
17323 @item show endian
17324 Display @value{GDBN}'s current idea of the target byte order.
17325
17326 @end table
17327
17328 Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
17329 data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the
17330 target system.
17331
17332
17333 @node Remote Debugging
17334 @chapter Debugging Remote Programs
17335 @cindex remote debugging
17336
17337 If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot run
17338 @value{GDBN} in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
17339 For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system kernel,
17340 or on a small system which does not have a general purpose operating system
17341 powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
17342
17343 Some configurations of @value{GDBN} have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
17344 to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition,
17345 @value{GDBN} comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to @value{GDBN},
17346 but not specific to any particular target system) which you can use if you
17347 write the remote stubs---the code that runs on the remote system to
17348 communicate with @value{GDBN}.
17349
17350 Other remote targets may be available in your
17351 configuration of @value{GDBN}; use @code{help target} to list them.
17352
17353 @menu
17354 * Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
17355 * File Transfer:: Sending files to a remote system
17356 * Server:: Using the gdbserver program
17357 * Remote Configuration:: Remote configuration
17358 * Remote Stub:: Implementing a remote stub
17359 @end menu
17360
17361 @node Connecting
17362 @section Connecting to a Remote Target
17363
17364 On the @value{GDBN} host machine, you will need an unstripped copy of
17365 your program, since @value{GDBN} needs symbol and debugging information.
17366 Start up @value{GDBN} as usual, using the name of the local copy of your
17367 program as the first argument.
17368
17369 @cindex @code{target remote}
17370 @value{GDBN} can communicate with the target over a serial line, or
17371 over an @acronym{IP} network using @acronym{TCP} or @acronym{UDP}. In
17372 each case, @value{GDBN} uses the same protocol for debugging your
17373 program; only the medium carrying the debugging packets varies. The
17374 @code{target remote} command establishes a connection to the target.
17375 Its arguments indicate which medium to use:
17376
17377 @table @code
17378
17379 @item target remote @var{serial-device}
17380 @cindex serial line, @code{target remote}
17381 Use @var{serial-device} to communicate with the target. For example,
17382 to use a serial line connected to the device named @file{/dev/ttyb}:
17383
17384 @smallexample
17385 target remote /dev/ttyb
17386 @end smallexample
17387
17388 If you're using a serial line, you may want to give @value{GDBN} the
17389 @w{@samp{--baud}} option, or use the @code{set remotebaud} command
17390 (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remotebaud}) before the
17391 @code{target} command.
17392
17393 @item target remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
17394 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
17395 @cindex @acronym{TCP} port, @code{target remote}
17396 Debug using a @acronym{TCP} connection to @var{port} on @var{host}.
17397 The @var{host} may be either a host name or a numeric @acronym{IP}
17398 address; @var{port} must be a decimal number. The @var{host} could be
17399 the target machine itself, if it is directly connected to the net, or
17400 it might be a terminal server which in turn has a serial line to the
17401 target.
17402
17403 For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
17404 @code{manyfarms}:
17405
17406 @smallexample
17407 target remote manyfarms:2828
17408 @end smallexample
17409
17410 If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as your
17411 debugger session (e.g.@: a simulator for your target running on the
17412 same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to connect to
17413 port 1234 on your local machine:
17414
17415 @smallexample
17416 target remote :1234
17417 @end smallexample
17418 @noindent
17419
17420 Note that the colon is still required here.
17421
17422 @item target remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
17423 @cindex @acronym{UDP} port, @code{target remote}
17424 Debug using @acronym{UDP} packets to @var{port} on @var{host}. For example, to
17425 connect to @acronym{UDP} port 2828 on a terminal server named @code{manyfarms}:
17426
17427 @smallexample
17428 target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
17429 @end smallexample
17430
17431 When using a @acronym{UDP} connection for remote debugging, you should
17432 keep in mind that the `U' stands for ``Unreliable''. @acronym{UDP}
17433 can silently drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will
17434 cause havoc with your debugging session.
17435
17436 @item target remote | @var{command}
17437 @cindex pipe, @code{target remote} to
17438 Run @var{command} in the background and communicate with it using a
17439 pipe. The @var{command} is a shell command, to be parsed and expanded
17440 by the system's command shell, @code{/bin/sh}; it should expect remote
17441 protocol packets on its standard input, and send replies on its
17442 standard output. You could use this to run a stand-alone simulator
17443 that speaks the remote debugging protocol, to make net connections
17444 using programs like @code{ssh}, or for other similar tricks.
17445
17446 If @var{command} closes its standard output (perhaps by exiting),
17447 @value{GDBN} will try to send it a @code{SIGTERM} signal. (If the
17448 program has already exited, this will have no effect.)
17449
17450 @end table
17451
17452 Once the connection has been established, you can use all the usual
17453 commands to examine and change data. The remote program is already
17454 running; you can use @kbd{step} and @kbd{continue}, and you do not
17455 need to use @kbd{run}.
17456
17457 @cindex interrupting remote programs
17458 @cindex remote programs, interrupting
17459 Whenever @value{GDBN} is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
17460 interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}), @value{GDBN} attempts to stop the
17461 program. This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware
17462 and the serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the
17463 interrupt character once again, @value{GDBN} displays this prompt:
17464
17465 @smallexample
17466 Interrupted while waiting for the program.
17467 Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
17468 @end smallexample
17469
17470 If you type @kbd{y}, @value{GDBN} abandons the remote debugging session.
17471 (If you decide you want to try again later, you can use @samp{target
17472 remote} again to connect once more.) If you type @kbd{n}, @value{GDBN}
17473 goes back to waiting.
17474
17475 @table @code
17476 @kindex detach (remote)
17477 @item detach
17478 When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use the
17479 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control.
17480 Detaching from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
17481 will depend on your particular remote stub. After the @code{detach}
17482 command, @value{GDBN} is free to connect to another target.
17483
17484 @kindex disconnect
17485 @item disconnect
17486 The @code{disconnect} command behaves like @code{detach}, except that
17487 the target is generally not resumed. It will wait for @value{GDBN}
17488 (this instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
17489 the @code{disconnect} command, @value{GDBN} is again free to connect to
17490 another target.
17491
17492 @cindex send command to remote monitor
17493 @cindex extend @value{GDBN} for remote targets
17494 @cindex add new commands for external monitor
17495 @kindex monitor
17496 @item monitor @var{cmd}
17497 This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
17498 remote monitor. Since @value{GDBN} doesn't care about the commands it
17499 sends like this, this command is the way to extend @value{GDBN}---you
17500 can add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
17501 and implement.
17502 @end table
17503
17504 @node File Transfer
17505 @section Sending files to a remote system
17506 @cindex remote target, file transfer
17507 @cindex file transfer
17508 @cindex sending files to remote systems
17509
17510 Some remote targets offer the ability to transfer files over the same
17511 connection used to communicate with @value{GDBN}. This is convenient
17512 for targets accessible through other means, e.g.@: @sc{gnu}/Linux systems
17513 running @code{gdbserver} over a network interface. For other targets,
17514 e.g.@: embedded devices with only a single serial port, this may be
17515 the only way to upload or download files.
17516
17517 Not all remote targets support these commands.
17518
17519 @table @code
17520 @kindex remote put
17521 @item remote put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
17522 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
17523 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
17524
17525 @kindex remote get
17526 @item remote get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
17527 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
17528 on the host system.
17529
17530 @kindex remote delete
17531 @item remote delete @var{targetfile}
17532 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
17533
17534 @end table
17535
17536 @node Server
17537 @section Using the @code{gdbserver} Program
17538
17539 @kindex gdbserver
17540 @cindex remote connection without stubs
17541 @code{gdbserver} is a control program for Unix-like systems, which
17542 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
17543 @code{target remote}---but without linking in the usual debugging stub.
17544
17545 @code{gdbserver} is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
17546 because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
17547 that @value{GDBN} itself does. In fact, a system that can run
17548 @code{gdbserver} to connect to a remote @value{GDBN} could also run
17549 @value{GDBN} locally! @code{gdbserver} is sometimes useful nevertheless,
17550 because it is a much smaller program than @value{GDBN} itself. It is
17551 also easier to port than all of @value{GDBN}, so you may be able to get
17552 started more quickly on a new system by using @code{gdbserver}.
17553 Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you may find that
17554 the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it more convenient to
17555 do as much development work as possible on another system, for example
17556 by cross-compiling. You can use @code{gdbserver} to make a similar
17557 choice for debugging.
17558
17559 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserver} communicate via either a serial line
17560 or a TCP connection, using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial
17561 protocol.
17562
17563 @quotation
17564 @emph{Warning:} @code{gdbserver} does not have any built-in security.
17565 Do not run @code{gdbserver} connected to any public network; a
17566 @value{GDBN} connection to @code{gdbserver} provides access to the
17567 target system with the same privileges as the user running
17568 @code{gdbserver}.
17569 @end quotation
17570
17571 @subsection Running @code{gdbserver}
17572 @cindex arguments, to @code{gdbserver}
17573 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, command-line arguments
17574
17575 Run @code{gdbserver} on the target system. You need a copy of the
17576 program you want to debug, including any libraries it requires.
17577 @code{gdbserver} does not need your program's symbol table, so you can
17578 strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the host
17579 system does all the symbol handling.
17580
17581 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with @value{GDBN};
17582 the name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
17583 syntax is:
17584
17585 @smallexample
17586 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
17587 @end smallexample
17588
17589 @var{comm} is either a device name (to use a serial line), or a TCP
17590 hostname and portnumber, or @code{-} or @code{stdio} to use
17591 stdin/stdout of @code{gdbserver}.
17592 For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
17593 @samp{foo.txt} and communicate with @value{GDBN} over the serial port
17594 @file{/dev/com1}:
17595
17596 @smallexample
17597 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
17598 @end smallexample
17599
17600 @code{gdbserver} waits passively for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate
17601 with it.
17602
17603 To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
17604
17605 @smallexample
17606 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
17607 @end smallexample
17608
17609 The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
17610 specifying that you are communicating with the host @value{GDBN} via
17611 TCP. The @samp{host:2345} argument means that @code{gdbserver} is to
17612 expect a TCP connection from machine @samp{host} to local TCP port 2345.
17613 (Currently, the @samp{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number
17614 you want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any
17615 TCP ports already in use on the target system (for example, @code{23} is
17616 reserved for @code{telnet}).@footnote{If you choose a port number that
17617 conflicts with another service, @code{gdbserver} prints an error message
17618 and exits.} You must use the same port number with the host @value{GDBN}
17619 @code{target remote} command.
17620
17621 The @code{stdio} connection is useful when starting @code{gdbserver}
17622 with ssh:
17623
17624 @smallexample
17625 (gdb) target remote | ssh -T hostname gdbserver - hello
17626 @end smallexample
17627
17628 The @samp{-T} option to ssh is provided because we don't need a remote pty,
17629 and we don't want escape-character handling. Ssh does this by default when
17630 a command is provided, the flag is provided to make it explicit.
17631 You could elide it if you want to.
17632
17633 Programs started with stdio-connected gdbserver have @file{/dev/null} for
17634 @code{stdin}, and @code{stdout},@code{stderr} are sent back to gdb for
17635 display through a pipe connected to gdbserver.
17636 Both @code{stdout} and @code{stderr} use the same pipe.
17637
17638 @subsubsection Attaching to a Running Program
17639 @cindex attach to a program, @code{gdbserver}
17640 @cindex @option{--attach}, @code{gdbserver} option
17641
17642 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
17643 This is accomplished via the @code{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
17644
17645 @smallexample
17646 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
17647 @end smallexample
17648
17649 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't necessary
17650 to point @code{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
17651
17652 @pindex pidof
17653 You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target has the
17654 @code{pidof} utility:
17655
17656 @smallexample
17657 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} `pidof @var{program}`
17658 @end smallexample
17659
17660 In case more than one copy of @var{program} is running, or @var{program}
17661 has multiple threads, most versions of @code{pidof} support the
17662 @code{-s} option to only return the first process ID.
17663
17664 @subsubsection Multi-Process Mode for @code{gdbserver}
17665 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, multiple processes
17666 @cindex multiple processes with @code{gdbserver}
17667
17668 When you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target remote},
17669 @code{gdbserver} debugs the specified program only once. When the
17670 program exits, or you detach from it, @value{GDBN} closes the connection
17671 and @code{gdbserver} exits.
17672
17673 If you connect using @kbd{target extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver}
17674 enters multi-process mode. When the debugged program exits, or you
17675 detach from it, @value{GDBN} stays connected to @code{gdbserver} even
17676 though no program is running. The @code{run} and @code{attach}
17677 commands instruct @code{gdbserver} to run or attach to a new program.
17678 The @code{run} command uses @code{set remote exec-file} (@pxref{set
17679 remote exec-file}) to select the program to run. Command line
17680 arguments are supported, except for wildcard expansion and I/O
17681 redirection (@pxref{Arguments}).
17682
17683 @cindex @option{--multi}, @code{gdbserver} option
17684 To start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
17685 or process ID to attach, use the @option{--multi} command line option.
17686 Then you can connect using @kbd{target extended-remote} and start
17687 the program you want to debug.
17688
17689 In multi-process mode @code{gdbserver} does not automatically exit unless you
17690 use the option @option{--once}. You can terminate it by using
17691 @code{monitor exit} (@pxref{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}). Note that the
17692 conditions under which @code{gdbserver} terminates depend on how @value{GDBN}
17693 connects to it (@kbd{target remote} or @kbd{target extended-remote}). The
17694 @option{--multi} option to @code{gdbserver} has no influence on that.
17695
17696 @subsubsection TCP port allocation lifecycle of @code{gdbserver}
17697
17698 This section applies only when @code{gdbserver} is run to listen on a TCP port.
17699
17700 @code{gdbserver} normally terminates after all of its debugged processes have
17701 terminated in @kbd{target remote} mode. On the other hand, for @kbd{target
17702 extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver} stays running even with no processes left.
17703 @value{GDBN} normally terminates the spawned debugged process on its exit,
17704 which normally also terminates @code{gdbserver} in the @kbd{target remote}
17705 mode. Therefore, when the connection drops unexpectedly, and @value{GDBN}
17706 cannot ask @code{gdbserver} to kill its debugged processes, @code{gdbserver}
17707 stays running even in the @kbd{target remote} mode.
17708
17709 When @code{gdbserver} stays running, @value{GDBN} can connect to it again later.
17710 Such reconnecting is useful for features like @ref{disconnected tracing}. For
17711 completeness, at most one @value{GDBN} can be connected at a time.
17712
17713 @cindex @option{--once}, @code{gdbserver} option
17714 By default, @code{gdbserver} keeps the listening TCP port open, so that
17715 additional connections are possible. However, if you start @code{gdbserver}
17716 with the @option{--once} option, it will stop listening for any further
17717 connection attempts after connecting to the first @value{GDBN} session. This
17718 means no further connections to @code{gdbserver} will be possible after the
17719 first one. It also means @code{gdbserver} will terminate after the first
17720 connection with remote @value{GDBN} has closed, even for unexpectedly closed
17721 connections and even in the @kbd{target extended-remote} mode. The
17722 @option{--once} option allows reusing the same port number for connecting to
17723 multiple instances of @code{gdbserver} running on the same host, since each
17724 instance closes its port after the first connection.
17725
17726 @subsubsection Other Command-Line Arguments for @code{gdbserver}
17727
17728 @cindex @option{--debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
17729 The @option{--debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display extra
17730 status information about the debugging process.
17731 @cindex @option{--remote-debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
17732 The @option{--remote-debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display
17733 remote protocol debug output. These options are intended for
17734 @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to the developers.
17735
17736 @cindex @option{--wrapper}, @code{gdbserver} option
17737 The @option{--wrapper} option specifies a wrapper to launch programs
17738 for debugging. The option should be followed by the name of the
17739 wrapper, then any command-line arguments to pass to the wrapper, then
17740 @kbd{--} indicating the end of the wrapper arguments.
17741
17742 @code{gdbserver} runs the specified wrapper program with a combined
17743 command line including the wrapper arguments, then the name of the
17744 program to debug, then any arguments to the program. The wrapper
17745 runs until it executes your program, and then @value{GDBN} gains control.
17746
17747 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
17748 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
17749 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
17750 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
17751
17752 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
17753 the debugged program, without setting the variable in @code{gdbserver}'s
17754 environment:
17755
17756 @smallexample
17757 $ gdbserver --wrapper env LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so -- :2222 ./testprog
17758 @end smallexample
17759
17760 @subsection Connecting to @code{gdbserver}
17761
17762 Run @value{GDBN} on the host system.
17763
17764 First make sure you have the necessary symbol files. Load symbols for
17765 your application using the @code{file} command before you connect. Use
17766 @code{set sysroot} to locate target libraries (unless your @value{GDBN}
17767 was compiled with the correct sysroot using @code{--with-sysroot}).
17768
17769 The symbol file and target libraries must exactly match the executable
17770 and libraries on the target, with one exception: the files on the host
17771 system should not be stripped, even if the files on the target system
17772 are. Mismatched or missing files will lead to confusing results
17773 during debugging. On @sc{gnu}/Linux targets, mismatched or missing
17774 files may also prevent @code{gdbserver} from debugging multi-threaded
17775 programs.
17776
17777 Connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
17778 For TCP connections, you must start up @code{gdbserver} prior to using
17779 the @code{target remote} command. Otherwise you may get an error whose
17780 text depends on the host system, but which usually looks something like
17781 @samp{Connection refused}. Don't use the @code{load}
17782 command in @value{GDBN} when using @code{gdbserver}, since the program is
17783 already on the target.
17784
17785 @subsection Monitor Commands for @code{gdbserver}
17786 @cindex monitor commands, for @code{gdbserver}
17787 @anchor{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}
17788
17789 During a @value{GDBN} session using @code{gdbserver}, you can use the
17790 @code{monitor} command to send special requests to @code{gdbserver}.
17791 Here are the available commands.
17792
17793 @table @code
17794 @item monitor help
17795 List the available monitor commands.
17796
17797 @item monitor set debug 0
17798 @itemx monitor set debug 1
17799 Disable or enable general debugging messages.
17800
17801 @item monitor set remote-debug 0
17802 @itemx monitor set remote-debug 1
17803 Disable or enable specific debugging messages associated with the remote
17804 protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}).
17805
17806 @item monitor set libthread-db-search-path [PATH]
17807 @cindex gdbserver, search path for @code{libthread_db}
17808 When this command is issued, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
17809 directories to search for @code{libthread_db} (@pxref{Threads,,set
17810 libthread-db-search-path}). If you omit @var{path},
17811 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to its default value.
17812
17813 The special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path} is
17814 not supported in @code{gdbserver}.
17815
17816 @item monitor exit
17817 Tell gdbserver to exit immediately. This command should be followed by
17818 @code{disconnect} to close the debugging session. @code{gdbserver} will
17819 detach from any attached processes and kill any processes it created.
17820 Use @code{monitor exit} to terminate @code{gdbserver} at the end
17821 of a multi-process mode debug session.
17822
17823 @end table
17824
17825 @subsection Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
17826 @cindex tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
17827
17828 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints, fast
17829 tracepoints and static tracepoints.
17830
17831 For fast or static tracepoints to work, a special library called the
17832 @dfn{in-process agent} (IPA), must be loaded in the inferior process.
17833 This library is built and distributed as an integral part of
17834 @code{gdbserver}. In addition, support for static tracepoints
17835 requires building the in-process agent library with static tracepoints
17836 support. At present, the UST (LTTng Userspace Tracer,
17837 @url{http://lttng.org/ust}) tracing engine is supported. This support
17838 is automatically available if UST development headers are found in the
17839 standard include path when @code{gdbserver} is built, or if
17840 @code{gdbserver} was explicitly configured using @option{--with-ust}
17841 to point at such headers. You can explicitly disable the support
17842 using @option{--with-ust=no}.
17843
17844 There are several ways to load the in-process agent in your program:
17845
17846 @table @code
17847 @item Specifying it as dependency at link time
17848
17849 You can link your program dynamically with the in-process agent
17850 library. On most systems, this is accomplished by adding
17851 @code{-linproctrace} to the link command.
17852
17853 @item Using the system's preloading mechanisms
17854
17855 You can force loading the in-process agent at startup time by using
17856 your system's support for preloading shared libraries. Many Unixes
17857 support the concept of preloading user defined libraries. In most
17858 cases, you do that by specifying @code{LD_PRELOAD=libinproctrace.so}
17859 in the environment. See also the description of @code{gdbserver}'s
17860 @option{--wrapper} command line option.
17861
17862 @item Using @value{GDBN} to force loading the agent at run time
17863
17864 On some systems, you can force the inferior to load a shared library,
17865 by calling a dynamic loader function in the inferior that takes care
17866 of dynamically looking up and loading a shared library. On most Unix
17867 systems, the function is @code{dlopen}. You'll use the @code{call}
17868 command for that. For example:
17869
17870 @smallexample
17871 (@value{GDBP}) call dlopen ("libinproctrace.so", ...)
17872 @end smallexample
17873
17874 Note that on most Unix systems, for the @code{dlopen} function to be
17875 available, the program needs to be linked with @code{-ldl}.
17876 @end table
17877
17878 On systems that have a userspace dynamic loader, like most Unix
17879 systems, when you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target
17880 remote}, you'll find that the program is stopped at the dynamic
17881 loader's entry point, and no shared library has been loaded in the
17882 program's address space yet, including the in-process agent. In that
17883 case, before being able to use any of the fast or static tracepoints
17884 features, you need to let the loader run and load the shared
17885 libraries. The simplest way to do that is to run the program to the
17886 main procedure. E.g., if debugging a C or C@t{++} program, start
17887 @code{gdbserver} like so:
17888
17889 @smallexample
17890 $ gdbserver :9999 myprogram
17891 @end smallexample
17892
17893 Start GDB and connect to @code{gdbserver} like so, and run to main:
17894
17895 @smallexample
17896 $ gdb myprogram
17897 (@value{GDBP}) target remote myhost:9999
17898 0x00007f215893ba60 in ?? () from /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
17899 (@value{GDBP}) b main
17900 (@value{GDBP}) continue
17901 @end smallexample
17902
17903 The in-process tracing agent library should now be loaded into the
17904 process; you can confirm it with the @code{info sharedlibrary}
17905 command, which will list @file{libinproctrace.so} as loaded in the
17906 process. You are now ready to install fast tracepoints, list static
17907 tracepoint markers, probe static tracepoints markers, and start
17908 tracing.
17909
17910 @node Remote Configuration
17911 @section Remote Configuration
17912
17913 @kindex set remote
17914 @kindex show remote
17915 This section documents the configuration options available when
17916 debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
17917 extensions of the remote protocol, see @ref{system,
17918 system-call-allowed}.
17919
17920 @table @code
17921 @item set remoteaddresssize @var{bits}
17922 @cindex address size for remote targets
17923 @cindex bits in remote address
17924 Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
17925 number of bits. @value{GDBN} will mask off the address bits above
17926 that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
17927 default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
17928
17929 @item show remoteaddresssize
17930 Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
17931
17932 @item set remotebaud @var{n}
17933 @cindex baud rate for remote targets
17934 Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to @var{n} baud. The
17935 value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
17936 remote targets.
17937
17938 @item show remotebaud
17939 Show the current speed of the remote connection.
17940
17941 @item set remotebreak
17942 @cindex interrupt remote programs
17943 @cindex BREAK signal instead of Ctrl-C
17944 @anchor{set remotebreak}
17945 If set to on, @value{GDBN} sends a @code{BREAK} signal to the remote
17946 when you type @kbd{Ctrl-c} to interrupt the program running
17947 on the remote. If set to off, @value{GDBN} sends the @samp{Ctrl-C}
17948 character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems
17949 expect to see @samp{Ctrl-C} as the interrupt signal.
17950
17951 @item show remotebreak
17952 Show whether @value{GDBN} sends @code{BREAK} or @samp{Ctrl-C} to
17953 interrupt the remote program.
17954
17955 @item set remoteflow on
17956 @itemx set remoteflow off
17957 @kindex set remoteflow
17958 Enable or disable hardware flow control (@code{RTS}/@code{CTS})
17959 on the serial port used to communicate to the remote target.
17960
17961 @item show remoteflow
17962 @kindex show remoteflow
17963 Show the current setting of hardware flow control.
17964
17965 @item set remotelogbase @var{base}
17966 Set the base (a.k.a.@: radix) of logging serial protocol
17967 communications to @var{base}. Supported values of @var{base} are:
17968 @code{ascii}, @code{octal}, and @code{hex}. The default is
17969 @code{ascii}.
17970
17971 @item show remotelogbase
17972 Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
17973 protocol.
17974
17975 @item set remotelogfile @var{file}
17976 @cindex record serial communications on file
17977 Record remote serial communications on the named @var{file}. The
17978 default is not to record at all.
17979
17980 @item show remotelogfile.
17981 Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
17982 serial communications.
17983
17984 @item set remotetimeout @var{num}
17985 @cindex timeout for serial communications
17986 @cindex remote timeout
17987 Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
17988 @var{num} seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
17989
17990 @item show remotetimeout
17991 Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
17992 responses.
17993
17994 @cindex limit hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
17995 @cindex remote target, limit break- and watchpoints
17996 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}
17997 @anchor{set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit}
17998 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit @var{limit}
17999 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit @var{limit}
18000 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} remote hardware breakpoint or
18001 watchpoints. A limit of -1, the default, is treated as unlimited.
18002
18003 @cindex limit hardware watchpoints length
18004 @cindex remote target, limit watchpoints length
18005 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit}
18006 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit @var{limit}
18007 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} bytes for the maximum length of
18008 a remote hardware watchpoint. A limit of -1, the default, is treated
18009 as unlimited.
18010
18011 @item show remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit
18012 Show the current limit (in bytes) of the maximum length of
18013 a remote hardware watchpoint.
18014
18015 @item set remote exec-file @var{filename}
18016 @itemx show remote exec-file
18017 @anchor{set remote exec-file}
18018 @cindex executable file, for remote target
18019 Select the file used for @code{run} with @code{target
18020 extended-remote}. This should be set to a filename valid on the
18021 target system. If it is not set, the target will use a default
18022 filename (e.g.@: the last program run).
18023
18024 @item set remote interrupt-sequence
18025 @cindex interrupt remote programs
18026 @cindex select Ctrl-C, BREAK or BREAK-g
18027 Allow the user to select one of @samp{Ctrl-C}, a @code{BREAK} or
18028 @samp{BREAK-g} as the
18029 sequence to the remote target in order to interrupt the execution.
18030 @samp{Ctrl-C} is a default. Some system prefers @code{BREAK} which
18031 is high level of serial line for some certain time.
18032 Linux kernel prefers @samp{BREAK-g}, a.k.a Magic SysRq g.
18033 It is @code{BREAK} signal followed by character @code{g}.
18034
18035 @item show interrupt-sequence
18036 Show which of @samp{Ctrl-C}, @code{BREAK} or @code{BREAK-g}
18037 is sent by @value{GDBN} to interrupt the remote program.
18038 @code{BREAK-g} is BREAK signal followed by @code{g} and
18039 also known as Magic SysRq g.
18040
18041 @item set remote interrupt-on-connect
18042 @cindex send interrupt-sequence on start
18043 Specify whether interrupt-sequence is sent to remote target when
18044 @value{GDBN} connects to it. This is mostly needed when you debug
18045 Linux kernel. Linux kernel expects @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g}
18046 which is known as Magic SysRq g in order to connect @value{GDBN}.
18047
18048 @item show interrupt-on-connect
18049 Show whether interrupt-sequence is sent
18050 to remote target when @value{GDBN} connects to it.
18051
18052 @kindex set tcp
18053 @kindex show tcp
18054 @item set tcp auto-retry on
18055 @cindex auto-retry, for remote TCP target
18056 Enable auto-retry for remote TCP connections. This is useful if the remote
18057 debugging agent is launched in parallel with @value{GDBN}; there is a race
18058 condition because the agent may not become ready to accept the connection
18059 before @value{GDBN} attempts to connect. When auto-retry is
18060 enabled, if the initial attempt to connect fails, @value{GDBN} reattempts
18061 to establish the connection using the timeout specified by
18062 @code{set tcp connect-timeout}.
18063
18064 @item set tcp auto-retry off
18065 Do not auto-retry failed TCP connections.
18066
18067 @item show tcp auto-retry
18068 Show the current auto-retry setting.
18069
18070 @item set tcp connect-timeout @var{seconds}
18071 @cindex connection timeout, for remote TCP target
18072 @cindex timeout, for remote target connection
18073 Set the timeout for establishing a TCP connection to the remote target to
18074 @var{seconds}. The timeout affects both polling to retry failed connections
18075 (enabled by @code{set tcp auto-retry on}) and waiting for connections
18076 that are merely slow to complete, and represents an approximate cumulative
18077 value.
18078
18079 @item show tcp connect-timeout
18080 Show the current connection timeout setting.
18081 @end table
18082
18083 @cindex remote packets, enabling and disabling
18084 The @value{GDBN} remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by
18085 your debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you
18086 can use these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each
18087 packet can be set to @samp{on} (the remote target supports this
18088 packet), @samp{off} (the remote target does not support this packet),
18089 or @samp{auto} (detect remote target support for this packet). They
18090 all default to @samp{auto}. For more information about each packet,
18091 see @ref{Remote Protocol}.
18092
18093 During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands.
18094 If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug
18095 in @value{GDBN}. You may want to report the problem to the
18096 @value{GDBN} developers.
18097
18098 For each packet @var{name}, the command to enable or disable the
18099 packet is @code{set remote @var{name}-packet}. The available settings
18100 are:
18101
18102 @multitable @columnfractions 0.28 0.32 0.25
18103 @item Command Name
18104 @tab Remote Packet
18105 @tab Related Features
18106
18107 @item @code{fetch-register}
18108 @tab @code{p}
18109 @tab @code{info registers}
18110
18111 @item @code{set-register}
18112 @tab @code{P}
18113 @tab @code{set}
18114
18115 @item @code{binary-download}
18116 @tab @code{X}
18117 @tab @code{load}, @code{set}
18118
18119 @item @code{read-aux-vector}
18120 @tab @code{qXfer:auxv:read}
18121 @tab @code{info auxv}
18122
18123 @item @code{symbol-lookup}
18124 @tab @code{qSymbol}
18125 @tab Detecting multiple threads
18126
18127 @item @code{attach}
18128 @tab @code{vAttach}
18129 @tab @code{attach}
18130
18131 @item @code{verbose-resume}
18132 @tab @code{vCont}
18133 @tab Stepping or resuming multiple threads
18134
18135 @item @code{run}
18136 @tab @code{vRun}
18137 @tab @code{run}
18138
18139 @item @code{software-breakpoint}
18140 @tab @code{Z0}
18141 @tab @code{break}
18142
18143 @item @code{hardware-breakpoint}
18144 @tab @code{Z1}
18145 @tab @code{hbreak}
18146
18147 @item @code{write-watchpoint}
18148 @tab @code{Z2}
18149 @tab @code{watch}
18150
18151 @item @code{read-watchpoint}
18152 @tab @code{Z3}
18153 @tab @code{rwatch}
18154
18155 @item @code{access-watchpoint}
18156 @tab @code{Z4}
18157 @tab @code{awatch}
18158
18159 @item @code{target-features}
18160 @tab @code{qXfer:features:read}
18161 @tab @code{set architecture}
18162
18163 @item @code{library-info}
18164 @tab @code{qXfer:libraries:read}
18165 @tab @code{info sharedlibrary}
18166
18167 @item @code{memory-map}
18168 @tab @code{qXfer:memory-map:read}
18169 @tab @code{info mem}
18170
18171 @item @code{read-sdata-object}
18172 @tab @code{qXfer:sdata:read}
18173 @tab @code{print $_sdata}
18174
18175 @item @code{read-spu-object}
18176 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:read}
18177 @tab @code{info spu}
18178
18179 @item @code{write-spu-object}
18180 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:write}
18181 @tab @code{info spu}
18182
18183 @item @code{read-siginfo-object}
18184 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:read}
18185 @tab @code{print $_siginfo}
18186
18187 @item @code{write-siginfo-object}
18188 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:write}
18189 @tab @code{set $_siginfo}
18190
18191 @item @code{threads}
18192 @tab @code{qXfer:threads:read}
18193 @tab @code{info threads}
18194
18195 @item @code{get-thread-local-@*storage-address}
18196 @tab @code{qGetTLSAddr}
18197 @tab Displaying @code{__thread} variables
18198
18199 @item @code{get-thread-information-block-address}
18200 @tab @code{qGetTIBAddr}
18201 @tab Display MS-Windows Thread Information Block.
18202
18203 @item @code{search-memory}
18204 @tab @code{qSearch:memory}
18205 @tab @code{find}
18206
18207 @item @code{supported-packets}
18208 @tab @code{qSupported}
18209 @tab Remote communications parameters
18210
18211 @item @code{pass-signals}
18212 @tab @code{QPassSignals}
18213 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
18214
18215 @item @code{program-signals}
18216 @tab @code{QProgramSignals}
18217 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
18218
18219 @item @code{hostio-close-packet}
18220 @tab @code{vFile:close}
18221 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
18222
18223 @item @code{hostio-open-packet}
18224 @tab @code{vFile:open}
18225 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
18226
18227 @item @code{hostio-pread-packet}
18228 @tab @code{vFile:pread}
18229 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
18230
18231 @item @code{hostio-pwrite-packet}
18232 @tab @code{vFile:pwrite}
18233 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
18234
18235 @item @code{hostio-unlink-packet}
18236 @tab @code{vFile:unlink}
18237 @tab @code{remote delete}
18238
18239 @item @code{hostio-readlink-packet}
18240 @tab @code{vFile:readlink}
18241 @tab Host I/O
18242
18243 @item @code{noack-packet}
18244 @tab @code{QStartNoAckMode}
18245 @tab Packet acknowledgment
18246
18247 @item @code{osdata}
18248 @tab @code{qXfer:osdata:read}
18249 @tab @code{info os}
18250
18251 @item @code{query-attached}
18252 @tab @code{qAttached}
18253 @tab Querying remote process attach state.
18254
18255 @item @code{traceframe-info}
18256 @tab @code{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
18257 @tab Traceframe info
18258
18259 @item @code{install-in-trace}
18260 @tab @code{InstallInTrace}
18261 @tab Install tracepoint in tracing
18262
18263 @item @code{disable-randomization}
18264 @tab @code{QDisableRandomization}
18265 @tab @code{set disable-randomization}
18266
18267 @item @code{conditional-breakpoints-packet}
18268 @tab @code{Z0 and Z1}
18269 @tab @code{Support for target-side breakpoint condition evaluation}
18270 @end multitable
18271
18272 @node Remote Stub
18273 @section Implementing a Remote Stub
18274
18275 @cindex debugging stub, example
18276 @cindex remote stub, example
18277 @cindex stub example, remote debugging
18278 The stub files provided with @value{GDBN} implement the target side of the
18279 communication protocol, and the @value{GDBN} side is implemented in the
18280 @value{GDBN} source file @file{remote.c}. Normally, you can simply allow
18281 these subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
18282 implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
18283 with one of the existing stub files. @file{sparc-stub.c} is the best
18284 organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
18285
18286 @cindex remote serial debugging, overview
18287 To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
18288 @dfn{target} machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
18289 prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
18290 program, you need:
18291
18292 @enumerate
18293 @item
18294 A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these usually
18295 have a name like @file{crt0}. The startup routine may be supplied by
18296 your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your own.
18297
18298 @item
18299 A C subroutine library to support your program's
18300 subroutine calls, notably managing input and output.
18301
18302 @item
18303 A way of getting your program to the other machine---for example, a
18304 download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
18305 manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
18306 documentation.
18307 @end enumerate
18308
18309 The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
18310 communicate with the machine where @value{GDBN} is running (the @dfn{host}
18311 machine). In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
18312
18313 @table @emph
18314 @item On the host,
18315 @value{GDBN} already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
18316 else is set up, you can simply use the @samp{target remote} command
18317 (@pxref{Targets,,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
18318
18319 @item On the target,
18320 you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines that
18321 implement the @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol. The file containing these
18322 subroutines is called a @dfn{debugging stub}.
18323
18324 On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
18325 @code{gdbserver} instead of linking a stub into your program.
18326 @xref{Server,,Using the @code{gdbserver} Program}, for details.
18327 @end table
18328
18329 The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
18330 machine; for example, use @file{sparc-stub.c} to debug programs on
18331 @sc{sparc} boards.
18332
18333 @cindex remote serial stub list
18334 These working remote stubs are distributed with @value{GDBN}:
18335
18336 @table @code
18337
18338 @item i386-stub.c
18339 @cindex @file{i386-stub.c}
18340 @cindex Intel
18341 @cindex i386
18342 For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
18343
18344 @item m68k-stub.c
18345 @cindex @file{m68k-stub.c}
18346 @cindex Motorola 680x0
18347 @cindex m680x0
18348 For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
18349
18350 @item sh-stub.c
18351 @cindex @file{sh-stub.c}
18352 @cindex Renesas
18353 @cindex SH
18354 For Renesas SH architectures.
18355
18356 @item sparc-stub.c
18357 @cindex @file{sparc-stub.c}
18358 @cindex Sparc
18359 For @sc{sparc} architectures.
18360
18361 @item sparcl-stub.c
18362 @cindex @file{sparcl-stub.c}
18363 @cindex Fujitsu
18364 @cindex SparcLite
18365 For Fujitsu @sc{sparclite} architectures.
18366
18367 @end table
18368
18369 The @file{README} file in the @value{GDBN} distribution may list other
18370 recently added stubs.
18371
18372 @menu
18373 * Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
18374 * Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
18375 * Debug Session:: Putting it all together
18376 @end menu
18377
18378 @node Stub Contents
18379 @subsection What the Stub Can Do for You
18380
18381 @cindex remote serial stub
18382 The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
18383 subroutines:
18384
18385 @table @code
18386 @item set_debug_traps
18387 @findex set_debug_traps
18388 @cindex remote serial stub, initialization
18389 This routine arranges for @code{handle_exception} to run when your
18390 program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly in your
18391 program's startup code.
18392
18393 @item handle_exception
18394 @findex handle_exception
18395 @cindex remote serial stub, main routine
18396 This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
18397 explicitly---the setup code arranges for @code{handle_exception} to
18398 run when a trap is triggered.
18399
18400 @code{handle_exception} takes control when your program stops during
18401 execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates communications
18402 with @value{GDBN} on the host machine. This is where the communications
18403 protocol is implemented; @code{handle_exception} acts as the @value{GDBN}
18404 representative on the target machine. It begins by sending summary
18405 information on the state of your program, then continues to execute,
18406 retrieving and transmitting any information @value{GDBN} needs, until you
18407 execute a @value{GDBN} command that makes your program resume; at that point,
18408 @code{handle_exception} returns control to your own code on the target
18409 machine.
18410
18411 @item breakpoint
18412 @cindex @code{breakpoint} subroutine, remote
18413 Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
18414 breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be the only
18415 way for @value{GDBN} to get control. For instance, if your target
18416 machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call this;
18417 pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
18418 @code{handle_exception}---in effect, to @value{GDBN}. On some machines,
18419 simply receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
18420 again, in that situation, you don't need to call @code{breakpoint} from
18421 your own program---simply running @samp{target remote} from the host
18422 @value{GDBN} session gets control.
18423
18424 Call @code{breakpoint} if none of these is true, or if you simply want
18425 to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
18426 start of your debugging session.
18427 @end table
18428
18429 @node Bootstrapping
18430 @subsection What You Must Do for the Stub
18431
18432 @cindex remote stub, support routines
18433 The debugging stubs that come with @value{GDBN} are set up for a particular
18434 chip architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
18435 debugging target machine.
18436
18437 First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
18438 serial port.
18439
18440 @table @code
18441 @item int getDebugChar()
18442 @findex getDebugChar
18443 Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial port.
18444 It may be identical to @code{getchar} for your target system; a
18445 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
18446
18447 @item void putDebugChar(int)
18448 @findex putDebugChar
18449 Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial port.
18450 It may be identical to @code{putchar} for your target system; a
18451 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
18452 @end table
18453
18454 @cindex control C, and remote debugging
18455 @cindex interrupting remote targets
18456 If you want @value{GDBN} to be able to stop your program while it is
18457 running, you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange
18458 for it to stop when it receives a @code{^C} (@samp{\003}, the control-C
18459 character). That is the character which @value{GDBN} uses to tell the
18460 remote system to stop.
18461
18462 Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to @value{GDBN}
18463 probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
18464 is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the ``dirty'' part is that
18465 @value{GDBN} reports a @code{SIGTRAP} instead of a @code{SIGINT}).
18466
18467 Other routines you need to supply are:
18468
18469 @table @code
18470 @item void exceptionHandler (int @var{exception_number}, void *@var{exception_address})
18471 @findex exceptionHandler
18472 Write this function to install @var{exception_address} in the exception
18473 handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not have any
18474 way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your target system
18475 are like (for example, the processor's table might be in @sc{rom},
18476 containing entries which point to a table in @sc{ram}).
18477 @var{exception_number} is the exception number which should be changed;
18478 its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different numbers
18479 might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc). When this
18480 exception occurs, control should be transferred directly to
18481 @var{exception_address}, and the processor state (stack, registers,
18482 and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception occurs. So if
18483 you want to use a jump instruction to reach @var{exception_address}, it
18484 should be a simple jump, not a jump to subroutine.
18485
18486 For the 386, @var{exception_address} should be installed as an interrupt
18487 gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The gate
18488 should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level). The
18489 @sc{sparc} and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves without
18490 help from @code{exceptionHandler}.
18491
18492 @item void flush_i_cache()
18493 @findex flush_i_cache
18494 On @sc{sparc} and @sc{sparclite} only, write this subroutine to flush the
18495 instruction cache, if any, on your target machine. If there is no
18496 instruction cache, this subroutine may be a no-op.
18497
18498 On target machines that have instruction caches, @value{GDBN} requires this
18499 function to make certain that the state of your program is stable.
18500 @end table
18501
18502 @noindent
18503 You must also make sure this library routine is available:
18504
18505 @table @code
18506 @item void *memset(void *, int, int)
18507 @findex memset
18508 This is the standard library function @code{memset} that sets an area of
18509 memory to a known value. If you have one of the free versions of
18510 @code{libc.a}, @code{memset} can be found there; otherwise, you must
18511 either obtain it from your hardware manufacturer, or write your own.
18512 @end table
18513
18514 If you do not use the GNU C compiler, you may need other standard
18515 library subroutines as well; this varies from one stub to another,
18516 but in general the stubs are likely to use any of the common library
18517 subroutines which @code{@value{NGCC}} generates as inline code.
18518
18519
18520 @node Debug Session
18521 @subsection Putting it All Together
18522
18523 @cindex remote serial debugging summary
18524 In summary, when your program is ready to debug, you must follow these
18525 steps.
18526
18527 @enumerate
18528 @item
18529 Make sure you have defined the supporting low-level routines
18530 (@pxref{Bootstrapping,,What You Must Do for the Stub}):
18531 @display
18532 @code{getDebugChar}, @code{putDebugChar},
18533 @code{flush_i_cache}, @code{memset}, @code{exceptionHandler}.
18534 @end display
18535
18536 @item
18537 Insert these lines in your program's startup code, before the main
18538 procedure is called:
18539
18540 @smallexample
18541 set_debug_traps();
18542 breakpoint();
18543 @end smallexample
18544
18545 On some machines, when a breakpoint trap is raised, the hardware
18546 automatically makes the PC point to the instruction after the
18547 breakpoint. If your machine doesn't do that, you may need to adjust
18548 @code{handle_exception} to arrange for it to return to the instruction
18549 after the breakpoint on this first invocation, so that your program
18550 doesn't keep hitting the initial breakpoint instead of making
18551 progress.
18552
18553 @item
18554 For the 680x0 stub only, you need to provide a variable called
18555 @code{exceptionHook}. Normally you just use:
18556
18557 @smallexample
18558 void (*exceptionHook)() = 0;
18559 @end smallexample
18560
18561 @noindent
18562 but if before calling @code{set_debug_traps}, you set it to point to a
18563 function in your program, that function is called when
18564 @code{@value{GDBN}} continues after stopping on a trap (for example, bus
18565 error). The function indicated by @code{exceptionHook} is called with
18566 one parameter: an @code{int} which is the exception number.
18567
18568 @item
18569 Compile and link together: your program, the @value{GDBN} debugging stub for
18570 your target architecture, and the supporting subroutines.
18571
18572 @item
18573 Make sure you have a serial connection between your target machine and
18574 the @value{GDBN} host, and identify the serial port on the host.
18575
18576 @item
18577 @c The "remote" target now provides a `load' command, so we should
18578 @c document that. FIXME.
18579 Download your program to your target machine (or get it there by
18580 whatever means the manufacturer provides), and start it.
18581
18582 @item
18583 Start @value{GDBN} on the host, and connect to the target
18584 (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
18585
18586 @end enumerate
18587
18588 @node Configurations
18589 @chapter Configuration-Specific Information
18590
18591 While nearly all @value{GDBN} commands are available for all native and
18592 cross versions of the debugger, there are some exceptions. This chapter
18593 describes things that are only available in certain configurations.
18594
18595 There are three major categories of configurations: native
18596 configurations, where the host and target are the same, embedded
18597 operating system configurations, which are usually the same for several
18598 different processor architectures, and bare embedded processors, which
18599 are quite different from each other.
18600
18601 @menu
18602 * Native::
18603 * Embedded OS::
18604 * Embedded Processors::
18605 * Architectures::
18606 @end menu
18607
18608 @node Native
18609 @section Native
18610
18611 This section describes details specific to particular native
18612 configurations.
18613
18614 @menu
18615 * HP-UX:: HP-UX
18616 * BSD libkvm Interface:: Debugging BSD kernel memory images
18617 * SVR4 Process Information:: SVR4 process information
18618 * DJGPP Native:: Features specific to the DJGPP port
18619 * Cygwin Native:: Features specific to the Cygwin port
18620 * Hurd Native:: Features specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd
18621 * Darwin:: Features specific to Darwin
18622 @end menu
18623
18624 @node HP-UX
18625 @subsection HP-UX
18626
18627 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
18628 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
18629 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
18630
18631
18632 @node BSD libkvm Interface
18633 @subsection BSD libkvm Interface
18634
18635 @cindex libkvm
18636 @cindex kernel memory image
18637 @cindex kernel crash dump
18638
18639 BSD-derived systems (FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD) have a kernel memory
18640 interface that provides a uniform interface for accessing kernel virtual
18641 memory images, including live systems and crash dumps. @value{GDBN}
18642 uses this interface to allow you to debug live kernels and kernel crash
18643 dumps on many native BSD configurations. This is implemented as a
18644 special @code{kvm} debugging target. For debugging a live system, load
18645 the currently running kernel into @value{GDBN} and connect to the
18646 @code{kvm} target:
18647
18648 @smallexample
18649 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm}
18650 @end smallexample
18651
18652 For debugging crash dumps, provide the file name of the crash dump as an
18653 argument:
18654
18655 @smallexample
18656 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm /var/crash/bsd.0}
18657 @end smallexample
18658
18659 Once connected to the @code{kvm} target, the following commands are
18660 available:
18661
18662 @table @code
18663 @kindex kvm
18664 @item kvm pcb
18665 Set current context from the @dfn{Process Control Block} (PCB) address.
18666
18667 @item kvm proc
18668 Set current context from proc address. This command isn't available on
18669 modern FreeBSD systems.
18670 @end table
18671
18672 @node SVR4 Process Information
18673 @subsection SVR4 Process Information
18674 @cindex /proc
18675 @cindex examine process image
18676 @cindex process info via @file{/proc}
18677
18678 Many versions of SVR4 and compatible systems provide a facility called
18679 @samp{/proc} that can be used to examine the image of a running
18680 process using file-system subroutines.
18681
18682 If @value{GDBN} is configured for an operating system with this
18683 facility, the command @code{info proc} is available to report
18684 information about the process running your program, or about any
18685 process running on your system. This includes, as of this writing,
18686 @sc{gnu}/Linux, OSF/1 (Digital Unix), Solaris, and Irix, but
18687 not HP-UX, for example.
18688
18689 This command may also work on core files that were created on a system
18690 that has the @samp{/proc} facility.
18691
18692 @table @code
18693 @kindex info proc
18694 @cindex process ID
18695 @item info proc
18696 @itemx info proc @var{process-id}
18697 Summarize available information about any running process. If a
18698 process ID is specified by @var{process-id}, display information about
18699 that process; otherwise display information about the program being
18700 debugged. The summary includes the debugged process ID, the command
18701 line used to invoke it, its current working directory, and its
18702 executable file's absolute file name.
18703
18704 On some systems, @var{process-id} can be of the form
18705 @samp{[@var{pid}]/@var{tid}} which specifies a certain thread ID
18706 within a process. If the optional @var{pid} part is missing, it means
18707 a thread from the process being debugged (the leading @samp{/} still
18708 needs to be present, or else @value{GDBN} will interpret the number as
18709 a process ID rather than a thread ID).
18710
18711 @item info proc cmdline
18712 @cindex info proc cmdline
18713 Show the original command line of the process. This command is
18714 specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux.
18715
18716 @item info proc cwd
18717 @cindex info proc cwd
18718 Show the current working directory of the process. This command is
18719 specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux.
18720
18721 @item info proc exe
18722 @cindex info proc exe
18723 Show the name of executable of the process. This command is specific
18724 to @sc{gnu}/Linux.
18725
18726 @item info proc mappings
18727 @cindex memory address space mappings
18728 Report the memory address space ranges accessible in the program, with
18729 information on whether the process has read, write, or execute access
18730 rights to each range. On @sc{gnu}/Linux systems, each memory range
18731 includes the object file which is mapped to that range, instead of the
18732 memory access rights to that range.
18733
18734 @item info proc stat
18735 @itemx info proc status
18736 @cindex process detailed status information
18737 These subcommands are specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux systems. They show
18738 the process-related information, including the user ID and group ID;
18739 how many threads are there in the process; its virtual memory usage;
18740 the signals that are pending, blocked, and ignored; its TTY; its
18741 consumption of system and user time; its stack size; its @samp{nice}
18742 value; etc. For more information, see the @samp{proc} man page
18743 (type @kbd{man 5 proc} from your shell prompt).
18744
18745 @item info proc all
18746 Show all the information about the process described under all of the
18747 above @code{info proc} subcommands.
18748
18749 @ignore
18750 @comment These sub-options of 'info proc' were not included when
18751 @comment procfs.c was re-written. Keep their descriptions around
18752 @comment against the day when someone finds the time to put them back in.
18753 @kindex info proc times
18754 @item info proc times
18755 Starting time, user CPU time, and system CPU time for your program and
18756 its children.
18757
18758 @kindex info proc id
18759 @item info proc id
18760 Report on the process IDs related to your program: its own process ID,
18761 the ID of its parent, the process group ID, and the session ID.
18762 @end ignore
18763
18764 @item set procfs-trace
18765 @kindex set procfs-trace
18766 @cindex @code{procfs} API calls
18767 This command enables and disables tracing of @code{procfs} API calls.
18768
18769 @item show procfs-trace
18770 @kindex show procfs-trace
18771 Show the current state of @code{procfs} API call tracing.
18772
18773 @item set procfs-file @var{file}
18774 @kindex set procfs-file
18775 Tell @value{GDBN} to write @code{procfs} API trace to the named
18776 @var{file}. @value{GDBN} appends the trace info to the previous
18777 contents of the file. The default is to display the trace on the
18778 standard output.
18779
18780 @item show procfs-file
18781 @kindex show procfs-file
18782 Show the file to which @code{procfs} API trace is written.
18783
18784 @item proc-trace-entry
18785 @itemx proc-trace-exit
18786 @itemx proc-untrace-entry
18787 @itemx proc-untrace-exit
18788 @kindex proc-trace-entry
18789 @kindex proc-trace-exit
18790 @kindex proc-untrace-entry
18791 @kindex proc-untrace-exit
18792 These commands enable and disable tracing of entries into and exits
18793 from the @code{syscall} interface.
18794
18795 @item info pidlist
18796 @kindex info pidlist
18797 @cindex process list, QNX Neutrino
18798 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all the
18799 processes and all the threads within each process.
18800
18801 @item info meminfo
18802 @kindex info meminfo
18803 @cindex mapinfo list, QNX Neutrino
18804 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all mapinfos.
18805 @end table
18806
18807 @node DJGPP Native
18808 @subsection Features for Debugging @sc{djgpp} Programs
18809 @cindex @sc{djgpp} debugging
18810 @cindex native @sc{djgpp} debugging
18811 @cindex MS-DOS-specific commands
18812
18813 @cindex DPMI
18814 @sc{djgpp} is a port of the @sc{gnu} development tools to MS-DOS and
18815 MS-Windows. @sc{djgpp} programs are 32-bit protected-mode programs
18816 that use the @dfn{DPMI} (DOS Protected-Mode Interface) API to run on
18817 top of real-mode DOS systems and their emulations.
18818
18819 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of @sc{djgpp} programs, and
18820 defines a few commands specific to the @sc{djgpp} port. This
18821 subsection describes those commands.
18822
18823 @table @code
18824 @kindex info dos
18825 @item info dos
18826 This is a prefix of @sc{djgpp}-specific commands which print
18827 information about the target system and important OS structures.
18828
18829 @kindex sysinfo
18830 @cindex MS-DOS system info
18831 @cindex free memory information (MS-DOS)
18832 @item info dos sysinfo
18833 This command displays assorted information about the underlying
18834 platform: the CPU type and features, the OS version and flavor, the
18835 DPMI version, and the available conventional and DPMI memory.
18836
18837 @cindex GDT
18838 @cindex LDT
18839 @cindex IDT
18840 @cindex segment descriptor tables
18841 @cindex descriptor tables display
18842 @item info dos gdt
18843 @itemx info dos ldt
18844 @itemx info dos idt
18845 These 3 commands display entries from, respectively, Global, Local,
18846 and Interrupt Descriptor Tables (GDT, LDT, and IDT). The descriptor
18847 tables are data structures which store a descriptor for each segment
18848 that is currently in use. The segment's selector is an index into a
18849 descriptor table; the table entry for that index holds the
18850 descriptor's base address and limit, and its attributes and access
18851 rights.
18852
18853 A typical @sc{djgpp} program uses 3 segments: a code segment, a data
18854 segment (used for both data and the stack), and a DOS segment (which
18855 allows access to DOS/BIOS data structures and absolute addresses in
18856 conventional memory). However, the DPMI host will usually define
18857 additional segments in order to support the DPMI environment.
18858
18859 @cindex garbled pointers
18860 These commands allow to display entries from the descriptor tables.
18861 Without an argument, all entries from the specified table are
18862 displayed. An argument, which should be an integer expression, means
18863 display a single entry whose index is given by the argument. For
18864 example, here's a convenient way to display information about the
18865 debugged program's data segment:
18866
18867 @smallexample
18868 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos ldt $ds}
18869 @exdent @code{0x13f: base=0x11970000 limit=0x0009ffff 32-Bit Data (Read/Write, Exp-up)}
18870 @end smallexample
18871
18872 @noindent
18873 This comes in handy when you want to see whether a pointer is outside
18874 the data segment's limit (i.e.@: @dfn{garbled}).
18875
18876 @cindex page tables display (MS-DOS)
18877 @item info dos pde
18878 @itemx info dos pte
18879 These two commands display entries from, respectively, the Page
18880 Directory and the Page Tables. Page Directories and Page Tables are
18881 data structures which control how virtual memory addresses are mapped
18882 into physical addresses. A Page Table includes an entry for every
18883 page of memory that is mapped into the program's address space; there
18884 may be several Page Tables, each one holding up to 4096 entries. A
18885 Page Directory has up to 4096 entries, one each for every Page Table
18886 that is currently in use.
18887
18888 Without an argument, @kbd{info dos pde} displays the entire Page
18889 Directory, and @kbd{info dos pte} displays all the entries in all of
18890 the Page Tables. An argument, an integer expression, given to the
18891 @kbd{info dos pde} command means display only that entry from the Page
18892 Directory table. An argument given to the @kbd{info dos pte} command
18893 means display entries from a single Page Table, the one pointed to by
18894 the specified entry in the Page Directory.
18895
18896 @cindex direct memory access (DMA) on MS-DOS
18897 These commands are useful when your program uses @dfn{DMA} (Direct
18898 Memory Access), which needs physical addresses to program the DMA
18899 controller.
18900
18901 These commands are supported only with some DPMI servers.
18902
18903 @cindex physical address from linear address
18904 @item info dos address-pte @var{addr}
18905 This command displays the Page Table entry for a specified linear
18906 address. The argument @var{addr} is a linear address which should
18907 already have the appropriate segment's base address added to it,
18908 because this command accepts addresses which may belong to @emph{any}
18909 segment. For example, here's how to display the Page Table entry for
18910 the page where a variable @code{i} is stored:
18911
18912 @smallexample
18913 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte __djgpp_base_address + (char *)&i}
18914 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x11a00d30:}
18915 @exdent @code{Base=0x02698000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0xd30}
18916 @end smallexample
18917
18918 @noindent
18919 This says that @code{i} is stored at offset @code{0xd30} from the page
18920 whose physical base address is @code{0x02698000}, and shows all the
18921 attributes of that page.
18922
18923 Note that you must cast the addresses of variables to a @code{char *},
18924 since otherwise the value of @code{__djgpp_base_address}, the base
18925 address of all variables and functions in a @sc{djgpp} program, will
18926 be added using the rules of C pointer arithmetics: if @code{i} is
18927 declared an @code{int}, @value{GDBN} will add 4 times the value of
18928 @code{__djgpp_base_address} to the address of @code{i}.
18929
18930 Here's another example, it displays the Page Table entry for the
18931 transfer buffer:
18932
18933 @smallexample
18934 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte *((unsigned *)&_go32_info_block + 3)}
18935 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x29110:}
18936 @exdent @code{Base=0x00029000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0x110}
18937 @end smallexample
18938
18939 @noindent
18940 (The @code{+ 3} offset is because the transfer buffer's address is the
18941 3rd member of the @code{_go32_info_block} structure.) The output
18942 clearly shows that this DPMI server maps the addresses in conventional
18943 memory 1:1, i.e.@: the physical (@code{0x00029000} + @code{0x110}) and
18944 linear (@code{0x29110}) addresses are identical.
18945
18946 This command is supported only with some DPMI servers.
18947 @end table
18948
18949 @cindex DOS serial data link, remote debugging
18950 In addition to native debugging, the DJGPP port supports remote
18951 debugging via a serial data link. The following commands are specific
18952 to remote serial debugging in the DJGPP port of @value{GDBN}.
18953
18954 @table @code
18955 @kindex set com1base
18956 @kindex set com1irq
18957 @kindex set com2base
18958 @kindex set com2irq
18959 @kindex set com3base
18960 @kindex set com3irq
18961 @kindex set com4base
18962 @kindex set com4irq
18963 @item set com1base @var{addr}
18964 This command sets the base I/O port address of the @file{COM1} serial
18965 port.
18966
18967 @item set com1irq @var{irq}
18968 This command sets the @dfn{Interrupt Request} (@code{IRQ}) line to use
18969 for the @file{COM1} serial port.
18970
18971 There are similar commands @samp{set com2base}, @samp{set com3irq},
18972 etc.@: for setting the port address and the @code{IRQ} lines for the
18973 other 3 COM ports.
18974
18975 @kindex show com1base
18976 @kindex show com1irq
18977 @kindex show com2base
18978 @kindex show com2irq
18979 @kindex show com3base
18980 @kindex show com3irq
18981 @kindex show com4base
18982 @kindex show com4irq
18983 The related commands @samp{show com1base}, @samp{show com1irq} etc.@:
18984 display the current settings of the base address and the @code{IRQ}
18985 lines used by the COM ports.
18986
18987 @item info serial
18988 @kindex info serial
18989 @cindex DOS serial port status
18990 This command prints the status of the 4 DOS serial ports. For each
18991 port, it prints whether it's active or not, its I/O base address and
18992 IRQ number, whether it uses a 16550-style FIFO, its baudrate, and the
18993 counts of various errors encountered so far.
18994 @end table
18995
18996
18997 @node Cygwin Native
18998 @subsection Features for Debugging MS Windows PE Executables
18999 @cindex MS Windows debugging
19000 @cindex native Cygwin debugging
19001 @cindex Cygwin-specific commands
19002
19003 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of MS Windows programs, including
19004 DLLs with and without symbolic debugging information.
19005
19006 @cindex Ctrl-BREAK, MS-Windows
19007 @cindex interrupt debuggee on MS-Windows
19008 MS-Windows programs that call @code{SetConsoleMode} to switch off the
19009 special meaning of the @samp{Ctrl-C} keystroke cannot be interrupted
19010 by typing @kbd{C-c}. For this reason, @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows
19011 supports @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} as an alternative interrupt key
19012 sequence, which can be used to interrupt the debuggee even if it
19013 ignores @kbd{C-c}.
19014
19015 There are various additional Cygwin-specific commands, described in
19016 this section. Working with DLLs that have no debugging symbols is
19017 described in @ref{Non-debug DLL Symbols}.
19018
19019 @table @code
19020 @kindex info w32
19021 @item info w32
19022 This is a prefix of MS Windows-specific commands which print
19023 information about the target system and important OS structures.
19024
19025 @item info w32 selector
19026 This command displays information returned by
19027 the Win32 API @code{GetThreadSelectorEntry} function.
19028 It takes an optional argument that is evaluated to
19029 a long value to give the information about this given selector.
19030 Without argument, this command displays information
19031 about the six segment registers.
19032
19033 @item info w32 thread-information-block
19034 This command displays thread specific information stored in the
19035 Thread Information Block (readable on the X86 CPU family using @code{$fs}
19036 selector for 32-bit programs and @code{$gs} for 64-bit programs).
19037
19038 @kindex info dll
19039 @item info dll
19040 This is a Cygwin-specific alias of @code{info shared}.
19041
19042 @kindex dll-symbols
19043 @item dll-symbols
19044 This command loads symbols from a dll similarly to
19045 add-sym command but without the need to specify a base address.
19046
19047 @kindex set cygwin-exceptions
19048 @cindex debugging the Cygwin DLL
19049 @cindex Cygwin DLL, debugging
19050 @item set cygwin-exceptions @var{mode}
19051 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that
19052 happen inside the Cygwin DLL. If @var{mode} is @code{off},
19053 @value{GDBN} will delay recognition of exceptions, and may ignore some
19054 exceptions which seem to be caused by internal Cygwin DLL
19055 ``bookkeeping''. This option is meant primarily for debugging the
19056 Cygwin DLL itself; the default value is @code{off} to avoid annoying
19057 @value{GDBN} users with false @code{SIGSEGV} signals.
19058
19059 @kindex show cygwin-exceptions
19060 @item show cygwin-exceptions
19061 Displays whether @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that happen
19062 inside the Cygwin DLL itself.
19063
19064 @kindex set new-console
19065 @item set new-console @var{mode}
19066 If @var{mode} is @code{on} the debuggee will
19067 be started in a new console on next start.
19068 If @var{mode} is @code{off}, the debuggee will
19069 be started in the same console as the debugger.
19070
19071 @kindex show new-console
19072 @item show new-console
19073 Displays whether a new console is used
19074 when the debuggee is started.
19075
19076 @kindex set new-group
19077 @item set new-group @var{mode}
19078 This boolean value controls whether the debuggee should
19079 start a new group or stay in the same group as the debugger.
19080 This affects the way the Windows OS handles
19081 @samp{Ctrl-C}.
19082
19083 @kindex show new-group
19084 @item show new-group
19085 Displays current value of new-group boolean.
19086
19087 @kindex set debugevents
19088 @item set debugevents
19089 This boolean value adds debug output concerning kernel events related
19090 to the debuggee seen by the debugger. This includes events that
19091 signal thread and process creation and exit, DLL loading and
19092 unloading, console interrupts, and debugging messages produced by the
19093 Windows @code{OutputDebugString} API call.
19094
19095 @kindex set debugexec
19096 @item set debugexec
19097 This boolean value adds debug output concerning execute events
19098 (such as resume thread) seen by the debugger.
19099
19100 @kindex set debugexceptions
19101 @item set debugexceptions
19102 This boolean value adds debug output concerning exceptions in the
19103 debuggee seen by the debugger.
19104
19105 @kindex set debugmemory
19106 @item set debugmemory
19107 This boolean value adds debug output concerning debuggee memory reads
19108 and writes by the debugger.
19109
19110 @kindex set shell
19111 @item set shell
19112 This boolean values specifies whether the debuggee is called
19113 via a shell or directly (default value is on).
19114
19115 @kindex show shell
19116 @item show shell
19117 Displays if the debuggee will be started with a shell.
19118
19119 @end table
19120
19121 @menu
19122 * Non-debug DLL Symbols:: Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
19123 @end menu
19124
19125 @node Non-debug DLL Symbols
19126 @subsubsection Support for DLLs without Debugging Symbols
19127 @cindex DLLs with no debugging symbols
19128 @cindex Minimal symbols and DLLs
19129
19130 Very often on windows, some of the DLLs that your program relies on do
19131 not include symbolic debugging information (for example,
19132 @file{kernel32.dll}). When @value{GDBN} doesn't recognize any debugging
19133 symbols in a DLL, it relies on the minimal amount of symbolic
19134 information contained in the DLL's export table. This section
19135 describes working with such symbols, known internally to @value{GDBN} as
19136 ``minimal symbols''.
19137
19138 Note that before the debugged program has started execution, no DLLs
19139 will have been loaded. The easiest way around this problem is simply to
19140 start the program --- either by setting a breakpoint or letting the
19141 program run once to completion. It is also possible to force
19142 @value{GDBN} to load a particular DLL before starting the executable ---
19143 see the shared library information in @ref{Files}, or the
19144 @code{dll-symbols} command in @ref{Cygwin Native}. Currently,
19145 explicitly loading symbols from a DLL with no debugging information will
19146 cause the symbol names to be duplicated in @value{GDBN}'s lookup table,
19147 which may adversely affect symbol lookup performance.
19148
19149 @subsubsection DLL Name Prefixes
19150
19151 In keeping with the naming conventions used by the Microsoft debugging
19152 tools, DLL export symbols are made available with a prefix based on the
19153 DLL name, for instance @code{KERNEL32!CreateFileA}. The plain name is
19154 also entered into the symbol table, so @code{CreateFileA} is often
19155 sufficient. In some cases there will be name clashes within a program
19156 (particularly if the executable itself includes full debugging symbols)
19157 necessitating the use of the fully qualified name when referring to the
19158 contents of the DLL. Use single-quotes around the name to avoid the
19159 exclamation mark (``!'') being interpreted as a language operator.
19160
19161 Note that the internal name of the DLL may be all upper-case, even
19162 though the file name of the DLL is lower-case, or vice-versa. Since
19163 symbols within @value{GDBN} are @emph{case-sensitive} this may cause
19164 some confusion. If in doubt, try the @code{info functions} and
19165 @code{info variables} commands or even @code{maint print msymbols}
19166 (@pxref{Symbols}). Here's an example:
19167
19168 @smallexample
19169 (@value{GDBP}) info function CreateFileA
19170 All functions matching regular expression "CreateFileA":
19171
19172 Non-debugging symbols:
19173 0x77e885f4 CreateFileA
19174 0x77e885f4 KERNEL32!CreateFileA
19175 @end smallexample
19176
19177 @smallexample
19178 (@value{GDBP}) info function !
19179 All functions matching regular expression "!":
19180
19181 Non-debugging symbols:
19182 0x6100114c cygwin1!__assert
19183 0x61004034 cygwin1!_dll_crt0@@0
19184 0x61004240 cygwin1!dll_crt0(per_process *)
19185 [etc...]
19186 @end smallexample
19187
19188 @subsubsection Working with Minimal Symbols
19189
19190 Symbols extracted from a DLL's export table do not contain very much
19191 type information. All that @value{GDBN} can do is guess whether a symbol
19192 refers to a function or variable depending on the linker section that
19193 contains the symbol. Also note that the actual contents of the memory
19194 contained in a DLL are not available unless the program is running. This
19195 means that you cannot examine the contents of a variable or disassemble
19196 a function within a DLL without a running program.
19197
19198 Variables are generally treated as pointers and dereferenced
19199 automatically. For this reason, it is often necessary to prefix a
19200 variable name with the address-of operator (``&'') and provide explicit
19201 type information in the command. Here's an example of the type of
19202 problem:
19203
19204 @smallexample
19205 (@value{GDBP}) print 'cygwin1!__argv'
19206 $1 = 268572168
19207 @end smallexample
19208
19209 @smallexample
19210 (@value{GDBP}) x 'cygwin1!__argv'
19211 0x10021610: "\230y\""
19212 @end smallexample
19213
19214 And two possible solutions:
19215
19216 @smallexample
19217 (@value{GDBP}) print ((char **)'cygwin1!__argv')[0]
19218 $2 = 0x22fd98 "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
19219 @end smallexample
19220
19221 @smallexample
19222 (@value{GDBP}) x/2x &'cygwin1!__argv'
19223 0x610c0aa8 <cygwin1!__argv>: 0x10021608 0x00000000
19224 (@value{GDBP}) x/x 0x10021608
19225 0x10021608: 0x0022fd98
19226 (@value{GDBP}) x/s 0x0022fd98
19227 0x22fd98: "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
19228 @end smallexample
19229
19230 Setting a break point within a DLL is possible even before the program
19231 starts execution. However, under these circumstances, @value{GDBN} can't
19232 examine the initial instructions of the function in order to skip the
19233 function's frame set-up code. You can work around this by using ``*&''
19234 to set the breakpoint at a raw memory address:
19235
19236 @smallexample
19237 (@value{GDBP}) break *&'python22!PyOS_Readline'
19238 Breakpoint 1 at 0x1e04eff0
19239 @end smallexample
19240
19241 The author of these extensions is not entirely convinced that setting a
19242 break point within a shared DLL like @file{kernel32.dll} is completely
19243 safe.
19244
19245 @node Hurd Native
19246 @subsection Commands Specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd Systems
19247 @cindex @sc{gnu} Hurd debugging
19248
19249 This subsection describes @value{GDBN} commands specific to the
19250 @sc{gnu} Hurd native debugging.
19251
19252 @table @code
19253 @item set signals
19254 @itemx set sigs
19255 @kindex set signals@r{, Hurd command}
19256 @kindex set sigs@r{, Hurd command}
19257 This command toggles the state of inferior signal interception by
19258 @value{GDBN}. Mach exceptions, such as breakpoint traps, are not
19259 affected by this command. @code{sigs} is a shorthand alias for
19260 @code{signals}.
19261
19262 @item show signals
19263 @itemx show sigs
19264 @kindex show signals@r{, Hurd command}
19265 @kindex show sigs@r{, Hurd command}
19266 Show the current state of intercepting inferior's signals.
19267
19268 @item set signal-thread
19269 @itemx set sigthread
19270 @kindex set signal-thread
19271 @kindex set sigthread
19272 This command tells @value{GDBN} which thread is the @code{libc} signal
19273 thread. That thread is run when a signal is delivered to a running
19274 process. @code{set sigthread} is the shorthand alias of @code{set
19275 signal-thread}.
19276
19277 @item show signal-thread
19278 @itemx show sigthread
19279 @kindex show signal-thread
19280 @kindex show sigthread
19281 These two commands show which thread will run when the inferior is
19282 delivered a signal.
19283
19284 @item set stopped
19285 @kindex set stopped@r{, Hurd command}
19286 This commands tells @value{GDBN} that the inferior process is stopped,
19287 as with the @code{SIGSTOP} signal. The stopped process can be
19288 continued by delivering a signal to it.
19289
19290 @item show stopped
19291 @kindex show stopped@r{, Hurd command}
19292 This command shows whether @value{GDBN} thinks the debuggee is
19293 stopped.
19294
19295 @item set exceptions
19296 @kindex set exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
19297 Use this command to turn off trapping of exceptions in the inferior.
19298 When exception trapping is off, neither breakpoints nor
19299 single-stepping will work. To restore the default, set exception
19300 trapping on.
19301
19302 @item show exceptions
19303 @kindex show exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
19304 Show the current state of trapping exceptions in the inferior.
19305
19306 @item set task pause
19307 @kindex set task@r{, Hurd commands}
19308 @cindex task attributes (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
19309 @cindex pause current task (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
19310 This command toggles task suspension when @value{GDBN} has control.
19311 Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the task is suspended
19312 whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to off will take
19313 effect the next time the inferior is continued. If this option is set
19314 to off, you can use @code{set thread default pause on} or @code{set
19315 thread pause on} (see below) to pause individual threads.
19316
19317 @item show task pause
19318 @kindex show task@r{, Hurd commands}
19319 Show the current state of task suspension.
19320
19321 @item set task detach-suspend-count
19322 @cindex task suspend count
19323 @cindex detach from task, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19324 This command sets the suspend count the task will be left with when
19325 @value{GDBN} detaches from it.
19326
19327 @item show task detach-suspend-count
19328 Show the suspend count the task will be left with when detaching.
19329
19330 @item set task exception-port
19331 @itemx set task excp
19332 @cindex task exception port, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19333 This command sets the task exception port to which @value{GDBN} will
19334 forward exceptions. The argument should be the value of the @dfn{send
19335 rights} of the task. @code{set task excp} is a shorthand alias.
19336
19337 @item set noninvasive
19338 @cindex noninvasive task options
19339 This command switches @value{GDBN} to a mode that is the least
19340 invasive as far as interfering with the inferior is concerned. This
19341 is the same as using @code{set task pause}, @code{set exceptions}, and
19342 @code{set signals} to values opposite to the defaults.
19343
19344 @item info send-rights
19345 @itemx info receive-rights
19346 @itemx info port-rights
19347 @itemx info port-sets
19348 @itemx info dead-names
19349 @itemx info ports
19350 @itemx info psets
19351 @cindex send rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19352 @cindex receive rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19353 @cindex port rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19354 @cindex port sets, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19355 @cindex dead names, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19356 These commands display information about, respectively, send rights,
19357 receive rights, port rights, port sets, and dead names of a task.
19358 There are also shorthand aliases: @code{info ports} for @code{info
19359 port-rights} and @code{info psets} for @code{info port-sets}.
19360
19361 @item set thread pause
19362 @kindex set thread@r{, Hurd command}
19363 @cindex thread properties, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19364 @cindex pause current thread (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
19365 This command toggles current thread suspension when @value{GDBN} has
19366 control. Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the current
19367 thread is suspended whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to
19368 off will take effect the next time the inferior is continued.
19369 Normally, this command has no effect, since when @value{GDBN} has
19370 control, the whole task is suspended. However, if you used @code{set
19371 task pause off} (see above), this command comes in handy to suspend
19372 only the current thread.
19373
19374 @item show thread pause
19375 @kindex show thread@r{, Hurd command}
19376 This command shows the state of current thread suspension.
19377
19378 @item set thread run
19379 This command sets whether the current thread is allowed to run.
19380
19381 @item show thread run
19382 Show whether the current thread is allowed to run.
19383
19384 @item set thread detach-suspend-count
19385 @cindex thread suspend count, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19386 @cindex detach from thread, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19387 This command sets the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on a
19388 thread when detaching. This number is relative to the suspend count
19389 found by @value{GDBN} when it notices the thread; use @code{set thread
19390 takeover-suspend-count} to force it to an absolute value.
19391
19392 @item show thread detach-suspend-count
19393 Show the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on the thread when
19394 detaching.
19395
19396 @item set thread exception-port
19397 @itemx set thread excp
19398 Set the thread exception port to which to forward exceptions. This
19399 overrides the port set by @code{set task exception-port} (see above).
19400 @code{set thread excp} is the shorthand alias.
19401
19402 @item set thread takeover-suspend-count
19403 Normally, @value{GDBN}'s thread suspend counts are relative to the
19404 value @value{GDBN} finds when it notices each thread. This command
19405 changes the suspend counts to be absolute instead.
19406
19407 @item set thread default
19408 @itemx show thread default
19409 @cindex thread default settings, @sc{gnu} Hurd
19410 Each of the above @code{set thread} commands has a @code{set thread
19411 default} counterpart (e.g., @code{set thread default pause}, @code{set
19412 thread default exception-port}, etc.). The @code{thread default}
19413 variety of commands sets the default thread properties for all
19414 threads; you can then change the properties of individual threads with
19415 the non-default commands.
19416 @end table
19417
19418 @node Darwin
19419 @subsection Darwin
19420 @cindex Darwin
19421
19422 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the Darwin target:
19423
19424 @table @code
19425 @item set debug darwin @var{num}
19426 @kindex set debug darwin
19427 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages specific to
19428 the Darwin support. Higher values produce more verbose output.
19429
19430 @item show debug darwin
19431 @kindex show debug darwin
19432 Show the current state of Darwin messages.
19433
19434 @item set debug mach-o @var{num}
19435 @kindex set debug mach-o
19436 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages while
19437 @value{GDBN} is reading Darwin object files. (@dfn{Mach-O} is the
19438 file format used on Darwin for object and executable files.) Higher
19439 values produce more verbose output. This is a command to diagnose
19440 problems internal to @value{GDBN} and should not be needed in normal
19441 usage.
19442
19443 @item show debug mach-o
19444 @kindex show debug mach-o
19445 Show the current state of Mach-O file messages.
19446
19447 @item set mach-exceptions on
19448 @itemx set mach-exceptions off
19449 @kindex set mach-exceptions
19450 On Darwin, faults are first reported as a Mach exception and are then
19451 mapped to a Posix signal. Use this command to turn on trapping of
19452 Mach exceptions in the inferior. This might be sometimes useful to
19453 better understand the cause of a fault. The default is off.
19454
19455 @item show mach-exceptions
19456 @kindex show mach-exceptions
19457 Show the current state of exceptions trapping.
19458 @end table
19459
19460
19461 @node Embedded OS
19462 @section Embedded Operating Systems
19463
19464 This section describes configurations involving the debugging of
19465 embedded operating systems that are available for several different
19466 architectures.
19467
19468 @menu
19469 * VxWorks:: Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
19470 @end menu
19471
19472 @value{GDBN} includes the ability to debug programs running on
19473 various real-time operating systems.
19474
19475 @node VxWorks
19476 @subsection Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
19477
19478 @cindex VxWorks
19479
19480 @table @code
19481
19482 @kindex target vxworks
19483 @item target vxworks @var{machinename}
19484 A VxWorks system, attached via TCP/IP. The argument @var{machinename}
19485 is the target system's machine name or IP address.
19486
19487 @end table
19488
19489 On VxWorks, @code{load} links @var{filename} dynamically on the
19490 current target system as well as adding its symbols in @value{GDBN}.
19491
19492 @value{GDBN} enables developers to spawn and debug tasks running on networked
19493 VxWorks targets from a Unix host. Already-running tasks spawned from
19494 the VxWorks shell can also be debugged. @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
19495 both the Unix host and on the VxWorks target. The program
19496 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host. (It may be
19497 installed with the name @code{vxgdb}, to distinguish it from a
19498 @value{GDBN} for debugging programs on the host itself.)
19499
19500 @table @code
19501 @item VxWorks-timeout @var{args}
19502 @kindex vxworks-timeout
19503 All VxWorks-based targets now support the option @code{vxworks-timeout}.
19504 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
19505 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses to rpc's. You might use this if
19506 your VxWorks target is a slow software simulator or is on the far side
19507 of a thin network line.
19508 @end table
19509
19510 The following information on connecting to VxWorks was current when
19511 this manual was produced; newer releases of VxWorks may use revised
19512 procedures.
19513
19514 @findex INCLUDE_RDB
19515 To use @value{GDBN} with VxWorks, you must rebuild your VxWorks kernel
19516 to include the remote debugging interface routines in the VxWorks
19517 library @file{rdb.a}. To do this, define @code{INCLUDE_RDB} in the
19518 VxWorks configuration file @file{configAll.h} and rebuild your VxWorks
19519 kernel. The resulting kernel contains @file{rdb.a}, and spawns the
19520 source debugging task @code{tRdbTask} when VxWorks is booted. For more
19521 information on configuring and remaking VxWorks, see the manufacturer's
19522 manual.
19523 @c VxWorks, see the @cite{VxWorks Programmer's Guide}.
19524
19525 Once you have included @file{rdb.a} in your VxWorks system image and set
19526 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
19527 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}} (or
19528 @code{vxgdb}, depending on your installation).
19529
19530 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
19531
19532 @smallexample
19533 (vxgdb)
19534 @end smallexample
19535
19536 @menu
19537 * VxWorks Connection:: Connecting to VxWorks
19538 * VxWorks Download:: VxWorks download
19539 * VxWorks Attach:: Running tasks
19540 @end menu
19541
19542 @node VxWorks Connection
19543 @subsubsection Connecting to VxWorks
19544
19545 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a VxWorks target on the
19546 network. To connect to a target whose host name is ``@code{tt}'', type:
19547
19548 @smallexample
19549 (vxgdb) target vxworks tt
19550 @end smallexample
19551
19552 @need 750
19553 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
19554
19555 @smallexample
19556 Attaching remote machine across net...
19557 Connected to tt.
19558 @end smallexample
19559
19560 @need 1000
19561 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol tables of any object modules
19562 loaded into the VxWorks target since it was last booted. @value{GDBN} locates
19563 these files by searching the directories listed in the command search
19564 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}); if it fails
19565 to find an object file, it displays a message such as:
19566
19567 @smallexample
19568 prog.o: No such file or directory.
19569 @end smallexample
19570
19571 When this happens, add the appropriate directory to the search path with
19572 the @value{GDBN} command @code{path}, and execute the @code{target}
19573 command again.
19574
19575 @node VxWorks Download
19576 @subsubsection VxWorks Download
19577
19578 @cindex download to VxWorks
19579 If you have connected to the VxWorks target and you want to debug an
19580 object that has not yet been loaded, you can use the @value{GDBN}
19581 @code{load} command to download a file from Unix to VxWorks
19582 incrementally. The object file given as an argument to the @code{load}
19583 command is actually opened twice: first by the VxWorks target in order
19584 to download the code, then by @value{GDBN} in order to read the symbol
19585 table. This can lead to problems if the current working directories on
19586 the two systems differ. If both systems have NFS mounted the same
19587 filesystems, you can avoid these problems by using absolute paths.
19588 Otherwise, it is simplest to set the working directory on both systems
19589 to the directory in which the object file resides, and then to reference
19590 the file by its name, without any path. For instance, a program
19591 @file{prog.o} may reside in @file{@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb} in VxWorks
19592 and in @file{@var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb} on the host. To load this
19593 program, type this on VxWorks:
19594
19595 @smallexample
19596 -> cd "@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb"
19597 @end smallexample
19598
19599 @noindent
19600 Then, in @value{GDBN}, type:
19601
19602 @smallexample
19603 (vxgdb) cd @var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb
19604 (vxgdb) load prog.o
19605 @end smallexample
19606
19607 @value{GDBN} displays a response similar to this:
19608
19609 @smallexample
19610 Reading symbol data from wherever/vw/demo/rdb/prog.o... done.
19611 @end smallexample
19612
19613 You can also use the @code{load} command to reload an object module
19614 after editing and recompiling the corresponding source file. Note that
19615 this makes @value{GDBN} delete all currently-defined breakpoints,
19616 auto-displays, and convenience variables, and to clear the value
19617 history. (This is necessary in order to preserve the integrity of
19618 debugger's data structures that reference the target system's symbol
19619 table.)
19620
19621 @node VxWorks Attach
19622 @subsubsection Running Tasks
19623
19624 @cindex running VxWorks tasks
19625 You can also attach to an existing task using the @code{attach} command as
19626 follows:
19627
19628 @smallexample
19629 (vxgdb) attach @var{task}
19630 @end smallexample
19631
19632 @noindent
19633 where @var{task} is the VxWorks hexadecimal task ID. The task can be running
19634 or suspended when you attach to it. Running tasks are suspended at
19635 the time of attachment.
19636
19637 @node Embedded Processors
19638 @section Embedded Processors
19639
19640 This section goes into details specific to particular embedded
19641 configurations.
19642
19643 @cindex send command to simulator
19644 Whenever a specific embedded processor has a simulator, @value{GDBN}
19645 allows to send an arbitrary command to the simulator.
19646
19647 @table @code
19648 @item sim @var{command}
19649 @kindex sim@r{, a command}
19650 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the simulator. Consult the
19651 documentation for the specific simulator in use for information about
19652 acceptable commands.
19653 @end table
19654
19655
19656 @menu
19657 * ARM:: ARM RDI
19658 * M32R/D:: Renesas M32R/D
19659 * M68K:: Motorola M68K
19660 * MicroBlaze:: Xilinx MicroBlaze
19661 * MIPS Embedded:: MIPS Embedded
19662 * OpenRISC 1000:: OpenRisc 1000
19663 * PowerPC Embedded:: PowerPC Embedded
19664 * PA:: HP PA Embedded
19665 * Sparclet:: Tsqware Sparclet
19666 * Sparclite:: Fujitsu Sparclite
19667 * Z8000:: Zilog Z8000
19668 * AVR:: Atmel AVR
19669 * CRIS:: CRIS
19670 * Super-H:: Renesas Super-H
19671 @end menu
19672
19673 @node ARM
19674 @subsection ARM
19675 @cindex ARM RDI
19676
19677 @table @code
19678 @kindex target rdi
19679 @item target rdi @var{dev}
19680 ARM Angel monitor, via RDI library interface to ADP protocol. You may
19681 use this target to communicate with both boards running the Angel
19682 monitor, or with the EmbeddedICE JTAG debug device.
19683
19684 @kindex target rdp
19685 @item target rdp @var{dev}
19686 ARM Demon monitor.
19687
19688 @end table
19689
19690 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARM-specific commands:
19691
19692 @table @code
19693 @item set arm disassembler
19694 @kindex set arm
19695 This commands selects from a list of disassembly styles. The
19696 @code{"std"} style is the standard style.
19697
19698 @item show arm disassembler
19699 @kindex show arm
19700 Show the current disassembly style.
19701
19702 @item set arm apcs32
19703 @cindex ARM 32-bit mode
19704 This command toggles ARM operation mode between 32-bit and 26-bit.
19705
19706 @item show arm apcs32
19707 Display the current usage of the ARM 32-bit mode.
19708
19709 @item set arm fpu @var{fputype}
19710 This command sets the ARM floating-point unit (FPU) type. The
19711 argument @var{fputype} can be one of these:
19712
19713 @table @code
19714 @item auto
19715 Determine the FPU type by querying the OS ABI.
19716 @item softfpa
19717 Software FPU, with mixed-endian doubles on little-endian ARM
19718 processors.
19719 @item fpa
19720 GCC-compiled FPA co-processor.
19721 @item softvfp
19722 Software FPU with pure-endian doubles.
19723 @item vfp
19724 VFP co-processor.
19725 @end table
19726
19727 @item show arm fpu
19728 Show the current type of the FPU.
19729
19730 @item set arm abi
19731 This command forces @value{GDBN} to use the specified ABI.
19732
19733 @item show arm abi
19734 Show the currently used ABI.
19735
19736 @item set arm fallback-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
19737 @value{GDBN} uses the symbol table, when available, to determine
19738 whether instructions are ARM or Thumb. This command controls
19739 @value{GDBN}'s default behavior when the symbol table is not
19740 available. The default is @samp{auto}, which causes @value{GDBN} to
19741 use the current execution mode (from the @code{T} bit in the @code{CPSR}
19742 register).
19743
19744 @item show arm fallback-mode
19745 Show the current fallback instruction mode.
19746
19747 @item set arm force-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
19748 This command overrides use of the symbol table to determine whether
19749 instructions are ARM or Thumb. The default is @samp{auto}, which
19750 causes @value{GDBN} to use the symbol table and then the setting
19751 of @samp{set arm fallback-mode}.
19752
19753 @item show arm force-mode
19754 Show the current forced instruction mode.
19755
19756 @item set debug arm
19757 Toggle whether to display ARM-specific debugging messages from the ARM
19758 target support subsystem.
19759
19760 @item show debug arm
19761 Show whether ARM-specific debugging messages are enabled.
19762 @end table
19763
19764 The following commands are available when an ARM target is debugged
19765 using the RDI interface:
19766
19767 @table @code
19768 @item rdilogfile @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19769 @kindex rdilogfile
19770 @cindex ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) logging
19771 Set the filename for the ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) packet log.
19772 With an argument, sets the log file to the specified @var{file}. With
19773 no argument, show the current log file name. The default log file is
19774 @file{rdi.log}.
19775
19776 @item rdilogenable @r{[}@var{arg}@r{]}
19777 @kindex rdilogenable
19778 Control logging of ADP packets. With an argument of 1 or @code{"yes"}
19779 enables logging, with an argument 0 or @code{"no"} disables it. With
19780 no arguments displays the current setting. When logging is enabled,
19781 ADP packets exchanged between @value{GDBN} and the RDI target device
19782 are logged to a file.
19783
19784 @item set rdiromatzero
19785 @kindex set rdiromatzero
19786 @cindex ROM at zero address, RDI
19787 Tell @value{GDBN} whether the target has ROM at address 0. If on,
19788 vector catching is disabled, so that zero address can be used. If off
19789 (the default), vector catching is enabled. For this command to take
19790 effect, it needs to be invoked prior to the @code{target rdi} command.
19791
19792 @item show rdiromatzero
19793 @kindex show rdiromatzero
19794 Show the current setting of ROM at zero address.
19795
19796 @item set rdiheartbeat
19797 @kindex set rdiheartbeat
19798 @cindex RDI heartbeat
19799 Enable or disable RDI heartbeat packets. It is not recommended to
19800 turn on this option, since it confuses ARM and EPI JTAG interface, as
19801 well as the Angel monitor.
19802
19803 @item show rdiheartbeat
19804 @kindex show rdiheartbeat
19805 Show the setting of RDI heartbeat packets.
19806 @end table
19807
19808 @table @code
19809 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
19810 The @value{GDBN} ARM simulator accepts the following optional arguments.
19811
19812 @table @code
19813 @item --swi-support=@var{type}
19814 Tell the simulator which SWI interfaces to support.
19815 @var{type} may be a comma separated list of the following values.
19816 The default value is @code{all}.
19817
19818 @table @code
19819 @item none
19820 @item demon
19821 @item angel
19822 @item redboot
19823 @item all
19824 @end table
19825 @end table
19826 @end table
19827
19828 @node M32R/D
19829 @subsection Renesas M32R/D and M32R/SDI
19830
19831 @table @code
19832 @kindex target m32r
19833 @item target m32r @var{dev}
19834 Renesas M32R/D ROM monitor.
19835
19836 @kindex target m32rsdi
19837 @item target m32rsdi @var{dev}
19838 Renesas M32R SDI server, connected via parallel port to the board.
19839 @end table
19840
19841 The following @value{GDBN} commands are specific to the M32R monitor:
19842
19843 @table @code
19844 @item set download-path @var{path}
19845 @kindex set download-path
19846 @cindex find downloadable @sc{srec} files (M32R)
19847 Set the default path for finding downloadable @sc{srec} files.
19848
19849 @item show download-path
19850 @kindex show download-path
19851 Show the default path for downloadable @sc{srec} files.
19852
19853 @item set board-address @var{addr}
19854 @kindex set board-address
19855 @cindex M32-EVA target board address
19856 Set the IP address for the M32R-EVA target board.
19857
19858 @item show board-address
19859 @kindex show board-address
19860 Show the current IP address of the target board.
19861
19862 @item set server-address @var{addr}
19863 @kindex set server-address
19864 @cindex download server address (M32R)
19865 Set the IP address for the download server, which is the @value{GDBN}'s
19866 host machine.
19867
19868 @item show server-address
19869 @kindex show server-address
19870 Display the IP address of the download server.
19871
19872 @item upload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19873 @kindex upload@r{, M32R}
19874 Upload the specified @sc{srec} @var{file} via the monitor's Ethernet
19875 upload capability. If no @var{file} argument is given, the current
19876 executable file is uploaded.
19877
19878 @item tload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
19879 @kindex tload@r{, M32R}
19880 Test the @code{upload} command.
19881 @end table
19882
19883 The following commands are available for M32R/SDI:
19884
19885 @table @code
19886 @item sdireset
19887 @kindex sdireset
19888 @cindex reset SDI connection, M32R
19889 This command resets the SDI connection.
19890
19891 @item sdistatus
19892 @kindex sdistatus
19893 This command shows the SDI connection status.
19894
19895 @item debug_chaos
19896 @kindex debug_chaos
19897 @cindex M32R/Chaos debugging
19898 Instructs the remote that M32R/Chaos debugging is to be used.
19899
19900 @item use_debug_dma
19901 @kindex use_debug_dma
19902 Instructs the remote to use the DEBUG_DMA method of accessing memory.
19903
19904 @item use_mon_code
19905 @kindex use_mon_code
19906 Instructs the remote to use the MON_CODE method of accessing memory.
19907
19908 @item use_ib_break
19909 @kindex use_ib_break
19910 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by IB break.
19911
19912 @item use_dbt_break
19913 @kindex use_dbt_break
19914 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by DBT.
19915 @end table
19916
19917 @node M68K
19918 @subsection M68k
19919
19920 The Motorola m68k configuration includes ColdFire support, and a
19921 target command for the following ROM monitor.
19922
19923 @table @code
19924
19925 @kindex target dbug
19926 @item target dbug @var{dev}
19927 dBUG ROM monitor for Motorola ColdFire.
19928
19929 @end table
19930
19931 @node MicroBlaze
19932 @subsection MicroBlaze
19933 @cindex Xilinx MicroBlaze
19934 @cindex XMD, Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger
19935
19936 The MicroBlaze is a soft-core processor supported on various Xilinx
19937 FPGAs, such as Spartan or Virtex series. Boards with these processors
19938 usually have JTAG ports which connect to a host system running the Xilinx
19939 Embedded Development Kit (EDK) or Software Development Kit (SDK).
19940 This host system is used to download the configuration bitstream to
19941 the target FPGA. The Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger (XMD) program
19942 communicates with the target board using the JTAG interface and
19943 presents a @code{gdbserver} interface to the board. By default
19944 @code{xmd} uses port @code{1234}. (While it is possible to change
19945 this default port, it requires the use of undocumented @code{xmd}
19946 commands. Contact Xilinx support if you need to do this.)
19947
19948 Use these GDB commands to connect to the MicroBlaze target processor.
19949
19950 @table @code
19951 @item target remote :1234
19952 Use this command to connect to the target if you are running @value{GDBN}
19953 on the same system as @code{xmd}.
19954
19955 @item target remote @var{xmd-host}:1234
19956 Use this command to connect to the target if it is connected to @code{xmd}
19957 running on a different system named @var{xmd-host}.
19958
19959 @item load
19960 Use this command to download a program to the MicroBlaze target.
19961
19962 @item set debug microblaze @var{n}
19963 Enable MicroBlaze-specific debugging messages if non-zero.
19964
19965 @item show debug microblaze @var{n}
19966 Show MicroBlaze-specific debugging level.
19967 @end table
19968
19969 @node MIPS Embedded
19970 @subsection @acronym{MIPS} Embedded
19971
19972 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} boards
19973 @value{GDBN} can use the @acronym{MIPS} remote debugging protocol to talk to a
19974 @acronym{MIPS} board attached to a serial line. This is available when
19975 you configure @value{GDBN} with @samp{--target=mips-elf}.
19976
19977 @need 1000
19978 Use these @value{GDBN} commands to specify the connection to your target board:
19979
19980 @table @code
19981 @item target mips @var{port}
19982 @kindex target mips @var{port}
19983 To run a program on the board, start up @code{@value{GDBP}} with the
19984 name of your program as the argument. To connect to the board, use the
19985 command @samp{target mips @var{port}}, where @var{port} is the name of
19986 the serial port connected to the board. If the program has not already
19987 been downloaded to the board, you may use the @code{load} command to
19988 download it. You can then use all the usual @value{GDBN} commands.
19989
19990 For example, this sequence connects to the target board through a serial
19991 port, and loads and runs a program called @var{prog} through the
19992 debugger:
19993
19994 @smallexample
19995 host$ @value{GDBP} @var{prog}
19996 @value{GDBN} is free software and @dots{}
19997 (@value{GDBP}) target mips /dev/ttyb
19998 (@value{GDBP}) load @var{prog}
19999 (@value{GDBP}) run
20000 @end smallexample
20001
20002 @item target mips @var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}
20003 On some @value{GDBN} host configurations, you can specify a TCP
20004 connection (for instance, to a serial line managed by a terminal
20005 concentrator) instead of a serial port, using the syntax
20006 @samp{@var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}}.
20007
20008 @item target pmon @var{port}
20009 @kindex target pmon @var{port}
20010 PMON ROM monitor.
20011
20012 @item target ddb @var{port}
20013 @kindex target ddb @var{port}
20014 NEC's DDB variant of PMON for Vr4300.
20015
20016 @item target lsi @var{port}
20017 @kindex target lsi @var{port}
20018 LSI variant of PMON.
20019
20020 @kindex target r3900
20021 @item target r3900 @var{dev}
20022 Densan DVE-R3900 ROM monitor for Toshiba R3900 Mips.
20023
20024 @kindex target array
20025 @item target array @var{dev}
20026 Array Tech LSI33K RAID controller board.
20027
20028 @end table
20029
20030
20031 @noindent
20032 @value{GDBN} also supports these special commands for @acronym{MIPS} targets:
20033
20034 @table @code
20035 @item set mipsfpu double
20036 @itemx set mipsfpu single
20037 @itemx set mipsfpu none
20038 @itemx set mipsfpu auto
20039 @itemx show mipsfpu
20040 @kindex set mipsfpu
20041 @kindex show mipsfpu
20042 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} remote floating point
20043 @cindex floating point, @acronym{MIPS} remote
20044 If your target board does not support the @acronym{MIPS} floating point
20045 coprocessor, you should use the command @samp{set mipsfpu none} (if you
20046 need this, you may wish to put the command in your @value{GDBN} init
20047 file). This tells @value{GDBN} how to find the return value of
20048 functions which return floating point values. It also allows
20049 @value{GDBN} to avoid saving the floating point registers when calling
20050 functions on the board. If you are using a floating point coprocessor
20051 with only single precision floating point support, as on the @sc{r4650}
20052 processor, use the command @samp{set mipsfpu single}. The default
20053 double precision floating point coprocessor may be selected using
20054 @samp{set mipsfpu double}.
20055
20056 In previous versions the only choices were double precision or no
20057 floating point, so @samp{set mipsfpu on} will select double precision
20058 and @samp{set mipsfpu off} will select no floating point.
20059
20060 As usual, you can inquire about the @code{mipsfpu} variable with
20061 @samp{show mipsfpu}.
20062
20063 @item set timeout @var{seconds}
20064 @itemx set retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}
20065 @itemx show timeout
20066 @itemx show retransmit-timeout
20067 @cindex @code{timeout}, @acronym{MIPS} protocol
20068 @cindex @code{retransmit-timeout}, @acronym{MIPS} protocol
20069 @kindex set timeout
20070 @kindex show timeout
20071 @kindex set retransmit-timeout
20072 @kindex show retransmit-timeout
20073 You can control the timeout used while waiting for a packet, in the @acronym{MIPS}
20074 remote protocol, with the @code{set timeout @var{seconds}} command. The
20075 default is 5 seconds. Similarly, you can control the timeout used while
20076 waiting for an acknowledgment of a packet with the @code{set
20077 retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}} command. The default is 3 seconds.
20078 You can inspect both values with @code{show timeout} and @code{show
20079 retransmit-timeout}. (These commands are @emph{only} available when
20080 @value{GDBN} is configured for @samp{--target=mips-elf}.)
20081
20082 The timeout set by @code{set timeout} does not apply when @value{GDBN}
20083 is waiting for your program to stop. In that case, @value{GDBN} waits
20084 forever because it has no way of knowing how long the program is going
20085 to run before stopping.
20086
20087 @item set syn-garbage-limit @var{num}
20088 @kindex set syn-garbage-limit@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20089 @cindex synchronize with remote @acronym{MIPS} target
20090 Limit the maximum number of characters @value{GDBN} should ignore when
20091 it tries to synchronize with the remote target. The default is 10
20092 characters. Setting the limit to -1 means there's no limit.
20093
20094 @item show syn-garbage-limit
20095 @kindex show syn-garbage-limit@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20096 Show the current limit on the number of characters to ignore when
20097 trying to synchronize with the remote system.
20098
20099 @item set monitor-prompt @var{prompt}
20100 @kindex set monitor-prompt@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20101 @cindex remote monitor prompt
20102 Tell @value{GDBN} to expect the specified @var{prompt} string from the
20103 remote monitor. The default depends on the target:
20104 @table @asis
20105 @item pmon target
20106 @samp{PMON}
20107 @item ddb target
20108 @samp{NEC010}
20109 @item lsi target
20110 @samp{PMON>}
20111 @end table
20112
20113 @item show monitor-prompt
20114 @kindex show monitor-prompt@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20115 Show the current strings @value{GDBN} expects as the prompt from the
20116 remote monitor.
20117
20118 @item set monitor-warnings
20119 @kindex set monitor-warnings@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20120 Enable or disable monitor warnings about hardware breakpoints. This
20121 has effect only for the @code{lsi} target. When on, @value{GDBN} will
20122 display warning messages whose codes are returned by the @code{lsi}
20123 PMON monitor for breakpoint commands.
20124
20125 @item show monitor-warnings
20126 @kindex show monitor-warnings@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20127 Show the current setting of printing monitor warnings.
20128
20129 @item pmon @var{command}
20130 @kindex pmon@r{, @acronym{MIPS} remote}
20131 @cindex send PMON command
20132 This command allows sending an arbitrary @var{command} string to the
20133 monitor. The monitor must be in debug mode for this to work.
20134 @end table
20135
20136 @node OpenRISC 1000
20137 @subsection OpenRISC 1000
20138 @cindex OpenRISC 1000
20139
20140 @cindex or1k boards
20141 See OR1k Architecture document (@uref{www.opencores.org}) for more information
20142 about platform and commands.
20143
20144 @table @code
20145
20146 @kindex target jtag
20147 @item target jtag jtag://@var{host}:@var{port}
20148
20149 Connects to remote JTAG server.
20150 JTAG remote server can be either an or1ksim or JTAG server,
20151 connected via parallel port to the board.
20152
20153 Example: @code{target jtag jtag://localhost:9999}
20154
20155 @kindex or1ksim
20156 @item or1ksim @var{command}
20157 If connected to @code{or1ksim} OpenRISC 1000 Architectural
20158 Simulator, proprietary commands can be executed.
20159
20160 @kindex info or1k spr
20161 @item info or1k spr
20162 Displays spr groups.
20163
20164 @item info or1k spr @var{group}
20165 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno}
20166 Displays register names in selected group.
20167
20168 @item info or1k spr @var{group} @var{register}
20169 @itemx info or1k spr @var{register}
20170 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno}
20171 @itemx info or1k spr @var{registerno}
20172 Shows information about specified spr register.
20173
20174 @kindex spr
20175 @item spr @var{group} @var{register} @var{value}
20176 @itemx spr @var{register @var{value}}
20177 @itemx spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno @var{value}}
20178 @itemx spr @var{registerno @var{value}}
20179 Writes @var{value} to specified spr register.
20180 @end table
20181
20182 Some implementations of OpenRISC 1000 Architecture also have hardware trace.
20183 It is very similar to @value{GDBN} trace, except it does not interfere with normal
20184 program execution and is thus much faster. Hardware breakpoints/watchpoint
20185 triggers can be set using:
20186 @table @code
20187 @item $LEA/$LDATA
20188 Load effective address/data
20189 @item $SEA/$SDATA
20190 Store effective address/data
20191 @item $AEA/$ADATA
20192 Access effective address ($SEA or $LEA) or data ($SDATA/$LDATA)
20193 @item $FETCH
20194 Fetch data
20195 @end table
20196
20197 When triggered, it can capture low level data, like: @code{PC}, @code{LSEA},
20198 @code{LDATA}, @code{SDATA}, @code{READSPR}, @code{WRITESPR}, @code{INSTR}.
20199
20200 @code{htrace} commands:
20201 @cindex OpenRISC 1000 htrace
20202 @table @code
20203 @kindex hwatch
20204 @item hwatch @var{conditional}
20205 Set hardware watchpoint on combination of Load/Store Effective Address(es)
20206 or Data. For example:
20207
20208 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
20209
20210 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
20211
20212 @kindex htrace
20213 @item htrace info
20214 Display information about current HW trace configuration.
20215
20216 @item htrace trigger @var{conditional}
20217 Set starting criteria for HW trace.
20218
20219 @item htrace qualifier @var{conditional}
20220 Set acquisition qualifier for HW trace.
20221
20222 @item htrace stop @var{conditional}
20223 Set HW trace stopping criteria.
20224
20225 @item htrace record [@var{data}]*
20226 Selects the data to be recorded, when qualifier is met and HW trace was
20227 triggered.
20228
20229 @item htrace enable
20230 @itemx htrace disable
20231 Enables/disables the HW trace.
20232
20233 @item htrace rewind [@var{filename}]
20234 Clears currently recorded trace data.
20235
20236 If filename is specified, new trace file is made and any newly collected data
20237 will be written there.
20238
20239 @item htrace print [@var{start} [@var{len}]]
20240 Prints trace buffer, using current record configuration.
20241
20242 @item htrace mode continuous
20243 Set continuous trace mode.
20244
20245 @item htrace mode suspend
20246 Set suspend trace mode.
20247
20248 @end table
20249
20250 @node PowerPC Embedded
20251 @subsection PowerPC Embedded
20252
20253 @cindex DVC register
20254 @value{GDBN} supports using the DVC (Data Value Compare) register to
20255 implement in hardware simple hardware watchpoint conditions of the form:
20256
20257 @smallexample
20258 (@value{GDBP}) watch @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} \
20259 if @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} == @var{CONSTANT EXPRESSION}
20260 @end smallexample
20261
20262 The DVC register will be automatically used when @value{GDBN} detects
20263 such pattern in a condition expression, and the created watchpoint uses one
20264 debug register (either the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on and the
20265 variable is scalar, or the variable has a length of one byte). This feature
20266 is available in native @value{GDBN} running on a Linux kernel version 2.6.34
20267 or newer.
20268
20269 When running on PowerPC embedded processors, @value{GDBN} automatically uses
20270 ranged hardware watchpoints, unless the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on,
20271 in which case watchpoints using only one debug register are created when
20272 watching variables of scalar types.
20273
20274 You can create an artificial array to watch an arbitrary memory
20275 region using one of the following commands (@pxref{Expressions}):
20276
20277 @smallexample
20278 (@value{GDBP}) watch *((char *) @var{address})@@@var{length}
20279 (@value{GDBP}) watch @{char[@var{length}]@} @var{address}
20280 @end smallexample
20281
20282 PowerPC embedded processors support masked watchpoints. See the discussion
20283 about the @code{mask} argument in @ref{Set Watchpoints}.
20284
20285 @cindex ranged breakpoint
20286 PowerPC embedded processors support hardware accelerated
20287 @dfn{ranged breakpoints}. A ranged breakpoint stops execution of
20288 the inferior whenever it executes an instruction at any address within
20289 the range it specifies. To set a ranged breakpoint in @value{GDBN},
20290 use the @code{break-range} command.
20291
20292 @value{GDBN} provides the following PowerPC-specific commands:
20293
20294 @table @code
20295 @kindex break-range
20296 @item break-range @var{start-location}, @var{end-location}
20297 Set a breakpoint for an address range.
20298 @var{start-location} and @var{end-location} can specify a function name,
20299 a line number, an offset of lines from the current line or from the start
20300 location, or an address of an instruction (see @ref{Specify Location},
20301 for a list of all the possible ways to specify a @var{location}.)
20302 The breakpoint will stop execution of the inferior whenever it
20303 executes an instruction at any address within the specified range,
20304 (including @var{start-location} and @var{end-location}.)
20305
20306 @kindex set powerpc
20307 @item set powerpc soft-float
20308 @itemx show powerpc soft-float
20309 Force @value{GDBN} to use (or not use) a software floating point calling
20310 convention. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention based
20311 on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
20312
20313 @item set powerpc vector-abi
20314 @itemx show powerpc vector-abi
20315 Force @value{GDBN} to use the specified calling convention for vector
20316 arguments and return values. The valid options are @samp{auto};
20317 @samp{generic}, to avoid vector registers even if they are present;
20318 @samp{altivec}, to use AltiVec registers; and @samp{spe} to use SPE
20319 registers. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention
20320 based on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
20321
20322 @item set powerpc exact-watchpoints
20323 @itemx show powerpc exact-watchpoints
20324 Allow @value{GDBN} to use only one debug register when watching a variable
20325 of scalar type, thus assuming that the variable is accessed through the
20326 address of its first byte.
20327
20328 @kindex target dink32
20329 @item target dink32 @var{dev}
20330 DINK32 ROM monitor.
20331
20332 @kindex target ppcbug
20333 @item target ppcbug @var{dev}
20334 @kindex target ppcbug1
20335 @item target ppcbug1 @var{dev}
20336 PPCBUG ROM monitor for PowerPC.
20337
20338 @kindex target sds
20339 @item target sds @var{dev}
20340 SDS monitor, running on a PowerPC board (such as Motorola's ADS).
20341 @end table
20342
20343 @cindex SDS protocol
20344 The following commands specific to the SDS protocol are supported
20345 by @value{GDBN}:
20346
20347 @table @code
20348 @item set sdstimeout @var{nsec}
20349 @kindex set sdstimeout
20350 Set the timeout for SDS protocol reads to be @var{nsec} seconds. The
20351 default is 2 seconds.
20352
20353 @item show sdstimeout
20354 @kindex show sdstimeout
20355 Show the current value of the SDS timeout.
20356
20357 @item sds @var{command}
20358 @kindex sds@r{, a command}
20359 Send the specified @var{command} string to the SDS monitor.
20360 @end table
20361
20362
20363 @node PA
20364 @subsection HP PA Embedded
20365
20366 @table @code
20367
20368 @kindex target op50n
20369 @item target op50n @var{dev}
20370 OP50N monitor, running on an OKI HPPA board.
20371
20372 @kindex target w89k
20373 @item target w89k @var{dev}
20374 W89K monitor, running on a Winbond HPPA board.
20375
20376 @end table
20377
20378 @node Sparclet
20379 @subsection Tsqware Sparclet
20380
20381 @cindex Sparclet
20382
20383 @value{GDBN} enables developers to debug tasks running on
20384 Sparclet targets from a Unix host.
20385 @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
20386 both the Unix host and on the Sparclet target. The program
20387 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host.
20388
20389 @table @code
20390 @item remotetimeout @var{args}
20391 @kindex remotetimeout
20392 @value{GDBN} supports the option @code{remotetimeout}.
20393 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
20394 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses.
20395 @end table
20396
20397 @cindex compiling, on Sparclet
20398 When compiling for debugging, include the options @samp{-g} to get debug
20399 information and @samp{-Ttext} to relocate the program to where you wish to
20400 load it on the target. You may also want to add the options @samp{-n} or
20401 @samp{-N} in order to reduce the size of the sections. Example:
20402
20403 @smallexample
20404 sparclet-aout-gcc prog.c -Ttext 0x12010000 -g -o prog -N
20405 @end smallexample
20406
20407 You can use @code{objdump} to verify that the addresses are what you intended:
20408
20409 @smallexample
20410 sparclet-aout-objdump --headers --syms prog
20411 @end smallexample
20412
20413 @cindex running, on Sparclet
20414 Once you have set
20415 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
20416 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}}
20417 (or @code{sparclet-aout-gdb}, depending on your installation).
20418
20419 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
20420
20421 @smallexample
20422 (gdbslet)
20423 @end smallexample
20424
20425 @menu
20426 * Sparclet File:: Setting the file to debug
20427 * Sparclet Connection:: Connecting to Sparclet
20428 * Sparclet Download:: Sparclet download
20429 * Sparclet Execution:: Running and debugging
20430 @end menu
20431
20432 @node Sparclet File
20433 @subsubsection Setting File to Debug
20434
20435 The @value{GDBN} command @code{file} lets you choose with program to debug.
20436
20437 @smallexample
20438 (gdbslet) file prog
20439 @end smallexample
20440
20441 @need 1000
20442 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol table of @file{prog}.
20443 @value{GDBN} locates
20444 the file by searching the directories listed in the command search
20445 path.
20446 If the file was compiled with debug information (option @samp{-g}), source
20447 files will be searched as well.
20448 @value{GDBN} locates
20449 the source files by searching the directories listed in the directory search
20450 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}).
20451 If it fails
20452 to find a file, it displays a message such as:
20453
20454 @smallexample
20455 prog: No such file or directory.
20456 @end smallexample
20457
20458 When this happens, add the appropriate directories to the search paths with
20459 the @value{GDBN} commands @code{path} and @code{dir}, and execute the
20460 @code{target} command again.
20461
20462 @node Sparclet Connection
20463 @subsubsection Connecting to Sparclet
20464
20465 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a Sparclet target.
20466 To connect to a target on serial port ``@code{ttya}'', type:
20467
20468 @smallexample
20469 (gdbslet) target sparclet /dev/ttya
20470 Remote target sparclet connected to /dev/ttya
20471 main () at ../prog.c:3
20472 @end smallexample
20473
20474 @need 750
20475 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
20476
20477 @smallexample
20478 Connected to ttya.
20479 @end smallexample
20480
20481 @node Sparclet Download
20482 @subsubsection Sparclet Download
20483
20484 @cindex download to Sparclet
20485 Once connected to the Sparclet target,
20486 you can use the @value{GDBN}
20487 @code{load} command to download the file from the host to the target.
20488 The file name and load offset should be given as arguments to the @code{load}
20489 command.
20490 Since the file format is aout, the program must be loaded to the starting
20491 address. You can use @code{objdump} to find out what this value is. The load
20492 offset is an offset which is added to the VMA (virtual memory address)
20493 of each of the file's sections.
20494 For instance, if the program
20495 @file{prog} was linked to text address 0x1201000, with data at 0x12010160
20496 and bss at 0x12010170, in @value{GDBN}, type:
20497
20498 @smallexample
20499 (gdbslet) load prog 0x12010000
20500 Loading section .text, size 0xdb0 vma 0x12010000
20501 @end smallexample
20502
20503 If the code is loaded at a different address then what the program was linked
20504 to, you may need to use the @code{section} and @code{add-symbol-file} commands
20505 to tell @value{GDBN} where to map the symbol table.
20506
20507 @node Sparclet Execution
20508 @subsubsection Running and Debugging
20509
20510 @cindex running and debugging Sparclet programs
20511 You can now begin debugging the task using @value{GDBN}'s execution control
20512 commands, @code{b}, @code{step}, @code{run}, etc. See the @value{GDBN}
20513 manual for the list of commands.
20514
20515 @smallexample
20516 (gdbslet) b main
20517 Breakpoint 1 at 0x12010000: file prog.c, line 3.
20518 (gdbslet) run
20519 Starting program: prog
20520 Breakpoint 1, main (argc=1, argv=0xeffff21c) at prog.c:3
20521 3 char *symarg = 0;
20522 (gdbslet) step
20523 4 char *execarg = "hello!";
20524 (gdbslet)
20525 @end smallexample
20526
20527 @node Sparclite
20528 @subsection Fujitsu Sparclite
20529
20530 @table @code
20531
20532 @kindex target sparclite
20533 @item target sparclite @var{dev}
20534 Fujitsu sparclite boards, used only for the purpose of loading.
20535 You must use an additional command to debug the program.
20536 For example: target remote @var{dev} using @value{GDBN} standard
20537 remote protocol.
20538
20539 @end table
20540
20541 @node Z8000
20542 @subsection Zilog Z8000
20543
20544 @cindex Z8000
20545 @cindex simulator, Z8000
20546 @cindex Zilog Z8000 simulator
20547
20548 When configured for debugging Zilog Z8000 targets, @value{GDBN} includes
20549 a Z8000 simulator.
20550
20551 For the Z8000 family, @samp{target sim} simulates either the Z8002 (the
20552 unsegmented variant of the Z8000 architecture) or the Z8001 (the
20553 segmented variant). The simulator recognizes which architecture is
20554 appropriate by inspecting the object code.
20555
20556 @table @code
20557 @item target sim @var{args}
20558 @kindex sim
20559 @kindex target sim@r{, with Z8000}
20560 Debug programs on a simulated CPU. If the simulator supports setup
20561 options, specify them via @var{args}.
20562 @end table
20563
20564 @noindent
20565 After specifying this target, you can debug programs for the simulated
20566 CPU in the same style as programs for your host computer; use the
20567 @code{file} command to load a new program image, the @code{run} command
20568 to run your program, and so on.
20569
20570 As well as making available all the usual machine registers
20571 (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}), the Z8000 simulator provides three
20572 additional items of information as specially named registers:
20573
20574 @table @code
20575
20576 @item cycles
20577 Counts clock-ticks in the simulator.
20578
20579 @item insts
20580 Counts instructions run in the simulator.
20581
20582 @item time
20583 Execution time in 60ths of a second.
20584
20585 @end table
20586
20587 You can refer to these values in @value{GDBN} expressions with the usual
20588 conventions; for example, @w{@samp{b fputc if $cycles>5000}} sets a
20589 conditional breakpoint that suspends only after at least 5000
20590 simulated clock ticks.
20591
20592 @node AVR
20593 @subsection Atmel AVR
20594 @cindex AVR
20595
20596 When configured for debugging the Atmel AVR, @value{GDBN} supports the
20597 following AVR-specific commands:
20598
20599 @table @code
20600 @item info io_registers
20601 @kindex info io_registers@r{, AVR}
20602 @cindex I/O registers (Atmel AVR)
20603 This command displays information about the AVR I/O registers. For
20604 each register, @value{GDBN} prints its number and value.
20605 @end table
20606
20607 @node CRIS
20608 @subsection CRIS
20609 @cindex CRIS
20610
20611 When configured for debugging CRIS, @value{GDBN} provides the
20612 following CRIS-specific commands:
20613
20614 @table @code
20615 @item set cris-version @var{ver}
20616 @cindex CRIS version
20617 Set the current CRIS version to @var{ver}, either @samp{10} or @samp{32}.
20618 The CRIS version affects register names and sizes. This command is useful in
20619 case autodetection of the CRIS version fails.
20620
20621 @item show cris-version
20622 Show the current CRIS version.
20623
20624 @item set cris-dwarf2-cfi
20625 @cindex DWARF-2 CFI and CRIS
20626 Set the usage of DWARF-2 CFI for CRIS debugging. The default is @samp{on}.
20627 Change to @samp{off} when using @code{gcc-cris} whose version is below
20628 @code{R59}.
20629
20630 @item show cris-dwarf2-cfi
20631 Show the current state of using DWARF-2 CFI.
20632
20633 @item set cris-mode @var{mode}
20634 @cindex CRIS mode
20635 Set the current CRIS mode to @var{mode}. It should only be changed when
20636 debugging in guru mode, in which case it should be set to
20637 @samp{guru} (the default is @samp{normal}).
20638
20639 @item show cris-mode
20640 Show the current CRIS mode.
20641 @end table
20642
20643 @node Super-H
20644 @subsection Renesas Super-H
20645 @cindex Super-H
20646
20647 For the Renesas Super-H processor, @value{GDBN} provides these
20648 commands:
20649
20650 @table @code
20651 @item set sh calling-convention @var{convention}
20652 @kindex set sh calling-convention
20653 Set the calling-convention used when calling functions from @value{GDBN}.
20654 Allowed values are @samp{gcc}, which is the default setting, and @samp{renesas}.
20655 With the @samp{gcc} setting, functions are called using the @value{NGCC} calling
20656 convention. If the DWARF-2 information of the called function specifies
20657 that the function follows the Renesas calling convention, the function
20658 is called using the Renesas calling convention. If the calling convention
20659 is set to @samp{renesas}, the Renesas calling convention is always used,
20660 regardless of the DWARF-2 information. This can be used to override the
20661 default of @samp{gcc} if debug information is missing, or the compiler
20662 does not emit the DWARF-2 calling convention entry for a function.
20663
20664 @item show sh calling-convention
20665 @kindex show sh calling-convention
20666 Show the current calling convention setting.
20667
20668 @end table
20669
20670
20671 @node Architectures
20672 @section Architectures
20673
20674 This section describes characteristics of architectures that affect
20675 all uses of @value{GDBN} with the architecture, both native and cross.
20676
20677 @menu
20678 * i386::
20679 * Alpha::
20680 * MIPS::
20681 * HPPA:: HP PA architecture
20682 * SPU:: Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
20683 * PowerPC::
20684 @end menu
20685
20686 @node i386
20687 @subsection x86 Architecture-specific Issues
20688
20689 @table @code
20690 @item set struct-convention @var{mode}
20691 @kindex set struct-convention
20692 @cindex struct return convention
20693 @cindex struct/union returned in registers
20694 Set the convention used by the inferior to return @code{struct}s and
20695 @code{union}s from functions to @var{mode}. Possible values of
20696 @var{mode} are @code{"pcc"}, @code{"reg"}, and @code{"default"} (the
20697 default). @code{"default"} or @code{"pcc"} means that @code{struct}s
20698 are returned on the stack, while @code{"reg"} means that a
20699 @code{struct} or a @code{union} whose size is 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes will
20700 be returned in a register.
20701
20702 @item show struct-convention
20703 @kindex show struct-convention
20704 Show the current setting of the convention to return @code{struct}s
20705 from functions.
20706 @end table
20707
20708 @node Alpha
20709 @subsection Alpha
20710
20711 See the following section.
20712
20713 @node MIPS
20714 @subsection @acronym{MIPS}
20715
20716 @cindex stack on Alpha
20717 @cindex stack on @acronym{MIPS}
20718 @cindex Alpha stack
20719 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} stack
20720 Alpha- and @acronym{MIPS}-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which
20721 sometimes requires @value{GDBN} to search backward in the object code to
20722 find the beginning of a function.
20723
20724 @cindex response time, @acronym{MIPS} debugging
20725 To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where
20726 @value{GDBN} may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search)
20727 you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these
20728 commands:
20729
20730 @table @code
20731 @cindex @code{heuristic-fence-post} (Alpha, @acronym{MIPS})
20732 @item set heuristic-fence-post @var{limit}
20733 Restrict @value{GDBN} to examining at most @var{limit} bytes in its
20734 search for the beginning of a function. A value of @var{0} (the
20735 default) means there is no limit. However, except for @var{0}, the
20736 larger the limit the more bytes @code{heuristic-fence-post} must search
20737 and therefore the longer it takes to run. You should only need to use
20738 this command when debugging a stripped executable.
20739
20740 @item show heuristic-fence-post
20741 Display the current limit.
20742 @end table
20743
20744 @noindent
20745 These commands are available @emph{only} when @value{GDBN} is configured
20746 for debugging programs on Alpha or @acronym{MIPS} processors.
20747
20748 Several @acronym{MIPS}-specific commands are available when debugging @acronym{MIPS}
20749 programs:
20750
20751 @table @code
20752 @item set mips abi @var{arg}
20753 @kindex set mips abi
20754 @cindex set ABI for @acronym{MIPS}
20755 Tell @value{GDBN} which @acronym{MIPS} ABI is used by the inferior. Possible
20756 values of @var{arg} are:
20757
20758 @table @samp
20759 @item auto
20760 The default ABI associated with the current binary (this is the
20761 default).
20762 @item o32
20763 @item o64
20764 @item n32
20765 @item n64
20766 @item eabi32
20767 @item eabi64
20768 @end table
20769
20770 @item show mips abi
20771 @kindex show mips abi
20772 Show the @acronym{MIPS} ABI used by @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
20773
20774 @item set mips compression @var{arg}
20775 @kindex set mips compression
20776 @cindex code compression, @acronym{MIPS}
20777 Tell @value{GDBN} which @acronym{MIPS} compressed
20778 @acronym{ISA, Instruction Set Architecture} encoding is used by the
20779 inferior. @value{GDBN} uses this for code disassembly and other
20780 internal interpretation purposes. This setting is only referred to
20781 when no executable has been associated with the debugging session or
20782 the executable does not provide information about the encoding it uses.
20783 Otherwise this setting is automatically updated from information
20784 provided by the executable.
20785
20786 Possible values of @var{arg} are @samp{mips16} and @samp{micromips}.
20787 The default compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding is @samp{mips16}, as
20788 executables containing @acronym{MIPS16} code frequently are not
20789 identified as such.
20790
20791 This setting is ``sticky''; that is, it retains its value across
20792 debugging sessions until reset either explicitly with this command or
20793 implicitly from an executable.
20794
20795 The compiler and/or assembler typically add symbol table annotations to
20796 identify functions compiled for the @acronym{MIPS16} or
20797 @acronym{microMIPS} @acronym{ISA}s. If these function-scope annotations
20798 are present, @value{GDBN} uses them in preference to the global
20799 compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding setting.
20800
20801 @item show mips compression
20802 @kindex show mips compression
20803 Show the @acronym{MIPS} compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding used by
20804 @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
20805
20806 @item set mipsfpu
20807 @itemx show mipsfpu
20808 @xref{MIPS Embedded, set mipsfpu}.
20809
20810 @item set mips mask-address @var{arg}
20811 @kindex set mips mask-address
20812 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} addresses, masking
20813 This command determines whether the most-significant 32 bits of 64-bit
20814 @acronym{MIPS} addresses are masked off. The argument @var{arg} can be
20815 @samp{on}, @samp{off}, or @samp{auto}. The latter is the default
20816 setting, which lets @value{GDBN} determine the correct value.
20817
20818 @item show mips mask-address
20819 @kindex show mips mask-address
20820 Show whether the upper 32 bits of @acronym{MIPS} addresses are masked off or
20821 not.
20822
20823 @item set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20824 @kindex set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20825 This command controls compatibility with 64-bit @acronym{MIPS} targets that
20826 transfer data in 32-bit quantities. If you have an old @acronym{MIPS} 64 target
20827 that transfers 32 bits for some registers, like @sc{sr} and @sc{fsr},
20828 and 64 bits for other registers, set this option to @samp{on}.
20829
20830 @item show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20831 @kindex show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
20832 Show the current setting of compatibility with older @acronym{MIPS} 64 targets.
20833
20834 @item set debug mips
20835 @kindex set debug mips
20836 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the @acronym{MIPS}-specific
20837 target code in @value{GDBN}.
20838
20839 @item show debug mips
20840 @kindex show debug mips
20841 Show the current setting of @acronym{MIPS} debugging messages.
20842 @end table
20843
20844
20845 @node HPPA
20846 @subsection HPPA
20847 @cindex HPPA support
20848
20849 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the HP PA architecture, it provides the
20850 following special commands:
20851
20852 @table @code
20853 @item set debug hppa
20854 @kindex set debug hppa
20855 This command determines whether HPPA architecture-specific debugging
20856 messages are to be displayed.
20857
20858 @item show debug hppa
20859 Show whether HPPA debugging messages are displayed.
20860
20861 @item maint print unwind @var{address}
20862 @kindex maint print unwind@r{, HPPA}
20863 This command displays the contents of the unwind table entry at the
20864 given @var{address}.
20865
20866 @end table
20867
20868
20869 @node SPU
20870 @subsection Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
20871 @cindex Cell Broadband Engine
20872 @cindex SPU
20873
20874 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture,
20875 it provides the following special commands:
20876
20877 @table @code
20878 @item info spu event
20879 @kindex info spu
20880 Display SPU event facility status. Shows current event mask
20881 and pending event status.
20882
20883 @item info spu signal
20884 Display SPU signal notification facility status. Shows pending
20885 signal-control word and signal notification mode of both signal
20886 notification channels.
20887
20888 @item info spu mailbox
20889 Display SPU mailbox facility status. Shows all pending entries,
20890 in order of processing, in each of the SPU Write Outbound,
20891 SPU Write Outbound Interrupt, and SPU Read Inbound mailboxes.
20892
20893 @item info spu dma
20894 Display MFC DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
20895 DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
20896 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
20897
20898 @item info spu proxydma
20899 Display MFC Proxy-DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
20900 Proxy-DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
20901 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
20902
20903 @end table
20904
20905 When @value{GDBN} is debugging a combined PowerPC/SPU application
20906 on the Cell Broadband Engine, it provides in addition the following
20907 special commands:
20908
20909 @table @code
20910 @item set spu stop-on-load @var{arg}
20911 @kindex set spu
20912 Set whether to stop for new SPE threads. When set to @code{on}, @value{GDBN}
20913 will give control to the user when a new SPE thread enters its @code{main}
20914 function. The default is @code{off}.
20915
20916 @item show spu stop-on-load
20917 @kindex show spu
20918 Show whether to stop for new SPE threads.
20919
20920 @item set spu auto-flush-cache @var{arg}
20921 Set whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache. When set to
20922 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will automatically cause the SPE software-managed
20923 cache to be flushed whenever SPE execution stops. This provides a consistent
20924 view of PowerPC memory that is accessed via the cache. If an application
20925 does not use the software-managed cache, this option has no effect.
20926
20927 @item show spu auto-flush-cache
20928 Show whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache.
20929
20930 @end table
20931
20932 @node PowerPC
20933 @subsection PowerPC
20934 @cindex PowerPC architecture
20935
20936 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the PowerPC architecture, it provides a set of
20937 pseudo-registers to enable inspection of 128-bit wide Decimal Floating Point
20938 numbers stored in the floating point registers. These values must be stored
20939 in two consecutive registers, always starting at an even register like
20940 @code{f0} or @code{f2}.
20941
20942 The pseudo-registers go from @code{$dl0} through @code{$dl15}, and are formed
20943 by joining the even/odd register pairs @code{f0} and @code{f1} for @code{$dl0},
20944 @code{f2} and @code{f3} for @code{$dl1} and so on.
20945
20946 For POWER7 processors, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers, the 64-bit
20947 wide Extended Floating Point Registers (@samp{f32} through @samp{f63}).
20948
20949
20950 @node Controlling GDB
20951 @chapter Controlling @value{GDBN}
20952
20953 You can alter the way @value{GDBN} interacts with you by using the
20954 @code{set} command. For commands controlling how @value{GDBN} displays
20955 data, see @ref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}. Other settings are
20956 described here.
20957
20958 @menu
20959 * Prompt:: Prompt
20960 * Editing:: Command editing
20961 * Command History:: Command history
20962 * Screen Size:: Screen size
20963 * Numbers:: Numbers
20964 * ABI:: Configuring the current ABI
20965 * Auto-loading:: Automatically loading associated files
20966 * Messages/Warnings:: Optional warnings and messages
20967 * Debugging Output:: Optional messages about internal happenings
20968 * Other Misc Settings:: Other Miscellaneous Settings
20969 @end menu
20970
20971 @node Prompt
20972 @section Prompt
20973
20974 @cindex prompt
20975
20976 @value{GDBN} indicates its readiness to read a command by printing a string
20977 called the @dfn{prompt}. This string is normally @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. You
20978 can change the prompt string with the @code{set prompt} command. For
20979 instance, when debugging @value{GDBN} with @value{GDBN}, it is useful to change
20980 the prompt in one of the @value{GDBN} sessions so that you can always tell
20981 which one you are talking to.
20982
20983 @emph{Note:} @code{set prompt} does not add a space for you after the
20984 prompt you set. This allows you to set a prompt which ends in a space
20985 or a prompt that does not.
20986
20987 @table @code
20988 @kindex set prompt
20989 @item set prompt @var{newprompt}
20990 Directs @value{GDBN} to use @var{newprompt} as its prompt string henceforth.
20991
20992 @kindex show prompt
20993 @item show prompt
20994 Prints a line of the form: @samp{Gdb's prompt is: @var{your-prompt}}
20995 @end table
20996
20997 Versions of @value{GDBN} that ship with Python scripting enabled have
20998 prompt extensions. The commands for interacting with these extensions
20999 are:
21000
21001 @table @code
21002 @kindex set extended-prompt
21003 @item set extended-prompt @var{prompt}
21004 Set an extended prompt that allows for substitutions.
21005 @xref{gdb.prompt}, for a list of escape sequences that can be used for
21006 substitution. Any escape sequences specified as part of the prompt
21007 string are replaced with the corresponding strings each time the prompt
21008 is displayed.
21009
21010 For example:
21011
21012 @smallexample
21013 set extended-prompt Current working directory: \w (gdb)
21014 @end smallexample
21015
21016 Note that when an extended-prompt is set, it takes control of the
21017 @var{prompt_hook} hook. @xref{prompt_hook}, for further information.
21018
21019 @kindex show extended-prompt
21020 @item show extended-prompt
21021 Prints the extended prompt. Any escape sequences specified as part of
21022 the prompt string with @code{set extended-prompt}, are replaced with the
21023 corresponding strings each time the prompt is displayed.
21024 @end table
21025
21026 @node Editing
21027 @section Command Editing
21028 @cindex readline
21029 @cindex command line editing
21030
21031 @value{GDBN} reads its input commands via the @dfn{Readline} interface. This
21032 @sc{gnu} library provides consistent behavior for programs which provide a
21033 command line interface to the user. Advantages are @sc{gnu} Emacs-style
21034 or @dfn{vi}-style inline editing of commands, @code{csh}-like history
21035 substitution, and a storage and recall of command history across
21036 debugging sessions.
21037
21038 You may control the behavior of command line editing in @value{GDBN} with the
21039 command @code{set}.
21040
21041 @table @code
21042 @kindex set editing
21043 @cindex editing
21044 @item set editing
21045 @itemx set editing on
21046 Enable command line editing (enabled by default).
21047
21048 @item set editing off
21049 Disable command line editing.
21050
21051 @kindex show editing
21052 @item show editing
21053 Show whether command line editing is enabled.
21054 @end table
21055
21056 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
21057 @xref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library},
21058 @end ifset
21059 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
21060 @xref{Command Line Editing},
21061 @end ifclear
21062 for more details about the Readline
21063 interface. Users unfamiliar with @sc{gnu} Emacs or @code{vi} are
21064 encouraged to read that chapter.
21065
21066 @node Command History
21067 @section Command History
21068 @cindex command history
21069
21070 @value{GDBN} can keep track of the commands you type during your
21071 debugging sessions, so that you can be certain of precisely what
21072 happened. Use these commands to manage the @value{GDBN} command
21073 history facility.
21074
21075 @value{GDBN} uses the @sc{gnu} History library, a part of the Readline
21076 package, to provide the history facility.
21077 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
21078 @xref{Using History Interactively, , , history, GNU History Library},
21079 @end ifset
21080 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
21081 @xref{Using History Interactively},
21082 @end ifclear
21083 for the detailed description of the History library.
21084
21085 To issue a command to @value{GDBN} without affecting certain aspects of
21086 the state which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }
21087 (@pxref{Server Prefix}). This
21088 means that this command will not affect the command history, nor will it
21089 affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is
21090 pressed on a line by itself.
21091
21092 @cindex @code{server}, command prefix
21093 The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value
21094 history; to print a value without recording it into the value history,
21095 use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command.
21096
21097 Here is the description of @value{GDBN} commands related to command
21098 history.
21099
21100 @table @code
21101 @cindex history substitution
21102 @cindex history file
21103 @kindex set history filename
21104 @cindex @env{GDBHISTFILE}, environment variable
21105 @item set history filename @var{fname}
21106 Set the name of the @value{GDBN} command history file to @var{fname}.
21107 This is the file where @value{GDBN} reads an initial command history
21108 list, and where it writes the command history from this session when it
21109 exits. You can access this list through history expansion or through
21110 the history command editing characters listed below. This file defaults
21111 to the value of the environment variable @code{GDBHISTFILE}, or to
21112 @file{./.gdb_history} (@file{./_gdb_history} on MS-DOS) if this variable
21113 is not set.
21114
21115 @cindex save command history
21116 @kindex set history save
21117 @item set history save
21118 @itemx set history save on
21119 Record command history in a file, whose name may be specified with the
21120 @code{set history filename} command. By default, this option is disabled.
21121
21122 @item set history save off
21123 Stop recording command history in a file.
21124
21125 @cindex history size
21126 @kindex set history size
21127 @cindex @env{HISTSIZE}, environment variable
21128 @item set history size @var{size}
21129 Set the number of commands which @value{GDBN} keeps in its history list.
21130 This defaults to the value of the environment variable
21131 @code{HISTSIZE}, or to 256 if this variable is not set.
21132 @end table
21133
21134 History expansion assigns special meaning to the character @kbd{!}.
21135 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
21136 @xref{Event Designators, , , history, GNU History Library},
21137 @end ifset
21138 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
21139 @xref{Event Designators},
21140 @end ifclear
21141 for more details.
21142
21143 @cindex history expansion, turn on/off
21144 Since @kbd{!} is also the logical not operator in C, history expansion
21145 is off by default. If you decide to enable history expansion with the
21146 @code{set history expansion on} command, you may sometimes need to
21147 follow @kbd{!} (when it is used as logical not, in an expression) with
21148 a space or a tab to prevent it from being expanded. The readline
21149 history facilities do not attempt substitution on the strings
21150 @kbd{!=} and @kbd{!(}, even when history expansion is enabled.
21151
21152 The commands to control history expansion are:
21153
21154 @table @code
21155 @item set history expansion on
21156 @itemx set history expansion
21157 @kindex set history expansion
21158 Enable history expansion. History expansion is off by default.
21159
21160 @item set history expansion off
21161 Disable history expansion.
21162
21163 @c @group
21164 @kindex show history
21165 @item show history
21166 @itemx show history filename
21167 @itemx show history save
21168 @itemx show history size
21169 @itemx show history expansion
21170 These commands display the state of the @value{GDBN} history parameters.
21171 @code{show history} by itself displays all four states.
21172 @c @end group
21173 @end table
21174
21175 @table @code
21176 @kindex show commands
21177 @cindex show last commands
21178 @cindex display command history
21179 @item show commands
21180 Display the last ten commands in the command history.
21181
21182 @item show commands @var{n}
21183 Print ten commands centered on command number @var{n}.
21184
21185 @item show commands +
21186 Print ten commands just after the commands last printed.
21187 @end table
21188
21189 @node Screen Size
21190 @section Screen Size
21191 @cindex size of screen
21192 @cindex pauses in output
21193
21194 Certain commands to @value{GDBN} may produce large amounts of
21195 information output to the screen. To help you read all of it,
21196 @value{GDBN} pauses and asks you for input at the end of each page of
21197 output. Type @key{RET} when you want to continue the output, or @kbd{q}
21198 to discard the remaining output. Also, the screen width setting
21199 determines when to wrap lines of output. Depending on what is being
21200 printed, @value{GDBN} tries to break the line at a readable place,
21201 rather than simply letting it overflow onto the following line.
21202
21203 Normally @value{GDBN} knows the size of the screen from the terminal
21204 driver software. For example, on Unix @value{GDBN} uses the termcap data base
21205 together with the value of the @code{TERM} environment variable and the
21206 @code{stty rows} and @code{stty cols} settings. If this is not correct,
21207 you can override it with the @code{set height} and @code{set
21208 width} commands:
21209
21210 @table @code
21211 @kindex set height
21212 @kindex set width
21213 @kindex show width
21214 @kindex show height
21215 @item set height @var{lpp}
21216 @itemx show height
21217 @itemx set width @var{cpl}
21218 @itemx show width
21219 These @code{set} commands specify a screen height of @var{lpp} lines and
21220 a screen width of @var{cpl} characters. The associated @code{show}
21221 commands display the current settings.
21222
21223 If you specify a height of zero lines, @value{GDBN} does not pause during
21224 output no matter how long the output is. This is useful if output is to a
21225 file or to an editor buffer.
21226
21227 Likewise, you can specify @samp{set width 0} to prevent @value{GDBN}
21228 from wrapping its output.
21229
21230 @item set pagination on
21231 @itemx set pagination off
21232 @kindex set pagination
21233 Turn the output pagination on or off; the default is on. Turning
21234 pagination off is the alternative to @code{set height 0}. Note that
21235 running @value{GDBN} with the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode
21236 Options, -batch}) also automatically disables pagination.
21237
21238 @item show pagination
21239 @kindex show pagination
21240 Show the current pagination mode.
21241 @end table
21242
21243 @node Numbers
21244 @section Numbers
21245 @cindex number representation
21246 @cindex entering numbers
21247
21248 You can always enter numbers in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal in
21249 @value{GDBN} by the usual conventions: octal numbers begin with
21250 @samp{0}, decimal numbers end with @samp{.}, and hexadecimal numbers
21251 begin with @samp{0x}. Numbers that neither begin with @samp{0} or
21252 @samp{0x}, nor end with a @samp{.} are, by default, entered in base
21253 10; likewise, the default display for numbers---when no particular
21254 format is specified---is base 10. You can change the default base for
21255 both input and output with the commands described below.
21256
21257 @table @code
21258 @kindex set input-radix
21259 @item set input-radix @var{base}
21260 Set the default base for numeric input. Supported choices
21261 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
21262 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix; for
21263 example, any of
21264
21265 @smallexample
21266 set input-radix 012
21267 set input-radix 10.
21268 set input-radix 0xa
21269 @end smallexample
21270
21271 @noindent
21272 sets the input base to decimal. On the other hand, @samp{set input-radix 10}
21273 leaves the input radix unchanged, no matter what it was, since
21274 @samp{10}, being without any leading or trailing signs of its base, is
21275 interpreted in the current radix. Thus, if the current radix is 16,
21276 @samp{10} is interpreted in hex, i.e.@: as 16 decimal, which doesn't
21277 change the radix.
21278
21279 @kindex set output-radix
21280 @item set output-radix @var{base}
21281 Set the default base for numeric display. Supported choices
21282 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
21283 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix.
21284
21285 @kindex show input-radix
21286 @item show input-radix
21287 Display the current default base for numeric input.
21288
21289 @kindex show output-radix
21290 @item show output-radix
21291 Display the current default base for numeric display.
21292
21293 @item set radix @r{[}@var{base}@r{]}
21294 @itemx show radix
21295 @kindex set radix
21296 @kindex show radix
21297 These commands set and show the default base for both input and output
21298 of numbers. @code{set radix} sets the radix of input and output to
21299 the same base; without an argument, it resets the radix back to its
21300 default value of 10.
21301
21302 @end table
21303
21304 @node ABI
21305 @section Configuring the Current ABI
21306
21307 @value{GDBN} can determine the @dfn{ABI} (Application Binary Interface) of your
21308 application automatically. However, sometimes you need to override its
21309 conclusions. Use these commands to manage @value{GDBN}'s view of the
21310 current ABI.
21311
21312 @cindex OS ABI
21313 @kindex set osabi
21314 @kindex show osabi
21315
21316 One @value{GDBN} configuration can debug binaries for multiple operating
21317 system targets, either via remote debugging or native emulation.
21318 @value{GDBN} will autodetect the @dfn{OS ABI} (Operating System ABI) in use,
21319 but you can override its conclusion using the @code{set osabi} command.
21320 One example where this is useful is in debugging of binaries which use
21321 an alternate C library (e.g.@: @sc{uClibc} for @sc{gnu}/Linux) which does
21322 not have the same identifying marks that the standard C library for your
21323 platform provides.
21324
21325 @table @code
21326 @item show osabi
21327 Show the OS ABI currently in use.
21328
21329 @item set osabi
21330 With no argument, show the list of registered available OS ABI's.
21331
21332 @item set osabi @var{abi}
21333 Set the current OS ABI to @var{abi}.
21334 @end table
21335
21336 @cindex float promotion
21337
21338 Generally, the way that an argument of type @code{float} is passed to a
21339 function depends on whether the function is prototyped. For a prototyped
21340 (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) function, @code{float} arguments are passed unchanged,
21341 according to the architecture's convention for @code{float}. For unprototyped
21342 (i.e.@: K&R style) functions, @code{float} arguments are first promoted to type
21343 @code{double} and then passed.
21344
21345 Unfortunately, some forms of debug information do not reliably indicate whether
21346 a function is prototyped. If @value{GDBN} calls a function that is not marked
21347 as prototyped, it consults @kbd{set coerce-float-to-double}.
21348
21349 @table @code
21350 @kindex set coerce-float-to-double
21351 @item set coerce-float-to-double
21352 @itemx set coerce-float-to-double on
21353 Arguments of type @code{float} will be promoted to @code{double} when passed
21354 to an unprototyped function. This is the default setting.
21355
21356 @item set coerce-float-to-double off
21357 Arguments of type @code{float} will be passed directly to unprototyped
21358 functions.
21359
21360 @kindex show coerce-float-to-double
21361 @item show coerce-float-to-double
21362 Show the current setting of promoting @code{float} to @code{double}.
21363 @end table
21364
21365 @kindex set cp-abi
21366 @kindex show cp-abi
21367 @value{GDBN} needs to know the ABI used for your program's C@t{++}
21368 objects. The correct C@t{++} ABI depends on which C@t{++} compiler was
21369 used to build your application. @value{GDBN} only fully supports
21370 programs with a single C@t{++} ABI; if your program contains code using
21371 multiple C@t{++} ABI's or if @value{GDBN} can not identify your
21372 program's ABI correctly, you can tell @value{GDBN} which ABI to use.
21373 Currently supported ABI's include ``gnu-v2'', for @code{g++} versions
21374 before 3.0, ``gnu-v3'', for @code{g++} versions 3.0 and later, and
21375 ``hpaCC'' for the HP ANSI C@t{++} compiler. Other C@t{++} compilers may
21376 use the ``gnu-v2'' or ``gnu-v3'' ABI's as well. The default setting is
21377 ``auto''.
21378
21379 @table @code
21380 @item show cp-abi
21381 Show the C@t{++} ABI currently in use.
21382
21383 @item set cp-abi
21384 With no argument, show the list of supported C@t{++} ABI's.
21385
21386 @item set cp-abi @var{abi}
21387 @itemx set cp-abi auto
21388 Set the current C@t{++} ABI to @var{abi}, or return to automatic detection.
21389 @end table
21390
21391 @node Auto-loading
21392 @section Automatically loading associated files
21393 @cindex auto-loading
21394
21395 @value{GDBN} sometimes reads files with commands and settings automatically,
21396 without being explicitly told so by the user. We call this feature
21397 @dfn{auto-loading}. While auto-loading is useful for automatically adapting
21398 @value{GDBN} to the needs of your project, it can sometimes produce unexpected
21399 results or introduce security risks (e.g., if the file comes from untrusted
21400 sources).
21401
21402 Note that loading of these associated files (including the local @file{.gdbinit}
21403 file) requires accordingly configured @code{auto-load safe-path}
21404 (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
21405
21406 For these reasons, @value{GDBN} includes commands and options to let you
21407 control when to auto-load files and which files should be auto-loaded.
21408
21409 @table @code
21410 @anchor{set auto-load off}
21411 @kindex set auto-load off
21412 @item set auto-load off
21413 Globally disable loading of all auto-loaded files.
21414 You may want to use this command with the @samp{-iex} option
21415 (@pxref{Option -init-eval-command}) such as:
21416 @smallexample
21417 $ @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load off" untrusted-executable corefile}
21418 @end smallexample
21419
21420 Be aware that system init file (@pxref{System-wide configuration})
21421 and init files from your home directory (@pxref{Home Directory Init File})
21422 still get read (as they come from generally trusted directories).
21423 To prevent @value{GDBN} from auto-loading even those init files, use the
21424 @option{-nx} option (@pxref{Mode Options}), in addition to
21425 @code{set auto-load no}.
21426
21427 @anchor{show auto-load}
21428 @kindex show auto-load
21429 @item show auto-load
21430 Show whether auto-loading of each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) is enabled
21431 or disabled.
21432
21433 @smallexample
21434 (gdb) show auto-load
21435 gdb-scripts: Auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is on.
21436 libthread-db: Auto-loading of inferior specific libthread_db is on.
21437 local-gdbinit: Auto-loading of .gdbinit script from current directory
21438 is on.
21439 python-scripts: Auto-loading of Python scripts is on.
21440 safe-path: List of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
21441 is $debugdir:$datadir/auto-load.
21442 scripts-directory: List of directories from which to load auto-loaded scripts
21443 is $debugdir:$datadir/auto-load.
21444 @end smallexample
21445
21446 @anchor{info auto-load}
21447 @kindex info auto-load
21448 @item info auto-load
21449 Print whether each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) have been auto-loaded or
21450 not.
21451
21452 @smallexample
21453 (gdb) info auto-load
21454 gdb-scripts:
21455 Loaded Script
21456 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb
21457 libthread-db: No auto-loaded libthread-db.
21458 local-gdbinit: Local .gdbinit file "/home/user/gdb/.gdbinit" has been
21459 loaded.
21460 python-scripts:
21461 Loaded Script
21462 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py
21463 @end smallexample
21464 @end table
21465
21466 These are various kinds of files @value{GDBN} can automatically load:
21467
21468 @itemize @bullet
21469 @item
21470 @xref{objfile-gdb.py file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21471 @item
21472 @xref{objfile-gdb.gdb file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21473 @item
21474 @xref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section},
21475 controlled by @ref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21476 @item
21477 @xref{Init File in the Current Directory},
21478 controlled by @ref{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21479 @item
21480 @xref{libthread_db.so.1 file}, controlled by @ref{set auto-load libthread-db}.
21481 @end itemize
21482
21483 These are @value{GDBN} control commands for the auto-loading:
21484
21485 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
21486 @item @xref{set auto-load off}.
21487 @tab Disable auto-loading globally.
21488 @item @xref{show auto-load}.
21489 @tab Show setting of all kinds of files.
21490 @item @xref{info auto-load}.
21491 @tab Show state of all kinds of files.
21492 @item @xref{set auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21493 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21494 @item @xref{show auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21495 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21496 @item @xref{info auto-load gdb-scripts}.
21497 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
21498 @item @xref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
21499 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21500 @item @xref{show auto-load python-scripts}.
21501 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21502 @item @xref{info auto-load python-scripts}.
21503 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
21504 @item @xref{set auto-load scripts-directory}.
21505 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
21506 @item @xref{show auto-load scripts-directory}.
21507 @tab Show @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
21508 @item @xref{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21509 @tab Control for init file in the current directory.
21510 @item @xref{show auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21511 @tab Show setting of init file in the current directory.
21512 @item @xref{info auto-load local-gdbinit}.
21513 @tab Show state of init file in the current directory.
21514 @item @xref{set auto-load libthread-db}.
21515 @tab Control for thread debugging library.
21516 @item @xref{show auto-load libthread-db}.
21517 @tab Show setting of thread debugging library.
21518 @item @xref{info auto-load libthread-db}.
21519 @tab Show state of thread debugging library.
21520 @item @xref{set auto-load safe-path}.
21521 @tab Control directories trusted for automatic loading.
21522 @item @xref{show auto-load safe-path}.
21523 @tab Show directories trusted for automatic loading.
21524 @item @xref{add-auto-load-safe-path}.
21525 @tab Add directory trusted for automatic loading.
21526 @end multitable
21527
21528 @menu
21529 * Init File in the Current Directory:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load local-gdbinit}
21530 * libthread_db.so.1 file:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load libthread-db}
21531 * objfile-gdb.gdb file:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load gdb-script}
21532 * Auto-loading safe path:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load safe-path}
21533 * Auto-loading verbose mode:: @samp{set/show debug auto-load}
21534 @xref{Python Auto-loading}.
21535 @end menu
21536
21537 @node Init File in the Current Directory
21538 @subsection Automatically loading init file in the current directory
21539 @cindex auto-loading init file in the current directory
21540
21541 By default, @value{GDBN} reads and executes the canned sequences of commands
21542 from init file (if any) in the current working directory,
21543 see @ref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}.
21544
21545 Note that loading of this local @file{.gdbinit} file also requires accordingly
21546 configured @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
21547
21548 @table @code
21549 @anchor{set auto-load local-gdbinit}
21550 @kindex set auto-load local-gdbinit
21551 @item set auto-load local-gdbinit [on|off]
21552 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands
21553 (@pxref{Sequences}) found in init file in the current directory.
21554
21555 @anchor{show auto-load local-gdbinit}
21556 @kindex show auto-load local-gdbinit
21557 @item show auto-load local-gdbinit
21558 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands from init file in the
21559 current directory is enabled or disabled.
21560
21561 @anchor{info auto-load local-gdbinit}
21562 @kindex info auto-load local-gdbinit
21563 @item info auto-load local-gdbinit
21564 Print whether canned sequences of commands from init file in the
21565 current directory have been auto-loaded.
21566 @end table
21567
21568 @node libthread_db.so.1 file
21569 @subsection Automatically loading thread debugging library
21570 @cindex auto-loading libthread_db.so.1
21571
21572 This feature is currently present only on @sc{gnu}/Linux native hosts.
21573
21574 @value{GDBN} reads in some cases thread debugging library from places specific
21575 to the inferior (@pxref{set libthread-db-search-path}).
21576
21577 The special @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entry @samp{$sdir} is processed
21578 without checking this @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} switch as system
21579 libraries have to be trusted in general. In all other cases of
21580 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entries @value{GDBN} checks first if @samp{set
21581 auto-load libthread-db} is enabled before trying to open such thread debugging
21582 library.
21583
21584 Note that loading of this debugging library also requires accordingly configured
21585 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
21586
21587 @table @code
21588 @anchor{set auto-load libthread-db}
21589 @kindex set auto-load libthread-db
21590 @item set auto-load libthread-db [on|off]
21591 Enable or disable the auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library.
21592
21593 @anchor{show auto-load libthread-db}
21594 @kindex show auto-load libthread-db
21595 @item show auto-load libthread-db
21596 Show whether auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library is
21597 enabled or disabled.
21598
21599 @anchor{info auto-load libthread-db}
21600 @kindex info auto-load libthread-db
21601 @item info auto-load libthread-db
21602 Print the list of all loaded inferior specific thread debugging libraries and
21603 for each such library print list of inferior @var{pid}s using it.
21604 @end table
21605
21606 @node objfile-gdb.gdb file
21607 @subsection The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb} file
21608 @cindex auto-loading @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb}
21609
21610 @value{GDBN} tries to load an @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb} file containing
21611 canned sequences of commands (@pxref{Sequences}), as long as @samp{set
21612 auto-load gdb-scripts} is set to @samp{on}.
21613
21614 Note that loading of this script file also requires accordingly configured
21615 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
21616
21617 For more background refer to the similar Python scripts auto-loading
21618 description (@pxref{objfile-gdb.py file}).
21619
21620 @table @code
21621 @anchor{set auto-load gdb-scripts}
21622 @kindex set auto-load gdb-scripts
21623 @item set auto-load gdb-scripts [on|off]
21624 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts.
21625
21626 @anchor{show auto-load gdb-scripts}
21627 @kindex show auto-load gdb-scripts
21628 @item show auto-load gdb-scripts
21629 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is enabled or
21630 disabled.
21631
21632 @anchor{info auto-load gdb-scripts}
21633 @kindex info auto-load gdb-scripts
21634 @cindex print list of auto-loaded canned sequences of commands scripts
21635 @item info auto-load gdb-scripts [@var{regexp}]
21636 Print the list of all canned sequences of commands scripts that @value{GDBN}
21637 auto-loaded.
21638 @end table
21639
21640 If @var{regexp} is supplied only canned sequences of commands scripts with
21641 matching names are printed.
21642
21643 @node Auto-loading safe path
21644 @subsection Security restriction for auto-loading
21645 @cindex auto-loading safe-path
21646
21647 As the files of inferior can come from untrusted source (such as submitted by
21648 an application user) @value{GDBN} does not always load any files automatically.
21649 @value{GDBN} provides the @samp{set auto-load safe-path} setting to list
21650 directories trusted for loading files not explicitly requested by user.
21651 Each directory can also be a shell wildcard pattern.
21652
21653 If the path is not set properly you will see a warning and the file will not
21654 get loaded:
21655
21656 @smallexample
21657 $ ./gdb -q ./gdb
21658 Reading symbols from /home/user/gdb/gdb...done.
21659 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been
21660 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set
21661 to "$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load".
21662 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py" auto-loading has been
21663 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set
21664 to "$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load".
21665 @end smallexample
21666
21667 The list of trusted directories is controlled by the following commands:
21668
21669 @table @code
21670 @anchor{set auto-load safe-path}
21671 @kindex set auto-load safe-path
21672 @item set auto-load safe-path @r{[}@var{directories}@r{]}
21673 Set the list of directories (and their subdirectories) trusted for automatic
21674 loading and execution of scripts. You can also enter a specific trusted file.
21675 Each directory can also be a shell wildcard pattern; wildcards do not match
21676 directory separator - see @code{FNM_PATHNAME} for system function @code{fnmatch}
21677 (@pxref{Wildcard Matching, fnmatch, , libc, GNU C Library Reference Manual}).
21678 If you omit @var{directories}, @samp{auto-load safe-path} will be reset to
21679 its default value as specified during @value{GDBN} compilation.
21680
21681 The list of directories uses path separator (@samp{:} on GNU and Unix
21682 systems, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS) to separate directories, similarly
21683 to the @env{PATH} environment variable.
21684
21685 @anchor{show auto-load safe-path}
21686 @kindex show auto-load safe-path
21687 @item show auto-load safe-path
21688 Show the list of directories trusted for automatic loading and execution of
21689 scripts.
21690
21691 @anchor{add-auto-load-safe-path}
21692 @kindex add-auto-load-safe-path
21693 @item add-auto-load-safe-path
21694 Add an entry (or list of entries) the list of directories trusted for automatic
21695 loading and execution of scripts. Multiple entries may be delimited by the
21696 host platform path separator in use.
21697 @end table
21698
21699 This variable defaults to what @code{--with-auto-load-dir} has been configured
21700 to (@pxref{with-auto-load-dir}). @file{$debugdir} and @file{$datadir}
21701 substitution applies the same as for @ref{set auto-load scripts-directory}.
21702 The default @code{set auto-load safe-path} value can be also overriden by
21703 @value{GDBN} configuration option @option{--with-auto-load-safe-path}.
21704
21705 Setting this variable to @file{/} disables this security protection,
21706 corresponding @value{GDBN} configuration option is
21707 @option{--without-auto-load-safe-path}.
21708 This variable is supposed to be set to the system directories writable by the
21709 system superuser only. Users can add their source directories in init files in
21710 their home directories (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). See also deprecated
21711 init file in the current directory
21712 (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}).
21713
21714 To force @value{GDBN} to load the files it declined to load in the previous
21715 example, you could use one of the following ways:
21716
21717 @table @asis
21718 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{add-auto-load-safe-path ~/src/gdb}
21719 Specify this trusted directory (or a file) as additional component of the list.
21720 You have to specify also any existing directories displayed by
21721 by @samp{show auto-load safe-path} (such as @samp{/usr:/bin} in this example).
21722
21723 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path /usr:/bin:~/src/gdb" @dots{}}
21724 Specify this directory as in the previous case but just for a single
21725 @value{GDBN} session.
21726
21727 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path /" @dots{}}
21728 Disable auto-loading safety for a single @value{GDBN} session.
21729 This assumes all the files you debug during this @value{GDBN} session will come
21730 from trusted sources.
21731
21732 @item @kbd{./configure --without-auto-load-safe-path}
21733 During compilation of @value{GDBN} you may disable any auto-loading safety.
21734 This assumes all the files you will ever debug with this @value{GDBN} come from
21735 trusted sources.
21736 @end table
21737
21738 On the other hand you can also explicitly forbid automatic files loading which
21739 also suppresses any such warning messages:
21740
21741 @table @asis
21742 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load no" @dots{}}
21743 You can use @value{GDBN} command-line option for a single @value{GDBN} session.
21744
21745 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{set auto-load no}
21746 Disable auto-loading globally for the user
21747 (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). While it is improbable, you could also
21748 use system init file instead (@pxref{System-wide configuration}).
21749 @end table
21750
21751 This setting applies to the file names as entered by user. If no entry matches
21752 @value{GDBN} tries as a last resort to also resolve all the file names into
21753 their canonical form (typically resolving symbolic links) and compare the
21754 entries again. @value{GDBN} already canonicalizes most of the filenames on its
21755 own before starting the comparison so a canonical form of directories is
21756 recommended to be entered.
21757
21758 @node Auto-loading verbose mode
21759 @subsection Displaying files tried for auto-load
21760 @cindex auto-loading verbose mode
21761
21762 For better visibility of all the file locations where you can place scripts to
21763 be auto-loaded with inferior --- or to protect yourself against accidental
21764 execution of untrusted scripts --- @value{GDBN} provides a feature for printing
21765 all the files attempted to be loaded. Both existing and non-existing files may
21766 be printed.
21767
21768 For example the list of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
21769 (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}) applies also to canonicalized filenames which
21770 may not be too obvious while setting it up.
21771
21772 @smallexample
21773 (gdb) set debug auto-load on
21774 (gdb) file ~/src/t/true
21775 auto-load: Loading canned sequences of commands script "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb"
21776 for objfile "/tmp/true".
21777 auto-load: Updating directories of "/usr:/opt".
21778 auto-load: Using directory "/usr".
21779 auto-load: Using directory "/opt".
21780 warning: File "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been declined
21781 by your `auto-load safe-path' set to "/usr:/opt".
21782 @end smallexample
21783
21784 @table @code
21785 @anchor{set debug auto-load}
21786 @kindex set debug auto-load
21787 @item set debug auto-load [on|off]
21788 Set whether to print the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded.
21789
21790 @anchor{show debug auto-load}
21791 @kindex show debug auto-load
21792 @item show debug auto-load
21793 Show whether printing of the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded is turned
21794 on or off.
21795 @end table
21796
21797 @node Messages/Warnings
21798 @section Optional Warnings and Messages
21799
21800 @cindex verbose operation
21801 @cindex optional warnings
21802 By default, @value{GDBN} is silent about its inner workings. If you are
21803 running on a slow machine, you may want to use the @code{set verbose}
21804 command. This makes @value{GDBN} tell you when it does a lengthy
21805 internal operation, so you will not think it has crashed.
21806
21807 Currently, the messages controlled by @code{set verbose} are those
21808 which announce that the symbol table for a source file is being read;
21809 see @code{symbol-file} in @ref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}.
21810
21811 @table @code
21812 @kindex set verbose
21813 @item set verbose on
21814 Enables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
21815
21816 @item set verbose off
21817 Disables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
21818
21819 @kindex show verbose
21820 @item show verbose
21821 Displays whether @code{set verbose} is on or off.
21822 @end table
21823
21824 By default, if @value{GDBN} encounters bugs in the symbol table of an
21825 object file, it is silent; but if you are debugging a compiler, you may
21826 find this information useful (@pxref{Symbol Errors, ,Errors Reading
21827 Symbol Files}).
21828
21829 @table @code
21830
21831 @kindex set complaints
21832 @item set complaints @var{limit}
21833 Permits @value{GDBN} to output @var{limit} complaints about each type of
21834 unusual symbols before becoming silent about the problem. Set
21835 @var{limit} to zero to suppress all complaints; set it to a large number
21836 to prevent complaints from being suppressed.
21837
21838 @kindex show complaints
21839 @item show complaints
21840 Displays how many symbol complaints @value{GDBN} is permitted to produce.
21841
21842 @end table
21843
21844 @anchor{confirmation requests}
21845 By default, @value{GDBN} is cautious, and asks what sometimes seems to be a
21846 lot of stupid questions to confirm certain commands. For example, if
21847 you try to run a program which is already running:
21848
21849 @smallexample
21850 (@value{GDBP}) run
21851 The program being debugged has been started already.
21852 Start it from the beginning? (y or n)
21853 @end smallexample
21854
21855 If you are willing to unflinchingly face the consequences of your own
21856 commands, you can disable this ``feature'':
21857
21858 @table @code
21859
21860 @kindex set confirm
21861 @cindex flinching
21862 @cindex confirmation
21863 @cindex stupid questions
21864 @item set confirm off
21865 Disables confirmation requests. Note that running @value{GDBN} with
21866 the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode Options, -batch}) also
21867 automatically disables confirmation requests.
21868
21869 @item set confirm on
21870 Enables confirmation requests (the default).
21871
21872 @kindex show confirm
21873 @item show confirm
21874 Displays state of confirmation requests.
21875
21876 @end table
21877
21878 @cindex command tracing
21879 If you need to debug user-defined commands or sourced files you may find it
21880 useful to enable @dfn{command tracing}. In this mode each command will be
21881 printed as it is executed, prefixed with one or more @samp{+} symbols, the
21882 quantity denoting the call depth of each command.
21883
21884 @table @code
21885 @kindex set trace-commands
21886 @cindex command scripts, debugging
21887 @item set trace-commands on
21888 Enable command tracing.
21889 @item set trace-commands off
21890 Disable command tracing.
21891 @item show trace-commands
21892 Display the current state of command tracing.
21893 @end table
21894
21895 @node Debugging Output
21896 @section Optional Messages about Internal Happenings
21897 @cindex optional debugging messages
21898
21899 @value{GDBN} has commands that enable optional debugging messages from
21900 various @value{GDBN} subsystems; normally these commands are of
21901 interest to @value{GDBN} maintainers, or when reporting a bug. This
21902 section documents those commands.
21903
21904 @table @code
21905 @kindex set exec-done-display
21906 @item set exec-done-display
21907 Turns on or off the notification of asynchronous commands'
21908 completion. When on, @value{GDBN} will print a message when an
21909 asynchronous command finishes its execution. The default is off.
21910 @kindex show exec-done-display
21911 @item show exec-done-display
21912 Displays the current setting of asynchronous command completion
21913 notification.
21914 @kindex set debug
21915 @cindex gdbarch debugging info
21916 @cindex architecture debugging info
21917 @item set debug arch
21918 Turns on or off display of gdbarch debugging info. The default is off
21919 @kindex show debug
21920 @item show debug arch
21921 Displays the current state of displaying gdbarch debugging info.
21922 @item set debug aix-thread
21923 @cindex AIX threads
21924 Display debugging messages about inner workings of the AIX thread
21925 module.
21926 @item show debug aix-thread
21927 Show the current state of AIX thread debugging info display.
21928 @item set debug check-physname
21929 @cindex physname
21930 Check the results of the ``physname'' computation. When reading DWARF
21931 debugging information for C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} attempts to compute
21932 each entity's name. @value{GDBN} can do this computation in two
21933 different ways, depending on exactly what information is present.
21934 When enabled, this setting causes @value{GDBN} to compute the names
21935 both ways and display any discrepancies.
21936 @item show debug check-physname
21937 Show the current state of ``physname'' checking.
21938 @item set debug dwarf2-die
21939 @cindex DWARF2 DIEs
21940 Dump DWARF2 DIEs after they are read in.
21941 The value is the number of nesting levels to print.
21942 A value of zero turns off the display.
21943 @item show debug dwarf2-die
21944 Show the current state of DWARF2 DIE debugging.
21945 @item set debug dwarf2-read
21946 @cindex DWARF2 Reading
21947 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to reading
21948 DWARF debug info. The default is off.
21949 @item show debug dwarf2-read
21950 Show the current state of DWARF2 reader debugging.
21951 @item set debug displaced
21952 @cindex displaced stepping debugging info
21953 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for the
21954 displaced stepping support. The default is off.
21955 @item show debug displaced
21956 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} debugging info
21957 related to displaced stepping.
21958 @item set debug event
21959 @cindex event debugging info
21960 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} event debugging info. The
21961 default is off.
21962 @item show debug event
21963 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} event debugging
21964 info.
21965 @item set debug expression
21966 @cindex expression debugging info
21967 Turns on or off display of debugging info about @value{GDBN}
21968 expression parsing. The default is off.
21969 @item show debug expression
21970 Displays the current state of displaying debugging info about
21971 @value{GDBN} expression parsing.
21972 @item set debug frame
21973 @cindex frame debugging info
21974 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} frame debugging info. The
21975 default is off.
21976 @item show debug frame
21977 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} frame debugging
21978 info.
21979 @item set debug gnu-nat
21980 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug messages
21981 Turns on or off debugging messages from the @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug support.
21982 @item show debug gnu-nat
21983 Show the current state of @sc{gnu}/Hurd debugging messages.
21984 @item set debug infrun
21985 @cindex inferior debugging info
21986 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for running the inferior.
21987 The default is off. @file{infrun.c} contains GDB's runtime state machine used
21988 for implementing operations such as single-stepping the inferior.
21989 @item show debug infrun
21990 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} inferior debugging.
21991 @item set debug jit
21992 @cindex just-in-time compilation, debugging messages
21993 Turns on or off debugging messages from JIT debug support.
21994 @item show debug jit
21995 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} JIT debugging.
21996 @item set debug lin-lwp
21997 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP debug messages
21998 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
21999 Turns on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP debug support.
22000 @item show debug lin-lwp
22001 Show the current state of Linux LWP debugging messages.
22002 @item set debug notification
22003 @cindex remote async notification debugging info
22004 Turns on or off debugging messages about remote async notification.
22005 The default is off.
22006 @item show debug notification
22007 Displays the current state of remote async notification debugging messages.
22008 @item set debug observer
22009 @cindex observer debugging info
22010 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} observer debugging. This
22011 includes info such as the notification of observable events.
22012 @item show debug observer
22013 Displays the current state of observer debugging.
22014 @item set debug overload
22015 @cindex C@t{++} overload debugging info
22016 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload debugging
22017 info. This includes info such as ranking of functions, etc. The default
22018 is off.
22019 @item show debug overload
22020 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload
22021 debugging info.
22022 @cindex expression parser, debugging info
22023 @cindex debug expression parser
22024 @item set debug parser
22025 Turns on or off the display of expression parser debugging output.
22026 Internally, this sets the @code{yydebug} variable in the expression
22027 parser. @xref{Tracing, , Tracing Your Parser, bison, Bison}, for
22028 details. The default is off.
22029 @item show debug parser
22030 Show the current state of expression parser debugging.
22031 @cindex packets, reporting on stdout
22032 @cindex serial connections, debugging
22033 @cindex debug remote protocol
22034 @cindex remote protocol debugging
22035 @cindex display remote packets
22036 @item set debug remote
22037 Turns on or off display of reports on all packets sent back and forth across
22038 the serial line to the remote machine. The info is printed on the
22039 @value{GDBN} standard output stream. The default is off.
22040 @item show debug remote
22041 Displays the state of display of remote packets.
22042 @item set debug serial
22043 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} serial debugging info. The
22044 default is off.
22045 @item show debug serial
22046 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} serial debugging
22047 info.
22048 @item set debug solib-frv
22049 @cindex FR-V shared-library debugging
22050 Turns on or off debugging messages for FR-V shared-library code.
22051 @item show debug solib-frv
22052 Display the current state of FR-V shared-library code debugging
22053 messages.
22054 @item set debug symtab-create
22055 @cindex symbol table creation
22056 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to symbol table creation.
22057 The default is off.
22058 @item show debug symtab-create
22059 Show the current state of symbol table creation debugging.
22060 @item set debug target
22061 @cindex target debugging info
22062 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} target debugging info. This info
22063 includes what is going on at the target level of GDB, as it happens. The
22064 default is 0. Set it to 1 to track events, and to 2 to also track the
22065 value of large memory transfers. Changes to this flag do not take effect
22066 until the next time you connect to a target or use the @code{run} command.
22067 @item show debug target
22068 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} target debugging
22069 info.
22070 @item set debug timestamp
22071 @cindex timestampping debugging info
22072 Turns on or off display of timestamps with @value{GDBN} debugging info.
22073 When enabled, seconds and microseconds are displayed before each debugging
22074 message.
22075 @item show debug timestamp
22076 Displays the current state of displaying timestamps with @value{GDBN}
22077 debugging info.
22078 @item set debugvarobj
22079 @cindex variable object debugging info
22080 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} variable object debugging
22081 info. The default is off.
22082 @item show debugvarobj
22083 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} variable object
22084 debugging info.
22085 @item set debug xml
22086 @cindex XML parser debugging
22087 Turns on or off debugging messages for built-in XML parsers.
22088 @item show debug xml
22089 Displays the current state of XML debugging messages.
22090 @end table
22091
22092 @node Other Misc Settings
22093 @section Other Miscellaneous Settings
22094 @cindex miscellaneous settings
22095
22096 @table @code
22097 @kindex set interactive-mode
22098 @item set interactive-mode
22099 If @code{on}, forces @value{GDBN} to assume that GDB was started
22100 in a terminal. In practice, this means that @value{GDBN} should wait
22101 for the user to answer queries generated by commands entered at
22102 the command prompt. If @code{off}, forces @value{GDBN} to operate
22103 in the opposite mode, and it uses the default answers to all queries.
22104 If @code{auto} (the default), @value{GDBN} tries to determine whether
22105 its standard input is a terminal, and works in interactive-mode if it
22106 is, non-interactively otherwise.
22107
22108 In the vast majority of cases, the debugger should be able to guess
22109 correctly which mode should be used. But this setting can be useful
22110 in certain specific cases, such as running a MinGW @value{GDBN}
22111 inside a cygwin window.
22112
22113 @kindex show interactive-mode
22114 @item show interactive-mode
22115 Displays whether the debugger is operating in interactive mode or not.
22116 @end table
22117
22118 @node Extending GDB
22119 @chapter Extending @value{GDBN}
22120 @cindex extending GDB
22121
22122 @value{GDBN} provides three mechanisms for extension. The first is based
22123 on composition of @value{GDBN} commands, the second is based on the
22124 Python scripting language, and the third is for defining new aliases of
22125 existing commands.
22126
22127 To facilitate the use of the first two extensions, @value{GDBN} is capable
22128 of evaluating the contents of a file. When doing so, @value{GDBN}
22129 can recognize which scripting language is being used by looking at
22130 the filename extension. Files with an unrecognized filename extension
22131 are always treated as a @value{GDBN} Command Files.
22132 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
22133
22134 You can control how @value{GDBN} evaluates these files with the following
22135 setting:
22136
22137 @table @code
22138 @kindex set script-extension
22139 @kindex show script-extension
22140 @item set script-extension off
22141 All scripts are always evaluated as @value{GDBN} Command Files.
22142
22143 @item set script-extension soft
22144 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
22145 extension. If this scripting language is supported, @value{GDBN}
22146 evaluates the script using that language. Otherwise, it evaluates
22147 the file as a @value{GDBN} Command File.
22148
22149 @item set script-extension strict
22150 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
22151 extension, and evaluates the script using that language. If the
22152 language is not supported, then the evaluation fails.
22153
22154 @item show script-extension
22155 Display the current value of the @code{script-extension} option.
22156
22157 @end table
22158
22159 @menu
22160 * Sequences:: Canned Sequences of Commands
22161 * Python:: Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
22162 * Aliases:: Creating new spellings of existing commands
22163 @end menu
22164
22165 @node Sequences
22166 @section Canned Sequences of Commands
22167
22168 Aside from breakpoint commands (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint
22169 Command Lists}), @value{GDBN} provides two ways to store sequences of
22170 commands for execution as a unit: user-defined commands and command
22171 files.
22172
22173 @menu
22174 * Define:: How to define your own commands
22175 * Hooks:: Hooks for user-defined commands
22176 * Command Files:: How to write scripts of commands to be stored in a file
22177 * Output:: Commands for controlled output
22178 @end menu
22179
22180 @node Define
22181 @subsection User-defined Commands
22182
22183 @cindex user-defined command
22184 @cindex arguments, to user-defined commands
22185 A @dfn{user-defined command} is a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands to
22186 which you assign a new name as a command. This is done with the
22187 @code{define} command. User commands may accept up to 10 arguments
22188 separated by whitespace. Arguments are accessed within the user command
22189 via @code{$arg0@dots{}$arg9}. A trivial example:
22190
22191 @smallexample
22192 define adder
22193 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
22194 end
22195 @end smallexample
22196
22197 @noindent
22198 To execute the command use:
22199
22200 @smallexample
22201 adder 1 2 3
22202 @end smallexample
22203
22204 @noindent
22205 This defines the command @code{adder}, which prints the sum of
22206 its three arguments. Note the arguments are text substitutions, so they may
22207 reference variables, use complex expressions, or even perform inferior
22208 functions calls.
22209
22210 @cindex argument count in user-defined commands
22211 @cindex how many arguments (user-defined commands)
22212 In addition, @code{$argc} may be used to find out how many arguments have
22213 been passed. This expands to a number in the range 0@dots{}10.
22214
22215 @smallexample
22216 define adder
22217 if $argc == 2
22218 print $arg0 + $arg1
22219 end
22220 if $argc == 3
22221 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
22222 end
22223 end
22224 @end smallexample
22225
22226 @table @code
22227
22228 @kindex define
22229 @item define @var{commandname}
22230 Define a command named @var{commandname}. If there is already a command
22231 by that name, you are asked to confirm that you want to redefine it.
22232 @var{commandname} may be a bare command name consisting of letters,
22233 numbers, dashes, and underscores. It may also start with any predefined
22234 prefix command. For example, @samp{define target my-target} creates
22235 a user-defined @samp{target my-target} command.
22236
22237 The definition of the command is made up of other @value{GDBN} command lines,
22238 which are given following the @code{define} command. The end of these
22239 commands is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
22240
22241 @kindex document
22242 @kindex end@r{ (user-defined commands)}
22243 @item document @var{commandname}
22244 Document the user-defined command @var{commandname}, so that it can be
22245 accessed by @code{help}. The command @var{commandname} must already be
22246 defined. This command reads lines of documentation just as @code{define}
22247 reads the lines of the command definition, ending with @code{end}.
22248 After the @code{document} command is finished, @code{help} on command
22249 @var{commandname} displays the documentation you have written.
22250
22251 You may use the @code{document} command again to change the
22252 documentation of a command. Redefining the command with @code{define}
22253 does not change the documentation.
22254
22255 @kindex dont-repeat
22256 @cindex don't repeat command
22257 @item dont-repeat
22258 Used inside a user-defined command, this tells @value{GDBN} that this
22259 command should not be repeated when the user hits @key{RET}
22260 (@pxref{Command Syntax, repeat last command}).
22261
22262 @kindex help user-defined
22263 @item help user-defined
22264 List all user-defined commands and all python commands defined in class
22265 COMAND_USER. The first line of the documentation or docstring is
22266 included (if any).
22267
22268 @kindex show user
22269 @item show user
22270 @itemx show user @var{commandname}
22271 Display the @value{GDBN} commands used to define @var{commandname} (but
22272 not its documentation). If no @var{commandname} is given, display the
22273 definitions for all user-defined commands.
22274 This does not work for user-defined python commands.
22275
22276 @cindex infinite recursion in user-defined commands
22277 @kindex show max-user-call-depth
22278 @kindex set max-user-call-depth
22279 @item show max-user-call-depth
22280 @itemx set max-user-call-depth
22281 The value of @code{max-user-call-depth} controls how many recursion
22282 levels are allowed in user-defined commands before @value{GDBN} suspects an
22283 infinite recursion and aborts the command.
22284 This does not apply to user-defined python commands.
22285 @end table
22286
22287 In addition to the above commands, user-defined commands frequently
22288 use control flow commands, described in @ref{Command Files}.
22289
22290 When user-defined commands are executed, the
22291 commands of the definition are not printed. An error in any command
22292 stops execution of the user-defined command.
22293
22294 If used interactively, commands that would ask for confirmation proceed
22295 without asking when used inside a user-defined command. Many @value{GDBN}
22296 commands that normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the
22297 messages when used in a user-defined command.
22298
22299 @node Hooks
22300 @subsection User-defined Command Hooks
22301 @cindex command hooks
22302 @cindex hooks, for commands
22303 @cindex hooks, pre-command
22304
22305 @kindex hook
22306 You may define @dfn{hooks}, which are a special kind of user-defined
22307 command. Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined
22308 command @samp{hook-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments)
22309 before that command.
22310
22311 @cindex hooks, post-command
22312 @kindex hookpost
22313 A hook may also be defined which is run after the command you executed.
22314 Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined command
22315 @samp{hookpost-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments) after
22316 that command. Post-execution hooks may exist simultaneously with
22317 pre-execution hooks, for the same command.
22318
22319 It is valid for a hook to call the command which it hooks. If this
22320 occurs, the hook is not re-executed, thereby avoiding infinite recursion.
22321
22322 @c It would be nice if hookpost could be passed a parameter indicating
22323 @c if the command it hooks executed properly or not. FIXME!
22324
22325 @kindex stop@r{, a pseudo-command}
22326 In addition, a pseudo-command, @samp{stop} exists. Defining
22327 (@samp{hook-stop}) makes the associated commands execute every time
22328 execution stops in your program: before breakpoint commands are run,
22329 displays are printed, or the stack frame is printed.
22330
22331 For example, to ignore @code{SIGALRM} signals while
22332 single-stepping, but treat them normally during normal execution,
22333 you could define:
22334
22335 @smallexample
22336 define hook-stop
22337 handle SIGALRM nopass
22338 end
22339
22340 define hook-run
22341 handle SIGALRM pass
22342 end
22343
22344 define hook-continue
22345 handle SIGALRM pass
22346 end
22347 @end smallexample
22348
22349 As a further example, to hook at the beginning and end of the @code{echo}
22350 command, and to add extra text to the beginning and end of the message,
22351 you could define:
22352
22353 @smallexample
22354 define hook-echo
22355 echo <<<---
22356 end
22357
22358 define hookpost-echo
22359 echo --->>>\n
22360 end
22361
22362 (@value{GDBP}) echo Hello World
22363 <<<---Hello World--->>>
22364 (@value{GDBP})
22365
22366 @end smallexample
22367
22368 You can define a hook for any single-word command in @value{GDBN}, but
22369 not for command aliases; you should define a hook for the basic command
22370 name, e.g.@: @code{backtrace} rather than @code{bt}.
22371 @c FIXME! So how does Joe User discover whether a command is an alias
22372 @c or not?
22373 You can hook a multi-word command by adding @code{hook-} or
22374 @code{hookpost-} to the last word of the command, e.g.@:
22375 @samp{define target hook-remote} to add a hook to @samp{target remote}.
22376
22377 If an error occurs during the execution of your hook, execution of
22378 @value{GDBN} commands stops and @value{GDBN} issues a prompt
22379 (before the command that you actually typed had a chance to run).
22380
22381 If you try to define a hook which does not match any known command, you
22382 get a warning from the @code{define} command.
22383
22384 @node Command Files
22385 @subsection Command Files
22386
22387 @cindex command files
22388 @cindex scripting commands
22389 A command file for @value{GDBN} is a text file made of lines that are
22390 @value{GDBN} commands. Comments (lines starting with @kbd{#}) may
22391 also be included. An empty line in a command file does nothing; it
22392 does not mean to repeat the last command, as it would from the
22393 terminal.
22394
22395 You can request the execution of a command file with the @code{source}
22396 command. Note that the @code{source} command is also used to evaluate
22397 scripts that are not Command Files. The exact behavior can be configured
22398 using the @code{script-extension} setting.
22399 @xref{Extending GDB,, Extending GDB}.
22400
22401 @table @code
22402 @kindex source
22403 @cindex execute commands from a file
22404 @item source [-s] [-v] @var{filename}
22405 Execute the command file @var{filename}.
22406 @end table
22407
22408 The lines in a command file are generally executed sequentially,
22409 unless the order of execution is changed by one of the
22410 @emph{flow-control commands} described below. The commands are not
22411 printed as they are executed. An error in any command terminates
22412 execution of the command file and control is returned to the console.
22413
22414 @value{GDBN} first searches for @var{filename} in the current directory.
22415 If the file is not found there, and @var{filename} does not specify a
22416 directory, then @value{GDBN} also looks for the file on the source search path
22417 (specified with the @samp{directory} command);
22418 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched because the compilation directory
22419 is not relevant to scripts.
22420
22421 If @code{-s} is specified, then @value{GDBN} searches for @var{filename}
22422 on the search path even if @var{filename} specifies a directory.
22423 The search is done by appending @var{filename} to each element of the
22424 search path. So, for example, if @var{filename} is @file{mylib/myscript}
22425 and the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
22426 look for the script @file{/home/user/mylib/myscript}.
22427 The search is also done if @var{filename} is an absolute path.
22428 For example, if @var{filename} is @file{/tmp/myscript} and
22429 the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
22430 look for the script @file{/home/user/tmp/myscript}.
22431 For DOS-like systems, if @var{filename} contains a drive specification,
22432 it is stripped before concatenation. For example, if @var{filename} is
22433 @file{d:myscript} and the search path contains @file{c:/tmp} then @value{GDBN}
22434 will look for the script @file{c:/tmp/myscript}.
22435
22436 If @code{-v}, for verbose mode, is given then @value{GDBN} displays
22437 each command as it is executed. The option must be given before
22438 @var{filename}, and is interpreted as part of the filename anywhere else.
22439
22440 Commands that would ask for confirmation if used interactively proceed
22441 without asking when used in a command file. Many @value{GDBN} commands that
22442 normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the messages
22443 when called from command files.
22444
22445 @value{GDBN} also accepts command input from standard input. In this
22446 mode, normal output goes to standard output and error output goes to
22447 standard error. Errors in a command file supplied on standard input do
22448 not terminate execution of the command file---execution continues with
22449 the next command.
22450
22451 @smallexample
22452 gdb < cmds > log 2>&1
22453 @end smallexample
22454
22455 (The syntax above will vary depending on the shell used.) This example
22456 will execute commands from the file @file{cmds}. All output and errors
22457 would be directed to @file{log}.
22458
22459 Since commands stored on command files tend to be more general than
22460 commands typed interactively, they frequently need to deal with
22461 complicated situations, such as different or unexpected values of
22462 variables and symbols, changes in how the program being debugged is
22463 built, etc. @value{GDBN} provides a set of flow-control commands to
22464 deal with these complexities. Using these commands, you can write
22465 complex scripts that loop over data structures, execute commands
22466 conditionally, etc.
22467
22468 @table @code
22469 @kindex if
22470 @kindex else
22471 @item if
22472 @itemx else
22473 This command allows to include in your script conditionally executed
22474 commands. The @code{if} command takes a single argument, which is an
22475 expression to evaluate. It is followed by a series of commands that
22476 are executed only if the expression is true (its value is nonzero).
22477 There can then optionally be an @code{else} line, followed by a series
22478 of commands that are only executed if the expression was false. The
22479 end of the list is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
22480
22481 @kindex while
22482 @item while
22483 This command allows to write loops. Its syntax is similar to
22484 @code{if}: the command takes a single argument, which is an expression
22485 to evaluate, and must be followed by the commands to execute, one per
22486 line, terminated by an @code{end}. These commands are called the
22487 @dfn{body} of the loop. The commands in the body of @code{while} are
22488 executed repeatedly as long as the expression evaluates to true.
22489
22490 @kindex loop_break
22491 @item loop_break
22492 This command exits the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included.
22493 Execution of the script continues after that @code{while}s @code{end}
22494 line.
22495
22496 @kindex loop_continue
22497 @item loop_continue
22498 This command skips the execution of the rest of the body of commands
22499 in the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included. Execution
22500 branches to the beginning of the @code{while} loop, where it evaluates
22501 the controlling expression.
22502
22503 @kindex end@r{ (if/else/while commands)}
22504 @item end
22505 Terminate the block of commands that are the body of @code{if},
22506 @code{else}, or @code{while} flow-control commands.
22507 @end table
22508
22509
22510 @node Output
22511 @subsection Commands for Controlled Output
22512
22513 During the execution of a command file or a user-defined command, normal
22514 @value{GDBN} output is suppressed; the only output that appears is what is
22515 explicitly printed by the commands in the definition. This section
22516 describes three commands useful for generating exactly the output you
22517 want.
22518
22519 @table @code
22520 @kindex echo
22521 @item echo @var{text}
22522 @c I do not consider backslash-space a standard C escape sequence
22523 @c because it is not in ANSI.
22524 Print @var{text}. Nonprinting characters can be included in
22525 @var{text} using C escape sequences, such as @samp{\n} to print a
22526 newline. @strong{No newline is printed unless you specify one.}
22527 In addition to the standard C escape sequences, a backslash followed
22528 by a space stands for a space. This is useful for displaying a
22529 string with spaces at the beginning or the end, since leading and
22530 trailing spaces are otherwise trimmed from all arguments.
22531 To print @samp{@w{ }and foo =@w{ }}, use the command
22532 @samp{echo \@w{ }and foo = \@w{ }}.
22533
22534 A backslash at the end of @var{text} can be used, as in C, to continue
22535 the command onto subsequent lines. For example,
22536
22537 @smallexample
22538 echo This is some text\n\
22539 which is continued\n\
22540 onto several lines.\n
22541 @end smallexample
22542
22543 produces the same output as
22544
22545 @smallexample
22546 echo This is some text\n
22547 echo which is continued\n
22548 echo onto several lines.\n
22549 @end smallexample
22550
22551 @kindex output
22552 @item output @var{expression}
22553 Print the value of @var{expression} and nothing but that value: no
22554 newlines, no @samp{$@var{nn} = }. The value is not entered in the
22555 value history either. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information
22556 on expressions.
22557
22558 @item output/@var{fmt} @var{expression}
22559 Print the value of @var{expression} in format @var{fmt}. You can use
22560 the same formats as for @code{print}. @xref{Output Formats,,Output
22561 Formats}, for more information.
22562
22563 @kindex printf
22564 @item printf @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
22565 Print the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
22566 the string @var{template}. To print several values, make
22567 @var{expressions} be a comma-separated list of individual expressions,
22568 which may be either numbers or pointers. Their values are printed as
22569 specified by @var{template}, exactly as a C program would do by
22570 executing the code below:
22571
22572 @smallexample
22573 printf (@var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{});
22574 @end smallexample
22575
22576 As in @code{C} @code{printf}, ordinary characters in @var{template}
22577 are printed verbatim, while @dfn{conversion specification} introduced
22578 by the @samp{%} character cause subsequent @var{expressions} to be
22579 evaluated, their values converted and formatted according to type and
22580 style information encoded in the conversion specifications, and then
22581 printed.
22582
22583 For example, you can print two values in hex like this:
22584
22585 @smallexample
22586 printf "foo, bar-foo = 0x%x, 0x%x\n", foo, bar-foo
22587 @end smallexample
22588
22589 @code{printf} supports all the standard @code{C} conversion
22590 specifications, including the flags and modifiers between the @samp{%}
22591 character and the conversion letter, with the following exceptions:
22592
22593 @itemize @bullet
22594 @item
22595 The argument-ordering modifiers, such as @samp{2$}, are not supported.
22596
22597 @item
22598 The modifier @samp{*} is not supported for specifying precision or
22599 width.
22600
22601 @item
22602 The @samp{'} flag (for separation of digits into groups according to
22603 @code{LC_NUMERIC'}) is not supported.
22604
22605 @item
22606 The type modifiers @samp{hh}, @samp{j}, @samp{t}, and @samp{z} are not
22607 supported.
22608
22609 @item
22610 The conversion letter @samp{n} (as in @samp{%n}) is not supported.
22611
22612 @item
22613 The conversion letters @samp{a} and @samp{A} are not supported.
22614 @end itemize
22615
22616 @noindent
22617 Note that the @samp{ll} type modifier is supported only if the
22618 underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} supports
22619 the @code{long long int} type, and the @samp{L} type modifier is
22620 supported only if @code{long double} type is available.
22621
22622 As in @code{C}, @code{printf} supports simple backslash-escape
22623 sequences, such as @code{\n}, @samp{\t}, @samp{\\}, @samp{\"},
22624 @samp{\a}, and @samp{\f}, that consist of backslash followed by a
22625 single character. Octal and hexadecimal escape sequences are not
22626 supported.
22627
22628 Additionally, @code{printf} supports conversion specifications for DFP
22629 (@dfn{Decimal Floating Point}) types using the following length modifiers
22630 together with a floating point specifier.
22631 letters:
22632
22633 @itemize @bullet
22634 @item
22635 @samp{H} for printing @code{Decimal32} types.
22636
22637 @item
22638 @samp{D} for printing @code{Decimal64} types.
22639
22640 @item
22641 @samp{DD} for printing @code{Decimal128} types.
22642 @end itemize
22643
22644 If the underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} has
22645 support for the three length modifiers for DFP types, other modifiers
22646 such as width and precision will also be available for @value{GDBN} to use.
22647
22648 In case there is no such @code{C} support, no additional modifiers will be
22649 available and the value will be printed in the standard way.
22650
22651 Here's an example of printing DFP types using the above conversion letters:
22652 @smallexample
22653 printf "D32: %Hf - D64: %Df - D128: %DDf\n",1.2345df,1.2E10dd,1.2E1dl
22654 @end smallexample
22655
22656 @kindex eval
22657 @item eval @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
22658 Convert the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
22659 the string @var{template} to a command line, and call it.
22660
22661 @end table
22662
22663 @node Python
22664 @section Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
22665 @cindex python scripting
22666 @cindex scripting with python
22667
22668 You can script @value{GDBN} using the @uref{http://www.python.org/,
22669 Python programming language}. This feature is available only if
22670 @value{GDBN} was configured using @option{--with-python}.
22671
22672 @cindex python directory
22673 Python scripts used by @value{GDBN} should be installed in
22674 @file{@var{data-directory}/python}, where @var{data-directory} is
22675 the data directory as determined at @value{GDBN} startup (@pxref{Data Files}).
22676 This directory, known as the @dfn{python directory},
22677 is automatically added to the Python Search Path in order to allow
22678 the Python interpreter to locate all scripts installed at this location.
22679
22680 Additionally, @value{GDBN} commands and convenience functions which
22681 are written in Python and are located in the
22682 @file{@var{data-directory}/python/gdb/command} or
22683 @file{@var{data-directory}/python/gdb/function} directories are
22684 automatically imported when @value{GDBN} starts.
22685
22686 @menu
22687 * Python Commands:: Accessing Python from @value{GDBN}.
22688 * Python API:: Accessing @value{GDBN} from Python.
22689 * Python Auto-loading:: Automatically loading Python code.
22690 * Python modules:: Python modules provided by @value{GDBN}.
22691 @end menu
22692
22693 @node Python Commands
22694 @subsection Python Commands
22695 @cindex python commands
22696 @cindex commands to access python
22697
22698 @value{GDBN} provides two commands for accessing the Python interpreter,
22699 and one related setting:
22700
22701 @table @code
22702 @kindex python-interactive
22703 @kindex pi
22704 @item python-interactive @r{[}@var{command}@r{]}
22705 @itemx pi @r{[}@var{command}@r{]}
22706 Without an argument, the @code{python-interactive} command can be used
22707 to start an interactive Python prompt. To return to @value{GDBN},
22708 type the @code{EOF} character (e.g., @kbd{Ctrl-D} on an empty prompt).
22709
22710 Alternatively, a single-line Python command can be given as an
22711 argument and evaluated. If the command is an expression, the result
22712 will be printed; otherwise, nothing will be printed. For example:
22713
22714 @smallexample
22715 (@value{GDBP}) python-interactive 2 + 3
22716 5
22717 @end smallexample
22718
22719 @kindex python
22720 @kindex py
22721 @item python @r{[}@var{command}@r{]}
22722 @itemx py @r{[}@var{command}@r{]}
22723 The @code{python} command can be used to evaluate Python code.
22724
22725 If given an argument, the @code{python} command will evaluate the
22726 argument as a Python command. For example:
22727
22728 @smallexample
22729 (@value{GDBP}) python print 23
22730 23
22731 @end smallexample
22732
22733 If you do not provide an argument to @code{python}, it will act as a
22734 multi-line command, like @code{define}. In this case, the Python
22735 script is made up of subsequent command lines, given after the
22736 @code{python} command. This command list is terminated using a line
22737 containing @code{end}. For example:
22738
22739 @smallexample
22740 (@value{GDBP}) python
22741 Type python script
22742 End with a line saying just "end".
22743 >print 23
22744 >end
22745 23
22746 @end smallexample
22747
22748 @kindex set python print-stack
22749 @item set python print-stack
22750 By default, @value{GDBN} will print only the message component of a
22751 Python exception when an error occurs in a Python script. This can be
22752 controlled using @code{set python print-stack}: if @code{full}, then
22753 full Python stack printing is enabled; if @code{none}, then Python stack
22754 and message printing is disabled; if @code{message}, the default, only
22755 the message component of the error is printed.
22756 @end table
22757
22758 It is also possible to execute a Python script from the @value{GDBN}
22759 interpreter:
22760
22761 @table @code
22762 @item source @file{script-name}
22763 The script name must end with @samp{.py} and @value{GDBN} must be configured
22764 to recognize the script language based on filename extension using
22765 the @code{script-extension} setting. @xref{Extending GDB, ,Extending GDB}.
22766
22767 @item python execfile ("script-name")
22768 This method is based on the @code{execfile} Python built-in function,
22769 and thus is always available.
22770 @end table
22771
22772 @node Python API
22773 @subsection Python API
22774 @cindex python api
22775 @cindex programming in python
22776
22777 @cindex python stdout
22778 @cindex python pagination
22779 At startup, @value{GDBN} overrides Python's @code{sys.stdout} and
22780 @code{sys.stderr} to print using @value{GDBN}'s output-paging streams.
22781 A Python program which outputs to one of these streams may have its
22782 output interrupted by the user (@pxref{Screen Size}). In this
22783 situation, a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception is thrown.
22784
22785 @menu
22786 * Basic Python:: Basic Python Functions.
22787 * Exception Handling:: How Python exceptions are translated.
22788 * Values From Inferior:: Python representation of values.
22789 * Types In Python:: Python representation of types.
22790 * Pretty Printing API:: Pretty-printing values.
22791 * Selecting Pretty-Printers:: How GDB chooses a pretty-printer.
22792 * Writing a Pretty-Printer:: Writing a Pretty-Printer.
22793 * Type Printing API:: Pretty-printing types.
22794 * Inferiors In Python:: Python representation of inferiors (processes)
22795 * Events In Python:: Listening for events from @value{GDBN}.
22796 * Threads In Python:: Accessing inferior threads from Python.
22797 * Commands In Python:: Implementing new commands in Python.
22798 * Parameters In Python:: Adding new @value{GDBN} parameters.
22799 * Functions In Python:: Writing new convenience functions.
22800 * Progspaces In Python:: Program spaces.
22801 * Objfiles In Python:: Object files.
22802 * Frames In Python:: Accessing inferior stack frames from Python.
22803 * Blocks In Python:: Accessing frame blocks from Python.
22804 * Symbols In Python:: Python representation of symbols.
22805 * Symbol Tables In Python:: Python representation of symbol tables.
22806 * Breakpoints In Python:: Manipulating breakpoints using Python.
22807 * Finish Breakpoints in Python:: Setting Breakpoints on function return
22808 using Python.
22809 * Lazy Strings In Python:: Python representation of lazy strings.
22810 @end menu
22811
22812 @node Basic Python
22813 @subsubsection Basic Python
22814
22815 @cindex python functions
22816 @cindex python module
22817 @cindex gdb module
22818 @value{GDBN} introduces a new Python module, named @code{gdb}. All
22819 methods and classes added by @value{GDBN} are placed in this module.
22820 @value{GDBN} automatically @code{import}s the @code{gdb} module for
22821 use in all scripts evaluated by the @code{python} command.
22822
22823 @findex gdb.PYTHONDIR
22824 @defvar gdb.PYTHONDIR
22825 A string containing the python directory (@pxref{Python}).
22826 @end defvar
22827
22828 @findex gdb.execute
22829 @defun gdb.execute (command @r{[}, from_tty @r{[}, to_string@r{]]})
22830 Evaluate @var{command}, a string, as a @value{GDBN} CLI command.
22831 If a GDB exception happens while @var{command} runs, it is
22832 translated as described in @ref{Exception Handling,,Exception Handling}.
22833
22834 @var{from_tty} specifies whether @value{GDBN} ought to consider this
22835 command as having originated from the user invoking it interactively.
22836 It must be a boolean value. If omitted, it defaults to @code{False}.
22837
22838 By default, any output produced by @var{command} is sent to
22839 @value{GDBN}'s standard output. If the @var{to_string} parameter is
22840 @code{True}, then output will be collected by @code{gdb.execute} and
22841 returned as a string. The default is @code{False}, in which case the
22842 return value is @code{None}. If @var{to_string} is @code{True}, the
22843 @value{GDBN} virtual terminal will be temporarily set to unlimited width
22844 and height, and its pagination will be disabled; @pxref{Screen Size}.
22845 @end defun
22846
22847 @findex gdb.breakpoints
22848 @defun gdb.breakpoints ()
22849 Return a sequence holding all of @value{GDBN}'s breakpoints.
22850 @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for more information.
22851 @end defun
22852
22853 @findex gdb.parameter
22854 @defun gdb.parameter (parameter)
22855 Return the value of a @value{GDBN} parameter. @var{parameter} is a
22856 string naming the parameter to look up; @var{parameter} may contain
22857 spaces if the parameter has a multi-part name. For example,
22858 @samp{print object} is a valid parameter name.
22859
22860 If the named parameter does not exist, this function throws a
22861 @code{gdb.error} (@pxref{Exception Handling}). Otherwise, the
22862 parameter's value is converted to a Python value of the appropriate
22863 type, and returned.
22864 @end defun
22865
22866 @findex gdb.history
22867 @defun gdb.history (number)
22868 Return a value from @value{GDBN}'s value history (@pxref{Value
22869 History}). @var{number} indicates which history element to return.
22870 If @var{number} is negative, then @value{GDBN} will take its absolute value
22871 and count backward from the last element (i.e., the most recent element) to
22872 find the value to return. If @var{number} is zero, then @value{GDBN} will
22873 return the most recent element. If the element specified by @var{number}
22874 doesn't exist in the value history, a @code{gdb.error} exception will be
22875 raised.
22876
22877 If no exception is raised, the return value is always an instance of
22878 @code{gdb.Value} (@pxref{Values From Inferior}).
22879 @end defun
22880
22881 @findex gdb.parse_and_eval
22882 @defun gdb.parse_and_eval (expression)
22883 Parse @var{expression} as an expression in the current language,
22884 evaluate it, and return the result as a @code{gdb.Value}.
22885 @var{expression} must be a string.
22886
22887 This function can be useful when implementing a new command
22888 (@pxref{Commands In Python}), as it provides a way to parse the
22889 command's argument as an expression. It is also useful simply to
22890 compute values, for example, it is the only way to get the value of a
22891 convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) as a @code{gdb.Value}.
22892 @end defun
22893
22894 @findex gdb.find_pc_line
22895 @defun gdb.find_pc_line (pc)
22896 Return the @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object corresponding to the
22897 @var{pc} value. @xref{Symbol Tables In Python}. If an invalid
22898 value of @var{pc} is passed as an argument, then the @code{symtab} and
22899 @code{line} attributes of the returned @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object
22900 will be @code{None} and 0 respectively.
22901 @end defun
22902
22903 @findex gdb.post_event
22904 @defun gdb.post_event (event)
22905 Put @var{event}, a callable object taking no arguments, into
22906 @value{GDBN}'s internal event queue. This callable will be invoked at
22907 some later point, during @value{GDBN}'s event processing. Events
22908 posted using @code{post_event} will be run in the order in which they
22909 were posted; however, there is no way to know when they will be
22910 processed relative to other events inside @value{GDBN}.
22911
22912 @value{GDBN} is not thread-safe. If your Python program uses multiple
22913 threads, you must be careful to only call @value{GDBN}-specific
22914 functions in the main @value{GDBN} thread. @code{post_event} ensures
22915 this. For example:
22916
22917 @smallexample
22918 (@value{GDBP}) python
22919 >import threading
22920 >
22921 >class Writer():
22922 > def __init__(self, message):
22923 > self.message = message;
22924 > def __call__(self):
22925 > gdb.write(self.message)
22926 >
22927 >class MyThread1 (threading.Thread):
22928 > def run (self):
22929 > gdb.post_event(Writer("Hello "))
22930 >
22931 >class MyThread2 (threading.Thread):
22932 > def run (self):
22933 > gdb.post_event(Writer("World\n"))
22934 >
22935 >MyThread1().start()
22936 >MyThread2().start()
22937 >end
22938 (@value{GDBP}) Hello World
22939 @end smallexample
22940 @end defun
22941
22942 @findex gdb.write
22943 @defun gdb.write (string @r{[}, stream{]})
22944 Print a string to @value{GDBN}'s paginated output stream. The
22945 optional @var{stream} determines the stream to print to. The default
22946 stream is @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream. Possible stream
22947 values are:
22948
22949 @table @code
22950 @findex STDOUT
22951 @findex gdb.STDOUT
22952 @item gdb.STDOUT
22953 @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream.
22954
22955 @findex STDERR
22956 @findex gdb.STDERR
22957 @item gdb.STDERR
22958 @value{GDBN}'s standard error stream.
22959
22960 @findex STDLOG
22961 @findex gdb.STDLOG
22962 @item gdb.STDLOG
22963 @value{GDBN}'s log stream (@pxref{Logging Output}).
22964 @end table
22965
22966 Writing to @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
22967 call this function and will automatically direct the output to the
22968 relevant stream.
22969 @end defun
22970
22971 @findex gdb.flush
22972 @defun gdb.flush ()
22973 Flush the buffer of a @value{GDBN} paginated stream so that the
22974 contents are displayed immediately. @value{GDBN} will flush the
22975 contents of a stream automatically when it encounters a newline in the
22976 buffer. The optional @var{stream} determines the stream to flush. The
22977 default stream is @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream. Possible
22978 stream values are:
22979
22980 @table @code
22981 @findex STDOUT
22982 @findex gdb.STDOUT
22983 @item gdb.STDOUT
22984 @value{GDBN}'s standard output stream.
22985
22986 @findex STDERR
22987 @findex gdb.STDERR
22988 @item gdb.STDERR
22989 @value{GDBN}'s standard error stream.
22990
22991 @findex STDLOG
22992 @findex gdb.STDLOG
22993 @item gdb.STDLOG
22994 @value{GDBN}'s log stream (@pxref{Logging Output}).
22995
22996 @end table
22997
22998 Flushing @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
22999 call this function for the relevant stream.
23000 @end defun
23001
23002 @findex gdb.target_charset
23003 @defun gdb.target_charset ()
23004 Return the name of the current target character set (@pxref{Character
23005 Sets}). This differs from @code{gdb.parameter('target-charset')} in
23006 that @samp{auto} is never returned.
23007 @end defun
23008
23009 @findex gdb.target_wide_charset
23010 @defun gdb.target_wide_charset ()
23011 Return the name of the current target wide character set
23012 (@pxref{Character Sets}). This differs from
23013 @code{gdb.parameter('target-wide-charset')} in that @samp{auto} is
23014 never returned.
23015 @end defun
23016
23017 @findex gdb.solib_name
23018 @defun gdb.solib_name (address)
23019 Return the name of the shared library holding the given @var{address}
23020 as a string, or @code{None}.
23021 @end defun
23022
23023 @findex gdb.decode_line
23024 @defun gdb.decode_line @r{[}expression@r{]}
23025 Return locations of the line specified by @var{expression}, or of the
23026 current line if no argument was given. This function returns a Python
23027 tuple containing two elements. The first element contains a string
23028 holding any unparsed section of @var{expression} (or @code{None} if
23029 the expression has been fully parsed). The second element contains
23030 either @code{None} or another tuple that contains all the locations
23031 that match the expression represented as @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line}
23032 objects (@pxref{Symbol Tables In Python}). If @var{expression} is
23033 provided, it is decoded the way that @value{GDBN}'s inbuilt
23034 @code{break} or @code{edit} commands do (@pxref{Specify Location}).
23035 @end defun
23036
23037 @defun gdb.prompt_hook (current_prompt)
23038 @anchor{prompt_hook}
23039
23040 If @var{prompt_hook} is callable, @value{GDBN} will call the method
23041 assigned to this operation before a prompt is displayed by
23042 @value{GDBN}.
23043
23044 The parameter @code{current_prompt} contains the current @value{GDBN}
23045 prompt. This method must return a Python string, or @code{None}. If
23046 a string is returned, the @value{GDBN} prompt will be set to that
23047 string. If @code{None} is returned, @value{GDBN} will continue to use
23048 the current prompt.
23049
23050 Some prompts cannot be substituted in @value{GDBN}. Secondary prompts
23051 such as those used by readline for command input, and annotation
23052 related prompts are prohibited from being changed.
23053 @end defun
23054
23055 @node Exception Handling
23056 @subsubsection Exception Handling
23057 @cindex python exceptions
23058 @cindex exceptions, python
23059
23060 When executing the @code{python} command, Python exceptions
23061 uncaught within the Python code are translated to calls to
23062 @value{GDBN} error-reporting mechanism. If the command that called
23063 @code{python} does not handle the error, @value{GDBN} will
23064 terminate it and print an error message containing the Python
23065 exception name, the associated value, and the Python call stack
23066 backtrace at the point where the exception was raised. Example:
23067
23068 @smallexample
23069 (@value{GDBP}) python print foo
23070 Traceback (most recent call last):
23071 File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
23072 NameError: name 'foo' is not defined
23073 @end smallexample
23074
23075 @value{GDBN} errors that happen in @value{GDBN} commands invoked by
23076 Python code are converted to Python exceptions. The type of the
23077 Python exception depends on the error.
23078
23079 @ftable @code
23080 @item gdb.error
23081 This is the base class for most exceptions generated by @value{GDBN}.
23082 It is derived from @code{RuntimeError}, for compatibility with earlier
23083 versions of @value{GDBN}.
23084
23085 If an error occurring in @value{GDBN} does not fit into some more
23086 specific category, then the generated exception will have this type.
23087
23088 @item gdb.MemoryError
23089 This is a subclass of @code{gdb.error} which is thrown when an
23090 operation tried to access invalid memory in the inferior.
23091
23092 @item KeyboardInterrupt
23093 User interrupt (via @kbd{C-c} or by typing @kbd{q} at a pagination
23094 prompt) is translated to a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception.
23095 @end ftable
23096
23097 In all cases, your exception handler will see the @value{GDBN} error
23098 message as its value and the Python call stack backtrace at the Python
23099 statement closest to where the @value{GDBN} error occured as the
23100 traceback.
23101
23102 @findex gdb.GdbError
23103 When implementing @value{GDBN} commands in Python via @code{gdb.Command},
23104 it is useful to be able to throw an exception that doesn't cause a
23105 traceback to be printed. For example, the user may have invoked the
23106 command incorrectly. Use the @code{gdb.GdbError} exception
23107 to handle this case. Example:
23108
23109 @smallexample
23110 (gdb) python
23111 >class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
23112 > """Greet the whole world."""
23113 > def __init__ (self):
23114 > super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_USER)
23115 > def invoke (self, args, from_tty):
23116 > argv = gdb.string_to_argv (args)
23117 > if len (argv) != 0:
23118 > raise gdb.GdbError ("hello-world takes no arguments")
23119 > print "Hello, World!"
23120 >HelloWorld ()
23121 >end
23122 (gdb) hello-world 42
23123 hello-world takes no arguments
23124 @end smallexample
23125
23126 @node Values From Inferior
23127 @subsubsection Values From Inferior
23128 @cindex values from inferior, with Python
23129 @cindex python, working with values from inferior
23130
23131 @cindex @code{gdb.Value}
23132 @value{GDBN} provides values it obtains from the inferior program in
23133 an object of type @code{gdb.Value}. @value{GDBN} uses this object
23134 for its internal bookkeeping of the inferior's values, and for
23135 fetching values when necessary.
23136
23137 Inferior values that are simple scalars can be used directly in
23138 Python expressions that are valid for the value's data type. Here's
23139 an example for an integer or floating-point value @code{some_val}:
23140
23141 @smallexample
23142 bar = some_val + 2
23143 @end smallexample
23144
23145 @noindent
23146 As result of this, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object
23147 whose values are of the same type as those of @code{some_val}.
23148
23149 Inferior values that are structures or instances of some class can
23150 be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}. For example, if
23151 @code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance holding a structure, you
23152 can access its @code{foo} element with:
23153
23154 @smallexample
23155 bar = some_val['foo']
23156 @end smallexample
23157
23158 Again, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object.
23159
23160 A @code{gdb.Value} that represents a function can be executed via
23161 inferior function call. Any arguments provided to the call must match
23162 the function's prototype, and must be provided in the order specified
23163 by that prototype.
23164
23165 For example, @code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance
23166 representing a function that takes two integers as arguments. To
23167 execute this function, call it like so:
23168
23169 @smallexample
23170 result = some_val (10,20)
23171 @end smallexample
23172
23173 Any values returned from a function call will be stored as a
23174 @code{gdb.Value}.
23175
23176 The following attributes are provided:
23177
23178 @table @code
23179 @defvar Value.address
23180 If this object is addressable, this read-only attribute holds a
23181 @code{gdb.Value} object representing the address. Otherwise,
23182 this attribute holds @code{None}.
23183 @end defvar
23184
23185 @cindex optimized out value in Python
23186 @defvar Value.is_optimized_out
23187 This read-only boolean attribute is true if the compiler optimized out
23188 this value, thus it is not available for fetching from the inferior.
23189 @end defvar
23190
23191 @defvar Value.type
23192 The type of this @code{gdb.Value}. The value of this attribute is a
23193 @code{gdb.Type} object (@pxref{Types In Python}).
23194 @end defvar
23195
23196 @defvar Value.dynamic_type
23197 The dynamic type of this @code{gdb.Value}. This uses C@t{++} run-time
23198 type information (@acronym{RTTI}) to determine the dynamic type of the
23199 value. If this value is of class type, it will return the class in
23200 which the value is embedded, if any. If this value is of pointer or
23201 reference to a class type, it will compute the dynamic type of the
23202 referenced object, and return a pointer or reference to that type,
23203 respectively. In all other cases, it will return the value's static
23204 type.
23205
23206 Note that this feature will only work when debugging a C@t{++} program
23207 that includes @acronym{RTTI} for the object in question. Otherwise,
23208 it will just return the static type of the value as in @kbd{ptype foo}
23209 (@pxref{Symbols, ptype}).
23210 @end defvar
23211
23212 @defvar Value.is_lazy
23213 The value of this read-only boolean attribute is @code{True} if this
23214 @code{gdb.Value} has not yet been fetched from the inferior.
23215 @value{GDBN} does not fetch values until necessary, for efficiency.
23216 For example:
23217
23218 @smallexample
23219 myval = gdb.parse_and_eval ('somevar')
23220 @end smallexample
23221
23222 The value of @code{somevar} is not fetched at this time. It will be
23223 fetched when the value is needed, or when the @code{fetch_lazy}
23224 method is invoked.
23225 @end defvar
23226 @end table
23227
23228 The following methods are provided:
23229
23230 @table @code
23231 @defun Value.__init__ (@var{val})
23232 Many Python values can be converted directly to a @code{gdb.Value} via
23233 this object initializer. Specifically:
23234
23235 @table @asis
23236 @item Python boolean
23237 A Python boolean is converted to the boolean type from the current
23238 language.
23239
23240 @item Python integer
23241 A Python integer is converted to the C @code{long} type for the
23242 current architecture.
23243
23244 @item Python long
23245 A Python long is converted to the C @code{long long} type for the
23246 current architecture.
23247
23248 @item Python float
23249 A Python float is converted to the C @code{double} type for the
23250 current architecture.
23251
23252 @item Python string
23253 A Python string is converted to a target string, using the current
23254 target encoding.
23255
23256 @item @code{gdb.Value}
23257 If @code{val} is a @code{gdb.Value}, then a copy of the value is made.
23258
23259 @item @code{gdb.LazyString}
23260 If @code{val} is a @code{gdb.LazyString} (@pxref{Lazy Strings In
23261 Python}), then the lazy string's @code{value} method is called, and
23262 its result is used.
23263 @end table
23264 @end defun
23265
23266 @defun Value.cast (type)
23267 Return a new instance of @code{gdb.Value} that is the result of
23268 casting this instance to the type described by @var{type}, which must
23269 be a @code{gdb.Type} object. If the cast cannot be performed for some
23270 reason, this method throws an exception.
23271 @end defun
23272
23273 @defun Value.dereference ()
23274 For pointer data types, this method returns a new @code{gdb.Value} object
23275 whose contents is the object pointed to by the pointer. For example, if
23276 @code{foo} is a C pointer to an @code{int}, declared in your C program as
23277
23278 @smallexample
23279 int *foo;
23280 @end smallexample
23281
23282 @noindent
23283 then you can use the corresponding @code{gdb.Value} to access what
23284 @code{foo} points to like this:
23285
23286 @smallexample
23287 bar = foo.dereference ()
23288 @end smallexample
23289
23290 The result @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Value} object holding the
23291 value pointed to by @code{foo}.
23292
23293 A similar function @code{Value.referenced_value} exists which also
23294 returns @code{gdb.Value} objects corresonding to the values pointed to
23295 by pointer values (and additionally, values referenced by reference
23296 values). However, the behavior of @code{Value.dereference}
23297 differs from @code{Value.referenced_value} by the fact that the
23298 behavior of @code{Value.dereference} is identical to applying the C
23299 unary operator @code{*} on a given value. For example, consider a
23300 reference to a pointer @code{ptrref}, declared in your C@t{++} program
23301 as
23302
23303 @smallexample
23304 typedef int *intptr;
23305 ...
23306 int val = 10;
23307 intptr ptr = &val;
23308 intptr &ptrref = ptr;
23309 @end smallexample
23310
23311 Though @code{ptrref} is a reference value, one can apply the method
23312 @code{Value.dereference} to the @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding
23313 to it and obtain a @code{gdb.Value} which is identical to that
23314 corresponding to @code{val}. However, if you apply the method
23315 @code{Value.referenced_value}, the result would be a @code{gdb.Value}
23316 object identical to that corresponding to @code{ptr}.
23317
23318 @smallexample
23319 py_ptrref = gdb.parse_and_eval ("ptrref")
23320 py_val = py_ptrref.dereference ()
23321 py_ptr = py_ptrref.referenced_value ()
23322 @end smallexample
23323
23324 The @code{gdb.Value} object @code{py_val} is identical to that
23325 corresponding to @code{val}, and @code{py_ptr} is identical to that
23326 corresponding to @code{ptr}. In general, @code{Value.dereference} can
23327 be applied whenever the C unary operator @code{*} can be applied
23328 to the corresponding C value. For those cases where applying both
23329 @code{Value.dereference} and @code{Value.referenced_value} is allowed,
23330 the results obtained need not be identical (as we have seen in the above
23331 example). The results are however identical when applied on
23332 @code{gdb.Value} objects corresponding to pointers (@code{gdb.Value}
23333 objects with type code @code{TYPE_CODE_PTR}) in a C/C@t{++} program.
23334 @end defun
23335
23336 @defun Value.referenced_value ()
23337 For pointer or reference data types, this method returns a new
23338 @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding to the value referenced by the
23339 pointer/reference value. For pointer data types,
23340 @code{Value.dereference} and @code{Value.referenced_value} produce
23341 identical results. The difference between these methods is that
23342 @code{Value.dereference} cannot get the values referenced by reference
23343 values. For example, consider a reference to an @code{int}, declared
23344 in your C@t{++} program as
23345
23346 @smallexample
23347 int val = 10;
23348 int &ref = val;
23349 @end smallexample
23350
23351 @noindent
23352 then applying @code{Value.dereference} to the @code{gdb.Value} object
23353 corresponding to @code{ref} will result in an error, while applying
23354 @code{Value.referenced_value} will result in a @code{gdb.Value} object
23355 identical to that corresponding to @code{val}.
23356
23357 @smallexample
23358 py_ref = gdb.parse_and_eval ("ref")
23359 er_ref = py_ref.dereference () # Results in error
23360 py_val = py_ref.referenced_value () # Returns the referenced value
23361 @end smallexample
23362
23363 The @code{gdb.Value} object @code{py_val} is identical to that
23364 corresponding to @code{val}.
23365 @end defun
23366
23367 @defun Value.dynamic_cast (type)
23368 Like @code{Value.cast}, but works as if the C@t{++} @code{dynamic_cast}
23369 operator were used. Consult a C@t{++} reference for details.
23370 @end defun
23371
23372 @defun Value.reinterpret_cast (type)
23373 Like @code{Value.cast}, but works as if the C@t{++} @code{reinterpret_cast}
23374 operator were used. Consult a C@t{++} reference for details.
23375 @end defun
23376
23377 @defun Value.string (@r{[}encoding@r{[}, errors@r{[}, length@r{]]]})
23378 If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
23379 converts the contents to a Python string. Otherwise, this method will
23380 throw an exception.
23381
23382 Strings are recognized in a language-specific way; whether a given
23383 @code{gdb.Value} represents a string is determined by the current
23384 language.
23385
23386 For C-like languages, a value is a string if it is a pointer to or an
23387 array of characters or ints. The string is assumed to be terminated
23388 by a zero of the appropriate width. However if the optional length
23389 argument is given, the string will be converted to that given length,
23390 ignoring any embedded zeros that the string may contain.
23391
23392 If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
23393 naming the encoding of the string in the @code{gdb.Value}, such as
23394 @code{"ascii"}, @code{"iso-8859-6"} or @code{"utf-8"}. It accepts
23395 the same encodings as the corresponding argument to Python's
23396 @code{string.decode} method, and the Python codec machinery will be used
23397 to convert the string. If @var{encoding} is not given, or if
23398 @var{encoding} is the empty string, then either the @code{target-charset}
23399 (@pxref{Character Sets}) will be used, or a language-specific encoding
23400 will be used, if the current language is able to supply one.
23401
23402 The optional @var{errors} argument is the same as the corresponding
23403 argument to Python's @code{string.decode} method.
23404
23405 If the optional @var{length} argument is given, the string will be
23406 fetched and converted to the given length.
23407 @end defun
23408
23409 @defun Value.lazy_string (@r{[}encoding @r{[}, length@r{]]})
23410 If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
23411 converts the contents to a @code{gdb.LazyString} (@pxref{Lazy Strings
23412 In Python}). Otherwise, this method will throw an exception.
23413
23414 If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
23415 naming the encoding of the @code{gdb.LazyString}. Some examples are:
23416 @samp{ascii}, @samp{iso-8859-6} or @samp{utf-8}. If the
23417 @var{encoding} argument is an encoding that @value{GDBN} does
23418 recognize, @value{GDBN} will raise an error.
23419
23420 When a lazy string is printed, the @value{GDBN} encoding machinery is
23421 used to convert the string during printing. If the optional
23422 @var{encoding} argument is not provided, or is an empty string,
23423 @value{GDBN} will automatically select the encoding most suitable for
23424 the string type. For further information on encoding in @value{GDBN}
23425 please see @ref{Character Sets}.
23426
23427 If the optional @var{length} argument is given, the string will be
23428 fetched and encoded to the length of characters specified. If
23429 the @var{length} argument is not provided, the string will be fetched
23430 and encoded until a null of appropriate width is found.
23431 @end defun
23432
23433 @defun Value.fetch_lazy ()
23434 If the @code{gdb.Value} object is currently a lazy value
23435 (@code{gdb.Value.is_lazy} is @code{True}), then the value is
23436 fetched from the inferior. Any errors that occur in the process
23437 will produce a Python exception.
23438
23439 If the @code{gdb.Value} object is not a lazy value, this method
23440 has no effect.
23441
23442 This method does not return a value.
23443 @end defun
23444
23445 @end table
23446
23447 @node Types In Python
23448 @subsubsection Types In Python
23449 @cindex types in Python
23450 @cindex Python, working with types
23451
23452 @tindex gdb.Type
23453 @value{GDBN} represents types from the inferior using the class
23454 @code{gdb.Type}.
23455
23456 The following type-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
23457 module:
23458
23459 @findex gdb.lookup_type
23460 @defun gdb.lookup_type (name @r{[}, block@r{]})
23461 This function looks up a type by name. @var{name} is the name of the
23462 type to look up. It must be a string.
23463
23464 If @var{block} is given, then @var{name} is looked up in that scope.
23465 Otherwise, it is searched for globally.
23466
23467 Ordinarily, this function will return an instance of @code{gdb.Type}.
23468 If the named type cannot be found, it will throw an exception.
23469 @end defun
23470
23471 If the type is a structure or class type, or an enum type, the fields
23472 of that type can be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}.
23473 For example, if @code{some_type} is a @code{gdb.Type} instance holding
23474 a structure type, you can access its @code{foo} field with:
23475
23476 @smallexample
23477 bar = some_type['foo']
23478 @end smallexample
23479
23480 @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Field} object; see below under the
23481 description of the @code{Type.fields} method for a description of the
23482 @code{gdb.Field} class.
23483
23484 An instance of @code{Type} has the following attributes:
23485
23486 @table @code
23487 @defvar Type.code
23488 The type code for this type. The type code will be one of the
23489 @code{TYPE_CODE_} constants defined below.
23490 @end defvar
23491
23492 @defvar Type.sizeof
23493 The size of this type, in target @code{char} units. Usually, a
23494 target's @code{char} type will be an 8-bit byte. However, on some
23495 unusual platforms, this type may have a different size.
23496 @end defvar
23497
23498 @defvar Type.tag
23499 The tag name for this type. The tag name is the name after
23500 @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} in C and C@t{++}; not all
23501 languages have this concept. If this type has no tag name, then
23502 @code{None} is returned.
23503 @end defvar
23504 @end table
23505
23506 The following methods are provided:
23507
23508 @table @code
23509 @defun Type.fields ()
23510 For structure and union types, this method returns the fields. Range
23511 types have two fields, the minimum and maximum values. Enum types
23512 have one field per enum constant. Function and method types have one
23513 field per parameter. The base types of C@t{++} classes are also
23514 represented as fields. If the type has no fields, or does not fit
23515 into one of these categories, an empty sequence will be returned.
23516
23517 Each field is a @code{gdb.Field} object, with some pre-defined attributes:
23518 @table @code
23519 @item bitpos
23520 This attribute is not available for @code{static} fields (as in
23521 C@t{++} or Java). For non-@code{static} fields, the value is the bit
23522 position of the field. For @code{enum} fields, the value is the
23523 enumeration member's integer representation.
23524
23525 @item name
23526 The name of the field, or @code{None} for anonymous fields.
23527
23528 @item artificial
23529 This is @code{True} if the field is artificial, usually meaning that
23530 it was provided by the compiler and not the user. This attribute is
23531 always provided, and is @code{False} if the field is not artificial.
23532
23533 @item is_base_class
23534 This is @code{True} if the field represents a base class of a C@t{++}
23535 structure. This attribute is always provided, and is @code{False}
23536 if the field is not a base class of the type that is the argument of
23537 @code{fields}, or if that type was not a C@t{++} class.
23538
23539 @item bitsize
23540 If the field is packed, or is a bitfield, then this will have a
23541 non-zero value, which is the size of the field in bits. Otherwise,
23542 this will be zero; in this case the field's size is given by its type.
23543
23544 @item type
23545 The type of the field. This is usually an instance of @code{Type},
23546 but it can be @code{None} in some situations.
23547 @end table
23548 @end defun
23549
23550 @defun Type.array (@var{n1} @r{[}, @var{n2}@r{]})
23551 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents an array of this
23552 type. If one argument is given, it is the inclusive upper bound of
23553 the array; in this case the lower bound is zero. If two arguments are
23554 given, the first argument is the lower bound of the array, and the
23555 second argument is the upper bound of the array. An array's length
23556 must not be negative, but the bounds can be.
23557 @end defun
23558
23559 @defun Type.vector (@var{n1} @r{[}, @var{n2}@r{]})
23560 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a vector of this
23561 type. If one argument is given, it is the inclusive upper bound of
23562 the vector; in this case the lower bound is zero. If two arguments are
23563 given, the first argument is the lower bound of the vector, and the
23564 second argument is the upper bound of the vector. A vector's length
23565 must not be negative, but the bounds can be.
23566
23567 The difference between an @code{array} and a @code{vector} is that
23568 arrays behave like in C: when used in expressions they decay to a pointer
23569 to the first element whereas vectors are treated as first class values.
23570 @end defun
23571
23572 @defun Type.const ()
23573 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
23574 @code{const}-qualified variant of this type.
23575 @end defun
23576
23577 @defun Type.volatile ()
23578 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
23579 @code{volatile}-qualified variant of this type.
23580 @end defun
23581
23582 @defun Type.unqualified ()
23583 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents an unqualified
23584 variant of this type. That is, the result is neither @code{const} nor
23585 @code{volatile}.
23586 @end defun
23587
23588 @defun Type.range ()
23589 Return a Python @code{Tuple} object that contains two elements: the
23590 low bound of the argument type and the high bound of that type. If
23591 the type does not have a range, @value{GDBN} will raise a
23592 @code{gdb.error} exception (@pxref{Exception Handling}).
23593 @end defun
23594
23595 @defun Type.reference ()
23596 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a reference to this
23597 type.
23598 @end defun
23599
23600 @defun Type.pointer ()
23601 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a pointer to this
23602 type.
23603 @end defun
23604
23605 @defun Type.strip_typedefs ()
23606 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} that represents the real type,
23607 after removing all layers of typedefs.
23608 @end defun
23609
23610 @defun Type.target ()
23611 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents the target type
23612 of this type.
23613
23614 For a pointer type, the target type is the type of the pointed-to
23615 object. For an array type (meaning C-like arrays), the target type is
23616 the type of the elements of the array. For a function or method type,
23617 the target type is the type of the return value. For a complex type,
23618 the target type is the type of the elements. For a typedef, the
23619 target type is the aliased type.
23620
23621 If the type does not have a target, this method will throw an
23622 exception.
23623 @end defun
23624
23625 @defun Type.template_argument (n @r{[}, block@r{]})
23626 If this @code{gdb.Type} is an instantiation of a template, this will
23627 return a new @code{gdb.Type} which represents the type of the
23628 @var{n}th template argument.
23629
23630 If this @code{gdb.Type} is not a template type, this will throw an
23631 exception. Ordinarily, only C@t{++} code will have template types.
23632
23633 If @var{block} is given, then @var{name} is looked up in that scope.
23634 Otherwise, it is searched for globally.
23635 @end defun
23636 @end table
23637
23638
23639 Each type has a code, which indicates what category this type falls
23640 into. The available type categories are represented by constants
23641 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
23642
23643 @table @code
23644 @findex TYPE_CODE_PTR
23645 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_PTR
23646 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_PTR
23647 The type is a pointer.
23648
23649 @findex TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23650 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23651 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
23652 The type is an array.
23653
23654 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23655 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23656 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
23657 The type is a structure.
23658
23659 @findex TYPE_CODE_UNION
23660 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_UNION
23661 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_UNION
23662 The type is a union.
23663
23664 @findex TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23665 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23666 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ENUM
23667 The type is an enum.
23668
23669 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23670 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23671 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
23672 A bit flags type, used for things such as status registers.
23673
23674 @findex TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23675 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23676 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FUNC
23677 The type is a function.
23678
23679 @findex TYPE_CODE_INT
23680 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INT
23681 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_INT
23682 The type is an integer type.
23683
23684 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLT
23685 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLT
23686 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLT
23687 A floating point type.
23688
23689 @findex TYPE_CODE_VOID
23690 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_VOID
23691 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_VOID
23692 The special type @code{void}.
23693
23694 @findex TYPE_CODE_SET
23695 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_SET
23696 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_SET
23697 A Pascal set type.
23698
23699 @findex TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23700 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23701 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_RANGE
23702 A range type, that is, an integer type with bounds.
23703
23704 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRING
23705 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRING
23706 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRING
23707 A string type. Note that this is only used for certain languages with
23708 language-defined string types; C strings are not represented this way.
23709
23710 @findex TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23711 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23712 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
23713 A string of bits. It is deprecated.
23714
23715 @findex TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23716 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23717 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_ERROR
23718 An unknown or erroneous type.
23719
23720 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23721 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23722 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHOD
23723 A method type, as found in C@t{++} or Java.
23724
23725 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23726 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23727 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
23728 A pointer-to-member-function.
23729
23730 @findex TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23731 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23732 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
23733 A pointer-to-member.
23734
23735 @findex TYPE_CODE_REF
23736 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_REF
23737 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_REF
23738 A reference type.
23739
23740 @findex TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23741 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23742 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_CHAR
23743 A character type.
23744
23745 @findex TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23746 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23747 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_BOOL
23748 A boolean type.
23749
23750 @findex TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23751 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23752 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
23753 A complex float type.
23754
23755 @findex TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23756 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23757 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
23758 A typedef to some other type.
23759
23760 @findex TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23761 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23762 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
23763 A C@t{++} namespace.
23764
23765 @findex TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23766 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23767 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
23768 A decimal floating point type.
23769
23770 @findex TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23771 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23772 @item gdb.TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
23773 A function internal to @value{GDBN}. This is the type used to represent
23774 convenience functions.
23775 @end table
23776
23777 Further support for types is provided in the @code{gdb.types}
23778 Python module (@pxref{gdb.types}).
23779
23780 @node Pretty Printing API
23781 @subsubsection Pretty Printing API
23782
23783 An example output is provided (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
23784
23785 A pretty-printer is just an object that holds a value and implements a
23786 specific interface, defined here.
23787
23788 @defun pretty_printer.children (self)
23789 @value{GDBN} will call this method on a pretty-printer to compute the
23790 children of the pretty-printer's value.
23791
23792 This method must return an object conforming to the Python iterator
23793 protocol. Each item returned by the iterator must be a tuple holding
23794 two elements. The first element is the ``name'' of the child; the
23795 second element is the child's value. The value can be any Python
23796 object which is convertible to a @value{GDBN} value.
23797
23798 This method is optional. If it does not exist, @value{GDBN} will act
23799 as though the value has no children.
23800 @end defun
23801
23802 @defun pretty_printer.display_hint (self)
23803 The CLI may call this method and use its result to change the
23804 formatting of a value. The result will also be supplied to an MI
23805 consumer as a @samp{displayhint} attribute of the variable being
23806 printed.
23807
23808 This method is optional. If it does exist, this method must return a
23809 string.
23810
23811 Some display hints are predefined by @value{GDBN}:
23812
23813 @table @samp
23814 @item array
23815 Indicate that the object being printed is ``array-like''. The CLI
23816 uses this to respect parameters such as @code{set print elements} and
23817 @code{set print array}.
23818
23819 @item map
23820 Indicate that the object being printed is ``map-like'', and that the
23821 children of this value can be assumed to alternate between keys and
23822 values.
23823
23824 @item string
23825 Indicate that the object being printed is ``string-like''. If the
23826 printer's @code{to_string} method returns a Python string of some
23827 kind, then @value{GDBN} will call its internal language-specific
23828 string-printing function to format the string. For the CLI this means
23829 adding quotation marks, possibly escaping some characters, respecting
23830 @code{set print elements}, and the like.
23831 @end table
23832 @end defun
23833
23834 @defun pretty_printer.to_string (self)
23835 @value{GDBN} will call this method to display the string
23836 representation of the value passed to the object's constructor.
23837
23838 When printing from the CLI, if the @code{to_string} method exists,
23839 then @value{GDBN} will prepend its result to the values returned by
23840 @code{children}. Exactly how this formatting is done is dependent on
23841 the display hint, and may change as more hints are added. Also,
23842 depending on the print settings (@pxref{Print Settings}), the CLI may
23843 print just the result of @code{to_string} in a stack trace, omitting
23844 the result of @code{children}.
23845
23846 If this method returns a string, it is printed verbatim.
23847
23848 Otherwise, if this method returns an instance of @code{gdb.Value},
23849 then @value{GDBN} prints this value. This may result in a call to
23850 another pretty-printer.
23851
23852 If instead the method returns a Python value which is convertible to a
23853 @code{gdb.Value}, then @value{GDBN} performs the conversion and prints
23854 the resulting value. Again, this may result in a call to another
23855 pretty-printer. Python scalars (integers, floats, and booleans) and
23856 strings are convertible to @code{gdb.Value}; other types are not.
23857
23858 Finally, if this method returns @code{None} then no further operations
23859 are peformed in this method and nothing is printed.
23860
23861 If the result is not one of these types, an exception is raised.
23862 @end defun
23863
23864 @value{GDBN} provides a function which can be used to look up the
23865 default pretty-printer for a @code{gdb.Value}:
23866
23867 @findex gdb.default_visualizer
23868 @defun gdb.default_visualizer (value)
23869 This function takes a @code{gdb.Value} object as an argument. If a
23870 pretty-printer for this value exists, then it is returned. If no such
23871 printer exists, then this returns @code{None}.
23872 @end defun
23873
23874 @node Selecting Pretty-Printers
23875 @subsubsection Selecting Pretty-Printers
23876
23877 The Python list @code{gdb.pretty_printers} contains an array of
23878 functions or callable objects that have been registered via addition
23879 as a pretty-printer. Printers in this list are called @code{global}
23880 printers, they're available when debugging all inferiors.
23881 Each @code{gdb.Progspace} contains a @code{pretty_printers} attribute.
23882 Each @code{gdb.Objfile} also contains a @code{pretty_printers}
23883 attribute.
23884
23885 Each function on these lists is passed a single @code{gdb.Value}
23886 argument and should return a pretty-printer object conforming to the
23887 interface definition above (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}). If a function
23888 cannot create a pretty-printer for the value, it should return
23889 @code{None}.
23890
23891 @value{GDBN} first checks the @code{pretty_printers} attribute of each
23892 @code{gdb.Objfile} in the current program space and iteratively calls
23893 each enabled lookup routine in the list for that @code{gdb.Objfile}
23894 until it receives a pretty-printer object.
23895 If no pretty-printer is found in the objfile lists, @value{GDBN} then
23896 searches the pretty-printer list of the current program space,
23897 calling each enabled function until an object is returned.
23898 After these lists have been exhausted, it tries the global
23899 @code{gdb.pretty_printers} list, again calling each enabled function until an
23900 object is returned.
23901
23902 The order in which the objfiles are searched is not specified. For a
23903 given list, functions are always invoked from the head of the list,
23904 and iterated over sequentially until the end of the list, or a printer
23905 object is returned.
23906
23907 For various reasons a pretty-printer may not work.
23908 For example, the underlying data structure may have changed and
23909 the pretty-printer is out of date.
23910
23911 The consequences of a broken pretty-printer are severe enough that
23912 @value{GDBN} provides support for enabling and disabling individual
23913 printers. For example, if @code{print frame-arguments} is on,
23914 a backtrace can become highly illegible if any argument is printed
23915 with a broken printer.
23916
23917 Pretty-printers are enabled and disabled by attaching an @code{enabled}
23918 attribute to the registered function or callable object. If this attribute
23919 is present and its value is @code{False}, the printer is disabled, otherwise
23920 the printer is enabled.
23921
23922 @node Writing a Pretty-Printer
23923 @subsubsection Writing a Pretty-Printer
23924 @cindex writing a pretty-printer
23925
23926 A pretty-printer consists of two parts: a lookup function to detect
23927 if the type is supported, and the printer itself.
23928
23929 Here is an example showing how a @code{std::string} printer might be
23930 written. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for details on the API this class
23931 must provide.
23932
23933 @smallexample
23934 class StdStringPrinter(object):
23935 "Print a std::string"
23936
23937 def __init__(self, val):
23938 self.val = val
23939
23940 def to_string(self):
23941 return self.val['_M_dataplus']['_M_p']
23942
23943 def display_hint(self):
23944 return 'string'
23945 @end smallexample
23946
23947 And here is an example showing how a lookup function for the printer
23948 example above might be written.
23949
23950 @smallexample
23951 def str_lookup_function(val):
23952 lookup_tag = val.type.tag
23953 if lookup_tag == None:
23954 return None
23955 regex = re.compile("^std::basic_string<char,.*>$")
23956 if regex.match(lookup_tag):
23957 return StdStringPrinter(val)
23958 return None
23959 @end smallexample
23960
23961 The example lookup function extracts the value's type, and attempts to
23962 match it to a type that it can pretty-print. If it is a type the
23963 printer can pretty-print, it will return a printer object. If not, it
23964 returns @code{None}.
23965
23966 We recommend that you put your core pretty-printers into a Python
23967 package. If your pretty-printers are for use with a library, we
23968 further recommend embedding a version number into the package name.
23969 This practice will enable @value{GDBN} to load multiple versions of
23970 your pretty-printers at the same time, because they will have
23971 different names.
23972
23973 You should write auto-loaded code (@pxref{Python Auto-loading}) such that it
23974 can be evaluated multiple times without changing its meaning. An
23975 ideal auto-load file will consist solely of @code{import}s of your
23976 printer modules, followed by a call to a register pretty-printers with
23977 the current objfile.
23978
23979 Taken as a whole, this approach will scale nicely to multiple
23980 inferiors, each potentially using a different library version.
23981 Embedding a version number in the Python package name will ensure that
23982 @value{GDBN} is able to load both sets of printers simultaneously.
23983 Then, because the search for pretty-printers is done by objfile, and
23984 because your auto-loaded code took care to register your library's
23985 printers with a specific objfile, @value{GDBN} will find the correct
23986 printers for the specific version of the library used by each
23987 inferior.
23988
23989 To continue the @code{std::string} example (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}),
23990 this code might appear in @code{gdb.libstdcxx.v6}:
23991
23992 @smallexample
23993 def register_printers(objfile):
23994 objfile.pretty_printers.append(str_lookup_function)
23995 @end smallexample
23996
23997 @noindent
23998 And then the corresponding contents of the auto-load file would be:
23999
24000 @smallexample
24001 import gdb.libstdcxx.v6
24002 gdb.libstdcxx.v6.register_printers(gdb.current_objfile())
24003 @end smallexample
24004
24005 The previous example illustrates a basic pretty-printer.
24006 There are a few things that can be improved on.
24007 The printer doesn't have a name, making it hard to identify in a
24008 list of installed printers. The lookup function has a name, but
24009 lookup functions can have arbitrary, even identical, names.
24010
24011 Second, the printer only handles one type, whereas a library typically has
24012 several types. One could install a lookup function for each desired type
24013 in the library, but one could also have a single lookup function recognize
24014 several types. The latter is the conventional way this is handled.
24015 If a pretty-printer can handle multiple data types, then its
24016 @dfn{subprinters} are the printers for the individual data types.
24017
24018 The @code{gdb.printing} module provides a formal way of solving these
24019 problems (@pxref{gdb.printing}).
24020 Here is another example that handles multiple types.
24021
24022 These are the types we are going to pretty-print:
24023
24024 @smallexample
24025 struct foo @{ int a, b; @};
24026 struct bar @{ struct foo x, y; @};
24027 @end smallexample
24028
24029 Here are the printers:
24030
24031 @smallexample
24032 class fooPrinter:
24033 """Print a foo object."""
24034
24035 def __init__(self, val):
24036 self.val = val
24037
24038 def to_string(self):
24039 return ("a=<" + str(self.val["a"]) +
24040 "> b=<" + str(self.val["b"]) + ">")
24041
24042 class barPrinter:
24043 """Print a bar object."""
24044
24045 def __init__(self, val):
24046 self.val = val
24047
24048 def to_string(self):
24049 return ("x=<" + str(self.val["x"]) +
24050 "> y=<" + str(self.val["y"]) + ">")
24051 @end smallexample
24052
24053 This example doesn't need a lookup function, that is handled by the
24054 @code{gdb.printing} module. Instead a function is provided to build up
24055 the object that handles the lookup.
24056
24057 @smallexample
24058 import gdb.printing
24059
24060 def build_pretty_printer():
24061 pp = gdb.printing.RegexpCollectionPrettyPrinter(
24062 "my_library")
24063 pp.add_printer('foo', '^foo$', fooPrinter)
24064 pp.add_printer('bar', '^bar$', barPrinter)
24065 return pp
24066 @end smallexample
24067
24068 And here is the autoload support:
24069
24070 @smallexample
24071 import gdb.printing
24072 import my_library
24073 gdb.printing.register_pretty_printer(
24074 gdb.current_objfile(),
24075 my_library.build_pretty_printer())
24076 @end smallexample
24077
24078 Finally, when this printer is loaded into @value{GDBN}, here is the
24079 corresponding output of @samp{info pretty-printer}:
24080
24081 @smallexample
24082 (gdb) info pretty-printer
24083 my_library.so:
24084 my_library
24085 foo
24086 bar
24087 @end smallexample
24088
24089 @node Type Printing API
24090 @subsubsection Type Printing API
24091 @cindex type printing API for Python
24092
24093 @value{GDBN} provides a way for Python code to customize type display.
24094 This is mainly useful for substituting canonical typedef names for
24095 types.
24096
24097 @cindex type printer
24098 A @dfn{type printer} is just a Python object conforming to a certain
24099 protocol. A simple base class implementing the protocol is provided;
24100 see @ref{gdb.types}. A type printer must supply at least:
24101
24102 @defivar type_printer enabled
24103 A boolean which is True if the printer is enabled, and False
24104 otherwise. This is manipulated by the @code{enable type-printer}
24105 and @code{disable type-printer} commands.
24106 @end defivar
24107
24108 @defivar type_printer name
24109 The name of the type printer. This must be a string. This is used by
24110 the @code{enable type-printer} and @code{disable type-printer}
24111 commands.
24112 @end defivar
24113
24114 @defmethod type_printer instantiate (self)
24115 This is called by @value{GDBN} at the start of type-printing. It is
24116 only called if the type printer is enabled. This method must return a
24117 new object that supplies a @code{recognize} method, as described below.
24118 @end defmethod
24119
24120
24121 When displaying a type, say via the @code{ptype} command, @value{GDBN}
24122 will compute a list of type recognizers. This is done by iterating
24123 first over the per-objfile type printers (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}),
24124 followed by the per-progspace type printers (@pxref{Progspaces In
24125 Python}), and finally the global type printers.
24126
24127 @value{GDBN} will call the @code{instantiate} method of each enabled
24128 type printer. If this method returns @code{None}, then the result is
24129 ignored; otherwise, it is appended to the list of recognizers.
24130
24131 Then, when @value{GDBN} is going to display a type name, it iterates
24132 over the list of recognizers. For each one, it calls the recognition
24133 function, stopping if the function returns a non-@code{None} value.
24134 The recognition function is defined as:
24135
24136 @defmethod type_recognizer recognize (self, type)
24137 If @var{type} is not recognized, return @code{None}. Otherwise,
24138 return a string which is to be printed as the name of @var{type}.
24139 @var{type} will be an instance of @code{gdb.Type} (@pxref{Types In
24140 Python}).
24141 @end defmethod
24142
24143 @value{GDBN} uses this two-pass approach so that type printers can
24144 efficiently cache information without holding on to it too long. For
24145 example, it can be convenient to look up type information in a type
24146 printer and hold it for a recognizer's lifetime; if a single pass were
24147 done then type printers would have to make use of the event system in
24148 order to avoid holding information that could become stale as the
24149 inferior changed.
24150
24151 @node Inferiors In Python
24152 @subsubsection Inferiors In Python
24153 @cindex inferiors in Python
24154
24155 @findex gdb.Inferior
24156 Programs which are being run under @value{GDBN} are called inferiors
24157 (@pxref{Inferiors and Programs}). Python scripts can access
24158 information about and manipulate inferiors controlled by @value{GDBN}
24159 via objects of the @code{gdb.Inferior} class.
24160
24161 The following inferior-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
24162 module:
24163
24164 @defun gdb.inferiors ()
24165 Return a tuple containing all inferior objects.
24166 @end defun
24167
24168 @defun gdb.selected_inferior ()
24169 Return an object representing the current inferior.
24170 @end defun
24171
24172 A @code{gdb.Inferior} object has the following attributes:
24173
24174 @table @code
24175 @defvar Inferior.num
24176 ID of inferior, as assigned by GDB.
24177 @end defvar
24178
24179 @defvar Inferior.pid
24180 Process ID of the inferior, as assigned by the underlying operating
24181 system.
24182 @end defvar
24183
24184 @defvar Inferior.was_attached
24185 Boolean signaling whether the inferior was created using `attach', or
24186 started by @value{GDBN} itself.
24187 @end defvar
24188 @end table
24189
24190 A @code{gdb.Inferior} object has the following methods:
24191
24192 @table @code
24193 @defun Inferior.is_valid ()
24194 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Inferior} object is valid,
24195 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Inferior} object will become invalid
24196 if the inferior no longer exists within @value{GDBN}. All other
24197 @code{gdb.Inferior} methods will throw an exception if it is invalid
24198 at the time the method is called.
24199 @end defun
24200
24201 @defun Inferior.threads ()
24202 This method returns a tuple holding all the threads which are valid
24203 when it is called. If there are no valid threads, the method will
24204 return an empty tuple.
24205 @end defun
24206
24207 @findex Inferior.read_memory
24208 @defun Inferior.read_memory (address, length)
24209 Read @var{length} bytes of memory from the inferior, starting at
24210 @var{address}. Returns a buffer object, which behaves much like an array
24211 or a string. It can be modified and given to the
24212 @code{Inferior.write_memory} function. In @code{Python} 3, the return
24213 value is a @code{memoryview} object.
24214 @end defun
24215
24216 @findex Inferior.write_memory
24217 @defun Inferior.write_memory (address, buffer @r{[}, length@r{]})
24218 Write the contents of @var{buffer} to the inferior, starting at
24219 @var{address}. The @var{buffer} parameter must be a Python object
24220 which supports the buffer protocol, i.e., a string, an array or the
24221 object returned from @code{Inferior.read_memory}. If given, @var{length}
24222 determines the number of bytes from @var{buffer} to be written.
24223 @end defun
24224
24225 @findex gdb.search_memory
24226 @defun Inferior.search_memory (address, length, pattern)
24227 Search a region of the inferior memory starting at @var{address} with
24228 the given @var{length} using the search pattern supplied in
24229 @var{pattern}. The @var{pattern} parameter must be a Python object
24230 which supports the buffer protocol, i.e., a string, an array or the
24231 object returned from @code{gdb.read_memory}. Returns a Python @code{Long}
24232 containing the address where the pattern was found, or @code{None} if
24233 the pattern could not be found.
24234 @end defun
24235 @end table
24236
24237 @node Events In Python
24238 @subsubsection Events In Python
24239 @cindex inferior events in Python
24240
24241 @value{GDBN} provides a general event facility so that Python code can be
24242 notified of various state changes, particularly changes that occur in
24243 the inferior.
24244
24245 An @dfn{event} is just an object that describes some state change. The
24246 type of the object and its attributes will vary depending on the details
24247 of the change. All the existing events are described below.
24248
24249 In order to be notified of an event, you must register an event handler
24250 with an @dfn{event registry}. An event registry is an object in the
24251 @code{gdb.events} module which dispatches particular events. A registry
24252 provides methods to register and unregister event handlers:
24253
24254 @table @code
24255 @defun EventRegistry.connect (object)
24256 Add the given callable @var{object} to the registry. This object will be
24257 called when an event corresponding to this registry occurs.
24258 @end defun
24259
24260 @defun EventRegistry.disconnect (object)
24261 Remove the given @var{object} from the registry. Once removed, the object
24262 will no longer receive notifications of events.
24263 @end defun
24264 @end table
24265
24266 Here is an example:
24267
24268 @smallexample
24269 def exit_handler (event):
24270 print "event type: exit"
24271 print "exit code: %d" % (event.exit_code)
24272
24273 gdb.events.exited.connect (exit_handler)
24274 @end smallexample
24275
24276 In the above example we connect our handler @code{exit_handler} to the
24277 registry @code{events.exited}. Once connected, @code{exit_handler} gets
24278 called when the inferior exits. The argument @dfn{event} in this example is
24279 of type @code{gdb.ExitedEvent}. As you can see in the example the
24280 @code{ExitedEvent} object has an attribute which indicates the exit code of
24281 the inferior.
24282
24283 The following is a listing of the event registries that are available and
24284 details of the events they emit:
24285
24286 @table @code
24287
24288 @item events.cont
24289 Emits @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
24290
24291 Some events can be thread specific when @value{GDBN} is running in non-stop
24292 mode. When represented in Python, these events all extend
24293 @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}. Note, this event is not emitted directly; instead,
24294 events which are emitted by this or other modules might extend this event.
24295 Examples of these events are @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} and
24296 @code{gdb.ContinueEvent}.
24297
24298 @table @code
24299 @defvar ThreadEvent.inferior_thread
24300 In non-stop mode this attribute will be set to the specific thread which was
24301 involved in the emitted event. Otherwise, it will be set to @code{None}.
24302 @end defvar
24303 @end table
24304
24305 Emits @code{gdb.ContinueEvent} which extends @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
24306
24307 This event indicates that the inferior has been continued after a stop. For
24308 inherited attribute refer to @code{gdb.ThreadEvent} above.
24309
24310 @item events.exited
24311 Emits @code{events.ExitedEvent} which indicates that the inferior has exited.
24312 @code{events.ExitedEvent} has two attributes:
24313 @table @code
24314 @defvar ExitedEvent.exit_code
24315 An integer representing the exit code, if available, which the inferior
24316 has returned. (The exit code could be unavailable if, for example,
24317 @value{GDBN} detaches from the inferior.) If the exit code is unavailable,
24318 the attribute does not exist.
24319 @end defvar
24320 @defvar ExitedEvent inferior
24321 A reference to the inferior which triggered the @code{exited} event.
24322 @end defvar
24323 @end table
24324
24325 @item events.stop
24326 Emits @code{gdb.StopEvent} which extends @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}.
24327
24328 Indicates that the inferior has stopped. All events emitted by this registry
24329 extend StopEvent. As a child of @code{gdb.ThreadEvent}, @code{gdb.StopEvent}
24330 will indicate the stopped thread when @value{GDBN} is running in non-stop
24331 mode. Refer to @code{gdb.ThreadEvent} above for more details.
24332
24333 Emits @code{gdb.SignalEvent} which extends @code{gdb.StopEvent}.
24334
24335 This event indicates that the inferior or one of its threads has received as
24336 signal. @code{gdb.SignalEvent} has the following attributes:
24337
24338 @table @code
24339 @defvar SignalEvent.stop_signal
24340 A string representing the signal received by the inferior. A list of possible
24341 signal values can be obtained by running the command @code{info signals} in
24342 the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
24343 @end defvar
24344 @end table
24345
24346 Also emits @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} which extends @code{gdb.StopEvent}.
24347
24348 @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent} event indicates that one or more breakpoints have
24349 been hit, and has the following attributes:
24350
24351 @table @code
24352 @defvar BreakpointEvent.breakpoints
24353 A sequence containing references to all the breakpoints (type
24354 @code{gdb.Breakpoint}) that were hit.
24355 @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for details of the @code{gdb.Breakpoint} object.
24356 @end defvar
24357 @defvar BreakpointEvent.breakpoint
24358 A reference to the first breakpoint that was hit.
24359 This function is maintained for backward compatibility and is now deprecated
24360 in favor of the @code{gdb.BreakpointEvent.breakpoints} attribute.
24361 @end defvar
24362 @end table
24363
24364 @item events.new_objfile
24365 Emits @code{gdb.NewObjFileEvent} which indicates that a new object file has
24366 been loaded by @value{GDBN}. @code{gdb.NewObjFileEvent} has one attribute:
24367
24368 @table @code
24369 @defvar NewObjFileEvent.new_objfile
24370 A reference to the object file (@code{gdb.Objfile}) which has been loaded.
24371 @xref{Objfiles In Python}, for details of the @code{gdb.Objfile} object.
24372 @end defvar
24373 @end table
24374
24375 @end table
24376
24377 @node Threads In Python
24378 @subsubsection Threads In Python
24379 @cindex threads in python
24380
24381 @findex gdb.InferiorThread
24382 Python scripts can access information about, and manipulate inferior threads
24383 controlled by @value{GDBN}, via objects of the @code{gdb.InferiorThread} class.
24384
24385 The following thread-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
24386 module:
24387
24388 @findex gdb.selected_thread
24389 @defun gdb.selected_thread ()
24390 This function returns the thread object for the selected thread. If there
24391 is no selected thread, this will return @code{None}.
24392 @end defun
24393
24394 A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object has the following attributes:
24395
24396 @table @code
24397 @defvar InferiorThread.name
24398 The name of the thread. If the user specified a name using
24399 @code{thread name}, then this returns that name. Otherwise, if an
24400 OS-supplied name is available, then it is returned. Otherwise, this
24401 returns @code{None}.
24402
24403 This attribute can be assigned to. The new value must be a string
24404 object, which sets the new name, or @code{None}, which removes any
24405 user-specified thread name.
24406 @end defvar
24407
24408 @defvar InferiorThread.num
24409 ID of the thread, as assigned by GDB.
24410 @end defvar
24411
24412 @defvar InferiorThread.ptid
24413 ID of the thread, as assigned by the operating system. This attribute is a
24414 tuple containing three integers. The first is the Process ID (PID); the second
24415 is the Lightweight Process ID (LWPID), and the third is the Thread ID (TID).
24416 Either the LWPID or TID may be 0, which indicates that the operating system
24417 does not use that identifier.
24418 @end defvar
24419 @end table
24420
24421 A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object has the following methods:
24422
24423 @table @code
24424 @defun InferiorThread.is_valid ()
24425 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object is valid,
24426 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.InferiorThread} object will become
24427 invalid if the thread exits, or the inferior that the thread belongs
24428 is deleted. All other @code{gdb.InferiorThread} methods will throw an
24429 exception if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
24430 @end defun
24431
24432 @defun InferiorThread.switch ()
24433 This changes @value{GDBN}'s currently selected thread to the one represented
24434 by this object.
24435 @end defun
24436
24437 @defun InferiorThread.is_stopped ()
24438 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is stopped.
24439 @end defun
24440
24441 @defun InferiorThread.is_running ()
24442 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is running.
24443 @end defun
24444
24445 @defun InferiorThread.is_exited ()
24446 Return a Boolean indicating whether the thread is exited.
24447 @end defun
24448 @end table
24449
24450 @node Commands In Python
24451 @subsubsection Commands In Python
24452
24453 @cindex commands in python
24454 @cindex python commands
24455 You can implement new @value{GDBN} CLI commands in Python. A CLI
24456 command is implemented using an instance of the @code{gdb.Command}
24457 class, most commonly using a subclass.
24458
24459 @defun Command.__init__ (name, @var{command_class} @r{[}, @var{completer_class} @r{[}, @var{prefix}@r{]]})
24460 The object initializer for @code{Command} registers the new command
24461 with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked from the
24462 subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
24463
24464 @var{name} is the name of the command. If @var{name} consists of
24465 multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
24466 commands. In this case, if one of the prefix commands does not exist,
24467 an exception is raised.
24468
24469 There is no support for multi-line commands.
24470
24471 @var{command_class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
24472 defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to categorize the
24473 new command in the help system.
24474
24475 @var{completer_class} is an optional argument. If given, it should be
24476 one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined below. This argument
24477 tells @value{GDBN} how to perform completion for this command. If not
24478 given, @value{GDBN} will attempt to complete using the object's
24479 @code{complete} method (see below); if no such method is found, an
24480 error will occur when completion is attempted.
24481
24482 @var{prefix} is an optional argument. If @code{True}, then the new
24483 command is a prefix command; sub-commands of this command may be
24484 registered.
24485
24486 The help text for the new command is taken from the Python
24487 documentation string for the command's class, if there is one. If no
24488 documentation string is provided, the default value ``This command is
24489 not documented.'' is used.
24490 @end defun
24491
24492 @cindex don't repeat Python command
24493 @defun Command.dont_repeat ()
24494 By default, a @value{GDBN} command is repeated when the user enters a
24495 blank line at the command prompt. A command can suppress this
24496 behavior by invoking the @code{dont_repeat} method. This is similar
24497 to the user command @code{dont-repeat}, see @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
24498 @end defun
24499
24500 @defun Command.invoke (argument, from_tty)
24501 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when this command is invoked.
24502
24503 @var{argument} is a string. It is the argument to the command, after
24504 leading and trailing whitespace has been stripped.
24505
24506 @var{from_tty} is a boolean argument. When true, this means that the
24507 command was entered by the user at the terminal; when false it means
24508 that the command came from elsewhere.
24509
24510 If this method throws an exception, it is turned into a @value{GDBN}
24511 @code{error} call. Otherwise, the return value is ignored.
24512
24513 @findex gdb.string_to_argv
24514 To break @var{argument} up into an argv-like string use
24515 @code{gdb.string_to_argv}. This function behaves identically to
24516 @value{GDBN}'s internal argument lexer @code{buildargv}.
24517 It is recommended to use this for consistency.
24518 Arguments are separated by spaces and may be quoted.
24519 Example:
24520
24521 @smallexample
24522 print gdb.string_to_argv ("1 2\ \\\"3 '4 \"5' \"6 '7\"")
24523 ['1', '2 "3', '4 "5', "6 '7"]
24524 @end smallexample
24525
24526 @end defun
24527
24528 @cindex completion of Python commands
24529 @defun Command.complete (text, word)
24530 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when the user attempts
24531 completion on this command. All forms of completion are handled by
24532 this method, that is, the @key{TAB} and @key{M-?} key bindings
24533 (@pxref{Completion}), and the @code{complete} command (@pxref{Help,
24534 complete}).
24535
24536 The arguments @var{text} and @var{word} are both strings. @var{text}
24537 holds the complete command line up to the cursor's location.
24538 @var{word} holds the last word of the command line; this is computed
24539 using a word-breaking heuristic.
24540
24541 The @code{complete} method can return several values:
24542 @itemize @bullet
24543 @item
24544 If the return value is a sequence, the contents of the sequence are
24545 used as the completions. It is up to @code{complete} to ensure that the
24546 contents actually do complete the word. A zero-length sequence is
24547 allowed, it means that there were no completions available. Only
24548 string elements of the sequence are used; other elements in the
24549 sequence are ignored.
24550
24551 @item
24552 If the return value is one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined
24553 below, then the corresponding @value{GDBN}-internal completion
24554 function is invoked, and its result is used.
24555
24556 @item
24557 All other results are treated as though there were no available
24558 completions.
24559 @end itemize
24560 @end defun
24561
24562 When a new command is registered, it must be declared as a member of
24563 some general class of commands. This is used to classify top-level
24564 commands in the on-line help system; note that prefix commands are not
24565 listed under their own category but rather that of their top-level
24566 command. The available classifications are represented by constants
24567 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
24568
24569 @table @code
24570 @findex COMMAND_NONE
24571 @findex gdb.COMMAND_NONE
24572 @item gdb.COMMAND_NONE
24573 The command does not belong to any particular class. A command in
24574 this category will not be displayed in any of the help categories.
24575
24576 @findex COMMAND_RUNNING
24577 @findex gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
24578 @item gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
24579 The command is related to running the inferior. For example,
24580 @code{start}, @code{step}, and @code{continue} are in this category.
24581 Type @kbd{help running} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24582 commands in this category.
24583
24584 @findex COMMAND_DATA
24585 @findex gdb.COMMAND_DATA
24586 @item gdb.COMMAND_DATA
24587 The command is related to data or variables. For example,
24588 @code{call}, @code{find}, and @code{print} are in this category. Type
24589 @kbd{help data} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands
24590 in this category.
24591
24592 @findex COMMAND_STACK
24593 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STACK
24594 @item gdb.COMMAND_STACK
24595 The command has to do with manipulation of the stack. For example,
24596 @code{backtrace}, @code{frame}, and @code{return} are in this
24597 category. Type @kbd{help stack} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a
24598 list of commands in this category.
24599
24600 @findex COMMAND_FILES
24601 @findex gdb.COMMAND_FILES
24602 @item gdb.COMMAND_FILES
24603 This class is used for file-related commands. For example,
24604 @code{file}, @code{list} and @code{section} are in this category.
24605 Type @kbd{help files} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24606 commands in this category.
24607
24608 @findex COMMAND_SUPPORT
24609 @findex gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
24610 @item gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
24611 This should be used for ``support facilities'', generally meaning
24612 things that are useful to the user when interacting with @value{GDBN},
24613 but not related to the state of the inferior. For example,
24614 @code{help}, @code{make}, and @code{shell} are in this category. Type
24615 @kbd{help support} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24616 commands in this category.
24617
24618 @findex COMMAND_STATUS
24619 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
24620 @item gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
24621 The command is an @samp{info}-related command, that is, related to the
24622 state of @value{GDBN} itself. For example, @code{info}, @code{macro},
24623 and @code{show} are in this category. Type @kbd{help status} at the
24624 @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this category.
24625
24626 @findex COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24627 @findex gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24628 @item gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
24629 The command has to do with breakpoints. For example, @code{break},
24630 @code{clear}, and @code{delete} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
24631 breakpoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in
24632 this category.
24633
24634 @findex COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24635 @findex gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24636 @item gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
24637 The command has to do with tracepoints. For example, @code{trace},
24638 @code{actions}, and @code{tfind} are in this category. Type
24639 @kbd{help tracepoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24640 commands in this category.
24641
24642 @findex COMMAND_USER
24643 @findex gdb.COMMAND_USER
24644 @item gdb.COMMAND_USER
24645 The command is a general purpose command for the user, and typically
24646 does not fit in one of the other categories.
24647 Type @kbd{help user-defined} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see
24648 a list of commands in this category, as well as the list of gdb macros
24649 (@pxref{Sequences}).
24650
24651 @findex COMMAND_OBSCURE
24652 @findex gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
24653 @item gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
24654 The command is only used in unusual circumstances, or is not of
24655 general interest to users. For example, @code{checkpoint},
24656 @code{fork}, and @code{stop} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
24657 obscure} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this
24658 category.
24659
24660 @findex COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24661 @findex gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24662 @item gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
24663 The command is only useful to @value{GDBN} maintainers. The
24664 @code{maintenance} and @code{flushregs} commands are in this category.
24665 Type @kbd{help internals} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
24666 commands in this category.
24667 @end table
24668
24669 A new command can use a predefined completion function, either by
24670 specifying it via an argument at initialization, or by returning it
24671 from the @code{complete} method. These predefined completion
24672 constants are all defined in the @code{gdb} module:
24673
24674 @table @code
24675 @findex COMPLETE_NONE
24676 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
24677 @item gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
24678 This constant means that no completion should be done.
24679
24680 @findex COMPLETE_FILENAME
24681 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
24682 @item gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
24683 This constant means that filename completion should be performed.
24684
24685 @findex COMPLETE_LOCATION
24686 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
24687 @item gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
24688 This constant means that location completion should be done.
24689 @xref{Specify Location}.
24690
24691 @findex COMPLETE_COMMAND
24692 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
24693 @item gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
24694 This constant means that completion should examine @value{GDBN}
24695 command names.
24696
24697 @findex COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24698 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24699 @item gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
24700 This constant means that completion should be done using symbol names
24701 as the source.
24702 @end table
24703
24704 The following code snippet shows how a trivial CLI command can be
24705 implemented in Python:
24706
24707 @smallexample
24708 class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
24709 """Greet the whole world."""
24710
24711 def __init__ (self):
24712 super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_USER)
24713
24714 def invoke (self, arg, from_tty):
24715 print "Hello, World!"
24716
24717 HelloWorld ()
24718 @end smallexample
24719
24720 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
24721 registration of the command with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
24722 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
24723 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
24724
24725 @node Parameters In Python
24726 @subsubsection Parameters In Python
24727
24728 @cindex parameters in python
24729 @cindex python parameters
24730 @tindex gdb.Parameter
24731 @tindex Parameter
24732 You can implement new @value{GDBN} parameters using Python. A new
24733 parameter is implemented as an instance of the @code{gdb.Parameter}
24734 class.
24735
24736 Parameters are exposed to the user via the @code{set} and
24737 @code{show} commands. @xref{Help}.
24738
24739 There are many parameters that already exist and can be set in
24740 @value{GDBN}. Two examples are: @code{set follow fork} and
24741 @code{set charset}. Setting these parameters influences certain
24742 behavior in @value{GDBN}. Similarly, you can define parameters that
24743 can be used to influence behavior in custom Python scripts and commands.
24744
24745 @defun Parameter.__init__ (name, @var{command-class}, @var{parameter-class} @r{[}, @var{enum-sequence}@r{]})
24746 The object initializer for @code{Parameter} registers the new
24747 parameter with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked
24748 from the subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
24749
24750 @var{name} is the name of the new parameter. If @var{name} consists
24751 of multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
24752 parameters. An example of this can be illustrated with the
24753 @code{set print} set of parameters. If @var{name} is
24754 @code{print foo}, then @code{print} will be searched as the prefix
24755 parameter. In this case the parameter can subsequently be accessed in
24756 @value{GDBN} as @code{set print foo}.
24757
24758 If @var{name} consists of multiple words, and no prefix parameter group
24759 can be found, an exception is raised.
24760
24761 @var{command-class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
24762 (@pxref{Commands In Python}). This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to
24763 categorize the new parameter in the help system.
24764
24765 @var{parameter-class} should be one of the @samp{PARAM_} constants
24766 defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} the type of the new
24767 parameter; this information is used for input validation and
24768 completion.
24769
24770 If @var{parameter-class} is @code{PARAM_ENUM}, then
24771 @var{enum-sequence} must be a sequence of strings. These strings
24772 represent the possible values for the parameter.
24773
24774 If @var{parameter-class} is not @code{PARAM_ENUM}, then the presence
24775 of a fourth argument will cause an exception to be thrown.
24776
24777 The help text for the new parameter is taken from the Python
24778 documentation string for the parameter's class, if there is one. If
24779 there is no documentation string, a default value is used.
24780 @end defun
24781
24782 @defvar Parameter.set_doc
24783 If this attribute exists, and is a string, then its value is used as
24784 the help text for this parameter's @code{set} command. The value is
24785 examined when @code{Parameter.__init__} is invoked; subsequent changes
24786 have no effect.
24787 @end defvar
24788
24789 @defvar Parameter.show_doc
24790 If this attribute exists, and is a string, then its value is used as
24791 the help text for this parameter's @code{show} command. The value is
24792 examined when @code{Parameter.__init__} is invoked; subsequent changes
24793 have no effect.
24794 @end defvar
24795
24796 @defvar Parameter.value
24797 The @code{value} attribute holds the underlying value of the
24798 parameter. It can be read and assigned to just as any other
24799 attribute. @value{GDBN} does validation when assignments are made.
24800 @end defvar
24801
24802 There are two methods that should be implemented in any
24803 @code{Parameter} class. These are:
24804
24805 @defun Parameter.get_set_string (self)
24806 @value{GDBN} will call this method when a @var{parameter}'s value has
24807 been changed via the @code{set} API (for example, @kbd{set foo off}).
24808 The @code{value} attribute has already been populated with the new
24809 value and may be used in output. This method must return a string.
24810 @end defun
24811
24812 @defun Parameter.get_show_string (self, svalue)
24813 @value{GDBN} will call this method when a @var{parameter}'s
24814 @code{show} API has been invoked (for example, @kbd{show foo}). The
24815 argument @code{svalue} receives the string representation of the
24816 current value. This method must return a string.
24817 @end defun
24818
24819 When a new parameter is defined, its type must be specified. The
24820 available types are represented by constants defined in the @code{gdb}
24821 module:
24822
24823 @table @code
24824 @findex PARAM_BOOLEAN
24825 @findex gdb.PARAM_BOOLEAN
24826 @item gdb.PARAM_BOOLEAN
24827 The value is a plain boolean. The Python boolean values, @code{True}
24828 and @code{False} are the only valid values.
24829
24830 @findex PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24831 @findex gdb.PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24832 @item gdb.PARAM_AUTO_BOOLEAN
24833 The value has three possible states: true, false, and @samp{auto}. In
24834 Python, true and false are represented using boolean constants, and
24835 @samp{auto} is represented using @code{None}.
24836
24837 @findex PARAM_UINTEGER
24838 @findex gdb.PARAM_UINTEGER
24839 @item gdb.PARAM_UINTEGER
24840 The value is an unsigned integer. The value of 0 should be
24841 interpreted to mean ``unlimited''.
24842
24843 @findex PARAM_INTEGER
24844 @findex gdb.PARAM_INTEGER
24845 @item gdb.PARAM_INTEGER
24846 The value is a signed integer. The value of 0 should be interpreted
24847 to mean ``unlimited''.
24848
24849 @findex PARAM_STRING
24850 @findex gdb.PARAM_STRING
24851 @item gdb.PARAM_STRING
24852 The value is a string. When the user modifies the string, any escape
24853 sequences, such as @samp{\t}, @samp{\f}, and octal escapes, are
24854 translated into corresponding characters and encoded into the current
24855 host charset.
24856
24857 @findex PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24858 @findex gdb.PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24859 @item gdb.PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE
24860 The value is a string. When the user modifies the string, escapes are
24861 passed through untranslated.
24862
24863 @findex PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24864 @findex gdb.PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24865 @item gdb.PARAM_OPTIONAL_FILENAME
24866 The value is a either a filename (a string), or @code{None}.
24867
24868 @findex PARAM_FILENAME
24869 @findex gdb.PARAM_FILENAME
24870 @item gdb.PARAM_FILENAME
24871 The value is a filename. This is just like
24872 @code{PARAM_STRING_NOESCAPE}, but uses file names for completion.
24873
24874 @findex PARAM_ZINTEGER
24875 @findex gdb.PARAM_ZINTEGER
24876 @item gdb.PARAM_ZINTEGER
24877 The value is an integer. This is like @code{PARAM_INTEGER}, except 0
24878 is interpreted as itself.
24879
24880 @findex PARAM_ENUM
24881 @findex gdb.PARAM_ENUM
24882 @item gdb.PARAM_ENUM
24883 The value is a string, which must be one of a collection string
24884 constants provided when the parameter is created.
24885 @end table
24886
24887 @node Functions In Python
24888 @subsubsection Writing new convenience functions
24889
24890 @cindex writing convenience functions
24891 @cindex convenience functions in python
24892 @cindex python convenience functions
24893 @tindex gdb.Function
24894 @tindex Function
24895 You can implement new convenience functions (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
24896 in Python. A convenience function is an instance of a subclass of the
24897 class @code{gdb.Function}.
24898
24899 @defun Function.__init__ (name)
24900 The initializer for @code{Function} registers the new function with
24901 @value{GDBN}. The argument @var{name} is the name of the function,
24902 a string. The function will be visible to the user as a convenience
24903 variable of type @code{internal function}, whose name is the same as
24904 the given @var{name}.
24905
24906 The documentation for the new function is taken from the documentation
24907 string for the new class.
24908 @end defun
24909
24910 @defun Function.invoke (@var{*args})
24911 When a convenience function is evaluated, its arguments are converted
24912 to instances of @code{gdb.Value}, and then the function's
24913 @code{invoke} method is called. Note that @value{GDBN} does not
24914 predetermine the arity of convenience functions. Instead, all
24915 available arguments are passed to @code{invoke}, following the
24916 standard Python calling convention. In particular, a convenience
24917 function can have default values for parameters without ill effect.
24918
24919 The return value of this method is used as its value in the enclosing
24920 expression. If an ordinary Python value is returned, it is converted
24921 to a @code{gdb.Value} following the usual rules.
24922 @end defun
24923
24924 The following code snippet shows how a trivial convenience function can
24925 be implemented in Python:
24926
24927 @smallexample
24928 class Greet (gdb.Function):
24929 """Return string to greet someone.
24930 Takes a name as argument."""
24931
24932 def __init__ (self):
24933 super (Greet, self).__init__ ("greet")
24934
24935 def invoke (self, name):
24936 return "Hello, %s!" % name.string ()
24937
24938 Greet ()
24939 @end smallexample
24940
24941 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
24942 registration of the function with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
24943 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
24944 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
24945
24946 Now you can use the function in an expression:
24947
24948 @smallexample
24949 (gdb) print $greet("Bob")
24950 $1 = "Hello, Bob!"
24951 @end smallexample
24952
24953 @node Progspaces In Python
24954 @subsubsection Program Spaces In Python
24955
24956 @cindex progspaces in python
24957 @tindex gdb.Progspace
24958 @tindex Progspace
24959 A program space, or @dfn{progspace}, represents a symbolic view
24960 of an address space.
24961 It consists of all of the objfiles of the program.
24962 @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
24963 @xref{Inferiors and Programs, program spaces}, for more details
24964 about program spaces.
24965
24966 The following progspace-related functions are available in the
24967 @code{gdb} module:
24968
24969 @findex gdb.current_progspace
24970 @defun gdb.current_progspace ()
24971 This function returns the program space of the currently selected inferior.
24972 @xref{Inferiors and Programs}.
24973 @end defun
24974
24975 @findex gdb.progspaces
24976 @defun gdb.progspaces ()
24977 Return a sequence of all the progspaces currently known to @value{GDBN}.
24978 @end defun
24979
24980 Each progspace is represented by an instance of the @code{gdb.Progspace}
24981 class.
24982
24983 @defvar Progspace.filename
24984 The file name of the progspace as a string.
24985 @end defvar
24986
24987 @defvar Progspace.pretty_printers
24988 The @code{pretty_printers} attribute is a list of functions. It is
24989 used to look up pretty-printers. A @code{Value} is passed to each
24990 function in order; if the function returns @code{None}, then the
24991 search continues. Otherwise, the return value should be an object
24992 which is used to format the value. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for more
24993 information.
24994 @end defvar
24995
24996 @defvar Progspace.type_printers
24997 The @code{type_printers} attribute is a list of type printer objects.
24998 @xref{Type Printing API}, for more information.
24999 @end defvar
25000
25001 @node Objfiles In Python
25002 @subsubsection Objfiles In Python
25003
25004 @cindex objfiles in python
25005 @tindex gdb.Objfile
25006 @tindex Objfile
25007 @value{GDBN} loads symbols for an inferior from various
25008 symbol-containing files (@pxref{Files}). These include the primary
25009 executable file, any shared libraries used by the inferior, and any
25010 separate debug info files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}).
25011 @value{GDBN} calls these symbol-containing files @dfn{objfiles}.
25012
25013 The following objfile-related functions are available in the
25014 @code{gdb} module:
25015
25016 @findex gdb.current_objfile
25017 @defun gdb.current_objfile ()
25018 When auto-loading a Python script (@pxref{Python Auto-loading}), @value{GDBN}
25019 sets the ``current objfile'' to the corresponding objfile. This
25020 function returns the current objfile. If there is no current objfile,
25021 this function returns @code{None}.
25022 @end defun
25023
25024 @findex gdb.objfiles
25025 @defun gdb.objfiles ()
25026 Return a sequence of all the objfiles current known to @value{GDBN}.
25027 @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
25028 @end defun
25029
25030 Each objfile is represented by an instance of the @code{gdb.Objfile}
25031 class.
25032
25033 @defvar Objfile.filename
25034 The file name of the objfile as a string.
25035 @end defvar
25036
25037 @defvar Objfile.pretty_printers
25038 The @code{pretty_printers} attribute is a list of functions. It is
25039 used to look up pretty-printers. A @code{Value} is passed to each
25040 function in order; if the function returns @code{None}, then the
25041 search continues. Otherwise, the return value should be an object
25042 which is used to format the value. @xref{Pretty Printing API}, for more
25043 information.
25044 @end defvar
25045
25046 @defvar Objfile.type_printers
25047 The @code{type_printers} attribute is a list of type printer objects.
25048 @xref{Type Printing API}, for more information.
25049 @end defvar
25050
25051 A @code{gdb.Objfile} object has the following methods:
25052
25053 @defun Objfile.is_valid ()
25054 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Objfile} object is valid,
25055 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Objfile} object can become invalid
25056 if the object file it refers to is not loaded in @value{GDBN} any
25057 longer. All other @code{gdb.Objfile} methods will throw an exception
25058 if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
25059 @end defun
25060
25061 @node Frames In Python
25062 @subsubsection Accessing inferior stack frames from Python.
25063
25064 @cindex frames in python
25065 When the debugged program stops, @value{GDBN} is able to analyze its call
25066 stack (@pxref{Frames,,Stack frames}). The @code{gdb.Frame} class
25067 represents a frame in the stack. A @code{gdb.Frame} object is only valid
25068 while its corresponding frame exists in the inferior's stack. If you try
25069 to use an invalid frame object, @value{GDBN} will throw a @code{gdb.error}
25070 exception (@pxref{Exception Handling}).
25071
25072 Two @code{gdb.Frame} objects can be compared for equality with the @code{==}
25073 operator, like:
25074
25075 @smallexample
25076 (@value{GDBP}) python print gdb.newest_frame() == gdb.selected_frame ()
25077 True
25078 @end smallexample
25079
25080 The following frame-related functions are available in the @code{gdb} module:
25081
25082 @findex gdb.selected_frame
25083 @defun gdb.selected_frame ()
25084 Return the selected frame object. (@pxref{Selection,,Selecting a Frame}).
25085 @end defun
25086
25087 @findex gdb.newest_frame
25088 @defun gdb.newest_frame ()
25089 Return the newest frame object for the selected thread.
25090 @end defun
25091
25092 @defun gdb.frame_stop_reason_string (reason)
25093 Return a string explaining the reason why @value{GDBN} stopped unwinding
25094 frames, as expressed by the given @var{reason} code (an integer, see the
25095 @code{unwind_stop_reason} method further down in this section).
25096 @end defun
25097
25098 A @code{gdb.Frame} object has the following methods:
25099
25100 @table @code
25101 @defun Frame.is_valid ()
25102 Returns true if the @code{gdb.Frame} object is valid, false if not.
25103 A frame object can become invalid if the frame it refers to doesn't
25104 exist anymore in the inferior. All @code{gdb.Frame} methods will throw
25105 an exception if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
25106 @end defun
25107
25108 @defun Frame.name ()
25109 Returns the function name of the frame, or @code{None} if it can't be
25110 obtained.
25111 @end defun
25112
25113 @defun Frame.type ()
25114 Returns the type of the frame. The value can be one of:
25115 @table @code
25116 @item gdb.NORMAL_FRAME
25117 An ordinary stack frame.
25118
25119 @item gdb.DUMMY_FRAME
25120 A fake stack frame that was created by @value{GDBN} when performing an
25121 inferior function call.
25122
25123 @item gdb.INLINE_FRAME
25124 A frame representing an inlined function. The function was inlined
25125 into a @code{gdb.NORMAL_FRAME} that is older than this one.
25126
25127 @item gdb.TAILCALL_FRAME
25128 A frame representing a tail call. @xref{Tail Call Frames}.
25129
25130 @item gdb.SIGTRAMP_FRAME
25131 A signal trampoline frame. This is the frame created by the OS when
25132 it calls into a signal handler.
25133
25134 @item gdb.ARCH_FRAME
25135 A fake stack frame representing a cross-architecture call.
25136
25137 @item gdb.SENTINEL_FRAME
25138 This is like @code{gdb.NORMAL_FRAME}, but it is only used for the
25139 newest frame.
25140 @end table
25141 @end defun
25142
25143 @defun Frame.unwind_stop_reason ()
25144 Return an integer representing the reason why it's not possible to find
25145 more frames toward the outermost frame. Use
25146 @code{gdb.frame_stop_reason_string} to convert the value returned by this
25147 function to a string. The value can be one of:
25148
25149 @table @code
25150 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NO_REASON
25151 No particular reason (older frames should be available).
25152
25153 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NULL_ID
25154 The previous frame's analyzer returns an invalid result.
25155
25156 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_OUTERMOST
25157 This frame is the outermost.
25158
25159 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_UNAVAILABLE
25160 Cannot unwind further, because that would require knowing the
25161 values of registers or memory that have not been collected.
25162
25163 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_INNER_ID
25164 This frame ID looks like it ought to belong to a NEXT frame,
25165 but we got it for a PREV frame. Normally, this is a sign of
25166 unwinder failure. It could also indicate stack corruption.
25167
25168 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_SAME_ID
25169 This frame has the same ID as the previous one. That means
25170 that unwinding further would almost certainly give us another
25171 frame with exactly the same ID, so break the chain. Normally,
25172 this is a sign of unwinder failure. It could also indicate
25173 stack corruption.
25174
25175 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_NO_SAVED_PC
25176 The frame unwinder did not find any saved PC, but we needed
25177 one to unwind further.
25178
25179 @item gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_FIRST_ERROR
25180 Any stop reason greater or equal to this value indicates some kind
25181 of error. This special value facilitates writing code that tests
25182 for errors in unwinding in a way that will work correctly even if
25183 the list of the other values is modified in future @value{GDBN}
25184 versions. Using it, you could write:
25185 @smallexample
25186 reason = gdb.selected_frame().unwind_stop_reason ()
25187 reason_str = gdb.frame_stop_reason_string (reason)
25188 if reason >= gdb.FRAME_UNWIND_FIRST_ERROR:
25189 print "An error occured: %s" % reason_str
25190 @end smallexample
25191 @end table
25192
25193 @end defun
25194
25195 @defun Frame.pc ()
25196 Returns the frame's resume address.
25197 @end defun
25198
25199 @defun Frame.block ()
25200 Return the frame's code block. @xref{Blocks In Python}.
25201 @end defun
25202
25203 @defun Frame.function ()
25204 Return the symbol for the function corresponding to this frame.
25205 @xref{Symbols In Python}.
25206 @end defun
25207
25208 @defun Frame.older ()
25209 Return the frame that called this frame.
25210 @end defun
25211
25212 @defun Frame.newer ()
25213 Return the frame called by this frame.
25214 @end defun
25215
25216 @defun Frame.find_sal ()
25217 Return the frame's symtab and line object.
25218 @xref{Symbol Tables In Python}.
25219 @end defun
25220
25221 @defun Frame.read_var (variable @r{[}, block@r{]})
25222 Return the value of @var{variable} in this frame. If the optional
25223 argument @var{block} is provided, search for the variable from that
25224 block; otherwise start at the frame's current block (which is
25225 determined by the frame's current program counter). @var{variable}
25226 must be a string or a @code{gdb.Symbol} object. @var{block} must be a
25227 @code{gdb.Block} object.
25228 @end defun
25229
25230 @defun Frame.select ()
25231 Set this frame to be the selected frame. @xref{Stack, ,Examining the
25232 Stack}.
25233 @end defun
25234 @end table
25235
25236 @node Blocks In Python
25237 @subsubsection Accessing frame blocks from Python.
25238
25239 @cindex blocks in python
25240 @tindex gdb.Block
25241
25242 Within each frame, @value{GDBN} maintains information on each block
25243 stored in that frame. These blocks are organized hierarchically, and
25244 are represented individually in Python as a @code{gdb.Block}.
25245 Please see @ref{Frames In Python}, for a more in-depth discussion on
25246 frames. Furthermore, see @ref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}, for more
25247 detailed technical information on @value{GDBN}'s book-keeping of the
25248 stack.
25249
25250 A @code{gdb.Block} is iterable. The iterator returns the symbols
25251 (@pxref{Symbols In Python}) local to the block. Python programs
25252 should not assume that a specific block object will always contain a
25253 given symbol, since changes in @value{GDBN} features and
25254 infrastructure may cause symbols move across blocks in a symbol
25255 table.
25256
25257 The following block-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
25258 module:
25259
25260 @findex gdb.block_for_pc
25261 @defun gdb.block_for_pc (pc)
25262 Return the @code{gdb.Block} containing the given @var{pc} value. If the
25263 block cannot be found for the @var{pc} value specified, the function
25264 will return @code{None}.
25265 @end defun
25266
25267 A @code{gdb.Block} object has the following methods:
25268
25269 @table @code
25270 @defun Block.is_valid ()
25271 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is valid,
25272 @code{False} if not. A block object can become invalid if the block it
25273 refers to doesn't exist anymore in the inferior. All other
25274 @code{gdb.Block} methods will throw an exception if it is invalid at
25275 the time the method is called. The block's validity is also checked
25276 during iteration over symbols of the block.
25277 @end defun
25278 @end table
25279
25280 A @code{gdb.Block} object has the following attributes:
25281
25282 @table @code
25283 @defvar Block.start
25284 The start address of the block. This attribute is not writable.
25285 @end defvar
25286
25287 @defvar Block.end
25288 The end address of the block. This attribute is not writable.
25289 @end defvar
25290
25291 @defvar Block.function
25292 The name of the block represented as a @code{gdb.Symbol}. If the
25293 block is not named, then this attribute holds @code{None}. This
25294 attribute is not writable.
25295 @end defvar
25296
25297 @defvar Block.superblock
25298 The block containing this block. If this parent block does not exist,
25299 this attribute holds @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
25300 @end defvar
25301
25302 @defvar Block.global_block
25303 The global block associated with this block. This attribute is not
25304 writable.
25305 @end defvar
25306
25307 @defvar Block.static_block
25308 The static block associated with this block. This attribute is not
25309 writable.
25310 @end defvar
25311
25312 @defvar Block.is_global
25313 @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is a global block,
25314 @code{False} if not. This attribute is not
25315 writable.
25316 @end defvar
25317
25318 @defvar Block.is_static
25319 @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Block} object is a static block,
25320 @code{False} if not. This attribute is not writable.
25321 @end defvar
25322 @end table
25323
25324 @node Symbols In Python
25325 @subsubsection Python representation of Symbols.
25326
25327 @cindex symbols in python
25328 @tindex gdb.Symbol
25329
25330 @value{GDBN} represents every variable, function and type as an
25331 entry in a symbol table. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
25332 Similarly, Python represents these symbols in @value{GDBN} with the
25333 @code{gdb.Symbol} object.
25334
25335 The following symbol-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
25336 module:
25337
25338 @findex gdb.lookup_symbol
25339 @defun gdb.lookup_symbol (name @r{[}, block @r{[}, domain@r{]]})
25340 This function searches for a symbol by name. The search scope can be
25341 restricted to the parameters defined in the optional domain and block
25342 arguments.
25343
25344 @var{name} is the name of the symbol. It must be a string. The
25345 optional @var{block} argument restricts the search to symbols visible
25346 in that @var{block}. The @var{block} argument must be a
25347 @code{gdb.Block} object. If omitted, the block for the current frame
25348 is used. The optional @var{domain} argument restricts
25349 the search to the domain type. The @var{domain} argument must be a
25350 domain constant defined in the @code{gdb} module and described later
25351 in this chapter.
25352
25353 The result is a tuple of two elements.
25354 The first element is a @code{gdb.Symbol} object or @code{None} if the symbol
25355 is not found.
25356 If the symbol is found, the second element is @code{True} if the symbol
25357 is a field of a method's object (e.g., @code{this} in C@t{++}),
25358 otherwise it is @code{False}.
25359 If the symbol is not found, the second element is @code{False}.
25360 @end defun
25361
25362 @findex gdb.lookup_global_symbol
25363 @defun gdb.lookup_global_symbol (name @r{[}, domain@r{]})
25364 This function searches for a global symbol by name.
25365 The search scope can be restricted to by the domain argument.
25366
25367 @var{name} is the name of the symbol. It must be a string.
25368 The optional @var{domain} argument restricts the search to the domain type.
25369 The @var{domain} argument must be a domain constant defined in the @code{gdb}
25370 module and described later in this chapter.
25371
25372 The result is a @code{gdb.Symbol} object or @code{None} if the symbol
25373 is not found.
25374 @end defun
25375
25376 A @code{gdb.Symbol} object has the following attributes:
25377
25378 @table @code
25379 @defvar Symbol.type
25380 The type of the symbol or @code{None} if no type is recorded.
25381 This attribute is represented as a @code{gdb.Type} object.
25382 @xref{Types In Python}. This attribute is not writable.
25383 @end defvar
25384
25385 @defvar Symbol.symtab
25386 The symbol table in which the symbol appears. This attribute is
25387 represented as a @code{gdb.Symtab} object. @xref{Symbol Tables In
25388 Python}. This attribute is not writable.
25389 @end defvar
25390
25391 @defvar Symbol.line
25392 The line number in the source code at which the symbol was defined.
25393 This is an integer.
25394 @end defvar
25395
25396 @defvar Symbol.name
25397 The name of the symbol as a string. This attribute is not writable.
25398 @end defvar
25399
25400 @defvar Symbol.linkage_name
25401 The name of the symbol, as used by the linker (i.e., may be mangled).
25402 This attribute is not writable.
25403 @end defvar
25404
25405 @defvar Symbol.print_name
25406 The name of the symbol in a form suitable for output. This is either
25407 @code{name} or @code{linkage_name}, depending on whether the user
25408 asked @value{GDBN} to display demangled or mangled names.
25409 @end defvar
25410
25411 @defvar Symbol.addr_class
25412 The address class of the symbol. This classifies how to find the value
25413 of a symbol. Each address class is a constant defined in the
25414 @code{gdb} module and described later in this chapter.
25415 @end defvar
25416
25417 @defvar Symbol.needs_frame
25418 This is @code{True} if evaluating this symbol's value requires a frame
25419 (@pxref{Frames In Python}) and @code{False} otherwise. Typically,
25420 local variables will require a frame, but other symbols will not.
25421 @end defvar
25422
25423 @defvar Symbol.is_argument
25424 @code{True} if the symbol is an argument of a function.
25425 @end defvar
25426
25427 @defvar Symbol.is_constant
25428 @code{True} if the symbol is a constant.
25429 @end defvar
25430
25431 @defvar Symbol.is_function
25432 @code{True} if the symbol is a function or a method.
25433 @end defvar
25434
25435 @defvar Symbol.is_variable
25436 @code{True} if the symbol is a variable.
25437 @end defvar
25438 @end table
25439
25440 A @code{gdb.Symbol} object has the following methods:
25441
25442 @table @code
25443 @defun Symbol.is_valid ()
25444 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symbol} object is valid,
25445 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symbol} object can become invalid if
25446 the symbol it refers to does not exist in @value{GDBN} any longer.
25447 All other @code{gdb.Symbol} methods will throw an exception if it is
25448 invalid at the time the method is called.
25449 @end defun
25450
25451 @defun Symbol.value (@r{[}frame@r{]})
25452 Compute the value of the symbol, as a @code{gdb.Value}. For
25453 functions, this computes the address of the function, cast to the
25454 appropriate type. If the symbol requires a frame in order to compute
25455 its value, then @var{frame} must be given. If @var{frame} is not
25456 given, or if @var{frame} is invalid, then this method will throw an
25457 exception.
25458 @end defun
25459 @end table
25460
25461 The available domain categories in @code{gdb.Symbol} are represented
25462 as constants in the @code{gdb} module:
25463
25464 @table @code
25465 @findex SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
25466 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
25467 @item gdb.SYMBOL_UNDEF_DOMAIN
25468 This is used when a domain has not been discovered or none of the
25469 following domains apply. This usually indicates an error either
25470 in the symbol information or in @value{GDBN}'s handling of symbols.
25471 @findex SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
25472 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
25473 @item gdb.SYMBOL_VAR_DOMAIN
25474 This domain contains variables, function names, typedef names and enum
25475 type values.
25476 @findex SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
25477 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
25478 @item gdb.SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN
25479 This domain holds struct, union and enum type names.
25480 @findex SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
25481 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
25482 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LABEL_DOMAIN
25483 This domain contains names of labels (for gotos).
25484 @findex SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
25485 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
25486 @item gdb.SYMBOL_VARIABLES_DOMAIN
25487 This domain holds a subset of the @code{SYMBOLS_VAR_DOMAIN}; it
25488 contains everything minus functions and types.
25489 @findex SYMBOL_FUNCTIONS_DOMAIN
25490 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_FUNCTIONS_DOMAIN
25491 @item gdb.SYMBOL_FUNCTION_DOMAIN
25492 This domain contains all functions.
25493 @findex SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
25494 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
25495 @item gdb.SYMBOL_TYPES_DOMAIN
25496 This domain contains all types.
25497 @end table
25498
25499 The available address class categories in @code{gdb.Symbol} are represented
25500 as constants in the @code{gdb} module:
25501
25502 @table @code
25503 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
25504 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
25505 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNDEF
25506 If this is returned by address class, it indicates an error either in
25507 the symbol information or in @value{GDBN}'s handling of symbols.
25508 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
25509 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
25510 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST
25511 Value is constant int.
25512 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
25513 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
25514 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_STATIC
25515 Value is at a fixed address.
25516 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
25517 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
25518 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGISTER
25519 Value is in a register.
25520 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
25521 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
25522 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_ARG
25523 Value is an argument. This value is at the offset stored within the
25524 symbol inside the frame's argument list.
25525 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
25526 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
25527 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REF_ARG
25528 Value address is stored in the frame's argument list. Just like
25529 @code{LOC_ARG} except that the value's address is stored at the
25530 offset, not the value itself.
25531 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
25532 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
25533 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_REGPARM_ADDR
25534 Value is a specified register. Just like @code{LOC_REGISTER} except
25535 the register holds the address of the argument instead of the argument
25536 itself.
25537 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
25538 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
25539 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_LOCAL
25540 Value is a local variable.
25541 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
25542 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
25543 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_TYPEDEF
25544 Value not used. Symbols in the domain @code{SYMBOL_STRUCT_DOMAIN} all
25545 have this class.
25546 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
25547 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
25548 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_BLOCK
25549 Value is a block.
25550 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
25551 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
25552 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_CONST_BYTES
25553 Value is a byte-sequence.
25554 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
25555 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
25556 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_UNRESOLVED
25557 Value is at a fixed address, but the address of the variable has to be
25558 determined from the minimal symbol table whenever the variable is
25559 referenced.
25560 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
25561 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
25562 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_OPTIMIZED_OUT
25563 The value does not actually exist in the program.
25564 @findex SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
25565 @findex gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
25566 @item gdb.SYMBOL_LOC_COMPUTED
25567 The value's address is a computed location.
25568 @end table
25569
25570 @node Symbol Tables In Python
25571 @subsubsection Symbol table representation in Python.
25572
25573 @cindex symbol tables in python
25574 @tindex gdb.Symtab
25575 @tindex gdb.Symtab_and_line
25576
25577 Access to symbol table data maintained by @value{GDBN} on the inferior
25578 is exposed to Python via two objects: @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} and
25579 @code{gdb.Symtab}. Symbol table and line data for a frame is returned
25580 from the @code{find_sal} method in @code{gdb.Frame} object.
25581 @xref{Frames In Python}.
25582
25583 For more information on @value{GDBN}'s symbol table management, see
25584 @ref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, for more information.
25585
25586 A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object has the following attributes:
25587
25588 @table @code
25589 @defvar Symtab_and_line.symtab
25590 The symbol table object (@code{gdb.Symtab}) for this frame.
25591 This attribute is not writable.
25592 @end defvar
25593
25594 @defvar Symtab_and_line.pc
25595 Indicates the start of the address range occupied by code for the
25596 current source line. This attribute is not writable.
25597 @end defvar
25598
25599 @defvar Symtab_and_line.last
25600 Indicates the end of the address range occupied by code for the current
25601 source line. This attribute is not writable.
25602 @end defvar
25603
25604 @defvar Symtab_and_line.line
25605 Indicates the current line number for this object. This
25606 attribute is not writable.
25607 @end defvar
25608 @end table
25609
25610 A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object has the following methods:
25611
25612 @table @code
25613 @defun Symtab_and_line.is_valid ()
25614 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object is valid,
25615 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} object can become
25616 invalid if the Symbol table and line object it refers to does not
25617 exist in @value{GDBN} any longer. All other
25618 @code{gdb.Symtab_and_line} methods will throw an exception if it is
25619 invalid at the time the method is called.
25620 @end defun
25621 @end table
25622
25623 A @code{gdb.Symtab} object has the following attributes:
25624
25625 @table @code
25626 @defvar Symtab.filename
25627 The symbol table's source filename. This attribute is not writable.
25628 @end defvar
25629
25630 @defvar Symtab.objfile
25631 The symbol table's backing object file. @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
25632 This attribute is not writable.
25633 @end defvar
25634 @end table
25635
25636 A @code{gdb.Symtab} object has the following methods:
25637
25638 @table @code
25639 @defun Symtab.is_valid ()
25640 Returns @code{True} if the @code{gdb.Symtab} object is valid,
25641 @code{False} if not. A @code{gdb.Symtab} object can become invalid if
25642 the symbol table it refers to does not exist in @value{GDBN} any
25643 longer. All other @code{gdb.Symtab} methods will throw an exception
25644 if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
25645 @end defun
25646
25647 @defun Symtab.fullname ()
25648 Return the symbol table's source absolute file name.
25649 @end defun
25650
25651 @defun Symtab.global_block ()
25652 Return the global block of the underlying symbol table.
25653 @xref{Blocks In Python}.
25654 @end defun
25655
25656 @defun Symtab.static_block ()
25657 Return the static block of the underlying symbol table.
25658 @xref{Blocks In Python}.
25659 @end defun
25660 @end table
25661
25662 @node Breakpoints In Python
25663 @subsubsection Manipulating breakpoints using Python
25664
25665 @cindex breakpoints in python
25666 @tindex gdb.Breakpoint
25667
25668 Python code can manipulate breakpoints via the @code{gdb.Breakpoint}
25669 class.
25670
25671 @defun Breakpoint.__init__ (spec @r{[}, type @r{[}, wp_class @r{[},internal@r{]]]})
25672 Create a new breakpoint. @var{spec} is a string naming the
25673 location of the breakpoint, or an expression that defines a
25674 watchpoint. The contents can be any location recognized by the
25675 @code{break} command, or in the case of a watchpoint, by the @code{watch}
25676 command. The optional @var{type} denotes the breakpoint to create
25677 from the types defined later in this chapter. This argument can be
25678 either: @code{gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT} or @code{gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT}. @var{type}
25679 defaults to @code{gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT}. The optional @var{internal} argument
25680 allows the breakpoint to become invisible to the user. The breakpoint
25681 will neither be reported when created, nor will it be listed in the
25682 output from @code{info breakpoints} (but will be listed with the
25683 @code{maint info breakpoints} command). The optional @var{wp_class}
25684 argument defines the class of watchpoint to create, if @var{type} is
25685 @code{gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT}. If a watchpoint class is not provided, it is
25686 assumed to be a @code{gdb.WP_WRITE} class.
25687 @end defun
25688
25689 @defun Breakpoint.stop (self)
25690 The @code{gdb.Breakpoint} class can be sub-classed and, in
25691 particular, you may choose to implement the @code{stop} method.
25692 If this method is defined as a sub-class of @code{gdb.Breakpoint},
25693 it will be called when the inferior reaches any location of a
25694 breakpoint which instantiates that sub-class. If the method returns
25695 @code{True}, the inferior will be stopped at the location of the
25696 breakpoint, otherwise the inferior will continue.
25697
25698 If there are multiple breakpoints at the same location with a
25699 @code{stop} method, each one will be called regardless of the
25700 return status of the previous. This ensures that all @code{stop}
25701 methods have a chance to execute at that location. In this scenario
25702 if one of the methods returns @code{True} but the others return
25703 @code{False}, the inferior will still be stopped.
25704
25705 You should not alter the execution state of the inferior (i.e.@:, step,
25706 next, etc.), alter the current frame context (i.e.@:, change the current
25707 active frame), or alter, add or delete any breakpoint. As a general
25708 rule, you should not alter any data within @value{GDBN} or the inferior
25709 at this time.
25710
25711 Example @code{stop} implementation:
25712
25713 @smallexample
25714 class MyBreakpoint (gdb.Breakpoint):
25715 def stop (self):
25716 inf_val = gdb.parse_and_eval("foo")
25717 if inf_val == 3:
25718 return True
25719 return False
25720 @end smallexample
25721 @end defun
25722
25723 The available watchpoint types represented by constants are defined in the
25724 @code{gdb} module:
25725
25726 @table @code
25727 @findex WP_READ
25728 @findex gdb.WP_READ
25729 @item gdb.WP_READ
25730 Read only watchpoint.
25731
25732 @findex WP_WRITE
25733 @findex gdb.WP_WRITE
25734 @item gdb.WP_WRITE
25735 Write only watchpoint.
25736
25737 @findex WP_ACCESS
25738 @findex gdb.WP_ACCESS
25739 @item gdb.WP_ACCESS
25740 Read/Write watchpoint.
25741 @end table
25742
25743 @defun Breakpoint.is_valid ()
25744 Return @code{True} if this @code{Breakpoint} object is valid,
25745 @code{False} otherwise. A @code{Breakpoint} object can become invalid
25746 if the user deletes the breakpoint. In this case, the object still
25747 exists, but the underlying breakpoint does not. In the cases of
25748 watchpoint scope, the watchpoint remains valid even if execution of the
25749 inferior leaves the scope of that watchpoint.
25750 @end defun
25751
25752 @defun Breakpoint.delete
25753 Permanently deletes the @value{GDBN} breakpoint. This also
25754 invalidates the Python @code{Breakpoint} object. Any further access
25755 to this object's attributes or methods will raise an error.
25756 @end defun
25757
25758 @defvar Breakpoint.enabled
25759 This attribute is @code{True} if the breakpoint is enabled, and
25760 @code{False} otherwise. This attribute is writable.
25761 @end defvar
25762
25763 @defvar Breakpoint.silent
25764 This attribute is @code{True} if the breakpoint is silent, and
25765 @code{False} otherwise. This attribute is writable.
25766
25767 Note that a breakpoint can also be silent if it has commands and the
25768 first command is @code{silent}. This is not reported by the
25769 @code{silent} attribute.
25770 @end defvar
25771
25772 @defvar Breakpoint.thread
25773 If the breakpoint is thread-specific, this attribute holds the thread
25774 id. If the breakpoint is not thread-specific, this attribute is
25775 @code{None}. This attribute is writable.
25776 @end defvar
25777
25778 @defvar Breakpoint.task
25779 If the breakpoint is Ada task-specific, this attribute holds the Ada task
25780 id. If the breakpoint is not task-specific (or the underlying
25781 language is not Ada), this attribute is @code{None}. This attribute
25782 is writable.
25783 @end defvar
25784
25785 @defvar Breakpoint.ignore_count
25786 This attribute holds the ignore count for the breakpoint, an integer.
25787 This attribute is writable.
25788 @end defvar
25789
25790 @defvar Breakpoint.number
25791 This attribute holds the breakpoint's number --- the identifier used by
25792 the user to manipulate the breakpoint. This attribute is not writable.
25793 @end defvar
25794
25795 @defvar Breakpoint.type
25796 This attribute holds the breakpoint's type --- the identifier used to
25797 determine the actual breakpoint type or use-case. This attribute is not
25798 writable.
25799 @end defvar
25800
25801 @defvar Breakpoint.visible
25802 This attribute tells whether the breakpoint is visible to the user
25803 when set, or when the @samp{info breakpoints} command is run. This
25804 attribute is not writable.
25805 @end defvar
25806
25807 The available types are represented by constants defined in the @code{gdb}
25808 module:
25809
25810 @table @code
25811 @findex BP_BREAKPOINT
25812 @findex gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT
25813 @item gdb.BP_BREAKPOINT
25814 Normal code breakpoint.
25815
25816 @findex BP_WATCHPOINT
25817 @findex gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT
25818 @item gdb.BP_WATCHPOINT
25819 Watchpoint breakpoint.
25820
25821 @findex BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25822 @findex gdb.BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25823 @item gdb.BP_HARDWARE_WATCHPOINT
25824 Hardware assisted watchpoint.
25825
25826 @findex BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25827 @findex gdb.BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25828 @item gdb.BP_READ_WATCHPOINT
25829 Hardware assisted read watchpoint.
25830
25831 @findex BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25832 @findex gdb.BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25833 @item gdb.BP_ACCESS_WATCHPOINT
25834 Hardware assisted access watchpoint.
25835 @end table
25836
25837 @defvar Breakpoint.hit_count
25838 This attribute holds the hit count for the breakpoint, an integer.
25839 This attribute is writable, but currently it can only be set to zero.
25840 @end defvar
25841
25842 @defvar Breakpoint.location
25843 This attribute holds the location of the breakpoint, as specified by
25844 the user. It is a string. If the breakpoint does not have a location
25845 (that is, it is a watchpoint) the attribute's value is @code{None}. This
25846 attribute is not writable.
25847 @end defvar
25848
25849 @defvar Breakpoint.expression
25850 This attribute holds a breakpoint expression, as specified by
25851 the user. It is a string. If the breakpoint does not have an
25852 expression (the breakpoint is not a watchpoint) the attribute's value
25853 is @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
25854 @end defvar
25855
25856 @defvar Breakpoint.condition
25857 This attribute holds the condition of the breakpoint, as specified by
25858 the user. It is a string. If there is no condition, this attribute's
25859 value is @code{None}. This attribute is writable.
25860 @end defvar
25861
25862 @defvar Breakpoint.commands
25863 This attribute holds the commands attached to the breakpoint. If
25864 there are commands, this attribute's value is a string holding all the
25865 commands, separated by newlines. If there are no commands, this
25866 attribute is @code{None}. This attribute is not writable.
25867 @end defvar
25868
25869 @node Finish Breakpoints in Python
25870 @subsubsection Finish Breakpoints
25871
25872 @cindex python finish breakpoints
25873 @tindex gdb.FinishBreakpoint
25874
25875 A finish breakpoint is a temporary breakpoint set at the return address of
25876 a frame, based on the @code{finish} command. @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint}
25877 extends @code{gdb.Breakpoint}. The underlying breakpoint will be disabled
25878 and deleted when the execution will run out of the breakpoint scope (i.e.@:
25879 @code{Breakpoint.stop} or @code{FinishBreakpoint.out_of_scope} triggered).
25880 Finish breakpoints are thread specific and must be create with the right
25881 thread selected.
25882
25883 @defun FinishBreakpoint.__init__ (@r{[}frame@r{]} @r{[}, internal@r{]})
25884 Create a finish breakpoint at the return address of the @code{gdb.Frame}
25885 object @var{frame}. If @var{frame} is not provided, this defaults to the
25886 newest frame. The optional @var{internal} argument allows the breakpoint to
25887 become invisible to the user. @xref{Breakpoints In Python}, for further
25888 details about this argument.
25889 @end defun
25890
25891 @defun FinishBreakpoint.out_of_scope (self)
25892 In some circumstances (e.g.@: @code{longjmp}, C@t{++} exceptions, @value{GDBN}
25893 @code{return} command, @dots{}), a function may not properly terminate, and
25894 thus never hit the finish breakpoint. When @value{GDBN} notices such a
25895 situation, the @code{out_of_scope} callback will be triggered.
25896
25897 You may want to sub-class @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint} and override this
25898 method:
25899
25900 @smallexample
25901 class MyFinishBreakpoint (gdb.FinishBreakpoint)
25902 def stop (self):
25903 print "normal finish"
25904 return True
25905
25906 def out_of_scope ():
25907 print "abnormal finish"
25908 @end smallexample
25909 @end defun
25910
25911 @defvar FinishBreakpoint.return_value
25912 When @value{GDBN} is stopped at a finish breakpoint and the frame
25913 used to build the @code{gdb.FinishBreakpoint} object had debug symbols, this
25914 attribute will contain a @code{gdb.Value} object corresponding to the return
25915 value of the function. The value will be @code{None} if the function return
25916 type is @code{void} or if the return value was not computable. This attribute
25917 is not writable.
25918 @end defvar
25919
25920 @node Lazy Strings In Python
25921 @subsubsection Python representation of lazy strings.
25922
25923 @cindex lazy strings in python
25924 @tindex gdb.LazyString
25925
25926 A @dfn{lazy string} is a string whose contents is not retrieved or
25927 encoded until it is needed.
25928
25929 A @code{gdb.LazyString} is represented in @value{GDBN} as an
25930 @code{address} that points to a region of memory, an @code{encoding}
25931 that will be used to encode that region of memory, and a @code{length}
25932 to delimit the region of memory that represents the string. The
25933 difference between a @code{gdb.LazyString} and a string wrapped within
25934 a @code{gdb.Value} is that a @code{gdb.LazyString} will be treated
25935 differently by @value{GDBN} when printing. A @code{gdb.LazyString} is
25936 retrieved and encoded during printing, while a @code{gdb.Value}
25937 wrapping a string is immediately retrieved and encoded on creation.
25938
25939 A @code{gdb.LazyString} object has the following functions:
25940
25941 @defun LazyString.value ()
25942 Convert the @code{gdb.LazyString} to a @code{gdb.Value}. This value
25943 will point to the string in memory, but will lose all the delayed
25944 retrieval, encoding and handling that @value{GDBN} applies to a
25945 @code{gdb.LazyString}.
25946 @end defun
25947
25948 @defvar LazyString.address
25949 This attribute holds the address of the string. This attribute is not
25950 writable.
25951 @end defvar
25952
25953 @defvar LazyString.length
25954 This attribute holds the length of the string in characters. If the
25955 length is -1, then the string will be fetched and encoded up to the
25956 first null of appropriate width. This attribute is not writable.
25957 @end defvar
25958
25959 @defvar LazyString.encoding
25960 This attribute holds the encoding that will be applied to the string
25961 when the string is printed by @value{GDBN}. If the encoding is not
25962 set, or contains an empty string, then @value{GDBN} will select the
25963 most appropriate encoding when the string is printed. This attribute
25964 is not writable.
25965 @end defvar
25966
25967 @defvar LazyString.type
25968 This attribute holds the type that is represented by the lazy string's
25969 type. For a lazy string this will always be a pointer type. To
25970 resolve this to the lazy string's character type, use the type's
25971 @code{target} method. @xref{Types In Python}. This attribute is not
25972 writable.
25973 @end defvar
25974
25975 @node Python Auto-loading
25976 @subsection Python Auto-loading
25977 @cindex Python auto-loading
25978
25979 When a new object file is read (for example, due to the @code{file}
25980 command, or because the inferior has loaded a shared library),
25981 @value{GDBN} will look for Python support scripts in several ways:
25982 @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} (@pxref{objfile-gdb.py file})
25983 and @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25984 (@pxref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}).
25985
25986 The auto-loading feature is useful for supplying application-specific
25987 debugging commands and scripts.
25988
25989 Auto-loading can be enabled or disabled,
25990 and the list of auto-loaded scripts can be printed.
25991
25992 @table @code
25993 @anchor{set auto-load python-scripts}
25994 @kindex set auto-load python-scripts
25995 @item set auto-load python-scripts [on|off]
25996 Enable or disable the auto-loading of Python scripts.
25997
25998 @anchor{show auto-load python-scripts}
25999 @kindex show auto-load python-scripts
26000 @item show auto-load python-scripts
26001 Show whether auto-loading of Python scripts is enabled or disabled.
26002
26003 @anchor{info auto-load python-scripts}
26004 @kindex info auto-load python-scripts
26005 @cindex print list of auto-loaded Python scripts
26006 @item info auto-load python-scripts [@var{regexp}]
26007 Print the list of all Python scripts that @value{GDBN} auto-loaded.
26008
26009 Also printed is the list of Python scripts that were mentioned in
26010 the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section and were not found
26011 (@pxref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}).
26012 This is useful because their names are not printed when @value{GDBN}
26013 tries to load them and fails. There may be many of them, and printing
26014 an error message for each one is problematic.
26015
26016 If @var{regexp} is supplied only Python scripts with matching names are printed.
26017
26018 Example:
26019
26020 @smallexample
26021 (gdb) info auto-load python-scripts
26022 Loaded Script
26023 Yes py-section-script.py
26024 full name: /tmp/py-section-script.py
26025 No my-foo-pretty-printers.py
26026 @end smallexample
26027 @end table
26028
26029 When reading an auto-loaded file, @value{GDBN} sets the
26030 @dfn{current objfile}. This is available via the @code{gdb.current_objfile}
26031 function (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}). This can be useful for
26032 registering objfile-specific pretty-printers.
26033
26034 @menu
26035 * objfile-gdb.py file:: The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} file
26036 * dotdebug_gdb_scripts section:: The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
26037 * Which flavor to choose?::
26038 @end menu
26039
26040 @node objfile-gdb.py file
26041 @subsubsection The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} file
26042 @cindex @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py}
26043
26044 When a new object file is read, @value{GDBN} looks for
26045 a file named @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py} (we call it @var{script-name} below),
26046 where @var{objfile} is the object file's real name, formed by ensuring
26047 that the file name is absolute, following all symlinks, and resolving
26048 @code{.} and @code{..} components. If this file exists and is
26049 readable, @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as a Python script.
26050
26051 If this file does not exist, then @value{GDBN} will look for
26052 @var{script-name} file in all of the directories as specified below.
26053
26054 Note that loading of this script file also requires accordingly configured
26055 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
26056
26057 For object files using @file{.exe} suffix @value{GDBN} tries to load first the
26058 scripts normally according to its @file{.exe} filename. But if no scripts are
26059 found @value{GDBN} also tries script filenames matching the object file without
26060 its @file{.exe} suffix. This @file{.exe} stripping is case insensitive and it
26061 is attempted on any platform. This makes the script filenames compatible
26062 between Unix and MS-Windows hosts.
26063
26064 @table @code
26065 @anchor{set auto-load scripts-directory}
26066 @kindex set auto-load scripts-directory
26067 @item set auto-load scripts-directory @r{[}@var{directories}@r{]}
26068 Control @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location. Multiple directory entries
26069 may be delimited by the host platform path separator in use
26070 (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS).
26071
26072 Each entry here needs to be covered also by the security setting
26073 @code{set auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{set auto-load safe-path}).
26074
26075 @anchor{with-auto-load-dir}
26076 This variable defaults to @file{$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load}. The default
26077 @code{set auto-load safe-path} value can be also overriden by @value{GDBN}
26078 configuration option @option{--with-auto-load-dir}.
26079
26080 Any reference to @file{$debugdir} will get replaced by
26081 @var{debug-file-directory} value (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}) and any
26082 reference to @file{$datadir} will get replaced by @var{data-directory} which is
26083 determined at @value{GDBN} startup (@pxref{Data Files}). @file{$debugdir} and
26084 @file{$datadir} must be placed as a directory component --- either alone or
26085 delimited by @file{/} or @file{\} directory separators, depending on the host
26086 platform.
26087
26088 The list of directories uses path separator (@samp{:} on GNU and Unix
26089 systems, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS) to separate directories, similarly
26090 to the @env{PATH} environment variable.
26091
26092 @anchor{show auto-load scripts-directory}
26093 @kindex show auto-load scripts-directory
26094 @item show auto-load scripts-directory
26095 Show @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
26096 @end table
26097
26098 @value{GDBN} does not track which files it has already auto-loaded this way.
26099 @value{GDBN} will load the associated script every time the corresponding
26100 @var{objfile} is opened.
26101 So your @file{-gdb.py} file should be careful to avoid errors if it
26102 is evaluated more than once.
26103
26104 @node dotdebug_gdb_scripts section
26105 @subsubsection The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
26106 @cindex @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
26107
26108 For systems using file formats like ELF and COFF,
26109 when @value{GDBN} loads a new object file
26110 it will look for a special section named @samp{.debug_gdb_scripts}.
26111 If this section exists, its contents is a list of names of scripts to load.
26112
26113 @value{GDBN} will look for each specified script file first in the
26114 current directory and then along the source search path
26115 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}),
26116 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched, since the compilation
26117 directory is not relevant to scripts.
26118
26119 Entries can be placed in section @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} with,
26120 for example, this GCC macro:
26121
26122 @example
26123 /* Note: The "MS" section flags are to remove duplicates. */
26124 #define DEFINE_GDB_SCRIPT(script_name) \
26125 asm("\
26126 .pushsection \".debug_gdb_scripts\", \"MS\",@@progbits,1\n\
26127 .byte 1\n\
26128 .asciz \"" script_name "\"\n\
26129 .popsection \n\
26130 ");
26131 @end example
26132
26133 @noindent
26134 Then one can reference the macro in a header or source file like this:
26135
26136 @example
26137 DEFINE_GDB_SCRIPT ("my-app-scripts.py")
26138 @end example
26139
26140 The script name may include directories if desired.
26141
26142 Note that loading of this script file also requires accordingly configured
26143 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
26144
26145 If the macro is put in a header, any application or library
26146 using this header will get a reference to the specified script.
26147
26148 @node Which flavor to choose?
26149 @subsubsection Which flavor to choose?
26150
26151 Given the multiple ways of auto-loading Python scripts, it might not always
26152 be clear which one to choose. This section provides some guidance.
26153
26154 Benefits of the @file{-gdb.py} way:
26155
26156 @itemize @bullet
26157 @item
26158 Can be used with file formats that don't support multiple sections.
26159
26160 @item
26161 Ease of finding scripts for public libraries.
26162
26163 Scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section are searched for
26164 in the source search path.
26165 For publicly installed libraries, e.g., @file{libstdc++}, there typically
26166 isn't a source directory in which to find the script.
26167
26168 @item
26169 Doesn't require source code additions.
26170 @end itemize
26171
26172 Benefits of the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} way:
26173
26174 @itemize @bullet
26175 @item
26176 Works with static linking.
26177
26178 Scripts for libraries done the @file{-gdb.py} way require an objfile to
26179 trigger their loading. When an application is statically linked the only
26180 objfile available is the executable, and it is cumbersome to attach all the
26181 scripts from all the input libraries to the executable's @file{-gdb.py} script.
26182
26183 @item
26184 Works with classes that are entirely inlined.
26185
26186 Some classes can be entirely inlined, and thus there may not be an associated
26187 shared library to attach a @file{-gdb.py} script to.
26188
26189 @item
26190 Scripts needn't be copied out of the source tree.
26191
26192 In some circumstances, apps can be built out of large collections of internal
26193 libraries, and the build infrastructure necessary to install the
26194 @file{-gdb.py} scripts in a place where @value{GDBN} can find them is
26195 cumbersome. It may be easier to specify the scripts in the
26196 @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section as relative paths, and add a path to the
26197 top of the source tree to the source search path.
26198 @end itemize
26199
26200 @node Python modules
26201 @subsection Python modules
26202 @cindex python modules
26203
26204 @value{GDBN} comes with several modules to assist writing Python code.
26205
26206 @menu
26207 * gdb.printing:: Building and registering pretty-printers.
26208 * gdb.types:: Utilities for working with types.
26209 * gdb.prompt:: Utilities for prompt value substitution.
26210 @end menu
26211
26212 @node gdb.printing
26213 @subsubsection gdb.printing
26214 @cindex gdb.printing
26215
26216 This module provides a collection of utilities for working with
26217 pretty-printers.
26218
26219 @table @code
26220 @item PrettyPrinter (@var{name}, @var{subprinters}=None)
26221 This class specifies the API that makes @samp{info pretty-printer},
26222 @samp{enable pretty-printer} and @samp{disable pretty-printer} work.
26223 Pretty-printers should generally inherit from this class.
26224
26225 @item SubPrettyPrinter (@var{name})
26226 For printers that handle multiple types, this class specifies the
26227 corresponding API for the subprinters.
26228
26229 @item RegexpCollectionPrettyPrinter (@var{name})
26230 Utility class for handling multiple printers, all recognized via
26231 regular expressions.
26232 @xref{Writing a Pretty-Printer}, for an example.
26233
26234 @item FlagEnumerationPrinter (@var{name})
26235 A pretty-printer which handles printing of @code{enum} values. Unlike
26236 @value{GDBN}'s built-in @code{enum} printing, this printer attempts to
26237 work properly when there is some overlap between the enumeration
26238 constants. @var{name} is the name of the printer and also the name of
26239 the @code{enum} type to look up.
26240
26241 @item register_pretty_printer (@var{obj}, @var{printer}, @var{replace}=False)
26242 Register @var{printer} with the pretty-printer list of @var{obj}.
26243 If @var{replace} is @code{True} then any existing copy of the printer
26244 is replaced. Otherwise a @code{RuntimeError} exception is raised
26245 if a printer with the same name already exists.
26246 @end table
26247
26248 @node gdb.types
26249 @subsubsection gdb.types
26250 @cindex gdb.types
26251
26252 This module provides a collection of utilities for working with
26253 @code{gdb.Type} objects.
26254
26255 @table @code
26256 @item get_basic_type (@var{type})
26257 Return @var{type} with const and volatile qualifiers stripped,
26258 and with typedefs and C@t{++} references converted to the underlying type.
26259
26260 C@t{++} example:
26261
26262 @smallexample
26263 typedef const int const_int;
26264 const_int foo (3);
26265 const_int& foo_ref (foo);
26266 int main () @{ return 0; @}
26267 @end smallexample
26268
26269 Then in gdb:
26270
26271 @smallexample
26272 (gdb) start
26273 (gdb) python import gdb.types
26274 (gdb) python foo_ref = gdb.parse_and_eval("foo_ref")
26275 (gdb) python print gdb.types.get_basic_type(foo_ref.type)
26276 int
26277 @end smallexample
26278
26279 @item has_field (@var{type}, @var{field})
26280 Return @code{True} if @var{type}, assumed to be a type with fields
26281 (e.g., a structure or union), has field @var{field}.
26282
26283 @item make_enum_dict (@var{enum_type})
26284 Return a Python @code{dictionary} type produced from @var{enum_type}.
26285
26286 @item deep_items (@var{type})
26287 Returns a Python iterator similar to the standard
26288 @code{gdb.Type.iteritems} method, except that the iterator returned
26289 by @code{deep_items} will recursively traverse anonymous struct or
26290 union fields. For example:
26291
26292 @smallexample
26293 struct A
26294 @{
26295 int a;
26296 union @{
26297 int b0;
26298 int b1;
26299 @};
26300 @};
26301 @end smallexample
26302
26303 @noindent
26304 Then in @value{GDBN}:
26305 @smallexample
26306 (@value{GDBP}) python import gdb.types
26307 (@value{GDBP}) python struct_a = gdb.lookup_type("struct A")
26308 (@value{GDBP}) python print struct_a.keys ()
26309 @{['a', '']@}
26310 (@value{GDBP}) python print [k for k,v in gdb.types.deep_items(struct_a)]
26311 @{['a', 'b0', 'b1']@}
26312 @end smallexample
26313
26314 @item get_type_recognizers ()
26315 Return a list of the enabled type recognizers for the current context.
26316 This is called by @value{GDBN} during the type-printing process
26317 (@pxref{Type Printing API}).
26318
26319 @item apply_type_recognizers (recognizers, type_obj)
26320 Apply the type recognizers, @var{recognizers}, to the type object
26321 @var{type_obj}. If any recognizer returns a string, return that
26322 string. Otherwise, return @code{None}. This is called by
26323 @value{GDBN} during the type-printing process (@pxref{Type Printing
26324 API}).
26325
26326 @item register_type_printer (locus, printer)
26327 This is a convenience function to register a type printer.
26328 @var{printer} is the type printer to register. It must implement the
26329 type printer protocol. @var{locus} is either a @code{gdb.Objfile}, in
26330 which case the printer is registered with that objfile; a
26331 @code{gdb.Progspace}, in which case the printer is registered with
26332 that progspace; or @code{None}, in which case the printer is
26333 registered globally.
26334
26335 @item TypePrinter
26336 This is a base class that implements the type printer protocol. Type
26337 printers are encouraged, but not required, to derive from this class.
26338 It defines a constructor:
26339
26340 @defmethod TypePrinter __init__ (self, name)
26341 Initialize the type printer with the given name. The new printer
26342 starts in the enabled state.
26343 @end defmethod
26344
26345 @end table
26346
26347 @node gdb.prompt
26348 @subsubsection gdb.prompt
26349 @cindex gdb.prompt
26350
26351 This module provides a method for prompt value-substitution.
26352
26353 @table @code
26354 @item substitute_prompt (@var{string})
26355 Return @var{string} with escape sequences substituted by values. Some
26356 escape sequences take arguments. You can specify arguments inside
26357 ``@{@}'' immediately following the escape sequence.
26358
26359 The escape sequences you can pass to this function are:
26360
26361 @table @code
26362 @item \\
26363 Substitute a backslash.
26364 @item \e
26365 Substitute an ESC character.
26366 @item \f
26367 Substitute the selected frame; an argument names a frame parameter.
26368 @item \n
26369 Substitute a newline.
26370 @item \p
26371 Substitute a parameter's value; the argument names the parameter.
26372 @item \r
26373 Substitute a carriage return.
26374 @item \t
26375 Substitute the selected thread; an argument names a thread parameter.
26376 @item \v
26377 Substitute the version of GDB.
26378 @item \w
26379 Substitute the current working directory.
26380 @item \[
26381 Begin a sequence of non-printing characters. These sequences are
26382 typically used with the ESC character, and are not counted in the string
26383 length. Example: ``\[\e[0;34m\](gdb)\[\e[0m\]'' will return a
26384 blue-colored ``(gdb)'' prompt where the length is five.
26385 @item \]
26386 End a sequence of non-printing characters.
26387 @end table
26388
26389 For example:
26390
26391 @smallexample
26392 substitute_prompt (``frame: \f,
26393 print arguments: \p@{print frame-arguments@}'')
26394 @end smallexample
26395
26396 @exdent will return the string:
26397
26398 @smallexample
26399 "frame: main, print arguments: scalars"
26400 @end smallexample
26401 @end table
26402
26403 @node Aliases
26404 @section Creating new spellings of existing commands
26405 @cindex aliases for commands
26406
26407 It is often useful to define alternate spellings of existing commands.
26408 For example, if a new @value{GDBN} command defined in Python has
26409 a long name to type, it is handy to have an abbreviated version of it
26410 that involves less typing.
26411
26412 @value{GDBN} itself uses aliases. For example @samp{s} is an alias
26413 of the @samp{step} command even though it is otherwise an ambiguous
26414 abbreviation of other commands like @samp{set} and @samp{show}.
26415
26416 Aliases are also used to provide shortened or more common versions
26417 of multi-word commands. For example, @value{GDBN} provides the
26418 @samp{tty} alias of the @samp{set inferior-tty} command.
26419
26420 You can define a new alias with the @samp{alias} command.
26421
26422 @table @code
26423
26424 @kindex alias
26425 @item alias [-a] [--] @var{ALIAS} = @var{COMMAND}
26426
26427 @end table
26428
26429 @var{ALIAS} specifies the name of the new alias.
26430 Each word of @var{ALIAS} must consist of letters, numbers, dashes and
26431 underscores.
26432
26433 @var{COMMAND} specifies the name of an existing command
26434 that is being aliased.
26435
26436 The @samp{-a} option specifies that the new alias is an abbreviation
26437 of the command. Abbreviations are not shown in command
26438 lists displayed by the @samp{help} command.
26439
26440 The @samp{--} option specifies the end of options,
26441 and is useful when @var{ALIAS} begins with a dash.
26442
26443 Here is a simple example showing how to make an abbreviation
26444 of a command so that there is less to type.
26445 Suppose you were tired of typing @samp{disas}, the current
26446 shortest unambiguous abbreviation of the @samp{disassemble} command
26447 and you wanted an even shorter version named @samp{di}.
26448 The following will accomplish this.
26449
26450 @smallexample
26451 (gdb) alias -a di = disas
26452 @end smallexample
26453
26454 Note that aliases are different from user-defined commands.
26455 With a user-defined command, you also need to write documentation
26456 for it with the @samp{document} command.
26457 An alias automatically picks up the documentation of the existing command.
26458
26459 Here is an example where we make @samp{elms} an abbreviation of
26460 @samp{elements} in the @samp{set print elements} command.
26461 This is to show that you can make an abbreviation of any part
26462 of a command.
26463
26464 @smallexample
26465 (gdb) alias -a set print elms = set print elements
26466 (gdb) alias -a show print elms = show print elements
26467 (gdb) set p elms 20
26468 (gdb) show p elms
26469 Limit on string chars or array elements to print is 200.
26470 @end smallexample
26471
26472 Note that if you are defining an alias of a @samp{set} command,
26473 and you want to have an alias for the corresponding @samp{show}
26474 command, then you need to define the latter separately.
26475
26476 Unambiguously abbreviated commands are allowed in @var{COMMAND} and
26477 @var{ALIAS}, just as they are normally.
26478
26479 @smallexample
26480 (gdb) alias -a set pr elms = set p ele
26481 @end smallexample
26482
26483 Finally, here is an example showing the creation of a one word
26484 alias for a more complex command.
26485 This creates alias @samp{spe} of the command @samp{set print elements}.
26486
26487 @smallexample
26488 (gdb) alias spe = set print elements
26489 (gdb) spe 20
26490 @end smallexample
26491
26492 @node Interpreters
26493 @chapter Command Interpreters
26494 @cindex command interpreters
26495
26496 @value{GDBN} supports multiple command interpreters, and some command
26497 infrastructure to allow users or user interface writers to switch
26498 between interpreters or run commands in other interpreters.
26499
26500 @value{GDBN} currently supports two command interpreters, the console
26501 interpreter (sometimes called the command-line interpreter or @sc{cli})
26502 and the machine interface interpreter (or @sc{gdb/mi}). This manual
26503 describes both of these interfaces in great detail.
26504
26505 By default, @value{GDBN} will start with the console interpreter.
26506 However, the user may choose to start @value{GDBN} with another
26507 interpreter by specifying the @option{-i} or @option{--interpreter}
26508 startup options. Defined interpreters include:
26509
26510 @table @code
26511 @item console
26512 @cindex console interpreter
26513 The traditional console or command-line interpreter. This is the most often
26514 used interpreter with @value{GDBN}. With no interpreter specified at runtime,
26515 @value{GDBN} will use this interpreter.
26516
26517 @item mi
26518 @cindex mi interpreter
26519 The newest @sc{gdb/mi} interface (currently @code{mi2}). Used primarily
26520 by programs wishing to use @value{GDBN} as a backend for a debugger GUI
26521 or an IDE. For more information, see @ref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi}
26522 Interface}.
26523
26524 @item mi2
26525 @cindex mi2 interpreter
26526 The current @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
26527
26528 @item mi1
26529 @cindex mi1 interpreter
26530 The @sc{gdb/mi} interface included in @value{GDBN} 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
26531
26532 @end table
26533
26534 @cindex invoke another interpreter
26535 The interpreter being used by @value{GDBN} may not be dynamically
26536 switched at runtime. Although possible, this could lead to a very
26537 precarious situation. Consider an IDE using @sc{gdb/mi}. If a user
26538 enters the command "interpreter-set console" in a console view,
26539 @value{GDBN} would switch to using the console interpreter, rendering
26540 the IDE inoperable!
26541
26542 @kindex interpreter-exec
26543 Although you may only choose a single interpreter at startup, you may execute
26544 commands in any interpreter from the current interpreter using the appropriate
26545 command. If you are running the console interpreter, simply use the
26546 @code{interpreter-exec} command:
26547
26548 @smallexample
26549 interpreter-exec mi "-data-list-register-names"
26550 @end smallexample
26551
26552 @sc{gdb/mi} has a similar command, although it is only available in versions of
26553 @value{GDBN} which support @sc{gdb/mi} version 2 (or greater).
26554
26555 @node TUI
26556 @chapter @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
26557 @cindex TUI
26558 @cindex Text User Interface
26559
26560 @menu
26561 * TUI Overview:: TUI overview
26562 * TUI Keys:: TUI key bindings
26563 * TUI Single Key Mode:: TUI single key mode
26564 * TUI Commands:: TUI-specific commands
26565 * TUI Configuration:: TUI configuration variables
26566 @end menu
26567
26568 The @value{GDBN} Text User Interface (TUI) is a terminal
26569 interface which uses the @code{curses} library to show the source
26570 file, the assembly output, the program registers and @value{GDBN}
26571 commands in separate text windows. The TUI mode is supported only
26572 on platforms where a suitable version of the @code{curses} library
26573 is available.
26574
26575 The TUI mode is enabled by default when you invoke @value{GDBN} as
26576 @samp{@value{GDBP} -tui}.
26577 You can also switch in and out of TUI mode while @value{GDBN} runs by
26578 using various TUI commands and key bindings, such as @kbd{C-x C-a}.
26579 @xref{TUI Keys, ,TUI Key Bindings}.
26580
26581 @node TUI Overview
26582 @section TUI Overview
26583
26584 In TUI mode, @value{GDBN} can display several text windows:
26585
26586 @table @emph
26587 @item command
26588 This window is the @value{GDBN} command window with the @value{GDBN}
26589 prompt and the @value{GDBN} output. The @value{GDBN} input is still
26590 managed using readline.
26591
26592 @item source
26593 The source window shows the source file of the program. The current
26594 line and active breakpoints are displayed in this window.
26595
26596 @item assembly
26597 The assembly window shows the disassembly output of the program.
26598
26599 @item register
26600 This window shows the processor registers. Registers are highlighted
26601 when their values change.
26602 @end table
26603
26604 The source and assembly windows show the current program position
26605 by highlighting the current line and marking it with a @samp{>} marker.
26606 Breakpoints are indicated with two markers. The first marker
26607 indicates the breakpoint type:
26608
26609 @table @code
26610 @item B
26611 Breakpoint which was hit at least once.
26612
26613 @item b
26614 Breakpoint which was never hit.
26615
26616 @item H
26617 Hardware breakpoint which was hit at least once.
26618
26619 @item h
26620 Hardware breakpoint which was never hit.
26621 @end table
26622
26623 The second marker indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled or not:
26624
26625 @table @code
26626 @item +
26627 Breakpoint is enabled.
26628
26629 @item -
26630 Breakpoint is disabled.
26631 @end table
26632
26633 The source, assembly and register windows are updated when the current
26634 thread changes, when the frame changes, or when the program counter
26635 changes.
26636
26637 These windows are not all visible at the same time. The command
26638 window is always visible. The others can be arranged in several
26639 layouts:
26640
26641 @itemize @bullet
26642 @item
26643 source only,
26644
26645 @item
26646 assembly only,
26647
26648 @item
26649 source and assembly,
26650
26651 @item
26652 source and registers, or
26653
26654 @item
26655 assembly and registers.
26656 @end itemize
26657
26658 A status line above the command window shows the following information:
26659
26660 @table @emph
26661 @item target
26662 Indicates the current @value{GDBN} target.
26663 (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
26664
26665 @item process
26666 Gives the current process or thread number.
26667 When no process is being debugged, this field is set to @code{No process}.
26668
26669 @item function
26670 Gives the current function name for the selected frame.
26671 The name is demangled if demangling is turned on (@pxref{Print Settings}).
26672 When there is no symbol corresponding to the current program counter,
26673 the string @code{??} is displayed.
26674
26675 @item line
26676 Indicates the current line number for the selected frame.
26677 When the current line number is not known, the string @code{??} is displayed.
26678
26679 @item pc
26680 Indicates the current program counter address.
26681 @end table
26682
26683 @node TUI Keys
26684 @section TUI Key Bindings
26685 @cindex TUI key bindings
26686
26687 The TUI installs several key bindings in the readline keymaps
26688 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
26689 (@pxref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library}).
26690 @end ifset
26691 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
26692 (@pxref{Command Line Editing}).
26693 @end ifclear
26694 The following key bindings are installed for both TUI mode and the
26695 @value{GDBN} standard mode.
26696
26697 @table @kbd
26698 @kindex C-x C-a
26699 @item C-x C-a
26700 @kindex C-x a
26701 @itemx C-x a
26702 @kindex C-x A
26703 @itemx C-x A
26704 Enter or leave the TUI mode. When leaving the TUI mode,
26705 the curses window management stops and @value{GDBN} operates using
26706 its standard mode, writing on the terminal directly. When reentering
26707 the TUI mode, control is given back to the curses windows.
26708 The screen is then refreshed.
26709
26710 @kindex C-x 1
26711 @item C-x 1
26712 Use a TUI layout with only one window. The layout will
26713 either be @samp{source} or @samp{assembly}. When the TUI mode
26714 is not active, it will switch to the TUI mode.
26715
26716 Think of this key binding as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 1} binding.
26717
26718 @kindex C-x 2
26719 @item C-x 2
26720 Use a TUI layout with at least two windows. When the current
26721 layout already has two windows, the next layout with two windows is used.
26722 When a new layout is chosen, one window will always be common to the
26723 previous layout and the new one.
26724
26725 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 2} binding.
26726
26727 @kindex C-x o
26728 @item C-x o
26729 Change the active window. The TUI associates several key bindings
26730 (like scrolling and arrow keys) with the active window. This command
26731 gives the focus to the next TUI window.
26732
26733 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x o} binding.
26734
26735 @kindex C-x s
26736 @item C-x s
26737 Switch in and out of the TUI SingleKey mode that binds single
26738 keys to @value{GDBN} commands (@pxref{TUI Single Key Mode}).
26739 @end table
26740
26741 The following key bindings only work in the TUI mode:
26742
26743 @table @asis
26744 @kindex PgUp
26745 @item @key{PgUp}
26746 Scroll the active window one page up.
26747
26748 @kindex PgDn
26749 @item @key{PgDn}
26750 Scroll the active window one page down.
26751
26752 @kindex Up
26753 @item @key{Up}
26754 Scroll the active window one line up.
26755
26756 @kindex Down
26757 @item @key{Down}
26758 Scroll the active window one line down.
26759
26760 @kindex Left
26761 @item @key{Left}
26762 Scroll the active window one column left.
26763
26764 @kindex Right
26765 @item @key{Right}
26766 Scroll the active window one column right.
26767
26768 @kindex C-L
26769 @item @kbd{C-L}
26770 Refresh the screen.
26771 @end table
26772
26773 Because the arrow keys scroll the active window in the TUI mode, they
26774 are not available for their normal use by readline unless the command
26775 window has the focus. When another window is active, you must use
26776 other readline key bindings such as @kbd{C-p}, @kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-b}
26777 and @kbd{C-f} to control the command window.
26778
26779 @node TUI Single Key Mode
26780 @section TUI Single Key Mode
26781 @cindex TUI single key mode
26782
26783 The TUI also provides a @dfn{SingleKey} mode, which binds several
26784 frequently used @value{GDBN} commands to single keys. Type @kbd{C-x s} to
26785 switch into this mode, where the following key bindings are used:
26786
26787 @table @kbd
26788 @kindex c @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26789 @item c
26790 continue
26791
26792 @kindex d @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26793 @item d
26794 down
26795
26796 @kindex f @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26797 @item f
26798 finish
26799
26800 @kindex n @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26801 @item n
26802 next
26803
26804 @kindex q @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26805 @item q
26806 exit the SingleKey mode.
26807
26808 @kindex r @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26809 @item r
26810 run
26811
26812 @kindex s @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26813 @item s
26814 step
26815
26816 @kindex u @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26817 @item u
26818 up
26819
26820 @kindex v @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26821 @item v
26822 info locals
26823
26824 @kindex w @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26825 @item w
26826 where
26827 @end table
26828
26829 Other keys temporarily switch to the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
26830 The key that was pressed is inserted in the editing buffer so that
26831 it is possible to type most @value{GDBN} commands without interaction
26832 with the TUI SingleKey mode. Once the command is entered the TUI
26833 SingleKey mode is restored. The only way to permanently leave
26834 this mode is by typing @kbd{q} or @kbd{C-x s}.
26835
26836
26837 @node TUI Commands
26838 @section TUI-specific Commands
26839 @cindex TUI commands
26840
26841 The TUI has specific commands to control the text windows.
26842 These commands are always available, even when @value{GDBN} is not in
26843 the TUI mode. When @value{GDBN} is in the standard mode, most
26844 of these commands will automatically switch to the TUI mode.
26845
26846 Note that if @value{GDBN}'s @code{stdout} is not connected to a
26847 terminal, or @value{GDBN} has been started with the machine interface
26848 interpreter (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}), most of
26849 these commands will fail with an error, because it would not be
26850 possible or desirable to enable curses window management.
26851
26852 @table @code
26853 @item info win
26854 @kindex info win
26855 List and give the size of all displayed windows.
26856
26857 @item layout next
26858 @kindex layout
26859 Display the next layout.
26860
26861 @item layout prev
26862 Display the previous layout.
26863
26864 @item layout src
26865 Display the source window only.
26866
26867 @item layout asm
26868 Display the assembly window only.
26869
26870 @item layout split
26871 Display the source and assembly window.
26872
26873 @item layout regs
26874 Display the register window together with the source or assembly window.
26875
26876 @item focus next
26877 @kindex focus
26878 Make the next window active for scrolling.
26879
26880 @item focus prev
26881 Make the previous window active for scrolling.
26882
26883 @item focus src
26884 Make the source window active for scrolling.
26885
26886 @item focus asm
26887 Make the assembly window active for scrolling.
26888
26889 @item focus regs
26890 Make the register window active for scrolling.
26891
26892 @item focus cmd
26893 Make the command window active for scrolling.
26894
26895 @item refresh
26896 @kindex refresh
26897 Refresh the screen. This is similar to typing @kbd{C-L}.
26898
26899 @item tui reg float
26900 @kindex tui reg
26901 Show the floating point registers in the register window.
26902
26903 @item tui reg general
26904 Show the general registers in the register window.
26905
26906 @item tui reg next
26907 Show the next register group. The list of register groups as well as
26908 their order is target specific. The predefined register groups are the
26909 following: @code{general}, @code{float}, @code{system}, @code{vector},
26910 @code{all}, @code{save}, @code{restore}.
26911
26912 @item tui reg system
26913 Show the system registers in the register window.
26914
26915 @item update
26916 @kindex update
26917 Update the source window and the current execution point.
26918
26919 @item winheight @var{name} +@var{count}
26920 @itemx winheight @var{name} -@var{count}
26921 @kindex winheight
26922 Change the height of the window @var{name} by @var{count}
26923 lines. Positive counts increase the height, while negative counts
26924 decrease it.
26925
26926 @item tabset @var{nchars}
26927 @kindex tabset
26928 Set the width of tab stops to be @var{nchars} characters.
26929 @end table
26930
26931 @node TUI Configuration
26932 @section TUI Configuration Variables
26933 @cindex TUI configuration variables
26934
26935 Several configuration variables control the appearance of TUI windows.
26936
26937 @table @code
26938 @item set tui border-kind @var{kind}
26939 @kindex set tui border-kind
26940 Select the border appearance for the source, assembly and register windows.
26941 The possible values are the following:
26942 @table @code
26943 @item space
26944 Use a space character to draw the border.
26945
26946 @item ascii
26947 Use @sc{ascii} characters @samp{+}, @samp{-} and @samp{|} to draw the border.
26948
26949 @item acs
26950 Use the Alternate Character Set to draw the border. The border is
26951 drawn using character line graphics if the terminal supports them.
26952 @end table
26953
26954 @item set tui border-mode @var{mode}
26955 @kindex set tui border-mode
26956 @itemx set tui active-border-mode @var{mode}
26957 @kindex set tui active-border-mode
26958 Select the display attributes for the borders of the inactive windows
26959 or the active window. The @var{mode} can be one of the following:
26960 @table @code
26961 @item normal
26962 Use normal attributes to display the border.
26963
26964 @item standout
26965 Use standout mode.
26966
26967 @item reverse
26968 Use reverse video mode.
26969
26970 @item half
26971 Use half bright mode.
26972
26973 @item half-standout
26974 Use half bright and standout mode.
26975
26976 @item bold
26977 Use extra bright or bold mode.
26978
26979 @item bold-standout
26980 Use extra bright or bold and standout mode.
26981 @end table
26982 @end table
26983
26984 @node Emacs
26985 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
26986
26987 @cindex Emacs
26988 @cindex @sc{gnu} Emacs
26989 A special interface allows you to use @sc{gnu} Emacs to view (and
26990 edit) the source files for the program you are debugging with
26991 @value{GDBN}.
26992
26993 To use this interface, use the command @kbd{M-x gdb} in Emacs. Give the
26994 executable file you want to debug as an argument. This command starts
26995 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess of Emacs, with input and output through a newly
26996 created Emacs buffer.
26997 @c (Do not use the @code{-tui} option to run @value{GDBN} from Emacs.)
26998
26999 Running @value{GDBN} under Emacs can be just like running @value{GDBN} normally except for two
27000 things:
27001
27002 @itemize @bullet
27003 @item
27004 All ``terminal'' input and output goes through an Emacs buffer, called
27005 the GUD buffer.
27006
27007 This applies both to @value{GDBN} commands and their output, and to the input
27008 and output done by the program you are debugging.
27009
27010 This is useful because it means that you can copy the text of previous
27011 commands and input them again; you can even use parts of the output
27012 in this way.
27013
27014 All the facilities of Emacs' Shell mode are available for interacting
27015 with your program. In particular, you can send signals the usual
27016 way---for example, @kbd{C-c C-c} for an interrupt, @kbd{C-c C-z} for a
27017 stop.
27018
27019 @item
27020 @value{GDBN} displays source code through Emacs.
27021
27022 Each time @value{GDBN} displays a stack frame, Emacs automatically finds the
27023 source file for that frame and puts an arrow (@samp{=>}) at the
27024 left margin of the current line. Emacs uses a separate buffer for
27025 source display, and splits the screen to show both your @value{GDBN} session
27026 and the source.
27027
27028 Explicit @value{GDBN} @code{list} or search commands still produce output as
27029 usual, but you probably have no reason to use them from Emacs.
27030 @end itemize
27031
27032 We call this @dfn{text command mode}. Emacs 22.1, and later, also uses
27033 a graphical mode, enabled by default, which provides further buffers
27034 that can control the execution and describe the state of your program.
27035 @xref{GDB Graphical Interface,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}.
27036
27037 If you specify an absolute file name when prompted for the @kbd{M-x
27038 gdb} argument, then Emacs sets your current working directory to where
27039 your program resides. If you only specify the file name, then Emacs
27040 sets your current working directory to the directory associated
27041 with the previous buffer. In this case, @value{GDBN} may find your
27042 program by searching your environment's @code{PATH} variable, but on
27043 some operating systems it might not find the source. So, although the
27044 @value{GDBN} input and output session proceeds normally, the auxiliary
27045 buffer does not display the current source and line of execution.
27046
27047 The initial working directory of @value{GDBN} is printed on the top
27048 line of the GUD buffer and this serves as a default for the commands
27049 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files,
27050 ,Commands to Specify Files}.
27051
27052 By default, @kbd{M-x gdb} calls the program called @file{gdb}. If you
27053 need to call @value{GDBN} by a different name (for example, if you
27054 keep several configurations around, with different names) you can
27055 customize the Emacs variable @code{gud-gdb-command-name} to run the
27056 one you want.
27057
27058 In the GUD buffer, you can use these special Emacs commands in
27059 addition to the standard Shell mode commands:
27060
27061 @table @kbd
27062 @item C-h m
27063 Describe the features of Emacs' GUD Mode.
27064
27065 @item C-c C-s
27066 Execute to another source line, like the @value{GDBN} @code{step} command; also
27067 update the display window to show the current file and location.
27068
27069 @item C-c C-n
27070 Execute to next source line in this function, skipping all function
27071 calls, like the @value{GDBN} @code{next} command. Then update the display window
27072 to show the current file and location.
27073
27074 @item C-c C-i
27075 Execute one instruction, like the @value{GDBN} @code{stepi} command; update
27076 display window accordingly.
27077
27078 @item C-c C-f
27079 Execute until exit from the selected stack frame, like the @value{GDBN}
27080 @code{finish} command.
27081
27082 @item C-c C-r
27083 Continue execution of your program, like the @value{GDBN} @code{continue}
27084 command.
27085
27086 @item C-c <
27087 Go up the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument
27088 (@pxref{Arguments, , Numeric Arguments, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}),
27089 like the @value{GDBN} @code{up} command.
27090
27091 @item C-c >
27092 Go down the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument, like the
27093 @value{GDBN} @code{down} command.
27094 @end table
27095
27096 In any source file, the Emacs command @kbd{C-x @key{SPC}} (@code{gud-break})
27097 tells @value{GDBN} to set a breakpoint on the source line point is on.
27098
27099 In text command mode, if you type @kbd{M-x speedbar}, Emacs displays a
27100 separate frame which shows a backtrace when the GUD buffer is current.
27101 Move point to any frame in the stack and type @key{RET} to make it
27102 become the current frame and display the associated source in the
27103 source buffer. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-2} to make the
27104 selected frame become the current one. In graphical mode, the
27105 speedbar displays watch expressions.
27106
27107 If you accidentally delete the source-display buffer, an easy way to get
27108 it back is to type the command @code{f} in the @value{GDBN} buffer, to
27109 request a frame display; when you run under Emacs, this recreates
27110 the source buffer if necessary to show you the context of the current
27111 frame.
27112
27113 The source files displayed in Emacs are in ordinary Emacs buffers
27114 which are visiting the source files in the usual way. You can edit
27115 the files with these buffers if you wish; but keep in mind that @value{GDBN}
27116 communicates with Emacs in terms of line numbers. If you add or
27117 delete lines from the text, the line numbers that @value{GDBN} knows cease
27118 to correspond properly with the code.
27119
27120 A more detailed description of Emacs' interaction with @value{GDBN} is
27121 given in the Emacs manual (@pxref{Debuggers,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu}
27122 Emacs Manual}).
27123
27124 @node GDB/MI
27125 @chapter The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface
27126
27127 @unnumberedsec Function and Purpose
27128
27129 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, its purpose
27130 @sc{gdb/mi} is a line based machine oriented text interface to
27131 @value{GDBN} and is activated by specifying using the
27132 @option{--interpreter} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}). It
27133 is specifically intended to support the development of systems which
27134 use the debugger as just one small component of a larger system.
27135
27136 This chapter is a specification of the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. It is written
27137 in the form of a reference manual.
27138
27139 Note that @sc{gdb/mi} is still under construction, so some of the
27140 features described below are incomplete and subject to change
27141 (@pxref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, , @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends}).
27142
27143 @unnumberedsec Notation and Terminology
27144
27145 @cindex notational conventions, for @sc{gdb/mi}
27146 This chapter uses the following notation:
27147
27148 @itemize @bullet
27149 @item
27150 @code{|} separates two alternatives.
27151
27152 @item
27153 @code{[ @var{something} ]} indicates that @var{something} is optional:
27154 it may or may not be given.
27155
27156 @item
27157 @code{( @var{group} )*} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
27158 may repeat zero or more times.
27159
27160 @item
27161 @code{( @var{group} )+} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
27162 may repeat one or more times.
27163
27164 @item
27165 @code{"@var{string}"} means a literal @var{string}.
27166 @end itemize
27167
27168 @ignore
27169 @heading Dependencies
27170 @end ignore
27171
27172 @menu
27173 * GDB/MI General Design::
27174 * GDB/MI Command Syntax::
27175 * GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI::
27176 * GDB/MI Development and Front Ends::
27177 * GDB/MI Output Records::
27178 * GDB/MI Simple Examples::
27179 * GDB/MI Command Description Format::
27180 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands::
27181 * GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands::
27182 * GDB/MI Program Context::
27183 * GDB/MI Thread Commands::
27184 * GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands::
27185 * GDB/MI Program Execution::
27186 * GDB/MI Stack Manipulation::
27187 * GDB/MI Variable Objects::
27188 * GDB/MI Data Manipulation::
27189 * GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands::
27190 * GDB/MI Symbol Query::
27191 * GDB/MI File Commands::
27192 @ignore
27193 * GDB/MI Kod Commands::
27194 * GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands::
27195 * GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands::
27196 @end ignore
27197 * GDB/MI Target Manipulation::
27198 * GDB/MI File Transfer Commands::
27199 * GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands::
27200 @end menu
27201
27202 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27203 @node GDB/MI General Design
27204 @section @sc{gdb/mi} General Design
27205 @cindex GDB/MI General Design
27206
27207 Interaction of a @sc{GDB/MI} frontend with @value{GDBN} involves three
27208 parts---commands sent to @value{GDBN}, responses to those commands
27209 and notifications. Each command results in exactly one response,
27210 indicating either successful completion of the command, or an error.
27211 For the commands that do not resume the target, the response contains the
27212 requested information. For the commands that resume the target, the
27213 response only indicates whether the target was successfully resumed.
27214 Notifications is the mechanism for reporting changes in the state of the
27215 target, or in @value{GDBN} state, that cannot conveniently be associated with
27216 a command and reported as part of that command response.
27217
27218 The important examples of notifications are:
27219 @itemize @bullet
27220
27221 @item
27222 Exec notifications. These are used to report changes in
27223 target state---when a target is resumed, or stopped. It would not
27224 be feasible to include this information in response of resuming
27225 commands, because one resume commands can result in multiple events in
27226 different threads. Also, quite some time may pass before any event
27227 happens in the target, while a frontend needs to know whether the resuming
27228 command itself was successfully executed.
27229
27230 @item
27231 Console output, and status notifications. Console output
27232 notifications are used to report output of CLI commands, as well as
27233 diagnostics for other commands. Status notifications are used to
27234 report the progress of a long-running operation. Naturally, including
27235 this information in command response would mean no output is produced
27236 until the command is finished, which is undesirable.
27237
27238 @item
27239 General notifications. Commands may have various side effects on
27240 the @value{GDBN} or target state beyond their official purpose. For example,
27241 a command may change the selected thread. Although such changes can
27242 be included in command response, using notification allows for more
27243 orthogonal frontend design.
27244
27245 @end itemize
27246
27247 There's no guarantee that whenever an MI command reports an error,
27248 @value{GDBN} or the target are in any specific state, and especially,
27249 the state is not reverted to the state before the MI command was
27250 processed. Therefore, whenever an MI command results in an error,
27251 we recommend that the frontend refreshes all the information shown in
27252 the user interface.
27253
27254
27255 @menu
27256 * Context management::
27257 * Asynchronous and non-stop modes::
27258 * Thread groups::
27259 @end menu
27260
27261 @node Context management
27262 @subsection Context management
27263
27264 In most cases when @value{GDBN} accesses the target, this access is
27265 done in context of a specific thread and frame (@pxref{Frames}).
27266 Often, even when accessing global data, the target requires that a thread
27267 be specified. The CLI interface maintains the selected thread and frame,
27268 and supplies them to target on each command. This is convenient,
27269 because a command line user would not want to specify that information
27270 explicitly on each command, and because user interacts with
27271 @value{GDBN} via a single terminal, so no confusion is possible as
27272 to what thread and frame are the current ones.
27273
27274 In the case of MI, the concept of selected thread and frame is less
27275 useful. First, a frontend can easily remember this information
27276 itself. Second, a graphical frontend can have more than one window,
27277 each one used for debugging a different thread, and the frontend might
27278 want to access additional threads for internal purposes. This
27279 increases the risk that by relying on implicitly selected thread, the
27280 frontend may be operating on a wrong one. Therefore, each MI command
27281 should explicitly specify which thread and frame to operate on. To
27282 make it possible, each MI command accepts the @samp{--thread} and
27283 @samp{--frame} options, the value to each is @value{GDBN} identifier
27284 for thread and frame to operate on.
27285
27286 Usually, each top-level window in a frontend allows the user to select
27287 a thread and a frame, and remembers the user selection for further
27288 operations. However, in some cases @value{GDBN} may suggest that the
27289 current thread be changed. For example, when stopping on a breakpoint
27290 it is reasonable to switch to the thread where breakpoint is hit. For
27291 another example, if the user issues the CLI @samp{thread} command via
27292 the frontend, it is desirable to change the frontend's selected thread to the
27293 one specified by user. @value{GDBN} communicates the suggestion to
27294 change current thread using the @samp{=thread-selected} notification.
27295 No such notification is available for the selected frame at the moment.
27296
27297 Note that historically, MI shares the selected thread with CLI, so
27298 frontends used the @code{-thread-select} to execute commands in the
27299 right context. However, getting this to work right is cumbersome. The
27300 simplest way is for frontend to emit @code{-thread-select} command
27301 before every command. This doubles the number of commands that need
27302 to be sent. The alternative approach is to suppress @code{-thread-select}
27303 if the selected thread in @value{GDBN} is supposed to be identical to the
27304 thread the frontend wants to operate on. However, getting this
27305 optimization right can be tricky. In particular, if the frontend
27306 sends several commands to @value{GDBN}, and one of the commands changes the
27307 selected thread, then the behaviour of subsequent commands will
27308 change. So, a frontend should either wait for response from such
27309 problematic commands, or explicitly add @code{-thread-select} for
27310 all subsequent commands. No frontend is known to do this exactly
27311 right, so it is suggested to just always pass the @samp{--thread} and
27312 @samp{--frame} options.
27313
27314 @node Asynchronous and non-stop modes
27315 @subsection Asynchronous command execution and non-stop mode
27316
27317 On some targets, @value{GDBN} is capable of processing MI commands
27318 even while the target is running. This is called @dfn{asynchronous
27319 command execution} (@pxref{Background Execution}). The frontend may
27320 specify a preferrence for asynchronous execution using the
27321 @code{-gdb-set target-async 1} command, which should be emitted before
27322 either running the executable or attaching to the target. After the
27323 frontend has started the executable or attached to the target, it can
27324 find if asynchronous execution is enabled using the
27325 @code{-list-target-features} command.
27326
27327 Even if @value{GDBN} can accept a command while target is running,
27328 many commands that access the target do not work when the target is
27329 running. Therefore, asynchronous command execution is most useful
27330 when combined with non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}). Then,
27331 it is possible to examine the state of one thread, while other threads
27332 are running.
27333
27334 When a given thread is running, MI commands that try to access the
27335 target in the context of that thread may not work, or may work only on
27336 some targets. In particular, commands that try to operate on thread's
27337 stack will not work, on any target. Commands that read memory, or
27338 modify breakpoints, may work or not work, depending on the target. Note
27339 that even commands that operate on global state, such as @code{print},
27340 @code{set}, and breakpoint commands, still access the target in the
27341 context of a specific thread, so frontend should try to find a
27342 stopped thread and perform the operation on that thread (using the
27343 @samp{--thread} option).
27344
27345 Which commands will work in the context of a running thread is
27346 highly target dependent. However, the two commands
27347 @code{-exec-interrupt}, to stop a thread, and @code{-thread-info},
27348 to find the state of a thread, will always work.
27349
27350 @node Thread groups
27351 @subsection Thread groups
27352 @value{GDBN} may be used to debug several processes at the same time.
27353 On some platfroms, @value{GDBN} may support debugging of several
27354 hardware systems, each one having several cores with several different
27355 processes running on each core. This section describes the MI
27356 mechanism to support such debugging scenarios.
27357
27358 The key observation is that regardless of the structure of the
27359 target, MI can have a global list of threads, because most commands that
27360 accept the @samp{--thread} option do not need to know what process that
27361 thread belongs to. Therefore, it is not necessary to introduce
27362 neither additional @samp{--process} option, nor an notion of the
27363 current process in the MI interface. The only strictly new feature
27364 that is required is the ability to find how the threads are grouped
27365 into processes.
27366
27367 To allow the user to discover such grouping, and to support arbitrary
27368 hierarchy of machines/cores/processes, MI introduces the concept of a
27369 @dfn{thread group}. Thread group is a collection of threads and other
27370 thread groups. A thread group always has a string identifier, a type,
27371 and may have additional attributes specific to the type. A new
27372 command, @code{-list-thread-groups}, returns the list of top-level
27373 thread groups, which correspond to processes that @value{GDBN} is
27374 debugging at the moment. By passing an identifier of a thread group
27375 to the @code{-list-thread-groups} command, it is possible to obtain
27376 the members of specific thread group.
27377
27378 To allow the user to easily discover processes, and other objects, he
27379 wishes to debug, a concept of @dfn{available thread group} is
27380 introduced. Available thread group is an thread group that
27381 @value{GDBN} is not debugging, but that can be attached to, using the
27382 @code{-target-attach} command. The list of available top-level thread
27383 groups can be obtained using @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}.
27384 In general, the content of a thread group may be only retrieved only
27385 after attaching to that thread group.
27386
27387 Thread groups are related to inferiors (@pxref{Inferiors and
27388 Programs}). Each inferior corresponds to a thread group of a special
27389 type @samp{process}, and some additional operations are permitted on
27390 such thread groups.
27391
27392 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27393 @node GDB/MI Command Syntax
27394 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Syntax
27395
27396 @menu
27397 * GDB/MI Input Syntax::
27398 * GDB/MI Output Syntax::
27399 @end menu
27400
27401 @node GDB/MI Input Syntax
27402 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Input Syntax
27403
27404 @cindex input syntax for @sc{gdb/mi}
27405 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, input syntax
27406 @table @code
27407 @item @var{command} @expansion{}
27408 @code{@var{cli-command} | @var{mi-command}}
27409
27410 @item @var{cli-command} @expansion{}
27411 @code{[ @var{token} ] @var{cli-command} @var{nl}}, where
27412 @var{cli-command} is any existing @value{GDBN} CLI command.
27413
27414 @item @var{mi-command} @expansion{}
27415 @code{[ @var{token} ] "-" @var{operation} ( " " @var{option} )*
27416 @code{[} " --" @code{]} ( " " @var{parameter} )* @var{nl}}
27417
27418 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
27419 "any sequence of digits"
27420
27421 @item @var{option} @expansion{}
27422 @code{"-" @var{parameter} [ " " @var{parameter} ]}
27423
27424 @item @var{parameter} @expansion{}
27425 @code{@var{non-blank-sequence} | @var{c-string}}
27426
27427 @item @var{operation} @expansion{}
27428 @emph{any of the operations described in this chapter}
27429
27430 @item @var{non-blank-sequence} @expansion{}
27431 @emph{anything, provided it doesn't contain special characters such as
27432 "-", @var{nl}, """ and of course " "}
27433
27434 @item @var{c-string} @expansion{}
27435 @code{""" @var{seven-bit-iso-c-string-content} """}
27436
27437 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
27438 @code{CR | CR-LF}
27439 @end table
27440
27441 @noindent
27442 Notes:
27443
27444 @itemize @bullet
27445 @item
27446 The CLI commands are still handled by the @sc{mi} interpreter; their
27447 output is described below.
27448
27449 @item
27450 The @code{@var{token}}, when present, is passed back when the command
27451 finishes.
27452
27453 @item
27454 Some @sc{mi} commands accept optional arguments as part of the parameter
27455 list. Each option is identified by a leading @samp{-} (dash) and may be
27456 followed by an optional argument parameter. Options occur first in the
27457 parameter list and can be delimited from normal parameters using
27458 @samp{--} (this is useful when some parameters begin with a dash).
27459 @end itemize
27460
27461 Pragmatics:
27462
27463 @itemize @bullet
27464 @item
27465 We want easy access to the existing CLI syntax (for debugging).
27466
27467 @item
27468 We want it to be easy to spot a @sc{mi} operation.
27469 @end itemize
27470
27471 @node GDB/MI Output Syntax
27472 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax
27473
27474 @cindex output syntax of @sc{gdb/mi}
27475 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, output syntax
27476 The output from @sc{gdb/mi} consists of zero or more out-of-band records
27477 followed, optionally, by a single result record. This result record
27478 is for the most recent command. The sequence of output records is
27479 terminated by @samp{(gdb)}.
27480
27481 If an input command was prefixed with a @code{@var{token}} then the
27482 corresponding output for that command will also be prefixed by that same
27483 @var{token}.
27484
27485 @table @code
27486 @item @var{output} @expansion{}
27487 @code{( @var{out-of-band-record} )* [ @var{result-record} ] "(gdb)" @var{nl}}
27488
27489 @item @var{result-record} @expansion{}
27490 @code{ [ @var{token} ] "^" @var{result-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
27491
27492 @item @var{out-of-band-record} @expansion{}
27493 @code{@var{async-record} | @var{stream-record}}
27494
27495 @item @var{async-record} @expansion{}
27496 @code{@var{exec-async-output} | @var{status-async-output} | @var{notify-async-output}}
27497
27498 @item @var{exec-async-output} @expansion{}
27499 @code{[ @var{token} ] "*" @var{async-output}}
27500
27501 @item @var{status-async-output} @expansion{}
27502 @code{[ @var{token} ] "+" @var{async-output}}
27503
27504 @item @var{notify-async-output} @expansion{}
27505 @code{[ @var{token} ] "=" @var{async-output}}
27506
27507 @item @var{async-output} @expansion{}
27508 @code{@var{async-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
27509
27510 @item @var{result-class} @expansion{}
27511 @code{"done" | "running" | "connected" | "error" | "exit"}
27512
27513 @item @var{async-class} @expansion{}
27514 @code{"stopped" | @var{others}} (where @var{others} will be added
27515 depending on the needs---this is still in development).
27516
27517 @item @var{result} @expansion{}
27518 @code{ @var{variable} "=" @var{value}}
27519
27520 @item @var{variable} @expansion{}
27521 @code{ @var{string} }
27522
27523 @item @var{value} @expansion{}
27524 @code{ @var{const} | @var{tuple} | @var{list} }
27525
27526 @item @var{const} @expansion{}
27527 @code{@var{c-string}}
27528
27529 @item @var{tuple} @expansion{}
27530 @code{ "@{@}" | "@{" @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "@}" }
27531
27532 @item @var{list} @expansion{}
27533 @code{ "[]" | "[" @var{value} ( "," @var{value} )* "]" | "["
27534 @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "]" }
27535
27536 @item @var{stream-record} @expansion{}
27537 @code{@var{console-stream-output} | @var{target-stream-output} | @var{log-stream-output}}
27538
27539 @item @var{console-stream-output} @expansion{}
27540 @code{"~" @var{c-string}}
27541
27542 @item @var{target-stream-output} @expansion{}
27543 @code{"@@" @var{c-string}}
27544
27545 @item @var{log-stream-output} @expansion{}
27546 @code{"&" @var{c-string}}
27547
27548 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
27549 @code{CR | CR-LF}
27550
27551 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
27552 @emph{any sequence of digits}.
27553 @end table
27554
27555 @noindent
27556 Notes:
27557
27558 @itemize @bullet
27559 @item
27560 All output sequences end in a single line containing a period.
27561
27562 @item
27563 The @code{@var{token}} is from the corresponding request. Note that
27564 for all async output, while the token is allowed by the grammar and
27565 may be output by future versions of @value{GDBN} for select async
27566 output messages, it is generally omitted. Frontends should treat
27567 all async output as reporting general changes in the state of the
27568 target and there should be no need to associate async output to any
27569 prior command.
27570
27571 @item
27572 @cindex status output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27573 @var{status-async-output} contains on-going status information about the
27574 progress of a slow operation. It can be discarded. All status output is
27575 prefixed by @samp{+}.
27576
27577 @item
27578 @cindex async output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27579 @var{exec-async-output} contains asynchronous state change on the target
27580 (stopped, started, disappeared). All async output is prefixed by
27581 @samp{*}.
27582
27583 @item
27584 @cindex notify output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27585 @var{notify-async-output} contains supplementary information that the
27586 client should handle (e.g., a new breakpoint information). All notify
27587 output is prefixed by @samp{=}.
27588
27589 @item
27590 @cindex console output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27591 @var{console-stream-output} is output that should be displayed as is in the
27592 console. It is the textual response to a CLI command. All the console
27593 output is prefixed by @samp{~}.
27594
27595 @item
27596 @cindex target output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27597 @var{target-stream-output} is the output produced by the target program.
27598 All the target output is prefixed by @samp{@@}.
27599
27600 @item
27601 @cindex log output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27602 @var{log-stream-output} is output text coming from @value{GDBN}'s internals, for
27603 instance messages that should be displayed as part of an error log. All
27604 the log output is prefixed by @samp{&}.
27605
27606 @item
27607 @cindex list output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27608 New @sc{gdb/mi} commands should only output @var{lists} containing
27609 @var{values}.
27610
27611
27612 @end itemize
27613
27614 @xref{GDB/MI Stream Records, , @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records}, for more
27615 details about the various output records.
27616
27617 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27618 @node GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI
27619 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Compatibility with CLI
27620
27621 @cindex compatibility, @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI
27622 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, compatibility with CLI
27623
27624 For the developers convenience CLI commands can be entered directly,
27625 but there may be some unexpected behaviour. For example, commands
27626 that query the user will behave as if the user replied yes, breakpoint
27627 command lists are not executed and some CLI commands, such as
27628 @code{if}, @code{when} and @code{define}, prompt for further input with
27629 @samp{>}, which is not valid MI output.
27630
27631 This feature may be removed at some stage in the future and it is
27632 recommended that front ends use the @code{-interpreter-exec} command
27633 (@pxref{-interpreter-exec}).
27634
27635 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27636 @node GDB/MI Development and Front Ends
27637 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends
27638 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi} development
27639
27640 The application which takes the MI output and presents the state of the
27641 program being debugged to the user is called a @dfn{front end}.
27642
27643 Although @sc{gdb/mi} is still incomplete, it is currently being used
27644 by a variety of front ends to @value{GDBN}. This makes it difficult
27645 to introduce new functionality without breaking existing usage. This
27646 section tries to minimize the problems by describing how the protocol
27647 might change.
27648
27649 Some changes in MI need not break a carefully designed front end, and
27650 for these the MI version will remain unchanged. The following is a
27651 list of changes that may occur within one level, so front ends should
27652 parse MI output in a way that can handle them:
27653
27654 @itemize @bullet
27655 @item
27656 New MI commands may be added.
27657
27658 @item
27659 New fields may be added to the output of any MI command.
27660
27661 @item
27662 The range of values for fields with specified values, e.g.,
27663 @code{in_scope} (@pxref{-var-update}) may be extended.
27664
27665 @c The format of field's content e.g type prefix, may change so parse it
27666 @c at your own risk. Yes, in general?
27667
27668 @c The order of fields may change? Shouldn't really matter but it might
27669 @c resolve inconsistencies.
27670 @end itemize
27671
27672 If the changes are likely to break front ends, the MI version level
27673 will be increased by one. This will allow the front end to parse the
27674 output according to the MI version. Apart from mi0, new versions of
27675 @value{GDBN} will not support old versions of MI and it will be the
27676 responsibility of the front end to work with the new one.
27677
27678 @c Starting with mi3, add a new command -mi-version that prints the MI
27679 @c version?
27680
27681 The best way to avoid unexpected changes in MI that might break your front
27682 end is to make your project known to @value{GDBN} developers and
27683 follow development on @email{gdb@@sourceware.org} and
27684 @email{gdb-patches@@sourceware.org}.
27685 @cindex mailing lists
27686
27687 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27688 @node GDB/MI Output Records
27689 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Output Records
27690
27691 @menu
27692 * GDB/MI Result Records::
27693 * GDB/MI Stream Records::
27694 * GDB/MI Async Records::
27695 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Information::
27696 * GDB/MI Frame Information::
27697 * GDB/MI Thread Information::
27698 * GDB/MI Ada Exception Information::
27699 @end menu
27700
27701 @node GDB/MI Result Records
27702 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Result Records
27703
27704 @cindex result records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27705 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, result records
27706 In addition to a number of out-of-band notifications, the response to a
27707 @sc{gdb/mi} command includes one of the following result indications:
27708
27709 @table @code
27710 @findex ^done
27711 @item "^done" [ "," @var{results} ]
27712 The synchronous operation was successful, @code{@var{results}} are the return
27713 values.
27714
27715 @item "^running"
27716 @findex ^running
27717 This result record is equivalent to @samp{^done}. Historically, it
27718 was output instead of @samp{^done} if the command has resumed the
27719 target. This behaviour is maintained for backward compatibility, but
27720 all frontends should treat @samp{^done} and @samp{^running}
27721 identically and rely on the @samp{*running} output record to determine
27722 which threads are resumed.
27723
27724 @item "^connected"
27725 @findex ^connected
27726 @value{GDBN} has connected to a remote target.
27727
27728 @item "^error" "," @var{c-string}
27729 @findex ^error
27730 The operation failed. The @code{@var{c-string}} contains the corresponding
27731 error message.
27732
27733 @item "^exit"
27734 @findex ^exit
27735 @value{GDBN} has terminated.
27736
27737 @end table
27738
27739 @node GDB/MI Stream Records
27740 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records
27741
27742 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, stream records
27743 @cindex stream records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27744 @value{GDBN} internally maintains a number of output streams: the console, the
27745 target, and the log. The output intended for each of these streams is
27746 funneled through the @sc{gdb/mi} interface using @dfn{stream records}.
27747
27748 Each stream record begins with a unique @dfn{prefix character} which
27749 identifies its stream (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, , @sc{gdb/mi} Output
27750 Syntax}). In addition to the prefix, each stream record contains a
27751 @code{@var{string-output}}. This is either raw text (with an implicit new
27752 line) or a quoted C string (which does not contain an implicit newline).
27753
27754 @table @code
27755 @item "~" @var{string-output}
27756 The console output stream contains text that should be displayed in the
27757 CLI console window. It contains the textual responses to CLI commands.
27758
27759 @item "@@" @var{string-output}
27760 The target output stream contains any textual output from the running
27761 target. This is only present when GDB's event loop is truly
27762 asynchronous, which is currently only the case for remote targets.
27763
27764 @item "&" @var{string-output}
27765 The log stream contains debugging messages being produced by @value{GDBN}'s
27766 internals.
27767 @end table
27768
27769 @node GDB/MI Async Records
27770 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Async Records
27771
27772 @cindex async records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27773 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, async records
27774 @dfn{Async} records are used to notify the @sc{gdb/mi} client of
27775 additional changes that have occurred. Those changes can either be a
27776 consequence of @sc{gdb/mi} commands (e.g., a breakpoint modified) or a result of
27777 target activity (e.g., target stopped).
27778
27779 The following is the list of possible async records:
27780
27781 @table @code
27782
27783 @item *running,thread-id="@var{thread}"
27784 The target is now running. The @var{thread} field tells which
27785 specific thread is now running, and can be @samp{all} if all threads
27786 are running. The frontend should assume that no interaction with a
27787 running thread is possible after this notification is produced.
27788 The frontend should not assume that this notification is output
27789 only once for any command. @value{GDBN} may emit this notification
27790 several times, either for different threads, because it cannot resume
27791 all threads together, or even for a single thread, if the thread must
27792 be stepped though some code before letting it run freely.
27793
27794 @item *stopped,reason="@var{reason}",thread-id="@var{id}",stopped-threads="@var{stopped}",core="@var{core}"
27795 The target has stopped. The @var{reason} field can have one of the
27796 following values:
27797
27798 @table @code
27799 @item breakpoint-hit
27800 A breakpoint was reached.
27801 @item watchpoint-trigger
27802 A watchpoint was triggered.
27803 @item read-watchpoint-trigger
27804 A read watchpoint was triggered.
27805 @item access-watchpoint-trigger
27806 An access watchpoint was triggered.
27807 @item function-finished
27808 An -exec-finish or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27809 @item location-reached
27810 An -exec-until or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27811 @item watchpoint-scope
27812 A watchpoint has gone out of scope.
27813 @item end-stepping-range
27814 An -exec-next, -exec-next-instruction, -exec-step, -exec-step-instruction or
27815 similar CLI command was accomplished.
27816 @item exited-signalled
27817 The inferior exited because of a signal.
27818 @item exited
27819 The inferior exited.
27820 @item exited-normally
27821 The inferior exited normally.
27822 @item signal-received
27823 A signal was received by the inferior.
27824 @item solib-event
27825 The inferior has stopped due to a library being loaded or unloaded.
27826 This can happen when @code{stop-on-solib-events} (@pxref{Files}) is
27827 set or when a @code{catch load} or @code{catch unload} catchpoint is
27828 in use (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}).
27829 @item fork
27830 The inferior has forked. This is reported when @code{catch fork}
27831 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27832 @item vfork
27833 The inferior has vforked. This is reported in when @code{catch vfork}
27834 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27835 @item syscall-entry
27836 The inferior entered a system call. This is reported when @code{catch
27837 syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27838 @item syscall-entry
27839 The inferior returned from a system call. This is reported when
27840 @code{catch syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27841 @item exec
27842 The inferior called @code{exec}. This is reported when @code{catch exec}
27843 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27844 @end table
27845
27846 The @var{id} field identifies the thread that directly caused the stop
27847 -- for example by hitting a breakpoint. Depending on whether all-stop
27848 mode is in effect (@pxref{All-Stop Mode}), @value{GDBN} may either
27849 stop all threads, or only the thread that directly triggered the stop.
27850 If all threads are stopped, the @var{stopped} field will have the
27851 value of @code{"all"}. Otherwise, the value of the @var{stopped}
27852 field will be a list of thread identifiers. Presently, this list will
27853 always include a single thread, but frontend should be prepared to see
27854 several threads in the list. The @var{core} field reports the
27855 processor core on which the stop event has happened. This field may be absent
27856 if such information is not available.
27857
27858 @item =thread-group-added,id="@var{id}"
27859 @itemx =thread-group-removed,id="@var{id}"
27860 A thread group was either added or removed. The @var{id} field
27861 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. When a thread
27862 group is added, it generally might not be associated with a running
27863 process. When a thread group is removed, its id becomes invalid and
27864 cannot be used in any way.
27865
27866 @item =thread-group-started,id="@var{id}",pid="@var{pid}"
27867 A thread group became associated with a running program,
27868 either because the program was just started or the thread group
27869 was attached to a program. The @var{id} field contains the
27870 @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. The @var{pid} field
27871 contains process identifier, specific to the operating system.
27872
27873 @item =thread-group-exited,id="@var{id}"[,exit-code="@var{code}"]
27874 A thread group is no longer associated with a running program,
27875 either because the program has exited, or because it was detached
27876 from. The @var{id} field contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the
27877 thread group. @var{code} is the exit code of the inferior; it exists
27878 only when the inferior exited with some code.
27879
27880 @item =thread-created,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27881 @itemx =thread-exited,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27882 A thread either was created, or has exited. The @var{id} field
27883 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread. The @var{gid}
27884 field identifies the thread group this thread belongs to.
27885
27886 @item =thread-selected,id="@var{id}"
27887 Informs that the selected thread was changed as result of the last
27888 command. This notification is not emitted as result of @code{-thread-select}
27889 command but is emitted whenever an MI command that is not documented
27890 to change the selected thread actually changes it. In particular,
27891 invoking, directly or indirectly (via user-defined command), the CLI
27892 @code{thread} command, will generate this notification.
27893
27894 We suggest that in response to this notification, front ends
27895 highlight the selected thread and cause subsequent commands to apply to
27896 that thread.
27897
27898 @item =library-loaded,...
27899 Reports that a new library file was loaded by the program. This
27900 notification has 4 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name},
27901 @var{host-name}, and @var{symbols-loaded}. The @var{id} field is an
27902 opaque identifier of the library. For remote debugging case,
27903 @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} fields give the name of the
27904 library file on the target, and on the host respectively. For native
27905 debugging, both those fields have the same value. The
27906 @var{symbols-loaded} field is emitted only for backward compatibility
27907 and should not be relied on to convey any useful information. The
27908 @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the thread
27909 group in whose context the library was loaded. If the field is
27910 absent, it means the library was loaded in the context of all present
27911 thread groups.
27912
27913 @item =library-unloaded,...
27914 Reports that a library was unloaded by the program. This notification
27915 has 3 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} with
27916 the same meaning as for the @code{=library-loaded} notification.
27917 The @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the
27918 thread group in whose context the library was unloaded. If the field is
27919 absent, it means the library was unloaded in the context of all present
27920 thread groups.
27921
27922 @item =traceframe-changed,num=@var{tfnum},tracepoint=@var{tpnum}
27923 @itemx =traceframe-changed,end
27924 Reports that the trace frame was changed and its new number is
27925 @var{tfnum}. The number of the tracepoint associated with this trace
27926 frame is @var{tpnum}.
27927
27928 @item =tsv-created,name=@var{name},value=@var{value}
27929 Reports that the new trace state variable @var{name} is created with
27930 value @var{value}.
27931
27932 @item =tsv-deleted,name=@var{name}
27933 @itemx =tsv-deleted
27934 Reports that the trace state variable @var{name} is deleted or all
27935 trace state variables are deleted.
27936
27937 @item =breakpoint-created,bkpt=@{...@}
27938 @itemx =breakpoint-modified,bkpt=@{...@}
27939 @itemx =breakpoint-deleted,id=@var{number}
27940 Reports that a breakpoint was created, modified, or deleted,
27941 respectively. Only user-visible breakpoints are reported to the MI
27942 user.
27943
27944 The @var{bkpt} argument is of the same form as returned by the various
27945 breakpoint commands; @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands}. The
27946 @var{number} is the ordinal number of the breakpoint.
27947
27948 Note that if a breakpoint is emitted in the result record of a
27949 command, then it will not also be emitted in an async record.
27950
27951 @item =record-started,thread-group="@var{id}"
27952 @itemx =record-stopped,thread-group="@var{id}"
27953 Execution log recording was either started or stopped on an
27954 inferior. The @var{id} is the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread
27955 group corresponding to the affected inferior.
27956
27957 @item =cmd-param-changed,param=@var{param},value=@var{value}
27958 Reports that a parameter of the command @code{set @var{param}} is
27959 changed to @var{value}. In the multi-word @code{set} command,
27960 the @var{param} is the whole parameter list to @code{set} command.
27961 For example, In command @code{set check type on}, @var{param}
27962 is @code{check type} and @var{value} is @code{on}.
27963
27964 @item =memory-changed,thread-group=@var{id},addr=@var{addr},len=@var{len}[,type="code"]
27965 Reports that bytes from @var{addr} to @var{data} + @var{len} were
27966 written in an inferior. The @var{id} is the identifier of the
27967 thread group corresponding to the affected inferior. The optional
27968 @code{type="code"} part is reported if the memory written to holds
27969 executable code.
27970 @end table
27971
27972 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Information
27973 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Information
27974
27975 When @value{GDBN} reports information about a breakpoint, a
27976 tracepoint, a watchpoint, or a catchpoint, it uses a tuple with the
27977 following fields:
27978
27979 @table @code
27980 @item number
27981 The breakpoint number. For a breakpoint that represents one location
27982 of a multi-location breakpoint, this will be a dotted pair, like
27983 @samp{1.2}.
27984
27985 @item type
27986 The type of the breakpoint. For ordinary breakpoints this will be
27987 @samp{breakpoint}, but many values are possible.
27988
27989 @item catch-type
27990 If the type of the breakpoint is @samp{catchpoint}, then this
27991 indicates the exact type of catchpoint.
27992
27993 @item disp
27994 This is the breakpoint disposition---either @samp{del}, meaning that
27995 the breakpoint will be deleted at the next stop, or @samp{keep},
27996 meaning that the breakpoint will not be deleted.
27997
27998 @item enabled
27999 This indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled, in which case the
28000 value is @samp{y}, or disabled, in which case the value is @samp{n}.
28001 Note that this is not the same as the field @code{enable}.
28002
28003 @item addr
28004 The address of the breakpoint. This may be a hexidecimal number,
28005 giving the address; or the string @samp{<PENDING>}, for a pending
28006 breakpoint; or the string @samp{<MULTIPLE>}, for a breakpoint with
28007 multiple locations. This field will not be present if no address can
28008 be determined. For example, a watchpoint does not have an address.
28009
28010 @item func
28011 If known, the function in which the breakpoint appears.
28012 If not known, this field is not present.
28013
28014 @item filename
28015 The name of the source file which contains this function, if known.
28016 If not known, this field is not present.
28017
28018 @item fullname
28019 The full file name of the source file which contains this function, if
28020 known. If not known, this field is not present.
28021
28022 @item line
28023 The line number at which this breakpoint appears, if known.
28024 If not known, this field is not present.
28025
28026 @item at
28027 If the source file is not known, this field may be provided. If
28028 provided, this holds the address of the breakpoint, possibly followed
28029 by a symbol name.
28030
28031 @item pending
28032 If this breakpoint is pending, this field is present and holds the
28033 text used to set the breakpoint, as entered by the user.
28034
28035 @item evaluated-by
28036 Where this breakpoint's condition is evaluated, either @samp{host} or
28037 @samp{target}.
28038
28039 @item thread
28040 If this is a thread-specific breakpoint, then this identifies the
28041 thread in which the breakpoint can trigger.
28042
28043 @item task
28044 If this breakpoint is restricted to a particular Ada task, then this
28045 field will hold the task identifier.
28046
28047 @item cond
28048 If the breakpoint is conditional, this is the condition expression.
28049
28050 @item ignore
28051 The ignore count of the breakpoint.
28052
28053 @item enable
28054 The enable count of the breakpoint.
28055
28056 @item traceframe-usage
28057 FIXME.
28058
28059 @item static-tracepoint-marker-string-id
28060 For a static tracepoint, the name of the static tracepoint marker.
28061
28062 @item mask
28063 For a masked watchpoint, this is the mask.
28064
28065 @item pass
28066 A tracepoint's pass count.
28067
28068 @item original-location
28069 The location of the breakpoint as originally specified by the user.
28070 This field is optional.
28071
28072 @item times
28073 The number of times the breakpoint has been hit.
28074
28075 @item installed
28076 This field is only given for tracepoints. This is either @samp{y},
28077 meaning that the tracepoint is installed, or @samp{n}, meaning that it
28078 is not.
28079
28080 @item what
28081 Some extra data, the exact contents of which are type-dependent.
28082
28083 @end table
28084
28085 For example, here is what the output of @code{-break-insert}
28086 (@pxref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands}) might be:
28087
28088 @smallexample
28089 -> -break-insert main
28090 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28091 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
28092 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",times="0"@}
28093 <- (gdb)
28094 @end smallexample
28095
28096 @node GDB/MI Frame Information
28097 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Frame Information
28098
28099 Response from many MI commands includes an information about stack
28100 frame. This information is a tuple that may have the following
28101 fields:
28102
28103 @table @code
28104 @item level
28105 The level of the stack frame. The innermost frame has the level of
28106 zero. This field is always present.
28107
28108 @item func
28109 The name of the function corresponding to the frame. This field may
28110 be absent if @value{GDBN} is unable to determine the function name.
28111
28112 @item addr
28113 The code address for the frame. This field is always present.
28114
28115 @item file
28116 The name of the source files that correspond to the frame's code
28117 address. This field may be absent.
28118
28119 @item line
28120 The source line corresponding to the frames' code address. This field
28121 may be absent.
28122
28123 @item from
28124 The name of the binary file (either executable or shared library) the
28125 corresponds to the frame's code address. This field may be absent.
28126
28127 @end table
28128
28129 @node GDB/MI Thread Information
28130 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Information
28131
28132 Whenever @value{GDBN} has to report an information about a thread, it
28133 uses a tuple with the following fields:
28134
28135 @table @code
28136 @item id
28137 The numeric id assigned to the thread by @value{GDBN}. This field is
28138 always present.
28139
28140 @item target-id
28141 Target-specific string identifying the thread. This field is always present.
28142
28143 @item details
28144 Additional information about the thread provided by the target.
28145 It is supposed to be human-readable and not interpreted by the
28146 frontend. This field is optional.
28147
28148 @item state
28149 Either @samp{stopped} or @samp{running}, depending on whether the
28150 thread is presently running. This field is always present.
28151
28152 @item core
28153 The value of this field is an integer number of the processor core the
28154 thread was last seen on. This field is optional.
28155 @end table
28156
28157 @node GDB/MI Ada Exception Information
28158 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Exception Information
28159
28160 Whenever a @code{*stopped} record is emitted because the program
28161 stopped after hitting an exception catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}),
28162 @value{GDBN} provides the name of the exception that was raised via
28163 the @code{exception-name} field.
28164
28165 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28166 @node GDB/MI Simple Examples
28167 @section Simple Examples of @sc{gdb/mi} Interaction
28168 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, simple examples
28169
28170 This subsection presents several simple examples of interaction using
28171 the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. In these examples, @samp{->} means that the
28172 following line is passed to @sc{gdb/mi} as input, while @samp{<-} means
28173 the output received from @sc{gdb/mi}.
28174
28175 Note the line breaks shown in the examples are here only for
28176 readability, they don't appear in the real output.
28177
28178 @subheading Setting a Breakpoint
28179
28180 Setting a breakpoint generates synchronous output which contains detailed
28181 information of the breakpoint.
28182
28183 @smallexample
28184 -> -break-insert main
28185 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28186 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
28187 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",times="0"@}
28188 <- (gdb)
28189 @end smallexample
28190
28191 @subheading Program Execution
28192
28193 Program execution generates asynchronous records and MI gives the
28194 reason that execution stopped.
28195
28196 @smallexample
28197 -> -exec-run
28198 <- ^running
28199 <- (gdb)
28200 <- *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
28201 frame=@{addr="0x08048564",func="main",
28202 args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},@{name="argv",value="0xbfc4d4d4"@}],
28203 file="myprog.c",fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68"@}
28204 <- (gdb)
28205 -> -exec-continue
28206 <- ^running
28207 <- (gdb)
28208 <- *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
28209 <- (gdb)
28210 @end smallexample
28211
28212 @subheading Quitting @value{GDBN}
28213
28214 Quitting @value{GDBN} just prints the result class @samp{^exit}.
28215
28216 @smallexample
28217 -> (gdb)
28218 <- -gdb-exit
28219 <- ^exit
28220 @end smallexample
28221
28222 Please note that @samp{^exit} is printed immediately, but it might
28223 take some time for @value{GDBN} to actually exit. During that time, @value{GDBN}
28224 performs necessary cleanups, including killing programs being debugged
28225 or disconnecting from debug hardware, so the frontend should wait till
28226 @value{GDBN} exits and should only forcibly kill @value{GDBN} if it
28227 fails to exit in reasonable time.
28228
28229 @subheading A Bad Command
28230
28231 Here's what happens if you pass a non-existent command:
28232
28233 @smallexample
28234 -> -rubbish
28235 <- ^error,msg="Undefined MI command: rubbish"
28236 <- (gdb)
28237 @end smallexample
28238
28239
28240 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28241 @node GDB/MI Command Description Format
28242 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Description Format
28243
28244 The remaining sections describe blocks of commands. Each block of
28245 commands is laid out in a fashion similar to this section.
28246
28247 @subheading Motivation
28248
28249 The motivation for this collection of commands.
28250
28251 @subheading Introduction
28252
28253 A brief introduction to this collection of commands as a whole.
28254
28255 @subheading Commands
28256
28257 For each command in the block, the following is described:
28258
28259 @subsubheading Synopsis
28260
28261 @smallexample
28262 -command @var{args}@dots{}
28263 @end smallexample
28264
28265 @subsubheading Result
28266
28267 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28268
28269 The corresponding @value{GDBN} CLI command(s), if any.
28270
28271 @subsubheading Example
28272
28273 Example(s) formatted for readability. Some of the described commands have
28274 not been implemented yet and these are labeled N.A.@: (not available).
28275
28276
28277 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28278 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands
28279 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Commands
28280
28281 @cindex breakpoint commands for @sc{gdb/mi}
28282 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, breakpoint commands
28283 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
28284 breakpoints.
28285
28286 @subheading The @code{-break-after} Command
28287 @findex -break-after
28288
28289 @subsubheading Synopsis
28290
28291 @smallexample
28292 -break-after @var{number} @var{count}
28293 @end smallexample
28294
28295 The breakpoint number @var{number} is not in effect until it has been
28296 hit @var{count} times. To see how this is reflected in the output of
28297 the @samp{-break-list} command, see the description of the
28298 @samp{-break-list} command below.
28299
28300 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28301
28302 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ignore}.
28303
28304 @subsubheading Example
28305
28306 @smallexample
28307 (gdb)
28308 -break-insert main
28309 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28310 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
28311 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
28312 (gdb)
28313 -break-after 1 3
28314 ~
28315 ^done
28316 (gdb)
28317 -break-list
28318 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28319 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28320 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28321 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28322 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28323 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28324 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28325 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28326 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28327 line="5",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
28328 (gdb)
28329 @end smallexample
28330
28331 @ignore
28332 @subheading The @code{-break-catch} Command
28333 @findex -break-catch
28334 @end ignore
28335
28336 @subheading The @code{-break-commands} Command
28337 @findex -break-commands
28338
28339 @subsubheading Synopsis
28340
28341 @smallexample
28342 -break-commands @var{number} [ @var{command1} ... @var{commandN} ]
28343 @end smallexample
28344
28345 Specifies the CLI commands that should be executed when breakpoint
28346 @var{number} is hit. The parameters @var{command1} to @var{commandN}
28347 are the commands. If no command is specified, any previously-set
28348 commands are cleared. @xref{Break Commands}. Typical use of this
28349 functionality is tracing a program, that is, printing of values of
28350 some variables whenever breakpoint is hit and then continuing.
28351
28352 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28353
28354 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{commands}.
28355
28356 @subsubheading Example
28357
28358 @smallexample
28359 (gdb)
28360 -break-insert main
28361 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28362 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
28363 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
28364 (gdb)
28365 -break-commands 1 "print v" "continue"
28366 ^done
28367 (gdb)
28368 @end smallexample
28369
28370 @subheading The @code{-break-condition} Command
28371 @findex -break-condition
28372
28373 @subsubheading Synopsis
28374
28375 @smallexample
28376 -break-condition @var{number} @var{expr}
28377 @end smallexample
28378
28379 Breakpoint @var{number} will stop the program only if the condition in
28380 @var{expr} is true. The condition becomes part of the
28381 @samp{-break-list} output (see the description of the @samp{-break-list}
28382 command below).
28383
28384 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28385
28386 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{condition}.
28387
28388 @subsubheading Example
28389
28390 @smallexample
28391 (gdb)
28392 -break-condition 1 1
28393 ^done
28394 (gdb)
28395 -break-list
28396 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28397 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28398 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28399 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28400 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28401 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28402 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28403 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28404 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28405 line="5",cond="1",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
28406 (gdb)
28407 @end smallexample
28408
28409 @subheading The @code{-break-delete} Command
28410 @findex -break-delete
28411
28412 @subsubheading Synopsis
28413
28414 @smallexample
28415 -break-delete ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28416 @end smallexample
28417
28418 Delete the breakpoint(s) whose number(s) are specified in the argument
28419 list. This is obviously reflected in the breakpoint list.
28420
28421 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28422
28423 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete}.
28424
28425 @subsubheading Example
28426
28427 @smallexample
28428 (gdb)
28429 -break-delete 1
28430 ^done
28431 (gdb)
28432 -break-list
28433 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
28434 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28435 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28436 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28437 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28438 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28439 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28440 body=[]@}
28441 (gdb)
28442 @end smallexample
28443
28444 @subheading The @code{-break-disable} Command
28445 @findex -break-disable
28446
28447 @subsubheading Synopsis
28448
28449 @smallexample
28450 -break-disable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28451 @end smallexample
28452
28453 Disable the named @var{breakpoint}(s). The field @samp{enabled} in the
28454 break list is now set to @samp{n} for the named @var{breakpoint}(s).
28455
28456 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28457
28458 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable}.
28459
28460 @subsubheading Example
28461
28462 @smallexample
28463 (gdb)
28464 -break-disable 2
28465 ^done
28466 (gdb)
28467 -break-list
28468 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28469 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28470 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28471 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28472 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28473 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28474 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28475 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
28476 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28477 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
28478 (gdb)
28479 @end smallexample
28480
28481 @subheading The @code{-break-enable} Command
28482 @findex -break-enable
28483
28484 @subsubheading Synopsis
28485
28486 @smallexample
28487 -break-enable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28488 @end smallexample
28489
28490 Enable (previously disabled) @var{breakpoint}(s).
28491
28492 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28493
28494 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable}.
28495
28496 @subsubheading Example
28497
28498 @smallexample
28499 (gdb)
28500 -break-enable 2
28501 ^done
28502 (gdb)
28503 -break-list
28504 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28505 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28506 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28507 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28508 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28509 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28510 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28511 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28512 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28513 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
28514 (gdb)
28515 @end smallexample
28516
28517 @subheading The @code{-break-info} Command
28518 @findex -break-info
28519
28520 @subsubheading Synopsis
28521
28522 @smallexample
28523 -break-info @var{breakpoint}
28524 @end smallexample
28525
28526 @c REDUNDANT???
28527 Get information about a single breakpoint.
28528
28529 The result is a table of breakpoints. @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint
28530 Information}, for details on the format of each breakpoint in the
28531 table.
28532
28533 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28534
28535 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break @var{breakpoint}}.
28536
28537 @subsubheading Example
28538 N.A.
28539
28540 @subheading The @code{-break-insert} Command
28541 @findex -break-insert
28542
28543 @subsubheading Synopsis
28544
28545 @smallexample
28546 -break-insert [ -t ] [ -h ] [ -f ] [ -d ] [ -a ]
28547 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
28548 [ -p @var{thread-id} ] [ @var{location} ]
28549 @end smallexample
28550
28551 @noindent
28552 If specified, @var{location}, can be one of:
28553
28554 @itemize @bullet
28555 @item function
28556 @c @item +offset
28557 @c @item -offset
28558 @c @item linenum
28559 @item filename:linenum
28560 @item filename:function
28561 @item *address
28562 @end itemize
28563
28564 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
28565
28566 @table @samp
28567 @item -t
28568 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
28569 @item -h
28570 Insert a hardware breakpoint.
28571 @item -f
28572 If @var{location} cannot be parsed (for example if it
28573 refers to unknown files or functions), create a pending
28574 breakpoint. Without this flag, @value{GDBN} will report
28575 an error, and won't create a breakpoint, if @var{location}
28576 cannot be parsed.
28577 @item -d
28578 Create a disabled breakpoint.
28579 @item -a
28580 Create a tracepoint. @xref{Tracepoints}. When this parameter
28581 is used together with @samp{-h}, a fast tracepoint is created.
28582 @item -c @var{condition}
28583 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
28584 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
28585 Initialize the @var{ignore-count}.
28586 @item -p @var{thread-id}
28587 Restrict the breakpoint to the specified @var{thread-id}.
28588 @end table
28589
28590 @subsubheading Result
28591
28592 @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Information}, for details on the format of the
28593 resulting breakpoint.
28594
28595 Note: this format is open to change.
28596 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
28597
28598 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28599
28600 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{break}, @samp{tbreak},
28601 @samp{hbreak}, and @samp{thbreak}. @c and @samp{rbreak}.
28602
28603 @subsubheading Example
28604
28605 @smallexample
28606 (gdb)
28607 -break-insert main
28608 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",
28609 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="4",times="0"@}
28610 (gdb)
28611 -break-insert -t foo
28612 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c",
28613 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="11",times="0"@}
28614 (gdb)
28615 -break-list
28616 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28617 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28618 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28619 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28620 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28621 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28622 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28623 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28624 addr="0x0001072c", func="main",file="recursive2.c",
28625 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,"line="4",times="0"@},
28626 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
28627 addr="0x00010774",func="foo",file="recursive2.c",
28628 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}]@}
28629 (gdb)
28630 @c -break-insert -r foo.*
28631 @c ~int foo(int, int);
28632 @c ^done,bkpt=@{number="3",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c,
28633 @c "fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}
28634 @c (gdb)
28635 @end smallexample
28636
28637 @subheading The @code{-break-list} Command
28638 @findex -break-list
28639
28640 @subsubheading Synopsis
28641
28642 @smallexample
28643 -break-list
28644 @end smallexample
28645
28646 Displays the list of inserted breakpoints, showing the following fields:
28647
28648 @table @samp
28649 @item Number
28650 number of the breakpoint
28651 @item Type
28652 type of the breakpoint: @samp{breakpoint} or @samp{watchpoint}
28653 @item Disposition
28654 should the breakpoint be deleted or disabled when it is hit: @samp{keep}
28655 or @samp{nokeep}
28656 @item Enabled
28657 is the breakpoint enabled or no: @samp{y} or @samp{n}
28658 @item Address
28659 memory location at which the breakpoint is set
28660 @item What
28661 logical location of the breakpoint, expressed by function name, file
28662 name, line number
28663 @item Times
28664 number of times the breakpoint has been hit
28665 @end table
28666
28667 If there are no breakpoints or watchpoints, the @code{BreakpointTable}
28668 @code{body} field is an empty list.
28669
28670 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28671
28672 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break}.
28673
28674 @subsubheading Example
28675
28676 @smallexample
28677 (gdb)
28678 -break-list
28679 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28680 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28681 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28682 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28683 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28684 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28685 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28686 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28687 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",line="5",times="0"@},
28688 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28689 addr="0x00010114",func="foo",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28690 line="13",times="0"@}]@}
28691 (gdb)
28692 @end smallexample
28693
28694 Here's an example of the result when there are no breakpoints:
28695
28696 @smallexample
28697 (gdb)
28698 -break-list
28699 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
28700 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28701 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28702 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28703 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28704 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28705 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28706 body=[]@}
28707 (gdb)
28708 @end smallexample
28709
28710 @subheading The @code{-break-passcount} Command
28711 @findex -break-passcount
28712
28713 @subsubheading Synopsis
28714
28715 @smallexample
28716 -break-passcount @var{tracepoint-number} @var{passcount}
28717 @end smallexample
28718
28719 Set the passcount for tracepoint @var{tracepoint-number} to
28720 @var{passcount}. If the breakpoint referred to by @var{tracepoint-number}
28721 is not a tracepoint, error is emitted. This corresponds to CLI
28722 command @samp{passcount}.
28723
28724 @subheading The @code{-break-watch} Command
28725 @findex -break-watch
28726
28727 @subsubheading Synopsis
28728
28729 @smallexample
28730 -break-watch [ -a | -r ]
28731 @end smallexample
28732
28733 Create a watchpoint. With the @samp{-a} option it will create an
28734 @dfn{access} watchpoint, i.e., a watchpoint that triggers either on a
28735 read from or on a write to the memory location. With the @samp{-r}
28736 option, the watchpoint created is a @dfn{read} watchpoint, i.e., it will
28737 trigger only when the memory location is accessed for reading. Without
28738 either of the options, the watchpoint created is a regular watchpoint,
28739 i.e., it will trigger when the memory location is accessed for writing.
28740 @xref{Set Watchpoints, , Setting Watchpoints}.
28741
28742 Note that @samp{-break-list} will report a single list of watchpoints and
28743 breakpoints inserted.
28744
28745 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28746
28747 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{watch}, @samp{awatch}, and
28748 @samp{rwatch}.
28749
28750 @subsubheading Example
28751
28752 Setting a watchpoint on a variable in the @code{main} function:
28753
28754 @smallexample
28755 (gdb)
28756 -break-watch x
28757 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@}
28758 (gdb)
28759 -exec-continue
28760 ^running
28761 (gdb)
28762 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@},
28763 value=@{old="-268439212",new="55"@},
28764 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
28765 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="5"@}
28766 (gdb)
28767 @end smallexample
28768
28769 Setting a watchpoint on a variable local to a function. @value{GDBN} will stop
28770 the program execution twice: first for the variable changing value, then
28771 for the watchpoint going out of scope.
28772
28773 @smallexample
28774 (gdb)
28775 -break-watch C
28776 ^done,wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@}
28777 (gdb)
28778 -exec-continue
28779 ^running
28780 (gdb)
28781 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",
28782 wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@},value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
28783 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
28784 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28785 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
28786 (gdb)
28787 -exec-continue
28788 ^running
28789 (gdb)
28790 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="5",
28791 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
28792 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28793 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28794 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
28795 (gdb)
28796 @end smallexample
28797
28798 Listing breakpoints and watchpoints, at different points in the program
28799 execution. Note that once the watchpoint goes out of scope, it is
28800 deleted.
28801
28802 @smallexample
28803 (gdb)
28804 -break-watch C
28805 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@}
28806 (gdb)
28807 -break-list
28808 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28809 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28810 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28811 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28812 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28813 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28814 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28815 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28816 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28817 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28818 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c"line="8",times="1"@},
28819 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
28820 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="0"@}]@}
28821 (gdb)
28822 -exec-continue
28823 ^running
28824 (gdb)
28825 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@},
28826 value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
28827 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
28828 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28829 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
28830 (gdb)
28831 -break-list
28832 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28833 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28834 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28835 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28836 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28837 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28838 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28839 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28840 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28841 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28842 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",times="1"@},
28843 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
28844 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="-5"@}]@}
28845 (gdb)
28846 -exec-continue
28847 ^running
28848 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="2",
28849 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
28850 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28851 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28852 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
28853 (gdb)
28854 -break-list
28855 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28856 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28857 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28858 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28859 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28860 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28861 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28862 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28863 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28864 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28865 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
28866 times="1"@}]@}
28867 (gdb)
28868 @end smallexample
28869
28870
28871 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28872 @node GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands
28873 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Catchpoint Commands
28874
28875 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
28876 catchpoints.
28877
28878 @subheading The @code{-catch-load} Command
28879 @findex -catch-load
28880
28881 @subsubheading Synopsis
28882
28883 @smallexample
28884 -catch-load [ -t ] [ -d ] @var{regexp}
28885 @end smallexample
28886
28887 Add a catchpoint for library load events. If the @samp{-t} option is used,
28888 the catchpoint is a temporary one (@pxref{Set Breaks, ,Setting
28889 Breakpoints}). If the @samp{-d} option is used, the catchpoint is created
28890 in a disabled state. The @samp{regexp} argument is a regular
28891 expression used to match the name of the loaded library.
28892
28893
28894 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28895
28896 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch load}.
28897
28898 @subsubheading Example
28899
28900 @smallexample
28901 -catch-load -t foo.so
28902 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="catchpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
28903 what="load of library matching foo.so",catch-type="load",times="0"@}
28904 (gdb)
28905 @end smallexample
28906
28907
28908 @subheading The @code{-catch-unload} Command
28909 @findex -catch-unload
28910
28911 @subsubheading Synopsis
28912
28913 @smallexample
28914 -catch-unload [ -t ] [ -d ] @var{regexp}
28915 @end smallexample
28916
28917 Add a catchpoint for library unload events. If the @samp{-t} option is
28918 used, the catchpoint is a temporary one (@pxref{Set Breaks, ,Setting
28919 Breakpoints}). If the @samp{-d} option is used, the catchpoint is
28920 created in a disabled state. The @samp{regexp} argument is a regular
28921 expression used to match the name of the unloaded library.
28922
28923 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28924
28925 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch unload}.
28926
28927 @subsubheading Example
28928
28929 @smallexample
28930 -catch-unload -d bar.so
28931 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",type="catchpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
28932 what="load of library matching bar.so",catch-type="unload",times="0"@}
28933 (gdb)
28934 @end smallexample
28935
28936
28937 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28938 @node GDB/MI Program Context
28939 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Context
28940
28941 @subheading The @code{-exec-arguments} Command
28942 @findex -exec-arguments
28943
28944
28945 @subsubheading Synopsis
28946
28947 @smallexample
28948 -exec-arguments @var{args}
28949 @end smallexample
28950
28951 Set the inferior program arguments, to be used in the next
28952 @samp{-exec-run}.
28953
28954 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28955
28956 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set args}.
28957
28958 @subsubheading Example
28959
28960 @smallexample
28961 (gdb)
28962 -exec-arguments -v word
28963 ^done
28964 (gdb)
28965 @end smallexample
28966
28967
28968 @ignore
28969 @subheading The @code{-exec-show-arguments} Command
28970 @findex -exec-show-arguments
28971
28972 @subsubheading Synopsis
28973
28974 @smallexample
28975 -exec-show-arguments
28976 @end smallexample
28977
28978 Print the arguments of the program.
28979
28980 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28981
28982 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show args}.
28983
28984 @subsubheading Example
28985 N.A.
28986 @end ignore
28987
28988
28989 @subheading The @code{-environment-cd} Command
28990 @findex -environment-cd
28991
28992 @subsubheading Synopsis
28993
28994 @smallexample
28995 -environment-cd @var{pathdir}
28996 @end smallexample
28997
28998 Set @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
28999
29000 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29001
29002 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{cd}.
29003
29004 @subsubheading Example
29005
29006 @smallexample
29007 (gdb)
29008 -environment-cd /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
29009 ^done
29010 (gdb)
29011 @end smallexample
29012
29013
29014 @subheading The @code{-environment-directory} Command
29015 @findex -environment-directory
29016
29017 @subsubheading Synopsis
29018
29019 @smallexample
29020 -environment-directory [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
29021 @end smallexample
29022
29023 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for source files.
29024 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the default
29025 search path. If directories @var{pathdir} are supplied in addition to the
29026 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
29027 occurs as normal.
29028 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
29029 multiple directories in a single command
29030 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
29031 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
29032 If blanks are needed as
29033 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
29034 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
29035 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
29036 character must not be used
29037 in any directory name.
29038 If no directories are specified, the current search path is displayed.
29039
29040 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29041
29042 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dir}.
29043
29044 @subsubheading Example
29045
29046 @smallexample
29047 (gdb)
29048 -environment-directory /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
29049 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
29050 (gdb)
29051 -environment-directory ""
29052 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
29053 (gdb)
29054 -environment-directory -r /home/jjohnstn/src/gdb /usr/src
29055 ^done,source-path="/home/jjohnstn/src/gdb:/usr/src:$cdir:$cwd"
29056 (gdb)
29057 -environment-directory -r
29058 ^done,source-path="$cdir:$cwd"
29059 (gdb)
29060 @end smallexample
29061
29062
29063 @subheading The @code{-environment-path} Command
29064 @findex -environment-path
29065
29066 @subsubheading Synopsis
29067
29068 @smallexample
29069 -environment-path [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
29070 @end smallexample
29071
29072 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for object files.
29073 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the original
29074 search path that existed at gdb start-up. If directories @var{pathdir} are
29075 supplied in addition to the
29076 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
29077 occurs as normal.
29078 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
29079 multiple directories in a single command
29080 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
29081 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
29082 If blanks are needed as
29083 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
29084 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
29085 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
29086 character must not be used
29087 in any directory name.
29088 If no directories are specified, the current path is displayed.
29089
29090
29091 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29092
29093 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{path}.
29094
29095 @subsubheading Example
29096
29097 @smallexample
29098 (gdb)
29099 -environment-path
29100 ^done,path="/usr/bin"
29101 (gdb)
29102 -environment-path /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb /bin
29103 ^done,path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb:/bin:/usr/bin"
29104 (gdb)
29105 -environment-path -r /usr/local/bin
29106 ^done,path="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
29107 (gdb)
29108 @end smallexample
29109
29110
29111 @subheading The @code{-environment-pwd} Command
29112 @findex -environment-pwd
29113
29114 @subsubheading Synopsis
29115
29116 @smallexample
29117 -environment-pwd
29118 @end smallexample
29119
29120 Show the current working directory.
29121
29122 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29123
29124 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{pwd}.
29125
29126 @subsubheading Example
29127
29128 @smallexample
29129 (gdb)
29130 -environment-pwd
29131 ^done,cwd="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb"
29132 (gdb)
29133 @end smallexample
29134
29135 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29136 @node GDB/MI Thread Commands
29137 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Commands
29138
29139
29140 @subheading The @code{-thread-info} Command
29141 @findex -thread-info
29142
29143 @subsubheading Synopsis
29144
29145 @smallexample
29146 -thread-info [ @var{thread-id} ]
29147 @end smallexample
29148
29149 Reports information about either a specific thread, if
29150 the @var{thread-id} parameter is present, or about all
29151 threads. When printing information about all threads,
29152 also reports the current thread.
29153
29154 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29155
29156 The @samp{info thread} command prints the same information
29157 about all threads.
29158
29159 @subsubheading Result
29160
29161 The result is a list of threads. The following attributes are
29162 defined for a given thread:
29163
29164 @table @samp
29165 @item current
29166 This field exists only for the current thread. It has the value @samp{*}.
29167
29168 @item id
29169 The identifier that @value{GDBN} uses to refer to the thread.
29170
29171 @item target-id
29172 The identifier that the target uses to refer to the thread.
29173
29174 @item details
29175 Extra information about the thread, in a target-specific format. This
29176 field is optional.
29177
29178 @item name
29179 The name of the thread. If the user specified a name using the
29180 @code{thread name} command, then this name is given. Otherwise, if
29181 @value{GDBN} can extract the thread name from the target, then that
29182 name is given. If @value{GDBN} cannot find the thread name, then this
29183 field is omitted.
29184
29185 @item frame
29186 The stack frame currently executing in the thread.
29187
29188 @item state
29189 The thread's state. The @samp{state} field may have the following
29190 values:
29191
29192 @table @code
29193 @item stopped
29194 The thread is stopped. Frame information is available for stopped
29195 threads.
29196
29197 @item running
29198 The thread is running. There's no frame information for running
29199 threads.
29200
29201 @end table
29202
29203 @item core
29204 If @value{GDBN} can find the CPU core on which this thread is running,
29205 then this field is the core identifier. This field is optional.
29206
29207 @end table
29208
29209 @subsubheading Example
29210
29211 @smallexample
29212 -thread-info
29213 ^done,threads=[
29214 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
29215 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",
29216 args=[]@},state="running"@},
29217 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
29218 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",
29219 args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
29220 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},
29221 state="running"@}],
29222 current-thread-id="1"
29223 (gdb)
29224 @end smallexample
29225
29226 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-ids} Command
29227 @findex -thread-list-ids
29228
29229 @subsubheading Synopsis
29230
29231 @smallexample
29232 -thread-list-ids
29233 @end smallexample
29234
29235 Produces a list of the currently known @value{GDBN} thread ids. At the
29236 end of the list it also prints the total number of such threads.
29237
29238 This command is retained for historical reasons, the
29239 @code{-thread-info} command should be used instead.
29240
29241 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29242
29243 Part of @samp{info threads} supplies the same information.
29244
29245 @subsubheading Example
29246
29247 @smallexample
29248 (gdb)
29249 -thread-list-ids
29250 ^done,thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
29251 current-thread-id="1",number-of-threads="3"
29252 (gdb)
29253 @end smallexample
29254
29255
29256 @subheading The @code{-thread-select} Command
29257 @findex -thread-select
29258
29259 @subsubheading Synopsis
29260
29261 @smallexample
29262 -thread-select @var{threadnum}
29263 @end smallexample
29264
29265 Make @var{threadnum} the current thread. It prints the number of the new
29266 current thread, and the topmost frame for that thread.
29267
29268 This command is deprecated in favor of explicitly using the
29269 @samp{--thread} option to each command.
29270
29271 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29272
29273 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{thread}.
29274
29275 @subsubheading Example
29276
29277 @smallexample
29278 (gdb)
29279 -exec-next
29280 ^running
29281 (gdb)
29282 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",thread-id="2",line="187",
29283 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/linux-dp.c"
29284 (gdb)
29285 -thread-list-ids
29286 ^done,
29287 thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
29288 number-of-threads="3"
29289 (gdb)
29290 -thread-select 3
29291 ^done,new-thread-id="3",
29292 frame=@{level="0",func="vprintf",
29293 args=[@{name="format",value="0x8048e9c \"%*s%c %d %c\\n\""@},
29294 @{name="arg",value="0x2"@}],file="vprintf.c",line="31"@}
29295 (gdb)
29296 @end smallexample
29297
29298 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29299 @node GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands
29300 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Tasking Commands
29301
29302 @subheading The @code{-ada-task-info} Command
29303 @findex -ada-task-info
29304
29305 @subsubheading Synopsis
29306
29307 @smallexample
29308 -ada-task-info [ @var{task-id} ]
29309 @end smallexample
29310
29311 Reports information about either a specific Ada task, if the
29312 @var{task-id} parameter is present, or about all Ada tasks.
29313
29314 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29315
29316 The @samp{info tasks} command prints the same information
29317 about all Ada tasks (@pxref{Ada Tasks}).
29318
29319 @subsubheading Result
29320
29321 The result is a table of Ada tasks. The following columns are
29322 defined for each Ada task:
29323
29324 @table @samp
29325 @item current
29326 This field exists only for the current thread. It has the value @samp{*}.
29327
29328 @item id
29329 The identifier that @value{GDBN} uses to refer to the Ada task.
29330
29331 @item task-id
29332 The identifier that the target uses to refer to the Ada task.
29333
29334 @item thread-id
29335 The identifier of the thread corresponding to the Ada task.
29336
29337 This field should always exist, as Ada tasks are always implemented
29338 on top of a thread. But if @value{GDBN} cannot find this corresponding
29339 thread for any reason, the field is omitted.
29340
29341 @item parent-id
29342 This field exists only when the task was created by another task.
29343 In this case, it provides the ID of the parent task.
29344
29345 @item priority
29346 The base priority of the task.
29347
29348 @item state
29349 The current state of the task. For a detailed description of the
29350 possible states, see @ref{Ada Tasks}.
29351
29352 @item name
29353 The name of the task.
29354
29355 @end table
29356
29357 @subsubheading Example
29358
29359 @smallexample
29360 -ada-task-info
29361 ^done,tasks=@{nr_rows="3",nr_cols="8",
29362 hdr=[@{width="1",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr=""@},
29363 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="id",colhdr="ID"@},
29364 @{width="9",alignment="1",col_name="task-id",colhdr="TID"@},
29365 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="thread-id",colhdr=""@},
29366 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="parent-id",colhdr="P-ID"@},
29367 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="priority",colhdr="Pri"@},
29368 @{width="22",alignment="-1",col_name="state",colhdr="State"@},
29369 @{width="1",alignment="2",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@}],
29370 body=[@{current="*",id="1",task-id=" 644010",thread-id="1",priority="48",
29371 state="Child Termination Wait",name="main_task"@}]@}
29372 (gdb)
29373 @end smallexample
29374
29375 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29376 @node GDB/MI Program Execution
29377 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Execution
29378
29379 These are the asynchronous commands which generate the out-of-band
29380 record @samp{*stopped}. Currently @value{GDBN} only really executes
29381 asynchronously with remote targets and this interaction is mimicked in
29382 other cases.
29383
29384 @subheading The @code{-exec-continue} Command
29385 @findex -exec-continue
29386
29387 @subsubheading Synopsis
29388
29389 @smallexample
29390 -exec-continue [--reverse] [--all|--thread-group N]
29391 @end smallexample
29392
29393 Resumes the execution of the inferior program, which will continue
29394 to execute until it reaches a debugger stop event. If the
29395 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, execution resumes in reverse until
29396 it reaches a stop event. Stop events may include
29397 @itemize @bullet
29398 @item
29399 breakpoints or watchpoints
29400 @item
29401 signals or exceptions
29402 @item
29403 the end of the process (or its beginning under @samp{--reverse})
29404 @item
29405 the end or beginning of a replay log if one is being used.
29406 @end itemize
29407 In all-stop mode (@pxref{All-Stop
29408 Mode}), may resume only one thread, or all threads, depending on the
29409 value of the @samp{scheduler-locking} variable. If @samp{--all} is
29410 specified, all threads (in all inferiors) will be resumed. The @samp{--all} option is
29411 ignored in all-stop mode. If the @samp{--thread-group} options is
29412 specified, then all threads in that thread group are resumed.
29413
29414 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29415
29416 The corresponding @value{GDBN} corresponding is @samp{continue}.
29417
29418 @subsubheading Example
29419
29420 @smallexample
29421 -exec-continue
29422 ^running
29423 (gdb)
29424 @@Hello world
29425 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="2",frame=@{
29426 func="foo",args=[],file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",
29427 line="13"@}
29428 (gdb)
29429 @end smallexample
29430
29431
29432 @subheading The @code{-exec-finish} Command
29433 @findex -exec-finish
29434
29435 @subsubheading Synopsis
29436
29437 @smallexample
29438 -exec-finish [--reverse]
29439 @end smallexample
29440
29441 Resumes the execution of the inferior program until the current
29442 function is exited. Displays the results returned by the function.
29443 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes the reverse
29444 execution of the inferior program until the point where current
29445 function was called.
29446
29447 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29448
29449 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{finish}.
29450
29451 @subsubheading Example
29452
29453 Function returning @code{void}.
29454
29455 @smallexample
29456 -exec-finish
29457 ^running
29458 (gdb)
29459 @@hello from foo
29460 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
29461 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="7"@}
29462 (gdb)
29463 @end smallexample
29464
29465 Function returning other than @code{void}. The name of the internal
29466 @value{GDBN} variable storing the result is printed, together with the
29467 value itself.
29468
29469 @smallexample
29470 -exec-finish
29471 ^running
29472 (gdb)
29473 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{addr="0x000107b0",func="foo",
29474 args=[@{name="a",value="1"],@{name="b",value="9"@}@},
29475 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
29476 gdb-result-var="$1",return-value="0"
29477 (gdb)
29478 @end smallexample
29479
29480
29481 @subheading The @code{-exec-interrupt} Command
29482 @findex -exec-interrupt
29483
29484 @subsubheading Synopsis
29485
29486 @smallexample
29487 -exec-interrupt [--all|--thread-group N]
29488 @end smallexample
29489
29490 Interrupts the background execution of the target. Note how the token
29491 associated with the stop message is the one for the execution command
29492 that has been interrupted. The token for the interrupt itself only
29493 appears in the @samp{^done} output. If the user is trying to
29494 interrupt a non-running program, an error message will be printed.
29495
29496 Note that when asynchronous execution is enabled, this command is
29497 asynchronous just like other execution commands. That is, first the
29498 @samp{^done} response will be printed, and the target stop will be
29499 reported after that using the @samp{*stopped} notification.
29500
29501 In non-stop mode, only the context thread is interrupted by default.
29502 All threads (in all inferiors) will be interrupted if the
29503 @samp{--all} option is specified. If the @samp{--thread-group}
29504 option is specified, all threads in that group will be interrupted.
29505
29506 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29507
29508 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interrupt}.
29509
29510 @subsubheading Example
29511
29512 @smallexample
29513 (gdb)
29514 111-exec-continue
29515 111^running
29516
29517 (gdb)
29518 222-exec-interrupt
29519 222^done
29520 (gdb)
29521 111*stopped,signal-name="SIGINT",signal-meaning="Interrupt",
29522 frame=@{addr="0x00010140",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
29523 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="13"@}
29524 (gdb)
29525
29526 (gdb)
29527 -exec-interrupt
29528 ^error,msg="mi_cmd_exec_interrupt: Inferior not executing."
29529 (gdb)
29530 @end smallexample
29531
29532 @subheading The @code{-exec-jump} Command
29533 @findex -exec-jump
29534
29535 @subsubheading Synopsis
29536
29537 @smallexample
29538 -exec-jump @var{location}
29539 @end smallexample
29540
29541 Resumes execution of the inferior program at the location specified by
29542 parameter. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
29543 different forms of @var{location}.
29544
29545 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29546
29547 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{jump}.
29548
29549 @subsubheading Example
29550
29551 @smallexample
29552 -exec-jump foo.c:10
29553 *running,thread-id="all"
29554 ^running
29555 @end smallexample
29556
29557
29558 @subheading The @code{-exec-next} Command
29559 @findex -exec-next
29560
29561 @subsubheading Synopsis
29562
29563 @smallexample
29564 -exec-next [--reverse]
29565 @end smallexample
29566
29567 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
29568 of the next source line is reached.
29569
29570 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
29571 of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the previous
29572 source line. If you issue this command on the first line of a
29573 function, it will take you back to the caller of that function, to the
29574 source line where the function was called.
29575
29576
29577 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29578
29579 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{next}.
29580
29581 @subsubheading Example
29582
29583 @smallexample
29584 -exec-next
29585 ^running
29586 (gdb)
29587 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="8",file="hello.c"
29588 (gdb)
29589 @end smallexample
29590
29591
29592 @subheading The @code{-exec-next-instruction} Command
29593 @findex -exec-next-instruction
29594
29595 @subsubheading Synopsis
29596
29597 @smallexample
29598 -exec-next-instruction [--reverse]
29599 @end smallexample
29600
29601 Executes one machine instruction. If the instruction is a function
29602 call, continues until the function returns. If the program stops at an
29603 instruction in the middle of a source line, the address will be
29604 printed as well.
29605
29606 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
29607 of the inferior program, stopping at the previous instruction. If the
29608 previously executed instruction was a return from another function,
29609 it will continue to execute in reverse until the call to that function
29610 (from the current stack frame) is reached.
29611
29612 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29613
29614 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{nexti}.
29615
29616 @subsubheading Example
29617
29618 @smallexample
29619 (gdb)
29620 -exec-next-instruction
29621 ^running
29622
29623 (gdb)
29624 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
29625 addr="0x000100d4",line="5",file="hello.c"
29626 (gdb)
29627 @end smallexample
29628
29629
29630 @subheading The @code{-exec-return} Command
29631 @findex -exec-return
29632
29633 @subsubheading Synopsis
29634
29635 @smallexample
29636 -exec-return
29637 @end smallexample
29638
29639 Makes current function return immediately. Doesn't execute the inferior.
29640 Displays the new current frame.
29641
29642 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29643
29644 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{return}.
29645
29646 @subsubheading Example
29647
29648 @smallexample
29649 (gdb)
29650 200-break-insert callee4
29651 200^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x00010734",
29652 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
29653 (gdb)
29654 000-exec-run
29655 000^running
29656 (gdb)
29657 000*stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
29658 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
29659 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29660 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
29661 (gdb)
29662 205-break-delete
29663 205^done
29664 (gdb)
29665 111-exec-return
29666 111^done,frame=@{level="0",func="callee3",
29667 args=[@{name="strarg",
29668 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
29669 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29670 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
29671 (gdb)
29672 @end smallexample
29673
29674
29675 @subheading The @code{-exec-run} Command
29676 @findex -exec-run
29677
29678 @subsubheading Synopsis
29679
29680 @smallexample
29681 -exec-run [--all | --thread-group N]
29682 @end smallexample
29683
29684 Starts execution of the inferior from the beginning. The inferior
29685 executes until either a breakpoint is encountered or the program
29686 exits. In the latter case the output will include an exit code, if
29687 the program has exited exceptionally.
29688
29689 When no option is specified, the current inferior is started. If the
29690 @samp{--thread-group} option is specified, it should refer to a thread
29691 group of type @samp{process}, and that thread group will be started.
29692 If the @samp{--all} option is specified, then all inferiors will be started.
29693
29694 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29695
29696 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{run}.
29697
29698 @subsubheading Examples
29699
29700 @smallexample
29701 (gdb)
29702 -break-insert main
29703 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",line="4"@}
29704 (gdb)
29705 -exec-run
29706 ^running
29707 (gdb)
29708 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
29709 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
29710 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}
29711 (gdb)
29712 @end smallexample
29713
29714 @noindent
29715 Program exited normally:
29716
29717 @smallexample
29718 (gdb)
29719 -exec-run
29720 ^running
29721 (gdb)
29722 x = 55
29723 *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
29724 (gdb)
29725 @end smallexample
29726
29727 @noindent
29728 Program exited exceptionally:
29729
29730 @smallexample
29731 (gdb)
29732 -exec-run
29733 ^running
29734 (gdb)
29735 x = 55
29736 *stopped,reason="exited",exit-code="01"
29737 (gdb)
29738 @end smallexample
29739
29740 Another way the program can terminate is if it receives a signal such as
29741 @code{SIGINT}. In this case, @sc{gdb/mi} displays this:
29742
29743 @smallexample
29744 (gdb)
29745 *stopped,reason="exited-signalled",signal-name="SIGINT",
29746 signal-meaning="Interrupt"
29747 @end smallexample
29748
29749
29750 @c @subheading -exec-signal
29751
29752
29753 @subheading The @code{-exec-step} Command
29754 @findex -exec-step
29755
29756 @subsubheading Synopsis
29757
29758 @smallexample
29759 -exec-step [--reverse]
29760 @end smallexample
29761
29762 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
29763 of the next source line is reached, if the next source line is not a
29764 function call. If it is, stop at the first instruction of the called
29765 function. If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse
29766 execution of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the
29767 previously executed source line.
29768
29769 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29770
29771 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{step}.
29772
29773 @subsubheading Example
29774
29775 Stepping into a function:
29776
29777 @smallexample
29778 -exec-step
29779 ^running
29780 (gdb)
29781 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
29782 frame=@{func="foo",args=[@{name="a",value="10"@},
29783 @{name="b",value="0"@}],file="recursive2.c",
29784 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@}
29785 (gdb)
29786 @end smallexample
29787
29788 Regular stepping:
29789
29790 @smallexample
29791 -exec-step
29792 ^running
29793 (gdb)
29794 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="14",file="recursive2.c"
29795 (gdb)
29796 @end smallexample
29797
29798
29799 @subheading The @code{-exec-step-instruction} Command
29800 @findex -exec-step-instruction
29801
29802 @subsubheading Synopsis
29803
29804 @smallexample
29805 -exec-step-instruction [--reverse]
29806 @end smallexample
29807
29808 Resumes the inferior which executes one machine instruction. If the
29809 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution of the
29810 inferior program, stopping at the previously executed instruction.
29811 The output, once @value{GDBN} has stopped, will vary depending on
29812 whether we have stopped in the middle of a source line or not. In the
29813 former case, the address at which the program stopped will be printed
29814 as well.
29815
29816 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29817
29818 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{stepi}.
29819
29820 @subsubheading Example
29821
29822 @smallexample
29823 (gdb)
29824 -exec-step-instruction
29825 ^running
29826
29827 (gdb)
29828 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
29829 frame=@{func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
29830 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
29831 (gdb)
29832 -exec-step-instruction
29833 ^running
29834
29835 (gdb)
29836 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
29837 frame=@{addr="0x000100f4",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
29838 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
29839 (gdb)
29840 @end smallexample
29841
29842
29843 @subheading The @code{-exec-until} Command
29844 @findex -exec-until
29845
29846 @subsubheading Synopsis
29847
29848 @smallexample
29849 -exec-until [ @var{location} ]
29850 @end smallexample
29851
29852 Executes the inferior until the @var{location} specified in the
29853 argument is reached. If there is no argument, the inferior executes
29854 until a source line greater than the current one is reached. The
29855 reason for stopping in this case will be @samp{location-reached}.
29856
29857 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29858
29859 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{until}.
29860
29861 @subsubheading Example
29862
29863 @smallexample
29864 (gdb)
29865 -exec-until recursive2.c:6
29866 ^running
29867 (gdb)
29868 x = 55
29869 *stopped,reason="location-reached",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
29870 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="6"@}
29871 (gdb)
29872 @end smallexample
29873
29874 @ignore
29875 @subheading -file-clear
29876 Is this going away????
29877 @end ignore
29878
29879 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29880 @node GDB/MI Stack Manipulation
29881 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Stack Manipulation Commands
29882
29883
29884 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-frame} Command
29885 @findex -stack-info-frame
29886
29887 @subsubheading Synopsis
29888
29889 @smallexample
29890 -stack-info-frame
29891 @end smallexample
29892
29893 Get info on the selected frame.
29894
29895 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29896
29897 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info frame} or @samp{frame}
29898 (without arguments).
29899
29900 @subsubheading Example
29901
29902 @smallexample
29903 (gdb)
29904 -stack-info-frame
29905 ^done,frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
29906 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29907 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@}
29908 (gdb)
29909 @end smallexample
29910
29911 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-depth} Command
29912 @findex -stack-info-depth
29913
29914 @subsubheading Synopsis
29915
29916 @smallexample
29917 -stack-info-depth [ @var{max-depth} ]
29918 @end smallexample
29919
29920 Return the depth of the stack. If the integer argument @var{max-depth}
29921 is specified, do not count beyond @var{max-depth} frames.
29922
29923 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29924
29925 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
29926
29927 @subsubheading Example
29928
29929 For a stack with frame levels 0 through 11:
29930
29931 @smallexample
29932 (gdb)
29933 -stack-info-depth
29934 ^done,depth="12"
29935 (gdb)
29936 -stack-info-depth 4
29937 ^done,depth="4"
29938 (gdb)
29939 -stack-info-depth 12
29940 ^done,depth="12"
29941 (gdb)
29942 -stack-info-depth 11
29943 ^done,depth="11"
29944 (gdb)
29945 -stack-info-depth 13
29946 ^done,depth="12"
29947 (gdb)
29948 @end smallexample
29949
29950 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-arguments} Command
29951 @findex -stack-list-arguments
29952
29953 @subsubheading Synopsis
29954
29955 @smallexample
29956 -stack-list-arguments @var{print-values}
29957 [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
29958 @end smallexample
29959
29960 Display a list of the arguments for the frames between @var{low-frame}
29961 and @var{high-frame} (inclusive). If @var{low-frame} and
29962 @var{high-frame} are not provided, list the arguments for the whole
29963 call stack. If the two arguments are equal, show the single frame
29964 at the corresponding level. It is an error if @var{low-frame} is
29965 larger than the actual number of frames. On the other hand,
29966 @var{high-frame} may be larger than the actual number of frames, in
29967 which case only existing frames will be returned.
29968
29969 If @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
29970 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
29971 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
29972 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
29973 structures and unions.
29974
29975 Use of this command to obtain arguments in a single frame is
29976 deprecated in favor of the @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
29977
29978 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29979
29980 @value{GDBN} does not have an equivalent command. @code{gdbtk} has a
29981 @samp{gdb_get_args} command which partially overlaps with the
29982 functionality of @samp{-stack-list-arguments}.
29983
29984 @subsubheading Example
29985
29986 @smallexample
29987 (gdb)
29988 -stack-list-frames
29989 ^done,
29990 stack=[
29991 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
29992 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29993 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@},
29994 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
29995 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29996 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@},
29997 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x0001078c",func="callee2",
29998 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29999 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="22"@},
30000 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107b4",func="callee1",
30001 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30002 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="27"@},
30003 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107e0",func="main",
30004 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30005 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="32"@}]
30006 (gdb)
30007 -stack-list-arguments 0
30008 ^done,
30009 stack-args=[
30010 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
30011 frame=@{level="1",args=[name="strarg"]@},
30012 frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@},
30013 frame=@{level="3",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg",name="fltarg"]@},
30014 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
30015 (gdb)
30016 -stack-list-arguments 1
30017 ^done,
30018 stack-args=[
30019 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
30020 frame=@{level="1",
30021 args=[@{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
30022 frame=@{level="2",args=[
30023 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30024 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
30025 @{frame=@{level="3",args=[
30026 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30027 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@},
30028 @{name="fltarg",value="3.5"@}]@},
30029 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
30030 (gdb)
30031 -stack-list-arguments 0 2 2
30032 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@}]
30033 (gdb)
30034 -stack-list-arguments 1 2 2
30035 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",
30036 args=[@{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30037 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@}]
30038 (gdb)
30039 @end smallexample
30040
30041 @c @subheading -stack-list-exception-handlers
30042
30043
30044 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-frames} Command
30045 @findex -stack-list-frames
30046
30047 @subsubheading Synopsis
30048
30049 @smallexample
30050 -stack-list-frames [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
30051 @end smallexample
30052
30053 List the frames currently on the stack. For each frame it displays the
30054 following info:
30055
30056 @table @samp
30057 @item @var{level}
30058 The frame number, 0 being the topmost frame, i.e., the innermost function.
30059 @item @var{addr}
30060 The @code{$pc} value for that frame.
30061 @item @var{func}
30062 Function name.
30063 @item @var{file}
30064 File name of the source file where the function lives.
30065 @item @var{fullname}
30066 The full file name of the source file where the function lives.
30067 @item @var{line}
30068 Line number corresponding to the @code{$pc}.
30069 @item @var{from}
30070 The shared library where this function is defined. This is only given
30071 if the frame's function is not known.
30072 @end table
30073
30074 If invoked without arguments, this command prints a backtrace for the
30075 whole stack. If given two integer arguments, it shows the frames whose
30076 levels are between the two arguments (inclusive). If the two arguments
30077 are equal, it shows the single frame at the corresponding level. It is
30078 an error if @var{low-frame} is larger than the actual number of
30079 frames. On the other hand, @var{high-frame} may be larger than the
30080 actual number of frames, in which case only existing frames will be returned.
30081
30082 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30083
30084 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{backtrace} and @samp{where}.
30085
30086 @subsubheading Example
30087
30088 Full stack backtrace:
30089
30090 @smallexample
30091 (gdb)
30092 -stack-list-frames
30093 ^done,stack=
30094 [frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0001076c",func="foo",
30095 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@},
30096 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30097 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30098 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30099 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30100 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30101 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30102 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30103 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30104 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30105 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30106 frame=@{level="6",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30107 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30108 frame=@{level="7",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30109 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30110 frame=@{level="8",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30111 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30112 frame=@{level="9",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30113 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30114 frame=@{level="10",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30115 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30116 frame=@{level="11",addr="0x00010738",func="main",
30117 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}]
30118 (gdb)
30119 @end smallexample
30120
30121 Show frames between @var{low_frame} and @var{high_frame}:
30122
30123 @smallexample
30124 (gdb)
30125 -stack-list-frames 3 5
30126 ^done,stack=
30127 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30128 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30129 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30130 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
30131 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30132 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
30133 (gdb)
30134 @end smallexample
30135
30136 Show a single frame:
30137
30138 @smallexample
30139 (gdb)
30140 -stack-list-frames 3 3
30141 ^done,stack=
30142 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30143 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
30144 (gdb)
30145 @end smallexample
30146
30147
30148 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-locals} Command
30149 @findex -stack-list-locals
30150
30151 @subsubheading Synopsis
30152
30153 @smallexample
30154 -stack-list-locals @var{print-values}
30155 @end smallexample
30156
30157 Display the local variable names for the selected frame. If
30158 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
30159 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
30160 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
30161 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
30162 structures and unions. In this last case, a frontend can immediately
30163 display the value of simple data types and create variable objects for
30164 other data types when the user wishes to explore their values in
30165 more detail.
30166
30167 This command is deprecated in favor of the
30168 @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
30169
30170 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30171
30172 @samp{info locals} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_get_locals} in @code{gdbtk}.
30173
30174 @subsubheading Example
30175
30176 @smallexample
30177 (gdb)
30178 -stack-list-locals 0
30179 ^done,locals=[name="A",name="B",name="C"]
30180 (gdb)
30181 -stack-list-locals --all-values
30182 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",value="1"@},@{name="B",value="2"@},
30183 @{name="C",value="@{1, 2, 3@}"@}]
30184 -stack-list-locals --simple-values
30185 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",type="int",value="1"@},
30186 @{name="B",type="int",value="2"@},@{name="C",type="int [3]"@}]
30187 (gdb)
30188 @end smallexample
30189
30190 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-variables} Command
30191 @findex -stack-list-variables
30192
30193 @subsubheading Synopsis
30194
30195 @smallexample
30196 -stack-list-variables @var{print-values}
30197 @end smallexample
30198
30199 Display the names of local variables and function arguments for the selected frame. If
30200 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
30201 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
30202 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
30203 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
30204 structures and unions.
30205
30206 @subsubheading Example
30207
30208 @smallexample
30209 (gdb)
30210 -stack-list-variables --thread 1 --frame 0 --all-values
30211 ^done,variables=[@{name="x",value="11"@},@{name="s",value="@{a = 1, b = 2@}"@}]
30212 (gdb)
30213 @end smallexample
30214
30215
30216 @subheading The @code{-stack-select-frame} Command
30217 @findex -stack-select-frame
30218
30219 @subsubheading Synopsis
30220
30221 @smallexample
30222 -stack-select-frame @var{framenum}
30223 @end smallexample
30224
30225 Change the selected frame. Select a different frame @var{framenum} on
30226 the stack.
30227
30228 This command in deprecated in favor of passing the @samp{--frame}
30229 option to every command.
30230
30231 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30232
30233 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{frame}, @samp{up},
30234 @samp{down}, @samp{select-frame}, @samp{up-silent}, and @samp{down-silent}.
30235
30236 @subsubheading Example
30237
30238 @smallexample
30239 (gdb)
30240 -stack-select-frame 2
30241 ^done
30242 (gdb)
30243 @end smallexample
30244
30245 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
30246 @node GDB/MI Variable Objects
30247 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Variable Objects
30248
30249 @ignore
30250
30251 @subheading Motivation for Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
30252
30253 For the implementation of a variable debugger window (locals, watched
30254 expressions, etc.), we are proposing the adaptation of the existing code
30255 used by @code{Insight}.
30256
30257 The two main reasons for that are:
30258
30259 @enumerate 1
30260 @item
30261 It has been proven in practice (it is already on its second generation).
30262
30263 @item
30264 It will shorten development time (needless to say how important it is
30265 now).
30266 @end enumerate
30267
30268 The original interface was designed to be used by Tcl code, so it was
30269 slightly changed so it could be used through @sc{gdb/mi}. This section
30270 describes the @sc{gdb/mi} operations that will be available and gives some
30271 hints about their use.
30272
30273 @emph{Note}: In addition to the set of operations described here, we
30274 expect the @sc{gui} implementation of a variable window to require, at
30275 least, the following operations:
30276
30277 @itemize @bullet
30278 @item @code{-gdb-show} @code{output-radix}
30279 @item @code{-stack-list-arguments}
30280 @item @code{-stack-list-locals}
30281 @item @code{-stack-select-frame}
30282 @end itemize
30283
30284 @end ignore
30285
30286 @subheading Introduction to Variable Objects
30287
30288 @cindex variable objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
30289
30290 Variable objects are "object-oriented" MI interface for examining and
30291 changing values of expressions. Unlike some other MI interfaces that
30292 work with expressions, variable objects are specifically designed for
30293 simple and efficient presentation in the frontend. A variable object
30294 is identified by string name. When a variable object is created, the
30295 frontend specifies the expression for that variable object. The
30296 expression can be a simple variable, or it can be an arbitrary complex
30297 expression, and can even involve CPU registers. After creating a
30298 variable object, the frontend can invoke other variable object
30299 operations---for example to obtain or change the value of a variable
30300 object, or to change display format.
30301
30302 Variable objects have hierarchical tree structure. Any variable object
30303 that corresponds to a composite type, such as structure in C, has
30304 a number of child variable objects, for example corresponding to each
30305 element of a structure. A child variable object can itself have
30306 children, recursively. Recursion ends when we reach
30307 leaf variable objects, which always have built-in types. Child variable
30308 objects are created only by explicit request, so if a frontend
30309 is not interested in the children of a particular variable object, no
30310 child will be created.
30311
30312 For a leaf variable object it is possible to obtain its value as a
30313 string, or set the value from a string. String value can be also
30314 obtained for a non-leaf variable object, but it's generally a string
30315 that only indicates the type of the object, and does not list its
30316 contents. Assignment to a non-leaf variable object is not allowed.
30317
30318 A frontend does not need to read the values of all variable objects each time
30319 the program stops. Instead, MI provides an update command that lists all
30320 variable objects whose values has changed since the last update
30321 operation. This considerably reduces the amount of data that must
30322 be transferred to the frontend. As noted above, children variable
30323 objects are created on demand, and only leaf variable objects have a
30324 real value. As result, gdb will read target memory only for leaf
30325 variables that frontend has created.
30326
30327 The automatic update is not always desirable. For example, a frontend
30328 might want to keep a value of some expression for future reference,
30329 and never update it. For another example, fetching memory is
30330 relatively slow for embedded targets, so a frontend might want
30331 to disable automatic update for the variables that are either not
30332 visible on the screen, or ``closed''. This is possible using so
30333 called ``frozen variable objects''. Such variable objects are never
30334 implicitly updated.
30335
30336 Variable objects can be either @dfn{fixed} or @dfn{floating}. For the
30337 fixed variable object, the expression is parsed when the variable
30338 object is created, including associating identifiers to specific
30339 variables. The meaning of expression never changes. For a floating
30340 variable object the values of variables whose names appear in the
30341 expressions are re-evaluated every time in the context of the current
30342 frame. Consider this example:
30343
30344 @smallexample
30345 void do_work(...)
30346 @{
30347 struct work_state state;
30348
30349 if (...)
30350 do_work(...);
30351 @}
30352 @end smallexample
30353
30354 If a fixed variable object for the @code{state} variable is created in
30355 this function, and we enter the recursive call, the variable
30356 object will report the value of @code{state} in the top-level
30357 @code{do_work} invocation. On the other hand, a floating variable
30358 object will report the value of @code{state} in the current frame.
30359
30360 If an expression specified when creating a fixed variable object
30361 refers to a local variable, the variable object becomes bound to the
30362 thread and frame in which the variable object is created. When such
30363 variable object is updated, @value{GDBN} makes sure that the
30364 thread/frame combination the variable object is bound to still exists,
30365 and re-evaluates the variable object in context of that thread/frame.
30366
30367 The following is the complete set of @sc{gdb/mi} operations defined to
30368 access this functionality:
30369
30370 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
30371 @item @strong{Operation}
30372 @tab @strong{Description}
30373
30374 @item @code{-enable-pretty-printing}
30375 @tab enable Python-based pretty-printing
30376 @item @code{-var-create}
30377 @tab create a variable object
30378 @item @code{-var-delete}
30379 @tab delete the variable object and/or its children
30380 @item @code{-var-set-format}
30381 @tab set the display format of this variable
30382 @item @code{-var-show-format}
30383 @tab show the display format of this variable
30384 @item @code{-var-info-num-children}
30385 @tab tells how many children this object has
30386 @item @code{-var-list-children}
30387 @tab return a list of the object's children
30388 @item @code{-var-info-type}
30389 @tab show the type of this variable object
30390 @item @code{-var-info-expression}
30391 @tab print parent-relative expression that this variable object represents
30392 @item @code{-var-info-path-expression}
30393 @tab print full expression that this variable object represents
30394 @item @code{-var-show-attributes}
30395 @tab is this variable editable? does it exist here?
30396 @item @code{-var-evaluate-expression}
30397 @tab get the value of this variable
30398 @item @code{-var-assign}
30399 @tab set the value of this variable
30400 @item @code{-var-update}
30401 @tab update the variable and its children
30402 @item @code{-var-set-frozen}
30403 @tab set frozeness attribute
30404 @item @code{-var-set-update-range}
30405 @tab set range of children to display on update
30406 @end multitable
30407
30408 In the next subsection we describe each operation in detail and suggest
30409 how it can be used.
30410
30411 @subheading Description And Use of Operations on Variable Objects
30412
30413 @subheading The @code{-enable-pretty-printing} Command
30414 @findex -enable-pretty-printing
30415
30416 @smallexample
30417 -enable-pretty-printing
30418 @end smallexample
30419
30420 @value{GDBN} allows Python-based visualizers to affect the output of the
30421 MI variable object commands. However, because there was no way to
30422 implement this in a fully backward-compatible way, a front end must
30423 request that this functionality be enabled.
30424
30425 Once enabled, this feature cannot be disabled.
30426
30427 Note that if Python support has not been compiled into @value{GDBN},
30428 this command will still succeed (and do nothing).
30429
30430 This feature is currently (as of @value{GDBN} 7.0) experimental, and
30431 may work differently in future versions of @value{GDBN}.
30432
30433 @subheading The @code{-var-create} Command
30434 @findex -var-create
30435
30436 @subsubheading Synopsis
30437
30438 @smallexample
30439 -var-create @{@var{name} | "-"@}
30440 @{@var{frame-addr} | "*" | "@@"@} @var{expression}
30441 @end smallexample
30442
30443 This operation creates a variable object, which allows the monitoring of
30444 a variable, the result of an expression, a memory cell or a CPU
30445 register.
30446
30447 The @var{name} parameter is the string by which the object can be
30448 referenced. It must be unique. If @samp{-} is specified, the varobj
30449 system will generate a string ``varNNNNNN'' automatically. It will be
30450 unique provided that one does not specify @var{name} of that format.
30451 The command fails if a duplicate name is found.
30452
30453 The frame under which the expression should be evaluated can be
30454 specified by @var{frame-addr}. A @samp{*} indicates that the current
30455 frame should be used. A @samp{@@} indicates that a floating variable
30456 object must be created.
30457
30458 @var{expression} is any expression valid on the current language set (must not
30459 begin with a @samp{*}), or one of the following:
30460
30461 @itemize @bullet
30462 @item
30463 @samp{*@var{addr}}, where @var{addr} is the address of a memory cell
30464
30465 @item
30466 @samp{*@var{addr}-@var{addr}} --- a memory address range (TBD)
30467
30468 @item
30469 @samp{$@var{regname}} --- a CPU register name
30470 @end itemize
30471
30472 @cindex dynamic varobj
30473 A varobj's contents may be provided by a Python-based pretty-printer. In this
30474 case the varobj is known as a @dfn{dynamic varobj}. Dynamic varobjs
30475 have slightly different semantics in some cases. If the
30476 @code{-enable-pretty-printing} command is not sent, then @value{GDBN}
30477 will never create a dynamic varobj. This ensures backward
30478 compatibility for existing clients.
30479
30480 @subsubheading Result
30481
30482 This operation returns attributes of the newly-created varobj. These
30483 are:
30484
30485 @table @samp
30486 @item name
30487 The name of the varobj.
30488
30489 @item numchild
30490 The number of children of the varobj. This number is not necessarily
30491 reliable for a dynamic varobj. Instead, you must examine the
30492 @samp{has_more} attribute.
30493
30494 @item value
30495 The varobj's scalar value. For a varobj whose type is some sort of
30496 aggregate (e.g., a @code{struct}), or for a dynamic varobj, this value
30497 will not be interesting.
30498
30499 @item type
30500 The varobj's type. This is a string representation of the type, as
30501 would be printed by the @value{GDBN} CLI. If @samp{print object}
30502 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
30503 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
30504 @emph{declared} one.
30505
30506 @item thread-id
30507 If a variable object is bound to a specific thread, then this is the
30508 thread's identifier.
30509
30510 @item has_more
30511 For a dynamic varobj, this indicates whether there appear to be any
30512 children available. For a non-dynamic varobj, this will be 0.
30513
30514 @item dynamic
30515 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
30516 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
30517 then this attribute will not be present.
30518
30519 @item displayhint
30520 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
30521 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
30522 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
30523 @end table
30524
30525 Typical output will look like this:
30526
30527 @smallexample
30528 name="@var{name}",numchild="@var{N}",type="@var{type}",thread-id="@var{M}",
30529 has_more="@var{has_more}"
30530 @end smallexample
30531
30532
30533 @subheading The @code{-var-delete} Command
30534 @findex -var-delete
30535
30536 @subsubheading Synopsis
30537
30538 @smallexample
30539 -var-delete [ -c ] @var{name}
30540 @end smallexample
30541
30542 Deletes a previously created variable object and all of its children.
30543 With the @samp{-c} option, just deletes the children.
30544
30545 Returns an error if the object @var{name} is not found.
30546
30547
30548 @subheading The @code{-var-set-format} Command
30549 @findex -var-set-format
30550
30551 @subsubheading Synopsis
30552
30553 @smallexample
30554 -var-set-format @var{name} @var{format-spec}
30555 @end smallexample
30556
30557 Sets the output format for the value of the object @var{name} to be
30558 @var{format-spec}.
30559
30560 @anchor{-var-set-format}
30561 The syntax for the @var{format-spec} is as follows:
30562
30563 @smallexample
30564 @var{format-spec} @expansion{}
30565 @{binary | decimal | hexadecimal | octal | natural@}
30566 @end smallexample
30567
30568 The natural format is the default format choosen automatically
30569 based on the variable type (like decimal for an @code{int}, hex
30570 for pointers, etc.).
30571
30572 For a variable with children, the format is set only on the
30573 variable itself, and the children are not affected.
30574
30575 @subheading The @code{-var-show-format} Command
30576 @findex -var-show-format
30577
30578 @subsubheading Synopsis
30579
30580 @smallexample
30581 -var-show-format @var{name}
30582 @end smallexample
30583
30584 Returns the format used to display the value of the object @var{name}.
30585
30586 @smallexample
30587 @var{format} @expansion{}
30588 @var{format-spec}
30589 @end smallexample
30590
30591
30592 @subheading The @code{-var-info-num-children} Command
30593 @findex -var-info-num-children
30594
30595 @subsubheading Synopsis
30596
30597 @smallexample
30598 -var-info-num-children @var{name}
30599 @end smallexample
30600
30601 Returns the number of children of a variable object @var{name}:
30602
30603 @smallexample
30604 numchild=@var{n}
30605 @end smallexample
30606
30607 Note that this number is not completely reliable for a dynamic varobj.
30608 It will return the current number of children, but more children may
30609 be available.
30610
30611
30612 @subheading The @code{-var-list-children} Command
30613 @findex -var-list-children
30614
30615 @subsubheading Synopsis
30616
30617 @smallexample
30618 -var-list-children [@var{print-values}] @var{name} [@var{from} @var{to}]
30619 @end smallexample
30620 @anchor{-var-list-children}
30621
30622 Return a list of the children of the specified variable object and
30623 create variable objects for them, if they do not already exist. With
30624 a single argument or if @var{print-values} has a value of 0 or
30625 @code{--no-values}, print only the names of the variables; if
30626 @var{print-values} is 1 or @code{--all-values}, also print their
30627 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values} print the name and
30628 value for simple data types and just the name for arrays, structures
30629 and unions.
30630
30631 @var{from} and @var{to}, if specified, indicate the range of children
30632 to report. If @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is
30633 reset and all children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting
30634 at @var{from} (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be
30635 reported.
30636
30637 If a child range is requested, it will only affect the current call to
30638 @code{-var-list-children}, but not future calls to @code{-var-update}.
30639 For this, you must instead use @code{-var-set-update-range}. The
30640 intent of this approach is to enable a front end to implement any
30641 update approach it likes; for example, scrolling a view may cause the
30642 front end to request more children with @code{-var-list-children}, and
30643 then the front end could call @code{-var-set-update-range} with a
30644 different range to ensure that future updates are restricted to just
30645 the visible items.
30646
30647 For each child the following results are returned:
30648
30649 @table @var
30650
30651 @item name
30652 Name of the variable object created for this child.
30653
30654 @item exp
30655 The expression to be shown to the user by the front end to designate this child.
30656 For example this may be the name of a structure member.
30657
30658 For a dynamic varobj, this value cannot be used to form an
30659 expression. There is no way to do this at all with a dynamic varobj.
30660
30661 For C/C@t{++} structures there are several pseudo children returned to
30662 designate access qualifiers. For these pseudo children @var{exp} is
30663 @samp{public}, @samp{private}, or @samp{protected}. In this case the
30664 type and value are not present.
30665
30666 A dynamic varobj will not report the access qualifying
30667 pseudo-children, regardless of the language. This information is not
30668 available at all with a dynamic varobj.
30669
30670 @item numchild
30671 Number of children this child has. For a dynamic varobj, this will be
30672 0.
30673
30674 @item type
30675 The type of the child. If @samp{print object}
30676 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
30677 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
30678 @emph{declared} one.
30679
30680 @item value
30681 If values were requested, this is the value.
30682
30683 @item thread-id
30684 If this variable object is associated with a thread, this is the thread id.
30685 Otherwise this result is not present.
30686
30687 @item frozen
30688 If the variable object is frozen, this variable will be present with a value of 1.
30689 @end table
30690
30691 The result may have its own attributes:
30692
30693 @table @samp
30694 @item displayhint
30695 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
30696 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
30697 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
30698
30699 @item has_more
30700 This is an integer attribute which is nonzero if there are children
30701 remaining after the end of the selected range.
30702 @end table
30703
30704 @subsubheading Example
30705
30706 @smallexample
30707 (gdb)
30708 -var-list-children n
30709 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
30710 numchild=@var{n},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
30711 (gdb)
30712 -var-list-children --all-values n
30713 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
30714 numchild=@var{n},value=@var{value},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
30715 @end smallexample
30716
30717
30718 @subheading The @code{-var-info-type} Command
30719 @findex -var-info-type
30720
30721 @subsubheading Synopsis
30722
30723 @smallexample
30724 -var-info-type @var{name}
30725 @end smallexample
30726
30727 Returns the type of the specified variable @var{name}. The type is
30728 returned as a string in the same format as it is output by the
30729 @value{GDBN} CLI:
30730
30731 @smallexample
30732 type=@var{typename}
30733 @end smallexample
30734
30735
30736 @subheading The @code{-var-info-expression} Command
30737 @findex -var-info-expression
30738
30739 @subsubheading Synopsis
30740
30741 @smallexample
30742 -var-info-expression @var{name}
30743 @end smallexample
30744
30745 Returns a string that is suitable for presenting this
30746 variable object in user interface. The string is generally
30747 not valid expression in the current language, and cannot be evaluated.
30748
30749 For example, if @code{a} is an array, and variable object
30750 @code{A} was created for @code{a}, then we'll get this output:
30751
30752 @smallexample
30753 (gdb) -var-info-expression A.1
30754 ^done,lang="C",exp="1"
30755 @end smallexample
30756
30757 @noindent
30758 Here, the values of @code{lang} can be @code{@{"C" | "C++" | "Java"@}}.
30759
30760 Note that the output of the @code{-var-list-children} command also
30761 includes those expressions, so the @code{-var-info-expression} command
30762 is of limited use.
30763
30764 @subheading The @code{-var-info-path-expression} Command
30765 @findex -var-info-path-expression
30766
30767 @subsubheading Synopsis
30768
30769 @smallexample
30770 -var-info-path-expression @var{name}
30771 @end smallexample
30772
30773 Returns an expression that can be evaluated in the current
30774 context and will yield the same value that a variable object has.
30775 Compare this with the @code{-var-info-expression} command, which
30776 result can be used only for UI presentation. Typical use of
30777 the @code{-var-info-path-expression} command is creating a
30778 watchpoint from a variable object.
30779
30780 This command is currently not valid for children of a dynamic varobj,
30781 and will give an error when invoked on one.
30782
30783 For example, suppose @code{C} is a C@t{++} class, derived from class
30784 @code{Base}, and that the @code{Base} class has a member called
30785 @code{m_size}. Assume a variable @code{c} is has the type of
30786 @code{C} and a variable object @code{C} was created for variable
30787 @code{c}. Then, we'll get this output:
30788 @smallexample
30789 (gdb) -var-info-path-expression C.Base.public.m_size
30790 ^done,path_expr=((Base)c).m_size)
30791 @end smallexample
30792
30793 @subheading The @code{-var-show-attributes} Command
30794 @findex -var-show-attributes
30795
30796 @subsubheading Synopsis
30797
30798 @smallexample
30799 -var-show-attributes @var{name}
30800 @end smallexample
30801
30802 List attributes of the specified variable object @var{name}:
30803
30804 @smallexample
30805 status=@var{attr} [ ( ,@var{attr} )* ]
30806 @end smallexample
30807
30808 @noindent
30809 where @var{attr} is @code{@{ @{ editable | noneditable @} | TBD @}}.
30810
30811 @subheading The @code{-var-evaluate-expression} Command
30812 @findex -var-evaluate-expression
30813
30814 @subsubheading Synopsis
30815
30816 @smallexample
30817 -var-evaluate-expression [-f @var{format-spec}] @var{name}
30818 @end smallexample
30819
30820 Evaluates the expression that is represented by the specified variable
30821 object and returns its value as a string. The format of the string
30822 can be specified with the @samp{-f} option. The possible values of
30823 this option are the same as for @code{-var-set-format}
30824 (@pxref{-var-set-format}). If the @samp{-f} option is not specified,
30825 the current display format will be used. The current display format
30826 can be changed using the @code{-var-set-format} command.
30827
30828 @smallexample
30829 value=@var{value}
30830 @end smallexample
30831
30832 Note that one must invoke @code{-var-list-children} for a variable
30833 before the value of a child variable can be evaluated.
30834
30835 @subheading The @code{-var-assign} Command
30836 @findex -var-assign
30837
30838 @subsubheading Synopsis
30839
30840 @smallexample
30841 -var-assign @var{name} @var{expression}
30842 @end smallexample
30843
30844 Assigns the value of @var{expression} to the variable object specified
30845 by @var{name}. The object must be @samp{editable}. If the variable's
30846 value is altered by the assign, the variable will show up in any
30847 subsequent @code{-var-update} list.
30848
30849 @subsubheading Example
30850
30851 @smallexample
30852 (gdb)
30853 -var-assign var1 3
30854 ^done,value="3"
30855 (gdb)
30856 -var-update *
30857 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",in_scope="true",type_changed="false"@}]
30858 (gdb)
30859 @end smallexample
30860
30861 @subheading The @code{-var-update} Command
30862 @findex -var-update
30863
30864 @subsubheading Synopsis
30865
30866 @smallexample
30867 -var-update [@var{print-values}] @{@var{name} | "*"@}
30868 @end smallexample
30869
30870 Reevaluate the expressions corresponding to the variable object
30871 @var{name} and all its direct and indirect children, and return the
30872 list of variable objects whose values have changed; @var{name} must
30873 be a root variable object. Here, ``changed'' means that the result of
30874 @code{-var-evaluate-expression} before and after the
30875 @code{-var-update} is different. If @samp{*} is used as the variable
30876 object names, all existing variable objects are updated, except
30877 for frozen ones (@pxref{-var-set-frozen}). The option
30878 @var{print-values} determines whether both names and values, or just
30879 names are printed. The possible values of this option are the same
30880 as for @code{-var-list-children} (@pxref{-var-list-children}). It is
30881 recommended to use the @samp{--all-values} option, to reduce the
30882 number of MI commands needed on each program stop.
30883
30884 With the @samp{*} parameter, if a variable object is bound to a
30885 currently running thread, it will not be updated, without any
30886 diagnostic.
30887
30888 If @code{-var-set-update-range} was previously used on a varobj, then
30889 only the selected range of children will be reported.
30890
30891 @code{-var-update} reports all the changed varobjs in a tuple named
30892 @samp{changelist}.
30893
30894 Each item in the change list is itself a tuple holding:
30895
30896 @table @samp
30897 @item name
30898 The name of the varobj.
30899
30900 @item value
30901 If values were requested for this update, then this field will be
30902 present and will hold the value of the varobj.
30903
30904 @item in_scope
30905 @anchor{-var-update}
30906 This field is a string which may take one of three values:
30907
30908 @table @code
30909 @item "true"
30910 The variable object's current value is valid.
30911
30912 @item "false"
30913 The variable object does not currently hold a valid value but it may
30914 hold one in the future if its associated expression comes back into
30915 scope.
30916
30917 @item "invalid"
30918 The variable object no longer holds a valid value.
30919 This can occur when the executable file being debugged has changed,
30920 either through recompilation or by using the @value{GDBN} @code{file}
30921 command. The front end should normally choose to delete these variable
30922 objects.
30923 @end table
30924
30925 In the future new values may be added to this list so the front should
30926 be prepared for this possibility. @xref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, ,@sc{GDB/MI} Development and Front Ends}.
30927
30928 @item type_changed
30929 This is only present if the varobj is still valid. If the type
30930 changed, then this will be the string @samp{true}; otherwise it will
30931 be @samp{false}.
30932
30933 When a varobj's type changes, its children are also likely to have
30934 become incorrect. Therefore, the varobj's children are automatically
30935 deleted when this attribute is @samp{true}. Also, the varobj's update
30936 range, when set using the @code{-var-set-update-range} command, is
30937 unset.
30938
30939 @item new_type
30940 If the varobj's type changed, then this field will be present and will
30941 hold the new type.
30942
30943 @item new_num_children
30944 For a dynamic varobj, if the number of children changed, or if the
30945 type changed, this will be the new number of children.
30946
30947 The @samp{numchild} field in other varobj responses is generally not
30948 valid for a dynamic varobj -- it will show the number of children that
30949 @value{GDBN} knows about, but because dynamic varobjs lazily
30950 instantiate their children, this will not reflect the number of
30951 children which may be available.
30952
30953 The @samp{new_num_children} attribute only reports changes to the
30954 number of children known by @value{GDBN}. This is the only way to
30955 detect whether an update has removed children (which necessarily can
30956 only happen at the end of the update range).
30957
30958 @item displayhint
30959 The display hint, if any.
30960
30961 @item has_more
30962 This is an integer value, which will be 1 if there are more children
30963 available outside the varobj's update range.
30964
30965 @item dynamic
30966 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
30967 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
30968 then this attribute will not be present.
30969
30970 @item new_children
30971 If new children were added to a dynamic varobj within the selected
30972 update range (as set by @code{-var-set-update-range}), then they will
30973 be listed in this attribute.
30974 @end table
30975
30976 @subsubheading Example
30977
30978 @smallexample
30979 (gdb)
30980 -var-assign var1 3
30981 ^done,value="3"
30982 (gdb)
30983 -var-update --all-values var1
30984 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",value="3",in_scope="true",
30985 type_changed="false"@}]
30986 (gdb)
30987 @end smallexample
30988
30989 @subheading The @code{-var-set-frozen} Command
30990 @findex -var-set-frozen
30991 @anchor{-var-set-frozen}
30992
30993 @subsubheading Synopsis
30994
30995 @smallexample
30996 -var-set-frozen @var{name} @var{flag}
30997 @end smallexample
30998
30999 Set the frozenness flag on the variable object @var{name}. The
31000 @var{flag} parameter should be either @samp{1} to make the variable
31001 frozen or @samp{0} to make it unfrozen. If a variable object is
31002 frozen, then neither itself, nor any of its children, are
31003 implicitly updated by @code{-var-update} of
31004 a parent variable or by @code{-var-update *}. Only
31005 @code{-var-update} of the variable itself will update its value and
31006 values of its children. After a variable object is unfrozen, it is
31007 implicitly updated by all subsequent @code{-var-update} operations.
31008 Unfreezing a variable does not update it, only subsequent
31009 @code{-var-update} does.
31010
31011 @subsubheading Example
31012
31013 @smallexample
31014 (gdb)
31015 -var-set-frozen V 1
31016 ^done
31017 (gdb)
31018 @end smallexample
31019
31020 @subheading The @code{-var-set-update-range} command
31021 @findex -var-set-update-range
31022 @anchor{-var-set-update-range}
31023
31024 @subsubheading Synopsis
31025
31026 @smallexample
31027 -var-set-update-range @var{name} @var{from} @var{to}
31028 @end smallexample
31029
31030 Set the range of children to be returned by future invocations of
31031 @code{-var-update}.
31032
31033 @var{from} and @var{to} indicate the range of children to report. If
31034 @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is reset and all
31035 children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting at @var{from}
31036 (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be reported.
31037
31038 @subsubheading Example
31039
31040 @smallexample
31041 (gdb)
31042 -var-set-update-range V 1 2
31043 ^done
31044 @end smallexample
31045
31046 @subheading The @code{-var-set-visualizer} command
31047 @findex -var-set-visualizer
31048 @anchor{-var-set-visualizer}
31049
31050 @subsubheading Synopsis
31051
31052 @smallexample
31053 -var-set-visualizer @var{name} @var{visualizer}
31054 @end smallexample
31055
31056 Set a visualizer for the variable object @var{name}.
31057
31058 @var{visualizer} is the visualizer to use. The special value
31059 @samp{None} means to disable any visualizer in use.
31060
31061 If not @samp{None}, @var{visualizer} must be a Python expression.
31062 This expression must evaluate to a callable object which accepts a
31063 single argument. @value{GDBN} will call this object with the value of
31064 the varobj @var{name} as an argument (this is done so that the same
31065 Python pretty-printing code can be used for both the CLI and MI).
31066 When called, this object must return an object which conforms to the
31067 pretty-printing interface (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}).
31068
31069 The pre-defined function @code{gdb.default_visualizer} may be used to
31070 select a visualizer by following the built-in process
31071 (@pxref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}). This is done automatically when
31072 a varobj is created, and so ordinarily is not needed.
31073
31074 This feature is only available if Python support is enabled. The MI
31075 command @code{-list-features} (@pxref{GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands})
31076 can be used to check this.
31077
31078 @subsubheading Example
31079
31080 Resetting the visualizer:
31081
31082 @smallexample
31083 (gdb)
31084 -var-set-visualizer V None
31085 ^done
31086 @end smallexample
31087
31088 Reselecting the default (type-based) visualizer:
31089
31090 @smallexample
31091 (gdb)
31092 -var-set-visualizer V gdb.default_visualizer
31093 ^done
31094 @end smallexample
31095
31096 Suppose @code{SomeClass} is a visualizer class. A lambda expression
31097 can be used to instantiate this class for a varobj:
31098
31099 @smallexample
31100 (gdb)
31101 -var-set-visualizer V "lambda val: SomeClass()"
31102 ^done
31103 @end smallexample
31104
31105 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31106 @node GDB/MI Data Manipulation
31107 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Data Manipulation
31108
31109 @cindex data manipulation, in @sc{gdb/mi}
31110 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, data manipulation
31111 This section describes the @sc{gdb/mi} commands that manipulate data:
31112 examine memory and registers, evaluate expressions, etc.
31113
31114 @c REMOVED FROM THE INTERFACE.
31115 @c @subheading -data-assign
31116 @c Change the value of a program variable. Plenty of side effects.
31117 @c @subsubheading GDB Command
31118 @c set variable
31119 @c @subsubheading Example
31120 @c N.A.
31121
31122 @subheading The @code{-data-disassemble} Command
31123 @findex -data-disassemble
31124
31125 @subsubheading Synopsis
31126
31127 @smallexample
31128 -data-disassemble
31129 [ -s @var{start-addr} -e @var{end-addr} ]
31130 | [ -f @var{filename} -l @var{linenum} [ -n @var{lines} ] ]
31131 -- @var{mode}
31132 @end smallexample
31133
31134 @noindent
31135 Where:
31136
31137 @table @samp
31138 @item @var{start-addr}
31139 is the beginning address (or @code{$pc})
31140 @item @var{end-addr}
31141 is the end address
31142 @item @var{filename}
31143 is the name of the file to disassemble
31144 @item @var{linenum}
31145 is the line number to disassemble around
31146 @item @var{lines}
31147 is the number of disassembly lines to be produced. If it is -1,
31148 the whole function will be disassembled, in case no @var{end-addr} is
31149 specified. If @var{end-addr} is specified as a non-zero value, and
31150 @var{lines} is lower than the number of disassembly lines between
31151 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only @var{lines} lines are
31152 displayed; if @var{lines} is higher than the number of lines between
31153 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only the lines up to @var{end-addr}
31154 are displayed.
31155 @item @var{mode}
31156 is either 0 (meaning only disassembly), 1 (meaning mixed source and
31157 disassembly), 2 (meaning disassembly with raw opcodes), or 3 (meaning
31158 mixed source and disassembly with raw opcodes).
31159 @end table
31160
31161 @subsubheading Result
31162
31163 The result of the @code{-data-disassemble} command will be a list named
31164 @samp{asm_insns}, the contents of this list depend on the @var{mode}
31165 used with the @code{-data-disassemble} command.
31166
31167 For modes 0 and 2 the @samp{asm_insns} list contains tuples with the
31168 following fields:
31169
31170 @table @code
31171 @item address
31172 The address at which this instruction was disassembled.
31173
31174 @item func-name
31175 The name of the function this instruction is within.
31176
31177 @item offset
31178 The decimal offset in bytes from the start of @samp{func-name}.
31179
31180 @item inst
31181 The text disassembly for this @samp{address}.
31182
31183 @item opcodes
31184 This field is only present for mode 2. This contains the raw opcode
31185 bytes for the @samp{inst} field.
31186
31187 @end table
31188
31189 For modes 1 and 3 the @samp{asm_insns} list contains tuples named
31190 @samp{src_and_asm_line}, each of which has the following fields:
31191
31192 @table @code
31193 @item line
31194 The line number within @samp{file}.
31195
31196 @item file
31197 The file name from the compilation unit. This might be an absolute
31198 file name or a relative file name depending on the compile command
31199 used.
31200
31201 @item fullname
31202 Absolute file name of @samp{file}. It is converted to a canonical form
31203 using the source file search path
31204 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories})
31205 and after resolving all the symbolic links.
31206
31207 If the source file is not found this field will contain the path as
31208 present in the debug information.
31209
31210 @item line_asm_insn
31211 This is a list of tuples containing the disassembly for @samp{line} in
31212 @samp{file}. The fields of each tuple are the same as for
31213 @code{-data-disassemble} in @var{mode} 0 and 2, so @samp{address},
31214 @samp{func-name}, @samp{offset}, @samp{inst}, and optionally
31215 @samp{opcodes}.
31216
31217 @end table
31218
31219 Note that whatever included in the @samp{inst} field, is not
31220 manipulated directly by @sc{gdb/mi}, i.e., it is not possible to
31221 adjust its format.
31222
31223 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31224
31225 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disassemble}.
31226
31227 @subsubheading Example
31228
31229 Disassemble from the current value of @code{$pc} to @code{$pc + 20}:
31230
31231 @smallexample
31232 (gdb)
31233 -data-disassemble -s $pc -e "$pc + 20" -- 0
31234 ^done,
31235 asm_insns=[
31236 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31237 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31238 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31239 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31240 @{address="0x000107c8",func-name="main",offset="12",
31241 inst="or %o2, 0x140, %o1\t! 0x11940 <_lib_version+8>"@},
31242 @{address="0x000107cc",func-name="main",offset="16",
31243 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31244 @{address="0x000107d0",func-name="main",offset="20",
31245 inst="or %o2, 0x168, %o4\t! 0x11968 <_lib_version+48>"@}]
31246 (gdb)
31247 @end smallexample
31248
31249 Disassemble the whole @code{main} function. Line 32 is part of
31250 @code{main}.
31251
31252 @smallexample
31253 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -- 0
31254 ^done,asm_insns=[
31255 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
31256 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
31257 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31258 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31259 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31260 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31261 [@dots{}]
31262 @{address="0x0001081c",func-name="main",offset="96",inst="ret "@},
31263 @{address="0x00010820",func-name="main",offset="100",inst="restore "@}]
31264 (gdb)
31265 @end smallexample
31266
31267 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main}:
31268
31269 @smallexample
31270 (gdb)
31271 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 0
31272 ^done,asm_insns=[
31273 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
31274 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
31275 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31276 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31277 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31278 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]
31279 (gdb)
31280 @end smallexample
31281
31282 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main} in mixed mode:
31283
31284 @smallexample
31285 (gdb)
31286 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 1
31287 ^done,asm_insns=[
31288 src_and_asm_line=@{line="31",
31289 file="../../../src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31290 fullname="/absolute/path/to/src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31291 line_asm_insn=[@{address="0x000107bc",
31292 func-name="main",offset="0",inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@}]@},
31293 src_and_asm_line=@{line="32",
31294 file="../../../src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31295 fullname="/absolute/path/to/src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31296 line_asm_insn=[@{address="0x000107c0",
31297 func-name="main",offset="4",inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31298 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31299 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]@}]
31300 (gdb)
31301 @end smallexample
31302
31303
31304 @subheading The @code{-data-evaluate-expression} Command
31305 @findex -data-evaluate-expression
31306
31307 @subsubheading Synopsis
31308
31309 @smallexample
31310 -data-evaluate-expression @var{expr}
31311 @end smallexample
31312
31313 Evaluate @var{expr} as an expression. The expression could contain an
31314 inferior function call. The function call will execute synchronously.
31315 If the expression contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
31316
31317 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31318
31319 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{print}, @samp{output}, and
31320 @samp{call}. In @code{gdbtk} only, there's a corresponding
31321 @samp{gdb_eval} command.
31322
31323 @subsubheading Example
31324
31325 In the following example, the numbers that precede the commands are the
31326 @dfn{tokens} described in @ref{GDB/MI Command Syntax, ,@sc{gdb/mi}
31327 Command Syntax}. Notice how @sc{gdb/mi} returns the same tokens in its
31328 output.
31329
31330 @smallexample
31331 211-data-evaluate-expression A
31332 211^done,value="1"
31333 (gdb)
31334 311-data-evaluate-expression &A
31335 311^done,value="0xefffeb7c"
31336 (gdb)
31337 411-data-evaluate-expression A+3
31338 411^done,value="4"
31339 (gdb)
31340 511-data-evaluate-expression "A + 3"
31341 511^done,value="4"
31342 (gdb)
31343 @end smallexample
31344
31345
31346 @subheading The @code{-data-list-changed-registers} Command
31347 @findex -data-list-changed-registers
31348
31349 @subsubheading Synopsis
31350
31351 @smallexample
31352 -data-list-changed-registers
31353 @end smallexample
31354
31355 Display a list of the registers that have changed.
31356
31357 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31358
31359 @value{GDBN} doesn't have a direct analog for this command; @code{gdbtk}
31360 has the corresponding command @samp{gdb_changed_register_list}.
31361
31362 @subsubheading Example
31363
31364 On a PPC MBX board:
31365
31366 @smallexample
31367 (gdb)
31368 -exec-continue
31369 ^running
31370
31371 (gdb)
31372 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",frame=@{
31373 func="main",args=[],file="try.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",
31374 line="5"@}
31375 (gdb)
31376 -data-list-changed-registers
31377 ^done,changed-registers=["0","1","2","4","5","6","7","8","9",
31378 "10","11","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23",
31379 "24","25","26","27","28","30","31","64","65","66","67","69"]
31380 (gdb)
31381 @end smallexample
31382
31383
31384 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-names} Command
31385 @findex -data-list-register-names
31386
31387 @subsubheading Synopsis
31388
31389 @smallexample
31390 -data-list-register-names [ ( @var{regno} )+ ]
31391 @end smallexample
31392
31393 Show a list of register names for the current target. If no arguments
31394 are given, it shows a list of the names of all the registers. If
31395 integer numbers are given as arguments, it will print a list of the
31396 names of the registers corresponding to the arguments. To ensure
31397 consistency between a register name and its number, the output list may
31398 include empty register names.
31399
31400 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31401
31402 @value{GDBN} does not have a command which corresponds to
31403 @samp{-data-list-register-names}. In @code{gdbtk} there is a
31404 corresponding command @samp{gdb_regnames}.
31405
31406 @subsubheading Example
31407
31408 For the PPC MBX board:
31409 @smallexample
31410 (gdb)
31411 -data-list-register-names
31412 ^done,register-names=["r0","r1","r2","r3","r4","r5","r6","r7",
31413 "r8","r9","r10","r11","r12","r13","r14","r15","r16","r17","r18",
31414 "r19","r20","r21","r22","r23","r24","r25","r26","r27","r28","r29",
31415 "r30","r31","f0","f1","f2","f3","f4","f5","f6","f7","f8","f9",
31416 "f10","f11","f12","f13","f14","f15","f16","f17","f18","f19","f20",
31417 "f21","f22","f23","f24","f25","f26","f27","f28","f29","f30","f31",
31418 "", "pc","ps","cr","lr","ctr","xer"]
31419 (gdb)
31420 -data-list-register-names 1 2 3
31421 ^done,register-names=["r1","r2","r3"]
31422 (gdb)
31423 @end smallexample
31424
31425 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-values} Command
31426 @findex -data-list-register-values
31427
31428 @subsubheading Synopsis
31429
31430 @smallexample
31431 -data-list-register-values @var{fmt} [ ( @var{regno} )*]
31432 @end smallexample
31433
31434 Display the registers' contents. @var{fmt} is the format according to
31435 which the registers' contents are to be returned, followed by an optional
31436 list of numbers specifying the registers to display. A missing list of
31437 numbers indicates that the contents of all the registers must be returned.
31438
31439 Allowed formats for @var{fmt} are:
31440
31441 @table @code
31442 @item x
31443 Hexadecimal
31444 @item o
31445 Octal
31446 @item t
31447 Binary
31448 @item d
31449 Decimal
31450 @item r
31451 Raw
31452 @item N
31453 Natural
31454 @end table
31455
31456 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31457
31458 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{info reg}, @samp{info
31459 all-reg}, and (in @code{gdbtk}) @samp{gdb_fetch_registers}.
31460
31461 @subsubheading Example
31462
31463 For a PPC MBX board (note: line breaks are for readability only, they
31464 don't appear in the actual output):
31465
31466 @smallexample
31467 (gdb)
31468 -data-list-register-values r 64 65
31469 ^done,register-values=[@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
31470 @{number="65",value="0x00029002"@}]
31471 (gdb)
31472 -data-list-register-values x
31473 ^done,register-values=[@{number="0",value="0xfe0043c8"@},
31474 @{number="1",value="0x3fff88"@},@{number="2",value="0xfffffffe"@},
31475 @{number="3",value="0x0"@},@{number="4",value="0xa"@},
31476 @{number="5",value="0x3fff68"@},@{number="6",value="0x3fff58"@},
31477 @{number="7",value="0xfe011e98"@},@{number="8",value="0x2"@},
31478 @{number="9",value="0xfa202820"@},@{number="10",value="0xfa202808"@},
31479 @{number="11",value="0x1"@},@{number="12",value="0x0"@},
31480 @{number="13",value="0x4544"@},@{number="14",value="0xffdfffff"@},
31481 @{number="15",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="16",value="0xfffffeff"@},
31482 @{number="17",value="0xefffffed"@},@{number="18",value="0xfffffffe"@},
31483 @{number="19",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="20",value="0xffffffff"@},
31484 @{number="21",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="22",value="0xfffffff7"@},
31485 @{number="23",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="24",value="0xffffffff"@},
31486 @{number="25",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="26",value="0xfffffffb"@},
31487 @{number="27",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="28",value="0xf7bfffff"@},
31488 @{number="29",value="0x0"@},@{number="30",value="0xfe010000"@},
31489 @{number="31",value="0x0"@},@{number="32",value="0x0"@},
31490 @{number="33",value="0x0"@},@{number="34",value="0x0"@},
31491 @{number="35",value="0x0"@},@{number="36",value="0x0"@},
31492 @{number="37",value="0x0"@},@{number="38",value="0x0"@},
31493 @{number="39",value="0x0"@},@{number="40",value="0x0"@},
31494 @{number="41",value="0x0"@},@{number="42",value="0x0"@},
31495 @{number="43",value="0x0"@},@{number="44",value="0x0"@},
31496 @{number="45",value="0x0"@},@{number="46",value="0x0"@},
31497 @{number="47",value="0x0"@},@{number="48",value="0x0"@},
31498 @{number="49",value="0x0"@},@{number="50",value="0x0"@},
31499 @{number="51",value="0x0"@},@{number="52",value="0x0"@},
31500 @{number="53",value="0x0"@},@{number="54",value="0x0"@},
31501 @{number="55",value="0x0"@},@{number="56",value="0x0"@},
31502 @{number="57",value="0x0"@},@{number="58",value="0x0"@},
31503 @{number="59",value="0x0"@},@{number="60",value="0x0"@},
31504 @{number="61",value="0x0"@},@{number="62",value="0x0"@},
31505 @{number="63",value="0x0"@},@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
31506 @{number="65",value="0x29002"@},@{number="66",value="0x202f04b5"@},
31507 @{number="67",value="0xfe0043b0"@},@{number="68",value="0xfe00b3e4"@},
31508 @{number="69",value="0x20002b03"@}]
31509 (gdb)
31510 @end smallexample
31511
31512
31513 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory} Command
31514 @findex -data-read-memory
31515
31516 This command is deprecated, use @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} instead.
31517
31518 @subsubheading Synopsis
31519
31520 @smallexample
31521 -data-read-memory [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
31522 @var{address} @var{word-format} @var{word-size}
31523 @var{nr-rows} @var{nr-cols} [ @var{aschar} ]
31524 @end smallexample
31525
31526 @noindent
31527 where:
31528
31529 @table @samp
31530 @item @var{address}
31531 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
31532 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
31533 quoted using the C convention.
31534
31535 @item @var{word-format}
31536 The format to be used to print the memory words. The notation is the
31537 same as for @value{GDBN}'s @code{print} command (@pxref{Output Formats,
31538 ,Output Formats}).
31539
31540 @item @var{word-size}
31541 The size of each memory word in bytes.
31542
31543 @item @var{nr-rows}
31544 The number of rows in the output table.
31545
31546 @item @var{nr-cols}
31547 The number of columns in the output table.
31548
31549 @item @var{aschar}
31550 If present, indicates that each row should include an @sc{ascii} dump. The
31551 value of @var{aschar} is used as a padding character when a byte is not a
31552 member of the printable @sc{ascii} character set (printable @sc{ascii}
31553 characters are those whose code is between 32 and 126, inclusively).
31554
31555 @item @var{byte-offset}
31556 An offset to add to the @var{address} before fetching memory.
31557 @end table
31558
31559 This command displays memory contents as a table of @var{nr-rows} by
31560 @var{nr-cols} words, each word being @var{word-size} bytes. In total,
31561 @code{@var{nr-rows} * @var{nr-cols} * @var{word-size}} bytes are read
31562 (returned as @samp{total-bytes}). Should less than the requested number
31563 of bytes be returned by the target, the missing words are identified
31564 using @samp{N/A}. The number of bytes read from the target is returned
31565 in @samp{nr-bytes} and the starting address used to read memory in
31566 @samp{addr}.
31567
31568 The address of the next/previous row or page is available in
31569 @samp{next-row} and @samp{prev-row}, @samp{next-page} and
31570 @samp{prev-page}.
31571
31572 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31573
31574 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}. @code{gdbtk} has
31575 @samp{gdb_get_mem} memory read command.
31576
31577 @subsubheading Example
31578
31579 Read six bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+6} but then offset by
31580 @code{-6} bytes. Format as three rows of two columns. One byte per
31581 word. Display each word in hex.
31582
31583 @smallexample
31584 (gdb)
31585 9-data-read-memory -o -6 -- bytes+6 x 1 3 2
31586 9^done,addr="0x00001390",nr-bytes="6",total-bytes="6",
31587 next-row="0x00001396",prev-row="0x0000138e",next-page="0x00001396",
31588 prev-page="0x0000138a",memory=[
31589 @{addr="0x00001390",data=["0x00","0x01"]@},
31590 @{addr="0x00001392",data=["0x02","0x03"]@},
31591 @{addr="0x00001394",data=["0x04","0x05"]@}]
31592 (gdb)
31593 @end smallexample
31594
31595 Read two bytes of memory starting at address @code{shorts + 64} and
31596 display as a single word formatted in decimal.
31597
31598 @smallexample
31599 (gdb)
31600 5-data-read-memory shorts+64 d 2 1 1
31601 5^done,addr="0x00001510",nr-bytes="2",total-bytes="2",
31602 next-row="0x00001512",prev-row="0x0000150e",
31603 next-page="0x00001512",prev-page="0x0000150e",memory=[
31604 @{addr="0x00001510",data=["128"]@}]
31605 (gdb)
31606 @end smallexample
31607
31608 Read thirty two bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+16} and format
31609 as eight rows of four columns. Include a string encoding with @samp{x}
31610 used as the non-printable character.
31611
31612 @smallexample
31613 (gdb)
31614 4-data-read-memory bytes+16 x 1 8 4 x
31615 4^done,addr="0x000013a0",nr-bytes="32",total-bytes="32",
31616 next-row="0x000013c0",prev-row="0x0000139c",
31617 next-page="0x000013c0",prev-page="0x00001380",memory=[
31618 @{addr="0x000013a0",data=["0x10","0x11","0x12","0x13"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31619 @{addr="0x000013a4",data=["0x14","0x15","0x16","0x17"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31620 @{addr="0x000013a8",data=["0x18","0x19","0x1a","0x1b"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31621 @{addr="0x000013ac",data=["0x1c","0x1d","0x1e","0x1f"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31622 @{addr="0x000013b0",data=["0x20","0x21","0x22","0x23"],ascii=" !\"#"@},
31623 @{addr="0x000013b4",data=["0x24","0x25","0x26","0x27"],ascii="$%&'"@},
31624 @{addr="0x000013b8",data=["0x28","0x29","0x2a","0x2b"],ascii="()*+"@},
31625 @{addr="0x000013bc",data=["0x2c","0x2d","0x2e","0x2f"],ascii=",-./"@}]
31626 (gdb)
31627 @end smallexample
31628
31629 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} Command
31630 @findex -data-read-memory-bytes
31631
31632 @subsubheading Synopsis
31633
31634 @smallexample
31635 -data-read-memory-bytes [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
31636 @var{address} @var{count}
31637 @end smallexample
31638
31639 @noindent
31640 where:
31641
31642 @table @samp
31643 @item @var{address}
31644 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
31645 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
31646 quoted using the C convention.
31647
31648 @item @var{count}
31649 The number of bytes to read. This should be an integer literal.
31650
31651 @item @var{byte-offset}
31652 The offsets in bytes relative to @var{address} at which to start
31653 reading. This should be an integer literal. This option is provided
31654 so that a frontend is not required to first evaluate address and then
31655 perform address arithmetics itself.
31656
31657 @end table
31658
31659 This command attempts to read all accessible memory regions in the
31660 specified range. First, all regions marked as unreadable in the memory
31661 map (if one is defined) will be skipped. @xref{Memory Region
31662 Attributes}. Second, @value{GDBN} will attempt to read the remaining
31663 regions. For each one, if reading full region results in an errors,
31664 @value{GDBN} will try to read a subset of the region.
31665
31666 In general, every single byte in the region may be readable or not,
31667 and the only way to read every readable byte is to try a read at
31668 every address, which is not practical. Therefore, @value{GDBN} will
31669 attempt to read all accessible bytes at either beginning or the end
31670 of the region, using a binary division scheme. This heuristic works
31671 well for reading accross a memory map boundary. Note that if a region
31672 has a readable range that is neither at the beginning or the end,
31673 @value{GDBN} will not read it.
31674
31675 The result record (@pxref{GDB/MI Result Records}) that is output of
31676 the command includes a field named @samp{memory} whose content is a
31677 list of tuples. Each tuple represent a successfully read memory block
31678 and has the following fields:
31679
31680 @table @code
31681 @item begin
31682 The start address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
31683
31684 @item end
31685 The end address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
31686
31687 @item offset
31688 The offset of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal, relative to
31689 the start address passed to @code{-data-read-memory-bytes}.
31690
31691 @item contents
31692 The contents of the memory block, in hex.
31693
31694 @end table
31695
31696
31697
31698 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31699
31700 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}.
31701
31702 @subsubheading Example
31703
31704 @smallexample
31705 (gdb)
31706 -data-read-memory-bytes &a 10
31707 ^done,memory=[@{begin="0xbffff154",offset="0x00000000",
31708 end="0xbffff15e",
31709 contents="01000000020000000300"@}]
31710 (gdb)
31711 @end smallexample
31712
31713
31714 @subheading The @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} Command
31715 @findex -data-write-memory-bytes
31716
31717 @subsubheading Synopsis
31718
31719 @smallexample
31720 -data-write-memory-bytes @var{address} @var{contents}
31721 -data-write-memory-bytes @var{address} @var{contents} @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
31722 @end smallexample
31723
31724 @noindent
31725 where:
31726
31727 @table @samp
31728 @item @var{address}
31729 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
31730 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
31731 quoted using the C convention.
31732
31733 @item @var{contents}
31734 The hex-encoded bytes to write.
31735
31736 @item @var{count}
31737 Optional argument indicating the number of bytes to be written. If @var{count}
31738 is greater than @var{contents}' length, @value{GDBN} will repeatedly
31739 write @var{contents} until it fills @var{count} bytes.
31740
31741 @end table
31742
31743 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31744
31745 There's no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
31746
31747 @subsubheading Example
31748
31749 @smallexample
31750 (gdb)
31751 -data-write-memory-bytes &a "aabbccdd"
31752 ^done
31753 (gdb)
31754 @end smallexample
31755
31756 @smallexample
31757 (gdb)
31758 -data-write-memory-bytes &a "aabbccdd" 16e
31759 ^done
31760 (gdb)
31761 @end smallexample
31762
31763 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31764 @node GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands
31765 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Tracepoint Commands
31766
31767 The commands defined in this section implement MI support for
31768 tracepoints. For detailed introduction, see @ref{Tracepoints}.
31769
31770 @subheading The @code{-trace-find} Command
31771 @findex -trace-find
31772
31773 @subsubheading Synopsis
31774
31775 @smallexample
31776 -trace-find @var{mode} [@var{parameters}@dots{}]
31777 @end smallexample
31778
31779 Find a trace frame using criteria defined by @var{mode} and
31780 @var{parameters}. The following table lists permissible
31781 modes and their parameters. For details of operation, see @ref{tfind}.
31782
31783 @table @samp
31784
31785 @item none
31786 No parameters are required. Stops examining trace frames.
31787
31788 @item frame-number
31789 An integer is required as parameter. Selects tracepoint frame with
31790 that index.
31791
31792 @item tracepoint-number
31793 An integer is required as parameter. Finds next
31794 trace frame that corresponds to tracepoint with the specified number.
31795
31796 @item pc
31797 An address is required as parameter. Finds
31798 next trace frame that corresponds to any tracepoint at the specified
31799 address.
31800
31801 @item pc-inside-range
31802 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds next trace
31803 frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address inside the
31804 specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
31805
31806 @item pc-outside-range
31807 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds
31808 next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address outside
31809 the specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
31810
31811 @item line
31812 Line specification is required as parameter. @xref{Specify Location}.
31813 Finds next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at
31814 the specified location.
31815
31816 @end table
31817
31818 If @samp{none} was passed as @var{mode}, the response does not
31819 have fields. Otherwise, the response may have the following fields:
31820
31821 @table @samp
31822 @item found
31823 This field has either @samp{0} or @samp{1} as the value, depending
31824 on whether a matching tracepoint was found.
31825
31826 @item traceframe
31827 The index of the found traceframe. This field is present iff
31828 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
31829
31830 @item tracepoint
31831 The index of the found tracepoint. This field is present iff
31832 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
31833
31834 @item frame
31835 The information about the frame corresponding to the found trace
31836 frame. This field is present only if a trace frame was found.
31837 @xref{GDB/MI Frame Information}, for description of this field.
31838
31839 @end table
31840
31841 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31842
31843 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tfind}.
31844
31845 @subheading -trace-define-variable
31846 @findex -trace-define-variable
31847
31848 @subsubheading Synopsis
31849
31850 @smallexample
31851 -trace-define-variable @var{name} [ @var{value} ]
31852 @end smallexample
31853
31854 Create trace variable @var{name} if it does not exist. If
31855 @var{value} is specified, sets the initial value of the specified
31856 trace variable to that value. Note that the @var{name} should start
31857 with the @samp{$} character.
31858
31859 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31860
31861 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariable}.
31862
31863 @subheading -trace-list-variables
31864 @findex -trace-list-variables
31865
31866 @subsubheading Synopsis
31867
31868 @smallexample
31869 -trace-list-variables
31870 @end smallexample
31871
31872 Return a table of all defined trace variables. Each element of the
31873 table has the following fields:
31874
31875 @table @samp
31876 @item name
31877 The name of the trace variable. This field is always present.
31878
31879 @item initial
31880 The initial value. This is a 64-bit signed integer. This
31881 field is always present.
31882
31883 @item current
31884 The value the trace variable has at the moment. This is a 64-bit
31885 signed integer. This field is absent iff current value is
31886 not defined, for example if the trace was never run, or is
31887 presently running.
31888
31889 @end table
31890
31891 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31892
31893 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariables}.
31894
31895 @subsubheading Example
31896
31897 @smallexample
31898 (gdb)
31899 -trace-list-variables
31900 ^done,trace-variables=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="3",
31901 hdr=[@{width="15",alignment="-1",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@},
31902 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="initial",colhdr="Initial"@},
31903 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr="Current"@}],
31904 body=[variable=@{name="$trace_timestamp",initial="0"@}
31905 variable=@{name="$foo",initial="10",current="15"@}]@}
31906 (gdb)
31907 @end smallexample
31908
31909 @subheading -trace-save
31910 @findex -trace-save
31911
31912 @subsubheading Synopsis
31913
31914 @smallexample
31915 -trace-save [-r ] @var{filename}
31916 @end smallexample
31917
31918 Saves the collected trace data to @var{filename}. Without the
31919 @samp{-r} option, the data is downloaded from the target and saved
31920 in a local file. With the @samp{-r} option the target is asked
31921 to perform the save.
31922
31923 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31924
31925 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tsave}.
31926
31927
31928 @subheading -trace-start
31929 @findex -trace-start
31930
31931 @subsubheading Synopsis
31932
31933 @smallexample
31934 -trace-start
31935 @end smallexample
31936
31937 Starts a tracing experiments. The result of this command does not
31938 have any fields.
31939
31940 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31941
31942 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstart}.
31943
31944 @subheading -trace-status
31945 @findex -trace-status
31946
31947 @subsubheading Synopsis
31948
31949 @smallexample
31950 -trace-status
31951 @end smallexample
31952
31953 Obtains the status of a tracing experiment. The result may include
31954 the following fields:
31955
31956 @table @samp
31957
31958 @item supported
31959 May have a value of either @samp{0}, when no tracing operations are
31960 supported, @samp{1}, when all tracing operations are supported, or
31961 @samp{file} when examining trace file. In the latter case, examining
31962 of trace frame is possible but new tracing experiement cannot be
31963 started. This field is always present.
31964
31965 @item running
31966 May have a value of either @samp{0} or @samp{1} depending on whether
31967 tracing experiement is in progress on target. This field is present
31968 if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
31969
31970 @item stop-reason
31971 Report the reason why the tracing was stopped last time. This field
31972 may be absent iff tracing was never stopped on target yet. The
31973 value of @samp{request} means the tracing was stopped as result of
31974 the @code{-trace-stop} command. The value of @samp{overflow} means
31975 the tracing buffer is full. The value of @samp{disconnection} means
31976 tracing was automatically stopped when @value{GDBN} has disconnected.
31977 The value of @samp{passcount} means tracing was stopped when a
31978 tracepoint was passed a maximal number of times for that tracepoint.
31979 This field is present if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
31980
31981 @item stopping-tracepoint
31982 The number of tracepoint whose passcount as exceeded. This field is
31983 present iff the @samp{stop-reason} field has the value of
31984 @samp{passcount}.
31985
31986 @item frames
31987 @itemx frames-created
31988 The @samp{frames} field is a count of the total number of trace frames
31989 in the trace buffer, while @samp{frames-created} is the total created
31990 during the run, including ones that were discarded, such as when a
31991 circular trace buffer filled up. Both fields are optional.
31992
31993 @item buffer-size
31994 @itemx buffer-free
31995 These fields tell the current size of the tracing buffer and the
31996 remaining space. These fields are optional.
31997
31998 @item circular
31999 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
32000 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
32001 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
32002 and may fill up.
32003
32004 @item disconnected
32005 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
32006 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
32007 that the trace run will stop.
32008
32009 @end table
32010
32011 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32012
32013 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstatus}.
32014
32015 @subheading -trace-stop
32016 @findex -trace-stop
32017
32018 @subsubheading Synopsis
32019
32020 @smallexample
32021 -trace-stop
32022 @end smallexample
32023
32024 Stops a tracing experiment. The result of this command has the same
32025 fields as @code{-trace-status}, except that the @samp{supported} and
32026 @samp{running} fields are not output.
32027
32028 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32029
32030 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstop}.
32031
32032
32033 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32034 @node GDB/MI Symbol Query
32035 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Symbol Query Commands
32036
32037
32038 @ignore
32039 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-address} Command
32040 @findex -symbol-info-address
32041
32042 @subsubheading Synopsis
32043
32044 @smallexample
32045 -symbol-info-address @var{symbol}
32046 @end smallexample
32047
32048 Describe where @var{symbol} is stored.
32049
32050 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32051
32052 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info address}.
32053
32054 @subsubheading Example
32055 N.A.
32056
32057
32058 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-file} Command
32059 @findex -symbol-info-file
32060
32061 @subsubheading Synopsis
32062
32063 @smallexample
32064 -symbol-info-file
32065 @end smallexample
32066
32067 Show the file for the symbol.
32068
32069 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32070
32071 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @code{gdbtk} has
32072 @samp{gdb_find_file}.
32073
32074 @subsubheading Example
32075 N.A.
32076
32077
32078 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-function} Command
32079 @findex -symbol-info-function
32080
32081 @subsubheading Synopsis
32082
32083 @smallexample
32084 -symbol-info-function
32085 @end smallexample
32086
32087 Show which function the symbol lives in.
32088
32089 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32090
32091 @samp{gdb_get_function} in @code{gdbtk}.
32092
32093 @subsubheading Example
32094 N.A.
32095
32096
32097 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-line} Command
32098 @findex -symbol-info-line
32099
32100 @subsubheading Synopsis
32101
32102 @smallexample
32103 -symbol-info-line
32104 @end smallexample
32105
32106 Show the core addresses of the code for a source line.
32107
32108 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32109
32110 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info line}.
32111 @code{gdbtk} has the @samp{gdb_get_line} and @samp{gdb_get_file} commands.
32112
32113 @subsubheading Example
32114 N.A.
32115
32116
32117 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-symbol} Command
32118 @findex -symbol-info-symbol
32119
32120 @subsubheading Synopsis
32121
32122 @smallexample
32123 -symbol-info-symbol @var{addr}
32124 @end smallexample
32125
32126 Describe what symbol is at location @var{addr}.
32127
32128 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32129
32130 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info symbol}.
32131
32132 @subsubheading Example
32133 N.A.
32134
32135
32136 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-functions} Command
32137 @findex -symbol-list-functions
32138
32139 @subsubheading Synopsis
32140
32141 @smallexample
32142 -symbol-list-functions
32143 @end smallexample
32144
32145 List the functions in the executable.
32146
32147 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32148
32149 @samp{info functions} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_listfunc} and
32150 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32151
32152 @subsubheading Example
32153 N.A.
32154 @end ignore
32155
32156
32157 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-lines} Command
32158 @findex -symbol-list-lines
32159
32160 @subsubheading Synopsis
32161
32162 @smallexample
32163 -symbol-list-lines @var{filename}
32164 @end smallexample
32165
32166 Print the list of lines that contain code and their associated program
32167 addresses for the given source filename. The entries are sorted in
32168 ascending PC order.
32169
32170 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32171
32172 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
32173
32174 @subsubheading Example
32175 @smallexample
32176 (gdb)
32177 -symbol-list-lines basics.c
32178 ^done,lines=[@{pc="0x08048554",line="7"@},@{pc="0x0804855a",line="8"@}]
32179 (gdb)
32180 @end smallexample
32181
32182
32183 @ignore
32184 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-types} Command
32185 @findex -symbol-list-types
32186
32187 @subsubheading Synopsis
32188
32189 @smallexample
32190 -symbol-list-types
32191 @end smallexample
32192
32193 List all the type names.
32194
32195 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32196
32197 The corresponding commands are @samp{info types} in @value{GDBN},
32198 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32199
32200 @subsubheading Example
32201 N.A.
32202
32203
32204 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-variables} Command
32205 @findex -symbol-list-variables
32206
32207 @subsubheading Synopsis
32208
32209 @smallexample
32210 -symbol-list-variables
32211 @end smallexample
32212
32213 List all the global and static variable names.
32214
32215 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32216
32217 @samp{info variables} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32218
32219 @subsubheading Example
32220 N.A.
32221
32222
32223 @subheading The @code{-symbol-locate} Command
32224 @findex -symbol-locate
32225
32226 @subsubheading Synopsis
32227
32228 @smallexample
32229 -symbol-locate
32230 @end smallexample
32231
32232 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32233
32234 @samp{gdb_loc} in @code{gdbtk}.
32235
32236 @subsubheading Example
32237 N.A.
32238
32239
32240 @subheading The @code{-symbol-type} Command
32241 @findex -symbol-type
32242
32243 @subsubheading Synopsis
32244
32245 @smallexample
32246 -symbol-type @var{variable}
32247 @end smallexample
32248
32249 Show type of @var{variable}.
32250
32251 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32252
32253 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ptype}, @code{gdbtk} has
32254 @samp{gdb_obj_variable}.
32255
32256 @subsubheading Example
32257 N.A.
32258 @end ignore
32259
32260
32261 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32262 @node GDB/MI File Commands
32263 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Commands
32264
32265 This section describes the GDB/MI commands to specify executable file names
32266 and to read in and obtain symbol table information.
32267
32268 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-and-symbols} Command
32269 @findex -file-exec-and-symbols
32270
32271 @subsubheading Synopsis
32272
32273 @smallexample
32274 -file-exec-and-symbols @var{file}
32275 @end smallexample
32276
32277 Specify the executable file to be debugged. This file is the one from
32278 which the symbol table is also read. If no file is specified, the
32279 command clears the executable and symbol information. If breakpoints
32280 are set when using this command with no arguments, @value{GDBN} will produce
32281 error messages. Otherwise, no output is produced, except a completion
32282 notification.
32283
32284 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32285
32286 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{file}.
32287
32288 @subsubheading Example
32289
32290 @smallexample
32291 (gdb)
32292 -file-exec-and-symbols /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32293 ^done
32294 (gdb)
32295 @end smallexample
32296
32297
32298 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-file} Command
32299 @findex -file-exec-file
32300
32301 @subsubheading Synopsis
32302
32303 @smallexample
32304 -file-exec-file @var{file}
32305 @end smallexample
32306
32307 Specify the executable file to be debugged. Unlike
32308 @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols}, the symbol table is @emph{not} read
32309 from this file. If used without argument, @value{GDBN} clears the information
32310 about the executable file. No output is produced, except a completion
32311 notification.
32312
32313 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32314
32315 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{exec-file}.
32316
32317 @subsubheading Example
32318
32319 @smallexample
32320 (gdb)
32321 -file-exec-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32322 ^done
32323 (gdb)
32324 @end smallexample
32325
32326
32327 @ignore
32328 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-sections} Command
32329 @findex -file-list-exec-sections
32330
32331 @subsubheading Synopsis
32332
32333 @smallexample
32334 -file-list-exec-sections
32335 @end smallexample
32336
32337 List the sections of the current executable file.
32338
32339 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32340
32341 The @value{GDBN} command @samp{info file} shows, among the rest, the same
32342 information as this command. @code{gdbtk} has a corresponding command
32343 @samp{gdb_load_info}.
32344
32345 @subsubheading Example
32346 N.A.
32347 @end ignore
32348
32349
32350 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-file} Command
32351 @findex -file-list-exec-source-file
32352
32353 @subsubheading Synopsis
32354
32355 @smallexample
32356 -file-list-exec-source-file
32357 @end smallexample
32358
32359 List the line number, the current source file, and the absolute path
32360 to the current source file for the current executable. The macro
32361 information field has a value of @samp{1} or @samp{0} depending on
32362 whether or not the file includes preprocessor macro information.
32363
32364 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32365
32366 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info source}
32367
32368 @subsubheading Example
32369
32370 @smallexample
32371 (gdb)
32372 123-file-list-exec-source-file
32373 123^done,line="1",file="foo.c",fullname="/home/bar/foo.c,macro-info="1"
32374 (gdb)
32375 @end smallexample
32376
32377
32378 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-files} Command
32379 @findex -file-list-exec-source-files
32380
32381 @subsubheading Synopsis
32382
32383 @smallexample
32384 -file-list-exec-source-files
32385 @end smallexample
32386
32387 List the source files for the current executable.
32388
32389 It will always output both the filename and fullname (absolute file
32390 name) of a source file.
32391
32392 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32393
32394 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info sources}.
32395 @code{gdbtk} has an analogous command @samp{gdb_listfiles}.
32396
32397 @subsubheading Example
32398 @smallexample
32399 (gdb)
32400 -file-list-exec-source-files
32401 ^done,files=[
32402 @{file=foo.c,fullname=/home/foo.c@},
32403 @{file=/home/bar.c,fullname=/home/bar.c@},
32404 @{file=gdb_could_not_find_fullpath.c@}]
32405 (gdb)
32406 @end smallexample
32407
32408 @ignore
32409 @subheading The @code{-file-list-shared-libraries} Command
32410 @findex -file-list-shared-libraries
32411
32412 @subsubheading Synopsis
32413
32414 @smallexample
32415 -file-list-shared-libraries
32416 @end smallexample
32417
32418 List the shared libraries in the program.
32419
32420 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32421
32422 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info shared}.
32423
32424 @subsubheading Example
32425 N.A.
32426
32427
32428 @subheading The @code{-file-list-symbol-files} Command
32429 @findex -file-list-symbol-files
32430
32431 @subsubheading Synopsis
32432
32433 @smallexample
32434 -file-list-symbol-files
32435 @end smallexample
32436
32437 List symbol files.
32438
32439 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32440
32441 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info file} (part of it).
32442
32443 @subsubheading Example
32444 N.A.
32445 @end ignore
32446
32447
32448 @subheading The @code{-file-symbol-file} Command
32449 @findex -file-symbol-file
32450
32451 @subsubheading Synopsis
32452
32453 @smallexample
32454 -file-symbol-file @var{file}
32455 @end smallexample
32456
32457 Read symbol table info from the specified @var{file} argument. When
32458 used without arguments, clears @value{GDBN}'s symbol table info. No output is
32459 produced, except for a completion notification.
32460
32461 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32462
32463 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{symbol-file}.
32464
32465 @subsubheading Example
32466
32467 @smallexample
32468 (gdb)
32469 -file-symbol-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32470 ^done
32471 (gdb)
32472 @end smallexample
32473
32474 @ignore
32475 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32476 @node GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands
32477 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Memory Overlay Commands
32478
32479 The memory overlay commands are not implemented.
32480
32481 @c @subheading -overlay-auto
32482
32483 @c @subheading -overlay-list-mapping-state
32484
32485 @c @subheading -overlay-list-overlays
32486
32487 @c @subheading -overlay-map
32488
32489 @c @subheading -overlay-off
32490
32491 @c @subheading -overlay-on
32492
32493 @c @subheading -overlay-unmap
32494
32495 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32496 @node GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands
32497 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Signal Handling Commands
32498
32499 Signal handling commands are not implemented.
32500
32501 @c @subheading -signal-handle
32502
32503 @c @subheading -signal-list-handle-actions
32504
32505 @c @subheading -signal-list-signal-types
32506 @end ignore
32507
32508
32509 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32510 @node GDB/MI Target Manipulation
32511 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Target Manipulation Commands
32512
32513
32514 @subheading The @code{-target-attach} Command
32515 @findex -target-attach
32516
32517 @subsubheading Synopsis
32518
32519 @smallexample
32520 -target-attach @var{pid} | @var{gid} | @var{file}
32521 @end smallexample
32522
32523 Attach to a process @var{pid} or a file @var{file} outside of
32524 @value{GDBN}, or a thread group @var{gid}. If attaching to a thread
32525 group, the id previously returned by
32526 @samp{-list-thread-groups --available} must be used.
32527
32528 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32529
32530 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{attach}.
32531
32532 @subsubheading Example
32533 @smallexample
32534 (gdb)
32535 -target-attach 34
32536 =thread-created,id="1"
32537 *stopped,thread-id="1",frame=@{addr="0xb7f7e410",func="bar",args=[]@}
32538 ^done
32539 (gdb)
32540 @end smallexample
32541
32542 @ignore
32543 @subheading The @code{-target-compare-sections} Command
32544 @findex -target-compare-sections
32545
32546 @subsubheading Synopsis
32547
32548 @smallexample
32549 -target-compare-sections [ @var{section} ]
32550 @end smallexample
32551
32552 Compare data of section @var{section} on target to the exec file.
32553 Without the argument, all sections are compared.
32554
32555 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32556
32557 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{compare-sections}.
32558
32559 @subsubheading Example
32560 N.A.
32561 @end ignore
32562
32563
32564 @subheading The @code{-target-detach} Command
32565 @findex -target-detach
32566
32567 @subsubheading Synopsis
32568
32569 @smallexample
32570 -target-detach [ @var{pid} | @var{gid} ]
32571 @end smallexample
32572
32573 Detach from the remote target which normally resumes its execution.
32574 If either @var{pid} or @var{gid} is specified, detaches from either
32575 the specified process, or specified thread group. There's no output.
32576
32577 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32578
32579 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{detach}.
32580
32581 @subsubheading Example
32582
32583 @smallexample
32584 (gdb)
32585 -target-detach
32586 ^done
32587 (gdb)
32588 @end smallexample
32589
32590
32591 @subheading The @code{-target-disconnect} Command
32592 @findex -target-disconnect
32593
32594 @subsubheading Synopsis
32595
32596 @smallexample
32597 -target-disconnect
32598 @end smallexample
32599
32600 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output and the target is
32601 generally not resumed.
32602
32603 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32604
32605 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disconnect}.
32606
32607 @subsubheading Example
32608
32609 @smallexample
32610 (gdb)
32611 -target-disconnect
32612 ^done
32613 (gdb)
32614 @end smallexample
32615
32616
32617 @subheading The @code{-target-download} Command
32618 @findex -target-download
32619
32620 @subsubheading Synopsis
32621
32622 @smallexample
32623 -target-download
32624 @end smallexample
32625
32626 Loads the executable onto the remote target.
32627 It prints out an update message every half second, which includes the fields:
32628
32629 @table @samp
32630 @item section
32631 The name of the section.
32632 @item section-sent
32633 The size of what has been sent so far for that section.
32634 @item section-size
32635 The size of the section.
32636 @item total-sent
32637 The total size of what was sent so far (the current and the previous sections).
32638 @item total-size
32639 The size of the overall executable to download.
32640 @end table
32641
32642 @noindent
32643 Each message is sent as status record (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, ,
32644 @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax}).
32645
32646 In addition, it prints the name and size of the sections, as they are
32647 downloaded. These messages include the following fields:
32648
32649 @table @samp
32650 @item section
32651 The name of the section.
32652 @item section-size
32653 The size of the section.
32654 @item total-size
32655 The size of the overall executable to download.
32656 @end table
32657
32658 @noindent
32659 At the end, a summary is printed.
32660
32661 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32662
32663 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{load}.
32664
32665 @subsubheading Example
32666
32667 Note: each status message appears on a single line. Here the messages
32668 have been broken down so that they can fit onto a page.
32669
32670 @smallexample
32671 (gdb)
32672 -target-download
32673 +download,@{section=".text",section-size="6668",total-size="9880"@}
32674 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="512",section-size="6668",
32675 total-sent="512",total-size="9880"@}
32676 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1024",section-size="6668",
32677 total-sent="1024",total-size="9880"@}
32678 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1536",section-size="6668",
32679 total-sent="1536",total-size="9880"@}
32680 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2048",section-size="6668",
32681 total-sent="2048",total-size="9880"@}
32682 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2560",section-size="6668",
32683 total-sent="2560",total-size="9880"@}
32684 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3072",section-size="6668",
32685 total-sent="3072",total-size="9880"@}
32686 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3584",section-size="6668",
32687 total-sent="3584",total-size="9880"@}
32688 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4096",section-size="6668",
32689 total-sent="4096",total-size="9880"@}
32690 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4608",section-size="6668",
32691 total-sent="4608",total-size="9880"@}
32692 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5120",section-size="6668",
32693 total-sent="5120",total-size="9880"@}
32694 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5632",section-size="6668",
32695 total-sent="5632",total-size="9880"@}
32696 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6144",section-size="6668",
32697 total-sent="6144",total-size="9880"@}
32698 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6656",section-size="6668",
32699 total-sent="6656",total-size="9880"@}
32700 +download,@{section=".init",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
32701 +download,@{section=".fini",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
32702 +download,@{section=".data",section-size="3156",total-size="9880"@}
32703 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="512",section-size="3156",
32704 total-sent="7236",total-size="9880"@}
32705 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1024",section-size="3156",
32706 total-sent="7748",total-size="9880"@}
32707 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1536",section-size="3156",
32708 total-sent="8260",total-size="9880"@}
32709 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2048",section-size="3156",
32710 total-sent="8772",total-size="9880"@}
32711 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2560",section-size="3156",
32712 total-sent="9284",total-size="9880"@}
32713 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="3072",section-size="3156",
32714 total-sent="9796",total-size="9880"@}
32715 ^done,address="0x10004",load-size="9880",transfer-rate="6586",
32716 write-rate="429"
32717 (gdb)
32718 @end smallexample
32719
32720
32721 @ignore
32722 @subheading The @code{-target-exec-status} Command
32723 @findex -target-exec-status
32724
32725 @subsubheading Synopsis
32726
32727 @smallexample
32728 -target-exec-status
32729 @end smallexample
32730
32731 Provide information on the state of the target (whether it is running or
32732 not, for instance).
32733
32734 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32735
32736 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
32737
32738 @subsubheading Example
32739 N.A.
32740
32741
32742 @subheading The @code{-target-list-available-targets} Command
32743 @findex -target-list-available-targets
32744
32745 @subsubheading Synopsis
32746
32747 @smallexample
32748 -target-list-available-targets
32749 @end smallexample
32750
32751 List the possible targets to connect to.
32752
32753 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32754
32755 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{help target}.
32756
32757 @subsubheading Example
32758 N.A.
32759
32760
32761 @subheading The @code{-target-list-current-targets} Command
32762 @findex -target-list-current-targets
32763
32764 @subsubheading Synopsis
32765
32766 @smallexample
32767 -target-list-current-targets
32768 @end smallexample
32769
32770 Describe the current target.
32771
32772 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32773
32774 The corresponding information is printed by @samp{info file} (among
32775 other things).
32776
32777 @subsubheading Example
32778 N.A.
32779
32780
32781 @subheading The @code{-target-list-parameters} Command
32782 @findex -target-list-parameters
32783
32784 @subsubheading Synopsis
32785
32786 @smallexample
32787 -target-list-parameters
32788 @end smallexample
32789
32790 @c ????
32791 @end ignore
32792
32793 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32794
32795 No equivalent.
32796
32797 @subsubheading Example
32798 N.A.
32799
32800
32801 @subheading The @code{-target-select} Command
32802 @findex -target-select
32803
32804 @subsubheading Synopsis
32805
32806 @smallexample
32807 -target-select @var{type} @var{parameters @dots{}}
32808 @end smallexample
32809
32810 Connect @value{GDBN} to the remote target. This command takes two args:
32811
32812 @table @samp
32813 @item @var{type}
32814 The type of target, for instance @samp{remote}, etc.
32815 @item @var{parameters}
32816 Device names, host names and the like. @xref{Target Commands, ,
32817 Commands for Managing Targets}, for more details.
32818 @end table
32819
32820 The output is a connection notification, followed by the address at
32821 which the target program is, in the following form:
32822
32823 @smallexample
32824 ^connected,addr="@var{address}",func="@var{function name}",
32825 args=[@var{arg list}]
32826 @end smallexample
32827
32828 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32829
32830 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{target}.
32831
32832 @subsubheading Example
32833
32834 @smallexample
32835 (gdb)
32836 -target-select remote /dev/ttya
32837 ^connected,addr="0xfe00a300",func="??",args=[]
32838 (gdb)
32839 @end smallexample
32840
32841 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32842 @node GDB/MI File Transfer Commands
32843 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Transfer Commands
32844
32845
32846 @subheading The @code{-target-file-put} Command
32847 @findex -target-file-put
32848
32849 @subsubheading Synopsis
32850
32851 @smallexample
32852 -target-file-put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
32853 @end smallexample
32854
32855 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
32856 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
32857
32858 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32859
32860 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote put}.
32861
32862 @subsubheading Example
32863
32864 @smallexample
32865 (gdb)
32866 -target-file-put localfile remotefile
32867 ^done
32868 (gdb)
32869 @end smallexample
32870
32871
32872 @subheading The @code{-target-file-get} Command
32873 @findex -target-file-get
32874
32875 @subsubheading Synopsis
32876
32877 @smallexample
32878 -target-file-get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
32879 @end smallexample
32880
32881 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
32882 on the host system.
32883
32884 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32885
32886 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote get}.
32887
32888 @subsubheading Example
32889
32890 @smallexample
32891 (gdb)
32892 -target-file-get remotefile localfile
32893 ^done
32894 (gdb)
32895 @end smallexample
32896
32897
32898 @subheading The @code{-target-file-delete} Command
32899 @findex -target-file-delete
32900
32901 @subsubheading Synopsis
32902
32903 @smallexample
32904 -target-file-delete @var{targetfile}
32905 @end smallexample
32906
32907 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
32908
32909 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32910
32911 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote delete}.
32912
32913 @subsubheading Example
32914
32915 @smallexample
32916 (gdb)
32917 -target-file-delete remotefile
32918 ^done
32919 (gdb)
32920 @end smallexample
32921
32922
32923 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32924 @node GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands
32925 @section Miscellaneous @sc{gdb/mi} Commands
32926
32927 @c @subheading -gdb-complete
32928
32929 @subheading The @code{-gdb-exit} Command
32930 @findex -gdb-exit
32931
32932 @subsubheading Synopsis
32933
32934 @smallexample
32935 -gdb-exit
32936 @end smallexample
32937
32938 Exit @value{GDBN} immediately.
32939
32940 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32941
32942 Approximately corresponds to @samp{quit}.
32943
32944 @subsubheading Example
32945
32946 @smallexample
32947 (gdb)
32948 -gdb-exit
32949 ^exit
32950 @end smallexample
32951
32952
32953 @ignore
32954 @subheading The @code{-exec-abort} Command
32955 @findex -exec-abort
32956
32957 @subsubheading Synopsis
32958
32959 @smallexample
32960 -exec-abort
32961 @end smallexample
32962
32963 Kill the inferior running program.
32964
32965 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32966
32967 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{kill}.
32968
32969 @subsubheading Example
32970 N.A.
32971 @end ignore
32972
32973
32974 @subheading The @code{-gdb-set} Command
32975 @findex -gdb-set
32976
32977 @subsubheading Synopsis
32978
32979 @smallexample
32980 -gdb-set
32981 @end smallexample
32982
32983 Set an internal @value{GDBN} variable.
32984 @c IS THIS A DOLLAR VARIABLE? OR SOMETHING LIKE ANNOTATE ?????
32985
32986 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32987
32988 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set}.
32989
32990 @subsubheading Example
32991
32992 @smallexample
32993 (gdb)
32994 -gdb-set $foo=3
32995 ^done
32996 (gdb)
32997 @end smallexample
32998
32999
33000 @subheading The @code{-gdb-show} Command
33001 @findex -gdb-show
33002
33003 @subsubheading Synopsis
33004
33005 @smallexample
33006 -gdb-show
33007 @end smallexample
33008
33009 Show the current value of a @value{GDBN} variable.
33010
33011 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33012
33013 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show}.
33014
33015 @subsubheading Example
33016
33017 @smallexample
33018 (gdb)
33019 -gdb-show annotate
33020 ^done,value="0"
33021 (gdb)
33022 @end smallexample
33023
33024 @c @subheading -gdb-source
33025
33026
33027 @subheading The @code{-gdb-version} Command
33028 @findex -gdb-version
33029
33030 @subsubheading Synopsis
33031
33032 @smallexample
33033 -gdb-version
33034 @end smallexample
33035
33036 Show version information for @value{GDBN}. Used mostly in testing.
33037
33038 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33039
33040 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{show version}. @value{GDBN} by
33041 default shows this information when you start an interactive session.
33042
33043 @subsubheading Example
33044
33045 @c This example modifies the actual output from GDB to avoid overfull
33046 @c box in TeX.
33047 @smallexample
33048 (gdb)
33049 -gdb-version
33050 ~GNU gdb 5.2.1
33051 ~Copyright 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
33052 ~GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and
33053 ~you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under
33054 ~ certain conditions.
33055 ~Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
33056 ~There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for
33057 ~ details.
33058 ~This GDB was configured as
33059 "--host=sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1 --target=ppc-eabi".
33060 ^done
33061 (gdb)
33062 @end smallexample
33063
33064 @subheading The @code{-list-features} Command
33065 @findex -list-features
33066
33067 Returns a list of particular features of the MI protocol that
33068 this version of gdb implements. A feature can be a command,
33069 or a new field in an output of some command, or even an
33070 important bugfix. While a frontend can sometimes detect presence
33071 of a feature at runtime, it is easier to perform detection at debugger
33072 startup.
33073
33074 The command returns a list of strings, with each string naming an
33075 available feature. Each returned string is just a name, it does not
33076 have any internal structure. The list of possible feature names
33077 is given below.
33078
33079 Example output:
33080
33081 @smallexample
33082 (gdb) -list-features
33083 ^done,result=["feature1","feature2"]
33084 @end smallexample
33085
33086 The current list of features is:
33087
33088 @table @samp
33089 @item frozen-varobjs
33090 Indicates support for the @code{-var-set-frozen} command, as well
33091 as possible presense of the @code{frozen} field in the output
33092 of @code{-varobj-create}.
33093 @item pending-breakpoints
33094 Indicates support for the @option{-f} option to the @code{-break-insert}
33095 command.
33096 @item python
33097 Indicates Python scripting support, Python-based
33098 pretty-printing commands, and possible presence of the
33099 @samp{display_hint} field in the output of @code{-var-list-children}
33100 @item thread-info
33101 Indicates support for the @code{-thread-info} command.
33102 @item data-read-memory-bytes
33103 Indicates support for the @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} and the
33104 @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} commands.
33105 @item breakpoint-notifications
33106 Indicates that changes to breakpoints and breakpoints created via the
33107 CLI will be announced via async records.
33108 @item ada-task-info
33109 Indicates support for the @code{-ada-task-info} command.
33110 @end table
33111
33112 @subheading The @code{-list-target-features} Command
33113 @findex -list-target-features
33114
33115 Returns a list of particular features that are supported by the
33116 target. Those features affect the permitted MI commands, but
33117 unlike the features reported by the @code{-list-features} command, the
33118 features depend on which target GDB is using at the moment. Whenever
33119 a target can change, due to commands such as @code{-target-select},
33120 @code{-target-attach} or @code{-exec-run}, the list of target features
33121 may change, and the frontend should obtain it again.
33122 Example output:
33123
33124 @smallexample
33125 (gdb) -list-features
33126 ^done,result=["async"]
33127 @end smallexample
33128
33129 The current list of features is:
33130
33131 @table @samp
33132 @item async
33133 Indicates that the target is capable of asynchronous command
33134 execution, which means that @value{GDBN} will accept further commands
33135 while the target is running.
33136
33137 @item reverse
33138 Indicates that the target is capable of reverse execution.
33139 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
33140
33141 @end table
33142
33143 @subheading The @code{-list-thread-groups} Command
33144 @findex -list-thread-groups
33145
33146 @subheading Synopsis
33147
33148 @smallexample
33149 -list-thread-groups [ --available ] [ --recurse 1 ] [ @var{group} ... ]
33150 @end smallexample
33151
33152 Lists thread groups (@pxref{Thread groups}). When a single thread
33153 group is passed as the argument, lists the children of that group.
33154 When several thread group are passed, lists information about those
33155 thread groups. Without any parameters, lists information about all
33156 top-level thread groups.
33157
33158 Normally, thread groups that are being debugged are reported.
33159 With the @samp{--available} option, @value{GDBN} reports thread groups
33160 available on the target.
33161
33162 The output of this command may have either a @samp{threads} result or
33163 a @samp{groups} result. The @samp{thread} result has a list of tuples
33164 as value, with each tuple describing a thread (@pxref{GDB/MI Thread
33165 Information}). The @samp{groups} result has a list of tuples as value,
33166 each tuple describing a thread group. If top-level groups are
33167 requested (that is, no parameter is passed), or when several groups
33168 are passed, the output always has a @samp{groups} result. The format
33169 of the @samp{group} result is described below.
33170
33171 To reduce the number of roundtrips it's possible to list thread groups
33172 together with their children, by passing the @samp{--recurse} option
33173 and the recursion depth. Presently, only recursion depth of 1 is
33174 permitted. If this option is present, then every reported thread group
33175 will also include its children, either as @samp{group} or
33176 @samp{threads} field.
33177
33178 In general, any combination of option and parameters is permitted, with
33179 the following caveats:
33180
33181 @itemize @bullet
33182 @item
33183 When a single thread group is passed, the output will typically
33184 be the @samp{threads} result. Because threads may not contain
33185 anything, the @samp{recurse} option will be ignored.
33186
33187 @item
33188 When the @samp{--available} option is passed, limited information may
33189 be available. In particular, the list of threads of a process might
33190 be inaccessible. Further, specifying specific thread groups might
33191 not give any performance advantage over listing all thread groups.
33192 The frontend should assume that @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}
33193 is always an expensive operation and cache the results.
33194
33195 @end itemize
33196
33197 The @samp{groups} result is a list of tuples, where each tuple may
33198 have the following fields:
33199
33200 @table @code
33201 @item id
33202 Identifier of the thread group. This field is always present.
33203 The identifier is an opaque string; frontends should not try to
33204 convert it to an integer, even though it might look like one.
33205
33206 @item type
33207 The type of the thread group. At present, only @samp{process} is a
33208 valid type.
33209
33210 @item pid
33211 The target-specific process identifier. This field is only present
33212 for thread groups of type @samp{process} and only if the process exists.
33213
33214 @item num_children
33215 The number of children this thread group has. This field may be
33216 absent for an available thread group.
33217
33218 @item threads
33219 This field has a list of tuples as value, each tuple describing a
33220 thread. It may be present if the @samp{--recurse} option is
33221 specified, and it's actually possible to obtain the threads.
33222
33223 @item cores
33224 This field is a list of integers, each identifying a core that one
33225 thread of the group is running on. This field may be absent if
33226 such information is not available.
33227
33228 @item executable
33229 The name of the executable file that corresponds to this thread group.
33230 The field is only present for thread groups of type @samp{process},
33231 and only if there is a corresponding executable file.
33232
33233 @end table
33234
33235 @subheading Example
33236
33237 @smallexample
33238 @value{GDBP}
33239 -list-thread-groups
33240 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2"@}]
33241 -list-thread-groups 17
33242 ^done,threads=[@{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
33243 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",args=[]@},state="running"@},
33244 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
33245 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
33246 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},state="running"@}]]
33247 -list-thread-groups --available
33248 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2]@}]
33249 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1
33250 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
33251 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
33252 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},..]
33253 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1 17 18
33254 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
33255 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
33256 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},...]
33257 @end smallexample
33258
33259 @subheading The @code{-info-os} Command
33260 @findex -info-os
33261
33262 @subsubheading Synopsis
33263
33264 @smallexample
33265 -info-os [ @var{type} ]
33266 @end smallexample
33267
33268 If no argument is supplied, the command returns a table of available
33269 operating-system-specific information types. If one of these types is
33270 supplied as an argument @var{type}, then the command returns a table
33271 of data of that type.
33272
33273 The types of information available depend on the target operating
33274 system.
33275
33276 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33277
33278 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info os}.
33279
33280 @subsubheading Example
33281
33282 When run on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, the output will look something
33283 like this:
33284
33285 @smallexample
33286 @value{GDBP}
33287 -info-os
33288 ^done,OSDataTable=@{nr_rows="9",nr_cols="3",
33289 hdr=[@{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col0",colhdr="Type"@},
33290 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col1",colhdr="Description"@},
33291 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col2",colhdr="Title"@}],
33292 body=[item=@{col0="processes",col1="Listing of all processes",
33293 col2="Processes"@},
33294 item=@{col0="procgroups",col1="Listing of all process groups",
33295 col2="Process groups"@},
33296 item=@{col0="threads",col1="Listing of all threads",
33297 col2="Threads"@},
33298 item=@{col0="files",col1="Listing of all file descriptors",
33299 col2="File descriptors"@},
33300 item=@{col0="sockets",col1="Listing of all internet-domain sockets",
33301 col2="Sockets"@},
33302 item=@{col0="shm",col1="Listing of all shared-memory regions",
33303 col2="Shared-memory regions"@},
33304 item=@{col0="semaphores",col1="Listing of all semaphores",
33305 col2="Semaphores"@},
33306 item=@{col0="msg",col1="Listing of all message queues",
33307 col2="Message queues"@},
33308 item=@{col0="modules",col1="Listing of all loaded kernel modules",
33309 col2="Kernel modules"@}]@}
33310 @value{GDBP}
33311 -info-os processes
33312 ^done,OSDataTable=@{nr_rows="190",nr_cols="4",
33313 hdr=[@{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col0",colhdr="pid"@},
33314 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col1",colhdr="user"@},
33315 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col2",colhdr="command"@},
33316 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col3",colhdr="cores"@}],
33317 body=[item=@{col0="1",col1="root",col2="/sbin/init",col3="0"@},
33318 item=@{col0="2",col1="root",col2="[kthreadd]",col3="1"@},
33319 item=@{col0="3",col1="root",col2="[ksoftirqd/0]",col3="0"@},
33320 ...
33321 item=@{col0="26446",col1="stan",col2="bash",col3="0"@},
33322 item=@{col0="28152",col1="stan",col2="bash",col3="1"@}]@}
33323 (gdb)
33324 @end smallexample
33325
33326 (Note that the MI output here includes a @code{"Title"} column that
33327 does not appear in command-line @code{info os}; this column is useful
33328 for MI clients that want to enumerate the types of data, such as in a
33329 popup menu, but is needless clutter on the command line, and
33330 @code{info os} omits it.)
33331
33332 @subheading The @code{-add-inferior} Command
33333 @findex -add-inferior
33334
33335 @subheading Synopsis
33336
33337 @smallexample
33338 -add-inferior
33339 @end smallexample
33340
33341 Creates a new inferior (@pxref{Inferiors and Programs}). The created
33342 inferior is not associated with any executable. Such association may
33343 be established with the @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols} command
33344 (@pxref{GDB/MI File Commands}). The command response has a single
33345 field, @samp{thread-group}, whose value is the identifier of the
33346 thread group corresponding to the new inferior.
33347
33348 @subheading Example
33349
33350 @smallexample
33351 @value{GDBP}
33352 -add-inferior
33353 ^done,thread-group="i3"
33354 @end smallexample
33355
33356 @subheading The @code{-interpreter-exec} Command
33357 @findex -interpreter-exec
33358
33359 @subheading Synopsis
33360
33361 @smallexample
33362 -interpreter-exec @var{interpreter} @var{command}
33363 @end smallexample
33364 @anchor{-interpreter-exec}
33365
33366 Execute the specified @var{command} in the given @var{interpreter}.
33367
33368 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
33369
33370 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interpreter-exec}.
33371
33372 @subheading Example
33373
33374 @smallexample
33375 (gdb)
33376 -interpreter-exec console "break main"
33377 &"During symbol reading, couldn't parse type; debugger out of date?.\n"
33378 &"During symbol reading, bad structure-type format.\n"
33379 ~"Breakpoint 1 at 0x8074fc6: file ../../src/gdb/main.c, line 743.\n"
33380 ^done
33381 (gdb)
33382 @end smallexample
33383
33384 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-set} Command
33385 @findex -inferior-tty-set
33386
33387 @subheading Synopsis
33388
33389 @smallexample
33390 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
33391 @end smallexample
33392
33393 Set terminal for future runs of the program being debugged.
33394
33395 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
33396
33397 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set inferior-tty} /dev/pts/1.
33398
33399 @subheading Example
33400
33401 @smallexample
33402 (gdb)
33403 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
33404 ^done
33405 (gdb)
33406 @end smallexample
33407
33408 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-show} Command
33409 @findex -inferior-tty-show
33410
33411 @subheading Synopsis
33412
33413 @smallexample
33414 -inferior-tty-show
33415 @end smallexample
33416
33417 Show terminal for future runs of program being debugged.
33418
33419 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
33420
33421 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show inferior-tty}.
33422
33423 @subheading Example
33424
33425 @smallexample
33426 (gdb)
33427 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
33428 ^done
33429 (gdb)
33430 -inferior-tty-show
33431 ^done,inferior_tty_terminal="/dev/pts/1"
33432 (gdb)
33433 @end smallexample
33434
33435 @subheading The @code{-enable-timings} Command
33436 @findex -enable-timings
33437
33438 @subheading Synopsis
33439
33440 @smallexample
33441 -enable-timings [yes | no]
33442 @end smallexample
33443
33444 Toggle the printing of the wallclock, user and system times for an MI
33445 command as a field in its output. This command is to help frontend
33446 developers optimize the performance of their code. No argument is
33447 equivalent to @samp{yes}.
33448
33449 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
33450
33451 No equivalent.
33452
33453 @subheading Example
33454
33455 @smallexample
33456 (gdb)
33457 -enable-timings
33458 ^done
33459 (gdb)
33460 -break-insert main
33461 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
33462 addr="0x080484ed",func="main",file="myprog.c",
33463 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73",times="0"@},
33464 time=@{wallclock="0.05185",user="0.00800",system="0.00000"@}
33465 (gdb)
33466 -enable-timings no
33467 ^done
33468 (gdb)
33469 -exec-run
33470 ^running
33471 (gdb)
33472 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
33473 frame=@{addr="0x080484ed",func="main",args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},
33474 @{name="argv",value="0xbfb60364"@}],file="myprog.c",
33475 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73"@}
33476 (gdb)
33477 @end smallexample
33478
33479 @node Annotations
33480 @chapter @value{GDBN} Annotations
33481
33482 This chapter describes annotations in @value{GDBN}. Annotations were
33483 designed to interface @value{GDBN} to graphical user interfaces or other
33484 similar programs which want to interact with @value{GDBN} at a
33485 relatively high level.
33486
33487 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
33488 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
33489
33490 @ignore
33491 This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}.
33492 @end ignore
33493
33494 @menu
33495 * Annotations Overview:: What annotations are; the general syntax.
33496 * Server Prefix:: Issuing a command without affecting user state.
33497 * Prompting:: Annotations marking @value{GDBN}'s need for input.
33498 * Errors:: Annotations for error messages.
33499 * Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid.
33500 * Annotations for Running::
33501 Whether the program is running, how it stopped, etc.
33502 * Source Annotations:: Annotations describing source code.
33503 @end menu
33504
33505 @node Annotations Overview
33506 @section What is an Annotation?
33507 @cindex annotations
33508
33509 Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z}
33510 characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional
33511 information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation
33512 is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional
33513 information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the
33514 additional information, and a newline. The additional information
33515 cannot contain newline characters.
33516
33517 Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z}
33518 characters denotes literal output from @value{GDBN}. Currently there is
33519 no need for @value{GDBN} to output a newline followed by two
33520 @samp{control-z} characters, but if there was such a need, the
33521 annotations could be extended with an @samp{escape} annotation which
33522 means those three characters as output.
33523
33524 The annotation @var{level}, which is specified using the
33525 @option{--annotate} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}), controls
33526 how much information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt,
33527 values of expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0
33528 is for no annotations, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a
33529 subprocess of @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable
33530 for programs that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 annotations have
33531 been made obsolete (@pxref{Limitations, , Limitations of the Annotation
33532 Interface, annotate, GDB's Obsolete Annotations}).
33533
33534 @table @code
33535 @kindex set annotate
33536 @item set annotate @var{level}
33537 The @value{GDBN} command @code{set annotate} sets the level of
33538 annotations to the specified @var{level}.
33539
33540 @item show annotate
33541 @kindex show annotate
33542 Show the current annotation level.
33543 @end table
33544
33545 This chapter describes level 3 annotations.
33546
33547 A simple example of starting up @value{GDBN} with annotations is:
33548
33549 @smallexample
33550 $ @kbd{gdb --annotate=3}
33551 GNU gdb 6.0
33552 Copyright 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
33553 GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License,
33554 and you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it
33555 under certain conditions.
33556 Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
33557 There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty"
33558 for details.
33559 This GDB was configured as "i386-pc-linux-gnu"
33560
33561 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
33562 (@value{GDBP})
33563 ^Z^Zprompt
33564 @kbd{quit}
33565
33566 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
33567 $
33568 @end smallexample
33569
33570 Here @samp{quit} is input to @value{GDBN}; the rest is output from
33571 @value{GDBN}. The three lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z}
33572 denotes a @samp{control-z} character) are annotations; the rest is
33573 output from @value{GDBN}.
33574
33575 @node Server Prefix
33576 @section The Server Prefix
33577 @cindex server prefix
33578
33579 If you prefix a command with @samp{server } then it will not affect
33580 the command history, nor will it affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which
33581 command to repeat if @key{RET} is pressed on a line by itself. This
33582 means that commands can be run behind a user's back by a front-end in
33583 a transparent manner.
33584
33585 The @code{server } prefix does not affect the recording of values into
33586 the value history; to print a value without recording it into the
33587 value history, use the @code{output} command instead of the
33588 @code{print} command.
33589
33590 Using this prefix also disables confirmation requests
33591 (@pxref{confirmation requests}).
33592
33593 @node Prompting
33594 @section Annotation for @value{GDBN} Input
33595
33596 @cindex annotations for prompts
33597 When @value{GDBN} prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible
33598 to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is
33599 over, etc.
33600
33601 Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each
33602 input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which
33603 denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain
33604 annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-}
33605 annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be
33606 associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type
33607 features the following annotations:
33608
33609 @smallexample
33610 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
33611 ^Z^Zprompt
33612 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
33613 @end smallexample
33614
33615 The input types are
33616
33617 @table @code
33618 @findex pre-prompt annotation
33619 @findex prompt annotation
33620 @findex post-prompt annotation
33621 @item prompt
33622 When @value{GDBN} is prompting for a command (the main @value{GDBN} prompt).
33623
33624 @findex pre-commands annotation
33625 @findex commands annotation
33626 @findex post-commands annotation
33627 @item commands
33628 When @value{GDBN} prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands}
33629 command. The annotations are repeated for each command which is input.
33630
33631 @findex pre-overload-choice annotation
33632 @findex overload-choice annotation
33633 @findex post-overload-choice annotation
33634 @item overload-choice
33635 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to select between various overloaded functions.
33636
33637 @findex pre-query annotation
33638 @findex query annotation
33639 @findex post-query annotation
33640 @item query
33641 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation.
33642
33643 @findex pre-prompt-for-continue annotation
33644 @findex prompt-for-continue annotation
33645 @findex post-prompt-for-continue annotation
33646 @item prompt-for-continue
33647 When @value{GDBN} is asking the user to press return to continue. Note: Don't
33648 expect this to work well; instead use @code{set height 0} to disable
33649 prompting. This is because the counting of lines is buggy in the
33650 presence of annotations.
33651 @end table
33652
33653 @node Errors
33654 @section Errors
33655 @cindex annotations for errors, warnings and interrupts
33656
33657 @findex quit annotation
33658 @smallexample
33659 ^Z^Zquit
33660 @end smallexample
33661
33662 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an interrupt.
33663
33664 @findex error annotation
33665 @smallexample
33666 ^Z^Zerror
33667 @end smallexample
33668
33669 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an error.
33670
33671 Quit and error annotations indicate that any annotations which @value{GDBN} was
33672 in the middle of may end abruptly. For example, if a
33673 @code{value-history-begin} annotation is followed by a @code{error}, one
33674 cannot expect to receive the matching @code{value-history-end}. One
33675 cannot expect not to receive it either, however; an error annotation
33676 does not necessarily mean that @value{GDBN} is immediately returning all the way
33677 to the top level.
33678
33679 @findex error-begin annotation
33680 A quit or error annotation may be preceded by
33681
33682 @smallexample
33683 ^Z^Zerror-begin
33684 @end smallexample
33685
33686 Any output between that and the quit or error annotation is the error
33687 message.
33688
33689 Warning messages are not yet annotated.
33690 @c If we want to change that, need to fix warning(), type_error(),
33691 @c range_error(), and possibly other places.
33692
33693 @node Invalidation
33694 @section Invalidation Notices
33695
33696 @cindex annotations for invalidation messages
33697 The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have
33698 changed.
33699
33700 @table @code
33701 @findex frames-invalid annotation
33702 @item ^Z^Zframes-invalid
33703
33704 The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may
33705 have changed.
33706
33707 @findex breakpoints-invalid annotation
33708 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid
33709
33710 The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or
33711 deleted a breakpoint.
33712 @end table
33713
33714 @node Annotations for Running
33715 @section Running the Program
33716 @cindex annotations for running programs
33717
33718 @findex starting annotation
33719 @findex stopping annotation
33720 When the program starts executing due to a @value{GDBN} command such as
33721 @code{step} or @code{continue},
33722
33723 @smallexample
33724 ^Z^Zstarting
33725 @end smallexample
33726
33727 is output. When the program stops,
33728
33729 @smallexample
33730 ^Z^Zstopped
33731 @end smallexample
33732
33733 is output. Before the @code{stopped} annotation, a variety of
33734 annotations describe how the program stopped.
33735
33736 @table @code
33737 @findex exited annotation
33738 @item ^Z^Zexited @var{exit-status}
33739 The program exited, and @var{exit-status} is the exit status (zero for
33740 successful exit, otherwise nonzero).
33741
33742 @findex signalled annotation
33743 @findex signal-name annotation
33744 @findex signal-name-end annotation
33745 @findex signal-string annotation
33746 @findex signal-string-end annotation
33747 @item ^Z^Zsignalled
33748 The program exited with a signal. After the @code{^Z^Zsignalled}, the
33749 annotation continues:
33750
33751 @smallexample
33752 @var{intro-text}
33753 ^Z^Zsignal-name
33754 @var{name}
33755 ^Z^Zsignal-name-end
33756 @var{middle-text}
33757 ^Z^Zsignal-string
33758 @var{string}
33759 ^Z^Zsignal-string-end
33760 @var{end-text}
33761 @end smallexample
33762
33763 @noindent
33764 where @var{name} is the name of the signal, such as @code{SIGILL} or
33765 @code{SIGSEGV}, and @var{string} is the explanation of the signal, such
33766 as @code{Illegal Instruction} or @code{Segmentation fault}.
33767 @var{intro-text}, @var{middle-text}, and @var{end-text} are for the
33768 user's benefit and have no particular format.
33769
33770 @findex signal annotation
33771 @item ^Z^Zsignal
33772 The syntax of this annotation is just like @code{signalled}, but @value{GDBN} is
33773 just saying that the program received the signal, not that it was
33774 terminated with it.
33775
33776 @findex breakpoint annotation
33777 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoint @var{number}
33778 The program hit breakpoint number @var{number}.
33779
33780 @findex watchpoint annotation
33781 @item ^Z^Zwatchpoint @var{number}
33782 The program hit watchpoint number @var{number}.
33783 @end table
33784
33785 @node Source Annotations
33786 @section Displaying Source
33787 @cindex annotations for source display
33788
33789 @findex source annotation
33790 The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code:
33791
33792 @smallexample
33793 ^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr}
33794 @end smallexample
33795
33796 where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source
33797 file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the
33798 first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position
33799 within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most
33800 debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line),
33801 @var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the
33802 line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and
33803 @var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the
33804 source which is being displayed. @var{addr} is in the form @samp{0x}
33805 followed by one or more lowercase hex digits (note that this does not
33806 depend on the language).
33807
33808 @node JIT Interface
33809 @chapter JIT Compilation Interface
33810 @cindex just-in-time compilation
33811 @cindex JIT compilation interface
33812
33813 This chapter documents @value{GDBN}'s @dfn{just-in-time} (JIT) compilation
33814 interface. A JIT compiler is a program or library that generates native
33815 executable code at runtime and executes it, usually in order to achieve good
33816 performance while maintaining platform independence.
33817
33818 Programs that use JIT compilation are normally difficult to debug because
33819 portions of their code are generated at runtime, instead of being loaded from
33820 object files, which is where @value{GDBN} normally finds the program's symbols
33821 and debug information. In order to debug programs that use JIT compilation,
33822 @value{GDBN} has an interface that allows the program to register in-memory
33823 symbol files with @value{GDBN} at runtime.
33824
33825 If you are using @value{GDBN} to debug a program that uses this interface, then
33826 it should work transparently so long as you have not stripped the binary. If
33827 you are developing a JIT compiler, then the interface is documented in the rest
33828 of this chapter. At this time, the only known client of this interface is the
33829 LLVM JIT.
33830
33831 Broadly speaking, the JIT interface mirrors the dynamic loader interface. The
33832 JIT compiler communicates with @value{GDBN} by writing data into a global
33833 variable and calling a fuction at a well-known symbol. When @value{GDBN}
33834 attaches, it reads a linked list of symbol files from the global variable to
33835 find existing code, and puts a breakpoint in the function so that it can find
33836 out about additional code.
33837
33838 @menu
33839 * Declarations:: Relevant C struct declarations
33840 * Registering Code:: Steps to register code
33841 * Unregistering Code:: Steps to unregister code
33842 * Custom Debug Info:: Emit debug information in a custom format
33843 @end menu
33844
33845 @node Declarations
33846 @section JIT Declarations
33847
33848 These are the relevant struct declarations that a C program should include to
33849 implement the interface:
33850
33851 @smallexample
33852 typedef enum
33853 @{
33854 JIT_NOACTION = 0,
33855 JIT_REGISTER_FN,
33856 JIT_UNREGISTER_FN
33857 @} jit_actions_t;
33858
33859 struct jit_code_entry
33860 @{
33861 struct jit_code_entry *next_entry;
33862 struct jit_code_entry *prev_entry;
33863 const char *symfile_addr;
33864 uint64_t symfile_size;
33865 @};
33866
33867 struct jit_descriptor
33868 @{
33869 uint32_t version;
33870 /* This type should be jit_actions_t, but we use uint32_t
33871 to be explicit about the bitwidth. */
33872 uint32_t action_flag;
33873 struct jit_code_entry *relevant_entry;
33874 struct jit_code_entry *first_entry;
33875 @};
33876
33877 /* GDB puts a breakpoint in this function. */
33878 void __attribute__((noinline)) __jit_debug_register_code() @{ @};
33879
33880 /* Make sure to specify the version statically, because the
33881 debugger may check the version before we can set it. */
33882 struct jit_descriptor __jit_debug_descriptor = @{ 1, 0, 0, 0 @};
33883 @end smallexample
33884
33885 If the JIT is multi-threaded, then it is important that the JIT synchronize any
33886 modifications to this global data properly, which can easily be done by putting
33887 a global mutex around modifications to these structures.
33888
33889 @node Registering Code
33890 @section Registering Code
33891
33892 To register code with @value{GDBN}, the JIT should follow this protocol:
33893
33894 @itemize @bullet
33895 @item
33896 Generate an object file in memory with symbols and other desired debug
33897 information. The file must include the virtual addresses of the sections.
33898
33899 @item
33900 Create a code entry for the file, which gives the start and size of the symbol
33901 file.
33902
33903 @item
33904 Add it to the linked list in the JIT descriptor.
33905
33906 @item
33907 Point the relevant_entry field of the descriptor at the entry.
33908
33909 @item
33910 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_REGISTER} and call
33911 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
33912 @end itemize
33913
33914 When @value{GDBN} is attached and the breakpoint fires, @value{GDBN} uses the
33915 @code{relevant_entry} pointer so it doesn't have to walk the list looking for
33916 new code. However, the linked list must still be maintained in order to allow
33917 @value{GDBN} to attach to a running process and still find the symbol files.
33918
33919 @node Unregistering Code
33920 @section Unregistering Code
33921
33922 If code is freed, then the JIT should use the following protocol:
33923
33924 @itemize @bullet
33925 @item
33926 Remove the code entry corresponding to the code from the linked list.
33927
33928 @item
33929 Point the @code{relevant_entry} field of the descriptor at the code entry.
33930
33931 @item
33932 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_UNREGISTER} and call
33933 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
33934 @end itemize
33935
33936 If the JIT frees or recompiles code without unregistering it, then @value{GDBN}
33937 and the JIT will leak the memory used for the associated symbol files.
33938
33939 @node Custom Debug Info
33940 @section Custom Debug Info
33941 @cindex custom JIT debug info
33942 @cindex JIT debug info reader
33943
33944 Generating debug information in platform-native file formats (like ELF
33945 or COFF) may be an overkill for JIT compilers; especially if all the
33946 debug info is used for is displaying a meaningful backtrace. The
33947 issue can be resolved by having the JIT writers decide on a debug info
33948 format and also provide a reader that parses the debug info generated
33949 by the JIT compiler. This section gives a brief overview on writing
33950 such a parser. More specific details can be found in the source file
33951 @file{gdb/jit-reader.in}, which is also installed as a header at
33952 @file{@var{includedir}/gdb/jit-reader.h} for easy inclusion.
33953
33954 The reader is implemented as a shared object (so this functionality is
33955 not available on platforms which don't allow loading shared objects at
33956 runtime). Two @value{GDBN} commands, @code{jit-reader-load} and
33957 @code{jit-reader-unload} are provided, to be used to load and unload
33958 the readers from a preconfigured directory. Once loaded, the shared
33959 object is used the parse the debug information emitted by the JIT
33960 compiler.
33961
33962 @menu
33963 * Using JIT Debug Info Readers:: How to use supplied readers correctly
33964 * Writing JIT Debug Info Readers:: Creating a debug-info reader
33965 @end menu
33966
33967 @node Using JIT Debug Info Readers
33968 @subsection Using JIT Debug Info Readers
33969 @kindex jit-reader-load
33970 @kindex jit-reader-unload
33971
33972 Readers can be loaded and unloaded using the @code{jit-reader-load}
33973 and @code{jit-reader-unload} commands.
33974
33975 @table @code
33976 @item jit-reader-load @var{reader-name}
33977 Load the JIT reader named @var{reader-name}. On a UNIX system, this
33978 will usually load @file{@var{libdir}/gdb/@var{reader-name}}, where
33979 @var{libdir} is the system library directory, usually
33980 @file{/usr/local/lib}. Only one reader can be active at a time;
33981 trying to load a second reader when one is already loaded will result
33982 in @value{GDBN} reporting an error. A new JIT reader can be loaded by
33983 first unloading the current one using @code{jit-reader-load} and then
33984 invoking @code{jit-reader-load}.
33985
33986 @item jit-reader-unload
33987 Unload the currently loaded JIT reader.
33988
33989 @end table
33990
33991 @node Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
33992 @subsection Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
33993 @cindex writing JIT debug info readers
33994
33995 As mentioned, a reader is essentially a shared object conforming to a
33996 certain ABI. This ABI is described in @file{jit-reader.h}.
33997
33998 @file{jit-reader.h} defines the structures, macros and functions
33999 required to write a reader. It is installed (along with
34000 @value{GDBN}), in @file{@var{includedir}/gdb} where @var{includedir} is
34001 the system include directory.
34002
34003 Readers need to be released under a GPL compatible license. A reader
34004 can be declared as released under such a license by placing the macro
34005 @code{GDB_DECLARE_GPL_COMPATIBLE_READER} in a source file.
34006
34007 The entry point for readers is the symbol @code{gdb_init_reader},
34008 which is expected to be a function with the prototype
34009
34010 @findex gdb_init_reader
34011 @smallexample
34012 extern struct gdb_reader_funcs *gdb_init_reader (void);
34013 @end smallexample
34014
34015 @cindex @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs}
34016
34017 @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs} contains a set of pointers to callback
34018 functions. These functions are executed to read the debug info
34019 generated by the JIT compiler (@code{read}), to unwind stack frames
34020 (@code{unwind}) and to create canonical frame IDs
34021 (@code{get_Frame_id}). It also has a callback that is called when the
34022 reader is being unloaded (@code{destroy}). The struct looks like this
34023
34024 @smallexample
34025 struct gdb_reader_funcs
34026 @{
34027 /* Must be set to GDB_READER_INTERFACE_VERSION. */
34028 int reader_version;
34029
34030 /* For use by the reader. */
34031 void *priv_data;
34032
34033 gdb_read_debug_info *read;
34034 gdb_unwind_frame *unwind;
34035 gdb_get_frame_id *get_frame_id;
34036 gdb_destroy_reader *destroy;
34037 @};
34038 @end smallexample
34039
34040 @cindex @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks}
34041 @cindex @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}
34042
34043 The callbacks are provided with another set of callbacks by
34044 @value{GDBN} to do their job. For @code{read}, these callbacks are
34045 passed in a @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} and for @code{unwind}
34046 and @code{get_frame_id}, in a @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}.
34047 @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} has callbacks to create new object
34048 files and new symbol tables inside those object files. @code{struct
34049 gdb_unwind_callbacks} has callbacks to read registers off the current
34050 frame and to write out the values of the registers in the previous
34051 frame. Both have a callback (@code{target_read}) to read bytes off the
34052 target's address space.
34053
34054 @node In-Process Agent
34055 @chapter In-Process Agent
34056 @cindex debugging agent
34057 The traditional debugging model is conceptually low-speed, but works fine,
34058 because most bugs can be reproduced in debugging-mode execution. However,
34059 as multi-core or many-core processors are becoming mainstream, and
34060 multi-threaded programs become more and more popular, there should be more
34061 and more bugs that only manifest themselves at normal-mode execution, for
34062 example, thread races, because debugger's interference with the program's
34063 timing may conceal the bugs. On the other hand, in some applications,
34064 it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt the program's execution
34065 long enough for the developer to learn anything helpful about its behavior.
34066 If the program's correctness depends on its real-time behavior, delays
34067 introduced by a debugger might cause the program to fail, even when the
34068 code itself is correct. It is useful to be able to observe the program's
34069 behavior without interrupting it.
34070
34071 Therefore, traditional debugging model is too intrusive to reproduce
34072 some bugs. In order to reduce the interference with the program, we can
34073 reduce the number of operations performed by debugger. The
34074 @dfn{In-Process Agent}, a shared library, is running within the same
34075 process with inferior, and is able to perform some debugging operations
34076 itself. As a result, debugger is only involved when necessary, and
34077 performance of debugging can be improved accordingly. Note that
34078 interference with program can be reduced but can't be removed completely,
34079 because the in-process agent will still stop or slow down the program.
34080
34081 The in-process agent can interpret and execute Agent Expressions
34082 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) during performing debugging operations. The
34083 agent expressions can be used for different purposes, such as collecting
34084 data in tracepoints, and condition evaluation in breakpoints.
34085
34086 @anchor{Control Agent}
34087 You can control whether the in-process agent is used as an aid for
34088 debugging with the following commands:
34089
34090 @table @code
34091 @kindex set agent on
34092 @item set agent on
34093 Causes the in-process agent to perform some operations on behalf of the
34094 debugger. Just which operations requested by the user will be done
34095 by the in-process agent depends on the its capabilities. For example,
34096 if you request to evaluate breakpoint conditions in the in-process agent,
34097 and the in-process agent has such capability as well, then breakpoint
34098 conditions will be evaluated in the in-process agent.
34099
34100 @kindex set agent off
34101 @item set agent off
34102 Disables execution of debugging operations by the in-process agent. All
34103 of the operations will be performed by @value{GDBN}.
34104
34105 @kindex show agent
34106 @item show agent
34107 Display the current setting of execution of debugging operations by
34108 the in-process agent.
34109 @end table
34110
34111 @menu
34112 * In-Process Agent Protocol::
34113 @end menu
34114
34115 @node In-Process Agent Protocol
34116 @section In-Process Agent Protocol
34117 @cindex in-process agent protocol
34118
34119 The in-process agent is able to communicate with both @value{GDBN} and
34120 GDBserver (@pxref{In-Process Agent}). This section documents the protocol
34121 used for communications between @value{GDBN} or GDBserver and the IPA.
34122 In general, @value{GDBN} or GDBserver sends commands
34123 (@pxref{IPA Protocol Commands}) and data to in-process agent, and then
34124 in-process agent replies back with the return result of the command, or
34125 some other information. The data sent to in-process agent is composed
34126 of primitive data types, such as 4-byte or 8-byte type, and composite
34127 types, which are called objects (@pxref{IPA Protocol Objects}).
34128
34129 @menu
34130 * IPA Protocol Objects::
34131 * IPA Protocol Commands::
34132 @end menu
34133
34134 @node IPA Protocol Objects
34135 @subsection IPA Protocol Objects
34136 @cindex ipa protocol objects
34137
34138 The commands sent to and results received from agent may contain some
34139 complex data types called @dfn{objects}.
34140
34141 The in-process agent is running on the same machine with @value{GDBN}
34142 or GDBserver, so it doesn't have to handle as much differences between
34143 two ends as remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}) tries to handle.
34144 However, there are still some differences of two ends in two processes:
34145
34146 @enumerate
34147 @item
34148 word size. On some 64-bit machines, @value{GDBN} or GDBserver can be
34149 compiled as a 64-bit executable, while in-process agent is a 32-bit one.
34150 @item
34151 ABI. Some machines may have multiple types of ABI, @value{GDBN} or
34152 GDBserver is compiled with one, and in-process agent is compiled with
34153 the other one.
34154 @end enumerate
34155
34156 Here are the IPA Protocol Objects:
34157
34158 @enumerate
34159 @item
34160 agent expression object. It represents an agent expression
34161 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}).
34162 @anchor{agent expression object}
34163 @item
34164 tracepoint action object. It represents a tracepoint action
34165 (@pxref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}) to collect registers,
34166 memory, static trace data and to evaluate expression.
34167 @anchor{tracepoint action object}
34168 @item
34169 tracepoint object. It represents a tracepoint (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
34170 @anchor{tracepoint object}
34171
34172 @end enumerate
34173
34174 The following table describes important attributes of each IPA protocol
34175 object:
34176
34177 @multitable @columnfractions .30 .20 .50
34178 @headitem Name @tab Size @tab Description
34179 @item @emph{agent expression object} @tab @tab
34180 @item length @tab 4 @tab length of bytes code
34181 @item byte code @tab @var{length} @tab contents of byte code
34182 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting memory} @tab @tab
34183 @item 'M' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34184 @item addr @tab 8 @tab if @var{basereg} is @samp{-1}, @var{addr} is the
34185 address of the lowest byte to collect, otherwise @var{addr} is the offset
34186 of @var{basereg} for memory collecting.
34187 @item len @tab 8 @tab length of memory for collecting
34188 @item basereg @tab 4 @tab the register number containing the starting
34189 memory address for collecting.
34190 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting registers} @tab @tab
34191 @item 'R' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34192 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting static trace data} @tab @tab
34193 @item 'L' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34194 @item @emph{tracepoint action for expression evaluation} @tab @tab
34195 @item 'X' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34196 @item agent expression @tab length of @tab @ref{agent expression object}
34197 @item @emph{tracepoint object} @tab @tab
34198 @item number @tab 4 @tab number of tracepoint
34199 @item address @tab 8 @tab address of tracepoint inserted on
34200 @item type @tab 4 @tab type of tracepoint
34201 @item enabled @tab 1 @tab enable or disable of tracepoint
34202 @item step_count @tab 8 @tab step
34203 @item pass_count @tab 8 @tab pass
34204 @item numactions @tab 4 @tab number of tracepoint actions
34205 @item hit count @tab 8 @tab hit count
34206 @item trace frame usage @tab 8 @tab trace frame usage
34207 @item compiled_cond @tab 8 @tab compiled condition
34208 @item orig_size @tab 8 @tab orig size
34209 @item condition @tab 4 if condition is NULL otherwise length of
34210 @ref{agent expression object}
34211 @tab zero if condition is NULL, otherwise is
34212 @ref{agent expression object}
34213 @item actions @tab variable
34214 @tab numactions number of @ref{tracepoint action object}
34215 @end multitable
34216
34217 @node IPA Protocol Commands
34218 @subsection IPA Protocol Commands
34219 @cindex ipa protocol commands
34220
34221 The spaces in each command are delimiters to ease reading this commands
34222 specification. They don't exist in real commands.
34223
34224 @table @samp
34225
34226 @item FastTrace:@var{tracepoint_object} @var{gdb_jump_pad_head}
34227 Installs a new fast tracepoint described by @var{tracepoint_object}
34228 (@pxref{tracepoint object}). @var{gdb_jump_pad_head}, 8-byte long, is the
34229 head of @dfn{jumppad}, which is used to jump to data collection routine
34230 in IPA finally.
34231
34232 Replies:
34233 @table @samp
34234 @item OK @var{target_address} @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} @var{fjump_size} @var{fjump}
34235 @var{target_address} is address of tracepoint in the inferior.
34236 @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} is updated head of jumppad. Both of
34237 @var{target_address} and @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} are 8-byte long.
34238 @var{fjump} contains a sequence of instructions jump to jumppad entry.
34239 @var{fjump_size}, 4-byte long, is the size of @var{fjump}.
34240 @item E @var{NN}
34241 for an error
34242
34243 @end table
34244
34245 @item close
34246 Closes the in-process agent. This command is sent when @value{GDBN} or GDBserver
34247 is about to kill inferiors.
34248
34249 @item qTfSTM
34250 @xref{qTfSTM}.
34251 @item qTsSTM
34252 @xref{qTsSTM}.
34253 @item qTSTMat
34254 @xref{qTSTMat}.
34255 @item probe_marker_at:@var{address}
34256 Asks in-process agent to probe the marker at @var{address}.
34257
34258 Replies:
34259 @table @samp
34260 @item E @var{NN}
34261 for an error
34262 @end table
34263 @item unprobe_marker_at:@var{address}
34264 Asks in-process agent to unprobe the marker at @var{address}.
34265 @end table
34266
34267 @node GDB Bugs
34268 @chapter Reporting Bugs in @value{GDBN}
34269 @cindex bugs in @value{GDBN}
34270 @cindex reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
34271
34272 Your bug reports play an essential role in making @value{GDBN} reliable.
34273
34274 Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or it
34275 may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is to help
34276 the entire community by making the next version of @value{GDBN} work better. Bug
34277 reports are your contribution to the maintenance of @value{GDBN}.
34278
34279 In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
34280 information that enables us to fix the bug.
34281
34282 @menu
34283 * Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
34284 * Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
34285 @end menu
34286
34287 @node Bug Criteria
34288 @section Have You Found a Bug?
34289 @cindex bug criteria
34290
34291 If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
34292
34293 @itemize @bullet
34294 @cindex fatal signal
34295 @cindex debugger crash
34296 @cindex crash of debugger
34297 @item
34298 If the debugger gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is a
34299 @value{GDBN} bug. Reliable debuggers never crash.
34300
34301 @cindex error on valid input
34302 @item
34303 If @value{GDBN} produces an error message for valid input, that is a
34304 bug. (Note that if you're cross debugging, the problem may also be
34305 somewhere in the connection to the target.)
34306
34307 @cindex invalid input
34308 @item
34309 If @value{GDBN} does not produce an error message for invalid input,
34310 that is a bug. However, you should note that your idea of
34311 ``invalid input'' might be our idea of ``an extension'' or ``support
34312 for traditional practice''.
34313
34314 @item
34315 If you are an experienced user of debugging tools, your suggestions
34316 for improvement of @value{GDBN} are welcome in any case.
34317 @end itemize
34318
34319 @node Bug Reporting
34320 @section How to Report Bugs
34321 @cindex bug reports
34322 @cindex @value{GDBN} bugs, reporting
34323
34324 A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu} products.
34325 If you obtained @value{GDBN} from a support organization, we recommend you
34326 contact that organization first.
34327
34328 You can find contact information for many support companies and
34329 individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
34330 distribution.
34331 @c should add a web page ref...
34332
34333 @ifset BUGURL
34334 @ifset BUGURL_DEFAULT
34335 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
34336 @value{GDBN}. The preferred method is to submit them directly using
34337 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/, @value{GDBN}'s Bugs web
34338 page}. Alternatively, the @email{bug-gdb@@gnu.org, e-mail gateway} can
34339 be used.
34340
34341 @strong{Do not send bug reports to @samp{info-gdb}, or to
34342 @samp{help-gdb}, or to any newsgroups.} Most users of @value{GDBN} do
34343 not want to receive bug reports. Those that do have arranged to receive
34344 @samp{bug-gdb}.
34345
34346 The mailing list @samp{bug-gdb} has a newsgroup @samp{gnu.gdb.bug} which
34347 serves as a repeater. The mailing list and the newsgroup carry exactly
34348 the same messages. Often people think of posting bug reports to the
34349 newsgroup instead of mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one
34350 problem which can be crucial: a newsgroup posting often lacks a mail
34351 path back to the sender. Thus, if we need to ask for more information,
34352 we may be unable to reach you. For this reason, it is better to send
34353 bug reports to the mailing list.
34354 @end ifset
34355 @ifclear BUGURL_DEFAULT
34356 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
34357 @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.
34358 @end ifclear
34359 @end ifset
34360
34361 The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
34362 @strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
34363 fact or leave it out, state it!
34364
34365 Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
34366 problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
34367 assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does not matter.
34368 Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is a
34369 stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where that
34370 name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name were different, the contents
34371 of that location would fool the debugger into doing the right thing despite
34372 the bug. Play it safe and give a specific, complete example. That is the
34373 easiest thing for you to do, and the most helpful.
34374
34375 Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the
34376 bug. It may be that the bug has been reported previously, but neither
34377 you nor we can know that unless your bug report is complete and
34378 self-contained.
34379
34380 Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
34381 bell?'' Those bug reports are useless, and we urge everyone to
34382 @emph{refuse to respond to them} except to chide the sender to report
34383 bugs properly.
34384
34385 To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
34386
34387 @itemize @bullet
34388 @item
34389 The version of @value{GDBN}. @value{GDBN} announces it if you start
34390 with no arguments; you can also print it at any time using @code{show
34391 version}.
34392
34393 Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
34394 the bug in the current version of @value{GDBN}.
34395
34396 @item
34397 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
34398 version number.
34399
34400 @item
34401 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile @value{GDBN}---e.g.@:
34402 ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1''.
34403
34404 @item
34405 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the program you are
34406 debugging---e.g.@: ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1'', or ``HP92453-01 A.10.32.03 HP
34407 C Compiler''. For @value{NGCC}, you can say @kbd{@value{GCC} --version}
34408 to get this information; for other compilers, see the documentation for
34409 those compilers.
34410
34411 @item
34412 The command arguments you gave the compiler to compile your example and
34413 observe the bug. For example, did you use @samp{-O}? To guarantee
34414 you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy of the
34415 Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
34416
34417 If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
34418 and then we might not encounter the bug.
34419
34420 @item
34421 A complete input script, and all necessary source files, that will
34422 reproduce the bug.
34423
34424 @item
34425 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
34426 incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
34427
34428 Of course, if the bug is that @value{GDBN} gets a fatal signal, then we
34429 will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
34430 not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
34431 a chance to make a mistake.
34432
34433 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
34434 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your
34435 copy of @value{GDBN} is out of synch, or you have encountered a bug in
34436 the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
34437 crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
34438 ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
34439 us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
34440 to draw any conclusion from our observations.
34441
34442 @pindex script
34443 @cindex recording a session script
34444 To collect all this information, you can use a session recording program
34445 such as @command{script}, which is available on many Unix systems.
34446 Just run your @value{GDBN} session inside @command{script} and then
34447 include the @file{typescript} file with your bug report.
34448
34449 Another way to record a @value{GDBN} session is to run @value{GDBN}
34450 inside Emacs and then save the entire buffer to a file.
34451
34452 @item
34453 If you wish to suggest changes to the @value{GDBN} source, send us context
34454 diffs. If you even discuss something in the @value{GDBN} source, refer to
34455 it by context, not by line number.
34456
34457 The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
34458 sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
34459
34460 @end itemize
34461
34462 Here are some things that are not necessary:
34463
34464 @itemize @bullet
34465 @item
34466 A description of the envelope of the bug.
34467
34468 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
34469 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
34470 changes will not affect it.
34471
34472 This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
34473 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
34474 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
34475 We recommend that you save your time for something else.
34476
34477 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
34478 of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
34479 output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
34480 less time, and so on.
34481
34482 However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
34483 report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
34484
34485 @item
34486 A patch for the bug.
34487
34488 A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
34489 the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
34490 a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
34491 to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
34492
34493 Sometimes with a program as complicated as @value{GDBN} it is very hard to
34494 construct an example that will make the program follow a certain path
34495 through the code. If you do not send us the example, we will not be able
34496 to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that the bug is fixed.
34497
34498 And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
34499 patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
34500 help us to understand.
34501
34502 @item
34503 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
34504
34505 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
34506 things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
34507 @end itemize
34508
34509 @c The readline documentation is distributed with the readline code
34510 @c and consists of the two following files:
34511 @c rluser.texi
34512 @c hsuser.texi
34513 @c Use -I with makeinfo to point to the appropriate directory,
34514 @c environment var TEXINPUTS with TeX.
34515 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
34516 @include rluser.texi
34517 @include hsuser.texi
34518 @end ifclear
34519
34520 @node In Memoriam
34521 @appendix In Memoriam
34522
34523 The @value{GDBN} project mourns the loss of the following long-time
34524 contributors:
34525
34526 @table @code
34527 @item Fred Fish
34528 Fred was a long-standing contributor to @value{GDBN} (1991-2006), and
34529 to Free Software in general. Outside of @value{GDBN}, he was known in
34530 the Amiga world for his series of Fish Disks, and the GeekGadget project.
34531
34532 @item Michael Snyder
34533 Michael was one of the Global Maintainers of the @value{GDBN} project,
34534 with contributions recorded as early as 1996, until 2011. In addition
34535 to his day to day participation, he was a large driving force behind
34536 adding Reverse Debugging to @value{GDBN}.
34537 @end table
34538
34539 Beyond their technical contributions to the project, they were also
34540 enjoyable members of the Free Software Community. We will miss them.
34541
34542 @node Formatting Documentation
34543 @appendix Formatting Documentation
34544
34545 @cindex @value{GDBN} reference card
34546 @cindex reference card
34547 The @value{GDBN} 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
34548 for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the @file{gdb}
34549 subdirectory of the main source directory@footnote{In
34550 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/refcard.ps} of the version @value{GDBVN}
34551 release.}. If you can use PostScript or Ghostscript with your printer,
34552 you can print the reference card immediately with @file{refcard.ps}.
34553
34554 The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
34555 can format it, using @TeX{}, by typing:
34556
34557 @smallexample
34558 make refcard.dvi
34559 @end smallexample
34560
34561 The @value{GDBN} reference card is designed to print in @dfn{landscape}
34562 mode on US ``letter'' size paper;
34563 that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
34564 high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
34565 your @sc{dvi} output program.
34566
34567 @cindex documentation
34568
34569 All the documentation for @value{GDBN} comes as part of the machine-readable
34570 distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
34571 a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
34572 on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info
34573 formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
34574 and @TeX{} (or @code{texi2roff}) to typeset the printed version.
34575
34576 @value{GDBN} includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info
34577 version of this manual in the @file{gdb} subdirectory. The main Info
34578 file is @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/gdb.info}, and it refers to
34579 subordinate files matching @samp{gdb.info*} in the same directory. If
34580 necessary, you can print out these files, or read them with any editor;
34581 but they are easier to read using the @code{info} subsystem in @sc{gnu}
34582 Emacs or the standalone @code{info} program, available as part of the
34583 @sc{gnu} Texinfo distribution.
34584
34585 If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
34586 Info formatting programs, such as @code{texinfo-format-buffer} or
34587 @code{makeinfo}.
34588
34589 If you have @code{makeinfo} installed, and are in the top level
34590 @value{GDBN} source directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, in the case of
34591 version @value{GDBVN}), you can make the Info file by typing:
34592
34593 @smallexample
34594 cd gdb
34595 make gdb.info
34596 @end smallexample
34597
34598 If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need @TeX{},
34599 a program to print its @sc{dvi} output files, and @file{texinfo.tex}, the
34600 Texinfo definitions file.
34601
34602 @TeX{} is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
34603 produces output files called @sc{dvi} files. To print a typeset
34604 document, you need a program to print @sc{dvi} files. If your system
34605 has @TeX{} installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise
34606 command to use depends on your system; @kbd{lpr -d} is common; another
34607 (for PostScript devices) is @kbd{dvips}. The @sc{dvi} print command may
34608 require a file name without any extension or a @samp{.dvi} extension.
34609
34610 @TeX{} also requires a macro definitions file called
34611 @file{texinfo.tex}. This file tells @TeX{} how to typeset a document
34612 written in Texinfo format. On its own, @TeX{} cannot either read or
34613 typeset a Texinfo file. @file{texinfo.tex} is distributed with GDB
34614 and is located in the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}/texinfo}
34615 directory.
34616
34617 If you have @TeX{} and a @sc{dvi} printer program installed, you can
34618 typeset and print this manual. First switch to the @file{gdb}
34619 subdirectory of the main source directory (for example, to
34620 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb}) and type:
34621
34622 @smallexample
34623 make gdb.dvi
34624 @end smallexample
34625
34626 Then give @file{gdb.dvi} to your @sc{dvi} printing program.
34627
34628 @node Installing GDB
34629 @appendix Installing @value{GDBN}
34630 @cindex installation
34631
34632 @menu
34633 * Requirements:: Requirements for building @value{GDBN}
34634 * Running Configure:: Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} script
34635 * Separate Objdir:: Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
34636 * Config Names:: Specifying names for hosts and targets
34637 * Configure Options:: Summary of options for configure
34638 * System-wide configuration:: Having a system-wide init file
34639 @end menu
34640
34641 @node Requirements
34642 @section Requirements for Building @value{GDBN}
34643 @cindex building @value{GDBN}, requirements for
34644
34645 Building @value{GDBN} requires various tools and packages to be available.
34646 Other packages will be used only if they are found.
34647
34648 @heading Tools/Packages Necessary for Building @value{GDBN}
34649 @table @asis
34650 @item ISO C90 compiler
34651 @value{GDBN} is written in ISO C90. It should be buildable with any
34652 working C90 compiler, e.g.@: GCC.
34653
34654 @end table
34655
34656 @heading Tools/Packages Optional for Building @value{GDBN}
34657 @table @asis
34658 @item Expat
34659 @anchor{Expat}
34660 @value{GDBN} can use the Expat XML parsing library. This library may be
34661 included with your operating system distribution; if it is not, you
34662 can get the latest version from @url{http://expat.sourceforge.net}.
34663 The @file{configure} script will search for this library in several
34664 standard locations; if it is installed in an unusual path, you can
34665 use the @option{--with-libexpat-prefix} option to specify its location.
34666
34667 Expat is used for:
34668
34669 @itemize @bullet
34670 @item
34671 Remote protocol memory maps (@pxref{Memory Map Format})
34672 @item
34673 Target descriptions (@pxref{Target Descriptions})
34674 @item
34675 Remote shared library lists (@xref{Library List Format},
34676 or alternatively @pxref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets})
34677 @item
34678 MS-Windows shared libraries (@pxref{Shared Libraries})
34679 @item
34680 Traceframe info (@pxref{Traceframe Info Format})
34681 @end itemize
34682
34683 @item zlib
34684 @cindex compressed debug sections
34685 @value{GDBN} will use the @samp{zlib} library, if available, to read
34686 compressed debug sections. Some linkers, such as GNU gold, are capable
34687 of producing binaries with compressed debug sections. If @value{GDBN}
34688 is compiled with @samp{zlib}, it will be able to read the debug
34689 information in such binaries.
34690
34691 The @samp{zlib} library is likely included with your operating system
34692 distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
34693 @url{http://zlib.net}.
34694
34695 @item iconv
34696 @value{GDBN}'s features related to character sets (@pxref{Character
34697 Sets}) require a functioning @code{iconv} implementation. If you are
34698 on a GNU system, then this is provided by the GNU C Library. Some
34699 other systems also provide a working @code{iconv}.
34700
34701 If @value{GDBN} is using the @code{iconv} program which is installed
34702 in a non-standard place, you will need to tell @value{GDBN} where to find it.
34703 This is done with @option{--with-iconv-bin} which specifies the
34704 directory that contains the @code{iconv} program.
34705
34706 On systems without @code{iconv}, you can install GNU Libiconv. If you
34707 have previously installed Libiconv, you can use the
34708 @option{--with-libiconv-prefix} option to configure.
34709
34710 @value{GDBN}'s top-level @file{configure} and @file{Makefile} will
34711 arrange to build Libiconv if a directory named @file{libiconv} appears
34712 in the top-most source directory. If Libiconv is built this way, and
34713 if the operating system does not provide a suitable @code{iconv}
34714 implementation, then the just-built library will automatically be used
34715 by @value{GDBN}. One easy way to set this up is to download GNU
34716 Libiconv, unpack it, and then rename the directory holding the
34717 Libiconv source code to @samp{libiconv}.
34718 @end table
34719
34720 @node Running Configure
34721 @section Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} Script
34722 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}
34723 @value{GDBN} comes with a @file{configure} script that automates the process
34724 of preparing @value{GDBN} for installation; you can then use @code{make} to
34725 build the @code{gdb} program.
34726 @iftex
34727 @c irrelevant in info file; it's as current as the code it lives with.
34728 @footnote{If you have a more recent version of @value{GDBN} than @value{GDBVN},
34729 look at the @file{README} file in the sources; we may have improved the
34730 installation procedures since publishing this manual.}
34731 @end iftex
34732
34733 The @value{GDBN} distribution includes all the source code you need for
34734 @value{GDBN} in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by
34735 appending the version number to @samp{gdb}.
34736
34737 For example, the @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN} distribution is in the
34738 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory. That directory contains:
34739
34740 @table @code
34741 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure @r{(and supporting files)}
34742 script for configuring @value{GDBN} and all its supporting libraries
34743
34744 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb
34745 the source specific to @value{GDBN} itself
34746
34747 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/bfd
34748 source for the Binary File Descriptor library
34749
34750 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/include
34751 @sc{gnu} include files
34752
34753 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/libiberty
34754 source for the @samp{-liberty} free software library
34755
34756 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/opcodes
34757 source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
34758
34759 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/readline
34760 source for the @sc{gnu} command-line interface
34761
34762 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/glob
34763 source for the @sc{gnu} filename pattern-matching subroutine
34764
34765 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/mmalloc
34766 source for the @sc{gnu} memory-mapped malloc package
34767 @end table
34768
34769 The simplest way to configure and build @value{GDBN} is to run @file{configure}
34770 from the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory, which in
34771 this example is the @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory.
34772
34773 First switch to the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory
34774 if you are not already in it; then run @file{configure}. Pass the
34775 identifier for the platform on which @value{GDBN} will run as an
34776 argument.
34777
34778 For example:
34779
34780 @smallexample
34781 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
34782 ./configure @var{host}
34783 make
34784 @end smallexample
34785
34786 @noindent
34787 where @var{host} is an identifier such as @samp{sun4} or
34788 @samp{decstation}, that identifies the platform where @value{GDBN} will run.
34789 (You can often leave off @var{host}; @file{configure} tries to guess the
34790 correct value by examining your system.)
34791
34792 Running @samp{configure @var{host}} and then running @code{make} builds the
34793 @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, @file{mmalloc}, and @file{libiberty}
34794 libraries, then @code{gdb} itself. The configured source files, and the
34795 binaries, are left in the corresponding source directories.
34796
34797 @need 750
34798 @file{configure} is a Bourne-shell (@code{/bin/sh}) script; if your
34799 system does not recognize this automatically when you run a different
34800 shell, you may need to run @code{sh} on it explicitly:
34801
34802 @smallexample
34803 sh configure @var{host}
34804 @end smallexample
34805
34806 If you run @file{configure} from a directory that contains source
34807 directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the
34808 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} source directory for version @value{GDBVN},
34809 @file{configure}
34810 creates configuration files for every directory level underneath (unless
34811 you tell it not to, with the @samp{--norecursion} option).
34812
34813 You should run the @file{configure} script from the top directory in the
34814 source tree, the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory. If you run
34815 @file{configure} from one of the subdirectories, you will configure only
34816 that subdirectory. That is usually not what you want. In particular,
34817 if you run the first @file{configure} from the @file{gdb} subdirectory
34818 of the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory, you will omit the
34819 configuration of @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, and other sibling
34820 directories of the @file{gdb} subdirectory. This leads to build errors
34821 about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
34822
34823 You can install @code{@value{GDBP}} anywhere; it has no hardwired paths.
34824 However, you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by
34825 the @samp{SHELL} environment variable) is publicly readable. Remember
34826 that @value{GDBN} uses the shell to start your program---some systems refuse to
34827 let @value{GDBN} debug child processes whose programs are not readable.
34828
34829 @node Separate Objdir
34830 @section Compiling @value{GDBN} in Another Directory
34831
34832 If you want to run @value{GDBN} versions for several host or target machines,
34833 you need a different @code{gdb} compiled for each combination of
34834 host and target. @file{configure} is designed to make this easy by
34835 allowing you to generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory,
34836 rather than in the source directory. If your @code{make} program
34837 handles the @samp{VPATH} feature (@sc{gnu} @code{make} does), running
34838 @code{make} in each of these directories builds the @code{gdb}
34839 program specified there.
34840
34841 To build @code{gdb} in a separate directory, run @file{configure}
34842 with the @samp{--srcdir} option to specify where to find the source.
34843 (You also need to specify a path to find @file{configure}
34844 itself from your working directory. If the path to @file{configure}
34845 would be the same as the argument to @samp{--srcdir}, you can leave out
34846 the @samp{--srcdir} option; it is assumed.)
34847
34848 For example, with version @value{GDBVN}, you can build @value{GDBN} in a
34849 separate directory for a Sun 4 like this:
34850
34851 @smallexample
34852 @group
34853 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
34854 mkdir ../gdb-sun4
34855 cd ../gdb-sun4
34856 ../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure sun4
34857 make
34858 @end group
34859 @end smallexample
34860
34861 When @file{configure} builds a configuration using a remote source
34862 directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
34863 (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In
34864 the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library @file{libiberty.a} in the
34865 directory @file{gdb-sun4/libiberty}, and @value{GDBN} itself in
34866 @file{gdb-sun4/gdb}.
34867
34868 Make sure that your path to the @file{configure} script has just one
34869 instance of @file{gdb} in it. If your path to @file{configure} looks
34870 like @file{../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/configure}, you are configuring only
34871 one subdirectory of @value{GDBN}, not the whole package. This leads to
34872 build errors about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
34873
34874 One popular reason to build several @value{GDBN} configurations in separate
34875 directories is to configure @value{GDBN} for cross-compiling (where
34876 @value{GDBN} runs on one machine---the @dfn{host}---while debugging
34877 programs that run on another machine---the @dfn{target}).
34878 You specify a cross-debugging target by
34879 giving the @samp{--target=@var{target}} option to @file{configure}.
34880
34881 When you run @code{make} to build a program or library, you must run
34882 it in a configured directory---whatever directory you were in when you
34883 called @file{configure} (or one of its subdirectories).
34884
34885 The @code{Makefile} that @file{configure} generates in each source
34886 directory also runs recursively. If you type @code{make} in a source
34887 directory such as @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} (or in a separate configured
34888 directory configured with @samp{--srcdir=@var{dirname}/gdb-@value{GDBVN}}), you
34889 will build all the required libraries, and then build GDB.
34890
34891 When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
34892 directories, you can run @code{make} on them in parallel (for example,
34893 if they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
34894 with each other.
34895
34896 @node Config Names
34897 @section Specifying Names for Hosts and Targets
34898
34899 The specifications used for hosts and targets in the @file{configure}
34900 script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short predefined
34901 aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes three pieces
34902 of information in the following pattern:
34903
34904 @smallexample
34905 @var{architecture}-@var{vendor}-@var{os}
34906 @end smallexample
34907
34908 For example, you can use the alias @code{sun4} as a @var{host} argument,
34909 or as the value for @var{target} in a @code{--target=@var{target}}
34910 option. The equivalent full name is @samp{sparc-sun-sunos4}.
34911
34912 The @file{configure} script accompanying @value{GDBN} does not provide
34913 any query facility to list all supported host and target names or
34914 aliases. @file{configure} calls the Bourne shell script
34915 @code{config.sub} to map abbreviations to full names; you can read the
34916 script, if you wish, or you can use it to test your guesses on
34917 abbreviations---for example:
34918
34919 @smallexample
34920 % sh config.sub i386-linux
34921 i386-pc-linux-gnu
34922 % sh config.sub alpha-linux
34923 alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
34924 % sh config.sub hp9k700
34925 hppa1.1-hp-hpux
34926 % sh config.sub sun4
34927 sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
34928 % sh config.sub sun3
34929 m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
34930 % sh config.sub i986v
34931 Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized
34932 @end smallexample
34933
34934 @noindent
34935 @code{config.sub} is also distributed in the @value{GDBN} source
34936 directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, for version @value{GDBVN}).
34937
34938 @node Configure Options
34939 @section @file{configure} Options
34940
34941 Here is a summary of the @file{configure} options and arguments that
34942 are most often useful for building @value{GDBN}. @file{configure} also has
34943 several other options not listed here. @inforef{What Configure
34944 Does,,configure.info}, for a full explanation of @file{configure}.
34945
34946 @smallexample
34947 configure @r{[}--help@r{]}
34948 @r{[}--prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
34949 @r{[}--exec-prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
34950 @r{[}--srcdir=@var{dirname}@r{]}
34951 @r{[}--norecursion@r{]} @r{[}--rm@r{]}
34952 @r{[}--target=@var{target}@r{]}
34953 @var{host}
34954 @end smallexample
34955
34956 @noindent
34957 You may introduce options with a single @samp{-} rather than
34958 @samp{--} if you prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use
34959 @samp{--}.
34960
34961 @table @code
34962 @item --help
34963 Display a quick summary of how to invoke @file{configure}.
34964
34965 @item --prefix=@var{dir}
34966 Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
34967 @file{@var{dir}}.
34968
34969 @item --exec-prefix=@var{dir}
34970 Configure the source to install programs under directory
34971 @file{@var{dir}}.
34972
34973 @c avoid splitting the warning from the explanation:
34974 @need 2000
34975 @item --srcdir=@var{dirname}
34976 @strong{Warning: using this option requires @sc{gnu} @code{make}, or another
34977 @code{make} that implements the @code{VPATH} feature.}@*
34978 Use this option to make configurations in directories separate from the
34979 @value{GDBN} source directories. Among other things, you can use this to
34980 build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, in separate
34981 directories. @file{configure} writes configuration-specific files in
34982 the current directory, but arranges for them to use the source in the
34983 directory @var{dirname}. @file{configure} creates directories under
34984 the working directory in parallel to the source directories below
34985 @var{dirname}.
34986
34987 @item --norecursion
34988 Configure only the directory level where @file{configure} is executed; do not
34989 propagate configuration to subdirectories.
34990
34991 @item --target=@var{target}
34992 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
34993 @var{target}. Without this option, @value{GDBN} is configured to debug
34994 programs that run on the same machine (@var{host}) as @value{GDBN} itself.
34995
34996 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available targets.
34997
34998 @item @var{host} @dots{}
34999 Configure @value{GDBN} to run on the specified @var{host}.
35000
35001 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available hosts.
35002 @end table
35003
35004 There are many other options available as well, but they are generally
35005 needed for special purposes only.
35006
35007 @node System-wide configuration
35008 @section System-wide configuration and settings
35009 @cindex system-wide init file
35010
35011 @value{GDBN} can be configured to have a system-wide init file;
35012 this file will be read and executed at startup (@pxref{Startup, , What
35013 @value{GDBN} does during startup}).
35014
35015 Here is the corresponding configure option:
35016
35017 @table @code
35018 @item --with-system-gdbinit=@var{file}
35019 Specify that the default location of the system-wide init file is
35020 @var{file}.
35021 @end table
35022
35023 If @value{GDBN} has been configured with the option @option{--prefix=$prefix},
35024 it may be subject to relocation. Two possible cases:
35025
35026 @itemize @bullet
35027 @item
35028 If the default location of this init file contains @file{$prefix},
35029 it will be subject to relocation. Suppose that the configure options
35030 are @option{--prefix=$prefix --with-system-gdbinit=$prefix/etc/gdbinit};
35031 if @value{GDBN} is moved from @file{$prefix} to @file{$install}, the system
35032 init file is looked for as @file{$install/etc/gdbinit} instead of
35033 @file{$prefix/etc/gdbinit}.
35034
35035 @item
35036 By contrast, if the default location does not contain the prefix,
35037 it will not be relocated. E.g.@: if @value{GDBN} has been configured with
35038 @option{--prefix=/usr/local --with-system-gdbinit=/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
35039 then @value{GDBN} will always look for @file{/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
35040 wherever @value{GDBN} is installed.
35041 @end itemize
35042
35043 If the configured location of the system-wide init file (as given by the
35044 @option{--with-system-gdbinit} option at configure time) is in the
35045 data-directory (as specified by @option{--with-gdb-datadir} at configure
35046 time) or in one of its subdirectories, then @value{GDBN} will look for the
35047 system-wide init file in the directory specified by the
35048 @option{--data-directory} command-line option.
35049 Note that the system-wide init file is only read once, during @value{GDBN}
35050 initialization. If the data-directory is changed after @value{GDBN} has
35051 started with the @code{set data-directory} command, the file will not be
35052 reread.
35053
35054 @node Maintenance Commands
35055 @appendix Maintenance Commands
35056 @cindex maintenance commands
35057 @cindex internal commands
35058
35059 In addition to commands intended for @value{GDBN} users, @value{GDBN}
35060 includes a number of commands intended for @value{GDBN} developers,
35061 that are not documented elsewhere in this manual. These commands are
35062 provided here for reference. (For commands that turn on debugging
35063 messages, see @ref{Debugging Output}.)
35064
35065 @table @code
35066 @kindex maint agent
35067 @kindex maint agent-eval
35068 @item maint agent @r{[}-at @var{location}@r{,}@r{]} @var{expression}
35069 @itemx maint agent-eval @r{[}-at @var{location}@r{,}@r{]} @var{expression}
35070 Translate the given @var{expression} into remote agent bytecodes.
35071 This command is useful for debugging the Agent Expression mechanism
35072 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}). The @samp{agent} version produces an
35073 expression useful for data collection, such as by tracepoints, while
35074 @samp{maint agent-eval} produces an expression that evaluates directly
35075 to a result. For instance, a collection expression for @code{globa +
35076 globb} will include bytecodes to record four bytes of memory at each
35077 of the addresses of @code{globa} and @code{globb}, while discarding
35078 the result of the addition, while an evaluation expression will do the
35079 addition and return the sum.
35080 If @code{-at} is given, generate remote agent bytecode for @var{location}.
35081 If not, generate remote agent bytecode for current frame PC address.
35082
35083 @kindex maint agent-printf
35084 @item maint agent-printf @var{format},@var{expr},...
35085 Translate the given format string and list of argument expressions
35086 into remote agent bytecodes and display them as a disassembled list.
35087 This command is useful for debugging the agent version of dynamic
35088 printf (@pxref{Dynamic Printf}.
35089
35090 @kindex maint info breakpoints
35091 @item @anchor{maint info breakpoints}maint info breakpoints
35092 Using the same format as @samp{info breakpoints}, display both the
35093 breakpoints you've set explicitly, and those @value{GDBN} is using for
35094 internal purposes. Internal breakpoints are shown with negative
35095 breakpoint numbers. The type column identifies what kind of breakpoint
35096 is shown:
35097
35098 @table @code
35099 @item breakpoint
35100 Normal, explicitly set breakpoint.
35101
35102 @item watchpoint
35103 Normal, explicitly set watchpoint.
35104
35105 @item longjmp
35106 Internal breakpoint, used to handle correctly stepping through
35107 @code{longjmp} calls.
35108
35109 @item longjmp resume
35110 Internal breakpoint at the target of a @code{longjmp}.
35111
35112 @item until
35113 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{until} command.
35114
35115 @item finish
35116 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{finish} command.
35117
35118 @item shlib events
35119 Shared library events.
35120
35121 @end table
35122
35123 @kindex maint info bfds
35124 @item maint info bfds
35125 This prints information about each @code{bfd} object that is known to
35126 @value{GDBN}. @xref{Top, , BFD, bfd, The Binary File Descriptor Library}.
35127
35128 @kindex set displaced-stepping
35129 @kindex show displaced-stepping
35130 @cindex displaced stepping support
35131 @cindex out-of-line single-stepping
35132 @item set displaced-stepping
35133 @itemx show displaced-stepping
35134 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will do @dfn{displaced stepping}
35135 if the target supports it. Displaced stepping is a way to single-step
35136 over breakpoints without removing them from the inferior, by executing
35137 an out-of-line copy of the instruction that was originally at the
35138 breakpoint location. It is also known as out-of-line single-stepping.
35139
35140 @table @code
35141 @item set displaced-stepping on
35142 If the target architecture supports it, @value{GDBN} will use
35143 displaced stepping to step over breakpoints.
35144
35145 @item set displaced-stepping off
35146 @value{GDBN} will not use displaced stepping to step over breakpoints,
35147 even if such is supported by the target architecture.
35148
35149 @cindex non-stop mode, and @samp{set displaced-stepping}
35150 @item set displaced-stepping auto
35151 This is the default mode. @value{GDBN} will use displaced stepping
35152 only if non-stop mode is active (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) and the target
35153 architecture supports displaced stepping.
35154 @end table
35155
35156 @kindex maint check-symtabs
35157 @item maint check-symtabs
35158 Check the consistency of psymtabs and symtabs.
35159
35160 @kindex maint cplus first_component
35161 @item maint cplus first_component @var{name}
35162 Print the first C@t{++} class/namespace component of @var{name}.
35163
35164 @kindex maint cplus namespace
35165 @item maint cplus namespace
35166 Print the list of possible C@t{++} namespaces.
35167
35168 @kindex maint demangle
35169 @item maint demangle @var{name}
35170 Demangle a C@t{++} or Objective-C mangled @var{name}.
35171
35172 @kindex maint deprecate
35173 @kindex maint undeprecate
35174 @cindex deprecated commands
35175 @item maint deprecate @var{command} @r{[}@var{replacement}@r{]}
35176 @itemx maint undeprecate @var{command}
35177 Deprecate or undeprecate the named @var{command}. Deprecated commands
35178 cause @value{GDBN} to issue a warning when you use them. The optional
35179 argument @var{replacement} says which newer command should be used in
35180 favor of the deprecated one; if it is given, @value{GDBN} will mention
35181 the replacement as part of the warning.
35182
35183 @kindex maint dump-me
35184 @item maint dump-me
35185 @cindex @code{SIGQUIT} signal, dump core of @value{GDBN}
35186 Cause a fatal signal in the debugger and force it to dump its core.
35187 This is supported only on systems which support aborting a program
35188 with the @code{SIGQUIT} signal.
35189
35190 @kindex maint internal-error
35191 @kindex maint internal-warning
35192 @item maint internal-error @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
35193 @itemx maint internal-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
35194 Cause @value{GDBN} to call the internal function @code{internal_error}
35195 or @code{internal_warning} and hence behave as though an internal error
35196 or internal warning has been detected. In addition to reporting the
35197 internal problem, these functions give the user the opportunity to
35198 either quit @value{GDBN} or create a core file of the current
35199 @value{GDBN} session.
35200
35201 These commands take an optional parameter @var{message-text} that is
35202 used as the text of the error or warning message.
35203
35204 Here's an example of using @code{internal-error}:
35205
35206 @smallexample
35207 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint internal-error testing, 1, 2}
35208 @dots{}/maint.c:121: internal-error: testing, 1, 2
35209 A problem internal to GDB has been detected. Further
35210 debugging may prove unreliable.
35211 Quit this debugging session? (y or n) @kbd{n}
35212 Create a core file? (y or n) @kbd{n}
35213 (@value{GDBP})
35214 @end smallexample
35215
35216 @cindex @value{GDBN} internal error
35217 @cindex internal errors, control of @value{GDBN} behavior
35218
35219 @kindex maint set internal-error
35220 @kindex maint show internal-error
35221 @kindex maint set internal-warning
35222 @kindex maint show internal-warning
35223 @item maint set internal-error @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
35224 @itemx maint show internal-error @var{action}
35225 @itemx maint set internal-warning @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
35226 @itemx maint show internal-warning @var{action}
35227 When @value{GDBN} reports an internal problem (error or warning) it
35228 gives the user the opportunity to both quit @value{GDBN} and create a
35229 core file of the current @value{GDBN} session. These commands let you
35230 override the default behaviour for each particular @var{action},
35231 described in the table below.
35232
35233 @table @samp
35234 @item quit
35235 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
35236 quit. The default is to ask the user what to do.
35237
35238 @item corefile
35239 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
35240 create a core file. The default is to ask the user what to do.
35241 @end table
35242
35243 @kindex maint packet
35244 @item maint packet @var{text}
35245 If @value{GDBN} is talking to an inferior via the serial protocol,
35246 then this command sends the string @var{text} to the inferior, and
35247 displays the response packet. @value{GDBN} supplies the initial
35248 @samp{$} character, the terminating @samp{#} character, and the
35249 checksum.
35250
35251 @kindex maint print architecture
35252 @item maint print architecture @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35253 Print the entire architecture configuration. The optional argument
35254 @var{file} names the file where the output goes.
35255
35256 @kindex maint print c-tdesc
35257 @item maint print c-tdesc
35258 Print the current target description (@pxref{Target Descriptions}) as
35259 a C source file. The created source file can be used in @value{GDBN}
35260 when an XML parser is not available to parse the description.
35261
35262 @kindex maint print dummy-frames
35263 @item maint print dummy-frames
35264 Prints the contents of @value{GDBN}'s internal dummy-frame stack.
35265
35266 @smallexample
35267 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{b add}
35268 @dots{}
35269 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{print add(2,3)}
35270 Breakpoint 2, add (a=2, b=3) at @dots{}
35271 58 return (a + b);
35272 The program being debugged stopped while in a function called from GDB.
35273 @dots{}
35274 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print dummy-frames}
35275 0x1a57c80: pc=0x01014068 fp=0x0200bddc sp=0x0200bdd6
35276 top=0x0200bdd4 id=@{stack=0x200bddc,code=0x101405c@}
35277 call_lo=0x01014000 call_hi=0x01014001
35278 (@value{GDBP})
35279 @end smallexample
35280
35281 Takes an optional file parameter.
35282
35283 @kindex maint print registers
35284 @kindex maint print raw-registers
35285 @kindex maint print cooked-registers
35286 @kindex maint print register-groups
35287 @kindex maint print remote-registers
35288 @item maint print registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35289 @itemx maint print raw-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35290 @itemx maint print cooked-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35291 @itemx maint print register-groups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35292 @itemx maint print remote-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35293 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register data structures.
35294
35295 The command @code{maint print raw-registers} includes the contents of
35296 the raw register cache; the command @code{maint print
35297 cooked-registers} includes the (cooked) value of all registers,
35298 including registers which aren't available on the target nor visible
35299 to user; the command @code{maint print register-groups} includes the
35300 groups that each register is a member of; and the command @code{maint
35301 print remote-registers} includes the remote target's register numbers
35302 and offsets in the `G' packets. @xref{Registers,, Registers, gdbint,
35303 @value{GDBN} Internals}.
35304
35305 These commands take an optional parameter, a file name to which to
35306 write the information.
35307
35308 @kindex maint print reggroups
35309 @item maint print reggroups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
35310 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register group data structures. The
35311 optional argument @var{file} tells to what file to write the
35312 information.
35313
35314 The register groups info looks like this:
35315
35316 @smallexample
35317 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print reggroups}
35318 Group Type
35319 general user
35320 float user
35321 all user
35322 vector user
35323 system user
35324 save internal
35325 restore internal
35326 @end smallexample
35327
35328 @kindex flushregs
35329 @item flushregs
35330 This command forces @value{GDBN} to flush its internal register cache.
35331
35332 @kindex maint print objfiles
35333 @cindex info for known object files
35334 @item maint print objfiles
35335 Print a dump of all known object files. For each object file, this
35336 command prints its name, address in memory, and all of its psymtabs
35337 and symtabs.
35338
35339 @kindex maint print section-scripts
35340 @cindex info for known .debug_gdb_scripts-loaded scripts
35341 @item maint print section-scripts [@var{regexp}]
35342 Print a dump of scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_section} section.
35343 If @var{regexp} is specified, only print scripts loaded by object files
35344 matching @var{regexp}.
35345 For each script, this command prints its name as specified in the objfile,
35346 and the full path if known.
35347 @xref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}.
35348
35349 @kindex maint print statistics
35350 @cindex bcache statistics
35351 @item maint print statistics
35352 This command prints, for each object file in the program, various data
35353 about that object file followed by the byte cache (@dfn{bcache})
35354 statistics for the object file. The objfile data includes the number
35355 of minimal, partial, full, and stabs symbols, the number of types
35356 defined by the objfile, the number of as yet unexpanded psym tables,
35357 the number of line tables and string tables, and the amount of memory
35358 used by the various tables. The bcache statistics include the counts,
35359 sizes, and counts of duplicates of all and unique objects, max,
35360 average, and median entry size, total memory used and its overhead and
35361 savings, and various measures of the hash table size and chain
35362 lengths.
35363
35364 @kindex maint print target-stack
35365 @cindex target stack description
35366 @item maint print target-stack
35367 A @dfn{target} is an interface between the debugger and a particular
35368 kind of file or process. Targets can be stacked in @dfn{strata},
35369 so that more than one target can potentially respond to a request.
35370 In particular, memory accesses will walk down the stack of targets
35371 until they find a target that is interested in handling that particular
35372 address.
35373
35374 This command prints a short description of each layer that was pushed on
35375 the @dfn{target stack}, starting from the top layer down to the bottom one.
35376
35377 @kindex maint print type
35378 @cindex type chain of a data type
35379 @item maint print type @var{expr}
35380 Print the type chain for a type specified by @var{expr}. The argument
35381 can be either a type name or a symbol. If it is a symbol, the type of
35382 that symbol is described. The type chain produced by this command is
35383 a recursive definition of the data type as stored in @value{GDBN}'s
35384 data structures, including its flags and contained types.
35385
35386 @kindex maint set dwarf2 always-disassemble
35387 @kindex maint show dwarf2 always-disassemble
35388 @item maint set dwarf2 always-disassemble
35389 @item maint show dwarf2 always-disassemble
35390 Control the behavior of @code{info address} when using DWARF debugging
35391 information.
35392
35393 The default is @code{off}, which means that @value{GDBN} should try to
35394 describe a variable's location in an easily readable format. When
35395 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will instead display the DWARF location
35396 expression in an assembly-like format. Note that some locations are
35397 too complex for @value{GDBN} to describe simply; in this case you will
35398 always see the disassembly form.
35399
35400 Here is an example of the resulting disassembly:
35401
35402 @smallexample
35403 (gdb) info addr argc
35404 Symbol "argc" is a complex DWARF expression:
35405 1: DW_OP_fbreg 0
35406 @end smallexample
35407
35408 For more information on these expressions, see
35409 @uref{http://www.dwarfstd.org/, the DWARF standard}.
35410
35411 @kindex maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
35412 @kindex maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
35413 @item maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
35414 @itemx maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
35415 Control the DWARF 2 compilation unit cache.
35416
35417 @cindex DWARF 2 compilation units cache
35418 In object files with inter-compilation-unit references, such as those
35419 produced by the GCC option @samp{-feliminate-dwarf2-dups}, the DWARF 2
35420 reader needs to frequently refer to previously read compilation units.
35421 This setting controls how long a compilation unit will remain in the
35422 cache if it is not referenced. A higher limit means that cached
35423 compilation units will be stored in memory longer, and more total
35424 memory will be used. Setting it to zero disables caching, which will
35425 slow down @value{GDBN} startup, but reduce memory consumption.
35426
35427 @kindex maint set profile
35428 @kindex maint show profile
35429 @cindex profiling GDB
35430 @item maint set profile
35431 @itemx maint show profile
35432 Control profiling of @value{GDBN}.
35433
35434 Profiling will be disabled until you use the @samp{maint set profile}
35435 command to enable it. When you enable profiling, the system will begin
35436 collecting timing and execution count data; when you disable profiling or
35437 exit @value{GDBN}, the results will be written to a log file. Remember that
35438 if you use profiling, @value{GDBN} will overwrite the profiling log file
35439 (often called @file{gmon.out}). If you have a record of important profiling
35440 data in a @file{gmon.out} file, be sure to move it to a safe location.
35441
35442 Configuring with @samp{--enable-profiling} arranges for @value{GDBN} to be
35443 compiled with the @samp{-pg} compiler option.
35444
35445 @kindex maint set show-debug-regs
35446 @kindex maint show show-debug-regs
35447 @cindex hardware debug registers
35448 @item maint set show-debug-regs
35449 @itemx maint show show-debug-regs
35450 Control whether to show variables that mirror the hardware debug
35451 registers. Use @code{ON} to enable, @code{OFF} to disable. If
35452 enabled, the debug registers values are shown when @value{GDBN} inserts or
35453 removes a hardware breakpoint or watchpoint, and when the inferior
35454 triggers a hardware-assisted breakpoint or watchpoint.
35455
35456 @kindex maint set show-all-tib
35457 @kindex maint show show-all-tib
35458 @item maint set show-all-tib
35459 @itemx maint show show-all-tib
35460 Control whether to show all non zero areas within a 1k block starting
35461 at thread local base, when using the @samp{info w32 thread-information-block}
35462 command.
35463
35464 @kindex maint space
35465 @cindex memory used by commands
35466 @item maint space
35467 Control whether to display memory usage for each command. If set to a
35468 nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much memory each command
35469 took, following the command's own output. This can also be requested
35470 by invoking @value{GDBN} with the @option{--statistics} command-line
35471 switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
35472
35473 @kindex maint time
35474 @cindex time of command execution
35475 @item maint time
35476 Control whether to display the execution time of @value{GDBN} for each command.
35477 If set to a nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much time it
35478 took to execute each command, following the command's own output.
35479 Both CPU time and wallclock time are printed.
35480 Printing both is useful when trying to determine whether the cost is
35481 CPU or, e.g., disk/network, latency.
35482 Note that the CPU time printed is for @value{GDBN} only, it does not include
35483 the execution time of the inferior because there's no mechanism currently
35484 to compute how much time was spent by @value{GDBN} and how much time was
35485 spent by the program been debugged.
35486 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
35487 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
35488
35489 @kindex maint translate-address
35490 @item maint translate-address @r{[}@var{section}@r{]} @var{addr}
35491 Find the symbol stored at the location specified by the address
35492 @var{addr} and an optional section name @var{section}. If found,
35493 @value{GDBN} prints the name of the closest symbol and an offset from
35494 the symbol's location to the specified address. This is similar to
35495 the @code{info address} command (@pxref{Symbols}), except that this
35496 command also allows to find symbols in other sections.
35497
35498 If section was not specified, the section in which the symbol was found
35499 is also printed. For dynamically linked executables, the name of
35500 executable or shared library containing the symbol is printed as well.
35501
35502 @end table
35503
35504 The following command is useful for non-interactive invocations of
35505 @value{GDBN}, such as in the test suite.
35506
35507 @table @code
35508 @item set watchdog @var{nsec}
35509 @kindex set watchdog
35510 @cindex watchdog timer
35511 @cindex timeout for commands
35512 Set the maximum number of seconds @value{GDBN} will wait for the
35513 target operation to finish. If this time expires, @value{GDBN}
35514 reports and error and the command is aborted.
35515
35516 @item show watchdog
35517 Show the current setting of the target wait timeout.
35518 @end table
35519
35520 @node Remote Protocol
35521 @appendix @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol
35522
35523 @menu
35524 * Overview::
35525 * Packets::
35526 * Stop Reply Packets::
35527 * General Query Packets::
35528 * Architecture-Specific Protocol Details::
35529 * Tracepoint Packets::
35530 * Host I/O Packets::
35531 * Interrupts::
35532 * Notification Packets::
35533 * Remote Non-Stop::
35534 * Packet Acknowledgment::
35535 * Examples::
35536 * File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension::
35537 * Library List Format::
35538 * Library List Format for SVR4 Targets::
35539 * Memory Map Format::
35540 * Thread List Format::
35541 * Traceframe Info Format::
35542 @end menu
35543
35544 @node Overview
35545 @section Overview
35546
35547 There may be occasions when you need to know something about the
35548 protocol---for example, if there is only one serial port to your target
35549 machine, you might want your program to do something special if it
35550 recognizes a packet meant for @value{GDBN}.
35551
35552 In the examples below, @samp{->} and @samp{<-} are used to indicate
35553 transmitted and received data, respectively.
35554
35555 @cindex protocol, @value{GDBN} remote serial
35556 @cindex serial protocol, @value{GDBN} remote
35557 @cindex remote serial protocol
35558 All @value{GDBN} commands and responses (other than acknowledgments
35559 and notifications, see @ref{Notification Packets}) are sent as a
35560 @var{packet}. A @var{packet} is introduced with the character
35561 @samp{$}, the actual @var{packet-data}, and the terminating character
35562 @samp{#} followed by a two-digit @var{checksum}:
35563
35564 @smallexample
35565 @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
35566 @end smallexample
35567 @noindent
35568
35569 @cindex checksum, for @value{GDBN} remote
35570 @noindent
35571 The two-digit @var{checksum} is computed as the modulo 256 sum of all
35572 characters between the leading @samp{$} and the trailing @samp{#} (an
35573 eight bit unsigned checksum).
35574
35575 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0 the protocol
35576 specification also included an optional two-digit @var{sequence-id}:
35577
35578 @smallexample
35579 @code{$}@var{sequence-id}@code{:}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
35580 @end smallexample
35581
35582 @cindex sequence-id, for @value{GDBN} remote
35583 @noindent
35584 That @var{sequence-id} was appended to the acknowledgment. @value{GDBN}
35585 has never output @var{sequence-id}s. Stubs that handle packets added
35586 since @value{GDBN} 5.0 must not accept @var{sequence-id}.
35587
35588 When either the host or the target machine receives a packet, the first
35589 response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
35590 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request
35591 retransmission):
35592
35593 @smallexample
35594 -> @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
35595 <- @code{+}
35596 @end smallexample
35597 @noindent
35598
35599 The @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments can be disabled
35600 once a connection is established.
35601 @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}, for details.
35602
35603 The host (@value{GDBN}) sends @var{command}s, and the target (the
35604 debugging stub incorporated in your program) sends a @var{response}. In
35605 the case of step and continue @var{command}s, the response is only sent
35606 when the operation has completed, and the target has again stopped all
35607 threads in all attached processes. This is the default all-stop mode
35608 behavior, but the remote protocol also supports @value{GDBN}'s non-stop
35609 execution mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}, for details.
35610
35611 @var{packet-data} consists of a sequence of characters with the
35612 exception of @samp{#} and @samp{$} (see @samp{X} packet for additional
35613 exceptions).
35614
35615 @cindex remote protocol, field separator
35616 Fields within the packet should be separated using @samp{,} @samp{;} or
35617 @samp{:}. Except where otherwise noted all numbers are represented in
35618 @sc{hex} with leading zeros suppressed.
35619
35620 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0, the character
35621 @samp{:} could not appear as the third character in a packet (as it
35622 would potentially conflict with the @var{sequence-id}).
35623
35624 @cindex remote protocol, binary data
35625 @anchor{Binary Data}
35626 Binary data in most packets is encoded either as two hexadecimal
35627 digits per byte of binary data. This allowed the traditional remote
35628 protocol to work over connections which were only seven-bit clean.
35629 Some packets designed more recently assume an eight-bit clean
35630 connection, and use a more efficient encoding to send and receive
35631 binary data.
35632
35633 The binary data representation uses @code{7d} (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}})
35634 as an escape character. Any escaped byte is transmitted as the escape
35635 character followed by the original character XORed with @code{0x20}.
35636 For example, the byte @code{0x7d} would be transmitted as the two
35637 bytes @code{0x7d 0x5d}. The bytes @code{0x23} (@sc{ascii} @samp{#}),
35638 @code{0x24} (@sc{ascii} @samp{$}), and @code{0x7d} (@sc{ascii}
35639 @samp{@}}) must always be escaped. Responses sent by the stub
35640 must also escape @code{0x2a} (@sc{ascii} @samp{*}), so that it
35641 is not interpreted as the start of a run-length encoded sequence
35642 (described next).
35643
35644 Response @var{data} can be run-length encoded to save space.
35645 Run-length encoding replaces runs of identical characters with one
35646 instance of the repeated character, followed by a @samp{*} and a
35647 repeat count. The repeat count is itself sent encoded, to avoid
35648 binary characters in @var{data}: a value of @var{n} is sent as
35649 @code{@var{n}+29}. For a repeat count greater or equal to 3, this
35650 produces a printable @sc{ascii} character, e.g.@: a space (@sc{ascii}
35651 code 32) for a repeat count of 3. (This is because run-length
35652 encoding starts to win for counts 3 or more.) Thus, for example,
35653 @samp{0* } is a run-length encoding of ``0000'': the space character
35654 after @samp{*} means repeat the leading @code{0} @w{@code{32 - 29 =
35655 3}} more times.
35656
35657 The printable characters @samp{#} and @samp{$} or with a numeric value
35658 greater than 126 must not be used. Runs of six repeats (@samp{#}) or
35659 seven repeats (@samp{$}) can be expanded using a repeat count of only
35660 five (@samp{"}). For example, @samp{00000000} can be encoded as
35661 @samp{0*"00}.
35662
35663 The error response returned for some packets includes a two character
35664 error number. That number is not well defined.
35665
35666 @cindex empty response, for unsupported packets
35667 For any @var{command} not supported by the stub, an empty response
35668 (@samp{$#00}) should be returned. That way it is possible to extend the
35669 protocol. A newer @value{GDBN} can tell if a packet is supported based
35670 on that response.
35671
35672 At a minimum, a stub is required to support the @samp{g} and @samp{G}
35673 commands for register access, and the @samp{m} and @samp{M} commands
35674 for memory access. Stubs that only control single-threaded targets
35675 can implement run control with the @samp{c} (continue), and @samp{s}
35676 (step) commands. Stubs that support multi-threading targets should
35677 support the @samp{vCont} command. All other commands are optional.
35678
35679 @node Packets
35680 @section Packets
35681
35682 The following table provides a complete list of all currently defined
35683 @var{command}s and their corresponding response @var{data}.
35684 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for details about the File
35685 I/O extension of the remote protocol.
35686
35687 Each packet's description has a template showing the packet's overall
35688 syntax, followed by an explanation of the packet's meaning. We
35689 include spaces in some of the templates for clarity; these are not
35690 part of the packet's syntax. No @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to
35691 separate its components. For example, a template like @samp{foo
35692 @var{bar} @var{baz}} describes a packet beginning with the three ASCII
35693 bytes @samp{foo}, followed by a @var{bar}, followed directly by a
35694 @var{baz}. @value{GDBN} does not transmit a space character between the
35695 @samp{foo} and the @var{bar}, or between the @var{bar} and the
35696 @var{baz}.
35697
35698 @cindex @var{thread-id}, in remote protocol
35699 @anchor{thread-id syntax}
35700 Several packets and replies include a @var{thread-id} field to identify
35701 a thread. Normally these are positive numbers with a target-specific
35702 interpretation, formatted as big-endian hex strings. A @var{thread-id}
35703 can also be a literal @samp{-1} to indicate all threads, or @samp{0} to
35704 pick any thread.
35705
35706 In addition, the remote protocol supports a multiprocess feature in
35707 which the @var{thread-id} syntax is extended to optionally include both
35708 process and thread ID fields, as @samp{p@var{pid}.@var{tid}}.
35709 The @var{pid} (process) and @var{tid} (thread) components each have the
35710 format described above: a positive number with target-specific
35711 interpretation formatted as a big-endian hex string, literal @samp{-1}
35712 to indicate all processes or threads (respectively), or @samp{0} to
35713 indicate an arbitrary process or thread. Specifying just a process, as
35714 @samp{p@var{pid}}, is equivalent to @samp{p@var{pid}.-1}. It is an
35715 error to specify all processes but a specific thread, such as
35716 @samp{p-1.@var{tid}}. Note that the @samp{p} prefix is @emph{not} used
35717 for those packets and replies explicitly documented to include a process
35718 ID, rather than a @var{thread-id}.
35719
35720 The multiprocess @var{thread-id} syntax extensions are only used if both
35721 @value{GDBN} and the stub report support for the @samp{multiprocess}
35722 feature using @samp{qSupported}. @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for
35723 more information.
35724
35725 Note that all packet forms beginning with an upper- or lower-case
35726 letter, other than those described here, are reserved for future use.
35727
35728 Here are the packet descriptions.
35729
35730 @table @samp
35731
35732 @item !
35733 @cindex @samp{!} packet
35734 @anchor{extended mode}
35735 Enable extended mode. In extended mode, the remote server is made
35736 persistent. The @samp{R} packet is used to restart the program being
35737 debugged.
35738
35739 Reply:
35740 @table @samp
35741 @item OK
35742 The remote target both supports and has enabled extended mode.
35743 @end table
35744
35745 @item ?
35746 @cindex @samp{?} packet
35747 Indicate the reason the target halted. The reply is the same as for
35748 step and continue. This packet has a special interpretation when the
35749 target is in non-stop mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}.
35750
35751 Reply:
35752 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
35753
35754 @item A @var{arglen},@var{argnum},@var{arg},@dots{}
35755 @cindex @samp{A} packet
35756 Initialized @code{argv[]} array passed into program. @var{arglen}
35757 specifies the number of bytes in the hex encoded byte stream
35758 @var{arg}. See @code{gdbserver} for more details.
35759
35760 Reply:
35761 @table @samp
35762 @item OK
35763 The arguments were set.
35764 @item E @var{NN}
35765 An error occurred.
35766 @end table
35767
35768 @item b @var{baud}
35769 @cindex @samp{b} packet
35770 (Don't use this packet; its behavior is not well-defined.)
35771 Change the serial line speed to @var{baud}.
35772
35773 JTC: @emph{When does the transport layer state change? When it's
35774 received, or after the ACK is transmitted. In either case, there are
35775 problems if the command or the acknowledgment packet is dropped.}
35776
35777 Stan: @emph{If people really wanted to add something like this, and get
35778 it working for the first time, they ought to modify ser-unix.c to send
35779 some kind of out-of-band message to a specially-setup stub and have the
35780 switch happen "in between" packets, so that from remote protocol's point
35781 of view, nothing actually happened.}
35782
35783 @item B @var{addr},@var{mode}
35784 @cindex @samp{B} packet
35785 Set (@var{mode} is @samp{S}) or clear (@var{mode} is @samp{C}) a
35786 breakpoint at @var{addr}.
35787
35788 Don't use this packet. Use the @samp{Z} and @samp{z} packets instead
35789 (@pxref{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}).
35790
35791 @cindex @samp{bc} packet
35792 @anchor{bc}
35793 @item bc
35794 Backward continue. Execute the target system in reverse. No parameter.
35795 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
35796
35797 Reply:
35798 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
35799
35800 @cindex @samp{bs} packet
35801 @anchor{bs}
35802 @item bs
35803 Backward single step. Execute one instruction in reverse. No parameter.
35804 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
35805
35806 Reply:
35807 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
35808
35809 @item c @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
35810 @cindex @samp{c} packet
35811 Continue. @var{addr} is address to resume. If @var{addr} is omitted,
35812 resume at current address.
35813
35814 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
35815 packet}.
35816
35817 Reply:
35818 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
35819
35820 @item C @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
35821 @cindex @samp{C} packet
35822 Continue with signal @var{sig} (hex signal number). If
35823 @samp{;@var{addr}} is omitted, resume at same address.
35824
35825 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
35826 packet}.
35827
35828 Reply:
35829 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
35830
35831 @item d
35832 @cindex @samp{d} packet
35833 Toggle debug flag.
35834
35835 Don't use this packet; instead, define a general set packet
35836 (@pxref{General Query Packets}).
35837
35838 @item D
35839 @itemx D;@var{pid}
35840 @cindex @samp{D} packet
35841 The first form of the packet is used to detach @value{GDBN} from the
35842 remote system. It is sent to the remote target
35843 before @value{GDBN} disconnects via the @code{detach} command.
35844
35845 The second form, including a process ID, is used when multiprocess
35846 protocol extensions are enabled (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}), to
35847 detach only a specific process. The @var{pid} is specified as a
35848 big-endian hex string.
35849
35850 Reply:
35851 @table @samp
35852 @item OK
35853 for success
35854 @item E @var{NN}
35855 for an error
35856 @end table
35857
35858 @item F @var{RC},@var{EE},@var{CF};@var{XX}
35859 @cindex @samp{F} packet
35860 A reply from @value{GDBN} to an @samp{F} packet sent by the target.
35861 This is part of the File-I/O protocol extension. @xref{File-I/O
35862 Remote Protocol Extension}, for the specification.
35863
35864 @item g
35865 @anchor{read registers packet}
35866 @cindex @samp{g} packet
35867 Read general registers.
35868
35869 Reply:
35870 @table @samp
35871 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
35872 Each byte of register data is described by two hex digits. The bytes
35873 with the register are transmitted in target byte order. The size of
35874 each register and their position within the @samp{g} packet are
35875 determined by the @value{GDBN} internal gdbarch functions
35876 @code{DEPRECATED_REGISTER_RAW_SIZE} and @code{gdbarch_register_name}. The
35877 specification of several standard @samp{g} packets is specified below.
35878
35879 When reading registers from a trace frame (@pxref{Analyze Collected
35880 Data,,Using the Collected Data}), the stub may also return a string of
35881 literal @samp{x}'s in place of the register data digits, to indicate
35882 that the corresponding register has not been collected, thus its value
35883 is unavailable. For example, for an architecture with 4 registers of
35884 4 bytes each, the following reply indicates to @value{GDBN} that
35885 registers 0 and 2 have not been collected, while registers 1 and 3
35886 have been collected, and both have zero value:
35887
35888 @smallexample
35889 -> @code{g}
35890 <- @code{xxxxxxxx00000000xxxxxxxx00000000}
35891 @end smallexample
35892
35893 @item E @var{NN}
35894 for an error.
35895 @end table
35896
35897 @item G @var{XX@dots{}}
35898 @cindex @samp{G} packet
35899 Write general registers. @xref{read registers packet}, for a
35900 description of the @var{XX@dots{}} data.
35901
35902 Reply:
35903 @table @samp
35904 @item OK
35905 for success
35906 @item E @var{NN}
35907 for an error
35908 @end table
35909
35910 @item H @var{op} @var{thread-id}
35911 @cindex @samp{H} packet
35912 Set thread for subsequent operations (@samp{m}, @samp{M}, @samp{g},
35913 @samp{G}, et.al.). @var{op} depends on the operation to be performed:
35914 it should be @samp{c} for step and continue operations (note that this
35915 is deprecated, supporting the @samp{vCont} command is a better
35916 option), @samp{g} for other operations. The thread designator
35917 @var{thread-id} has the format and interpretation described in
35918 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
35919
35920 Reply:
35921 @table @samp
35922 @item OK
35923 for success
35924 @item E @var{NN}
35925 for an error
35926 @end table
35927
35928 @c FIXME: JTC:
35929 @c 'H': How restrictive (or permissive) is the thread model. If a
35930 @c thread is selected and stopped, are other threads allowed
35931 @c to continue to execute? As I mentioned above, I think the
35932 @c semantics of each command when a thread is selected must be
35933 @c described. For example:
35934 @c
35935 @c 'g': If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
35936 @c selected, returns the register block from that thread;
35937 @c otherwise returns current registers.
35938 @c
35939 @c 'G' If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
35940 @c selected, sets the registers of the register block of
35941 @c that thread; otherwise sets current registers.
35942
35943 @item i @r{[}@var{addr}@r{[},@var{nnn}@r{]]}
35944 @anchor{cycle step packet}
35945 @cindex @samp{i} packet
35946 Step the remote target by a single clock cycle. If @samp{,@var{nnn}} is
35947 present, cycle step @var{nnn} cycles. If @var{addr} is present, cycle
35948 step starting at that address.
35949
35950 @item I
35951 @cindex @samp{I} packet
35952 Signal, then cycle step. @xref{step with signal packet}. @xref{cycle
35953 step packet}.
35954
35955 @item k
35956 @cindex @samp{k} packet
35957 Kill request.
35958
35959 FIXME: @emph{There is no description of how to operate when a specific
35960 thread context has been selected (i.e.@: does 'k' kill only that
35961 thread?)}.
35962
35963 @item m @var{addr},@var{length}
35964 @cindex @samp{m} packet
35965 Read @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
35966 Note that @var{addr} may not be aligned to any particular boundary.
35967
35968 The stub need not use any particular size or alignment when gathering
35969 data from memory for the response; even if @var{addr} is word-aligned
35970 and @var{length} is a multiple of the word size, the stub is free to
35971 use byte accesses, or not. For this reason, this packet may not be
35972 suitable for accessing memory-mapped I/O devices.
35973 @cindex alignment of remote memory accesses
35974 @cindex size of remote memory accesses
35975 @cindex memory, alignment and size of remote accesses
35976
35977 Reply:
35978 @table @samp
35979 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
35980 Memory contents; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexadecimal
35981 number. The reply may contain fewer bytes than requested if the
35982 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
35983 @item E @var{NN}
35984 @var{NN} is errno
35985 @end table
35986
35987 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
35988 @cindex @samp{M} packet
35989 Write @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
35990 @var{XX@dots{}} is the data; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit
35991 hexadecimal number.
35992
35993 Reply:
35994 @table @samp
35995 @item OK
35996 for success
35997 @item E @var{NN}
35998 for an error (this includes the case where only part of the data was
35999 written).
36000 @end table
36001
36002 @item p @var{n}
36003 @cindex @samp{p} packet
36004 Read the value of register @var{n}; @var{n} is in hex.
36005 @xref{read registers packet}, for a description of how the returned
36006 register value is encoded.
36007
36008 Reply:
36009 @table @samp
36010 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
36011 the register's value
36012 @item E @var{NN}
36013 for an error
36014 @item
36015 Indicating an unrecognized @var{query}.
36016 @end table
36017
36018 @item P @var{n@dots{}}=@var{r@dots{}}
36019 @anchor{write register packet}
36020 @cindex @samp{P} packet
36021 Write register @var{n@dots{}} with value @var{r@dots{}}. The register
36022 number @var{n} is in hexadecimal, and @var{r@dots{}} contains two hex
36023 digits for each byte in the register (target byte order).
36024
36025 Reply:
36026 @table @samp
36027 @item OK
36028 for success
36029 @item E @var{NN}
36030 for an error
36031 @end table
36032
36033 @item q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
36034 @itemx Q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
36035 @cindex @samp{q} packet
36036 @cindex @samp{Q} packet
36037 General query (@samp{q}) and set (@samp{Q}). These packets are
36038 described fully in @ref{General Query Packets}.
36039
36040 @item r
36041 @cindex @samp{r} packet
36042 Reset the entire system.
36043
36044 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{R} packet instead.
36045
36046 @item R @var{XX}
36047 @cindex @samp{R} packet
36048 Restart the program being debugged. @var{XX}, while needed, is ignored.
36049 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
36050
36051 The @samp{R} packet has no reply.
36052
36053 @item s @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
36054 @cindex @samp{s} packet
36055 Single step. @var{addr} is the address at which to resume. If
36056 @var{addr} is omitted, resume at same address.
36057
36058 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
36059 packet}.
36060
36061 Reply:
36062 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36063
36064 @item S @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
36065 @anchor{step with signal packet}
36066 @cindex @samp{S} packet
36067 Step with signal. This is analogous to the @samp{C} packet, but
36068 requests a single-step, rather than a normal resumption of execution.
36069
36070 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
36071 packet}.
36072
36073 Reply:
36074 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36075
36076 @item t @var{addr}:@var{PP},@var{MM}
36077 @cindex @samp{t} packet
36078 Search backwards starting at address @var{addr} for a match with pattern
36079 @var{PP} and mask @var{MM}. @var{PP} and @var{MM} are 4 bytes.
36080 @var{addr} must be at least 3 digits.
36081
36082 @item T @var{thread-id}
36083 @cindex @samp{T} packet
36084 Find out if the thread @var{thread-id} is alive. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
36085
36086 Reply:
36087 @table @samp
36088 @item OK
36089 thread is still alive
36090 @item E @var{NN}
36091 thread is dead
36092 @end table
36093
36094 @item v
36095 Packets starting with @samp{v} are identified by a multi-letter name,
36096 up to the first @samp{;} or @samp{?} (or the end of the packet).
36097
36098 @item vAttach;@var{pid}
36099 @cindex @samp{vAttach} packet
36100 Attach to a new process with the specified process ID @var{pid}.
36101 The process ID is a
36102 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. In all-stop mode, all
36103 threads in the attached process are stopped; in non-stop mode, it may be
36104 attached without being stopped if that is supported by the target.
36105
36106 @c In non-stop mode, on a successful vAttach, the stub should set the
36107 @c current thread to a thread of the newly-attached process. After
36108 @c attaching, GDB queries for the attached process's thread ID with qC.
36109 @c Also note that, from a user perspective, whether or not the
36110 @c target is stopped on attach in non-stop mode depends on whether you
36111 @c use the foreground or background version of the attach command, not
36112 @c on what vAttach does; GDB does the right thing with respect to either
36113 @c stopping or restarting threads.
36114
36115 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
36116
36117 Reply:
36118 @table @samp
36119 @item E @var{nn}
36120 for an error
36121 @item @r{Any stop packet}
36122 for success in all-stop mode (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
36123 @item OK
36124 for success in non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop})
36125 @end table
36126
36127 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@r{[}:@var{thread-id}@r{]]}@dots{}
36128 @cindex @samp{vCont} packet
36129 @anchor{vCont packet}
36130 Resume the inferior, specifying different actions for each thread.
36131 If an action is specified with no @var{thread-id}, then it is applied to any
36132 threads that don't have a specific action specified; if no default action is
36133 specified then other threads should remain stopped in all-stop mode and
36134 in their current state in non-stop mode.
36135 Specifying multiple
36136 default actions is an error; specifying no actions is also an error.
36137 Thread IDs are specified using the syntax described in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
36138
36139 Currently supported actions are:
36140
36141 @table @samp
36142 @item c
36143 Continue.
36144 @item C @var{sig}
36145 Continue with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
36146 @item s
36147 Step.
36148 @item S @var{sig}
36149 Step with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
36150 @item t
36151 Stop.
36152 @end table
36153
36154 The optional argument @var{addr} normally associated with the
36155 @samp{c}, @samp{C}, @samp{s}, and @samp{S} packets is
36156 not supported in @samp{vCont}.
36157
36158 The @samp{t} action is only relevant in non-stop mode
36159 (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}) and may be ignored by the stub otherwise.
36160 A stop reply should be generated for any affected thread not already stopped.
36161 When a thread is stopped by means of a @samp{t} action,
36162 the corresponding stop reply should indicate that the thread has stopped with
36163 signal @samp{0}, regardless of whether the target uses some other signal
36164 as an implementation detail.
36165
36166 The stub must support @samp{vCont} if it reports support for
36167 multiprocess extensions (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}). Note that in
36168 this case @samp{vCont} actions can be specified to apply to all threads
36169 in a process by using the @samp{p@var{pid}.-1} form of the
36170 @var{thread-id}.
36171
36172 Reply:
36173 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36174
36175 @item vCont?
36176 @cindex @samp{vCont?} packet
36177 Request a list of actions supported by the @samp{vCont} packet.
36178
36179 Reply:
36180 @table @samp
36181 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@dots{}@r{]}
36182 The @samp{vCont} packet is supported. Each @var{action} is a supported
36183 command in the @samp{vCont} packet.
36184 @item
36185 The @samp{vCont} packet is not supported.
36186 @end table
36187
36188 @item vFile:@var{operation}:@var{parameter}@dots{}
36189 @cindex @samp{vFile} packet
36190 Perform a file operation on the target system. For details,
36191 see @ref{Host I/O Packets}.
36192
36193 @item vFlashErase:@var{addr},@var{length}
36194 @cindex @samp{vFlashErase} packet
36195 Direct the stub to erase @var{length} bytes of flash starting at
36196 @var{addr}. The region may enclose any number of flash blocks, but
36197 its start and end must fall on block boundaries, as indicated by the
36198 flash block size appearing in the memory map (@pxref{Memory Map
36199 Format}). @value{GDBN} groups flash memory programming operations
36200 together, and sends a @samp{vFlashDone} request after each group; the
36201 stub is allowed to delay erase operation until the @samp{vFlashDone}
36202 packet is received.
36203
36204 Reply:
36205 @table @samp
36206 @item OK
36207 for success
36208 @item E @var{NN}
36209 for an error
36210 @end table
36211
36212 @item vFlashWrite:@var{addr}:@var{XX@dots{}}
36213 @cindex @samp{vFlashWrite} packet
36214 Direct the stub to write data to flash address @var{addr}. The data
36215 is passed in binary form using the same encoding as for the @samp{X}
36216 packet (@pxref{Binary Data}). The memory ranges specified by
36217 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets preceding a @samp{vFlashDone} packet must
36218 not overlap, and must appear in order of increasing addresses
36219 (although @samp{vFlashErase} packets for higher addresses may already
36220 have been received; the ordering is guaranteed only between
36221 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets). If a packet writes to an address that was
36222 neither erased by a preceding @samp{vFlashErase} packet nor by some other
36223 target-specific method, the results are unpredictable.
36224
36225
36226 Reply:
36227 @table @samp
36228 @item OK
36229 for success
36230 @item E.memtype
36231 for vFlashWrite addressing non-flash memory
36232 @item E @var{NN}
36233 for an error
36234 @end table
36235
36236 @item vFlashDone
36237 @cindex @samp{vFlashDone} packet
36238 Indicate to the stub that flash programming operation is finished.
36239 The stub is permitted to delay or batch the effects of a group of
36240 @samp{vFlashErase} and @samp{vFlashWrite} packets until a
36241 @samp{vFlashDone} packet is received. The contents of the affected
36242 regions of flash memory are unpredictable until the @samp{vFlashDone}
36243 request is completed.
36244
36245 @item vKill;@var{pid}
36246 @cindex @samp{vKill} packet
36247 Kill the process with the specified process ID. @var{pid} is a
36248 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. This packet is used in
36249 preference to @samp{k} when multiprocess protocol extensions are
36250 supported; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
36251
36252 Reply:
36253 @table @samp
36254 @item E @var{nn}
36255 for an error
36256 @item OK
36257 for success
36258 @end table
36259
36260 @item vRun;@var{filename}@r{[};@var{argument}@r{]}@dots{}
36261 @cindex @samp{vRun} packet
36262 Run the program @var{filename}, passing it each @var{argument} on its
36263 command line. The file and arguments are hex-encoded strings. If
36264 @var{filename} is an empty string, the stub may use a default program
36265 (e.g.@: the last program run). The program is created in the stopped
36266 state.
36267
36268 @c FIXME: What about non-stop mode?
36269
36270 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
36271
36272 Reply:
36273 @table @samp
36274 @item E @var{nn}
36275 for an error
36276 @item @r{Any stop packet}
36277 for success (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
36278 @end table
36279
36280 @item vStopped
36281 @cindex @samp{vStopped} packet
36282 @xref{Notification Packets}.
36283
36284 @item X @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
36285 @anchor{X packet}
36286 @cindex @samp{X} packet
36287 Write data to memory, where the data is transmitted in binary.
36288 @var{addr} is address, @var{length} is number of bytes,
36289 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
36290
36291 Reply:
36292 @table @samp
36293 @item OK
36294 for success
36295 @item E @var{NN}
36296 for an error
36297 @end table
36298
36299 @item z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
36300 @itemx Z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
36301 @anchor{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}
36302 @cindex @samp{z} packet
36303 @cindex @samp{Z} packets
36304 Insert (@samp{Z}) or remove (@samp{z}) a @var{type} breakpoint or
36305 watchpoint starting at address @var{address} of kind @var{kind}.
36306
36307 Each breakpoint and watchpoint packet @var{type} is documented
36308 separately.
36309
36310 @emph{Implementation notes: A remote target shall return an empty string
36311 for an unrecognized breakpoint or watchpoint packet @var{type}. A
36312 remote target shall support either both or neither of a given
36313 @samp{Z@var{type}@dots{}} and @samp{z@var{type}@dots{}} packet pair. To
36314 avoid potential problems with duplicate packets, the operations should
36315 be implemented in an idempotent way.}
36316
36317 @item z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36318 @itemx Z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}@r{[};cmds:@var{persist},@var{cmd_list}@dots{}@r{]}
36319 @cindex @samp{z0} packet
36320 @cindex @samp{Z0} packet
36321 Insert (@samp{Z0}) or remove (@samp{z0}) a memory breakpoint at address
36322 @var{addr} of type @var{kind}.
36323
36324 A memory breakpoint is implemented by replacing the instruction at
36325 @var{addr} with a software breakpoint or trap instruction. The
36326 @var{kind} is target-specific and typically indicates the size of
36327 the breakpoint in bytes that should be inserted. E.g., the @sc{arm}
36328 and @sc{mips} can insert either a 2 or 4 byte breakpoint. Some
36329 architectures have additional meanings for @var{kind};
36330 @var{cond_list} is an optional list of conditional expressions in bytecode
36331 form that should be evaluated on the target's side. These are the
36332 conditions that should be taken into consideration when deciding if
36333 the breakpoint trigger should be reported back to @var{GDBN}.
36334
36335 The @var{cond_list} parameter is comprised of a series of expressions,
36336 concatenated without separators. Each expression has the following form:
36337
36338 @table @samp
36339
36340 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
36341 @var{len} is the length of the bytecode expression and @var{expr} is the
36342 actual conditional expression in bytecode form.
36343
36344 @end table
36345
36346 The optional @var{cmd_list} parameter introduces commands that may be
36347 run on the target, rather than being reported back to @value{GDBN}.
36348 The parameter starts with a numeric flag @var{persist}; if the flag is
36349 nonzero, then the breakpoint may remain active and the commands
36350 continue to be run even when @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target.
36351 Following this flag is a series of expressions concatenated with no
36352 separators. Each expression has the following form:
36353
36354 @table @samp
36355
36356 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
36357 @var{len} is the length of the bytecode expression and @var{expr} is the
36358 actual conditional expression in bytecode form.
36359
36360 @end table
36361
36362 see @ref{Architecture-Specific Protocol Details}.
36363
36364 @emph{Implementation note: It is possible for a target to copy or move
36365 code that contains memory breakpoints (e.g., when implementing
36366 overlays). The behavior of this packet, in the presence of such a
36367 target, is not defined.}
36368
36369 Reply:
36370 @table @samp
36371 @item OK
36372 success
36373 @item
36374 not supported
36375 @item E @var{NN}
36376 for an error
36377 @end table
36378
36379 @item z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36380 @itemx Z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}
36381 @cindex @samp{z1} packet
36382 @cindex @samp{Z1} packet
36383 Insert (@samp{Z1}) or remove (@samp{z1}) a hardware breakpoint at
36384 address @var{addr}.
36385
36386 A hardware breakpoint is implemented using a mechanism that is not
36387 dependant on being able to modify the target's memory. @var{kind}
36388 and @var{cond_list} have the same meaning as in @samp{Z0} packets.
36389
36390 @emph{Implementation note: A hardware breakpoint is not affected by code
36391 movement.}
36392
36393 Reply:
36394 @table @samp
36395 @item OK
36396 success
36397 @item
36398 not supported
36399 @item E @var{NN}
36400 for an error
36401 @end table
36402
36403 @item z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36404 @itemx Z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36405 @cindex @samp{z2} packet
36406 @cindex @samp{Z2} packet
36407 Insert (@samp{Z2}) or remove (@samp{z2}) a write watchpoint at @var{addr}.
36408 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
36409
36410 Reply:
36411 @table @samp
36412 @item OK
36413 success
36414 @item
36415 not supported
36416 @item E @var{NN}
36417 for an error
36418 @end table
36419
36420 @item z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36421 @itemx Z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36422 @cindex @samp{z3} packet
36423 @cindex @samp{Z3} packet
36424 Insert (@samp{Z3}) or remove (@samp{z3}) a read watchpoint at @var{addr}.
36425 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
36426
36427 Reply:
36428 @table @samp
36429 @item OK
36430 success
36431 @item
36432 not supported
36433 @item E @var{NN}
36434 for an error
36435 @end table
36436
36437 @item z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36438 @itemx Z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
36439 @cindex @samp{z4} packet
36440 @cindex @samp{Z4} packet
36441 Insert (@samp{Z4}) or remove (@samp{z4}) an access watchpoint at @var{addr}.
36442 @var{kind} is interpreted as the number of bytes to watch.
36443
36444 Reply:
36445 @table @samp
36446 @item OK
36447 success
36448 @item
36449 not supported
36450 @item E @var{NN}
36451 for an error
36452 @end table
36453
36454 @end table
36455
36456 @node Stop Reply Packets
36457 @section Stop Reply Packets
36458 @cindex stop reply packets
36459
36460 The @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}, @samp{s}, @samp{vCont},
36461 @samp{vAttach}, @samp{vRun}, @samp{vStopped}, and @samp{?} packets can
36462 receive any of the below as a reply. Except for @samp{?}
36463 and @samp{vStopped}, that reply is only returned
36464 when the target halts. In the below the exact meaning of @dfn{signal
36465 number} is defined by the header @file{include/gdb/signals.h} in the
36466 @value{GDBN} source code.
36467
36468 As in the description of request packets, we include spaces in the
36469 reply templates for clarity; these are not part of the reply packet's
36470 syntax. No @value{GDBN} stop reply packet uses spaces to separate its
36471 components.
36472
36473 @table @samp
36474
36475 @item S @var{AA}
36476 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
36477 number). This is equivalent to a @samp{T} response with no
36478 @var{n}:@var{r} pairs.
36479
36480 @item T @var{AA} @var{n1}:@var{r1};@var{n2}:@var{r2};@dots{}
36481 @cindex @samp{T} packet reply
36482 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
36483 number). This is equivalent to an @samp{S} response, except that the
36484 @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pairs can carry values of important registers
36485 and other information directly in the stop reply packet, reducing
36486 round-trip latency. Single-step and breakpoint traps are reported
36487 this way. Each @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair is interpreted as follows:
36488
36489 @itemize @bullet
36490 @item
36491 If @var{n} is a hexadecimal number, it is a register number, and the
36492 corresponding @var{r} gives that register's value. @var{r} is a
36493 series of bytes in target byte order, with each byte given by a
36494 two-digit hex number.
36495
36496 @item
36497 If @var{n} is @samp{thread}, then @var{r} is the @var{thread-id} of
36498 the stopped thread, as specified in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
36499
36500 @item
36501 If @var{n} is @samp{core}, then @var{r} is the hexadecimal number of
36502 the core on which the stop event was detected.
36503
36504 @item
36505 If @var{n} is a recognized @dfn{stop reason}, it describes a more
36506 specific event that stopped the target. The currently defined stop
36507 reasons are listed below. @var{aa} should be @samp{05}, the trap
36508 signal. At most one stop reason should be present.
36509
36510 @item
36511 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} should ignore this @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair
36512 and go on to the next; this allows us to extend the protocol in the
36513 future.
36514 @end itemize
36515
36516 The currently defined stop reasons are:
36517
36518 @table @samp
36519 @item watch
36520 @itemx rwatch
36521 @itemx awatch
36522 The packet indicates a watchpoint hit, and @var{r} is the data address, in
36523 hex.
36524
36525 @cindex shared library events, remote reply
36526 @item library
36527 The packet indicates that the loaded libraries have changed.
36528 @value{GDBN} should use @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} to fetch a new
36529 list of loaded libraries. @var{r} is ignored.
36530
36531 @cindex replay log events, remote reply
36532 @item replaylog
36533 The packet indicates that the target cannot continue replaying
36534 logged execution events, because it has reached the end (or the
36535 beginning when executing backward) of the log. The value of @var{r}
36536 will be either @samp{begin} or @samp{end}. @xref{Reverse Execution},
36537 for more information.
36538 @end table
36539
36540 @item W @var{AA}
36541 @itemx W @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
36542 The process exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This is only
36543 applicable to certain targets.
36544
36545 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the exited
36546 process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported support for
36547 multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
36548 The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
36549
36550 @item X @var{AA}
36551 @itemx X @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
36552 The process terminated with signal @var{AA}.
36553
36554 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the
36555 terminated process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported
36556 support for multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess
36557 extensions}. The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
36558
36559 @item O @var{XX}@dots{}
36560 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data, to be
36561 written as the program's console output. This can happen at any time
36562 while the program is running and the debugger should continue to wait
36563 for @samp{W}, @samp{T}, etc. This reply is not permitted in non-stop mode.
36564
36565 @item F @var{call-id},@var{parameter}@dots{}
36566 @var{call-id} is the identifier which says which host system call should
36567 be called. This is just the name of the function. Translation into the
36568 correct system call is only applicable as it's defined in @value{GDBN}.
36569 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for a list of implemented
36570 system calls.
36571
36572 @samp{@var{parameter}@dots{}} is a list of parameters as defined for
36573 this very system call.
36574
36575 The target replies with this packet when it expects @value{GDBN} to
36576 call a host system call on behalf of the target. @value{GDBN} replies
36577 with an appropriate @samp{F} packet and keeps up waiting for the next
36578 reply packet from the target. The latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
36579 or @samp{s} action is expected to be continued. @xref{File-I/O Remote
36580 Protocol Extension}, for more details.
36581
36582 @end table
36583
36584 @node General Query Packets
36585 @section General Query Packets
36586 @cindex remote query requests
36587
36588 Packets starting with @samp{q} are @dfn{general query packets};
36589 packets starting with @samp{Q} are @dfn{general set packets}. General
36590 query and set packets are a semi-unified form for retrieving and
36591 sending information to and from the stub.
36592
36593 The initial letter of a query or set packet is followed by a name
36594 indicating what sort of thing the packet applies to. For example,
36595 @value{GDBN} may use a @samp{qSymbol} packet to exchange symbol
36596 definitions with the stub. These packet names follow some
36597 conventions:
36598
36599 @itemize @bullet
36600 @item
36601 The name must not contain commas, colons or semicolons.
36602 @item
36603 Most @value{GDBN} query and set packets have a leading upper case
36604 letter.
36605 @item
36606 The names of custom vendor packets should use a company prefix, in
36607 lower case, followed by a period. For example, packets designed at
36608 the Acme Corporation might begin with @samp{qacme.foo} (for querying
36609 foos) or @samp{Qacme.bar} (for setting bars).
36610 @end itemize
36611
36612 The name of a query or set packet should be separated from any
36613 parameters by a @samp{:}; the parameters themselves should be
36614 separated by @samp{,} or @samp{;}. Stubs must be careful to match the
36615 full packet name, and check for a separator or the end of the packet,
36616 in case two packet names share a common prefix. New packets should not begin
36617 with @samp{qC}, @samp{qP}, or @samp{qL}@footnote{The @samp{qP} and @samp{qL}
36618 packets predate these conventions, and have arguments without any terminator
36619 for the packet name; we suspect they are in widespread use in places that
36620 are difficult to upgrade. The @samp{qC} packet has no arguments, but some
36621 existing stubs (e.g.@: RedBoot) are known to not check for the end of the
36622 packet.}.
36623
36624 Like the descriptions of the other packets, each description here
36625 has a template showing the packet's overall syntax, followed by an
36626 explanation of the packet's meaning. We include spaces in some of the
36627 templates for clarity; these are not part of the packet's syntax. No
36628 @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to separate its components.
36629
36630 Here are the currently defined query and set packets:
36631
36632 @table @samp
36633
36634 @item QAgent:1
36635 @itemx QAgent:0
36636 Turn on or off the agent as a helper to perform some debugging operations
36637 delegated from @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Control Agent}).
36638
36639 @item QAllow:@var{op}:@var{val}@dots{}
36640 @cindex @samp{QAllow} packet
36641 Specify which operations @value{GDBN} expects to request of the
36642 target, as a semicolon-separated list of operation name and value
36643 pairs. Possible values for @var{op} include @samp{WriteReg},
36644 @samp{WriteMem}, @samp{InsertBreak}, @samp{InsertTrace},
36645 @samp{InsertFastTrace}, and @samp{Stop}. @var{val} is either 0,
36646 indicating that @value{GDBN} will not request the operation, or 1,
36647 indicating that it may. (The target can then use this to set up its
36648 own internals optimally, for instance if the debugger never expects to
36649 insert breakpoints, it may not need to install its own trap handler.)
36650
36651 @item qC
36652 @cindex current thread, remote request
36653 @cindex @samp{qC} packet
36654 Return the current thread ID.
36655
36656 Reply:
36657 @table @samp
36658 @item QC @var{thread-id}
36659 Where @var{thread-id} is a thread ID as documented in
36660 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
36661 @item @r{(anything else)}
36662 Any other reply implies the old thread ID.
36663 @end table
36664
36665 @item qCRC:@var{addr},@var{length}
36666 @cindex CRC of memory block, remote request
36667 @cindex @samp{qCRC} packet
36668 Compute the CRC checksum of a block of memory using CRC-32 defined in
36669 IEEE 802.3. The CRC is computed byte at a time, taking the most
36670 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern code
36671 @code{0xffffffff} is used to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC.
36672
36673 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC used in validating separate debug
36674 files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files, , Debugging Information in Separate
36675 Files}). However the algorithm is slightly different. When validating
36676 separate debug files, the CRC is computed taking the @emph{least}
36677 significant bit of each byte first, and the final result is inverted to
36678 detect trailing zeros.
36679
36680 Reply:
36681 @table @samp
36682 @item E @var{NN}
36683 An error (such as memory fault)
36684 @item C @var{crc32}
36685 The specified memory region's checksum is @var{crc32}.
36686 @end table
36687
36688 @item QDisableRandomization:@var{value}
36689 @cindex disable address space randomization, remote request
36690 @cindex @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet
36691 Some target operating systems will randomize the virtual address space
36692 of the inferior process as a security feature, but provide a feature
36693 to disable such randomization, e.g.@: to allow for a more deterministic
36694 debugging experience. On such systems, this packet with a @var{value}
36695 of 1 directs the target to disable address space randomization for
36696 processes subsequently started via @samp{vRun} packets, while a packet
36697 with a @var{value} of 0 tells the target to enable address space
36698 randomization.
36699
36700 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
36701
36702 Reply:
36703 @table @samp
36704 @item OK
36705 The request succeeded.
36706
36707 @item E @var{nn}
36708 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
36709
36710 @item
36711 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QDisableRandomization} is not supported
36712 by the stub.
36713 @end table
36714
36715 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36716 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36717 This should only be done on targets that actually support disabling
36718 address space randomization.
36719
36720 @item qfThreadInfo
36721 @itemx qsThreadInfo
36722 @cindex list active threads, remote request
36723 @cindex @samp{qfThreadInfo} packet
36724 @cindex @samp{qsThreadInfo} packet
36725 Obtain a list of all active thread IDs from the target (OS). Since there
36726 may be too many active threads to fit into one reply packet, this query
36727 works iteratively: it may require more than one query/reply sequence to
36728 obtain the entire list of threads. The first query of the sequence will
36729 be the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query; subsequent queries in the
36730 sequence will be the @samp{qsThreadInfo} query.
36731
36732 NOTE: This packet replaces the @samp{qL} query (see below).
36733
36734 Reply:
36735 @table @samp
36736 @item m @var{thread-id}
36737 A single thread ID
36738 @item m @var{thread-id},@var{thread-id}@dots{}
36739 a comma-separated list of thread IDs
36740 @item l
36741 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
36742 @end table
36743
36744 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
36745 more thread IDs, separated by commas.
36746 @value{GDBN} will respond to each reply with a request for more thread
36747 ids (using the @samp{qs} form of the query), until the target responds
36748 with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for @dfn{last}).
36749 Refer to @ref{thread-id syntax}, for the format of the @var{thread-id}
36750 fields.
36751
36752 @item qGetTLSAddr:@var{thread-id},@var{offset},@var{lm}
36753 @cindex get thread-local storage address, remote request
36754 @cindex @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet
36755 Fetch the address associated with thread local storage specified
36756 by @var{thread-id}, @var{offset}, and @var{lm}.
36757
36758 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the
36759 thread for which to fetch the TLS address. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
36760
36761 @var{offset} is the (big endian, hex encoded) offset associated with the
36762 thread local variable. (This offset is obtained from the debug
36763 information associated with the variable.)
36764
36765 @var{lm} is the (big endian, hex encoded) OS/ABI-specific encoding of the
36766 load module associated with the thread local storage. For example,
36767 a @sc{gnu}/Linux system will pass the link map address of the shared
36768 object associated with the thread local storage under consideration.
36769 Other operating environments may choose to represent the load module
36770 differently, so the precise meaning of this parameter will vary.
36771
36772 Reply:
36773 @table @samp
36774 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
36775 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the address of the thread
36776 local storage requested.
36777
36778 @item E @var{nn}
36779 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
36780
36781 @item
36782 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTLSAddr} is not supported by the stub.
36783 @end table
36784
36785 @item qGetTIBAddr:@var{thread-id}
36786 @cindex get thread information block address
36787 @cindex @samp{qGetTIBAddr} packet
36788 Fetch address of the Windows OS specific Thread Information Block.
36789
36790 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the thread.
36791
36792 Reply:
36793 @table @samp
36794 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
36795 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the linear address of the
36796 thread information block.
36797
36798 @item E @var{nn}
36799 An error occured. This means that either the thread was not found, or the
36800 address could not be retrieved.
36801
36802 @item
36803 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTIBAddr} is not supported by the stub.
36804 @end table
36805
36806 @item qL @var{startflag} @var{threadcount} @var{nextthread}
36807 Obtain thread information from RTOS. Where: @var{startflag} (one hex
36808 digit) is one to indicate the first query and zero to indicate a
36809 subsequent query; @var{threadcount} (two hex digits) is the maximum
36810 number of threads the response packet can contain; and @var{nextthread}
36811 (eight hex digits), for subsequent queries (@var{startflag} is zero), is
36812 returned in the response as @var{argthread}.
36813
36814 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query instead (see above).
36815
36816 Reply:
36817 @table @samp
36818 @item qM @var{count} @var{done} @var{argthread} @var{thread}@dots{}
36819 Where: @var{count} (two hex digits) is the number of threads being
36820 returned; @var{done} (one hex digit) is zero to indicate more threads
36821 and one indicates no further threads; @var{argthreadid} (eight hex
36822 digits) is @var{nextthread} from the request packet; @var{thread}@dots{}
36823 is a sequence of thread IDs from the target. @var{threadid} (eight hex
36824 digits). See @code{remote.c:parse_threadlist_response()}.
36825 @end table
36826
36827 @item qOffsets
36828 @cindex section offsets, remote request
36829 @cindex @samp{qOffsets} packet
36830 Get section offsets that the target used when relocating the downloaded
36831 image.
36832
36833 Reply:
36834 @table @samp
36835 @item Text=@var{xxx};Data=@var{yyy}@r{[};Bss=@var{zzz}@r{]}
36836 Relocate the @code{Text} section by @var{xxx} from its original address.
36837 Relocate the @code{Data} section by @var{yyy} from its original address.
36838 If the object file format provides segment information (e.g.@: @sc{elf}
36839 @samp{PT_LOAD} program headers), @value{GDBN} will relocate entire
36840 segments by the supplied offsets.
36841
36842 @emph{Note: while a @code{Bss} offset may be included in the response,
36843 @value{GDBN} ignores this and instead applies the @code{Data} offset
36844 to the @code{Bss} section.}
36845
36846 @item TextSeg=@var{xxx}@r{[};DataSeg=@var{yyy}@r{]}
36847 Relocate the first segment of the object file, which conventionally
36848 contains program code, to a starting address of @var{xxx}. If
36849 @samp{DataSeg} is specified, relocate the second segment, which
36850 conventionally contains modifiable data, to a starting address of
36851 @var{yyy}. @value{GDBN} will report an error if the object file
36852 does not contain segment information, or does not contain at least
36853 as many segments as mentioned in the reply. Extra segments are
36854 kept at fixed offsets relative to the last relocated segment.
36855 @end table
36856
36857 @item qP @var{mode} @var{thread-id}
36858 @cindex thread information, remote request
36859 @cindex @samp{qP} packet
36860 Returns information on @var{thread-id}. Where: @var{mode} is a hex
36861 encoded 32 bit mode; @var{thread-id} is a thread ID
36862 (@pxref{thread-id syntax}).
36863
36864 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} query instead
36865 (see below).
36866
36867 Reply: see @code{remote.c:remote_unpack_thread_info_response()}.
36868
36869 @item QNonStop:1
36870 @itemx QNonStop:0
36871 @cindex non-stop mode, remote request
36872 @cindex @samp{QNonStop} packet
36873 @anchor{QNonStop}
36874 Enter non-stop (@samp{QNonStop:1}) or all-stop (@samp{QNonStop:0}) mode.
36875 @xref{Remote Non-Stop}, for more information.
36876
36877 Reply:
36878 @table @samp
36879 @item OK
36880 The request succeeded.
36881
36882 @item E @var{nn}
36883 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
36884
36885 @item
36886 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QNonStop} is not supported by
36887 the stub.
36888 @end table
36889
36890 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36891 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36892 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set non-stop} command;
36893 @pxref{Non-Stop Mode}.
36894
36895 @item QPassSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
36896 @cindex pass signals to inferior, remote request
36897 @cindex @samp{QPassSignals} packet
36898 @anchor{QPassSignals}
36899 Each listed @var{signal} should be passed directly to the inferior process.
36900 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
36901 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
36902 strictly greater than the previous item. These signals do not need to stop
36903 the inferior, or be reported to @value{GDBN}. All other signals should be
36904 reported to @value{GDBN}. Multiple @samp{QPassSignals} packets do not
36905 combine; any earlier @samp{QPassSignals} list is completely replaced by the
36906 new list. This packet improves performance when using @samp{handle
36907 @var{signal} nostop noprint pass}.
36908
36909 Reply:
36910 @table @samp
36911 @item OK
36912 The request succeeded.
36913
36914 @item E @var{nn}
36915 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
36916
36917 @item
36918 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QPassSignals} is not supported by
36919 the stub.
36920 @end table
36921
36922 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote pass-signals}
36923 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote pass-signals}).
36924 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36925 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36926
36927 @item QProgramSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
36928 @cindex signals the inferior may see, remote request
36929 @cindex @samp{QProgramSignals} packet
36930 @anchor{QProgramSignals}
36931 Each listed @var{signal} may be delivered to the inferior process.
36932 Others should be silently discarded.
36933
36934 In some cases, the remote stub may need to decide whether to deliver a
36935 signal to the program or not without @value{GDBN} involvement. One
36936 example of that is while detaching --- the program's threads may have
36937 stopped for signals that haven't yet had a chance of being reported to
36938 @value{GDBN}, and so the remote stub can use the signal list specified
36939 by this packet to know whether to deliver or ignore those pending
36940 signals.
36941
36942 This does not influence whether to deliver a signal as requested by a
36943 resumption packet (@pxref{vCont packet}).
36944
36945 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
36946 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
36947 strictly greater than the previous item. Multiple
36948 @samp{QProgramSignals} packets do not combine; any earlier
36949 @samp{QProgramSignals} list is completely replaced by the new list.
36950
36951 Reply:
36952 @table @samp
36953 @item OK
36954 The request succeeded.
36955
36956 @item E @var{nn}
36957 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
36958
36959 @item
36960 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QProgramSignals} is not supported
36961 by the stub.
36962 @end table
36963
36964 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote program-signals}
36965 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote program-signals}).
36966 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
36967 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
36968
36969 @item qRcmd,@var{command}
36970 @cindex execute remote command, remote request
36971 @cindex @samp{qRcmd} packet
36972 @var{command} (hex encoded) is passed to the local interpreter for
36973 execution. Invalid commands should be reported using the output
36974 string. Before the final result packet, the target may also respond
36975 with a number of intermediate @samp{O@var{output}} console output
36976 packets. @emph{Implementors should note that providing access to a
36977 stubs's interpreter may have security implications}.
36978
36979 Reply:
36980 @table @samp
36981 @item OK
36982 A command response with no output.
36983 @item @var{OUTPUT}
36984 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
36985 @item E @var{NN}
36986 Indicate a badly formed request.
36987 @item
36988 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qRcmd} is not recognized.
36989 @end table
36990
36991 (Note that the @code{qRcmd} packet's name is separated from the
36992 command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
36993 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
36994 packets.)
36995
36996 @item qSearch:memory:@var{address};@var{length};@var{search-pattern}
36997 @cindex searching memory, in remote debugging
36998 @cindex @samp{qSearch:memory} packet
36999 @anchor{qSearch memory}
37000 Search @var{length} bytes at @var{address} for @var{search-pattern}.
37001 @var{address} and @var{length} are encoded in hex.
37002 @var{search-pattern} is a sequence of bytes, hex encoded.
37003
37004 Reply:
37005 @table @samp
37006 @item 0
37007 The pattern was not found.
37008 @item 1,address
37009 The pattern was found at @var{address}.
37010 @item E @var{NN}
37011 A badly formed request or an error was encountered while searching memory.
37012 @item
37013 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSearch:memory} is not recognized.
37014 @end table
37015
37016 @item QStartNoAckMode
37017 @cindex @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet
37018 @anchor{QStartNoAckMode}
37019 Request that the remote stub disable the normal @samp{+}/@samp{-}
37020 protocol acknowledgments (@pxref{Packet Acknowledgment}).
37021
37022 Reply:
37023 @table @samp
37024 @item OK
37025 The stub has switched to no-acknowledgment mode.
37026 @value{GDBN} acknowledges this reponse,
37027 but neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or expect further
37028 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments in the current connection.
37029 @item
37030 An empty reply indicates that the stub does not support no-acknowledgment mode.
37031 @end table
37032
37033 @item qSupported @r{[}:@var{gdbfeature} @r{[};@var{gdbfeature}@r{]}@dots{} @r{]}
37034 @cindex supported packets, remote query
37035 @cindex features of the remote protocol
37036 @cindex @samp{qSupported} packet
37037 @anchor{qSupported}
37038 Tell the remote stub about features supported by @value{GDBN}, and
37039 query the stub for features it supports. This packet allows
37040 @value{GDBN} and the remote stub to take advantage of each others'
37041 features. @samp{qSupported} also consolidates multiple feature probes
37042 at startup, to improve @value{GDBN} performance---a single larger
37043 packet performs better than multiple smaller probe packets on
37044 high-latency links. Some features may enable behavior which must not
37045 be on by default, e.g.@: because it would confuse older clients or
37046 stubs. Other features may describe packets which could be
37047 automatically probed for, but are not. These features must be
37048 reported before @value{GDBN} will use them. This ``default
37049 unsupported'' behavior is not appropriate for all packets, but it
37050 helps to keep the initial connection time under control with new
37051 versions of @value{GDBN} which support increasing numbers of packets.
37052
37053 Reply:
37054 @table @samp
37055 @item @var{stubfeature} @r{[};@var{stubfeature}@r{]}@dots{}
37056 The stub supports or does not support each returned @var{stubfeature},
37057 depending on the form of each @var{stubfeature} (see below for the
37058 possible forms).
37059 @item
37060 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSupported} is not recognized,
37061 or that no features needed to be reported to @value{GDBN}.
37062 @end table
37063
37064 The allowed forms for each feature (either a @var{gdbfeature} in the
37065 @samp{qSupported} packet, or a @var{stubfeature} in the response)
37066 are:
37067
37068 @table @samp
37069 @item @var{name}=@var{value}
37070 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and associated
37071 with the specified @var{value}. The format of @var{value} depends
37072 on the feature, but it must not include a semicolon.
37073 @item @var{name}+
37074 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and does not
37075 need an associated value.
37076 @item @var{name}-
37077 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is not supported.
37078 @item @var{name}?
37079 The remote protocol feature @var{name} may be supported, and
37080 @value{GDBN} should auto-detect support in some other way when it is
37081 needed. This form will not be used for @var{gdbfeature} notifications,
37082 but may be used for @var{stubfeature} responses.
37083 @end table
37084
37085 Whenever the stub receives a @samp{qSupported} request, the
37086 supplied set of @value{GDBN} features should override any previous
37087 request. This allows @value{GDBN} to put the stub in a known
37088 state, even if the stub had previously been communicating with
37089 a different version of @value{GDBN}.
37090
37091 The following values of @var{gdbfeature} (for the packet sent by @value{GDBN})
37092 are defined:
37093
37094 @table @samp
37095 @item multiprocess
37096 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports multiprocess
37097 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
37098 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
37099 including @samp{multiprocess+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
37100 @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for details.
37101
37102 @item xmlRegisters
37103 This feature indicates that @value{GDBN} supports the XML target
37104 description. If the stub sees @samp{xmlRegisters=} with target
37105 specific strings separated by a comma, it will report register
37106 description.
37107
37108 @item qRelocInsn
37109 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports the
37110 @samp{qRelocInsn} packet (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
37111 instruction reply packet}).
37112 @end table
37113
37114 Stubs should ignore any unknown values for
37115 @var{gdbfeature}. Any @value{GDBN} which sends a @samp{qSupported}
37116 packet supports receiving packets of unlimited length (earlier
37117 versions of @value{GDBN} may reject overly long responses). Additional values
37118 for @var{gdbfeature} may be defined in the future to let the stub take
37119 advantage of new features in @value{GDBN}, e.g.@: incompatible
37120 improvements in the remote protocol---the @samp{multiprocess} feature is
37121 an example of such a feature. The stub's reply should be independent
37122 of the @var{gdbfeature} entries sent by @value{GDBN}; first @value{GDBN}
37123 describes all the features it supports, and then the stub replies with
37124 all the features it supports.
37125
37126 Similarly, @value{GDBN} will silently ignore unrecognized stub feature
37127 responses, as long as each response uses one of the standard forms.
37128
37129 Some features are flags. A stub which supports a flag feature
37130 should respond with a @samp{+} form response. Other features
37131 require values, and the stub should respond with an @samp{=}
37132 form response.
37133
37134 Each feature has a default value, which @value{GDBN} will use if
37135 @samp{qSupported} is not available or if the feature is not mentioned
37136 in the @samp{qSupported} response. The default values are fixed; a
37137 stub is free to omit any feature responses that match the defaults.
37138
37139 Not all features can be probed, but for those which can, the probing
37140 mechanism is useful: in some cases, a stub's internal
37141 architecture may not allow the protocol layer to know some information
37142 about the underlying target in advance. This is especially common in
37143 stubs which may be configured for multiple targets.
37144
37145 These are the currently defined stub features and their properties:
37146
37147 @multitable @columnfractions 0.35 0.2 0.12 0.2
37148 @c NOTE: The first row should be @headitem, but we do not yet require
37149 @c a new enough version of Texinfo (4.7) to use @headitem.
37150 @item Feature Name
37151 @tab Value Required
37152 @tab Default
37153 @tab Probe Allowed
37154
37155 @item @samp{PacketSize}
37156 @tab Yes
37157 @tab @samp{-}
37158 @tab No
37159
37160 @item @samp{qXfer:auxv:read}
37161 @tab No
37162 @tab @samp{-}
37163 @tab Yes
37164
37165 @item @samp{qXfer:features:read}
37166 @tab No
37167 @tab @samp{-}
37168 @tab Yes
37169
37170 @item @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
37171 @tab No
37172 @tab @samp{-}
37173 @tab Yes
37174
37175 @item @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
37176 @tab No
37177 @tab @samp{-}
37178 @tab Yes
37179
37180 @item @samp{qXfer:sdata:read}
37181 @tab No
37182 @tab @samp{-}
37183 @tab Yes
37184
37185 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:read}
37186 @tab No
37187 @tab @samp{-}
37188 @tab Yes
37189
37190 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:write}
37191 @tab No
37192 @tab @samp{-}
37193 @tab Yes
37194
37195 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read}
37196 @tab No
37197 @tab @samp{-}
37198 @tab Yes
37199
37200 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write}
37201 @tab No
37202 @tab @samp{-}
37203 @tab Yes
37204
37205 @item @samp{qXfer:threads:read}
37206 @tab No
37207 @tab @samp{-}
37208 @tab Yes
37209
37210 @item @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
37211 @tab No
37212 @tab @samp{-}
37213 @tab Yes
37214
37215 @item @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
37216 @tab No
37217 @tab @samp{-}
37218 @tab Yes
37219
37220 @item @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
37221 @tab No
37222 @tab @samp{-}
37223 @tab Yes
37224
37225 @item @samp{QNonStop}
37226 @tab No
37227 @tab @samp{-}
37228 @tab Yes
37229
37230 @item @samp{QPassSignals}
37231 @tab No
37232 @tab @samp{-}
37233 @tab Yes
37234
37235 @item @samp{QStartNoAckMode}
37236 @tab No
37237 @tab @samp{-}
37238 @tab Yes
37239
37240 @item @samp{multiprocess}
37241 @tab No
37242 @tab @samp{-}
37243 @tab No
37244
37245 @item @samp{ConditionalBreakpoints}
37246 @tab No
37247 @tab @samp{-}
37248 @tab No
37249
37250 @item @samp{ConditionalTracepoints}
37251 @tab No
37252 @tab @samp{-}
37253 @tab No
37254
37255 @item @samp{ReverseContinue}
37256 @tab No
37257 @tab @samp{-}
37258 @tab No
37259
37260 @item @samp{ReverseStep}
37261 @tab No
37262 @tab @samp{-}
37263 @tab No
37264
37265 @item @samp{TracepointSource}
37266 @tab No
37267 @tab @samp{-}
37268 @tab No
37269
37270 @item @samp{QAgent}
37271 @tab No
37272 @tab @samp{-}
37273 @tab No
37274
37275 @item @samp{QAllow}
37276 @tab No
37277 @tab @samp{-}
37278 @tab No
37279
37280 @item @samp{QDisableRandomization}
37281 @tab No
37282 @tab @samp{-}
37283 @tab No
37284
37285 @item @samp{EnableDisableTracepoints}
37286 @tab No
37287 @tab @samp{-}
37288 @tab No
37289
37290 @item @samp{tracenz}
37291 @tab No
37292 @tab @samp{-}
37293 @tab No
37294
37295 @item @samp{BreakpointCommands}
37296 @tab No
37297 @tab @samp{-}
37298 @tab No
37299
37300 @end multitable
37301
37302 These are the currently defined stub features, in more detail:
37303
37304 @table @samp
37305 @cindex packet size, remote protocol
37306 @item PacketSize=@var{bytes}
37307 The remote stub can accept packets up to at least @var{bytes} in
37308 length. @value{GDBN} will send packets up to this size for bulk
37309 transfers, and will never send larger packets. This is a limit on the
37310 data characters in the packet, including the frame and checksum.
37311 There is no trailing NUL byte in a remote protocol packet; if the stub
37312 stores packets in a NUL-terminated format, it should allow an extra
37313 byte in its buffer for the NUL. If this stub feature is not supported,
37314 @value{GDBN} guesses based on the size of the @samp{g} packet response.
37315
37316 @item qXfer:auxv:read
37317 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet
37318 (@pxref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}).
37319
37320 @item qXfer:features:read
37321 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:features:read} packet
37322 (@pxref{qXfer target description read}).
37323
37324 @item qXfer:libraries:read
37325 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet
37326 (@pxref{qXfer library list read}).
37327
37328 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read
37329 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet
37330 (@pxref{qXfer svr4 library list read}).
37331
37332 @item qXfer:memory-map:read
37333 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read} packet
37334 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}).
37335
37336 @item qXfer:sdata:read
37337 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:sdata:read} packet
37338 (@pxref{qXfer sdata read}).
37339
37340 @item qXfer:spu:read
37341 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:read} packet
37342 (@pxref{qXfer spu read}).
37343
37344 @item qXfer:spu:write
37345 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:write} packet
37346 (@pxref{qXfer spu write}).
37347
37348 @item qXfer:siginfo:read
37349 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read} packet
37350 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo read}).
37351
37352 @item qXfer:siginfo:write
37353 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write} packet
37354 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo write}).
37355
37356 @item qXfer:threads:read
37357 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
37358 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}).
37359
37360 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read
37361 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
37362 packet (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}).
37363
37364 @item qXfer:uib:read
37365 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
37366 packet (@pxref{qXfer unwind info block}).
37367
37368 @item qXfer:fdpic:read
37369 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
37370 packet (@pxref{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}).
37371
37372 @item QNonStop
37373 The remote stub understands the @samp{QNonStop} packet
37374 (@pxref{QNonStop}).
37375
37376 @item QPassSignals
37377 The remote stub understands the @samp{QPassSignals} packet
37378 (@pxref{QPassSignals}).
37379
37380 @item QStartNoAckMode
37381 The remote stub understands the @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet and
37382 prefers to operate in no-acknowledgment mode. @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}.
37383
37384 @item multiprocess
37385 @anchor{multiprocess extensions}
37386 @cindex multiprocess extensions, in remote protocol
37387 The remote stub understands the multiprocess extensions to the remote
37388 protocol syntax. The multiprocess extensions affect the syntax of
37389 thread IDs in both packets and replies (@pxref{thread-id syntax}), and
37390 add process IDs to the @samp{D} packet and @samp{W} and @samp{X}
37391 replies. Note that reporting this feature indicates support for the
37392 syntactic extensions only, not that the stub necessarily supports
37393 debugging of more than one process at a time. The stub must not use
37394 multiprocess extensions in packet replies unless @value{GDBN} has also
37395 indicated it supports them in its @samp{qSupported} request.
37396
37397 @item qXfer:osdata:read
37398 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet
37399 ((@pxref{qXfer osdata read}).
37400
37401 @item ConditionalBreakpoints
37402 The target accepts and implements evaluation of conditional expressions
37403 defined for breakpoints. The target will only report breakpoint triggers
37404 when such conditions are true (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
37405
37406 @item ConditionalTracepoints
37407 The remote stub accepts and implements conditional expressions defined
37408 for tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoint Conditions}).
37409
37410 @item ReverseContinue
37411 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse continue packet
37412 (@pxref{bc}).
37413
37414 @item ReverseStep
37415 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse step packet
37416 (@pxref{bs}).
37417
37418 @item TracepointSource
37419 The remote stub understands the @samp{QTDPsrc} packet that supplies
37420 the source form of tracepoint definitions.
37421
37422 @item QAgent
37423 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAgent} packet.
37424
37425 @item QAllow
37426 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAllow} packet.
37427
37428 @item QDisableRandomization
37429 The remote stub understands the @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet.
37430
37431 @item StaticTracepoint
37432 @cindex static tracepoints, in remote protocol
37433 The remote stub supports static tracepoints.
37434
37435 @item InstallInTrace
37436 @anchor{install tracepoint in tracing}
37437 The remote stub supports installing tracepoint in tracing.
37438
37439 @item EnableDisableTracepoints
37440 The remote stub supports the @samp{QTEnable} (@pxref{QTEnable}) and
37441 @samp{QTDisable} (@pxref{QTDisable}) packets that allow tracepoints
37442 to be enabled and disabled while a trace experiment is running.
37443
37444 @item tracenz
37445 @cindex string tracing, in remote protocol
37446 The remote stub supports the @samp{tracenz} bytecode for collecting strings.
37447 See @ref{Bytecode Descriptions} for details about the bytecode.
37448
37449 @item BreakpointCommands
37450 @cindex breakpoint commands, in remote protocol
37451 The remote stub supports running a breakpoint's command list itself,
37452 rather than reporting the hit to @value{GDBN}.
37453
37454 @end table
37455
37456 @item qSymbol::
37457 @cindex symbol lookup, remote request
37458 @cindex @samp{qSymbol} packet
37459 Notify the target that @value{GDBN} is prepared to serve symbol lookup
37460 requests. Accept requests from the target for the values of symbols.
37461
37462 Reply:
37463 @table @samp
37464 @item OK
37465 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
37466 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
37467 The target requests the value of symbol @var{sym_name} (hex encoded).
37468 @value{GDBN} may provide the value by using the
37469 @samp{qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}} message, described
37470 below.
37471 @end table
37472
37473 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}
37474 Set the value of @var{sym_name} to @var{sym_value}.
37475
37476 @var{sym_name} (hex encoded) is the name of a symbol whose value the
37477 target has previously requested.
37478
37479 @var{sym_value} (hex) is the value for symbol @var{sym_name}. If
37480 @value{GDBN} cannot supply a value for @var{sym_name}, then this field
37481 will be empty.
37482
37483 Reply:
37484 @table @samp
37485 @item OK
37486 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
37487 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
37488 The target requests the value of a new symbol @var{sym_name} (hex
37489 encoded). @value{GDBN} will continue to supply the values of symbols
37490 (if available), until the target ceases to request them.
37491 @end table
37492
37493 @item qTBuffer
37494 @itemx QTBuffer
37495 @itemx QTDisconnected
37496 @itemx QTDP
37497 @itemx QTDPsrc
37498 @itemx QTDV
37499 @itemx qTfP
37500 @itemx qTfV
37501 @itemx QTFrame
37502 @itemx qTMinFTPILen
37503
37504 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
37505
37506 @item qThreadExtraInfo,@var{thread-id}
37507 @cindex thread attributes info, remote request
37508 @cindex @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} packet
37509 Obtain a printable string description of a thread's attributes from
37510 the target OS. @var{thread-id} is a thread ID;
37511 see @ref{thread-id syntax}. This
37512 string may contain anything that the target OS thinks is interesting
37513 for @value{GDBN} to tell the user about the thread. The string is
37514 displayed in @value{GDBN}'s @code{info threads} display. Some
37515 examples of possible thread extra info strings are @samp{Runnable}, or
37516 @samp{Blocked on Mutex}.
37517
37518 Reply:
37519 @table @samp
37520 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
37521 Where @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is a hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data,
37522 comprising the printable string containing the extra information about
37523 the thread's attributes.
37524 @end table
37525
37526 (Note that the @code{qThreadExtraInfo} packet's name is separated from
37527 the command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
37528 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
37529 packets.)
37530
37531 @item QTNotes
37532 @itemx qTP
37533 @itemx QTSave
37534 @itemx qTsP
37535 @itemx qTsV
37536 @itemx QTStart
37537 @itemx QTStop
37538 @itemx QTEnable
37539 @itemx QTDisable
37540 @itemx QTinit
37541 @itemx QTro
37542 @itemx qTStatus
37543 @itemx qTV
37544 @itemx qTfSTM
37545 @itemx qTsSTM
37546 @itemx qTSTMat
37547 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
37548
37549 @item qXfer:@var{object}:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37550 @cindex read special object, remote request
37551 @cindex @samp{qXfer} packet
37552 @anchor{qXfer read}
37553 Read uninterpreted bytes from the target's special data area
37554 identified by the keyword @var{object}. Request @var{length} bytes
37555 starting at @var{offset} bytes into the data. The content and
37556 encoding of @var{annex} is specific to @var{object}; it can supply
37557 additional details about what data to access.
37558
37559 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
37560 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:read:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
37561 formats, listed below.
37562
37563 @table @samp
37564 @item qXfer:auxv:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37565 @anchor{qXfer auxiliary vector read}
37566 Access the target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}. @xref{OS Information,
37567 auxiliary vector}. Note @var{annex} must be empty.
37568
37569 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37570 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37571
37572 @item qXfer:features:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37573 @anchor{qXfer target description read}
37574 Access the @dfn{target description}. @xref{Target Descriptions}. The
37575 annex specifies which XML document to access. The main description is
37576 always loaded from the @samp{target.xml} annex.
37577
37578 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37579 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37580
37581 @item qXfer:libraries:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37582 @anchor{qXfer library list read}
37583 Access the target's list of loaded libraries. @xref{Library List Format}.
37584 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
37585 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37586
37587 Targets which maintain a list of libraries in the program's memory do
37588 not need to implement this packet; it is designed for platforms where
37589 the operating system manages the list of loaded libraries.
37590
37591 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37592 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37593
37594 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37595 @anchor{qXfer svr4 library list read}
37596 Access the target's list of loaded libraries when the target is an SVR4
37597 platform. @xref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets}. The annex part
37598 of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37599
37600 This packet is optional for better performance on SVR4 targets.
37601 @value{GDBN} uses memory read packets to read the SVR4 library list otherwise.
37602
37603 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37604 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37605
37606 @item qXfer:memory-map:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37607 @anchor{qXfer memory map read}
37608 Access the target's @dfn{memory-map}. @xref{Memory Map Format}. The
37609 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
37610 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37611
37612 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37613 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37614
37615 @item qXfer:sdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37616 @anchor{qXfer sdata read}
37617
37618 Read contents of the extra collected static tracepoint marker
37619 information. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must
37620 be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}). @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint
37621 Action Lists}.
37622
37623 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37624 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
37625 (@pxref{qSupported}).
37626
37627 @item qXfer:siginfo:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37628 @anchor{qXfer siginfo read}
37629 Read contents of the extra signal information on the target
37630 system. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
37631 empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37632
37633 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37634 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
37635 (@pxref{qSupported}).
37636
37637 @item qXfer:spu:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37638 @anchor{qXfer spu read}
37639 Read contents of an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
37640 annex specifies which file to read; it must be of the form
37641 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
37642 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
37643 in that context to be accessed.
37644
37645 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37646 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
37647 (@pxref{qSupported}).
37648
37649 @item qXfer:threads:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37650 @anchor{qXfer threads read}
37651 Access the list of threads on target. @xref{Thread List Format}. The
37652 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
37653 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37654
37655 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37656 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37657
37658 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37659 @anchor{qXfer traceframe info read}
37660
37661 Return a description of the current traceframe's contents.
37662 @xref{Traceframe Info Format}. The annex part of the generic
37663 @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
37664
37665 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37666 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37667
37668 @item qXfer:uib:read:@var{pc}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37669 @anchor{qXfer unwind info block}
37670
37671 Return the unwind information block for @var{pc}. This packet is used
37672 on OpenVMS/ia64 to ask the kernel unwind information.
37673
37674 This packet is not probed by default.
37675
37676 @item qXfer:fdpic:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
37677 @anchor{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}
37678 Read contents of @code{loadmap}s on the target system. The
37679 annex, either @samp{exec} or @samp{interp}, specifies which @code{loadmap},
37680 executable @code{loadmap} or interpreter @code{loadmap} to read.
37681
37682 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37683 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37684
37685 @item qXfer:osdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
37686 @anchor{qXfer osdata read}
37687 Access the target's @dfn{operating system information}.
37688 @xref{Operating System Information}.
37689
37690 @end table
37691
37692 Reply:
37693 @table @samp
37694 @item m @var{data}
37695 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the
37696 target. There may be more data at a higher address (although
37697 it is permitted to return @samp{m} even for the last valid
37698 block of data, as long as at least one byte of data was read).
37699 @var{data} may have fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the
37700 request.
37701
37702 @item l @var{data}
37703 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the target.
37704 There is no more data to be read. @var{data} may have fewer bytes
37705 than the @var{length} in the request.
37706
37707 @item l
37708 The @var{offset} in the request is at the end of the data.
37709 There is no more data to be read.
37710
37711 @item E00
37712 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
37713
37714 @item E @var{nn}
37715 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered reading the data.
37716 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
37717
37718 @item
37719 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not recognized by
37720 the stub, or that the object does not support reading.
37721 @end table
37722
37723 @item qXfer:@var{object}:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
37724 @cindex write data into object, remote request
37725 @anchor{qXfer write}
37726 Write uninterpreted bytes into the target's special data area
37727 identified by the keyword @var{object}, starting at @var{offset} bytes
37728 into the data. @var{data}@dots{} is the binary-encoded data
37729 (@pxref{Binary Data}) to be written. The content and encoding of @var{annex}
37730 is specific to @var{object}; it can supply additional details about what data
37731 to access.
37732
37733 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
37734 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:write:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
37735 formats, listed below.
37736
37737 @table @samp
37738 @item qXfer:siginfo:write::@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
37739 @anchor{qXfer siginfo write}
37740 Write @var{data} to the extra signal information on the target system.
37741 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
37742 empty (@pxref{qXfer write}).
37743
37744 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37745 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
37746 (@pxref{qSupported}).
37747
37748 @item qXfer:spu:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
37749 @anchor{qXfer spu write}
37750 Write @var{data} to an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
37751 annex specifies which file to write; it must be of the form
37752 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
37753 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
37754 in that context to be accessed.
37755
37756 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
37757 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
37758 @end table
37759
37760 Reply:
37761 @table @samp
37762 @item @var{nn}
37763 @var{nn} (hex encoded) is the number of bytes written.
37764 This may be fewer bytes than supplied in the request.
37765
37766 @item E00
37767 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
37768
37769 @item E @var{nn}
37770 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered writing the data.
37771 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
37772
37773 @item
37774 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not
37775 recognized by the stub, or that the object does not support writing.
37776 @end table
37777
37778 @item qXfer:@var{object}:@var{operation}:@dots{}
37779 Requests of this form may be added in the future. When a stub does
37780 not recognize the @var{object} keyword, or its support for
37781 @var{object} does not recognize the @var{operation} keyword, the stub
37782 must respond with an empty packet.
37783
37784 @item qAttached:@var{pid}
37785 @cindex query attached, remote request
37786 @cindex @samp{qAttached} packet
37787 Return an indication of whether the remote server attached to an
37788 existing process or created a new process. When the multiprocess
37789 protocol extensions are supported (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}),
37790 @var{pid} is an integer in hexadecimal format identifying the target
37791 process. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} will omit the @var{pid} field and
37792 the query packet will be simplified as @samp{qAttached}.
37793
37794 This query is used, for example, to know whether the remote process
37795 should be detached or killed when a @value{GDBN} session is ended with
37796 the @code{quit} command.
37797
37798 Reply:
37799 @table @samp
37800 @item 1
37801 The remote server attached to an existing process.
37802 @item 0
37803 The remote server created a new process.
37804 @item E @var{NN}
37805 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
37806 @end table
37807
37808 @end table
37809
37810 @node Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
37811 @section Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
37812
37813 This section describes how the remote protocol is applied to specific
37814 target architectures. Also see @ref{Standard Target Features}, for
37815 details of XML target descriptions for each architecture.
37816
37817 @menu
37818 * ARM-Specific Protocol Details::
37819 * MIPS-Specific Protocol Details::
37820 @end menu
37821
37822 @node ARM-Specific Protocol Details
37823 @subsection @acronym{ARM}-specific Protocol Details
37824
37825 @menu
37826 * ARM Breakpoint Kinds::
37827 @end menu
37828
37829 @node ARM Breakpoint Kinds
37830 @subsubsection @acronym{ARM} Breakpoint Kinds
37831 @cindex breakpoint kinds, @acronym{ARM}
37832
37833 These breakpoint kinds are defined for the @samp{Z0} and @samp{Z1} packets.
37834
37835 @table @r
37836
37837 @item 2
37838 16-bit Thumb mode breakpoint.
37839
37840 @item 3
37841 32-bit Thumb mode (Thumb-2) breakpoint.
37842
37843 @item 4
37844 32-bit @acronym{ARM} mode breakpoint.
37845
37846 @end table
37847
37848 @node MIPS-Specific Protocol Details
37849 @subsection @acronym{MIPS}-specific Protocol Details
37850
37851 @menu
37852 * MIPS Register packet Format::
37853 * MIPS Breakpoint Kinds::
37854 @end menu
37855
37856 @node MIPS Register packet Format
37857 @subsubsection @acronym{MIPS} Register Packet Format
37858 @cindex register packet format, @acronym{MIPS}
37859
37860 The following @code{g}/@code{G} packets have previously been defined.
37861 In the below, some thirty-two bit registers are transferred as
37862 sixty-four bits. Those registers should be zero/sign extended (which?)
37863 to fill the space allocated. Register bytes are transferred in target
37864 byte order. The two nibbles within a register byte are transferred
37865 most-significant -- least-significant.
37866
37867 @table @r
37868
37869 @item MIPS32
37870 All registers are transferred as thirty-two bit quantities in the order:
37871 32 general-purpose; sr; lo; hi; bad; cause; pc; 32 floating-point
37872 registers; fsr; fir; fp.
37873
37874 @item MIPS64
37875 All registers are transferred as sixty-four bit quantities (including
37876 thirty-two bit registers such as @code{sr}). The ordering is the same
37877 as @code{MIPS32}.
37878
37879 @end table
37880
37881 @node MIPS Breakpoint Kinds
37882 @subsubsection @acronym{MIPS} Breakpoint Kinds
37883 @cindex breakpoint kinds, @acronym{MIPS}
37884
37885 These breakpoint kinds are defined for the @samp{Z0} and @samp{Z1} packets.
37886
37887 @table @r
37888
37889 @item 2
37890 16-bit @acronym{MIPS16} mode breakpoint.
37891
37892 @item 3
37893 16-bit @acronym{microMIPS} mode breakpoint.
37894
37895 @item 4
37896 32-bit standard @acronym{MIPS} mode breakpoint.
37897
37898 @item 5
37899 32-bit @acronym{microMIPS} mode breakpoint.
37900
37901 @end table
37902
37903 @node Tracepoint Packets
37904 @section Tracepoint Packets
37905 @cindex tracepoint packets
37906 @cindex packets, tracepoint
37907
37908 Here we describe the packets @value{GDBN} uses to implement
37909 tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
37910
37911 @table @samp
37912
37913 @item QTDP:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{ena}:@var{step}:@var{pass}[:F@var{flen}][:X@var{len},@var{bytes}]@r{[}-@r{]}
37914 @cindex @samp{QTDP} packet
37915 Create a new tracepoint, number @var{n}, at @var{addr}. If @var{ena}
37916 is @samp{E}, then the tracepoint is enabled; if it is @samp{D}, then
37917 the tracepoint is disabled. @var{step} is the tracepoint's step
37918 count, and @var{pass} is its pass count. If an @samp{F} is present,
37919 then the tracepoint is to be a fast tracepoint, and the @var{flen} is
37920 the number of bytes that the target should copy elsewhere to make room
37921 for the tracepoint. If an @samp{X} is present, it introduces a
37922 tracepoint condition, which consists of a hexadecimal length, followed
37923 by a comma and hex-encoded bytes, in a manner similar to action
37924 encodings as described below. If the trailing @samp{-} is present,
37925 further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow to specify this tracepoint's
37926 actions.
37927
37928 Replies:
37929 @table @samp
37930 @item OK
37931 The packet was understood and carried out.
37932 @item qRelocInsn
37933 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
37934 @item
37935 The packet was not recognized.
37936 @end table
37937
37938 @item QTDP:-@var{n}:@var{addr}:@r{[}S@r{]}@var{action}@dots{}@r{[}-@r{]}
37939 Define actions to be taken when a tracepoint is hit. @var{n} and
37940 @var{addr} must be the same as in the initial @samp{QTDP} packet for
37941 this tracepoint. This packet may only be sent immediately after
37942 another @samp{QTDP} packet that ended with a @samp{-}. If the
37943 trailing @samp{-} is present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow,
37944 specifying more actions for this tracepoint.
37945
37946 In the series of action packets for a given tracepoint, at most one
37947 can have an @samp{S} before its first @var{action}. If such a packet
37948 is sent, it and the following packets define ``while-stepping''
37949 actions. Any prior packets define ordinary actions --- that is, those
37950 taken when the tracepoint is first hit. If no action packet has an
37951 @samp{S}, then all the packets in the series specify ordinary
37952 tracepoint actions.
37953
37954 The @samp{@var{action}@dots{}} portion of the packet is a series of
37955 actions, concatenated without separators. Each action has one of the
37956 following forms:
37957
37958 @table @samp
37959
37960 @item R @var{mask}
37961 Collect the registers whose bits are set in @var{mask}. @var{mask} is
37962 a hexadecimal number whose @var{i}'th bit is set if register number
37963 @var{i} should be collected. (The least significant bit is numbered
37964 zero.) Note that @var{mask} may be any number of digits long; it may
37965 not fit in a 32-bit word.
37966
37967 @item M @var{basereg},@var{offset},@var{len}
37968 Collect @var{len} bytes of memory starting at the address in register
37969 number @var{basereg}, plus @var{offset}. If @var{basereg} is
37970 @samp{-1}, then the range has a fixed address: @var{offset} is the
37971 address of the lowest byte to collect. The @var{basereg},
37972 @var{offset}, and @var{len} parameters are all unsigned hexadecimal
37973 values (the @samp{-1} value for @var{basereg} is a special case).
37974
37975 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
37976 Evaluate @var{expr}, whose length is @var{len}, and collect memory as
37977 it directs. @var{expr} is an agent expression, as described in
37978 @ref{Agent Expressions}. Each byte of the expression is encoded as a
37979 two-digit hex number in the packet; @var{len} is the number of bytes
37980 in the expression (and thus one-half the number of hex digits in the
37981 packet).
37982
37983 @end table
37984
37985 Any number of actions may be packed together in a single @samp{QTDP}
37986 packet, as long as the packet does not exceed the maximum packet
37987 length (400 bytes, for many stubs). There may be only one @samp{R}
37988 action per tracepoint, and it must precede any @samp{M} or @samp{X}
37989 actions. Any registers referred to by @samp{M} and @samp{X} actions
37990 must be collected by a preceding @samp{R} action. (The
37991 ``while-stepping'' actions are treated as if they were attached to a
37992 separate tracepoint, as far as these restrictions are concerned.)
37993
37994 Replies:
37995 @table @samp
37996 @item OK
37997 The packet was understood and carried out.
37998 @item qRelocInsn
37999 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
38000 @item
38001 The packet was not recognized.
38002 @end table
38003
38004 @item QTDPsrc:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{type}:@var{start}:@var{slen}:@var{bytes}
38005 @cindex @samp{QTDPsrc} packet
38006 Specify a source string of tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr}.
38007 This is useful to get accurate reproduction of the tracepoints
38008 originally downloaded at the beginning of the trace run. @var{type}
38009 is the name of the tracepoint part, such as @samp{cond} for the
38010 tracepoint's conditional expression (see below for a list of types), while
38011 @var{bytes} is the string, encoded in hexadecimal.
38012
38013 @var{start} is the offset of the @var{bytes} within the overall source
38014 string, while @var{slen} is the total length of the source string.
38015 This is intended for handling source strings that are longer than will
38016 fit in a single packet.
38017 @c Add detailed example when this info is moved into a dedicated
38018 @c tracepoint descriptions section.
38019
38020 The available string types are @samp{at} for the location,
38021 @samp{cond} for the conditional, and @samp{cmd} for an action command.
38022 @value{GDBN} sends a separate packet for each command in the action
38023 list, in the same order in which the commands are stored in the list.
38024
38025 The target does not need to do anything with source strings except
38026 report them back as part of the replies to the @samp{qTfP}/@samp{qTsP}
38027 query packets.
38028
38029 Although this packet is optional, and @value{GDBN} will only send it
38030 if the target replies with @samp{TracepointSource} @xref{General
38031 Query Packets}, it makes both disconnected tracing and trace files
38032 much easier to use. Otherwise the user must be careful that the
38033 tracepoints in effect while looking at trace frames are identical to
38034 the ones in effect during the trace run; even a small discrepancy
38035 could cause @samp{tdump} not to work, or a particular trace frame not
38036 be found.
38037
38038 @item QTDV:@var{n}:@var{value}
38039 @cindex define trace state variable, remote request
38040 @cindex @samp{QTDV} packet
38041 Create a new trace state variable, number @var{n}, with an initial
38042 value of @var{value}, which is a 64-bit signed integer. Both @var{n}
38043 and @var{value} are encoded as hexadecimal values. @value{GDBN} has
38044 the option of not using this packet for initial values of zero; the
38045 target should simply create the trace state variables as they are
38046 mentioned in expressions.
38047
38048 @item QTFrame:@var{n}
38049 @cindex @samp{QTFrame} packet
38050 Select the @var{n}'th tracepoint frame from the buffer, and use the
38051 register and memory contents recorded there to answer subsequent
38052 request packets from @value{GDBN}.
38053
38054 A successful reply from the stub indicates that the stub has found the
38055 requested frame. The response is a series of parts, concatenated
38056 without separators, describing the frame we selected. Each part has
38057 one of the following forms:
38058
38059 @table @samp
38060 @item F @var{f}
38061 The selected frame is number @var{n} in the trace frame buffer;
38062 @var{f} is a hexadecimal number. If @var{f} is @samp{-1}, then there
38063 was no frame matching the criteria in the request packet.
38064
38065 @item T @var{t}
38066 The selected trace frame records a hit of tracepoint number @var{t};
38067 @var{t} is a hexadecimal number.
38068
38069 @end table
38070
38071 @item QTFrame:pc:@var{addr}
38072 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
38073 currently selected frame whose PC is @var{addr};
38074 @var{addr} is a hexadecimal number.
38075
38076 @item QTFrame:tdp:@var{t}
38077 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
38078 currently selected frame that is a hit of tracepoint @var{t}; @var{t}
38079 is a hexadecimal number.
38080
38081 @item QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}
38082 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
38083 currently selected frame whose PC is between @var{start} (inclusive)
38084 and @var{end} (inclusive); @var{start} and @var{end} are hexadecimal
38085 numbers.
38086
38087 @item QTFrame:outside:@var{start}:@var{end}
38088 Like @samp{QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}}, but select the first
38089 frame @emph{outside} the given range of addresses (exclusive).
38090
38091 @item qTMinFTPILen
38092 @cindex @samp{qTMinFTPILen} packet
38093 This packet requests the minimum length of instruction at which a fast
38094 tracepoint (@pxref{Set Tracepoints}) may be placed. For instance, on
38095 the 32-bit x86 architecture, it is possible to use a 4-byte jump, but
38096 it depends on the target system being able to create trampolines in
38097 the first 64K of memory, which might or might not be possible for that
38098 system. So the reply to this packet will be 4 if it is able to
38099 arrange for that.
38100
38101 Replies:
38102
38103 @table @samp
38104 @item 0
38105 The minimum instruction length is currently unknown.
38106 @item @var{length}
38107 The minimum instruction length is @var{length}, where @var{length} is greater
38108 or equal to 1. @var{length} is a hexadecimal number. A reply of 1 means
38109 that a fast tracepoint may be placed on any instruction regardless of size.
38110 @item E
38111 An error has occurred.
38112 @item
38113 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the stub.
38114 @end table
38115
38116 @item QTStart
38117 @cindex @samp{QTStart} packet
38118 Begin the tracepoint experiment. Begin collecting data from
38119 tracepoint hits in the trace frame buffer. This packet supports the
38120 @samp{qRelocInsn} reply (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
38121 instruction reply packet}).
38122
38123 @item QTStop
38124 @cindex @samp{QTStop} packet
38125 End the tracepoint experiment. Stop collecting trace frames.
38126
38127 @item QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
38128 @anchor{QTEnable}
38129 @cindex @samp{QTEnable} packet
38130 Enable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
38131 experiment. If the tracepoint was previously disabled, then collection
38132 of data from it will resume.
38133
38134 @item QTDisable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
38135 @anchor{QTDisable}
38136 @cindex @samp{QTDisable} packet
38137 Disable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
38138 experiment. No more data will be collected from the tracepoint unless
38139 @samp{QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}} is subsequently issued.
38140
38141 @item QTinit
38142 @cindex @samp{QTinit} packet
38143 Clear the table of tracepoints, and empty the trace frame buffer.
38144
38145 @item QTro:@var{start1},@var{end1}:@var{start2},@var{end2}:@dots{}
38146 @cindex @samp{QTro} packet
38147 Establish the given ranges of memory as ``transparent''. The stub
38148 will answer requests for these ranges from memory's current contents,
38149 if they were not collected as part of the tracepoint hit.
38150
38151 @value{GDBN} uses this to mark read-only regions of memory, like those
38152 containing program code. Since these areas never change, they should
38153 still have the same contents they did when the tracepoint was hit, so
38154 there's no reason for the stub to refuse to provide their contents.
38155
38156 @item QTDisconnected:@var{value}
38157 @cindex @samp{QTDisconnected} packet
38158 Set the choice to what to do with the tracing run when @value{GDBN}
38159 disconnects from the target. A @var{value} of 1 directs the target to
38160 continue the tracing run, while 0 tells the target to stop tracing if
38161 @value{GDBN} is no longer in the picture.
38162
38163 @item qTStatus
38164 @cindex @samp{qTStatus} packet
38165 Ask the stub if there is a trace experiment running right now.
38166
38167 The reply has the form:
38168
38169 @table @samp
38170
38171 @item T@var{running}@r{[};@var{field}@r{]}@dots{}
38172 @var{running} is a single digit @code{1} if the trace is presently
38173 running, or @code{0} if not. It is followed by semicolon-separated
38174 optional fields that an agent may use to report additional status.
38175
38176 @end table
38177
38178 If the trace is not running, the agent may report any of several
38179 explanations as one of the optional fields:
38180
38181 @table @samp
38182
38183 @item tnotrun:0
38184 No trace has been run yet.
38185
38186 @item tstop[:@var{text}]:0
38187 The trace was stopped by a user-originated stop command. The optional
38188 @var{text} field is a user-supplied string supplied as part of the
38189 stop command (for instance, an explanation of why the trace was
38190 stopped manually). It is hex-encoded.
38191
38192 @item tfull:0
38193 The trace stopped because the trace buffer filled up.
38194
38195 @item tdisconnected:0
38196 The trace stopped because @value{GDBN} disconnected from the target.
38197
38198 @item tpasscount:@var{tpnum}
38199 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} exceeded its pass count.
38200
38201 @item terror:@var{text}:@var{tpnum}
38202 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} had an error. The
38203 string @var{text} is available to describe the nature of the error
38204 (for instance, a divide by zero in the condition expression).
38205 @var{text} is hex encoded.
38206
38207 @item tunknown:0
38208 The trace stopped for some other reason.
38209
38210 @end table
38211
38212 Additional optional fields supply statistical and other information.
38213 Although not required, they are extremely useful for users monitoring
38214 the progress of a trace run. If a trace has stopped, and these
38215 numbers are reported, they must reflect the state of the just-stopped
38216 trace.
38217
38218 @table @samp
38219
38220 @item tframes:@var{n}
38221 The number of trace frames in the buffer.
38222
38223 @item tcreated:@var{n}
38224 The total number of trace frames created during the run. This may
38225 be larger than the trace frame count, if the buffer is circular.
38226
38227 @item tsize:@var{n}
38228 The total size of the trace buffer, in bytes.
38229
38230 @item tfree:@var{n}
38231 The number of bytes still unused in the buffer.
38232
38233 @item circular:@var{n}
38234 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
38235 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
38236 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
38237 and may fill up.
38238
38239 @item disconn:@var{n}
38240 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
38241 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
38242 that the trace run will stop.
38243
38244 @end table
38245
38246 @item qTP:@var{tp}:@var{addr}
38247 @cindex tracepoint status, remote request
38248 @cindex @samp{qTP} packet
38249 Ask the stub for the current state of tracepoint number @var{tp} at
38250 address @var{addr}.
38251
38252 Replies:
38253 @table @samp
38254 @item V@var{hits}:@var{usage}
38255 The tracepoint has been hit @var{hits} times so far during the trace
38256 run, and accounts for @var{usage} in the trace buffer. Note that
38257 @code{while-stepping} steps are not counted as separate hits, but the
38258 steps' space consumption is added into the usage number.
38259
38260 @end table
38261
38262 @item qTV:@var{var}
38263 @cindex trace state variable value, remote request
38264 @cindex @samp{qTV} packet
38265 Ask the stub for the value of the trace state variable number @var{var}.
38266
38267 Replies:
38268 @table @samp
38269 @item V@var{value}
38270 The value of the variable is @var{value}. This will be the current
38271 value of the variable if the user is examining a running target, or a
38272 saved value if the variable was collected in the trace frame that the
38273 user is looking at. Note that multiple requests may result in
38274 different reply values, such as when requesting values while the
38275 program is running.
38276
38277 @item U
38278 The value of the variable is unknown. This would occur, for example,
38279 if the user is examining a trace frame in which the requested variable
38280 was not collected.
38281 @end table
38282
38283 @item qTfP
38284 @cindex @samp{qTfP} packet
38285 @itemx qTsP
38286 @cindex @samp{qTsP} packet
38287 These packets request data about tracepoints that are being used by
38288 the target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfP} to get the first piece
38289 of data, and multiple @code{qTsP} to get additional pieces. Replies
38290 to these packets generally take the form of the @code{QTDP} packets
38291 that define tracepoints. (FIXME add detailed syntax)
38292
38293 @item qTfV
38294 @cindex @samp{qTfV} packet
38295 @itemx qTsV
38296 @cindex @samp{qTsV} packet
38297 These packets request data about trace state variables that are on the
38298 target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfV} to get the first vari of data,
38299 and multiple @code{qTsV} to get additional variables. Replies to
38300 these packets follow the syntax of the @code{QTDV} packets that define
38301 trace state variables.
38302
38303 @item qTfSTM
38304 @itemx qTsSTM
38305 @anchor{qTfSTM}
38306 @anchor{qTsSTM}
38307 @cindex @samp{qTfSTM} packet
38308 @cindex @samp{qTsSTM} packet
38309 These packets request data about static tracepoint markers that exist
38310 in the target program. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfSTM} to get the
38311 first piece of data, and multiple @code{qTsSTM} to get additional
38312 pieces. Replies to these packets take the following form:
38313
38314 Reply:
38315 @table @samp
38316 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}
38317 A single marker
38318 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra},@var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}@dots{}
38319 a comma-separated list of markers
38320 @item l
38321 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
38322 @item E @var{nn}
38323 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
38324 @item
38325 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the
38326 stub.
38327 @end table
38328
38329 @var{address} is encoded in hex.
38330 @var{id} and @var{extra} are strings encoded in hex.
38331
38332 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
38333 more markers, separated by commas. @value{GDBN} will respond to each
38334 reply with a request for more markers (using the @samp{qs} form of the
38335 query), until the target responds with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for
38336 @dfn{last}).
38337
38338 @item qTSTMat:@var{address}
38339 @anchor{qTSTMat}
38340 @cindex @samp{qTSTMat} packet
38341 This packets requests data about static tracepoint markers in the
38342 target program at @var{address}. Replies to this packet follow the
38343 syntax of the @samp{qTfSTM} and @code{qTsSTM} packets that list static
38344 tracepoint markers.
38345
38346 @item QTSave:@var{filename}
38347 @cindex @samp{QTSave} packet
38348 This packet directs the target to save trace data to the file name
38349 @var{filename} in the target's filesystem. @var{filename} is encoded
38350 as a hex string; the interpretation of the file name (relative vs
38351 absolute, wild cards, etc) is up to the target.
38352
38353 @item qTBuffer:@var{offset},@var{len}
38354 @cindex @samp{qTBuffer} packet
38355 Return up to @var{len} bytes of the current contents of trace buffer,
38356 starting at @var{offset}. The trace buffer is treated as if it were
38357 a contiguous collection of traceframes, as per the trace file format.
38358 The reply consists as many hex-encoded bytes as the target can deliver
38359 in a packet; it is not an error to return fewer than were asked for.
38360 A reply consisting of just @code{l} indicates that no bytes are
38361 available.
38362
38363 @item QTBuffer:circular:@var{value}
38364 This packet directs the target to use a circular trace buffer if
38365 @var{value} is 1, or a linear buffer if the value is 0.
38366
38367 @item QTNotes:@r{[}@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@r{[};@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@dots{}
38368 @cindex @samp{QTNotes} packet
38369 This packet adds optional textual notes to the trace run. Allowable
38370 types include @code{user}, @code{notes}, and @code{tstop}, the
38371 @var{text} fields are arbitrary strings, hex-encoded.
38372
38373 @end table
38374
38375 @subsection Relocate instruction reply packet
38376 When installing fast tracepoints in memory, the target may need to
38377 relocate the instruction currently at the tracepoint address to a
38378 different address in memory. For most instructions, a simple copy is
38379 enough, but, for example, call instructions that implicitly push the
38380 return address on the stack, and relative branches or other
38381 PC-relative instructions require offset adjustment, so that the effect
38382 of executing the instruction at a different address is the same as if
38383 it had executed in the original location.
38384
38385 In response to several of the tracepoint packets, the target may also
38386 respond with a number of intermediate @samp{qRelocInsn} request
38387 packets before the final result packet, to have @value{GDBN} handle
38388 this relocation operation. If a packet supports this mechanism, its
38389 documentation will explicitly say so. See for example the above
38390 descriptions for the @samp{QTStart} and @samp{QTDP} packets. The
38391 format of the request is:
38392
38393 @table @samp
38394 @item qRelocInsn:@var{from};@var{to}
38395
38396 This requests @value{GDBN} to copy instruction at address @var{from}
38397 to address @var{to}, possibly adjusted so that executing the
38398 instruction at @var{to} has the same effect as executing it at
38399 @var{from}. @value{GDBN} writes the adjusted instruction to target
38400 memory starting at @var{to}.
38401 @end table
38402
38403 Replies:
38404 @table @samp
38405 @item qRelocInsn:@var{adjusted_size}
38406 Informs the stub the relocation is complete. @var{adjusted_size} is
38407 the length in bytes of resulting relocated instruction sequence.
38408 @item E @var{NN}
38409 A badly formed request was detected, or an error was encountered while
38410 relocating the instruction.
38411 @end table
38412
38413 @node Host I/O Packets
38414 @section Host I/O Packets
38415 @cindex Host I/O, remote protocol
38416 @cindex file transfer, remote protocol
38417
38418 The @dfn{Host I/O} packets allow @value{GDBN} to perform I/O
38419 operations on the far side of a remote link. For example, Host I/O is
38420 used to upload and download files to a remote target with its own
38421 filesystem. Host I/O uses the same constant values and data structure
38422 layout as the target-initiated File-I/O protocol. However, the
38423 Host I/O packets are structured differently. The target-initiated
38424 protocol relies on target memory to store parameters and buffers.
38425 Host I/O requests are initiated by @value{GDBN}, and the
38426 target's memory is not involved. @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol
38427 Extension}, for more details on the target-initiated protocol.
38428
38429 The Host I/O request packets all encode a single operation along with
38430 its arguments. They have this format:
38431
38432 @table @samp
38433
38434 @item vFile:@var{operation}: @var{parameter}@dots{}
38435 @var{operation} is the name of the particular request; the target
38436 should compare the entire packet name up to the second colon when checking
38437 for a supported operation. The format of @var{parameter} depends on
38438 the operation. Numbers are always passed in hexadecimal. Negative
38439 numbers have an explicit minus sign (i.e.@: two's complement is not
38440 used). Strings (e.g.@: filenames) are encoded as a series of
38441 hexadecimal bytes. The last argument to a system call may be a
38442 buffer of escaped binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
38443
38444 @end table
38445
38446 The valid responses to Host I/O packets are:
38447
38448 @table @samp
38449
38450 @item F @var{result} [, @var{errno}] [; @var{attachment}]
38451 @var{result} is the integer value returned by this operation, usually
38452 non-negative for success and -1 for errors. If an error has occured,
38453 @var{errno} will be included in the result. @var{errno} will have a
38454 value defined by the File-I/O protocol (@pxref{Errno Values}). For
38455 operations which return data, @var{attachment} supplies the data as a
38456 binary buffer. Binary buffers in response packets are escaped in the
38457 normal way (@pxref{Binary Data}). See the individual packet
38458 documentation for the interpretation of @var{result} and
38459 @var{attachment}.
38460
38461 @item
38462 An empty response indicates that this operation is not recognized.
38463
38464 @end table
38465
38466 These are the supported Host I/O operations:
38467
38468 @table @samp
38469 @item vFile:open: @var{pathname}, @var{flags}, @var{mode}
38470 Open a file at @var{pathname} and return a file descriptor for it, or
38471 return -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string,
38472 @var{flags} is an integer indicating a mask of open flags
38473 (@pxref{Open Flags}), and @var{mode} is an integer indicating a mask
38474 of mode bits to use if the file is created (@pxref{mode_t Values}).
38475 @xref{open}, for details of the open flags and mode values.
38476
38477 @item vFile:close: @var{fd}
38478 Close the open file corresponding to @var{fd} and return 0, or
38479 -1 if an error occurs.
38480
38481 @item vFile:pread: @var{fd}, @var{count}, @var{offset}
38482 Read data from the open file corresponding to @var{fd}. Up to
38483 @var{count} bytes will be read from the file, starting at @var{offset}
38484 relative to the start of the file. The target may read fewer bytes;
38485 common reasons include packet size limits and an end-of-file
38486 condition. The number of bytes read is returned. Zero should only be
38487 returned for a successful read at the end of the file, or if
38488 @var{count} was zero.
38489
38490 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
38491 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
38492 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
38493 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
38494 some characters were escaped.
38495
38496 @item vFile:pwrite: @var{fd}, @var{offset}, @var{data}
38497 Write @var{data} (a binary buffer) to the open file corresponding
38498 to @var{fd}. Start the write at @var{offset} from the start of the
38499 file. Unlike many @code{write} system calls, there is no
38500 separate @var{count} argument; the length of @var{data} in the
38501 packet is used. @samp{vFile:write} returns the number of bytes written,
38502 which may be shorter than the length of @var{data}, or -1 if an
38503 error occurred.
38504
38505 @item vFile:unlink: @var{pathname}
38506 Delete the file at @var{pathname} on the target. Return 0,
38507 or -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string.
38508
38509 @item vFile:readlink: @var{filename}
38510 Read value of symbolic link @var{filename} on the target. Return
38511 the number of bytes read, or -1 if an error occurs.
38512
38513 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
38514 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
38515 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
38516 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
38517 some characters were escaped.
38518
38519 @end table
38520
38521 @node Interrupts
38522 @section Interrupts
38523 @cindex interrupts (remote protocol)
38524
38525 When a program on the remote target is running, @value{GDBN} may
38526 attempt to interrupt it by sending a @samp{Ctrl-C}, @code{BREAK} or
38527 a @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g},
38528 control of which is specified via @value{GDBN}'s @samp{interrupt-sequence}.
38529
38530 The precise meaning of @code{BREAK} is defined by the transport
38531 mechanism and may, in fact, be undefined. @value{GDBN} does not
38532 currently define a @code{BREAK} mechanism for any of the network
38533 interfaces except for TCP, in which case @value{GDBN} sends the
38534 @code{telnet} BREAK sequence.
38535
38536 @samp{Ctrl-C}, on the other hand, is defined and implemented for all
38537 transport mechanisms. It is represented by sending the single byte
38538 @code{0x03} without any of the usual packet overhead described in
38539 the Overview section (@pxref{Overview}). When a @code{0x03} byte is
38540 transmitted as part of a packet, it is considered to be packet data
38541 and does @emph{not} represent an interrupt. E.g., an @samp{X} packet
38542 (@pxref{X packet}), used for binary downloads, may include an unescaped
38543 @code{0x03} as part of its packet.
38544
38545 @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g} is also known as Magic SysRq g.
38546 When Linux kernel receives this sequence from serial port,
38547 it stops execution and connects to gdb.
38548
38549 Stubs are not required to recognize these interrupt mechanisms and the
38550 precise meaning associated with receipt of the interrupt is
38551 implementation defined. If the target supports debugging of multiple
38552 threads and/or processes, it should attempt to interrupt all
38553 currently-executing threads and processes.
38554 If the stub is successful at interrupting the
38555 running program, it should send one of the stop
38556 reply packets (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}) to @value{GDBN} as a result
38557 of successfully stopping the program in all-stop mode, and a stop reply
38558 for each stopped thread in non-stop mode.
38559 Interrupts received while the
38560 program is stopped are discarded.
38561
38562 @node Notification Packets
38563 @section Notification Packets
38564 @cindex notification packets
38565 @cindex packets, notification
38566
38567 The @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol includes @dfn{notifications},
38568 packets that require no acknowledgment. Both the GDB and the stub
38569 may send notifications (although the only notifications defined at
38570 present are sent by the stub). Notifications carry information
38571 without incurring the round-trip latency of an acknowledgment, and so
38572 are useful for low-impact communications where occasional packet loss
38573 is not a problem.
38574
38575 A notification packet has the form @samp{% @var{data} #
38576 @var{checksum}}, where @var{data} is the content of the notification,
38577 and @var{checksum} is a checksum of @var{data}, computed and formatted
38578 as for ordinary @value{GDBN} packets. A notification's @var{data}
38579 never contains @samp{$}, @samp{%} or @samp{#} characters. Upon
38580 receiving a notification, the recipient sends no @samp{+} or @samp{-}
38581 to acknowledge the notification's receipt or to report its corruption.
38582
38583 Every notification's @var{data} begins with a name, which contains no
38584 colon characters, followed by a colon character.
38585
38586 Recipients should silently ignore corrupted notifications and
38587 notifications they do not understand. Recipients should restart
38588 timeout periods on receipt of a well-formed notification, whether or
38589 not they understand it.
38590
38591 Senders should only send the notifications described here when this
38592 protocol description specifies that they are permitted. In the
38593 future, we may extend the protocol to permit existing notifications in
38594 new contexts; this rule helps older senders avoid confusing newer
38595 recipients.
38596
38597 (Older versions of @value{GDBN} ignore bytes received until they see
38598 the @samp{$} byte that begins an ordinary packet, so new stubs may
38599 transmit notifications without fear of confusing older clients. There
38600 are no notifications defined for @value{GDBN} to send at the moment, but we
38601 assume that most older stubs would ignore them, as well.)
38602
38603 Each notification is comprised of three parts:
38604 @table @samp
38605 @item @var{name}:@var{event}
38606 The notification packet is sent by the side that initiates the
38607 exchange (currently, only the stub does that), with @var{event}
38608 carrying the specific information about the notification.
38609 @var{name} is the name of the notification.
38610 @item @var{ack}
38611 The acknowledge sent by the other side, usually @value{GDBN}, to
38612 acknowledge the exchange and request the event.
38613 @end table
38614
38615 The purpose of an asynchronous notification mechanism is to report to
38616 @value{GDBN} that something interesting happened in the remote stub.
38617
38618 The remote stub may send notification @var{name}:@var{event}
38619 at any time, but @value{GDBN} acknowledges the notification when
38620 appropriate. The notification event is pending before @value{GDBN}
38621 acknowledges. Only one notification at a time may be pending; if
38622 additional events occur before @value{GDBN} has acknowledged the
38623 previous notification, they must be queued by the stub for later
38624 synchronous transmission in response to @var{ack} packets from
38625 @value{GDBN}. Because the notification mechanism is unreliable,
38626 the stub is permitted to resend a notification if it believes
38627 @value{GDBN} may not have received it.
38628
38629 Specifically, notifications may appear when @value{GDBN} is not
38630 otherwise reading input from the stub, or when @value{GDBN} is
38631 expecting to read a normal synchronous response or a
38632 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgment to a packet it has sent.
38633 Notification packets are distinct from any other communication from
38634 the stub so there is no ambiguity.
38635
38636 After receiving a notification, @value{GDBN} shall acknowledge it by
38637 sending a @var{ack} packet as a regular, synchronous request to the
38638 stub. Such acknowledgment is not required to happen immediately, as
38639 @value{GDBN} is permitted to send other, unrelated packets to the
38640 stub first, which the stub should process normally.
38641
38642 Upon receiving a @var{ack} packet, if the stub has other queued
38643 events to report to @value{GDBN}, it shall respond by sending a
38644 normal @var{event}. @value{GDBN} shall then send another @var{ack}
38645 packet to solicit further responses; again, it is permitted to send
38646 other, unrelated packets as well which the stub should process
38647 normally.
38648
38649 If the stub receives a @var{ack} packet and there are no additional
38650 @var{event} to report, the stub shall return an @samp{OK} response.
38651 At this point, @value{GDBN} has finished processing a notification
38652 and the stub has completed sending any queued events. @value{GDBN}
38653 won't accept any new notifications until the final @samp{OK} is
38654 received . If further notification events occur, the stub shall send
38655 a new notification, @value{GDBN} shall accept the notification, and
38656 the process shall be repeated.
38657
38658 The process of asynchronous notification can be illustrated by the
38659 following example:
38660 @smallexample
38661 <- @code{%%Stop:T0505:98e7ffbf;04:4ce6ffbf;08:b1b6e54c;thread:p7526.7526;core:0;}
38662 @code{...}
38663 -> @code{vStopped}
38664 <- @code{T0505:68f37db7;04:40f37db7;08:63850408;thread:p7526.7528;core:0;}
38665 -> @code{vStopped}
38666 <- @code{T0505:68e3fdb6;04:40e3fdb6;08:63850408;thread:p7526.7529;core:0;}
38667 -> @code{vStopped}
38668 <- @code{OK}
38669 @end smallexample
38670
38671 The following notifications are defined:
38672 @multitable @columnfractions 0.12 0.12 0.38 0.38
38673
38674 @item Notification
38675 @tab Ack
38676 @tab Event
38677 @tab Description
38678
38679 @item Stop
38680 @tab vStopped
38681 @tab @var{reply}. The @var{reply} has the form of a stop reply, as
38682 described in @ref{Stop Reply Packets}. Refer to @ref{Remote Non-Stop},
38683 for information on how these notifications are acknowledged by
38684 @value{GDBN}.
38685 @tab Report an asynchronous stop event in non-stop mode.
38686
38687 @end multitable
38688
38689 @node Remote Non-Stop
38690 @section Remote Protocol Support for Non-Stop Mode
38691
38692 @value{GDBN}'s remote protocol supports non-stop debugging of
38693 multi-threaded programs, as described in @ref{Non-Stop Mode}. If the stub
38694 supports non-stop mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN} by including
38695 @samp{QNonStop+} in its @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38696
38697 @value{GDBN} typically sends a @samp{QNonStop} packet only when
38698 establishing a new connection with the stub. Entering non-stop mode
38699 does not alter the state of any currently-running threads, but targets
38700 must stop all threads in any already-attached processes when entering
38701 all-stop mode. @value{GDBN} uses the @samp{?} packet as necessary to
38702 probe the target state after a mode change.
38703
38704 In non-stop mode, when an attached process encounters an event that
38705 would otherwise be reported with a stop reply, it uses the
38706 asynchronous notification mechanism (@pxref{Notification Packets}) to
38707 inform @value{GDBN}. In contrast to all-stop mode, where all threads
38708 in all processes are stopped when a stop reply is sent, in non-stop
38709 mode only the thread reporting the stop event is stopped. That is,
38710 when reporting a @samp{S} or @samp{T} response to indicate completion
38711 of a step operation, hitting a breakpoint, or a fault, only the
38712 affected thread is stopped; any other still-running threads continue
38713 to run. When reporting a @samp{W} or @samp{X} response, all running
38714 threads belonging to other attached processes continue to run.
38715
38716 In non-stop mode, the target shall respond to the @samp{?} packet as
38717 follows. First, any incomplete stop reply notification/@samp{vStopped}
38718 sequence in progress is abandoned. The target must begin a new
38719 sequence reporting stop events for all stopped threads, whether or not
38720 it has previously reported those events to @value{GDBN}. The first
38721 stop reply is sent as a synchronous reply to the @samp{?} packet, and
38722 subsequent stop replies are sent as responses to @samp{vStopped} packets
38723 using the mechanism described above. The target must not send
38724 asynchronous stop reply notifications until the sequence is complete.
38725 If all threads are running when the target receives the @samp{?} packet,
38726 or if the target is not attached to any process, it shall respond
38727 @samp{OK}.
38728
38729 @node Packet Acknowledgment
38730 @section Packet Acknowledgment
38731
38732 @cindex acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
38733 @cindex packet acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
38734 By default, when either the host or the target machine receives a packet,
38735 the first response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
38736 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request retransmission).
38737 This mechanism allows the @value{GDBN} remote protocol to operate over
38738 unreliable transport mechanisms, such as a serial line.
38739
38740 In cases where the transport mechanism is itself reliable (such as a pipe or
38741 TCP connection), the @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are redundant.
38742 It may be desirable to disable them in that case to reduce communication
38743 overhead, or for other reasons. This can be accomplished by means of the
38744 @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet; @pxref{QStartNoAckMode}.
38745
38746 When in no-acknowledgment mode, neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or
38747 expect @samp{+}/@samp{-} protocol acknowledgments. The packet
38748 and response format still includes the normal checksum, as described in
38749 @ref{Overview}, but the checksum may be ignored by the receiver.
38750
38751 If the stub supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and prefers to operate in
38752 no-acknowledgment mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN}
38753 by including @samp{QStartNoAckMode+} in its response to @samp{qSupported};
38754 @pxref{qSupported}.
38755 If @value{GDBN} also supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and it has not been
38756 disabled via the @code{set remote noack-packet off} command
38757 (@pxref{Remote Configuration}),
38758 @value{GDBN} may then send a @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet to the stub.
38759 Only then may the stub actually turn off packet acknowledgments.
38760 @value{GDBN} sends a final @samp{+} acknowledgment of the stub's @samp{OK}
38761 response, which can be safely ignored by the stub.
38762
38763 Note that @code{set remote noack-packet} command only affects negotiation
38764 between @value{GDBN} and the stub when subsequent connections are made;
38765 it does not affect the protocol acknowledgment state for any current
38766 connection.
38767 Since @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are enabled by default when a
38768 new connection is established,
38769 there is also no protocol request to re-enable the acknowledgments
38770 for the current connection, once disabled.
38771
38772 @node Examples
38773 @section Examples
38774
38775 Example sequence of a target being re-started. Notice how the restart
38776 does not get any direct output:
38777
38778 @smallexample
38779 -> @code{R00}
38780 <- @code{+}
38781 @emph{target restarts}
38782 -> @code{?}
38783 <- @code{+}
38784 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
38785 -> @code{+}
38786 @end smallexample
38787
38788 Example sequence of a target being stepped by a single instruction:
38789
38790 @smallexample
38791 -> @code{G1445@dots{}}
38792 <- @code{+}
38793 -> @code{s}
38794 <- @code{+}
38795 @emph{time passes}
38796 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
38797 -> @code{+}
38798 -> @code{g}
38799 <- @code{+}
38800 <- @code{1455@dots{}}
38801 -> @code{+}
38802 @end smallexample
38803
38804 @node File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
38805 @section File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
38806 @cindex File-I/O remote protocol extension
38807
38808 @menu
38809 * File-I/O Overview::
38810 * Protocol Basics::
38811 * The F Request Packet::
38812 * The F Reply Packet::
38813 * The Ctrl-C Message::
38814 * Console I/O::
38815 * List of Supported Calls::
38816 * Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes::
38817 * Constants::
38818 * File-I/O Examples::
38819 @end menu
38820
38821 @node File-I/O Overview
38822 @subsection File-I/O Overview
38823 @cindex file-i/o overview
38824
38825 The @dfn{File I/O remote protocol extension} (short: File-I/O) allows the
38826 target to use the host's file system and console I/O to perform various
38827 system calls. System calls on the target system are translated into a
38828 remote protocol packet to the host system, which then performs the needed
38829 actions and returns a response packet to the target system.
38830 This simulates file system operations even on targets that lack file systems.
38831
38832 The protocol is defined to be independent of both the host and target systems.
38833 It uses its own internal representation of datatypes and values. Both
38834 @value{GDBN} and the target's @value{GDBN} stub are responsible for
38835 translating the system-dependent value representations into the internal
38836 protocol representations when data is transmitted.
38837
38838 The communication is synchronous. A system call is possible only when
38839 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
38840 or @samp{s} packets. While @value{GDBN} handles the request for a system call,
38841 the target is stopped to allow deterministic access to the target's
38842 memory. Therefore File-I/O is not interruptible by target signals. On
38843 the other hand, it is possible to interrupt File-I/O by a user interrupt
38844 (@samp{Ctrl-C}) within @value{GDBN}.
38845
38846 The target's request to perform a host system call does not finish
38847 the latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} action. That means,
38848 after finishing the system call, the target returns to continuing the
38849 previous activity (continue, step). No additional continue or step
38850 request from @value{GDBN} is required.
38851
38852 @smallexample
38853 (@value{GDBP}) continue
38854 <- target requests 'system call X'
38855 target is stopped, @value{GDBN} executes system call
38856 -> @value{GDBN} returns result
38857 ... target continues, @value{GDBN} returns to wait for the target
38858 <- target hits breakpoint and sends a Txx packet
38859 @end smallexample
38860
38861 The protocol only supports I/O on the console and to regular files on
38862 the host file system. Character or block special devices, pipes,
38863 named pipes, sockets or any other communication method on the host
38864 system are not supported by this protocol.
38865
38866 File I/O is not supported in non-stop mode.
38867
38868 @node Protocol Basics
38869 @subsection Protocol Basics
38870 @cindex protocol basics, file-i/o
38871
38872 The File-I/O protocol uses the @code{F} packet as the request as well
38873 as reply packet. Since a File-I/O system call can only occur when
38874 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the continuing or stepping target,
38875 the File-I/O request is a reply that @value{GDBN} has to expect as a result
38876 of a previous @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} packet.
38877 This @code{F} packet contains all information needed to allow @value{GDBN}
38878 to call the appropriate host system call:
38879
38880 @itemize @bullet
38881 @item
38882 A unique identifier for the requested system call.
38883
38884 @item
38885 All parameters to the system call. Pointers are given as addresses
38886 in the target memory address space. Pointers to strings are given as
38887 pointer/length pair. Numerical values are given as they are.
38888 Numerical control flags are given in a protocol-specific representation.
38889
38890 @end itemize
38891
38892 At this point, @value{GDBN} has to perform the following actions.
38893
38894 @itemize @bullet
38895 @item
38896 If the parameters include pointer values to data needed as input to a
38897 system call, @value{GDBN} requests this data from the target with a
38898 standard @code{m} packet request. This additional communication has to be
38899 expected by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{m}
38900 packet.
38901
38902 @item
38903 @value{GDBN} translates all value from protocol representation to host
38904 representation as needed. Datatypes are coerced into the host types.
38905
38906 @item
38907 @value{GDBN} calls the system call.
38908
38909 @item
38910 It then coerces datatypes back to protocol representation.
38911
38912 @item
38913 If the system call is expected to return data in buffer space specified
38914 by pointer parameters to the call, the data is transmitted to the
38915 target using a @code{M} or @code{X} packet. This packet has to be expected
38916 by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{M} or @code{X}
38917 packet.
38918
38919 @end itemize
38920
38921 Eventually @value{GDBN} replies with another @code{F} packet which contains all
38922 necessary information for the target to continue. This at least contains
38923
38924 @itemize @bullet
38925 @item
38926 Return value.
38927
38928 @item
38929 @code{errno}, if has been changed by the system call.
38930
38931 @item
38932 ``Ctrl-C'' flag.
38933
38934 @end itemize
38935
38936 After having done the needed type and value coercion, the target continues
38937 the latest continue or step action.
38938
38939 @node The F Request Packet
38940 @subsection The @code{F} Request Packet
38941 @cindex file-i/o request packet
38942 @cindex @code{F} request packet
38943
38944 The @code{F} request packet has the following format:
38945
38946 @table @samp
38947 @item F@var{call-id},@var{parameter@dots{}}
38948
38949 @var{call-id} is the identifier to indicate the host system call to be called.
38950 This is just the name of the function.
38951
38952 @var{parameter@dots{}} are the parameters to the system call.
38953 Parameters are hexadecimal integer values, either the actual values in case
38954 of scalar datatypes, pointers to target buffer space in case of compound
38955 datatypes and unspecified memory areas, or pointer/length pairs in case
38956 of string parameters. These are appended to the @var{call-id} as a
38957 comma-delimited list. All values are transmitted in ASCII
38958 string representation, pointer/length pairs separated by a slash.
38959
38960 @end table
38961
38962
38963
38964 @node The F Reply Packet
38965 @subsection The @code{F} Reply Packet
38966 @cindex file-i/o reply packet
38967 @cindex @code{F} reply packet
38968
38969 The @code{F} reply packet has the following format:
38970
38971 @table @samp
38972
38973 @item F@var{retcode},@var{errno},@var{Ctrl-C flag};@var{call-specific attachment}
38974
38975 @var{retcode} is the return code of the system call as hexadecimal value.
38976
38977 @var{errno} is the @code{errno} set by the call, in protocol-specific
38978 representation.
38979 This parameter can be omitted if the call was successful.
38980
38981 @var{Ctrl-C flag} is only sent if the user requested a break. In this
38982 case, @var{errno} must be sent as well, even if the call was successful.
38983 The @var{Ctrl-C flag} itself consists of the character @samp{C}:
38984
38985 @smallexample
38986 F0,0,C
38987 @end smallexample
38988
38989 @noindent
38990 or, if the call was interrupted before the host call has been performed:
38991
38992 @smallexample
38993 F-1,4,C
38994 @end smallexample
38995
38996 @noindent
38997 assuming 4 is the protocol-specific representation of @code{EINTR}.
38998
38999 @end table
39000
39001
39002 @node The Ctrl-C Message
39003 @subsection The @samp{Ctrl-C} Message
39004 @cindex ctrl-c message, in file-i/o protocol
39005
39006 If the @samp{Ctrl-C} flag is set in the @value{GDBN}
39007 reply packet (@pxref{The F Reply Packet}),
39008 the target should behave as if it had
39009 gotten a break message. The meaning for the target is ``system call
39010 interrupted by @code{SIGINT}''. Consequentially, the target should actually stop
39011 (as with a break message) and return to @value{GDBN} with a @code{T02}
39012 packet.
39013
39014 It's important for the target to know in which
39015 state the system call was interrupted. There are two possible cases:
39016
39017 @itemize @bullet
39018 @item
39019 The system call hasn't been performed on the host yet.
39020
39021 @item
39022 The system call on the host has been finished.
39023
39024 @end itemize
39025
39026 These two states can be distinguished by the target by the value of the
39027 returned @code{errno}. If it's the protocol representation of @code{EINTR}, the system
39028 call hasn't been performed. This is equivalent to the @code{EINTR} handling
39029 on POSIX systems. In any other case, the target may presume that the
39030 system call has been finished --- successfully or not --- and should behave
39031 as if the break message arrived right after the system call.
39032
39033 @value{GDBN} must behave reliably. If the system call has not been called
39034 yet, @value{GDBN} may send the @code{F} reply immediately, setting @code{EINTR} as
39035 @code{errno} in the packet. If the system call on the host has been finished
39036 before the user requests a break, the full action must be finished by
39037 @value{GDBN}. This requires sending @code{M} or @code{X} packets as necessary.
39038 The @code{F} packet may only be sent when either nothing has happened
39039 or the full action has been completed.
39040
39041 @node Console I/O
39042 @subsection Console I/O
39043 @cindex console i/o as part of file-i/o
39044
39045 By default and if not explicitly closed by the target system, the file
39046 descriptors 0, 1 and 2 are connected to the @value{GDBN} console. Output
39047 on the @value{GDBN} console is handled as any other file output operation
39048 (@code{write(1, @dots{})} or @code{write(2, @dots{})}). Console input is handled
39049 by @value{GDBN} so that after the target read request from file descriptor
39050 0 all following typing is buffered until either one of the following
39051 conditions is met:
39052
39053 @itemize @bullet
39054 @item
39055 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-c}. The behaviour is as explained above, and the
39056 @code{read}
39057 system call is treated as finished.
39058
39059 @item
39060 The user presses @key{RET}. This is treated as end of input with a trailing
39061 newline.
39062
39063 @item
39064 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-d}. This is treated as end of input. No trailing
39065 character (neither newline nor @samp{Ctrl-D}) is appended to the input.
39066
39067 @end itemize
39068
39069 If the user has typed more characters than fit in the buffer given to
39070 the @code{read} call, the trailing characters are buffered in @value{GDBN} until
39071 either another @code{read(0, @dots{})} is requested by the target, or debugging
39072 is stopped at the user's request.
39073
39074
39075 @node List of Supported Calls
39076 @subsection List of Supported Calls
39077 @cindex list of supported file-i/o calls
39078
39079 @menu
39080 * open::
39081 * close::
39082 * read::
39083 * write::
39084 * lseek::
39085 * rename::
39086 * unlink::
39087 * stat/fstat::
39088 * gettimeofday::
39089 * isatty::
39090 * system::
39091 @end menu
39092
39093 @node open
39094 @unnumberedsubsubsec open
39095 @cindex open, file-i/o system call
39096
39097 @table @asis
39098 @item Synopsis:
39099 @smallexample
39100 int open(const char *pathname, int flags);
39101 int open(const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
39102 @end smallexample
39103
39104 @item Request:
39105 @samp{Fopen,@var{pathptr}/@var{len},@var{flags},@var{mode}}
39106
39107 @noindent
39108 @var{flags} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
39109
39110 @table @code
39111 @item O_CREAT
39112 If the file does not exist it will be created. The host
39113 rules apply as far as file ownership and time stamps
39114 are concerned.
39115
39116 @item O_EXCL
39117 When used with @code{O_CREAT}, if the file already exists it is
39118 an error and open() fails.
39119
39120 @item O_TRUNC
39121 If the file already exists and the open mode allows
39122 writing (@code{O_RDWR} or @code{O_WRONLY} is given) it will be
39123 truncated to zero length.
39124
39125 @item O_APPEND
39126 The file is opened in append mode.
39127
39128 @item O_RDONLY
39129 The file is opened for reading only.
39130
39131 @item O_WRONLY
39132 The file is opened for writing only.
39133
39134 @item O_RDWR
39135 The file is opened for reading and writing.
39136 @end table
39137
39138 @noindent
39139 Other bits are silently ignored.
39140
39141
39142 @noindent
39143 @var{mode} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
39144
39145 @table @code
39146 @item S_IRUSR
39147 User has read permission.
39148
39149 @item S_IWUSR
39150 User has write permission.
39151
39152 @item S_IRGRP
39153 Group has read permission.
39154
39155 @item S_IWGRP
39156 Group has write permission.
39157
39158 @item S_IROTH
39159 Others have read permission.
39160
39161 @item S_IWOTH
39162 Others have write permission.
39163 @end table
39164
39165 @noindent
39166 Other bits are silently ignored.
39167
39168
39169 @item Return value:
39170 @code{open} returns the new file descriptor or -1 if an error
39171 occurred.
39172
39173 @item Errors:
39174
39175 @table @code
39176 @item EEXIST
39177 @var{pathname} already exists and @code{O_CREAT} and @code{O_EXCL} were used.
39178
39179 @item EISDIR
39180 @var{pathname} refers to a directory.
39181
39182 @item EACCES
39183 The requested access is not allowed.
39184
39185 @item ENAMETOOLONG
39186 @var{pathname} was too long.
39187
39188 @item ENOENT
39189 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
39190
39191 @item ENODEV
39192 @var{pathname} refers to a device, pipe, named pipe or socket.
39193
39194 @item EROFS
39195 @var{pathname} refers to a file on a read-only filesystem and
39196 write access was requested.
39197
39198 @item EFAULT
39199 @var{pathname} is an invalid pointer value.
39200
39201 @item ENOSPC
39202 No space on device to create the file.
39203
39204 @item EMFILE
39205 The process already has the maximum number of files open.
39206
39207 @item ENFILE
39208 The limit on the total number of files open on the system
39209 has been reached.
39210
39211 @item EINTR
39212 The call was interrupted by the user.
39213 @end table
39214
39215 @end table
39216
39217 @node close
39218 @unnumberedsubsubsec close
39219 @cindex close, file-i/o system call
39220
39221 @table @asis
39222 @item Synopsis:
39223 @smallexample
39224 int close(int fd);
39225 @end smallexample
39226
39227 @item Request:
39228 @samp{Fclose,@var{fd}}
39229
39230 @item Return value:
39231 @code{close} returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred.
39232
39233 @item Errors:
39234
39235 @table @code
39236 @item EBADF
39237 @var{fd} isn't a valid open file descriptor.
39238
39239 @item EINTR
39240 The call was interrupted by the user.
39241 @end table
39242
39243 @end table
39244
39245 @node read
39246 @unnumberedsubsubsec read
39247 @cindex read, file-i/o system call
39248
39249 @table @asis
39250 @item Synopsis:
39251 @smallexample
39252 int read(int fd, void *buf, unsigned int count);
39253 @end smallexample
39254
39255 @item Request:
39256 @samp{Fread,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
39257
39258 @item Return value:
39259 On success, the number of bytes read is returned.
39260 Zero indicates end of file. If count is zero, read
39261 returns zero as well. On error, -1 is returned.
39262
39263 @item Errors:
39264
39265 @table @code
39266 @item EBADF
39267 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
39268 reading.
39269
39270 @item EFAULT
39271 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
39272
39273 @item EINTR
39274 The call was interrupted by the user.
39275 @end table
39276
39277 @end table
39278
39279 @node write
39280 @unnumberedsubsubsec write
39281 @cindex write, file-i/o system call
39282
39283 @table @asis
39284 @item Synopsis:
39285 @smallexample
39286 int write(int fd, const void *buf, unsigned int count);
39287 @end smallexample
39288
39289 @item Request:
39290 @samp{Fwrite,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
39291
39292 @item Return value:
39293 On success, the number of bytes written are returned.
39294 Zero indicates nothing was written. On error, -1
39295 is returned.
39296
39297 @item Errors:
39298
39299 @table @code
39300 @item EBADF
39301 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
39302 writing.
39303
39304 @item EFAULT
39305 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
39306
39307 @item EFBIG
39308 An attempt was made to write a file that exceeds the
39309 host-specific maximum file size allowed.
39310
39311 @item ENOSPC
39312 No space on device to write the data.
39313
39314 @item EINTR
39315 The call was interrupted by the user.
39316 @end table
39317
39318 @end table
39319
39320 @node lseek
39321 @unnumberedsubsubsec lseek
39322 @cindex lseek, file-i/o system call
39323
39324 @table @asis
39325 @item Synopsis:
39326 @smallexample
39327 long lseek (int fd, long offset, int flag);
39328 @end smallexample
39329
39330 @item Request:
39331 @samp{Flseek,@var{fd},@var{offset},@var{flag}}
39332
39333 @var{flag} is one of:
39334
39335 @table @code
39336 @item SEEK_SET
39337 The offset is set to @var{offset} bytes.
39338
39339 @item SEEK_CUR
39340 The offset is set to its current location plus @var{offset}
39341 bytes.
39342
39343 @item SEEK_END
39344 The offset is set to the size of the file plus @var{offset}
39345 bytes.
39346 @end table
39347
39348 @item Return value:
39349 On success, the resulting unsigned offset in bytes from
39350 the beginning of the file is returned. Otherwise, a
39351 value of -1 is returned.
39352
39353 @item Errors:
39354
39355 @table @code
39356 @item EBADF
39357 @var{fd} is not a valid open file descriptor.
39358
39359 @item ESPIPE
39360 @var{fd} is associated with the @value{GDBN} console.
39361
39362 @item EINVAL
39363 @var{flag} is not a proper value.
39364
39365 @item EINTR
39366 The call was interrupted by the user.
39367 @end table
39368
39369 @end table
39370
39371 @node rename
39372 @unnumberedsubsubsec rename
39373 @cindex rename, file-i/o system call
39374
39375 @table @asis
39376 @item Synopsis:
39377 @smallexample
39378 int rename(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);
39379 @end smallexample
39380
39381 @item Request:
39382 @samp{Frename,@var{oldpathptr}/@var{len},@var{newpathptr}/@var{len}}
39383
39384 @item Return value:
39385 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
39386
39387 @item Errors:
39388
39389 @table @code
39390 @item EISDIR
39391 @var{newpath} is an existing directory, but @var{oldpath} is not a
39392 directory.
39393
39394 @item EEXIST
39395 @var{newpath} is a non-empty directory.
39396
39397 @item EBUSY
39398 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} is a directory that is in use by some
39399 process.
39400
39401 @item EINVAL
39402 An attempt was made to make a directory a subdirectory
39403 of itself.
39404
39405 @item ENOTDIR
39406 A component used as a directory in @var{oldpath} or new
39407 path is not a directory. Or @var{oldpath} is a directory
39408 and @var{newpath} exists but is not a directory.
39409
39410 @item EFAULT
39411 @var{oldpathptr} or @var{newpathptr} are invalid pointer values.
39412
39413 @item EACCES
39414 No access to the file or the path of the file.
39415
39416 @item ENAMETOOLONG
39417
39418 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} was too long.
39419
39420 @item ENOENT
39421 A directory component in @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} does not exist.
39422
39423 @item EROFS
39424 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
39425
39426 @item ENOSPC
39427 The device containing the file has no room for the new
39428 directory entry.
39429
39430 @item EINTR
39431 The call was interrupted by the user.
39432 @end table
39433
39434 @end table
39435
39436 @node unlink
39437 @unnumberedsubsubsec unlink
39438 @cindex unlink, file-i/o system call
39439
39440 @table @asis
39441 @item Synopsis:
39442 @smallexample
39443 int unlink(const char *pathname);
39444 @end smallexample
39445
39446 @item Request:
39447 @samp{Funlink,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len}}
39448
39449 @item Return value:
39450 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
39451
39452 @item Errors:
39453
39454 @table @code
39455 @item EACCES
39456 No access to the file or the path of the file.
39457
39458 @item EPERM
39459 The system does not allow unlinking of directories.
39460
39461 @item EBUSY
39462 The file @var{pathname} cannot be unlinked because it's
39463 being used by another process.
39464
39465 @item EFAULT
39466 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
39467
39468 @item ENAMETOOLONG
39469 @var{pathname} was too long.
39470
39471 @item ENOENT
39472 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
39473
39474 @item ENOTDIR
39475 A component of the path is not a directory.
39476
39477 @item EROFS
39478 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
39479
39480 @item EINTR
39481 The call was interrupted by the user.
39482 @end table
39483
39484 @end table
39485
39486 @node stat/fstat
39487 @unnumberedsubsubsec stat/fstat
39488 @cindex fstat, file-i/o system call
39489 @cindex stat, file-i/o system call
39490
39491 @table @asis
39492 @item Synopsis:
39493 @smallexample
39494 int stat(const char *pathname, struct stat *buf);
39495 int fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
39496 @end smallexample
39497
39498 @item Request:
39499 @samp{Fstat,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len},@var{bufptr}}@*
39500 @samp{Ffstat,@var{fd},@var{bufptr}}
39501
39502 @item Return value:
39503 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
39504
39505 @item Errors:
39506
39507 @table @code
39508 @item EBADF
39509 @var{fd} is not a valid open file.
39510
39511 @item ENOENT
39512 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist or the
39513 path is an empty string.
39514
39515 @item ENOTDIR
39516 A component of the path is not a directory.
39517
39518 @item EFAULT
39519 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
39520
39521 @item EACCES
39522 No access to the file or the path of the file.
39523
39524 @item ENAMETOOLONG
39525 @var{pathname} was too long.
39526
39527 @item EINTR
39528 The call was interrupted by the user.
39529 @end table
39530
39531 @end table
39532
39533 @node gettimeofday
39534 @unnumberedsubsubsec gettimeofday
39535 @cindex gettimeofday, file-i/o system call
39536
39537 @table @asis
39538 @item Synopsis:
39539 @smallexample
39540 int gettimeofday(struct timeval *tv, void *tz);
39541 @end smallexample
39542
39543 @item Request:
39544 @samp{Fgettimeofday,@var{tvptr},@var{tzptr}}
39545
39546 @item Return value:
39547 On success, 0 is returned, -1 otherwise.
39548
39549 @item Errors:
39550
39551 @table @code
39552 @item EINVAL
39553 @var{tz} is a non-NULL pointer.
39554
39555 @item EFAULT
39556 @var{tvptr} and/or @var{tzptr} is an invalid pointer value.
39557 @end table
39558
39559 @end table
39560
39561 @node isatty
39562 @unnumberedsubsubsec isatty
39563 @cindex isatty, file-i/o system call
39564
39565 @table @asis
39566 @item Synopsis:
39567 @smallexample
39568 int isatty(int fd);
39569 @end smallexample
39570
39571 @item Request:
39572 @samp{Fisatty,@var{fd}}
39573
39574 @item Return value:
39575 Returns 1 if @var{fd} refers to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise.
39576
39577 @item Errors:
39578
39579 @table @code
39580 @item EINTR
39581 The call was interrupted by the user.
39582 @end table
39583
39584 @end table
39585
39586 Note that the @code{isatty} call is treated as a special case: it returns
39587 1 to the target if the file descriptor is attached
39588 to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise. Implementing through system calls
39589 would require implementing @code{ioctl} and would be more complex than
39590 needed.
39591
39592
39593 @node system
39594 @unnumberedsubsubsec system
39595 @cindex system, file-i/o system call
39596
39597 @table @asis
39598 @item Synopsis:
39599 @smallexample
39600 int system(const char *command);
39601 @end smallexample
39602
39603 @item Request:
39604 @samp{Fsystem,@var{commandptr}/@var{len}}
39605
39606 @item Return value:
39607 If @var{len} is zero, the return value indicates whether a shell is
39608 available. A zero return value indicates a shell is not available.
39609 For non-zero @var{len}, the value returned is -1 on error and the
39610 return status of the command otherwise. Only the exit status of the
39611 command is returned, which is extracted from the host's @code{system}
39612 return value by calling @code{WEXITSTATUS(retval)}. In case
39613 @file{/bin/sh} could not be executed, 127 is returned.
39614
39615 @item Errors:
39616
39617 @table @code
39618 @item EINTR
39619 The call was interrupted by the user.
39620 @end table
39621
39622 @end table
39623
39624 @value{GDBN} takes over the full task of calling the necessary host calls
39625 to perform the @code{system} call. The return value of @code{system} on
39626 the host is simplified before it's returned
39627 to the target. Any termination signal information from the child process
39628 is discarded, and the return value consists
39629 entirely of the exit status of the called command.
39630
39631 Due to security concerns, the @code{system} call is by default refused
39632 by @value{GDBN}. The user has to allow this call explicitly with the
39633 @code{set remote system-call-allowed 1} command.
39634
39635 @table @code
39636 @item set remote system-call-allowed
39637 @kindex set remote system-call-allowed
39638 Control whether to allow the @code{system} calls in the File I/O
39639 protocol for the remote target. The default is zero (disabled).
39640
39641 @item show remote system-call-allowed
39642 @kindex show remote system-call-allowed
39643 Show whether the @code{system} calls are allowed in the File I/O
39644 protocol.
39645 @end table
39646
39647 @node Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
39648 @subsection Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
39649 @cindex protocol-specific representation of datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
39650
39651 @menu
39652 * Integral Datatypes::
39653 * Pointer Values::
39654 * Memory Transfer::
39655 * struct stat::
39656 * struct timeval::
39657 @end menu
39658
39659 @node Integral Datatypes
39660 @unnumberedsubsubsec Integral Datatypes
39661 @cindex integral datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
39662
39663 The integral datatypes used in the system calls are @code{int},
39664 @code{unsigned int}, @code{long}, @code{unsigned long},
39665 @code{mode_t}, and @code{time_t}.
39666
39667 @code{int}, @code{unsigned int}, @code{mode_t} and @code{time_t} are
39668 implemented as 32 bit values in this protocol.
39669
39670 @code{long} and @code{unsigned long} are implemented as 64 bit types.
39671
39672 @xref{Limits}, for corresponding MIN and MAX values (similar to those
39673 in @file{limits.h}) to allow range checking on host and target.
39674
39675 @code{time_t} datatypes are defined as seconds since the Epoch.
39676
39677 All integral datatypes transferred as part of a memory read or write of a
39678 structured datatype e.g.@: a @code{struct stat} have to be given in big endian
39679 byte order.
39680
39681 @node Pointer Values
39682 @unnumberedsubsubsec Pointer Values
39683 @cindex pointer values, in file-i/o protocol
39684
39685 Pointers to target data are transmitted as they are. An exception
39686 is made for pointers to buffers for which the length isn't
39687 transmitted as part of the function call, namely strings. Strings
39688 are transmitted as a pointer/length pair, both as hex values, e.g.@:
39689
39690 @smallexample
39691 @code{1aaf/12}
39692 @end smallexample
39693
39694 @noindent
39695 which is a pointer to data of length 18 bytes at position 0x1aaf.
39696 The length is defined as the full string length in bytes, including
39697 the trailing null byte. For example, the string @code{"hello world"}
39698 at address 0x123456 is transmitted as
39699
39700 @smallexample
39701 @code{123456/d}
39702 @end smallexample
39703
39704 @node Memory Transfer
39705 @unnumberedsubsubsec Memory Transfer
39706 @cindex memory transfer, in file-i/o protocol
39707
39708 Structured data which is transferred using a memory read or write (for
39709 example, a @code{struct stat}) is expected to be in a protocol-specific format
39710 with all scalar multibyte datatypes being big endian. Translation to
39711 this representation needs to be done both by the target before the @code{F}
39712 packet is sent, and by @value{GDBN} before
39713 it transfers memory to the target. Transferred pointers to structured
39714 data should point to the already-coerced data at any time.
39715
39716
39717 @node struct stat
39718 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct stat
39719 @cindex struct stat, in file-i/o protocol
39720
39721 The buffer of type @code{struct stat} used by the target and @value{GDBN}
39722 is defined as follows:
39723
39724 @smallexample
39725 struct stat @{
39726 unsigned int st_dev; /* device */
39727 unsigned int st_ino; /* inode */
39728 mode_t st_mode; /* protection */
39729 unsigned int st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
39730 unsigned int st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
39731 unsigned int st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
39732 unsigned int st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
39733 unsigned long st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
39734 unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
39735 unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
39736 time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
39737 time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
39738 time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
39739 @};
39740 @end smallexample
39741
39742 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
39743 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
39744 structure is of size 64 bytes.
39745
39746 The values of several fields have a restricted meaning and/or
39747 range of values.
39748
39749 @table @code
39750
39751 @item st_dev
39752 A value of 0 represents a file, 1 the console.
39753
39754 @item st_ino
39755 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
39756
39757 @item st_mode
39758 Valid mode bits are described in @ref{Constants}. Any other
39759 bits have currently no meaning for the target.
39760
39761 @item st_uid
39762 @itemx st_gid
39763 @itemx st_rdev
39764 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
39765
39766 @item st_atime
39767 @itemx st_mtime
39768 @itemx st_ctime
39769 These values have a host and file system dependent
39770 accuracy. Especially on Windows hosts, the file system may not
39771 support exact timing values.
39772 @end table
39773
39774 The target gets a @code{struct stat} of the above representation and is
39775 responsible for coercing it to the target representation before
39776 continuing.
39777
39778 Note that due to size differences between the host, target, and protocol
39779 representations of @code{struct stat} members, these members could eventually
39780 get truncated on the target.
39781
39782 @node struct timeval
39783 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct timeval
39784 @cindex struct timeval, in file-i/o protocol
39785
39786 The buffer of type @code{struct timeval} used by the File-I/O protocol
39787 is defined as follows:
39788
39789 @smallexample
39790 struct timeval @{
39791 time_t tv_sec; /* second */
39792 long tv_usec; /* microsecond */
39793 @};
39794 @end smallexample
39795
39796 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
39797 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
39798 structure is of size 8 bytes.
39799
39800 @node Constants
39801 @subsection Constants
39802 @cindex constants, in file-i/o protocol
39803
39804 The following values are used for the constants inside of the
39805 protocol. @value{GDBN} and target are responsible for translating these
39806 values before and after the call as needed.
39807
39808 @menu
39809 * Open Flags::
39810 * mode_t Values::
39811 * Errno Values::
39812 * Lseek Flags::
39813 * Limits::
39814 @end menu
39815
39816 @node Open Flags
39817 @unnumberedsubsubsec Open Flags
39818 @cindex open flags, in file-i/o protocol
39819
39820 All values are given in hexadecimal representation.
39821
39822 @smallexample
39823 O_RDONLY 0x0
39824 O_WRONLY 0x1
39825 O_RDWR 0x2
39826 O_APPEND 0x8
39827 O_CREAT 0x200
39828 O_TRUNC 0x400
39829 O_EXCL 0x800
39830 @end smallexample
39831
39832 @node mode_t Values
39833 @unnumberedsubsubsec mode_t Values
39834 @cindex mode_t values, in file-i/o protocol
39835
39836 All values are given in octal representation.
39837
39838 @smallexample
39839 S_IFREG 0100000
39840 S_IFDIR 040000
39841 S_IRUSR 0400
39842 S_IWUSR 0200
39843 S_IXUSR 0100
39844 S_IRGRP 040
39845 S_IWGRP 020
39846 S_IXGRP 010
39847 S_IROTH 04
39848 S_IWOTH 02
39849 S_IXOTH 01
39850 @end smallexample
39851
39852 @node Errno Values
39853 @unnumberedsubsubsec Errno Values
39854 @cindex errno values, in file-i/o protocol
39855
39856 All values are given in decimal representation.
39857
39858 @smallexample
39859 EPERM 1
39860 ENOENT 2
39861 EINTR 4
39862 EBADF 9
39863 EACCES 13
39864 EFAULT 14
39865 EBUSY 16
39866 EEXIST 17
39867 ENODEV 19
39868 ENOTDIR 20
39869 EISDIR 21
39870 EINVAL 22
39871 ENFILE 23
39872 EMFILE 24
39873 EFBIG 27
39874 ENOSPC 28
39875 ESPIPE 29
39876 EROFS 30
39877 ENAMETOOLONG 91
39878 EUNKNOWN 9999
39879 @end smallexample
39880
39881 @code{EUNKNOWN} is used as a fallback error value if a host system returns
39882 any error value not in the list of supported error numbers.
39883
39884 @node Lseek Flags
39885 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lseek Flags
39886 @cindex lseek flags, in file-i/o protocol
39887
39888 @smallexample
39889 SEEK_SET 0
39890 SEEK_CUR 1
39891 SEEK_END 2
39892 @end smallexample
39893
39894 @node Limits
39895 @unnumberedsubsubsec Limits
39896 @cindex limits, in file-i/o protocol
39897
39898 All values are given in decimal representation.
39899
39900 @smallexample
39901 INT_MIN -2147483648
39902 INT_MAX 2147483647
39903 UINT_MAX 4294967295
39904 LONG_MIN -9223372036854775808
39905 LONG_MAX 9223372036854775807
39906 ULONG_MAX 18446744073709551615
39907 @end smallexample
39908
39909 @node File-I/O Examples
39910 @subsection File-I/O Examples
39911 @cindex file-i/o examples
39912
39913 Example sequence of a write call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
39914 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be written:
39915
39916 @smallexample
39917 <- @code{Fwrite,3,1234,6}
39918 @emph{request memory read from target}
39919 -> @code{m1234,6}
39920 <- XXXXXX
39921 @emph{return "6 bytes written"}
39922 -> @code{F6}
39923 @end smallexample
39924
39925 Example sequence of a read call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
39926 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be read:
39927
39928 @smallexample
39929 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
39930 @emph{request memory write to target}
39931 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
39932 @emph{return "6 bytes read"}
39933 -> @code{F6}
39934 @end smallexample
39935
39936 Example sequence of a read call, call fails on the host due to invalid
39937 file descriptor (@code{EBADF}):
39938
39939 @smallexample
39940 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
39941 -> @code{F-1,9}
39942 @end smallexample
39943
39944 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} before syscall on
39945 host is called:
39946
39947 @smallexample
39948 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
39949 -> @code{F-1,4,C}
39950 <- @code{T02}
39951 @end smallexample
39952
39953 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} after syscall on
39954 host is called:
39955
39956 @smallexample
39957 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
39958 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
39959 <- @code{T02}
39960 @end smallexample
39961
39962 @node Library List Format
39963 @section Library List Format
39964 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
39965
39966 On some platforms, a dynamic loader (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) runs in the
39967 same process as your application to manage libraries. In this case,
39968 @value{GDBN} can use the loader's symbol table and normal memory
39969 operations to maintain a list of shared libraries. On other
39970 platforms, the operating system manages loaded libraries.
39971 @value{GDBN} can not retrieve the list of currently loaded libraries
39972 through memory operations, so it uses the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
39973 packet (@pxref{qXfer library list read}) instead. The remote stub
39974 queries the target's operating system and reports which libraries
39975 are loaded.
39976
39977 The @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet returns an XML document which
39978 lists loaded libraries and their offsets. Each library has an
39979 associated name and one or more segment or section base addresses,
39980 which report where the library was loaded in memory.
39981
39982 For the common case of libraries that are fully linked binaries, the
39983 library should have a list of segments. If the target supports
39984 dynamic linking of a relocatable object file, its library XML element
39985 should instead include a list of allocated sections. The segment or
39986 section bases are start addresses, not relocation offsets; they do not
39987 depend on the library's link-time base addresses.
39988
39989 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
39990 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
39991
39992 A simple memory map, with one loaded library relocated by a single
39993 offset, looks like this:
39994
39995 @smallexample
39996 <library-list>
39997 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6">
39998 <segment address="0x10000000"/>
39999 </library>
40000 </library-list>
40001 @end smallexample
40002
40003 Another simple memory map, with one loaded library with three
40004 allocated sections (.text, .data, .bss), looks like this:
40005
40006 @smallexample
40007 <library-list>
40008 <library name="sharedlib.o">
40009 <section address="0x10000000"/>
40010 <section address="0x20000000"/>
40011 <section address="0x30000000"/>
40012 </library>
40013 </library-list>
40014 @end smallexample
40015
40016 The format of a library list is described by this DTD:
40017
40018 @smallexample
40019 <!-- library-list: Root element with versioning -->
40020 <!ELEMENT library-list (library)*>
40021 <!ATTLIST library-list version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
40022 <!ELEMENT library (segment*, section*)>
40023 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
40024 <!ELEMENT segment EMPTY>
40025 <!ATTLIST segment address CDATA #REQUIRED>
40026 <!ELEMENT section EMPTY>
40027 <!ATTLIST section address CDATA #REQUIRED>
40028 @end smallexample
40029
40030 In addition, segments and section descriptors cannot be mixed within a
40031 single library element, and you must supply at least one segment or
40032 section for each library.
40033
40034 @node Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
40035 @section Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
40036 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
40037
40038 On SVR4 platforms @value{GDBN} can use the symbol table of a dynamic loader
40039 (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) and normal memory operations to maintain a list of
40040 shared libraries. Still a special library list provided by this packet is
40041 more efficient for the @value{GDBN} remote protocol.
40042
40043 The @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet returns an XML document which lists
40044 loaded libraries and their SVR4 linker parameters. For each library on SVR4
40045 target, the following parameters are reported:
40046
40047 @itemize @minus
40048 @item
40049 @code{name}, the absolute file name from the @code{l_name} field of
40050 @code{struct link_map}.
40051 @item
40052 @code{lm} with address of @code{struct link_map} used for TLS
40053 (Thread Local Storage) access.
40054 @item
40055 @code{l_addr}, the displacement as read from the field @code{l_addr} of
40056 @code{struct link_map}. For prelinked libraries this is not an absolute
40057 memory address. It is a displacement of absolute memory address against
40058 address the file was prelinked to during the library load.
40059 @item
40060 @code{l_ld}, which is memory address of the @code{PT_DYNAMIC} segment
40061 @end itemize
40062
40063 Additionally the single @code{main-lm} attribute specifies address of
40064 @code{struct link_map} used for the main executable. This parameter is used
40065 for TLS access and its presence is optional.
40066
40067 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
40068 SVR4 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
40069
40070 A simple memory map, with two loaded libraries (which do not use prelink),
40071 looks like this:
40072
40073 @smallexample
40074 <library-list-svr4 version="1.0" main-lm="0xe4f8f8">
40075 <library name="/lib/ld-linux.so.2" lm="0xe4f51c" l_addr="0xe2d000"
40076 l_ld="0xe4eefc"/>
40077 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6" lm="0xe4fbe8" l_addr="0x154000"
40078 l_ld="0x152350"/>
40079 </library-list-svr>
40080 @end smallexample
40081
40082 The format of an SVR4 library list is described by this DTD:
40083
40084 @smallexample
40085 <!-- library-list-svr4: Root element with versioning -->
40086 <!ELEMENT library-list-svr4 (library)*>
40087 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
40088 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 main-lm CDATA #IMPLIED>
40089 <!ELEMENT library EMPTY>
40090 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
40091 <!ATTLIST library lm CDATA #REQUIRED>
40092 <!ATTLIST library l_addr CDATA #REQUIRED>
40093 <!ATTLIST library l_ld CDATA #REQUIRED>
40094 @end smallexample
40095
40096 @node Memory Map Format
40097 @section Memory Map Format
40098 @cindex memory map format
40099
40100 To be able to write into flash memory, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain a
40101 memory map from the target. This section describes the format of the
40102 memory map.
40103
40104 The memory map is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
40105 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}) packet and is an XML document that
40106 lists memory regions.
40107
40108 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
40109 memory maps. @xref{Expat}.
40110
40111 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
40112
40113 @smallexample
40114 <?xml version="1.0"?>
40115 <!DOCTYPE memory-map
40116 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
40117 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-memory-map.dtd">
40118 <memory-map>
40119 region...
40120 </memory-map>
40121 @end smallexample
40122
40123 Each region can be either:
40124
40125 @itemize
40126
40127 @item
40128 A region of RAM starting at @var{addr} and extending for @var{length}
40129 bytes from there:
40130
40131 @smallexample
40132 <memory type="ram" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
40133 @end smallexample
40134
40135
40136 @item
40137 A region of read-only memory:
40138
40139 @smallexample
40140 <memory type="rom" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
40141 @end smallexample
40142
40143
40144 @item
40145 A region of flash memory, with erasure blocks @var{blocksize}
40146 bytes in length:
40147
40148 @smallexample
40149 <memory type="flash" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}">
40150 <property name="blocksize">@var{blocksize}</property>
40151 </memory>
40152 @end smallexample
40153
40154 @end itemize
40155
40156 Regions must not overlap. @value{GDBN} assumes that areas of memory not covered
40157 by the memory map are RAM, and uses the ordinary @samp{M} and @samp{X}
40158 packets to write to addresses in such ranges.
40159
40160 The formal DTD for memory map format is given below:
40161
40162 @smallexample
40163 <!-- ................................................... -->
40164 <!-- Memory Map XML DTD ................................ -->
40165 <!-- File: memory-map.dtd .............................. -->
40166 <!-- .................................... .............. -->
40167 <!-- memory-map.dtd -->
40168 <!-- memory-map: Root element with versioning -->
40169 <!ELEMENT memory-map (memory | property)>
40170 <!ATTLIST memory-map version CDATA #FIXED "1.0.0">
40171 <!ELEMENT memory (property)>
40172 <!-- memory: Specifies a memory region,
40173 and its type, or device. -->
40174 <!ATTLIST memory type CDATA #REQUIRED
40175 start CDATA #REQUIRED
40176 length CDATA #REQUIRED
40177 device CDATA #IMPLIED>
40178 <!-- property: Generic attribute tag -->
40179 <!ELEMENT property (#PCDATA | property)*>
40180 <!ATTLIST property name CDATA #REQUIRED>
40181 @end smallexample
40182
40183 @node Thread List Format
40184 @section Thread List Format
40185 @cindex thread list format
40186
40187 To efficiently update the list of threads and their attributes,
40188 @value{GDBN} issues the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
40189 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}) and obtains the XML document with
40190 the following structure:
40191
40192 @smallexample
40193 <?xml version="1.0"?>
40194 <threads>
40195 <thread id="id" core="0">
40196 ... description ...
40197 </thread>
40198 </threads>
40199 @end smallexample
40200
40201 Each @samp{thread} element must have the @samp{id} attribute that
40202 identifies the thread (@pxref{thread-id syntax}). The
40203 @samp{core} attribute, if present, specifies which processor core
40204 the thread was last executing on. The content of the of @samp{thread}
40205 element is interpreted as human-readable auxilliary information.
40206
40207 @node Traceframe Info Format
40208 @section Traceframe Info Format
40209 @cindex traceframe info format
40210
40211 To be able to know which objects in the inferior can be examined when
40212 inspecting a tracepoint hit, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain the list of
40213 memory ranges, registers and trace state variables that have been
40214 collected in a traceframe.
40215
40216 This list is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
40217 (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}) packet and is an XML document.
40218
40219 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
40220 traceframe info discovery. @xref{Expat}.
40221
40222 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
40223
40224 @smallexample
40225 <?xml version="1.0"?>
40226 <!DOCTYPE traceframe-info
40227 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
40228 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-traceframe-info.dtd">
40229 <traceframe-info>
40230 block...
40231 </traceframe-info>
40232 @end smallexample
40233
40234 Each traceframe block can be either:
40235
40236 @itemize
40237
40238 @item
40239 A region of collected memory starting at @var{addr} and extending for
40240 @var{length} bytes from there:
40241
40242 @smallexample
40243 <memory start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
40244 @end smallexample
40245
40246 @end itemize
40247
40248 The formal DTD for the traceframe info format is given below:
40249
40250 @smallexample
40251 <!ELEMENT traceframe-info (memory)* >
40252 <!ATTLIST traceframe-info version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
40253
40254 <!ELEMENT memory EMPTY>
40255 <!ATTLIST memory start CDATA #REQUIRED
40256 length CDATA #REQUIRED>
40257 @end smallexample
40258
40259 @include agentexpr.texi
40260
40261 @node Target Descriptions
40262 @appendix Target Descriptions
40263 @cindex target descriptions
40264
40265 One of the challenges of using @value{GDBN} to debug embedded systems
40266 is that there are so many minor variants of each processor
40267 architecture in use. It is common practice for vendors to start with
40268 a standard processor core --- ARM, PowerPC, or @acronym{MIPS}, for example ---
40269 and then make changes to adapt it to a particular market niche. Some
40270 architectures have hundreds of variants, available from dozens of
40271 vendors. This leads to a number of problems:
40272
40273 @itemize @bullet
40274 @item
40275 With so many different customized processors, it is difficult for
40276 the @value{GDBN} maintainers to keep up with the changes.
40277 @item
40278 Since individual variants may have short lifetimes or limited
40279 audiences, it may not be worthwhile to carry information about every
40280 variant in the @value{GDBN} source tree.
40281 @item
40282 When @value{GDBN} does support the architecture of the embedded system
40283 at hand, the task of finding the correct architecture name to give the
40284 @command{set architecture} command can be error-prone.
40285 @end itemize
40286
40287 To address these problems, the @value{GDBN} remote protocol allows a
40288 target system to not only identify itself to @value{GDBN}, but to
40289 actually describe its own features. This lets @value{GDBN} support
40290 processor variants it has never seen before --- to the extent that the
40291 descriptions are accurate, and that @value{GDBN} understands them.
40292
40293 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
40294 target descriptions. @xref{Expat}.
40295
40296 @menu
40297 * Retrieving Descriptions:: How descriptions are fetched from a target.
40298 * Target Description Format:: The contents of a target description.
40299 * Predefined Target Types:: Standard types available for target
40300 descriptions.
40301 * Standard Target Features:: Features @value{GDBN} knows about.
40302 @end menu
40303
40304 @node Retrieving Descriptions
40305 @section Retrieving Descriptions
40306
40307 Target descriptions can be read from the target automatically, or
40308 specified by the user manually. The default behavior is to read the
40309 description from the target. @value{GDBN} retrieves it via the remote
40310 protocol using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{General Query Packets,
40311 qXfer}). The @var{annex} in the @samp{qXfer} packet will be
40312 @samp{target.xml}. The contents of the @samp{target.xml} annex are an
40313 XML document, of the form described in @ref{Target Description
40314 Format}.
40315
40316 Alternatively, you can specify a file to read for the target description.
40317 If a file is set, the target will not be queried. The commands to
40318 specify a file are:
40319
40320 @table @code
40321 @cindex set tdesc filename
40322 @item set tdesc filename @var{path}
40323 Read the target description from @var{path}.
40324
40325 @cindex unset tdesc filename
40326 @item unset tdesc filename
40327 Do not read the XML target description from a file. @value{GDBN}
40328 will use the description supplied by the current target.
40329
40330 @cindex show tdesc filename
40331 @item show tdesc filename
40332 Show the filename to read for a target description, if any.
40333 @end table
40334
40335
40336 @node Target Description Format
40337 @section Target Description Format
40338 @cindex target descriptions, XML format
40339
40340 A target description annex is an @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/, XML}
40341 document which complies with the Document Type Definition provided in
40342 the @value{GDBN} sources in @file{gdb/features/gdb-target.dtd}. This
40343 means you can use generally available tools like @command{xmllint} to
40344 check that your feature descriptions are well-formed and valid.
40345 However, to help people unfamiliar with XML write descriptions for
40346 their targets, we also describe the grammar here.
40347
40348 Target descriptions can identify the architecture of the remote target
40349 and (for some architectures) provide information about custom register
40350 sets. They can also identify the OS ABI of the remote target.
40351 @value{GDBN} can use this information to autoconfigure for your
40352 target, or to warn you if you connect to an unsupported target.
40353
40354 Here is a simple target description:
40355
40356 @smallexample
40357 <target version="1.0">
40358 <architecture>i386:x86-64</architecture>
40359 </target>
40360 @end smallexample
40361
40362 @noindent
40363 This minimal description only says that the target uses
40364 the x86-64 architecture.
40365
40366 A target description has the following overall form, with [ ] marking
40367 optional elements and @dots{} marking repeatable elements. The elements
40368 are explained further below.
40369
40370 @smallexample
40371 <?xml version="1.0"?>
40372 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "gdb-target.dtd">
40373 <target version="1.0">
40374 @r{[}@var{architecture}@r{]}
40375 @r{[}@var{osabi}@r{]}
40376 @r{[}@var{compatible}@r{]}
40377 @r{[}@var{feature}@dots{}@r{]}
40378 </target>
40379 @end smallexample
40380
40381 @noindent
40382 The description is generally insensitive to whitespace and line
40383 breaks, under the usual common-sense rules. The XML version
40384 declaration and document type declaration can generally be omitted
40385 (@value{GDBN} does not require them), but specifying them may be
40386 useful for XML validation tools. The @samp{version} attribute for
40387 @samp{<target>} may also be omitted, but we recommend
40388 including it; if future versions of @value{GDBN} use an incompatible
40389 revision of @file{gdb-target.dtd}, they will detect and report
40390 the version mismatch.
40391
40392 @subsection Inclusion
40393 @cindex target descriptions, inclusion
40394 @cindex XInclude
40395 @ifnotinfo
40396 @cindex <xi:include>
40397 @end ifnotinfo
40398
40399 It can sometimes be valuable to split a target description up into
40400 several different annexes, either for organizational purposes, or to
40401 share files between different possible target descriptions. You can
40402 divide a description into multiple files by replacing any element of
40403 the target description with an inclusion directive of the form:
40404
40405 @smallexample
40406 <xi:include href="@var{document}"/>
40407 @end smallexample
40408
40409 @noindent
40410 When @value{GDBN} encounters an element of this form, it will retrieve
40411 the named XML @var{document}, and replace the inclusion directive with
40412 the contents of that document. If the current description was read
40413 using @samp{qXfer}, then so will be the included document;
40414 @var{document} will be interpreted as the name of an annex. If the
40415 current description was read from a file, @value{GDBN} will look for
40416 @var{document} as a file in the same directory where it found the
40417 original description.
40418
40419 @subsection Architecture
40420 @cindex <architecture>
40421
40422 An @samp{<architecture>} element has this form:
40423
40424 @smallexample
40425 <architecture>@var{arch}</architecture>
40426 @end smallexample
40427
40428 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
40429 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
40430
40431 @subsection OS ABI
40432 @cindex @code{<osabi>}
40433
40434 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
40435 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
40436
40437 An @samp{<osabi>} element has this form:
40438
40439 @smallexample
40440 <osabi>@var{abi-name}</osabi>
40441 @end smallexample
40442
40443 @var{abi-name} is an OS ABI name from the same selection accepted by
40444 @w{@code{set osabi}} (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
40445
40446 @subsection Compatible Architecture
40447 @cindex @code{<compatible>}
40448
40449 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
40450 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
40451
40452 A @samp{<compatible>} element has this form:
40453
40454 @smallexample
40455 <compatible>@var{arch}</compatible>
40456 @end smallexample
40457
40458 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
40459 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
40460
40461 A @samp{<compatible>} element is used to specify that the target
40462 is able to run binaries in some other than the main target architecture
40463 given by the @samp{<architecture>} element. For example, on the
40464 Cell Broadband Engine, the main architecture is @code{powerpc:common}
40465 or @code{powerpc:common64}, but the system is able to run binaries
40466 in the @code{spu} architecture as well. The way to describe this
40467 capability with @samp{<compatible>} is as follows:
40468
40469 @smallexample
40470 <architecture>powerpc:common</architecture>
40471 <compatible>spu</compatible>
40472 @end smallexample
40473
40474 @subsection Features
40475 @cindex <feature>
40476
40477 Each @samp{<feature>} describes some logical portion of the target
40478 system. Features are currently used to describe available CPU
40479 registers and the types of their contents. A @samp{<feature>} element
40480 has this form:
40481
40482 @smallexample
40483 <feature name="@var{name}">
40484 @r{[}@var{type}@dots{}@r{]}
40485 @var{reg}@dots{}
40486 </feature>
40487 @end smallexample
40488
40489 @noindent
40490 Each feature's name should be unique within the description. The name
40491 of a feature does not matter unless @value{GDBN} has some special
40492 knowledge of the contents of that feature; if it does, the feature
40493 should have its standard name. @xref{Standard Target Features}.
40494
40495 @subsection Types
40496
40497 Any register's value is a collection of bits which @value{GDBN} must
40498 interpret. The default interpretation is a two's complement integer,
40499 but other types can be requested by name in the register description.
40500 Some predefined types are provided by @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Predefined
40501 Target Types}), and the description can define additional composite types.
40502
40503 Each type element must have an @samp{id} attribute, which gives
40504 a unique (within the containing @samp{<feature>}) name to the type.
40505 Types must be defined before they are used.
40506
40507 @cindex <vector>
40508 Some targets offer vector registers, which can be treated as arrays
40509 of scalar elements. These types are written as @samp{<vector>} elements,
40510 specifying the array element type, @var{type}, and the number of elements,
40511 @var{count}:
40512
40513 @smallexample
40514 <vector id="@var{id}" type="@var{type}" count="@var{count}"/>
40515 @end smallexample
40516
40517 @cindex <union>
40518 If a register's value is usefully viewed in multiple ways, define it
40519 with a union type containing the useful representations. The
40520 @samp{<union>} element contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements,
40521 each of which has a @var{name} and a @var{type}:
40522
40523 @smallexample
40524 <union id="@var{id}">
40525 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
40526 @dots{}
40527 </union>
40528 @end smallexample
40529
40530 @cindex <struct>
40531 If a register's value is composed from several separate values, define
40532 it with a structure type. There are two forms of the @samp{<struct>}
40533 element; a @samp{<struct>} element must either contain only bitfields
40534 or contain no bitfields. If the structure contains only bitfields,
40535 its total size in bytes must be specified, each bitfield must have an
40536 explicit start and end, and bitfields are automatically assigned an
40537 integer type. The field's @var{start} should be less than or
40538 equal to its @var{end}, and zero represents the least significant bit.
40539
40540 @smallexample
40541 <struct id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
40542 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}"/>
40543 @dots{}
40544 </struct>
40545 @end smallexample
40546
40547 If the structure contains no bitfields, then each field has an
40548 explicit type, and no implicit padding is added.
40549
40550 @smallexample
40551 <struct id="@var{id}">
40552 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
40553 @dots{}
40554 </struct>
40555 @end smallexample
40556
40557 @cindex <flags>
40558 If a register's value is a series of single-bit flags, define it with
40559 a flags type. The @samp{<flags>} element has an explicit @var{size}
40560 and contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements. Each field has a
40561 @var{name}, a @var{start}, and an @var{end}. Only single-bit flags
40562 are supported.
40563
40564 @smallexample
40565 <flags id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
40566 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}"/>
40567 @dots{}
40568 </flags>
40569 @end smallexample
40570
40571 @subsection Registers
40572 @cindex <reg>
40573
40574 Each register is represented as an element with this form:
40575
40576 @smallexample
40577 <reg name="@var{name}"
40578 bitsize="@var{size}"
40579 @r{[}regnum="@var{num}"@r{]}
40580 @r{[}save-restore="@var{save-restore}"@r{]}
40581 @r{[}type="@var{type}"@r{]}
40582 @r{[}group="@var{group}"@r{]}/>
40583 @end smallexample
40584
40585 @noindent
40586 The components are as follows:
40587
40588 @table @var
40589
40590 @item name
40591 The register's name; it must be unique within the target description.
40592
40593 @item bitsize
40594 The register's size, in bits.
40595
40596 @item regnum
40597 The register's number. If omitted, a register's number is one greater
40598 than that of the previous register (either in the current feature or in
40599 a preceding feature); the first register in the target description
40600 defaults to zero. This register number is used to read or write
40601 the register; e.g.@: it is used in the remote @code{p} and @code{P}
40602 packets, and registers appear in the @code{g} and @code{G} packets
40603 in order of increasing register number.
40604
40605 @item save-restore
40606 Whether the register should be preserved across inferior function
40607 calls; this must be either @code{yes} or @code{no}. The default is
40608 @code{yes}, which is appropriate for most registers except for
40609 some system control registers; this is not related to the target's
40610 ABI.
40611
40612 @item type
40613 The type of the register. @var{type} may be a predefined type, a type
40614 defined in the current feature, or one of the special types @code{int}
40615 and @code{float}. @code{int} is an integer type of the correct size
40616 for @var{bitsize}, and @code{float} is a floating point type (in the
40617 architecture's normal floating point format) of the correct size for
40618 @var{bitsize}. The default is @code{int}.
40619
40620 @item group
40621 The register group to which this register belongs. @var{group} must
40622 be either @code{general}, @code{float}, or @code{vector}. If no
40623 @var{group} is specified, @value{GDBN} will not display the register
40624 in @code{info registers}.
40625
40626 @end table
40627
40628 @node Predefined Target Types
40629 @section Predefined Target Types
40630 @cindex target descriptions, predefined types
40631
40632 Type definitions in the self-description can build up composite types
40633 from basic building blocks, but can not define fundamental types. Instead,
40634 standard identifiers are provided by @value{GDBN} for the fundamental
40635 types. The currently supported types are:
40636
40637 @table @code
40638
40639 @item int8
40640 @itemx int16
40641 @itemx int32
40642 @itemx int64
40643 @itemx int128
40644 Signed integer types holding the specified number of bits.
40645
40646 @item uint8
40647 @itemx uint16
40648 @itemx uint32
40649 @itemx uint64
40650 @itemx uint128
40651 Unsigned integer types holding the specified number of bits.
40652
40653 @item code_ptr
40654 @itemx data_ptr
40655 Pointers to unspecified code and data. The program counter and
40656 any dedicated return address register may be marked as code
40657 pointers; printing a code pointer converts it into a symbolic
40658 address. The stack pointer and any dedicated address registers
40659 may be marked as data pointers.
40660
40661 @item ieee_single
40662 Single precision IEEE floating point.
40663
40664 @item ieee_double
40665 Double precision IEEE floating point.
40666
40667 @item arm_fpa_ext
40668 The 12-byte extended precision format used by ARM FPA registers.
40669
40670 @item i387_ext
40671 The 10-byte extended precision format used by x87 registers.
40672
40673 @item i386_eflags
40674 32bit @sc{eflags} register used by x86.
40675
40676 @item i386_mxcsr
40677 32bit @sc{mxcsr} register used by x86.
40678
40679 @end table
40680
40681 @node Standard Target Features
40682 @section Standard Target Features
40683 @cindex target descriptions, standard features
40684
40685 A target description must contain either no registers or all the
40686 target's registers. If the description contains no registers, then
40687 @value{GDBN} will assume a default register layout, selected based on
40688 the architecture. If the description contains any registers, the
40689 default layout will not be used; the standard registers must be
40690 described in the target description, in such a way that @value{GDBN}
40691 can recognize them.
40692
40693 This is accomplished by giving specific names to feature elements
40694 which contain standard registers. @value{GDBN} will look for features
40695 with those names and verify that they contain the expected registers;
40696 if any known feature is missing required registers, or if any required
40697 feature is missing, @value{GDBN} will reject the target
40698 description. You can add additional registers to any of the
40699 standard features --- @value{GDBN} will display them just as if
40700 they were added to an unrecognized feature.
40701
40702 This section lists the known features and their expected contents.
40703 Sample XML documents for these features are included in the
40704 @value{GDBN} source tree, in the directory @file{gdb/features}.
40705
40706 Names recognized by @value{GDBN} should include the name of the
40707 company or organization which selected the name, and the overall
40708 architecture to which the feature applies; so e.g.@: the feature
40709 containing ARM core registers is named @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}.
40710
40711 The names of registers are not case sensitive for the purpose
40712 of recognizing standard features, but @value{GDBN} will only display
40713 registers using the capitalization used in the description.
40714
40715 @menu
40716 * ARM Features::
40717 * i386 Features::
40718 * MIPS Features::
40719 * M68K Features::
40720 * PowerPC Features::
40721 * TIC6x Features::
40722 @end menu
40723
40724
40725 @node ARM Features
40726 @subsection ARM Features
40727 @cindex target descriptions, ARM features
40728
40729 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core} feature is required for non-M-profile
40730 ARM targets.
40731 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp},
40732 @samp{lr}, @samp{pc}, and @samp{cpsr}.
40733
40734 For M-profile targets (e.g. Cortex-M3), the @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}
40735 feature is replaced by @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.m-profile}. It should contain
40736 registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp}, @samp{lr}, @samp{pc},
40737 and @samp{xpsr}.
40738
40739 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.fpa} feature is optional. If present, it
40740 should contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f7} and @samp{fps}.
40741
40742 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.xscale.iwmmxt} feature is optional. If present,
40743 it should contain at least registers @samp{wR0} through @samp{wR15} and
40744 @samp{wCGR0} through @samp{wCGR3}. The @samp{wCID}, @samp{wCon},
40745 @samp{wCSSF}, and @samp{wCASF} registers are optional.
40746
40747 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} feature is optional. If present, it
40748 should contain at least registers @samp{d0} through @samp{d15}. If
40749 they are present, @samp{d16} through @samp{d31} should also be included.
40750 @value{GDBN} will synthesize the single-precision registers from
40751 halves of the double-precision registers.
40752
40753 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.neon} feature is optional. It does not
40754 need to contain registers; it instructs @value{GDBN} to display the
40755 VFP double-precision registers as vectors and to synthesize the
40756 quad-precision registers from pairs of double-precision registers.
40757 If this feature is present, @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} must also
40758 be present and include 32 double-precision registers.
40759
40760 @node i386 Features
40761 @subsection i386 Features
40762 @cindex target descriptions, i386 features
40763
40764 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.core} feature is required for i386/amd64
40765 targets. It should describe the following registers:
40766
40767 @itemize @minus
40768 @item
40769 @samp{eax} through @samp{edi} plus @samp{eip} for i386
40770 @item
40771 @samp{rax} through @samp{r15} plus @samp{rip} for amd64
40772 @item
40773 @samp{eflags}, @samp{cs}, @samp{ss}, @samp{ds}, @samp{es},
40774 @samp{fs}, @samp{gs}
40775 @item
40776 @samp{st0} through @samp{st7}
40777 @item
40778 @samp{fctrl}, @samp{fstat}, @samp{ftag}, @samp{fiseg}, @samp{fioff},
40779 @samp{foseg}, @samp{fooff} and @samp{fop}
40780 @end itemize
40781
40782 The register sets may be different, depending on the target.
40783
40784 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature is optional. It should
40785 describe registers:
40786
40787 @itemize @minus
40788 @item
40789 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm7} for i386
40790 @item
40791 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm15} for amd64
40792 @item
40793 @samp{mxcsr}
40794 @end itemize
40795
40796 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.avx} feature is optional and requires the
40797 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature. It should
40798 describe the upper 128 bits of @sc{ymm} registers:
40799
40800 @itemize @minus
40801 @item
40802 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm7h} for i386
40803 @item
40804 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm15h} for amd64
40805 @end itemize
40806
40807 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.linux} feature is optional. It should
40808 describe a single register, @samp{orig_eax}.
40809
40810 @node MIPS Features
40811 @subsection @acronym{MIPS} Features
40812 @cindex target descriptions, @acronym{MIPS} features
40813
40814 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cpu} feature is required for @acronym{MIPS} targets.
40815 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31}, @samp{lo},
40816 @samp{hi}, and @samp{pc}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending
40817 on the target.
40818
40819 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cp0} feature is also required. It should
40820 contain at least the @samp{status}, @samp{badvaddr}, and @samp{cause}
40821 registers. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
40822
40823 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.fpu} feature is currently required, though
40824 it may be optional in a future version of @value{GDBN}. It should
40825 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31}, @samp{fcsr}, and
40826 @samp{fir}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
40827
40828 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.dsp} feature is optional. It should
40829 contain registers @samp{hi1} through @samp{hi3}, @samp{lo1} through
40830 @samp{lo3}, and @samp{dspctl}. The @samp{dspctl} register should
40831 be 32-bit and the rest may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
40832
40833 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.linux} feature is optional. It should
40834 contain a single register, @samp{restart}, which is used by the
40835 Linux kernel to control restartable syscalls.
40836
40837 @node M68K Features
40838 @subsection M68K Features
40839 @cindex target descriptions, M68K features
40840
40841 @table @code
40842 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.m68k.core}
40843 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.core}
40844 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.fido.core}
40845 One of those features must be always present.
40846 The feature that is present determines which flavor of m68k is
40847 used. The feature that is present should contain registers
40848 @samp{d0} through @samp{d7}, @samp{a0} through @samp{a5}, @samp{fp},
40849 @samp{sp}, @samp{ps} and @samp{pc}.
40850
40851 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.fp}
40852 This feature is optional. If present, it should contain registers
40853 @samp{fp0} through @samp{fp7}, @samp{fpcontrol}, @samp{fpstatus} and
40854 @samp{fpiaddr}.
40855 @end table
40856
40857 @node PowerPC Features
40858 @subsection PowerPC Features
40859 @cindex target descriptions, PowerPC features
40860
40861 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} feature is required for PowerPC
40862 targets. It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31},
40863 @samp{pc}, @samp{msr}, @samp{cr}, @samp{lr}, @samp{ctr}, and
40864 @samp{xer}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
40865
40866 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.fpu} feature is optional. It should
40867 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31} and @samp{fpscr}.
40868
40869 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.altivec} feature is optional. It should
40870 contain registers @samp{vr0} through @samp{vr31}, @samp{vscr},
40871 and @samp{vrsave}.
40872
40873 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.vsx} feature is optional. It should
40874 contain registers @samp{vs0h} through @samp{vs31h}. @value{GDBN}
40875 will combine these registers with the floating point registers
40876 (@samp{f0} through @samp{f31}) and the altivec registers (@samp{vr0}
40877 through @samp{vr31}) to present the 128-bit wide registers @samp{vs0}
40878 through @samp{vs63}, the set of vector registers for POWER7.
40879
40880 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.spe} feature is optional. It should
40881 contain registers @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}, @samp{acc}, and
40882 @samp{spefscr}. SPE targets should provide 32-bit registers in
40883 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} and provide the upper halves in
40884 @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}. @value{GDBN} will combine
40885 these to present registers @samp{ev0} through @samp{ev31} to the
40886 user.
40887
40888 @node TIC6x Features
40889 @subsection TMS320C6x Features
40890 @cindex target descriptions, TIC6x features
40891 @cindex target descriptions, TMS320C6x features
40892 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.core} feature is required for TMS320C6x
40893 targets. It should contain registers @samp{A0} through @samp{A15},
40894 registers @samp{B0} through @samp{B15}, @samp{CSR} and @samp{PC}.
40895
40896 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.gp} feature is optional. It should
40897 contain registers @samp{A16} through @samp{A31} and @samp{B16}
40898 through @samp{B31}.
40899
40900 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.c6xp} feature is optional. It should
40901 contain registers @samp{TSR}, @samp{ILC} and @samp{RILC}.
40902
40903 @node Operating System Information
40904 @appendix Operating System Information
40905 @cindex operating system information
40906
40907 @menu
40908 * Process list::
40909 @end menu
40910
40911 Users of @value{GDBN} often wish to obtain information about the state of
40912 the operating system running on the target---for example the list of
40913 processes, or the list of open files. This section describes the
40914 mechanism that makes it possible. This mechanism is similar to the
40915 target features mechanism (@pxref{Target Descriptions}), but focuses
40916 on a different aspect of target.
40917
40918 Operating system information is retrived from the target via the
40919 remote protocol, using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{qXfer osdata
40920 read}). The object name in the request should be @samp{osdata}, and
40921 the @var{annex} identifies the data to be fetched.
40922
40923 @node Process list
40924 @appendixsection Process list
40925 @cindex operating system information, process list
40926
40927 When requesting the process list, the @var{annex} field in the
40928 @samp{qXfer} request should be @samp{processes}. The returned data is
40929 an XML document. The formal syntax of this document is defined in
40930 @file{gdb/features/osdata.dtd}.
40931
40932 An example document is:
40933
40934 @smallexample
40935 <?xml version="1.0"?>
40936 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "osdata.dtd">
40937 <osdata type="processes">
40938 <item>
40939 <column name="pid">1</column>
40940 <column name="user">root</column>
40941 <column name="command">/sbin/init</column>
40942 <column name="cores">1,2,3</column>
40943 </item>
40944 </osdata>
40945 @end smallexample
40946
40947 Each item should include a column whose name is @samp{pid}. The value
40948 of that column should identify the process on the target. The
40949 @samp{user} and @samp{command} columns are optional, and will be
40950 displayed by @value{GDBN}. The @samp{cores} column, if present,
40951 should contain a comma-separated list of cores that this process
40952 is running on. Target may provide additional columns,
40953 which @value{GDBN} currently ignores.
40954
40955 @node Trace File Format
40956 @appendix Trace File Format
40957 @cindex trace file format
40958
40959 The trace file comes in three parts: a header, a textual description
40960 section, and a trace frame section with binary data.
40961
40962 The header has the form @code{\x7fTRACE0\n}. The first byte is
40963 @code{0x7f} so as to indicate that the file contains binary data,
40964 while the @code{0} is a version number that may have different values
40965 in the future.
40966
40967 The description section consists of multiple lines of @sc{ascii} text
40968 separated by newline characters (@code{0xa}). The lines may include a
40969 variety of optional descriptive or context-setting information, such
40970 as tracepoint definitions or register set size. @value{GDBN} will
40971 ignore any line that it does not recognize. An empty line marks the end
40972 of this section.
40973
40974 @c FIXME add some specific types of data
40975
40976 The trace frame section consists of a number of consecutive frames.
40977 Each frame begins with a two-byte tracepoint number, followed by a
40978 four-byte size giving the amount of data in the frame. The data in
40979 the frame consists of a number of blocks, each introduced by a
40980 character indicating its type (at least register, memory, and trace
40981 state variable). The data in this section is raw binary, not a
40982 hexadecimal or other encoding; its endianness matches the target's
40983 endianness.
40984
40985 @c FIXME bi-arch may require endianness/arch info in description section
40986
40987 @table @code
40988 @item R @var{bytes}
40989 Register block. The number and ordering of bytes matches that of a
40990 @code{g} packet in the remote protocol. Note that these are the
40991 actual bytes, in target order and @value{GDBN} register order, not a
40992 hexadecimal encoding.
40993
40994 @item M @var{address} @var{length} @var{bytes}...
40995 Memory block. This is a contiguous block of memory, at the 8-byte
40996 address @var{address}, with a 2-byte length @var{length}, followed by
40997 @var{length} bytes.
40998
40999 @item V @var{number} @var{value}
41000 Trace state variable block. This records the 8-byte signed value
41001 @var{value} of trace state variable numbered @var{number}.
41002
41003 @end table
41004
41005 Future enhancements of the trace file format may include additional types
41006 of blocks.
41007
41008 @node Index Section Format
41009 @appendix @code{.gdb_index} section format
41010 @cindex .gdb_index section format
41011 @cindex index section format
41012
41013 This section documents the index section that is created by @code{save
41014 gdb-index} (@pxref{Index Files}). The index section is
41015 DWARF-specific; some knowledge of DWARF is assumed in this
41016 description.
41017
41018 The mapped index file format is designed to be directly
41019 @code{mmap}able on any architecture. In most cases, a datum is
41020 represented using a little-endian 32-bit integer value, called an
41021 @code{offset_type}. Big endian machines must byte-swap the values
41022 before using them. Exceptions to this rule are noted. The data is
41023 laid out such that alignment is always respected.
41024
41025 A mapped index consists of several areas, laid out in order.
41026
41027 @enumerate
41028 @item
41029 The file header. This is a sequence of values, of @code{offset_type}
41030 unless otherwise noted:
41031
41032 @enumerate
41033 @item
41034 The version number, currently 7. Versions 1, 2 and 3 are obsolete.
41035 Version 4 uses a different hashing function from versions 5 and 6.
41036 Version 6 includes symbols for inlined functions, whereas versions 4
41037 and 5 do not. Version 7 adds attributes to the CU indices in the
41038 symbol table. @value{GDBN} will only read version 4, 5, or 6 indices
41039 by specifying @code{set use-deprecated-index-sections on}.
41040
41041 @item
41042 The offset, from the start of the file, of the CU list.
41043
41044 @item
41045 The offset, from the start of the file, of the types CU list. Note
41046 that this area can be empty, in which case this offset will be equal
41047 to the next offset.
41048
41049 @item
41050 The offset, from the start of the file, of the address area.
41051
41052 @item
41053 The offset, from the start of the file, of the symbol table.
41054
41055 @item
41056 The offset, from the start of the file, of the constant pool.
41057 @end enumerate
41058
41059 @item
41060 The CU list. This is a sequence of pairs of 64-bit little-endian
41061 values, sorted by the CU offset. The first element in each pair is
41062 the offset of a CU in the @code{.debug_info} section. The second
41063 element in each pair is the length of that CU. References to a CU
41064 elsewhere in the map are done using a CU index, which is just the
41065 0-based index into this table. Note that if there are type CUs, then
41066 conceptually CUs and type CUs form a single list for the purposes of
41067 CU indices.
41068
41069 @item
41070 The types CU list. This is a sequence of triplets of 64-bit
41071 little-endian values. In a triplet, the first value is the CU offset,
41072 the second value is the type offset in the CU, and the third value is
41073 the type signature. The types CU list is not sorted.
41074
41075 @item
41076 The address area. The address area consists of a sequence of address
41077 entries. Each address entry has three elements:
41078
41079 @enumerate
41080 @item
41081 The low address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value.
41082
41083 @item
41084 The high address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value. Like
41085 @code{DW_AT_high_pc}, the value is one byte beyond the end.
41086
41087 @item
41088 The CU index. This is an @code{offset_type} value.
41089 @end enumerate
41090
41091 @item
41092 The symbol table. This is an open-addressed hash table. The size of
41093 the hash table is always a power of 2.
41094
41095 Each slot in the hash table consists of a pair of @code{offset_type}
41096 values. The first value is the offset of the symbol's name in the
41097 constant pool. The second value is the offset of the CU vector in the
41098 constant pool.
41099
41100 If both values are 0, then this slot in the hash table is empty. This
41101 is ok because while 0 is a valid constant pool index, it cannot be a
41102 valid index for both a string and a CU vector.
41103
41104 The hash value for a table entry is computed by applying an
41105 iterative hash function to the symbol's name. Starting with an
41106 initial value of @code{r = 0}, each (unsigned) character @samp{c} in
41107 the string is incorporated into the hash using the formula depending on the
41108 index version:
41109
41110 @table @asis
41111 @item Version 4
41112 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + c - 113}.
41113
41114 @item Versions 5 to 7
41115 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + tolower (c) - 113}.
41116 @end table
41117
41118 The terminating @samp{\0} is not incorporated into the hash.
41119
41120 The step size used in the hash table is computed via
41121 @code{((hash * 17) & (size - 1)) | 1}, where @samp{hash} is the hash
41122 value, and @samp{size} is the size of the hash table. The step size
41123 is used to find the next candidate slot when handling a hash
41124 collision.
41125
41126 The names of C@t{++} symbols in the hash table are canonicalized. We
41127 don't currently have a simple description of the canonicalization
41128 algorithm; if you intend to create new index sections, you must read
41129 the code.
41130
41131 @item
41132 The constant pool. This is simply a bunch of bytes. It is organized
41133 so that alignment is correct: CU vectors are stored first, followed by
41134 strings.
41135
41136 A CU vector in the constant pool is a sequence of @code{offset_type}
41137 values. The first value is the number of CU indices in the vector.
41138 Each subsequent value is the index and symbol attributes of a CU in
41139 the CU list. This element in the hash table is used to indicate which
41140 CUs define the symbol and how the symbol is used.
41141 See below for the format of each CU index+attributes entry.
41142
41143 A string in the constant pool is zero-terminated.
41144 @end enumerate
41145
41146 Attributes were added to CU index values in @code{.gdb_index} version 7.
41147 If a symbol has multiple uses within a CU then there is one
41148 CU index+attributes value for each use.
41149
41150 The format of each CU index+attributes entry is as follows
41151 (bit 0 = LSB):
41152
41153 @table @asis
41154
41155 @item Bits 0-23
41156 This is the index of the CU in the CU list.
41157 @item Bits 24-27
41158 These bits are reserved for future purposes and must be zero.
41159 @item Bits 28-30
41160 The kind of the symbol in the CU.
41161
41162 @table @asis
41163 @item 0
41164 This value is reserved and should not be used.
41165 By reserving zero the full @code{offset_type} value is backwards compatible
41166 with previous versions of the index.
41167 @item 1
41168 The symbol is a type.
41169 @item 2
41170 The symbol is a variable or an enum value.
41171 @item 3
41172 The symbol is a function.
41173 @item 4
41174 Any other kind of symbol.
41175 @item 5,6,7
41176 These values are reserved.
41177 @end table
41178
41179 @item Bit 31
41180 This bit is zero if the value is global and one if it is static.
41181
41182 The determination of whether a symbol is global or static is complicated.
41183 The authorative reference is the file @file{dwarf2read.c} in
41184 @value{GDBN} sources.
41185
41186 @end table
41187
41188 This pseudo-code describes the computation of a symbol's kind and
41189 global/static attributes in the index.
41190
41191 @smallexample
41192 is_external = get_attribute (die, DW_AT_external);
41193 language = get_attribute (cu_die, DW_AT_language);
41194 switch (die->tag)
41195 @{
41196 case DW_TAG_typedef:
41197 case DW_TAG_base_type:
41198 case DW_TAG_subrange_type:
41199 kind = TYPE;
41200 is_static = 1;
41201 break;
41202 case DW_TAG_enumerator:
41203 kind = VARIABLE;
41204 is_static = (language != CPLUS && language != JAVA);
41205 break;
41206 case DW_TAG_subprogram:
41207 kind = FUNCTION;
41208 is_static = ! (is_external || language == ADA);
41209 break;
41210 case DW_TAG_constant:
41211 kind = VARIABLE;
41212 is_static = ! is_external;
41213 break;
41214 case DW_TAG_variable:
41215 kind = VARIABLE;
41216 is_static = ! is_external;
41217 break;
41218 case DW_TAG_namespace:
41219 kind = TYPE;
41220 is_static = 0;
41221 break;
41222 case DW_TAG_class_type:
41223 case DW_TAG_interface_type:
41224 case DW_TAG_structure_type:
41225 case DW_TAG_union_type:
41226 case DW_TAG_enumeration_type:
41227 kind = TYPE;
41228 is_static = (language != CPLUS && language != JAVA);
41229 break;
41230 default:
41231 assert (0);
41232 @}
41233 @end smallexample
41234
41235 @include gpl.texi
41236
41237 @node GNU Free Documentation License
41238 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
41239 @include fdl.texi
41240
41241 @node Concept Index
41242 @unnumbered Concept Index
41243
41244 @printindex cp
41245
41246 @node Command and Variable Index
41247 @unnumbered Command, Variable, and Function Index
41248
41249 @printindex fn
41250
41251 @tex
41252 % I think something like @@colophon should be in texinfo. In the
41253 % meantime:
41254 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
41255 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
41256 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
41257 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
41258 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
41259 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/},}
41260 \centerline{{\bf\fontname\tenbf}, and}
41261 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
41262 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
41263 \page\colophon
41264 % Blame: doc@@cygnus.com, 1991.
41265 @end tex
41266
41267 @bye
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