* gdb.texinfo (Cygwin Native): Mention support for Ctrl-BREAK.
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / gdb / doc / gdb.texinfo
1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,
3 @c 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
4 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
5 @c
6 @c %**start of header
7 @c makeinfo ignores cmds prev to setfilename, so its arg cannot make use
8 @c of @set vars. However, you can override filename with makeinfo -o.
9 @setfilename gdb.info
10 @c
11 @include gdb-cfg.texi
12 @c
13 @settitle Debugging with @value{GDBN}
14 @setchapternewpage odd
15 @c %**end of header
16
17 @iftex
18 @c @smallbook
19 @c @cropmarks
20 @end iftex
21
22 @finalout
23 @syncodeindex ky cp
24 @syncodeindex tp cp
25
26 @c readline appendices use @vindex, @findex and @ftable,
27 @c annotate.texi and gdbmi use @findex.
28 @syncodeindex vr cp
29 @syncodeindex fn cp
30
31 @c !!set GDB manual's edition---not the same as GDB version!
32 @c This is updated by GNU Press.
33 @set EDITION Ninth
34
35 @c !!set GDB edit command default editor
36 @set EDITOR /bin/ex
37
38 @c THIS MANUAL REQUIRES TEXINFO 4.0 OR LATER.
39
40 @c This is a dir.info fragment to support semi-automated addition of
41 @c manuals to an info tree.
42 @dircategory Software development
43 @direntry
44 * Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
45 @end direntry
46
47 @copying
48 Copyright @copyright{} 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
49 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
50 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 1.1 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 1-882114-77-9 @*
101
102 @insertcopying
103 @page
104 This edition of the GDB manual is dedicated to the memory of Fred
105 Fish. Fred was a long-standing contributor to GDB and to Free
106 software in general. We will miss him.
107 @end titlepage
108 @page
109
110 @ifnottex
111 @node Top, Summary, (dir), (dir)
112
113 @top Debugging with @value{GDBN}
114
115 This file describes @value{GDBN}, the @sc{gnu} symbolic debugger.
116
117 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN}
118 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
119 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
120 @end ifset
121 Version @value{GDBVN}.
122
123 Copyright (C) 1988-2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
124
125 This edition of the GDB manual is dedicated to the memory of Fred
126 Fish. Fred was a long-standing contributor to GDB and to Free
127 software in general. We will miss him.
128
129 @menu
130 * Summary:: Summary of @value{GDBN}
131 * Sample Session:: A sample @value{GDBN} session
132
133 * Invocation:: Getting in and out of @value{GDBN}
134 * Commands:: @value{GDBN} commands
135 * Running:: Running programs under @value{GDBN}
136 * Stopping:: Stopping and continuing
137 * Reverse Execution:: Running programs backward
138 * Process Record and Replay:: Recording inferior's execution and replaying it
139 * Stack:: Examining the stack
140 * Source:: Examining source files
141 * Data:: Examining data
142 * Optimized Code:: Debugging optimized code
143 * Macros:: Preprocessor Macros
144 * Tracepoints:: Debugging remote targets non-intrusively
145 * Overlays:: Debugging programs that use overlays
146
147 * Languages:: Using @value{GDBN} with different languages
148
149 * Symbols:: Examining the symbol table
150 * Altering:: Altering execution
151 * GDB Files:: @value{GDBN} files
152 * Targets:: Specifying a debugging target
153 * Remote Debugging:: Debugging remote programs
154 * Configurations:: Configuration-specific information
155 * Controlling GDB:: Controlling @value{GDBN}
156 * Extending GDB:: Extending @value{GDBN}
157 * Interpreters:: Command Interpreters
158 * TUI:: @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
159 * Emacs:: Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
160 * GDB/MI:: @value{GDBN}'s Machine Interface.
161 * Annotations:: @value{GDBN}'s annotation interface.
162 * JIT Interface:: Using the JIT debugging interface.
163
164 * GDB Bugs:: Reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
165
166 * Command Line Editing:: Command Line Editing
167 * Using History Interactively:: Using History Interactively
168 * Formatting Documentation:: How to format and print @value{GDBN} documentation
169 * Installing GDB:: Installing GDB
170 * Maintenance Commands:: Maintenance Commands
171 * Remote Protocol:: GDB Remote Serial Protocol
172 * Agent Expressions:: The GDB Agent Expression Mechanism
173 * Target Descriptions:: How targets can describe themselves to
174 @value{GDBN}
175 * Operating System Information:: Getting additional information from
176 the operating system
177 * Copying:: GNU General Public License says
178 how you can copy and share GDB
179 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
180 * Index:: Index
181 @end menu
182
183 @end ifnottex
184
185 @contents
186
187 @node Summary
188 @unnumbered Summary of @value{GDBN}
189
190 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
191 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes---or what another
192 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
193
194 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
195 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
196
197 @itemize @bullet
198 @item
199 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
200
201 @item
202 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
203
204 @item
205 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
206
207 @item
208 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
209 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
210 @end itemize
211
212 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C and C@t{++}.
213 For more information, see @ref{Supported Languages,,Supported Languages}.
214 For more information, see @ref{C,,C and C++}.
215
216 @cindex Modula-2
217 Support for Modula-2 is partial. For information on Modula-2, see
218 @ref{Modula-2,,Modula-2}.
219
220 @cindex Pascal
221 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
222 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
223 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
224 syntax.
225
226 @cindex Fortran
227 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, although
228 it may be necessary to refer to some variables with a trailing
229 underscore.
230
231 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Objective-C,
232 using either the Apple/NeXT or the GNU Objective-C runtime.
233
234 @menu
235 * Free Software:: Freely redistributable software
236 * Contributors:: Contributors to GDB
237 @end menu
238
239 @node Free Software
240 @unnumberedsec Free Software
241
242 @value{GDBN} is @dfn{free software}, protected by the @sc{gnu}
243 General Public License
244 (GPL). The GPL gives you the freedom to copy or adapt a licensed
245 program---but every person getting a copy also gets with it the
246 freedom to modify that copy (which means that they must get access to
247 the source code), and the freedom to distribute further copies.
248 Typical software companies use copyrights to limit your freedoms; the
249 Free Software Foundation uses the GPL to preserve these freedoms.
250
251 Fundamentally, the General Public License is a license which says that
252 you have these freedoms and that you cannot take these freedoms away
253 from anyone else.
254
255 @unnumberedsec Free Software Needs Free Documentation
256
257 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
258 the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
259 include with the free software. Many of our most important
260 programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
261 texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
262 when an important free software package does not come with a free
263 manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
264 gaps today.
265
266 Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
267 normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
268 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
269 copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
270 them from the free software world.
271
272 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
273 from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
274 manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
275 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
276 contract to make it non-free.
277
278 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
279 price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
280 charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
281 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
282 problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
283 are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
284 modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
285
286 The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
287 free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
288 commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
289 accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
290
291 Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
292 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
293 are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
294 provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
295 manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
296 a changed version of the program is not really available to our
297 community.
298
299 Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
300 acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
301 author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
302 authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
303 to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
304 may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
305 with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
306 are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
307 of the manual.
308
309 However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
310 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
311 media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
312 obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
313 manual to replace it.
314
315 Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
316 lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
317 free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
318 the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
319 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
320 the free software community.
321
322 If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
323 the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
324 license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
325 don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
326 will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
327 option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
328 what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
329 try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
330 is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
331
332 You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
333 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
334 copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
335 improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
336 at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
337 and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
338 Check the history of the book, and try to reward the publishers that
339 have paid or pay the authors to work on it.
340
341 The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
342 published by other publishers, at
343 @url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
344
345 @node Contributors
346 @unnumberedsec Contributors to @value{GDBN}
347
348 Richard Stallman was the original author of @value{GDBN}, and of many
349 other @sc{gnu} programs. Many others have contributed to its
350 development. This section attempts to credit major contributors. One
351 of the virtues of free software is that everyone is free to contribute
352 to it; with regret, we cannot actually acknowledge everyone here. The
353 file @file{ChangeLog} in the @value{GDBN} distribution approximates a
354 blow-by-blow account.
355
356 Changes much prior to version 2.0 are lost in the mists of time.
357
358 @quotation
359 @emph{Plea:} Additions to this section are particularly welcome. If you
360 or your friends (or enemies, to be evenhanded) have been unfairly
361 omitted from this list, we would like to add your names!
362 @end quotation
363
364 So that they may not regard their many labors as thankless, we
365 particularly thank those who shepherded @value{GDBN} through major
366 releases:
367 Andrew Cagney (releases 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1 and 5.0);
368 Jim Blandy (release 4.18);
369 Jason Molenda (release 4.17);
370 Stan Shebs (release 4.14);
371 Fred Fish (releases 4.16, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10, and 4.9);
372 Stu Grossman and John Gilmore (releases 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4);
373 John Gilmore (releases 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.9);
374 Jim Kingdon (releases 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3);
375 and Randy Smith (releases 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0).
376
377 Richard Stallman, assisted at various times by Peter TerMaat, Chris
378 Hanson, and Richard Mlynarik, handled releases through 2.8.
379
380 Michael Tiemann is the author of most of the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} support
381 in @value{GDBN}, with significant additional contributions from Per
382 Bothner and Daniel Berlin. James Clark wrote the @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
383 demangler. Early work on C@t{++} was by Peter TerMaat (who also did
384 much general update work leading to release 3.0).
385
386 @value{GDBN} uses the BFD subroutine library to examine multiple
387 object-file formats; BFD was a joint project of David V.
388 Henkel-Wallace, Rich Pixley, Steve Chamberlain, and John Gilmore.
389
390 David Johnson wrote the original COFF support; Pace Willison did
391 the original support for encapsulated COFF.
392
393 Brent Benson of Harris Computer Systems contributed DWARF 2 support.
394
395 Adam de Boor and Bradley Davis contributed the ISI Optimum V support.
396 Per Bothner, Noboyuki Hikichi, and Alessandro Forin contributed MIPS
397 support.
398 Jean-Daniel Fekete contributed Sun 386i support.
399 Chris Hanson improved the HP9000 support.
400 Noboyuki Hikichi and Tomoyuki Hasei contributed Sony/News OS 3 support.
401 David Johnson contributed Encore Umax support.
402 Jyrki Kuoppala contributed Altos 3068 support.
403 Jeff Law contributed HP PA and SOM support.
404 Keith Packard contributed NS32K support.
405 Doug Rabson contributed Acorn Risc Machine support.
406 Bob Rusk contributed Harris Nighthawk CX-UX support.
407 Chris Smith contributed Convex support (and Fortran debugging).
408 Jonathan Stone contributed Pyramid support.
409 Michael Tiemann contributed SPARC support.
410 Tim Tucker contributed support for the Gould NP1 and Gould Powernode.
411 Pace Willison contributed Intel 386 support.
412 Jay Vosburgh contributed Symmetry support.
413 Marko Mlinar contributed OpenRISC 1000 support.
414
415 Andreas Schwab contributed M68K @sc{gnu}/Linux support.
416
417 Rich Schaefer and Peter Schauer helped with support of SunOS shared
418 libraries.
419
420 Jay Fenlason and Roland McGrath ensured that @value{GDBN} and GAS agree
421 about several machine instruction sets.
422
423 Patrick Duval, Ted Goldstein, Vikram Koka and Glenn Engel helped develop
424 remote debugging. Intel Corporation, Wind River Systems, AMD, and ARM
425 contributed remote debugging modules for the i960, VxWorks, A29K UDI,
426 and RDI targets, respectively.
427
428 Brian Fox is the author of the readline libraries providing
429 command-line editing and command history.
430
431 Andrew Beers of SUNY Buffalo wrote the language-switching code, the
432 Modula-2 support, and contributed the Languages chapter of this manual.
433
434 Fred Fish wrote most of the support for Unix System Vr4.
435 He also enhanced the command-completion support to cover C@t{++} overloaded
436 symbols.
437
438 Hitachi America (now Renesas America), Ltd. sponsored the support for
439 H8/300, H8/500, and Super-H processors.
440
441 NEC sponsored the support for the v850, Vr4xxx, and Vr5xxx processors.
442
443 Mitsubishi (now Renesas) sponsored the support for D10V, D30V, and M32R/D
444 processors.
445
446 Toshiba sponsored the support for the TX39 Mips processor.
447
448 Matsushita sponsored the support for the MN10200 and MN10300 processors.
449
450 Fujitsu sponsored the support for SPARClite and FR30 processors.
451
452 Kung Hsu, Jeff Law, and Rick Sladkey added support for hardware
453 watchpoints.
454
455 Michael Snyder added support for tracepoints.
456
457 Stu Grossman wrote gdbserver.
458
459 Jim Kingdon, Peter Schauer, Ian Taylor, and Stu Grossman made
460 nearly innumerable bug fixes and cleanups throughout @value{GDBN}.
461
462 The following people at the Hewlett-Packard Company contributed
463 support for the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, HP-UX 10.20, 10.30, and 11.0
464 (narrow mode), HP's implementation of kernel threads, HP's aC@t{++}
465 compiler, and the Text User Interface (nee Terminal User Interface):
466 Ben Krepp, Richard Title, John Bishop, Susan Macchia, Kathy Mann,
467 Satish Pai, India Paul, Steve Rehrauer, and Elena Zannoni. Kim Haase
468 provided HP-specific information in this manual.
469
470 DJ Delorie ported @value{GDBN} to MS-DOS, for the DJGPP project.
471 Robert Hoehne made significant contributions to the DJGPP port.
472
473 Cygnus Solutions has sponsored @value{GDBN} maintenance and much of its
474 development since 1991. Cygnus engineers who have worked on @value{GDBN}
475 fulltime include Mark Alexander, Jim Blandy, Per Bothner, Kevin
476 Buettner, Edith Epstein, Chris Faylor, Fred Fish, Martin Hunt, Jim
477 Ingham, John Gilmore, Stu Grossman, Kung Hsu, Jim Kingdon, John Metzler,
478 Fernando Nasser, Geoffrey Noer, Dawn Perchik, Rich Pixley, Zdenek
479 Radouch, Keith Seitz, Stan Shebs, David Taylor, and Elena Zannoni. In
480 addition, Dave Brolley, Ian Carmichael, Steve Chamberlain, Nick Clifton,
481 JT Conklin, Stan Cox, DJ Delorie, Ulrich Drepper, Frank Eigler, Doug
482 Evans, Sean Fagan, David Henkel-Wallace, Richard Henderson, Jeff
483 Holcomb, Jeff Law, Jim Lemke, Tom Lord, Bob Manson, Michael Meissner,
484 Jason Merrill, Catherine Moore, Drew Moseley, Ken Raeburn, Gavin
485 Romig-Koch, Rob Savoye, Jamie Smith, Mike Stump, Ian Taylor, Angela
486 Thomas, Michael Tiemann, Tom Tromey, Ron Unrau, Jim Wilson, and David
487 Zuhn have made contributions both large and small.
488
489 Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, and Elena Zannoni, while working for
490 Cygnus Solutions, implemented the original @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
491
492 Jim Blandy added support for preprocessor macros, while working for Red
493 Hat.
494
495 Andrew Cagney designed @value{GDBN}'s architecture vector. Many
496 people including Andrew Cagney, Stephane Carrez, Randolph Chung, Nick
497 Duffek, Richard Henderson, Mark Kettenis, Grace Sainsbury, Kei
498 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Andreas Schwab, Jason
499 Thorpe, Corinna Vinschen, Ulrich Weigand, and Elena Zannoni, helped
500 with the migration of old architectures to this new framework.
501
502 Andrew Cagney completely re-designed and re-implemented @value{GDBN}'s
503 unwinder framework, this consisting of a fresh new design featuring
504 frame IDs, independent frame sniffers, and the sentinel frame. Mark
505 Kettenis implemented the @sc{dwarf 2} unwinder, Jeff Johnston the
506 libunwind unwinder, and Andrew Cagney the dummy, sentinel, tramp, and
507 trad unwinders. The architecture-specific changes, each involving a
508 complete rewrite of the architecture's frame code, were carried out by
509 Jim Blandy, Joel Brobecker, Kevin Buettner, Andrew Cagney, Stephane
510 Carrez, Randolph Chung, Orjan Friberg, Richard Henderson, Daniel
511 Jacobowitz, Jeff Johnston, Mark Kettenis, Theodore A. Roth, Kei
512 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Corinna Vinschen, and Ulrich
513 Weigand.
514
515 Christian Zankel, Ross Morley, Bob Wilson, and Maxim Grigoriev from
516 Tensilica, Inc.@: contributed support for Xtensa processors. Others
517 who have worked on the Xtensa port of @value{GDBN} in the past include
518 Steve Tjiang, John Newlin, and Scott Foehner.
519
520 @node Sample Session
521 @chapter A Sample @value{GDBN} Session
522
523 You can use this manual at your leisure to read all about @value{GDBN}.
524 However, a handful of commands are enough to get started using the
525 debugger. This chapter illustrates those commands.
526
527 @iftex
528 In this sample session, we emphasize user input like this: @b{input},
529 to make it easier to pick out from the surrounding output.
530 @end iftex
531
532 @c FIXME: this example may not be appropriate for some configs, where
533 @c FIXME...primary interest is in remote use.
534
535 One of the preliminary versions of @sc{gnu} @code{m4} (a generic macro
536 processor) exhibits the following bug: sometimes, when we change its
537 quote strings from the default, the commands used to capture one macro
538 definition within another stop working. In the following short @code{m4}
539 session, we define a macro @code{foo} which expands to @code{0000}; we
540 then use the @code{m4} built-in @code{defn} to define @code{bar} as the
541 same thing. However, when we change the open quote string to
542 @code{<QUOTE>} and the close quote string to @code{<UNQUOTE>}, the same
543 procedure fails to define a new synonym @code{baz}:
544
545 @smallexample
546 $ @b{cd gnu/m4}
547 $ @b{./m4}
548 @b{define(foo,0000)}
549
550 @b{foo}
551 0000
552 @b{define(bar,defn(`foo'))}
553
554 @b{bar}
555 0000
556 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
557
558 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
559 @b{baz}
560 @b{Ctrl-d}
561 m4: End of input: 0: fatal error: EOF in string
562 @end smallexample
563
564 @noindent
565 Let us use @value{GDBN} to try to see what is going on.
566
567 @smallexample
568 $ @b{@value{GDBP} m4}
569 @c FIXME: this falsifies the exact text played out, to permit smallbook
570 @c FIXME... format to come out better.
571 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
572 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
573 the conditions.
574 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
575 for details.
576
577 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
578 (@value{GDBP})
579 @end smallexample
580
581 @noindent
582 @value{GDBN} reads only enough symbol data to know where to find the
583 rest when needed; as a result, the first prompt comes up very quickly.
584 We now tell @value{GDBN} to use a narrower display width than usual, so
585 that examples fit in this manual.
586
587 @smallexample
588 (@value{GDBP}) @b{set width 70}
589 @end smallexample
590
591 @noindent
592 We need to see how the @code{m4} built-in @code{changequote} works.
593 Having looked at the source, we know the relevant subroutine is
594 @code{m4_changequote}, so we set a breakpoint there with the @value{GDBN}
595 @code{break} command.
596
597 @smallexample
598 (@value{GDBP}) @b{break m4_changequote}
599 Breakpoint 1 at 0x62f4: file builtin.c, line 879.
600 @end smallexample
601
602 @noindent
603 Using the @code{run} command, we start @code{m4} running under @value{GDBN}
604 control; as long as control does not reach the @code{m4_changequote}
605 subroutine, the program runs as usual:
606
607 @smallexample
608 (@value{GDBP}) @b{run}
609 Starting program: /work/Editorial/gdb/gnu/m4/m4
610 @b{define(foo,0000)}
611
612 @b{foo}
613 0000
614 @end smallexample
615
616 @noindent
617 To trigger the breakpoint, we call @code{changequote}. @value{GDBN}
618 suspends execution of @code{m4}, displaying information about the
619 context where it stops.
620
621 @smallexample
622 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
623
624 Breakpoint 1, m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
625 at builtin.c:879
626 879 if (bad_argc(TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[0]),argc,1,3))
627 @end smallexample
628
629 @noindent
630 Now we use the command @code{n} (@code{next}) to advance execution to
631 the next line of the current function.
632
633 @smallexample
634 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
635 882 set_quotes((argc >= 2) ? TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[1])\
636 : nil,
637 @end smallexample
638
639 @noindent
640 @code{set_quotes} looks like a promising subroutine. We can go into it
641 by using the command @code{s} (@code{step}) instead of @code{next}.
642 @code{step} goes to the next line to be executed in @emph{any}
643 subroutine, so it steps into @code{set_quotes}.
644
645 @smallexample
646 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
647 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
648 at input.c:530
649 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
650 @end smallexample
651
652 @noindent
653 The display that shows the subroutine where @code{m4} is now
654 suspended (and its arguments) is called a stack frame display. It
655 shows a summary of the stack. We can use the @code{backtrace}
656 command (which can also be spelled @code{bt}), to see where we are
657 in the stack as a whole: the @code{backtrace} command displays a
658 stack frame for each active subroutine.
659
660 @smallexample
661 (@value{GDBP}) @b{bt}
662 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
663 at input.c:530
664 #1 0x6344 in m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
665 at builtin.c:882
666 #2 0x8174 in expand_macro (sym=0x33320) at macro.c:242
667 #3 0x7a88 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=209696, td=0xf7fffa30)
668 at macro.c:71
669 #4 0x79dc in expand_input () at macro.c:40
670 #5 0x2930 in main (argc=0, argv=0xf7fffb20) at m4.c:195
671 @end smallexample
672
673 @noindent
674 We step through a few more lines to see what happens. The first two
675 times, we can use @samp{s}; the next two times we use @code{n} to avoid
676 falling into the @code{xstrdup} subroutine.
677
678 @smallexample
679 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
680 0x3b5c 532 if (rquote != def_rquote)
681 (@value{GDBP}) @b{s}
682 0x3b80 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? \
683 def_lquote : xstrdup(lq);
684 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
685 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
686 : xstrdup(rq);
687 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
688 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
689 @end smallexample
690
691 @noindent
692 The last line displayed looks a little odd; we can examine the variables
693 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} to see if they are in fact the new left
694 and right quotes we specified. We use the command @code{p}
695 (@code{print}) to see their values.
696
697 @smallexample
698 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p lquote}
699 $1 = 0x35d40 "<QUOTE>"
700 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p rquote}
701 $2 = 0x35d50 "<UNQUOTE>"
702 @end smallexample
703
704 @noindent
705 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} are indeed the new left and right quotes.
706 To look at some context, we can display ten lines of source
707 surrounding the current line with the @code{l} (@code{list}) command.
708
709 @smallexample
710 (@value{GDBP}) @b{l}
711 533 xfree(rquote);
712 534
713 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? def_lquote\
714 : xstrdup (lq);
715 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
716 : xstrdup (rq);
717 537
718 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
719 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
720 540 @}
721 541
722 542 void
723 @end smallexample
724
725 @noindent
726 Let us step past the two lines that set @code{len_lquote} and
727 @code{len_rquote}, and then examine the values of those variables.
728
729 @smallexample
730 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
731 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
732 (@value{GDBP}) @b{n}
733 540 @}
734 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote}
735 $3 = 9
736 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote}
737 $4 = 7
738 @end smallexample
739
740 @noindent
741 That certainly looks wrong, assuming @code{len_lquote} and
742 @code{len_rquote} are meant to be the lengths of @code{lquote} and
743 @code{rquote} respectively. We can set them to better values using
744 the @code{p} command, since it can print the value of
745 any expression---and that expression can include subroutine calls and
746 assignments.
747
748 @smallexample
749 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote=strlen(lquote)}
750 $5 = 7
751 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote=strlen(rquote)}
752 $6 = 9
753 @end smallexample
754
755 @noindent
756 Is that enough to fix the problem of using the new quotes with the
757 @code{m4} built-in @code{defn}? We can allow @code{m4} to continue
758 executing with the @code{c} (@code{continue}) command, and then try the
759 example that caused trouble initially:
760
761 @smallexample
762 (@value{GDBP}) @b{c}
763 Continuing.
764
765 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
766
767 baz
768 0000
769 @end smallexample
770
771 @noindent
772 Success! The new quotes now work just as well as the default ones. The
773 problem seems to have been just the two typos defining the wrong
774 lengths. We allow @code{m4} exit by giving it an EOF as input:
775
776 @smallexample
777 @b{Ctrl-d}
778 Program exited normally.
779 @end smallexample
780
781 @noindent
782 The message @samp{Program exited normally.} is from @value{GDBN}; it
783 indicates @code{m4} has finished executing. We can end our @value{GDBN}
784 session with the @value{GDBN} @code{quit} command.
785
786 @smallexample
787 (@value{GDBP}) @b{quit}
788 @end smallexample
789
790 @node Invocation
791 @chapter Getting In and Out of @value{GDBN}
792
793 This chapter discusses how to start @value{GDBN}, and how to get out of it.
794 The essentials are:
795 @itemize @bullet
796 @item
797 type @samp{@value{GDBP}} to start @value{GDBN}.
798 @item
799 type @kbd{quit} or @kbd{Ctrl-d} to exit.
800 @end itemize
801
802 @menu
803 * Invoking GDB:: How to start @value{GDBN}
804 * Quitting GDB:: How to quit @value{GDBN}
805 * Shell Commands:: How to use shell commands inside @value{GDBN}
806 * Logging Output:: How to log @value{GDBN}'s output to a file
807 @end menu
808
809 @node Invoking GDB
810 @section Invoking @value{GDBN}
811
812 Invoke @value{GDBN} by running the program @code{@value{GDBP}}. Once started,
813 @value{GDBN} reads commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit.
814
815 You can also run @code{@value{GDBP}} with a variety of arguments and options,
816 to specify more of your debugging environment at the outset.
817
818 The command-line options described here are designed
819 to cover a variety of situations; in some environments, some of these
820 options may effectively be unavailable.
821
822 The most usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument,
823 specifying an executable program:
824
825 @smallexample
826 @value{GDBP} @var{program}
827 @end smallexample
828
829 @noindent
830 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file
831 specified:
832
833 @smallexample
834 @value{GDBP} @var{program} @var{core}
835 @end smallexample
836
837 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
838 to debug a running process:
839
840 @smallexample
841 @value{GDBP} @var{program} 1234
842 @end smallexample
843
844 @noindent
845 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
846 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
847
848 Taking advantage of the second command-line argument requires a fairly
849 complete operating system; when you use @value{GDBN} as a remote
850 debugger attached to a bare board, there may not be any notion of
851 ``process'', and there is often no way to get a core dump. @value{GDBN}
852 will warn you if it is unable to attach or to read core dumps.
853
854 You can optionally have @code{@value{GDBP}} pass any arguments after the
855 executable file to the inferior using @code{--args}. This option stops
856 option processing.
857 @smallexample
858 @value{GDBP} --args gcc -O2 -c foo.c
859 @end smallexample
860 This will cause @code{@value{GDBP}} to debug @code{gcc}, and to set
861 @code{gcc}'s command-line arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to @samp{-O2 -c foo.c}.
862
863 You can run @code{@value{GDBP}} without printing the front material, which describes
864 @value{GDBN}'s non-warranty, by specifying @code{-silent}:
865
866 @smallexample
867 @value{GDBP} -silent
868 @end smallexample
869
870 @noindent
871 You can further control how @value{GDBN} starts up by using command-line
872 options. @value{GDBN} itself can remind you of the options available.
873
874 @noindent
875 Type
876
877 @smallexample
878 @value{GDBP} -help
879 @end smallexample
880
881 @noindent
882 to display all available options and briefly describe their use
883 (@samp{@value{GDBP} -h} is a shorter equivalent).
884
885 All options and command line arguments you give are processed
886 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the
887 @samp{-x} option is used.
888
889
890 @menu
891 * File Options:: Choosing files
892 * Mode Options:: Choosing modes
893 * Startup:: What @value{GDBN} does during startup
894 @end menu
895
896 @node File Options
897 @subsection Choosing Files
898
899 When @value{GDBN} starts, it reads any arguments other than options as
900 specifying an executable file and core file (or process ID). This is
901 the same as if the arguments were specified by the @samp{-se} and
902 @samp{-c} (or @samp{-p}) options respectively. (@value{GDBN} reads the
903 first argument that does not have an associated option flag as
904 equivalent to the @samp{-se} option followed by that argument; and the
905 second argument that does not have an associated option flag, if any, as
906 equivalent to the @samp{-c}/@samp{-p} option followed by that argument.)
907 If the second argument begins with a decimal digit, @value{GDBN} will
908 first attempt to attach to it as a process, and if that fails, attempt
909 to open it as a corefile. If you have a corefile whose name begins with
910 a digit, you can prevent @value{GDBN} from treating it as a pid by
911 prefixing it with @file{./}, e.g.@: @file{./12345}.
912
913 If @value{GDBN} has not been configured to included core file support,
914 such as for most embedded targets, then it will complain about a second
915 argument and ignore it.
916
917 Many options have both long and short forms; both are shown in the
918 following list. @value{GDBN} also recognizes the long forms if you truncate
919 them, so long as enough of the option is present to be unambiguous.
920 (If you prefer, you can flag option arguments with @samp{--} rather
921 than @samp{-}, though we illustrate the more usual convention.)
922
923 @c NOTE: the @cindex entries here use double dashes ON PURPOSE. This
924 @c way, both those who look for -foo and --foo in the index, will find
925 @c it.
926
927 @table @code
928 @item -symbols @var{file}
929 @itemx -s @var{file}
930 @cindex @code{--symbols}
931 @cindex @code{-s}
932 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
933
934 @item -exec @var{file}
935 @itemx -e @var{file}
936 @cindex @code{--exec}
937 @cindex @code{-e}
938 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when appropriate,
939 and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core dump.
940
941 @item -se @var{file}
942 @cindex @code{--se}
943 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
944 file.
945
946 @item -core @var{file}
947 @itemx -c @var{file}
948 @cindex @code{--core}
949 @cindex @code{-c}
950 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
951
952 @item -pid @var{number}
953 @itemx -p @var{number}
954 @cindex @code{--pid}
955 @cindex @code{-p}
956 Connect to process ID @var{number}, as with the @code{attach} command.
957
958 @item -command @var{file}
959 @itemx -x @var{file}
960 @cindex @code{--command}
961 @cindex @code{-x}
962 Execute @value{GDBN} commands from file @var{file}. @xref{Command
963 Files,, Command files}.
964
965 @item -eval-command @var{command}
966 @itemx -ex @var{command}
967 @cindex @code{--eval-command}
968 @cindex @code{-ex}
969 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command.
970
971 This option may be used multiple times to call multiple commands. It may
972 also be interleaved with @samp{-command} as required.
973
974 @smallexample
975 @value{GDBP} -ex 'target sim' -ex 'load' \
976 -x setbreakpoints -ex 'run' a.out
977 @end smallexample
978
979 @item -directory @var{directory}
980 @itemx -d @var{directory}
981 @cindex @code{--directory}
982 @cindex @code{-d}
983 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source and script files.
984
985 @item -r
986 @itemx -readnow
987 @cindex @code{--readnow}
988 @cindex @code{-r}
989 Read each symbol file's entire symbol table immediately, rather than
990 the default, which is to read it incrementally as it is needed.
991 This makes startup slower, but makes future operations faster.
992
993 @end table
994
995 @node Mode Options
996 @subsection Choosing Modes
997
998 You can run @value{GDBN} in various alternative modes---for example, in
999 batch mode or quiet mode.
1000
1001 @table @code
1002 @item -nx
1003 @itemx -n
1004 @cindex @code{--nx}
1005 @cindex @code{-n}
1006 Do not execute commands found in any initialization files. Normally,
1007 @value{GDBN} executes the commands in these files after all the command
1008 options and arguments have been processed. @xref{Command Files,,Command
1009 Files}.
1010
1011 @item -quiet
1012 @itemx -silent
1013 @itemx -q
1014 @cindex @code{--quiet}
1015 @cindex @code{--silent}
1016 @cindex @code{-q}
1017 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
1018 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
1019
1020 @item -batch
1021 @cindex @code{--batch}
1022 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the
1023 command files specified with @samp{-x} (and all commands from
1024 initialization files, if not inhibited with @samp{-n}). Exit with
1025 nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN} commands
1026 in the command files.
1027
1028 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for
1029 example to download and run a program on another computer; in order to
1030 make this more useful, the message
1031
1032 @smallexample
1033 Program exited normally.
1034 @end smallexample
1035
1036 @noindent
1037 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under
1038 @value{GDBN} control terminates) is not issued when running in batch
1039 mode.
1040
1041 @item -batch-silent
1042 @cindex @code{--batch-silent}
1043 Run in batch mode exactly like @samp{-batch}, but totally silently. All
1044 @value{GDBN} output to @code{stdout} is prevented (@code{stderr} is
1045 unaffected). This is much quieter than @samp{-silent} and would be useless
1046 for an interactive session.
1047
1048 This is particularly useful when using targets that give @samp{Loading section}
1049 messages, for example.
1050
1051 Note that targets that give their output via @value{GDBN}, as opposed to
1052 writing directly to @code{stdout}, will also be made silent.
1053
1054 @item -return-child-result
1055 @cindex @code{--return-child-result}
1056 The return code from @value{GDBN} will be the return code from the child
1057 process (the process being debugged), with the following exceptions:
1058
1059 @itemize @bullet
1060 @item
1061 @value{GDBN} exits abnormally. E.g., due to an incorrect argument or an
1062 internal error. In this case the exit code is the same as it would have been
1063 without @samp{-return-child-result}.
1064 @item
1065 The user quits with an explicit value. E.g., @samp{quit 1}.
1066 @item
1067 The child process never runs, or is not allowed to terminate, in which case
1068 the exit code will be -1.
1069 @end itemize
1070
1071 This option is useful in conjunction with @samp{-batch} or @samp{-batch-silent},
1072 when @value{GDBN} is being used as a remote program loader or simulator
1073 interface.
1074
1075 @item -nowindows
1076 @itemx -nw
1077 @cindex @code{--nowindows}
1078 @cindex @code{-nw}
1079 ``No windows''. If @value{GDBN} comes with a graphical user interface
1080 (GUI) built in, then this option tells @value{GDBN} to only use the command-line
1081 interface. If no GUI is available, this option has no effect.
1082
1083 @item -windows
1084 @itemx -w
1085 @cindex @code{--windows}
1086 @cindex @code{-w}
1087 If @value{GDBN} includes a GUI, then this option requires it to be
1088 used if possible.
1089
1090 @item -cd @var{directory}
1091 @cindex @code{--cd}
1092 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
1093 instead of the current directory.
1094
1095 @item -fullname
1096 @itemx -f
1097 @cindex @code{--fullname}
1098 @cindex @code{-f}
1099 @sc{gnu} Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a
1100 subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line
1101 number in a standard, recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is
1102 displayed (which includes each time your program stops). This
1103 recognizable format looks like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by
1104 the file name, line number and character position separated by colons,
1105 and a newline. The Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two
1106 @samp{\032} characters as a signal to display the source code for the
1107 frame.
1108
1109 @item -epoch
1110 @cindex @code{--epoch}
1111 The Epoch Emacs-@value{GDBN} interface sets this option when it runs
1112 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to modify its print
1113 routines so as to allow Epoch to display values of expressions in a
1114 separate window.
1115
1116 @item -annotate @var{level}
1117 @cindex @code{--annotate}
1118 This option sets the @dfn{annotation level} inside @value{GDBN}. Its
1119 effect is identical to using @samp{set annotate @var{level}}
1120 (@pxref{Annotations}). The annotation @var{level} controls how much
1121 information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt, values of
1122 expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0 is the
1123 normal, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a subprocess of
1124 @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable for programs
1125 that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 has been deprecated.
1126
1127 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
1128 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
1129
1130 @item --args
1131 @cindex @code{--args}
1132 Change interpretation of command line so that arguments following the
1133 executable file are passed as command line arguments to the inferior.
1134 This option stops option processing.
1135
1136 @item -baud @var{bps}
1137 @itemx -b @var{bps}
1138 @cindex @code{--baud}
1139 @cindex @code{-b}
1140 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
1141 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
1142
1143 @item -l @var{timeout}
1144 @cindex @code{-l}
1145 Set the timeout (in seconds) of any communication used by @value{GDBN}
1146 for remote debugging.
1147
1148 @item -tty @var{device}
1149 @itemx -t @var{device}
1150 @cindex @code{--tty}
1151 @cindex @code{-t}
1152 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
1153 @c FIXME: kingdon thinks there is more to -tty. Investigate.
1154
1155 @c resolve the situation of these eventually
1156 @item -tui
1157 @cindex @code{--tui}
1158 Activate the @dfn{Text User Interface} when starting. The Text User
1159 Interface manages several text windows on the terminal, showing
1160 source, assembly, registers and @value{GDBN} command outputs
1161 (@pxref{TUI, ,@value{GDBN} Text User Interface}). Alternatively, the
1162 Text User Interface can be enabled by invoking the program
1163 @samp{@value{GDBTUI}}. Do not use this option if you run @value{GDBN} from
1164 Emacs (@pxref{Emacs, ,Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}).
1165
1166 @c @item -xdb
1167 @c @cindex @code{--xdb}
1168 @c Run in XDB compatibility mode, allowing the use of certain XDB commands.
1169 @c For information, see the file @file{xdb_trans.html}, which is usually
1170 @c installed in the directory @code{/opt/langtools/wdb/doc} on HP-UX
1171 @c systems.
1172
1173 @item -interpreter @var{interp}
1174 @cindex @code{--interpreter}
1175 Use the interpreter @var{interp} for interface with the controlling
1176 program or device. This option is meant to be set by programs which
1177 communicate with @value{GDBN} using it as a back end.
1178 @xref{Interpreters, , Command Interpreters}.
1179
1180 @samp{--interpreter=mi} (or @samp{--interpreter=mi2}) causes
1181 @value{GDBN} to use the @dfn{@sc{gdb/mi} interface} (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,
1182 The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}) included since @value{GDBN} version 6.0. The
1183 previous @sc{gdb/mi} interface, included in @value{GDBN} version 5.3 and
1184 selected with @samp{--interpreter=mi1}, is deprecated. Earlier
1185 @sc{gdb/mi} interfaces are no longer supported.
1186
1187 @item -write
1188 @cindex @code{--write}
1189 Open the executable and core files for both reading and writing. This
1190 is equivalent to the @samp{set write on} command inside @value{GDBN}
1191 (@pxref{Patching}).
1192
1193 @item -statistics
1194 @cindex @code{--statistics}
1195 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print statistics about time and
1196 memory usage after it completes each command and returns to the prompt.
1197
1198 @item -version
1199 @cindex @code{--version}
1200 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print its version number and
1201 no-warranty blurb, and exit.
1202
1203 @end table
1204
1205 @node Startup
1206 @subsection What @value{GDBN} Does During Startup
1207 @cindex @value{GDBN} startup
1208
1209 Here's the description of what @value{GDBN} does during session startup:
1210
1211 @enumerate
1212 @item
1213 Sets up the command interpreter as specified by the command line
1214 (@pxref{Mode Options, interpreter}).
1215
1216 @item
1217 @cindex init file
1218 Reads the system-wide @dfn{init file} (if @option{--with-system-gdbinit} was
1219 used when building @value{GDBN}; @pxref{System-wide configuration,
1220 ,System-wide configuration and settings}) and executes all the commands in
1221 that file.
1222
1223 @item
1224 Reads the init file (if any) in your home directory@footnote{On
1225 DOS/Windows systems, the home directory is the one pointed to by the
1226 @code{HOME} environment variable.} and executes all the commands in
1227 that file.
1228
1229 @item
1230 Processes command line options and operands.
1231
1232 @item
1233 Reads and executes the commands from init file (if any) in the current
1234 working directory. This is only done if the current directory is
1235 different from your home directory. Thus, you can have more than one
1236 init file, one generic in your home directory, and another, specific
1237 to the program you are debugging, in the directory where you invoke
1238 @value{GDBN}.
1239
1240 @item
1241 Reads command files specified by the @samp{-x} option. @xref{Command
1242 Files}, for more details about @value{GDBN} command files.
1243
1244 @item
1245 Reads the command history recorded in the @dfn{history file}.
1246 @xref{Command History}, for more details about the command history and the
1247 files where @value{GDBN} records it.
1248 @end enumerate
1249
1250 Init files use the same syntax as @dfn{command files} (@pxref{Command
1251 Files}) and are processed by @value{GDBN} in the same way. The init
1252 file in your home directory can set options (such as @samp{set
1253 complaints}) that affect subsequent processing of command line options
1254 and operands. Init files are not executed if you use the @samp{-nx}
1255 option (@pxref{Mode Options, ,Choosing Modes}).
1256
1257 To display the list of init files loaded by gdb at startup, you
1258 can use @kbd{gdb --help}.
1259
1260 @cindex init file name
1261 @cindex @file{.gdbinit}
1262 @cindex @file{gdb.ini}
1263 The @value{GDBN} init files are normally called @file{.gdbinit}.
1264 The DJGPP port of @value{GDBN} uses the name @file{gdb.ini}, due to
1265 the limitations of file names imposed by DOS filesystems. The Windows
1266 ports of @value{GDBN} use the standard name, but if they find a
1267 @file{gdb.ini} file, they warn you about that and suggest to rename
1268 the file to the standard name.
1269
1270
1271 @node Quitting GDB
1272 @section Quitting @value{GDBN}
1273 @cindex exiting @value{GDBN}
1274 @cindex leaving @value{GDBN}
1275
1276 @table @code
1277 @kindex quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1278 @kindex q @r{(@code{quit})}
1279 @item quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1280 @itemx q
1281 To exit @value{GDBN}, use the @code{quit} command (abbreviated
1282 @code{q}), or type an end-of-file character (usually @kbd{Ctrl-d}). If you
1283 do not supply @var{expression}, @value{GDBN} will terminate normally;
1284 otherwise it will terminate using the result of @var{expression} as the
1285 error code.
1286 @end table
1287
1288 @cindex interrupt
1289 An interrupt (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}) does not exit from @value{GDBN}, but rather
1290 terminates the action of any @value{GDBN} command that is in progress and
1291 returns to @value{GDBN} command level. It is safe to type the interrupt
1292 character at any time because @value{GDBN} does not allow it to take effect
1293 until a time when it is safe.
1294
1295 If you have been using @value{GDBN} to control an attached process or
1296 device, you can release it with the @code{detach} command
1297 (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
1298
1299 @node Shell Commands
1300 @section Shell Commands
1301
1302 If you need to execute occasional shell commands during your
1303 debugging session, there is no need to leave or suspend @value{GDBN}; you can
1304 just use the @code{shell} command.
1305
1306 @table @code
1307 @kindex shell
1308 @cindex shell escape
1309 @item shell @var{command string}
1310 Invoke a standard shell to execute @var{command string}.
1311 If it exists, the environment variable @code{SHELL} determines which
1312 shell to run. Otherwise @value{GDBN} uses the default shell
1313 (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix systems, @file{COMMAND.COM} on MS-DOS, etc.).
1314 @end table
1315
1316 The utility @code{make} is often needed in development environments.
1317 You do not have to use the @code{shell} command for this purpose in
1318 @value{GDBN}:
1319
1320 @table @code
1321 @kindex make
1322 @cindex calling make
1323 @item make @var{make-args}
1324 Execute the @code{make} program with the specified
1325 arguments. This is equivalent to @samp{shell make @var{make-args}}.
1326 @end table
1327
1328 @node Logging Output
1329 @section Logging Output
1330 @cindex logging @value{GDBN} output
1331 @cindex save @value{GDBN} output to a file
1332
1333 You may want to save the output of @value{GDBN} commands to a file.
1334 There are several commands to control @value{GDBN}'s logging.
1335
1336 @table @code
1337 @kindex set logging
1338 @item set logging on
1339 Enable logging.
1340 @item set logging off
1341 Disable logging.
1342 @cindex logging file name
1343 @item set logging file @var{file}
1344 Change the name of the current logfile. The default logfile is @file{gdb.txt}.
1345 @item set logging overwrite [on|off]
1346 By default, @value{GDBN} will append to the logfile. Set @code{overwrite} if
1347 you want @code{set logging on} to overwrite the logfile instead.
1348 @item set logging redirect [on|off]
1349 By default, @value{GDBN} output will go to both the terminal and the logfile.
1350 Set @code{redirect} if you want output to go only to the log file.
1351 @kindex show logging
1352 @item show logging
1353 Show the current values of the logging settings.
1354 @end table
1355
1356 @node Commands
1357 @chapter @value{GDBN} Commands
1358
1359 You can abbreviate a @value{GDBN} command to the first few letters of the command
1360 name, if that abbreviation is unambiguous; and you can repeat certain
1361 @value{GDBN} commands by typing just @key{RET}. You can also use the @key{TAB}
1362 key to get @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest of a word in a command (or to
1363 show you the alternatives available, if there is more than one possibility).
1364
1365 @menu
1366 * Command Syntax:: How to give commands to @value{GDBN}
1367 * Completion:: Command completion
1368 * Help:: How to ask @value{GDBN} for help
1369 @end menu
1370
1371 @node Command Syntax
1372 @section Command Syntax
1373
1374 A @value{GDBN} command is a single line of input. There is no limit on
1375 how long it can be. It starts with a command name, which is followed by
1376 arguments whose meaning depends on the command name. For example, the
1377 command @code{step} accepts an argument which is the number of times to
1378 step, as in @samp{step 5}. You can also use the @code{step} command
1379 with no arguments. Some commands do not allow any arguments.
1380
1381 @cindex abbreviation
1382 @value{GDBN} command names may always be truncated if that abbreviation is
1383 unambiguous. Other possible command abbreviations are listed in the
1384 documentation for individual commands. In some cases, even ambiguous
1385 abbreviations are allowed; for example, @code{s} is specially defined as
1386 equivalent to @code{step} even though there are other commands whose
1387 names start with @code{s}. You can test abbreviations by using them as
1388 arguments to the @code{help} command.
1389
1390 @cindex repeating commands
1391 @kindex RET @r{(repeat last command)}
1392 A blank line as input to @value{GDBN} (typing just @key{RET}) means to
1393 repeat the previous command. Certain commands (for example, @code{run})
1394 will not repeat this way; these are commands whose unintentional
1395 repetition might cause trouble and which you are unlikely to want to
1396 repeat. User-defined commands can disable this feature; see
1397 @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
1398
1399 The @code{list} and @code{x} commands, when you repeat them with
1400 @key{RET}, construct new arguments rather than repeating
1401 exactly as typed. This permits easy scanning of source or memory.
1402
1403 @value{GDBN} can also use @key{RET} in another way: to partition lengthy
1404 output, in a way similar to the common utility @code{more}
1405 (@pxref{Screen Size,,Screen Size}). Since it is easy to press one
1406 @key{RET} too many in this situation, @value{GDBN} disables command
1407 repetition after any command that generates this sort of display.
1408
1409 @kindex # @r{(a comment)}
1410 @cindex comment
1411 Any text from a @kbd{#} to the end of the line is a comment; it does
1412 nothing. This is useful mainly in command files (@pxref{Command
1413 Files,,Command Files}).
1414
1415 @cindex repeating command sequences
1416 @kindex Ctrl-o @r{(operate-and-get-next)}
1417 The @kbd{Ctrl-o} binding is useful for repeating a complex sequence of
1418 commands. This command accepts the current line, like @key{RET}, and
1419 then fetches the next line relative to the current line from the history
1420 for editing.
1421
1422 @node Completion
1423 @section Command Completion
1424
1425 @cindex completion
1426 @cindex word completion
1427 @value{GDBN} can fill in the rest of a word in a command for you, if there is
1428 only one possibility; it can also show you what the valid possibilities
1429 are for the next word in a command, at any time. This works for @value{GDBN}
1430 commands, @value{GDBN} subcommands, and the names of symbols in your program.
1431
1432 Press the @key{TAB} key whenever you want @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest
1433 of a word. If there is only one possibility, @value{GDBN} fills in the
1434 word, and waits for you to finish the command (or press @key{RET} to
1435 enter it). For example, if you type
1436
1437 @c FIXME "@key" does not distinguish its argument sufficiently to permit
1438 @c complete accuracy in these examples; space introduced for clarity.
1439 @c If texinfo enhancements make it unnecessary, it would be nice to
1440 @c replace " @key" by "@key" in the following...
1441 @smallexample
1442 (@value{GDBP}) info bre @key{TAB}
1443 @end smallexample
1444
1445 @noindent
1446 @value{GDBN} fills in the rest of the word @samp{breakpoints}, since that is
1447 the only @code{info} subcommand beginning with @samp{bre}:
1448
1449 @smallexample
1450 (@value{GDBP}) info breakpoints
1451 @end smallexample
1452
1453 @noindent
1454 You can either press @key{RET} at this point, to run the @code{info
1455 breakpoints} command, or backspace and enter something else, if
1456 @samp{breakpoints} does not look like the command you expected. (If you
1457 were sure you wanted @code{info breakpoints} in the first place, you
1458 might as well just type @key{RET} immediately after @samp{info bre},
1459 to exploit command abbreviations rather than command completion).
1460
1461 If there is more than one possibility for the next word when you press
1462 @key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} sounds a bell. You can either supply more
1463 characters and try again, or just press @key{TAB} a second time;
1464 @value{GDBN} displays all the possible completions for that word. For
1465 example, you might want to set a breakpoint on a subroutine whose name
1466 begins with @samp{make_}, but when you type @kbd{b make_@key{TAB}} @value{GDBN}
1467 just sounds the bell. Typing @key{TAB} again displays all the
1468 function names in your program that begin with those characters, for
1469 example:
1470
1471 @smallexample
1472 (@value{GDBP}) b make_ @key{TAB}
1473 @exdent @value{GDBN} sounds bell; press @key{TAB} again, to see:
1474 make_a_section_from_file make_environ
1475 make_abs_section make_function_type
1476 make_blockvector make_pointer_type
1477 make_cleanup make_reference_type
1478 make_command make_symbol_completion_list
1479 (@value{GDBP}) b make_
1480 @end smallexample
1481
1482 @noindent
1483 After displaying the available possibilities, @value{GDBN} copies your
1484 partial input (@samp{b make_} in the example) so you can finish the
1485 command.
1486
1487 If you just want to see the list of alternatives in the first place, you
1488 can press @kbd{M-?} rather than pressing @key{TAB} twice. @kbd{M-?}
1489 means @kbd{@key{META} ?}. You can type this either by holding down a
1490 key designated as the @key{META} shift on your keyboard (if there is
1491 one) while typing @kbd{?}, or as @key{ESC} followed by @kbd{?}.
1492
1493 @cindex quotes in commands
1494 @cindex completion of quoted strings
1495 Sometimes the string you need, while logically a ``word'', may contain
1496 parentheses or other characters that @value{GDBN} normally excludes from
1497 its notion of a word. To permit word completion to work in this
1498 situation, you may enclose words in @code{'} (single quote marks) in
1499 @value{GDBN} commands.
1500
1501 The most likely situation where you might need this is in typing the
1502 name of a C@t{++} function. This is because C@t{++} allows function
1503 overloading (multiple definitions of the same function, distinguished
1504 by argument type). For example, when you want to set a breakpoint you
1505 may need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name}
1506 that takes an @code{int} parameter, @code{name(int)}, or the version
1507 that takes a @code{float} parameter, @code{name(float)}. To use the
1508 word-completion facilities in this situation, type a single quote
1509 @code{'} at the beginning of the function name. This alerts
1510 @value{GDBN} that it may need to consider more information than usual
1511 when you press @key{TAB} or @kbd{M-?} to request word completion:
1512
1513 @smallexample
1514 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble( @kbd{M-?}
1515 bubble(double,double) bubble(int,int)
1516 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1517 @end smallexample
1518
1519 In some cases, @value{GDBN} can tell that completing a name requires using
1520 quotes. When this happens, @value{GDBN} inserts the quote for you (while
1521 completing as much as it can) if you do not type the quote in the first
1522 place:
1523
1524 @smallexample
1525 (@value{GDBP}) b bub @key{TAB}
1526 @exdent @value{GDBN} alters your input line to the following, and rings a bell:
1527 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1528 @end smallexample
1529
1530 @noindent
1531 In general, @value{GDBN} can tell that a quote is needed (and inserts it) if
1532 you have not yet started typing the argument list when you ask for
1533 completion on an overloaded symbol.
1534
1535 For more information about overloaded functions, see @ref{C Plus Plus
1536 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}. You can use the command @code{set
1537 overload-resolution off} to disable overload resolution;
1538 see @ref{Debugging C Plus Plus, ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
1539
1540 @cindex completion of structure field names
1541 @cindex structure field name completion
1542 @cindex completion of union field names
1543 @cindex union field name completion
1544 When completing in an expression which looks up a field in a
1545 structure, @value{GDBN} also tries@footnote{The completer can be
1546 confused by certain kinds of invalid expressions. Also, it only
1547 examines the static type of the expression, not the dynamic type.} to
1548 limit completions to the field names available in the type of the
1549 left-hand-side:
1550
1551 @smallexample
1552 (@value{GDBP}) p gdb_stdout.@kbd{M-?}
1553 magic to_delete to_fputs to_put to_rewind
1554 to_data to_flush to_isatty to_read to_write
1555 @end smallexample
1556
1557 @noindent
1558 This is because the @code{gdb_stdout} is a variable of the type
1559 @code{struct ui_file} that is defined in @value{GDBN} sources as
1560 follows:
1561
1562 @smallexample
1563 struct ui_file
1564 @{
1565 int *magic;
1566 ui_file_flush_ftype *to_flush;
1567 ui_file_write_ftype *to_write;
1568 ui_file_fputs_ftype *to_fputs;
1569 ui_file_read_ftype *to_read;
1570 ui_file_delete_ftype *to_delete;
1571 ui_file_isatty_ftype *to_isatty;
1572 ui_file_rewind_ftype *to_rewind;
1573 ui_file_put_ftype *to_put;
1574 void *to_data;
1575 @}
1576 @end smallexample
1577
1578
1579 @node Help
1580 @section Getting Help
1581 @cindex online documentation
1582 @kindex help
1583
1584 You can always ask @value{GDBN} itself for information on its commands,
1585 using the command @code{help}.
1586
1587 @table @code
1588 @kindex h @r{(@code{help})}
1589 @item help
1590 @itemx h
1591 You can use @code{help} (abbreviated @code{h}) with no arguments to
1592 display a short list of named classes of commands:
1593
1594 @smallexample
1595 (@value{GDBP}) help
1596 List of classes of commands:
1597
1598 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1599 breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
1600 data -- Examining data
1601 files -- Specifying and examining files
1602 internals -- Maintenance commands
1603 obscure -- Obscure features
1604 running -- Running the program
1605 stack -- Examining the stack
1606 status -- Status inquiries
1607 support -- Support facilities
1608 tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without
1609 stopping the program
1610 user-defined -- User-defined commands
1611
1612 Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
1613 commands in that class.
1614 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1615 documentation.
1616 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1617 (@value{GDBP})
1618 @end smallexample
1619 @c the above line break eliminates huge line overfull...
1620
1621 @item help @var{class}
1622 Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
1623 list of the individual commands in that class. For example, here is the
1624 help display for the class @code{status}:
1625
1626 @smallexample
1627 (@value{GDBP}) help status
1628 Status inquiries.
1629
1630 List of commands:
1631
1632 @c Line break in "show" line falsifies real output, but needed
1633 @c to fit in smallbook page size.
1634 info -- Generic command for showing things
1635 about the program being debugged
1636 show -- Generic command for showing things
1637 about the debugger
1638
1639 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1640 documentation.
1641 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1642 (@value{GDBP})
1643 @end smallexample
1644
1645 @item help @var{command}
1646 With a command name as @code{help} argument, @value{GDBN} displays a
1647 short paragraph on how to use that command.
1648
1649 @kindex apropos
1650 @item apropos @var{args}
1651 The @code{apropos} command searches through all of the @value{GDBN}
1652 commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression specified in
1653 @var{args}. It prints out all matches found. For example:
1654
1655 @smallexample
1656 apropos reload
1657 @end smallexample
1658
1659 @noindent
1660 results in:
1661
1662 @smallexample
1663 @c @group
1664 set symbol-reloading -- Set dynamic symbol table reloading
1665 multiple times in one run
1666 show symbol-reloading -- Show dynamic symbol table reloading
1667 multiple times in one run
1668 @c @end group
1669 @end smallexample
1670
1671 @kindex complete
1672 @item complete @var{args}
1673 The @code{complete @var{args}} command lists all the possible completions
1674 for the beginning of a command. Use @var{args} to specify the beginning of the
1675 command you want completed. For example:
1676
1677 @smallexample
1678 complete i
1679 @end smallexample
1680
1681 @noindent results in:
1682
1683 @smallexample
1684 @group
1685 if
1686 ignore
1687 info
1688 inspect
1689 @end group
1690 @end smallexample
1691
1692 @noindent This is intended for use by @sc{gnu} Emacs.
1693 @end table
1694
1695 In addition to @code{help}, you can use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{info}
1696 and @code{show} to inquire about the state of your program, or the state
1697 of @value{GDBN} itself. Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this
1698 manual introduces each of them in the appropriate context. The listings
1699 under @code{info} and under @code{show} in the Index point to
1700 all the sub-commands. @xref{Index}.
1701
1702 @c @group
1703 @table @code
1704 @kindex info
1705 @kindex i @r{(@code{info})}
1706 @item info
1707 This command (abbreviated @code{i}) is for describing the state of your
1708 program. For example, you can show the arguments passed to a function
1709 with @code{info args}, list the registers currently in use with @code{info
1710 registers}, or list the breakpoints you have set with @code{info breakpoints}.
1711 You can get a complete list of the @code{info} sub-commands with
1712 @w{@code{help info}}.
1713
1714 @kindex set
1715 @item set
1716 You can assign the result of an expression to an environment variable with
1717 @code{set}. For example, you can set the @value{GDBN} prompt to a $-sign with
1718 @code{set prompt $}.
1719
1720 @kindex show
1721 @item show
1722 In contrast to @code{info}, @code{show} is for describing the state of
1723 @value{GDBN} itself.
1724 You can change most of the things you can @code{show}, by using the
1725 related command @code{set}; for example, you can control what number
1726 system is used for displays with @code{set radix}, or simply inquire
1727 which is currently in use with @code{show radix}.
1728
1729 @kindex info set
1730 To display all the settable parameters and their current
1731 values, you can use @code{show} with no arguments; you may also use
1732 @code{info set}. Both commands produce the same display.
1733 @c FIXME: "info set" violates the rule that "info" is for state of
1734 @c FIXME...program. Ck w/ GNU: "info set" to be called something else,
1735 @c FIXME...or change desc of rule---eg "state of prog and debugging session"?
1736 @end table
1737 @c @end group
1738
1739 Here are three miscellaneous @code{show} subcommands, all of which are
1740 exceptional in lacking corresponding @code{set} commands:
1741
1742 @table @code
1743 @kindex show version
1744 @cindex @value{GDBN} version number
1745 @item show version
1746 Show what version of @value{GDBN} is running. You should include this
1747 information in @value{GDBN} bug-reports. If multiple versions of
1748 @value{GDBN} are in use at your site, you may need to determine which
1749 version of @value{GDBN} you are running; as @value{GDBN} evolves, new
1750 commands are introduced, and old ones may wither away. Also, many
1751 system vendors ship variant versions of @value{GDBN}, and there are
1752 variant versions of @value{GDBN} in @sc{gnu}/Linux distributions as well.
1753 The version number is the same as the one announced when you start
1754 @value{GDBN}.
1755
1756 @kindex show copying
1757 @kindex info copying
1758 @cindex display @value{GDBN} copyright
1759 @item show copying
1760 @itemx info copying
1761 Display information about permission for copying @value{GDBN}.
1762
1763 @kindex show warranty
1764 @kindex info warranty
1765 @item show warranty
1766 @itemx info warranty
1767 Display the @sc{gnu} ``NO WARRANTY'' statement, or a warranty,
1768 if your version of @value{GDBN} comes with one.
1769
1770 @end table
1771
1772 @node Running
1773 @chapter Running Programs Under @value{GDBN}
1774
1775 When you run a program under @value{GDBN}, you must first generate
1776 debugging information when you compile it.
1777
1778 You may start @value{GDBN} with its arguments, if any, in an environment
1779 of your choice. If you are doing native debugging, you may redirect
1780 your program's input and output, debug an already running process, or
1781 kill a child process.
1782
1783 @menu
1784 * Compilation:: Compiling for debugging
1785 * Starting:: Starting your program
1786 * Arguments:: Your program's arguments
1787 * Environment:: Your program's environment
1788
1789 * Working Directory:: Your program's working directory
1790 * Input/Output:: Your program's input and output
1791 * Attach:: Debugging an already-running process
1792 * Kill Process:: Killing the child process
1793
1794 * Inferiors:: Debugging multiple inferiors
1795 * Threads:: Debugging programs with multiple threads
1796 * Processes:: Debugging programs with multiple processes
1797 * Checkpoint/Restart:: Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
1798 @end menu
1799
1800 @node Compilation
1801 @section Compiling for Debugging
1802
1803 In order to debug a program effectively, you need to generate
1804 debugging information when you compile it. This debugging information
1805 is stored in the object file; it describes the data type of each
1806 variable or function and the correspondence between source line numbers
1807 and addresses in the executable code.
1808
1809 To request debugging information, specify the @samp{-g} option when you run
1810 the compiler.
1811
1812 Programs that are to be shipped to your customers are compiled with
1813 optimizations, using the @samp{-O} compiler option. However, some
1814 compilers are unable to handle the @samp{-g} and @samp{-O} options
1815 together. Using those compilers, you cannot generate optimized
1816 executables containing debugging information.
1817
1818 @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler, supports @samp{-g} with or
1819 without @samp{-O}, making it possible to debug optimized code. We
1820 recommend that you @emph{always} use @samp{-g} whenever you compile a
1821 program. You may think your program is correct, but there is no sense
1822 in pushing your luck. For more information, see @ref{Optimized Code}.
1823
1824 Older versions of the @sc{gnu} C compiler permitted a variant option
1825 @w{@samp{-gg}} for debugging information. @value{GDBN} no longer supports this
1826 format; if your @sc{gnu} C compiler has this option, do not use it.
1827
1828 @value{GDBN} knows about preprocessor macros and can show you their
1829 expansion (@pxref{Macros}). Most compilers do not include information
1830 about preprocessor macros in the debugging information if you specify
1831 the @option{-g} flag alone, because this information is rather large.
1832 Version 3.1 and later of @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C compiler,
1833 provides macro information if you specify the options
1834 @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-g3}; the former option requests
1835 debugging information in the Dwarf 2 format, and the latter requests
1836 ``extra information''. In the future, we hope to find more compact
1837 ways to represent macro information, so that it can be included with
1838 @option{-g} alone.
1839
1840 @need 2000
1841 @node Starting
1842 @section Starting your Program
1843 @cindex starting
1844 @cindex running
1845
1846 @table @code
1847 @kindex run
1848 @kindex r @r{(@code{run})}
1849 @item run
1850 @itemx r
1851 Use the @code{run} command to start your program under @value{GDBN}.
1852 You must first specify the program name (except on VxWorks) with an
1853 argument to @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Invocation, ,Getting In and Out of
1854 @value{GDBN}}), or by using the @code{file} or @code{exec-file} command
1855 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
1856
1857 @end table
1858
1859 If you are running your program in an execution environment that
1860 supports processes, @code{run} creates an inferior process and makes
1861 that process run your program. In some environments without processes,
1862 @code{run} jumps to the start of your program. Other targets,
1863 like @samp{remote}, are always running. If you get an error
1864 message like this one:
1865
1866 @smallexample
1867 The "remote" target does not support "run".
1868 Try "help target" or "continue".
1869 @end smallexample
1870
1871 @noindent
1872 then use @code{continue} to run your program. You may need @code{load}
1873 first (@pxref{load}).
1874
1875 The execution of a program is affected by certain information it
1876 receives from its superior. @value{GDBN} provides ways to specify this
1877 information, which you must do @emph{before} starting your program. (You
1878 can change it after starting your program, but such changes only affect
1879 your program the next time you start it.) This information may be
1880 divided into four categories:
1881
1882 @table @asis
1883 @item The @emph{arguments.}
1884 Specify the arguments to give your program as the arguments of the
1885 @code{run} command. If a shell is available on your target, the shell
1886 is used to pass the arguments, so that you may use normal conventions
1887 (such as wildcard expansion or variable substitution) in describing
1888 the arguments.
1889 In Unix systems, you can control which shell is used with the
1890 @code{SHELL} environment variable.
1891 @xref{Arguments, ,Your Program's Arguments}.
1892
1893 @item The @emph{environment.}
1894 Your program normally inherits its environment from @value{GDBN}, but you can
1895 use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{set environment} and @code{unset
1896 environment} to change parts of the environment that affect
1897 your program. @xref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}.
1898
1899 @item The @emph{working directory.}
1900 Your program inherits its working directory from @value{GDBN}. You can set
1901 the @value{GDBN} working directory with the @code{cd} command in @value{GDBN}.
1902 @xref{Working Directory, ,Your Program's Working Directory}.
1903
1904 @item The @emph{standard input and output.}
1905 Your program normally uses the same device for standard input and
1906 standard output as @value{GDBN} is using. You can redirect input and output
1907 in the @code{run} command line, or you can use the @code{tty} command to
1908 set a different device for your program.
1909 @xref{Input/Output, ,Your Program's Input and Output}.
1910
1911 @cindex pipes
1912 @emph{Warning:} While input and output redirection work, you cannot use
1913 pipes to pass the output of the program you are debugging to another
1914 program; if you attempt this, @value{GDBN} is likely to wind up debugging the
1915 wrong program.
1916 @end table
1917
1918 When you issue the @code{run} command, your program begins to execute
1919 immediately. @xref{Stopping, ,Stopping and Continuing}, for discussion
1920 of how to arrange for your program to stop. Once your program has
1921 stopped, you may call functions in your program, using the @code{print}
1922 or @code{call} commands. @xref{Data, ,Examining Data}.
1923
1924 If the modification time of your symbol file has changed since the last
1925 time @value{GDBN} read its symbols, @value{GDBN} discards its symbol
1926 table, and reads it again. When it does this, @value{GDBN} tries to retain
1927 your current breakpoints.
1928
1929 @table @code
1930 @kindex start
1931 @item start
1932 @cindex run to main procedure
1933 The name of the main procedure can vary from language to language.
1934 With C or C@t{++}, the main procedure name is always @code{main}, but
1935 other languages such as Ada do not require a specific name for their
1936 main procedure. The debugger provides a convenient way to start the
1937 execution of the program and to stop at the beginning of the main
1938 procedure, depending on the language used.
1939
1940 The @samp{start} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
1941 breakpoint at the beginning of the main procedure and then invoking
1942 the @samp{run} command.
1943
1944 @cindex elaboration phase
1945 Some programs contain an @dfn{elaboration} phase where some startup code is
1946 executed before the main procedure is called. This depends on the
1947 languages used to write your program. In C@t{++}, for instance,
1948 constructors for static and global objects are executed before
1949 @code{main} is called. It is therefore possible that the debugger stops
1950 before reaching the main procedure. However, the temporary breakpoint
1951 will remain to halt execution.
1952
1953 Specify the arguments to give to your program as arguments to the
1954 @samp{start} command. These arguments will be given verbatim to the
1955 underlying @samp{run} command. Note that the same arguments will be
1956 reused if no argument is provided during subsequent calls to
1957 @samp{start} or @samp{run}.
1958
1959 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration. In
1960 these cases, using the @code{start} command would stop the execution of
1961 your program too late, as the program would have already completed the
1962 elaboration phase. Under these circumstances, insert breakpoints in your
1963 elaboration code before running your program.
1964
1965 @kindex set exec-wrapper
1966 @item set exec-wrapper @var{wrapper}
1967 @itemx show exec-wrapper
1968 @itemx unset exec-wrapper
1969 When @samp{exec-wrapper} is set, the specified wrapper is used to
1970 launch programs for debugging. @value{GDBN} starts your program
1971 with a shell command of the form @kbd{exec @var{wrapper}
1972 @var{program}}. Quoting is added to @var{program} and its
1973 arguments, but not to @var{wrapper}, so you should add quotes if
1974 appropriate for your shell. The wrapper runs until it executes
1975 your program, and then @value{GDBN} takes control.
1976
1977 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
1978 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
1979 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
1980 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
1981
1982 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
1983 the debugged program, without setting the variable in your shell's
1984 environment:
1985
1986 @smallexample
1987 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper env 'LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so'
1988 (@value{GDBP}) run
1989 @end smallexample
1990
1991 This command is available when debugging locally on most targets, excluding
1992 @sc{djgpp}, Cygwin, MS Windows, and QNX Neutrino.
1993
1994 @kindex set disable-randomization
1995 @item set disable-randomization
1996 @itemx set disable-randomization on
1997 This option (enabled by default in @value{GDBN}) will turn off the native
1998 randomization of the virtual address space of the started program. This option
1999 is useful for multiple debugging sessions to make the execution better
2000 reproducible and memory addresses reusable across debugging sessions.
2001
2002 This feature is implemented only on @sc{gnu}/Linux. You can get the same
2003 behavior using
2004
2005 @smallexample
2006 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper setarch `uname -m` -R
2007 @end smallexample
2008
2009 @item set disable-randomization off
2010 Leave the behavior of the started executable unchanged. Some bugs rear their
2011 ugly heads only when the program is loaded at certain addresses. If your bug
2012 disappears when you run the program under @value{GDBN}, that might be because
2013 @value{GDBN} by default disables the address randomization on platforms, such
2014 as @sc{gnu}/Linux, which do that for stand-alone programs. Use @kbd{set
2015 disable-randomization off} to try to reproduce such elusive bugs.
2016
2017 The virtual address space randomization is implemented only on @sc{gnu}/Linux.
2018 It protects the programs against some kinds of security attacks. In these
2019 cases the attacker needs to know the exact location of a concrete executable
2020 code. Randomizing its location makes it impossible to inject jumps misusing
2021 a code at its expected addresses.
2022
2023 Prelinking shared libraries provides a startup performance advantage but it
2024 makes addresses in these libraries predictable for privileged processes by
2025 having just unprivileged access at the target system. Reading the shared
2026 library binary gives enough information for assembling the malicious code
2027 misusing it. Still even a prelinked shared library can get loaded at a new
2028 random address just requiring the regular relocation process during the
2029 startup. Shared libraries not already prelinked are always loaded at
2030 a randomly chosen address.
2031
2032 Position independent executables (PIE) contain position independent code
2033 similar to the shared libraries and therefore such executables get loaded at
2034 a randomly chosen address upon startup. PIE executables always load even
2035 already prelinked shared libraries at a random address. You can build such
2036 executable using @command{gcc -fPIE -pie}.
2037
2038 Heap (malloc storage), stack and custom mmap areas are always placed randomly
2039 (as long as the randomization is enabled).
2040
2041 @item show disable-randomization
2042 Show the current setting of the explicit disable of the native randomization of
2043 the virtual address space of the started program.
2044
2045 @end table
2046
2047 @node Arguments
2048 @section Your Program's Arguments
2049
2050 @cindex arguments (to your program)
2051 The arguments to your program can be specified by the arguments of the
2052 @code{run} command.
2053 They are passed to a shell, which expands wildcard characters and
2054 performs redirection of I/O, and thence to your program. Your
2055 @code{SHELL} environment variable (if it exists) specifies what shell
2056 @value{GDBN} uses. If you do not define @code{SHELL}, @value{GDBN} uses
2057 the default shell (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix).
2058
2059 On non-Unix systems, the program is usually invoked directly by
2060 @value{GDBN}, which emulates I/O redirection via the appropriate system
2061 calls, and the wildcard characters are expanded by the startup code of
2062 the program, not by the shell.
2063
2064 @code{run} with no arguments uses the same arguments used by the previous
2065 @code{run}, or those set by the @code{set args} command.
2066
2067 @table @code
2068 @kindex set args
2069 @item set args
2070 Specify the arguments to be used the next time your program is run. If
2071 @code{set args} has no arguments, @code{run} executes your program
2072 with no arguments. Once you have run your program with arguments,
2073 using @code{set args} before the next @code{run} is the only way to run
2074 it again without arguments.
2075
2076 @kindex show args
2077 @item show args
2078 Show the arguments to give your program when it is started.
2079 @end table
2080
2081 @node Environment
2082 @section Your Program's Environment
2083
2084 @cindex environment (of your program)
2085 The @dfn{environment} consists of a set of environment variables and
2086 their values. Environment variables conventionally record such things as
2087 your user name, your home directory, your terminal type, and your search
2088 path for programs to run. Usually you set up environment variables with
2089 the shell and they are inherited by all the other programs you run. When
2090 debugging, it can be useful to try running your program with a modified
2091 environment without having to start @value{GDBN} over again.
2092
2093 @table @code
2094 @kindex path
2095 @item path @var{directory}
2096 Add @var{directory} to the front of the @code{PATH} environment variable
2097 (the search path for executables) that will be passed to your program.
2098 The value of @code{PATH} used by @value{GDBN} does not change.
2099 You may specify several directory names, separated by whitespace or by a
2100 system-dependent separator character (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on
2101 MS-DOS and MS-Windows). If @var{directory} is already in the path, it
2102 is moved to the front, so it is searched sooner.
2103
2104 You can use the string @samp{$cwd} to refer to whatever is the current
2105 working directory at the time @value{GDBN} searches the path. If you
2106 use @samp{.} instead, it refers to the directory where you executed the
2107 @code{path} command. @value{GDBN} replaces @samp{.} in the
2108 @var{directory} argument (with the current path) before adding
2109 @var{directory} to the search path.
2110 @c 'path' is explicitly nonrepeatable, but RMS points out it is silly to
2111 @c document that, since repeating it would be a no-op.
2112
2113 @kindex show paths
2114 @item show paths
2115 Display the list of search paths for executables (the @code{PATH}
2116 environment variable).
2117
2118 @kindex show environment
2119 @item show environment @r{[}@var{varname}@r{]}
2120 Print the value of environment variable @var{varname} to be given to
2121 your program when it starts. If you do not supply @var{varname},
2122 print the names and values of all environment variables to be given to
2123 your program. You can abbreviate @code{environment} as @code{env}.
2124
2125 @kindex set environment
2126 @item set environment @var{varname} @r{[}=@var{value}@r{]}
2127 Set environment variable @var{varname} to @var{value}. The value
2128 changes for your program only, not for @value{GDBN} itself. @var{value} may
2129 be any string; the values of environment variables are just strings, and
2130 any interpretation is supplied by your program itself. The @var{value}
2131 parameter is optional; if it is eliminated, the variable is set to a
2132 null value.
2133 @c "any string" here does not include leading, trailing
2134 @c blanks. Gnu asks: does anyone care?
2135
2136 For example, this command:
2137
2138 @smallexample
2139 set env USER = foo
2140 @end smallexample
2141
2142 @noindent
2143 tells the debugged program, when subsequently run, that its user is named
2144 @samp{foo}. (The spaces around @samp{=} are used for clarity here; they
2145 are not actually required.)
2146
2147 @kindex unset environment
2148 @item unset environment @var{varname}
2149 Remove variable @var{varname} from the environment to be passed to your
2150 program. This is different from @samp{set env @var{varname} =};
2151 @code{unset environment} removes the variable from the environment,
2152 rather than assigning it an empty value.
2153 @end table
2154
2155 @emph{Warning:} On Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program using
2156 the shell indicated
2157 by your @code{SHELL} environment variable if it exists (or
2158 @code{/bin/sh} if not). If your @code{SHELL} variable names a shell
2159 that runs an initialization file---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell, or
2160 @file{.bashrc} for BASH---any variables you set in that file affect
2161 your program. You may wish to move setting of environment variables to
2162 files that are only run when you sign on, such as @file{.login} or
2163 @file{.profile}.
2164
2165 @node Working Directory
2166 @section Your Program's Working Directory
2167
2168 @cindex working directory (of your program)
2169 Each time you start your program with @code{run}, it inherits its
2170 working directory from the current working directory of @value{GDBN}.
2171 The @value{GDBN} working directory is initially whatever it inherited
2172 from its parent process (typically the shell), but you can specify a new
2173 working directory in @value{GDBN} with the @code{cd} command.
2174
2175 The @value{GDBN} working directory also serves as a default for the commands
2176 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2177 Specify Files}.
2178
2179 @table @code
2180 @kindex cd
2181 @cindex change working directory
2182 @item cd @var{directory}
2183 Set the @value{GDBN} working directory to @var{directory}.
2184
2185 @kindex pwd
2186 @item pwd
2187 Print the @value{GDBN} working directory.
2188 @end table
2189
2190 It is generally impossible to find the current working directory of
2191 the process being debugged (since a program can change its directory
2192 during its run). If you work on a system where @value{GDBN} is
2193 configured with the @file{/proc} support, you can use the @code{info
2194 proc} command (@pxref{SVR4 Process Information}) to find out the
2195 current working directory of the debuggee.
2196
2197 @node Input/Output
2198 @section Your Program's Input and Output
2199
2200 @cindex redirection
2201 @cindex i/o
2202 @cindex terminal
2203 By default, the program you run under @value{GDBN} does input and output to
2204 the same terminal that @value{GDBN} uses. @value{GDBN} switches the terminal
2205 to its own terminal modes to interact with you, but it records the terminal
2206 modes your program was using and switches back to them when you continue
2207 running your program.
2208
2209 @table @code
2210 @kindex info terminal
2211 @item info terminal
2212 Displays information recorded by @value{GDBN} about the terminal modes your
2213 program is using.
2214 @end table
2215
2216 You can redirect your program's input and/or output using shell
2217 redirection with the @code{run} command. For example,
2218
2219 @smallexample
2220 run > outfile
2221 @end smallexample
2222
2223 @noindent
2224 starts your program, diverting its output to the file @file{outfile}.
2225
2226 @kindex tty
2227 @cindex controlling terminal
2228 Another way to specify where your program should do input and output is
2229 with the @code{tty} command. This command accepts a file name as
2230 argument, and causes this file to be the default for future @code{run}
2231 commands. It also resets the controlling terminal for the child
2232 process, for future @code{run} commands. For example,
2233
2234 @smallexample
2235 tty /dev/ttyb
2236 @end smallexample
2237
2238 @noindent
2239 directs that processes started with subsequent @code{run} commands
2240 default to do input and output on the terminal @file{/dev/ttyb} and have
2241 that as their controlling terminal.
2242
2243 An explicit redirection in @code{run} overrides the @code{tty} command's
2244 effect on the input/output device, but not its effect on the controlling
2245 terminal.
2246
2247 When you use the @code{tty} command or redirect input in the @code{run}
2248 command, only the input @emph{for your program} is affected. The input
2249 for @value{GDBN} still comes from your terminal. @code{tty} is an alias
2250 for @code{set inferior-tty}.
2251
2252 @cindex inferior tty
2253 @cindex set inferior controlling terminal
2254 You can use the @code{show inferior-tty} command to tell @value{GDBN} to
2255 display the name of the terminal that will be used for future runs of your
2256 program.
2257
2258 @table @code
2259 @item set inferior-tty /dev/ttyb
2260 @kindex set inferior-tty
2261 Set the tty for the program being debugged to /dev/ttyb.
2262
2263 @item show inferior-tty
2264 @kindex show inferior-tty
2265 Show the current tty for the program being debugged.
2266 @end table
2267
2268 @node Attach
2269 @section Debugging an Already-running Process
2270 @kindex attach
2271 @cindex attach
2272
2273 @table @code
2274 @item attach @var{process-id}
2275 This command attaches to a running process---one that was started
2276 outside @value{GDBN}. (@code{info files} shows your active
2277 targets.) The command takes as argument a process ID. The usual way to
2278 find out the @var{process-id} of a Unix process is with the @code{ps} utility,
2279 or with the @samp{jobs -l} shell command.
2280
2281 @code{attach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} a second time after
2282 executing the command.
2283 @end table
2284
2285 To use @code{attach}, your program must be running in an environment
2286 which supports processes; for example, @code{attach} does not work for
2287 programs on bare-board targets that lack an operating system. You must
2288 also have permission to send the process a signal.
2289
2290 When you use @code{attach}, the debugger finds the program running in
2291 the process first by looking in the current working directory, then (if
2292 the program is not found) by using the source file search path
2293 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}). You can also use
2294 the @code{file} command to load the program. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2295 Specify Files}.
2296
2297 The first thing @value{GDBN} does after arranging to debug the specified
2298 process is to stop it. You can examine and modify an attached process
2299 with all the @value{GDBN} commands that are ordinarily available when
2300 you start processes with @code{run}. You can insert breakpoints; you
2301 can step and continue; you can modify storage. If you would rather the
2302 process continue running, you may use the @code{continue} command after
2303 attaching @value{GDBN} to the process.
2304
2305 @table @code
2306 @kindex detach
2307 @item detach
2308 When you have finished debugging the attached process, you can use the
2309 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control. Detaching
2310 the process continues its execution. After the @code{detach} command,
2311 that process and @value{GDBN} become completely independent once more, and you
2312 are ready to @code{attach} another process or start one with @code{run}.
2313 @code{detach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
2314 executing the command.
2315 @end table
2316
2317 If you exit @value{GDBN} while you have an attached process, you detach
2318 that process. If you use the @code{run} command, you kill that process.
2319 By default, @value{GDBN} asks for confirmation if you try to do either of these
2320 things; you can control whether or not you need to confirm by using the
2321 @code{set confirm} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
2322 Messages}).
2323
2324 @node Kill Process
2325 @section Killing the Child Process
2326
2327 @table @code
2328 @kindex kill
2329 @item kill
2330 Kill the child process in which your program is running under @value{GDBN}.
2331 @end table
2332
2333 This command is useful if you wish to debug a core dump instead of a
2334 running process. @value{GDBN} ignores any core dump file while your program
2335 is running.
2336
2337 On some operating systems, a program cannot be executed outside @value{GDBN}
2338 while you have breakpoints set on it inside @value{GDBN}. You can use the
2339 @code{kill} command in this situation to permit running your program
2340 outside the debugger.
2341
2342 The @code{kill} command is also useful if you wish to recompile and
2343 relink your program, since on many systems it is impossible to modify an
2344 executable file while it is running in a process. In this case, when you
2345 next type @code{run}, @value{GDBN} notices that the file has changed, and
2346 reads the symbol table again (while trying to preserve your current
2347 breakpoint settings).
2348
2349 @node Inferiors
2350 @section Debugging Multiple Inferiors
2351
2352 Some @value{GDBN} targets are able to run multiple processes created
2353 from a single executable. This can happen, for instance, with an
2354 embedded system reporting back several processes via the remote
2355 protocol.
2356
2357 @cindex inferior
2358 @value{GDBN} represents the state of each program execution with an
2359 object called an @dfn{inferior}. An inferior typically corresponds to
2360 a process, but is more general and applies also to targets that do not
2361 have processes. Inferiors may be created before a process runs, and
2362 may (in future) be retained after a process exits. Each run of an
2363 executable creates a new inferior, as does each attachment to an
2364 existing process. Inferiors have unique identifiers that are
2365 different from process ids, and may optionally be named as well.
2366 Usually each inferior will also have its own distinct address space,
2367 although some embedded targets may have several inferiors running in
2368 different parts of a single space.
2369
2370 Each inferior may in turn have multiple threads running in it.
2371
2372 To find out what inferiors exist at any moment, use @code{info inferiors}:
2373
2374 @table @code
2375 @kindex info inferiors
2376 @item info inferiors
2377 Print a list of all inferiors currently being managed by @value{GDBN}.
2378
2379 @value{GDBN} displays for each inferior (in this order):
2380
2381 @enumerate
2382 @item
2383 the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2384
2385 @item
2386 the target system's inferior identifier
2387 @end enumerate
2388
2389 @noindent
2390 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} inferior number
2391 indicates the current inferior.
2392
2393 For example,
2394 @end table
2395 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2396
2397 @smallexample
2398 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2399 Num Description
2400 * 1 process 2307
2401 2 process 3401
2402 @end smallexample
2403
2404 To switch focus between inferiors, use the @code{inferior} command:
2405
2406 @table @code
2407 @kindex inferior @var{infno}
2408 @item inferior @var{infno}
2409 Make inferior number @var{infno} the current inferior. The argument
2410 @var{infno} is the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}, as shown
2411 in the first field of the @samp{info inferiors} display.
2412 @end table
2413
2414 To quit debugging one of the inferiors, you can either detach from it
2415 by using the @w{@code{detach inferior}} command (allowing it to run
2416 independently), or kill it using the @w{@code{kill inferior}} command:
2417
2418 @table @code
2419 @kindex detach inferior @var{infno}
2420 @item detach inferior @var{infno}
2421 Detach from the inferior identified by @value{GDBN} inferior number
2422 @var{infno}, and remove it from the inferior list.
2423
2424 @kindex kill inferior @var{infno}
2425 @item kill inferior @var{infno}
2426 Kill the inferior identified by @value{GDBN} inferior number
2427 @var{infno}, and remove it from the inferior list.
2428 @end table
2429
2430 To be notified when inferiors are started or exit under @value{GDBN}'s
2431 control use @w{@code{set print inferior-events}}:
2432
2433 @table @code
2434 @kindex set print inferior-events
2435 @cindex print messages on inferior start and exit
2436 @item set print inferior-events
2437 @itemx set print inferior-events on
2438 @itemx set print inferior-events off
2439 The @code{set print inferior-events} command allows you to enable or
2440 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new
2441 inferiors have started or that inferiors have exited or have been
2442 detached. By default, these messages will not be printed.
2443
2444 @kindex show print inferior-events
2445 @item show print inferior-events
2446 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that
2447 inferiors have started, exited or have been detached.
2448 @end table
2449
2450 @node Threads
2451 @section Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads
2452
2453 @cindex threads of execution
2454 @cindex multiple threads
2455 @cindex switching threads
2456 In some operating systems, such as HP-UX and Solaris, a single program
2457 may have more than one @dfn{thread} of execution. The precise semantics
2458 of threads differ from one operating system to another, but in general
2459 the threads of a single program are akin to multiple processes---except
2460 that they share one address space (that is, they can all examine and
2461 modify the same variables). On the other hand, each thread has its own
2462 registers and execution stack, and perhaps private memory.
2463
2464 @value{GDBN} provides these facilities for debugging multi-thread
2465 programs:
2466
2467 @itemize @bullet
2468 @item automatic notification of new threads
2469 @item @samp{thread @var{threadno}}, a command to switch among threads
2470 @item @samp{info threads}, a command to inquire about existing threads
2471 @item @samp{thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{args}},
2472 a command to apply a command to a list of threads
2473 @item thread-specific breakpoints
2474 @item @samp{set print thread-events}, which controls printing of
2475 messages on thread start and exit.
2476 @item @samp{set libthread-db-search-path @var{path}}, which lets
2477 the user specify which @code{libthread_db} to use if the default choice
2478 isn't compatible with the program.
2479 @end itemize
2480
2481 @quotation
2482 @emph{Warning:} These facilities are not yet available on every
2483 @value{GDBN} configuration where the operating system supports threads.
2484 If your @value{GDBN} does not support threads, these commands have no
2485 effect. For example, a system without thread support shows no output
2486 from @samp{info threads}, and always rejects the @code{thread} command,
2487 like this:
2488
2489 @smallexample
2490 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2491 (@value{GDBP}) thread 1
2492 Thread ID 1 not known. Use the "info threads" command to
2493 see the IDs of currently known threads.
2494 @end smallexample
2495 @c FIXME to implementors: how hard would it be to say "sorry, this GDB
2496 @c doesn't support threads"?
2497 @end quotation
2498
2499 @cindex focus of debugging
2500 @cindex current thread
2501 The @value{GDBN} thread debugging facility allows you to observe all
2502 threads while your program runs---but whenever @value{GDBN} takes
2503 control, one thread in particular is always the focus of debugging.
2504 This thread is called the @dfn{current thread}. Debugging commands show
2505 program information from the perspective of the current thread.
2506
2507 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message
2508 @cindex thread identifier (system)
2509 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2510 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2511 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2512 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2513 the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2514 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2515 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2516 @sc{gnu}/Linux, you might see
2517
2518 @smallexample
2519 [New Thread 46912507313328 (LWP 25582)]
2520 @end smallexample
2521
2522 @noindent
2523 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread. In contrast, on an SGI system,
2524 the @var{systag} is simply something like @samp{process 368}, with no
2525 further qualifier.
2526
2527 @c FIXME!! (1) Does the [New...] message appear even for the very first
2528 @c thread of a program, or does it only appear for the
2529 @c second---i.e.@: when it becomes obvious we have a multithread
2530 @c program?
2531 @c (2) *Is* there necessarily a first thread always? Or do some
2532 @c multithread systems permit starting a program with multiple
2533 @c threads ab initio?
2534
2535 @cindex thread number
2536 @cindex thread identifier (GDB)
2537 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2538 number---always a single integer---with each thread in your program.
2539
2540 @table @code
2541 @kindex info threads
2542 @item info threads
2543 Display a summary of all threads currently in your
2544 program. @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2545
2546 @enumerate
2547 @item
2548 the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2549
2550 @item
2551 the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2552
2553 @item
2554 the current stack frame summary for that thread
2555 @end enumerate
2556
2557 @noindent
2558 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2559 indicates the current thread.
2560
2561 For example,
2562 @end table
2563 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2564
2565 @smallexample
2566 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2567 3 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2568 2 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2569 * 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
2570 at threadtest.c:68
2571 @end smallexample
2572
2573 On HP-UX systems:
2574
2575 @cindex debugging multithreaded programs (on HP-UX)
2576 @cindex thread identifier (GDB), on HP-UX
2577 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2578 number---a small integer assigned in thread-creation order---with each
2579 thread in your program.
2580
2581 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message, on HP-UX
2582 @cindex thread identifier (system), on HP-UX
2583 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2584 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2585 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2586 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2587 both @value{GDBN}'s thread number and the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2588 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2589 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2590 HP-UX, you see
2591
2592 @smallexample
2593 [New thread 2 (system thread 26594)]
2594 @end smallexample
2595
2596 @noindent
2597 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread.
2598
2599 @table @code
2600 @kindex info threads (HP-UX)
2601 @item info threads
2602 Display a summary of all threads currently in your
2603 program. @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2604
2605 @enumerate
2606 @item the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2607
2608 @item the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2609
2610 @item the current stack frame summary for that thread
2611 @end enumerate
2612
2613 @noindent
2614 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2615 indicates the current thread.
2616
2617 For example,
2618 @end table
2619 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2620
2621 @smallexample
2622 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2623 * 3 system thread 26607 worker (wptr=0x7b09c318 "@@") \@*
2624 at quicksort.c:137
2625 2 system thread 26606 0x7b0030d8 in __ksleep () \@*
2626 from /usr/lib/libc.2
2627 1 system thread 27905 0x7b003498 in _brk () \@*
2628 from /usr/lib/libc.2
2629 @end smallexample
2630
2631 On Solaris, you can display more information about user threads with a
2632 Solaris-specific command:
2633
2634 @table @code
2635 @item maint info sol-threads
2636 @kindex maint info sol-threads
2637 @cindex thread info (Solaris)
2638 Display info on Solaris user threads.
2639 @end table
2640
2641 @table @code
2642 @kindex thread @var{threadno}
2643 @item thread @var{threadno}
2644 Make thread number @var{threadno} the current thread. The command
2645 argument @var{threadno} is the internal @value{GDBN} thread number, as
2646 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display.
2647 @value{GDBN} responds by displaying the system identifier of the thread
2648 you selected, and its current stack frame summary:
2649
2650 @smallexample
2651 @c FIXME!! This example made up; find a @value{GDBN} w/threads and get real one
2652 (@value{GDBP}) thread 2
2653 [Switching to process 35 thread 23]
2654 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2655 @end smallexample
2656
2657 @noindent
2658 As with the @samp{[New @dots{}]} message, the form of the text after
2659 @samp{Switching to} depends on your system's conventions for identifying
2660 threads.
2661
2662 @kindex thread apply
2663 @cindex apply command to several threads
2664 @item thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{command}
2665 The @code{thread apply} command allows you to apply the named
2666 @var{command} to one or more threads. Specify the numbers of the
2667 threads that you want affected with the command argument
2668 @var{threadno}. It can be a single thread number, one of the numbers
2669 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display; or it
2670 could be a range of thread numbers, as in @code{2-4}. To apply a
2671 command to all threads, type @kbd{thread apply all @var{command}}.
2672
2673 @kindex set print thread-events
2674 @cindex print messages on thread start and exit
2675 @item set print thread-events
2676 @itemx set print thread-events on
2677 @itemx set print thread-events off
2678 The @code{set print thread-events} command allows you to enable or
2679 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new threads have
2680 started or that threads have exited. By default, these messages will
2681 be printed if detection of these events is supported by the target.
2682 Note that these messages cannot be disabled on all targets.
2683
2684 @kindex show print thread-events
2685 @item show print thread-events
2686 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that threads
2687 have started and exited.
2688 @end table
2689
2690 @xref{Thread Stops,,Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs}, for
2691 more information about how @value{GDBN} behaves when you stop and start
2692 programs with multiple threads.
2693
2694 @xref{Set Watchpoints,,Setting Watchpoints}, for information about
2695 watchpoints in programs with multiple threads.
2696
2697 @table @code
2698 @kindex set libthread-db-search-path
2699 @cindex search path for @code{libthread_db}
2700 @item set libthread-db-search-path @r{[}@var{path}@r{]}
2701 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
2702 directories @value{GDBN} will use to search for @code{libthread_db}.
2703 If you omit @var{path}, @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to
2704 an empty list.
2705
2706 On @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems, @value{GDBN} uses a ``helper''
2707 @code{libthread_db} library to obtain information about threads in the
2708 inferior process. @value{GDBN} will use @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
2709 to find @code{libthread_db}. If that fails, @value{GDBN} will continue
2710 with default system shared library directories, and finally the directory
2711 from which @code{libpthread} was loaded in the inferior process.
2712
2713 For any @code{libthread_db} library @value{GDBN} finds in above directories,
2714 @value{GDBN} attempts to initialize it with the current inferior process.
2715 If this initialization fails (which could happen because of a version
2716 mismatch between @code{libthread_db} and @code{libpthread}), @value{GDBN}
2717 will unload @code{libthread_db}, and continue with the next directory.
2718 If none of @code{libthread_db} libraries initialize successfully,
2719 @value{GDBN} will issue a warning and thread debugging will be disabled.
2720
2721 Setting @code{libthread-db-search-path} is currently implemented
2722 only on some platforms.
2723
2724 @kindex show libthread-db-search-path
2725 @item show libthread-db-search-path
2726 Display current libthread_db search path.
2727 @end table
2728
2729 @node Processes
2730 @section Debugging Programs with Multiple Processes
2731
2732 @cindex fork, debugging programs which call
2733 @cindex multiple processes
2734 @cindex processes, multiple
2735 On most systems, @value{GDBN} has no special support for debugging
2736 programs which create additional processes using the @code{fork}
2737 function. When a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug the
2738 parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have
2739 set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child
2740 will get a @code{SIGTRAP} signal which (unless it catches the signal)
2741 will cause it to terminate.
2742
2743 However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround
2744 which isn't too painful. Put a call to @code{sleep} in the code which
2745 the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep
2746 only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists,
2747 so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run @value{GDBN}
2748 on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the @code{ps} program to
2749 get its process ID. Then tell @value{GDBN} (a new invocation of
2750 @value{GDBN} if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to
2751 the child process (@pxref{Attach}). From that point on you can debug
2752 the child process just like any other process which you attached to.
2753
2754 On some systems, @value{GDBN} provides support for debugging programs that
2755 create additional processes using the @code{fork} or @code{vfork} functions.
2756 Currently, the only platforms with this feature are HP-UX (11.x and later
2757 only?) and @sc{gnu}/Linux (kernel version 2.5.60 and later).
2758
2759 By default, when a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug
2760 the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.
2761
2762 If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process,
2763 use the command @w{@code{set follow-fork-mode}}.
2764
2765 @table @code
2766 @kindex set follow-fork-mode
2767 @item set follow-fork-mode @var{mode}
2768 Set the debugger response to a program call of @code{fork} or
2769 @code{vfork}. A call to @code{fork} or @code{vfork} creates a new
2770 process. The @var{mode} argument can be:
2771
2772 @table @code
2773 @item parent
2774 The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs
2775 unimpeded. This is the default.
2776
2777 @item child
2778 The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs
2779 unimpeded.
2780
2781 @end table
2782
2783 @kindex show follow-fork-mode
2784 @item show follow-fork-mode
2785 Display the current debugger response to a @code{fork} or @code{vfork} call.
2786 @end table
2787
2788 @cindex debugging multiple processes
2789 On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the
2790 command @w{@code{set detach-on-fork}}.
2791
2792 @table @code
2793 @kindex set detach-on-fork
2794 @item set detach-on-fork @var{mode}
2795 Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or
2796 retain debugger control over them both.
2797
2798 @table @code
2799 @item on
2800 The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of
2801 @code{follow-fork-mode}) will be detached and allowed to run
2802 independently. This is the default.
2803
2804 @item off
2805 Both processes will be held under the control of @value{GDBN}.
2806 One process (child or parent, depending on the value of
2807 @code{follow-fork-mode}) is debugged as usual, while the other
2808 is held suspended.
2809
2810 @end table
2811
2812 @kindex show detach-on-fork
2813 @item show detach-on-fork
2814 Show whether detach-on-fork mode is on/off.
2815 @end table
2816
2817 If you choose to set @samp{detach-on-fork} mode off, then @value{GDBN}
2818 will retain control of all forked processes (including nested forks).
2819 You can list the forked processes under the control of @value{GDBN} by
2820 using the @w{@code{info inferiors}} command, and switch from one fork
2821 to another by using the @code{inferior} command (@pxref{Inferiors,
2822 ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors}).
2823
2824 To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach
2825 from it by using the @w{@code{detach inferior}} command (allowing it
2826 to run independently), or kill it using the @w{@code{kill inferior}}
2827 command. @xref{Inferiors, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors}.
2828
2829 If you ask to debug a child process and a @code{vfork} is followed by an
2830 @code{exec}, @value{GDBN} executes the new target up to the first
2831 breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on
2832 @code{main} in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on
2833 the child process's @code{main}.
2834
2835 On some systems, when a child process is spawned by @code{vfork}, you
2836 cannot debug the child or parent until an @code{exec} call completes.
2837
2838 If you issue a @code{run} command to @value{GDBN} after an @code{exec}
2839 call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent process,
2840 use the @code{file} command with the parent executable name as its
2841 argument.
2842
2843 You can use the @code{catch} command to make @value{GDBN} stop whenever
2844 a @code{fork}, @code{vfork}, or @code{exec} call is made. @xref{Set
2845 Catchpoints, ,Setting Catchpoints}.
2846
2847 @node Checkpoint/Restart
2848 @section Setting a @emph{Bookmark} to Return to Later
2849
2850 @cindex checkpoint
2851 @cindex restart
2852 @cindex bookmark
2853 @cindex snapshot of a process
2854 @cindex rewind program state
2855
2856 On certain operating systems@footnote{Currently, only
2857 @sc{gnu}/Linux.}, @value{GDBN} is able to save a @dfn{snapshot} of a
2858 program's state, called a @dfn{checkpoint}, and come back to it
2859 later.
2860
2861 Returning to a checkpoint effectively undoes everything that has
2862 happened in the program since the @code{checkpoint} was saved. This
2863 includes changes in memory, registers, and even (within some limits)
2864 system state. Effectively, it is like going back in time to the
2865 moment when the checkpoint was saved.
2866
2867 Thus, if you're stepping thru a program and you think you're
2868 getting close to the point where things go wrong, you can save
2869 a checkpoint. Then, if you accidentally go too far and miss
2870 the critical statement, instead of having to restart your program
2871 from the beginning, you can just go back to the checkpoint and
2872 start again from there.
2873
2874 This can be especially useful if it takes a lot of time or
2875 steps to reach the point where you think the bug occurs.
2876
2877 To use the @code{checkpoint}/@code{restart} method of debugging:
2878
2879 @table @code
2880 @kindex checkpoint
2881 @item checkpoint
2882 Save a snapshot of the debugged program's current execution state.
2883 The @code{checkpoint} command takes no arguments, but each checkpoint
2884 is assigned a small integer id, similar to a breakpoint id.
2885
2886 @kindex info checkpoints
2887 @item info checkpoints
2888 List the checkpoints that have been saved in the current debugging
2889 session. For each checkpoint, the following information will be
2890 listed:
2891
2892 @table @code
2893 @item Checkpoint ID
2894 @item Process ID
2895 @item Code Address
2896 @item Source line, or label
2897 @end table
2898
2899 @kindex restart @var{checkpoint-id}
2900 @item restart @var{checkpoint-id}
2901 Restore the program state that was saved as checkpoint number
2902 @var{checkpoint-id}. All program variables, registers, stack frames
2903 etc.@: will be returned to the values that they had when the checkpoint
2904 was saved. In essence, gdb will ``wind back the clock'' to the point
2905 in time when the checkpoint was saved.
2906
2907 Note that breakpoints, @value{GDBN} variables, command history etc.
2908 are not affected by restoring a checkpoint. In general, a checkpoint
2909 only restores things that reside in the program being debugged, not in
2910 the debugger.
2911
2912 @kindex delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
2913 @item delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
2914 Delete the previously-saved checkpoint identified by @var{checkpoint-id}.
2915
2916 @end table
2917
2918 Returning to a previously saved checkpoint will restore the user state
2919 of the program being debugged, plus a significant subset of the system
2920 (OS) state, including file pointers. It won't ``un-write'' data from
2921 a file, but it will rewind the file pointer to the previous location,
2922 so that the previously written data can be overwritten. For files
2923 opened in read mode, the pointer will also be restored so that the
2924 previously read data can be read again.
2925
2926 Of course, characters that have been sent to a printer (or other
2927 external device) cannot be ``snatched back'', and characters received
2928 from eg.@: a serial device can be removed from internal program buffers,
2929 but they cannot be ``pushed back'' into the serial pipeline, ready to
2930 be received again. Similarly, the actual contents of files that have
2931 been changed cannot be restored (at this time).
2932
2933 However, within those constraints, you actually can ``rewind'' your
2934 program to a previously saved point in time, and begin debugging it
2935 again --- and you can change the course of events so as to debug a
2936 different execution path this time.
2937
2938 @cindex checkpoints and process id
2939 Finally, there is one bit of internal program state that will be
2940 different when you return to a checkpoint --- the program's process
2941 id. Each checkpoint will have a unique process id (or @var{pid}),
2942 and each will be different from the program's original @var{pid}.
2943 If your program has saved a local copy of its process id, this could
2944 potentially pose a problem.
2945
2946 @subsection A Non-obvious Benefit of Using Checkpoints
2947
2948 On some systems such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, address space randomization
2949 is performed on new processes for security reasons. This makes it
2950 difficult or impossible to set a breakpoint, or watchpoint, on an
2951 absolute address if you have to restart the program, since the
2952 absolute location of a symbol will change from one execution to the
2953 next.
2954
2955 A checkpoint, however, is an @emph{identical} copy of a process.
2956 Therefore if you create a checkpoint at (eg.@:) the start of main,
2957 and simply return to that checkpoint instead of restarting the
2958 process, you can avoid the effects of address randomization and
2959 your symbols will all stay in the same place.
2960
2961 @node Stopping
2962 @chapter Stopping and Continuing
2963
2964 The principal purposes of using a debugger are so that you can stop your
2965 program before it terminates; or so that, if your program runs into
2966 trouble, you can investigate and find out why.
2967
2968 Inside @value{GDBN}, your program may stop for any of several reasons,
2969 such as a signal, a breakpoint, or reaching a new line after a
2970 @value{GDBN} command such as @code{step}. You may then examine and
2971 change variables, set new breakpoints or remove old ones, and then
2972 continue execution. Usually, the messages shown by @value{GDBN} provide
2973 ample explanation of the status of your program---but you can also
2974 explicitly request this information at any time.
2975
2976 @table @code
2977 @kindex info program
2978 @item info program
2979 Display information about the status of your program: whether it is
2980 running or not, what process it is, and why it stopped.
2981 @end table
2982
2983 @menu
2984 * Breakpoints:: Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
2985 * Continuing and Stepping:: Resuming execution
2986 * Signals:: Signals
2987 * Thread Stops:: Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
2988 @end menu
2989
2990 @node Breakpoints
2991 @section Breakpoints, Watchpoints, and Catchpoints
2992
2993 @cindex breakpoints
2994 A @dfn{breakpoint} makes your program stop whenever a certain point in
2995 the program is reached. For each breakpoint, you can add conditions to
2996 control in finer detail whether your program stops. You can set
2997 breakpoints with the @code{break} command and its variants (@pxref{Set
2998 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}), to specify the place where your program
2999 should stop by line number, function name or exact address in the
3000 program.
3001
3002 On some systems, you can set breakpoints in shared libraries before
3003 the executable is run. There is a minor limitation on HP-UX systems:
3004 you must wait until the executable is run in order to set breakpoints
3005 in shared library routines that are not called directly by the program
3006 (for example, routines that are arguments in a @code{pthread_create}
3007 call).
3008
3009 @cindex watchpoints
3010 @cindex data breakpoints
3011 @cindex memory tracing
3012 @cindex breakpoint on memory address
3013 @cindex breakpoint on variable modification
3014 A @dfn{watchpoint} is a special breakpoint that stops your program
3015 when the value of an expression changes. The expression may be a value
3016 of a variable, or it could involve values of one or more variables
3017 combined by operators, such as @samp{a + b}. This is sometimes called
3018 @dfn{data breakpoints}. You must use a different command to set
3019 watchpoints (@pxref{Set Watchpoints, ,Setting Watchpoints}), but aside
3020 from that, you can manage a watchpoint like any other breakpoint: you
3021 enable, disable, and delete both breakpoints and watchpoints using the
3022 same commands.
3023
3024 You can arrange to have values from your program displayed automatically
3025 whenever @value{GDBN} stops at a breakpoint. @xref{Auto Display,,
3026 Automatic Display}.
3027
3028 @cindex catchpoints
3029 @cindex breakpoint on events
3030 A @dfn{catchpoint} is another special breakpoint that stops your program
3031 when a certain kind of event occurs, such as the throwing of a C@t{++}
3032 exception or the loading of a library. As with watchpoints, you use a
3033 different command to set a catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints, ,Setting
3034 Catchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a catchpoint like any
3035 other breakpoint. (To stop when your program receives a signal, use the
3036 @code{handle} command; see @ref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
3037
3038 @cindex breakpoint numbers
3039 @cindex numbers for breakpoints
3040 @value{GDBN} assigns a number to each breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3041 catchpoint when you create it; these numbers are successive integers
3042 starting with one. In many of the commands for controlling various
3043 features of breakpoints you use the breakpoint number to say which
3044 breakpoint you want to change. Each breakpoint may be @dfn{enabled} or
3045 @dfn{disabled}; if disabled, it has no effect on your program until you
3046 enable it again.
3047
3048 @cindex breakpoint ranges
3049 @cindex ranges of breakpoints
3050 Some @value{GDBN} commands accept a range of breakpoints on which to
3051 operate. A breakpoint range is either a single breakpoint number, like
3052 @samp{5}, or two such numbers, in increasing order, separated by a
3053 hyphen, like @samp{5-7}. When a breakpoint range is given to a command,
3054 all breakpoints in that range are operated on.
3055
3056 @menu
3057 * Set Breaks:: Setting breakpoints
3058 * Set Watchpoints:: Setting watchpoints
3059 * Set Catchpoints:: Setting catchpoints
3060 * Delete Breaks:: Deleting breakpoints
3061 * Disabling:: Disabling breakpoints
3062 * Conditions:: Break conditions
3063 * Break Commands:: Breakpoint command lists
3064 * Error in Breakpoints:: ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
3065 * Breakpoint-related Warnings:: ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
3066 @end menu
3067
3068 @node Set Breaks
3069 @subsection Setting Breakpoints
3070
3071 @c FIXME LMB what does GDB do if no code on line of breakpt?
3072 @c consider in particular declaration with/without initialization.
3073 @c
3074 @c FIXME 2 is there stuff on this already? break at fun start, already init?
3075
3076 @kindex break
3077 @kindex b @r{(@code{break})}
3078 @vindex $bpnum@r{, convenience variable}
3079 @cindex latest breakpoint
3080 Breakpoints are set with the @code{break} command (abbreviated
3081 @code{b}). The debugger convenience variable @samp{$bpnum} records the
3082 number of the breakpoint you've set most recently; see @ref{Convenience
3083 Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for a discussion of what you can do with
3084 convenience variables.
3085
3086 @table @code
3087 @item break @var{location}
3088 Set a breakpoint at the given @var{location}, which can specify a
3089 function name, a line number, or an address of an instruction.
3090 (@xref{Specify Location}, for a list of all the possible ways to
3091 specify a @var{location}.) The breakpoint will stop your program just
3092 before it executes any of the code in the specified @var{location}.
3093
3094 When using source languages that permit overloading of symbols, such as
3095 C@t{++}, a function name may refer to more than one possible place to break.
3096 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}, for a discussion of
3097 that situation.
3098
3099 It is also possible to insert a breakpoint that will stop the program
3100 only if a specific thread (@pxref{Thread-Specific Breakpoints})
3101 or a specific task (@pxref{Ada Tasks}) hits that breakpoint.
3102
3103 @item break
3104 When called without any arguments, @code{break} sets a breakpoint at
3105 the next instruction to be executed in the selected stack frame
3106 (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}). In any selected frame but the
3107 innermost, this makes your program stop as soon as control
3108 returns to that frame. This is similar to the effect of a
3109 @code{finish} command in the frame inside the selected frame---except
3110 that @code{finish} does not leave an active breakpoint. If you use
3111 @code{break} without an argument in the innermost frame, @value{GDBN} stops
3112 the next time it reaches the current location; this may be useful
3113 inside loops.
3114
3115 @value{GDBN} normally ignores breakpoints when it resumes execution, until at
3116 least one instruction has been executed. If it did not do this, you
3117 would be unable to proceed past a breakpoint without first disabling the
3118 breakpoint. This rule applies whether or not the breakpoint already
3119 existed when your program stopped.
3120
3121 @item break @dots{} if @var{cond}
3122 Set a breakpoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
3123 @var{cond} each time the breakpoint is reached, and stop only if the
3124 value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
3125 @samp{@dots{}} stands for one of the possible arguments described
3126 above (or no argument) specifying where to break. @xref{Conditions,
3127 ,Break Conditions}, for more information on breakpoint conditions.
3128
3129 @kindex tbreak
3130 @item tbreak @var{args}
3131 Set a breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args} are the
3132 same as for the @code{break} command, and the breakpoint is set in the same
3133 way, but the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the first time your
3134 program stops there. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3135
3136 @kindex hbreak
3137 @cindex hardware breakpoints
3138 @item hbreak @var{args}
3139 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint. @var{args} are the same as for the
3140 @code{break} command and the breakpoint is set in the same way, but the
3141 breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware may not
3142 have this support. The main purpose of this is EPROM/ROM code
3143 debugging, so you can set a breakpoint at an instruction without
3144 changing the instruction. This can be used with the new trap-generation
3145 provided by SPARClite DSU and most x86-based targets. These targets
3146 will generate traps when a program accesses some data or instruction
3147 address that is assigned to the debug registers. However the hardware
3148 breakpoint registers can take a limited number of breakpoints. For
3149 example, on the DSU, only two data breakpoints can be set at a time, and
3150 @value{GDBN} will reject this command if more than two are used. Delete
3151 or disable unused hardware breakpoints before setting new ones
3152 (@pxref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}).
3153 @xref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3154 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3155 breakpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3156 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3157
3158 @kindex thbreak
3159 @item thbreak @var{args}
3160 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args}
3161 are the same as for the @code{hbreak} command and the breakpoint is set in
3162 the same way. However, like the @code{tbreak} command,
3163 the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the
3164 first time your program stops there. Also, like the @code{hbreak}
3165 command, the breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware
3166 may not have this support. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3167 See also @ref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3168
3169 @kindex rbreak
3170 @cindex regular expression
3171 @cindex breakpoints in functions matching a regexp
3172 @cindex set breakpoints in many functions
3173 @item rbreak @var{regex}
3174 Set breakpoints on all functions matching the regular expression
3175 @var{regex}. This command sets an unconditional breakpoint on all
3176 matches, printing a list of all breakpoints it set. Once these
3177 breakpoints are set, they are treated just like the breakpoints set with
3178 the @code{break} command. You can delete them, disable them, or make
3179 them conditional the same way as any other breakpoint.
3180
3181 The syntax of the regular expression is the standard one used with tools
3182 like @file{grep}. Note that this is different from the syntax used by
3183 shells, so for instance @code{foo*} matches all functions that include
3184 an @code{fo} followed by zero or more @code{o}s. There is an implicit
3185 @code{.*} leading and trailing the regular expression you supply, so to
3186 match only functions that begin with @code{foo}, use @code{^foo}.
3187
3188 @cindex non-member C@t{++} functions, set breakpoint in
3189 When debugging C@t{++} programs, @code{rbreak} is useful for setting
3190 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
3191 classes.
3192
3193 @cindex set breakpoints on all functions
3194 The @code{rbreak} command can be used to set breakpoints in
3195 @strong{all} the functions in a program, like this:
3196
3197 @smallexample
3198 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak .
3199 @end smallexample
3200
3201 @kindex info breakpoints
3202 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info breakpoints}
3203 @item info breakpoints @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
3204 @itemx info break @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
3205 @itemx info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
3206 Print a table of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints set and
3207 not deleted. Optional argument @var{n} means print information only
3208 about the specified breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint). For
3209 each breakpoint, following columns are printed:
3210
3211 @table @emph
3212 @item Breakpoint Numbers
3213 @item Type
3214 Breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint.
3215 @item Disposition
3216 Whether the breakpoint is marked to be disabled or deleted when hit.
3217 @item Enabled or Disabled
3218 Enabled breakpoints are marked with @samp{y}. @samp{n} marks breakpoints
3219 that are not enabled.
3220 @item Address
3221 Where the breakpoint is in your program, as a memory address. For a
3222 pending breakpoint whose address is not yet known, this field will
3223 contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Such breakpoint won't fire until a shared
3224 library that has the symbol or line referred by breakpoint is loaded.
3225 See below for details. A breakpoint with several locations will
3226 have @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in this field---see below for details.
3227 @item What
3228 Where the breakpoint is in the source for your program, as a file and
3229 line number. For a pending breakpoint, the original string passed to
3230 the breakpoint command will be listed as it cannot be resolved until
3231 the appropriate shared library is loaded in the future.
3232 @end table
3233
3234 @noindent
3235 If a breakpoint is conditional, @code{info break} shows the condition on
3236 the line following the affected breakpoint; breakpoint commands, if any,
3237 are listed after that. A pending breakpoint is allowed to have a condition
3238 specified for it. The condition is not parsed for validity until a shared
3239 library is loaded that allows the pending breakpoint to resolve to a
3240 valid location.
3241
3242 @noindent
3243 @code{info break} with a breakpoint
3244 number @var{n} as argument lists only that breakpoint. The
3245 convenience variable @code{$_} and the default examining-address for
3246 the @code{x} command are set to the address of the last breakpoint
3247 listed (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}).
3248
3249 @noindent
3250 @code{info break} displays a count of the number of times the breakpoint
3251 has been hit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the
3252 @code{ignore} command. You can ignore a large number of breakpoint
3253 hits, look at the breakpoint info to see how many times the breakpoint
3254 was hit, and then run again, ignoring one less than that number. This
3255 will get you quickly to the last hit of that breakpoint.
3256 @end table
3257
3258 @value{GDBN} allows you to set any number of breakpoints at the same place in
3259 your program. There is nothing silly or meaningless about this. When
3260 the breakpoints are conditional, this is even useful
3261 (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
3262
3263 @cindex multiple locations, breakpoints
3264 @cindex breakpoints, multiple locations
3265 It is possible that a breakpoint corresponds to several locations
3266 in your program. Examples of this situation are:
3267
3268 @itemize @bullet
3269 @item
3270 For a C@t{++} constructor, the @value{NGCC} compiler generates several
3271 instances of the function body, used in different cases.
3272
3273 @item
3274 For a C@t{++} template function, a given line in the function can
3275 correspond to any number of instantiations.
3276
3277 @item
3278 For an inlined function, a given source line can correspond to
3279 several places where that function is inlined.
3280 @end itemize
3281
3282 In all those cases, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at all
3283 the relevant locations@footnote{
3284 As of this writing, multiple-location breakpoints work only if there's
3285 line number information for all the locations. This means that they
3286 will generally not work in system libraries, unless you have debug
3287 info with line numbers for them.}.
3288
3289 A breakpoint with multiple locations is displayed in the breakpoint
3290 table using several rows---one header row, followed by one row for
3291 each breakpoint location. The header row has @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in the
3292 address column. The rows for individual locations contain the actual
3293 addresses for locations, and show the functions to which those
3294 locations belong. The number column for a location is of the form
3295 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number}.
3296
3297 For example:
3298
3299 @smallexample
3300 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
3301 1 breakpoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
3302 stop only if i==1
3303 breakpoint already hit 1 time
3304 1.1 y 0x080486a2 in void foo<int>() at t.cc:8
3305 1.2 y 0x080486ca in void foo<double>() at t.cc:8
3306 @end smallexample
3307
3308 Each location can be individually enabled or disabled by passing
3309 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number} as argument to the
3310 @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands. Note that you cannot
3311 delete the individual locations from the list, you can only delete the
3312 entire list of locations that belong to their parent breakpoint (with
3313 the @kbd{delete @var{num}} command, where @var{num} is the number of
3314 the parent breakpoint, 1 in the above example). Disabling or enabling
3315 the parent breakpoint (@pxref{Disabling}) affects all of the locations
3316 that belong to that breakpoint.
3317
3318 @cindex pending breakpoints
3319 It's quite common to have a breakpoint inside a shared library.
3320 Shared libraries can be loaded and unloaded explicitly,
3321 and possibly repeatedly, as the program is executed. To support
3322 this use case, @value{GDBN} updates breakpoint locations whenever
3323 any shared library is loaded or unloaded. Typically, you would
3324 set a breakpoint in a shared library at the beginning of your
3325 debugging session, when the library is not loaded, and when the
3326 symbols from the library are not available. When you try to set
3327 breakpoint, @value{GDBN} will ask you if you want to set
3328 a so called @dfn{pending breakpoint}---breakpoint whose address
3329 is not yet resolved.
3330
3331 After the program is run, whenever a new shared library is loaded,
3332 @value{GDBN} reevaluates all the breakpoints. When a newly loaded
3333 shared library contains the symbol or line referred to by some
3334 pending breakpoint, that breakpoint is resolved and becomes an
3335 ordinary breakpoint. When a library is unloaded, all breakpoints
3336 that refer to its symbols or source lines become pending again.
3337
3338 This logic works for breakpoints with multiple locations, too. For
3339 example, if you have a breakpoint in a C@t{++} template function, and
3340 a newly loaded shared library has an instantiation of that template,
3341 a new location is added to the list of locations for the breakpoint.
3342
3343 Except for having unresolved address, pending breakpoints do not
3344 differ from regular breakpoints. You can set conditions or commands,
3345 enable and disable them and perform other breakpoint operations.
3346
3347 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling what
3348 happens when the @samp{break} command cannot resolve breakpoint
3349 address specification to an address:
3350
3351 @kindex set breakpoint pending
3352 @kindex show breakpoint pending
3353 @table @code
3354 @item set breakpoint pending auto
3355 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} cannot find the breakpoint
3356 location, it queries you whether a pending breakpoint should be created.
3357
3358 @item set breakpoint pending on
3359 This indicates that an unrecognized breakpoint location should automatically
3360 result in a pending breakpoint being created.
3361
3362 @item set breakpoint pending off
3363 This indicates that pending breakpoints are not to be created. Any
3364 unrecognized breakpoint location results in an error. This setting does
3365 not affect any pending breakpoints previously created.
3366
3367 @item show breakpoint pending
3368 Show the current behavior setting for creating pending breakpoints.
3369 @end table
3370
3371 The settings above only affect the @code{break} command and its
3372 variants. Once breakpoint is set, it will be automatically updated
3373 as shared libraries are loaded and unloaded.
3374
3375 @cindex automatic hardware breakpoints
3376 For some targets, @value{GDBN} can automatically decide if hardware or
3377 software breakpoints should be used, depending on whether the
3378 breakpoint address is read-only or read-write. This applies to
3379 breakpoints set with the @code{break} command as well as to internal
3380 breakpoints set by commands like @code{next} and @code{finish}. For
3381 breakpoints set with @code{hbreak}, @value{GDBN} will always use hardware
3382 breakpoints.
3383
3384 You can control this automatic behaviour with the following commands::
3385
3386 @kindex set breakpoint auto-hw
3387 @kindex show breakpoint auto-hw
3388 @table @code
3389 @item set breakpoint auto-hw on
3390 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} sets a breakpoint, it
3391 will try to use the target memory map to decide if software or hardware
3392 breakpoint must be used.
3393
3394 @item set breakpoint auto-hw off
3395 This indicates @value{GDBN} should not automatically select breakpoint
3396 type. If the target provides a memory map, @value{GDBN} will warn when
3397 trying to set software breakpoint at a read-only address.
3398 @end table
3399
3400 @value{GDBN} normally implements breakpoints by replacing the program code
3401 at the breakpoint address with a special instruction, which, when
3402 executed, given control to the debugger. By default, the program
3403 code is so modified only when the program is resumed. As soon as
3404 the program stops, @value{GDBN} restores the original instructions. This
3405 behaviour guards against leaving breakpoints inserted in the
3406 target should gdb abrubptly disconnect. However, with slow remote
3407 targets, inserting and removing breakpoint can reduce the performance.
3408 This behavior can be controlled with the following commands::
3409
3410 @kindex set breakpoint always-inserted
3411 @kindex show breakpoint always-inserted
3412 @table @code
3413 @item set breakpoint always-inserted off
3414 All breakpoints, including newly added by the user, are inserted in
3415 the target only when the target is resumed. All breakpoints are
3416 removed from the target when it stops.
3417
3418 @item set breakpoint always-inserted on
3419 Causes all breakpoints to be inserted in the target at all times. If
3420 the user adds a new breakpoint, or changes an existing breakpoint, the
3421 breakpoints in the target are updated immediately. A breakpoint is
3422 removed from the target only when breakpoint itself is removed.
3423
3424 @cindex non-stop mode, and @code{breakpoint always-inserted}
3425 @item set breakpoint always-inserted auto
3426 This is the default mode. If @value{GDBN} is controlling the inferior
3427 in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}), gdb behaves as if
3428 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is on. If @value{GDBN} is
3429 controlling the inferior in all-stop mode, @value{GDBN} behaves as if
3430 @code{breakpoint always-inserted} mode is off.
3431 @end table
3432
3433 @cindex negative breakpoint numbers
3434 @cindex internal @value{GDBN} breakpoints
3435 @value{GDBN} itself sometimes sets breakpoints in your program for
3436 special purposes, such as proper handling of @code{longjmp} (in C
3437 programs). These internal breakpoints are assigned negative numbers,
3438 starting with @code{-1}; @samp{info breakpoints} does not display them.
3439 You can see these breakpoints with the @value{GDBN} maintenance command
3440 @samp{maint info breakpoints} (@pxref{maint info breakpoints}).
3441
3442
3443 @node Set Watchpoints
3444 @subsection Setting Watchpoints
3445
3446 @cindex setting watchpoints
3447 You can use a watchpoint to stop execution whenever the value of an
3448 expression changes, without having to predict a particular place where
3449 this may happen. (This is sometimes called a @dfn{data breakpoint}.)
3450 The expression may be as simple as the value of a single variable, or
3451 as complex as many variables combined by operators. Examples include:
3452
3453 @itemize @bullet
3454 @item
3455 A reference to the value of a single variable.
3456
3457 @item
3458 An address cast to an appropriate data type. For example,
3459 @samp{*(int *)0x12345678} will watch a 4-byte region at the specified
3460 address (assuming an @code{int} occupies 4 bytes).
3461
3462 @item
3463 An arbitrarily complex expression, such as @samp{a*b + c/d}. The
3464 expression can use any operators valid in the program's native
3465 language (@pxref{Languages}).
3466 @end itemize
3467
3468 You can set a watchpoint on an expression even if the expression can
3469 not be evaluated yet. For instance, you can set a watchpoint on
3470 @samp{*global_ptr} before @samp{global_ptr} is initialized.
3471 @value{GDBN} will stop when your program sets @samp{global_ptr} and
3472 the expression produces a valid value. If the expression becomes
3473 valid in some other way than changing a variable (e.g.@: if the memory
3474 pointed to by @samp{*global_ptr} becomes readable as the result of a
3475 @code{malloc} call), @value{GDBN} may not stop until the next time
3476 the expression changes.
3477
3478 @cindex software watchpoints
3479 @cindex hardware watchpoints
3480 Depending on your system, watchpoints may be implemented in software or
3481 hardware. @value{GDBN} does software watchpointing by single-stepping your
3482 program and testing the variable's value each time, which is hundreds of
3483 times slower than normal execution. (But this may still be worth it, to
3484 catch errors where you have no clue what part of your program is the
3485 culprit.)
3486
3487 On some systems, such as HP-UX, PowerPC, @sc{gnu}/Linux and most other
3488 x86-based targets, @value{GDBN} includes support for hardware
3489 watchpoints, which do not slow down the running of your program.
3490
3491 @table @code
3492 @kindex watch
3493 @item watch @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}
3494 Set a watchpoint for an expression. @value{GDBN} will break when the
3495 expression @var{expr} is written into by the program and its value
3496 changes. The simplest (and the most popular) use of this command is
3497 to watch the value of a single variable:
3498
3499 @smallexample
3500 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo
3501 @end smallexample
3502
3503 If the command includes a @code{@r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}}
3504 clause, @value{GDBN} breaks only when the thread identified by
3505 @var{threadnum} changes the value of @var{expr}. If any other threads
3506 change the value of @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} will not break. Note
3507 that watchpoints restricted to a single thread in this way only work
3508 with Hardware Watchpoints.
3509
3510 @kindex rwatch
3511 @item rwatch @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}
3512 Set a watchpoint that will break when the value of @var{expr} is read
3513 by the program.
3514
3515 @kindex awatch
3516 @item awatch @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{threadnum}@r{]}
3517 Set a watchpoint that will break when @var{expr} is either read from
3518 or written into by the program.
3519
3520 @kindex info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
3521 @item info watchpoints
3522 This command prints a list of watchpoints, breakpoints, and catchpoints;
3523 it is the same as @code{info break} (@pxref{Set Breaks}).
3524 @end table
3525
3526 @value{GDBN} sets a @dfn{hardware watchpoint} if possible. Hardware
3527 watchpoints execute very quickly, and the debugger reports a change in
3528 value at the exact instruction where the change occurs. If @value{GDBN}
3529 cannot set a hardware watchpoint, it sets a software watchpoint, which
3530 executes more slowly and reports the change in value at the next
3531 @emph{statement}, not the instruction, after the change occurs.
3532
3533 @cindex use only software watchpoints
3534 You can force @value{GDBN} to use only software watchpoints with the
3535 @kbd{set can-use-hw-watchpoints 0} command. With this variable set to
3536 zero, @value{GDBN} will never try to use hardware watchpoints, even if
3537 the underlying system supports them. (Note that hardware-assisted
3538 watchpoints that were set @emph{before} setting
3539 @code{can-use-hw-watchpoints} to zero will still use the hardware
3540 mechanism of watching expression values.)
3541
3542 @table @code
3543 @item set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3544 @kindex set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3545 Set whether or not to use hardware watchpoints.
3546
3547 @item show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3548 @kindex show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3549 Show the current mode of using hardware watchpoints.
3550 @end table
3551
3552 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3553 watchpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3554 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3555
3556 When you issue the @code{watch} command, @value{GDBN} reports
3557
3558 @smallexample
3559 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: @var{expr}
3560 @end smallexample
3561
3562 @noindent
3563 if it was able to set a hardware watchpoint.
3564
3565 Currently, the @code{awatch} and @code{rwatch} commands can only set
3566 hardware watchpoints, because accesses to data that don't change the
3567 value of the watched expression cannot be detected without examining
3568 every instruction as it is being executed, and @value{GDBN} does not do
3569 that currently. If @value{GDBN} finds that it is unable to set a
3570 hardware breakpoint with the @code{awatch} or @code{rwatch} command, it
3571 will print a message like this:
3572
3573 @smallexample
3574 Expression cannot be implemented with read/access watchpoint.
3575 @end smallexample
3576
3577 Sometimes, @value{GDBN} cannot set a hardware watchpoint because the
3578 data type of the watched expression is wider than what a hardware
3579 watchpoint on the target machine can handle. For example, some systems
3580 can only watch regions that are up to 4 bytes wide; on such systems you
3581 cannot set hardware watchpoints for an expression that yields a
3582 double-precision floating-point number (which is typically 8 bytes
3583 wide). As a work-around, it might be possible to break the large region
3584 into a series of smaller ones and watch them with separate watchpoints.
3585
3586 If you set too many hardware watchpoints, @value{GDBN} might be unable
3587 to insert all of them when you resume the execution of your program.
3588 Since the precise number of active watchpoints is unknown until such
3589 time as the program is about to be resumed, @value{GDBN} might not be
3590 able to warn you about this when you set the watchpoints, and the
3591 warning will be printed only when the program is resumed:
3592
3593 @smallexample
3594 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: Could not insert watchpoint
3595 @end smallexample
3596
3597 @noindent
3598 If this happens, delete or disable some of the watchpoints.
3599
3600 Watching complex expressions that reference many variables can also
3601 exhaust the resources available for hardware-assisted watchpoints.
3602 That's because @value{GDBN} needs to watch every variable in the
3603 expression with separately allocated resources.
3604
3605 If you call a function interactively using @code{print} or @code{call},
3606 any watchpoints you have set will be inactive until @value{GDBN} reaches another
3607 kind of breakpoint or the call completes.
3608
3609 @value{GDBN} automatically deletes watchpoints that watch local
3610 (automatic) variables, or expressions that involve such variables, when
3611 they go out of scope, that is, when the execution leaves the block in
3612 which these variables were defined. In particular, when the program
3613 being debugged terminates, @emph{all} local variables go out of scope,
3614 and so only watchpoints that watch global variables remain set. If you
3615 rerun the program, you will need to set all such watchpoints again. One
3616 way of doing that would be to set a code breakpoint at the entry to the
3617 @code{main} function and when it breaks, set all the watchpoints.
3618
3619 @cindex watchpoints and threads
3620 @cindex threads and watchpoints
3621 In multi-threaded programs, watchpoints will detect changes to the
3622 watched expression from every thread.
3623
3624 @quotation
3625 @emph{Warning:} In multi-threaded programs, software watchpoints
3626 have only limited usefulness. If @value{GDBN} creates a software
3627 watchpoint, it can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a
3628 single thread}. If you are confident that the expression can only
3629 change due to the current thread's activity (and if you are also
3630 confident that no other thread can become current), then you can use
3631 software watchpoints as usual. However, @value{GDBN} may not notice
3632 when a non-current thread's activity changes the expression. (Hardware
3633 watchpoints, in contrast, watch an expression in all threads.)
3634 @end quotation
3635
3636 @xref{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}.
3637
3638 @node Set Catchpoints
3639 @subsection Setting Catchpoints
3640 @cindex catchpoints, setting
3641 @cindex exception handlers
3642 @cindex event handling
3643
3644 You can use @dfn{catchpoints} to cause the debugger to stop for certain
3645 kinds of program events, such as C@t{++} exceptions or the loading of a
3646 shared library. Use the @code{catch} command to set a catchpoint.
3647
3648 @table @code
3649 @kindex catch
3650 @item catch @var{event}
3651 Stop when @var{event} occurs. @var{event} can be any of the following:
3652 @table @code
3653 @item throw
3654 @cindex stop on C@t{++} exceptions
3655 The throwing of a C@t{++} exception.
3656
3657 @item catch
3658 The catching of a C@t{++} exception.
3659
3660 @item exception
3661 @cindex Ada exception catching
3662 @cindex catch Ada exceptions
3663 An Ada exception being raised. If an exception name is specified
3664 at the end of the command (eg @code{catch exception Program_Error}),
3665 the debugger will stop only when this specific exception is raised.
3666 Otherwise, the debugger stops execution when any Ada exception is raised.
3667
3668 When inserting an exception catchpoint on a user-defined exception whose
3669 name is identical to one of the exceptions defined by the language, the
3670 fully qualified name must be used as the exception name. Otherwise,
3671 @value{GDBN} will assume that it should stop on the pre-defined exception
3672 rather than the user-defined one. For instance, assuming an exception
3673 called @code{Constraint_Error} is defined in package @code{Pck}, then
3674 the command to use to catch such exceptions is @kbd{catch exception
3675 Pck.Constraint_Error}.
3676
3677 @item exception unhandled
3678 An exception that was raised but is not handled by the program.
3679
3680 @item assert
3681 A failed Ada assertion.
3682
3683 @item exec
3684 @cindex break on fork/exec
3685 A call to @code{exec}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
3686 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
3687
3688 @item syscall
3689 @itemx syscall @r{[}@var{name} @r{|} @var{number}@r{]} @r{...}
3690 @cindex break on a system call.
3691 A call to or return from a system call, a.k.a.@: @dfn{syscall}. A
3692 syscall is a mechanism for application programs to request a service
3693 from the operating system (OS) or one of the OS system services.
3694 @value{GDBN} can catch some or all of the syscalls issued by the
3695 debuggee, and show the related information for each syscall. If no
3696 argument is specified, calls to and returns from all system calls
3697 will be caught.
3698
3699 @var{name} can be any system call name that is valid for the
3700 underlying OS. Just what syscalls are valid depends on the OS. On
3701 GNU and Unix systems, you can find the full list of valid syscall
3702 names on @file{/usr/include/asm/unistd.h}.
3703
3704 @c For MS-Windows, the syscall names and the corresponding numbers
3705 @c can be found, e.g., on this URL:
3706 @c http://www.metasploit.com/users/opcode/syscalls.html
3707 @c but we don't support Windows syscalls yet.
3708
3709 Normally, @value{GDBN} knows in advance which syscalls are valid for
3710 each OS, so you can use the @value{GDBN} command-line completion
3711 facilities (@pxref{Completion,, command completion}) to list the
3712 available choices.
3713
3714 You may also specify the system call numerically. A syscall's
3715 number is the value passed to the OS's syscall dispatcher to
3716 identify the requested service. When you specify the syscall by its
3717 name, @value{GDBN} uses its database of syscalls to convert the name
3718 into the corresponding numeric code, but using the number directly
3719 may be useful if @value{GDBN}'s database does not have the complete
3720 list of syscalls on your system (e.g., because @value{GDBN} lags
3721 behind the OS upgrades).
3722
3723 The example below illustrates how this command works if you don't provide
3724 arguments to it:
3725
3726 @smallexample
3727 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
3728 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
3729 (@value{GDBP}) r
3730 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
3731
3732 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'close'), \
3733 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
3734 (@value{GDBP}) c
3735 Continuing.
3736
3737 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'close'), \
3738 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
3739 (@value{GDBP})
3740 @end smallexample
3741
3742 Here is an example of catching a system call by name:
3743
3744 @smallexample
3745 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall chroot
3746 Catchpoint 1 (syscall 'chroot' [61])
3747 (@value{GDBP}) r
3748 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
3749
3750 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'chroot'), \
3751 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
3752 (@value{GDBP}) c
3753 Continuing.
3754
3755 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'chroot'), \
3756 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
3757 (@value{GDBP})
3758 @end smallexample
3759
3760 An example of specifying a system call numerically. In the case
3761 below, the syscall number has a corresponding entry in the XML
3762 file, so @value{GDBN} finds its name and prints it:
3763
3764 @smallexample
3765 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
3766 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 'exit_group')
3767 (@value{GDBP}) r
3768 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
3769
3770 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'exit_group'), \
3771 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
3772 (@value{GDBP}) c
3773 Continuing.
3774
3775 Program exited normally.
3776 (@value{GDBP})
3777 @end smallexample
3778
3779 However, there can be situations when there is no corresponding name
3780 in XML file for that syscall number. In this case, @value{GDBN} prints
3781 a warning message saying that it was not able to find the syscall name,
3782 but the catchpoint will be set anyway. See the example below:
3783
3784 @smallexample
3785 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 764
3786 warning: The number '764' does not represent a known syscall.
3787 Catchpoint 2 (syscall 764)
3788 (@value{GDBP})
3789 @end smallexample
3790
3791 If you configure @value{GDBN} using the @samp{--without-expat} option,
3792 it will not be able to display syscall names. Also, if your
3793 architecture does not have an XML file describing its system calls,
3794 you will not be able to see the syscall names. It is important to
3795 notice that these two features are used for accessing the syscall
3796 name database. In either case, you will see a warning like this:
3797
3798 @smallexample
3799 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
3800 warning: Could not open "syscalls/i386-linux.xml"
3801 warning: Could not load the syscall XML file 'syscalls/i386-linux.xml'.
3802 GDB will not be able to display syscall names.
3803 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
3804 (@value{GDBP})
3805 @end smallexample
3806
3807 Of course, the file name will change depending on your architecture and system.
3808
3809 Still using the example above, you can also try to catch a syscall by its
3810 number. In this case, you would see something like:
3811
3812 @smallexample
3813 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
3814 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 252)
3815 @end smallexample
3816
3817 Again, in this case @value{GDBN} would not be able to display syscall's names.
3818
3819 @item fork
3820 A call to @code{fork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
3821 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
3822
3823 @item vfork
3824 A call to @code{vfork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX
3825 and @sc{gnu}/Linux.
3826
3827 @end table
3828
3829 @item tcatch @var{event}
3830 Set a catchpoint that is enabled only for one stop. The catchpoint is
3831 automatically deleted after the first time the event is caught.
3832
3833 @end table
3834
3835 Use the @code{info break} command to list the current catchpoints.
3836
3837 There are currently some limitations to C@t{++} exception handling
3838 (@code{catch throw} and @code{catch catch}) in @value{GDBN}:
3839
3840 @itemize @bullet
3841 @item
3842 If you call a function interactively, @value{GDBN} normally returns
3843 control to you when the function has finished executing. If the call
3844 raises an exception, however, the call may bypass the mechanism that
3845 returns control to you and cause your program either to abort or to
3846 simply continue running until it hits a breakpoint, catches a signal
3847 that @value{GDBN} is listening for, or exits. This is the case even if
3848 you set a catchpoint for the exception; catchpoints on exceptions are
3849 disabled within interactive calls.
3850
3851 @item
3852 You cannot raise an exception interactively.
3853
3854 @item
3855 You cannot install an exception handler interactively.
3856 @end itemize
3857
3858 @cindex raise exceptions
3859 Sometimes @code{catch} is not the best way to debug exception handling:
3860 if you need to know exactly where an exception is raised, it is better to
3861 stop @emph{before} the exception handler is called, since that way you
3862 can see the stack before any unwinding takes place. If you set a
3863 breakpoint in an exception handler instead, it may not be easy to find
3864 out where the exception was raised.
3865
3866 To stop just before an exception handler is called, you need some
3867 knowledge of the implementation. In the case of @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, exceptions are
3868 raised by calling a library function named @code{__raise_exception}
3869 which has the following ANSI C interface:
3870
3871 @smallexample
3872 /* @var{addr} is where the exception identifier is stored.
3873 @var{id} is the exception identifier. */
3874 void __raise_exception (void **addr, void *id);
3875 @end smallexample
3876
3877 @noindent
3878 To make the debugger catch all exceptions before any stack
3879 unwinding takes place, set a breakpoint on @code{__raise_exception}
3880 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Exceptions}).
3881
3882 With a conditional breakpoint (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions})
3883 that depends on the value of @var{id}, you can stop your program when
3884 a specific exception is raised. You can use multiple conditional
3885 breakpoints to stop your program when any of a number of exceptions are
3886 raised.
3887
3888
3889 @node Delete Breaks
3890 @subsection Deleting Breakpoints
3891
3892 @cindex clearing breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
3893 @cindex deleting breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
3894 It is often necessary to eliminate a breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3895 catchpoint once it has done its job and you no longer want your program
3896 to stop there. This is called @dfn{deleting} the breakpoint. A
3897 breakpoint that has been deleted no longer exists; it is forgotten.
3898
3899 With the @code{clear} command you can delete breakpoints according to
3900 where they are in your program. With the @code{delete} command you can
3901 delete individual breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints by specifying
3902 their breakpoint numbers.
3903
3904 It is not necessary to delete a breakpoint to proceed past it. @value{GDBN}
3905 automatically ignores breakpoints on the first instruction to be executed
3906 when you continue execution without changing the execution address.
3907
3908 @table @code
3909 @kindex clear
3910 @item clear
3911 Delete any breakpoints at the next instruction to be executed in the
3912 selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). When
3913 the innermost frame is selected, this is a good way to delete a
3914 breakpoint where your program just stopped.
3915
3916 @item clear @var{location}
3917 Delete any breakpoints set at the specified @var{location}.
3918 @xref{Specify Location}, for the various forms of @var{location}; the
3919 most useful ones are listed below:
3920
3921 @table @code
3922 @item clear @var{function}
3923 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{function}
3924 Delete any breakpoints set at entry to the named @var{function}.
3925
3926 @item clear @var{linenum}
3927 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
3928 Delete any breakpoints set at or within the code of the specified
3929 @var{linenum} of the specified @var{filename}.
3930 @end table
3931
3932 @cindex delete breakpoints
3933 @kindex delete
3934 @kindex d @r{(@code{delete})}
3935 @item delete @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3936 Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint
3937 ranges specified as arguments. If no argument is specified, delete all
3938 breakpoints (@value{GDBN} asks confirmation, unless you have @code{set
3939 confirm off}). You can abbreviate this command as @code{d}.
3940 @end table
3941
3942 @node Disabling
3943 @subsection Disabling Breakpoints
3944
3945 @cindex enable/disable a breakpoint
3946 Rather than deleting a breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint, you might
3947 prefer to @dfn{disable} it. This makes the breakpoint inoperative as if
3948 it had been deleted, but remembers the information on the breakpoint so
3949 that you can @dfn{enable} it again later.
3950
3951 You disable and enable breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints with
3952 the @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands, optionally specifying one
3953 or more breakpoint numbers as arguments. Use @code{info break} or
3954 @code{info watch} to print a list of breakpoints, watchpoints, and
3955 catchpoints if you do not know which numbers to use.
3956
3957 Disabling and enabling a breakpoint that has multiple locations
3958 affects all of its locations.
3959
3960 A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of four different
3961 states of enablement:
3962
3963 @itemize @bullet
3964 @item
3965 Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set
3966 with the @code{break} command starts out in this state.
3967 @item
3968 Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.
3969 @item
3970 Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes
3971 disabled.
3972 @item
3973 Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but
3974 immediately after it does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint
3975 set with the @code{tbreak} command starts out in this state.
3976 @end itemize
3977
3978 You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints,
3979 watchpoints, and catchpoints:
3980
3981 @table @code
3982 @kindex disable
3983 @kindex dis @r{(@code{disable})}
3984 @item disable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3985 Disable the specified breakpoints---or all breakpoints, if none are
3986 listed. A disabled breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All
3987 options such as ignore-counts, conditions and commands are remembered in
3988 case the breakpoint is enabled again later. You may abbreviate
3989 @code{disable} as @code{dis}.
3990
3991 @kindex enable
3992 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3993 Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined breakpoints). They
3994 become effective once again in stopping your program.
3995
3996 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} once @var{range}@dots{}
3997 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} disables any
3998 of these breakpoints immediately after stopping your program.
3999
4000 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} delete @var{range}@dots{}
4001 Enable the specified breakpoints to work once, then die. @value{GDBN}
4002 deletes any of these breakpoints as soon as your program stops there.
4003 Breakpoints set by the @code{tbreak} command start out in this state.
4004 @end table
4005
4006 @c FIXME: I think the following ``Except for [...] @code{tbreak}'' is
4007 @c confusing: tbreak is also initially enabled.
4008 Except for a breakpoint set with @code{tbreak} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
4009 ,Setting Breakpoints}), breakpoints that you set are initially enabled;
4010 subsequently, they become disabled or enabled only when you use one of
4011 the commands above. (The command @code{until} can set and delete a
4012 breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other
4013 breakpoints; see @ref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and
4014 Stepping}.)
4015
4016 @node Conditions
4017 @subsection Break Conditions
4018 @cindex conditional breakpoints
4019 @cindex breakpoint conditions
4020
4021 @c FIXME what is scope of break condition expr? Context where wanted?
4022 @c in particular for a watchpoint?
4023 The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a
4024 specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for a
4025 breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
4026 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A breakpoint with
4027 a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it,
4028 and your program stops only if the condition is @emph{true}.
4029
4030 This is the converse of using assertions for program validation; in that
4031 situation, you want to stop when the assertion is violated---that is,
4032 when the condition is false. In C, if you want to test an assertion expressed
4033 by the condition @var{assert}, you should set the condition
4034 @samp{! @var{assert}} on the appropriate breakpoint.
4035
4036 Conditions are also accepted for watchpoints; you may not need them,
4037 since a watchpoint is inspecting the value of an expression anyhow---but
4038 it might be simpler, say, to just set a watchpoint on a variable name,
4039 and specify a condition that tests whether the new value is an interesting
4040 one.
4041
4042 Break conditions can have side effects, and may even call functions in
4043 your program. This can be useful, for example, to activate functions
4044 that log program progress, or to use your own print functions to
4045 format special data structures. The effects are completely predictable
4046 unless there is another enabled breakpoint at the same address. (In
4047 that case, @value{GDBN} might see the other breakpoint first and stop your
4048 program without checking the condition of this one.) Note that
4049 breakpoint commands are usually more convenient and flexible than break
4050 conditions for the
4051 purpose of performing side effects when a breakpoint is reached
4052 (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}).
4053
4054 Break conditions can be specified when a breakpoint is set, by using
4055 @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{break} command. @xref{Set
4056 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}. They can also be changed at any time
4057 with the @code{condition} command.
4058
4059 You can also use the @code{if} keyword with the @code{watch} command.
4060 The @code{catch} command does not recognize the @code{if} keyword;
4061 @code{condition} is the only way to impose a further condition on a
4062 catchpoint.
4063
4064 @table @code
4065 @kindex condition
4066 @item condition @var{bnum} @var{expression}
4067 Specify @var{expression} as the break condition for breakpoint,
4068 watchpoint, or catchpoint number @var{bnum}. After you set a condition,
4069 breakpoint @var{bnum} stops your program only if the value of
4070 @var{expression} is true (nonzero, in C). When you use
4071 @code{condition}, @value{GDBN} checks @var{expression} immediately for
4072 syntactic correctness, and to determine whether symbols in it have
4073 referents in the context of your breakpoint. If @var{expression} uses
4074 symbols not referenced in the context of the breakpoint, @value{GDBN}
4075 prints an error message:
4076
4077 @smallexample
4078 No symbol "foo" in current context.
4079 @end smallexample
4080
4081 @noindent
4082 @value{GDBN} does
4083 not actually evaluate @var{expression} at the time the @code{condition}
4084 command (or a command that sets a breakpoint with a condition, like
4085 @code{break if @dots{}}) is given, however. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
4086
4087 @item condition @var{bnum}
4088 Remove the condition from breakpoint number @var{bnum}. It becomes
4089 an ordinary unconditional breakpoint.
4090 @end table
4091
4092 @cindex ignore count (of breakpoint)
4093 A special case of a breakpoint condition is to stop only when the
4094 breakpoint has been reached a certain number of times. This is so
4095 useful that there is a special way to do it, using the @dfn{ignore
4096 count} of the breakpoint. Every breakpoint has an ignore count, which
4097 is an integer. Most of the time, the ignore count is zero, and
4098 therefore has no effect. But if your program reaches a breakpoint whose
4099 ignore count is positive, then instead of stopping, it just decrements
4100 the ignore count by one and continues. As a result, if the ignore count
4101 value is @var{n}, the breakpoint does not stop the next @var{n} times
4102 your program reaches it.
4103
4104 @table @code
4105 @kindex ignore
4106 @item ignore @var{bnum} @var{count}
4107 Set the ignore count of breakpoint number @var{bnum} to @var{count}.
4108 The next @var{count} times the breakpoint is reached, your program's
4109 execution does not stop; other than to decrement the ignore count, @value{GDBN}
4110 takes no action.
4111
4112 To make the breakpoint stop the next time it is reached, specify
4113 a count of zero.
4114
4115 When you use @code{continue} to resume execution of your program from a
4116 breakpoint, you can specify an ignore count directly as an argument to
4117 @code{continue}, rather than using @code{ignore}. @xref{Continuing and
4118 Stepping,,Continuing and Stepping}.
4119
4120 If a breakpoint has a positive ignore count and a condition, the
4121 condition is not checked. Once the ignore count reaches zero,
4122 @value{GDBN} resumes checking the condition.
4123
4124 You could achieve the effect of the ignore count with a condition such
4125 as @w{@samp{$foo-- <= 0}} using a debugger convenience variable that
4126 is decremented each time. @xref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
4127 Variables}.
4128 @end table
4129
4130 Ignore counts apply to breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints.
4131
4132
4133 @node Break Commands
4134 @subsection Breakpoint Command Lists
4135
4136 @cindex breakpoint commands
4137 You can give any breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint) a series of
4138 commands to execute when your program stops due to that breakpoint. For
4139 example, you might want to print the values of certain expressions, or
4140 enable other breakpoints.
4141
4142 @table @code
4143 @kindex commands
4144 @kindex end@r{ (breakpoint commands)}
4145 @item commands @r{[}@var{bnum}@r{]}
4146 @itemx @dots{} @var{command-list} @dots{}
4147 @itemx end
4148 Specify a list of commands for breakpoint number @var{bnum}. The commands
4149 themselves appear on the following lines. Type a line containing just
4150 @code{end} to terminate the commands.
4151
4152 To remove all commands from a breakpoint, type @code{commands} and
4153 follow it immediately with @code{end}; that is, give no commands.
4154
4155 With no @var{bnum} argument, @code{commands} refers to the last
4156 breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint set (not to the breakpoint most
4157 recently encountered).
4158 @end table
4159
4160 Pressing @key{RET} as a means of repeating the last @value{GDBN} command is
4161 disabled within a @var{command-list}.
4162
4163 You can use breakpoint commands to start your program up again. Simply
4164 use the @code{continue} command, or @code{step}, or any other command
4165 that resumes execution.
4166
4167 Any other commands in the command list, after a command that resumes
4168 execution, are ignored. This is because any time you resume execution
4169 (even with a simple @code{next} or @code{step}), you may encounter
4170 another breakpoint---which could have its own command list, leading to
4171 ambiguities about which list to execute.
4172
4173 @kindex silent
4174 If the first command you specify in a command list is @code{silent}, the
4175 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint is not printed. This may
4176 be desirable for breakpoints that are to print a specific message and
4177 then continue. If none of the remaining commands print anything, you
4178 see no sign that the breakpoint was reached. @code{silent} is
4179 meaningful only at the beginning of a breakpoint command list.
4180
4181 The commands @code{echo}, @code{output}, and @code{printf} allow you to
4182 print precisely controlled output, and are often useful in silent
4183 breakpoints. @xref{Output, ,Commands for Controlled Output}.
4184
4185 For example, here is how you could use breakpoint commands to print the
4186 value of @code{x} at entry to @code{foo} whenever @code{x} is positive.
4187
4188 @smallexample
4189 break foo if x>0
4190 commands
4191 silent
4192 printf "x is %d\n",x
4193 cont
4194 end
4195 @end smallexample
4196
4197 One application for breakpoint commands is to compensate for one bug so
4198 you can test for another. Put a breakpoint just after the erroneous line
4199 of code, give it a condition to detect the case in which something
4200 erroneous has been done, and give it commands to assign correct values
4201 to any variables that need them. End with the @code{continue} command
4202 so that your program does not stop, and start with the @code{silent}
4203 command so that no output is produced. Here is an example:
4204
4205 @smallexample
4206 break 403
4207 commands
4208 silent
4209 set x = y + 4
4210 cont
4211 end
4212 @end smallexample
4213
4214 @c @ifclear BARETARGET
4215 @node Error in Breakpoints
4216 @subsection ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
4217
4218 If you request too many active hardware-assisted breakpoints and
4219 watchpoints, you will see this error message:
4220
4221 @c FIXME: the precise wording of this message may change; the relevant
4222 @c source change is not committed yet (Sep 3, 1999).
4223 @smallexample
4224 Stopped; cannot insert breakpoints.
4225 You may have requested too many hardware breakpoints and watchpoints.
4226 @end smallexample
4227
4228 @noindent
4229 This message is printed when you attempt to resume the program, since
4230 only then @value{GDBN} knows exactly how many hardware breakpoints and
4231 watchpoints it needs to insert.
4232
4233 When this message is printed, you need to disable or remove some of the
4234 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints, and then continue.
4235
4236 @node Breakpoint-related Warnings
4237 @subsection ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
4238 @cindex breakpoint address adjusted
4239
4240 Some processor architectures place constraints on the addresses at
4241 which breakpoints may be placed. For architectures thus constrained,
4242 @value{GDBN} will attempt to adjust the breakpoint's address to comply
4243 with the constraints dictated by the architecture.
4244
4245 One example of such an architecture is the Fujitsu FR-V. The FR-V is
4246 a VLIW architecture in which a number of RISC-like instructions may be
4247 bundled together for parallel execution. The FR-V architecture
4248 constrains the location of a breakpoint instruction within such a
4249 bundle to the instruction with the lowest address. @value{GDBN}
4250 honors this constraint by adjusting a breakpoint's address to the
4251 first in the bundle.
4252
4253 It is not uncommon for optimized code to have bundles which contain
4254 instructions from different source statements, thus it may happen that
4255 a breakpoint's address will be adjusted from one source statement to
4256 another. Since this adjustment may significantly alter @value{GDBN}'s
4257 breakpoint related behavior from what the user expects, a warning is
4258 printed when the breakpoint is first set and also when the breakpoint
4259 is hit.
4260
4261 A warning like the one below is printed when setting a breakpoint
4262 that's been subject to address adjustment:
4263
4264 @smallexample
4265 warning: Breakpoint address adjusted from 0x00010414 to 0x00010410.
4266 @end smallexample
4267
4268 Such warnings are printed both for user settable and @value{GDBN}'s
4269 internal breakpoints. If you see one of these warnings, you should
4270 verify that a breakpoint set at the adjusted address will have the
4271 desired affect. If not, the breakpoint in question may be removed and
4272 other breakpoints may be set which will have the desired behavior.
4273 E.g., it may be sufficient to place the breakpoint at a later
4274 instruction. A conditional breakpoint may also be useful in some
4275 cases to prevent the breakpoint from triggering too often.
4276
4277 @value{GDBN} will also issue a warning when stopping at one of these
4278 adjusted breakpoints:
4279
4280 @smallexample
4281 warning: Breakpoint 1 address previously adjusted from 0x00010414
4282 to 0x00010410.
4283 @end smallexample
4284
4285 When this warning is encountered, it may be too late to take remedial
4286 action except in cases where the breakpoint is hit earlier or more
4287 frequently than expected.
4288
4289 @node Continuing and Stepping
4290 @section Continuing and Stepping
4291
4292 @cindex stepping
4293 @cindex continuing
4294 @cindex resuming execution
4295 @dfn{Continuing} means resuming program execution until your program
4296 completes normally. In contrast, @dfn{stepping} means executing just
4297 one more ``step'' of your program, where ``step'' may mean either one
4298 line of source code, or one machine instruction (depending on what
4299 particular command you use). Either when continuing or when stepping,
4300 your program may stop even sooner, due to a breakpoint or a signal. (If
4301 it stops due to a signal, you may want to use @code{handle}, or use
4302 @samp{signal 0} to resume execution. @xref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
4303
4304 @table @code
4305 @kindex continue
4306 @kindex c @r{(@code{continue})}
4307 @kindex fg @r{(resume foreground execution)}
4308 @item continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4309 @itemx c @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4310 @itemx fg @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
4311 Resume program execution, at the address where your program last stopped;
4312 any breakpoints set at that address are bypassed. The optional argument
4313 @var{ignore-count} allows you to specify a further number of times to
4314 ignore a breakpoint at this location; its effect is like that of
4315 @code{ignore} (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
4316
4317 The argument @var{ignore-count} is meaningful only when your program
4318 stopped due to a breakpoint. At other times, the argument to
4319 @code{continue} is ignored.
4320
4321 The synonyms @code{c} and @code{fg} (for @dfn{foreground}, as the
4322 debugged program is deemed to be the foreground program) are provided
4323 purely for convenience, and have exactly the same behavior as
4324 @code{continue}.
4325 @end table
4326
4327 To resume execution at a different place, you can use @code{return}
4328 (@pxref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}) to go back to the
4329 calling function; or @code{jump} (@pxref{Jumping, ,Continuing at a
4330 Different Address}) to go to an arbitrary location in your program.
4331
4332 A typical technique for using stepping is to set a breakpoint
4333 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Catchpoints}) at the
4334 beginning of the function or the section of your program where a problem
4335 is believed to lie, run your program until it stops at that breakpoint,
4336 and then step through the suspect area, examining the variables that are
4337 interesting, until you see the problem happen.
4338
4339 @table @code
4340 @kindex step
4341 @kindex s @r{(@code{step})}
4342 @item step
4343 Continue running your program until control reaches a different source
4344 line, then stop it and return control to @value{GDBN}. This command is
4345 abbreviated @code{s}.
4346
4347 @quotation
4348 @c "without debugging information" is imprecise; actually "without line
4349 @c numbers in the debugging information". (gcc -g1 has debugging info but
4350 @c not line numbers). But it seems complex to try to make that
4351 @c distinction here.
4352 @emph{Warning:} If you use the @code{step} command while control is
4353 within a function that was compiled without debugging information,
4354 execution proceeds until control reaches a function that does have
4355 debugging information. Likewise, it will not step into a function which
4356 is compiled without debugging information. To step through functions
4357 without debugging information, use the @code{stepi} command, described
4358 below.
4359 @end quotation
4360
4361 The @code{step} command only stops at the first instruction of a source
4362 line. This prevents the multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
4363 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc. @code{step} continues
4364 to stop if a function that has debugging information is called within
4365 the line. In other words, @code{step} @emph{steps inside} any functions
4366 called within the line.
4367
4368 Also, the @code{step} command only enters a function if there is line
4369 number information for the function. Otherwise it acts like the
4370 @code{next} command. This avoids problems when using @code{cc -gl}
4371 on MIPS machines. Previously, @code{step} entered subroutines if there
4372 was any debugging information about the routine.
4373
4374 @item step @var{count}
4375 Continue running as in @code{step}, but do so @var{count} times. If a
4376 breakpoint is reached, or a signal not related to stepping occurs before
4377 @var{count} steps, stepping stops right away.
4378
4379 @kindex next
4380 @kindex n @r{(@code{next})}
4381 @item next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
4382 Continue to the next source line in the current (innermost) stack frame.
4383 This is similar to @code{step}, but function calls that appear within
4384 the line of code are executed without stopping. Execution stops when
4385 control reaches a different line of code at the original stack level
4386 that was executing when you gave the @code{next} command. This command
4387 is abbreviated @code{n}.
4388
4389 An argument @var{count} is a repeat count, as for @code{step}.
4390
4391
4392 @c FIX ME!! Do we delete this, or is there a way it fits in with
4393 @c the following paragraph? --- Vctoria
4394 @c
4395 @c @code{next} within a function that lacks debugging information acts like
4396 @c @code{step}, but any function calls appearing within the code of the
4397 @c function are executed without stopping.
4398
4399 The @code{next} command only stops at the first instruction of a
4400 source line. This prevents multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
4401 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc.
4402
4403 @kindex set step-mode
4404 @item set step-mode
4405 @cindex functions without line info, and stepping
4406 @cindex stepping into functions with no line info
4407 @itemx set step-mode on
4408 The @code{set step-mode on} command causes the @code{step} command to
4409 stop at the first instruction of a function which contains no debug line
4410 information rather than stepping over it.
4411
4412 This is useful in cases where you may be interested in inspecting the
4413 machine instructions of a function which has no symbolic info and do not
4414 want @value{GDBN} to automatically skip over this function.
4415
4416 @item set step-mode off
4417 Causes the @code{step} command to step over any functions which contains no
4418 debug information. This is the default.
4419
4420 @item show step-mode
4421 Show whether @value{GDBN} will stop in or step over functions without
4422 source line debug information.
4423
4424 @kindex finish
4425 @kindex fin @r{(@code{finish})}
4426 @item finish
4427 Continue running until just after function in the selected stack frame
4428 returns. Print the returned value (if any). This command can be
4429 abbreviated as @code{fin}.
4430
4431 Contrast this with the @code{return} command (@pxref{Returning,
4432 ,Returning from a Function}).
4433
4434 @kindex until
4435 @kindex u @r{(@code{until})}
4436 @cindex run until specified location
4437 @item until
4438 @itemx u
4439 Continue running until a source line past the current line, in the
4440 current stack frame, is reached. This command is used to avoid single
4441 stepping through a loop more than once. It is like the @code{next}
4442 command, except that when @code{until} encounters a jump, it
4443 automatically continues execution until the program counter is greater
4444 than the address of the jump.
4445
4446 This means that when you reach the end of a loop after single stepping
4447 though it, @code{until} makes your program continue execution until it
4448 exits the loop. In contrast, a @code{next} command at the end of a loop
4449 simply steps back to the beginning of the loop, which forces you to step
4450 through the next iteration.
4451
4452 @code{until} always stops your program if it attempts to exit the current
4453 stack frame.
4454
4455 @code{until} may produce somewhat counterintuitive results if the order
4456 of machine code does not match the order of the source lines. For
4457 example, in the following excerpt from a debugging session, the @code{f}
4458 (@code{frame}) command shows that execution is stopped at line
4459 @code{206}; yet when we use @code{until}, we get to line @code{195}:
4460
4461 @smallexample
4462 (@value{GDBP}) f
4463 #0 main (argc=4, argv=0xf7fffae8) at m4.c:206
4464 206 expand_input();
4465 (@value{GDBP}) until
4466 195 for ( ; argc > 0; NEXTARG) @{
4467 @end smallexample
4468
4469 This happened because, for execution efficiency, the compiler had
4470 generated code for the loop closure test at the end, rather than the
4471 start, of the loop---even though the test in a C @code{for}-loop is
4472 written before the body of the loop. The @code{until} command appeared
4473 to step back to the beginning of the loop when it advanced to this
4474 expression; however, it has not really gone to an earlier
4475 statement---not in terms of the actual machine code.
4476
4477 @code{until} with no argument works by means of single
4478 instruction stepping, and hence is slower than @code{until} with an
4479 argument.
4480
4481 @item until @var{location}
4482 @itemx u @var{location}
4483 Continue running your program until either the specified location is
4484 reached, or the current stack frame returns. @var{location} is any of
4485 the forms described in @ref{Specify Location}.
4486 This form of the command uses temporary breakpoints, and
4487 hence is quicker than @code{until} without an argument. The specified
4488 location is actually reached only if it is in the current frame. This
4489 implies that @code{until} can be used to skip over recursive function
4490 invocations. For instance in the code below, if the current location is
4491 line @code{96}, issuing @code{until 99} will execute the program up to
4492 line @code{99} in the same invocation of factorial, i.e., after the inner
4493 invocations have returned.
4494
4495 @smallexample
4496 94 int factorial (int value)
4497 95 @{
4498 96 if (value > 1) @{
4499 97 value *= factorial (value - 1);
4500 98 @}
4501 99 return (value);
4502 100 @}
4503 @end smallexample
4504
4505
4506 @kindex advance @var{location}
4507 @itemx advance @var{location}
4508 Continue running the program up to the given @var{location}. An argument is
4509 required, which should be of one of the forms described in
4510 @ref{Specify Location}.
4511 Execution will also stop upon exit from the current stack
4512 frame. This command is similar to @code{until}, but @code{advance} will
4513 not skip over recursive function calls, and the target location doesn't
4514 have to be in the same frame as the current one.
4515
4516
4517 @kindex stepi
4518 @kindex si @r{(@code{stepi})}
4519 @item stepi
4520 @itemx stepi @var{arg}
4521 @itemx si
4522 Execute one machine instruction, then stop and return to the debugger.
4523
4524 It is often useful to do @samp{display/i $pc} when stepping by machine
4525 instructions. This makes @value{GDBN} automatically display the next
4526 instruction to be executed, each time your program stops. @xref{Auto
4527 Display,, Automatic Display}.
4528
4529 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{step}.
4530
4531 @need 750
4532 @kindex nexti
4533 @kindex ni @r{(@code{nexti})}
4534 @item nexti
4535 @itemx nexti @var{arg}
4536 @itemx ni
4537 Execute one machine instruction, but if it is a function call,
4538 proceed until the function returns.
4539
4540 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{next}.
4541 @end table
4542
4543 @node Signals
4544 @section Signals
4545 @cindex signals
4546
4547 A signal is an asynchronous event that can happen in a program. The
4548 operating system defines the possible kinds of signals, and gives each
4549 kind a name and a number. For example, in Unix @code{SIGINT} is the
4550 signal a program gets when you type an interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c});
4551 @code{SIGSEGV} is the signal a program gets from referencing a place in
4552 memory far away from all the areas in use; @code{SIGALRM} occurs when
4553 the alarm clock timer goes off (which happens only if your program has
4554 requested an alarm).
4555
4556 @cindex fatal signals
4557 Some signals, including @code{SIGALRM}, are a normal part of the
4558 functioning of your program. Others, such as @code{SIGSEGV}, indicate
4559 errors; these signals are @dfn{fatal} (they kill your program immediately) if the
4560 program has not specified in advance some other way to handle the signal.
4561 @code{SIGINT} does not indicate an error in your program, but it is normally
4562 fatal so it can carry out the purpose of the interrupt: to kill the program.
4563
4564 @value{GDBN} has the ability to detect any occurrence of a signal in your
4565 program. You can tell @value{GDBN} in advance what to do for each kind of
4566 signal.
4567
4568 @cindex handling signals
4569 Normally, @value{GDBN} is set up to let the non-erroneous signals like
4570 @code{SIGALRM} be silently passed to your program
4571 (so as not to interfere with their role in the program's functioning)
4572 but to stop your program immediately whenever an error signal happens.
4573 You can change these settings with the @code{handle} command.
4574
4575 @table @code
4576 @kindex info signals
4577 @kindex info handle
4578 @item info signals
4579 @itemx info handle
4580 Print a table of all the kinds of signals and how @value{GDBN} has been told to
4581 handle each one. You can use this to see the signal numbers of all
4582 the defined types of signals.
4583
4584 @item info signals @var{sig}
4585 Similar, but print information only about the specified signal number.
4586
4587 @code{info handle} is an alias for @code{info signals}.
4588
4589 @kindex handle
4590 @item handle @var{signal} @r{[}@var{keywords}@dots{}@r{]}
4591 Change the way @value{GDBN} handles signal @var{signal}. @var{signal}
4592 can be the number of a signal or its name (with or without the
4593 @samp{SIG} at the beginning); a list of signal numbers of the form
4594 @samp{@var{low}-@var{high}}; or the word @samp{all}, meaning all the
4595 known signals. Optional arguments @var{keywords}, described below,
4596 say what change to make.
4597 @end table
4598
4599 @c @group
4600 The keywords allowed by the @code{handle} command can be abbreviated.
4601 Their full names are:
4602
4603 @table @code
4604 @item nostop
4605 @value{GDBN} should not stop your program when this signal happens. It may
4606 still print a message telling you that the signal has come in.
4607
4608 @item stop
4609 @value{GDBN} should stop your program when this signal happens. This implies
4610 the @code{print} keyword as well.
4611
4612 @item print
4613 @value{GDBN} should print a message when this signal happens.
4614
4615 @item noprint
4616 @value{GDBN} should not mention the occurrence of the signal at all. This
4617 implies the @code{nostop} keyword as well.
4618
4619 @item pass
4620 @itemx noignore
4621 @value{GDBN} should allow your program to see this signal; your program
4622 can handle the signal, or else it may terminate if the signal is fatal
4623 and not handled. @code{pass} and @code{noignore} are synonyms.
4624
4625 @item nopass
4626 @itemx ignore
4627 @value{GDBN} should not allow your program to see this signal.
4628 @code{nopass} and @code{ignore} are synonyms.
4629 @end table
4630 @c @end group
4631
4632 When a signal stops your program, the signal is not visible to the
4633 program until you
4634 continue. Your program sees the signal then, if @code{pass} is in
4635 effect for the signal in question @emph{at that time}. In other words,
4636 after @value{GDBN} reports a signal, you can use the @code{handle}
4637 command with @code{pass} or @code{nopass} to control whether your
4638 program sees that signal when you continue.
4639
4640 The default is set to @code{nostop}, @code{noprint}, @code{pass} for
4641 non-erroneous signals such as @code{SIGALRM}, @code{SIGWINCH} and
4642 @code{SIGCHLD}, and to @code{stop}, @code{print}, @code{pass} for the
4643 erroneous signals.
4644
4645 You can also use the @code{signal} command to prevent your program from
4646 seeing a signal, or cause it to see a signal it normally would not see,
4647 or to give it any signal at any time. For example, if your program stopped
4648 due to some sort of memory reference error, you might store correct
4649 values into the erroneous variables and continue, hoping to see more
4650 execution; but your program would probably terminate immediately as
4651 a result of the fatal signal once it saw the signal. To prevent this,
4652 you can continue with @samp{signal 0}. @xref{Signaling, ,Giving your
4653 Program a Signal}.
4654
4655 @cindex extra signal information
4656 @anchor{extra signal information}
4657
4658 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can inspect extra signal information
4659 associated with the intercepted signal, before it is actually
4660 delivered to the program being debugged. This information is exported
4661 by the convenience variable @code{$_siginfo}, and consists of data
4662 that is passed by the kernel to the signal handler at the time of the
4663 receipt of a signal. The data type of the information itself is
4664 target dependent. You can see the data type using the @code{ptype
4665 $_siginfo} command. On Unix systems, it typically corresponds to the
4666 standard @code{siginfo_t} type, as defined in the @file{signal.h}
4667 system header.
4668
4669 Here's an example, on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, printing the stray
4670 referenced address that raised a segmentation fault.
4671
4672 @smallexample
4673 @group
4674 (@value{GDBP}) continue
4675 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
4676 0x0000000000400766 in main ()
4677 69 *(int *)p = 0;
4678 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo
4679 type = struct @{
4680 int si_signo;
4681 int si_errno;
4682 int si_code;
4683 union @{
4684 int _pad[28];
4685 struct @{...@} _kill;
4686 struct @{...@} _timer;
4687 struct @{...@} _rt;
4688 struct @{...@} _sigchld;
4689 struct @{...@} _sigfault;
4690 struct @{...@} _sigpoll;
4691 @} _sifields;
4692 @}
4693 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault
4694 type = struct @{
4695 void *si_addr;
4696 @}
4697 (@value{GDBP}) p $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault.si_addr
4698 $1 = (void *) 0x7ffff7ff7000
4699 @end group
4700 @end smallexample
4701
4702 Depending on target support, @code{$_siginfo} may also be writable.
4703
4704 @node Thread Stops
4705 @section Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs
4706
4707 @cindex stopped threads
4708 @cindex threads, stopped
4709
4710 @cindex continuing threads
4711 @cindex threads, continuing
4712
4713 @value{GDBN} supports debugging programs with multiple threads
4714 (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads}). There
4715 are two modes of controlling execution of your program within the
4716 debugger. In the default mode, referred to as @dfn{all-stop mode},
4717 when any thread in your program stops (for example, at a breakpoint
4718 or while being stepped), all other threads in the program are also stopped by
4719 @value{GDBN}. On some targets, @value{GDBN} also supports
4720 @dfn{non-stop mode}, in which other threads can continue to run freely while
4721 you examine the stopped thread in the debugger.
4722
4723 @menu
4724 * All-Stop Mode:: All threads stop when GDB takes control
4725 * Non-Stop Mode:: Other threads continue to execute
4726 * Background Execution:: Running your program asynchronously
4727 * Thread-Specific Breakpoints:: Controlling breakpoints
4728 * Interrupted System Calls:: GDB may interfere with system calls
4729 @end menu
4730
4731 @node All-Stop Mode
4732 @subsection All-Stop Mode
4733
4734 @cindex all-stop mode
4735
4736 In all-stop mode, whenever your program stops under @value{GDBN} for any reason,
4737 @emph{all} threads of execution stop, not just the current thread. This
4738 allows you to examine the overall state of the program, including
4739 switching between threads, without worrying that things may change
4740 underfoot.
4741
4742 Conversely, whenever you restart the program, @emph{all} threads start
4743 executing. @emph{This is true even when single-stepping} with commands
4744 like @code{step} or @code{next}.
4745
4746 In particular, @value{GDBN} cannot single-step all threads in lockstep.
4747 Since thread scheduling is up to your debugging target's operating
4748 system (not controlled by @value{GDBN}), other threads may
4749 execute more than one statement while the current thread completes a
4750 single step. Moreover, in general other threads stop in the middle of a
4751 statement, rather than at a clean statement boundary, when the program
4752 stops.
4753
4754 You might even find your program stopped in another thread after
4755 continuing or even single-stepping. This happens whenever some other
4756 thread runs into a breakpoint, a signal, or an exception before the
4757 first thread completes whatever you requested.
4758
4759 @cindex automatic thread selection
4760 @cindex switching threads automatically
4761 @cindex threads, automatic switching
4762 Whenever @value{GDBN} stops your program, due to a breakpoint or a
4763 signal, it automatically selects the thread where that breakpoint or
4764 signal happened. @value{GDBN} alerts you to the context switch with a
4765 message such as @samp{[Switching to Thread @var{n}]} to identify the
4766 thread.
4767
4768 On some OSes, you can modify @value{GDBN}'s default behavior by
4769 locking the OS scheduler to allow only a single thread to run.
4770
4771 @table @code
4772 @item set scheduler-locking @var{mode}
4773 @cindex scheduler locking mode
4774 @cindex lock scheduler
4775 Set the scheduler locking mode. If it is @code{off}, then there is no
4776 locking and any thread may run at any time. If @code{on}, then only the
4777 current thread may run when the inferior is resumed. The @code{step}
4778 mode optimizes for single-stepping; it prevents other threads
4779 from preempting the current thread while you are stepping, so that
4780 the focus of debugging does not change unexpectedly.
4781 Other threads only rarely (or never) get a chance to run
4782 when you step. They are more likely to run when you @samp{next} over a
4783 function call, and they are completely free to run when you use commands
4784 like @samp{continue}, @samp{until}, or @samp{finish}. However, unless another
4785 thread hits a breakpoint during its timeslice, @value{GDBN} does not change
4786 the current thread away from the thread that you are debugging.
4787
4788 @item show scheduler-locking
4789 Display the current scheduler locking mode.
4790 @end table
4791
4792 @cindex resume threads of multiple processes simultaneously
4793 By default, when you issue one of the execution commands such as
4794 @code{continue}, @code{next} or @code{step}, @value{GDBN} allows only
4795 threads of the current inferior to run. For example, if @value{GDBN}
4796 is attached to two inferiors, each with two threads, the
4797 @code{continue} command resumes only the two threads of the current
4798 inferior. This is useful, for example, when you debug a program that
4799 forks and you want to hold the parent stopped (so that, for instance,
4800 it doesn't run to exit), while you debug the child. In other
4801 situations, you may not be interested in inspecting the current state
4802 of any of the processes @value{GDBN} is attached to, and you may want
4803 to resume them all until some breakpoint is hit. In the latter case,
4804 you can instruct @value{GDBN} to allow all threads of all the
4805 inferiors to run with the @w{@code{set schedule-multiple}} command.
4806
4807 @table @code
4808 @kindex set schedule-multiple
4809 @item set schedule-multiple
4810 Set the mode for allowing threads of multiple processes to be resumed
4811 when an execution command is issued. When @code{on}, all threads of
4812 all processes are allowed to run. When @code{off}, only the threads
4813 of the current process are resumed. The default is @code{off}. The
4814 @code{scheduler-locking} mode takes precedence when set to @code{on},
4815 or while you are stepping and set to @code{step}.
4816
4817 @item show schedule-multiple
4818 Display the current mode for resuming the execution of threads of
4819 multiple processes.
4820 @end table
4821
4822 @node Non-Stop Mode
4823 @subsection Non-Stop Mode
4824
4825 @cindex non-stop mode
4826
4827 @c This section is really only a place-holder, and needs to be expanded
4828 @c with more details.
4829
4830 For some multi-threaded targets, @value{GDBN} supports an optional
4831 mode of operation in which you can examine stopped program threads in
4832 the debugger while other threads continue to execute freely. This
4833 minimizes intrusion when debugging live systems, such as programs
4834 where some threads have real-time constraints or must continue to
4835 respond to external events. This is referred to as @dfn{non-stop} mode.
4836
4837 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops to report a debugging event,
4838 @emph{only} that thread is stopped; @value{GDBN} does not stop other
4839 threads as well, in contrast to the all-stop mode behavior. Additionally,
4840 execution commands such as @code{continue} and @code{step} apply by default
4841 only to the current thread in non-stop mode, rather than all threads as
4842 in all-stop mode. This allows you to control threads explicitly in
4843 ways that are not possible in all-stop mode --- for example, stepping
4844 one thread while allowing others to run freely, stepping
4845 one thread while holding all others stopped, or stepping several threads
4846 independently and simultaneously.
4847
4848 To enter non-stop mode, use this sequence of commands before you run
4849 or attach to your program:
4850
4851 @smallexample
4852 # Enable the async interface.
4853 set target-async 1
4854
4855 # If using the CLI, pagination breaks non-stop.
4856 set pagination off
4857
4858 # Finally, turn it on!
4859 set non-stop on
4860 @end smallexample
4861
4862 You can use these commands to manipulate the non-stop mode setting:
4863
4864 @table @code
4865 @kindex set non-stop
4866 @item set non-stop on
4867 Enable selection of non-stop mode.
4868 @item set non-stop off
4869 Disable selection of non-stop mode.
4870 @kindex show non-stop
4871 @item show non-stop
4872 Show the current non-stop enablement setting.
4873 @end table
4874
4875 Note these commands only reflect whether non-stop mode is enabled,
4876 not whether the currently-executing program is being run in non-stop mode.
4877 In particular, the @code{set non-stop} preference is only consulted when
4878 @value{GDBN} starts or connects to the target program, and it is generally
4879 not possible to switch modes once debugging has started. Furthermore,
4880 since not all targets support non-stop mode, even when you have enabled
4881 non-stop mode, @value{GDBN} may still fall back to all-stop operation by
4882 default.
4883
4884 In non-stop mode, all execution commands apply only to the current thread
4885 by default. That is, @code{continue} only continues one thread.
4886 To continue all threads, issue @code{continue -a} or @code{c -a}.
4887
4888 You can use @value{GDBN}'s background execution commands
4889 (@pxref{Background Execution}) to run some threads in the background
4890 while you continue to examine or step others from @value{GDBN}.
4891 The MI execution commands (@pxref{GDB/MI Program Execution}) are
4892 always executed asynchronously in non-stop mode.
4893
4894 Suspending execution is done with the @code{interrupt} command when
4895 running in the background, or @kbd{Ctrl-c} during foreground execution.
4896 In all-stop mode, this stops the whole process;
4897 but in non-stop mode the interrupt applies only to the current thread.
4898 To stop the whole program, use @code{interrupt -a}.
4899
4900 Other execution commands do not currently support the @code{-a} option.
4901
4902 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops, @value{GDBN} doesn't automatically make
4903 that thread current, as it does in all-stop mode. This is because the
4904 thread stop notifications are asynchronous with respect to @value{GDBN}'s
4905 command interpreter, and it would be confusing if @value{GDBN} unexpectedly
4906 changed to a different thread just as you entered a command to operate on the
4907 previously current thread.
4908
4909 @node Background Execution
4910 @subsection Background Execution
4911
4912 @cindex foreground execution
4913 @cindex background execution
4914 @cindex asynchronous execution
4915 @cindex execution, foreground, background and asynchronous
4916
4917 @value{GDBN}'s execution commands have two variants: the normal
4918 foreground (synchronous) behavior, and a background
4919 (asynchronous) behavior. In foreground execution, @value{GDBN} waits for
4920 the program to report that some thread has stopped before prompting for
4921 another command. In background execution, @value{GDBN} immediately gives
4922 a command prompt so that you can issue other commands while your program runs.
4923
4924 You need to explicitly enable asynchronous mode before you can use
4925 background execution commands. You can use these commands to
4926 manipulate the asynchronous mode setting:
4927
4928 @table @code
4929 @kindex set target-async
4930 @item set target-async on
4931 Enable asynchronous mode.
4932 @item set target-async off
4933 Disable asynchronous mode.
4934 @kindex show target-async
4935 @item show target-async
4936 Show the current target-async setting.
4937 @end table
4938
4939 If the target doesn't support async mode, @value{GDBN} issues an error
4940 message if you attempt to use the background execution commands.
4941
4942 To specify background execution, add a @code{&} to the command. For example,
4943 the background form of the @code{continue} command is @code{continue&}, or
4944 just @code{c&}. The execution commands that accept background execution
4945 are:
4946
4947 @table @code
4948 @kindex run&
4949 @item run
4950 @xref{Starting, , Starting your Program}.
4951
4952 @item attach
4953 @kindex attach&
4954 @xref{Attach, , Debugging an Already-running Process}.
4955
4956 @item step
4957 @kindex step&
4958 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, step}.
4959
4960 @item stepi
4961 @kindex stepi&
4962 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, stepi}.
4963
4964 @item next
4965 @kindex next&
4966 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, next}.
4967
4968 @item nexti
4969 @kindex nexti&
4970 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, nexti}.
4971
4972 @item continue
4973 @kindex continue&
4974 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, continue}.
4975
4976 @item finish
4977 @kindex finish&
4978 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, finish}.
4979
4980 @item until
4981 @kindex until&
4982 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, until}.
4983
4984 @end table
4985
4986 Background execution is especially useful in conjunction with non-stop
4987 mode for debugging programs with multiple threads; see @ref{Non-Stop Mode}.
4988 However, you can also use these commands in the normal all-stop mode with
4989 the restriction that you cannot issue another execution command until the
4990 previous one finishes. Examples of commands that are valid in all-stop
4991 mode while the program is running include @code{help} and @code{info break}.
4992
4993 You can interrupt your program while it is running in the background by
4994 using the @code{interrupt} command.
4995
4996 @table @code
4997 @kindex interrupt
4998 @item interrupt
4999 @itemx interrupt -a
5000
5001 Suspend execution of the running program. In all-stop mode,
5002 @code{interrupt} stops the whole process, but in non-stop mode, it stops
5003 only the current thread. To stop the whole program in non-stop mode,
5004 use @code{interrupt -a}.
5005 @end table
5006
5007 @node Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5008 @subsection Thread-Specific Breakpoints
5009
5010 When your program has multiple threads (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging
5011 Programs with Multiple Threads}), you can choose whether to set
5012 breakpoints on all threads, or on a particular thread.
5013
5014 @table @code
5015 @cindex breakpoints and threads
5016 @cindex thread breakpoints
5017 @kindex break @dots{} thread @var{threadno}
5018 @item break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno}
5019 @itemx break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno} if @dots{}
5020 @var{linespec} specifies source lines; there are several ways of
5021 writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always to
5022 specify some source line.
5023
5024 Use the qualifier @samp{thread @var{threadno}} with a breakpoint command
5025 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
5026 particular thread reaches this breakpoint. @var{threadno} is one of the
5027 numeric thread identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
5028 column of the @samp{info threads} display.
5029
5030 If you do not specify @samp{thread @var{threadno}} when you set a
5031 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} threads of your
5032 program.
5033
5034 You can use the @code{thread} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
5035 well; in this case, place @samp{thread @var{threadno}} before the
5036 breakpoint condition, like this:
5037
5038 @smallexample
5039 (@value{GDBP}) break frik.c:13 thread 28 if bartab > lim
5040 @end smallexample
5041
5042 @end table
5043
5044 @node Interrupted System Calls
5045 @subsection Interrupted System Calls
5046
5047 @cindex thread breakpoints and system calls
5048 @cindex system calls and thread breakpoints
5049 @cindex premature return from system calls
5050 There is an unfortunate side effect when using @value{GDBN} to debug
5051 multi-threaded programs. If one thread stops for a
5052 breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a
5053 system call, then the system call may return prematurely. This is a
5054 consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals
5055 that @value{GDBN} uses to implement breakpoints and other events that
5056 stop execution.
5057
5058 To handle this problem, your program should check the return value of
5059 each system call and react appropriately. This is good programming
5060 style anyways.
5061
5062 For example, do not write code like this:
5063
5064 @smallexample
5065 sleep (10);
5066 @end smallexample
5067
5068 The call to @code{sleep} will return early if a different thread stops
5069 at a breakpoint or for some other reason.
5070
5071 Instead, write this:
5072
5073 @smallexample
5074 int unslept = 10;
5075 while (unslept > 0)
5076 unslept = sleep (unslept);
5077 @end smallexample
5078
5079 A system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still
5080 conforming to its specification. But @value{GDBN} does cause your
5081 multi-threaded program to behave differently than it would without
5082 @value{GDBN}.
5083
5084 Also, @value{GDBN} uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to
5085 monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction.
5086 When such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return
5087 prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.
5088
5089
5090 @node Reverse Execution
5091 @chapter Running programs backward
5092 @cindex reverse execution
5093 @cindex running programs backward
5094
5095 When you are debugging a program, it is not unusual to realize that
5096 you have gone too far, and some event of interest has already happened.
5097 If the target environment supports it, @value{GDBN} can allow you to
5098 ``rewind'' the program by running it backward.
5099
5100 A target environment that supports reverse execution should be able
5101 to ``undo'' the changes in machine state that have taken place as the
5102 program was executing normally. Variables, registers etc.@: should
5103 revert to their previous values. Obviously this requires a great
5104 deal of sophistication on the part of the target environment; not
5105 all target environments can support reverse execution.
5106
5107 When a program is executed in reverse, the instructions that
5108 have most recently been executed are ``un-executed'', in reverse
5109 order. The program counter runs backward, following the previous
5110 thread of execution in reverse. As each instruction is ``un-executed'',
5111 the values of memory and/or registers that were changed by that
5112 instruction are reverted to their previous states. After executing
5113 a piece of source code in reverse, all side effects of that code
5114 should be ``undone'', and all variables should be returned to their
5115 prior values@footnote{
5116 Note that some side effects are easier to undo than others. For instance,
5117 memory and registers are relatively easy, but device I/O is hard. Some
5118 targets may be able undo things like device I/O, and some may not.
5119
5120 The contract between @value{GDBN} and the reverse executing target
5121 requires only that the target do something reasonable when
5122 @value{GDBN} tells it to execute backwards, and then report the
5123 results back to @value{GDBN}. Whatever the target reports back to
5124 @value{GDBN}, @value{GDBN} will report back to the user. @value{GDBN}
5125 assumes that the memory and registers that the target reports are in a
5126 consistant state, but @value{GDBN} accepts whatever it is given.
5127 }.
5128
5129 If you are debugging in a target environment that supports
5130 reverse execution, @value{GDBN} provides the following commands.
5131
5132 @table @code
5133 @kindex reverse-continue
5134 @kindex rc @r{(@code{reverse-continue})}
5135 @item reverse-continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5136 @itemx rc @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5137 Beginning at the point where your program last stopped, start executing
5138 in reverse. Reverse execution will stop for breakpoints and synchronous
5139 exceptions (signals), just like normal execution. Behavior of
5140 asynchronous signals depends on the target environment.
5141
5142 @kindex reverse-step
5143 @kindex rs @r{(@code{step})}
5144 @item reverse-step @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5145 Run the program backward until control reaches the start of a
5146 different source line; then stop it, and return control to @value{GDBN}.
5147
5148 Like the @code{step} command, @code{reverse-step} will only stop
5149 at the beginning of a source line. It ``un-executes'' the previously
5150 executed source line. If the previous source line included calls to
5151 debuggable functions, @code{reverse-step} will step (backward) into
5152 the called function, stopping at the beginning of the @emph{last}
5153 statement in the called function (typically a return statement).
5154
5155 Also, as with the @code{step} command, if non-debuggable functions are
5156 called, @code{reverse-step} will run thru them backward without stopping.
5157
5158 @kindex reverse-stepi
5159 @kindex rsi @r{(@code{reverse-stepi})}
5160 @item reverse-stepi @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5161 Reverse-execute one machine instruction. Note that the instruction
5162 to be reverse-executed is @emph{not} the one pointed to by the program
5163 counter, but the instruction executed prior to that one. For instance,
5164 if the last instruction was a jump, @code{reverse-stepi} will take you
5165 back from the destination of the jump to the jump instruction itself.
5166
5167 @kindex reverse-next
5168 @kindex rn @r{(@code{reverse-next})}
5169 @item reverse-next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5170 Run backward to the beginning of the previous line executed in
5171 the current (innermost) stack frame. If the line contains function
5172 calls, they will be ``un-executed'' without stopping. Starting from
5173 the first line of a function, @code{reverse-next} will take you back
5174 to the caller of that function, @emph{before} the function was called,
5175 just as the normal @code{next} command would take you from the last
5176 line of a function back to its return to its caller
5177 @footnote{Unles the code is too heavily optimized.}.
5178
5179 @kindex reverse-nexti
5180 @kindex rni @r{(@code{reverse-nexti})}
5181 @item reverse-nexti @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5182 Like @code{nexti}, @code{reverse-nexti} executes a single instruction
5183 in reverse, except that called functions are ``un-executed'' atomically.
5184 That is, if the previously executed instruction was a return from
5185 another instruction, @code{reverse-nexti} will continue to execute
5186 in reverse until the call to that function (from the current stack
5187 frame) is reached.
5188
5189 @kindex reverse-finish
5190 @item reverse-finish
5191 Just as the @code{finish} command takes you to the point where the
5192 current function returns, @code{reverse-finish} takes you to the point
5193 where it was called. Instead of ending up at the end of the current
5194 function invocation, you end up at the beginning.
5195
5196 @kindex set exec-direction
5197 @item set exec-direction
5198 Set the direction of target execution.
5199 @itemx set exec-direction reverse
5200 @cindex execute forward or backward in time
5201 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in reverse, until the
5202 exec-direction mode is changed to ``forward''. Affected commands include
5203 @code{step, stepi, next, nexti, continue, and finish}. The @code{return}
5204 command cannot be used in reverse mode.
5205 @item set exec-direction forward
5206 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in the normal fashion.
5207 This is the default.
5208 @end table
5209
5210
5211 @node Process Record and Replay
5212 @chapter Recording Inferior's Execution and Replaying It
5213 @cindex process record and replay
5214 @cindex recording inferior's execution and replaying it
5215
5216 On some platforms, @value{GDBN} provides a special @dfn{process record
5217 and replay} target that can record a log of the process execution, and
5218 replay it later with both forward and reverse execution commands.
5219
5220 @cindex replay mode
5221 When this target is in use, if the execution log includes the record
5222 for the next instruction, @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{replay
5223 mode}. In the replay mode, the inferior does not really execute code
5224 instructions. Instead, all the events that normally happen during
5225 code execution are taken from the execution log. While code is not
5226 really executed in replay mode, the values of registers (including the
5227 program counter register) and the memory of the inferior are still
5228 changed as they normally would. Their contents are taken from the
5229 execution log.
5230
5231 @cindex record mode
5232 If the record for the next instruction is not in the execution log,
5233 @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{record mode}. In this mode, the
5234 inferior executes normally, and @value{GDBN} records the execution log
5235 for future replay.
5236
5237 The process record and replay target supports reverse execution
5238 (@pxref{Reverse Execution}), even if the platform on which the
5239 inferior runs does not. However, the reverse execution is limited in
5240 this case by the range of the instructions recorded in the execution
5241 log. In other words, reverse execution on platforms that don't
5242 support it directly can only be done in the replay mode.
5243
5244 When debugging in the reverse direction, @value{GDBN} will work in
5245 replay mode as long as the execution log includes the record for the
5246 previous instruction; otherwise, it will work in record mode, if the
5247 platform supports reverse execution, or stop if not.
5248
5249 For architecture environments that support process record and replay,
5250 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands:
5251
5252 @table @code
5253 @kindex target record
5254 @kindex record
5255 @kindex rec
5256 @item target record
5257 This command starts the process record and replay target. The process
5258 record and replay target can only debug a process that is already
5259 running. Therefore, you need first to start the process with the
5260 @kbd{run} or @kbd{start} commands, and then start the recording with
5261 the @kbd{target record} command.
5262
5263 Both @code{record} and @code{rec} are aliases of @code{target record}.
5264
5265 @cindex displaced stepping, and process record and replay
5266 Displaced stepping (@pxref{Maintenance Commands,, displaced stepping})
5267 will be automatically disabled when process record and replay target
5268 is started. That's because the process record and replay target
5269 doesn't support displaced stepping.
5270
5271 @cindex non-stop mode, and process record and replay
5272 @cindex asynchronous execution, and process record and replay
5273 If the inferior is in the non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) or in
5274 the asynchronous execution mode (@pxref{Background Execution}), the
5275 process record and replay target cannot be started because it doesn't
5276 support these two modes.
5277
5278 @kindex record stop
5279 @kindex rec s
5280 @item record stop
5281 Stop the process record and replay target. When process record and
5282 replay target stops, the entire execution log will be deleted and the
5283 inferior will either be terminated, or will remain in its final state.
5284
5285 When you stop the process record and replay target in record mode (at
5286 the end of the execution log), the inferior will be stopped at the
5287 next instruction that would have been recorded. In other words, if
5288 you record for a while and then stop recording, the inferior process
5289 will be left in the same state as if the recording never happened.
5290
5291 On the other hand, if the process record and replay target is stopped
5292 while in replay mode (that is, not at the end of the execution log,
5293 but at some earlier point), the inferior process will become ``live''
5294 at that earlier state, and it will then be possible to continue the
5295 usual ``live'' debugging of the process from that state.
5296
5297 When the inferior process exits, or @value{GDBN} detaches from it,
5298 process record and replay target will automatically stop itself.
5299
5300 @kindex set record insn-number-max
5301 @item set record insn-number-max @var{limit}
5302 Set the limit of instructions to be recorded. Default value is 200000.
5303
5304 If @var{limit} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will start
5305 deleting instructions from the log once the number of the record
5306 instructions becomes greater than @var{limit}. For every new recorded
5307 instruction, @value{GDBN} will delete the earliest recorded
5308 instruction to keep the number of recorded instructions at the limit.
5309 (Since deleting recorded instructions loses information, @value{GDBN}
5310 lets you control what happens when the limit is reached, by means of
5311 the @code{stop-at-limit} option, described below.)
5312
5313 If @var{limit} is zero, @value{GDBN} will never delete recorded
5314 instructions from the execution log. The number of recorded
5315 instructions is unlimited in this case.
5316
5317 @kindex show record insn-number-max
5318 @item show record insn-number-max
5319 Show the limit of instructions to be recorded.
5320
5321 @kindex set record stop-at-limit
5322 @item set record stop-at-limit
5323 Control the behavior when the number of recorded instructions reaches
5324 the limit. If ON (the default), @value{GDBN} will stop when the limit
5325 is reached for the first time and ask you whether you want to stop the
5326 inferior or continue running it and recording the execution log. If
5327 you decide to continue recording, each new recorded instruction will
5328 cause the oldest one to be deleted.
5329
5330 If this option is OFF, @value{GDBN} will automatically delete the
5331 oldest record to make room for each new one, without asking.
5332
5333 @kindex show record stop-at-limit
5334 @item show record stop-at-limit
5335 Show the current setting of @code{stop-at-limit}.
5336
5337 @kindex info record insn-number
5338 @item info record insn-number
5339 Show the current number of recorded instructions.
5340
5341 @kindex record delete
5342 @kindex rec del
5343 @item record delete
5344 When record target runs in replay mode (``in the past''), delete the
5345 subsequent execution log and begin to record a new execution log starting
5346 from the current address. This means you will abandon the previously
5347 recorded ``future'' and begin recording a new ``future''.
5348 @end table
5349
5350
5351 @node Stack
5352 @chapter Examining the Stack
5353
5354 When your program has stopped, the first thing you need to know is where it
5355 stopped and how it got there.
5356
5357 @cindex call stack
5358 Each time your program performs a function call, information about the call
5359 is generated.
5360 That information includes the location of the call in your program,
5361 the arguments of the call,
5362 and the local variables of the function being called.
5363 The information is saved in a block of data called a @dfn{stack frame}.
5364 The stack frames are allocated in a region of memory called the @dfn{call
5365 stack}.
5366
5367 When your program stops, the @value{GDBN} commands for examining the
5368 stack allow you to see all of this information.
5369
5370 @cindex selected frame
5371 One of the stack frames is @dfn{selected} by @value{GDBN} and many
5372 @value{GDBN} commands refer implicitly to the selected frame. In
5373 particular, whenever you ask @value{GDBN} for the value of a variable in
5374 your program, the value is found in the selected frame. There are
5375 special @value{GDBN} commands to select whichever frame you are
5376 interested in. @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
5377
5378 When your program stops, @value{GDBN} automatically selects the
5379 currently executing frame and describes it briefly, similar to the
5380 @code{frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}).
5381
5382 @menu
5383 * Frames:: Stack frames
5384 * Backtrace:: Backtraces
5385 * Selection:: Selecting a frame
5386 * Frame Info:: Information on a frame
5387
5388 @end menu
5389
5390 @node Frames
5391 @section Stack Frames
5392
5393 @cindex frame, definition
5394 @cindex stack frame
5395 The call stack is divided up into contiguous pieces called @dfn{stack
5396 frames}, or @dfn{frames} for short; each frame is the data associated
5397 with one call to one function. The frame contains the arguments given
5398 to the function, the function's local variables, and the address at
5399 which the function is executing.
5400
5401 @cindex initial frame
5402 @cindex outermost frame
5403 @cindex innermost frame
5404 When your program is started, the stack has only one frame, that of the
5405 function @code{main}. This is called the @dfn{initial} frame or the
5406 @dfn{outermost} frame. Each time a function is called, a new frame is
5407 made. Each time a function returns, the frame for that function invocation
5408 is eliminated. If a function is recursive, there can be many frames for
5409 the same function. The frame for the function in which execution is
5410 actually occurring is called the @dfn{innermost} frame. This is the most
5411 recently created of all the stack frames that still exist.
5412
5413 @cindex frame pointer
5414 Inside your program, stack frames are identified by their addresses. A
5415 stack frame consists of many bytes, each of which has its own address; each
5416 kind of computer has a convention for choosing one byte whose
5417 address serves as the address of the frame. Usually this address is kept
5418 in a register called the @dfn{frame pointer register}
5419 (@pxref{Registers, $fp}) while execution is going on in that frame.
5420
5421 @cindex frame number
5422 @value{GDBN} assigns numbers to all existing stack frames, starting with
5423 zero for the innermost frame, one for the frame that called it,
5424 and so on upward. These numbers do not really exist in your program;
5425 they are assigned by @value{GDBN} to give you a way of designating stack
5426 frames in @value{GDBN} commands.
5427
5428 @c The -fomit-frame-pointer below perennially causes hbox overflow
5429 @c underflow problems.
5430 @cindex frameless execution
5431 Some compilers provide a way to compile functions so that they operate
5432 without stack frames. (For example, the @value{NGCC} option
5433 @smallexample
5434 @samp{-fomit-frame-pointer}
5435 @end smallexample
5436 generates functions without a frame.)
5437 This is occasionally done with heavily used library functions to save
5438 the frame setup time. @value{GDBN} has limited facilities for dealing
5439 with these function invocations. If the innermost function invocation
5440 has no stack frame, @value{GDBN} nevertheless regards it as though
5441 it had a separate frame, which is numbered zero as usual, allowing
5442 correct tracing of the function call chain. However, @value{GDBN} has
5443 no provision for frameless functions elsewhere in the stack.
5444
5445 @table @code
5446 @kindex frame@r{, command}
5447 @cindex current stack frame
5448 @item frame @var{args}
5449 The @code{frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame to another,
5450 and to print the stack frame you select. @var{args} may be either the
5451 address of the frame or the stack frame number. Without an argument,
5452 @code{frame} prints the current stack frame.
5453
5454 @kindex select-frame
5455 @cindex selecting frame silently
5456 @item select-frame
5457 The @code{select-frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame
5458 to another without printing the frame. This is the silent version of
5459 @code{frame}.
5460 @end table
5461
5462 @node Backtrace
5463 @section Backtraces
5464
5465 @cindex traceback
5466 @cindex call stack traces
5467 A backtrace is a summary of how your program got where it is. It shows one
5468 line per frame, for many frames, starting with the currently executing
5469 frame (frame zero), followed by its caller (frame one), and on up the
5470 stack.
5471
5472 @table @code
5473 @kindex backtrace
5474 @kindex bt @r{(@code{backtrace})}
5475 @item backtrace
5476 @itemx bt
5477 Print a backtrace of the entire stack: one line per frame for all
5478 frames in the stack.
5479
5480 You can stop the backtrace at any time by typing the system interrupt
5481 character, normally @kbd{Ctrl-c}.
5482
5483 @item backtrace @var{n}
5484 @itemx bt @var{n}
5485 Similar, but print only the innermost @var{n} frames.
5486
5487 @item backtrace -@var{n}
5488 @itemx bt -@var{n}
5489 Similar, but print only the outermost @var{n} frames.
5490
5491 @item backtrace full
5492 @itemx bt full
5493 @itemx bt full @var{n}
5494 @itemx bt full -@var{n}
5495 Print the values of the local variables also. @var{n} specifies the
5496 number of frames to print, as described above.
5497 @end table
5498
5499 @kindex where
5500 @kindex info stack
5501 The names @code{where} and @code{info stack} (abbreviated @code{info s})
5502 are additional aliases for @code{backtrace}.
5503
5504 @cindex multiple threads, backtrace
5505 In a multi-threaded program, @value{GDBN} by default shows the
5506 backtrace only for the current thread. To display the backtrace for
5507 several or all of the threads, use the command @code{thread apply}
5508 (@pxref{Threads, thread apply}). For example, if you type @kbd{thread
5509 apply all backtrace}, @value{GDBN} will display the backtrace for all
5510 the threads; this is handy when you debug a core dump of a
5511 multi-threaded program.
5512
5513 Each line in the backtrace shows the frame number and the function name.
5514 The program counter value is also shown---unless you use @code{set
5515 print address off}. The backtrace also shows the source file name and
5516 line number, as well as the arguments to the function. The program
5517 counter value is omitted if it is at the beginning of the code for that
5518 line number.
5519
5520 Here is an example of a backtrace. It was made with the command
5521 @samp{bt 3}, so it shows the innermost three frames.
5522
5523 @smallexample
5524 @group
5525 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
5526 at builtin.c:993
5527 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=0x2b600, data=...) at macro.c:242
5528 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=177664, td=0xf7fffb08)
5529 at macro.c:71
5530 (More stack frames follow...)
5531 @end group
5532 @end smallexample
5533
5534 @noindent
5535 The display for frame zero does not begin with a program counter
5536 value, indicating that your program has stopped at the beginning of the
5537 code for line @code{993} of @code{builtin.c}.
5538
5539 @noindent
5540 The value of parameter @code{data} in frame 1 has been replaced by
5541 @code{@dots{}}. By default, @value{GDBN} prints the value of a parameter
5542 only if it is a scalar (integer, pointer, enumeration, etc). See command
5543 @kbd{set print frame-arguments} in @ref{Print Settings} for more details
5544 on how to configure the way function parameter values are printed.
5545
5546 @cindex value optimized out, in backtrace
5547 @cindex function call arguments, optimized out
5548 If your program was compiled with optimizations, some compilers will
5549 optimize away arguments passed to functions if those arguments are
5550 never used after the call. Such optimizations generate code that
5551 passes arguments through registers, but doesn't store those arguments
5552 in the stack frame. @value{GDBN} has no way of displaying such
5553 arguments in stack frames other than the innermost one. Here's what
5554 such a backtrace might look like:
5555
5556 @smallexample
5557 @group
5558 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
5559 at builtin.c:993
5560 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=<value optimized out>) at macro.c:242
5561 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=<value optimized out>, td=0xf7fffb08)
5562 at macro.c:71
5563 (More stack frames follow...)
5564 @end group
5565 @end smallexample
5566
5567 @noindent
5568 The values of arguments that were not saved in their stack frames are
5569 shown as @samp{<value optimized out>}.
5570
5571 If you need to display the values of such optimized-out arguments,
5572 either deduce that from other variables whose values depend on the one
5573 you are interested in, or recompile without optimizations.
5574
5575 @cindex backtrace beyond @code{main} function
5576 @cindex program entry point
5577 @cindex startup code, and backtrace
5578 Most programs have a standard user entry point---a place where system
5579 libraries and startup code transition into user code. For C this is
5580 @code{main}@footnote{
5581 Note that embedded programs (the so-called ``free-standing''
5582 environment) are not required to have a @code{main} function as the
5583 entry point. They could even have multiple entry points.}.
5584 When @value{GDBN} finds the entry function in a backtrace
5585 it will terminate the backtrace, to avoid tracing into highly
5586 system-specific (and generally uninteresting) code.
5587
5588 If you need to examine the startup code, or limit the number of levels
5589 in a backtrace, you can change this behavior:
5590
5591 @table @code
5592 @item set backtrace past-main
5593 @itemx set backtrace past-main on
5594 @kindex set backtrace
5595 Backtraces will continue past the user entry point.
5596
5597 @item set backtrace past-main off
5598 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the user entry point. This is the
5599 default.
5600
5601 @item show backtrace past-main
5602 @kindex show backtrace
5603 Display the current user entry point backtrace policy.
5604
5605 @item set backtrace past-entry
5606 @itemx set backtrace past-entry on
5607 Backtraces will continue past the internal entry point of an application.
5608 This entry point is encoded by the linker when the application is built,
5609 and is likely before the user entry point @code{main} (or equivalent) is called.
5610
5611 @item set backtrace past-entry off
5612 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the internal entry point of an
5613 application. This is the default.
5614
5615 @item show backtrace past-entry
5616 Display the current internal entry point backtrace policy.
5617
5618 @item set backtrace limit @var{n}
5619 @itemx set backtrace limit 0
5620 @cindex backtrace limit
5621 Limit the backtrace to @var{n} levels. A value of zero means
5622 unlimited.
5623
5624 @item show backtrace limit
5625 Display the current limit on backtrace levels.
5626 @end table
5627
5628 @node Selection
5629 @section Selecting a Frame
5630
5631 Most commands for examining the stack and other data in your program work on
5632 whichever stack frame is selected at the moment. Here are the commands for
5633 selecting a stack frame; all of them finish by printing a brief description
5634 of the stack frame just selected.
5635
5636 @table @code
5637 @kindex frame@r{, selecting}
5638 @kindex f @r{(@code{frame})}
5639 @item frame @var{n}
5640 @itemx f @var{n}
5641 Select frame number @var{n}. Recall that frame zero is the innermost
5642 (currently executing) frame, frame one is the frame that called the
5643 innermost one, and so on. The highest-numbered frame is the one for
5644 @code{main}.
5645
5646 @item frame @var{addr}
5647 @itemx f @var{addr}
5648 Select the frame at address @var{addr}. This is useful mainly if the
5649 chaining of stack frames has been damaged by a bug, making it
5650 impossible for @value{GDBN} to assign numbers properly to all frames. In
5651 addition, this can be useful when your program has multiple stacks and
5652 switches between them.
5653
5654 On the SPARC architecture, @code{frame} needs two addresses to
5655 select an arbitrary frame: a frame pointer and a stack pointer.
5656
5657 On the MIPS and Alpha architecture, it needs two addresses: a stack
5658 pointer and a program counter.
5659
5660 On the 29k architecture, it needs three addresses: a register stack
5661 pointer, a program counter, and a memory stack pointer.
5662
5663 @kindex up
5664 @item up @var{n}
5665 Move @var{n} frames up the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
5666 advances toward the outermost frame, to higher frame numbers, to frames
5667 that have existed longer. @var{n} defaults to one.
5668
5669 @kindex down
5670 @kindex do @r{(@code{down})}
5671 @item down @var{n}
5672 Move @var{n} frames down the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
5673 advances toward the innermost frame, to lower frame numbers, to frames
5674 that were created more recently. @var{n} defaults to one. You may
5675 abbreviate @code{down} as @code{do}.
5676 @end table
5677
5678 All of these commands end by printing two lines of output describing the
5679 frame. The first line shows the frame number, the function name, the
5680 arguments, and the source file and line number of execution in that
5681 frame. The second line shows the text of that source line.
5682
5683 @need 1000
5684 For example:
5685
5686 @smallexample
5687 @group
5688 (@value{GDBP}) up
5689 #1 0x22f0 in main (argc=1, argv=0xf7fffbf4, env=0xf7fffbfc)
5690 at env.c:10
5691 10 read_input_file (argv[i]);
5692 @end group
5693 @end smallexample
5694
5695 After such a printout, the @code{list} command with no arguments
5696 prints ten lines centered on the point of execution in the frame.
5697 You can also edit the program at the point of execution with your favorite
5698 editing program by typing @code{edit}.
5699 @xref{List, ,Printing Source Lines},
5700 for details.
5701
5702 @table @code
5703 @kindex down-silently
5704 @kindex up-silently
5705 @item up-silently @var{n}
5706 @itemx down-silently @var{n}
5707 These two commands are variants of @code{up} and @code{down},
5708 respectively; they differ in that they do their work silently, without
5709 causing display of the new frame. They are intended primarily for use
5710 in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the output might be unnecessary and
5711 distracting.
5712 @end table
5713
5714 @node Frame Info
5715 @section Information About a Frame
5716
5717 There are several other commands to print information about the selected
5718 stack frame.
5719
5720 @table @code
5721 @item frame
5722 @itemx f
5723 When used without any argument, this command does not change which
5724 frame is selected, but prints a brief description of the currently
5725 selected stack frame. It can be abbreviated @code{f}. With an
5726 argument, this command is used to select a stack frame.
5727 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
5728
5729 @kindex info frame
5730 @kindex info f @r{(@code{info frame})}
5731 @item info frame
5732 @itemx info f
5733 This command prints a verbose description of the selected stack frame,
5734 including:
5735
5736 @itemize @bullet
5737 @item
5738 the address of the frame
5739 @item
5740 the address of the next frame down (called by this frame)
5741 @item
5742 the address of the next frame up (caller of this frame)
5743 @item
5744 the language in which the source code corresponding to this frame is written
5745 @item
5746 the address of the frame's arguments
5747 @item
5748 the address of the frame's local variables
5749 @item
5750 the program counter saved in it (the address of execution in the caller frame)
5751 @item
5752 which registers were saved in the frame
5753 @end itemize
5754
5755 @noindent The verbose description is useful when
5756 something has gone wrong that has made the stack format fail to fit
5757 the usual conventions.
5758
5759 @item info frame @var{addr}
5760 @itemx info f @var{addr}
5761 Print a verbose description of the frame at address @var{addr}, without
5762 selecting that frame. The selected frame remains unchanged by this
5763 command. This requires the same kind of address (more than one for some
5764 architectures) that you specify in the @code{frame} command.
5765 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
5766
5767 @kindex info args
5768 @item info args
5769 Print the arguments of the selected frame, each on a separate line.
5770
5771 @item info locals
5772 @kindex info locals
5773 Print the local variables of the selected frame, each on a separate
5774 line. These are all variables (declared either static or automatic)
5775 accessible at the point of execution of the selected frame.
5776
5777 @kindex info catch
5778 @cindex catch exceptions, list active handlers
5779 @cindex exception handlers, how to list
5780 @item info catch
5781 Print a list of all the exception handlers that are active in the
5782 current stack frame at the current point of execution. To see other
5783 exception handlers, visit the associated frame (using the @code{up},
5784 @code{down}, or @code{frame} commands); then type @code{info catch}.
5785 @xref{Set Catchpoints, , Setting Catchpoints}.
5786
5787 @end table
5788
5789
5790 @node Source
5791 @chapter Examining Source Files
5792
5793 @value{GDBN} can print parts of your program's source, since the debugging
5794 information recorded in the program tells @value{GDBN} what source files were
5795 used to build it. When your program stops, @value{GDBN} spontaneously prints
5796 the line where it stopped. Likewise, when you select a stack frame
5797 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}), @value{GDBN} prints the line where
5798 execution in that frame has stopped. You can print other portions of
5799 source files by explicit command.
5800
5801 If you use @value{GDBN} through its @sc{gnu} Emacs interface, you may
5802 prefer to use Emacs facilities to view source; see @ref{Emacs, ,Using
5803 @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}.
5804
5805 @menu
5806 * List:: Printing source lines
5807 * Specify Location:: How to specify code locations
5808 * Edit:: Editing source files
5809 * Search:: Searching source files
5810 * Source Path:: Specifying source directories
5811 * Machine Code:: Source and machine code
5812 @end menu
5813
5814 @node List
5815 @section Printing Source Lines
5816
5817 @kindex list
5818 @kindex l @r{(@code{list})}
5819 To print lines from a source file, use the @code{list} command
5820 (abbreviated @code{l}). By default, ten lines are printed.
5821 There are several ways to specify what part of the file you want to
5822 print; see @ref{Specify Location}, for the full list.
5823
5824 Here are the forms of the @code{list} command most commonly used:
5825
5826 @table @code
5827 @item list @var{linenum}
5828 Print lines centered around line number @var{linenum} in the
5829 current source file.
5830
5831 @item list @var{function}
5832 Print lines centered around the beginning of function
5833 @var{function}.
5834
5835 @item list
5836 Print more lines. If the last lines printed were printed with a
5837 @code{list} command, this prints lines following the last lines
5838 printed; however, if the last line printed was a solitary line printed
5839 as part of displaying a stack frame (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the
5840 Stack}), this prints lines centered around that line.
5841
5842 @item list -
5843 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
5844 @end table
5845
5846 @cindex @code{list}, how many lines to display
5847 By default, @value{GDBN} prints ten source lines with any of these forms of
5848 the @code{list} command. You can change this using @code{set listsize}:
5849
5850 @table @code
5851 @kindex set listsize
5852 @item set listsize @var{count}
5853 Make the @code{list} command display @var{count} source lines (unless
5854 the @code{list} argument explicitly specifies some other number).
5855
5856 @kindex show listsize
5857 @item show listsize
5858 Display the number of lines that @code{list} prints.
5859 @end table
5860
5861 Repeating a @code{list} command with @key{RET} discards the argument,
5862 so it is equivalent to typing just @code{list}. This is more useful
5863 than listing the same lines again. An exception is made for an
5864 argument of @samp{-}; that argument is preserved in repetition so that
5865 each repetition moves up in the source file.
5866
5867 In general, the @code{list} command expects you to supply zero, one or two
5868 @dfn{linespecs}. Linespecs specify source lines; there are several ways
5869 of writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always
5870 to specify some source line.
5871
5872 Here is a complete description of the possible arguments for @code{list}:
5873
5874 @table @code
5875 @item list @var{linespec}
5876 Print lines centered around the line specified by @var{linespec}.
5877
5878 @item list @var{first},@var{last}
5879 Print lines from @var{first} to @var{last}. Both arguments are
5880 linespecs. When a @code{list} command has two linespecs, and the
5881 source file of the second linespec is omitted, this refers to
5882 the same source file as the first linespec.
5883
5884 @item list ,@var{last}
5885 Print lines ending with @var{last}.
5886
5887 @item list @var{first},
5888 Print lines starting with @var{first}.
5889
5890 @item list +
5891 Print lines just after the lines last printed.
5892
5893 @item list -
5894 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
5895
5896 @item list
5897 As described in the preceding table.
5898 @end table
5899
5900 @node Specify Location
5901 @section Specifying a Location
5902 @cindex specifying location
5903 @cindex linespec
5904
5905 Several @value{GDBN} commands accept arguments that specify a location
5906 of your program's code. Since @value{GDBN} is a source-level
5907 debugger, a location usually specifies some line in the source code;
5908 for that reason, locations are also known as @dfn{linespecs}.
5909
5910 Here are all the different ways of specifying a code location that
5911 @value{GDBN} understands:
5912
5913 @table @code
5914 @item @var{linenum}
5915 Specifies the line number @var{linenum} of the current source file.
5916
5917 @item -@var{offset}
5918 @itemx +@var{offset}
5919 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines before or after the @dfn{current
5920 line}. For the @code{list} command, the current line is the last one
5921 printed; for the breakpoint commands, this is the line at which
5922 execution stopped in the currently selected @dfn{stack frame}
5923 (@pxref{Frames, ,Frames}, for a description of stack frames.) When
5924 used as the second of the two linespecs in a @code{list} command,
5925 this specifies the line @var{offset} lines up or down from the first
5926 linespec.
5927
5928 @item @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
5929 Specifies the line @var{linenum} in the source file @var{filename}.
5930
5931 @item @var{function}
5932 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}.
5933 For example, in C, this is the line with the open brace.
5934
5935 @item @var{filename}:@var{function}
5936 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}
5937 in the file @var{filename}. You only need the file name with a
5938 function name to avoid ambiguity when there are identically named
5939 functions in different source files.
5940
5941 @item *@var{address}
5942 Specifies the program address @var{address}. For line-oriented
5943 commands, such as @code{list} and @code{edit}, this specifies a source
5944 line that contains @var{address}. For @code{break} and other
5945 breakpoint oriented commands, this can be used to set breakpoints in
5946 parts of your program which do not have debugging information or
5947 source files.
5948
5949 Here @var{address} may be any expression valid in the current working
5950 language (@pxref{Languages, working language}) that specifies a code
5951 address. In addition, as a convenience, @value{GDBN} extends the
5952 semantics of expressions used in locations to cover the situations
5953 that frequently happen during debugging. Here are the various forms
5954 of @var{address}:
5955
5956 @table @code
5957 @item @var{expression}
5958 Any expression valid in the current working language.
5959
5960 @item @var{funcaddr}
5961 An address of a function or procedure derived from its name. In C,
5962 C@t{++}, Java, Objective-C, Fortran, minimal, and assembly, this is
5963 simply the function's name @var{function} (and actually a special case
5964 of a valid expression). In Pascal and Modula-2, this is
5965 @code{&@var{function}}. In Ada, this is @code{@var{function}'Address}
5966 (although the Pascal form also works).
5967
5968 This form specifies the address of the function's first instruction,
5969 before the stack frame and arguments have been set up.
5970
5971 @item '@var{filename}'::@var{funcaddr}
5972 Like @var{funcaddr} above, but also specifies the name of the source
5973 file explicitly. This is useful if the name of the function does not
5974 specify the function unambiguously, e.g., if there are several
5975 functions with identical names in different source files.
5976 @end table
5977
5978 @end table
5979
5980
5981 @node Edit
5982 @section Editing Source Files
5983 @cindex editing source files
5984
5985 @kindex edit
5986 @kindex e @r{(@code{edit})}
5987 To edit the lines in a source file, use the @code{edit} command.
5988 The editing program of your choice
5989 is invoked with the current line set to
5990 the active line in the program.
5991 Alternatively, there are several ways to specify what part of the file you
5992 want to print if you want to see other parts of the program:
5993
5994 @table @code
5995 @item edit @var{location}
5996 Edit the source file specified by @code{location}. Editing starts at
5997 that @var{location}, e.g., at the specified source line of the
5998 specified file. @xref{Specify Location}, for all the possible forms
5999 of the @var{location} argument; here are the forms of the @code{edit}
6000 command most commonly used:
6001
6002 @table @code
6003 @item edit @var{number}
6004 Edit the current source file with @var{number} as the active line number.
6005
6006 @item edit @var{function}
6007 Edit the file containing @var{function} at the beginning of its definition.
6008 @end table
6009
6010 @end table
6011
6012 @subsection Choosing your Editor
6013 You can customize @value{GDBN} to use any editor you want
6014 @footnote{
6015 The only restriction is that your editor (say @code{ex}), recognizes the
6016 following command-line syntax:
6017 @smallexample
6018 ex +@var{number} file
6019 @end smallexample
6020 The optional numeric value +@var{number} specifies the number of the line in
6021 the file where to start editing.}.
6022 By default, it is @file{@value{EDITOR}}, but you can change this
6023 by setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} before using
6024 @value{GDBN}. For example, to configure @value{GDBN} to use the
6025 @code{vi} editor, you could use these commands with the @code{sh} shell:
6026 @smallexample
6027 EDITOR=/usr/bin/vi
6028 export EDITOR
6029 gdb @dots{}
6030 @end smallexample
6031 or in the @code{csh} shell,
6032 @smallexample
6033 setenv EDITOR /usr/bin/vi
6034 gdb @dots{}
6035 @end smallexample
6036
6037 @node Search
6038 @section Searching Source Files
6039 @cindex searching source files
6040
6041 There are two commands for searching through the current source file for a
6042 regular expression.
6043
6044 @table @code
6045 @kindex search
6046 @kindex forward-search
6047 @item forward-search @var{regexp}
6048 @itemx search @var{regexp}
6049 The command @samp{forward-search @var{regexp}} checks each line,
6050 starting with the one following the last line listed, for a match for
6051 @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can use the
6052 synonym @samp{search @var{regexp}} or abbreviate the command name as
6053 @code{fo}.
6054
6055 @kindex reverse-search
6056 @item reverse-search @var{regexp}
6057 The command @samp{reverse-search @var{regexp}} checks each line, starting
6058 with the one before the last line listed and going backward, for a match
6059 for @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can abbreviate
6060 this command as @code{rev}.
6061 @end table
6062
6063 @node Source Path
6064 @section Specifying Source Directories
6065
6066 @cindex source path
6067 @cindex directories for source files
6068 Executable programs sometimes do not record the directories of the source
6069 files from which they were compiled, just the names. Even when they do,
6070 the directories could be moved between the compilation and your debugging
6071 session. @value{GDBN} has a list of directories to search for source files;
6072 this is called the @dfn{source path}. Each time @value{GDBN} wants a source file,
6073 it tries all the directories in the list, in the order they are present
6074 in the list, until it finds a file with the desired name.
6075
6076 For example, suppose an executable references the file
6077 @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}, and our source path is
6078 @file{/mnt/cross}. The file is first looked up literally; if this
6079 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} is tried; if this
6080 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/foo.c} is opened; if this fails, an error
6081 message is printed. @value{GDBN} does not look up the parts of the
6082 source file name, such as @file{/mnt/cross/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}.
6083 Likewise, the subdirectories of the source path are not searched: if
6084 the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the binary refers to
6085 @file{foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would not find it under
6086 @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib}.
6087
6088 Plain file names, relative file names with leading directories, file
6089 names containing dots, etc.@: are all treated as described above; for
6090 instance, if the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the source file
6091 is recorded as @file{../lib/foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would first try
6092 @file{../lib/foo.c}, then @file{/mnt/cross/../lib/foo.c}, and after
6093 that---@file{/mnt/cross/foo.c}.
6094
6095 Note that the executable search path is @emph{not} used to locate the
6096 source files.
6097
6098 Whenever you reset or rearrange the source path, @value{GDBN} clears out
6099 any information it has cached about where source files are found and where
6100 each line is in the file.
6101
6102 @kindex directory
6103 @kindex dir
6104 When you start @value{GDBN}, its source path includes only @samp{cdir}
6105 and @samp{cwd}, in that order.
6106 To add other directories, use the @code{directory} command.
6107
6108 The search path is used to find both program source files and @value{GDBN}
6109 script files (read using the @samp{-command} option and @samp{source} command).
6110
6111 In addition to the source path, @value{GDBN} provides a set of commands
6112 that manage a list of source path substitution rules. A @dfn{substitution
6113 rule} specifies how to rewrite source directories stored in the program's
6114 debug information in case the sources were moved to a different
6115 directory between compilation and debugging. A rule is made of
6116 two strings, the first specifying what needs to be rewritten in
6117 the path, and the second specifying how it should be rewritten.
6118 In @ref{set substitute-path}, we name these two parts @var{from} and
6119 @var{to} respectively. @value{GDBN} does a simple string replacement
6120 of @var{from} with @var{to} at the start of the directory part of the
6121 source file name, and uses that result instead of the original file
6122 name to look up the sources.
6123
6124 Using the previous example, suppose the @file{foo-1.0} tree has been
6125 moved from @file{/usr/src} to @file{/mnt/cross}, then you can tell
6126 @value{GDBN} to replace @file{/usr/src} in all source path names with
6127 @file{/mnt/cross}. The first lookup will then be
6128 @file{/mnt/cross/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} in place of the original location
6129 of @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}. To define a source path
6130 substitution rule, use the @code{set substitute-path} command
6131 (@pxref{set substitute-path}).
6132
6133 To avoid unexpected substitution results, a rule is applied only if the
6134 @var{from} part of the directory name ends at a directory separator.
6135 For instance, a rule substituting @file{/usr/source} into
6136 @file{/mnt/cross} will be applied to @file{/usr/source/foo-1.0} but
6137 not to @file{/usr/sourceware/foo-2.0}. And because the substitution
6138 is applied only at the beginning of the directory name, this rule will
6139 not be applied to @file{/root/usr/source/baz.c} either.
6140
6141 In many cases, you can achieve the same result using the @code{directory}
6142 command. However, @code{set substitute-path} can be more efficient in
6143 the case where the sources are organized in a complex tree with multiple
6144 subdirectories. With the @code{directory} command, you need to add each
6145 subdirectory of your project. If you moved the entire tree while
6146 preserving its internal organization, then @code{set substitute-path}
6147 allows you to direct the debugger to all the sources with one single
6148 command.
6149
6150 @code{set substitute-path} is also more than just a shortcut command.
6151 The source path is only used if the file at the original location no
6152 longer exists. On the other hand, @code{set substitute-path} modifies
6153 the debugger behavior to look at the rewritten location instead. So, if
6154 for any reason a source file that is not relevant to your executable is
6155 located at the original location, a substitution rule is the only
6156 method available to point @value{GDBN} at the new location.
6157
6158 @cindex @samp{--with-relocated-sources}
6159 @cindex default source path substitution
6160 You can configure a default source path substitution rule by
6161 configuring @value{GDBN} with the
6162 @samp{--with-relocated-sources=@var{dir}} option. The @var{dir}
6163 should be the name of a directory under @value{GDBN}'s configured
6164 prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or @samp{--exec-prefix}), and
6165 directory names in debug information under @var{dir} will be adjusted
6166 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
6167 location. This is useful if @value{GDBN}, libraries or executables
6168 with debug information and corresponding source code are being moved
6169 together.
6170
6171 @table @code
6172 @item directory @var{dirname} @dots{}
6173 @item dir @var{dirname} @dots{}
6174 Add directory @var{dirname} to the front of the source path. Several
6175 directory names may be given to this command, separated by @samp{:}
6176 (@samp{;} on MS-DOS and MS-Windows, where @samp{:} usually appears as
6177 part of absolute file names) or
6178 whitespace. You may specify a directory that is already in the source
6179 path; this moves it forward, so @value{GDBN} searches it sooner.
6180
6181 @kindex cdir
6182 @kindex cwd
6183 @vindex $cdir@r{, convenience variable}
6184 @vindex $cwd@r{, convenience variable}
6185 @cindex compilation directory
6186 @cindex current directory
6187 @cindex working directory
6188 @cindex directory, current
6189 @cindex directory, compilation
6190 You can use the string @samp{$cdir} to refer to the compilation
6191 directory (if one is recorded), and @samp{$cwd} to refer to the current
6192 working directory. @samp{$cwd} is not the same as @samp{.}---the former
6193 tracks the current working directory as it changes during your @value{GDBN}
6194 session, while the latter is immediately expanded to the current
6195 directory at the time you add an entry to the source path.
6196
6197 @item directory
6198 Reset the source path to its default value (@samp{$cdir:$cwd} on Unix systems). This requires confirmation.
6199
6200 @c RET-repeat for @code{directory} is explicitly disabled, but since
6201 @c repeating it would be a no-op we do not say that. (thanks to RMS)
6202
6203 @item show directories
6204 @kindex show directories
6205 Print the source path: show which directories it contains.
6206
6207 @anchor{set substitute-path}
6208 @item set substitute-path @var{from} @var{to}
6209 @kindex set substitute-path
6210 Define a source path substitution rule, and add it at the end of the
6211 current list of existing substitution rules. If a rule with the same
6212 @var{from} was already defined, then the old rule is also deleted.
6213
6214 For example, if the file @file{/foo/bar/baz.c} was moved to
6215 @file{/mnt/cross/baz.c}, then the command
6216
6217 @smallexample
6218 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/cross
6219 @end smallexample
6220
6221 @noindent
6222 will tell @value{GDBN} to replace @samp{/usr/src} with
6223 @samp{/mnt/cross}, which will allow @value{GDBN} to find the file
6224 @file{baz.c} even though it was moved.
6225
6226 In the case when more than one substitution rule have been defined,
6227 the rules are evaluated one by one in the order where they have been
6228 defined. The first one matching, if any, is selected to perform
6229 the substitution.
6230
6231 For instance, if we had entered the following commands:
6232
6233 @smallexample
6234 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src/include /mnt/include
6235 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/src
6236 @end smallexample
6237
6238 @noindent
6239 @value{GDBN} would then rewrite @file{/usr/src/include/defs.h} into
6240 @file{/mnt/include/defs.h} by using the first rule. However, it would
6241 use the second rule to rewrite @file{/usr/src/lib/foo.c} into
6242 @file{/mnt/src/lib/foo.c}.
6243
6244
6245 @item unset substitute-path [path]
6246 @kindex unset substitute-path
6247 If a path is specified, search the current list of substitution rules
6248 for a rule that would rewrite that path. Delete that rule if found.
6249 A warning is emitted by the debugger if no rule could be found.
6250
6251 If no path is specified, then all substitution rules are deleted.
6252
6253 @item show substitute-path [path]
6254 @kindex show substitute-path
6255 If a path is specified, then print the source path substitution rule
6256 which would rewrite that path, if any.
6257
6258 If no path is specified, then print all existing source path substitution
6259 rules.
6260
6261 @end table
6262
6263 If your source path is cluttered with directories that are no longer of
6264 interest, @value{GDBN} may sometimes cause confusion by finding the wrong
6265 versions of source. You can correct the situation as follows:
6266
6267 @enumerate
6268 @item
6269 Use @code{directory} with no argument to reset the source path to its default value.
6270
6271 @item
6272 Use @code{directory} with suitable arguments to reinstall the
6273 directories you want in the source path. You can add all the
6274 directories in one command.
6275 @end enumerate
6276
6277 @node Machine Code
6278 @section Source and Machine Code
6279 @cindex source line and its code address
6280
6281 You can use the command @code{info line} to map source lines to program
6282 addresses (and vice versa), and the command @code{disassemble} to display
6283 a range of addresses as machine instructions. You can use the command
6284 @code{set disassemble-next-line} to set whether to disassemble next
6285 source line when execution stops. When run under @sc{gnu} Emacs
6286 mode, the @code{info line} command causes the arrow to point to the
6287 line specified. Also, @code{info line} prints addresses in symbolic form as
6288 well as hex.
6289
6290 @table @code
6291 @kindex info line
6292 @item info line @var{linespec}
6293 Print the starting and ending addresses of the compiled code for
6294 source line @var{linespec}. You can specify source lines in any of
6295 the ways documented in @ref{Specify Location}.
6296 @end table
6297
6298 For example, we can use @code{info line} to discover the location of
6299 the object code for the first line of function
6300 @code{m4_changequote}:
6301
6302 @c FIXME: I think this example should also show the addresses in
6303 @c symbolic form, as they usually would be displayed.
6304 @smallexample
6305 (@value{GDBP}) info line m4_changequote
6306 Line 895 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x634c and ends at 0x6350.
6307 @end smallexample
6308
6309 @noindent
6310 @cindex code address and its source line
6311 We can also inquire (using @code{*@var{addr}} as the form for
6312 @var{linespec}) what source line covers a particular address:
6313 @smallexample
6314 (@value{GDBP}) info line *0x63ff
6315 Line 926 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x63e4 and ends at 0x6404.
6316 @end smallexample
6317
6318 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info line}
6319 @cindex @code{x} command, default address
6320 @kindex x@r{(examine), and} info line
6321 After @code{info line}, the default address for the @code{x} command
6322 is changed to the starting address of the line, so that @samp{x/i} is
6323 sufficient to begin examining the machine code (@pxref{Memory,
6324 ,Examining Memory}). Also, this address is saved as the value of the
6325 convenience variable @code{$_} (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
6326 Variables}).
6327
6328 @table @code
6329 @kindex disassemble
6330 @cindex assembly instructions
6331 @cindex instructions, assembly
6332 @cindex machine instructions
6333 @cindex listing machine instructions
6334 @item disassemble
6335 @itemx disassemble /m
6336 @itemx disassemble /r
6337 This specialized command dumps a range of memory as machine
6338 instructions. It can also print mixed source+disassembly by specifying
6339 the @code{/m} modifier and print the raw instructions in hex as well as
6340 in symbolic form by specifying the @code{/r}.
6341 The default memory range is the function surrounding the
6342 program counter of the selected frame. A single argument to this
6343 command is a program counter value; @value{GDBN} dumps the function
6344 surrounding this value. Two arguments specify a range of addresses
6345 (first inclusive, second exclusive) to dump.
6346 @end table
6347
6348 The following example shows the disassembly of a range of addresses of
6349 HP PA-RISC 2.0 code:
6350
6351 @smallexample
6352 (@value{GDBP}) disas 0x32c4 0x32e4
6353 Dump of assembler code from 0x32c4 to 0x32e4:
6354 0x32c4 <main+204>: addil 0,dp
6355 0x32c8 <main+208>: ldw 0x22c(sr0,r1),r26
6356 0x32cc <main+212>: ldil 0x3000,r31
6357 0x32d0 <main+216>: ble 0x3f8(sr4,r31)
6358 0x32d4 <main+220>: ldo 0(r31),rp
6359 0x32d8 <main+224>: addil -0x800,dp
6360 0x32dc <main+228>: ldo 0x588(r1),r26
6361 0x32e0 <main+232>: ldil 0x3000,r31
6362 End of assembler dump.
6363 @end smallexample
6364
6365 Here is an example showing mixed source+assembly for Intel x86:
6366
6367 @smallexample
6368 (@value{GDBP}) disas /m main
6369 Dump of assembler code for function main:
6370 5 @{
6371 0x08048330 <main+0>: push %ebp
6372 0x08048331 <main+1>: mov %esp,%ebp
6373 0x08048333 <main+3>: sub $0x8,%esp
6374 0x08048336 <main+6>: and $0xfffffff0,%esp
6375 0x08048339 <main+9>: sub $0x10,%esp
6376
6377 6 printf ("Hello.\n");
6378 0x0804833c <main+12>: movl $0x8048440,(%esp)
6379 0x08048343 <main+19>: call 0x8048284 <puts@@plt>
6380
6381 7 return 0;
6382 8 @}
6383 0x08048348 <main+24>: mov $0x0,%eax
6384 0x0804834d <main+29>: leave
6385 0x0804834e <main+30>: ret
6386
6387 End of assembler dump.
6388 @end smallexample
6389
6390 Some architectures have more than one commonly-used set of instruction
6391 mnemonics or other syntax.
6392
6393 For programs that were dynamically linked and use shared libraries,
6394 instructions that call functions or branch to locations in the shared
6395 libraries might show a seemingly bogus location---it's actually a
6396 location of the relocation table. On some architectures, @value{GDBN}
6397 might be able to resolve these to actual function names.
6398
6399 @table @code
6400 @kindex set disassembly-flavor
6401 @cindex Intel disassembly flavor
6402 @cindex AT&T disassembly flavor
6403 @item set disassembly-flavor @var{instruction-set}
6404 Select the instruction set to use when disassembling the
6405 program via the @code{disassemble} or @code{x/i} commands.
6406
6407 Currently this command is only defined for the Intel x86 family. You
6408 can set @var{instruction-set} to either @code{intel} or @code{att}.
6409 The default is @code{att}, the AT&T flavor used by default by Unix
6410 assemblers for x86-based targets.
6411
6412 @kindex show disassembly-flavor
6413 @item show disassembly-flavor
6414 Show the current setting of the disassembly flavor.
6415 @end table
6416
6417 @table @code
6418 @kindex set disassemble-next-line
6419 @kindex show disassemble-next-line
6420 @item set disassemble-next-line
6421 @itemx show disassemble-next-line
6422 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will disassemble the next source
6423 line or instruction when execution stops. If ON, @value{GDBN} will
6424 display disassembly of the next source line when execution of the
6425 program being debugged stops. This is @emph{in addition} to
6426 displaying the source line itself, which @value{GDBN} always does if
6427 possible. If the next source line cannot be displayed for some reason
6428 (e.g., if @value{GDBN} cannot find the source file, or there's no line
6429 info in the debug info), @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of the
6430 next @emph{instruction} instead of showing the next source line. If
6431 AUTO, @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of next instruction only
6432 if the source line cannot be displayed. This setting causes
6433 @value{GDBN} to display some feedback when you step through a function
6434 with no line info or whose source file is unavailable. The default is
6435 OFF, which means never display the disassembly of the next line or
6436 instruction.
6437 @end table
6438
6439
6440 @node Data
6441 @chapter Examining Data
6442
6443 @cindex printing data
6444 @cindex examining data
6445 @kindex print
6446 @kindex inspect
6447 @c "inspect" is not quite a synonym if you are using Epoch, which we do not
6448 @c document because it is nonstandard... Under Epoch it displays in a
6449 @c different window or something like that.
6450 The usual way to examine data in your program is with the @code{print}
6451 command (abbreviated @code{p}), or its synonym @code{inspect}. It
6452 evaluates and prints the value of an expression of the language your
6453 program is written in (@pxref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with
6454 Different Languages}).
6455
6456 @table @code
6457 @item print @var{expr}
6458 @itemx print /@var{f} @var{expr}
6459 @var{expr} is an expression (in the source language). By default the
6460 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
6461 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
6462 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
6463 Formats}.
6464
6465 @item print
6466 @itemx print /@var{f}
6467 @cindex reprint the last value
6468 If you omit @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} displays the last value again (from the
6469 @dfn{value history}; @pxref{Value History, ,Value History}). This allows you to
6470 conveniently inspect the same value in an alternative format.
6471 @end table
6472
6473 A more low-level way of examining data is with the @code{x} command.
6474 It examines data in memory at a specified address and prints it in a
6475 specified format. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
6476
6477 If you are interested in information about types, or about how the
6478 fields of a struct or a class are declared, use the @code{ptype @var{exp}}
6479 command rather than @code{print}. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol
6480 Table}.
6481
6482 @menu
6483 * Expressions:: Expressions
6484 * Ambiguous Expressions:: Ambiguous Expressions
6485 * Variables:: Program variables
6486 * Arrays:: Artificial arrays
6487 * Output Formats:: Output formats
6488 * Memory:: Examining memory
6489 * Auto Display:: Automatic display
6490 * Print Settings:: Print settings
6491 * Value History:: Value history
6492 * Convenience Vars:: Convenience variables
6493 * Registers:: Registers
6494 * Floating Point Hardware:: Floating point hardware
6495 * Vector Unit:: Vector Unit
6496 * OS Information:: Auxiliary data provided by operating system
6497 * Memory Region Attributes:: Memory region attributes
6498 * Dump/Restore Files:: Copy between memory and a file
6499 * Core File Generation:: Cause a program dump its core
6500 * Character Sets:: Debugging programs that use a different
6501 character set than GDB does
6502 * Caching Remote Data:: Data caching for remote targets
6503 * Searching Memory:: Searching memory for a sequence of bytes
6504 @end menu
6505
6506 @node Expressions
6507 @section Expressions
6508
6509 @cindex expressions
6510 @code{print} and many other @value{GDBN} commands accept an expression and
6511 compute its value. Any kind of constant, variable or operator defined
6512 by the programming language you are using is valid in an expression in
6513 @value{GDBN}. This includes conditional expressions, function calls,
6514 casts, and string constants. It also includes preprocessor macros, if
6515 you compiled your program to include this information; see
6516 @ref{Compilation}.
6517
6518 @cindex arrays in expressions
6519 @value{GDBN} supports array constants in expressions input by
6520 the user. The syntax is @{@var{element}, @var{element}@dots{}@}. For example,
6521 you can use the command @code{print @{1, 2, 3@}} to create an array
6522 of three integers. If you pass an array to a function or assign it
6523 to a program variable, @value{GDBN} copies the array to memory that
6524 is @code{malloc}ed in the target program.
6525
6526 Because C is so widespread, most of the expressions shown in examples in
6527 this manual are in C. @xref{Languages, , Using @value{GDBN} with Different
6528 Languages}, for information on how to use expressions in other
6529 languages.
6530
6531 In this section, we discuss operators that you can use in @value{GDBN}
6532 expressions regardless of your programming language.
6533
6534 @cindex casts, in expressions
6535 Casts are supported in all languages, not just in C, because it is so
6536 useful to cast a number into a pointer in order to examine a structure
6537 at that address in memory.
6538 @c FIXME: casts supported---Mod2 true?
6539
6540 @value{GDBN} supports these operators, in addition to those common
6541 to programming languages:
6542
6543 @table @code
6544 @item @@
6545 @samp{@@} is a binary operator for treating parts of memory as arrays.
6546 @xref{Arrays, ,Artificial Arrays}, for more information.
6547
6548 @item ::
6549 @samp{::} allows you to specify a variable in terms of the file or
6550 function where it is defined. @xref{Variables, ,Program Variables}.
6551
6552 @cindex @{@var{type}@}
6553 @cindex type casting memory
6554 @cindex memory, viewing as typed object
6555 @cindex casts, to view memory
6556 @item @{@var{type}@} @var{addr}
6557 Refers to an object of type @var{type} stored at address @var{addr} in
6558 memory. @var{addr} may be any expression whose value is an integer or
6559 pointer (but parentheses are required around binary operators, just as in
6560 a cast). This construct is allowed regardless of what kind of data is
6561 normally supposed to reside at @var{addr}.
6562 @end table
6563
6564 @node Ambiguous Expressions
6565 @section Ambiguous Expressions
6566 @cindex ambiguous expressions
6567
6568 Expressions can sometimes contain some ambiguous elements. For instance,
6569 some programming languages (notably Ada, C@t{++} and Objective-C) permit
6570 a single function name to be defined several times, for application in
6571 different contexts. This is called @dfn{overloading}. Another example
6572 involving Ada is generics. A @dfn{generic package} is similar to C@t{++}
6573 templates and is typically instantiated several times, resulting in
6574 the same function name being defined in different contexts.
6575
6576 In some cases and depending on the language, it is possible to adjust
6577 the expression to remove the ambiguity. For instance in C@t{++}, you
6578 can specify the signature of the function you want to break on, as in
6579 @kbd{break @var{function}(@var{types})}. In Ada, using the fully
6580 qualified name of your function often makes the expression unambiguous
6581 as well.
6582
6583 When an ambiguity that needs to be resolved is detected, the debugger
6584 has the capability to display a menu of numbered choices for each
6585 possibility, and then waits for the selection with the prompt @samp{>}.
6586 The first option is always @samp{[0] cancel}, and typing @kbd{0 @key{RET}}
6587 aborts the current command. If the command in which the expression was
6588 used allows more than one choice to be selected, the next option in the
6589 menu is @samp{[1] all}, and typing @kbd{1 @key{RET}} selects all possible
6590 choices.
6591
6592 For example, the following session excerpt shows an attempt to set a
6593 breakpoint at the overloaded symbol @code{String::after}.
6594 We choose three particular definitions of that function name:
6595
6596 @c FIXME! This is likely to change to show arg type lists, at least
6597 @smallexample
6598 @group
6599 (@value{GDBP}) b String::after
6600 [0] cancel
6601 [1] all
6602 [2] file:String.cc; line number:867
6603 [3] file:String.cc; line number:860
6604 [4] file:String.cc; line number:875
6605 [5] file:String.cc; line number:853
6606 [6] file:String.cc; line number:846
6607 [7] file:String.cc; line number:735
6608 > 2 4 6
6609 Breakpoint 1 at 0xb26c: file String.cc, line 867.
6610 Breakpoint 2 at 0xb344: file String.cc, line 875.
6611 Breakpoint 3 at 0xafcc: file String.cc, line 846.
6612 Multiple breakpoints were set.
6613 Use the "delete" command to delete unwanted
6614 breakpoints.
6615 (@value{GDBP})
6616 @end group
6617 @end smallexample
6618
6619 @table @code
6620 @kindex set multiple-symbols
6621 @item set multiple-symbols @var{mode}
6622 @cindex multiple-symbols menu
6623
6624 This option allows you to adjust the debugger behavior when an expression
6625 is ambiguous.
6626
6627 By default, @var{mode} is set to @code{all}. If the command with which
6628 the expression is used allows more than one choice, then @value{GDBN}
6629 automatically selects all possible choices. For instance, inserting
6630 a breakpoint on a function using an ambiguous name results in a breakpoint
6631 inserted on each possible match. However, if a unique choice must be made,
6632 then @value{GDBN} uses the menu to help you disambiguate the expression.
6633 For instance, printing the address of an overloaded function will result
6634 in the use of the menu.
6635
6636 When @var{mode} is set to @code{ask}, the debugger always uses the menu
6637 when an ambiguity is detected.
6638
6639 Finally, when @var{mode} is set to @code{cancel}, the debugger reports
6640 an error due to the ambiguity and the command is aborted.
6641
6642 @kindex show multiple-symbols
6643 @item show multiple-symbols
6644 Show the current value of the @code{multiple-symbols} setting.
6645 @end table
6646
6647 @node Variables
6648 @section Program Variables
6649
6650 The most common kind of expression to use is the name of a variable
6651 in your program.
6652
6653 Variables in expressions are understood in the selected stack frame
6654 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}); they must be either:
6655
6656 @itemize @bullet
6657 @item
6658 global (or file-static)
6659 @end itemize
6660
6661 @noindent or
6662
6663 @itemize @bullet
6664 @item
6665 visible according to the scope rules of the
6666 programming language from the point of execution in that frame
6667 @end itemize
6668
6669 @noindent This means that in the function
6670
6671 @smallexample
6672 foo (a)
6673 int a;
6674 @{
6675 bar (a);
6676 @{
6677 int b = test ();
6678 bar (b);
6679 @}
6680 @}
6681 @end smallexample
6682
6683 @noindent
6684 you can examine and use the variable @code{a} whenever your program is
6685 executing within the function @code{foo}, but you can only use or
6686 examine the variable @code{b} while your program is executing inside
6687 the block where @code{b} is declared.
6688
6689 @cindex variable name conflict
6690 There is an exception: you can refer to a variable or function whose
6691 scope is a single source file even if the current execution point is not
6692 in this file. But it is possible to have more than one such variable or
6693 function with the same name (in different source files). If that
6694 happens, referring to that name has unpredictable effects. If you wish,
6695 you can specify a static variable in a particular function or file,
6696 using the colon-colon (@code{::}) notation:
6697
6698 @cindex colon-colon, context for variables/functions
6699 @ifnotinfo
6700 @c info cannot cope with a :: index entry, but why deprive hard copy readers?
6701 @cindex @code{::}, context for variables/functions
6702 @end ifnotinfo
6703 @smallexample
6704 @var{file}::@var{variable}
6705 @var{function}::@var{variable}
6706 @end smallexample
6707
6708 @noindent
6709 Here @var{file} or @var{function} is the name of the context for the
6710 static @var{variable}. In the case of file names, you can use quotes to
6711 make sure @value{GDBN} parses the file name as a single word---for example,
6712 to print a global value of @code{x} defined in @file{f2.c}:
6713
6714 @smallexample
6715 (@value{GDBP}) p 'f2.c'::x
6716 @end smallexample
6717
6718 @cindex C@t{++} scope resolution
6719 This use of @samp{::} is very rarely in conflict with the very similar
6720 use of the same notation in C@t{++}. @value{GDBN} also supports use of the C@t{++}
6721 scope resolution operator in @value{GDBN} expressions.
6722 @c FIXME: Um, so what happens in one of those rare cases where it's in
6723 @c conflict?? --mew
6724
6725 @cindex wrong values
6726 @cindex variable values, wrong
6727 @cindex function entry/exit, wrong values of variables
6728 @cindex optimized code, wrong values of variables
6729 @quotation
6730 @emph{Warning:} Occasionally, a local variable may appear to have the
6731 wrong value at certain points in a function---just after entry to a new
6732 scope, and just before exit.
6733 @end quotation
6734 You may see this problem when you are stepping by machine instructions.
6735 This is because, on most machines, it takes more than one instruction to
6736 set up a stack frame (including local variable definitions); if you are
6737 stepping by machine instructions, variables may appear to have the wrong
6738 values until the stack frame is completely built. On exit, it usually
6739 also takes more than one machine instruction to destroy a stack frame;
6740 after you begin stepping through that group of instructions, local
6741 variable definitions may be gone.
6742
6743 This may also happen when the compiler does significant optimizations.
6744 To be sure of always seeing accurate values, turn off all optimization
6745 when compiling.
6746
6747 @cindex ``No symbol "foo" in current context''
6748 Another possible effect of compiler optimizations is to optimize
6749 unused variables out of existence, or assign variables to registers (as
6750 opposed to memory addresses). Depending on the support for such cases
6751 offered by the debug info format used by the compiler, @value{GDBN}
6752 might not be able to display values for such local variables. If that
6753 happens, @value{GDBN} will print a message like this:
6754
6755 @smallexample
6756 No symbol "foo" in current context.
6757 @end smallexample
6758
6759 To solve such problems, either recompile without optimizations, or use a
6760 different debug info format, if the compiler supports several such
6761 formats. For example, @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler,
6762 usually supports the @option{-gstabs+} option. @option{-gstabs+}
6763 produces debug info in a format that is superior to formats such as
6764 COFF. You may be able to use DWARF 2 (@option{-gdwarf-2}), which is also
6765 an effective form for debug info. @xref{Debugging Options,,Options
6766 for Debugging Your Program or GCC, gcc.info, Using the @sc{gnu}
6767 Compiler Collection (GCC)}.
6768 @xref{C, ,C and C@t{++}}, for more information about debug info formats
6769 that are best suited to C@t{++} programs.
6770
6771 If you ask to print an object whose contents are unknown to
6772 @value{GDBN}, e.g., because its data type is not completely specified
6773 by the debug information, @value{GDBN} will say @samp{<incomplete
6774 type>}. @xref{Symbols, incomplete type}, for more about this.
6775
6776 Strings are identified as arrays of @code{char} values without specified
6777 signedness. Arrays of either @code{signed char} or @code{unsigned char} get
6778 printed as arrays of 1 byte sized integers. @code{-fsigned-char} or
6779 @code{-funsigned-char} @value{NGCC} options have no effect as @value{GDBN}
6780 defines literal string type @code{"char"} as @code{char} without a sign.
6781 For program code
6782
6783 @smallexample
6784 char var0[] = "A";
6785 signed char var1[] = "A";
6786 @end smallexample
6787
6788 You get during debugging
6789 @smallexample
6790 (gdb) print var0
6791 $1 = "A"
6792 (gdb) print var1
6793 $2 = @{65 'A', 0 '\0'@}
6794 @end smallexample
6795
6796 @node Arrays
6797 @section Artificial Arrays
6798
6799 @cindex artificial array
6800 @cindex arrays
6801 @kindex @@@r{, referencing memory as an array}
6802 It is often useful to print out several successive objects of the
6803 same type in memory; a section of an array, or an array of
6804 dynamically determined size for which only a pointer exists in the
6805 program.
6806
6807 You can do this by referring to a contiguous span of memory as an
6808 @dfn{artificial array}, using the binary operator @samp{@@}. The left
6809 operand of @samp{@@} should be the first element of the desired array
6810 and be an individual object. The right operand should be the desired length
6811 of the array. The result is an array value whose elements are all of
6812 the type of the left argument. The first element is actually the left
6813 argument; the second element comes from bytes of memory immediately
6814 following those that hold the first element, and so on. Here is an
6815 example. If a program says
6816
6817 @smallexample
6818 int *array = (int *) malloc (len * sizeof (int));
6819 @end smallexample
6820
6821 @noindent
6822 you can print the contents of @code{array} with
6823
6824 @smallexample
6825 p *array@@len
6826 @end smallexample
6827
6828 The left operand of @samp{@@} must reside in memory. Array values made
6829 with @samp{@@} in this way behave just like other arrays in terms of
6830 subscripting, and are coerced to pointers when used in expressions.
6831 Artificial arrays most often appear in expressions via the value history
6832 (@pxref{Value History, ,Value History}), after printing one out.
6833
6834 Another way to create an artificial array is to use a cast.
6835 This re-interprets a value as if it were an array.
6836 The value need not be in memory:
6837 @smallexample
6838 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[2])0x12345678
6839 $1 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
6840 @end smallexample
6841
6842 As a convenience, if you leave the array length out (as in
6843 @samp{(@var{type}[])@var{value}}) @value{GDBN} calculates the size to fill
6844 the value (as @samp{sizeof(@var{value})/sizeof(@var{type})}:
6845 @smallexample
6846 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[])0x12345678
6847 $2 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
6848 @end smallexample
6849
6850 Sometimes the artificial array mechanism is not quite enough; in
6851 moderately complex data structures, the elements of interest may not
6852 actually be adjacent---for example, if you are interested in the values
6853 of pointers in an array. One useful work-around in this situation is
6854 to use a convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
6855 Variables}) as a counter in an expression that prints the first
6856 interesting value, and then repeat that expression via @key{RET}. For
6857 instance, suppose you have an array @code{dtab} of pointers to
6858 structures, and you are interested in the values of a field @code{fv}
6859 in each structure. Here is an example of what you might type:
6860
6861 @smallexample
6862 set $i = 0
6863 p dtab[$i++]->fv
6864 @key{RET}
6865 @key{RET}
6866 @dots{}
6867 @end smallexample
6868
6869 @node Output Formats
6870 @section Output Formats
6871
6872 @cindex formatted output
6873 @cindex output formats
6874 By default, @value{GDBN} prints a value according to its data type. Sometimes
6875 this is not what you want. For example, you might want to print a number
6876 in hex, or a pointer in decimal. Or you might want to view data in memory
6877 at a certain address as a character string or as an instruction. To do
6878 these things, specify an @dfn{output format} when you print a value.
6879
6880 The simplest use of output formats is to say how to print a value
6881 already computed. This is done by starting the arguments of the
6882 @code{print} command with a slash and a format letter. The format
6883 letters supported are:
6884
6885 @table @code
6886 @item x
6887 Regard the bits of the value as an integer, and print the integer in
6888 hexadecimal.
6889
6890 @item d
6891 Print as integer in signed decimal.
6892
6893 @item u
6894 Print as integer in unsigned decimal.
6895
6896 @item o
6897 Print as integer in octal.
6898
6899 @item t
6900 Print as integer in binary. The letter @samp{t} stands for ``two''.
6901 @footnote{@samp{b} cannot be used because these format letters are also
6902 used with the @code{x} command, where @samp{b} stands for ``byte'';
6903 see @ref{Memory,,Examining Memory}.}
6904
6905 @item a
6906 @cindex unknown address, locating
6907 @cindex locate address
6908 Print as an address, both absolute in hexadecimal and as an offset from
6909 the nearest preceding symbol. You can use this format used to discover
6910 where (in what function) an unknown address is located:
6911
6912 @smallexample
6913 (@value{GDBP}) p/a 0x54320
6914 $3 = 0x54320 <_initialize_vx+396>
6915 @end smallexample
6916
6917 @noindent
6918 The command @code{info symbol 0x54320} yields similar results.
6919 @xref{Symbols, info symbol}.
6920
6921 @item c
6922 Regard as an integer and print it as a character constant. This
6923 prints both the numerical value and its character representation. The
6924 character representation is replaced with the octal escape @samp{\nnn}
6925 for characters outside the 7-bit @sc{ascii} range.
6926
6927 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays @code{char},
6928 @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} data as character
6929 constants. Single-byte members of vectors are displayed as integer
6930 data.
6931
6932 @item f
6933 Regard the bits of the value as a floating point number and print
6934 using typical floating point syntax.
6935
6936 @item s
6937 @cindex printing strings
6938 @cindex printing byte arrays
6939 Regard as a string, if possible. With this format, pointers to single-byte
6940 data are displayed as null-terminated strings and arrays of single-byte data
6941 are displayed as fixed-length strings. Other values are displayed in their
6942 natural types.
6943
6944 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays pointers to and arrays of
6945 @code{char}, @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} as
6946 strings. Single-byte members of a vector are displayed as an integer
6947 array.
6948
6949 @item r
6950 @cindex raw printing
6951 Print using the @samp{raw} formatting. By default, @value{GDBN} will
6952 use a type-specific pretty-printer. The @samp{r} format bypasses any
6953 pretty-printer which might exist for the value's type.
6954 @end table
6955
6956 For example, to print the program counter in hex (@pxref{Registers}), type
6957
6958 @smallexample
6959 p/x $pc
6960 @end smallexample
6961
6962 @noindent
6963 Note that no space is required before the slash; this is because command
6964 names in @value{GDBN} cannot contain a slash.
6965
6966 To reprint the last value in the value history with a different format,
6967 you can use the @code{print} command with just a format and no
6968 expression. For example, @samp{p/x} reprints the last value in hex.
6969
6970 @node Memory
6971 @section Examining Memory
6972
6973 You can use the command @code{x} (for ``examine'') to examine memory in
6974 any of several formats, independently of your program's data types.
6975
6976 @cindex examining memory
6977 @table @code
6978 @kindex x @r{(examine memory)}
6979 @item x/@var{nfu} @var{addr}
6980 @itemx x @var{addr}
6981 @itemx x
6982 Use the @code{x} command to examine memory.
6983 @end table
6984
6985 @var{n}, @var{f}, and @var{u} are all optional parameters that specify how
6986 much memory to display and how to format it; @var{addr} is an
6987 expression giving the address where you want to start displaying memory.
6988 If you use defaults for @var{nfu}, you need not type the slash @samp{/}.
6989 Several commands set convenient defaults for @var{addr}.
6990
6991 @table @r
6992 @item @var{n}, the repeat count
6993 The repeat count is a decimal integer; the default is 1. It specifies
6994 how much memory (counting by units @var{u}) to display.
6995 @c This really is **decimal**; unaffected by 'set radix' as of GDB
6996 @c 4.1.2.
6997
6998 @item @var{f}, the display format
6999 The display format is one of the formats used by @code{print}
7000 (@samp{x}, @samp{d}, @samp{u}, @samp{o}, @samp{t}, @samp{a}, @samp{c},
7001 @samp{f}, @samp{s}), and in addition @samp{i} (for machine instructions).
7002 The default is @samp{x} (hexadecimal) initially. The default changes
7003 each time you use either @code{x} or @code{print}.
7004
7005 @item @var{u}, the unit size
7006 The unit size is any of
7007
7008 @table @code
7009 @item b
7010 Bytes.
7011 @item h
7012 Halfwords (two bytes).
7013 @item w
7014 Words (four bytes). This is the initial default.
7015 @item g
7016 Giant words (eight bytes).
7017 @end table
7018
7019 Each time you specify a unit size with @code{x}, that size becomes the
7020 default unit the next time you use @code{x}. (For the @samp{s} and
7021 @samp{i} formats, the unit size is ignored and is normally not written.)
7022
7023 @item @var{addr}, starting display address
7024 @var{addr} is the address where you want @value{GDBN} to begin displaying
7025 memory. The expression need not have a pointer value (though it may);
7026 it is always interpreted as an integer address of a byte of memory.
7027 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information on expressions. The default for
7028 @var{addr} is usually just after the last address examined---but several
7029 other commands also set the default address: @code{info breakpoints} (to
7030 the address of the last breakpoint listed), @code{info line} (to the
7031 starting address of a line), and @code{print} (if you use it to display
7032 a value from memory).
7033 @end table
7034
7035 For example, @samp{x/3uh 0x54320} is a request to display three halfwords
7036 (@code{h}) of memory, formatted as unsigned decimal integers (@samp{u}),
7037 starting at address @code{0x54320}. @samp{x/4xw $sp} prints the four
7038 words (@samp{w}) of memory above the stack pointer (here, @samp{$sp};
7039 @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}) in hexadecimal (@samp{x}).
7040
7041 Since the letters indicating unit sizes are all distinct from the
7042 letters specifying output formats, you do not have to remember whether
7043 unit size or format comes first; either order works. The output
7044 specifications @samp{4xw} and @samp{4wx} mean exactly the same thing.
7045 (However, the count @var{n} must come first; @samp{wx4} does not work.)
7046
7047 Even though the unit size @var{u} is ignored for the formats @samp{s}
7048 and @samp{i}, you might still want to use a count @var{n}; for example,
7049 @samp{3i} specifies that you want to see three machine instructions,
7050 including any operands. For convenience, especially when used with
7051 the @code{display} command, the @samp{i} format also prints branch delay
7052 slot instructions, if any, beyond the count specified, which immediately
7053 follow the last instruction that is within the count. The command
7054 @code{disassemble} gives an alternative way of inspecting machine
7055 instructions; see @ref{Machine Code,,Source and Machine Code}.
7056
7057 All the defaults for the arguments to @code{x} are designed to make it
7058 easy to continue scanning memory with minimal specifications each time
7059 you use @code{x}. For example, after you have inspected three machine
7060 instructions with @samp{x/3i @var{addr}}, you can inspect the next seven
7061 with just @samp{x/7}. If you use @key{RET} to repeat the @code{x} command,
7062 the repeat count @var{n} is used again; the other arguments default as
7063 for successive uses of @code{x}.
7064
7065 @cindex @code{$_}, @code{$__}, and value history
7066 The addresses and contents printed by the @code{x} command are not saved
7067 in the value history because there is often too much of them and they
7068 would get in the way. Instead, @value{GDBN} makes these values available for
7069 subsequent use in expressions as values of the convenience variables
7070 @code{$_} and @code{$__}. After an @code{x} command, the last address
7071 examined is available for use in expressions in the convenience variable
7072 @code{$_}. The contents of that address, as examined, are available in
7073 the convenience variable @code{$__}.
7074
7075 If the @code{x} command has a repeat count, the address and contents saved
7076 are from the last memory unit printed; this is not the same as the last
7077 address printed if several units were printed on the last line of output.
7078
7079 @cindex remote memory comparison
7080 @cindex verify remote memory image
7081 When you are debugging a program running on a remote target machine
7082 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), you may wish to verify the program's image in the
7083 remote machine's memory against the executable file you downloaded to
7084 the target. The @code{compare-sections} command is provided for such
7085 situations.
7086
7087 @table @code
7088 @kindex compare-sections
7089 @item compare-sections @r{[}@var{section-name}@r{]}
7090 Compare the data of a loadable section @var{section-name} in the
7091 executable file of the program being debugged with the same section in
7092 the remote machine's memory, and report any mismatches. With no
7093 arguments, compares all loadable sections. This command's
7094 availability depends on the target's support for the @code{"qCRC"}
7095 remote request.
7096 @end table
7097
7098 @node Auto Display
7099 @section Automatic Display
7100 @cindex automatic display
7101 @cindex display of expressions
7102
7103 If you find that you want to print the value of an expression frequently
7104 (to see how it changes), you might want to add it to the @dfn{automatic
7105 display list} so that @value{GDBN} prints its value each time your program stops.
7106 Each expression added to the list is given a number to identify it;
7107 to remove an expression from the list, you specify that number.
7108 The automatic display looks like this:
7109
7110 @smallexample
7111 2: foo = 38
7112 3: bar[5] = (struct hack *) 0x3804
7113 @end smallexample
7114
7115 @noindent
7116 This display shows item numbers, expressions and their current values. As with
7117 displays you request manually using @code{x} or @code{print}, you can
7118 specify the output format you prefer; in fact, @code{display} decides
7119 whether to use @code{print} or @code{x} depending your format
7120 specification---it uses @code{x} if you specify either the @samp{i}
7121 or @samp{s} format, or a unit size; otherwise it uses @code{print}.
7122
7123 @table @code
7124 @kindex display
7125 @item display @var{expr}
7126 Add the expression @var{expr} to the list of expressions to display
7127 each time your program stops. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
7128
7129 @code{display} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
7130
7131 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{expr}
7132 For @var{fmt} specifying only a display format and not a size or
7133 count, add the expression @var{expr} to the auto-display list but
7134 arrange to display it each time in the specified format @var{fmt}.
7135 @xref{Output Formats,,Output Formats}.
7136
7137 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{addr}
7138 For @var{fmt} @samp{i} or @samp{s}, or including a unit-size or a
7139 number of units, add the expression @var{addr} as a memory address to
7140 be examined each time your program stops. Examining means in effect
7141 doing @samp{x/@var{fmt} @var{addr}}. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
7142 @end table
7143
7144 For example, @samp{display/i $pc} can be helpful, to see the machine
7145 instruction about to be executed each time execution stops (@samp{$pc}
7146 is a common name for the program counter; @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
7147
7148 @table @code
7149 @kindex delete display
7150 @kindex undisplay
7151 @item undisplay @var{dnums}@dots{}
7152 @itemx delete display @var{dnums}@dots{}
7153 Remove item numbers @var{dnums} from the list of expressions to display.
7154
7155 @code{undisplay} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
7156 (Otherwise you would just get the error @samp{No display number @dots{}}.)
7157
7158 @kindex disable display
7159 @item disable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
7160 Disable the display of item numbers @var{dnums}. A disabled display
7161 item is not printed automatically, but is not forgotten. It may be
7162 enabled again later.
7163
7164 @kindex enable display
7165 @item enable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
7166 Enable display of item numbers @var{dnums}. It becomes effective once
7167 again in auto display of its expression, until you specify otherwise.
7168
7169 @item display
7170 Display the current values of the expressions on the list, just as is
7171 done when your program stops.
7172
7173 @kindex info display
7174 @item info display
7175 Print the list of expressions previously set up to display
7176 automatically, each one with its item number, but without showing the
7177 values. This includes disabled expressions, which are marked as such.
7178 It also includes expressions which would not be displayed right now
7179 because they refer to automatic variables not currently available.
7180 @end table
7181
7182 @cindex display disabled out of scope
7183 If a display expression refers to local variables, then it does not make
7184 sense outside the lexical context for which it was set up. Such an
7185 expression is disabled when execution enters a context where one of its
7186 variables is not defined. For example, if you give the command
7187 @code{display last_char} while inside a function with an argument
7188 @code{last_char}, @value{GDBN} displays this argument while your program
7189 continues to stop inside that function. When it stops elsewhere---where
7190 there is no variable @code{last_char}---the display is disabled
7191 automatically. The next time your program stops where @code{last_char}
7192 is meaningful, you can enable the display expression once again.
7193
7194 @node Print Settings
7195 @section Print Settings
7196
7197 @cindex format options
7198 @cindex print settings
7199 @value{GDBN} provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures,
7200 and symbols are printed.
7201
7202 @noindent
7203 These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
7204
7205 @table @code
7206 @kindex set print
7207 @item set print address
7208 @itemx set print address on
7209 @cindex print/don't print memory addresses
7210 @value{GDBN} prints memory addresses showing the location of stack
7211 traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth,
7212 even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default
7213 is @code{on}. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with
7214 @code{set print address on}:
7215
7216 @smallexample
7217 @group
7218 (@value{GDBP}) f
7219 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
7220 at input.c:530
7221 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
7222 @end group
7223 @end smallexample
7224
7225 @item set print address off
7226 Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example,
7227 this is the same stack frame displayed with @code{set print address off}:
7228
7229 @smallexample
7230 @group
7231 (@value{GDBP}) set print addr off
7232 (@value{GDBP}) f
7233 #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530
7234 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
7235 @end group
7236 @end smallexample
7237
7238 You can use @samp{set print address off} to eliminate all machine
7239 dependent displays from the @value{GDBN} interface. For example, with
7240 @code{print address off}, you should get the same text for backtraces on
7241 all machines---whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
7242
7243 @kindex show print
7244 @item show print address
7245 Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
7246 @end table
7247
7248 When @value{GDBN} prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the
7249 closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely
7250 identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single
7251 source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with
7252 @code{info line}, for example @samp{info line *0x4537}. Alternately,
7253 you can set @value{GDBN} to print the source file and line number when
7254 it prints a symbolic address:
7255
7256 @table @code
7257 @item set print symbol-filename on
7258 @cindex source file and line of a symbol
7259 @cindex symbol, source file and line
7260 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the source file name and line number of a
7261 symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
7262
7263 @item set print symbol-filename off
7264 Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the
7265 default.
7266
7267 @item show print symbol-filename
7268 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} will print the source file name and
7269 line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
7270 @end table
7271
7272 Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line
7273 numbers is when disassembling code; @value{GDBN} shows you the line
7274 number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
7275
7276 Also, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being
7277 printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
7278
7279 @table @code
7280 @item set print max-symbolic-offset @var{max-offset}
7281 @cindex maximum value for offset of closest symbol
7282 Tell @value{GDBN} to only display the symbolic form of an address if the
7283 offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than
7284 @var{max-offset}. The default is 0, which tells @value{GDBN}
7285 to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes it.
7286
7287 @item show print max-symbolic-offset
7288 Ask how large the maximum offset is that @value{GDBN} prints in a
7289 symbolic address.
7290 @end table
7291
7292 @cindex wild pointer, interpreting
7293 @cindex pointer, finding referent
7294 If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try
7295 @samp{set print symbol-filename on}. Then you can determine the name
7296 and source file location of the variable where it points, using
7297 @samp{p/a @var{pointer}}. This interprets the address in symbolic form.
7298 For example, here @value{GDBN} shows that a variable @code{ptt} points
7299 at another variable @code{t}, defined in @file{hi2.c}:
7300
7301 @smallexample
7302 (@value{GDBP}) set print symbol-filename on
7303 (@value{GDBP}) p/a ptt
7304 $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
7305 @end smallexample
7306
7307 @quotation
7308 @emph{Warning:} For pointers that point to a local variable, @samp{p/a}
7309 does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with
7310 the appropriate @code{set print} options turned on.
7311 @end quotation
7312
7313 Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
7314
7315 @table @code
7316 @item set print array
7317 @itemx set print array on
7318 @cindex pretty print arrays
7319 Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read,
7320 but uses more space. The default is off.
7321
7322 @item set print array off
7323 Return to compressed format for arrays.
7324
7325 @item show print array
7326 Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying
7327 arrays.
7328
7329 @cindex print array indexes
7330 @item set print array-indexes
7331 @itemx set print array-indexes on
7332 Print the index of each element when displaying arrays. May be more
7333 convenient to locate a given element in the array or quickly find the
7334 index of a given element in that printed array. The default is off.
7335
7336 @item set print array-indexes off
7337 Stop printing element indexes when displaying arrays.
7338
7339 @item show print array-indexes
7340 Show whether the index of each element is printed when displaying
7341 arrays.
7342
7343 @item set print elements @var{number-of-elements}
7344 @cindex number of array elements to print
7345 @cindex limit on number of printed array elements
7346 Set a limit on how many elements of an array @value{GDBN} will print.
7347 If @value{GDBN} is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has
7348 printed the number of elements set by the @code{set print elements} command.
7349 This limit also applies to the display of strings.
7350 When @value{GDBN} starts, this limit is set to 200.
7351 Setting @var{number-of-elements} to zero means that the printing is unlimited.
7352
7353 @item show print elements
7354 Display the number of elements of a large array that @value{GDBN} will print.
7355 If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
7356
7357 @item set print frame-arguments @var{value}
7358 @kindex set print frame-arguments
7359 @cindex printing frame argument values
7360 @cindex print all frame argument values
7361 @cindex print frame argument values for scalars only
7362 @cindex do not print frame argument values
7363 This command allows to control how the values of arguments are printed
7364 when the debugger prints a frame (@pxref{Frames}). The possible
7365 values are:
7366
7367 @table @code
7368 @item all
7369 The values of all arguments are printed.
7370
7371 @item scalars
7372 Print the value of an argument only if it is a scalar. The value of more
7373 complex arguments such as arrays, structures, unions, etc, is replaced
7374 by @code{@dots{}}. This is the default. Here is an example where
7375 only scalar arguments are shown:
7376
7377 @smallexample
7378 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=3, s=@dots{}, ss=0xbf8d508c, u=@dots{}, e=green)
7379 at frame-args.c:23
7380 @end smallexample
7381
7382 @item none
7383 None of the argument values are printed. Instead, the value of each argument
7384 is replaced by @code{@dots{}}. In this case, the example above now becomes:
7385
7386 @smallexample
7387 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=@dots{}, s=@dots{}, ss=@dots{}, u=@dots{}, e=@dots{})
7388 at frame-args.c:23
7389 @end smallexample
7390 @end table
7391
7392 By default, only scalar arguments are printed. This command can be used
7393 to configure the debugger to print the value of all arguments, regardless
7394 of their type. However, it is often advantageous to not print the value
7395 of more complex parameters. For instance, it reduces the amount of
7396 information printed in each frame, making the backtrace more readable.
7397 Also, it improves performance when displaying Ada frames, because
7398 the computation of large arguments can sometimes be CPU-intensive,
7399 especially in large applications. Setting @code{print frame-arguments}
7400 to @code{scalars} (the default) or @code{none} avoids this computation,
7401 thus speeding up the display of each Ada frame.
7402
7403 @item show print frame-arguments
7404 Show how the value of arguments should be displayed when printing a frame.
7405
7406 @item set print repeats
7407 @cindex repeated array elements
7408 Set the threshold for suppressing display of repeated array
7409 elements. When the number of consecutive identical elements of an
7410 array exceeds the threshold, @value{GDBN} prints the string
7411 @code{"<repeats @var{n} times>"}, where @var{n} is the number of
7412 identical repetitions, instead of displaying the identical elements
7413 themselves. Setting the threshold to zero will cause all elements to
7414 be individually printed. The default threshold is 10.
7415
7416 @item show print repeats
7417 Display the current threshold for printing repeated identical
7418 elements.
7419
7420 @item set print null-stop
7421 @cindex @sc{null} elements in arrays
7422 Cause @value{GDBN} to stop printing the characters of an array when the first
7423 @sc{null} is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually
7424 contain only short strings.
7425 The default is off.
7426
7427 @item show print null-stop
7428 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops printing an array on the first
7429 @sc{null} character.
7430
7431 @item set print pretty on
7432 @cindex print structures in indented form
7433 @cindex indentation in structure display
7434 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in an indented format with one member
7435 per line, like this:
7436
7437 @smallexample
7438 @group
7439 $1 = @{
7440 next = 0x0,
7441 flags = @{
7442 sweet = 1,
7443 sour = 1
7444 @},
7445 meat = 0x54 "Pork"
7446 @}
7447 @end group
7448 @end smallexample
7449
7450 @item set print pretty off
7451 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in a compact format, like this:
7452
7453 @smallexample
7454 @group
7455 $1 = @{next = 0x0, flags = @{sweet = 1, sour = 1@}, \
7456 meat = 0x54 "Pork"@}
7457 @end group
7458 @end smallexample
7459
7460 @noindent
7461 This is the default format.
7462
7463 @item show print pretty
7464 Show which format @value{GDBN} is using to print structures.
7465
7466 @item set print sevenbit-strings on
7467 @cindex eight-bit characters in strings
7468 @cindex octal escapes in strings
7469 Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set,
7470 @value{GDBN} displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or
7471 character values) using the notation @code{\}@var{nnn}. This setting is
7472 best if you are working in English (@sc{ascii}) and you use the
7473 high-order bit of characters as a marker or ``meta'' bit.
7474
7475 @item set print sevenbit-strings off
7476 Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more
7477 international character sets, and is the default.
7478
7479 @item show print sevenbit-strings
7480 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} is printing only seven-bit characters.
7481
7482 @item set print union on
7483 @cindex unions in structures, printing
7484 Tell @value{GDBN} to print unions which are contained in structures
7485 and other unions. This is the default setting.
7486
7487 @item set print union off
7488 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print unions which are contained in
7489 structures and other unions. @value{GDBN} will print @code{"@{...@}"}
7490 instead.
7491
7492 @item show print union
7493 Ask @value{GDBN} whether or not it will print unions which are contained in
7494 structures and other unions.
7495
7496 For example, given the declarations
7497
7498 @smallexample
7499 typedef enum @{Tree, Bug@} Species;
7500 typedef enum @{Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling@} Tree_forms;
7501 typedef enum @{Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly@}
7502 Bug_forms;
7503
7504 struct thing @{
7505 Species it;
7506 union @{
7507 Tree_forms tree;
7508 Bug_forms bug;
7509 @} form;
7510 @};
7511
7512 struct thing foo = @{Tree, @{Acorn@}@};
7513 @end smallexample
7514
7515 @noindent
7516 with @code{set print union on} in effect @samp{p foo} would print
7517
7518 @smallexample
7519 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon@}@}
7520 @end smallexample
7521
7522 @noindent
7523 and with @code{set print union off} in effect it would print
7524
7525 @smallexample
7526 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{...@}@}
7527 @end smallexample
7528
7529 @noindent
7530 @code{set print union} affects programs written in C-like languages
7531 and in Pascal.
7532 @end table
7533
7534 @need 1000
7535 @noindent
7536 These settings are of interest when debugging C@t{++} programs:
7537
7538 @table @code
7539 @cindex demangling C@t{++} names
7540 @item set print demangle
7541 @itemx set print demangle on
7542 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than in the encoded
7543 (``mangled'') form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe
7544 linkage. The default is on.
7545
7546 @item show print demangle
7547 Show whether C@t{++} names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
7548
7549 @item set print asm-demangle
7550 @itemx set print asm-demangle on
7551 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even
7552 in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies.
7553 The default is off.
7554
7555 @item show print asm-demangle
7556 Show whether C@t{++} names in assembly listings are printed in mangled
7557 or demangled form.
7558
7559 @cindex C@t{++} symbol decoding style
7560 @cindex symbol decoding style, C@t{++}
7561 @kindex set demangle-style
7562 @item set demangle-style @var{style}
7563 Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to
7564 represent C@t{++} names. The choices for @var{style} are currently:
7565
7566 @table @code
7567 @item auto
7568 Allow @value{GDBN} to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
7569
7570 @item gnu
7571 Decode based on the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler (@code{g++}) encoding algorithm.
7572 This is the default.
7573
7574 @item hp
7575 Decode based on the HP ANSI C@t{++} (@code{aCC}) encoding algorithm.
7576
7577 @item lucid
7578 Decode based on the Lucid C@t{++} compiler (@code{lcc}) encoding algorithm.
7579
7580 @item arm
7581 Decode using the algorithm in the @cite{C@t{++} Annotated Reference Manual}.
7582 @strong{Warning:} this setting alone is not sufficient to allow
7583 debugging @code{cfront}-generated executables. @value{GDBN} would
7584 require further enhancement to permit that.
7585
7586 @end table
7587 If you omit @var{style}, you will see a list of possible formats.
7588
7589 @item show demangle-style
7590 Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C@t{++} symbols.
7591
7592 @item set print object
7593 @itemx set print object on
7594 @cindex derived type of an object, printing
7595 @cindex display derived types
7596 When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the @emph{actual}
7597 (derived) type of the object rather than the @emph{declared} type, using
7598 the virtual function table.
7599
7600 @item set print object off
7601 Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the
7602 virtual function table. This is the default setting.
7603
7604 @item show print object
7605 Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
7606
7607 @item set print static-members
7608 @itemx set print static-members on
7609 @cindex static members of C@t{++} objects
7610 Print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object. The default is on.
7611
7612 @item set print static-members off
7613 Do not print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object.
7614
7615 @item show print static-members
7616 Show whether C@t{++} static members are printed or not.
7617
7618 @item set print pascal_static-members
7619 @itemx set print pascal_static-members on
7620 @cindex static members of Pascal objects
7621 @cindex Pascal objects, static members display
7622 Print static members when displaying a Pascal object. The default is on.
7623
7624 @item set print pascal_static-members off
7625 Do not print static members when displaying a Pascal object.
7626
7627 @item show print pascal_static-members
7628 Show whether Pascal static members are printed or not.
7629
7630 @c These don't work with HP ANSI C++ yet.
7631 @item set print vtbl
7632 @itemx set print vtbl on
7633 @cindex pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables
7634 @cindex virtual functions (C@t{++}) display
7635 @cindex VTBL display
7636 Pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables. The default is off.
7637 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
7638 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
7639
7640 @item set print vtbl off
7641 Do not pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables.
7642
7643 @item show print vtbl
7644 Show whether C@t{++} virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.
7645 @end table
7646
7647 @node Value History
7648 @section Value History
7649
7650 @cindex value history
7651 @cindex history of values printed by @value{GDBN}
7652 Values printed by the @code{print} command are saved in the @value{GDBN}
7653 @dfn{value history}. This allows you to refer to them in other expressions.
7654 Values are kept until the symbol table is re-read or discarded
7655 (for example with the @code{file} or @code{symbol-file} commands).
7656 When the symbol table changes, the value history is discarded,
7657 since the values may contain pointers back to the types defined in the
7658 symbol table.
7659
7660 @cindex @code{$}
7661 @cindex @code{$$}
7662 @cindex history number
7663 The values printed are given @dfn{history numbers} by which you can
7664 refer to them. These are successive integers starting with one.
7665 @code{print} shows you the history number assigned to a value by
7666 printing @samp{$@var{num} = } before the value; here @var{num} is the
7667 history number.
7668
7669 To refer to any previous value, use @samp{$} followed by the value's
7670 history number. The way @code{print} labels its output is designed to
7671 remind you of this. Just @code{$} refers to the most recent value in
7672 the history, and @code{$$} refers to the value before that.
7673 @code{$$@var{n}} refers to the @var{n}th value from the end; @code{$$2}
7674 is the value just prior to @code{$$}, @code{$$1} is equivalent to
7675 @code{$$}, and @code{$$0} is equivalent to @code{$}.
7676
7677 For example, suppose you have just printed a pointer to a structure and
7678 want to see the contents of the structure. It suffices to type
7679
7680 @smallexample
7681 p *$
7682 @end smallexample
7683
7684 If you have a chain of structures where the component @code{next} points
7685 to the next one, you can print the contents of the next one with this:
7686
7687 @smallexample
7688 p *$.next
7689 @end smallexample
7690
7691 @noindent
7692 You can print successive links in the chain by repeating this
7693 command---which you can do by just typing @key{RET}.
7694
7695 Note that the history records values, not expressions. If the value of
7696 @code{x} is 4 and you type these commands:
7697
7698 @smallexample
7699 print x
7700 set x=5
7701 @end smallexample
7702
7703 @noindent
7704 then the value recorded in the value history by the @code{print} command
7705 remains 4 even though the value of @code{x} has changed.
7706
7707 @table @code
7708 @kindex show values
7709 @item show values
7710 Print the last ten values in the value history, with their item numbers.
7711 This is like @samp{p@ $$9} repeated ten times, except that @code{show
7712 values} does not change the history.
7713
7714 @item show values @var{n}
7715 Print ten history values centered on history item number @var{n}.
7716
7717 @item show values +
7718 Print ten history values just after the values last printed. If no more
7719 values are available, @code{show values +} produces no display.
7720 @end table
7721
7722 Pressing @key{RET} to repeat @code{show values @var{n}} has exactly the
7723 same effect as @samp{show values +}.
7724
7725 @node Convenience Vars
7726 @section Convenience Variables
7727
7728 @cindex convenience variables
7729 @cindex user-defined variables
7730 @value{GDBN} provides @dfn{convenience variables} that you can use within
7731 @value{GDBN} to hold on to a value and refer to it later. These variables
7732 exist entirely within @value{GDBN}; they are not part of your program, and
7733 setting a convenience variable has no direct effect on further execution
7734 of your program. That is why you can use them freely.
7735
7736 Convenience variables are prefixed with @samp{$}. Any name preceded by
7737 @samp{$} can be used for a convenience variable, unless it is one of
7738 the predefined machine-specific register names (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
7739 (Value history references, in contrast, are @emph{numbers} preceded
7740 by @samp{$}. @xref{Value History, ,Value History}.)
7741
7742 You can save a value in a convenience variable with an assignment
7743 expression, just as you would set a variable in your program.
7744 For example:
7745
7746 @smallexample
7747 set $foo = *object_ptr
7748 @end smallexample
7749
7750 @noindent
7751 would save in @code{$foo} the value contained in the object pointed to by
7752 @code{object_ptr}.
7753
7754 Using a convenience variable for the first time creates it, but its
7755 value is @code{void} until you assign a new value. You can alter the
7756 value with another assignment at any time.
7757
7758 Convenience variables have no fixed types. You can assign a convenience
7759 variable any type of value, including structures and arrays, even if
7760 that variable already has a value of a different type. The convenience
7761 variable, when used as an expression, has the type of its current value.
7762
7763 @table @code
7764 @kindex show convenience
7765 @cindex show all user variables
7766 @item show convenience
7767 Print a list of convenience variables used so far, and their values.
7768 Abbreviated @code{show conv}.
7769
7770 @kindex init-if-undefined
7771 @cindex convenience variables, initializing
7772 @item init-if-undefined $@var{variable} = @var{expression}
7773 Set a convenience variable if it has not already been set. This is useful
7774 for user-defined commands that keep some state. It is similar, in concept,
7775 to using local static variables with initializers in C (except that
7776 convenience variables are global). It can also be used to allow users to
7777 override default values used in a command script.
7778
7779 If the variable is already defined then the expression is not evaluated so
7780 any side-effects do not occur.
7781 @end table
7782
7783 One of the ways to use a convenience variable is as a counter to be
7784 incremented or a pointer to be advanced. For example, to print
7785 a field from successive elements of an array of structures:
7786
7787 @smallexample
7788 set $i = 0
7789 print bar[$i++]->contents
7790 @end smallexample
7791
7792 @noindent
7793 Repeat that command by typing @key{RET}.
7794
7795 Some convenience variables are created automatically by @value{GDBN} and given
7796 values likely to be useful.
7797
7798 @table @code
7799 @vindex $_@r{, convenience variable}
7800 @item $_
7801 The variable @code{$_} is automatically set by the @code{x} command to
7802 the last address examined (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}). Other
7803 commands which provide a default address for @code{x} to examine also
7804 set @code{$_} to that address; these commands include @code{info line}
7805 and @code{info breakpoint}. The type of @code{$_} is @code{void *}
7806 except when set by the @code{x} command, in which case it is a pointer
7807 to the type of @code{$__}.
7808
7809 @vindex $__@r{, convenience variable}
7810 @item $__
7811 The variable @code{$__} is automatically set by the @code{x} command
7812 to the value found in the last address examined. Its type is chosen
7813 to match the format in which the data was printed.
7814
7815 @item $_exitcode
7816 @vindex $_exitcode@r{, convenience variable}
7817 The variable @code{$_exitcode} is automatically set to the exit code when
7818 the program being debugged terminates.
7819
7820 @item $_siginfo
7821 @vindex $_siginfo@r{, convenience variable}
7822 The variable @code{$_siginfo} contains extra signal information
7823 (@pxref{extra signal information}). Note that @code{$_siginfo}
7824 could be empty, if the application has not yet received any signals.
7825 For example, it will be empty before you execute the @code{run} command.
7826 @end table
7827
7828 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
7829 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
7830 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
7831
7832 @cindex convenience functions
7833 @value{GDBN} also supplies some @dfn{convenience functions}. These
7834 have a syntax similar to convenience variables. A convenience
7835 function can be used in an expression just like an ordinary function;
7836 however, a convenience function is implemented internally to
7837 @value{GDBN}.
7838
7839 @table @code
7840 @item help function
7841 @kindex help function
7842 @cindex show all convenience functions
7843 Print a list of all convenience functions.
7844 @end table
7845
7846 @node Registers
7847 @section Registers
7848
7849 @cindex registers
7850 You can refer to machine register contents, in expressions, as variables
7851 with names starting with @samp{$}. The names of registers are different
7852 for each machine; use @code{info registers} to see the names used on
7853 your machine.
7854
7855 @table @code
7856 @kindex info registers
7857 @item info registers
7858 Print the names and values of all registers except floating-point
7859 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
7860
7861 @kindex info all-registers
7862 @cindex floating point registers
7863 @item info all-registers
7864 Print the names and values of all registers, including floating-point
7865 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
7866
7867 @item info registers @var{regname} @dots{}
7868 Print the @dfn{relativized} value of each specified register @var{regname}.
7869 As discussed in detail below, register values are normally relative to
7870 the selected stack frame. @var{regname} may be any register name valid on
7871 the machine you are using, with or without the initial @samp{$}.
7872 @end table
7873
7874 @cindex stack pointer register
7875 @cindex program counter register
7876 @cindex process status register
7877 @cindex frame pointer register
7878 @cindex standard registers
7879 @value{GDBN} has four ``standard'' register names that are available (in
7880 expressions) on most machines---whenever they do not conflict with an
7881 architecture's canonical mnemonics for registers. The register names
7882 @code{$pc} and @code{$sp} are used for the program counter register and
7883 the stack pointer. @code{$fp} is used for a register that contains a
7884 pointer to the current stack frame, and @code{$ps} is used for a
7885 register that contains the processor status. For example,
7886 you could print the program counter in hex with
7887
7888 @smallexample
7889 p/x $pc
7890 @end smallexample
7891
7892 @noindent
7893 or print the instruction to be executed next with
7894
7895 @smallexample
7896 x/i $pc
7897 @end smallexample
7898
7899 @noindent
7900 or add four to the stack pointer@footnote{This is a way of removing
7901 one word from the stack, on machines where stacks grow downward in
7902 memory (most machines, nowadays). This assumes that the innermost
7903 stack frame is selected; setting @code{$sp} is not allowed when other
7904 stack frames are selected. To pop entire frames off the stack,
7905 regardless of machine architecture, use @code{return};
7906 see @ref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}.} with
7907
7908 @smallexample
7909 set $sp += 4
7910 @end smallexample
7911
7912 Whenever possible, these four standard register names are available on
7913 your machine even though the machine has different canonical mnemonics,
7914 so long as there is no conflict. The @code{info registers} command
7915 shows the canonical names. For example, on the SPARC, @code{info
7916 registers} displays the processor status register as @code{$psr} but you
7917 can also refer to it as @code{$ps}; and on x86-based machines @code{$ps}
7918 is an alias for the @sc{eflags} register.
7919
7920 @value{GDBN} always considers the contents of an ordinary register as an
7921 integer when the register is examined in this way. Some machines have
7922 special registers which can hold nothing but floating point; these
7923 registers are considered to have floating point values. There is no way
7924 to refer to the contents of an ordinary register as floating point value
7925 (although you can @emph{print} it as a floating point value with
7926 @samp{print/f $@var{regname}}).
7927
7928 Some registers have distinct ``raw'' and ``virtual'' data formats. This
7929 means that the data format in which the register contents are saved by
7930 the operating system is not the same one that your program normally
7931 sees. For example, the registers of the 68881 floating point
7932 coprocessor are always saved in ``extended'' (raw) format, but all C
7933 programs expect to work with ``double'' (virtual) format. In such
7934 cases, @value{GDBN} normally works with the virtual format only (the format
7935 that makes sense for your program), but the @code{info registers} command
7936 prints the data in both formats.
7937
7938 @cindex SSE registers (x86)
7939 @cindex MMX registers (x86)
7940 Some machines have special registers whose contents can be interpreted
7941 in several different ways. For example, modern x86-based machines
7942 have SSE and MMX registers that can hold several values packed
7943 together in several different formats. @value{GDBN} refers to such
7944 registers in @code{struct} notation:
7945
7946 @smallexample
7947 (@value{GDBP}) print $xmm1
7948 $1 = @{
7949 v4_float = @{0, 3.43859137e-038, 1.54142831e-044, 1.821688e-044@},
7950 v2_double = @{9.92129282474342e-303, 2.7585945287983262e-313@},
7951 v16_int8 = "\000\000\000\000\3706;\001\v\000\000\000\r\000\000",
7952 v8_int16 = @{0, 0, 14072, 315, 11, 0, 13, 0@},
7953 v4_int32 = @{0, 20657912, 11, 13@},
7954 v2_int64 = @{88725056443645952, 55834574859@},
7955 uint128 = 0x0000000d0000000b013b36f800000000
7956 @}
7957 @end smallexample
7958
7959 @noindent
7960 To set values of such registers, you need to tell @value{GDBN} which
7961 view of the register you wish to change, as if you were assigning
7962 value to a @code{struct} member:
7963
7964 @smallexample
7965 (@value{GDBP}) set $xmm1.uint128 = 0x000000000000000000000000FFFFFFFF
7966 @end smallexample
7967
7968 Normally, register values are relative to the selected stack frame
7969 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). This means that you get the
7970 value that the register would contain if all stack frames farther in
7971 were exited and their saved registers restored. In order to see the
7972 true contents of hardware registers, you must select the innermost
7973 frame (with @samp{frame 0}).
7974
7975 However, @value{GDBN} must deduce where registers are saved, from the machine
7976 code generated by your compiler. If some registers are not saved, or if
7977 @value{GDBN} is unable to locate the saved registers, the selected stack
7978 frame makes no difference.
7979
7980 @node Floating Point Hardware
7981 @section Floating Point Hardware
7982 @cindex floating point
7983
7984 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give
7985 you more information about the status of the floating point hardware.
7986
7987 @table @code
7988 @kindex info float
7989 @item info float
7990 Display hardware-dependent information about the floating
7991 point unit. The exact contents and layout vary depending on the
7992 floating point chip. Currently, @samp{info float} is supported on
7993 the ARM and x86 machines.
7994 @end table
7995
7996 @node Vector Unit
7997 @section Vector Unit
7998 @cindex vector unit
7999
8000 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give you
8001 more information about the status of the vector unit.
8002
8003 @table @code
8004 @kindex info vector
8005 @item info vector
8006 Display information about the vector unit. The exact contents and
8007 layout vary depending on the hardware.
8008 @end table
8009
8010 @node OS Information
8011 @section Operating System Auxiliary Information
8012 @cindex OS information
8013
8014 @value{GDBN} provides interfaces to useful OS facilities that can help
8015 you debug your program.
8016
8017 @cindex @code{ptrace} system call
8018 @cindex @code{struct user} contents
8019 When @value{GDBN} runs on a @dfn{Posix system} (such as GNU or Unix
8020 machines), it interfaces with the inferior via the @code{ptrace}
8021 system call. The operating system creates a special sata structure,
8022 called @code{struct user}, for this interface. You can use the
8023 command @code{info udot} to display the contents of this data
8024 structure.
8025
8026 @table @code
8027 @item info udot
8028 @kindex info udot
8029 Display the contents of the @code{struct user} maintained by the OS
8030 kernel for the program being debugged. @value{GDBN} displays the
8031 contents of @code{struct user} as a list of hex numbers, similar to
8032 the @code{examine} command.
8033 @end table
8034
8035 @cindex auxiliary vector
8036 @cindex vector, auxiliary
8037 Some operating systems supply an @dfn{auxiliary vector} to programs at
8038 startup. This is akin to the arguments and environment that you
8039 specify for a program, but contains a system-dependent variety of
8040 binary values that tell system libraries important details about the
8041 hardware, operating system, and process. Each value's purpose is
8042 identified by an integer tag; the meanings are well-known but system-specific.
8043 Depending on the configuration and operating system facilities,
8044 @value{GDBN} may be able to show you this information. For remote
8045 targets, this functionality may further depend on the remote stub's
8046 support of the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet, see
8047 @ref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}.
8048
8049 @table @code
8050 @kindex info auxv
8051 @item info auxv
8052 Display the auxiliary vector of the inferior, which can be either a
8053 live process or a core dump file. @value{GDBN} prints each tag value
8054 numerically, and also shows names and text descriptions for recognized
8055 tags. Some values in the vector are numbers, some bit masks, and some
8056 pointers to strings or other data. @value{GDBN} displays each value in the
8057 most appropriate form for a recognized tag, and in hexadecimal for
8058 an unrecognized tag.
8059 @end table
8060
8061 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can access operating-system-specific information
8062 and display it to user, without interpretation. For remote targets,
8063 this functionality depends on the remote stub's support of the
8064 @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet, see @ref{qXfer osdata read}.
8065
8066 @table @code
8067 @kindex info os processes
8068 @item info os processes
8069 Display the list of processes on the target. For each process,
8070 @value{GDBN} prints the process identifier, the name of the user, and
8071 the command corresponding to the process.
8072 @end table
8073
8074 @node Memory Region Attributes
8075 @section Memory Region Attributes
8076 @cindex memory region attributes
8077
8078 @dfn{Memory region attributes} allow you to describe special handling
8079 required by regions of your target's memory. @value{GDBN} uses
8080 attributes to determine whether to allow certain types of memory
8081 accesses; whether to use specific width accesses; and whether to cache
8082 target memory. By default the description of memory regions is
8083 fetched from the target (if the current target supports this), but the
8084 user can override the fetched regions.
8085
8086 Defined memory regions can be individually enabled and disabled. When a
8087 memory region is disabled, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when
8088 accessing memory in that region. Similarly, if no memory regions have
8089 been defined, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when accessing
8090 all memory.
8091
8092 When a memory region is defined, it is given a number to identify it;
8093 to enable, disable, or remove a memory region, you specify that number.
8094
8095 @table @code
8096 @kindex mem
8097 @item mem @var{lower} @var{upper} @var{attributes}@dots{}
8098 Define a memory region bounded by @var{lower} and @var{upper} with
8099 attributes @var{attributes}@dots{}, and add it to the list of regions
8100 monitored by @value{GDBN}. Note that @var{upper} == 0 is a special
8101 case: it is treated as the target's maximum memory address.
8102 (0xffff on 16 bit targets, 0xffffffff on 32 bit targets, etc.)
8103
8104 @item mem auto
8105 Discard any user changes to the memory regions and use target-supplied
8106 regions, if available, or no regions if the target does not support.
8107
8108 @kindex delete mem
8109 @item delete mem @var{nums}@dots{}
8110 Remove memory regions @var{nums}@dots{} from the list of regions
8111 monitored by @value{GDBN}.
8112
8113 @kindex disable mem
8114 @item disable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
8115 Disable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
8116 A disabled memory region is not forgotten.
8117 It may be enabled again later.
8118
8119 @kindex enable mem
8120 @item enable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
8121 Enable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
8122
8123 @kindex info mem
8124 @item info mem
8125 Print a table of all defined memory regions, with the following columns
8126 for each region:
8127
8128 @table @emph
8129 @item Memory Region Number
8130 @item Enabled or Disabled.
8131 Enabled memory regions are marked with @samp{y}.
8132 Disabled memory regions are marked with @samp{n}.
8133
8134 @item Lo Address
8135 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the memory region.
8136
8137 @item Hi Address
8138 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the memory region.
8139
8140 @item Attributes
8141 The list of attributes set for this memory region.
8142 @end table
8143 @end table
8144
8145
8146 @subsection Attributes
8147
8148 @subsubsection Memory Access Mode
8149 The access mode attributes set whether @value{GDBN} may make read or
8150 write accesses to a memory region.
8151
8152 While these attributes prevent @value{GDBN} from performing invalid
8153 memory accesses, they do nothing to prevent the target system, I/O DMA,
8154 etc.@: from accessing memory.
8155
8156 @table @code
8157 @item ro
8158 Memory is read only.
8159 @item wo
8160 Memory is write only.
8161 @item rw
8162 Memory is read/write. This is the default.
8163 @end table
8164
8165 @subsubsection Memory Access Size
8166 The access size attribute tells @value{GDBN} to use specific sized
8167 accesses in the memory region. Often memory mapped device registers
8168 require specific sized accesses. If no access size attribute is
8169 specified, @value{GDBN} may use accesses of any size.
8170
8171 @table @code
8172 @item 8
8173 Use 8 bit memory accesses.
8174 @item 16
8175 Use 16 bit memory accesses.
8176 @item 32
8177 Use 32 bit memory accesses.
8178 @item 64
8179 Use 64 bit memory accesses.
8180 @end table
8181
8182 @c @subsubsection Hardware/Software Breakpoints
8183 @c The hardware/software breakpoint attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
8184 @c will use hardware or software breakpoints for the internal breakpoints
8185 @c used by the step, next, finish, until, etc. commands.
8186 @c
8187 @c @table @code
8188 @c @item hwbreak
8189 @c Always use hardware breakpoints
8190 @c @item swbreak (default)
8191 @c @end table
8192
8193 @subsubsection Data Cache
8194 The data cache attributes set whether @value{GDBN} will cache target
8195 memory. While this generally improves performance by reducing debug
8196 protocol overhead, it can lead to incorrect results because @value{GDBN}
8197 does not know about volatile variables or memory mapped device
8198 registers.
8199
8200 @table @code
8201 @item cache
8202 Enable @value{GDBN} to cache target memory.
8203 @item nocache
8204 Disable @value{GDBN} from caching target memory. This is the default.
8205 @end table
8206
8207 @subsection Memory Access Checking
8208 @value{GDBN} can be instructed to refuse accesses to memory that is
8209 not explicitly described. This can be useful if accessing such
8210 regions has undesired effects for a specific target, or to provide
8211 better error checking. The following commands control this behaviour.
8212
8213 @table @code
8214 @kindex set mem inaccessible-by-default
8215 @item set mem inaccessible-by-default [on|off]
8216 If @code{on} is specified, make @value{GDBN} treat memory not
8217 explicitly described by the memory ranges as non-existent and refuse accesses
8218 to such memory. The checks are only performed if there's at least one
8219 memory range defined. If @code{off} is specified, make @value{GDBN}
8220 treat the memory not explicitly described by the memory ranges as RAM.
8221 The default value is @code{on}.
8222 @kindex show mem inaccessible-by-default
8223 @item show mem inaccessible-by-default
8224 Show the current handling of accesses to unknown memory.
8225 @end table
8226
8227
8228 @c @subsubsection Memory Write Verification
8229 @c The memory write verification attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
8230 @c will re-reads data after each write to verify the write was successful.
8231 @c
8232 @c @table @code
8233 @c @item verify
8234 @c @item noverify (default)
8235 @c @end table
8236
8237 @node Dump/Restore Files
8238 @section Copy Between Memory and a File
8239 @cindex dump/restore files
8240 @cindex append data to a file
8241 @cindex dump data to a file
8242 @cindex restore data from a file
8243
8244 You can use the commands @code{dump}, @code{append}, and
8245 @code{restore} to copy data between target memory and a file. The
8246 @code{dump} and @code{append} commands write data to a file, and the
8247 @code{restore} command reads data from a file back into the inferior's
8248 memory. Files may be in binary, Motorola S-record, Intel hex, or
8249 Tektronix Hex format; however, @value{GDBN} can only append to binary
8250 files.
8251
8252 @table @code
8253
8254 @kindex dump
8255 @item dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
8256 @itemx dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
8257 Dump the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
8258 or the value of @var{expr}, to @var{filename} in the given format.
8259
8260 The @var{format} parameter may be any one of:
8261 @table @code
8262 @item binary
8263 Raw binary form.
8264 @item ihex
8265 Intel hex format.
8266 @item srec
8267 Motorola S-record format.
8268 @item tekhex
8269 Tektronix Hex format.
8270 @end table
8271
8272 @value{GDBN} uses the same definitions of these formats as the
8273 @sc{gnu} binary utilities, like @samp{objdump} and @samp{objcopy}. If
8274 @var{format} is omitted, @value{GDBN} dumps the data in raw binary
8275 form.
8276
8277 @kindex append
8278 @item append @r{[}binary@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
8279 @itemx append @r{[}binary@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
8280 Append the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
8281 or the value of @var{expr}, to the file @var{filename}, in raw binary form.
8282 (@value{GDBN} can only append data to files in raw binary form.)
8283
8284 @kindex restore
8285 @item restore @var{filename} @r{[}binary@r{]} @var{bias} @var{start} @var{end}
8286 Restore the contents of file @var{filename} into memory. The
8287 @code{restore} command can automatically recognize any known @sc{bfd}
8288 file format, except for raw binary. To restore a raw binary file you
8289 must specify the optional keyword @code{binary} after the filename.
8290
8291 If @var{bias} is non-zero, its value will be added to the addresses
8292 contained in the file. Binary files always start at address zero, so
8293 they will be restored at address @var{bias}. Other bfd files have
8294 a built-in location; they will be restored at offset @var{bias}
8295 from that location.
8296
8297 If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are non-zero, then only data between
8298 file offset @var{start} and file offset @var{end} will be restored.
8299 These offsets are relative to the addresses in the file, before
8300 the @var{bias} argument is applied.
8301
8302 @end table
8303
8304 @node Core File Generation
8305 @section How to Produce a Core File from Your Program
8306 @cindex dump core from inferior
8307
8308 A @dfn{core file} or @dfn{core dump} is a file that records the memory
8309 image of a running process and its process status (register values
8310 etc.). Its primary use is post-mortem debugging of a program that
8311 crashed while it ran outside a debugger. A program that crashes
8312 automatically produces a core file, unless this feature is disabled by
8313 the user. @xref{Files}, for information on invoking @value{GDBN} in
8314 the post-mortem debugging mode.
8315
8316 Occasionally, you may wish to produce a core file of the program you
8317 are debugging in order to preserve a snapshot of its state.
8318 @value{GDBN} has a special command for that.
8319
8320 @table @code
8321 @kindex gcore
8322 @kindex generate-core-file
8323 @item generate-core-file [@var{file}]
8324 @itemx gcore [@var{file}]
8325 Produce a core dump of the inferior process. The optional argument
8326 @var{file} specifies the file name where to put the core dump. If not
8327 specified, the file name defaults to @file{core.@var{pid}}, where
8328 @var{pid} is the inferior process ID.
8329
8330 Note that this command is implemented only for some systems (as of
8331 this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Unixware, and S390).
8332 @end table
8333
8334 @node Character Sets
8335 @section Character Sets
8336 @cindex character sets
8337 @cindex charset
8338 @cindex translating between character sets
8339 @cindex host character set
8340 @cindex target character set
8341
8342 If the program you are debugging uses a different character set to
8343 represent characters and strings than the one @value{GDBN} uses itself,
8344 @value{GDBN} can automatically translate between the character sets for
8345 you. The character set @value{GDBN} uses we call the @dfn{host
8346 character set}; the one the inferior program uses we call the
8347 @dfn{target character set}.
8348
8349 For example, if you are running @value{GDBN} on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, which
8350 uses the ISO Latin 1 character set, but you are using @value{GDBN}'s
8351 remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Debugging}) to debug a program
8352 running on an IBM mainframe, which uses the @sc{ebcdic} character set,
8353 then the host character set is Latin-1, and the target character set is
8354 @sc{ebcdic}. If you give @value{GDBN} the command @code{set
8355 target-charset EBCDIC-US}, then @value{GDBN} translates between
8356 @sc{ebcdic} and Latin 1 as you print character or string values, or use
8357 character and string literals in expressions.
8358
8359 @value{GDBN} has no way to automatically recognize which character set
8360 the inferior program uses; you must tell it, using the @code{set
8361 target-charset} command, described below.
8362
8363 Here are the commands for controlling @value{GDBN}'s character set
8364 support:
8365
8366 @table @code
8367 @item set target-charset @var{charset}
8368 @kindex set target-charset
8369 Set the current target character set to @var{charset}. To display the
8370 list of supported target character sets, type
8371 @kbd{@w{set target-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
8372
8373 @item set host-charset @var{charset}
8374 @kindex set host-charset
8375 Set the current host character set to @var{charset}.
8376
8377 By default, @value{GDBN} uses a host character set appropriate to the
8378 system it is running on; you can override that default using the
8379 @code{set host-charset} command. On some systems, @value{GDBN} cannot
8380 automatically determine the appropriate host character set. In this
8381 case, @value{GDBN} uses @samp{UTF-8}.
8382
8383 @value{GDBN} can only use certain character sets as its host character
8384 set. If you type @kbd{@w{set target-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
8385 @value{GDBN} will list the host character sets it supports.
8386
8387 @item set charset @var{charset}
8388 @kindex set charset
8389 Set the current host and target character sets to @var{charset}. As
8390 above, if you type @kbd{@w{set charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
8391 @value{GDBN} will list the names of the character sets that can be used
8392 for both host and target.
8393
8394 @item show charset
8395 @kindex show charset
8396 Show the names of the current host and target character sets.
8397
8398 @item show host-charset
8399 @kindex show host-charset
8400 Show the name of the current host character set.
8401
8402 @item show target-charset
8403 @kindex show target-charset
8404 Show the name of the current target character set.
8405
8406 @item set target-wide-charset @var{charset}
8407 @kindex set target-wide-charset
8408 Set the current target's wide character set to @var{charset}. This is
8409 the character set used by the target's @code{wchar_t} type. To
8410 display the list of supported wide character sets, type
8411 @kbd{@w{set target-wide-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
8412
8413 @item show target-wide-charset
8414 @kindex show target-wide-charset
8415 Show the name of the current target's wide character set.
8416 @end table
8417
8418 Here is an example of @value{GDBN}'s character set support in action.
8419 Assume that the following source code has been placed in the file
8420 @file{charset-test.c}:
8421
8422 @smallexample
8423 #include <stdio.h>
8424
8425 char ascii_hello[]
8426 = @{72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 44, 32, 119,
8427 111, 114, 108, 100, 33, 10, 0@};
8428 char ibm1047_hello[]
8429 = @{200, 133, 147, 147, 150, 107, 64, 166,
8430 150, 153, 147, 132, 90, 37, 0@};
8431
8432 main ()
8433 @{
8434 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
8435 @}
8436 @end smallexample
8437
8438 In this program, @code{ascii_hello} and @code{ibm1047_hello} are arrays
8439 containing the string @samp{Hello, world!} followed by a newline,
8440 encoded in the @sc{ascii} and @sc{ibm1047} character sets.
8441
8442 We compile the program, and invoke the debugger on it:
8443
8444 @smallexample
8445 $ gcc -g charset-test.c -o charset-test
8446 $ gdb -nw charset-test
8447 GNU gdb 2001-12-19-cvs
8448 Copyright 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
8449 @dots{}
8450 (@value{GDBP})
8451 @end smallexample
8452
8453 We can use the @code{show charset} command to see what character sets
8454 @value{GDBN} is currently using to interpret and display characters and
8455 strings:
8456
8457 @smallexample
8458 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
8459 The current host and target character set is `ISO-8859-1'.
8460 (@value{GDBP})
8461 @end smallexample
8462
8463 For the sake of printing this manual, let's use @sc{ascii} as our
8464 initial character set:
8465 @smallexample
8466 (@value{GDBP}) set charset ASCII
8467 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
8468 The current host and target character set is `ASCII'.
8469 (@value{GDBP})
8470 @end smallexample
8471
8472 Let's assume that @sc{ascii} is indeed the correct character set for our
8473 host system --- in other words, let's assume that if @value{GDBN} prints
8474 characters using the @sc{ascii} character set, our terminal will display
8475 them properly. Since our current target character set is also
8476 @sc{ascii}, the contents of @code{ascii_hello} print legibly:
8477
8478 @smallexample
8479 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
8480 $1 = 0x401698 "Hello, world!\n"
8481 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
8482 $2 = 72 'H'
8483 (@value{GDBP})
8484 @end smallexample
8485
8486 @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and string
8487 literals you use in expressions:
8488
8489 @smallexample
8490 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
8491 $3 = 43 '+'
8492 (@value{GDBP})
8493 @end smallexample
8494
8495 The @sc{ascii} character set uses the number 43 to encode the @samp{+}
8496 character.
8497
8498 @value{GDBN} relies on the user to tell it which character set the
8499 target program uses. If we print @code{ibm1047_hello} while our target
8500 character set is still @sc{ascii}, we get jibberish:
8501
8502 @smallexample
8503 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
8504 $4 = 0x4016a8 "\310\205\223\223\226k@@\246\226\231\223\204Z%"
8505 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
8506 $5 = 200 '\310'
8507 (@value{GDBP})
8508 @end smallexample
8509
8510 If we invoke the @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
8511 @value{GDBN} tells us the character sets it supports:
8512
8513 @smallexample
8514 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
8515 ASCII EBCDIC-US IBM1047 ISO-8859-1
8516 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
8517 @end smallexample
8518
8519 We can select @sc{ibm1047} as our target character set, and examine the
8520 program's strings again. Now the @sc{ascii} string is wrong, but
8521 @value{GDBN} translates the contents of @code{ibm1047_hello} from the
8522 target character set, @sc{ibm1047}, to the host character set,
8523 @sc{ascii}, and they display correctly:
8524
8525 @smallexample
8526 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset IBM1047
8527 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
8528 The current host character set is `ASCII'.
8529 The current target character set is `IBM1047'.
8530 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
8531 $6 = 0x401698 "\110\145%%?\054\040\167?\162%\144\041\012"
8532 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
8533 $7 = 72 '\110'
8534 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
8535 $8 = 0x4016a8 "Hello, world!\n"
8536 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
8537 $9 = 200 'H'
8538 (@value{GDBP})
8539 @end smallexample
8540
8541 As above, @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and
8542 string literals you use in expressions:
8543
8544 @smallexample
8545 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
8546 $10 = 78 '+'
8547 (@value{GDBP})
8548 @end smallexample
8549
8550 The @sc{ibm1047} character set uses the number 78 to encode the @samp{+}
8551 character.
8552
8553 @node Caching Remote Data
8554 @section Caching Data of Remote Targets
8555 @cindex caching data of remote targets
8556
8557 @value{GDBN} caches data exchanged between the debugger and a
8558 remote target (@pxref{Remote Debugging}). Such caching generally improves
8559 performance, because it reduces the overhead of the remote protocol by
8560 bundling memory reads and writes into large chunks. Unfortunately, simply
8561 caching everything would lead to incorrect results, since @value{GDBN}
8562 does not necessarily know anything about volatile values, memory-mapped I/O
8563 addresses, etc. Furthermore, in non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode})
8564 memory can be changed @emph{while} a gdb command is executing.
8565 Therefore, by default, @value{GDBN} only caches data
8566 known to be on the stack@footnote{In non-stop mode, it is moderately
8567 rare for a running thread to modify the stack of a stopped thread
8568 in a way that would interfere with a backtrace, and caching of
8569 stack reads provides a significant speed up of remote backtraces.}.
8570 Other regions of memory can be explicitly marked as
8571 cacheable; see @pxref{Memory Region Attributes}.
8572
8573 @table @code
8574 @kindex set remotecache
8575 @item set remotecache on
8576 @itemx set remotecache off
8577 This option no longer does anything; it exists for compatibility
8578 with old scripts.
8579
8580 @kindex show remotecache
8581 @item show remotecache
8582 Show the current state of the obsolete remotecache flag.
8583
8584 @kindex set stack-cache
8585 @item set stack-cache on
8586 @itemx set stack-cache off
8587 Enable or disable caching of stack accesses. When @code{ON}, use
8588 caching. By default, this option is @code{ON}.
8589
8590 @kindex show stack-cache
8591 @item show stack-cache
8592 Show the current state of data caching for memory accesses.
8593
8594 @kindex info dcache
8595 @item info dcache @r{[}line@r{]}
8596 Print the information about the data cache performance. The
8597 information displayed includes the dcache width and depth, and for
8598 each cache line, its number, address, and how many times it was
8599 referenced. This command is useful for debugging the data cache
8600 operation.
8601
8602 If a line number is specified, the contents of that line will be
8603 printed in hex.
8604 @end table
8605
8606 @node Searching Memory
8607 @section Search Memory
8608 @cindex searching memory
8609
8610 Memory can be searched for a particular sequence of bytes with the
8611 @code{find} command.
8612
8613 @table @code
8614 @kindex find
8615 @item find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, +@var{len}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
8616 @itemx find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, @var{end_addr}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
8617 Search memory for the sequence of bytes specified by @var{val1}, @var{val2},
8618 etc. The search begins at address @var{start_addr} and continues for either
8619 @var{len} bytes or through to @var{end_addr} inclusive.
8620 @end table
8621
8622 @var{s} and @var{n} are optional parameters.
8623 They may be specified in either order, apart or together.
8624
8625 @table @r
8626 @item @var{s}, search query size
8627 The size of each search query value.
8628
8629 @table @code
8630 @item b
8631 bytes
8632 @item h
8633 halfwords (two bytes)
8634 @item w
8635 words (four bytes)
8636 @item g
8637 giant words (eight bytes)
8638 @end table
8639
8640 All values are interpreted in the current language.
8641 This means, for example, that if the current source language is C/C@t{++}
8642 then searching for the string ``hello'' includes the trailing '\0'.
8643
8644 If the value size is not specified, it is taken from the
8645 value's type in the current language.
8646 This is useful when one wants to specify the search
8647 pattern as a mixture of types.
8648 Note that this means, for example, that in the case of C-like languages
8649 a search for an untyped 0x42 will search for @samp{(int) 0x42}
8650 which is typically four bytes.
8651
8652 @item @var{n}, maximum number of finds
8653 The maximum number of matches to print. The default is to print all finds.
8654 @end table
8655
8656 You can use strings as search values. Quote them with double-quotes
8657 (@code{"}).
8658 The string value is copied into the search pattern byte by byte,
8659 regardless of the endianness of the target and the size specification.
8660
8661 The address of each match found is printed as well as a count of the
8662 number of matches found.
8663
8664 The address of the last value found is stored in convenience variable
8665 @samp{$_}.
8666 A count of the number of matches is stored in @samp{$numfound}.
8667
8668 For example, if stopped at the @code{printf} in this function:
8669
8670 @smallexample
8671 void
8672 hello ()
8673 @{
8674 static char hello[] = "hello-hello";
8675 static struct @{ char c; short s; int i; @}
8676 __attribute__ ((packed)) mixed
8677 = @{ 'c', 0x1234, 0x87654321 @};
8678 printf ("%s\n", hello);
8679 @}
8680 @end smallexample
8681
8682 @noindent
8683 you get during debugging:
8684
8685 @smallexample
8686 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), "hello"
8687 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
8688 1 pattern found
8689 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'
8690 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
8691 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
8692 2 patterns found
8693 (gdb) find /b1 &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 0x65, 'l'
8694 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
8695 1 pattern found
8696 (gdb) find &mixed, +sizeof(mixed), (char) 'c', (short) 0x1234, (int) 0x87654321
8697 0x8049560 <mixed.1625>
8698 1 pattern found
8699 (gdb) print $numfound
8700 $1 = 1
8701 (gdb) print $_
8702 $2 = (void *) 0x8049560
8703 @end smallexample
8704
8705 @node Optimized Code
8706 @chapter Debugging Optimized Code
8707 @cindex optimized code, debugging
8708 @cindex debugging optimized code
8709
8710 Almost all compilers support optimization. With optimization
8711 disabled, the compiler generates assembly code that corresponds
8712 directly to your source code, in a simplistic way. As the compiler
8713 applies more powerful optimizations, the generated assembly code
8714 diverges from your original source code. With help from debugging
8715 information generated by the compiler, @value{GDBN} can map from
8716 the running program back to constructs from your original source.
8717
8718 @value{GDBN} is more accurate with optimization disabled. If you
8719 can recompile without optimization, it is easier to follow the
8720 progress of your program during debugging. But, there are many cases
8721 where you may need to debug an optimized version.
8722
8723 When you debug a program compiled with @samp{-g -O}, remember that the
8724 optimizer has rearranged your code; the debugger shows you what is
8725 really there. Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
8726 exactly match your source file! An extreme example: if you define a
8727 variable, but never use it, @value{GDBN} never sees that
8728 variable---because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
8729
8730 Some things do not work as well with @samp{-g -O} as with just
8731 @samp{-g}, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling. If in
8732 doubt, recompile with @samp{-g} alone, and if this fixes the problem,
8733 please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
8734 @xref{Variables}, for more information about debugging optimized code.
8735
8736 @menu
8737 * Inline Functions:: How @value{GDBN} presents inlining
8738 @end menu
8739
8740 @node Inline Functions
8741 @section Inline Functions
8742 @cindex inline functions, debugging
8743
8744 @dfn{Inlining} is an optimization that inserts a copy of the function
8745 body directly at each call site, instead of jumping to a shared
8746 routine. @value{GDBN} displays inlined functions just like
8747 non-inlined functions. They appear in backtraces. You can view their
8748 arguments and local variables, step into them with @code{step}, skip
8749 them with @code{next}, and escape from them with @code{finish}.
8750 You can check whether a function was inlined by using the
8751 @code{info frame} command.
8752
8753 For @value{GDBN} to support inlined functions, the compiler must
8754 record information about inlining in the debug information ---
8755 @value{NGCC} using the @sc{dwarf 2} format does this, and several
8756 other compilers do also. @value{GDBN} only supports inlined functions
8757 when using @sc{dwarf 2}. Versions of @value{NGCC} before 4.1
8758 do not emit two required attributes (@samp{DW_AT_call_file} and
8759 @samp{DW_AT_call_line}); @value{GDBN} does not display inlined
8760 function calls with earlier versions of @value{NGCC}. It instead
8761 displays the arguments and local variables of inlined functions as
8762 local variables in the caller.
8763
8764 The body of an inlined function is directly included at its call site;
8765 unlike a non-inlined function, there are no instructions devoted to
8766 the call. @value{GDBN} still pretends that the call site and the
8767 start of the inlined function are different instructions. Stepping to
8768 the call site shows the call site, and then stepping again shows
8769 the first line of the inlined function, even though no additional
8770 instructions are executed.
8771
8772 This makes source-level debugging much clearer; you can see both the
8773 context of the call and then the effect of the call. Only stepping by
8774 a single instruction using @code{stepi} or @code{nexti} does not do
8775 this; single instruction steps always show the inlined body.
8776
8777 There are some ways that @value{GDBN} does not pretend that inlined
8778 function calls are the same as normal calls:
8779
8780 @itemize @bullet
8781 @item
8782 You cannot set breakpoints on inlined functions. @value{GDBN}
8783 either reports that there is no symbol with that name, or else sets the
8784 breakpoint only on non-inlined copies of the function. This limitation
8785 will be removed in a future version of @value{GDBN}; until then,
8786 set a breakpoint by line number on the first line of the inlined
8787 function instead.
8788
8789 @item
8790 Setting breakpoints at the call site of an inlined function may not
8791 work, because the call site does not contain any code. @value{GDBN}
8792 may incorrectly move the breakpoint to the next line of the enclosing
8793 function, after the call. This limitation will be removed in a future
8794 version of @value{GDBN}; until then, set a breakpoint on an earlier line
8795 or inside the inlined function instead.
8796
8797 @item
8798 @value{GDBN} cannot locate the return value of inlined calls after
8799 using the @code{finish} command. This is a limitation of compiler-generated
8800 debugging information; after @code{finish}, you can step to the next line
8801 and print a variable where your program stored the return value.
8802
8803 @end itemize
8804
8805
8806 @node Macros
8807 @chapter C Preprocessor Macros
8808
8809 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, provide a way to define and invoke
8810 ``preprocessor macros'' which expand into strings of tokens.
8811 @value{GDBN} can evaluate expressions containing macro invocations, show
8812 the result of macro expansion, and show a macro's definition, including
8813 where it was defined.
8814
8815 You may need to compile your program specially to provide @value{GDBN}
8816 with information about preprocessor macros. Most compilers do not
8817 include macros in their debugging information, even when you compile
8818 with the @option{-g} flag. @xref{Compilation}.
8819
8820 A program may define a macro at one point, remove that definition later,
8821 and then provide a different definition after that. Thus, at different
8822 points in the program, a macro may have different definitions, or have
8823 no definition at all. If there is a current stack frame, @value{GDBN}
8824 uses the macros in scope at that frame's source code line. Otherwise,
8825 @value{GDBN} uses the macros in scope at the current listing location;
8826 see @ref{List}.
8827
8828 Whenever @value{GDBN} evaluates an expression, it always expands any
8829 macro invocations present in the expression. @value{GDBN} also provides
8830 the following commands for working with macros explicitly.
8831
8832 @table @code
8833
8834 @kindex macro expand
8835 @cindex macro expansion, showing the results of preprocessor
8836 @cindex preprocessor macro expansion, showing the results of
8837 @cindex expanding preprocessor macros
8838 @item macro expand @var{expression}
8839 @itemx macro exp @var{expression}
8840 Show the results of expanding all preprocessor macro invocations in
8841 @var{expression}. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does
8842 not parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression;
8843 it can be any string of tokens.
8844
8845 @kindex macro exp1
8846 @item macro expand-once @var{expression}
8847 @itemx macro exp1 @var{expression}
8848 @cindex expand macro once
8849 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Show the results of
8850 expanding those preprocessor macro invocations that appear explicitly in
8851 @var{expression}. Macro invocations appearing in that expansion are
8852 left unchanged. This command allows you to see the effect of a
8853 particular macro more clearly, without being confused by further
8854 expansions. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does not
8855 parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression; it
8856 can be any string of tokens.
8857
8858 @kindex info macro
8859 @cindex macro definition, showing
8860 @cindex definition, showing a macro's
8861 @item info macro @var{macro}
8862 Show the definition of the macro named @var{macro}, and describe the
8863 source location or compiler command-line where that definition was established.
8864
8865 @kindex macro define
8866 @cindex user-defined macros
8867 @cindex defining macros interactively
8868 @cindex macros, user-defined
8869 @item macro define @var{macro} @var{replacement-list}
8870 @itemx macro define @var{macro}(@var{arglist}) @var{replacement-list}
8871 Introduce a definition for a preprocessor macro named @var{macro},
8872 invocations of which are replaced by the tokens given in
8873 @var{replacement-list}. The first form of this command defines an
8874 ``object-like'' macro, which takes no arguments; the second form
8875 defines a ``function-like'' macro, which takes the arguments given in
8876 @var{arglist}.
8877
8878 A definition introduced by this command is in scope in every
8879 expression evaluated in @value{GDBN}, until it is removed with the
8880 @code{macro undef} command, described below. The definition overrides
8881 all definitions for @var{macro} present in the program being debugged,
8882 as well as any previous user-supplied definition.
8883
8884 @kindex macro undef
8885 @item macro undef @var{macro}
8886 Remove any user-supplied definition for the macro named @var{macro}.
8887 This command only affects definitions provided with the @code{macro
8888 define} command, described above; it cannot remove definitions present
8889 in the program being debugged.
8890
8891 @kindex macro list
8892 @item macro list
8893 List all the macros defined using the @code{macro define} command.
8894 @end table
8895
8896 @cindex macros, example of debugging with
8897 Here is a transcript showing the above commands in action. First, we
8898 show our source files:
8899
8900 @smallexample
8901 $ cat sample.c
8902 #include <stdio.h>
8903 #include "sample.h"
8904
8905 #define M 42
8906 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
8907
8908 main ()
8909 @{
8910 #define N 28
8911 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
8912 #undef N
8913 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
8914 #define N 1729
8915 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
8916 @}
8917 $ cat sample.h
8918 #define Q <
8919 $
8920 @end smallexample
8921
8922 Now, we compile the program using the @sc{gnu} C compiler, @value{NGCC}.
8923 We pass the @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-g3} flags to ensure the
8924 compiler includes information about preprocessor macros in the debugging
8925 information.
8926
8927 @smallexample
8928 $ gcc -gdwarf-2 -g3 sample.c -o sample
8929 $
8930 @end smallexample
8931
8932 Now, we start @value{GDBN} on our sample program:
8933
8934 @smallexample
8935 $ gdb -nw sample
8936 GNU gdb 2002-05-06-cvs
8937 Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
8938 GDB is free software, @dots{}
8939 (@value{GDBP})
8940 @end smallexample
8941
8942 We can expand macros and examine their definitions, even when the
8943 program is not running. @value{GDBN} uses the current listing position
8944 to decide which macro definitions are in scope:
8945
8946 @smallexample
8947 (@value{GDBP}) list main
8948 3
8949 4 #define M 42
8950 5 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
8951 6
8952 7 main ()
8953 8 @{
8954 9 #define N 28
8955 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
8956 11 #undef N
8957 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
8958 (@value{GDBP}) info macro ADD
8959 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:5
8960 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
8961 (@value{GDBP}) info macro Q
8962 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.h:1
8963 included at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:2
8964 #define Q <
8965 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand ADD(1)
8966 expands to: (42 + 1)
8967 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand-once ADD(1)
8968 expands to: once (M + 1)
8969 (@value{GDBP})
8970 @end smallexample
8971
8972 In the example above, note that @code{macro expand-once} expands only
8973 the macro invocation explicit in the original text --- the invocation of
8974 @code{ADD} --- but does not expand the invocation of the macro @code{M},
8975 which was introduced by @code{ADD}.
8976
8977 Once the program is running, @value{GDBN} uses the macro definitions in
8978 force at the source line of the current stack frame:
8979
8980 @smallexample
8981 (@value{GDBP}) break main
8982 Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048370: file sample.c, line 10.
8983 (@value{GDBP}) run
8984 Starting program: /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample
8985
8986 Breakpoint 1, main () at sample.c:10
8987 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
8988 (@value{GDBP})
8989 @end smallexample
8990
8991 At line 10, the definition of the macro @code{N} at line 9 is in force:
8992
8993 @smallexample
8994 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
8995 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:9
8996 #define N 28
8997 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
8998 expands to: 28 < 42
8999 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
9000 $1 = 1
9001 (@value{GDBP})
9002 @end smallexample
9003
9004 As we step over directives that remove @code{N}'s definition, and then
9005 give it a new definition, @value{GDBN} finds the definition (or lack
9006 thereof) in force at each point:
9007
9008 @smallexample
9009 (@value{GDBP}) next
9010 Hello, world!
9011 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
9012 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
9013 The symbol `N' has no definition as a C/C++ preprocessor macro
9014 at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:12
9015 (@value{GDBP}) next
9016 We're so creative.
9017 14 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
9018 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
9019 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:13
9020 #define N 1729
9021 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
9022 expands to: 1729 < 42
9023 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
9024 $2 = 0
9025 (@value{GDBP})
9026 @end smallexample
9027
9028 In addition to source files, macros can be defined on the compilation command
9029 line using the @option{-D@var{name}=@var{value}} syntax. For macros defined in
9030 such a way, @value{GDBN} displays the location of their definition as line zero
9031 of the source file submitted to the compiler.
9032
9033 @smallexample
9034 (@value{GDBP}) info macro __STDC__
9035 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:0
9036 -D__STDC__=1
9037 (@value{GDBP})
9038 @end smallexample
9039
9040
9041 @node Tracepoints
9042 @chapter Tracepoints
9043 @c This chapter is based on the documentation written by Michael
9044 @c Snyder, David Taylor, Jim Blandy, and Elena Zannoni.
9045
9046 @cindex tracepoints
9047 In some applications, it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt
9048 the program's execution long enough for the developer to learn
9049 anything helpful about its behavior. If the program's correctness
9050 depends on its real-time behavior, delays introduced by a debugger
9051 might cause the program to change its behavior drastically, or perhaps
9052 fail, even when the code itself is correct. It is useful to be able
9053 to observe the program's behavior without interrupting it.
9054
9055 Using @value{GDBN}'s @code{trace} and @code{collect} commands, you can
9056 specify locations in the program, called @dfn{tracepoints}, and
9057 arbitrary expressions to evaluate when those tracepoints are reached.
9058 Later, using the @code{tfind} command, you can examine the values
9059 those expressions had when the program hit the tracepoints. The
9060 expressions may also denote objects in memory---structures or arrays,
9061 for example---whose values @value{GDBN} should record; while visiting
9062 a particular tracepoint, you may inspect those objects as if they were
9063 in memory at that moment. However, because @value{GDBN} records these
9064 values without interacting with you, it can do so quickly and
9065 unobtrusively, hopefully not disturbing the program's behavior.
9066
9067 The tracepoint facility is currently available only for remote
9068 targets. @xref{Targets}. In addition, your remote target must know
9069 how to collect trace data. This functionality is implemented in the
9070 remote stub; however, none of the stubs distributed with @value{GDBN}
9071 support tracepoints as of this writing. The format of the remote
9072 packets used to implement tracepoints are described in @ref{Tracepoint
9073 Packets}.
9074
9075 This chapter describes the tracepoint commands and features.
9076
9077 @menu
9078 * Set Tracepoints::
9079 * Analyze Collected Data::
9080 * Tracepoint Variables::
9081 @end menu
9082
9083 @node Set Tracepoints
9084 @section Commands to Set Tracepoints
9085
9086 Before running such a @dfn{trace experiment}, an arbitrary number of
9087 tracepoints can be set. A tracepoint is actually a special type of
9088 breakpoint (@pxref{Set Breaks}), so you can manipulate it using
9089 standard breakpoint commands. For instance, as with breakpoints,
9090 tracepoint numbers are successive integers starting from one, and many
9091 of the commands associated with tracepoints take the tracepoint number
9092 as their argument, to identify which tracepoint to work on.
9093
9094 For each tracepoint, you can specify, in advance, some arbitrary set
9095 of data that you want the target to collect in the trace buffer when
9096 it hits that tracepoint. The collected data can include registers,
9097 local variables, or global data. Later, you can use @value{GDBN}
9098 commands to examine the values these data had at the time the
9099 tracepoint was hit.
9100
9101 Tracepoints do not support every breakpoint feature. Conditional
9102 expressions and ignore counts on tracepoints have no effect, and
9103 tracepoints cannot run @value{GDBN} commands when they are
9104 hit. Tracepoints may not be thread-specific either.
9105
9106 This section describes commands to set tracepoints and associated
9107 conditions and actions.
9108
9109 @menu
9110 * Create and Delete Tracepoints::
9111 * Enable and Disable Tracepoints::
9112 * Tracepoint Passcounts::
9113 * Tracepoint Conditions::
9114 * Tracepoint Actions::
9115 * Listing Tracepoints::
9116 * Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments::
9117 @end menu
9118
9119 @node Create and Delete Tracepoints
9120 @subsection Create and Delete Tracepoints
9121
9122 @table @code
9123 @cindex set tracepoint
9124 @kindex trace
9125 @item trace @var{location}
9126 The @code{trace} command is very similar to the @code{break} command.
9127 Its argument @var{location} can be a source line, a function name, or
9128 an address in the target program. @xref{Specify Location}. The
9129 @code{trace} command defines a tracepoint, which is a point in the
9130 target program where the debugger will briefly stop, collect some
9131 data, and then allow the program to continue. Setting a tracepoint or
9132 changing its actions doesn't take effect until the next @code{tstart}
9133 command, and once a trace experiment is running, further changes will
9134 not have any effect until the next trace experiment starts.
9135
9136 Here are some examples of using the @code{trace} command:
9137
9138 @smallexample
9139 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo.c:121} // a source file and line number
9140
9141 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace +2} // 2 lines forward
9142
9143 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace my_function} // first source line of function
9144
9145 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *my_function} // EXACT start address of function
9146
9147 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *0x2117c4} // an address
9148 @end smallexample
9149
9150 @noindent
9151 You can abbreviate @code{trace} as @code{tr}.
9152
9153 @item trace @var{location} if @var{cond}
9154 Set a tracepoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
9155 @var{cond} each time the tracepoint is reached, and collect data only
9156 if the value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
9157 @xref{Tracepoint Conditions, ,Tracepoint Conditions}, for more
9158 information on tracepoint conditions.
9159
9160 @vindex $tpnum
9161 @cindex last tracepoint number
9162 @cindex recent tracepoint number
9163 @cindex tracepoint number
9164 The convenience variable @code{$tpnum} records the tracepoint number
9165 of the most recently set tracepoint.
9166
9167 @kindex delete tracepoint
9168 @cindex tracepoint deletion
9169 @item delete tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
9170 Permanently delete one or more tracepoints. With no argument, the
9171 default is to delete all tracepoints. Note that the regular
9172 @code{delete} command can remove tracepoints also.
9173
9174 Examples:
9175
9176 @smallexample
9177 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace 1 2 3} // remove three tracepoints
9178
9179 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace} // remove all tracepoints
9180 @end smallexample
9181
9182 @noindent
9183 You can abbreviate this command as @code{del tr}.
9184 @end table
9185
9186 @node Enable and Disable Tracepoints
9187 @subsection Enable and Disable Tracepoints
9188
9189 These commands are deprecated; they are equivalent to plain @code{disable} and @code{enable}.
9190
9191 @table @code
9192 @kindex disable tracepoint
9193 @item disable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
9194 Disable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints if no argument
9195 @var{num} is given. A disabled tracepoint will have no effect during
9196 the next trace experiment, but it is not forgotten. You can re-enable
9197 a disabled tracepoint using the @code{enable tracepoint} command.
9198
9199 @kindex enable tracepoint
9200 @item enable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
9201 Enable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints. The enabled
9202 tracepoints will become effective the next time a trace experiment is
9203 run.
9204 @end table
9205
9206 @node Tracepoint Passcounts
9207 @subsection Tracepoint Passcounts
9208
9209 @table @code
9210 @kindex passcount
9211 @cindex tracepoint pass count
9212 @item passcount @r{[}@var{n} @r{[}@var{num}@r{]]}
9213 Set the @dfn{passcount} of a tracepoint. The passcount is a way to
9214 automatically stop a trace experiment. If a tracepoint's passcount is
9215 @var{n}, then the trace experiment will be automatically stopped on
9216 the @var{n}'th time that tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number
9217 @var{num} is not specified, the @code{passcount} command sets the
9218 passcount of the most recently defined tracepoint. If no passcount is
9219 given, the trace experiment will run until stopped explicitly by the
9220 user.
9221
9222 Examples:
9223
9224 @smallexample
9225 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 5 2} // Stop on the 5th execution of
9226 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// tracepoint 2}
9227
9228 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 12} // Stop on the 12th execution of the
9229 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// most recently defined tracepoint.}
9230 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
9231 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 3}
9232 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace bar}
9233 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 2}
9234 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace baz}
9235 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 1} // Stop tracing when foo has been
9236 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// executed 3 times OR when bar has}
9237 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// been executed 2 times}
9238 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// OR when baz has been executed 1 time.}
9239 @end smallexample
9240 @end table
9241
9242 @node Tracepoint Conditions
9243 @subsection Tracepoint Conditions
9244 @cindex conditional tracepoints
9245 @cindex tracepoint conditions
9246
9247 The simplest sort of tracepoint collects data every time your program
9248 reaches a specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for
9249 a tracepoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
9250 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A
9251 tracepoint with a condition evaluates the expression each time your
9252 program reaches it, and data collection happens only if the condition
9253 is true.
9254
9255 Tracepoint conditions can be specified when a tracepoint is set, by
9256 using @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{trace} command.
9257 @xref{Create and Delete Tracepoints, ,Setting Tracepoints}. They can
9258 also be set or changed at any time with the @code{condition} command,
9259 just as with breakpoints.
9260
9261 Unlike breakpoint conditions, @value{GDBN} does not actually evaluate
9262 the conditional expression itself. Instead, @value{GDBN} encodes the
9263 expression into an agent expression (@pxref{Agent Expressions}
9264 suitable for execution on the target, independently of @value{GDBN}.
9265 Global variables become raw memory locations, locals become stack
9266 accesses, and so forth.
9267
9268 For instance, suppose you have a function that is usually called
9269 frequently, but should not be called after an error has occurred. You
9270 could use the following tracepoint command to collect data about calls
9271 of that function that happen while the error code is propagating
9272 through the program; an unconditional tracepoint could end up
9273 collecting thousands of useless trace frames that you would have to
9274 search through.
9275
9276 @smallexample
9277 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{trace normal_operation if errcode > 0}
9278 @end smallexample
9279
9280 @node Tracepoint Actions
9281 @subsection Tracepoint Action Lists
9282
9283 @table @code
9284 @kindex actions
9285 @cindex tracepoint actions
9286 @item actions @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
9287 This command will prompt for a list of actions to be taken when the
9288 tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number @var{num} is not
9289 specified, this command sets the actions for the one that was most
9290 recently defined (so that you can define a tracepoint and then say
9291 @code{actions} without bothering about its number). You specify the
9292 actions themselves on the following lines, one action at a time, and
9293 terminate the actions list with a line containing just @code{end}. So
9294 far, the only defined actions are @code{collect} and
9295 @code{while-stepping}.
9296
9297 @cindex remove actions from a tracepoint
9298 To remove all actions from a tracepoint, type @samp{actions @var{num}}
9299 and follow it immediately with @samp{end}.
9300
9301 @smallexample
9302 (@value{GDBP}) @b{collect @var{data}} // collect some data
9303
9304 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while-stepping 5} // single-step 5 times, collect data
9305
9306 (@value{GDBP}) @b{end} // signals the end of actions.
9307 @end smallexample
9308
9309 In the following example, the action list begins with @code{collect}
9310 commands indicating the things to be collected when the tracepoint is
9311 hit. Then, in order to single-step and collect additional data
9312 following the tracepoint, a @code{while-stepping} command is used,
9313 followed by the list of things to be collected while stepping. The
9314 @code{while-stepping} command is terminated by its own separate
9315 @code{end} command. Lastly, the action list is terminated by an
9316 @code{end} command.
9317
9318 @smallexample
9319 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
9320 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
9321 Enter actions for tracepoint 1, one per line:
9322 > collect bar,baz
9323 > collect $regs
9324 > while-stepping 12
9325 > collect $fp, $sp
9326 > end
9327 end
9328 @end smallexample
9329
9330 @kindex collect @r{(tracepoints)}
9331 @item collect @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
9332 Collect values of the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit.
9333 This command accepts a comma-separated list of any valid expressions.
9334 In addition to global, static, or local variables, the following
9335 special arguments are supported:
9336
9337 @table @code
9338 @item $regs
9339 collect all registers
9340
9341 @item $args
9342 collect all function arguments
9343
9344 @item $locals
9345 collect all local variables.
9346 @end table
9347
9348 You can give several consecutive @code{collect} commands, each one
9349 with a single argument, or one @code{collect} command with several
9350 arguments separated by commas: the effect is the same.
9351
9352 The command @code{info scope} (@pxref{Symbols, info scope}) is
9353 particularly useful for figuring out what data to collect.
9354
9355 @kindex while-stepping @r{(tracepoints)}
9356 @item while-stepping @var{n}
9357 Perform @var{n} single-step traces after the tracepoint, collecting
9358 new data at each step. The @code{while-stepping} command is
9359 followed by the list of what to collect while stepping (followed by
9360 its own @code{end} command):
9361
9362 @smallexample
9363 > while-stepping 12
9364 > collect $regs, myglobal
9365 > end
9366 >
9367 @end smallexample
9368
9369 @noindent
9370 You may abbreviate @code{while-stepping} as @code{ws} or
9371 @code{stepping}.
9372 @end table
9373
9374 @node Listing Tracepoints
9375 @subsection Listing Tracepoints
9376
9377 @table @code
9378 @kindex info tracepoints
9379 @kindex info tp
9380 @cindex information about tracepoints
9381 @item info tracepoints @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
9382 Display information about the tracepoint @var{num}. If you don't
9383 specify a tracepoint number, displays information about all the
9384 tracepoints defined so far. The format is similar to that used for
9385 @code{info breakpoints}; in fact, @code{info tracepoints} is the same
9386 command, simply restricting itself to tracepoints.
9387
9388 A tracepoint's listing may include additional information specific to
9389 tracing:
9390
9391 @itemize @bullet
9392 @item
9393 its passcount as given by the @code{passcount @var{n}} command
9394 @item
9395 its step count as given by the @code{while-stepping @var{n}} command
9396 @item
9397 its action list as given by the @code{actions} command. The actions
9398 are prefixed with an @samp{A} so as to distinguish them from commands.
9399 @end itemize
9400
9401 @smallexample
9402 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info trace}
9403 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
9404 1 tracepoint keep y 0x0804ab57 in foo() at main.cxx:7
9405 pass count 1200
9406 step count 20
9407 A while-stepping 20
9408 A collect globfoo, $regs
9409 A end
9410 A collect globfoo2
9411 A end
9412 (@value{GDBP})
9413 @end smallexample
9414
9415 @noindent
9416 This command can be abbreviated @code{info tp}.
9417 @end table
9418
9419 @node Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
9420 @subsection Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
9421
9422 @table @code
9423 @kindex tstart
9424 @cindex start a new trace experiment
9425 @cindex collected data discarded
9426 @item tstart
9427 This command takes no arguments. It starts the trace experiment, and
9428 begins collecting data. This has the side effect of discarding all
9429 the data collected in the trace buffer during the previous trace
9430 experiment.
9431
9432 @kindex tstop
9433 @cindex stop a running trace experiment
9434 @item tstop
9435 This command takes no arguments. It ends the trace experiment, and
9436 stops collecting data.
9437
9438 @strong{Note}: a trace experiment and data collection may stop
9439 automatically if any tracepoint's passcount is reached
9440 (@pxref{Tracepoint Passcounts}), or if the trace buffer becomes full.
9441
9442 @kindex tstatus
9443 @cindex status of trace data collection
9444 @cindex trace experiment, status of
9445 @item tstatus
9446 This command displays the status of the current trace data
9447 collection.
9448 @end table
9449
9450 Here is an example of the commands we described so far:
9451
9452 @smallexample
9453 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace gdb_c_test}
9454 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
9455 Enter actions for tracepoint #1, one per line.
9456 > collect $regs,$locals,$args
9457 > while-stepping 11
9458 > collect $regs
9459 > end
9460 > end
9461 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
9462 [time passes @dots{}]
9463 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstop}
9464 @end smallexample
9465
9466
9467 @node Analyze Collected Data
9468 @section Using the Collected Data
9469
9470 After the tracepoint experiment ends, you use @value{GDBN} commands
9471 for examining the trace data. The basic idea is that each tracepoint
9472 collects a trace @dfn{snapshot} every time it is hit and another
9473 snapshot every time it single-steps. All these snapshots are
9474 consecutively numbered from zero and go into a buffer, and you can
9475 examine them later. The way you examine them is to @dfn{focus} on a
9476 specific trace snapshot. When the remote stub is focused on a trace
9477 snapshot, it will respond to all @value{GDBN} requests for memory and
9478 registers by reading from the buffer which belongs to that snapshot,
9479 rather than from @emph{real} memory or registers of the program being
9480 debugged. This means that @strong{all} @value{GDBN} commands
9481 (@code{print}, @code{info registers}, @code{backtrace}, etc.) will
9482 behave as if we were currently debugging the program state as it was
9483 when the tracepoint occurred. Any requests for data that are not in
9484 the buffer will fail.
9485
9486 @menu
9487 * tfind:: How to select a trace snapshot
9488 * tdump:: How to display all data for a snapshot
9489 * save-tracepoints:: How to save tracepoints for a future run
9490 @end menu
9491
9492 @node tfind
9493 @subsection @code{tfind @var{n}}
9494
9495 @kindex tfind
9496 @cindex select trace snapshot
9497 @cindex find trace snapshot
9498 The basic command for selecting a trace snapshot from the buffer is
9499 @code{tfind @var{n}}, which finds trace snapshot number @var{n},
9500 counting from zero. If no argument @var{n} is given, the next
9501 snapshot is selected.
9502
9503 Here are the various forms of using the @code{tfind} command.
9504
9505 @table @code
9506 @item tfind start
9507 Find the first snapshot in the buffer. This is a synonym for
9508 @code{tfind 0} (since 0 is the number of the first snapshot).
9509
9510 @item tfind none
9511 Stop debugging trace snapshots, resume @emph{live} debugging.
9512
9513 @item tfind end
9514 Same as @samp{tfind none}.
9515
9516 @item tfind
9517 No argument means find the next trace snapshot.
9518
9519 @item tfind -
9520 Find the previous trace snapshot before the current one. This permits
9521 retracing earlier steps.
9522
9523 @item tfind tracepoint @var{num}
9524 Find the next snapshot associated with tracepoint @var{num}. Search
9525 proceeds forward from the last examined trace snapshot. If no
9526 argument @var{num} is given, it means find the next snapshot collected
9527 for the same tracepoint as the current snapshot.
9528
9529 @item tfind pc @var{addr}
9530 Find the next snapshot associated with the value @var{addr} of the
9531 program counter. Search proceeds forward from the last examined trace
9532 snapshot. If no argument @var{addr} is given, it means find the next
9533 snapshot with the same value of PC as the current snapshot.
9534
9535 @item tfind outside @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
9536 Find the next snapshot whose PC is outside the given range of
9537 addresses.
9538
9539 @item tfind range @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
9540 Find the next snapshot whose PC is between @var{addr1} and
9541 @var{addr2}. @c FIXME: Is the range inclusive or exclusive?
9542
9543 @item tfind line @r{[}@var{file}:@r{]}@var{n}
9544 Find the next snapshot associated with the source line @var{n}. If
9545 the optional argument @var{file} is given, refer to line @var{n} in
9546 that source file. Search proceeds forward from the last examined
9547 trace snapshot. If no argument @var{n} is given, it means find the
9548 next line other than the one currently being examined; thus saying
9549 @code{tfind line} repeatedly can appear to have the same effect as
9550 stepping from line to line in a @emph{live} debugging session.
9551 @end table
9552
9553 The default arguments for the @code{tfind} commands are specifically
9554 designed to make it easy to scan through the trace buffer. For
9555 instance, @code{tfind} with no argument selects the next trace
9556 snapshot, and @code{tfind -} with no argument selects the previous
9557 trace snapshot. So, by giving one @code{tfind} command, and then
9558 simply hitting @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine all the trace
9559 snapshots in order. Or, by saying @code{tfind -} and then hitting
9560 @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine the snapshots in reverse order.
9561 The @code{tfind line} command with no argument selects the snapshot
9562 for the next source line executed. The @code{tfind pc} command with
9563 no argument selects the next snapshot with the same program counter
9564 (PC) as the current frame. The @code{tfind tracepoint} command with
9565 no argument selects the next trace snapshot collected by the same
9566 tracepoint as the current one.
9567
9568 In addition to letting you scan through the trace buffer manually,
9569 these commands make it easy to construct @value{GDBN} scripts that
9570 scan through the trace buffer and print out whatever collected data
9571 you are interested in. Thus, if we want to examine the PC, FP, and SP
9572 registers from each trace frame in the buffer, we can say this:
9573
9574 @smallexample
9575 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
9576 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
9577 > printf "Frame %d, PC = %08X, SP = %08X, FP = %08X\n", \
9578 $trace_frame, $pc, $sp, $fp
9579 > tfind
9580 > end
9581
9582 Frame 0, PC = 0020DC64, SP = 0030BF3C, FP = 0030BF44
9583 Frame 1, PC = 0020DC6C, SP = 0030BF38, FP = 0030BF44
9584 Frame 2, PC = 0020DC70, SP = 0030BF34, FP = 0030BF44
9585 Frame 3, PC = 0020DC74, SP = 0030BF30, FP = 0030BF44
9586 Frame 4, PC = 0020DC78, SP = 0030BF2C, FP = 0030BF44
9587 Frame 5, PC = 0020DC7C, SP = 0030BF28, FP = 0030BF44
9588 Frame 6, PC = 0020DC80, SP = 0030BF24, FP = 0030BF44
9589 Frame 7, PC = 0020DC84, SP = 0030BF20, FP = 0030BF44
9590 Frame 8, PC = 0020DC88, SP = 0030BF1C, FP = 0030BF44
9591 Frame 9, PC = 0020DC8E, SP = 0030BF18, FP = 0030BF44
9592 Frame 10, PC = 00203F6C, SP = 0030BE3C, FP = 0030BF14
9593 @end smallexample
9594
9595 Or, if we want to examine the variable @code{X} at each source line in
9596 the buffer:
9597
9598 @smallexample
9599 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
9600 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
9601 > printf "Frame %d, X == %d\n", $trace_frame, X
9602 > tfind line
9603 > end
9604
9605 Frame 0, X = 1
9606 Frame 7, X = 2
9607 Frame 13, X = 255
9608 @end smallexample
9609
9610 @node tdump
9611 @subsection @code{tdump}
9612 @kindex tdump
9613 @cindex dump all data collected at tracepoint
9614 @cindex tracepoint data, display
9615
9616 This command takes no arguments. It prints all the data collected at
9617 the current trace snapshot.
9618
9619 @smallexample
9620 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace 444}
9621 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
9622 Enter actions for tracepoint #2, one per line:
9623 > collect $regs, $locals, $args, gdb_long_test
9624 > end
9625
9626 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
9627
9628 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind line 444}
9629 #0 gdb_test (p1=0x11, p2=0x22, p3=0x33, p4=0x44, p5=0x55, p6=0x66)
9630 at gdb_test.c:444
9631 444 printp( "%s: arguments = 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X\n", )
9632
9633 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tdump}
9634 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 1:
9635 d0 0xc4aa0085 -995491707
9636 d1 0x18 24
9637 d2 0x80 128
9638 d3 0x33 51
9639 d4 0x71aea3d 119204413
9640 d5 0x22 34
9641 d6 0xe0 224
9642 d7 0x380035 3670069
9643 a0 0x19e24a 1696330
9644 a1 0x3000668 50333288
9645 a2 0x100 256
9646 a3 0x322000 3284992
9647 a4 0x3000698 50333336
9648 a5 0x1ad3cc 1758156
9649 fp 0x30bf3c 0x30bf3c
9650 sp 0x30bf34 0x30bf34
9651 ps 0x0 0
9652 pc 0x20b2c8 0x20b2c8
9653 fpcontrol 0x0 0
9654 fpstatus 0x0 0
9655 fpiaddr 0x0 0
9656 p = 0x20e5b4 "gdb-test"
9657 p1 = (void *) 0x11
9658 p2 = (void *) 0x22
9659 p3 = (void *) 0x33
9660 p4 = (void *) 0x44
9661 p5 = (void *) 0x55
9662 p6 = (void *) 0x66
9663 gdb_long_test = 17 '\021'
9664
9665 (@value{GDBP})
9666 @end smallexample
9667
9668 @node save-tracepoints
9669 @subsection @code{save-tracepoints @var{filename}}
9670 @kindex save-tracepoints
9671 @cindex save tracepoints for future sessions
9672
9673 This command saves all current tracepoint definitions together with
9674 their actions and passcounts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
9675 suitable for use in a later debugging session. To read the saved
9676 tracepoint definitions, use the @code{source} command (@pxref{Command
9677 Files}).
9678
9679 @node Tracepoint Variables
9680 @section Convenience Variables for Tracepoints
9681 @cindex tracepoint variables
9682 @cindex convenience variables for tracepoints
9683
9684 @table @code
9685 @vindex $trace_frame
9686 @item (int) $trace_frame
9687 The current trace snapshot (a.k.a.@: @dfn{frame}) number, or -1 if no
9688 snapshot is selected.
9689
9690 @vindex $tracepoint
9691 @item (int) $tracepoint
9692 The tracepoint for the current trace snapshot.
9693
9694 @vindex $trace_line
9695 @item (int) $trace_line
9696 The line number for the current trace snapshot.
9697
9698 @vindex $trace_file
9699 @item (char []) $trace_file
9700 The source file for the current trace snapshot.
9701
9702 @vindex $trace_func
9703 @item (char []) $trace_func
9704 The name of the function containing @code{$tracepoint}.
9705 @end table
9706
9707 Note: @code{$trace_file} is not suitable for use in @code{printf},
9708 use @code{output} instead.
9709
9710 Here's a simple example of using these convenience variables for
9711 stepping through all the trace snapshots and printing some of their
9712 data.
9713
9714 @smallexample
9715 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
9716
9717 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while $trace_frame != -1}
9718 > output $trace_file
9719 > printf ", line %d (tracepoint #%d)\n", $trace_line, $tracepoint
9720 > tfind
9721 > end
9722 @end smallexample
9723
9724 @node Overlays
9725 @chapter Debugging Programs That Use Overlays
9726 @cindex overlays
9727
9728 If your program is too large to fit completely in your target system's
9729 memory, you can sometimes use @dfn{overlays} to work around this
9730 problem. @value{GDBN} provides some support for debugging programs that
9731 use overlays.
9732
9733 @menu
9734 * How Overlays Work:: A general explanation of overlays.
9735 * Overlay Commands:: Managing overlays in @value{GDBN}.
9736 * Automatic Overlay Debugging:: @value{GDBN} can find out which overlays are
9737 mapped by asking the inferior.
9738 * Overlay Sample Program:: A sample program using overlays.
9739 @end menu
9740
9741 @node How Overlays Work
9742 @section How Overlays Work
9743 @cindex mapped overlays
9744 @cindex unmapped overlays
9745 @cindex load address, overlay's
9746 @cindex mapped address
9747 @cindex overlay area
9748
9749 Suppose you have a computer whose instruction address space is only 64
9750 kilobytes long, but which has much more memory which can be accessed by
9751 other means: special instructions, segment registers, or memory
9752 management hardware, for example. Suppose further that you want to
9753 adapt a program which is larger than 64 kilobytes to run on this system.
9754
9755 One solution is to identify modules of your program which are relatively
9756 independent, and need not call each other directly; call these modules
9757 @dfn{overlays}. Separate the overlays from the main program, and place
9758 their machine code in the larger memory. Place your main program in
9759 instruction memory, but leave at least enough space there to hold the
9760 largest overlay as well.
9761
9762 Now, to call a function located in an overlay, you must first copy that
9763 overlay's machine code from the large memory into the space set aside
9764 for it in the instruction memory, and then jump to its entry point
9765 there.
9766
9767 @c NB: In the below the mapped area's size is greater or equal to the
9768 @c size of all overlays. This is intentional to remind the developer
9769 @c that overlays don't necessarily need to be the same size.
9770
9771 @smallexample
9772 @group
9773 Data Instruction Larger
9774 Address Space Address Space Address Space
9775 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
9776 | | | | | |
9777 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+<-- overlay 1
9778 | program | | main | .----| overlay 1 | load address
9779 | variables | | program | | +-----------+
9780 | and heap | | | | | |
9781 +-----------+ | | | +-----------+<-- overlay 2
9782 | | +-----------+ | | | load address
9783 +-----------+ | | | .-| overlay 2 |
9784 | | | | | |
9785 mapped --->+-----------+ | | +-----------+
9786 address | | | | | |
9787 | overlay | <-' | | |
9788 | area | <---' +-----------+<-- overlay 3
9789 | | <---. | | load address
9790 +-----------+ `--| overlay 3 |
9791 | | | |
9792 +-----------+ | |
9793 +-----------+
9794 | |
9795 +-----------+
9796
9797 @anchor{A code overlay}A code overlay
9798 @end group
9799 @end smallexample
9800
9801 The diagram (@pxref{A code overlay}) shows a system with separate data
9802 and instruction address spaces. To map an overlay, the program copies
9803 its code from the larger address space to the instruction address space.
9804 Since the overlays shown here all use the same mapped address, only one
9805 may be mapped at a time. For a system with a single address space for
9806 data and instructions, the diagram would be similar, except that the
9807 program variables and heap would share an address space with the main
9808 program and the overlay area.
9809
9810 An overlay loaded into instruction memory and ready for use is called a
9811 @dfn{mapped} overlay; its @dfn{mapped address} is its address in the
9812 instruction memory. An overlay not present (or only partially present)
9813 in instruction memory is called @dfn{unmapped}; its @dfn{load address}
9814 is its address in the larger memory. The mapped address is also called
9815 the @dfn{virtual memory address}, or @dfn{VMA}; the load address is also
9816 called the @dfn{load memory address}, or @dfn{LMA}.
9817
9818 Unfortunately, overlays are not a completely transparent way to adapt a
9819 program to limited instruction memory. They introduce a new set of
9820 global constraints you must keep in mind as you design your program:
9821
9822 @itemize @bullet
9823
9824 @item
9825 Before calling or returning to a function in an overlay, your program
9826 must make sure that overlay is actually mapped. Otherwise, the call or
9827 return will transfer control to the right address, but in the wrong
9828 overlay, and your program will probably crash.
9829
9830 @item
9831 If the process of mapping an overlay is expensive on your system, you
9832 will need to choose your overlays carefully to minimize their effect on
9833 your program's performance.
9834
9835 @item
9836 The executable file you load onto your system must contain each
9837 overlay's instructions, appearing at the overlay's load address, not its
9838 mapped address. However, each overlay's instructions must be relocated
9839 and its symbols defined as if the overlay were at its mapped address.
9840 You can use GNU linker scripts to specify different load and relocation
9841 addresses for pieces of your program; see @ref{Overlay Description,,,
9842 ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}.
9843
9844 @item
9845 The procedure for loading executable files onto your system must be able
9846 to load their contents into the larger address space as well as the
9847 instruction and data spaces.
9848
9849 @end itemize
9850
9851 The overlay system described above is rather simple, and could be
9852 improved in many ways:
9853
9854 @itemize @bullet
9855
9856 @item
9857 If your system has suitable bank switch registers or memory management
9858 hardware, you could use those facilities to make an overlay's load area
9859 contents simply appear at their mapped address in instruction space.
9860 This would probably be faster than copying the overlay to its mapped
9861 area in the usual way.
9862
9863 @item
9864 If your overlays are small enough, you could set aside more than one
9865 overlay area, and have more than one overlay mapped at a time.
9866
9867 @item
9868 You can use overlays to manage data, as well as instructions. In
9869 general, data overlays are even less transparent to your design than
9870 code overlays: whereas code overlays only require care when you call or
9871 return to functions, data overlays require care every time you access
9872 the data. Also, if you change the contents of a data overlay, you
9873 must copy its contents back out to its load address before you can copy a
9874 different data overlay into the same mapped area.
9875
9876 @end itemize
9877
9878
9879 @node Overlay Commands
9880 @section Overlay Commands
9881
9882 To use @value{GDBN}'s overlay support, each overlay in your program must
9883 correspond to a separate section of the executable file. The section's
9884 virtual memory address and load memory address must be the overlay's
9885 mapped and load addresses. Identifying overlays with sections allows
9886 @value{GDBN} to determine the appropriate address of a function or
9887 variable, depending on whether the overlay is mapped or not.
9888
9889 @value{GDBN}'s overlay commands all start with the word @code{overlay};
9890 you can abbreviate this as @code{ov} or @code{ovly}. The commands are:
9891
9892 @table @code
9893 @item overlay off
9894 @kindex overlay
9895 Disable @value{GDBN}'s overlay support. When overlay support is
9896 disabled, @value{GDBN} assumes that all functions and variables are
9897 always present at their mapped addresses. By default, @value{GDBN}'s
9898 overlay support is disabled.
9899
9900 @item overlay manual
9901 @cindex manual overlay debugging
9902 Enable @dfn{manual} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
9903 relies on you to tell it which overlays are mapped, and which are not,
9904 using the @code{overlay map-overlay} and @code{overlay unmap-overlay}
9905 commands described below.
9906
9907 @item overlay map-overlay @var{overlay}
9908 @itemx overlay map @var{overlay}
9909 @cindex map an overlay
9910 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is now mapped; @var{overlay} must
9911 be the name of the object file section containing the overlay. When an
9912 overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the overlay's
9913 functions and variables at their mapped addresses. @value{GDBN} assumes
9914 that any other overlays whose mapped ranges overlap that of
9915 @var{overlay} are now unmapped.
9916
9917 @item overlay unmap-overlay @var{overlay}
9918 @itemx overlay unmap @var{overlay}
9919 @cindex unmap an overlay
9920 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is no longer mapped; @var{overlay}
9921 must be the name of the object file section containing the overlay.
9922 When an overlay is unmapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the
9923 overlay's functions and variables at their load addresses.
9924
9925 @item overlay auto
9926 Enable @dfn{automatic} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
9927 consults a data structure the overlay manager maintains in the inferior
9928 to see which overlays are mapped. For details, see @ref{Automatic
9929 Overlay Debugging}.
9930
9931 @item overlay load-target
9932 @itemx overlay load
9933 @cindex reloading the overlay table
9934 Re-read the overlay table from the inferior. Normally, @value{GDBN}
9935 re-reads the table @value{GDBN} automatically each time the inferior
9936 stops, so this command should only be necessary if you have changed the
9937 overlay mapping yourself using @value{GDBN}. This command is only
9938 useful when using automatic overlay debugging.
9939
9940 @item overlay list-overlays
9941 @itemx overlay list
9942 @cindex listing mapped overlays
9943 Display a list of the overlays currently mapped, along with their mapped
9944 addresses, load addresses, and sizes.
9945
9946 @end table
9947
9948 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a code address, it includes the name
9949 of the function the address falls in:
9950
9951 @smallexample
9952 (@value{GDBP}) print main
9953 $3 = @{int ()@} 0x11a0 <main>
9954 @end smallexample
9955 @noindent
9956 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} recognizes code in
9957 unmapped overlays, and prints the names of unmapped functions with
9958 asterisks around them. For example, if @code{foo} is a function in an
9959 unmapped overlay, @value{GDBN} prints it this way:
9960
9961 @smallexample
9962 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
9963 No sections are mapped.
9964 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
9965 $5 = @{int (int)@} 0x100000 <*foo*>
9966 @end smallexample
9967 @noindent
9968 When @code{foo}'s overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} prints the function's
9969 name normally:
9970
9971 @smallexample
9972 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
9973 Section .ov.foo.text, loaded at 0x100000 - 0x100034,
9974 mapped at 0x1016 - 0x104a
9975 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
9976 $6 = @{int (int)@} 0x1016 <foo>
9977 @end smallexample
9978
9979 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} can find the correct
9980 address for functions and variables in an overlay, whether or not the
9981 overlay is mapped. This allows most @value{GDBN} commands, like
9982 @code{break} and @code{disassemble}, to work normally, even on unmapped
9983 code. However, @value{GDBN}'s breakpoint support has some limitations:
9984
9985 @itemize @bullet
9986 @item
9987 @cindex breakpoints in overlays
9988 @cindex overlays, setting breakpoints in
9989 You can set breakpoints in functions in unmapped overlays, as long as
9990 @value{GDBN} can write to the overlay at its load address.
9991 @item
9992 @value{GDBN} can not set hardware or simulator-based breakpoints in
9993 unmapped overlays. However, if you set a breakpoint at the end of your
9994 overlay manager (and tell @value{GDBN} which overlays are now mapped, if
9995 you are using manual overlay management), @value{GDBN} will re-set its
9996 breakpoints properly.
9997 @end itemize
9998
9999
10000 @node Automatic Overlay Debugging
10001 @section Automatic Overlay Debugging
10002 @cindex automatic overlay debugging
10003
10004 @value{GDBN} can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which
10005 are not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
10006 inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the
10007 @code{overlay auto} command (@pxref{Overlay Commands}), @value{GDBN}
10008 looks in the inferior's memory for certain variables describing the
10009 current state of the overlays.
10010
10011 Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
10012 @value{GDBN}'s automatic overlay debugging:
10013
10014 @table @asis
10015
10016 @item @code{_ovly_table}:
10017 This variable must be an array of the following structures:
10018
10019 @smallexample
10020 struct
10021 @{
10022 /* The overlay's mapped address. */
10023 unsigned long vma;
10024
10025 /* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
10026 unsigned long size;
10027
10028 /* The overlay's load address. */
10029 unsigned long lma;
10030
10031 /* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
10032 zero otherwise. */
10033 unsigned long mapped;
10034 @}
10035 @end smallexample
10036
10037 @item @code{_novlys}:
10038 This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
10039 number of elements in @code{_ovly_table}.
10040
10041 @end table
10042
10043 To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, @value{GDBN}
10044 looks for an entry in @w{@code{_ovly_table}} whose @code{vma} and
10045 @code{lma} members equal the VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the
10046 executable file. When @value{GDBN} finds a matching entry, it consults
10047 the entry's @code{mapped} member to determine whether the overlay is
10048 currently mapped.
10049
10050 In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
10051 @code{_ovly_debug_event}. If this function is defined, @value{GDBN}
10052 will silently set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then
10053 calls this function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this
10054 will enable @value{GDBN} to accurately keep track of which overlays
10055 are in program memory, and update any breakpoints that may be set
10056 in overlays. This will allow breakpoints to work even if the
10057 overlays are kept in ROM or other non-writable memory while they
10058 are not being executed.
10059
10060 @node Overlay Sample Program
10061 @section Overlay Sample Program
10062 @cindex overlay example program
10063
10064 When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
10065 at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
10066 addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (@pxref{Overlay
10067 Description,,, ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}). Unfortunately,
10068 since linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
10069 architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
10070 portable sample code demonstrating @value{GDBN}'s overlay support.
10071
10072 However, the @value{GDBN} source distribution does contain an overlaid
10073 program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
10074 suite. The program consists of the following files from
10075 @file{gdb/testsuite/gdb.base}:
10076
10077 @table @file
10078 @item overlays.c
10079 The main program file.
10080 @item ovlymgr.c
10081 A simple overlay manager, used by @file{overlays.c}.
10082 @item foo.c
10083 @itemx bar.c
10084 @itemx baz.c
10085 @itemx grbx.c
10086 Overlay modules, loaded and used by @file{overlays.c}.
10087 @item d10v.ld
10088 @itemx m32r.ld
10089 Linker scripts for linking the test program on the @code{d10v-elf}
10090 and @code{m32r-elf} targets.
10091 @end table
10092
10093 You can build the test program using the @code{d10v-elf} GCC
10094 cross-compiler like this:
10095
10096 @smallexample
10097 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
10098 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
10099 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
10100 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
10101 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
10102 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
10103 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
10104 baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
10105 @end smallexample
10106
10107 The build process is identical for any other architecture, except that
10108 you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for the
10109 target system for @code{d10v-elf-gcc} and @code{d10v.ld}.
10110
10111
10112 @node Languages
10113 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages
10114 @cindex languages
10115
10116 Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
10117 rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
10118 dereferencing a pointer @code{p} is accomplished by @code{*p}, but in
10119 Modula-2, it is accomplished by @code{p^}. Values can also be
10120 represented (and displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as
10121 @samp{0x1ae}, while in Modula-2 they appear as @samp{1AEH}.
10122
10123 @cindex working language
10124 Language-specific information is built into @value{GDBN} for some languages,
10125 allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
10126 native language, and allowing @value{GDBN} to output values in a manner
10127 consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
10128 language you use to build expressions is called the @dfn{working
10129 language}.
10130
10131 @menu
10132 * Setting:: Switching between source languages
10133 * Show:: Displaying the language
10134 * Checks:: Type and range checks
10135 * Supported Languages:: Supported languages
10136 * Unsupported Languages:: Unsupported languages
10137 @end menu
10138
10139 @node Setting
10140 @section Switching Between Source Languages
10141
10142 There are two ways to control the working language---either have @value{GDBN}
10143 set it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the
10144 @code{set language} command for either purpose. On startup, @value{GDBN}
10145 defaults to setting the language automatically. The working language is
10146 used to determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values
10147 are printed, etc.
10148
10149 In addition to the working language, every source file that
10150 @value{GDBN} knows about has its own working language. For some object
10151 file formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular
10152 source file is in. However, most of the time @value{GDBN} infers the
10153 language from the name of the file. The language of a source file
10154 controls whether C@t{++} names are demangled---this way @code{backtrace} can
10155 show each frame appropriately for its own language. There is no way to
10156 set the language of a source file from within @value{GDBN}, but you can
10157 set the language associated with a filename extension. @xref{Show, ,
10158 Displaying the Language}.
10159
10160 This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such
10161 as @code{cfront} or @code{f2c}, that generates C but is written in
10162 another language. In that case, make the
10163 program use @code{#line} directives in its C output; that way
10164 @value{GDBN} will know the correct language of the source code of the original
10165 program, and will display that source code, not the generated C code.
10166
10167 @menu
10168 * Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
10169 * Manually:: Setting the working language manually
10170 * Automatically:: Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
10171 @end menu
10172
10173 @node Filenames
10174 @subsection List of Filename Extensions and Languages
10175
10176 If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then
10177 @value{GDBN} infers that its language is the one indicated.
10178
10179 @table @file
10180 @item .ada
10181 @itemx .ads
10182 @itemx .adb
10183 @itemx .a
10184 Ada source file.
10185
10186 @item .c
10187 C source file
10188
10189 @item .C
10190 @itemx .cc
10191 @itemx .cp
10192 @itemx .cpp
10193 @itemx .cxx
10194 @itemx .c++
10195 C@t{++} source file
10196
10197 @item .m
10198 Objective-C source file
10199
10200 @item .f
10201 @itemx .F
10202 Fortran source file
10203
10204 @item .mod
10205 Modula-2 source file
10206
10207 @item .s
10208 @itemx .S
10209 Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
10210 @value{GDBN} does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
10211 @end table
10212
10213 In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
10214 extension. @xref{Show, , Displaying the Language}.
10215
10216 @node Manually
10217 @subsection Setting the Working Language
10218
10219 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically,
10220 expressions are interpreted the same way in your debugging session and
10221 your program.
10222
10223 @kindex set language
10224 If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue the
10225 command @samp{set language @var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the name of
10226 a language, such as
10227 @code{c} or @code{modula-2}.
10228 For a list of the supported languages, type @samp{set language}.
10229
10230 Setting the language manually prevents @value{GDBN} from updating the working
10231 language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try
10232 to debug a program when the working language is not the same as the
10233 source language, when an expression is acceptable to both
10234 languages---but means different things. For instance, if the current
10235 source file were written in C, and @value{GDBN} was parsing Modula-2, a
10236 command such as:
10237
10238 @smallexample
10239 print a = b + c
10240 @end smallexample
10241
10242 @noindent
10243 might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add
10244 @code{b} and @code{c} and place the result in @code{a}. The result
10245 printed would be the value of @code{a}. In Modula-2, this means to compare
10246 @code{a} to the result of @code{b+c}, yielding a @code{BOOLEAN} value.
10247
10248 @node Automatically
10249 @subsection Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language
10250
10251 To have @value{GDBN} set the working language automatically, use
10252 @samp{set language local} or @samp{set language auto}. @value{GDBN}
10253 then infers the working language. That is, when your program stops in a
10254 frame (usually by encountering a breakpoint), @value{GDBN} sets the
10255 working language to the language recorded for the function in that
10256 frame. If the language for a frame is unknown (that is, if the function
10257 or block corresponding to the frame was defined in a source file that
10258 does not have a recognized extension), the current working language is
10259 not changed, and @value{GDBN} issues a warning.
10260
10261 This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
10262 entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
10263 written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
10264 a different source language. Using @samp{set language auto} in this
10265 case frees you from having to set the working language manually.
10266
10267 @node Show
10268 @section Displaying the Language
10269
10270 The following commands help you find out which language is the
10271 working language, and also what language source files were written in.
10272
10273 @table @code
10274 @item show language
10275 @kindex show language
10276 Display the current working language. This is the
10277 language you can use with commands such as @code{print} to
10278 build and compute expressions that may involve variables in your program.
10279
10280 @item info frame
10281 @kindex info frame@r{, show the source language}
10282 Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes the
10283 working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
10284 @xref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}, to identify the other
10285 information listed here.
10286
10287 @item info source
10288 @kindex info source@r{, show the source language}
10289 Display the source language of this source file.
10290 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, to identify the other
10291 information listed here.
10292 @end table
10293
10294 In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
10295 not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
10296 with a language explicitly:
10297
10298 @table @code
10299 @item set extension-language @var{ext} @var{language}
10300 @kindex set extension-language
10301 Tell @value{GDBN} that source files with extension @var{ext} are to be
10302 assumed as written in the source language @var{language}.
10303
10304 @item info extensions
10305 @kindex info extensions
10306 List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.
10307 @end table
10308
10309 @node Checks
10310 @section Type and Range Checking
10311
10312 @quotation
10313 @emph{Warning:} In this release, the @value{GDBN} commands for type and range
10314 checking are included, but they do not yet have any effect. This
10315 section documents the intended facilities.
10316 @end quotation
10317 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range code added
10318
10319 Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly common
10320 errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These include
10321 checking the type of arguments to functions and operators, and making
10322 sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such as
10323 these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been compiled
10324 by eliminating type mismatches, and providing active checks for range
10325 errors when your program is running.
10326
10327 @value{GDBN} can check for conditions like the above if you wish.
10328 Although @value{GDBN} does not check the statements in your program,
10329 it can check expressions entered directly into @value{GDBN} for
10330 evaluation via the @code{print} command, for example. As with the
10331 working language, @value{GDBN} can also decide whether or not to check
10332 automatically based on your program's source language.
10333 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default
10334 settings of supported languages.
10335
10336 @menu
10337 * Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
10338 * Range Checking:: An overview of range checking
10339 @end menu
10340
10341 @cindex type checking
10342 @cindex checks, type
10343 @node Type Checking
10344 @subsection An Overview of Type Checking
10345
10346 Some languages, such as Modula-2, are strongly typed, meaning that the
10347 arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
10348 otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch
10349 errors from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
10350
10351 @smallexample
10352 1 + 2 @result{} 3
10353 @exdent but
10354 @error{} 1 + 2.3
10355 @end smallexample
10356
10357 The second example fails because the @code{CARDINAL} 1 is not
10358 type-compatible with the @code{REAL} 2.3.
10359
10360 For the expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell the
10361 @value{GDBN} type checker to skip checking;
10362 to treat any mismatches as errors and abandon the expression;
10363 or to only issue warnings when type mismatches occur,
10364 but evaluate the expression anyway. When you choose the last of
10365 these, @value{GDBN} evaluates expressions like the second example above, but
10366 also issues a warning.
10367
10368 Even if you turn type checking off, there may be other reasons
10369 related to type that prevent @value{GDBN} from evaluating an expression.
10370 For instance, @value{GDBN} does not know how to add an @code{int} and
10371 a @code{struct foo}. These particular type errors have nothing to do
10372 with the language in use, and usually arise from expressions, such as
10373 the one described above, which make little sense to evaluate anyway.
10374
10375 Each language defines to what degree it is strict about type. For
10376 instance, both Modula-2 and C require the arguments to arithmetical
10377 operators to be numbers. In C, enumerated types and pointers can be
10378 represented as numbers, so that they are valid arguments to mathematical
10379 operators. @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for further
10380 details on specific languages.
10381
10382 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the type checker:
10383
10384 @kindex set check type
10385 @kindex show check type
10386 @table @code
10387 @item set check type auto
10388 Set type checking on or off based on the current working language.
10389 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
10390 each language.
10391
10392 @item set check type on
10393 @itemx set check type off
10394 Set type checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
10395 current working language. Issue a warning if the setting does not
10396 match the language default. If any type mismatches occur in
10397 evaluating an expression while type checking is on, @value{GDBN} prints a
10398 message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
10399
10400 @item set check type warn
10401 Cause the type checker to issue warnings, but to always attempt to
10402 evaluate the expression. Evaluating the expression may still
10403 be impossible for other reasons. For example, @value{GDBN} cannot add
10404 numbers and structures.
10405
10406 @item show type
10407 Show the current setting of the type checker, and whether or not @value{GDBN}
10408 is setting it automatically.
10409 @end table
10410
10411 @cindex range checking
10412 @cindex checks, range
10413 @node Range Checking
10414 @subsection An Overview of Range Checking
10415
10416 In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
10417 bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
10418 checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
10419 computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
10420 not exceed the bounds of the array.
10421
10422 For expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
10423 @value{GDBN} to treat range errors in one of three ways: ignore them,
10424 always treat them as errors and abandon the expression, or issue
10425 warnings but evaluate the expression anyway.
10426
10427 A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
10428 array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member
10429 of any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an
10430 error. In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the
10431 result to ``wrap around'' to lower values---for example, if @var{m} is
10432 the largest integer value, and @var{s} is the smallest, then
10433
10434 @smallexample
10435 @var{m} + 1 @result{} @var{s}
10436 @end smallexample
10437
10438 This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
10439 specific to individual compilers or machines. @xref{Supported Languages, ,
10440 Supported Languages}, for further details on specific languages.
10441
10442 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the range checker:
10443
10444 @kindex set check range
10445 @kindex show check range
10446 @table @code
10447 @item set check range auto
10448 Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
10449 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
10450 each language.
10451
10452 @item set check range on
10453 @itemx set check range off
10454 Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
10455 current working language. A warning is issued if the setting does not
10456 match the language default. If a range error occurs and range checking is on,
10457 then a message is printed and evaluation of the expression is aborted.
10458
10459 @item set check range warn
10460 Output messages when the @value{GDBN} range checker detects a range error,
10461 but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
10462 expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as accessing
10463 memory that the process does not own (a typical example from many Unix
10464 systems).
10465
10466 @item show range
10467 Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not it is
10468 being set automatically by @value{GDBN}.
10469 @end table
10470
10471 @node Supported Languages
10472 @section Supported Languages
10473
10474 @value{GDBN} supports C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, Pascal,
10475 assembly, Modula-2, and Ada.
10476 @c This is false ...
10477 Some @value{GDBN} features may be used in expressions regardless of the
10478 language you use: the @value{GDBN} @code{@@} and @code{::} operators,
10479 and the @samp{@{type@}addr} construct (@pxref{Expressions,
10480 ,Expressions}) can be used with the constructs of any supported
10481 language.
10482
10483 The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
10484 supported by @value{GDBN}. These sections are not meant to be language
10485 tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
10486 @value{GDBN} expression parser accepts, and what input and output
10487 formats should look like for different languages. There are many good
10488 books written on each of these languages; please look to these for a
10489 language reference or tutorial.
10490
10491 @menu
10492 * C:: C and C@t{++}
10493 * Objective-C:: Objective-C
10494 * Fortran:: Fortran
10495 * Pascal:: Pascal
10496 * Modula-2:: Modula-2
10497 * Ada:: Ada
10498 @end menu
10499
10500 @node C
10501 @subsection C and C@t{++}
10502
10503 @cindex C and C@t{++}
10504 @cindex expressions in C or C@t{++}
10505
10506 Since C and C@t{++} are so closely related, many features of @value{GDBN} apply
10507 to both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
10508 together.
10509
10510 @cindex C@t{++}
10511 @cindex @code{g++}, @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler
10512 @cindex @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
10513 The C@t{++} debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C@t{++}
10514 compiler and @value{GDBN}. Therefore, to debug your C@t{++} code
10515 effectively, you must compile your C@t{++} programs with a supported
10516 C@t{++} compiler, such as @sc{gnu} @code{g++}, or the HP ANSI C@t{++}
10517 compiler (@code{aCC}).
10518
10519 For best results when using @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, use the DWARF 2 debugging
10520 format; if it doesn't work on your system, try the stabs+ debugging
10521 format. You can select those formats explicitly with the @code{g++}
10522 command-line options @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-gstabs+}.
10523 @xref{Debugging Options,,Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC,
10524 gcc.info, Using the @sc{gnu} Compiler Collection (GCC)}.
10525
10526 @menu
10527 * C Operators:: C and C@t{++} operators
10528 * C Constants:: C and C@t{++} constants
10529 * C Plus Plus Expressions:: C@t{++} expressions
10530 * C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C@t{++}
10531 * C Checks:: C and C@t{++} type and range checks
10532 * Debugging C:: @value{GDBN} and C
10533 * Debugging C Plus Plus:: @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
10534 * Decimal Floating Point:: Numbers in Decimal Floating Point format
10535 @end menu
10536
10537 @node C Operators
10538 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Operators
10539
10540 @cindex C and C@t{++} operators
10541
10542 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
10543 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
10544 often defined on groups of types.
10545
10546 For the purposes of C and C@t{++}, the following definitions hold:
10547
10548 @itemize @bullet
10549
10550 @item
10551 @emph{Integral types} include @code{int} with any of its storage-class
10552 specifiers; @code{char}; @code{enum}; and, for C@t{++}, @code{bool}.
10553
10554 @item
10555 @emph{Floating-point types} include @code{float}, @code{double}, and
10556 @code{long double} (if supported by the target platform).
10557
10558 @item
10559 @emph{Pointer types} include all types defined as @code{(@var{type} *)}.
10560
10561 @item
10562 @emph{Scalar types} include all of the above.
10563
10564 @end itemize
10565
10566 @noindent
10567 The following operators are supported. They are listed here
10568 in order of increasing precedence:
10569
10570 @table @code
10571 @item ,
10572 The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a comma-separated list
10573 are evaluated from left to right, with the result of the entire
10574 expression being the last expression evaluated.
10575
10576 @item =
10577 Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
10578 assigned. Defined on scalar types.
10579
10580 @item @var{op}=
10581 Used in an expression of the form @w{@code{@var{a} @var{op}= @var{b}}},
10582 and translated to @w{@code{@var{a} = @var{a op b}}}.
10583 @w{@code{@var{op}=}} and @code{=} have the same precedence.
10584 @var{op} is any one of the operators @code{|}, @code{^}, @code{&},
10585 @code{<<}, @code{>>}, @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%}.
10586
10587 @item ?:
10588 The ternary operator. @code{@var{a} ? @var{b} : @var{c}} can be thought
10589 of as: if @var{a} then @var{b} else @var{c}. @var{a} should be of an
10590 integral type.
10591
10592 @item ||
10593 Logical @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
10594
10595 @item &&
10596 Logical @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
10597
10598 @item |
10599 Bitwise @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
10600
10601 @item ^
10602 Bitwise exclusive-@sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
10603
10604 @item &
10605 Bitwise @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
10606
10607 @item ==@r{, }!=
10608 Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of these
10609 expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
10610
10611 @item <@r{, }>@r{, }<=@r{, }>=
10612 Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
10613 Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for false
10614 and non-zero for true.
10615
10616 @item <<@r{, }>>
10617 left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
10618
10619 @item @@
10620 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
10621
10622 @item +@r{, }-
10623 Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types, floating-point types and
10624 pointer types.
10625
10626 @item *@r{, }/@r{, }%
10627 Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and division are
10628 defined on integral and floating-point types. Modulus is defined on
10629 integral types.
10630
10631 @item ++@r{, }--
10632 Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
10633 operation is performed before the variable is used in an expression;
10634 when appearing after it, the variable's value is used before the
10635 operation takes place.
10636
10637 @item *
10638 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence as
10639 @code{++}.
10640
10641 @item &
10642 Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as @code{++}.
10643
10644 For debugging C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} implements a use of @samp{&} beyond what is
10645 allowed in the C@t{++} language itself: you can use @samp{&(&@var{ref})}
10646 to examine the address
10647 where a C@t{++} reference variable (declared with @samp{&@var{ref}}) is
10648 stored.
10649
10650 @item -
10651 Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
10652 precedence as @code{++}.
10653
10654 @item !
10655 Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
10656 @code{++}.
10657
10658 @item ~
10659 Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
10660 @code{++}.
10661
10662
10663 @item .@r{, }->
10664 Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For convenience,
10665 @value{GDBN} regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether to dereference a
10666 pointer based on the stored type information.
10667 Defined on @code{struct} and @code{union} data.
10668
10669 @item .*@r{, }->*
10670 Dereferences of pointers to members.
10671
10672 @item []
10673 Array indexing. @code{@var{a}[@var{i}]} is defined as
10674 @code{*(@var{a}+@var{i})}. Same precedence as @code{->}.
10675
10676 @item ()
10677 Function parameter list. Same precedence as @code{->}.
10678
10679 @item ::
10680 C@t{++} scope resolution operator. Defined on @code{struct}, @code{union},
10681 and @code{class} types.
10682
10683 @item ::
10684 Doubled colons also represent the @value{GDBN} scope operator
10685 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). Same precedence as @code{::},
10686 above.
10687 @end table
10688
10689 If an operator is redefined in the user code, @value{GDBN} usually
10690 attempts to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
10691 predefined meaning.
10692
10693 @node C Constants
10694 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Constants
10695
10696 @cindex C and C@t{++} constants
10697
10698 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of C and C@t{++} in the
10699 following ways:
10700
10701 @itemize @bullet
10702 @item
10703 Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
10704 specified by a leading @samp{0} (i.e.@: zero), and hexadecimal constants
10705 by a leading @samp{0x} or @samp{0X}. Constants may also end with a letter
10706 @samp{l}, specifying that the constant should be treated as a
10707 @code{long} value.
10708
10709 @item
10710 Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a decimal
10711 point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally followed by an
10712 exponent. An exponent is of the form:
10713 @samp{@w{e@r{[[}+@r{]|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}}, where @var{nnn} is another
10714 sequence of digits. The @samp{+} is optional for positive exponents.
10715 A floating-point constant may also end with a letter @samp{f} or
10716 @samp{F}, specifying that the constant should be treated as being of
10717 the @code{float} (as opposed to the default @code{double}) type; or with
10718 a letter @samp{l} or @samp{L}, which specifies a @code{long double}
10719 constant.
10720
10721 @item
10722 Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
10723 integral equivalents.
10724
10725 @item
10726 Character constants are a single character surrounded by single quotes
10727 (@code{'}), or a number---the ordinal value of the corresponding character
10728 (usually its @sc{ascii} value). Within quotes, the single character may
10729 be represented by a letter or by @dfn{escape sequences}, which are of
10730 the form @samp{\@var{nnn}}, where @var{nnn} is the octal representation
10731 of the character's ordinal value; or of the form @samp{\@var{x}}, where
10732 @samp{@var{x}} is a predefined special character---for example,
10733 @samp{\n} for newline.
10734
10735 @item
10736 String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded by
10737 double quotes (@code{"}). Any valid character constant (as described
10738 above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be preceded by
10739 a backslash, so for instance @samp{"a\"b'c"} is a string of five
10740 characters.
10741
10742 @item
10743 Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write pointers
10744 to constants using the C operator @samp{&}.
10745
10746 @item
10747 Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces @samp{@{}
10748 and @samp{@}}; for example, @samp{@{1,2,3@}} is a three-element array of
10749 integers, @samp{@{@{1,2@}, @{3,4@}, @{5,6@}@}} is a three-by-two array,
10750 and @samp{@{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"@}} is a three-element array of pointers.
10751 @end itemize
10752
10753 @node C Plus Plus Expressions
10754 @subsubsection C@t{++} Expressions
10755
10756 @cindex expressions in C@t{++}
10757 @value{GDBN} expression handling can interpret most C@t{++} expressions.
10758
10759 @cindex debugging C@t{++} programs
10760 @cindex C@t{++} compilers
10761 @cindex debug formats and C@t{++}
10762 @cindex @value{NGCC} and C@t{++}
10763 @quotation
10764 @emph{Warning:} @value{GDBN} can only debug C@t{++} code if you use the
10765 proper compiler and the proper debug format. Currently, @value{GDBN}
10766 works best when debugging C@t{++} code that is compiled with
10767 @value{NGCC} 2.95.3 or with @value{NGCC} 3.1 or newer, using the options
10768 @option{-gdwarf-2} or @option{-gstabs+}. DWARF 2 is preferred over
10769 stabs+. Most configurations of @value{NGCC} emit either DWARF 2 or
10770 stabs+ as their default debug format, so you usually don't need to
10771 specify a debug format explicitly. Other compilers and/or debug formats
10772 are likely to work badly or not at all when using @value{GDBN} to debug
10773 C@t{++} code.
10774 @end quotation
10775
10776 @enumerate
10777
10778 @cindex member functions
10779 @item
10780 Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
10781
10782 @smallexample
10783 count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
10784 @end smallexample
10785
10786 @vindex this@r{, inside C@t{++} member functions}
10787 @cindex namespace in C@t{++}
10788 @item
10789 While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame), your
10790 expressions have the same namespace available as the member function;
10791 that is, @value{GDBN} allows implicit references to the class instance
10792 pointer @code{this} following the same rules as C@t{++}.
10793
10794 @cindex call overloaded functions
10795 @cindex overloaded functions, calling
10796 @cindex type conversions in C@t{++}
10797 @item
10798 You can call overloaded functions; @value{GDBN} resolves the function
10799 call to the right definition, with some restrictions. @value{GDBN} does not
10800 perform overload resolution involving user-defined type conversions,
10801 calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates that do not exist
10802 in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis argument lists or
10803 default arguments.
10804
10805 It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
10806 promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions, conversions of
10807 class objects to base classes, and standard conversions such as those of
10808 functions or arrays to pointers; it requires an exact match on the
10809 number of function arguments.
10810
10811 Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
10812 @code{set overload-resolution off}. @xref{Debugging C Plus Plus,
10813 ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
10814
10815 You must specify @code{set overload-resolution off} in order to use an
10816 explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
10817 @smallexample
10818 p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
10819 @end smallexample
10820
10821 The @value{GDBN} command-completion facility can simplify this;
10822 see @ref{Completion, ,Command Completion}.
10823
10824 @cindex reference declarations
10825 @item
10826 @value{GDBN} understands variables declared as C@t{++} references; you can use
10827 them in expressions just as you do in C@t{++} source---they are automatically
10828 dereferenced.
10829
10830 In the parameter list shown when @value{GDBN} displays a frame, the values of
10831 reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables); this
10832 avoids clutter, since references are often used for large structures.
10833 The @emph{address} of a reference variable is always shown, unless
10834 you have specified @samp{set print address off}.
10835
10836 @item
10837 @value{GDBN} supports the C@t{++} name resolution operator @code{::}---your
10838 expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do. Since
10839 one scope may be defined in another, you can use @code{::} repeatedly if
10840 necessary, for example in an expression like
10841 @samp{@var{scope1}::@var{scope2}::@var{name}}. @value{GDBN} also allows
10842 resolving name scope by reference to source files, in both C and C@t{++}
10843 debugging (@pxref{Variables, ,Program Variables}).
10844 @end enumerate
10845
10846 In addition, when used with HP's C@t{++} compiler, @value{GDBN} supports
10847 calling virtual functions correctly, printing out virtual bases of
10848 objects, calling functions in a base subobject, casting objects, and
10849 invoking user-defined operators.
10850
10851 @node C Defaults
10852 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Defaults
10853
10854 @cindex C and C@t{++} defaults
10855
10856 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set type and range checking automatically, they
10857 both default to @code{off} whenever the working language changes to
10858 C or C@t{++}. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
10859 selects the working language.
10860
10861 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, it
10862 recognizes source files whose names end with @file{.c}, @file{.C}, or
10863 @file{.cc}, etc, and when @value{GDBN} enters code compiled from one of
10864 these files, it sets the working language to C or C@t{++}.
10865 @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language},
10866 for further details.
10867
10868 @c Type checking is (a) primarily motivated by Modula-2, and (b)
10869 @c unimplemented. If (b) changes, it might make sense to let this node
10870 @c appear even if Mod-2 does not, but meanwhile ignore it. roland 16jul93.
10871
10872 @node C Checks
10873 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Type and Range Checks
10874
10875 @cindex C and C@t{++} checks
10876
10877 By default, when @value{GDBN} parses C or C@t{++} expressions, type checking
10878 is not used. However, if you turn type checking on, @value{GDBN}
10879 considers two variables type equivalent if:
10880
10881 @itemize @bullet
10882 @item
10883 The two variables are structured and have the same structure, union, or
10884 enumerated tag.
10885
10886 @item
10887 The two variables have the same type name, or types that have been
10888 declared equivalent through @code{typedef}.
10889
10890 @ignore
10891 @c leaving this out because neither J Gilmore nor R Pesch understand it.
10892 @c FIXME--beers?
10893 @item
10894 The two @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} variables are
10895 declared in the same declaration. (Note: this may not be true for all C
10896 compilers.)
10897 @end ignore
10898 @end itemize
10899
10900 Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations. Array
10901 indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a pointer
10902 that is not itself an array.
10903
10904 @node Debugging C
10905 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and C
10906
10907 The @code{set print union} and @code{show print union} commands apply to
10908 the @code{union} type. When set to @samp{on}, any @code{union} that is
10909 inside a @code{struct} or @code{class} is also printed. Otherwise, it
10910 appears as @samp{@{...@}}.
10911
10912 The @code{@@} operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
10913 with pointers and a memory allocation function. @xref{Expressions,
10914 ,Expressions}.
10915
10916 @node Debugging C Plus Plus
10917 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}
10918
10919 @cindex commands for C@t{++}
10920
10921 Some @value{GDBN} commands are particularly useful with C@t{++}, and some are
10922 designed specifically for use with C@t{++}. Here is a summary:
10923
10924 @table @code
10925 @cindex break in overloaded functions
10926 @item @r{breakpoint menus}
10927 When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
10928 @value{GDBN} has the capability to display a menu of possible breakpoint
10929 locations to help you specify which function definition you want.
10930 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}.
10931
10932 @cindex overloading in C@t{++}
10933 @item rbreak @var{regex}
10934 Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for setting
10935 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
10936 classes.
10937 @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
10938
10939 @cindex C@t{++} exception handling
10940 @item catch throw
10941 @itemx catch catch
10942 Debug C@t{++} exception handling using these commands. @xref{Set
10943 Catchpoints, , Setting Catchpoints}.
10944
10945 @cindex inheritance
10946 @item ptype @var{typename}
10947 Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for type
10948 @var{typename}.
10949 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
10950
10951 @cindex C@t{++} symbol display
10952 @item set print demangle
10953 @itemx show print demangle
10954 @itemx set print asm-demangle
10955 @itemx show print asm-demangle
10956 Control whether C@t{++} symbols display in their source form, both when
10957 displaying code as C@t{++} source and when displaying disassemblies.
10958 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
10959
10960 @item set print object
10961 @itemx show print object
10962 Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of objects.
10963 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
10964
10965 @item set print vtbl
10966 @itemx show print vtbl
10967 Control the format for printing virtual function tables.
10968 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
10969 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
10970 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
10971
10972 @kindex set overload-resolution
10973 @cindex overloaded functions, overload resolution
10974 @item set overload-resolution on
10975 Enable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. The default
10976 is on. For overloaded functions, @value{GDBN} evaluates the arguments
10977 and searches for a function whose signature matches the argument types,
10978 using the standard C@t{++} conversion rules (see @ref{C Plus Plus
10979 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}, for details).
10980 If it cannot find a match, it emits a message.
10981
10982 @item set overload-resolution off
10983 Disable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. For
10984 overloaded functions that are not class member functions, @value{GDBN}
10985 chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in the
10986 symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct type. For
10987 overloaded functions that are class member functions, @value{GDBN}
10988 searches for a function whose signature @emph{exactly} matches the
10989 argument types.
10990
10991 @kindex show overload-resolution
10992 @item show overload-resolution
10993 Show the current setting of overload resolution.
10994
10995 @item @r{Overloaded symbol names}
10996 You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol, using
10997 the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in C@t{++}: type
10998 @code{@var{symbol}(@var{types})} rather than just @var{symbol}. You can
10999 also use the @value{GDBN} command-line word completion facilities to list the
11000 available choices, or to finish the type list for you.
11001 @xref{Completion,, Command Completion}, for details on how to do this.
11002 @end table
11003
11004 @node Decimal Floating Point
11005 @subsubsection Decimal Floating Point format
11006 @cindex decimal floating point format
11007
11008 @value{GDBN} can examine, set and perform computations with numbers in
11009 decimal floating point format, which in the C language correspond to the
11010 @code{_Decimal32}, @code{_Decimal64} and @code{_Decimal128} types as
11011 specified by the extension to support decimal floating-point arithmetic.
11012
11013 There are two encodings in use, depending on the architecture: BID (Binary
11014 Integer Decimal) for x86 and x86-64, and DPD (Densely Packed Decimal) for
11015 PowerPC. @value{GDBN} will use the appropriate encoding for the configured
11016 target.
11017
11018 Because of a limitation in @file{libdecnumber}, the library used by @value{GDBN}
11019 to manipulate decimal floating point numbers, it is not possible to convert
11020 (using a cast, for example) integers wider than 32-bit to decimal float.
11021
11022 In addition, in order to imitate @value{GDBN}'s behaviour with binary floating
11023 point computations, error checking in decimal float operations ignores
11024 underflow, overflow and divide by zero exceptions.
11025
11026 In the PowerPC architecture, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers
11027 to inspect @code{_Decimal128} values stored in floating point registers.
11028 See @ref{PowerPC,,PowerPC} for more details.
11029
11030 @node Objective-C
11031 @subsection Objective-C
11032
11033 @cindex Objective-C
11034 This section provides information about some commands and command
11035 options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also
11036 @ref{Symbols, info classes}, and @ref{Symbols, info selectors}, for a
11037 few more commands specific to Objective-C support.
11038
11039 @menu
11040 * Method Names in Commands::
11041 * The Print Command with Objective-C::
11042 @end menu
11043
11044 @node Method Names in Commands
11045 @subsubsection Method Names in Commands
11046
11047 The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
11048 names as line specifications:
11049
11050 @kindex clear@r{, and Objective-C}
11051 @kindex break@r{, and Objective-C}
11052 @kindex info line@r{, and Objective-C}
11053 @kindex jump@r{, and Objective-C}
11054 @kindex list@r{, and Objective-C}
11055 @itemize
11056 @item @code{clear}
11057 @item @code{break}
11058 @item @code{info line}
11059 @item @code{jump}
11060 @item @code{list}
11061 @end itemize
11062
11063 A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
11064
11065 @smallexample
11066 -[@var{Class} @var{methodName}]
11067 @end smallexample
11068
11069 where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
11070 plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
11071 name @var{Class} and method name @var{methodName} are enclosed in
11072 brackets, similar to the way messages are specified in Objective-C
11073 source code. For example, to set a breakpoint at the @code{create}
11074 instance method of class @code{Fruit} in the program currently being
11075 debugged, enter:
11076
11077 @smallexample
11078 break -[Fruit create]
11079 @end smallexample
11080
11081 To list ten program lines around the @code{initialize} class method,
11082 enter:
11083
11084 @smallexample
11085 list +[NSText initialize]
11086 @end smallexample
11087
11088 In the current version of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus sign is
11089 required. In future versions of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus
11090 sign will be optional, but you can use it to narrow the search. It
11091 is also possible to specify just a method name:
11092
11093 @smallexample
11094 break create
11095 @end smallexample
11096
11097 You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
11098 your program's source files contain more than one @code{create} method,
11099 you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
11100 method. Indicate your choice by number, or type @samp{0} to exit if
11101 none apply.
11102
11103 As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
11104 @code{makeKeyAndOrderFront:} method of the @code{NSWindow} class, enter:
11105
11106 @smallexample
11107 clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]
11108 @end smallexample
11109
11110 @node The Print Command with Objective-C
11111 @subsubsection The Print Command With Objective-C
11112 @cindex Objective-C, print objects
11113 @kindex print-object
11114 @kindex po @r{(@code{print-object})}
11115
11116 The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For example:
11117
11118 @smallexample
11119 print -[@var{object} hash]
11120 @end smallexample
11121
11122 @cindex print an Objective-C object description
11123 @cindex @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, and printing Objective-C objects
11124 @noindent
11125 will tell @value{GDBN} to send the @code{hash} message to @var{object}
11126 and print the result. Also, an additional command has been added,
11127 @code{print-object} or @code{po} for short, which is meant to print
11128 the description of an object. However, this command may only work
11129 with certain Objective-C libraries that have a particular hook
11130 function, @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, defined.
11131
11132 @node Fortran
11133 @subsection Fortran
11134 @cindex Fortran-specific support in @value{GDBN}
11135
11136 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it
11137 currently supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
11138
11139 @cindex trailing underscore, in Fortran symbols
11140 Some Fortran compilers (@sc{gnu} Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
11141 among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
11142 functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
11143 will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
11144 underscore.
11145
11146 @menu
11147 * Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
11148 * Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
11149 * Special Fortran Commands:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Fortran
11150 @end menu
11151
11152 @node Fortran Operators
11153 @subsubsection Fortran Operators and Expressions
11154
11155 @cindex Fortran operators and expressions
11156
11157 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
11158 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
11159 arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
11160
11161 @table @code
11162 @item **
11163 The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the power
11164 of the second one.
11165
11166 @item :
11167 The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high) to
11168 represent a section of array.
11169
11170 @item %
11171 The access component operator. Normally used to access elements in derived
11172 types. Also suitable for unions. As unions aren't part of regular Fortran,
11173 this can only happen when accessing a register that uses a gdbarch-defined
11174 union type.
11175 @end table
11176
11177 @node Fortran Defaults
11178 @subsubsection Fortran Defaults
11179
11180 @cindex Fortran Defaults
11181
11182 Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so @value{GDBN} by
11183 default uses case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can
11184 change that with the @samp{set case-insensitive} command, see
11185 @ref{Symbols}, for the details.
11186
11187 @node Special Fortran Commands
11188 @subsubsection Special Fortran Commands
11189
11190 @cindex Special Fortran commands
11191
11192 @value{GDBN} has some commands to support Fortran-specific features,
11193 such as displaying common blocks.
11194
11195 @table @code
11196 @cindex @code{COMMON} blocks, Fortran
11197 @kindex info common
11198 @item info common @r{[}@var{common-name}@r{]}
11199 This command prints the values contained in the Fortran @code{COMMON}
11200 block whose name is @var{common-name}. With no argument, the names of
11201 all @code{COMMON} blocks visible at the current program location are
11202 printed.
11203 @end table
11204
11205 @node Pascal
11206 @subsection Pascal
11207
11208 @cindex Pascal support in @value{GDBN}, limitations
11209 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
11210 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
11211 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
11212 syntax.
11213
11214 The Pascal-specific command @code{set print pascal_static-members}
11215 controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed.
11216 @xref{Print Settings, pascal_static-members}.
11217
11218 @node Modula-2
11219 @subsection Modula-2
11220
11221 @cindex Modula-2, @value{GDBN} support
11222
11223 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} to support Modula-2 only support
11224 output from the @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being
11225 developed). Other Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and
11226 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
11227 to give an error as @value{GDBN} reads in the executable's symbol
11228 table.
11229
11230 @cindex expressions in Modula-2
11231 @menu
11232 * M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
11233 * Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
11234 * M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
11235 * M2 Types:: Modula-2 types
11236 * M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
11237 * Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
11238 * M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
11239 * M2 Scope:: The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
11240 * GDB/M2:: @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
11241 @end menu
11242
11243 @node M2 Operators
11244 @subsubsection Operators
11245 @cindex Modula-2 operators
11246
11247 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
11248 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
11249 often defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
11250 following definitions hold:
11251
11252 @itemize @bullet
11253
11254 @item
11255 @emph{Integral types} consist of @code{INTEGER}, @code{CARDINAL}, and
11256 their subranges.
11257
11258 @item
11259 @emph{Character types} consist of @code{CHAR} and its subranges.
11260
11261 @item
11262 @emph{Floating-point types} consist of @code{REAL}.
11263
11264 @item
11265 @emph{Pointer types} consist of anything declared as @code{POINTER TO
11266 @var{type}}.
11267
11268 @item
11269 @emph{Scalar types} consist of all of the above.
11270
11271 @item
11272 @emph{Set types} consist of @code{SET} and @code{BITSET} types.
11273
11274 @item
11275 @emph{Boolean types} consist of @code{BOOLEAN}.
11276 @end itemize
11277
11278 @noindent
11279 The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
11280 increasing precedence:
11281
11282 @table @code
11283 @item ,
11284 Function argument or array index separator.
11285
11286 @item :=
11287 Assignment. The value of @var{var} @code{:=} @var{value} is
11288 @var{value}.
11289
11290 @item <@r{, }>
11291 Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
11292 types.
11293
11294 @item <=@r{, }>=
11295 Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to
11296 on integral, floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on
11297 set types. Same precedence as @code{<}.
11298
11299 @item =@r{, }<>@r{, }#
11300 Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar types.
11301 Same precedence as @code{<}. In @value{GDBN} scripts, only @code{<>} is
11302 available for inequality, since @code{#} conflicts with the script
11303 comment character.
11304
11305 @item IN
11306 Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their members.
11307 Same precedence as @code{<}.
11308
11309 @item OR
11310 Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
11311
11312 @item AND@r{, }&
11313 Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
11314
11315 @item @@
11316 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
11317
11318 @item +@r{, }-
11319 Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or union
11320 and difference on set types.
11321
11322 @item *
11323 Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set intersection
11324 on set types.
11325
11326 @item /
11327 Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on set
11328 types. Same precedence as @code{*}.
11329
11330 @item DIV@r{, }MOD
11331 Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
11332 precedence as @code{*}.
11333
11334 @item -
11335 Negative. Defined on @code{INTEGER} and @code{REAL} data.
11336
11337 @item ^
11338 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
11339
11340 @item NOT
11341 Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
11342 @code{^}.
11343
11344 @item .
11345 @code{RECORD} field selector. Defined on @code{RECORD} data. Same
11346 precedence as @code{^}.
11347
11348 @item []
11349 Array indexing. Defined on @code{ARRAY} data. Same precedence as @code{^}.
11350
11351 @item ()
11352 Procedure argument list. Defined on @code{PROCEDURE} objects. Same precedence
11353 as @code{^}.
11354
11355 @item ::@r{, }.
11356 @value{GDBN} and Modula-2 scope operators.
11357 @end table
11358
11359 @quotation
11360 @emph{Warning:} Set expressions and their operations are not yet supported, so @value{GDBN}
11361 treats the use of the operator @code{IN}, or the use of operators
11362 @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{=}, , @code{<>}, @code{#},
11363 @code{<=}, and @code{>=} on sets as an error.
11364 @end quotation
11365
11366
11367 @node Built-In Func/Proc
11368 @subsubsection Built-in Functions and Procedures
11369 @cindex Modula-2 built-ins
11370
11371 Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
11372 In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
11373
11374 @table @var
11375
11376 @item a
11377 represents an @code{ARRAY} variable.
11378
11379 @item c
11380 represents a @code{CHAR} constant or variable.
11381
11382 @item i
11383 represents a variable or constant of integral type.
11384
11385 @item m
11386 represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in the
11387 same function with the metavariable @var{s}. The type of @var{s} should
11388 be @code{SET OF @var{mtype}} (where @var{mtype} is the type of @var{m}).
11389
11390 @item n
11391 represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point type.
11392
11393 @item r
11394 represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
11395
11396 @item t
11397 represents a type.
11398
11399 @item v
11400 represents a variable.
11401
11402 @item x
11403 represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
11404 explanation of the function for details.
11405 @end table
11406
11407 All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described below.
11408
11409 @table @code
11410 @item ABS(@var{n})
11411 Returns the absolute value of @var{n}.
11412
11413 @item CAP(@var{c})
11414 If @var{c} is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case
11415 equivalent, otherwise it returns its argument.
11416
11417 @item CHR(@var{i})
11418 Returns the character whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
11419
11420 @item DEC(@var{v})
11421 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
11422
11423 @item DEC(@var{v},@var{i})
11424 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
11425 new value.
11426
11427 @item EXCL(@var{m},@var{s})
11428 Removes the element @var{m} from the set @var{s}. Returns the new
11429 set.
11430
11431 @item FLOAT(@var{i})
11432 Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer @var{i}.
11433
11434 @item HIGH(@var{a})
11435 Returns the index of the last member of @var{a}.
11436
11437 @item INC(@var{v})
11438 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
11439
11440 @item INC(@var{v},@var{i})
11441 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
11442 new value.
11443
11444 @item INCL(@var{m},@var{s})
11445 Adds the element @var{m} to the set @var{s} if it is not already
11446 there. Returns the new set.
11447
11448 @item MAX(@var{t})
11449 Returns the maximum value of the type @var{t}.
11450
11451 @item MIN(@var{t})
11452 Returns the minimum value of the type @var{t}.
11453
11454 @item ODD(@var{i})
11455 Returns boolean TRUE if @var{i} is an odd number.
11456
11457 @item ORD(@var{x})
11458 Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the ordinal
11459 value of a character is its @sc{ascii} value (on machines supporting the
11460 @sc{ascii} character set). @var{x} must be of an ordered type, which include
11461 integral, character and enumerated types.
11462
11463 @item SIZE(@var{x})
11464 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
11465
11466 @item TRUNC(@var{r})
11467 Returns the integral part of @var{r}.
11468
11469 @item TSIZE(@var{x})
11470 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
11471
11472 @item VAL(@var{t},@var{i})
11473 Returns the member of the type @var{t} whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
11474 @end table
11475
11476 @quotation
11477 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
11478 @value{GDBN} treats the use of procedures @code{INCL} and @code{EXCL} as
11479 an error.
11480 @end quotation
11481
11482 @cindex Modula-2 constants
11483 @node M2 Constants
11484 @subsubsection Constants
11485
11486 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
11487 ways:
11488
11489 @itemize @bullet
11490
11491 @item
11492 Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
11493 expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with the
11494 rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by a
11495 trailing @samp{H}, and octal integers by a trailing @samp{B}.
11496
11497 @item
11498 Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed by a
11499 decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional exponent can
11500 then be specified, in the form @samp{E@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}, where
11501 @samp{@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}} is the desired exponent. All of the
11502 digits of the floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10)
11503 digits.
11504
11505 @item
11506 Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a pair of
11507 like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}). They may
11508 also be expressed by their ordinal value (their @sc{ascii} value, usually)
11509 followed by a @samp{C}.
11510
11511 @item
11512 String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
11513 pair of like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}).
11514 Escape sequences in the style of C are also allowed. @xref{C
11515 Constants, ,C and C@t{++} Constants}, for a brief explanation of escape
11516 sequences.
11517
11518 @item
11519 Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
11520
11521 @item
11522 Boolean constants consist of the identifiers @code{TRUE} and
11523 @code{FALSE}.
11524
11525 @item
11526 Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
11527
11528 @item
11529 Set constants are not yet supported.
11530 @end itemize
11531
11532 @node M2 Types
11533 @subsubsection Modula-2 Types
11534 @cindex Modula-2 types
11535
11536 Currently @value{GDBN} can print the following data types in Modula-2
11537 syntax: array types, record types, set types, pointer types, procedure
11538 types, enumerated types, subrange types and base types. You can also
11539 print the contents of variables declared using these type.
11540 This section gives a number of simple source code examples together with
11541 sample @value{GDBN} sessions.
11542
11543 The first example contains the following section of code:
11544
11545 @smallexample
11546 VAR
11547 s: SET OF CHAR ;
11548 r: [20..40] ;
11549 @end smallexample
11550
11551 @noindent
11552 and you can request @value{GDBN} to interrogate the type and value of
11553 @code{r} and @code{s}.
11554
11555 @smallexample
11556 (@value{GDBP}) print s
11557 @{'A'..'C', 'Z'@}
11558 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11559 SET OF CHAR
11560 (@value{GDBP}) print r
11561 21
11562 (@value{GDBP}) ptype r
11563 [20..40]
11564 @end smallexample
11565
11566 @noindent
11567 Likewise if your source code declares @code{s} as:
11568
11569 @smallexample
11570 VAR
11571 s: SET ['A'..'Z'] ;
11572 @end smallexample
11573
11574 @noindent
11575 then you may query the type of @code{s} by:
11576
11577 @smallexample
11578 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11579 type = SET ['A'..'Z']
11580 @end smallexample
11581
11582 @noindent
11583 Note that at present you cannot interactively manipulate set
11584 expressions using the debugger.
11585
11586 The following example shows how you might declare an array in Modula-2
11587 and how you can interact with @value{GDBN} to print its type and contents:
11588
11589 @smallexample
11590 VAR
11591 s: ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR ;
11592 @end smallexample
11593
11594 @smallexample
11595 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11596 ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR
11597 @end smallexample
11598
11599 Note that the array handling is not yet complete and although the type
11600 is printed correctly, expression handling still assumes that all
11601 arrays have a lower bound of zero and not @code{-10} as in the example
11602 above.
11603
11604 Here are some more type related Modula-2 examples:
11605
11606 @smallexample
11607 TYPE
11608 colour = (blue, red, yellow, green) ;
11609 t = [blue..yellow] ;
11610 VAR
11611 s: t ;
11612 BEGIN
11613 s := blue ;
11614 @end smallexample
11615
11616 @noindent
11617 The @value{GDBN} interaction shows how you can query the data type
11618 and value of a variable.
11619
11620 @smallexample
11621 (@value{GDBP}) print s
11622 $1 = blue
11623 (@value{GDBP}) ptype t
11624 type = [blue..yellow]
11625 @end smallexample
11626
11627 @noindent
11628 In this example a Modula-2 array is declared and its contents
11629 displayed. Observe that the contents are written in the same way as
11630 their @code{C} counterparts.
11631
11632 @smallexample
11633 VAR
11634 s: ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
11635 BEGIN
11636 s[1] := 1 ;
11637 @end smallexample
11638
11639 @smallexample
11640 (@value{GDBP}) print s
11641 $1 = @{1, 0, 0, 0, 0@}
11642 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11643 type = ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
11644 @end smallexample
11645
11646 The Modula-2 language interface to @value{GDBN} also understands
11647 pointer types as shown in this example:
11648
11649 @smallexample
11650 VAR
11651 s: POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
11652 BEGIN
11653 NEW(s) ;
11654 s^[1] := 1 ;
11655 @end smallexample
11656
11657 @noindent
11658 and you can request that @value{GDBN} describes the type of @code{s}.
11659
11660 @smallexample
11661 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11662 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
11663 @end smallexample
11664
11665 @value{GDBN} handles compound types as we can see in this example.
11666 Here we combine array types, record types, pointer types and subrange
11667 types:
11668
11669 @smallexample
11670 TYPE
11671 foo = RECORD
11672 f1: CARDINAL ;
11673 f2: CHAR ;
11674 f3: myarray ;
11675 END ;
11676
11677 myarray = ARRAY myrange OF CARDINAL ;
11678 myrange = [-2..2] ;
11679 VAR
11680 s: POINTER TO ARRAY myrange OF foo ;
11681 @end smallexample
11682
11683 @noindent
11684 and you can ask @value{GDBN} to describe the type of @code{s} as shown
11685 below.
11686
11687 @smallexample
11688 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
11689 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [-2..2] OF foo = RECORD
11690 f1 : CARDINAL;
11691 f2 : CHAR;
11692 f3 : ARRAY [-2..2] OF CARDINAL;
11693 END
11694 @end smallexample
11695
11696 @node M2 Defaults
11697 @subsubsection Modula-2 Defaults
11698 @cindex Modula-2 defaults
11699
11700 If type and range checking are set automatically by @value{GDBN}, they
11701 both default to @code{on} whenever the working language changes to
11702 Modula-2. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
11703 selected the working language.
11704
11705 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, then entering
11706 code compiled from a file whose name ends with @file{.mod} sets the
11707 working language to Modula-2. @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN}
11708 Infer the Source Language}, for further details.
11709
11710 @node Deviations
11711 @subsubsection Deviations from Standard Modula-2
11712 @cindex Modula-2, deviations from
11713
11714 A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
11715 This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
11716
11717 @itemize @bullet
11718 @item
11719 Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
11720 integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
11721 debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in a
11722 pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
11723 through direct assignment to another pointer variable or expression that
11724 returned a pointer.)
11725
11726 @item
11727 C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to represent
11728 non-printable characters. @value{GDBN} prints out strings with these
11729 escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters are
11730 printed using the @samp{CHR(@var{nnn})} format.
11731
11732 @item
11733 The assignment operator (@code{:=}) returns the value of its right-hand
11734 argument.
11735
11736 @item
11737 All built-in procedures both modify @emph{and} return their argument.
11738 @end itemize
11739
11740 @node M2 Checks
11741 @subsubsection Modula-2 Type and Range Checks
11742 @cindex Modula-2 checks
11743
11744 @quotation
11745 @emph{Warning:} in this release, @value{GDBN} does not yet perform type or
11746 range checking.
11747 @end quotation
11748 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range checks added
11749
11750 @value{GDBN} considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
11751
11752 @itemize @bullet
11753 @item
11754 They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a @code{TYPE
11755 @var{t1} = @var{t2}} statement
11756
11757 @item
11758 They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of the
11759 @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other compilers.)
11760 @end itemize
11761
11762 As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
11763 whose types are not equivalent is an error.
11764
11765 Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment, array
11766 index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.
11767
11768 @node M2 Scope
11769 @subsubsection The Scope Operators @code{::} and @code{.}
11770 @cindex scope
11771 @cindex @code{.}, Modula-2 scope operator
11772 @cindex colon, doubled as scope operator
11773 @ifinfo
11774 @vindex colon-colon@r{, in Modula-2}
11775 @c Info cannot handle :: but TeX can.
11776 @end ifinfo
11777 @ifnotinfo
11778 @vindex ::@r{, in Modula-2}
11779 @end ifnotinfo
11780
11781 There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
11782 (@code{.}) and the @value{GDBN} scope operator (@code{::}). The two have
11783 similar syntax:
11784
11785 @smallexample
11786
11787 @var{module} . @var{id}
11788 @var{scope} :: @var{id}
11789 @end smallexample
11790
11791 @noindent
11792 where @var{scope} is the name of a module or a procedure,
11793 @var{module} the name of a module, and @var{id} is any declared
11794 identifier within your program, except another module.
11795
11796 Using the @code{::} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the scope
11797 specified by @var{scope} for the identifier @var{id}. If it is not
11798 found in the specified scope, then @value{GDBN} searches all scopes
11799 enclosing the one specified by @var{scope}.
11800
11801 Using the @code{.} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the current scope for
11802 the identifier specified by @var{id} that was imported from the
11803 definition module specified by @var{module}. With this operator, it is
11804 an error if the identifier @var{id} was not imported from definition
11805 module @var{module}, or if @var{id} is not an identifier in
11806 @var{module}.
11807
11808 @node GDB/M2
11809 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
11810
11811 Some @value{GDBN} commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
11812 Five subcommands of @code{set print} and @code{show print} apply
11813 specifically to C and C@t{++}: @samp{vtbl}, @samp{demangle},
11814 @samp{asm-demangle}, @samp{object}, and @samp{union}. The first four
11815 apply to C@t{++}, and the last to the C @code{union} type, which has no direct
11816 analogue in Modula-2.
11817
11818 The @code{@@} operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), while available
11819 with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its
11820 intent is to aid the debugging of @dfn{dynamic arrays}, which cannot be
11821 created in Modula-2 as they can in C or C@t{++}. However, because an
11822 address can be specified by an integral constant, the construct
11823 @samp{@{@var{type}@}@var{adrexp}} is still useful.
11824
11825 @cindex @code{#} in Modula-2
11826 In @value{GDBN} scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator @code{#} is
11827 interpreted as the beginning of a comment. Use @code{<>} instead.
11828
11829 @node Ada
11830 @subsection Ada
11831 @cindex Ada
11832
11833 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} for Ada only support
11834 output from the @sc{gnu} Ada (GNAT) compiler.
11835 Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
11836 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
11837 to be difficult.
11838
11839
11840 @cindex expressions in Ada
11841 @menu
11842 * Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
11843 and semantics supported by Ada mode
11844 in @value{GDBN}.
11845 * Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
11846 * Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
11847 * Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
11848 * Ada Tasks:: Listing and setting breakpoints in tasks.
11849 * Ada Tasks and Core Files:: Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
11850 * Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.
11851 @end menu
11852
11853 @node Ada Mode Intro
11854 @subsubsection Introduction
11855 @cindex Ada mode, general
11856
11857 The Ada mode of @value{GDBN} supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
11858 syntax, with some extensions.
11859 The philosophy behind the design of this subset is
11860
11861 @itemize @bullet
11862 @item
11863 That @value{GDBN} should provide basic literals and access to operations for
11864 arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and subprogram calls,
11865 leaving more sophisticated computations to subprograms written into the
11866 program (which therefore may be called from @value{GDBN}).
11867
11868 @item
11869 That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
11870 are not particularly important to the @value{GDBN} user.
11871
11872 @item
11873 That brevity is important to the @value{GDBN} user.
11874 @end itemize
11875
11876 Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if all names declared in
11877 user-written packages are directly visible, even if they are not visible
11878 according to Ada rules, thus making it unnecessary to fully qualify most
11879 names with their packages, regardless of context. Where this causes
11880 ambiguity, @value{GDBN} asks the user's intent.
11881
11882 The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main program.
11883 As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped in a program that
11884 was translated from an Ada source file.
11885
11886 While in Ada mode, you may use `@t{--}' for comments. This is useful
11887 mostly for documenting command files. The standard @value{GDBN} comment
11888 (@samp{#}) still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
11889 middle (to allow based literals).
11890
11891 The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call in which
11892 the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the number of
11893 actual parameters and some information about their types to attempt to narrow
11894 the set of definitions. It also makes very limited use of context, preferring
11895 procedures to functions in the context of the @code{call} command, and
11896 functions to procedures elsewhere.
11897
11898 @node Omissions from Ada
11899 @subsubsection Omissions from Ada
11900 @cindex Ada, omissions from
11901
11902 Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
11903
11904 @itemize @bullet
11905 @item
11906 Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
11907
11908 @itemize @minus
11909 @item
11910 @t{'First}, @t{'Last}, and @t{'Length}
11911 on array objects (not on types and subtypes).
11912
11913 @item
11914 @t{'Min} and @t{'Max}.
11915
11916 @item
11917 @t{'Pos} and @t{'Val}.
11918
11919 @item
11920 @t{'Tag}.
11921
11922 @item
11923 @t{'Range} on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
11924 operand of the membership (@code{in}) operator.
11925
11926 @item
11927 @t{'Access}, @t{'Unchecked_Access}, and
11928 @t{'Unrestricted_Access} (a GNAT extension).
11929
11930 @item
11931 @t{'Address}.
11932 @end itemize
11933
11934 @item
11935 The names in
11936 @code{Characters.Latin_1} are not available and
11937 concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in strings are
11938 not currently available.
11939
11940 @item
11941 Equality tests (@samp{=} and @samp{/=}) on arrays test for bitwise
11942 equality of representations. They will generally work correctly
11943 for strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration types.
11944 They may not work correctly for arrays whose element
11945 types have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values
11946 (in particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
11947 zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused bits with
11948 indeterminate values.
11949
11950 @item
11951 The other component-by-component array operations (@code{and}, @code{or},
11952 @code{xor}, @code{not}, and relational tests other than equality)
11953 are not implemented.
11954
11955 @item
11956 @cindex array aggregates (Ada)
11957 @cindex record aggregates (Ada)
11958 @cindex aggregates (Ada)
11959 There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
11960 permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these examples:
11961
11962 @smallexample
11963 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
11964 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
11965 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
11966 (@value{GDBP}) set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
11967 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
11968 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
11969 @end smallexample
11970
11971 Changing a
11972 discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
11973 undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
11974 However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning to
11975 them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then performing an
11976 aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable @code{A_Rec}
11977 declared to have a type such as:
11978
11979 @smallexample
11980 type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
11981 Id : Integer;
11982 Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
11983 end record;
11984 @end smallexample
11985
11986 you can assign a value with a different size of @code{Vals} with two
11987 assignments:
11988
11989 @smallexample
11990 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec.Len := 4
11991 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
11992 @end smallexample
11993
11994 As this example also illustrates, @value{GDBN} is very loose about the usual
11995 rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
11996 components of an array or record aggregate (such as the @code{Len}
11997 component in the assignment to @code{A_Rec} above); they will retain their
11998 original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic values as
11999 indices in component associations. You may even use overlapping or
12000 redundant component associations, although which component values are
12001 assigned in such cases is not defined.
12002
12003 @item
12004 Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
12005
12006 @item
12007 The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less selective)
12008 than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of the context in
12009 which a subexpression appears to resolve its meaning, and it is much
12010 looser in its rules for allowing type matches. As a result, some
12011 function calls will be ambiguous, and the user will be asked to choose
12012 the proper resolution.
12013
12014 @item
12015 The @code{new} operator is not implemented.
12016
12017 @item
12018 Entry calls are not implemented.
12019
12020 @item
12021 Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX floating-point
12022 formats are not supported.
12023
12024 @item
12025 It is not possible to slice a packed array.
12026
12027 @item
12028 The names @code{True} and @code{False}, when not part of a qualified name,
12029 are interpreted as if implicitly prefixed by @code{Standard}, regardless of
12030 context.
12031 Should your program
12032 redefine these names in a package or procedure (at best a dubious practice),
12033 you will have to use fully qualified names to access their new definitions.
12034 @end itemize
12035
12036 @node Additions to Ada
12037 @subsubsection Additions to Ada
12038 @cindex Ada, deviations from
12039
12040 As it does for other languages, @value{GDBN} makes certain generic
12041 extensions to Ada (@pxref{Expressions}):
12042
12043 @itemize @bullet
12044 @item
12045 If the expression @var{E} is a variable residing in memory (typically
12046 a local variable or array element) and @var{N} is a positive integer,
12047 then @code{@var{E}@@@var{N}} displays the values of @var{E} and the
12048 @var{N}-1 adjacent variables following it in memory as an array. In
12049 Ada, this operator is generally not necessary, since its prime use is
12050 in displaying parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in
12051 Ada. However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs in
12052 which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
12053
12054 @item
12055 @code{@var{B}::@var{var}} means ``the variable named @var{var} that
12056 appears in function or file @var{B}.'' When @var{B} is a file name,
12057 you must typically surround it in single quotes.
12058
12059 @item
12060 The expression @code{@{@var{type}@} @var{addr}} means ``the variable of type
12061 @var{type} that appears at address @var{addr}.''
12062
12063 @item
12064 A name starting with @samp{$} is a convenience variable
12065 (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) or a machine register (@pxref{Registers}).
12066 @end itemize
12067
12068 In addition, @value{GDBN} provides a few other shortcuts and outright
12069 additions specific to Ada:
12070
12071 @itemize @bullet
12072 @item
12073 The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
12074 its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
12075
12076 @smallexample
12077 (@value{GDBP}) set x := y + 3
12078 (@value{GDBP}) print A(tmp := y + 1)
12079 @end smallexample
12080
12081 @item
12082 The semicolon is allowed as an ``operator,'' returning as its value
12083 the value of its right-hand operand.
12084 This allows, for example,
12085 complex conditional breaks:
12086
12087 @smallexample
12088 (@value{GDBP}) break f
12089 (@value{GDBP}) condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
12090 @end smallexample
12091
12092 @item
12093 Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to introduce special
12094 characters into strings, one may instead use a special bracket notation,
12095 which is also used to print strings. A sequence of characters of the form
12096 @samp{["@var{XX}"]} within a string or character literal denotes the
12097 (single) character whose numeric encoding is @var{XX} in hexadecimal. The
12098 sequence of characters @samp{["""]} also denotes a single quotation mark
12099 in strings. For example,
12100 @smallexample
12101 "One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
12102 @end smallexample
12103 @noindent
12104 contains an ASCII newline character (@code{Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF})
12105 after each period.
12106
12107 @item
12108 The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes @t{'Pos}, @t{'Min}, and
12109 @t{'Max} is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is valid
12110 to write
12111
12112 @smallexample
12113 (@value{GDBP}) print 'max(x, y)
12114 @end smallexample
12115
12116 @item
12117 When printing arrays, @value{GDBN} uses positional notation when the
12118 array has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation otherwise.
12119 For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers with a lower bound
12120 of 3 might print as
12121
12122 @smallexample
12123 (3 => 10, 17, 1)
12124 @end smallexample
12125
12126 @noindent
12127 That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a @code{=>}
12128 clause.
12129
12130 @item
12131 You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
12132 multi-character subsequence of
12133 their names (an exact match gets preference).
12134 For example, you may use @t{a'len}, @t{a'gth}, or @t{a'lh}
12135 in place of @t{a'length}.
12136
12137 @item
12138 @cindex quoting Ada internal identifiers
12139 Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps identifiers you type
12140 to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses upper-case characters for
12141 some of its internal identifiers, which are normally of no interest to users.
12142 For the rare occasions when you actually have to look at them,
12143 enclose them in angle brackets to avoid the lower-case mapping.
12144 For example,
12145 @smallexample
12146 (@value{GDBP}) print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
12147 @end smallexample
12148
12149 @item
12150 Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
12151 access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the object's
12152 specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag). Likewise, component
12153 selection on such a value will operate on the specific type of the
12154 object.
12155
12156 @end itemize
12157
12158 @node Stopping Before Main Program
12159 @subsubsection Stopping at the Very Beginning
12160
12161 @cindex breakpointing Ada elaboration code
12162 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
12163 before reaching the main procedure.
12164 As defined in the Ada Reference
12165 Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
12166 @code{adainit}. To run your program up to the beginning of
12167 elaboration, simply use the following two commands:
12168 @code{tbreak adainit} and @code{run}.
12169
12170 @node Ada Tasks
12171 @subsubsection Extensions for Ada Tasks
12172 @cindex Ada, tasking
12173
12174 Support for Ada tasks is analogous to that for threads (@pxref{Threads}).
12175 @value{GDBN} provides the following task-related commands:
12176
12177 @table @code
12178 @kindex info tasks
12179 @item info tasks
12180 This command shows a list of current Ada tasks, as in the following example:
12181
12182
12183 @smallexample
12184 @iftex
12185 @leftskip=0.5cm
12186 @end iftex
12187 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12188 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12189 1 8088000 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12190 2 80a4000 1 15 Accept Statement b
12191 3 809a800 1 15 Child Activation Wait a
12192 * 4 80ae800 3 15 Runnable c
12193
12194 @end smallexample
12195
12196 @noindent
12197 In this listing, the asterisk before the last task indicates it to be the
12198 task currently being inspected.
12199
12200 @table @asis
12201 @item ID
12202 Represents @value{GDBN}'s internal task number.
12203
12204 @item TID
12205 The Ada task ID.
12206
12207 @item P-ID
12208 The parent's task ID (@value{GDBN}'s internal task number).
12209
12210 @item Pri
12211 The base priority of the task.
12212
12213 @item State
12214 Current state of the task.
12215
12216 @table @code
12217 @item Unactivated
12218 The task has been created but has not been activated. It cannot be
12219 executing.
12220
12221 @item Runnable
12222 The task is not blocked for any reason known to Ada. (It may be waiting
12223 for a mutex, though.) It is conceptually "executing" in normal mode.
12224
12225 @item Terminated
12226 The task is terminated, in the sense of ARM 9.3 (5). Any dependents
12227 that were waiting on terminate alternatives have been awakened and have
12228 terminated themselves.
12229
12230 @item Child Activation Wait
12231 The task is waiting for created tasks to complete activation.
12232
12233 @item Accept Statement
12234 The task is waiting on an accept or selective wait statement.
12235
12236 @item Waiting on entry call
12237 The task is waiting on an entry call.
12238
12239 @item Async Select Wait
12240 The task is waiting to start the abortable part of an asynchronous
12241 select statement.
12242
12243 @item Delay Sleep
12244 The task is waiting on a select statement with only a delay
12245 alternative open.
12246
12247 @item Child Termination Wait
12248 The task is sleeping having completed a master within itself, and is
12249 waiting for the tasks dependent on that master to become terminated or
12250 waiting on a terminate Phase.
12251
12252 @item Wait Child in Term Alt
12253 The task is sleeping waiting for tasks on terminate alternatives to
12254 finish terminating.
12255
12256 @item Accepting RV with @var{taskno}
12257 The task is accepting a rendez-vous with the task @var{taskno}.
12258 @end table
12259
12260 @item Name
12261 Name of the task in the program.
12262
12263 @end table
12264
12265 @kindex info task @var{taskno}
12266 @item info task @var{taskno}
12267 This command shows detailled informations on the specified task, as in
12268 the following example:
12269 @smallexample
12270 @iftex
12271 @leftskip=0.5cm
12272 @end iftex
12273 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12274 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12275 1 8077880 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12276 * 2 807c468 1 15 Runnable task_1
12277 (@value{GDBP}) info task 2
12278 Ada Task: 0x807c468
12279 Name: task_1
12280 Thread: 0x807f378
12281 Parent: 1 (main_task)
12282 Base Priority: 15
12283 State: Runnable
12284 @end smallexample
12285
12286 @item task
12287 @kindex task@r{ (Ada)}
12288 @cindex current Ada task ID
12289 This command prints the ID of the current task.
12290
12291 @smallexample
12292 @iftex
12293 @leftskip=0.5cm
12294 @end iftex
12295 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12296 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12297 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12298 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
12299 (@value{GDBP}) task
12300 [Current task is 2]
12301 @end smallexample
12302
12303 @item task @var{taskno}
12304 @cindex Ada task switching
12305 This command is like the @code{thread @var{threadno}}
12306 command (@pxref{Threads}). It switches the context of debugging
12307 from the current task to the given task.
12308
12309 @smallexample
12310 @iftex
12311 @leftskip=0.5cm
12312 @end iftex
12313 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12314 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12315 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12316 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
12317 (@value{GDBP}) task 1
12318 [Switching to task 1]
12319 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
12320 (@value{GDBP}) bt
12321 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
12322 #1 0x8056714 in system.os_interface.pthread_cond_wait ()
12323 #2 0x805cb63 in system.task_primitives.operations.sleep ()
12324 #3 0x806153e in system.tasking.stages.activate_tasks ()
12325 #4 0x804aacc in un () at un.adb:5
12326 @end smallexample
12327
12328 @item break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno}
12329 @itemx break @var{linespec} task @var{taskno} if @dots{}
12330 @cindex breakpoints and tasks, in Ada
12331 @cindex task breakpoints, in Ada
12332 @kindex break @dots{} task @var{taskno}@r{ (Ada)}
12333 These commands are like the @code{break @dots{} thread @dots{}}
12334 command (@pxref{Thread Stops}).
12335 @var{linespec} specifies source lines, as described
12336 in @ref{Specify Location}.
12337
12338 Use the qualifier @samp{task @var{taskno}} with a breakpoint command
12339 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
12340 particular Ada task reaches this breakpoint. @var{taskno} is one of the
12341 numeric task identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
12342 column of the @samp{info tasks} display.
12343
12344 If you do not specify @samp{task @var{taskno}} when you set a
12345 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} tasks of your
12346 program.
12347
12348 You can use the @code{task} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
12349 well; in this case, place @samp{task @var{taskno}} before the
12350 breakpoint condition (before the @code{if}).
12351
12352 For example,
12353
12354 @smallexample
12355 @iftex
12356 @leftskip=0.5cm
12357 @end iftex
12358 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12359 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12360 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12361 2 140045060 1 15 Accept/Select Wait t2
12362 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
12363 * 4 140056040 1 15 Runnable t3
12364 (@value{GDBP}) b 15 task 2
12365 Breakpoint 5 at 0x120044cb0: file test_task_debug.adb, line 15.
12366 (@value{GDBP}) cont
12367 Continuing.
12368 task # 1 running
12369 task # 2 running
12370
12371 Breakpoint 5, test_task_debug () at test_task_debug.adb:15
12372 15 flush;
12373 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
12374 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
12375 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
12376 * 2 140045060 1 15 Runnable t2
12377 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
12378 4 140056040 1 15 Delay Sleep t3
12379 @end smallexample
12380 @end table
12381
12382 @node Ada Tasks and Core Files
12383 @subsubsection Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
12384 @cindex Ada tasking and core file debugging
12385
12386 When inspecting a core file, as opposed to debugging a live program,
12387 tasking support may be limited or even unavailable, depending on
12388 the platform being used.
12389 For instance, on x86-linux, the list of tasks is available, but task
12390 switching is not supported. On Tru64, however, task switching will work
12391 as usual.
12392
12393 On certain platforms, including Tru64, the debugger needs to perform some
12394 memory writes in order to provide Ada tasking support. When inspecting
12395 a core file, this means that the core file must be opened with read-write
12396 privileges, using the command @samp{"set write on"} (@pxref{Patching}).
12397 Under these circumstances, you should make a backup copy of the core
12398 file before inspecting it with @value{GDBN}.
12399
12400 @node Ada Glitches
12401 @subsubsection Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
12402 @cindex Ada, problems
12403
12404 Besides the omissions listed previously (@pxref{Omissions from Ada}),
12405 we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in
12406 @value{GDBN},
12407 some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
12408 and the GNU Ada compiler.
12409
12410 @itemize @bullet
12411 @item
12412 Currently, the debugger
12413 has insufficient information to determine whether certain pointers represent
12414 pointers to objects or the objects themselves.
12415 Thus, the user may have to tack an extra @code{.all} after an expression
12416 to get it printed properly.
12417
12418 @item
12419 Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as objects in
12420 storage are invisible to the debugger.
12421
12422 @item
12423 Named parameter associations in function argument lists are ignored (the
12424 argument lists are treated as positional).
12425
12426 @item
12427 Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the debugger.
12428
12429 @item
12430 Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried out using
12431 floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that only approximate those on
12432 the host machine.
12433
12434 @item
12435 The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix @code{Standard} for any of
12436 the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. @value{GDBN} knows about
12437 this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and will never
12438 look for a name you have so qualified among local symbols, nor match against
12439 symbols in other packages or subprograms. If you have
12440 defined entities anywhere in your program other than parameters and
12441 local variables whose simple names match names in @code{Standard},
12442 GNAT's lack of qualification here can cause confusion. When this happens,
12443 you can usually resolve the confusion
12444 by qualifying the problematic names with package
12445 @code{Standard} explicitly.
12446 @end itemize
12447
12448 @node Unsupported Languages
12449 @section Unsupported Languages
12450
12451 @cindex unsupported languages
12452 @cindex minimal language
12453 In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages,
12454 @value{GDBN} also provides a pseudo-language, called @code{minimal}.
12455 It does not represent a real programming language, but provides a set
12456 of capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide.
12457 This should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging
12458 an application that uses a language currently not supported by @value{GDBN}.
12459
12460 If the language is set to @code{auto}, @value{GDBN} will automatically
12461 select this language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported
12462 language.
12463
12464 @node Symbols
12465 @chapter Examining the Symbol Table
12466
12467 The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
12468 symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
12469 program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
12470 does not change as your program executes. @value{GDBN} finds it in your
12471 program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started @value{GDBN}
12472 (@pxref{File Options, ,Choosing Files}), or by one of the
12473 file-management commands (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
12474
12475 @cindex symbol names
12476 @cindex names of symbols
12477 @cindex quoting names
12478 Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
12479 characters, which @value{GDBN} ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The
12480 most frequent case is in referring to static variables in other
12481 source files (@pxref{Variables,,Program Variables}). File names
12482 are recorded in object files as debugging symbols, but @value{GDBN} would
12483 ordinarily parse a typical file name, like @file{foo.c}, as the three words
12484 @samp{foo} @samp{.} @samp{c}. To allow @value{GDBN} to recognize
12485 @samp{foo.c} as a single symbol, enclose it in single quotes; for example,
12486
12487 @smallexample
12488 p 'foo.c'::x
12489 @end smallexample
12490
12491 @noindent
12492 looks up the value of @code{x} in the scope of the file @file{foo.c}.
12493
12494 @table @code
12495 @cindex case-insensitive symbol names
12496 @cindex case sensitivity in symbol names
12497 @kindex set case-sensitive
12498 @item set case-sensitive on
12499 @itemx set case-sensitive off
12500 @itemx set case-sensitive auto
12501 Normally, when @value{GDBN} looks up symbols, it matches their names
12502 with case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
12503 Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command @code{set
12504 case-sensitive} lets you do that by specifying @code{on} for
12505 case-sensitive matches or @code{off} for case-insensitive ones. If
12506 you specify @code{auto}, case sensitivity is reset to the default
12507 suitable for the source language. The default is case-sensitive
12508 matches for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
12509 case-insensitive matches.
12510
12511 @kindex show case-sensitive
12512 @item show case-sensitive
12513 This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for symbols
12514 lookups.
12515
12516 @kindex info address
12517 @cindex address of a symbol
12518 @item info address @var{symbol}
12519 Describe where the data for @var{symbol} is stored. For a register
12520 variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a non-register
12521 local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at which the variable
12522 is always stored.
12523
12524 Note the contrast with @samp{print &@var{symbol}}, which does not work
12525 at all for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints
12526 the exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
12527
12528 @kindex info symbol
12529 @cindex symbol from address
12530 @cindex closest symbol and offset for an address
12531 @item info symbol @var{addr}
12532 Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address @var{addr}.
12533 If no symbol is stored exactly at @var{addr}, @value{GDBN} prints the
12534 nearest symbol and an offset from it:
12535
12536 @smallexample
12537 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x54320
12538 _initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
12539 @end smallexample
12540
12541 @noindent
12542 This is the opposite of the @code{info address} command. You can use
12543 it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its address.
12544
12545 For dynamically linked executables, the name of executable or shared
12546 library containing the symbol is also printed:
12547
12548 @smallexample
12549 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x400225
12550 _start + 5 in section .text of /tmp/a.out
12551 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x2aaaac2811cf
12552 __read_nocancel + 6 in section .text of /usr/lib64/libc.so.6
12553 @end smallexample
12554
12555 @kindex whatis
12556 @item whatis [@var{arg}]
12557 Print the data type of @var{arg}, which can be either an expression or
12558 a data type. With no argument, print the data type of @code{$}, the
12559 last value in the value history. If @var{arg} is an expression, it is
12560 not actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
12561 assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place. If
12562 @var{arg} is a type name, it may be the name of a type or typedef, or
12563 for C code it may have the form @samp{class @var{class-name}},
12564 @samp{struct @var{struct-tag}}, @samp{union @var{union-tag}} or
12565 @samp{enum @var{enum-tag}}.
12566 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
12567
12568 @kindex ptype
12569 @item ptype [@var{arg}]
12570 @code{ptype} accepts the same arguments as @code{whatis}, but prints a
12571 detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the type.
12572 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
12573
12574 For example, for this variable declaration:
12575
12576 @smallexample
12577 struct complex @{double real; double imag;@} v;
12578 @end smallexample
12579
12580 @noindent
12581 the two commands give this output:
12582
12583 @smallexample
12584 @group
12585 (@value{GDBP}) whatis v
12586 type = struct complex
12587 (@value{GDBP}) ptype v
12588 type = struct complex @{
12589 double real;
12590 double imag;
12591 @}
12592 @end group
12593 @end smallexample
12594
12595 @noindent
12596 As with @code{whatis}, using @code{ptype} without an argument refers to
12597 the type of @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
12598
12599 @cindex incomplete type
12600 Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete specifications
12601 of complex data structure. If the debug information included in the
12602 program does not allow @value{GDBN} to display a full declaration of
12603 the data type, it will say @samp{<incomplete type>}. For example,
12604 given these declarations:
12605
12606 @smallexample
12607 struct foo;
12608 struct foo *fooptr;
12609 @end smallexample
12610
12611 @noindent
12612 but no definition for @code{struct foo} itself, @value{GDBN} will say:
12613
12614 @smallexample
12615 (@value{GDBP}) ptype foo
12616 $1 = <incomplete type>
12617 @end smallexample
12618
12619 @noindent
12620 ``Incomplete type'' is C terminology for data types that are not
12621 completely specified.
12622
12623 @kindex info types
12624 @item info types @var{regexp}
12625 @itemx info types
12626 Print a brief description of all types whose names match the regular
12627 expression @var{regexp} (or all types in your program, if you supply
12628 no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though it were a
12629 complete line; thus, @samp{i type value} gives information on all
12630 types in your program whose names include the string @code{value}, but
12631 @samp{i type ^value$} gives information only on types whose complete
12632 name is @code{value}.
12633
12634 This command differs from @code{ptype} in two ways: first, like
12635 @code{whatis}, it does not print a detailed description; second, it
12636 lists all source files where a type is defined.
12637
12638 @kindex info scope
12639 @cindex local variables
12640 @item info scope @var{location}
12641 List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
12642 accepts a @var{location} argument---a function name, a source line, or
12643 an address preceded by a @samp{*}, and prints all the variables local
12644 to the scope defined by that location. (@xref{Specify Location}, for
12645 details about supported forms of @var{location}.) For example:
12646
12647 @smallexample
12648 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info scope command_line_handler}
12649 Scope for command_line_handler:
12650 Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
12651 Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
12652 Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
12653 Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
12654 Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
12655 Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
12656 Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
12657 @end smallexample
12658
12659 @noindent
12660 This command is especially useful for determining what data to collect
12661 during a @dfn{trace experiment}, see @ref{Tracepoint Actions,
12662 collect}.
12663
12664 @kindex info source
12665 @item info source
12666 Show information about the current source file---that is, the source file for
12667 the function containing the current point of execution:
12668 @itemize @bullet
12669 @item
12670 the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
12671 @item
12672 the directory it was compiled in,
12673 @item
12674 its length, in lines,
12675 @item
12676 which programming language it is written in,
12677 @item
12678 whether the executable includes debugging information for that file, and
12679 if so, what format the information is in (e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
12680 @item
12681 whether the debugging information includes information about
12682 preprocessor macros.
12683 @end itemize
12684
12685
12686 @kindex info sources
12687 @item info sources
12688 Print the names of all source files in your program for which there is
12689 debugging information, organized into two lists: files whose symbols
12690 have already been read, and files whose symbols will be read when needed.
12691
12692 @kindex info functions
12693 @item info functions
12694 Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
12695
12696 @item info functions @var{regexp}
12697 Print the names and data types of all defined functions
12698 whose names contain a match for regular expression @var{regexp}.
12699 Thus, @samp{info fun step} finds all functions whose names
12700 include @code{step}; @samp{info fun ^step} finds those whose names
12701 start with @code{step}. If a function name contains characters
12702 that conflict with the regular expression language (e.g.@:
12703 @samp{operator*()}), they may be quoted with a backslash.
12704
12705 @kindex info variables
12706 @item info variables
12707 Print the names and data types of all variables that are declared
12708 outside of functions (i.e.@: excluding local variables).
12709
12710 @item info variables @var{regexp}
12711 Print the names and data types of all variables (except for local
12712 variables) whose names contain a match for regular expression
12713 @var{regexp}.
12714
12715 @kindex info classes
12716 @cindex Objective-C, classes and selectors
12717 @item info classes
12718 @itemx info classes @var{regexp}
12719 Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or
12720 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
12721 expression.
12722
12723 @kindex info selectors
12724 @item info selectors
12725 @itemx info selectors @var{regexp}
12726 Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or
12727 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
12728 expression.
12729
12730 @ignore
12731 This was never implemented.
12732 @kindex info methods
12733 @item info methods
12734 @itemx info methods @var{regexp}
12735 The @code{info methods} command permits the user to examine all defined
12736 methods within C@t{++} program, or (with the @var{regexp} argument) a
12737 specific set of methods found in the various C@t{++} classes. Many
12738 C@t{++} classes provide a large number of methods. Thus, the output
12739 from the @code{ptype} command can be overwhelming and hard to use. The
12740 @code{info-methods} command filters the methods, printing only those
12741 which match the regular-expression @var{regexp}.
12742 @end ignore
12743
12744 @cindex reloading symbols
12745 Some systems allow individual object files that make up your program to
12746 be replaced without stopping and restarting your program. For example,
12747 in VxWorks you can simply recompile a defective object file and keep on
12748 running. If you are running on one of these systems, you can allow
12749 @value{GDBN} to reload the symbols for automatically relinked modules:
12750
12751 @table @code
12752 @kindex set symbol-reloading
12753 @item set symbol-reloading on
12754 Replace symbol definitions for the corresponding source file when an
12755 object file with a particular name is seen again.
12756
12757 @item set symbol-reloading off
12758 Do not replace symbol definitions when encountering object files of the
12759 same name more than once. This is the default state; if you are not
12760 running on a system that permits automatic relinking of modules, you
12761 should leave @code{symbol-reloading} off, since otherwise @value{GDBN}
12762 may discard symbols when linking large programs, that may contain
12763 several modules (from different directories or libraries) with the same
12764 name.
12765
12766 @kindex show symbol-reloading
12767 @item show symbol-reloading
12768 Show the current @code{on} or @code{off} setting.
12769 @end table
12770
12771 @cindex opaque data types
12772 @kindex set opaque-type-resolution
12773 @item set opaque-type-resolution on
12774 Tell @value{GDBN} to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
12775 declared as a pointer to a @code{struct}, @code{class}, or
12776 @code{union}---for example, @code{struct MyType *}---that is used in one
12777 source file although the full declaration of @code{struct MyType} is in
12778 another source file. The default is on.
12779
12780 A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect until
12781 the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
12782
12783 @item set opaque-type-resolution off
12784 Tell @value{GDBN} not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type
12785 is printed as follows:
12786 @smallexample
12787 @{<no data fields>@}
12788 @end smallexample
12789
12790 @kindex show opaque-type-resolution
12791 @item show opaque-type-resolution
12792 Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
12793
12794 @kindex maint print symbols
12795 @cindex symbol dump
12796 @kindex maint print psymbols
12797 @cindex partial symbol dump
12798 @item maint print symbols @var{filename}
12799 @itemx maint print psymbols @var{filename}
12800 @itemx maint print msymbols @var{filename}
12801 Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file @var{filename}.
12802 These commands are used to debug the @value{GDBN} symbol-reading code. Only
12803 symbols with debugging data are included. If you use @samp{maint print
12804 symbols}, @value{GDBN} includes all the symbols for which it has already
12805 collected full details: that is, @var{filename} reflects symbols for
12806 only those files whose symbols @value{GDBN} has read. You can use the
12807 command @code{info sources} to find out which files these are. If you
12808 use @samp{maint print psymbols} instead, the dump shows information about
12809 symbols that @value{GDBN} only knows partially---that is, symbols defined in
12810 files that @value{GDBN} has skimmed, but not yet read completely. Finally,
12811 @samp{maint print msymbols} dumps just the minimal symbol information
12812 required for each object file from which @value{GDBN} has read some symbols.
12813 @xref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}, for a discussion of how
12814 @value{GDBN} reads symbols (in the description of @code{symbol-file}).
12815
12816 @kindex maint info symtabs
12817 @kindex maint info psymtabs
12818 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal symbol tables
12819 @cindex symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
12820 @cindex full symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
12821 @cindex partial symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
12822 @item maint info symtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
12823 @itemx maint info psymtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
12824
12825 List the @code{struct symtab} or @code{struct partial_symtab}
12826 structures whose names match @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
12827 given, list them all. The output includes expressions which you can
12828 copy into a @value{GDBN} debugging this one to examine a particular
12829 structure in more detail. For example:
12830
12831 @smallexample
12832 (@value{GDBP}) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
12833 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
12834 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
12835 @{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
12836 ((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
12837 readin no
12838 fullname (null)
12839 text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
12840 globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @@ 9)
12841 statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @@ 2882)
12842 dependencies (none)
12843 @}
12844 @}
12845 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
12846 (@value{GDBP})
12847 @end smallexample
12848 @noindent
12849 We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename contains
12850 the string @samp{dwarf2read}, belonging to the @samp{gdb} executable;
12851 and we see that @value{GDBN} has not read in any symtabs yet at all.
12852 If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause @value{GDBN} to
12853 read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
12854
12855 @smallexample
12856 (@value{GDBP}) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
12857 Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
12858 line 1574.
12859 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
12860 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
12861 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
12862 @{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
12863 ((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
12864 dirname (null)
12865 fullname (null)
12866 blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
12867 linetable ((struct linetable *) 0x8370fa0)
12868 debugformat DWARF 2
12869 @}
12870 @}
12871 (@value{GDBP})
12872 @end smallexample
12873 @end table
12874
12875
12876 @node Altering
12877 @chapter Altering Execution
12878
12879 Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to
12880 find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to
12881 correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by
12882 experiment, using the @value{GDBN} features for altering execution of the
12883 program.
12884
12885 For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
12886 locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
12887 address, or even return prematurely from a function.
12888
12889 @menu
12890 * Assignment:: Assignment to variables
12891 * Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
12892 * Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
12893 * Returning:: Returning from a function
12894 * Calling:: Calling your program's functions
12895 * Patching:: Patching your program
12896 @end menu
12897
12898 @node Assignment
12899 @section Assignment to Variables
12900
12901 @cindex assignment
12902 @cindex setting variables
12903 To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
12904 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}. For example,
12905
12906 @smallexample
12907 print x=4
12908 @end smallexample
12909
12910 @noindent
12911 stores the value 4 into the variable @code{x}, and then prints the
12912 value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
12913 @xref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages}, for more
12914 information on operators in supported languages.
12915
12916 @kindex set variable
12917 @cindex variables, setting
12918 If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
12919 @code{set} command instead of the @code{print} command. @code{set} is
12920 really the same as @code{print} except that the expression's value is
12921 not printed and is not put in the value history (@pxref{Value History,
12922 ,Value History}). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
12923
12924 If the beginning of the argument string of the @code{set} command
12925 appears identical to a @code{set} subcommand, use the @code{set
12926 variable} command instead of just @code{set}. This command is identical
12927 to @code{set} except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
12928 program has a variable @code{width}, you get an error if you try to set
12929 a new value with just @samp{set width=13}, because @value{GDBN} has the
12930 command @code{set width}:
12931
12932 @smallexample
12933 (@value{GDBP}) whatis width
12934 type = double
12935 (@value{GDBP}) p width
12936 $4 = 13
12937 (@value{GDBP}) set width=47
12938 Invalid syntax in expression.
12939 @end smallexample
12940
12941 @noindent
12942 The invalid expression, of course, is @samp{=47}. In
12943 order to actually set the program's variable @code{width}, use
12944
12945 @smallexample
12946 (@value{GDBP}) set var width=47
12947 @end smallexample
12948
12949 Because the @code{set} command has many subcommands that can conflict
12950 with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
12951 @code{set variable} command instead of just @code{set}. For example, if
12952 your program has a variable @code{g}, you run into problems if you try
12953 to set a new value with just @samp{set g=4}, because @value{GDBN} has
12954 the command @code{set gnutarget}, abbreviated @code{set g}:
12955
12956 @smallexample
12957 @group
12958 (@value{GDBP}) whatis g
12959 type = double
12960 (@value{GDBP}) p g
12961 $1 = 1
12962 (@value{GDBP}) set g=4
12963 (@value{GDBP}) p g
12964 $2 = 1
12965 (@value{GDBP}) r
12966 The program being debugged has been started already.
12967 Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
12968 Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
12969 "/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
12970 Invalid bfd target.
12971 (@value{GDBP}) show g
12972 The current BFD target is "=4".
12973 @end group
12974 @end smallexample
12975
12976 @noindent
12977 The program variable @code{g} did not change, and you silently set the
12978 @code{gnutarget} to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
12979 @code{g}, use
12980
12981 @smallexample
12982 (@value{GDBP}) set var g=4
12983 @end smallexample
12984
12985 @value{GDBN} allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
12986 freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
12987 and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
12988 same length or shorter.
12989 @comment FIXME: how do structs align/pad in these conversions?
12990 @comment /doc@cygnus.com 18dec1990
12991
12992 To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the @samp{@{@dots{}@}}
12993 construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
12994 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). For example, @code{@{int@}0x83040} refers
12995 to memory location @code{0x83040} as an integer (which implies a certain size
12996 and representation in memory), and
12997
12998 @smallexample
12999 set @{int@}0x83040 = 4
13000 @end smallexample
13001
13002 @noindent
13003 stores the value 4 into that memory location.
13004
13005 @node Jumping
13006 @section Continuing at a Different Address
13007
13008 Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
13009 it stopped, with the @code{continue} command. You can instead continue at
13010 an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
13011
13012 @table @code
13013 @kindex jump
13014 @item jump @var{linespec}
13015 @itemx jump @var{location}
13016 Resume execution at line @var{linespec} or at address given by
13017 @var{location}. Execution stops again immediately if there is a
13018 breakpoint there. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
13019 different forms of @var{linespec} and @var{location}. It is common
13020 practice to use the @code{tbreak} command in conjunction with
13021 @code{jump}. @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
13022
13023 The @code{jump} command does not change the current stack frame, or
13024 the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
13025 register other than the program counter. If line @var{linespec} is in
13026 a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
13027 be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
13028 of local variables. For this reason, the @code{jump} command requests
13029 confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
13030 executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
13031 well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
13032 @end table
13033
13034 @c Doesn't work on HP-UX; have to set $pcoqh and $pcoqt.
13035 On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the @code{jump}
13036 command by storing a new value into the register @code{$pc}. The
13037 difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
13038 changes the address of where it @emph{will} run when you continue. For
13039 example,
13040
13041 @smallexample
13042 set $pc = 0x485
13043 @end smallexample
13044
13045 @noindent
13046 makes the next @code{continue} command or stepping command execute at
13047 address @code{0x485}, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
13048 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}.
13049
13050 The most common occasion to use the @code{jump} command is to back
13051 up---perhaps with more breakpoints set---over a portion of a program
13052 that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
13053 detail.
13054
13055 @c @group
13056 @node Signaling
13057 @section Giving your Program a Signal
13058 @cindex deliver a signal to a program
13059
13060 @table @code
13061 @kindex signal
13062 @item signal @var{signal}
13063 Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give it the
13064 signal @var{signal}. @var{signal} can be the name or the number of a
13065 signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and @code{signal
13066 SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
13067
13068 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, continue execution without
13069 giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
13070 a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed with the
13071 @code{continue} command; @samp{signal 0} causes it to resume without a
13072 signal.
13073
13074 @code{signal} does not repeat when you press @key{RET} a second time
13075 after executing the command.
13076 @end table
13077 @c @end group
13078
13079 Invoking the @code{signal} command is not the same as invoking the
13080 @code{kill} utility from the shell. Sending a signal with @code{kill}
13081 causes @value{GDBN} to decide what to do with the signal depending on
13082 the signal handling tables (@pxref{Signals}). The @code{signal} command
13083 passes the signal directly to your program.
13084
13085
13086 @node Returning
13087 @section Returning from a Function
13088
13089 @table @code
13090 @cindex returning from a function
13091 @kindex return
13092 @item return
13093 @itemx return @var{expression}
13094 You can cancel execution of a function call with the @code{return}
13095 command. If you give an
13096 @var{expression} argument, its value is used as the function's return
13097 value.
13098 @end table
13099
13100 When you use @code{return}, @value{GDBN} discards the selected stack frame
13101 (and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
13102 discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
13103 be returned, give that value as the argument to @code{return}.
13104
13105 This pops the selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a
13106 Frame}), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the
13107 innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
13108 specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values
13109 of functions.
13110
13111 The @code{return} command does not resume execution; it leaves the
13112 program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
13113 returned. In contrast, the @code{finish} command (@pxref{Continuing
13114 and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}) resumes execution until the
13115 selected stack frame returns naturally.
13116
13117 @value{GDBN} needs to know how the @var{expression} argument should be set for
13118 the inferior. The concrete registers assignment depends on the OS ABI and the
13119 type being returned by the selected stack frame. For example it is common for
13120 OS ABI to return floating point values in FPU registers while integer values in
13121 CPU registers. Still some ABIs return even floating point values in CPU
13122 registers. Larger integer widths (such as @code{long long int}) also have
13123 specific placement rules. @value{GDBN} already knows the OS ABI from its
13124 current target so it needs to find out also the type being returned to make the
13125 assignment into the right register(s).
13126
13127 Normally, the selected stack frame has debug info. @value{GDBN} will always
13128 use the debug info instead of the implicit type of @var{expression} when the
13129 debug info is available. For example, if you type @kbd{return -1}, and the
13130 function in the current stack frame is declared to return a @code{long long
13131 int}, @value{GDBN} transparently converts the implicit @code{int} value of -1
13132 into a @code{long long int}:
13133
13134 @smallexample
13135 Breakpoint 1, func () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:29
13136 29 return 31;
13137 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
13138 Make func return now? (y or n) y
13139 #0 0x004004f6 in main () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:43
13140 43 printf ("result=%lld\n", func ());
13141 (@value{GDBP})
13142 @end smallexample
13143
13144 However, if the selected stack frame does not have a debug info, e.g., if the
13145 function was compiled without debug info, @value{GDBN} has to find out the type
13146 to return from user. Specifying a different type by mistake may set the value
13147 in different inferior registers than the caller code expects. For example,
13148 typing @kbd{return -1} with its implicit type @code{int} would set only a part
13149 of a @code{long long int} result for a debug info less function (on 32-bit
13150 architectures). Therefore the user is required to specify the return type by
13151 an appropriate cast explicitly:
13152
13153 @smallexample
13154 Breakpoint 2, 0x0040050b in func ()
13155 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
13156 Return value type not available for selected stack frame.
13157 Please use an explicit cast of the value to return.
13158 (@value{GDBP}) return (long long int) -1
13159 Make selected stack frame return now? (y or n) y
13160 #0 0x00400526 in main ()
13161 (@value{GDBP})
13162 @end smallexample
13163
13164 @node Calling
13165 @section Calling Program Functions
13166
13167 @table @code
13168 @cindex calling functions
13169 @cindex inferior functions, calling
13170 @item print @var{expr}
13171 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} and display the resulting value.
13172 @var{expr} may include calls to functions in the program being
13173 debugged.
13174
13175 @kindex call
13176 @item call @var{expr}
13177 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} without displaying @code{void}
13178 returned values.
13179
13180 You can use this variant of the @code{print} command if you want to
13181 execute a function from your program that does not return anything
13182 (a.k.a.@: @dfn{a void function}), but without cluttering the output
13183 with @code{void} returned values that @value{GDBN} will otherwise
13184 print. If the result is not void, it is printed and saved in the
13185 value history.
13186 @end table
13187
13188 It is possible for the function you call via the @code{print} or
13189 @code{call} command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in
13190 the function, or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens
13191 in that case is controlled by the @code{set unwindonsignal} command.
13192
13193 Similarly, with a C@t{++} program it is possible for the function you
13194 call via the @code{print} or @code{call} command to generate an
13195 exception that is not handled due to the constraints of the dummy
13196 frame. In this case, any exception that is raised in the frame, but has
13197 an out-of-frame exception handler will not be found. GDB builds a
13198 dummy-frame for the inferior function call, and the unwinder cannot
13199 seek for exception handlers outside of this dummy-frame. What happens
13200 in that case is controlled by the
13201 @code{set unwind-on-terminating-exception} command.
13202
13203 @table @code
13204 @item set unwindonsignal
13205 @kindex set unwindonsignal
13206 @cindex unwind stack in called functions
13207 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding
13208 Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a function
13209 that @value{GDBN} called in the program being debugged. If set to on,
13210 @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores
13211 the context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
13212 default), @value{GDBN} stops in the frame where the signal was
13213 received.
13214
13215 @item show unwindonsignal
13216 @kindex show unwindonsignal
13217 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
13218 @value{GDBN}.
13219
13220 @item set unwind-on-terminating-exception
13221 @kindex set unwind-on-terminating-exception
13222 @cindex unwind stack in called functions with unhandled exceptions
13223 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding on unhandled exception.
13224 Set unwinding of the stack if a C@t{++} exception is raised, but left
13225 unhandled while in a function that @value{GDBN} called in the program being
13226 debugged. If set to on (the default), @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack
13227 it created for the call and restores the context to what it was before
13228 the call. If set to off, @value{GDBN} the exception is delivered to
13229 the default C@t{++} exception handler and the inferior terminated.
13230
13231 @item show unwind-on-terminating-exception
13232 @kindex show unwind-on-terminating-exception
13233 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
13234 @value{GDBN}.
13235
13236 @end table
13237
13238 @cindex weak alias functions
13239 Sometimes, a function you wish to call is actually a @dfn{weak alias}
13240 for another function. In such case, @value{GDBN} might not pick up
13241 the type information, including the types of the function arguments,
13242 which causes @value{GDBN} to call the inferior function incorrectly.
13243 As a result, the called function will function erroneously and may
13244 even crash. A solution to that is to use the name of the aliased
13245 function instead.
13246
13247 @node Patching
13248 @section Patching Programs
13249
13250 @cindex patching binaries
13251 @cindex writing into executables
13252 @cindex writing into corefiles
13253
13254 By default, @value{GDBN} opens the file containing your program's
13255 executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental
13256 alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally
13257 patching your program's binary.
13258
13259 If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
13260 explicitly with the @code{set write} command. For example, you might
13261 want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
13262 repairs.
13263
13264 @table @code
13265 @kindex set write
13266 @item set write on
13267 @itemx set write off
13268 If you specify @samp{set write on}, @value{GDBN} opens executable and
13269 core files for both reading and writing; if you specify @kbd{set write
13270 off} (the default), @value{GDBN} opens them read-only.
13271
13272 If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using the
13273 @code{exec-file} or @code{core-file} command) after changing @code{set
13274 write}, for your new setting to take effect.
13275
13276 @item show write
13277 @kindex show write
13278 Display whether executable files and core files are opened for writing
13279 as well as reading.
13280 @end table
13281
13282 @node GDB Files
13283 @chapter @value{GDBN} Files
13284
13285 @value{GDBN} needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged,
13286 both in order to read its symbol table and in order to start your
13287 program. To debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell
13288 @value{GDBN} the name of the core dump file.
13289
13290 @menu
13291 * Files:: Commands to specify files
13292 * Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
13293 * Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files
13294 * Data Files:: GDB data files
13295 @end menu
13296
13297 @node Files
13298 @section Commands to Specify Files
13299
13300 @cindex symbol table
13301 @cindex core dump file
13302
13303 You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
13304 way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to
13305 @value{GDBN}'s start-up commands (@pxref{Invocation, , Getting In and
13306 Out of @value{GDBN}}).
13307
13308 Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
13309 @value{GDBN} session. Or you may run @value{GDBN} and forget to
13310 specify a file you want to use. Or you are debugging a remote target
13311 via @code{gdbserver} (@pxref{Server, file, Using the @code{gdbserver}
13312 Program}). In these situations the @value{GDBN} commands to specify
13313 new files are useful.
13314
13315 @table @code
13316 @cindex executable file
13317 @kindex file
13318 @item file @var{filename}
13319 Use @var{filename} as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
13320 symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the program
13321 executed when you use the @code{run} command. If you do not specify a
13322 directory and the file is not found in the @value{GDBN} working directory,
13323 @value{GDBN} uses the environment variable @code{PATH} as a list of
13324 directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a program
13325 to run. You can change the value of this variable, for both @value{GDBN}
13326 and your program, using the @code{path} command.
13327
13328 @cindex unlinked object files
13329 @cindex patching object files
13330 You can load unlinked object @file{.o} files into @value{GDBN} using
13331 the @code{file} command. You will not be able to ``run'' an object
13332 file, but you can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also,
13333 if the underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use
13334 @kbd{gdb -write} to patch object files using this technique. Note
13335 that @value{GDBN} can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this
13336 case, so branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to
13337 the wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
13338
13339 @item file
13340 @code{file} with no argument makes @value{GDBN} discard any information it
13341 has on both executable file and the symbol table.
13342
13343 @kindex exec-file
13344 @item exec-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
13345 Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is found
13346 in @var{filename}. @value{GDBN} searches the environment variable @code{PATH}
13347 if necessary to locate your program. Omitting @var{filename} means to
13348 discard information on the executable file.
13349
13350 @kindex symbol-file
13351 @item symbol-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
13352 Read symbol table information from file @var{filename}. @code{PATH} is
13353 searched when necessary. Use the @code{file} command to get both symbol
13354 table and program to run from the same file.
13355
13356 @code{symbol-file} with no argument clears out @value{GDBN} information on your
13357 program's symbol table.
13358
13359 The @code{symbol-file} command causes @value{GDBN} to forget the contents of
13360 some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because they may
13361 contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols and data types,
13362 which are part of the old symbol table data being discarded inside
13363 @value{GDBN}.
13364
13365 @code{symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
13366 executing it once.
13367
13368 When @value{GDBN} is configured for a particular environment, it
13369 understands debugging information in whatever format is the standard
13370 generated for that environment; you may use either a @sc{gnu} compiler, or
13371 other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
13372 Best results are usually obtained from @sc{gnu} compilers; for example,
13373 using @code{@value{NGCC}} you can generate debugging information for
13374 optimized code.
13375
13376 For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3 systems
13377 using COFF, the @code{symbol-file} command does not normally read the
13378 symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the symbol table
13379 quickly to find which source files and which symbols are present. The
13380 details are read later, one source file at a time, as they are needed.
13381
13382 The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make @value{GDBN}
13383 start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
13384 occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular source
13385 file are being read. (The @code{set verbose} command can turn these
13386 pauses into messages if desired. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional
13387 Warnings and Messages}.)
13388
13389 We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When the
13390 symbol table is stored in COFF format, @code{symbol-file} reads the
13391 symbol table data in full right away. Note that ``stabs-in-COFF''
13392 still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
13393 in stabs format.
13394
13395 @kindex readnow
13396 @cindex reading symbols immediately
13397 @cindex symbols, reading immediately
13398 @item symbol-file @var{filename} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
13399 @itemx file @var{filename} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
13400 You can override the @value{GDBN} two-stage strategy for reading symbol
13401 tables by using the @samp{-readnow} option with any of the commands that
13402 load symbol table information, if you want to be sure @value{GDBN} has the
13403 entire symbol table available.
13404
13405 @c FIXME: for now no mention of directories, since this seems to be in
13406 @c flux. 13mar1992 status is that in theory GDB would look either in
13407 @c current dir or in same dir as myprog; but issues like competing
13408 @c GDB's, or clutter in system dirs, mean that in practice right now
13409 @c only current dir is used. FFish says maybe a special GDB hierarchy
13410 @c (eg rooted in val of env var GDBSYMS) could exist for mappable symbol
13411 @c files.
13412
13413 @kindex core-file
13414 @item core-file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
13415 @itemx core
13416 Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the ``contents
13417 of memory''. Traditionally, core files contain only some parts of the
13418 address space of the process that generated them; @value{GDBN} can access the
13419 executable file itself for other parts.
13420
13421 @code{core-file} with no argument specifies that no core file is
13422 to be used.
13423
13424 Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually running
13425 under @value{GDBN}. So, if you have been running your program and you
13426 wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the subprocess in which
13427 the program is running. To do this, use the @code{kill} command
13428 (@pxref{Kill Process, ,Killing the Child Process}).
13429
13430 @kindex add-symbol-file
13431 @cindex dynamic linking
13432 @item add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address}
13433 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
13434 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @r{-s}@var{section} @var{address} @dots{}
13435 The @code{add-symbol-file} command reads additional symbol table
13436 information from the file @var{filename}. You would use this command
13437 when @var{filename} has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
13438 into the program that is running. @var{address} should be the memory
13439 address at which the file has been loaded; @value{GDBN} cannot figure
13440 this out for itself. You can additionally specify an arbitrary number
13441 of @samp{@r{-s}@var{section} @var{address}} pairs, to give an explicit
13442 section name and base address for that section. You can specify any
13443 @var{address} as an expression.
13444
13445 The symbol table of the file @var{filename} is added to the symbol table
13446 originally read with the @code{symbol-file} command. You can use the
13447 @code{add-symbol-file} command any number of times; the new symbol data
13448 thus read keeps adding to the old. To discard all old symbol data
13449 instead, use the @code{symbol-file} command without any arguments.
13450
13451 @cindex relocatable object files, reading symbols from
13452 @cindex object files, relocatable, reading symbols from
13453 @cindex reading symbols from relocatable object files
13454 @cindex symbols, reading from relocatable object files
13455 @cindex @file{.o} files, reading symbols from
13456 Although @var{filename} is typically a shared library file, an
13457 executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
13458 relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
13459 information from relocatable @file{.o} files, as long as:
13460
13461 @itemize @bullet
13462 @item
13463 the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols defined in
13464 that file, not to symbols defined by other object files,
13465 @item
13466 every section the file's symbolic information refers to has actually
13467 been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the file, and
13468 @item
13469 you can determine the address at which every section was loaded, and
13470 provide these to the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
13471 @end itemize
13472
13473 @noindent
13474 Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can load
13475 relocatable files into an already running program; such systems
13476 typically make the requirements above easy to meet. However, it's
13477 important to recognize that many native systems use complex link
13478 procedures (@code{.linkonce} section factoring and C@t{++} constructor table
13479 assembly, for example) that make the requirements difficult to meet. In
13480 general, one cannot assume that using @code{add-symbol-file} to read a
13481 relocatable object file's symbolic information will have the same effect
13482 as linking the relocatable object file into the program in the normal
13483 way.
13484
13485 @code{add-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
13486
13487 @kindex add-symbol-file-from-memory
13488 @cindex @code{syscall DSO}
13489 @cindex load symbols from memory
13490 @item add-symbol-file-from-memory @var{address}
13491 Load symbols from the given @var{address} in a dynamically loaded
13492 object file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
13493 For example, the Linux kernel maps a @code{syscall DSO} into each
13494 process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
13495 some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
13496 evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file header.
13497 For this command to work, you must have used @code{symbol-file} or
13498 @code{exec-file} commands in advance.
13499
13500 @kindex add-shared-symbol-files
13501 @kindex assf
13502 @item add-shared-symbol-files @var{library-file}
13503 @itemx assf @var{library-file}
13504 The @code{add-shared-symbol-files} command can currently be used only
13505 in the Cygwin build of @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows OS, where it is an
13506 alias for the @code{dll-symbols} command (@pxref{Cygwin Native}).
13507 @value{GDBN} automatically looks for shared libraries, however if
13508 @value{GDBN} does not find yours, you can invoke
13509 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}. It takes one argument: the shared
13510 library's file name. @code{assf} is a shorthand alias for
13511 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}.
13512
13513 @kindex section
13514 @item section @var{section} @var{addr}
13515 The @code{section} command changes the base address of the named
13516 @var{section} of the exec file to @var{addr}. This can be used if the
13517 exec file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the
13518 @code{a.out} format), or when the addresses specified in the file
13519 itself are wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The
13520 @code{info files} command, described below, lists all the sections and
13521 their addresses.
13522
13523 @kindex info files
13524 @kindex info target
13525 @item info files
13526 @itemx info target
13527 @code{info files} and @code{info target} are synonymous; both print the
13528 current target (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}),
13529 including the names of the executable and core dump files currently in
13530 use by @value{GDBN}, and the files from which symbols were loaded. The
13531 command @code{help target} lists all possible targets rather than
13532 current ones.
13533
13534 @kindex maint info sections
13535 @item maint info sections
13536 Another command that can give you extra information about program sections
13537 is @code{maint info sections}. In addition to the section information
13538 displayed by @code{info files}, this command displays the flags and file
13539 offset of each section in the executable and core dump files. In addition,
13540 @code{maint info sections} provides the following command options (which
13541 may be arbitrarily combined):
13542
13543 @table @code
13544 @item ALLOBJ
13545 Display sections for all loaded object files, including shared libraries.
13546 @item @var{sections}
13547 Display info only for named @var{sections}.
13548 @item @var{section-flags}
13549 Display info only for sections for which @var{section-flags} are true.
13550 The section flags that @value{GDBN} currently knows about are:
13551 @table @code
13552 @item ALLOC
13553 Section will have space allocated in the process when loaded.
13554 Set for all sections except those containing debug information.
13555 @item LOAD
13556 Section will be loaded from the file into the child process memory.
13557 Set for pre-initialized code and data, clear for @code{.bss} sections.
13558 @item RELOC
13559 Section needs to be relocated before loading.
13560 @item READONLY
13561 Section cannot be modified by the child process.
13562 @item CODE
13563 Section contains executable code only.
13564 @item DATA
13565 Section contains data only (no executable code).
13566 @item ROM
13567 Section will reside in ROM.
13568 @item CONSTRUCTOR
13569 Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
13570 @item HAS_CONTENTS
13571 Section is not empty.
13572 @item NEVER_LOAD
13573 An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
13574 @item COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY
13575 A notification to the linker that the section contains
13576 COFF shared library information.
13577 @item IS_COMMON
13578 Section contains common symbols.
13579 @end table
13580 @end table
13581 @kindex set trust-readonly-sections
13582 @cindex read-only sections
13583 @item set trust-readonly-sections on
13584 Tell @value{GDBN} that readonly sections in your object file
13585 really are read-only (i.e.@: that their contents will not change).
13586 In that case, @value{GDBN} can fetch values from these sections
13587 out of the object file, rather than from the target program.
13588 For some targets (notably embedded ones), this can be a significant
13589 enhancement to debugging performance.
13590
13591 The default is off.
13592
13593 @item set trust-readonly-sections off
13594 Tell @value{GDBN} not to trust readonly sections. This means that
13595 the contents of the section might change while the program is running,
13596 and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
13597
13598 @item show trust-readonly-sections
13599 Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
13600 @end table
13601
13602 All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file names
13603 as arguments. @value{GDBN} always converts the file name to an absolute file
13604 name and remembers it that way.
13605
13606 @cindex shared libraries
13607 @anchor{Shared Libraries}
13608 @value{GDBN} supports @sc{gnu}/Linux, MS-Windows, HP-UX, SunOS, SVr4, Irix,
13609 and IBM RS/6000 AIX shared libraries.
13610
13611 On MS-Windows @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support
13612 shared libraries. @xref{Expat}.
13613
13614 @value{GDBN} automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
13615 when you use the @code{run} command, or when you examine a core file.
13616 (Before you issue the @code{run} command, @value{GDBN} does not understand
13617 references to a function in a shared library, however---unless you are
13618 debugging a core file).
13619
13620 On HP-UX, if the program loads a library explicitly, @value{GDBN}
13621 automatically loads the symbols at the time of the @code{shl_load} call.
13622
13623 @c FIXME: some @value{GDBN} release may permit some refs to undef
13624 @c FIXME...symbols---eg in a break cmd---assuming they are from a shared
13625 @c FIXME...lib; check this from time to time when updating manual
13626
13627 There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
13628 symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
13629 particularly large or there are many of them.
13630
13631 To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
13632 commands:
13633
13634 @table @code
13635 @kindex set auto-solib-add
13636 @item set auto-solib-add @var{mode}
13637 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, symbols from all shared object libraries
13638 will be loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
13639 attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic linker
13640 informs @value{GDBN} that a new library has been loaded. If @var{mode}
13641 is @code{off}, symbols must be loaded manually, using the
13642 @code{sharedlibrary} command. The default value is @code{on}.
13643
13644 @cindex memory used for symbol tables
13645 If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
13646 takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the @value{GDBN}
13647 memory footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the
13648 symbols from shared libraries. To that end, type @kbd{set
13649 auto-solib-add off} before running the inferior, then load each
13650 library whose debug symbols you do need with @kbd{sharedlibrary
13651 @var{regexp}}, where @var{regexp} is a regular expression that matches
13652 the libraries whose symbols you want to be loaded.
13653
13654 @kindex show auto-solib-add
13655 @item show auto-solib-add
13656 Display the current autoloading mode.
13657 @end table
13658
13659 @cindex load shared library
13660 To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the @code{sharedlibrary}
13661 command:
13662
13663 @table @code
13664 @kindex info sharedlibrary
13665 @kindex info share
13666 @item info share @var{regex}
13667 @itemx info sharedlibrary @var{regex}
13668 Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded
13669 that match @var{regex}. If @var{regex} is omitted then print
13670 all shared libraries that are loaded.
13671
13672 @kindex sharedlibrary
13673 @kindex share
13674 @item sharedlibrary @var{regex}
13675 @itemx share @var{regex}
13676 Load shared object library symbols for files matching a
13677 Unix regular expression.
13678 As with files loaded automatically, it only loads shared libraries
13679 required by your program for a core file or after typing @code{run}. If
13680 @var{regex} is omitted all shared libraries required by your program are
13681 loaded.
13682
13683 @item nosharedlibrary
13684 @kindex nosharedlibrary
13685 @cindex unload symbols from shared libraries
13686 Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all symbols
13687 that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols from shared
13688 libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests are not
13689 discarded.
13690 @end table
13691
13692 Sometimes you may wish that @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control
13693 when any of shared library events happen. Use the @code{set
13694 stop-on-solib-events} command for this:
13695
13696 @table @code
13697 @item set stop-on-solib-events
13698 @kindex set stop-on-solib-events
13699 This command controls whether @value{GDBN} should give you control
13700 when the dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event.
13701 The most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
13702 shared library.
13703
13704 @item show stop-on-solib-events
13705 @kindex show stop-on-solib-events
13706 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control when shared
13707 library events happen.
13708 @end table
13709
13710 Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
13711 configurations. @value{GDBN} needs to have access to the target's libraries;
13712 this can be accomplished either by providing copies of the libraries
13713 on the host system, or by asking @value{GDBN} to automatically retrieve the
13714 libraries from the target. If copies of the target libraries are
13715 provided, they need to be the same as the target libraries, although the
13716 copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies on the host are
13717 not.
13718
13719 @cindex where to look for shared libraries
13720 For remote debugging, you need to tell @value{GDBN} where the target
13721 libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies---otherwise, it
13722 may try to load the host's libraries. @value{GDBN} has two variables
13723 to specify the search directories for target libraries.
13724
13725 @table @code
13726 @cindex prefix for shared library file names
13727 @cindex system root, alternate
13728 @kindex set solib-absolute-prefix
13729 @kindex set sysroot
13730 @item set sysroot @var{path}
13731 Use @var{path} as the system root for the program being debugged. Any
13732 absolute shared library paths will be prefixed with @var{path}; many
13733 runtime loaders store the absolute paths to the shared library in the
13734 target program's memory. If you use @code{set sysroot} to find shared
13735 libraries, they need to be laid out in the same way that they are on
13736 the target, with e.g.@: a @file{/lib} and @file{/usr/lib} hierarchy
13737 under @var{path}.
13738
13739 If @var{path} starts with the sequence @file{remote:}, @value{GDBN} will
13740 retrieve the target libraries from the remote system. This is only
13741 supported when using a remote target that supports the @code{remote get}
13742 command (@pxref{File Transfer,,Sending files to a remote system}).
13743 The part of @var{path} following the initial @file{remote:}
13744 (if present) is used as system root prefix on the remote file system.
13745 @footnote{If you want to specify a local system root using a directory
13746 that happens to be named @file{remote:}, you need to use some equivalent
13747 variant of the name like @file{./remote:}.}
13748
13749 The @code{set solib-absolute-prefix} command is an alias for @code{set
13750 sysroot}.
13751
13752 @cindex default system root
13753 @cindex @samp{--with-sysroot}
13754 You can set the default system root by using the configure-time
13755 @samp{--with-sysroot} option. If the system root is inside
13756 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
13757 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default system root will be updated
13758 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
13759 location.
13760
13761 @kindex show sysroot
13762 @item show sysroot
13763 Display the current shared library prefix.
13764
13765 @kindex set solib-search-path
13766 @item set solib-search-path @var{path}
13767 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
13768 directories to search for shared libraries. @samp{solib-search-path}
13769 is used after @samp{sysroot} fails to locate the library, or if the
13770 path to the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want to
13771 use @samp{solib-search-path} instead of @samp{sysroot}, be sure to set
13772 @samp{sysroot} to a nonexistent directory to prevent @value{GDBN} from
13773 finding your host's libraries. @samp{sysroot} is preferred; setting
13774 it to a nonexistent directory may interfere with automatic loading
13775 of shared library symbols.
13776
13777 @kindex show solib-search-path
13778 @item show solib-search-path
13779 Display the current shared library search path.
13780 @end table
13781
13782
13783 @node Separate Debug Files
13784 @section Debugging Information in Separate Files
13785 @cindex separate debugging information files
13786 @cindex debugging information in separate files
13787 @cindex @file{.debug} subdirectories
13788 @cindex debugging information directory, global
13789 @cindex global debugging information directory
13790 @cindex build ID, and separate debugging files
13791 @cindex @file{.build-id} directory
13792
13793 @value{GDBN} allows you to put a program's debugging information in a
13794 file separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows
13795 @value{GDBN} to find and load the debugging information automatically.
13796 Since debugging information can be very large---sometimes larger
13797 than the executable code itself---some systems distribute debugging
13798 information for their executables in separate files, which users can
13799 install only when they need to debug a problem.
13800
13801 @value{GDBN} supports two ways of specifying the separate debug info
13802 file:
13803
13804 @itemize @bullet
13805 @item
13806 The executable contains a @dfn{debug link} that specifies the name of
13807 the separate debug info file. The separate debug file's name is
13808 usually @file{@var{executable}.debug}, where @var{executable} is the
13809 name of the corresponding executable file without leading directories
13810 (e.g., @file{ls.debug} for @file{/usr/bin/ls}). In addition, the
13811 debug link specifies a 32-bit @dfn{Cyclic Redundancy Check} (CRC)
13812 checksum for the debug file, which @value{GDBN} uses to validate that
13813 the executable and the debug file came from the same build.
13814
13815 @item
13816 The executable contains a @dfn{build ID}, a unique bit string that is
13817 also present in the corresponding debug info file. (This is supported
13818 only on some operating systems, notably those which use the ELF format
13819 for binary files and the @sc{gnu} Binutils.) For more details about
13820 this feature, see the description of the @option{--build-id}
13821 command-line option in @ref{Options, , Command Line Options, ld.info,
13822 The GNU Linker}. The debug info file's name is not specified
13823 explicitly by the build ID, but can be computed from the build ID, see
13824 below.
13825 @end itemize
13826
13827 Depending on the way the debug info file is specified, @value{GDBN}
13828 uses two different methods of looking for the debug file:
13829
13830 @itemize @bullet
13831 @item
13832 For the ``debug link'' method, @value{GDBN} looks up the named file in
13833 the directory of the executable file, then in a subdirectory of that
13834 directory named @file{.debug}, and finally under the global debug
13835 directory, in a subdirectory whose name is identical to the leading
13836 directories of the executable's absolute file name.
13837
13838 @item
13839 For the ``build ID'' method, @value{GDBN} looks in the
13840 @file{.build-id} subdirectory of the global debug directory for a file
13841 named @file{@var{nn}/@var{nnnnnnnn}.debug}, where @var{nn} are the
13842 first 2 hex characters of the build ID bit string, and @var{nnnnnnnn}
13843 are the rest of the bit string. (Real build ID strings are 32 or more
13844 hex characters, not 10.)
13845 @end itemize
13846
13847 So, for example, suppose you ask @value{GDBN} to debug
13848 @file{/usr/bin/ls}, which has a debug link that specifies the
13849 file @file{ls.debug}, and a build ID whose value in hex is
13850 @code{abcdef1234}. If the global debug directory is
13851 @file{/usr/lib/debug}, then @value{GDBN} will look for the following
13852 debug information files, in the indicated order:
13853
13854 @itemize @minus
13855 @item
13856 @file{/usr/lib/debug/.build-id/ab/cdef1234.debug}
13857 @item
13858 @file{/usr/bin/ls.debug}
13859 @item
13860 @file{/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug}
13861 @item
13862 @file{/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug}.
13863 @end itemize
13864
13865 You can set the global debugging info directory's name, and view the
13866 name @value{GDBN} is currently using.
13867
13868 @table @code
13869
13870 @kindex set debug-file-directory
13871 @item set debug-file-directory @var{directory}
13872 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
13873 information files to @var{directory}.
13874
13875 @kindex show debug-file-directory
13876 @item show debug-file-directory
13877 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
13878 information files.
13879
13880 @end table
13881
13882 @cindex @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections
13883 @cindex debug link sections
13884 A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
13885 @code{.gnu_debuglink}. The section must contain:
13886
13887 @itemize
13888 @item
13889 A filename, with any leading directory components removed, followed by
13890 a zero byte,
13891 @item
13892 zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next four-byte
13893 boundary within the section, and
13894 @item
13895 a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for the
13896 executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the debugging
13897 information file's full contents by the function given below, passing
13898 zero as the @var{crc} argument.
13899 @end itemize
13900
13901 Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
13902 contain a section named @code{.gnu_debuglink} with the contents
13903 described above.
13904
13905 @cindex @code{.note.gnu.build-id} sections
13906 @cindex build ID sections
13907 The build ID is a special section in the executable file (and in other
13908 ELF binary files that @value{GDBN} may consider). This section is
13909 often named @code{.note.gnu.build-id}, but that name is not mandatory.
13910 It contains unique identification for the built files---the ID remains
13911 the same across multiple builds of the same build tree. The default
13912 algorithm SHA1 produces 160 bits (40 hexadecimal characters) of the
13913 content for the build ID string. The same section with an identical
13914 value is present in the original built binary with symbols, in its
13915 stripped variant, and in the separate debugging information file.
13916
13917 The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
13918 executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
13919 debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
13920 should have the same names, addresses, and sizes as the original file,
13921 but they need not contain any data---much like a @code{.bss} section
13922 in an ordinary executable.
13923
13924 The @sc{gnu} binary utilities (Binutils) package includes the
13925 @samp{objcopy} utility that can produce
13926 the separated executable / debugging information file pairs using the
13927 following commands:
13928
13929 @smallexample
13930 @kbd{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.debug}
13931 @kbd{strip -g foo}
13932 @end smallexample
13933
13934 @noindent
13935 These commands remove the debugging
13936 information from the executable file @file{foo} and place it in the file
13937 @file{foo.debug}. You can use the first, second or both methods to link the
13938 two files:
13939
13940 @itemize @bullet
13941 @item
13942 The debug link method needs the following additional command to also leave
13943 behind a debug link in @file{foo}:
13944
13945 @smallexample
13946 @kbd{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.debug foo}
13947 @end smallexample
13948
13949 Ulrich Drepper's @file{elfutils} package, starting with version 0.53, contains
13950 a version of the @code{strip} command such that the command @kbd{strip foo -f
13951 foo.debug} has the same functionality as the two @code{objcopy} commands and
13952 the @code{ln -s} command above, together.
13953
13954 @item
13955 Build ID gets embedded into the main executable using @code{ld --build-id} or
13956 the @value{NGCC} counterpart @code{gcc -Wl,--build-id}. Build ID support plus
13957 compatibility fixes for debug files separation are present in @sc{gnu} binary
13958 utilities (Binutils) package since version 2.18.
13959 @end itemize
13960
13961 @noindent
13962
13963 @cindex CRC algorithm definition
13964 The CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink} is the CRC-32 defined in
13965 IEEE 802.3 using the polynomial:
13966
13967 @c TexInfo requires naked braces for multi-digit exponents for Tex
13968 @c output, but this causes HTML output to barf. HTML has to be set using
13969 @c raw commands. So we end up having to specify this equation in 2
13970 @c different ways!
13971 @ifhtml
13972 @display
13973 @html
13974 <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>
13975 + <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
13976 @end html
13977 @end display
13978 @end ifhtml
13979 @ifnothtml
13980 @display
13981 @math{x^{32} + x^{26} + x^{23} + x^{22} + x^{16} + x^{12} + x^{11}}
13982 @math{+ x^{10} + x^8 + x^7 + x^5 + x^4 + x^2 + x + 1}
13983 @end display
13984 @end ifnothtml
13985
13986 The function is computed byte at a time, taking the least
13987 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern
13988 @code{0xffffffff} is used, to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC and
13989 the final result is inverted to ensure trailing zeros also affect the
13990 CRC.
13991
13992 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC polynomial as used in handling the
13993 @dfn{Remote Serial Protocol} @code{qCRC} packet (@pxref{Remote Protocol,
13994 , @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol}). However in the
13995 case of the Remote Serial Protocol, the CRC is computed @emph{most}
13996 significant bit first, and the result is not inverted, so trailing
13997 zeros have no effect on the CRC value.
13998
13999 To complete the description, we show below the code of the function
14000 which produces the CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink}. Inverting the
14001 initially supplied @code{crc} argument means that an initial call to
14002 this function passing in zero will start computing the CRC using
14003 @code{0xffffffff}.
14004
14005 @kindex gnu_debuglink_crc32
14006 @smallexample
14007 unsigned long
14008 gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
14009 unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
14010 @{
14011 static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
14012 @{
14013 0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
14014 0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
14015 0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
14016 0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
14017 0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
14018 0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
14019 0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
14020 0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
14021 0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
14022 0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
14023 0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
14024 0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
14025 0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
14026 0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
14027 0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
14028 0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
14029 0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
14030 0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
14031 0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
14032 0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
14033 0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
14034 0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
14035 0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
14036 0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
14037 0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
14038 0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
14039 0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
14040 0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
14041 0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
14042 0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
14043 0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
14044 0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
14045 0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
14046 0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
14047 0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
14048 0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
14049 0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
14050 0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
14051 0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
14052 0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
14053 0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
14054 0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
14055 0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
14056 0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
14057 0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
14058 0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
14059 0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
14060 0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
14061 0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
14062 0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
14063 0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
14064 0x2d02ef8d
14065 @};
14066 unsigned char *end;
14067
14068 crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
14069 for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
14070 crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
14071 return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
14072 @}
14073 @end smallexample
14074
14075 @noindent
14076 This computation does not apply to the ``build ID'' method.
14077
14078
14079 @node Symbol Errors
14080 @section Errors Reading Symbol Files
14081
14082 While reading a symbol file, @value{GDBN} occasionally encounters problems,
14083 such as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
14084 output. By default, @value{GDBN} does not notify you of such problems, since
14085 they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
14086 debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information
14087 about ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask @value{GDBN} to print
14088 only one message about each such type of problem, no matter how many
14089 times the problem occurs; or you can ask @value{GDBN} to print more messages,
14090 to see how many times the problems occur, with the @code{set
14091 complaints} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
14092 Messages}).
14093
14094 The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
14095
14096 @table @code
14097 @item inner block not inside outer block in @var{symbol}
14098
14099 The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
14100 (such as at the start of a function or a block of statements). This
14101 error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully contained
14102 in its outer scope blocks.
14103
14104 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it had
14105 the same scope as the outer block. In the error message, @var{symbol}
14106 may be shown as ``@code{(don't know)}'' if the outer block is not a
14107 function.
14108
14109 @item block at @var{address} out of order
14110
14111 The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
14112 order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does not
14113 do so.
14114
14115 @value{GDBN} does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble
14116 locating symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You
14117 can often determine what source file is affected by specifying
14118 @code{set verbose on}. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
14119 Messages}.)
14120
14121 @item bad block start address patched
14122
14123 The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
14124 smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is known
14125 to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
14126
14127 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
14128 starting on the previous source line.
14129
14130 @item bad string table offset in symbol @var{n}
14131
14132 @cindex foo
14133 Symbol number @var{n} contains a pointer into the string table which is
14134 larger than the size of the string table.
14135
14136 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
14137 name @code{foo}, which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
14138 with this name.
14139
14140 @item unknown symbol type @code{0x@var{nn}}
14141
14142 The symbol information contains new data types that @value{GDBN} does
14143 not yet know how to read. @code{0x@var{nn}} is the symbol type of the
14144 uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
14145
14146 @value{GDBN} circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
14147 This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain symbols
14148 are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and feel like
14149 debugging it, you can debug @code{@value{GDBP}} with itself, breakpoint
14150 on @code{complain}, then go up to the function @code{read_dbx_symtab}
14151 and examine @code{*bufp} to see the symbol.
14152
14153 @item stub type has NULL name
14154
14155 @value{GDBN} could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
14156
14157 @item const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got@dots{}
14158 The symbol information for a C@t{++} member function is missing some
14159 information that recent versions of the compiler should have output for
14160 it.
14161
14162 @item info mismatch between compiler and debugger
14163
14164 @value{GDBN} could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.
14165
14166 @end table
14167
14168 @node Data Files
14169 @section GDB Data Files
14170
14171 @cindex prefix for data files
14172 @value{GDBN} will sometimes read an auxiliary data file. These files
14173 are kept in a directory known as the @dfn{data directory}.
14174
14175 You can set the data directory's name, and view the name @value{GDBN}
14176 is currently using.
14177
14178 @table @code
14179 @kindex set data-directory
14180 @item set data-directory @var{directory}
14181 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files
14182 to @var{directory}.
14183
14184 @kindex show data-directory
14185 @item show data-directory
14186 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files.
14187 @end table
14188
14189 @cindex default data directory
14190 @cindex @samp{--with-gdb-datadir}
14191 You can set the default data directory by using the configure-time
14192 @samp{--with-gdb-datadir} option. If the data directory is inside
14193 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
14194 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default data directory will be updated
14195 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
14196 location.
14197
14198 @node Targets
14199 @chapter Specifying a Debugging Target
14200
14201 @cindex debugging target
14202 A @dfn{target} is the execution environment occupied by your program.
14203
14204 Often, @value{GDBN} runs in the same host environment as your program;
14205 in that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when
14206 you use the @code{file} or @code{core} commands. When you need more
14207 flexibility---for example, running @value{GDBN} on a physically separate
14208 host, or controlling a standalone system over a serial port or a
14209 realtime system over a TCP/IP connection---you can use the @code{target}
14210 command to specify one of the target types configured for @value{GDBN}
14211 (@pxref{Target Commands, ,Commands for Managing Targets}).
14212
14213 @cindex target architecture
14214 It is possible to build @value{GDBN} for several different @dfn{target
14215 architectures}. When @value{GDBN} is built like that, you can choose
14216 one of the available architectures with the @kbd{set architecture}
14217 command.
14218
14219 @table @code
14220 @kindex set architecture
14221 @kindex show architecture
14222 @item set architecture @var{arch}
14223 This command sets the current target architecture to @var{arch}. The
14224 value of @var{arch} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition to one of the
14225 supported architectures.
14226
14227 @item show architecture
14228 Show the current target architecture.
14229
14230 @item set processor
14231 @itemx processor
14232 @kindex set processor
14233 @kindex show processor
14234 These are alias commands for, respectively, @code{set architecture}
14235 and @code{show architecture}.
14236 @end table
14237
14238 @menu
14239 * Active Targets:: Active targets
14240 * Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
14241 * Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order
14242 @end menu
14243
14244 @node Active Targets
14245 @section Active Targets
14246
14247 @cindex stacking targets
14248 @cindex active targets
14249 @cindex multiple targets
14250
14251 There are three classes of targets: processes, core files, and
14252 executable files. @value{GDBN} can work concurrently on up to three
14253 active targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for example)
14254 start a process and inspect its activity without abandoning your work on
14255 a core file.
14256
14257 For example, if you execute @samp{gdb a.out}, then the executable file
14258 @code{a.out} is the only active target. If you designate a core file as
14259 well---presumably from a prior run that crashed and coredumped---then
14260 @value{GDBN} has two active targets and uses them in tandem, looking
14261 first in the corefile target, then in the executable file, to satisfy
14262 requests for memory addresses. (Typically, these two classes of target
14263 are complementary, since core files contain only a program's
14264 read-write memory---variables and so on---plus machine status, while
14265 executable files contain only the program text and initialized data.)
14266
14267 When you type @code{run}, your executable file becomes an active process
14268 target as well. When a process target is active, all @value{GDBN}
14269 commands requesting memory addresses refer to that target; addresses in
14270 an active core file or executable file target are obscured while the
14271 process target is active.
14272
14273 Use the @code{core-file} and @code{exec-file} commands to select a new
14274 core file or executable target (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify
14275 Files}). To specify as a target a process that is already running, use
14276 the @code{attach} command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running
14277 Process}).
14278
14279 @node Target Commands
14280 @section Commands for Managing Targets
14281
14282 @table @code
14283 @item target @var{type} @var{parameters}
14284 Connects the @value{GDBN} host environment to a target machine or
14285 process. A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
14286 facilities. You use the argument @var{type} to specify the type or
14287 protocol of the target machine.
14288
14289 Further @var{parameters} are interpreted by the target protocol, but
14290 typically include things like device names or host names to connect
14291 with, process numbers, and baud rates.
14292
14293 The @code{target} command does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again
14294 after executing the command.
14295
14296 @kindex help target
14297 @item help target
14298 Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
14299 currently selected, use either @code{info target} or @code{info files}
14300 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
14301
14302 @item help target @var{name}
14303 Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
14304 select it.
14305
14306 @kindex set gnutarget
14307 @item set gnutarget @var{args}
14308 @value{GDBN} uses its own library BFD to read your files. @value{GDBN}
14309 knows whether it is reading an @dfn{executable},
14310 a @dfn{core}, or a @dfn{.o} file; however, you can specify the file format
14311 with the @code{set gnutarget} command. Unlike most @code{target} commands,
14312 with @code{gnutarget} the @code{target} refers to a program, not a machine.
14313
14314 @quotation
14315 @emph{Warning:} To specify a file format with @code{set gnutarget},
14316 you must know the actual BFD name.
14317 @end quotation
14318
14319 @noindent
14320 @xref{Files, , Commands to Specify Files}.
14321
14322 @kindex show gnutarget
14323 @item show gnutarget
14324 Use the @code{show gnutarget} command to display what file format
14325 @code{gnutarget} is set to read. If you have not set @code{gnutarget},
14326 @value{GDBN} will determine the file format for each file automatically,
14327 and @code{show gnutarget} displays @samp{The current BDF target is "auto"}.
14328 @end table
14329
14330 @cindex common targets
14331 Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
14332 configuration):
14333
14334 @table @code
14335 @kindex target
14336 @item target exec @var{program}
14337 @cindex executable file target
14338 An executable file. @samp{target exec @var{program}} is the same as
14339 @samp{exec-file @var{program}}.
14340
14341 @item target core @var{filename}
14342 @cindex core dump file target
14343 A core dump file. @samp{target core @var{filename}} is the same as
14344 @samp{core-file @var{filename}}.
14345
14346 @item target remote @var{medium}
14347 @cindex remote target
14348 A remote system connected to @value{GDBN} via a serial line or network
14349 connection. This command tells @value{GDBN} to use its own remote
14350 protocol over @var{medium} for debugging. @xref{Remote Debugging}.
14351
14352 For example, if you have a board connected to @file{/dev/ttya} on the
14353 machine running @value{GDBN}, you could say:
14354
14355 @smallexample
14356 target remote /dev/ttya
14357 @end smallexample
14358
14359 @code{target remote} supports the @code{load} command. This is only
14360 useful if you have some other way of getting the stub to the target
14361 system, and you can put it somewhere in memory where it won't get
14362 clobbered by the download.
14363
14364 @item target sim
14365 @cindex built-in simulator target
14366 Builtin CPU simulator. @value{GDBN} includes simulators for most architectures.
14367 In general,
14368 @smallexample
14369 target sim
14370 load
14371 run
14372 @end smallexample
14373 @noindent
14374 works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map, device
14375 drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some simulators do
14376 provide these. For info about any processor-specific simulator details,
14377 see the appropriate section in @ref{Embedded Processors, ,Embedded
14378 Processors}.
14379
14380 @end table
14381
14382 Some configurations may include these targets as well:
14383
14384 @table @code
14385
14386 @item target nrom @var{dev}
14387 @cindex NetROM ROM emulator target
14388 NetROM ROM emulator. This target only supports downloading.
14389
14390 @end table
14391
14392 Different targets are available on different configurations of @value{GDBN};
14393 your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
14394
14395 Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code once
14396 you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to control
14397 various aspects of this process.
14398
14399 @table @code
14400
14401 @item set hash
14402 @kindex set hash@r{, for remote monitors}
14403 @cindex hash mark while downloading
14404 This command controls whether a hash mark @samp{#} is displayed while
14405 downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
14406 displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
14407 monitor.
14408
14409 @item show hash
14410 @kindex show hash@r{, for remote monitors}
14411 Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
14412
14413 @item set debug monitor
14414 @kindex set debug monitor
14415 @cindex display remote monitor communications
14416 Enable or disable display of communications messages between
14417 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
14418
14419 @item show debug monitor
14420 @kindex show debug monitor
14421 Show the current status of displaying communications between
14422 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
14423 @end table
14424
14425 @table @code
14426
14427 @kindex load @var{filename}
14428 @item load @var{filename}
14429 @anchor{load}
14430 Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
14431 @value{GDBN}, the @code{load} command may be available. Where it exists, it
14432 is meant to make @var{filename} (an executable) available for debugging
14433 on the remote system---by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
14434 @code{load} also records the @var{filename} symbol table in @value{GDBN}, like
14435 the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
14436
14437 If your @value{GDBN} does not have a @code{load} command, attempting to
14438 execute it gets the error message ``@code{You can't do that when your
14439 target is @dots{}}''
14440
14441 The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the executable.
14442 For some object file formats, you can specify the load address when you
14443 link the program; for other formats, like a.out, the object file format
14444 specifies a fixed address.
14445 @c FIXME! This would be a good place for an xref to the GNU linker doc.
14446
14447 Depending on the remote side capabilities, @value{GDBN} may be able to
14448 load programs into flash memory.
14449
14450 @code{load} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
14451 @end table
14452
14453 @node Byte Order
14454 @section Choosing Target Byte Order
14455
14456 @cindex choosing target byte order
14457 @cindex target byte order
14458
14459 Some types of processors, such as the MIPS, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
14460 offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
14461 orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
14462 designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about
14463 which to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust
14464 @value{GDBN}'s idea of processor endian-ness manually.
14465
14466 @table @code
14467 @kindex set endian
14468 @item set endian big
14469 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is big-endian.
14470
14471 @item set endian little
14472 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is little-endian.
14473
14474 @item set endian auto
14475 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the byte order associated with the
14476 executable.
14477
14478 @item show endian
14479 Display @value{GDBN}'s current idea of the target byte order.
14480
14481 @end table
14482
14483 Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
14484 data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the
14485 target system.
14486
14487
14488 @node Remote Debugging
14489 @chapter Debugging Remote Programs
14490 @cindex remote debugging
14491
14492 If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot run
14493 @value{GDBN} in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
14494 For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system kernel,
14495 or on a small system which does not have a general purpose operating system
14496 powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
14497
14498 Some configurations of @value{GDBN} have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
14499 to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition,
14500 @value{GDBN} comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to @value{GDBN},
14501 but not specific to any particular target system) which you can use if you
14502 write the remote stubs---the code that runs on the remote system to
14503 communicate with @value{GDBN}.
14504
14505 Other remote targets may be available in your
14506 configuration of @value{GDBN}; use @code{help target} to list them.
14507
14508 @menu
14509 * Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
14510 * File Transfer:: Sending files to a remote system
14511 * Server:: Using the gdbserver program
14512 * Remote Configuration:: Remote configuration
14513 * Remote Stub:: Implementing a remote stub
14514 @end menu
14515
14516 @node Connecting
14517 @section Connecting to a Remote Target
14518
14519 On the @value{GDBN} host machine, you will need an unstripped copy of
14520 your program, since @value{GDBN} needs symbol and debugging information.
14521 Start up @value{GDBN} as usual, using the name of the local copy of your
14522 program as the first argument.
14523
14524 @cindex @code{target remote}
14525 @value{GDBN} can communicate with the target over a serial line, or
14526 over an @acronym{IP} network using @acronym{TCP} or @acronym{UDP}. In
14527 each case, @value{GDBN} uses the same protocol for debugging your
14528 program; only the medium carrying the debugging packets varies. The
14529 @code{target remote} command establishes a connection to the target.
14530 Its arguments indicate which medium to use:
14531
14532 @table @code
14533
14534 @item target remote @var{serial-device}
14535 @cindex serial line, @code{target remote}
14536 Use @var{serial-device} to communicate with the target. For example,
14537 to use a serial line connected to the device named @file{/dev/ttyb}:
14538
14539 @smallexample
14540 target remote /dev/ttyb
14541 @end smallexample
14542
14543 If you're using a serial line, you may want to give @value{GDBN} the
14544 @w{@samp{--baud}} option, or use the @code{set remotebaud} command
14545 (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remotebaud}) before the
14546 @code{target} command.
14547
14548 @item target remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
14549 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
14550 @cindex @acronym{TCP} port, @code{target remote}
14551 Debug using a @acronym{TCP} connection to @var{port} on @var{host}.
14552 The @var{host} may be either a host name or a numeric @acronym{IP}
14553 address; @var{port} must be a decimal number. The @var{host} could be
14554 the target machine itself, if it is directly connected to the net, or
14555 it might be a terminal server which in turn has a serial line to the
14556 target.
14557
14558 For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
14559 @code{manyfarms}:
14560
14561 @smallexample
14562 target remote manyfarms:2828
14563 @end smallexample
14564
14565 If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as your
14566 debugger session (e.g.@: a simulator for your target running on the
14567 same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to connect to
14568 port 1234 on your local machine:
14569
14570 @smallexample
14571 target remote :1234
14572 @end smallexample
14573 @noindent
14574
14575 Note that the colon is still required here.
14576
14577 @item target remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
14578 @cindex @acronym{UDP} port, @code{target remote}
14579 Debug using @acronym{UDP} packets to @var{port} on @var{host}. For example, to
14580 connect to @acronym{UDP} port 2828 on a terminal server named @code{manyfarms}:
14581
14582 @smallexample
14583 target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
14584 @end smallexample
14585
14586 When using a @acronym{UDP} connection for remote debugging, you should
14587 keep in mind that the `U' stands for ``Unreliable''. @acronym{UDP}
14588 can silently drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will
14589 cause havoc with your debugging session.
14590
14591 @item target remote | @var{command}
14592 @cindex pipe, @code{target remote} to
14593 Run @var{command} in the background and communicate with it using a
14594 pipe. The @var{command} is a shell command, to be parsed and expanded
14595 by the system's command shell, @code{/bin/sh}; it should expect remote
14596 protocol packets on its standard input, and send replies on its
14597 standard output. You could use this to run a stand-alone simulator
14598 that speaks the remote debugging protocol, to make net connections
14599 using programs like @code{ssh}, or for other similar tricks.
14600
14601 If @var{command} closes its standard output (perhaps by exiting),
14602 @value{GDBN} will try to send it a @code{SIGTERM} signal. (If the
14603 program has already exited, this will have no effect.)
14604
14605 @end table
14606
14607 Once the connection has been established, you can use all the usual
14608 commands to examine and change data. The remote program is already
14609 running; you can use @kbd{step} and @kbd{continue}, and you do not
14610 need to use @kbd{run}.
14611
14612 @cindex interrupting remote programs
14613 @cindex remote programs, interrupting
14614 Whenever @value{GDBN} is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
14615 interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}), @value{GDBN} attempts to stop the
14616 program. This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware
14617 and the serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the
14618 interrupt character once again, @value{GDBN} displays this prompt:
14619
14620 @smallexample
14621 Interrupted while waiting for the program.
14622 Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
14623 @end smallexample
14624
14625 If you type @kbd{y}, @value{GDBN} abandons the remote debugging session.
14626 (If you decide you want to try again later, you can use @samp{target
14627 remote} again to connect once more.) If you type @kbd{n}, @value{GDBN}
14628 goes back to waiting.
14629
14630 @table @code
14631 @kindex detach (remote)
14632 @item detach
14633 When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use the
14634 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control.
14635 Detaching from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
14636 will depend on your particular remote stub. After the @code{detach}
14637 command, @value{GDBN} is free to connect to another target.
14638
14639 @kindex disconnect
14640 @item disconnect
14641 The @code{disconnect} command behaves like @code{detach}, except that
14642 the target is generally not resumed. It will wait for @value{GDBN}
14643 (this instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
14644 the @code{disconnect} command, @value{GDBN} is again free to connect to
14645 another target.
14646
14647 @cindex send command to remote monitor
14648 @cindex extend @value{GDBN} for remote targets
14649 @cindex add new commands for external monitor
14650 @kindex monitor
14651 @item monitor @var{cmd}
14652 This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
14653 remote monitor. Since @value{GDBN} doesn't care about the commands it
14654 sends like this, this command is the way to extend @value{GDBN}---you
14655 can add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
14656 and implement.
14657 @end table
14658
14659 @node File Transfer
14660 @section Sending files to a remote system
14661 @cindex remote target, file transfer
14662 @cindex file transfer
14663 @cindex sending files to remote systems
14664
14665 Some remote targets offer the ability to transfer files over the same
14666 connection used to communicate with @value{GDBN}. This is convenient
14667 for targets accessible through other means, e.g.@: @sc{gnu}/Linux systems
14668 running @code{gdbserver} over a network interface. For other targets,
14669 e.g.@: embedded devices with only a single serial port, this may be
14670 the only way to upload or download files.
14671
14672 Not all remote targets support these commands.
14673
14674 @table @code
14675 @kindex remote put
14676 @item remote put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
14677 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
14678 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
14679
14680 @kindex remote get
14681 @item remote get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
14682 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
14683 on the host system.
14684
14685 @kindex remote delete
14686 @item remote delete @var{targetfile}
14687 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
14688
14689 @end table
14690
14691 @node Server
14692 @section Using the @code{gdbserver} Program
14693
14694 @kindex gdbserver
14695 @cindex remote connection without stubs
14696 @code{gdbserver} is a control program for Unix-like systems, which
14697 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
14698 @code{target remote}---but without linking in the usual debugging stub.
14699
14700 @code{gdbserver} is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
14701 because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
14702 that @value{GDBN} itself does. In fact, a system that can run
14703 @code{gdbserver} to connect to a remote @value{GDBN} could also run
14704 @value{GDBN} locally! @code{gdbserver} is sometimes useful nevertheless,
14705 because it is a much smaller program than @value{GDBN} itself. It is
14706 also easier to port than all of @value{GDBN}, so you may be able to get
14707 started more quickly on a new system by using @code{gdbserver}.
14708 Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you may find that
14709 the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it more convenient to
14710 do as much development work as possible on another system, for example
14711 by cross-compiling. You can use @code{gdbserver} to make a similar
14712 choice for debugging.
14713
14714 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserver} communicate via either a serial line
14715 or a TCP connection, using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial
14716 protocol.
14717
14718 @quotation
14719 @emph{Warning:} @code{gdbserver} does not have any built-in security.
14720 Do not run @code{gdbserver} connected to any public network; a
14721 @value{GDBN} connection to @code{gdbserver} provides access to the
14722 target system with the same privileges as the user running
14723 @code{gdbserver}.
14724 @end quotation
14725
14726 @subsection Running @code{gdbserver}
14727 @cindex arguments, to @code{gdbserver}
14728
14729 Run @code{gdbserver} on the target system. You need a copy of the
14730 program you want to debug, including any libraries it requires.
14731 @code{gdbserver} does not need your program's symbol table, so you can
14732 strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the host
14733 system does all the symbol handling.
14734
14735 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with @value{GDBN};
14736 the name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
14737 syntax is:
14738
14739 @smallexample
14740 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
14741 @end smallexample
14742
14743 @var{comm} is either a device name (to use a serial line) or a TCP
14744 hostname and portnumber. For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
14745 @samp{foo.txt} and communicate with @value{GDBN} over the serial port
14746 @file{/dev/com1}:
14747
14748 @smallexample
14749 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
14750 @end smallexample
14751
14752 @code{gdbserver} waits passively for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate
14753 with it.
14754
14755 To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
14756
14757 @smallexample
14758 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
14759 @end smallexample
14760
14761 The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
14762 specifying that you are communicating with the host @value{GDBN} via
14763 TCP. The @samp{host:2345} argument means that @code{gdbserver} is to
14764 expect a TCP connection from machine @samp{host} to local TCP port 2345.
14765 (Currently, the @samp{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number
14766 you want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any
14767 TCP ports already in use on the target system (for example, @code{23} is
14768 reserved for @code{telnet}).@footnote{If you choose a port number that
14769 conflicts with another service, @code{gdbserver} prints an error message
14770 and exits.} You must use the same port number with the host @value{GDBN}
14771 @code{target remote} command.
14772
14773 @subsubsection Attaching to a Running Program
14774
14775 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
14776 This is accomplished via the @code{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
14777
14778 @smallexample
14779 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
14780 @end smallexample
14781
14782 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't necessary
14783 to point @code{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
14784
14785 @pindex pidof
14786 @cindex attach to a program by name
14787 You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target has the
14788 @code{pidof} utility:
14789
14790 @smallexample
14791 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} `pidof @var{program}`
14792 @end smallexample
14793
14794 In case more than one copy of @var{program} is running, or @var{program}
14795 has multiple threads, most versions of @code{pidof} support the
14796 @code{-s} option to only return the first process ID.
14797
14798 @subsubsection Multi-Process Mode for @code{gdbserver}
14799 @cindex gdbserver, multiple processes
14800 @cindex multiple processes with gdbserver
14801
14802 When you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target remote},
14803 @code{gdbserver} debugs the specified program only once. When the
14804 program exits, or you detach from it, @value{GDBN} closes the connection
14805 and @code{gdbserver} exits.
14806
14807 If you connect using @kbd{target extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver}
14808 enters multi-process mode. When the debugged program exits, or you
14809 detach from it, @value{GDBN} stays connected to @code{gdbserver} even
14810 though no program is running. The @code{run} and @code{attach}
14811 commands instruct @code{gdbserver} to run or attach to a new program.
14812 The @code{run} command uses @code{set remote exec-file} (@pxref{set
14813 remote exec-file}) to select the program to run. Command line
14814 arguments are supported, except for wildcard expansion and I/O
14815 redirection (@pxref{Arguments}).
14816
14817 To start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
14818 or process ID to attach, use the @option{--multi} command line option.
14819 Then you can connect using @kbd{target extended-remote} and start
14820 the program you want to debug.
14821
14822 @code{gdbserver} does not automatically exit in multi-process mode.
14823 You can terminate it by using @code{monitor exit}
14824 (@pxref{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}).
14825
14826 @subsubsection Other Command-Line Arguments for @code{gdbserver}
14827
14828 The @option{--debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display extra
14829 status information about the debugging process. The
14830 @option{--remote-debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display
14831 remote protocol debug output. These options are intended for
14832 @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to the developers.
14833
14834 The @option{--wrapper} option specifies a wrapper to launch programs
14835 for debugging. The option should be followed by the name of the
14836 wrapper, then any command-line arguments to pass to the wrapper, then
14837 @kbd{--} indicating the end of the wrapper arguments.
14838
14839 @code{gdbserver} runs the specified wrapper program with a combined
14840 command line including the wrapper arguments, then the name of the
14841 program to debug, then any arguments to the program. The wrapper
14842 runs until it executes your program, and then @value{GDBN} gains control.
14843
14844 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
14845 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
14846 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
14847 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
14848
14849 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
14850 the debugged program, without setting the variable in @code{gdbserver}'s
14851 environment:
14852
14853 @smallexample
14854 $ gdbserver --wrapper env LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so -- :2222 ./testprog
14855 @end smallexample
14856
14857 @subsection Connecting to @code{gdbserver}
14858
14859 Run @value{GDBN} on the host system.
14860
14861 First make sure you have the necessary symbol files. Load symbols for
14862 your application using the @code{file} command before you connect. Use
14863 @code{set sysroot} to locate target libraries (unless your @value{GDBN}
14864 was compiled with the correct sysroot using @code{--with-sysroot}).
14865
14866 The symbol file and target libraries must exactly match the executable
14867 and libraries on the target, with one exception: the files on the host
14868 system should not be stripped, even if the files on the target system
14869 are. Mismatched or missing files will lead to confusing results
14870 during debugging. On @sc{gnu}/Linux targets, mismatched or missing
14871 files may also prevent @code{gdbserver} from debugging multi-threaded
14872 programs.
14873
14874 Connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
14875 For TCP connections, you must start up @code{gdbserver} prior to using
14876 the @code{target remote} command. Otherwise you may get an error whose
14877 text depends on the host system, but which usually looks something like
14878 @samp{Connection refused}. Don't use the @code{load}
14879 command in @value{GDBN} when using @code{gdbserver}, since the program is
14880 already on the target.
14881
14882 @subsection Monitor Commands for @code{gdbserver}
14883 @cindex monitor commands, for @code{gdbserver}
14884 @anchor{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}
14885
14886 During a @value{GDBN} session using @code{gdbserver}, you can use the
14887 @code{monitor} command to send special requests to @code{gdbserver}.
14888 Here are the available commands.
14889
14890 @table @code
14891 @item monitor help
14892 List the available monitor commands.
14893
14894 @item monitor set debug 0
14895 @itemx monitor set debug 1
14896 Disable or enable general debugging messages.
14897
14898 @item monitor set remote-debug 0
14899 @itemx monitor set remote-debug 1
14900 Disable or enable specific debugging messages associated with the remote
14901 protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}).
14902
14903 @item monitor exit
14904 Tell gdbserver to exit immediately. This command should be followed by
14905 @code{disconnect} to close the debugging session. @code{gdbserver} will
14906 detach from any attached processes and kill any processes it created.
14907 Use @code{monitor exit} to terminate @code{gdbserver} at the end
14908 of a multi-process mode debug session.
14909
14910 @end table
14911
14912 @node Remote Configuration
14913 @section Remote Configuration
14914
14915 @kindex set remote
14916 @kindex show remote
14917 This section documents the configuration options available when
14918 debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
14919 extensions of the remote protocol, see @ref{system,
14920 system-call-allowed}.
14921
14922 @table @code
14923 @item set remoteaddresssize @var{bits}
14924 @cindex address size for remote targets
14925 @cindex bits in remote address
14926 Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
14927 number of bits. @value{GDBN} will mask off the address bits above
14928 that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
14929 default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
14930
14931 @item show remoteaddresssize
14932 Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
14933
14934 @item set remotebaud @var{n}
14935 @cindex baud rate for remote targets
14936 Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to @var{n} baud. The
14937 value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
14938 remote targets.
14939
14940 @item show remotebaud
14941 Show the current speed of the remote connection.
14942
14943 @item set remotebreak
14944 @cindex interrupt remote programs
14945 @cindex BREAK signal instead of Ctrl-C
14946 @anchor{set remotebreak}
14947 If set to on, @value{GDBN} sends a @code{BREAK} signal to the remote
14948 when you type @kbd{Ctrl-c} to interrupt the program running
14949 on the remote. If set to off, @value{GDBN} sends the @samp{Ctrl-C}
14950 character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems
14951 expect to see @samp{Ctrl-C} as the interrupt signal.
14952
14953 @item show remotebreak
14954 Show whether @value{GDBN} sends @code{BREAK} or @samp{Ctrl-C} to
14955 interrupt the remote program.
14956
14957 @item set remoteflow on
14958 @itemx set remoteflow off
14959 @kindex set remoteflow
14960 Enable or disable hardware flow control (@code{RTS}/@code{CTS})
14961 on the serial port used to communicate to the remote target.
14962
14963 @item show remoteflow
14964 @kindex show remoteflow
14965 Show the current setting of hardware flow control.
14966
14967 @item set remotelogbase @var{base}
14968 Set the base (a.k.a.@: radix) of logging serial protocol
14969 communications to @var{base}. Supported values of @var{base} are:
14970 @code{ascii}, @code{octal}, and @code{hex}. The default is
14971 @code{ascii}.
14972
14973 @item show remotelogbase
14974 Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
14975 protocol.
14976
14977 @item set remotelogfile @var{file}
14978 @cindex record serial communications on file
14979 Record remote serial communications on the named @var{file}. The
14980 default is not to record at all.
14981
14982 @item show remotelogfile.
14983 Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
14984 serial communications.
14985
14986 @item set remotetimeout @var{num}
14987 @cindex timeout for serial communications
14988 @cindex remote timeout
14989 Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
14990 @var{num} seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
14991
14992 @item show remotetimeout
14993 Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
14994 responses.
14995
14996 @cindex limit hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
14997 @cindex remote target, limit break- and watchpoints
14998 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}
14999 @anchor{set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit}
15000 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit @var{limit}
15001 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit @var{limit}
15002 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} remote hardware breakpoint or
15003 watchpoints. A limit of -1, the default, is treated as unlimited.
15004
15005 @item set remote exec-file @var{filename}
15006 @itemx show remote exec-file
15007 @anchor{set remote exec-file}
15008 @cindex executable file, for remote target
15009 Select the file used for @code{run} with @code{target
15010 extended-remote}. This should be set to a filename valid on the
15011 target system. If it is not set, the target will use a default
15012 filename (e.g.@: the last program run).
15013
15014 @kindex set tcp
15015 @kindex show tcp
15016 @item set tcp auto-retry on
15017 @cindex auto-retry, for remote TCP target
15018 Enable auto-retry for remote TCP connections. This is useful if the remote
15019 debugging agent is launched in parallel with @value{GDBN}; there is a race
15020 condition because the agent may not become ready to accept the connection
15021 before @value{GDBN} attempts to connect. When auto-retry is
15022 enabled, if the initial attempt to connect fails, @value{GDBN} reattempts
15023 to establish the connection using the timeout specified by
15024 @code{set tcp connect-timeout}.
15025
15026 @item set tcp auto-retry off
15027 Do not auto-retry failed TCP connections.
15028
15029 @item show tcp auto-retry
15030 Show the current auto-retry setting.
15031
15032 @item set tcp connect-timeout @var{seconds}
15033 @cindex connection timeout, for remote TCP target
15034 @cindex timeout, for remote target connection
15035 Set the timeout for establishing a TCP connection to the remote target to
15036 @var{seconds}. The timeout affects both polling to retry failed connections
15037 (enabled by @code{set tcp auto-retry on}) and waiting for connections
15038 that are merely slow to complete, and represents an approximate cumulative
15039 value.
15040
15041 @item show tcp connect-timeout
15042 Show the current connection timeout setting.
15043 @end table
15044
15045 @cindex remote packets, enabling and disabling
15046 The @value{GDBN} remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by
15047 your debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you
15048 can use these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each
15049 packet can be set to @samp{on} (the remote target supports this
15050 packet), @samp{off} (the remote target does not support this packet),
15051 or @samp{auto} (detect remote target support for this packet). They
15052 all default to @samp{auto}. For more information about each packet,
15053 see @ref{Remote Protocol}.
15054
15055 During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands.
15056 If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug
15057 in @value{GDBN}. You may want to report the problem to the
15058 @value{GDBN} developers.
15059
15060 For each packet @var{name}, the command to enable or disable the
15061 packet is @code{set remote @var{name}-packet}. The available settings
15062 are:
15063
15064 @multitable @columnfractions 0.28 0.32 0.25
15065 @item Command Name
15066 @tab Remote Packet
15067 @tab Related Features
15068
15069 @item @code{fetch-register}
15070 @tab @code{p}
15071 @tab @code{info registers}
15072
15073 @item @code{set-register}
15074 @tab @code{P}
15075 @tab @code{set}
15076
15077 @item @code{binary-download}
15078 @tab @code{X}
15079 @tab @code{load}, @code{set}
15080
15081 @item @code{read-aux-vector}
15082 @tab @code{qXfer:auxv:read}
15083 @tab @code{info auxv}
15084
15085 @item @code{symbol-lookup}
15086 @tab @code{qSymbol}
15087 @tab Detecting multiple threads
15088
15089 @item @code{attach}
15090 @tab @code{vAttach}
15091 @tab @code{attach}
15092
15093 @item @code{verbose-resume}
15094 @tab @code{vCont}
15095 @tab Stepping or resuming multiple threads
15096
15097 @item @code{run}
15098 @tab @code{vRun}
15099 @tab @code{run}
15100
15101 @item @code{software-breakpoint}
15102 @tab @code{Z0}
15103 @tab @code{break}
15104
15105 @item @code{hardware-breakpoint}
15106 @tab @code{Z1}
15107 @tab @code{hbreak}
15108
15109 @item @code{write-watchpoint}
15110 @tab @code{Z2}
15111 @tab @code{watch}
15112
15113 @item @code{read-watchpoint}
15114 @tab @code{Z3}
15115 @tab @code{rwatch}
15116
15117 @item @code{access-watchpoint}
15118 @tab @code{Z4}
15119 @tab @code{awatch}
15120
15121 @item @code{target-features}
15122 @tab @code{qXfer:features:read}
15123 @tab @code{set architecture}
15124
15125 @item @code{library-info}
15126 @tab @code{qXfer:libraries:read}
15127 @tab @code{info sharedlibrary}
15128
15129 @item @code{memory-map}
15130 @tab @code{qXfer:memory-map:read}
15131 @tab @code{info mem}
15132
15133 @item @code{read-spu-object}
15134 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:read}
15135 @tab @code{info spu}
15136
15137 @item @code{write-spu-object}
15138 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:write}
15139 @tab @code{info spu}
15140
15141 @item @code{read-siginfo-object}
15142 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:read}
15143 @tab @code{print $_siginfo}
15144
15145 @item @code{write-siginfo-object}
15146 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:write}
15147 @tab @code{set $_siginfo}
15148
15149 @item @code{get-thread-local-@*storage-address}
15150 @tab @code{qGetTLSAddr}
15151 @tab Displaying @code{__thread} variables
15152
15153 @item @code{search-memory}
15154 @tab @code{qSearch:memory}
15155 @tab @code{find}
15156
15157 @item @code{supported-packets}
15158 @tab @code{qSupported}
15159 @tab Remote communications parameters
15160
15161 @item @code{pass-signals}
15162 @tab @code{QPassSignals}
15163 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
15164
15165 @item @code{hostio-close-packet}
15166 @tab @code{vFile:close}
15167 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
15168
15169 @item @code{hostio-open-packet}
15170 @tab @code{vFile:open}
15171 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
15172
15173 @item @code{hostio-pread-packet}
15174 @tab @code{vFile:pread}
15175 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
15176
15177 @item @code{hostio-pwrite-packet}
15178 @tab @code{vFile:pwrite}
15179 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
15180
15181 @item @code{hostio-unlink-packet}
15182 @tab @code{vFile:unlink}
15183 @tab @code{remote delete}
15184
15185 @item @code{noack-packet}
15186 @tab @code{QStartNoAckMode}
15187 @tab Packet acknowledgment
15188
15189 @item @code{osdata}
15190 @tab @code{qXfer:osdata:read}
15191 @tab @code{info os}
15192
15193 @item @code{query-attached}
15194 @tab @code{qAttached}
15195 @tab Querying remote process attach state.
15196 @end multitable
15197
15198 @node Remote Stub
15199 @section Implementing a Remote Stub
15200
15201 @cindex debugging stub, example
15202 @cindex remote stub, example
15203 @cindex stub example, remote debugging
15204 The stub files provided with @value{GDBN} implement the target side of the
15205 communication protocol, and the @value{GDBN} side is implemented in the
15206 @value{GDBN} source file @file{remote.c}. Normally, you can simply allow
15207 these subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
15208 implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
15209 with one of the existing stub files. @file{sparc-stub.c} is the best
15210 organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
15211
15212 @cindex remote serial debugging, overview
15213 To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
15214 @dfn{target} machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
15215 prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
15216 program, you need:
15217
15218 @enumerate
15219 @item
15220 A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these usually
15221 have a name like @file{crt0}. The startup routine may be supplied by
15222 your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your own.
15223
15224 @item
15225 A C subroutine library to support your program's
15226 subroutine calls, notably managing input and output.
15227
15228 @item
15229 A way of getting your program to the other machine---for example, a
15230 download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
15231 manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
15232 documentation.
15233 @end enumerate
15234
15235 The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
15236 communicate with the machine where @value{GDBN} is running (the @dfn{host}
15237 machine). In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
15238
15239 @table @emph
15240 @item On the host,
15241 @value{GDBN} already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
15242 else is set up, you can simply use the @samp{target remote} command
15243 (@pxref{Targets,,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
15244
15245 @item On the target,
15246 you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines that
15247 implement the @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol. The file containing these
15248 subroutines is called a @dfn{debugging stub}.
15249
15250 On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
15251 @code{gdbserver} instead of linking a stub into your program.
15252 @xref{Server,,Using the @code{gdbserver} Program}, for details.
15253 @end table
15254
15255 The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
15256 machine; for example, use @file{sparc-stub.c} to debug programs on
15257 @sc{sparc} boards.
15258
15259 @cindex remote serial stub list
15260 These working remote stubs are distributed with @value{GDBN}:
15261
15262 @table @code
15263
15264 @item i386-stub.c
15265 @cindex @file{i386-stub.c}
15266 @cindex Intel
15267 @cindex i386
15268 For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
15269
15270 @item m68k-stub.c
15271 @cindex @file{m68k-stub.c}
15272 @cindex Motorola 680x0
15273 @cindex m680x0
15274 For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
15275
15276 @item sh-stub.c
15277 @cindex @file{sh-stub.c}
15278 @cindex Renesas
15279 @cindex SH
15280 For Renesas SH architectures.
15281
15282 @item sparc-stub.c
15283 @cindex @file{sparc-stub.c}
15284 @cindex Sparc
15285 For @sc{sparc} architectures.
15286
15287 @item sparcl-stub.c
15288 @cindex @file{sparcl-stub.c}
15289 @cindex Fujitsu
15290 @cindex SparcLite
15291 For Fujitsu @sc{sparclite} architectures.
15292
15293 @end table
15294
15295 The @file{README} file in the @value{GDBN} distribution may list other
15296 recently added stubs.
15297
15298 @menu
15299 * Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
15300 * Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
15301 * Debug Session:: Putting it all together
15302 @end menu
15303
15304 @node Stub Contents
15305 @subsection What the Stub Can Do for You
15306
15307 @cindex remote serial stub
15308 The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
15309 subroutines:
15310
15311 @table @code
15312 @item set_debug_traps
15313 @findex set_debug_traps
15314 @cindex remote serial stub, initialization
15315 This routine arranges for @code{handle_exception} to run when your
15316 program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly near the
15317 beginning of your program.
15318
15319 @item handle_exception
15320 @findex handle_exception
15321 @cindex remote serial stub, main routine
15322 This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
15323 explicitly---the setup code arranges for @code{handle_exception} to
15324 run when a trap is triggered.
15325
15326 @code{handle_exception} takes control when your program stops during
15327 execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates communications
15328 with @value{GDBN} on the host machine. This is where the communications
15329 protocol is implemented; @code{handle_exception} acts as the @value{GDBN}
15330 representative on the target machine. It begins by sending summary
15331 information on the state of your program, then continues to execute,
15332 retrieving and transmitting any information @value{GDBN} needs, until you
15333 execute a @value{GDBN} command that makes your program resume; at that point,
15334 @code{handle_exception} returns control to your own code on the target
15335 machine.
15336
15337 @item breakpoint
15338 @cindex @code{breakpoint} subroutine, remote
15339 Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
15340 breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be the only
15341 way for @value{GDBN} to get control. For instance, if your target
15342 machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call this;
15343 pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
15344 @code{handle_exception}---in effect, to @value{GDBN}. On some machines,
15345 simply receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
15346 again, in that situation, you don't need to call @code{breakpoint} from
15347 your own program---simply running @samp{target remote} from the host
15348 @value{GDBN} session gets control.
15349
15350 Call @code{breakpoint} if none of these is true, or if you simply want
15351 to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
15352 start of your debugging session.
15353 @end table
15354
15355 @node Bootstrapping
15356 @subsection What You Must Do for the Stub
15357
15358 @cindex remote stub, support routines
15359 The debugging stubs that come with @value{GDBN} are set up for a particular
15360 chip architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
15361 debugging target machine.
15362
15363 First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
15364 serial port.
15365
15366 @table @code
15367 @item int getDebugChar()
15368 @findex getDebugChar
15369 Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial port.
15370 It may be identical to @code{getchar} for your target system; a
15371 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
15372
15373 @item void putDebugChar(int)
15374 @findex putDebugChar
15375 Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial port.
15376 It may be identical to @code{putchar} for your target system; a
15377 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
15378 @end table
15379
15380 @cindex control C, and remote debugging
15381 @cindex interrupting remote targets
15382 If you want @value{GDBN} to be able to stop your program while it is
15383 running, you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange
15384 for it to stop when it receives a @code{^C} (@samp{\003}, the control-C
15385 character). That is the character which @value{GDBN} uses to tell the
15386 remote system to stop.
15387
15388 Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to @value{GDBN}
15389 probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
15390 is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the ``dirty'' part is that
15391 @value{GDBN} reports a @code{SIGTRAP} instead of a @code{SIGINT}).
15392
15393 Other routines you need to supply are:
15394
15395 @table @code
15396 @item void exceptionHandler (int @var{exception_number}, void *@var{exception_address})
15397 @findex exceptionHandler
15398 Write this function to install @var{exception_address} in the exception
15399 handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not have any
15400 way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your target system
15401 are like (for example, the processor's table might be in @sc{rom},
15402 containing entries which point to a table in @sc{ram}).
15403 @var{exception_number} is the exception number which should be changed;
15404 its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different numbers
15405 might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc). When this
15406 exception occurs, control should be transferred directly to
15407 @var{exception_address}, and the processor state (stack, registers,
15408 and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception occurs. So if
15409 you want to use a jump instruction to reach @var{exception_address}, it
15410 should be a simple jump, not a jump to subroutine.
15411
15412 For the 386, @var{exception_address} should be installed as an interrupt
15413 gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The gate
15414 should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level). The
15415 @sc{sparc} and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves without
15416 help from @code{exceptionHandler}.
15417
15418 @item void flush_i_cache()
15419 @findex flush_i_cache
15420 On @sc{sparc} and @sc{sparclite} only, write this subroutine to flush the
15421 instruction cache, if any, on your target machine. If there is no
15422 instruction cache, this subroutine may be a no-op.
15423
15424 On target machines that have instruction caches, @value{GDBN} requires this
15425 function to make certain that the state of your program is stable.
15426 @end table
15427
15428 @noindent
15429 You must also make sure this library routine is available:
15430
15431 @table @code
15432 @item void *memset(void *, int, int)
15433 @findex memset
15434 This is the standard library function @code{memset} that sets an area of
15435 memory to a known value. If you have one of the free versions of
15436 @code{libc.a}, @code{memset} can be found there; otherwise, you must
15437 either obtain it from your hardware manufacturer, or write your own.
15438 @end table
15439
15440 If you do not use the GNU C compiler, you may need other standard
15441 library subroutines as well; this varies from one stub to another,
15442 but in general the stubs are likely to use any of the common library
15443 subroutines which @code{@value{NGCC}} generates as inline code.
15444
15445
15446 @node Debug Session
15447 @subsection Putting it All Together
15448
15449 @cindex remote serial debugging summary
15450 In summary, when your program is ready to debug, you must follow these
15451 steps.
15452
15453 @enumerate
15454 @item
15455 Make sure you have defined the supporting low-level routines
15456 (@pxref{Bootstrapping,,What You Must Do for the Stub}):
15457 @display
15458 @code{getDebugChar}, @code{putDebugChar},
15459 @code{flush_i_cache}, @code{memset}, @code{exceptionHandler}.
15460 @end display
15461
15462 @item
15463 Insert these lines near the top of your program:
15464
15465 @smallexample
15466 set_debug_traps();
15467 breakpoint();
15468 @end smallexample
15469
15470 @item
15471 For the 680x0 stub only, you need to provide a variable called
15472 @code{exceptionHook}. Normally you just use:
15473
15474 @smallexample
15475 void (*exceptionHook)() = 0;
15476 @end smallexample
15477
15478 @noindent
15479 but if before calling @code{set_debug_traps}, you set it to point to a
15480 function in your program, that function is called when
15481 @code{@value{GDBN}} continues after stopping on a trap (for example, bus
15482 error). The function indicated by @code{exceptionHook} is called with
15483 one parameter: an @code{int} which is the exception number.
15484
15485 @item
15486 Compile and link together: your program, the @value{GDBN} debugging stub for
15487 your target architecture, and the supporting subroutines.
15488
15489 @item
15490 Make sure you have a serial connection between your target machine and
15491 the @value{GDBN} host, and identify the serial port on the host.
15492
15493 @item
15494 @c The "remote" target now provides a `load' command, so we should
15495 @c document that. FIXME.
15496 Download your program to your target machine (or get it there by
15497 whatever means the manufacturer provides), and start it.
15498
15499 @item
15500 Start @value{GDBN} on the host, and connect to the target
15501 (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
15502
15503 @end enumerate
15504
15505 @node Configurations
15506 @chapter Configuration-Specific Information
15507
15508 While nearly all @value{GDBN} commands are available for all native and
15509 cross versions of the debugger, there are some exceptions. This chapter
15510 describes things that are only available in certain configurations.
15511
15512 There are three major categories of configurations: native
15513 configurations, where the host and target are the same, embedded
15514 operating system configurations, which are usually the same for several
15515 different processor architectures, and bare embedded processors, which
15516 are quite different from each other.
15517
15518 @menu
15519 * Native::
15520 * Embedded OS::
15521 * Embedded Processors::
15522 * Architectures::
15523 @end menu
15524
15525 @node Native
15526 @section Native
15527
15528 This section describes details specific to particular native
15529 configurations.
15530
15531 @menu
15532 * HP-UX:: HP-UX
15533 * BSD libkvm Interface:: Debugging BSD kernel memory images
15534 * SVR4 Process Information:: SVR4 process information
15535 * DJGPP Native:: Features specific to the DJGPP port
15536 * Cygwin Native:: Features specific to the Cygwin port
15537 * Hurd Native:: Features specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd
15538 * Neutrino:: Features specific to QNX Neutrino
15539 * Darwin:: Features specific to Darwin
15540 @end menu
15541
15542 @node HP-UX
15543 @subsection HP-UX
15544
15545 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
15546 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
15547 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
15548
15549
15550 @node BSD libkvm Interface
15551 @subsection BSD libkvm Interface
15552
15553 @cindex libkvm
15554 @cindex kernel memory image
15555 @cindex kernel crash dump
15556
15557 BSD-derived systems (FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD) have a kernel memory
15558 interface that provides a uniform interface for accessing kernel virtual
15559 memory images, including live systems and crash dumps. @value{GDBN}
15560 uses this interface to allow you to debug live kernels and kernel crash
15561 dumps on many native BSD configurations. This is implemented as a
15562 special @code{kvm} debugging target. For debugging a live system, load
15563 the currently running kernel into @value{GDBN} and connect to the
15564 @code{kvm} target:
15565
15566 @smallexample
15567 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm}
15568 @end smallexample
15569
15570 For debugging crash dumps, provide the file name of the crash dump as an
15571 argument:
15572
15573 @smallexample
15574 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm /var/crash/bsd.0}
15575 @end smallexample
15576
15577 Once connected to the @code{kvm} target, the following commands are
15578 available:
15579
15580 @table @code
15581 @kindex kvm
15582 @item kvm pcb
15583 Set current context from the @dfn{Process Control Block} (PCB) address.
15584
15585 @item kvm proc
15586 Set current context from proc address. This command isn't available on
15587 modern FreeBSD systems.
15588 @end table
15589
15590 @node SVR4 Process Information
15591 @subsection SVR4 Process Information
15592 @cindex /proc
15593 @cindex examine process image
15594 @cindex process info via @file{/proc}
15595
15596 Many versions of SVR4 and compatible systems provide a facility called
15597 @samp{/proc} that can be used to examine the image of a running
15598 process using file-system subroutines. If @value{GDBN} is configured
15599 for an operating system with this facility, the command @code{info
15600 proc} is available to report information about the process running
15601 your program, or about any process running on your system. @code{info
15602 proc} works only on SVR4 systems that include the @code{procfs} code.
15603 This includes, as of this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, OSF/1 (Digital
15604 Unix), Solaris, Irix, and Unixware, but not HP-UX, for example.
15605
15606 @table @code
15607 @kindex info proc
15608 @cindex process ID
15609 @item info proc
15610 @itemx info proc @var{process-id}
15611 Summarize available information about any running process. If a
15612 process ID is specified by @var{process-id}, display information about
15613 that process; otherwise display information about the program being
15614 debugged. The summary includes the debugged process ID, the command
15615 line used to invoke it, its current working directory, and its
15616 executable file's absolute file name.
15617
15618 On some systems, @var{process-id} can be of the form
15619 @samp{[@var{pid}]/@var{tid}} which specifies a certain thread ID
15620 within a process. If the optional @var{pid} part is missing, it means
15621 a thread from the process being debugged (the leading @samp{/} still
15622 needs to be present, or else @value{GDBN} will interpret the number as
15623 a process ID rather than a thread ID).
15624
15625 @item info proc mappings
15626 @cindex memory address space mappings
15627 Report the memory address space ranges accessible in the program, with
15628 information on whether the process has read, write, or execute access
15629 rights to each range. On @sc{gnu}/Linux systems, each memory range
15630 includes the object file which is mapped to that range, instead of the
15631 memory access rights to that range.
15632
15633 @item info proc stat
15634 @itemx info proc status
15635 @cindex process detailed status information
15636 These subcommands are specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux systems. They show
15637 the process-related information, including the user ID and group ID;
15638 how many threads are there in the process; its virtual memory usage;
15639 the signals that are pending, blocked, and ignored; its TTY; its
15640 consumption of system and user time; its stack size; its @samp{nice}
15641 value; etc. For more information, see the @samp{proc} man page
15642 (type @kbd{man 5 proc} from your shell prompt).
15643
15644 @item info proc all
15645 Show all the information about the process described under all of the
15646 above @code{info proc} subcommands.
15647
15648 @ignore
15649 @comment These sub-options of 'info proc' were not included when
15650 @comment procfs.c was re-written. Keep their descriptions around
15651 @comment against the day when someone finds the time to put them back in.
15652 @kindex info proc times
15653 @item info proc times
15654 Starting time, user CPU time, and system CPU time for your program and
15655 its children.
15656
15657 @kindex info proc id
15658 @item info proc id
15659 Report on the process IDs related to your program: its own process ID,
15660 the ID of its parent, the process group ID, and the session ID.
15661 @end ignore
15662
15663 @item set procfs-trace
15664 @kindex set procfs-trace
15665 @cindex @code{procfs} API calls
15666 This command enables and disables tracing of @code{procfs} API calls.
15667
15668 @item show procfs-trace
15669 @kindex show procfs-trace
15670 Show the current state of @code{procfs} API call tracing.
15671
15672 @item set procfs-file @var{file}
15673 @kindex set procfs-file
15674 Tell @value{GDBN} to write @code{procfs} API trace to the named
15675 @var{file}. @value{GDBN} appends the trace info to the previous
15676 contents of the file. The default is to display the trace on the
15677 standard output.
15678
15679 @item show procfs-file
15680 @kindex show procfs-file
15681 Show the file to which @code{procfs} API trace is written.
15682
15683 @item proc-trace-entry
15684 @itemx proc-trace-exit
15685 @itemx proc-untrace-entry
15686 @itemx proc-untrace-exit
15687 @kindex proc-trace-entry
15688 @kindex proc-trace-exit
15689 @kindex proc-untrace-entry
15690 @kindex proc-untrace-exit
15691 These commands enable and disable tracing of entries into and exits
15692 from the @code{syscall} interface.
15693
15694 @item info pidlist
15695 @kindex info pidlist
15696 @cindex process list, QNX Neutrino
15697 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all the
15698 processes and all the threads within each process.
15699
15700 @item info meminfo
15701 @kindex info meminfo
15702 @cindex mapinfo list, QNX Neutrino
15703 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all mapinfos.
15704 @end table
15705
15706 @node DJGPP Native
15707 @subsection Features for Debugging @sc{djgpp} Programs
15708 @cindex @sc{djgpp} debugging
15709 @cindex native @sc{djgpp} debugging
15710 @cindex MS-DOS-specific commands
15711
15712 @cindex DPMI
15713 @sc{djgpp} is a port of the @sc{gnu} development tools to MS-DOS and
15714 MS-Windows. @sc{djgpp} programs are 32-bit protected-mode programs
15715 that use the @dfn{DPMI} (DOS Protected-Mode Interface) API to run on
15716 top of real-mode DOS systems and their emulations.
15717
15718 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of @sc{djgpp} programs, and
15719 defines a few commands specific to the @sc{djgpp} port. This
15720 subsection describes those commands.
15721
15722 @table @code
15723 @kindex info dos
15724 @item info dos
15725 This is a prefix of @sc{djgpp}-specific commands which print
15726 information about the target system and important OS structures.
15727
15728 @kindex sysinfo
15729 @cindex MS-DOS system info
15730 @cindex free memory information (MS-DOS)
15731 @item info dos sysinfo
15732 This command displays assorted information about the underlying
15733 platform: the CPU type and features, the OS version and flavor, the
15734 DPMI version, and the available conventional and DPMI memory.
15735
15736 @cindex GDT
15737 @cindex LDT
15738 @cindex IDT
15739 @cindex segment descriptor tables
15740 @cindex descriptor tables display
15741 @item info dos gdt
15742 @itemx info dos ldt
15743 @itemx info dos idt
15744 These 3 commands display entries from, respectively, Global, Local,
15745 and Interrupt Descriptor Tables (GDT, LDT, and IDT). The descriptor
15746 tables are data structures which store a descriptor for each segment
15747 that is currently in use. The segment's selector is an index into a
15748 descriptor table; the table entry for that index holds the
15749 descriptor's base address and limit, and its attributes and access
15750 rights.
15751
15752 A typical @sc{djgpp} program uses 3 segments: a code segment, a data
15753 segment (used for both data and the stack), and a DOS segment (which
15754 allows access to DOS/BIOS data structures and absolute addresses in
15755 conventional memory). However, the DPMI host will usually define
15756 additional segments in order to support the DPMI environment.
15757
15758 @cindex garbled pointers
15759 These commands allow to display entries from the descriptor tables.
15760 Without an argument, all entries from the specified table are
15761 displayed. An argument, which should be an integer expression, means
15762 display a single entry whose index is given by the argument. For
15763 example, here's a convenient way to display information about the
15764 debugged program's data segment:
15765
15766 @smallexample
15767 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos ldt $ds}
15768 @exdent @code{0x13f: base=0x11970000 limit=0x0009ffff 32-Bit Data (Read/Write, Exp-up)}
15769 @end smallexample
15770
15771 @noindent
15772 This comes in handy when you want to see whether a pointer is outside
15773 the data segment's limit (i.e.@: @dfn{garbled}).
15774
15775 @cindex page tables display (MS-DOS)
15776 @item info dos pde
15777 @itemx info dos pte
15778 These two commands display entries from, respectively, the Page
15779 Directory and the Page Tables. Page Directories and Page Tables are
15780 data structures which control how virtual memory addresses are mapped
15781 into physical addresses. A Page Table includes an entry for every
15782 page of memory that is mapped into the program's address space; there
15783 may be several Page Tables, each one holding up to 4096 entries. A
15784 Page Directory has up to 4096 entries, one each for every Page Table
15785 that is currently in use.
15786
15787 Without an argument, @kbd{info dos pde} displays the entire Page
15788 Directory, and @kbd{info dos pte} displays all the entries in all of
15789 the Page Tables. An argument, an integer expression, given to the
15790 @kbd{info dos pde} command means display only that entry from the Page
15791 Directory table. An argument given to the @kbd{info dos pte} command
15792 means display entries from a single Page Table, the one pointed to by
15793 the specified entry in the Page Directory.
15794
15795 @cindex direct memory access (DMA) on MS-DOS
15796 These commands are useful when your program uses @dfn{DMA} (Direct
15797 Memory Access), which needs physical addresses to program the DMA
15798 controller.
15799
15800 These commands are supported only with some DPMI servers.
15801
15802 @cindex physical address from linear address
15803 @item info dos address-pte @var{addr}
15804 This command displays the Page Table entry for a specified linear
15805 address. The argument @var{addr} is a linear address which should
15806 already have the appropriate segment's base address added to it,
15807 because this command accepts addresses which may belong to @emph{any}
15808 segment. For example, here's how to display the Page Table entry for
15809 the page where a variable @code{i} is stored:
15810
15811 @smallexample
15812 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte __djgpp_base_address + (char *)&i}
15813 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x11a00d30:}
15814 @exdent @code{Base=0x02698000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0xd30}
15815 @end smallexample
15816
15817 @noindent
15818 This says that @code{i} is stored at offset @code{0xd30} from the page
15819 whose physical base address is @code{0x02698000}, and shows all the
15820 attributes of that page.
15821
15822 Note that you must cast the addresses of variables to a @code{char *},
15823 since otherwise the value of @code{__djgpp_base_address}, the base
15824 address of all variables and functions in a @sc{djgpp} program, will
15825 be added using the rules of C pointer arithmetics: if @code{i} is
15826 declared an @code{int}, @value{GDBN} will add 4 times the value of
15827 @code{__djgpp_base_address} to the address of @code{i}.
15828
15829 Here's another example, it displays the Page Table entry for the
15830 transfer buffer:
15831
15832 @smallexample
15833 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte *((unsigned *)&_go32_info_block + 3)}
15834 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x29110:}
15835 @exdent @code{Base=0x00029000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0x110}
15836 @end smallexample
15837
15838 @noindent
15839 (The @code{+ 3} offset is because the transfer buffer's address is the
15840 3rd member of the @code{_go32_info_block} structure.) The output
15841 clearly shows that this DPMI server maps the addresses in conventional
15842 memory 1:1, i.e.@: the physical (@code{0x00029000} + @code{0x110}) and
15843 linear (@code{0x29110}) addresses are identical.
15844
15845 This command is supported only with some DPMI servers.
15846 @end table
15847
15848 @cindex DOS serial data link, remote debugging
15849 In addition to native debugging, the DJGPP port supports remote
15850 debugging via a serial data link. The following commands are specific
15851 to remote serial debugging in the DJGPP port of @value{GDBN}.
15852
15853 @table @code
15854 @kindex set com1base
15855 @kindex set com1irq
15856 @kindex set com2base
15857 @kindex set com2irq
15858 @kindex set com3base
15859 @kindex set com3irq
15860 @kindex set com4base
15861 @kindex set com4irq
15862 @item set com1base @var{addr}
15863 This command sets the base I/O port address of the @file{COM1} serial
15864 port.
15865
15866 @item set com1irq @var{irq}
15867 This command sets the @dfn{Interrupt Request} (@code{IRQ}) line to use
15868 for the @file{COM1} serial port.
15869
15870 There are similar commands @samp{set com2base}, @samp{set com3irq},
15871 etc.@: for setting the port address and the @code{IRQ} lines for the
15872 other 3 COM ports.
15873
15874 @kindex show com1base
15875 @kindex show com1irq
15876 @kindex show com2base
15877 @kindex show com2irq
15878 @kindex show com3base
15879 @kindex show com3irq
15880 @kindex show com4base
15881 @kindex show com4irq
15882 The related commands @samp{show com1base}, @samp{show com1irq} etc.@:
15883 display the current settings of the base address and the @code{IRQ}
15884 lines used by the COM ports.
15885
15886 @item info serial
15887 @kindex info serial
15888 @cindex DOS serial port status
15889 This command prints the status of the 4 DOS serial ports. For each
15890 port, it prints whether it's active or not, its I/O base address and
15891 IRQ number, whether it uses a 16550-style FIFO, its baudrate, and the
15892 counts of various errors encountered so far.
15893 @end table
15894
15895
15896 @node Cygwin Native
15897 @subsection Features for Debugging MS Windows PE Executables
15898 @cindex MS Windows debugging
15899 @cindex native Cygwin debugging
15900 @cindex Cygwin-specific commands
15901
15902 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of MS Windows programs, including
15903 DLLs with and without symbolic debugging information.
15904
15905 @cindex Ctrl-BREAK, MS-Windows
15906 @cindex interrupt debuggee on MS-Windows
15907 MS-Windows programs that call @code{SetConsoleMode} to switch off the
15908 special meaning of the @samp{Ctrl-C} keystroke cannot be interrupted
15909 by typing @kbd{C-c}. For this reason, @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows
15910 supports @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} as an alternative interrupt key
15911 sequence, which can be used to interrupt the debuggee even if it
15912 ignores @kbd{C-c}.
15913
15914 There are various additional Cygwin-specific commands, described in
15915 this section. Working with DLLs that have no debugging symbols is
15916 described in @ref{Non-debug DLL Symbols}.
15917
15918 @table @code
15919 @kindex info w32
15920 @item info w32
15921 This is a prefix of MS Windows-specific commands which print
15922 information about the target system and important OS structures.
15923
15924 @item info w32 selector
15925 This command displays information returned by
15926 the Win32 API @code{GetThreadSelectorEntry} function.
15927 It takes an optional argument that is evaluated to
15928 a long value to give the information about this given selector.
15929 Without argument, this command displays information
15930 about the six segment registers.
15931
15932 @kindex info dll
15933 @item info dll
15934 This is a Cygwin-specific alias of @code{info shared}.
15935
15936 @kindex dll-symbols
15937 @item dll-symbols
15938 This command loads symbols from a dll similarly to
15939 add-sym command but without the need to specify a base address.
15940
15941 @kindex set cygwin-exceptions
15942 @cindex debugging the Cygwin DLL
15943 @cindex Cygwin DLL, debugging
15944 @item set cygwin-exceptions @var{mode}
15945 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that
15946 happen inside the Cygwin DLL. If @var{mode} is @code{off},
15947 @value{GDBN} will delay recognition of exceptions, and may ignore some
15948 exceptions which seem to be caused by internal Cygwin DLL
15949 ``bookkeeping''. This option is meant primarily for debugging the
15950 Cygwin DLL itself; the default value is @code{off} to avoid annoying
15951 @value{GDBN} users with false @code{SIGSEGV} signals.
15952
15953 @kindex show cygwin-exceptions
15954 @item show cygwin-exceptions
15955 Displays whether @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that happen
15956 inside the Cygwin DLL itself.
15957
15958 @kindex set new-console
15959 @item set new-console @var{mode}
15960 If @var{mode} is @code{on} the debuggee will
15961 be started in a new console on next start.
15962 If @var{mode} is @code{off}i, the debuggee will
15963 be started in the same console as the debugger.
15964
15965 @kindex show new-console
15966 @item show new-console
15967 Displays whether a new console is used
15968 when the debuggee is started.
15969
15970 @kindex set new-group
15971 @item set new-group @var{mode}
15972 This boolean value controls whether the debuggee should
15973 start a new group or stay in the same group as the debugger.
15974 This affects the way the Windows OS handles
15975 @samp{Ctrl-C}.
15976
15977 @kindex show new-group
15978 @item show new-group
15979 Displays current value of new-group boolean.
15980
15981 @kindex set debugevents
15982 @item set debugevents
15983 This boolean value adds debug output concerning kernel events related
15984 to the debuggee seen by the debugger. This includes events that
15985 signal thread and process creation and exit, DLL loading and
15986 unloading, console interrupts, and debugging messages produced by the
15987 Windows @code{OutputDebugString} API call.
15988
15989 @kindex set debugexec
15990 @item set debugexec
15991 This boolean value adds debug output concerning execute events
15992 (such as resume thread) seen by the debugger.
15993
15994 @kindex set debugexceptions
15995 @item set debugexceptions
15996 This boolean value adds debug output concerning exceptions in the
15997 debuggee seen by the debugger.
15998
15999 @kindex set debugmemory
16000 @item set debugmemory
16001 This boolean value adds debug output concerning debuggee memory reads
16002 and writes by the debugger.
16003
16004 @kindex set shell
16005 @item set shell
16006 This boolean values specifies whether the debuggee is called
16007 via a shell or directly (default value is on).
16008
16009 @kindex show shell
16010 @item show shell
16011 Displays if the debuggee will be started with a shell.
16012
16013 @end table
16014
16015 @menu
16016 * Non-debug DLL Symbols:: Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
16017 @end menu
16018
16019 @node Non-debug DLL Symbols
16020 @subsubsection Support for DLLs without Debugging Symbols
16021 @cindex DLLs with no debugging symbols
16022 @cindex Minimal symbols and DLLs
16023
16024 Very often on windows, some of the DLLs that your program relies on do
16025 not include symbolic debugging information (for example,
16026 @file{kernel32.dll}). When @value{GDBN} doesn't recognize any debugging
16027 symbols in a DLL, it relies on the minimal amount of symbolic
16028 information contained in the DLL's export table. This section
16029 describes working with such symbols, known internally to @value{GDBN} as
16030 ``minimal symbols''.
16031
16032 Note that before the debugged program has started execution, no DLLs
16033 will have been loaded. The easiest way around this problem is simply to
16034 start the program --- either by setting a breakpoint or letting the
16035 program run once to completion. It is also possible to force
16036 @value{GDBN} to load a particular DLL before starting the executable ---
16037 see the shared library information in @ref{Files}, or the
16038 @code{dll-symbols} command in @ref{Cygwin Native}. Currently,
16039 explicitly loading symbols from a DLL with no debugging information will
16040 cause the symbol names to be duplicated in @value{GDBN}'s lookup table,
16041 which may adversely affect symbol lookup performance.
16042
16043 @subsubsection DLL Name Prefixes
16044
16045 In keeping with the naming conventions used by the Microsoft debugging
16046 tools, DLL export symbols are made available with a prefix based on the
16047 DLL name, for instance @code{KERNEL32!CreateFileA}. The plain name is
16048 also entered into the symbol table, so @code{CreateFileA} is often
16049 sufficient. In some cases there will be name clashes within a program
16050 (particularly if the executable itself includes full debugging symbols)
16051 necessitating the use of the fully qualified name when referring to the
16052 contents of the DLL. Use single-quotes around the name to avoid the
16053 exclamation mark (``!'') being interpreted as a language operator.
16054
16055 Note that the internal name of the DLL may be all upper-case, even
16056 though the file name of the DLL is lower-case, or vice-versa. Since
16057 symbols within @value{GDBN} are @emph{case-sensitive} this may cause
16058 some confusion. If in doubt, try the @code{info functions} and
16059 @code{info variables} commands or even @code{maint print msymbols}
16060 (@pxref{Symbols}). Here's an example:
16061
16062 @smallexample
16063 (@value{GDBP}) info function CreateFileA
16064 All functions matching regular expression "CreateFileA":
16065
16066 Non-debugging symbols:
16067 0x77e885f4 CreateFileA
16068 0x77e885f4 KERNEL32!CreateFileA
16069 @end smallexample
16070
16071 @smallexample
16072 (@value{GDBP}) info function !
16073 All functions matching regular expression "!":
16074
16075 Non-debugging symbols:
16076 0x6100114c cygwin1!__assert
16077 0x61004034 cygwin1!_dll_crt0@@0
16078 0x61004240 cygwin1!dll_crt0(per_process *)
16079 [etc...]
16080 @end smallexample
16081
16082 @subsubsection Working with Minimal Symbols
16083
16084 Symbols extracted from a DLL's export table do not contain very much
16085 type information. All that @value{GDBN} can do is guess whether a symbol
16086 refers to a function or variable depending on the linker section that
16087 contains the symbol. Also note that the actual contents of the memory
16088 contained in a DLL are not available unless the program is running. This
16089 means that you cannot examine the contents of a variable or disassemble
16090 a function within a DLL without a running program.
16091
16092 Variables are generally treated as pointers and dereferenced
16093 automatically. For this reason, it is often necessary to prefix a
16094 variable name with the address-of operator (``&'') and provide explicit
16095 type information in the command. Here's an example of the type of
16096 problem:
16097
16098 @smallexample
16099 (@value{GDBP}) print 'cygwin1!__argv'
16100 $1 = 268572168
16101 @end smallexample
16102
16103 @smallexample
16104 (@value{GDBP}) x 'cygwin1!__argv'
16105 0x10021610: "\230y\""
16106 @end smallexample
16107
16108 And two possible solutions:
16109
16110 @smallexample
16111 (@value{GDBP}) print ((char **)'cygwin1!__argv')[0]
16112 $2 = 0x22fd98 "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
16113 @end smallexample
16114
16115 @smallexample
16116 (@value{GDBP}) x/2x &'cygwin1!__argv'
16117 0x610c0aa8 <cygwin1!__argv>: 0x10021608 0x00000000
16118 (@value{GDBP}) x/x 0x10021608
16119 0x10021608: 0x0022fd98
16120 (@value{GDBP}) x/s 0x0022fd98
16121 0x22fd98: "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
16122 @end smallexample
16123
16124 Setting a break point within a DLL is possible even before the program
16125 starts execution. However, under these circumstances, @value{GDBN} can't
16126 examine the initial instructions of the function in order to skip the
16127 function's frame set-up code. You can work around this by using ``*&''
16128 to set the breakpoint at a raw memory address:
16129
16130 @smallexample
16131 (@value{GDBP}) break *&'python22!PyOS_Readline'
16132 Breakpoint 1 at 0x1e04eff0
16133 @end smallexample
16134
16135 The author of these extensions is not entirely convinced that setting a
16136 break point within a shared DLL like @file{kernel32.dll} is completely
16137 safe.
16138
16139 @node Hurd Native
16140 @subsection Commands Specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd Systems
16141 @cindex @sc{gnu} Hurd debugging
16142
16143 This subsection describes @value{GDBN} commands specific to the
16144 @sc{gnu} Hurd native debugging.
16145
16146 @table @code
16147 @item set signals
16148 @itemx set sigs
16149 @kindex set signals@r{, Hurd command}
16150 @kindex set sigs@r{, Hurd command}
16151 This command toggles the state of inferior signal interception by
16152 @value{GDBN}. Mach exceptions, such as breakpoint traps, are not
16153 affected by this command. @code{sigs} is a shorthand alias for
16154 @code{signals}.
16155
16156 @item show signals
16157 @itemx show sigs
16158 @kindex show signals@r{, Hurd command}
16159 @kindex show sigs@r{, Hurd command}
16160 Show the current state of intercepting inferior's signals.
16161
16162 @item set signal-thread
16163 @itemx set sigthread
16164 @kindex set signal-thread
16165 @kindex set sigthread
16166 This command tells @value{GDBN} which thread is the @code{libc} signal
16167 thread. That thread is run when a signal is delivered to a running
16168 process. @code{set sigthread} is the shorthand alias of @code{set
16169 signal-thread}.
16170
16171 @item show signal-thread
16172 @itemx show sigthread
16173 @kindex show signal-thread
16174 @kindex show sigthread
16175 These two commands show which thread will run when the inferior is
16176 delivered a signal.
16177
16178 @item set stopped
16179 @kindex set stopped@r{, Hurd command}
16180 This commands tells @value{GDBN} that the inferior process is stopped,
16181 as with the @code{SIGSTOP} signal. The stopped process can be
16182 continued by delivering a signal to it.
16183
16184 @item show stopped
16185 @kindex show stopped@r{, Hurd command}
16186 This command shows whether @value{GDBN} thinks the debuggee is
16187 stopped.
16188
16189 @item set exceptions
16190 @kindex set exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
16191 Use this command to turn off trapping of exceptions in the inferior.
16192 When exception trapping is off, neither breakpoints nor
16193 single-stepping will work. To restore the default, set exception
16194 trapping on.
16195
16196 @item show exceptions
16197 @kindex show exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
16198 Show the current state of trapping exceptions in the inferior.
16199
16200 @item set task pause
16201 @kindex set task@r{, Hurd commands}
16202 @cindex task attributes (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
16203 @cindex pause current task (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
16204 This command toggles task suspension when @value{GDBN} has control.
16205 Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the task is suspended
16206 whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to off will take
16207 effect the next time the inferior is continued. If this option is set
16208 to off, you can use @code{set thread default pause on} or @code{set
16209 thread pause on} (see below) to pause individual threads.
16210
16211 @item show task pause
16212 @kindex show task@r{, Hurd commands}
16213 Show the current state of task suspension.
16214
16215 @item set task detach-suspend-count
16216 @cindex task suspend count
16217 @cindex detach from task, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16218 This command sets the suspend count the task will be left with when
16219 @value{GDBN} detaches from it.
16220
16221 @item show task detach-suspend-count
16222 Show the suspend count the task will be left with when detaching.
16223
16224 @item set task exception-port
16225 @itemx set task excp
16226 @cindex task exception port, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16227 This command sets the task exception port to which @value{GDBN} will
16228 forward exceptions. The argument should be the value of the @dfn{send
16229 rights} of the task. @code{set task excp} is a shorthand alias.
16230
16231 @item set noninvasive
16232 @cindex noninvasive task options
16233 This command switches @value{GDBN} to a mode that is the least
16234 invasive as far as interfering with the inferior is concerned. This
16235 is the same as using @code{set task pause}, @code{set exceptions}, and
16236 @code{set signals} to values opposite to the defaults.
16237
16238 @item info send-rights
16239 @itemx info receive-rights
16240 @itemx info port-rights
16241 @itemx info port-sets
16242 @itemx info dead-names
16243 @itemx info ports
16244 @itemx info psets
16245 @cindex send rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16246 @cindex receive rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16247 @cindex port rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16248 @cindex port sets, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16249 @cindex dead names, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16250 These commands display information about, respectively, send rights,
16251 receive rights, port rights, port sets, and dead names of a task.
16252 There are also shorthand aliases: @code{info ports} for @code{info
16253 port-rights} and @code{info psets} for @code{info port-sets}.
16254
16255 @item set thread pause
16256 @kindex set thread@r{, Hurd command}
16257 @cindex thread properties, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16258 @cindex pause current thread (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
16259 This command toggles current thread suspension when @value{GDBN} has
16260 control. Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the current
16261 thread is suspended whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to
16262 off will take effect the next time the inferior is continued.
16263 Normally, this command has no effect, since when @value{GDBN} has
16264 control, the whole task is suspended. However, if you used @code{set
16265 task pause off} (see above), this command comes in handy to suspend
16266 only the current thread.
16267
16268 @item show thread pause
16269 @kindex show thread@r{, Hurd command}
16270 This command shows the state of current thread suspension.
16271
16272 @item set thread run
16273 This command sets whether the current thread is allowed to run.
16274
16275 @item show thread run
16276 Show whether the current thread is allowed to run.
16277
16278 @item set thread detach-suspend-count
16279 @cindex thread suspend count, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16280 @cindex detach from thread, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16281 This command sets the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on a
16282 thread when detaching. This number is relative to the suspend count
16283 found by @value{GDBN} when it notices the thread; use @code{set thread
16284 takeover-suspend-count} to force it to an absolute value.
16285
16286 @item show thread detach-suspend-count
16287 Show the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on the thread when
16288 detaching.
16289
16290 @item set thread exception-port
16291 @itemx set thread excp
16292 Set the thread exception port to which to forward exceptions. This
16293 overrides the port set by @code{set task exception-port} (see above).
16294 @code{set thread excp} is the shorthand alias.
16295
16296 @item set thread takeover-suspend-count
16297 Normally, @value{GDBN}'s thread suspend counts are relative to the
16298 value @value{GDBN} finds when it notices each thread. This command
16299 changes the suspend counts to be absolute instead.
16300
16301 @item set thread default
16302 @itemx show thread default
16303 @cindex thread default settings, @sc{gnu} Hurd
16304 Each of the above @code{set thread} commands has a @code{set thread
16305 default} counterpart (e.g., @code{set thread default pause}, @code{set
16306 thread default exception-port}, etc.). The @code{thread default}
16307 variety of commands sets the default thread properties for all
16308 threads; you can then change the properties of individual threads with
16309 the non-default commands.
16310 @end table
16311
16312
16313 @node Neutrino
16314 @subsection QNX Neutrino
16315 @cindex QNX Neutrino
16316
16317 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the QNX
16318 Neutrino target:
16319
16320 @table @code
16321 @item set debug nto-debug
16322 @kindex set debug nto-debug
16323 When set to on, enables debugging messages specific to the QNX
16324 Neutrino support.
16325
16326 @item show debug nto-debug
16327 @kindex show debug nto-debug
16328 Show the current state of QNX Neutrino messages.
16329 @end table
16330
16331 @node Darwin
16332 @subsection Darwin
16333 @cindex Darwin
16334
16335 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the Darwin target:
16336
16337 @table @code
16338 @item set debug darwin @var{num}
16339 @kindex set debug darwin
16340 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages specific to
16341 the Darwin support. Higher values produce more verbose output.
16342
16343 @item show debug darwin
16344 @kindex show debug darwin
16345 Show the current state of Darwin messages.
16346
16347 @item set debug mach-o @var{num}
16348 @kindex set debug mach-o
16349 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages while
16350 @value{GDBN} is reading Darwin object files. (@dfn{Mach-O} is the
16351 file format used on Darwin for object and executable files.) Higher
16352 values produce more verbose output. This is a command to diagnose
16353 problems internal to @value{GDBN} and should not be needed in normal
16354 usage.
16355
16356 @item show debug mach-o
16357 @kindex show debug mach-o
16358 Show the current state of Mach-O file messages.
16359
16360 @item set mach-exceptions on
16361 @itemx set mach-exceptions off
16362 @kindex set mach-exceptions
16363 On Darwin, faults are first reported as a Mach exception and are then
16364 mapped to a Posix signal. Use this command to turn on trapping of
16365 Mach exceptions in the inferior. This might be sometimes useful to
16366 better understand the cause of a fault. The default is off.
16367
16368 @item show mach-exceptions
16369 @kindex show mach-exceptions
16370 Show the current state of exceptions trapping.
16371 @end table
16372
16373
16374 @node Embedded OS
16375 @section Embedded Operating Systems
16376
16377 This section describes configurations involving the debugging of
16378 embedded operating systems that are available for several different
16379 architectures.
16380
16381 @menu
16382 * VxWorks:: Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
16383 @end menu
16384
16385 @value{GDBN} includes the ability to debug programs running on
16386 various real-time operating systems.
16387
16388 @node VxWorks
16389 @subsection Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
16390
16391 @cindex VxWorks
16392
16393 @table @code
16394
16395 @kindex target vxworks
16396 @item target vxworks @var{machinename}
16397 A VxWorks system, attached via TCP/IP. The argument @var{machinename}
16398 is the target system's machine name or IP address.
16399
16400 @end table
16401
16402 On VxWorks, @code{load} links @var{filename} dynamically on the
16403 current target system as well as adding its symbols in @value{GDBN}.
16404
16405 @value{GDBN} enables developers to spawn and debug tasks running on networked
16406 VxWorks targets from a Unix host. Already-running tasks spawned from
16407 the VxWorks shell can also be debugged. @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
16408 both the Unix host and on the VxWorks target. The program
16409 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host. (It may be
16410 installed with the name @code{vxgdb}, to distinguish it from a
16411 @value{GDBN} for debugging programs on the host itself.)
16412
16413 @table @code
16414 @item VxWorks-timeout @var{args}
16415 @kindex vxworks-timeout
16416 All VxWorks-based targets now support the option @code{vxworks-timeout}.
16417 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
16418 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses to rpc's. You might use this if
16419 your VxWorks target is a slow software simulator or is on the far side
16420 of a thin network line.
16421 @end table
16422
16423 The following information on connecting to VxWorks was current when
16424 this manual was produced; newer releases of VxWorks may use revised
16425 procedures.
16426
16427 @findex INCLUDE_RDB
16428 To use @value{GDBN} with VxWorks, you must rebuild your VxWorks kernel
16429 to include the remote debugging interface routines in the VxWorks
16430 library @file{rdb.a}. To do this, define @code{INCLUDE_RDB} in the
16431 VxWorks configuration file @file{configAll.h} and rebuild your VxWorks
16432 kernel. The resulting kernel contains @file{rdb.a}, and spawns the
16433 source debugging task @code{tRdbTask} when VxWorks is booted. For more
16434 information on configuring and remaking VxWorks, see the manufacturer's
16435 manual.
16436 @c VxWorks, see the @cite{VxWorks Programmer's Guide}.
16437
16438 Once you have included @file{rdb.a} in your VxWorks system image and set
16439 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
16440 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}} (or
16441 @code{vxgdb}, depending on your installation).
16442
16443 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
16444
16445 @smallexample
16446 (vxgdb)
16447 @end smallexample
16448
16449 @menu
16450 * VxWorks Connection:: Connecting to VxWorks
16451 * VxWorks Download:: VxWorks download
16452 * VxWorks Attach:: Running tasks
16453 @end menu
16454
16455 @node VxWorks Connection
16456 @subsubsection Connecting to VxWorks
16457
16458 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a VxWorks target on the
16459 network. To connect to a target whose host name is ``@code{tt}'', type:
16460
16461 @smallexample
16462 (vxgdb) target vxworks tt
16463 @end smallexample
16464
16465 @need 750
16466 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
16467
16468 @smallexample
16469 Attaching remote machine across net...
16470 Connected to tt.
16471 @end smallexample
16472
16473 @need 1000
16474 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol tables of any object modules
16475 loaded into the VxWorks target since it was last booted. @value{GDBN} locates
16476 these files by searching the directories listed in the command search
16477 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}); if it fails
16478 to find an object file, it displays a message such as:
16479
16480 @smallexample
16481 prog.o: No such file or directory.
16482 @end smallexample
16483
16484 When this happens, add the appropriate directory to the search path with
16485 the @value{GDBN} command @code{path}, and execute the @code{target}
16486 command again.
16487
16488 @node VxWorks Download
16489 @subsubsection VxWorks Download
16490
16491 @cindex download to VxWorks
16492 If you have connected to the VxWorks target and you want to debug an
16493 object that has not yet been loaded, you can use the @value{GDBN}
16494 @code{load} command to download a file from Unix to VxWorks
16495 incrementally. The object file given as an argument to the @code{load}
16496 command is actually opened twice: first by the VxWorks target in order
16497 to download the code, then by @value{GDBN} in order to read the symbol
16498 table. This can lead to problems if the current working directories on
16499 the two systems differ. If both systems have NFS mounted the same
16500 filesystems, you can avoid these problems by using absolute paths.
16501 Otherwise, it is simplest to set the working directory on both systems
16502 to the directory in which the object file resides, and then to reference
16503 the file by its name, without any path. For instance, a program
16504 @file{prog.o} may reside in @file{@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb} in VxWorks
16505 and in @file{@var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb} on the host. To load this
16506 program, type this on VxWorks:
16507
16508 @smallexample
16509 -> cd "@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb"
16510 @end smallexample
16511
16512 @noindent
16513 Then, in @value{GDBN}, type:
16514
16515 @smallexample
16516 (vxgdb) cd @var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb
16517 (vxgdb) load prog.o
16518 @end smallexample
16519
16520 @value{GDBN} displays a response similar to this:
16521
16522 @smallexample
16523 Reading symbol data from wherever/vw/demo/rdb/prog.o... done.
16524 @end smallexample
16525
16526 You can also use the @code{load} command to reload an object module
16527 after editing and recompiling the corresponding source file. Note that
16528 this makes @value{GDBN} delete all currently-defined breakpoints,
16529 auto-displays, and convenience variables, and to clear the value
16530 history. (This is necessary in order to preserve the integrity of
16531 debugger's data structures that reference the target system's symbol
16532 table.)
16533
16534 @node VxWorks Attach
16535 @subsubsection Running Tasks
16536
16537 @cindex running VxWorks tasks
16538 You can also attach to an existing task using the @code{attach} command as
16539 follows:
16540
16541 @smallexample
16542 (vxgdb) attach @var{task}
16543 @end smallexample
16544
16545 @noindent
16546 where @var{task} is the VxWorks hexadecimal task ID. The task can be running
16547 or suspended when you attach to it. Running tasks are suspended at
16548 the time of attachment.
16549
16550 @node Embedded Processors
16551 @section Embedded Processors
16552
16553 This section goes into details specific to particular embedded
16554 configurations.
16555
16556 @cindex send command to simulator
16557 Whenever a specific embedded processor has a simulator, @value{GDBN}
16558 allows to send an arbitrary command to the simulator.
16559
16560 @table @code
16561 @item sim @var{command}
16562 @kindex sim@r{, a command}
16563 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the simulator. Consult the
16564 documentation for the specific simulator in use for information about
16565 acceptable commands.
16566 @end table
16567
16568
16569 @menu
16570 * ARM:: ARM RDI
16571 * M32R/D:: Renesas M32R/D
16572 * M68K:: Motorola M68K
16573 * MIPS Embedded:: MIPS Embedded
16574 * OpenRISC 1000:: OpenRisc 1000
16575 * PA:: HP PA Embedded
16576 * PowerPC Embedded:: PowerPC Embedded
16577 * Sparclet:: Tsqware Sparclet
16578 * Sparclite:: Fujitsu Sparclite
16579 * Z8000:: Zilog Z8000
16580 * AVR:: Atmel AVR
16581 * CRIS:: CRIS
16582 * Super-H:: Renesas Super-H
16583 @end menu
16584
16585 @node ARM
16586 @subsection ARM
16587 @cindex ARM RDI
16588
16589 @table @code
16590 @kindex target rdi
16591 @item target rdi @var{dev}
16592 ARM Angel monitor, via RDI library interface to ADP protocol. You may
16593 use this target to communicate with both boards running the Angel
16594 monitor, or with the EmbeddedICE JTAG debug device.
16595
16596 @kindex target rdp
16597 @item target rdp @var{dev}
16598 ARM Demon monitor.
16599
16600 @end table
16601
16602 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARM-specific commands:
16603
16604 @table @code
16605 @item set arm disassembler
16606 @kindex set arm
16607 This commands selects from a list of disassembly styles. The
16608 @code{"std"} style is the standard style.
16609
16610 @item show arm disassembler
16611 @kindex show arm
16612 Show the current disassembly style.
16613
16614 @item set arm apcs32
16615 @cindex ARM 32-bit mode
16616 This command toggles ARM operation mode between 32-bit and 26-bit.
16617
16618 @item show arm apcs32
16619 Display the current usage of the ARM 32-bit mode.
16620
16621 @item set arm fpu @var{fputype}
16622 This command sets the ARM floating-point unit (FPU) type. The
16623 argument @var{fputype} can be one of these:
16624
16625 @table @code
16626 @item auto
16627 Determine the FPU type by querying the OS ABI.
16628 @item softfpa
16629 Software FPU, with mixed-endian doubles on little-endian ARM
16630 processors.
16631 @item fpa
16632 GCC-compiled FPA co-processor.
16633 @item softvfp
16634 Software FPU with pure-endian doubles.
16635 @item vfp
16636 VFP co-processor.
16637 @end table
16638
16639 @item show arm fpu
16640 Show the current type of the FPU.
16641
16642 @item set arm abi
16643 This command forces @value{GDBN} to use the specified ABI.
16644
16645 @item show arm abi
16646 Show the currently used ABI.
16647
16648 @item set arm fallback-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
16649 @value{GDBN} uses the symbol table, when available, to determine
16650 whether instructions are ARM or Thumb. This command controls
16651 @value{GDBN}'s default behavior when the symbol table is not
16652 available. The default is @samp{auto}, which causes @value{GDBN} to
16653 use the current execution mode (from the @code{T} bit in the @code{CPSR}
16654 register).
16655
16656 @item show arm fallback-mode
16657 Show the current fallback instruction mode.
16658
16659 @item set arm force-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
16660 This command overrides use of the symbol table to determine whether
16661 instructions are ARM or Thumb. The default is @samp{auto}, which
16662 causes @value{GDBN} to use the symbol table and then the setting
16663 of @samp{set arm fallback-mode}.
16664
16665 @item show arm force-mode
16666 Show the current forced instruction mode.
16667
16668 @item set debug arm
16669 Toggle whether to display ARM-specific debugging messages from the ARM
16670 target support subsystem.
16671
16672 @item show debug arm
16673 Show whether ARM-specific debugging messages are enabled.
16674 @end table
16675
16676 The following commands are available when an ARM target is debugged
16677 using the RDI interface:
16678
16679 @table @code
16680 @item rdilogfile @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
16681 @kindex rdilogfile
16682 @cindex ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) logging
16683 Set the filename for the ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) packet log.
16684 With an argument, sets the log file to the specified @var{file}. With
16685 no argument, show the current log file name. The default log file is
16686 @file{rdi.log}.
16687
16688 @item rdilogenable @r{[}@var{arg}@r{]}
16689 @kindex rdilogenable
16690 Control logging of ADP packets. With an argument of 1 or @code{"yes"}
16691 enables logging, with an argument 0 or @code{"no"} disables it. With
16692 no arguments displays the current setting. When logging is enabled,
16693 ADP packets exchanged between @value{GDBN} and the RDI target device
16694 are logged to a file.
16695
16696 @item set rdiromatzero
16697 @kindex set rdiromatzero
16698 @cindex ROM at zero address, RDI
16699 Tell @value{GDBN} whether the target has ROM at address 0. If on,
16700 vector catching is disabled, so that zero address can be used. If off
16701 (the default), vector catching is enabled. For this command to take
16702 effect, it needs to be invoked prior to the @code{target rdi} command.
16703
16704 @item show rdiromatzero
16705 @kindex show rdiromatzero
16706 Show the current setting of ROM at zero address.
16707
16708 @item set rdiheartbeat
16709 @kindex set rdiheartbeat
16710 @cindex RDI heartbeat
16711 Enable or disable RDI heartbeat packets. It is not recommended to
16712 turn on this option, since it confuses ARM and EPI JTAG interface, as
16713 well as the Angel monitor.
16714
16715 @item show rdiheartbeat
16716 @kindex show rdiheartbeat
16717 Show the setting of RDI heartbeat packets.
16718 @end table
16719
16720
16721 @node M32R/D
16722 @subsection Renesas M32R/D and M32R/SDI
16723
16724 @table @code
16725 @kindex target m32r
16726 @item target m32r @var{dev}
16727 Renesas M32R/D ROM monitor.
16728
16729 @kindex target m32rsdi
16730 @item target m32rsdi @var{dev}
16731 Renesas M32R SDI server, connected via parallel port to the board.
16732 @end table
16733
16734 The following @value{GDBN} commands are specific to the M32R monitor:
16735
16736 @table @code
16737 @item set download-path @var{path}
16738 @kindex set download-path
16739 @cindex find downloadable @sc{srec} files (M32R)
16740 Set the default path for finding downloadable @sc{srec} files.
16741
16742 @item show download-path
16743 @kindex show download-path
16744 Show the default path for downloadable @sc{srec} files.
16745
16746 @item set board-address @var{addr}
16747 @kindex set board-address
16748 @cindex M32-EVA target board address
16749 Set the IP address for the M32R-EVA target board.
16750
16751 @item show board-address
16752 @kindex show board-address
16753 Show the current IP address of the target board.
16754
16755 @item set server-address @var{addr}
16756 @kindex set server-address
16757 @cindex download server address (M32R)
16758 Set the IP address for the download server, which is the @value{GDBN}'s
16759 host machine.
16760
16761 @item show server-address
16762 @kindex show server-address
16763 Display the IP address of the download server.
16764
16765 @item upload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
16766 @kindex upload@r{, M32R}
16767 Upload the specified @sc{srec} @var{file} via the monitor's Ethernet
16768 upload capability. If no @var{file} argument is given, the current
16769 executable file is uploaded.
16770
16771 @item tload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
16772 @kindex tload@r{, M32R}
16773 Test the @code{upload} command.
16774 @end table
16775
16776 The following commands are available for M32R/SDI:
16777
16778 @table @code
16779 @item sdireset
16780 @kindex sdireset
16781 @cindex reset SDI connection, M32R
16782 This command resets the SDI connection.
16783
16784 @item sdistatus
16785 @kindex sdistatus
16786 This command shows the SDI connection status.
16787
16788 @item debug_chaos
16789 @kindex debug_chaos
16790 @cindex M32R/Chaos debugging
16791 Instructs the remote that M32R/Chaos debugging is to be used.
16792
16793 @item use_debug_dma
16794 @kindex use_debug_dma
16795 Instructs the remote to use the DEBUG_DMA method of accessing memory.
16796
16797 @item use_mon_code
16798 @kindex use_mon_code
16799 Instructs the remote to use the MON_CODE method of accessing memory.
16800
16801 @item use_ib_break
16802 @kindex use_ib_break
16803 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by IB break.
16804
16805 @item use_dbt_break
16806 @kindex use_dbt_break
16807 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by DBT.
16808 @end table
16809
16810 @node M68K
16811 @subsection M68k
16812
16813 The Motorola m68k configuration includes ColdFire support, and a
16814 target command for the following ROM monitor.
16815
16816 @table @code
16817
16818 @kindex target dbug
16819 @item target dbug @var{dev}
16820 dBUG ROM monitor for Motorola ColdFire.
16821
16822 @end table
16823
16824 @node MIPS Embedded
16825 @subsection MIPS Embedded
16826
16827 @cindex MIPS boards
16828 @value{GDBN} can use the MIPS remote debugging protocol to talk to a
16829 MIPS board attached to a serial line. This is available when
16830 you configure @value{GDBN} with @samp{--target=mips-idt-ecoff}.
16831
16832 @need 1000
16833 Use these @value{GDBN} commands to specify the connection to your target board:
16834
16835 @table @code
16836 @item target mips @var{port}
16837 @kindex target mips @var{port}
16838 To run a program on the board, start up @code{@value{GDBP}} with the
16839 name of your program as the argument. To connect to the board, use the
16840 command @samp{target mips @var{port}}, where @var{port} is the name of
16841 the serial port connected to the board. If the program has not already
16842 been downloaded to the board, you may use the @code{load} command to
16843 download it. You can then use all the usual @value{GDBN} commands.
16844
16845 For example, this sequence connects to the target board through a serial
16846 port, and loads and runs a program called @var{prog} through the
16847 debugger:
16848
16849 @smallexample
16850 host$ @value{GDBP} @var{prog}
16851 @value{GDBN} is free software and @dots{}
16852 (@value{GDBP}) target mips /dev/ttyb
16853 (@value{GDBP}) load @var{prog}
16854 (@value{GDBP}) run
16855 @end smallexample
16856
16857 @item target mips @var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}
16858 On some @value{GDBN} host configurations, you can specify a TCP
16859 connection (for instance, to a serial line managed by a terminal
16860 concentrator) instead of a serial port, using the syntax
16861 @samp{@var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}}.
16862
16863 @item target pmon @var{port}
16864 @kindex target pmon @var{port}
16865 PMON ROM monitor.
16866
16867 @item target ddb @var{port}
16868 @kindex target ddb @var{port}
16869 NEC's DDB variant of PMON for Vr4300.
16870
16871 @item target lsi @var{port}
16872 @kindex target lsi @var{port}
16873 LSI variant of PMON.
16874
16875 @kindex target r3900
16876 @item target r3900 @var{dev}
16877 Densan DVE-R3900 ROM monitor for Toshiba R3900 Mips.
16878
16879 @kindex target array
16880 @item target array @var{dev}
16881 Array Tech LSI33K RAID controller board.
16882
16883 @end table
16884
16885
16886 @noindent
16887 @value{GDBN} also supports these special commands for MIPS targets:
16888
16889 @table @code
16890 @item set mipsfpu double
16891 @itemx set mipsfpu single
16892 @itemx set mipsfpu none
16893 @itemx set mipsfpu auto
16894 @itemx show mipsfpu
16895 @kindex set mipsfpu
16896 @kindex show mipsfpu
16897 @cindex MIPS remote floating point
16898 @cindex floating point, MIPS remote
16899 If your target board does not support the MIPS floating point
16900 coprocessor, you should use the command @samp{set mipsfpu none} (if you
16901 need this, you may wish to put the command in your @value{GDBN} init
16902 file). This tells @value{GDBN} how to find the return value of
16903 functions which return floating point values. It also allows
16904 @value{GDBN} to avoid saving the floating point registers when calling
16905 functions on the board. If you are using a floating point coprocessor
16906 with only single precision floating point support, as on the @sc{r4650}
16907 processor, use the command @samp{set mipsfpu single}. The default
16908 double precision floating point coprocessor may be selected using
16909 @samp{set mipsfpu double}.
16910
16911 In previous versions the only choices were double precision or no
16912 floating point, so @samp{set mipsfpu on} will select double precision
16913 and @samp{set mipsfpu off} will select no floating point.
16914
16915 As usual, you can inquire about the @code{mipsfpu} variable with
16916 @samp{show mipsfpu}.
16917
16918 @item set timeout @var{seconds}
16919 @itemx set retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}
16920 @itemx show timeout
16921 @itemx show retransmit-timeout
16922 @cindex @code{timeout}, MIPS protocol
16923 @cindex @code{retransmit-timeout}, MIPS protocol
16924 @kindex set timeout
16925 @kindex show timeout
16926 @kindex set retransmit-timeout
16927 @kindex show retransmit-timeout
16928 You can control the timeout used while waiting for a packet, in the MIPS
16929 remote protocol, with the @code{set timeout @var{seconds}} command. The
16930 default is 5 seconds. Similarly, you can control the timeout used while
16931 waiting for an acknowledgment of a packet with the @code{set
16932 retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}} command. The default is 3 seconds.
16933 You can inspect both values with @code{show timeout} and @code{show
16934 retransmit-timeout}. (These commands are @emph{only} available when
16935 @value{GDBN} is configured for @samp{--target=mips-idt-ecoff}.)
16936
16937 The timeout set by @code{set timeout} does not apply when @value{GDBN}
16938 is waiting for your program to stop. In that case, @value{GDBN} waits
16939 forever because it has no way of knowing how long the program is going
16940 to run before stopping.
16941
16942 @item set syn-garbage-limit @var{num}
16943 @kindex set syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
16944 @cindex synchronize with remote MIPS target
16945 Limit the maximum number of characters @value{GDBN} should ignore when
16946 it tries to synchronize with the remote target. The default is 10
16947 characters. Setting the limit to -1 means there's no limit.
16948
16949 @item show syn-garbage-limit
16950 @kindex show syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
16951 Show the current limit on the number of characters to ignore when
16952 trying to synchronize with the remote system.
16953
16954 @item set monitor-prompt @var{prompt}
16955 @kindex set monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
16956 @cindex remote monitor prompt
16957 Tell @value{GDBN} to expect the specified @var{prompt} string from the
16958 remote monitor. The default depends on the target:
16959 @table @asis
16960 @item pmon target
16961 @samp{PMON}
16962 @item ddb target
16963 @samp{NEC010}
16964 @item lsi target
16965 @samp{PMON>}
16966 @end table
16967
16968 @item show monitor-prompt
16969 @kindex show monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
16970 Show the current strings @value{GDBN} expects as the prompt from the
16971 remote monitor.
16972
16973 @item set monitor-warnings
16974 @kindex set monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
16975 Enable or disable monitor warnings about hardware breakpoints. This
16976 has effect only for the @code{lsi} target. When on, @value{GDBN} will
16977 display warning messages whose codes are returned by the @code{lsi}
16978 PMON monitor for breakpoint commands.
16979
16980 @item show monitor-warnings
16981 @kindex show monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
16982 Show the current setting of printing monitor warnings.
16983
16984 @item pmon @var{command}
16985 @kindex pmon@r{, MIPS remote}
16986 @cindex send PMON command
16987 This command allows sending an arbitrary @var{command} string to the
16988 monitor. The monitor must be in debug mode for this to work.
16989 @end table
16990
16991 @node OpenRISC 1000
16992 @subsection OpenRISC 1000
16993 @cindex OpenRISC 1000
16994
16995 @cindex or1k boards
16996 See OR1k Architecture document (@uref{www.opencores.org}) for more information
16997 about platform and commands.
16998
16999 @table @code
17000
17001 @kindex target jtag
17002 @item target jtag jtag://@var{host}:@var{port}
17003
17004 Connects to remote JTAG server.
17005 JTAG remote server can be either an or1ksim or JTAG server,
17006 connected via parallel port to the board.
17007
17008 Example: @code{target jtag jtag://localhost:9999}
17009
17010 @kindex or1ksim
17011 @item or1ksim @var{command}
17012 If connected to @code{or1ksim} OpenRISC 1000 Architectural
17013 Simulator, proprietary commands can be executed.
17014
17015 @kindex info or1k spr
17016 @item info or1k spr
17017 Displays spr groups.
17018
17019 @item info or1k spr @var{group}
17020 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno}
17021 Displays register names in selected group.
17022
17023 @item info or1k spr @var{group} @var{register}
17024 @itemx info or1k spr @var{register}
17025 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno}
17026 @itemx info or1k spr @var{registerno}
17027 Shows information about specified spr register.
17028
17029 @kindex spr
17030 @item spr @var{group} @var{register} @var{value}
17031 @itemx spr @var{register @var{value}}
17032 @itemx spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno @var{value}}
17033 @itemx spr @var{registerno @var{value}}
17034 Writes @var{value} to specified spr register.
17035 @end table
17036
17037 Some implementations of OpenRISC 1000 Architecture also have hardware trace.
17038 It is very similar to @value{GDBN} trace, except it does not interfere with normal
17039 program execution and is thus much faster. Hardware breakpoints/watchpoint
17040 triggers can be set using:
17041 @table @code
17042 @item $LEA/$LDATA
17043 Load effective address/data
17044 @item $SEA/$SDATA
17045 Store effective address/data
17046 @item $AEA/$ADATA
17047 Access effective address ($SEA or $LEA) or data ($SDATA/$LDATA)
17048 @item $FETCH
17049 Fetch data
17050 @end table
17051
17052 When triggered, it can capture low level data, like: @code{PC}, @code{LSEA},
17053 @code{LDATA}, @code{SDATA}, @code{READSPR}, @code{WRITESPR}, @code{INSTR}.
17054
17055 @code{htrace} commands:
17056 @cindex OpenRISC 1000 htrace
17057 @table @code
17058 @kindex hwatch
17059 @item hwatch @var{conditional}
17060 Set hardware watchpoint on combination of Load/Store Effective Address(es)
17061 or Data. For example:
17062
17063 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
17064
17065 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
17066
17067 @kindex htrace
17068 @item htrace info
17069 Display information about current HW trace configuration.
17070
17071 @item htrace trigger @var{conditional}
17072 Set starting criteria for HW trace.
17073
17074 @item htrace qualifier @var{conditional}
17075 Set acquisition qualifier for HW trace.
17076
17077 @item htrace stop @var{conditional}
17078 Set HW trace stopping criteria.
17079
17080 @item htrace record [@var{data}]*
17081 Selects the data to be recorded, when qualifier is met and HW trace was
17082 triggered.
17083
17084 @item htrace enable
17085 @itemx htrace disable
17086 Enables/disables the HW trace.
17087
17088 @item htrace rewind [@var{filename}]
17089 Clears currently recorded trace data.
17090
17091 If filename is specified, new trace file is made and any newly collected data
17092 will be written there.
17093
17094 @item htrace print [@var{start} [@var{len}]]
17095 Prints trace buffer, using current record configuration.
17096
17097 @item htrace mode continuous
17098 Set continuous trace mode.
17099
17100 @item htrace mode suspend
17101 Set suspend trace mode.
17102
17103 @end table
17104
17105 @node PowerPC Embedded
17106 @subsection PowerPC Embedded
17107
17108 @value{GDBN} provides the following PowerPC-specific commands:
17109
17110 @table @code
17111 @kindex set powerpc
17112 @item set powerpc soft-float
17113 @itemx show powerpc soft-float
17114 Force @value{GDBN} to use (or not use) a software floating point calling
17115 convention. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention based
17116 on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
17117
17118 @item set powerpc vector-abi
17119 @itemx show powerpc vector-abi
17120 Force @value{GDBN} to use the specified calling convention for vector
17121 arguments and return values. The valid options are @samp{auto};
17122 @samp{generic}, to avoid vector registers even if they are present;
17123 @samp{altivec}, to use AltiVec registers; and @samp{spe} to use SPE
17124 registers. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention
17125 based on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
17126
17127 @kindex target dink32
17128 @item target dink32 @var{dev}
17129 DINK32 ROM monitor.
17130
17131 @kindex target ppcbug
17132 @item target ppcbug @var{dev}
17133 @kindex target ppcbug1
17134 @item target ppcbug1 @var{dev}
17135 PPCBUG ROM monitor for PowerPC.
17136
17137 @kindex target sds
17138 @item target sds @var{dev}
17139 SDS monitor, running on a PowerPC board (such as Motorola's ADS).
17140 @end table
17141
17142 @cindex SDS protocol
17143 The following commands specific to the SDS protocol are supported
17144 by @value{GDBN}:
17145
17146 @table @code
17147 @item set sdstimeout @var{nsec}
17148 @kindex set sdstimeout
17149 Set the timeout for SDS protocol reads to be @var{nsec} seconds. The
17150 default is 2 seconds.
17151
17152 @item show sdstimeout
17153 @kindex show sdstimeout
17154 Show the current value of the SDS timeout.
17155
17156 @item sds @var{command}
17157 @kindex sds@r{, a command}
17158 Send the specified @var{command} string to the SDS monitor.
17159 @end table
17160
17161
17162 @node PA
17163 @subsection HP PA Embedded
17164
17165 @table @code
17166
17167 @kindex target op50n
17168 @item target op50n @var{dev}
17169 OP50N monitor, running on an OKI HPPA board.
17170
17171 @kindex target w89k
17172 @item target w89k @var{dev}
17173 W89K monitor, running on a Winbond HPPA board.
17174
17175 @end table
17176
17177 @node Sparclet
17178 @subsection Tsqware Sparclet
17179
17180 @cindex Sparclet
17181
17182 @value{GDBN} enables developers to debug tasks running on
17183 Sparclet targets from a Unix host.
17184 @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
17185 both the Unix host and on the Sparclet target. The program
17186 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host.
17187
17188 @table @code
17189 @item remotetimeout @var{args}
17190 @kindex remotetimeout
17191 @value{GDBN} supports the option @code{remotetimeout}.
17192 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
17193 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses.
17194 @end table
17195
17196 @cindex compiling, on Sparclet
17197 When compiling for debugging, include the options @samp{-g} to get debug
17198 information and @samp{-Ttext} to relocate the program to where you wish to
17199 load it on the target. You may also want to add the options @samp{-n} or
17200 @samp{-N} in order to reduce the size of the sections. Example:
17201
17202 @smallexample
17203 sparclet-aout-gcc prog.c -Ttext 0x12010000 -g -o prog -N
17204 @end smallexample
17205
17206 You can use @code{objdump} to verify that the addresses are what you intended:
17207
17208 @smallexample
17209 sparclet-aout-objdump --headers --syms prog
17210 @end smallexample
17211
17212 @cindex running, on Sparclet
17213 Once you have set
17214 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
17215 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}}
17216 (or @code{sparclet-aout-gdb}, depending on your installation).
17217
17218 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
17219
17220 @smallexample
17221 (gdbslet)
17222 @end smallexample
17223
17224 @menu
17225 * Sparclet File:: Setting the file to debug
17226 * Sparclet Connection:: Connecting to Sparclet
17227 * Sparclet Download:: Sparclet download
17228 * Sparclet Execution:: Running and debugging
17229 @end menu
17230
17231 @node Sparclet File
17232 @subsubsection Setting File to Debug
17233
17234 The @value{GDBN} command @code{file} lets you choose with program to debug.
17235
17236 @smallexample
17237 (gdbslet) file prog
17238 @end smallexample
17239
17240 @need 1000
17241 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol table of @file{prog}.
17242 @value{GDBN} locates
17243 the file by searching the directories listed in the command search
17244 path.
17245 If the file was compiled with debug information (option @samp{-g}), source
17246 files will be searched as well.
17247 @value{GDBN} locates
17248 the source files by searching the directories listed in the directory search
17249 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}).
17250 If it fails
17251 to find a file, it displays a message such as:
17252
17253 @smallexample
17254 prog: No such file or directory.
17255 @end smallexample
17256
17257 When this happens, add the appropriate directories to the search paths with
17258 the @value{GDBN} commands @code{path} and @code{dir}, and execute the
17259 @code{target} command again.
17260
17261 @node Sparclet Connection
17262 @subsubsection Connecting to Sparclet
17263
17264 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a Sparclet target.
17265 To connect to a target on serial port ``@code{ttya}'', type:
17266
17267 @smallexample
17268 (gdbslet) target sparclet /dev/ttya
17269 Remote target sparclet connected to /dev/ttya
17270 main () at ../prog.c:3
17271 @end smallexample
17272
17273 @need 750
17274 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
17275
17276 @smallexample
17277 Connected to ttya.
17278 @end smallexample
17279
17280 @node Sparclet Download
17281 @subsubsection Sparclet Download
17282
17283 @cindex download to Sparclet
17284 Once connected to the Sparclet target,
17285 you can use the @value{GDBN}
17286 @code{load} command to download the file from the host to the target.
17287 The file name and load offset should be given as arguments to the @code{load}
17288 command.
17289 Since the file format is aout, the program must be loaded to the starting
17290 address. You can use @code{objdump} to find out what this value is. The load
17291 offset is an offset which is added to the VMA (virtual memory address)
17292 of each of the file's sections.
17293 For instance, if the program
17294 @file{prog} was linked to text address 0x1201000, with data at 0x12010160
17295 and bss at 0x12010170, in @value{GDBN}, type:
17296
17297 @smallexample
17298 (gdbslet) load prog 0x12010000
17299 Loading section .text, size 0xdb0 vma 0x12010000
17300 @end smallexample
17301
17302 If the code is loaded at a different address then what the program was linked
17303 to, you may need to use the @code{section} and @code{add-symbol-file} commands
17304 to tell @value{GDBN} where to map the symbol table.
17305
17306 @node Sparclet Execution
17307 @subsubsection Running and Debugging
17308
17309 @cindex running and debugging Sparclet programs
17310 You can now begin debugging the task using @value{GDBN}'s execution control
17311 commands, @code{b}, @code{step}, @code{run}, etc. See the @value{GDBN}
17312 manual for the list of commands.
17313
17314 @smallexample
17315 (gdbslet) b main
17316 Breakpoint 1 at 0x12010000: file prog.c, line 3.
17317 (gdbslet) run
17318 Starting program: prog
17319 Breakpoint 1, main (argc=1, argv=0xeffff21c) at prog.c:3
17320 3 char *symarg = 0;
17321 (gdbslet) step
17322 4 char *execarg = "hello!";
17323 (gdbslet)
17324 @end smallexample
17325
17326 @node Sparclite
17327 @subsection Fujitsu Sparclite
17328
17329 @table @code
17330
17331 @kindex target sparclite
17332 @item target sparclite @var{dev}
17333 Fujitsu sparclite boards, used only for the purpose of loading.
17334 You must use an additional command to debug the program.
17335 For example: target remote @var{dev} using @value{GDBN} standard
17336 remote protocol.
17337
17338 @end table
17339
17340 @node Z8000
17341 @subsection Zilog Z8000
17342
17343 @cindex Z8000
17344 @cindex simulator, Z8000
17345 @cindex Zilog Z8000 simulator
17346
17347 When configured for debugging Zilog Z8000 targets, @value{GDBN} includes
17348 a Z8000 simulator.
17349
17350 For the Z8000 family, @samp{target sim} simulates either the Z8002 (the
17351 unsegmented variant of the Z8000 architecture) or the Z8001 (the
17352 segmented variant). The simulator recognizes which architecture is
17353 appropriate by inspecting the object code.
17354
17355 @table @code
17356 @item target sim @var{args}
17357 @kindex sim
17358 @kindex target sim@r{, with Z8000}
17359 Debug programs on a simulated CPU. If the simulator supports setup
17360 options, specify them via @var{args}.
17361 @end table
17362
17363 @noindent
17364 After specifying this target, you can debug programs for the simulated
17365 CPU in the same style as programs for your host computer; use the
17366 @code{file} command to load a new program image, the @code{run} command
17367 to run your program, and so on.
17368
17369 As well as making available all the usual machine registers
17370 (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}), the Z8000 simulator provides three
17371 additional items of information as specially named registers:
17372
17373 @table @code
17374
17375 @item cycles
17376 Counts clock-ticks in the simulator.
17377
17378 @item insts
17379 Counts instructions run in the simulator.
17380
17381 @item time
17382 Execution time in 60ths of a second.
17383
17384 @end table
17385
17386 You can refer to these values in @value{GDBN} expressions with the usual
17387 conventions; for example, @w{@samp{b fputc if $cycles>5000}} sets a
17388 conditional breakpoint that suspends only after at least 5000
17389 simulated clock ticks.
17390
17391 @node AVR
17392 @subsection Atmel AVR
17393 @cindex AVR
17394
17395 When configured for debugging the Atmel AVR, @value{GDBN} supports the
17396 following AVR-specific commands:
17397
17398 @table @code
17399 @item info io_registers
17400 @kindex info io_registers@r{, AVR}
17401 @cindex I/O registers (Atmel AVR)
17402 This command displays information about the AVR I/O registers. For
17403 each register, @value{GDBN} prints its number and value.
17404 @end table
17405
17406 @node CRIS
17407 @subsection CRIS
17408 @cindex CRIS
17409
17410 When configured for debugging CRIS, @value{GDBN} provides the
17411 following CRIS-specific commands:
17412
17413 @table @code
17414 @item set cris-version @var{ver}
17415 @cindex CRIS version
17416 Set the current CRIS version to @var{ver}, either @samp{10} or @samp{32}.
17417 The CRIS version affects register names and sizes. This command is useful in
17418 case autodetection of the CRIS version fails.
17419
17420 @item show cris-version
17421 Show the current CRIS version.
17422
17423 @item set cris-dwarf2-cfi
17424 @cindex DWARF-2 CFI and CRIS
17425 Set the usage of DWARF-2 CFI for CRIS debugging. The default is @samp{on}.
17426 Change to @samp{off} when using @code{gcc-cris} whose version is below
17427 @code{R59}.
17428
17429 @item show cris-dwarf2-cfi
17430 Show the current state of using DWARF-2 CFI.
17431
17432 @item set cris-mode @var{mode}
17433 @cindex CRIS mode
17434 Set the current CRIS mode to @var{mode}. It should only be changed when
17435 debugging in guru mode, in which case it should be set to
17436 @samp{guru} (the default is @samp{normal}).
17437
17438 @item show cris-mode
17439 Show the current CRIS mode.
17440 @end table
17441
17442 @node Super-H
17443 @subsection Renesas Super-H
17444 @cindex Super-H
17445
17446 For the Renesas Super-H processor, @value{GDBN} provides these
17447 commands:
17448
17449 @table @code
17450 @item regs
17451 @kindex regs@r{, Super-H}
17452 Show the values of all Super-H registers.
17453
17454 @item set sh calling-convention @var{convention}
17455 @kindex set sh calling-convention
17456 Set the calling-convention used when calling functions from @value{GDBN}.
17457 Allowed values are @samp{gcc}, which is the default setting, and @samp{renesas}.
17458 With the @samp{gcc} setting, functions are called using the @value{NGCC} calling
17459 convention. If the DWARF-2 information of the called function specifies
17460 that the function follows the Renesas calling convention, the function
17461 is called using the Renesas calling convention. If the calling convention
17462 is set to @samp{renesas}, the Renesas calling convention is always used,
17463 regardless of the DWARF-2 information. This can be used to override the
17464 default of @samp{gcc} if debug information is missing, or the compiler
17465 does not emit the DWARF-2 calling convention entry for a function.
17466
17467 @item show sh calling-convention
17468 @kindex show sh calling-convention
17469 Show the current calling convention setting.
17470
17471 @end table
17472
17473
17474 @node Architectures
17475 @section Architectures
17476
17477 This section describes characteristics of architectures that affect
17478 all uses of @value{GDBN} with the architecture, both native and cross.
17479
17480 @menu
17481 * i386::
17482 * A29K::
17483 * Alpha::
17484 * MIPS::
17485 * HPPA:: HP PA architecture
17486 * SPU:: Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
17487 * PowerPC::
17488 @end menu
17489
17490 @node i386
17491 @subsection x86 Architecture-specific Issues
17492
17493 @table @code
17494 @item set struct-convention @var{mode}
17495 @kindex set struct-convention
17496 @cindex struct return convention
17497 @cindex struct/union returned in registers
17498 Set the convention used by the inferior to return @code{struct}s and
17499 @code{union}s from functions to @var{mode}. Possible values of
17500 @var{mode} are @code{"pcc"}, @code{"reg"}, and @code{"default"} (the
17501 default). @code{"default"} or @code{"pcc"} means that @code{struct}s
17502 are returned on the stack, while @code{"reg"} means that a
17503 @code{struct} or a @code{union} whose size is 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes will
17504 be returned in a register.
17505
17506 @item show struct-convention
17507 @kindex show struct-convention
17508 Show the current setting of the convention to return @code{struct}s
17509 from functions.
17510 @end table
17511
17512 @node A29K
17513 @subsection A29K
17514
17515 @table @code
17516
17517 @kindex set rstack_high_address
17518 @cindex AMD 29K register stack
17519 @cindex register stack, AMD29K
17520 @item set rstack_high_address @var{address}
17521 On AMD 29000 family processors, registers are saved in a separate
17522 @dfn{register stack}. There is no way for @value{GDBN} to determine the
17523 extent of this stack. Normally, @value{GDBN} just assumes that the
17524 stack is ``large enough''. This may result in @value{GDBN} referencing
17525 memory locations that do not exist. If necessary, you can get around
17526 this problem by specifying the ending address of the register stack with
17527 the @code{set rstack_high_address} command. The argument should be an
17528 address, which you probably want to precede with @samp{0x} to specify in
17529 hexadecimal.
17530
17531 @kindex show rstack_high_address
17532 @item show rstack_high_address
17533 Display the current limit of the register stack, on AMD 29000 family
17534 processors.
17535
17536 @end table
17537
17538 @node Alpha
17539 @subsection Alpha
17540
17541 See the following section.
17542
17543 @node MIPS
17544 @subsection MIPS
17545
17546 @cindex stack on Alpha
17547 @cindex stack on MIPS
17548 @cindex Alpha stack
17549 @cindex MIPS stack
17550 Alpha- and MIPS-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which
17551 sometimes requires @value{GDBN} to search backward in the object code to
17552 find the beginning of a function.
17553
17554 @cindex response time, MIPS debugging
17555 To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where
17556 @value{GDBN} may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search)
17557 you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these
17558 commands:
17559
17560 @table @code
17561 @cindex @code{heuristic-fence-post} (Alpha, MIPS)
17562 @item set heuristic-fence-post @var{limit}
17563 Restrict @value{GDBN} to examining at most @var{limit} bytes in its
17564 search for the beginning of a function. A value of @var{0} (the
17565 default) means there is no limit. However, except for @var{0}, the
17566 larger the limit the more bytes @code{heuristic-fence-post} must search
17567 and therefore the longer it takes to run. You should only need to use
17568 this command when debugging a stripped executable.
17569
17570 @item show heuristic-fence-post
17571 Display the current limit.
17572 @end table
17573
17574 @noindent
17575 These commands are available @emph{only} when @value{GDBN} is configured
17576 for debugging programs on Alpha or MIPS processors.
17577
17578 Several MIPS-specific commands are available when debugging MIPS
17579 programs:
17580
17581 @table @code
17582 @item set mips abi @var{arg}
17583 @kindex set mips abi
17584 @cindex set ABI for MIPS
17585 Tell @value{GDBN} which MIPS ABI is used by the inferior. Possible
17586 values of @var{arg} are:
17587
17588 @table @samp
17589 @item auto
17590 The default ABI associated with the current binary (this is the
17591 default).
17592 @item o32
17593 @item o64
17594 @item n32
17595 @item n64
17596 @item eabi32
17597 @item eabi64
17598 @item auto
17599 @end table
17600
17601 @item show mips abi
17602 @kindex show mips abi
17603 Show the MIPS ABI used by @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
17604
17605 @item set mipsfpu
17606 @itemx show mipsfpu
17607 @xref{MIPS Embedded, set mipsfpu}.
17608
17609 @item set mips mask-address @var{arg}
17610 @kindex set mips mask-address
17611 @cindex MIPS addresses, masking
17612 This command determines whether the most-significant 32 bits of 64-bit
17613 MIPS addresses are masked off. The argument @var{arg} can be
17614 @samp{on}, @samp{off}, or @samp{auto}. The latter is the default
17615 setting, which lets @value{GDBN} determine the correct value.
17616
17617 @item show mips mask-address
17618 @kindex show mips mask-address
17619 Show whether the upper 32 bits of MIPS addresses are masked off or
17620 not.
17621
17622 @item set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
17623 @kindex set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
17624 This command controls compatibility with 64-bit MIPS targets that
17625 transfer data in 32-bit quantities. If you have an old MIPS 64 target
17626 that transfers 32 bits for some registers, like @sc{sr} and @sc{fsr},
17627 and 64 bits for other registers, set this option to @samp{on}.
17628
17629 @item show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
17630 @kindex show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
17631 Show the current setting of compatibility with older MIPS 64 targets.
17632
17633 @item set debug mips
17634 @kindex set debug mips
17635 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the MIPS-specific
17636 target code in @value{GDBN}.
17637
17638 @item show debug mips
17639 @kindex show debug mips
17640 Show the current setting of MIPS debugging messages.
17641 @end table
17642
17643
17644 @node HPPA
17645 @subsection HPPA
17646 @cindex HPPA support
17647
17648 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the HP PA architecture, it provides the
17649 following special commands:
17650
17651 @table @code
17652 @item set debug hppa
17653 @kindex set debug hppa
17654 This command determines whether HPPA architecture-specific debugging
17655 messages are to be displayed.
17656
17657 @item show debug hppa
17658 Show whether HPPA debugging messages are displayed.
17659
17660 @item maint print unwind @var{address}
17661 @kindex maint print unwind@r{, HPPA}
17662 This command displays the contents of the unwind table entry at the
17663 given @var{address}.
17664
17665 @end table
17666
17667
17668 @node SPU
17669 @subsection Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
17670 @cindex Cell Broadband Engine
17671 @cindex SPU
17672
17673 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture,
17674 it provides the following special commands:
17675
17676 @table @code
17677 @item info spu event
17678 @kindex info spu
17679 Display SPU event facility status. Shows current event mask
17680 and pending event status.
17681
17682 @item info spu signal
17683 Display SPU signal notification facility status. Shows pending
17684 signal-control word and signal notification mode of both signal
17685 notification channels.
17686
17687 @item info spu mailbox
17688 Display SPU mailbox facility status. Shows all pending entries,
17689 in order of processing, in each of the SPU Write Outbound,
17690 SPU Write Outbound Interrupt, and SPU Read Inbound mailboxes.
17691
17692 @item info spu dma
17693 Display MFC DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
17694 DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
17695 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
17696
17697 @item info spu proxydma
17698 Display MFC Proxy-DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
17699 Proxy-DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
17700 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
17701
17702 @end table
17703
17704 When @value{GDBN} is debugging a combined PowerPC/SPU application
17705 on the Cell Broadband Engine, it provides in addition the following
17706 special commands:
17707
17708 @table @code
17709 @item set spu stop-on-load @var{arg}
17710 @kindex set spu
17711 Set whether to stop for new SPE threads. When set to @code{on}, @value{GDBN}
17712 will give control to the user when a new SPE thread enters its @code{main}
17713 function. The default is @code{off}.
17714
17715 @item show spu stop-on-load
17716 @kindex show spu
17717 Show whether to stop for new SPE threads.
17718
17719 @item set spu auto-flush-cache @var{arg}
17720 Set whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache. When set to
17721 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will automatically cause the SPE software-managed
17722 cache to be flushed whenever SPE execution stops. This provides a consistent
17723 view of PowerPC memory that is accessed via the cache. If an application
17724 does not use the software-managed cache, this option has no effect.
17725
17726 @item show spu auto-flush-cache
17727 Show whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache.
17728
17729 @end table
17730
17731 @node PowerPC
17732 @subsection PowerPC
17733 @cindex PowerPC architecture
17734
17735 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the PowerPC architecture, it provides a set of
17736 pseudo-registers to enable inspection of 128-bit wide Decimal Floating Point
17737 numbers stored in the floating point registers. These values must be stored
17738 in two consecutive registers, always starting at an even register like
17739 @code{f0} or @code{f2}.
17740
17741 The pseudo-registers go from @code{$dl0} through @code{$dl15}, and are formed
17742 by joining the even/odd register pairs @code{f0} and @code{f1} for @code{$dl0},
17743 @code{f2} and @code{f3} for @code{$dl1} and so on.
17744
17745 For POWER7 processors, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers, the 64-bit
17746 wide Extended Floating Point Registers (@samp{f32} through @samp{f63}).
17747
17748
17749 @node Controlling GDB
17750 @chapter Controlling @value{GDBN}
17751
17752 You can alter the way @value{GDBN} interacts with you by using the
17753 @code{set} command. For commands controlling how @value{GDBN} displays
17754 data, see @ref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}. Other settings are
17755 described here.
17756
17757 @menu
17758 * Prompt:: Prompt
17759 * Editing:: Command editing
17760 * Command History:: Command history
17761 * Screen Size:: Screen size
17762 * Numbers:: Numbers
17763 * ABI:: Configuring the current ABI
17764 * Messages/Warnings:: Optional warnings and messages
17765 * Debugging Output:: Optional messages about internal happenings
17766 * Other Misc Settings:: Other Miscellaneous Settings
17767 @end menu
17768
17769 @node Prompt
17770 @section Prompt
17771
17772 @cindex prompt
17773
17774 @value{GDBN} indicates its readiness to read a command by printing a string
17775 called the @dfn{prompt}. This string is normally @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. You
17776 can change the prompt string with the @code{set prompt} command. For
17777 instance, when debugging @value{GDBN} with @value{GDBN}, it is useful to change
17778 the prompt in one of the @value{GDBN} sessions so that you can always tell
17779 which one you are talking to.
17780
17781 @emph{Note:} @code{set prompt} does not add a space for you after the
17782 prompt you set. This allows you to set a prompt which ends in a space
17783 or a prompt that does not.
17784
17785 @table @code
17786 @kindex set prompt
17787 @item set prompt @var{newprompt}
17788 Directs @value{GDBN} to use @var{newprompt} as its prompt string henceforth.
17789
17790 @kindex show prompt
17791 @item show prompt
17792 Prints a line of the form: @samp{Gdb's prompt is: @var{your-prompt}}
17793 @end table
17794
17795 @node Editing
17796 @section Command Editing
17797 @cindex readline
17798 @cindex command line editing
17799
17800 @value{GDBN} reads its input commands via the @dfn{Readline} interface. This
17801 @sc{gnu} library provides consistent behavior for programs which provide a
17802 command line interface to the user. Advantages are @sc{gnu} Emacs-style
17803 or @dfn{vi}-style inline editing of commands, @code{csh}-like history
17804 substitution, and a storage and recall of command history across
17805 debugging sessions.
17806
17807 You may control the behavior of command line editing in @value{GDBN} with the
17808 command @code{set}.
17809
17810 @table @code
17811 @kindex set editing
17812 @cindex editing
17813 @item set editing
17814 @itemx set editing on
17815 Enable command line editing (enabled by default).
17816
17817 @item set editing off
17818 Disable command line editing.
17819
17820 @kindex show editing
17821 @item show editing
17822 Show whether command line editing is enabled.
17823 @end table
17824
17825 @xref{Command Line Editing}, for more details about the Readline
17826 interface. Users unfamiliar with @sc{gnu} Emacs or @code{vi} are
17827 encouraged to read that chapter.
17828
17829 @node Command History
17830 @section Command History
17831 @cindex command history
17832
17833 @value{GDBN} can keep track of the commands you type during your
17834 debugging sessions, so that you can be certain of precisely what
17835 happened. Use these commands to manage the @value{GDBN} command
17836 history facility.
17837
17838 @value{GDBN} uses the @sc{gnu} History library, a part of the Readline
17839 package, to provide the history facility. @xref{Using History
17840 Interactively}, for the detailed description of the History library.
17841
17842 To issue a command to @value{GDBN} without affecting certain aspects of
17843 the state which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }
17844 (@pxref{Server Prefix}). This
17845 means that this command will not affect the command history, nor will it
17846 affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is
17847 pressed on a line by itself.
17848
17849 @cindex @code{server}, command prefix
17850 The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value
17851 history; to print a value without recording it into the value history,
17852 use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command.
17853
17854 Here is the description of @value{GDBN} commands related to command
17855 history.
17856
17857 @table @code
17858 @cindex history substitution
17859 @cindex history file
17860 @kindex set history filename
17861 @cindex @env{GDBHISTFILE}, environment variable
17862 @item set history filename @var{fname}
17863 Set the name of the @value{GDBN} command history file to @var{fname}.
17864 This is the file where @value{GDBN} reads an initial command history
17865 list, and where it writes the command history from this session when it
17866 exits. You can access this list through history expansion or through
17867 the history command editing characters listed below. This file defaults
17868 to the value of the environment variable @code{GDBHISTFILE}, or to
17869 @file{./.gdb_history} (@file{./_gdb_history} on MS-DOS) if this variable
17870 is not set.
17871
17872 @cindex save command history
17873 @kindex set history save
17874 @item set history save
17875 @itemx set history save on
17876 Record command history in a file, whose name may be specified with the
17877 @code{set history filename} command. By default, this option is disabled.
17878
17879 @item set history save off
17880 Stop recording command history in a file.
17881
17882 @cindex history size
17883 @kindex set history size
17884 @cindex @env{HISTSIZE}, environment variable
17885 @item set history size @var{size}
17886 Set the number of commands which @value{GDBN} keeps in its history list.
17887 This defaults to the value of the environment variable
17888 @code{HISTSIZE}, or to 256 if this variable is not set.
17889 @end table
17890
17891 History expansion assigns special meaning to the character @kbd{!}.
17892 @xref{Event Designators}, for more details.
17893
17894 @cindex history expansion, turn on/off
17895 Since @kbd{!} is also the logical not operator in C, history expansion
17896 is off by default. If you decide to enable history expansion with the
17897 @code{set history expansion on} command, you may sometimes need to
17898 follow @kbd{!} (when it is used as logical not, in an expression) with
17899 a space or a tab to prevent it from being expanded. The readline
17900 history facilities do not attempt substitution on the strings
17901 @kbd{!=} and @kbd{!(}, even when history expansion is enabled.
17902
17903 The commands to control history expansion are:
17904
17905 @table @code
17906 @item set history expansion on
17907 @itemx set history expansion
17908 @kindex set history expansion
17909 Enable history expansion. History expansion is off by default.
17910
17911 @item set history expansion off
17912 Disable history expansion.
17913
17914 @c @group
17915 @kindex show history
17916 @item show history
17917 @itemx show history filename
17918 @itemx show history save
17919 @itemx show history size
17920 @itemx show history expansion
17921 These commands display the state of the @value{GDBN} history parameters.
17922 @code{show history} by itself displays all four states.
17923 @c @end group
17924 @end table
17925
17926 @table @code
17927 @kindex show commands
17928 @cindex show last commands
17929 @cindex display command history
17930 @item show commands
17931 Display the last ten commands in the command history.
17932
17933 @item show commands @var{n}
17934 Print ten commands centered on command number @var{n}.
17935
17936 @item show commands +
17937 Print ten commands just after the commands last printed.
17938 @end table
17939
17940 @node Screen Size
17941 @section Screen Size
17942 @cindex size of screen
17943 @cindex pauses in output
17944
17945 Certain commands to @value{GDBN} may produce large amounts of
17946 information output to the screen. To help you read all of it,
17947 @value{GDBN} pauses and asks you for input at the end of each page of
17948 output. Type @key{RET} when you want to continue the output, or @kbd{q}
17949 to discard the remaining output. Also, the screen width setting
17950 determines when to wrap lines of output. Depending on what is being
17951 printed, @value{GDBN} tries to break the line at a readable place,
17952 rather than simply letting it overflow onto the following line.
17953
17954 Normally @value{GDBN} knows the size of the screen from the terminal
17955 driver software. For example, on Unix @value{GDBN} uses the termcap data base
17956 together with the value of the @code{TERM} environment variable and the
17957 @code{stty rows} and @code{stty cols} settings. If this is not correct,
17958 you can override it with the @code{set height} and @code{set
17959 width} commands:
17960
17961 @table @code
17962 @kindex set height
17963 @kindex set width
17964 @kindex show width
17965 @kindex show height
17966 @item set height @var{lpp}
17967 @itemx show height
17968 @itemx set width @var{cpl}
17969 @itemx show width
17970 These @code{set} commands specify a screen height of @var{lpp} lines and
17971 a screen width of @var{cpl} characters. The associated @code{show}
17972 commands display the current settings.
17973
17974 If you specify a height of zero lines, @value{GDBN} does not pause during
17975 output no matter how long the output is. This is useful if output is to a
17976 file or to an editor buffer.
17977
17978 Likewise, you can specify @samp{set width 0} to prevent @value{GDBN}
17979 from wrapping its output.
17980
17981 @item set pagination on
17982 @itemx set pagination off
17983 @kindex set pagination
17984 Turn the output pagination on or off; the default is on. Turning
17985 pagination off is the alternative to @code{set height 0}.
17986
17987 @item show pagination
17988 @kindex show pagination
17989 Show the current pagination mode.
17990 @end table
17991
17992 @node Numbers
17993 @section Numbers
17994 @cindex number representation
17995 @cindex entering numbers
17996
17997 You can always enter numbers in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal in
17998 @value{GDBN} by the usual conventions: octal numbers begin with
17999 @samp{0}, decimal numbers end with @samp{.}, and hexadecimal numbers
18000 begin with @samp{0x}. Numbers that neither begin with @samp{0} or
18001 @samp{0x}, nor end with a @samp{.} are, by default, entered in base
18002 10; likewise, the default display for numbers---when no particular
18003 format is specified---is base 10. You can change the default base for
18004 both input and output with the commands described below.
18005
18006 @table @code
18007 @kindex set input-radix
18008 @item set input-radix @var{base}
18009 Set the default base for numeric input. Supported choices
18010 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
18011 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix; for
18012 example, any of
18013
18014 @smallexample
18015 set input-radix 012
18016 set input-radix 10.
18017 set input-radix 0xa
18018 @end smallexample
18019
18020 @noindent
18021 sets the input base to decimal. On the other hand, @samp{set input-radix 10}
18022 leaves the input radix unchanged, no matter what it was, since
18023 @samp{10}, being without any leading or trailing signs of its base, is
18024 interpreted in the current radix. Thus, if the current radix is 16,
18025 @samp{10} is interpreted in hex, i.e.@: as 16 decimal, which doesn't
18026 change the radix.
18027
18028 @kindex set output-radix
18029 @item set output-radix @var{base}
18030 Set the default base for numeric display. Supported choices
18031 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
18032 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix.
18033
18034 @kindex show input-radix
18035 @item show input-radix
18036 Display the current default base for numeric input.
18037
18038 @kindex show output-radix
18039 @item show output-radix
18040 Display the current default base for numeric display.
18041
18042 @item set radix @r{[}@var{base}@r{]}
18043 @itemx show radix
18044 @kindex set radix
18045 @kindex show radix
18046 These commands set and show the default base for both input and output
18047 of numbers. @code{set radix} sets the radix of input and output to
18048 the same base; without an argument, it resets the radix back to its
18049 default value of 10.
18050
18051 @end table
18052
18053 @node ABI
18054 @section Configuring the Current ABI
18055
18056 @value{GDBN} can determine the @dfn{ABI} (Application Binary Interface) of your
18057 application automatically. However, sometimes you need to override its
18058 conclusions. Use these commands to manage @value{GDBN}'s view of the
18059 current ABI.
18060
18061 @cindex OS ABI
18062 @kindex set osabi
18063 @kindex show osabi
18064
18065 One @value{GDBN} configuration can debug binaries for multiple operating
18066 system targets, either via remote debugging or native emulation.
18067 @value{GDBN} will autodetect the @dfn{OS ABI} (Operating System ABI) in use,
18068 but you can override its conclusion using the @code{set osabi} command.
18069 One example where this is useful is in debugging of binaries which use
18070 an alternate C library (e.g.@: @sc{uClibc} for @sc{gnu}/Linux) which does
18071 not have the same identifying marks that the standard C library for your
18072 platform provides.
18073
18074 @table @code
18075 @item show osabi
18076 Show the OS ABI currently in use.
18077
18078 @item set osabi
18079 With no argument, show the list of registered available OS ABI's.
18080
18081 @item set osabi @var{abi}
18082 Set the current OS ABI to @var{abi}.
18083 @end table
18084
18085 @cindex float promotion
18086
18087 Generally, the way that an argument of type @code{float} is passed to a
18088 function depends on whether the function is prototyped. For a prototyped
18089 (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) function, @code{float} arguments are passed unchanged,
18090 according to the architecture's convention for @code{float}. For unprototyped
18091 (i.e.@: K&R style) functions, @code{float} arguments are first promoted to type
18092 @code{double} and then passed.
18093
18094 Unfortunately, some forms of debug information do not reliably indicate whether
18095 a function is prototyped. If @value{GDBN} calls a function that is not marked
18096 as prototyped, it consults @kbd{set coerce-float-to-double}.
18097
18098 @table @code
18099 @kindex set coerce-float-to-double
18100 @item set coerce-float-to-double
18101 @itemx set coerce-float-to-double on
18102 Arguments of type @code{float} will be promoted to @code{double} when passed
18103 to an unprototyped function. This is the default setting.
18104
18105 @item set coerce-float-to-double off
18106 Arguments of type @code{float} will be passed directly to unprototyped
18107 functions.
18108
18109 @kindex show coerce-float-to-double
18110 @item show coerce-float-to-double
18111 Show the current setting of promoting @code{float} to @code{double}.
18112 @end table
18113
18114 @kindex set cp-abi
18115 @kindex show cp-abi
18116 @value{GDBN} needs to know the ABI used for your program's C@t{++}
18117 objects. The correct C@t{++} ABI depends on which C@t{++} compiler was
18118 used to build your application. @value{GDBN} only fully supports
18119 programs with a single C@t{++} ABI; if your program contains code using
18120 multiple C@t{++} ABI's or if @value{GDBN} can not identify your
18121 program's ABI correctly, you can tell @value{GDBN} which ABI to use.
18122 Currently supported ABI's include ``gnu-v2'', for @code{g++} versions
18123 before 3.0, ``gnu-v3'', for @code{g++} versions 3.0 and later, and
18124 ``hpaCC'' for the HP ANSI C@t{++} compiler. Other C@t{++} compilers may
18125 use the ``gnu-v2'' or ``gnu-v3'' ABI's as well. The default setting is
18126 ``auto''.
18127
18128 @table @code
18129 @item show cp-abi
18130 Show the C@t{++} ABI currently in use.
18131
18132 @item set cp-abi
18133 With no argument, show the list of supported C@t{++} ABI's.
18134
18135 @item set cp-abi @var{abi}
18136 @itemx set cp-abi auto
18137 Set the current C@t{++} ABI to @var{abi}, or return to automatic detection.
18138 @end table
18139
18140 @node Messages/Warnings
18141 @section Optional Warnings and Messages
18142
18143 @cindex verbose operation
18144 @cindex optional warnings
18145 By default, @value{GDBN} is silent about its inner workings. If you are
18146 running on a slow machine, you may want to use the @code{set verbose}
18147 command. This makes @value{GDBN} tell you when it does a lengthy
18148 internal operation, so you will not think it has crashed.
18149
18150 Currently, the messages controlled by @code{set verbose} are those
18151 which announce that the symbol table for a source file is being read;
18152 see @code{symbol-file} in @ref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}.
18153
18154 @table @code
18155 @kindex set verbose
18156 @item set verbose on
18157 Enables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
18158
18159 @item set verbose off
18160 Disables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
18161
18162 @kindex show verbose
18163 @item show verbose
18164 Displays whether @code{set verbose} is on or off.
18165 @end table
18166
18167 By default, if @value{GDBN} encounters bugs in the symbol table of an
18168 object file, it is silent; but if you are debugging a compiler, you may
18169 find this information useful (@pxref{Symbol Errors, ,Errors Reading
18170 Symbol Files}).
18171
18172 @table @code
18173
18174 @kindex set complaints
18175 @item set complaints @var{limit}
18176 Permits @value{GDBN} to output @var{limit} complaints about each type of
18177 unusual symbols before becoming silent about the problem. Set
18178 @var{limit} to zero to suppress all complaints; set it to a large number
18179 to prevent complaints from being suppressed.
18180
18181 @kindex show complaints
18182 @item show complaints
18183 Displays how many symbol complaints @value{GDBN} is permitted to produce.
18184
18185 @end table
18186
18187 @anchor{confirmation requests}
18188 By default, @value{GDBN} is cautious, and asks what sometimes seems to be a
18189 lot of stupid questions to confirm certain commands. For example, if
18190 you try to run a program which is already running:
18191
18192 @smallexample
18193 (@value{GDBP}) run
18194 The program being debugged has been started already.
18195 Start it from the beginning? (y or n)
18196 @end smallexample
18197
18198 If you are willing to unflinchingly face the consequences of your own
18199 commands, you can disable this ``feature'':
18200
18201 @table @code
18202
18203 @kindex set confirm
18204 @cindex flinching
18205 @cindex confirmation
18206 @cindex stupid questions
18207 @item set confirm off
18208 Disables confirmation requests.
18209
18210 @item set confirm on
18211 Enables confirmation requests (the default).
18212
18213 @kindex show confirm
18214 @item show confirm
18215 Displays state of confirmation requests.
18216
18217 @end table
18218
18219 @cindex command tracing
18220 If you need to debug user-defined commands or sourced files you may find it
18221 useful to enable @dfn{command tracing}. In this mode each command will be
18222 printed as it is executed, prefixed with one or more @samp{+} symbols, the
18223 quantity denoting the call depth of each command.
18224
18225 @table @code
18226 @kindex set trace-commands
18227 @cindex command scripts, debugging
18228 @item set trace-commands on
18229 Enable command tracing.
18230 @item set trace-commands off
18231 Disable command tracing.
18232 @item show trace-commands
18233 Display the current state of command tracing.
18234 @end table
18235
18236 @node Debugging Output
18237 @section Optional Messages about Internal Happenings
18238 @cindex optional debugging messages
18239
18240 @value{GDBN} has commands that enable optional debugging messages from
18241 various @value{GDBN} subsystems; normally these commands are of
18242 interest to @value{GDBN} maintainers, or when reporting a bug. This
18243 section documents those commands.
18244
18245 @table @code
18246 @kindex set exec-done-display
18247 @item set exec-done-display
18248 Turns on or off the notification of asynchronous commands'
18249 completion. When on, @value{GDBN} will print a message when an
18250 asynchronous command finishes its execution. The default is off.
18251 @kindex show exec-done-display
18252 @item show exec-done-display
18253 Displays the current setting of asynchronous command completion
18254 notification.
18255 @kindex set debug
18256 @cindex gdbarch debugging info
18257 @cindex architecture debugging info
18258 @item set debug arch
18259 Turns on or off display of gdbarch debugging info. The default is off
18260 @kindex show debug
18261 @item show debug arch
18262 Displays the current state of displaying gdbarch debugging info.
18263 @item set debug aix-thread
18264 @cindex AIX threads
18265 Display debugging messages about inner workings of the AIX thread
18266 module.
18267 @item show debug aix-thread
18268 Show the current state of AIX thread debugging info display.
18269 @item set debug dwarf2-die
18270 @cindex DWARF2 DIEs
18271 Dump DWARF2 DIEs after they are read in.
18272 The value is the number of nesting levels to print.
18273 A value of zero turns off the display.
18274 @item show debug dwarf2-die
18275 Show the current state of DWARF2 DIE debugging.
18276 @item set debug displaced
18277 @cindex displaced stepping debugging info
18278 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for the
18279 displaced stepping support. The default is off.
18280 @item show debug displaced
18281 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} debugging info
18282 related to displaced stepping.
18283 @item set debug event
18284 @cindex event debugging info
18285 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} event debugging info. The
18286 default is off.
18287 @item show debug event
18288 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} event debugging
18289 info.
18290 @item set debug expression
18291 @cindex expression debugging info
18292 Turns on or off display of debugging info about @value{GDBN}
18293 expression parsing. The default is off.
18294 @item show debug expression
18295 Displays the current state of displaying debugging info about
18296 @value{GDBN} expression parsing.
18297 @item set debug frame
18298 @cindex frame debugging info
18299 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} frame debugging info. The
18300 default is off.
18301 @item show debug frame
18302 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} frame debugging
18303 info.
18304 @item set debug gnu-nat
18305 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug messages
18306 Turns on or off debugging messages from the @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug support.
18307 @item show debug gnu-nat
18308 Show the current state of @sc{gnu}/Hurd debugging messages.
18309 @item set debug infrun
18310 @cindex inferior debugging info
18311 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for running the inferior.
18312 The default is off. @file{infrun.c} contains GDB's runtime state machine used
18313 for implementing operations such as single-stepping the inferior.
18314 @item show debug infrun
18315 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} inferior debugging.
18316 @item set debug lin-lwp
18317 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP debug messages
18318 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
18319 Turns on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP debug support.
18320 @item show debug lin-lwp
18321 Show the current state of Linux LWP debugging messages.
18322 @item set debug lin-lwp-async
18323 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP async debug messages
18324 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
18325 Turns on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP async debug support.
18326 @item show debug lin-lwp-async
18327 Show the current state of Linux LWP async debugging messages.
18328 @item set debug observer
18329 @cindex observer debugging info
18330 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} observer debugging. This
18331 includes info such as the notification of observable events.
18332 @item show debug observer
18333 Displays the current state of observer debugging.
18334 @item set debug overload
18335 @cindex C@t{++} overload debugging info
18336 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload debugging
18337 info. This includes info such as ranking of functions, etc. The default
18338 is off.
18339 @item show debug overload
18340 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload
18341 debugging info.
18342 @cindex packets, reporting on stdout
18343 @cindex serial connections, debugging
18344 @cindex debug remote protocol
18345 @cindex remote protocol debugging
18346 @cindex display remote packets
18347 @item set debug remote
18348 Turns on or off display of reports on all packets sent back and forth across
18349 the serial line to the remote machine. The info is printed on the
18350 @value{GDBN} standard output stream. The default is off.
18351 @item show debug remote
18352 Displays the state of display of remote packets.
18353 @item set debug serial
18354 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} serial debugging info. The
18355 default is off.
18356 @item show debug serial
18357 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} serial debugging
18358 info.
18359 @item set debug solib-frv
18360 @cindex FR-V shared-library debugging
18361 Turns on or off debugging messages for FR-V shared-library code.
18362 @item show debug solib-frv
18363 Display the current state of FR-V shared-library code debugging
18364 messages.
18365 @item set debug target
18366 @cindex target debugging info
18367 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} target debugging info. This info
18368 includes what is going on at the target level of GDB, as it happens. The
18369 default is 0. Set it to 1 to track events, and to 2 to also track the
18370 value of large memory transfers. Changes to this flag do not take effect
18371 until the next time you connect to a target or use the @code{run} command.
18372 @item show debug target
18373 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} target debugging
18374 info.
18375 @item set debug timestamp
18376 @cindex timestampping debugging info
18377 Turns on or off display of timestamps with @value{GDBN} debugging info.
18378 When enabled, seconds and microseconds are displayed before each debugging
18379 message.
18380 @item show debug timestamp
18381 Displays the current state of displaying timestamps with @value{GDBN}
18382 debugging info.
18383 @item set debugvarobj
18384 @cindex variable object debugging info
18385 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} variable object debugging
18386 info. The default is off.
18387 @item show debugvarobj
18388 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} variable object
18389 debugging info.
18390 @item set debug xml
18391 @cindex XML parser debugging
18392 Turns on or off debugging messages for built-in XML parsers.
18393 @item show debug xml
18394 Displays the current state of XML debugging messages.
18395 @end table
18396
18397 @node Other Misc Settings
18398 @section Other Miscellaneous Settings
18399 @cindex miscellaneous settings
18400
18401 @table @code
18402 @kindex set interactive-mode
18403 @item set interactive-mode
18404 If @code{on}, forces @value{GDBN} to operate interactively.
18405 If @code{off}, forces @value{GDBN} to operate non-interactively,
18406 If @code{auto} (the default), @value{GDBN} guesses which mode to use,
18407 based on whether the debugger was started in a terminal or not.
18408
18409 In the vast majority of cases, the debugger should be able to guess
18410 correctly which mode should be used. But this setting can be useful
18411 in certain specific cases, such as running a MinGW @value{GDBN}
18412 inside a cygwin window.
18413
18414 @kindex show interactive-mode
18415 @item show interactive-mode
18416 Displays whether the debugger is operating in interactive mode or not.
18417 @end table
18418
18419 @node Extending GDB
18420 @chapter Extending @value{GDBN}
18421 @cindex extending GDB
18422
18423 @value{GDBN} provides two mechanisms for extension. The first is based
18424 on composition of @value{GDBN} commands, and the second is based on the
18425 Python scripting language.
18426
18427 @menu
18428 * Sequences:: Canned Sequences of Commands
18429 * Python:: Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
18430 @end menu
18431
18432 @node Sequences
18433 @section Canned Sequences of Commands
18434
18435 Aside from breakpoint commands (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint
18436 Command Lists}), @value{GDBN} provides two ways to store sequences of
18437 commands for execution as a unit: user-defined commands and command
18438 files.
18439
18440 @menu
18441 * Define:: How to define your own commands
18442 * Hooks:: Hooks for user-defined commands
18443 * Command Files:: How to write scripts of commands to be stored in a file
18444 * Output:: Commands for controlled output
18445 @end menu
18446
18447 @node Define
18448 @subsection User-defined Commands
18449
18450 @cindex user-defined command
18451 @cindex arguments, to user-defined commands
18452 A @dfn{user-defined command} is a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands to
18453 which you assign a new name as a command. This is done with the
18454 @code{define} command. User commands may accept up to 10 arguments
18455 separated by whitespace. Arguments are accessed within the user command
18456 via @code{$arg0@dots{}$arg9}. A trivial example:
18457
18458 @smallexample
18459 define adder
18460 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
18461 end
18462 @end smallexample
18463
18464 @noindent
18465 To execute the command use:
18466
18467 @smallexample
18468 adder 1 2 3
18469 @end smallexample
18470
18471 @noindent
18472 This defines the command @code{adder}, which prints the sum of
18473 its three arguments. Note the arguments are text substitutions, so they may
18474 reference variables, use complex expressions, or even perform inferior
18475 functions calls.
18476
18477 @cindex argument count in user-defined commands
18478 @cindex how many arguments (user-defined commands)
18479 In addition, @code{$argc} may be used to find out how many arguments have
18480 been passed. This expands to a number in the range 0@dots{}10.
18481
18482 @smallexample
18483 define adder
18484 if $argc == 2
18485 print $arg0 + $arg1
18486 end
18487 if $argc == 3
18488 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
18489 end
18490 end
18491 @end smallexample
18492
18493 @table @code
18494
18495 @kindex define
18496 @item define @var{commandname}
18497 Define a command named @var{commandname}. If there is already a command
18498 by that name, you are asked to confirm that you want to redefine it.
18499 @var{commandname} may be a bare command name consisting of letters,
18500 numbers, dashes, and underscores. It may also start with any predefined
18501 prefix command. For example, @samp{define target my-target} creates
18502 a user-defined @samp{target my-target} command.
18503
18504 The definition of the command is made up of other @value{GDBN} command lines,
18505 which are given following the @code{define} command. The end of these
18506 commands is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
18507
18508 @kindex document
18509 @kindex end@r{ (user-defined commands)}
18510 @item document @var{commandname}
18511 Document the user-defined command @var{commandname}, so that it can be
18512 accessed by @code{help}. The command @var{commandname} must already be
18513 defined. This command reads lines of documentation just as @code{define}
18514 reads the lines of the command definition, ending with @code{end}.
18515 After the @code{document} command is finished, @code{help} on command
18516 @var{commandname} displays the documentation you have written.
18517
18518 You may use the @code{document} command again to change the
18519 documentation of a command. Redefining the command with @code{define}
18520 does not change the documentation.
18521
18522 @kindex dont-repeat
18523 @cindex don't repeat command
18524 @item dont-repeat
18525 Used inside a user-defined command, this tells @value{GDBN} that this
18526 command should not be repeated when the user hits @key{RET}
18527 (@pxref{Command Syntax, repeat last command}).
18528
18529 @kindex help user-defined
18530 @item help user-defined
18531 List all user-defined commands, with the first line of the documentation
18532 (if any) for each.
18533
18534 @kindex show user
18535 @item show user
18536 @itemx show user @var{commandname}
18537 Display the @value{GDBN} commands used to define @var{commandname} (but
18538 not its documentation). If no @var{commandname} is given, display the
18539 definitions for all user-defined commands.
18540
18541 @cindex infinite recursion in user-defined commands
18542 @kindex show max-user-call-depth
18543 @kindex set max-user-call-depth
18544 @item show max-user-call-depth
18545 @itemx set max-user-call-depth
18546 The value of @code{max-user-call-depth} controls how many recursion
18547 levels are allowed in user-defined commands before @value{GDBN} suspects an
18548 infinite recursion and aborts the command.
18549 @end table
18550
18551 In addition to the above commands, user-defined commands frequently
18552 use control flow commands, described in @ref{Command Files}.
18553
18554 When user-defined commands are executed, the
18555 commands of the definition are not printed. An error in any command
18556 stops execution of the user-defined command.
18557
18558 If used interactively, commands that would ask for confirmation proceed
18559 without asking when used inside a user-defined command. Many @value{GDBN}
18560 commands that normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the
18561 messages when used in a user-defined command.
18562
18563 @node Hooks
18564 @subsection User-defined Command Hooks
18565 @cindex command hooks
18566 @cindex hooks, for commands
18567 @cindex hooks, pre-command
18568
18569 @kindex hook
18570 You may define @dfn{hooks}, which are a special kind of user-defined
18571 command. Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined
18572 command @samp{hook-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments)
18573 before that command.
18574
18575 @cindex hooks, post-command
18576 @kindex hookpost
18577 A hook may also be defined which is run after the command you executed.
18578 Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined command
18579 @samp{hookpost-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments) after
18580 that command. Post-execution hooks may exist simultaneously with
18581 pre-execution hooks, for the same command.
18582
18583 It is valid for a hook to call the command which it hooks. If this
18584 occurs, the hook is not re-executed, thereby avoiding infinite recursion.
18585
18586 @c It would be nice if hookpost could be passed a parameter indicating
18587 @c if the command it hooks executed properly or not. FIXME!
18588
18589 @kindex stop@r{, a pseudo-command}
18590 In addition, a pseudo-command, @samp{stop} exists. Defining
18591 (@samp{hook-stop}) makes the associated commands execute every time
18592 execution stops in your program: before breakpoint commands are run,
18593 displays are printed, or the stack frame is printed.
18594
18595 For example, to ignore @code{SIGALRM} signals while
18596 single-stepping, but treat them normally during normal execution,
18597 you could define:
18598
18599 @smallexample
18600 define hook-stop
18601 handle SIGALRM nopass
18602 end
18603
18604 define hook-run
18605 handle SIGALRM pass
18606 end
18607
18608 define hook-continue
18609 handle SIGALRM pass
18610 end
18611 @end smallexample
18612
18613 As a further example, to hook at the beginning and end of the @code{echo}
18614 command, and to add extra text to the beginning and end of the message,
18615 you could define:
18616
18617 @smallexample
18618 define hook-echo
18619 echo <<<---
18620 end
18621
18622 define hookpost-echo
18623 echo --->>>\n
18624 end
18625
18626 (@value{GDBP}) echo Hello World
18627 <<<---Hello World--->>>
18628 (@value{GDBP})
18629
18630 @end smallexample
18631
18632 You can define a hook for any single-word command in @value{GDBN}, but
18633 not for command aliases; you should define a hook for the basic command
18634 name, e.g.@: @code{backtrace} rather than @code{bt}.
18635 @c FIXME! So how does Joe User discover whether a command is an alias
18636 @c or not?
18637 You can hook a multi-word command by adding @code{hook-} or
18638 @code{hookpost-} to the last word of the command, e.g.@:
18639 @samp{define target hook-remote} to add a hook to @samp{target remote}.
18640
18641 If an error occurs during the execution of your hook, execution of
18642 @value{GDBN} commands stops and @value{GDBN} issues a prompt
18643 (before the command that you actually typed had a chance to run).
18644
18645 If you try to define a hook which does not match any known command, you
18646 get a warning from the @code{define} command.
18647
18648 @node Command Files
18649 @subsection Command Files
18650
18651 @cindex command files
18652 @cindex scripting commands
18653 A command file for @value{GDBN} is a text file made of lines that are
18654 @value{GDBN} commands. Comments (lines starting with @kbd{#}) may
18655 also be included. An empty line in a command file does nothing; it
18656 does not mean to repeat the last command, as it would from the
18657 terminal.
18658
18659 You can request the execution of a command file with the @code{source}
18660 command:
18661
18662 @table @code
18663 @kindex source
18664 @cindex execute commands from a file
18665 @item source [@code{-v}] @var{filename}
18666 Execute the command file @var{filename}.
18667 @end table
18668
18669 The lines in a command file are generally executed sequentially,
18670 unless the order of execution is changed by one of the
18671 @emph{flow-control commands} described below. The commands are not
18672 printed as they are executed. An error in any command terminates
18673 execution of the command file and control is returned to the console.
18674
18675 @value{GDBN} searches for @var{filename} in the current directory and then
18676 on the search path (specified with the @samp{directory} command).
18677
18678 If @code{-v}, for verbose mode, is given then @value{GDBN} displays
18679 each command as it is executed. The option must be given before
18680 @var{filename}, and is interpreted as part of the filename anywhere else.
18681
18682 Commands that would ask for confirmation if used interactively proceed
18683 without asking when used in a command file. Many @value{GDBN} commands that
18684 normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the messages
18685 when called from command files.
18686
18687 @value{GDBN} also accepts command input from standard input. In this
18688 mode, normal output goes to standard output and error output goes to
18689 standard error. Errors in a command file supplied on standard input do
18690 not terminate execution of the command file---execution continues with
18691 the next command.
18692
18693 @smallexample
18694 gdb < cmds > log 2>&1
18695 @end smallexample
18696
18697 (The syntax above will vary depending on the shell used.) This example
18698 will execute commands from the file @file{cmds}. All output and errors
18699 would be directed to @file{log}.
18700
18701 Since commands stored on command files tend to be more general than
18702 commands typed interactively, they frequently need to deal with
18703 complicated situations, such as different or unexpected values of
18704 variables and symbols, changes in how the program being debugged is
18705 built, etc. @value{GDBN} provides a set of flow-control commands to
18706 deal with these complexities. Using these commands, you can write
18707 complex scripts that loop over data structures, execute commands
18708 conditionally, etc.
18709
18710 @table @code
18711 @kindex if
18712 @kindex else
18713 @item if
18714 @itemx else
18715 This command allows to include in your script conditionally executed
18716 commands. The @code{if} command takes a single argument, which is an
18717 expression to evaluate. It is followed by a series of commands that
18718 are executed only if the expression is true (its value is nonzero).
18719 There can then optionally be an @code{else} line, followed by a series
18720 of commands that are only executed if the expression was false. The
18721 end of the list is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
18722
18723 @kindex while
18724 @item while
18725 This command allows to write loops. Its syntax is similar to
18726 @code{if}: the command takes a single argument, which is an expression
18727 to evaluate, and must be followed by the commands to execute, one per
18728 line, terminated by an @code{end}. These commands are called the
18729 @dfn{body} of the loop. The commands in the body of @code{while} are
18730 executed repeatedly as long as the expression evaluates to true.
18731
18732 @kindex loop_break
18733 @item loop_break
18734 This command exits the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included.
18735 Execution of the script continues after that @code{while}s @code{end}
18736 line.
18737
18738 @kindex loop_continue
18739 @item loop_continue
18740 This command skips the execution of the rest of the body of commands
18741 in the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included. Execution
18742 branches to the beginning of the @code{while} loop, where it evaluates
18743 the controlling expression.
18744
18745 @kindex end@r{ (if/else/while commands)}
18746 @item end
18747 Terminate the block of commands that are the body of @code{if},
18748 @code{else}, or @code{while} flow-control commands.
18749 @end table
18750
18751
18752 @node Output
18753 @subsection Commands for Controlled Output
18754
18755 During the execution of a command file or a user-defined command, normal
18756 @value{GDBN} output is suppressed; the only output that appears is what is
18757 explicitly printed by the commands in the definition. This section
18758 describes three commands useful for generating exactly the output you
18759 want.
18760
18761 @table @code
18762 @kindex echo
18763 @item echo @var{text}
18764 @c I do not consider backslash-space a standard C escape sequence
18765 @c because it is not in ANSI.
18766 Print @var{text}. Nonprinting characters can be included in
18767 @var{text} using C escape sequences, such as @samp{\n} to print a
18768 newline. @strong{No newline is printed unless you specify one.}
18769 In addition to the standard C escape sequences, a backslash followed
18770 by a space stands for a space. This is useful for displaying a
18771 string with spaces at the beginning or the end, since leading and
18772 trailing spaces are otherwise trimmed from all arguments.
18773 To print @samp{@w{ }and foo =@w{ }}, use the command
18774 @samp{echo \@w{ }and foo = \@w{ }}.
18775
18776 A backslash at the end of @var{text} can be used, as in C, to continue
18777 the command onto subsequent lines. For example,
18778
18779 @smallexample
18780 echo This is some text\n\
18781 which is continued\n\
18782 onto several lines.\n
18783 @end smallexample
18784
18785 produces the same output as
18786
18787 @smallexample
18788 echo This is some text\n
18789 echo which is continued\n
18790 echo onto several lines.\n
18791 @end smallexample
18792
18793 @kindex output
18794 @item output @var{expression}
18795 Print the value of @var{expression} and nothing but that value: no
18796 newlines, no @samp{$@var{nn} = }. The value is not entered in the
18797 value history either. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information
18798 on expressions.
18799
18800 @item output/@var{fmt} @var{expression}
18801 Print the value of @var{expression} in format @var{fmt}. You can use
18802 the same formats as for @code{print}. @xref{Output Formats,,Output
18803 Formats}, for more information.
18804
18805 @kindex printf
18806 @item printf @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
18807 Print the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
18808 the string @var{template}. To print several values, make
18809 @var{expressions} be a comma-separated list of individual expressions,
18810 which may be either numbers or pointers. Their values are printed as
18811 specified by @var{template}, exactly as a C program would do by
18812 executing the code below:
18813
18814 @smallexample
18815 printf (@var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{});
18816 @end smallexample
18817
18818 As in @code{C} @code{printf}, ordinary characters in @var{template}
18819 are printed verbatim, while @dfn{conversion specification} introduced
18820 by the @samp{%} character cause subsequent @var{expressions} to be
18821 evaluated, their values converted and formatted according to type and
18822 style information encoded in the conversion specifications, and then
18823 printed.
18824
18825 For example, you can print two values in hex like this:
18826
18827 @smallexample
18828 printf "foo, bar-foo = 0x%x, 0x%x\n", foo, bar-foo
18829 @end smallexample
18830
18831 @code{printf} supports all the standard @code{C} conversion
18832 specifications, including the flags and modifiers between the @samp{%}
18833 character and the conversion letter, with the following exceptions:
18834
18835 @itemize @bullet
18836 @item
18837 The argument-ordering modifiers, such as @samp{2$}, are not supported.
18838
18839 @item
18840 The modifier @samp{*} is not supported for specifying precision or
18841 width.
18842
18843 @item
18844 The @samp{'} flag (for separation of digits into groups according to
18845 @code{LC_NUMERIC'}) is not supported.
18846
18847 @item
18848 The type modifiers @samp{hh}, @samp{j}, @samp{t}, and @samp{z} are not
18849 supported.
18850
18851 @item
18852 The conversion letter @samp{n} (as in @samp{%n}) is not supported.
18853
18854 @item
18855 The conversion letters @samp{a} and @samp{A} are not supported.
18856 @end itemize
18857
18858 @noindent
18859 Note that the @samp{ll} type modifier is supported only if the
18860 underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} supports
18861 the @code{long long int} type, and the @samp{L} type modifier is
18862 supported only if @code{long double} type is available.
18863
18864 As in @code{C}, @code{printf} supports simple backslash-escape
18865 sequences, such as @code{\n}, @samp{\t}, @samp{\\}, @samp{\"},
18866 @samp{\a}, and @samp{\f}, that consist of backslash followed by a
18867 single character. Octal and hexadecimal escape sequences are not
18868 supported.
18869
18870 Additionally, @code{printf} supports conversion specifications for DFP
18871 (@dfn{Decimal Floating Point}) types using the following length modifiers
18872 together with a floating point specifier.
18873 letters:
18874
18875 @itemize @bullet
18876 @item
18877 @samp{H} for printing @code{Decimal32} types.
18878
18879 @item
18880 @samp{D} for printing @code{Decimal64} types.
18881
18882 @item
18883 @samp{DD} for printing @code{Decimal128} types.
18884 @end itemize
18885
18886 If the underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} has
18887 support for the three length modifiers for DFP types, other modifiers
18888 such as width and precision will also be available for @value{GDBN} to use.
18889
18890 In case there is no such @code{C} support, no additional modifiers will be
18891 available and the value will be printed in the standard way.
18892
18893 Here's an example of printing DFP types using the above conversion letters:
18894 @smallexample
18895 printf "D32: %Hf - D64: %Df - D128: %DDf\n",1.2345df,1.2E10dd,1.2E1dl
18896 @end smallexample
18897
18898 @end table
18899
18900 @node Python
18901 @section Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
18902 @cindex python scripting
18903 @cindex scripting with python
18904
18905 You can script @value{GDBN} using the @uref{http://www.python.org/,
18906 Python programming language}. This feature is available only if
18907 @value{GDBN} was configured using @option{--with-python}.
18908
18909 @menu
18910 * Python Commands:: Accessing Python from @value{GDBN}.
18911 * Python API:: Accessing @value{GDBN} from Python.
18912 @end menu
18913
18914 @node Python Commands
18915 @subsection Python Commands
18916 @cindex python commands
18917 @cindex commands to access python
18918
18919 @value{GDBN} provides one command for accessing the Python interpreter,
18920 and one related setting:
18921
18922 @table @code
18923 @kindex python
18924 @item python @r{[}@var{code}@r{]}
18925 The @code{python} command can be used to evaluate Python code.
18926
18927 If given an argument, the @code{python} command will evaluate the
18928 argument as a Python command. For example:
18929
18930 @smallexample
18931 (@value{GDBP}) python print 23
18932 23
18933 @end smallexample
18934
18935 If you do not provide an argument to @code{python}, it will act as a
18936 multi-line command, like @code{define}. In this case, the Python
18937 script is made up of subsequent command lines, given after the
18938 @code{python} command. This command list is terminated using a line
18939 containing @code{end}. For example:
18940
18941 @smallexample
18942 (@value{GDBP}) python
18943 Type python script
18944 End with a line saying just "end".
18945 >print 23
18946 >end
18947 23
18948 @end smallexample
18949
18950 @kindex maint set python print-stack
18951 @item maint set python print-stack
18952 By default, @value{GDBN} will print a stack trace when an error occurs
18953 in a Python script. This can be controlled using @code{maint set
18954 python print-stack}: if @code{on}, the default, then Python stack
18955 printing is enabled; if @code{off}, then Python stack printing is
18956 disabled.
18957 @end table
18958
18959 @node Python API
18960 @subsection Python API
18961 @cindex python api
18962 @cindex programming in python
18963
18964 @cindex python stdout
18965 @cindex python pagination
18966 At startup, @value{GDBN} overrides Python's @code{sys.stdout} and
18967 @code{sys.stderr} to print using @value{GDBN}'s output-paging streams.
18968 A Python program which outputs to one of these streams may have its
18969 output interrupted by the user (@pxref{Screen Size}). In this
18970 situation, a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception is thrown.
18971
18972 @menu
18973 * Basic Python:: Basic Python Functions.
18974 * Exception Handling::
18975 * Auto-loading:: Automatically loading Python code.
18976 * Values From Inferior::
18977 * Types In Python:: Python representation of types.
18978 * Pretty Printing:: Pretty-printing values.
18979 * Selecting Pretty-Printers:: How GDB chooses a pretty-printer.
18980 * Commands In Python:: Implementing new commands in Python.
18981 * Functions In Python:: Writing new convenience functions.
18982 * Objfiles In Python:: Object files.
18983 * Frames In Python:: Acessing inferior stack frames from Python.
18984 @end menu
18985
18986 @node Basic Python
18987 @subsubsection Basic Python
18988
18989 @cindex python functions
18990 @cindex python module
18991 @cindex gdb module
18992 @value{GDBN} introduces a new Python module, named @code{gdb}. All
18993 methods and classes added by @value{GDBN} are placed in this module.
18994 @value{GDBN} automatically @code{import}s the @code{gdb} module for
18995 use in all scripts evaluated by the @code{python} command.
18996
18997 @findex gdb.execute
18998 @defun execute command [from_tty]
18999 Evaluate @var{command}, a string, as a @value{GDBN} CLI command.
19000 If a GDB exception happens while @var{command} runs, it is
19001 translated as described in @ref{Exception Handling,,Exception Handling}.
19002 If no exceptions occur, this function returns @code{None}.
19003
19004 @var{from_tty} specifies whether @value{GDBN} ought to consider this
19005 command as having originated from the user invoking it interactively.
19006 It must be a boolean value. If omitted, it defaults to @code{False}.
19007 @end defun
19008
19009 @findex gdb.parameter
19010 @defun parameter parameter
19011 Return the value of a @value{GDBN} parameter. @var{parameter} is a
19012 string naming the parameter to look up; @var{parameter} may contain
19013 spaces if the parameter has a multi-part name. For example,
19014 @samp{print object} is a valid parameter name.
19015
19016 If the named parameter does not exist, this function throws a
19017 @code{RuntimeError}. Otherwise, the parameter's value is converted to
19018 a Python value of the appropriate type, and returned.
19019 @end defun
19020
19021 @findex gdb.history
19022 @defun history number
19023 Return a value from @value{GDBN}'s value history (@pxref{Value
19024 History}). @var{number} indicates which history element to return.
19025 If @var{number} is negative, then @value{GDBN} will take its absolute value
19026 and count backward from the last element (i.e., the most recent element) to
19027 find the value to return. If @var{number} is zero, then @value{GDBN} will
19028 return the most recent element. If the element specified by @var{number}
19029 doesn't exist in the value history, a @code{RuntimeError} exception will be
19030 raised.
19031
19032 If no exception is raised, the return value is always an instance of
19033 @code{gdb.Value} (@pxref{Values From Inferior}).
19034 @end defun
19035
19036 @findex gdb.write
19037 @defun write string
19038 Print a string to @value{GDBN}'s paginated standard output stream.
19039 Writing to @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
19040 call this function.
19041 @end defun
19042
19043 @findex gdb.flush
19044 @defun flush
19045 Flush @value{GDBN}'s paginated standard output stream. Flushing
19046 @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically call this
19047 function.
19048 @end defun
19049
19050 @node Exception Handling
19051 @subsubsection Exception Handling
19052 @cindex python exceptions
19053 @cindex exceptions, python
19054
19055 When executing the @code{python} command, Python exceptions
19056 uncaught within the Python code are translated to calls to
19057 @value{GDBN} error-reporting mechanism. If the command that called
19058 @code{python} does not handle the error, @value{GDBN} will
19059 terminate it and print an error message containing the Python
19060 exception name, the associated value, and the Python call stack
19061 backtrace at the point where the exception was raised. Example:
19062
19063 @smallexample
19064 (@value{GDBP}) python print foo
19065 Traceback (most recent call last):
19066 File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
19067 NameError: name 'foo' is not defined
19068 @end smallexample
19069
19070 @value{GDBN} errors that happen in @value{GDBN} commands invoked by Python
19071 code are converted to Python @code{RuntimeError} exceptions. User
19072 interrupt (via @kbd{C-c} or by typing @kbd{q} at a pagination
19073 prompt) is translated to a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt}
19074 exception. If you catch these exceptions in your Python code, your
19075 exception handler will see @code{RuntimeError} or
19076 @code{KeyboardInterrupt} as the exception type, the @value{GDBN} error
19077 message as its value, and the Python call stack backtrace at the
19078 Python statement closest to where the @value{GDBN} error occured as the
19079 traceback.
19080
19081 @node Auto-loading
19082 @subsubsection Auto-loading
19083 @cindex auto-loading, Python
19084
19085 When a new object file is read (for example, due to the @code{file}
19086 command, or because the inferior has loaded a shared library),
19087 @value{GDBN} will look for a file named @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py},
19088 where @var{objfile} is the object file's real name, formed by ensuring
19089 that the file name is absolute, following all symlinks, and resolving
19090 @code{.} and @code{..} components. If this file exists and is
19091 readable, @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as a Python script.
19092
19093 If this file does not exist, and if the parameter
19094 @code{debug-file-directory} is set (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}),
19095 then @value{GDBN} will use the file named
19096 @file{@var{debug-file-directory}/@var{real-name}}, where
19097 @var{real-name} is the object file's real name, as described above.
19098
19099 Finally, if this file does not exist, then @value{GDBN} will look for
19100 a file named @file{@var{data-directory}/python/auto-load/@var{real-name}}, where
19101 @var{data-directory} is @value{GDBN}'s data directory (available via
19102 @code{show data-directory}, @pxref{Data Files}), and @var{real-name}
19103 is the object file's real name, as described above.
19104
19105 When reading an auto-loaded file, @value{GDBN} sets the ``current
19106 objfile''. This is available via the @code{gdb.current_objfile}
19107 function (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}). This can be useful for
19108 registering objfile-specific pretty-printers.
19109
19110 The auto-loading feature is useful for supplying application-specific
19111 debugging commands and scripts. You can enable or disable this
19112 feature, and view its current state.
19113
19114 @table @code
19115 @kindex maint set python auto-load
19116 @item maint set python auto-load [yes|no]
19117 Enable or disable the Python auto-loading feature.
19118
19119 @kindex show python auto-load
19120 @item show python auto-load
19121 Show whether Python auto-loading is enabled or disabled.
19122 @end table
19123
19124 @value{GDBN} does not track which files it has already auto-loaded.
19125 So, your @samp{-gdb.py} file should take care to ensure that it may be
19126 evaluated multiple times without error.
19127
19128 @node Values From Inferior
19129 @subsubsection Values From Inferior
19130 @cindex values from inferior, with Python
19131 @cindex python, working with values from inferior
19132
19133 @cindex @code{gdb.Value}
19134 @value{GDBN} provides values it obtains from the inferior program in
19135 an object of type @code{gdb.Value}. @value{GDBN} uses this object
19136 for its internal bookkeeping of the inferior's values, and for
19137 fetching values when necessary.
19138
19139 Inferior values that are simple scalars can be used directly in
19140 Python expressions that are valid for the value's data type. Here's
19141 an example for an integer or floating-point value @code{some_val}:
19142
19143 @smallexample
19144 bar = some_val + 2
19145 @end smallexample
19146
19147 @noindent
19148 As result of this, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object
19149 whose values are of the same type as those of @code{some_val}.
19150
19151 Inferior values that are structures or instances of some class can
19152 be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}. For example, if
19153 @code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance holding a structure, you
19154 can access its @code{foo} element with:
19155
19156 @smallexample
19157 bar = some_val['foo']
19158 @end smallexample
19159
19160 Again, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object.
19161
19162 The following attributes are provided:
19163
19164 @table @code
19165 @defivar Value address
19166 If this object is addressable, this read-only attribute holds a
19167 @code{gdb.Value} object representing the address. Otherwise,
19168 this attribute holds @code{None}.
19169 @end defivar
19170
19171 @cindex optimized out value in Python
19172 @defivar Value is_optimized_out
19173 This read-only boolean attribute is true if the compiler optimized out
19174 this value, thus it is not available for fetching from the inferior.
19175 @end defivar
19176
19177 @defivar Value type
19178 The type of this @code{gdb.Value}. The value of this attribute is a
19179 @code{gdb.Type} object.
19180 @end defivar
19181 @end table
19182
19183 The following methods are provided:
19184
19185 @table @code
19186 @defmethod Value dereference
19187 For pointer data types, this method returns a new @code{gdb.Value} object
19188 whose contents is the object pointed to by the pointer. For example, if
19189 @code{foo} is a C pointer to an @code{int}, declared in your C program as
19190
19191 @smallexample
19192 int *foo;
19193 @end smallexample
19194
19195 @noindent
19196 then you can use the corresponding @code{gdb.Value} to access what
19197 @code{foo} points to like this:
19198
19199 @smallexample
19200 bar = foo.dereference ()
19201 @end smallexample
19202
19203 The result @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Value} object holding the
19204 value pointed to by @code{foo}.
19205 @end defmethod
19206
19207 @defmethod Value string @r{[}encoding@r{]} @r{[}errors@r{]} @r{[}length@r{]}
19208 If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
19209 converts the contents to a Python string. Otherwise, this method will
19210 throw an exception.
19211
19212 Strings are recognized in a language-specific way; whether a given
19213 @code{gdb.Value} represents a string is determined by the current
19214 language.
19215
19216 For C-like languages, a value is a string if it is a pointer to or an
19217 array of characters or ints. The string is assumed to be terminated
19218 by a zero of the appropriate width. However if the optional length
19219 argument is given, the string will be converted to that given length,
19220 ignoring any embedded zeros that the string may contain.
19221
19222 If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
19223 naming the encoding of the string in the @code{gdb.Value}, such as
19224 @code{"ascii"}, @code{"iso-8859-6"} or @code{"utf-8"}. It accepts
19225 the same encodings as the corresponding argument to Python's
19226 @code{string.decode} method, and the Python codec machinery will be used
19227 to convert the string. If @var{encoding} is not given, or if
19228 @var{encoding} is the empty string, then either the @code{target-charset}
19229 (@pxref{Character Sets}) will be used, or a language-specific encoding
19230 will be used, if the current language is able to supply one.
19231
19232 The optional @var{errors} argument is the same as the corresponding
19233 argument to Python's @code{string.decode} method.
19234
19235 If the optional @var{length} argument is given, the string will be
19236 fetched and converted to the given length.
19237 @end defmethod
19238 @end table
19239
19240 @node Types In Python
19241 @subsubsection Types In Python
19242 @cindex types in Python
19243 @cindex Python, working with types
19244
19245 @tindex gdb.Type
19246 @value{GDBN} represents types from the inferior using the class
19247 @code{gdb.Type}.
19248
19249 The following type-related functions are available in the @code{gdb}
19250 module:
19251
19252 @findex gdb.lookup_type
19253 @defun lookup_type name [block]
19254 This function looks up a type by name. @var{name} is the name of the
19255 type to look up. It must be a string.
19256
19257 Ordinarily, this function will return an instance of @code{gdb.Type}.
19258 If the named type cannot be found, it will throw an exception.
19259 @end defun
19260
19261 An instance of @code{Type} has the following attributes:
19262
19263 @table @code
19264 @defivar Type code
19265 The type code for this type. The type code will be one of the
19266 @code{TYPE_CODE_} constants defined below.
19267 @end defivar
19268
19269 @defivar Type sizeof
19270 The size of this type, in target @code{char} units. Usually, a
19271 target's @code{char} type will be an 8-bit byte. However, on some
19272 unusual platforms, this type may have a different size.
19273 @end defivar
19274
19275 @defivar Type tag
19276 The tag name for this type. The tag name is the name after
19277 @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} in C and C@t{++}; not all
19278 languages have this concept. If this type has no tag name, then
19279 @code{None} is returned.
19280 @end defivar
19281 @end table
19282
19283 The following methods are provided:
19284
19285 @table @code
19286 @defmethod Type fields
19287 For structure and union types, this method returns the fields. Range
19288 types have two fields, the minimum and maximum values. Enum types
19289 have one field per enum constant. Function and method types have one
19290 field per parameter. The base types of C@t{++} classes are also
19291 represented as fields. If the type has no fields, or does not fit
19292 into one of these categories, an empty sequence will be returned.
19293
19294 Each field is an object, with some pre-defined attributes:
19295 @table @code
19296 @item bitpos
19297 This attribute is not available for @code{static} fields (as in
19298 C@t{++} or Java). For non-@code{static} fields, the value is the bit
19299 position of the field.
19300
19301 @item name
19302 The name of the field, or @code{None} for anonymous fields.
19303
19304 @item artificial
19305 This is @code{True} if the field is artificial, usually meaning that
19306 it was provided by the compiler and not the user. This attribute is
19307 always provided, and is @code{False} if the field is not artificial.
19308
19309 @item bitsize
19310 If the field is packed, or is a bitfield, then this will have a
19311 non-zero value, which is the size of the field in bits. Otherwise,
19312 this will be zero; in this case the field's size is given by its type.
19313
19314 @item type
19315 The type of the field. This is usually an instance of @code{Type},
19316 but it can be @code{None} in some situations.
19317 @end table
19318 @end defmethod
19319
19320 @defmethod Type const
19321 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
19322 @code{const}-qualified variant of this type.
19323 @end defmethod
19324
19325 @defmethod Type volatile
19326 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a
19327 @code{volatile}-qualified variant of this type.
19328 @end defmethod
19329
19330 @defmethod Type unqualified
19331 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents an unqualified
19332 variant of this type. That is, the result is neither @code{const} nor
19333 @code{volatile}.
19334 @end defmethod
19335
19336 @defmethod Type reference
19337 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents a reference to this
19338 type.
19339 @end defmethod
19340
19341 @defmethod Type strip_typedefs
19342 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} that represents the real type,
19343 after removing all layers of typedefs.
19344 @end defmethod
19345
19346 @defmethod Type target
19347 Return a new @code{gdb.Type} object which represents the target type
19348 of this type.
19349
19350 For a pointer type, the target type is the type of the pointed-to
19351 object. For an array type (meaning C-like arrays), the target type is
19352 the type of the elements of the array. For a function or method type,
19353 the target type is the type of the return value. For a complex type,
19354 the target type is the type of the elements. For a typedef, the
19355 target type is the aliased type.
19356
19357 If the type does not have a target, this method will throw an
19358 exception.
19359 @end defmethod
19360
19361 @defmethod Type template_argument n
19362 If this @code{gdb.Type} is an instantiation of a template, this will
19363 return a new @code{gdb.Type} which represents the type of the
19364 @var{n}th template argument.
19365
19366 If this @code{gdb.Type} is not a template type, this will throw an
19367 exception. Ordinarily, only C@t{++} code will have template types.
19368
19369 @var{name} is searched for globally.
19370 @end defmethod
19371 @end table
19372
19373
19374 Each type has a code, which indicates what category this type falls
19375 into. The available type categories are represented by constants
19376 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
19377
19378 @table @code
19379 @findex TYPE_CODE_PTR
19380 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_PTR
19381 @item TYPE_CODE_PTR
19382 The type is a pointer.
19383
19384 @findex TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
19385 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
19386 @item TYPE_CODE_ARRAY
19387 The type is an array.
19388
19389 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
19390 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
19391 @item TYPE_CODE_STRUCT
19392 The type is a structure.
19393
19394 @findex TYPE_CODE_UNION
19395 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_UNION
19396 @item TYPE_CODE_UNION
19397 The type is a union.
19398
19399 @findex TYPE_CODE_ENUM
19400 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ENUM
19401 @item TYPE_CODE_ENUM
19402 The type is an enum.
19403
19404 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
19405 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
19406 @item TYPE_CODE_FLAGS
19407 A bit flags type, used for things such as status registers.
19408
19409 @findex TYPE_CODE_FUNC
19410 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FUNC
19411 @item TYPE_CODE_FUNC
19412 The type is a function.
19413
19414 @findex TYPE_CODE_INT
19415 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INT
19416 @item TYPE_CODE_INT
19417 The type is an integer type.
19418
19419 @findex TYPE_CODE_FLT
19420 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_FLT
19421 @item TYPE_CODE_FLT
19422 A floating point type.
19423
19424 @findex TYPE_CODE_VOID
19425 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_VOID
19426 @item TYPE_CODE_VOID
19427 The special type @code{void}.
19428
19429 @findex TYPE_CODE_SET
19430 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_SET
19431 @item TYPE_CODE_SET
19432 A Pascal set type.
19433
19434 @findex TYPE_CODE_RANGE
19435 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_RANGE
19436 @item TYPE_CODE_RANGE
19437 A range type, that is, an integer type with bounds.
19438
19439 @findex TYPE_CODE_STRING
19440 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_STRING
19441 @item TYPE_CODE_STRING
19442 A string type. Note that this is only used for certain languages with
19443 language-defined string types; C strings are not represented this way.
19444
19445 @findex TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
19446 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
19447 @item TYPE_CODE_BITSTRING
19448 A string of bits.
19449
19450 @findex TYPE_CODE_ERROR
19451 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_ERROR
19452 @item TYPE_CODE_ERROR
19453 An unknown or erroneous type.
19454
19455 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHOD
19456 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHOD
19457 @item TYPE_CODE_METHOD
19458 A method type, as found in C@t{++} or Java.
19459
19460 @findex TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
19461 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
19462 @item TYPE_CODE_METHODPTR
19463 A pointer-to-member-function.
19464
19465 @findex TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
19466 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
19467 @item TYPE_CODE_MEMBERPTR
19468 A pointer-to-member.
19469
19470 @findex TYPE_CODE_REF
19471 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_REF
19472 @item TYPE_CODE_REF
19473 A reference type.
19474
19475 @findex TYPE_CODE_CHAR
19476 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_CHAR
19477 @item TYPE_CODE_CHAR
19478 A character type.
19479
19480 @findex TYPE_CODE_BOOL
19481 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_BOOL
19482 @item TYPE_CODE_BOOL
19483 A boolean type.
19484
19485 @findex TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
19486 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
19487 @item TYPE_CODE_COMPLEX
19488 A complex float type.
19489
19490 @findex TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
19491 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
19492 @item TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF
19493 A typedef to some other type.
19494
19495 @findex TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
19496 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
19497 @item TYPE_CODE_NAMESPACE
19498 A C@t{++} namespace.
19499
19500 @findex TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
19501 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
19502 @item TYPE_CODE_DECFLOAT
19503 A decimal floating point type.
19504
19505 @findex TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
19506 @findex gdb.TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
19507 @item TYPE_CODE_INTERNAL_FUNCTION
19508 A function internal to @value{GDBN}. This is the type used to represent
19509 convenience functions.
19510 @end table
19511
19512 @node Pretty Printing
19513 @subsubsection Pretty Printing
19514
19515 @value{GDBN} provides a mechanism to allow pretty-printing of values
19516 using Python code. The pretty-printer API allows application-specific
19517 code to greatly simplify the display of complex objects. This
19518 mechanism works for both MI and the CLI.
19519
19520 For example, here is how a C@t{++} @code{std::string} looks without a
19521 pretty-printer:
19522
19523 @smallexample
19524 (@value{GDBP}) print s
19525 $1 = @{
19526 static npos = 4294967295,
19527 _M_dataplus = @{
19528 <std::allocator<char>> = @{
19529 <__gnu_cxx::new_allocator<char>> = @{<No data fields>@}, <No data fields>@},
19530 members of std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >::_Alloc_hider:
19531 _M_p = 0x804a014 "abcd"
19532 @}
19533 @}
19534 @end smallexample
19535
19536 After a pretty-printer for @code{std::string} has been installed, only
19537 the contents are printed:
19538
19539 @smallexample
19540 (@value{GDBP}) print s
19541 $2 = "abcd"
19542 @end smallexample
19543
19544 A pretty-printer is just an object that holds a value and implements a
19545 specific interface, defined here.
19546
19547 @defop Operation {pretty printer} children (self)
19548 @value{GDBN} will call this method on a pretty-printer to compute the
19549 children of the pretty-printer's value.
19550
19551 This method must return an object conforming to the Python iterator
19552 protocol. Each item returned by the iterator must be a tuple holding
19553 two elements. The first element is the ``name'' of the child; the
19554 second element is the child's value. The value can be any Python
19555 object which is convertible to a @value{GDBN} value.
19556
19557 This method is optional. If it does not exist, @value{GDBN} will act
19558 as though the value has no children.
19559 @end defop
19560
19561 @defop Operation {pretty printer} display_hint (self)
19562 The CLI may call this method and use its result to change the
19563 formatting of a value. The result will also be supplied to an MI
19564 consumer as a @samp{displayhint} attribute of the variable being
19565 printed.
19566
19567 This method is optional. If it does exist, this method must return a
19568 string.
19569
19570 Some display hints are predefined by @value{GDBN}:
19571
19572 @table @samp
19573 @item array
19574 Indicate that the object being printed is ``array-like''. The CLI
19575 uses this to respect parameters such as @code{set print elements} and
19576 @code{set print array}.
19577
19578 @item map
19579 Indicate that the object being printed is ``map-like'', and that the
19580 children of this value can be assumed to alternate between keys and
19581 values.
19582
19583 @item string
19584 Indicate that the object being printed is ``string-like''. If the
19585 printer's @code{to_string} method returns a Python string of some
19586 kind, then @value{GDBN} will call its internal language-specific
19587 string-printing function to format the string. For the CLI this means
19588 adding quotation marks, possibly escaping some characters, respecting
19589 @code{set print elements}, and the like.
19590 @end table
19591 @end defop
19592
19593 @defop Operation {pretty printer} to_string (self)
19594 @value{GDBN} will call this method to display the string
19595 representation of the value passed to the object's constructor.
19596
19597 When printing from the CLI, if the @code{to_string} method exists,
19598 then @value{GDBN} will prepend its result to the values returned by
19599 @code{children}. Exactly how this formatting is done is dependent on
19600 the display hint, and may change as more hints are added. Also,
19601 depending on the print settings (@pxref{Print Settings}), the CLI may
19602 print just the result of @code{to_string} in a stack trace, omitting
19603 the result of @code{children}.
19604
19605 If this method returns a string, it is printed verbatim.
19606
19607 Otherwise, if this method returns an instance of @code{gdb.Value},
19608 then @value{GDBN} prints this value. This may result in a call to
19609 another pretty-printer.
19610
19611 If instead the method returns a Python value which is convertible to a
19612 @code{gdb.Value}, then @value{GDBN} performs the conversion and prints
19613 the resulting value. Again, this may result in a call to another
19614 pretty-printer. Python scalars (integers, floats, and booleans) and
19615 strings are convertible to @code{gdb.Value}; other types are not.
19616
19617 If the result is not one of these types, an exception is raised.
19618 @end defop
19619
19620 @node Selecting Pretty-Printers
19621 @subsubsection Selecting Pretty-Printers
19622
19623 The Python list @code{gdb.pretty_printers} contains an array of
19624 functions that have been registered via addition as a pretty-printer.
19625 Each @code{gdb.Objfile} also contains a @code{pretty_printers}
19626 attribute.
19627
19628 A function on one of these lists is passed a single @code{gdb.Value}
19629 argument and should return a pretty-printer object conforming to the
19630 interface definition above (@pxref{Pretty Printing}). If a function
19631 cannot create a pretty-printer for the value, it should return
19632 @code{None}.
19633
19634 @value{GDBN} first checks the @code{pretty_printers} attribute of each
19635 @code{gdb.Objfile} and iteratively calls each function in the list for
19636 that @code{gdb.Objfile} until it receives a pretty-printer object.
19637 After these lists have been exhausted, it tries the global
19638 @code{gdb.pretty-printers} list, again calling each function until an
19639 object is returned.
19640
19641 The order in which the objfiles are searched is not specified. For a
19642 given list, functions are always invoked from the head of the list,
19643 and iterated over sequentially until the end of the list, or a printer
19644 object is returned.
19645
19646 Here is an example showing how a @code{std::string} printer might be
19647 written:
19648
19649 @smallexample
19650 class StdStringPrinter:
19651 "Print a std::string"
19652
19653 def __init__ (self, val):
19654 self.val = val
19655
19656 def to_string (self):
19657 return self.val['_M_dataplus']['_M_p']
19658
19659 def display_hint (self):
19660 return 'string'
19661 @end smallexample
19662
19663 And here is an example showing how a lookup function for the printer
19664 example above might be written.
19665
19666 @smallexample
19667 def str_lookup_function (val):
19668
19669 lookup_tag = val.type.tag
19670 regex = re.compile ("^std::basic_string<char,.*>$")
19671 if lookup_tag == None:
19672 return None
19673 if regex.match (lookup_tag):
19674 return StdStringPrinter (val)
19675
19676 return None
19677 @end smallexample
19678
19679 The example lookup function extracts the value's type, and attempts to
19680 match it to a type that it can pretty-print. If it is a type the
19681 printer can pretty-print, it will return a printer object. If not, it
19682 returns @code{None}.
19683
19684 We recommend that you put your core pretty-printers into a Python
19685 package. If your pretty-printers are for use with a library, we
19686 further recommend embedding a version number into the package name.
19687 This practice will enable @value{GDBN} to load multiple versions of
19688 your pretty-printers at the same time, because they will have
19689 different names.
19690
19691 You should write auto-loaded code (@pxref{Auto-loading}) such that it
19692 can be evaluated multiple times without changing its meaning. An
19693 ideal auto-load file will consist solely of @code{import}s of your
19694 printer modules, followed by a call to a register pretty-printers with
19695 the current objfile.
19696
19697 Taken as a whole, this approach will scale nicely to multiple
19698 inferiors, each potentially using a different library version.
19699 Embedding a version number in the Python package name will ensure that
19700 @value{GDBN} is able to load both sets of printers simultaneously.
19701 Then, because the search for pretty-printers is done by objfile, and
19702 because your auto-loaded code took care to register your library's
19703 printers with a specific objfile, @value{GDBN} will find the correct
19704 printers for the specific version of the library used by each
19705 inferior.
19706
19707 To continue the @code{std::string} example (@pxref{Pretty Printing}),
19708 this code might appear in @code{gdb.libstdcxx.v6}:
19709
19710 @smallexample
19711 def register_printers (objfile):
19712 objfile.pretty_printers.add (str_lookup_function)
19713 @end smallexample
19714
19715 @noindent
19716 And then the corresponding contents of the auto-load file would be:
19717
19718 @smallexample
19719 import gdb.libstdcxx.v6
19720 gdb.libstdcxx.v6.register_printers (gdb.current_objfile ())
19721 @end smallexample
19722
19723 @node Commands In Python
19724 @subsubsection Commands In Python
19725
19726 @cindex commands in python
19727 @cindex python commands
19728 You can implement new @value{GDBN} CLI commands in Python. A CLI
19729 command is implemented using an instance of the @code{gdb.Command}
19730 class, most commonly using a subclass.
19731
19732 @defmethod Command __init__ name @var{command_class} @r{[}@var{completer_class}@r{]} @r{[}@var{prefix}@r{]}
19733 The object initializer for @code{Command} registers the new command
19734 with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked from the
19735 subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
19736
19737 @var{name} is the name of the command. If @var{name} consists of
19738 multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
19739 commands. In this case, if one of the prefix commands does not exist,
19740 an exception is raised.
19741
19742 There is no support for multi-line commands.
19743
19744 @var{command_class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
19745 defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to categorize the
19746 new command in the help system.
19747
19748 @var{completer_class} is an optional argument. If given, it should be
19749 one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined below. This argument
19750 tells @value{GDBN} how to perform completion for this command. If not
19751 given, @value{GDBN} will attempt to complete using the object's
19752 @code{complete} method (see below); if no such method is found, an
19753 error will occur when completion is attempted.
19754
19755 @var{prefix} is an optional argument. If @code{True}, then the new
19756 command is a prefix command; sub-commands of this command may be
19757 registered.
19758
19759 The help text for the new command is taken from the Python
19760 documentation string for the command's class, if there is one. If no
19761 documentation string is provided, the default value ``This command is
19762 not documented.'' is used.
19763 @end defmethod
19764
19765 @cindex don't repeat Python command
19766 @defmethod Command dont_repeat
19767 By default, a @value{GDBN} command is repeated when the user enters a
19768 blank line at the command prompt. A command can suppress this
19769 behavior by invoking the @code{dont_repeat} method. This is similar
19770 to the user command @code{dont-repeat}, see @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
19771 @end defmethod
19772
19773 @defmethod Command invoke argument from_tty
19774 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when this command is invoked.
19775
19776 @var{argument} is a string. It is the argument to the command, after
19777 leading and trailing whitespace has been stripped.
19778
19779 @var{from_tty} is a boolean argument. When true, this means that the
19780 command was entered by the user at the terminal; when false it means
19781 that the command came from elsewhere.
19782
19783 If this method throws an exception, it is turned into a @value{GDBN}
19784 @code{error} call. Otherwise, the return value is ignored.
19785 @end defmethod
19786
19787 @cindex completion of Python commands
19788 @defmethod Command complete text word
19789 This method is called by @value{GDBN} when the user attempts
19790 completion on this command. All forms of completion are handled by
19791 this method, that is, the @key{TAB} and @key{M-?} key bindings
19792 (@pxref{Completion}), and the @code{complete} command (@pxref{Help,
19793 complete}).
19794
19795 The arguments @var{text} and @var{word} are both strings. @var{text}
19796 holds the complete command line up to the cursor's location.
19797 @var{word} holds the last word of the command line; this is computed
19798 using a word-breaking heuristic.
19799
19800 The @code{complete} method can return several values:
19801 @itemize @bullet
19802 @item
19803 If the return value is a sequence, the contents of the sequence are
19804 used as the completions. It is up to @code{complete} to ensure that the
19805 contents actually do complete the word. A zero-length sequence is
19806 allowed, it means that there were no completions available. Only
19807 string elements of the sequence are used; other elements in the
19808 sequence are ignored.
19809
19810 @item
19811 If the return value is one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined
19812 below, then the corresponding @value{GDBN}-internal completion
19813 function is invoked, and its result is used.
19814
19815 @item
19816 All other results are treated as though there were no available
19817 completions.
19818 @end itemize
19819 @end defmethod
19820
19821 When a new command is registered, it must be declared as a member of
19822 some general class of commands. This is used to classify top-level
19823 commands in the on-line help system; note that prefix commands are not
19824 listed under their own category but rather that of their top-level
19825 command. The available classifications are represented by constants
19826 defined in the @code{gdb} module:
19827
19828 @table @code
19829 @findex COMMAND_NONE
19830 @findex gdb.COMMAND_NONE
19831 @item COMMAND_NONE
19832 The command does not belong to any particular class. A command in
19833 this category will not be displayed in any of the help categories.
19834
19835 @findex COMMAND_RUNNING
19836 @findex gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
19837 @item COMMAND_RUNNING
19838 The command is related to running the inferior. For example,
19839 @code{start}, @code{step}, and @code{continue} are in this category.
19840 Type @kbd{help running} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
19841 commands in this category.
19842
19843 @findex COMMAND_DATA
19844 @findex gdb.COMMAND_DATA
19845 @item COMMAND_DATA
19846 The command is related to data or variables. For example,
19847 @code{call}, @code{find}, and @code{print} are in this category. Type
19848 @kbd{help data} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands
19849 in this category.
19850
19851 @findex COMMAND_STACK
19852 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STACK
19853 @item COMMAND_STACK
19854 The command has to do with manipulation of the stack. For example,
19855 @code{backtrace}, @code{frame}, and @code{return} are in this
19856 category. Type @kbd{help stack} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a
19857 list of commands in this category.
19858
19859 @findex COMMAND_FILES
19860 @findex gdb.COMMAND_FILES
19861 @item COMMAND_FILES
19862 This class is used for file-related commands. For example,
19863 @code{file}, @code{list} and @code{section} are in this category.
19864 Type @kbd{help files} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
19865 commands in this category.
19866
19867 @findex COMMAND_SUPPORT
19868 @findex gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
19869 @item COMMAND_SUPPORT
19870 This should be used for ``support facilities'', generally meaning
19871 things that are useful to the user when interacting with @value{GDBN},
19872 but not related to the state of the inferior. For example,
19873 @code{help}, @code{make}, and @code{shell} are in this category. Type
19874 @kbd{help support} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
19875 commands in this category.
19876
19877 @findex COMMAND_STATUS
19878 @findex gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
19879 @item COMMAND_STATUS
19880 The command is an @samp{info}-related command, that is, related to the
19881 state of @value{GDBN} itself. For example, @code{info}, @code{macro},
19882 and @code{show} are in this category. Type @kbd{help status} at the
19883 @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this category.
19884
19885 @findex COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
19886 @findex gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
19887 @item COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
19888 The command has to do with breakpoints. For example, @code{break},
19889 @code{clear}, and @code{delete} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
19890 breakpoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in
19891 this category.
19892
19893 @findex COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
19894 @findex gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
19895 @item COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
19896 The command has to do with tracepoints. For example, @code{trace},
19897 @code{actions}, and @code{tfind} are in this category. Type
19898 @kbd{help tracepoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
19899 commands in this category.
19900
19901 @findex COMMAND_OBSCURE
19902 @findex gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
19903 @item COMMAND_OBSCURE
19904 The command is only used in unusual circumstances, or is not of
19905 general interest to users. For example, @code{checkpoint},
19906 @code{fork}, and @code{stop} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
19907 obscure} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this
19908 category.
19909
19910 @findex COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
19911 @findex gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
19912 @item COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
19913 The command is only useful to @value{GDBN} maintainers. The
19914 @code{maintenance} and @code{flushregs} commands are in this category.
19915 Type @kbd{help internals} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
19916 commands in this category.
19917 @end table
19918
19919 A new command can use a predefined completion function, either by
19920 specifying it via an argument at initialization, or by returning it
19921 from the @code{complete} method. These predefined completion
19922 constants are all defined in the @code{gdb} module:
19923
19924 @table @code
19925 @findex COMPLETE_NONE
19926 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
19927 @item COMPLETE_NONE
19928 This constant means that no completion should be done.
19929
19930 @findex COMPLETE_FILENAME
19931 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
19932 @item COMPLETE_FILENAME
19933 This constant means that filename completion should be performed.
19934
19935 @findex COMPLETE_LOCATION
19936 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
19937 @item COMPLETE_LOCATION
19938 This constant means that location completion should be done.
19939 @xref{Specify Location}.
19940
19941 @findex COMPLETE_COMMAND
19942 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
19943 @item COMPLETE_COMMAND
19944 This constant means that completion should examine @value{GDBN}
19945 command names.
19946
19947 @findex COMPLETE_SYMBOL
19948 @findex gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
19949 @item COMPLETE_SYMBOL
19950 This constant means that completion should be done using symbol names
19951 as the source.
19952 @end table
19953
19954 The following code snippet shows how a trivial CLI command can be
19955 implemented in Python:
19956
19957 @smallexample
19958 class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
19959 """Greet the whole world."""
19960
19961 def __init__ (self):
19962 super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE)
19963
19964 def invoke (self, arg, from_tty):
19965 print "Hello, World!"
19966
19967 HelloWorld ()
19968 @end smallexample
19969
19970 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
19971 registration of the command with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
19972 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
19973 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
19974
19975 @node Functions In Python
19976 @subsubsection Writing new convenience functions
19977
19978 @cindex writing convenience functions
19979 @cindex convenience functions in python
19980 @cindex python convenience functions
19981 @tindex gdb.Function
19982 @tindex Function
19983 You can implement new convenience functions (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
19984 in Python. A convenience function is an instance of a subclass of the
19985 class @code{gdb.Function}.
19986
19987 @defmethod Function __init__ name
19988 The initializer for @code{Function} registers the new function with
19989 @value{GDBN}. The argument @var{name} is the name of the function,
19990 a string. The function will be visible to the user as a convenience
19991 variable of type @code{internal function}, whose name is the same as
19992 the given @var{name}.
19993
19994 The documentation for the new function is taken from the documentation
19995 string for the new class.
19996 @end defmethod
19997
19998 @defmethod Function invoke @var{*args}
19999 When a convenience function is evaluated, its arguments are converted
20000 to instances of @code{gdb.Value}, and then the function's
20001 @code{invoke} method is called. Note that @value{GDBN} does not
20002 predetermine the arity of convenience functions. Instead, all
20003 available arguments are passed to @code{invoke}, following the
20004 standard Python calling convention. In particular, a convenience
20005 function can have default values for parameters without ill effect.
20006
20007 The return value of this method is used as its value in the enclosing
20008 expression. If an ordinary Python value is returned, it is converted
20009 to a @code{gdb.Value} following the usual rules.
20010 @end defmethod
20011
20012 The following code snippet shows how a trivial convenience function can
20013 be implemented in Python:
20014
20015 @smallexample
20016 class Greet (gdb.Function):
20017 """Return string to greet someone.
20018 Takes a name as argument."""
20019
20020 def __init__ (self):
20021 super (Greet, self).__init__ ("greet")
20022
20023 def invoke (self, name):
20024 return "Hello, %s!" % name.string ()
20025
20026 Greet ()
20027 @end smallexample
20028
20029 The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
20030 registration of the function with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
20031 Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
20032 @code{gdb} module explicitly.
20033
20034 @node Objfiles In Python
20035 @subsubsection Objfiles In Python
20036
20037 @cindex objfiles in python
20038 @tindex gdb.Objfile
20039 @tindex Objfile
20040 @value{GDBN} loads symbols for an inferior from various
20041 symbol-containing files (@pxref{Files}). These include the primary
20042 executable file, any shared libraries used by the inferior, and any
20043 separate debug info files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}).
20044 @value{GDBN} calls these symbol-containing files @dfn{objfiles}.
20045
20046 The following objfile-related functions are available in the
20047 @code{gdb} module:
20048
20049 @findex gdb.current_objfile
20050 @defun current_objfile
20051 When auto-loading a Python script (@pxref{Auto-loading}), @value{GDBN}
20052 sets the ``current objfile'' to the corresponding objfile. This
20053 function returns the current objfile. If there is no current objfile,
20054 this function returns @code{None}.
20055 @end defun
20056
20057 @findex gdb.objfiles
20058 @defun objfiles
20059 Return a sequence of all the objfiles current known to @value{GDBN}.
20060 @xref{Objfiles In Python}.
20061 @end defun
20062
20063 Each objfile is represented by an instance of the @code{gdb.Objfile}
20064 class.
20065
20066 @defivar Objfile filename
20067 The file name of the objfile as a string.
20068 @end defivar
20069
20070 @defivar Objfile pretty_printers
20071 The @code{pretty_printers} attribute is a list of functions. It is
20072 used to look up pretty-printers. A @code{Value} is passed to each
20073 function in order; if the function returns @code{None}, then the
20074 search continues. Otherwise, the return value should be an object
20075 which is used to format the value. @xref{Pretty Printing}, for more
20076 information.
20077 @end defivar
20078
20079 @node Frames In Python
20080 @subsubsection Acessing inferior stack frames from Python.
20081
20082 @cindex frames in python
20083 When the debugged program stops, @value{GDBN} is able to analyze its call
20084 stack (@pxref{Frames,,Stack frames}). The @code{gdb.Frame} class
20085 represents a frame in the stack. A @code{gdb.Frame} object is only valid
20086 while its corresponding frame exists in the inferior's stack. If you try
20087 to use an invalid frame object, @value{GDBN} will throw a @code{RuntimeError}
20088 exception.
20089
20090 Two @code{gdb.Frame} objects can be compared for equality with the @code{==}
20091 operator, like:
20092
20093 @smallexample
20094 (@value{GDBP}) python print gdb.newest_frame() == gdb.selected_frame ()
20095 True
20096 @end smallexample
20097
20098 The following frame-related functions are available in the @code{gdb} module:
20099
20100 @findex gdb.selected_frame
20101 @defun selected_frame
20102 Return the selected frame object. (@pxref{Selection,,Selecting a Frame}).
20103 @end defun
20104
20105 @defun frame_stop_reason_string reason
20106 Return a string explaining the reason why @value{GDBN} stopped unwinding
20107 frames, as expressed by the given @var{reason} code (an integer, see the
20108 @code{unwind_stop_reason} method further down in this section).
20109 @end defun
20110
20111 A @code{gdb.Frame} object has the following methods:
20112
20113 @table @code
20114 @defmethod Frame is_valid
20115 Returns true if the @code{gdb.Frame} object is valid, false if not.
20116 A frame object can become invalid if the frame it refers to doesn't
20117 exist anymore in the inferior. All @code{gdb.Frame} methods will throw
20118 an exception if it is invalid at the time the method is called.
20119 @end defmethod
20120
20121 @defmethod Frame name
20122 Returns the function name of the frame, or @code{None} if it can't be
20123 obtained.
20124 @end defmethod
20125
20126 @defmethod Frame type
20127 Returns the type of the frame. The value can be one of
20128 @code{gdb.NORMAL_FRAME}, @code{gdb.DUMMY_FRAME}, @code{gdb.SIGTRAMP_FRAME}
20129 or @code{gdb.SENTINEL_FRAME}.
20130 @end defmethod
20131
20132 @defmethod Frame unwind_stop_reason
20133 Return an integer representing the reason why it's not possible to find
20134 more frames toward the outermost frame. Use
20135 @code{gdb.frame_stop_reason_string} to convert the value returned by this
20136 function to a string.
20137 @end defmethod
20138
20139 @defmethod Frame pc
20140 Returns the frame's resume address.
20141 @end defmethod
20142
20143 @defmethod Frame older
20144 Return the frame that called this frame.
20145 @end defmethod
20146
20147 @defmethod Frame newer
20148 Return the frame called by this frame.
20149 @end defmethod
20150
20151 @defmethod Frame read_var variable
20152 Return the value of the given variable in this frame. @var{variable} must
20153 be a string.
20154 @end defmethod
20155 @end table
20156
20157 @node Interpreters
20158 @chapter Command Interpreters
20159 @cindex command interpreters
20160
20161 @value{GDBN} supports multiple command interpreters, and some command
20162 infrastructure to allow users or user interface writers to switch
20163 between interpreters or run commands in other interpreters.
20164
20165 @value{GDBN} currently supports two command interpreters, the console
20166 interpreter (sometimes called the command-line interpreter or @sc{cli})
20167 and the machine interface interpreter (or @sc{gdb/mi}). This manual
20168 describes both of these interfaces in great detail.
20169
20170 By default, @value{GDBN} will start with the console interpreter.
20171 However, the user may choose to start @value{GDBN} with another
20172 interpreter by specifying the @option{-i} or @option{--interpreter}
20173 startup options. Defined interpreters include:
20174
20175 @table @code
20176 @item console
20177 @cindex console interpreter
20178 The traditional console or command-line interpreter. This is the most often
20179 used interpreter with @value{GDBN}. With no interpreter specified at runtime,
20180 @value{GDBN} will use this interpreter.
20181
20182 @item mi
20183 @cindex mi interpreter
20184 The newest @sc{gdb/mi} interface (currently @code{mi2}). Used primarily
20185 by programs wishing to use @value{GDBN} as a backend for a debugger GUI
20186 or an IDE. For more information, see @ref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi}
20187 Interface}.
20188
20189 @item mi2
20190 @cindex mi2 interpreter
20191 The current @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
20192
20193 @item mi1
20194 @cindex mi1 interpreter
20195 The @sc{gdb/mi} interface included in @value{GDBN} 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
20196
20197 @end table
20198
20199 @cindex invoke another interpreter
20200 The interpreter being used by @value{GDBN} may not be dynamically
20201 switched at runtime. Although possible, this could lead to a very
20202 precarious situation. Consider an IDE using @sc{gdb/mi}. If a user
20203 enters the command "interpreter-set console" in a console view,
20204 @value{GDBN} would switch to using the console interpreter, rendering
20205 the IDE inoperable!
20206
20207 @kindex interpreter-exec
20208 Although you may only choose a single interpreter at startup, you may execute
20209 commands in any interpreter from the current interpreter using the appropriate
20210 command. If you are running the console interpreter, simply use the
20211 @code{interpreter-exec} command:
20212
20213 @smallexample
20214 interpreter-exec mi "-data-list-register-names"
20215 @end smallexample
20216
20217 @sc{gdb/mi} has a similar command, although it is only available in versions of
20218 @value{GDBN} which support @sc{gdb/mi} version 2 (or greater).
20219
20220 @node TUI
20221 @chapter @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
20222 @cindex TUI
20223 @cindex Text User Interface
20224
20225 @menu
20226 * TUI Overview:: TUI overview
20227 * TUI Keys:: TUI key bindings
20228 * TUI Single Key Mode:: TUI single key mode
20229 * TUI Commands:: TUI-specific commands
20230 * TUI Configuration:: TUI configuration variables
20231 @end menu
20232
20233 The @value{GDBN} Text User Interface (TUI) is a terminal
20234 interface which uses the @code{curses} library to show the source
20235 file, the assembly output, the program registers and @value{GDBN}
20236 commands in separate text windows. The TUI mode is supported only
20237 on platforms where a suitable version of the @code{curses} library
20238 is available.
20239
20240 @pindex @value{GDBTUI}
20241 The TUI mode is enabled by default when you invoke @value{GDBN} as
20242 either @samp{@value{GDBTUI}} or @samp{@value{GDBP} -tui}.
20243 You can also switch in and out of TUI mode while @value{GDBN} runs by
20244 using various TUI commands and key bindings, such as @kbd{C-x C-a}.
20245 @xref{TUI Keys, ,TUI Key Bindings}.
20246
20247 @node TUI Overview
20248 @section TUI Overview
20249
20250 In TUI mode, @value{GDBN} can display several text windows:
20251
20252 @table @emph
20253 @item command
20254 This window is the @value{GDBN} command window with the @value{GDBN}
20255 prompt and the @value{GDBN} output. The @value{GDBN} input is still
20256 managed using readline.
20257
20258 @item source
20259 The source window shows the source file of the program. The current
20260 line and active breakpoints are displayed in this window.
20261
20262 @item assembly
20263 The assembly window shows the disassembly output of the program.
20264
20265 @item register
20266 This window shows the processor registers. Registers are highlighted
20267 when their values change.
20268 @end table
20269
20270 The source and assembly windows show the current program position
20271 by highlighting the current line and marking it with a @samp{>} marker.
20272 Breakpoints are indicated with two markers. The first marker
20273 indicates the breakpoint type:
20274
20275 @table @code
20276 @item B
20277 Breakpoint which was hit at least once.
20278
20279 @item b
20280 Breakpoint which was never hit.
20281
20282 @item H
20283 Hardware breakpoint which was hit at least once.
20284
20285 @item h
20286 Hardware breakpoint which was never hit.
20287 @end table
20288
20289 The second marker indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled or not:
20290
20291 @table @code
20292 @item +
20293 Breakpoint is enabled.
20294
20295 @item -
20296 Breakpoint is disabled.
20297 @end table
20298
20299 The source, assembly and register windows are updated when the current
20300 thread changes, when the frame changes, or when the program counter
20301 changes.
20302
20303 These windows are not all visible at the same time. The command
20304 window is always visible. The others can be arranged in several
20305 layouts:
20306
20307 @itemize @bullet
20308 @item
20309 source only,
20310
20311 @item
20312 assembly only,
20313
20314 @item
20315 source and assembly,
20316
20317 @item
20318 source and registers, or
20319
20320 @item
20321 assembly and registers.
20322 @end itemize
20323
20324 A status line above the command window shows the following information:
20325
20326 @table @emph
20327 @item target
20328 Indicates the current @value{GDBN} target.
20329 (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
20330
20331 @item process
20332 Gives the current process or thread number.
20333 When no process is being debugged, this field is set to @code{No process}.
20334
20335 @item function
20336 Gives the current function name for the selected frame.
20337 The name is demangled if demangling is turned on (@pxref{Print Settings}).
20338 When there is no symbol corresponding to the current program counter,
20339 the string @code{??} is displayed.
20340
20341 @item line
20342 Indicates the current line number for the selected frame.
20343 When the current line number is not known, the string @code{??} is displayed.
20344
20345 @item pc
20346 Indicates the current program counter address.
20347 @end table
20348
20349 @node TUI Keys
20350 @section TUI Key Bindings
20351 @cindex TUI key bindings
20352
20353 The TUI installs several key bindings in the readline keymaps
20354 (@pxref{Command Line Editing}). The following key bindings
20355 are installed for both TUI mode and the @value{GDBN} standard mode.
20356
20357 @table @kbd
20358 @kindex C-x C-a
20359 @item C-x C-a
20360 @kindex C-x a
20361 @itemx C-x a
20362 @kindex C-x A
20363 @itemx C-x A
20364 Enter or leave the TUI mode. When leaving the TUI mode,
20365 the curses window management stops and @value{GDBN} operates using
20366 its standard mode, writing on the terminal directly. When reentering
20367 the TUI mode, control is given back to the curses windows.
20368 The screen is then refreshed.
20369
20370 @kindex C-x 1
20371 @item C-x 1
20372 Use a TUI layout with only one window. The layout will
20373 either be @samp{source} or @samp{assembly}. When the TUI mode
20374 is not active, it will switch to the TUI mode.
20375
20376 Think of this key binding as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 1} binding.
20377
20378 @kindex C-x 2
20379 @item C-x 2
20380 Use a TUI layout with at least two windows. When the current
20381 layout already has two windows, the next layout with two windows is used.
20382 When a new layout is chosen, one window will always be common to the
20383 previous layout and the new one.
20384
20385 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 2} binding.
20386
20387 @kindex C-x o
20388 @item C-x o
20389 Change the active window. The TUI associates several key bindings
20390 (like scrolling and arrow keys) with the active window. This command
20391 gives the focus to the next TUI window.
20392
20393 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x o} binding.
20394
20395 @kindex C-x s
20396 @item C-x s
20397 Switch in and out of the TUI SingleKey mode that binds single
20398 keys to @value{GDBN} commands (@pxref{TUI Single Key Mode}).
20399 @end table
20400
20401 The following key bindings only work in the TUI mode:
20402
20403 @table @asis
20404 @kindex PgUp
20405 @item @key{PgUp}
20406 Scroll the active window one page up.
20407
20408 @kindex PgDn
20409 @item @key{PgDn}
20410 Scroll the active window one page down.
20411
20412 @kindex Up
20413 @item @key{Up}
20414 Scroll the active window one line up.
20415
20416 @kindex Down
20417 @item @key{Down}
20418 Scroll the active window one line down.
20419
20420 @kindex Left
20421 @item @key{Left}
20422 Scroll the active window one column left.
20423
20424 @kindex Right
20425 @item @key{Right}
20426 Scroll the active window one column right.
20427
20428 @kindex C-L
20429 @item @kbd{C-L}
20430 Refresh the screen.
20431 @end table
20432
20433 Because the arrow keys scroll the active window in the TUI mode, they
20434 are not available for their normal use by readline unless the command
20435 window has the focus. When another window is active, you must use
20436 other readline key bindings such as @kbd{C-p}, @kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-b}
20437 and @kbd{C-f} to control the command window.
20438
20439 @node TUI Single Key Mode
20440 @section TUI Single Key Mode
20441 @cindex TUI single key mode
20442
20443 The TUI also provides a @dfn{SingleKey} mode, which binds several
20444 frequently used @value{GDBN} commands to single keys. Type @kbd{C-x s} to
20445 switch into this mode, where the following key bindings are used:
20446
20447 @table @kbd
20448 @kindex c @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20449 @item c
20450 continue
20451
20452 @kindex d @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20453 @item d
20454 down
20455
20456 @kindex f @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20457 @item f
20458 finish
20459
20460 @kindex n @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20461 @item n
20462 next
20463
20464 @kindex q @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20465 @item q
20466 exit the SingleKey mode.
20467
20468 @kindex r @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20469 @item r
20470 run
20471
20472 @kindex s @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20473 @item s
20474 step
20475
20476 @kindex u @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20477 @item u
20478 up
20479
20480 @kindex v @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20481 @item v
20482 info locals
20483
20484 @kindex w @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
20485 @item w
20486 where
20487 @end table
20488
20489 Other keys temporarily switch to the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
20490 The key that was pressed is inserted in the editing buffer so that
20491 it is possible to type most @value{GDBN} commands without interaction
20492 with the TUI SingleKey mode. Once the command is entered the TUI
20493 SingleKey mode is restored. The only way to permanently leave
20494 this mode is by typing @kbd{q} or @kbd{C-x s}.
20495
20496
20497 @node TUI Commands
20498 @section TUI-specific Commands
20499 @cindex TUI commands
20500
20501 The TUI has specific commands to control the text windows.
20502 These commands are always available, even when @value{GDBN} is not in
20503 the TUI mode. When @value{GDBN} is in the standard mode, most
20504 of these commands will automatically switch to the TUI mode.
20505
20506 @table @code
20507 @item info win
20508 @kindex info win
20509 List and give the size of all displayed windows.
20510
20511 @item layout next
20512 @kindex layout
20513 Display the next layout.
20514
20515 @item layout prev
20516 Display the previous layout.
20517
20518 @item layout src
20519 Display the source window only.
20520
20521 @item layout asm
20522 Display the assembly window only.
20523
20524 @item layout split
20525 Display the source and assembly window.
20526
20527 @item layout regs
20528 Display the register window together with the source or assembly window.
20529
20530 @item focus next
20531 @kindex focus
20532 Make the next window active for scrolling.
20533
20534 @item focus prev
20535 Make the previous window active for scrolling.
20536
20537 @item focus src
20538 Make the source window active for scrolling.
20539
20540 @item focus asm
20541 Make the assembly window active for scrolling.
20542
20543 @item focus regs
20544 Make the register window active for scrolling.
20545
20546 @item focus cmd
20547 Make the command window active for scrolling.
20548
20549 @item refresh
20550 @kindex refresh
20551 Refresh the screen. This is similar to typing @kbd{C-L}.
20552
20553 @item tui reg float
20554 @kindex tui reg
20555 Show the floating point registers in the register window.
20556
20557 @item tui reg general
20558 Show the general registers in the register window.
20559
20560 @item tui reg next
20561 Show the next register group. The list of register groups as well as
20562 their order is target specific. The predefined register groups are the
20563 following: @code{general}, @code{float}, @code{system}, @code{vector},
20564 @code{all}, @code{save}, @code{restore}.
20565
20566 @item tui reg system
20567 Show the system registers in the register window.
20568
20569 @item update
20570 @kindex update
20571 Update the source window and the current execution point.
20572
20573 @item winheight @var{name} +@var{count}
20574 @itemx winheight @var{name} -@var{count}
20575 @kindex winheight
20576 Change the height of the window @var{name} by @var{count}
20577 lines. Positive counts increase the height, while negative counts
20578 decrease it.
20579
20580 @item tabset @var{nchars}
20581 @kindex tabset
20582 Set the width of tab stops to be @var{nchars} characters.
20583 @end table
20584
20585 @node TUI Configuration
20586 @section TUI Configuration Variables
20587 @cindex TUI configuration variables
20588
20589 Several configuration variables control the appearance of TUI windows.
20590
20591 @table @code
20592 @item set tui border-kind @var{kind}
20593 @kindex set tui border-kind
20594 Select the border appearance for the source, assembly and register windows.
20595 The possible values are the following:
20596 @table @code
20597 @item space
20598 Use a space character to draw the border.
20599
20600 @item ascii
20601 Use @sc{ascii} characters @samp{+}, @samp{-} and @samp{|} to draw the border.
20602
20603 @item acs
20604 Use the Alternate Character Set to draw the border. The border is
20605 drawn using character line graphics if the terminal supports them.
20606 @end table
20607
20608 @item set tui border-mode @var{mode}
20609 @kindex set tui border-mode
20610 @itemx set tui active-border-mode @var{mode}
20611 @kindex set tui active-border-mode
20612 Select the display attributes for the borders of the inactive windows
20613 or the active window. The @var{mode} can be one of the following:
20614 @table @code
20615 @item normal
20616 Use normal attributes to display the border.
20617
20618 @item standout
20619 Use standout mode.
20620
20621 @item reverse
20622 Use reverse video mode.
20623
20624 @item half
20625 Use half bright mode.
20626
20627 @item half-standout
20628 Use half bright and standout mode.
20629
20630 @item bold
20631 Use extra bright or bold mode.
20632
20633 @item bold-standout
20634 Use extra bright or bold and standout mode.
20635 @end table
20636 @end table
20637
20638 @node Emacs
20639 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
20640
20641 @cindex Emacs
20642 @cindex @sc{gnu} Emacs
20643 A special interface allows you to use @sc{gnu} Emacs to view (and
20644 edit) the source files for the program you are debugging with
20645 @value{GDBN}.
20646
20647 To use this interface, use the command @kbd{M-x gdb} in Emacs. Give the
20648 executable file you want to debug as an argument. This command starts
20649 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess of Emacs, with input and output through a newly
20650 created Emacs buffer.
20651 @c (Do not use the @code{-tui} option to run @value{GDBN} from Emacs.)
20652
20653 Running @value{GDBN} under Emacs can be just like running @value{GDBN} normally except for two
20654 things:
20655
20656 @itemize @bullet
20657 @item
20658 All ``terminal'' input and output goes through an Emacs buffer, called
20659 the GUD buffer.
20660
20661 This applies both to @value{GDBN} commands and their output, and to the input
20662 and output done by the program you are debugging.
20663
20664 This is useful because it means that you can copy the text of previous
20665 commands and input them again; you can even use parts of the output
20666 in this way.
20667
20668 All the facilities of Emacs' Shell mode are available for interacting
20669 with your program. In particular, you can send signals the usual
20670 way---for example, @kbd{C-c C-c} for an interrupt, @kbd{C-c C-z} for a
20671 stop.
20672
20673 @item
20674 @value{GDBN} displays source code through Emacs.
20675
20676 Each time @value{GDBN} displays a stack frame, Emacs automatically finds the
20677 source file for that frame and puts an arrow (@samp{=>}) at the
20678 left margin of the current line. Emacs uses a separate buffer for
20679 source display, and splits the screen to show both your @value{GDBN} session
20680 and the source.
20681
20682 Explicit @value{GDBN} @code{list} or search commands still produce output as
20683 usual, but you probably have no reason to use them from Emacs.
20684 @end itemize
20685
20686 We call this @dfn{text command mode}. Emacs 22.1, and later, also uses
20687 a graphical mode, enabled by default, which provides further buffers
20688 that can control the execution and describe the state of your program.
20689 @xref{GDB Graphical Interface,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}.
20690
20691 If you specify an absolute file name when prompted for the @kbd{M-x
20692 gdb} argument, then Emacs sets your current working directory to where
20693 your program resides. If you only specify the file name, then Emacs
20694 sets your current working directory to to the directory associated
20695 with the previous buffer. In this case, @value{GDBN} may find your
20696 program by searching your environment's @code{PATH} variable, but on
20697 some operating systems it might not find the source. So, although the
20698 @value{GDBN} input and output session proceeds normally, the auxiliary
20699 buffer does not display the current source and line of execution.
20700
20701 The initial working directory of @value{GDBN} is printed on the top
20702 line of the GUD buffer and this serves as a default for the commands
20703 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files,
20704 ,Commands to Specify Files}.
20705
20706 By default, @kbd{M-x gdb} calls the program called @file{gdb}. If you
20707 need to call @value{GDBN} by a different name (for example, if you
20708 keep several configurations around, with different names) you can
20709 customize the Emacs variable @code{gud-gdb-command-name} to run the
20710 one you want.
20711
20712 In the GUD buffer, you can use these special Emacs commands in
20713 addition to the standard Shell mode commands:
20714
20715 @table @kbd
20716 @item C-h m
20717 Describe the features of Emacs' GUD Mode.
20718
20719 @item C-c C-s
20720 Execute to another source line, like the @value{GDBN} @code{step} command; also
20721 update the display window to show the current file and location.
20722
20723 @item C-c C-n
20724 Execute to next source line in this function, skipping all function
20725 calls, like the @value{GDBN} @code{next} command. Then update the display window
20726 to show the current file and location.
20727
20728 @item C-c C-i
20729 Execute one instruction, like the @value{GDBN} @code{stepi} command; update
20730 display window accordingly.
20731
20732 @item C-c C-f
20733 Execute until exit from the selected stack frame, like the @value{GDBN}
20734 @code{finish} command.
20735
20736 @item C-c C-r
20737 Continue execution of your program, like the @value{GDBN} @code{continue}
20738 command.
20739
20740 @item C-c <
20741 Go up the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument
20742 (@pxref{Arguments, , Numeric Arguments, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}),
20743 like the @value{GDBN} @code{up} command.
20744
20745 @item C-c >
20746 Go down the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument, like the
20747 @value{GDBN} @code{down} command.
20748 @end table
20749
20750 In any source file, the Emacs command @kbd{C-x @key{SPC}} (@code{gud-break})
20751 tells @value{GDBN} to set a breakpoint on the source line point is on.
20752
20753 In text command mode, if you type @kbd{M-x speedbar}, Emacs displays a
20754 separate frame which shows a backtrace when the GUD buffer is current.
20755 Move point to any frame in the stack and type @key{RET} to make it
20756 become the current frame and display the associated source in the
20757 source buffer. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-2} to make the
20758 selected frame become the current one. In graphical mode, the
20759 speedbar displays watch expressions.
20760
20761 If you accidentally delete the source-display buffer, an easy way to get
20762 it back is to type the command @code{f} in the @value{GDBN} buffer, to
20763 request a frame display; when you run under Emacs, this recreates
20764 the source buffer if necessary to show you the context of the current
20765 frame.
20766
20767 The source files displayed in Emacs are in ordinary Emacs buffers
20768 which are visiting the source files in the usual way. You can edit
20769 the files with these buffers if you wish; but keep in mind that @value{GDBN}
20770 communicates with Emacs in terms of line numbers. If you add or
20771 delete lines from the text, the line numbers that @value{GDBN} knows cease
20772 to correspond properly with the code.
20773
20774 A more detailed description of Emacs' interaction with @value{GDBN} is
20775 given in the Emacs manual (@pxref{Debuggers,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu}
20776 Emacs Manual}).
20777
20778 @c The following dropped because Epoch is nonstandard. Reactivate
20779 @c if/when v19 does something similar. ---doc@cygnus.com 19dec1990
20780 @ignore
20781 @kindex Emacs Epoch environment
20782 @kindex Epoch
20783 @kindex inspect
20784
20785 Version 18 of @sc{gnu} Emacs has a built-in window system
20786 called the @code{epoch}
20787 environment. Users of this environment can use a new command,
20788 @code{inspect} which performs identically to @code{print} except that
20789 each value is printed in its own window.
20790 @end ignore
20791
20792
20793 @node GDB/MI
20794 @chapter The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface
20795
20796 @unnumberedsec Function and Purpose
20797
20798 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, its purpose
20799 @sc{gdb/mi} is a line based machine oriented text interface to
20800 @value{GDBN} and is activated by specifying using the
20801 @option{--interpreter} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}). It
20802 is specifically intended to support the development of systems which
20803 use the debugger as just one small component of a larger system.
20804
20805 This chapter is a specification of the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. It is written
20806 in the form of a reference manual.
20807
20808 Note that @sc{gdb/mi} is still under construction, so some of the
20809 features described below are incomplete and subject to change
20810 (@pxref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, , @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends}).
20811
20812 @unnumberedsec Notation and Terminology
20813
20814 @cindex notational conventions, for @sc{gdb/mi}
20815 This chapter uses the following notation:
20816
20817 @itemize @bullet
20818 @item
20819 @code{|} separates two alternatives.
20820
20821 @item
20822 @code{[ @var{something} ]} indicates that @var{something} is optional:
20823 it may or may not be given.
20824
20825 @item
20826 @code{( @var{group} )*} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
20827 may repeat zero or more times.
20828
20829 @item
20830 @code{( @var{group} )+} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
20831 may repeat one or more times.
20832
20833 @item
20834 @code{"@var{string}"} means a literal @var{string}.
20835 @end itemize
20836
20837 @ignore
20838 @heading Dependencies
20839 @end ignore
20840
20841 @menu
20842 * GDB/MI General Design::
20843 * GDB/MI Command Syntax::
20844 * GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI::
20845 * GDB/MI Development and Front Ends::
20846 * GDB/MI Output Records::
20847 * GDB/MI Simple Examples::
20848 * GDB/MI Command Description Format::
20849 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands::
20850 * GDB/MI Program Context::
20851 * GDB/MI Thread Commands::
20852 * GDB/MI Program Execution::
20853 * GDB/MI Stack Manipulation::
20854 * GDB/MI Variable Objects::
20855 * GDB/MI Data Manipulation::
20856 * GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands::
20857 * GDB/MI Symbol Query::
20858 * GDB/MI File Commands::
20859 @ignore
20860 * GDB/MI Kod Commands::
20861 * GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands::
20862 * GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands::
20863 @end ignore
20864 * GDB/MI Target Manipulation::
20865 * GDB/MI File Transfer Commands::
20866 * GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands::
20867 @end menu
20868
20869 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20870 @node GDB/MI General Design
20871 @section @sc{gdb/mi} General Design
20872 @cindex GDB/MI General Design
20873
20874 Interaction of a @sc{GDB/MI} frontend with @value{GDBN} involves three
20875 parts---commands sent to @value{GDBN}, responses to those commands
20876 and notifications. Each command results in exactly one response,
20877 indicating either successful completion of the command, or an error.
20878 For the commands that do not resume the target, the response contains the
20879 requested information. For the commands that resume the target, the
20880 response only indicates whether the target was successfully resumed.
20881 Notifications is the mechanism for reporting changes in the state of the
20882 target, or in @value{GDBN} state, that cannot conveniently be associated with
20883 a command and reported as part of that command response.
20884
20885 The important examples of notifications are:
20886 @itemize @bullet
20887
20888 @item
20889 Exec notifications. These are used to report changes in
20890 target state---when a target is resumed, or stopped. It would not
20891 be feasible to include this information in response of resuming
20892 commands, because one resume commands can result in multiple events in
20893 different threads. Also, quite some time may pass before any event
20894 happens in the target, while a frontend needs to know whether the resuming
20895 command itself was successfully executed.
20896
20897 @item
20898 Console output, and status notifications. Console output
20899 notifications are used to report output of CLI commands, as well as
20900 diagnostics for other commands. Status notifications are used to
20901 report the progress of a long-running operation. Naturally, including
20902 this information in command response would mean no output is produced
20903 until the command is finished, which is undesirable.
20904
20905 @item
20906 General notifications. Commands may have various side effects on
20907 the @value{GDBN} or target state beyond their official purpose. For example,
20908 a command may change the selected thread. Although such changes can
20909 be included in command response, using notification allows for more
20910 orthogonal frontend design.
20911
20912 @end itemize
20913
20914 There's no guarantee that whenever an MI command reports an error,
20915 @value{GDBN} or the target are in any specific state, and especially,
20916 the state is not reverted to the state before the MI command was
20917 processed. Therefore, whenever an MI command results in an error,
20918 we recommend that the frontend refreshes all the information shown in
20919 the user interface.
20920
20921
20922 @menu
20923 * Context management::
20924 * Asynchronous and non-stop modes::
20925 * Thread groups::
20926 @end menu
20927
20928 @node Context management
20929 @subsection Context management
20930
20931 In most cases when @value{GDBN} accesses the target, this access is
20932 done in context of a specific thread and frame (@pxref{Frames}).
20933 Often, even when accessing global data, the target requires that a thread
20934 be specified. The CLI interface maintains the selected thread and frame,
20935 and supplies them to target on each command. This is convenient,
20936 because a command line user would not want to specify that information
20937 explicitly on each command, and because user interacts with
20938 @value{GDBN} via a single terminal, so no confusion is possible as
20939 to what thread and frame are the current ones.
20940
20941 In the case of MI, the concept of selected thread and frame is less
20942 useful. First, a frontend can easily remember this information
20943 itself. Second, a graphical frontend can have more than one window,
20944 each one used for debugging a different thread, and the frontend might
20945 want to access additional threads for internal purposes. This
20946 increases the risk that by relying on implicitly selected thread, the
20947 frontend may be operating on a wrong one. Therefore, each MI command
20948 should explicitly specify which thread and frame to operate on. To
20949 make it possible, each MI command accepts the @samp{--thread} and
20950 @samp{--frame} options, the value to each is @value{GDBN} identifier
20951 for thread and frame to operate on.
20952
20953 Usually, each top-level window in a frontend allows the user to select
20954 a thread and a frame, and remembers the user selection for further
20955 operations. However, in some cases @value{GDBN} may suggest that the
20956 current thread be changed. For example, when stopping on a breakpoint
20957 it is reasonable to switch to the thread where breakpoint is hit. For
20958 another example, if the user issues the CLI @samp{thread} command via
20959 the frontend, it is desirable to change the frontend's selected thread to the
20960 one specified by user. @value{GDBN} communicates the suggestion to
20961 change current thread using the @samp{=thread-selected} notification.
20962 No such notification is available for the selected frame at the moment.
20963
20964 Note that historically, MI shares the selected thread with CLI, so
20965 frontends used the @code{-thread-select} to execute commands in the
20966 right context. However, getting this to work right is cumbersome. The
20967 simplest way is for frontend to emit @code{-thread-select} command
20968 before every command. This doubles the number of commands that need
20969 to be sent. The alternative approach is to suppress @code{-thread-select}
20970 if the selected thread in @value{GDBN} is supposed to be identical to the
20971 thread the frontend wants to operate on. However, getting this
20972 optimization right can be tricky. In particular, if the frontend
20973 sends several commands to @value{GDBN}, and one of the commands changes the
20974 selected thread, then the behaviour of subsequent commands will
20975 change. So, a frontend should either wait for response from such
20976 problematic commands, or explicitly add @code{-thread-select} for
20977 all subsequent commands. No frontend is known to do this exactly
20978 right, so it is suggested to just always pass the @samp{--thread} and
20979 @samp{--frame} options.
20980
20981 @node Asynchronous and non-stop modes
20982 @subsection Asynchronous command execution and non-stop mode
20983
20984 On some targets, @value{GDBN} is capable of processing MI commands
20985 even while the target is running. This is called @dfn{asynchronous
20986 command execution} (@pxref{Background Execution}). The frontend may
20987 specify a preferrence for asynchronous execution using the
20988 @code{-gdb-set target-async 1} command, which should be emitted before
20989 either running the executable or attaching to the target. After the
20990 frontend has started the executable or attached to the target, it can
20991 find if asynchronous execution is enabled using the
20992 @code{-list-target-features} command.
20993
20994 Even if @value{GDBN} can accept a command while target is running,
20995 many commands that access the target do not work when the target is
20996 running. Therefore, asynchronous command execution is most useful
20997 when combined with non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}). Then,
20998 it is possible to examine the state of one thread, while other threads
20999 are running.
21000
21001 When a given thread is running, MI commands that try to access the
21002 target in the context of that thread may not work, or may work only on
21003 some targets. In particular, commands that try to operate on thread's
21004 stack will not work, on any target. Commands that read memory, or
21005 modify breakpoints, may work or not work, depending on the target. Note
21006 that even commands that operate on global state, such as @code{print},
21007 @code{set}, and breakpoint commands, still access the target in the
21008 context of a specific thread, so frontend should try to find a
21009 stopped thread and perform the operation on that thread (using the
21010 @samp{--thread} option).
21011
21012 Which commands will work in the context of a running thread is
21013 highly target dependent. However, the two commands
21014 @code{-exec-interrupt}, to stop a thread, and @code{-thread-info},
21015 to find the state of a thread, will always work.
21016
21017 @node Thread groups
21018 @subsection Thread groups
21019 @value{GDBN} may be used to debug several processes at the same time.
21020 On some platfroms, @value{GDBN} may support debugging of several
21021 hardware systems, each one having several cores with several different
21022 processes running on each core. This section describes the MI
21023 mechanism to support such debugging scenarios.
21024
21025 The key observation is that regardless of the structure of the
21026 target, MI can have a global list of threads, because most commands that
21027 accept the @samp{--thread} option do not need to know what process that
21028 thread belongs to. Therefore, it is not necessary to introduce
21029 neither additional @samp{--process} option, nor an notion of the
21030 current process in the MI interface. The only strictly new feature
21031 that is required is the ability to find how the threads are grouped
21032 into processes.
21033
21034 To allow the user to discover such grouping, and to support arbitrary
21035 hierarchy of machines/cores/processes, MI introduces the concept of a
21036 @dfn{thread group}. Thread group is a collection of threads and other
21037 thread groups. A thread group always has a string identifier, a type,
21038 and may have additional attributes specific to the type. A new
21039 command, @code{-list-thread-groups}, returns the list of top-level
21040 thread groups, which correspond to processes that @value{GDBN} is
21041 debugging at the moment. By passing an identifier of a thread group
21042 to the @code{-list-thread-groups} command, it is possible to obtain
21043 the members of specific thread group.
21044
21045 To allow the user to easily discover processes, and other objects, he
21046 wishes to debug, a concept of @dfn{available thread group} is
21047 introduced. Available thread group is an thread group that
21048 @value{GDBN} is not debugging, but that can be attached to, using the
21049 @code{-target-attach} command. The list of available top-level thread
21050 groups can be obtained using @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}.
21051 In general, the content of a thread group may be only retrieved only
21052 after attaching to that thread group.
21053
21054 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21055 @node GDB/MI Command Syntax
21056 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Syntax
21057
21058 @menu
21059 * GDB/MI Input Syntax::
21060 * GDB/MI Output Syntax::
21061 @end menu
21062
21063 @node GDB/MI Input Syntax
21064 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Input Syntax
21065
21066 @cindex input syntax for @sc{gdb/mi}
21067 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, input syntax
21068 @table @code
21069 @item @var{command} @expansion{}
21070 @code{@var{cli-command} | @var{mi-command}}
21071
21072 @item @var{cli-command} @expansion{}
21073 @code{[ @var{token} ] @var{cli-command} @var{nl}}, where
21074 @var{cli-command} is any existing @value{GDBN} CLI command.
21075
21076 @item @var{mi-command} @expansion{}
21077 @code{[ @var{token} ] "-" @var{operation} ( " " @var{option} )*
21078 @code{[} " --" @code{]} ( " " @var{parameter} )* @var{nl}}
21079
21080 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
21081 "any sequence of digits"
21082
21083 @item @var{option} @expansion{}
21084 @code{"-" @var{parameter} [ " " @var{parameter} ]}
21085
21086 @item @var{parameter} @expansion{}
21087 @code{@var{non-blank-sequence} | @var{c-string}}
21088
21089 @item @var{operation} @expansion{}
21090 @emph{any of the operations described in this chapter}
21091
21092 @item @var{non-blank-sequence} @expansion{}
21093 @emph{anything, provided it doesn't contain special characters such as
21094 "-", @var{nl}, """ and of course " "}
21095
21096 @item @var{c-string} @expansion{}
21097 @code{""" @var{seven-bit-iso-c-string-content} """}
21098
21099 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
21100 @code{CR | CR-LF}
21101 @end table
21102
21103 @noindent
21104 Notes:
21105
21106 @itemize @bullet
21107 @item
21108 The CLI commands are still handled by the @sc{mi} interpreter; their
21109 output is described below.
21110
21111 @item
21112 The @code{@var{token}}, when present, is passed back when the command
21113 finishes.
21114
21115 @item
21116 Some @sc{mi} commands accept optional arguments as part of the parameter
21117 list. Each option is identified by a leading @samp{-} (dash) and may be
21118 followed by an optional argument parameter. Options occur first in the
21119 parameter list and can be delimited from normal parameters using
21120 @samp{--} (this is useful when some parameters begin with a dash).
21121 @end itemize
21122
21123 Pragmatics:
21124
21125 @itemize @bullet
21126 @item
21127 We want easy access to the existing CLI syntax (for debugging).
21128
21129 @item
21130 We want it to be easy to spot a @sc{mi} operation.
21131 @end itemize
21132
21133 @node GDB/MI Output Syntax
21134 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax
21135
21136 @cindex output syntax of @sc{gdb/mi}
21137 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, output syntax
21138 The output from @sc{gdb/mi} consists of zero or more out-of-band records
21139 followed, optionally, by a single result record. This result record
21140 is for the most recent command. The sequence of output records is
21141 terminated by @samp{(gdb)}.
21142
21143 If an input command was prefixed with a @code{@var{token}} then the
21144 corresponding output for that command will also be prefixed by that same
21145 @var{token}.
21146
21147 @table @code
21148 @item @var{output} @expansion{}
21149 @code{( @var{out-of-band-record} )* [ @var{result-record} ] "(gdb)" @var{nl}}
21150
21151 @item @var{result-record} @expansion{}
21152 @code{ [ @var{token} ] "^" @var{result-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
21153
21154 @item @var{out-of-band-record} @expansion{}
21155 @code{@var{async-record} | @var{stream-record}}
21156
21157 @item @var{async-record} @expansion{}
21158 @code{@var{exec-async-output} | @var{status-async-output} | @var{notify-async-output}}
21159
21160 @item @var{exec-async-output} @expansion{}
21161 @code{[ @var{token} ] "*" @var{async-output}}
21162
21163 @item @var{status-async-output} @expansion{}
21164 @code{[ @var{token} ] "+" @var{async-output}}
21165
21166 @item @var{notify-async-output} @expansion{}
21167 @code{[ @var{token} ] "=" @var{async-output}}
21168
21169 @item @var{async-output} @expansion{}
21170 @code{@var{async-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
21171
21172 @item @var{result-class} @expansion{}
21173 @code{"done" | "running" | "connected" | "error" | "exit"}
21174
21175 @item @var{async-class} @expansion{}
21176 @code{"stopped" | @var{others}} (where @var{others} will be added
21177 depending on the needs---this is still in development).
21178
21179 @item @var{result} @expansion{}
21180 @code{ @var{variable} "=" @var{value}}
21181
21182 @item @var{variable} @expansion{}
21183 @code{ @var{string} }
21184
21185 @item @var{value} @expansion{}
21186 @code{ @var{const} | @var{tuple} | @var{list} }
21187
21188 @item @var{const} @expansion{}
21189 @code{@var{c-string}}
21190
21191 @item @var{tuple} @expansion{}
21192 @code{ "@{@}" | "@{" @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "@}" }
21193
21194 @item @var{list} @expansion{}
21195 @code{ "[]" | "[" @var{value} ( "," @var{value} )* "]" | "["
21196 @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "]" }
21197
21198 @item @var{stream-record} @expansion{}
21199 @code{@var{console-stream-output} | @var{target-stream-output} | @var{log-stream-output}}
21200
21201 @item @var{console-stream-output} @expansion{}
21202 @code{"~" @var{c-string}}
21203
21204 @item @var{target-stream-output} @expansion{}
21205 @code{"@@" @var{c-string}}
21206
21207 @item @var{log-stream-output} @expansion{}
21208 @code{"&" @var{c-string}}
21209
21210 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
21211 @code{CR | CR-LF}
21212
21213 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
21214 @emph{any sequence of digits}.
21215 @end table
21216
21217 @noindent
21218 Notes:
21219
21220 @itemize @bullet
21221 @item
21222 All output sequences end in a single line containing a period.
21223
21224 @item
21225 The @code{@var{token}} is from the corresponding request. Note that
21226 for all async output, while the token is allowed by the grammar and
21227 may be output by future versions of @value{GDBN} for select async
21228 output messages, it is generally omitted. Frontends should treat
21229 all async output as reporting general changes in the state of the
21230 target and there should be no need to associate async output to any
21231 prior command.
21232
21233 @item
21234 @cindex status output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21235 @var{status-async-output} contains on-going status information about the
21236 progress of a slow operation. It can be discarded. All status output is
21237 prefixed by @samp{+}.
21238
21239 @item
21240 @cindex async output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21241 @var{exec-async-output} contains asynchronous state change on the target
21242 (stopped, started, disappeared). All async output is prefixed by
21243 @samp{*}.
21244
21245 @item
21246 @cindex notify output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21247 @var{notify-async-output} contains supplementary information that the
21248 client should handle (e.g., a new breakpoint information). All notify
21249 output is prefixed by @samp{=}.
21250
21251 @item
21252 @cindex console output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21253 @var{console-stream-output} is output that should be displayed as is in the
21254 console. It is the textual response to a CLI command. All the console
21255 output is prefixed by @samp{~}.
21256
21257 @item
21258 @cindex target output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21259 @var{target-stream-output} is the output produced by the target program.
21260 All the target output is prefixed by @samp{@@}.
21261
21262 @item
21263 @cindex log output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21264 @var{log-stream-output} is output text coming from @value{GDBN}'s internals, for
21265 instance messages that should be displayed as part of an error log. All
21266 the log output is prefixed by @samp{&}.
21267
21268 @item
21269 @cindex list output in @sc{gdb/mi}
21270 New @sc{gdb/mi} commands should only output @var{lists} containing
21271 @var{values}.
21272
21273
21274 @end itemize
21275
21276 @xref{GDB/MI Stream Records, , @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records}, for more
21277 details about the various output records.
21278
21279 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21280 @node GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI
21281 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Compatibility with CLI
21282
21283 @cindex compatibility, @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI
21284 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, compatibility with CLI
21285
21286 For the developers convenience CLI commands can be entered directly,
21287 but there may be some unexpected behaviour. For example, commands
21288 that query the user will behave as if the user replied yes, breakpoint
21289 command lists are not executed and some CLI commands, such as
21290 @code{if}, @code{when} and @code{define}, prompt for further input with
21291 @samp{>}, which is not valid MI output.
21292
21293 This feature may be removed at some stage in the future and it is
21294 recommended that front ends use the @code{-interpreter-exec} command
21295 (@pxref{-interpreter-exec}).
21296
21297 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21298 @node GDB/MI Development and Front Ends
21299 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends
21300 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi} development
21301
21302 The application which takes the MI output and presents the state of the
21303 program being debugged to the user is called a @dfn{front end}.
21304
21305 Although @sc{gdb/mi} is still incomplete, it is currently being used
21306 by a variety of front ends to @value{GDBN}. This makes it difficult
21307 to introduce new functionality without breaking existing usage. This
21308 section tries to minimize the problems by describing how the protocol
21309 might change.
21310
21311 Some changes in MI need not break a carefully designed front end, and
21312 for these the MI version will remain unchanged. The following is a
21313 list of changes that may occur within one level, so front ends should
21314 parse MI output in a way that can handle them:
21315
21316 @itemize @bullet
21317 @item
21318 New MI commands may be added.
21319
21320 @item
21321 New fields may be added to the output of any MI command.
21322
21323 @item
21324 The range of values for fields with specified values, e.g.,
21325 @code{in_scope} (@pxref{-var-update}) may be extended.
21326
21327 @c The format of field's content e.g type prefix, may change so parse it
21328 @c at your own risk. Yes, in general?
21329
21330 @c The order of fields may change? Shouldn't really matter but it might
21331 @c resolve inconsistencies.
21332 @end itemize
21333
21334 If the changes are likely to break front ends, the MI version level
21335 will be increased by one. This will allow the front end to parse the
21336 output according to the MI version. Apart from mi0, new versions of
21337 @value{GDBN} will not support old versions of MI and it will be the
21338 responsibility of the front end to work with the new one.
21339
21340 @c Starting with mi3, add a new command -mi-version that prints the MI
21341 @c version?
21342
21343 The best way to avoid unexpected changes in MI that might break your front
21344 end is to make your project known to @value{GDBN} developers and
21345 follow development on @email{gdb@@sourceware.org} and
21346 @email{gdb-patches@@sourceware.org}.
21347 @cindex mailing lists
21348
21349 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21350 @node GDB/MI Output Records
21351 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Output Records
21352
21353 @menu
21354 * GDB/MI Result Records::
21355 * GDB/MI Stream Records::
21356 * GDB/MI Async Records::
21357 * GDB/MI Frame Information::
21358 @end menu
21359
21360 @node GDB/MI Result Records
21361 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Result Records
21362
21363 @cindex result records in @sc{gdb/mi}
21364 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, result records
21365 In addition to a number of out-of-band notifications, the response to a
21366 @sc{gdb/mi} command includes one of the following result indications:
21367
21368 @table @code
21369 @findex ^done
21370 @item "^done" [ "," @var{results} ]
21371 The synchronous operation was successful, @code{@var{results}} are the return
21372 values.
21373
21374 @item "^running"
21375 @findex ^running
21376 @c Is this one correct? Should it be an out-of-band notification?
21377 The asynchronous operation was successfully started. The target is
21378 running.
21379
21380 @item "^connected"
21381 @findex ^connected
21382 @value{GDBN} has connected to a remote target.
21383
21384 @item "^error" "," @var{c-string}
21385 @findex ^error
21386 The operation failed. The @code{@var{c-string}} contains the corresponding
21387 error message.
21388
21389 @item "^exit"
21390 @findex ^exit
21391 @value{GDBN} has terminated.
21392
21393 @end table
21394
21395 @node GDB/MI Stream Records
21396 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records
21397
21398 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, stream records
21399 @cindex stream records in @sc{gdb/mi}
21400 @value{GDBN} internally maintains a number of output streams: the console, the
21401 target, and the log. The output intended for each of these streams is
21402 funneled through the @sc{gdb/mi} interface using @dfn{stream records}.
21403
21404 Each stream record begins with a unique @dfn{prefix character} which
21405 identifies its stream (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, , @sc{gdb/mi} Output
21406 Syntax}). In addition to the prefix, each stream record contains a
21407 @code{@var{string-output}}. This is either raw text (with an implicit new
21408 line) or a quoted C string (which does not contain an implicit newline).
21409
21410 @table @code
21411 @item "~" @var{string-output}
21412 The console output stream contains text that should be displayed in the
21413 CLI console window. It contains the textual responses to CLI commands.
21414
21415 @item "@@" @var{string-output}
21416 The target output stream contains any textual output from the running
21417 target. This is only present when GDB's event loop is truly
21418 asynchronous, which is currently only the case for remote targets.
21419
21420 @item "&" @var{string-output}
21421 The log stream contains debugging messages being produced by @value{GDBN}'s
21422 internals.
21423 @end table
21424
21425 @node GDB/MI Async Records
21426 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Async Records
21427
21428 @cindex async records in @sc{gdb/mi}
21429 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, async records
21430 @dfn{Async} records are used to notify the @sc{gdb/mi} client of
21431 additional changes that have occurred. Those changes can either be a
21432 consequence of @sc{gdb/mi} commands (e.g., a breakpoint modified) or a result of
21433 target activity (e.g., target stopped).
21434
21435 The following is the list of possible async records:
21436
21437 @table @code
21438
21439 @item *running,thread-id="@var{thread}"
21440 The target is now running. The @var{thread} field tells which
21441 specific thread is now running, and can be @samp{all} if all threads
21442 are running. The frontend should assume that no interaction with a
21443 running thread is possible after this notification is produced.
21444 The frontend should not assume that this notification is output
21445 only once for any command. @value{GDBN} may emit this notification
21446 several times, either for different threads, because it cannot resume
21447 all threads together, or even for a single thread, if the thread must
21448 be stepped though some code before letting it run freely.
21449
21450 @item *stopped,reason="@var{reason}",thread-id="@var{id}",stopped-threads="@var{stopped}"
21451 The target has stopped. The @var{reason} field can have one of the
21452 following values:
21453
21454 @table @code
21455 @item breakpoint-hit
21456 A breakpoint was reached.
21457 @item watchpoint-trigger
21458 A watchpoint was triggered.
21459 @item read-watchpoint-trigger
21460 A read watchpoint was triggered.
21461 @item access-watchpoint-trigger
21462 An access watchpoint was triggered.
21463 @item function-finished
21464 An -exec-finish or similar CLI command was accomplished.
21465 @item location-reached
21466 An -exec-until or similar CLI command was accomplished.
21467 @item watchpoint-scope
21468 A watchpoint has gone out of scope.
21469 @item end-stepping-range
21470 An -exec-next, -exec-next-instruction, -exec-step, -exec-step-instruction or
21471 similar CLI command was accomplished.
21472 @item exited-signalled
21473 The inferior exited because of a signal.
21474 @item exited
21475 The inferior exited.
21476 @item exited-normally
21477 The inferior exited normally.
21478 @item signal-received
21479 A signal was received by the inferior.
21480 @end table
21481
21482 The @var{id} field identifies the thread that directly caused the stop
21483 -- for example by hitting a breakpoint. Depending on whether all-stop
21484 mode is in effect (@pxref{All-Stop Mode}), @value{GDBN} may either
21485 stop all threads, or only the thread that directly triggered the stop.
21486 If all threads are stopped, the @var{stopped} field will have the
21487 value of @code{"all"}. Otherwise, the value of the @var{stopped}
21488 field will be a list of thread identifiers. Presently, this list will
21489 always include a single thread, but frontend should be prepared to see
21490 several threads in the list.
21491
21492 @item =thread-group-created,id="@var{id}"
21493 @itemx =thread-group-exited,id="@var{id}"
21494 A thread thread group either was attached to, or has exited/detached
21495 from. The @var{id} field contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the
21496 thread group.
21497
21498 @item =thread-created,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
21499 @itemx =thread-exited,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
21500 A thread either was created, or has exited. The @var{id} field
21501 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread. The @var{gid}
21502 field identifies the thread group this thread belongs to.
21503
21504 @item =thread-selected,id="@var{id}"
21505 Informs that the selected thread was changed as result of the last
21506 command. This notification is not emitted as result of @code{-thread-select}
21507 command but is emitted whenever an MI command that is not documented
21508 to change the selected thread actually changes it. In particular,
21509 invoking, directly or indirectly (via user-defined command), the CLI
21510 @code{thread} command, will generate this notification.
21511
21512 We suggest that in response to this notification, front ends
21513 highlight the selected thread and cause subsequent commands to apply to
21514 that thread.
21515
21516 @item =library-loaded,...
21517 Reports that a new library file was loaded by the program. This
21518 notification has 4 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name},
21519 @var{host-name}, and @var{symbols-loaded}. The @var{id} field is an
21520 opaque identifier of the library. For remote debugging case,
21521 @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} fields give the name of the
21522 library file on the target, and on the host respectively. For native
21523 debugging, both those fields have the same value. The
21524 @var{symbols-loaded} field reports if the debug symbols for this
21525 library are loaded.
21526
21527 @item =library-unloaded,...
21528 Reports that a library was unloaded by the program. This notification
21529 has 3 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} with
21530 the same meaning as for the @code{=library-loaded} notification
21531
21532 @end table
21533
21534 @node GDB/MI Frame Information
21535 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Frame Information
21536
21537 Response from many MI commands includes an information about stack
21538 frame. This information is a tuple that may have the following
21539 fields:
21540
21541 @table @code
21542 @item level
21543 The level of the stack frame. The innermost frame has the level of
21544 zero. This field is always present.
21545
21546 @item func
21547 The name of the function corresponding to the frame. This field may
21548 be absent if @value{GDBN} is unable to determine the function name.
21549
21550 @item addr
21551 The code address for the frame. This field is always present.
21552
21553 @item file
21554 The name of the source files that correspond to the frame's code
21555 address. This field may be absent.
21556
21557 @item line
21558 The source line corresponding to the frames' code address. This field
21559 may be absent.
21560
21561 @item from
21562 The name of the binary file (either executable or shared library) the
21563 corresponds to the frame's code address. This field may be absent.
21564
21565 @end table
21566
21567
21568 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21569 @node GDB/MI Simple Examples
21570 @section Simple Examples of @sc{gdb/mi} Interaction
21571 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, simple examples
21572
21573 This subsection presents several simple examples of interaction using
21574 the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. In these examples, @samp{->} means that the
21575 following line is passed to @sc{gdb/mi} as input, while @samp{<-} means
21576 the output received from @sc{gdb/mi}.
21577
21578 Note the line breaks shown in the examples are here only for
21579 readability, they don't appear in the real output.
21580
21581 @subheading Setting a Breakpoint
21582
21583 Setting a breakpoint generates synchronous output which contains detailed
21584 information of the breakpoint.
21585
21586 @smallexample
21587 -> -break-insert main
21588 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
21589 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
21590 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",times="0"@}
21591 <- (gdb)
21592 @end smallexample
21593
21594 @subheading Program Execution
21595
21596 Program execution generates asynchronous records and MI gives the
21597 reason that execution stopped.
21598
21599 @smallexample
21600 -> -exec-run
21601 <- ^running
21602 <- (gdb)
21603 <- *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
21604 frame=@{addr="0x08048564",func="main",
21605 args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},@{name="argv",value="0xbfc4d4d4"@}],
21606 file="myprog.c",fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68"@}
21607 <- (gdb)
21608 -> -exec-continue
21609 <- ^running
21610 <- (gdb)
21611 <- *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
21612 <- (gdb)
21613 @end smallexample
21614
21615 @subheading Quitting @value{GDBN}
21616
21617 Quitting @value{GDBN} just prints the result class @samp{^exit}.
21618
21619 @smallexample
21620 -> (gdb)
21621 <- -gdb-exit
21622 <- ^exit
21623 @end smallexample
21624
21625 @subheading A Bad Command
21626
21627 Here's what happens if you pass a non-existent command:
21628
21629 @smallexample
21630 -> -rubbish
21631 <- ^error,msg="Undefined MI command: rubbish"
21632 <- (gdb)
21633 @end smallexample
21634
21635
21636 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21637 @node GDB/MI Command Description Format
21638 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Description Format
21639
21640 The remaining sections describe blocks of commands. Each block of
21641 commands is laid out in a fashion similar to this section.
21642
21643 @subheading Motivation
21644
21645 The motivation for this collection of commands.
21646
21647 @subheading Introduction
21648
21649 A brief introduction to this collection of commands as a whole.
21650
21651 @subheading Commands
21652
21653 For each command in the block, the following is described:
21654
21655 @subsubheading Synopsis
21656
21657 @smallexample
21658 -command @var{args}@dots{}
21659 @end smallexample
21660
21661 @subsubheading Result
21662
21663 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21664
21665 The corresponding @value{GDBN} CLI command(s), if any.
21666
21667 @subsubheading Example
21668
21669 Example(s) formatted for readability. Some of the described commands have
21670 not been implemented yet and these are labeled N.A.@: (not available).
21671
21672
21673 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
21674 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands
21675 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Commands
21676
21677 @cindex breakpoint commands for @sc{gdb/mi}
21678 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, breakpoint commands
21679 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
21680 breakpoints.
21681
21682 @subheading The @code{-break-after} Command
21683 @findex -break-after
21684
21685 @subsubheading Synopsis
21686
21687 @smallexample
21688 -break-after @var{number} @var{count}
21689 @end smallexample
21690
21691 The breakpoint number @var{number} is not in effect until it has been
21692 hit @var{count} times. To see how this is reflected in the output of
21693 the @samp{-break-list} command, see the description of the
21694 @samp{-break-list} command below.
21695
21696 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21697
21698 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ignore}.
21699
21700 @subsubheading Example
21701
21702 @smallexample
21703 (gdb)
21704 -break-insert main
21705 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
21706 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
21707 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
21708 (gdb)
21709 -break-after 1 3
21710 ~
21711 ^done
21712 (gdb)
21713 -break-list
21714 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
21715 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
21716 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
21717 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
21718 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
21719 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
21720 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
21721 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
21722 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
21723 line="5",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
21724 (gdb)
21725 @end smallexample
21726
21727 @ignore
21728 @subheading The @code{-break-catch} Command
21729 @findex -break-catch
21730 @end ignore
21731
21732 @subheading The @code{-break-commands} Command
21733 @findex -break-commands
21734
21735 @subsubheading Synopsis
21736
21737 @smallexample
21738 -break-commands @var{number} [ @var{command1} ... @var{commandN} ]
21739 @end smallexample
21740
21741 Specifies the CLI commands that should be executed when breakpoint
21742 @var{number} is hit. The parameters @var{command1} to @var{commandN}
21743 are the commands. If no command is specified, any previously-set
21744 commands are cleared. @xref{Break Commands}. Typical use of this
21745 functionality is tracing a program, that is, printing of values of
21746 some variables whenever breakpoint is hit and then continuing.
21747
21748 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21749
21750 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{commands}.
21751
21752 @subsubheading Example
21753
21754 @smallexample
21755 (gdb)
21756 -break-insert main
21757 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
21758 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
21759 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
21760 (gdb)
21761 -break-commands 1 "print v" "continue"
21762 ^done
21763 (gdb)
21764 @end smallexample
21765
21766 @subheading The @code{-break-condition} Command
21767 @findex -break-condition
21768
21769 @subsubheading Synopsis
21770
21771 @smallexample
21772 -break-condition @var{number} @var{expr}
21773 @end smallexample
21774
21775 Breakpoint @var{number} will stop the program only if the condition in
21776 @var{expr} is true. The condition becomes part of the
21777 @samp{-break-list} output (see the description of the @samp{-break-list}
21778 command below).
21779
21780 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21781
21782 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{condition}.
21783
21784 @subsubheading Example
21785
21786 @smallexample
21787 (gdb)
21788 -break-condition 1 1
21789 ^done
21790 (gdb)
21791 -break-list
21792 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
21793 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
21794 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
21795 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
21796 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
21797 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
21798 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
21799 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
21800 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
21801 line="5",cond="1",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
21802 (gdb)
21803 @end smallexample
21804
21805 @subheading The @code{-break-delete} Command
21806 @findex -break-delete
21807
21808 @subsubheading Synopsis
21809
21810 @smallexample
21811 -break-delete ( @var{breakpoint} )+
21812 @end smallexample
21813
21814 Delete the breakpoint(s) whose number(s) are specified in the argument
21815 list. This is obviously reflected in the breakpoint list.
21816
21817 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21818
21819 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete}.
21820
21821 @subsubheading Example
21822
21823 @smallexample
21824 (gdb)
21825 -break-delete 1
21826 ^done
21827 (gdb)
21828 -break-list
21829 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
21830 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
21831 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
21832 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
21833 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
21834 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
21835 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
21836 body=[]@}
21837 (gdb)
21838 @end smallexample
21839
21840 @subheading The @code{-break-disable} Command
21841 @findex -break-disable
21842
21843 @subsubheading Synopsis
21844
21845 @smallexample
21846 -break-disable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
21847 @end smallexample
21848
21849 Disable the named @var{breakpoint}(s). The field @samp{enabled} in the
21850 break list is now set to @samp{n} for the named @var{breakpoint}(s).
21851
21852 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21853
21854 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable}.
21855
21856 @subsubheading Example
21857
21858 @smallexample
21859 (gdb)
21860 -break-disable 2
21861 ^done
21862 (gdb)
21863 -break-list
21864 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
21865 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
21866 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
21867 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
21868 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
21869 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
21870 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
21871 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
21872 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
21873 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
21874 (gdb)
21875 @end smallexample
21876
21877 @subheading The @code{-break-enable} Command
21878 @findex -break-enable
21879
21880 @subsubheading Synopsis
21881
21882 @smallexample
21883 -break-enable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
21884 @end smallexample
21885
21886 Enable (previously disabled) @var{breakpoint}(s).
21887
21888 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21889
21890 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable}.
21891
21892 @subsubheading Example
21893
21894 @smallexample
21895 (gdb)
21896 -break-enable 2
21897 ^done
21898 (gdb)
21899 -break-list
21900 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
21901 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
21902 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
21903 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
21904 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
21905 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
21906 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
21907 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
21908 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
21909 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
21910 (gdb)
21911 @end smallexample
21912
21913 @subheading The @code{-break-info} Command
21914 @findex -break-info
21915
21916 @subsubheading Synopsis
21917
21918 @smallexample
21919 -break-info @var{breakpoint}
21920 @end smallexample
21921
21922 @c REDUNDANT???
21923 Get information about a single breakpoint.
21924
21925 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
21926
21927 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break @var{breakpoint}}.
21928
21929 @subsubheading Example
21930 N.A.
21931
21932 @subheading The @code{-break-insert} Command
21933 @findex -break-insert
21934
21935 @subsubheading Synopsis
21936
21937 @smallexample
21938 -break-insert [ -t ] [ -h ] [ -f ] [ -d ]
21939 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
21940 [ -p @var{thread} ] [ @var{location} ]
21941 @end smallexample
21942
21943 @noindent
21944 If specified, @var{location}, can be one of:
21945
21946 @itemize @bullet
21947 @item function
21948 @c @item +offset
21949 @c @item -offset
21950 @c @item linenum
21951 @item filename:linenum
21952 @item filename:function
21953 @item *address
21954 @end itemize
21955
21956 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
21957
21958 @table @samp
21959 @item -t
21960 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
21961 @item -h
21962 Insert a hardware breakpoint.
21963 @item -c @var{condition}
21964 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
21965 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
21966 Initialize the @var{ignore-count}.
21967 @item -f
21968 If @var{location} cannot be parsed (for example if it
21969 refers to unknown files or functions), create a pending
21970 breakpoint. Without this flag, @value{GDBN} will report
21971 an error, and won't create a breakpoint, if @var{location}
21972 cannot be parsed.
21973 @item -d
21974 Create a disabled breakpoint.
21975 @end table
21976
21977 @subsubheading Result
21978
21979 The result is in the form:
21980
21981 @smallexample
21982 ^done,bkpt=@{number="@var{number}",type="@var{type}",disp="del"|"keep",
21983 enabled="y"|"n",addr="@var{hex}",func="@var{funcname}",file="@var{filename}",
21984 fullname="@var{full_filename}",line="@var{lineno}",[thread="@var{threadno},]
21985 times="@var{times}"@}
21986 @end smallexample
21987
21988 @noindent
21989 where @var{number} is the @value{GDBN} number for this breakpoint,
21990 @var{funcname} is the name of the function where the breakpoint was
21991 inserted, @var{filename} is the name of the source file which contains
21992 this function, @var{lineno} is the source line number within that file
21993 and @var{times} the number of times that the breakpoint has been hit
21994 (always 0 for -break-insert but may be greater for -break-info or -break-list
21995 which use the same output).
21996
21997 Note: this format is open to change.
21998 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
21999
22000 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22001
22002 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{break}, @samp{tbreak},
22003 @samp{hbreak}, @samp{thbreak}, and @samp{rbreak}.
22004
22005 @subsubheading Example
22006
22007 @smallexample
22008 (gdb)
22009 -break-insert main
22010 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",
22011 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="4",times="0"@}
22012 (gdb)
22013 -break-insert -t foo
22014 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c",
22015 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="11",times="0"@}
22016 (gdb)
22017 -break-list
22018 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
22019 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22020 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22021 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22022 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22023 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22024 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22025 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22026 addr="0x0001072c", func="main",file="recursive2.c",
22027 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,"line="4",times="0"@},
22028 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
22029 addr="0x00010774",func="foo",file="recursive2.c",
22030 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}]@}
22031 (gdb)
22032 -break-insert -r foo.*
22033 ~int foo(int, int);
22034 ^done,bkpt=@{number="3",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c,
22035 "fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}
22036 (gdb)
22037 @end smallexample
22038
22039 @subheading The @code{-break-list} Command
22040 @findex -break-list
22041
22042 @subsubheading Synopsis
22043
22044 @smallexample
22045 -break-list
22046 @end smallexample
22047
22048 Displays the list of inserted breakpoints, showing the following fields:
22049
22050 @table @samp
22051 @item Number
22052 number of the breakpoint
22053 @item Type
22054 type of the breakpoint: @samp{breakpoint} or @samp{watchpoint}
22055 @item Disposition
22056 should the breakpoint be deleted or disabled when it is hit: @samp{keep}
22057 or @samp{nokeep}
22058 @item Enabled
22059 is the breakpoint enabled or no: @samp{y} or @samp{n}
22060 @item Address
22061 memory location at which the breakpoint is set
22062 @item What
22063 logical location of the breakpoint, expressed by function name, file
22064 name, line number
22065 @item Times
22066 number of times the breakpoint has been hit
22067 @end table
22068
22069 If there are no breakpoints or watchpoints, the @code{BreakpointTable}
22070 @code{body} field is an empty list.
22071
22072 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22073
22074 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break}.
22075
22076 @subsubheading Example
22077
22078 @smallexample
22079 (gdb)
22080 -break-list
22081 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
22082 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22083 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22084 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22085 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22086 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22087 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22088 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22089 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",line="5",times="0"@},
22090 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22091 addr="0x00010114",func="foo",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
22092 line="13",times="0"@}]@}
22093 (gdb)
22094 @end smallexample
22095
22096 Here's an example of the result when there are no breakpoints:
22097
22098 @smallexample
22099 (gdb)
22100 -break-list
22101 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
22102 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22103 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22104 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22105 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22106 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22107 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22108 body=[]@}
22109 (gdb)
22110 @end smallexample
22111
22112 @subheading The @code{-break-watch} Command
22113 @findex -break-watch
22114
22115 @subsubheading Synopsis
22116
22117 @smallexample
22118 -break-watch [ -a | -r ]
22119 @end smallexample
22120
22121 Create a watchpoint. With the @samp{-a} option it will create an
22122 @dfn{access} watchpoint, i.e., a watchpoint that triggers either on a
22123 read from or on a write to the memory location. With the @samp{-r}
22124 option, the watchpoint created is a @dfn{read} watchpoint, i.e., it will
22125 trigger only when the memory location is accessed for reading. Without
22126 either of the options, the watchpoint created is a regular watchpoint,
22127 i.e., it will trigger when the memory location is accessed for writing.
22128 @xref{Set Watchpoints, , Setting Watchpoints}.
22129
22130 Note that @samp{-break-list} will report a single list of watchpoints and
22131 breakpoints inserted.
22132
22133 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22134
22135 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{watch}, @samp{awatch}, and
22136 @samp{rwatch}.
22137
22138 @subsubheading Example
22139
22140 Setting a watchpoint on a variable in the @code{main} function:
22141
22142 @smallexample
22143 (gdb)
22144 -break-watch x
22145 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@}
22146 (gdb)
22147 -exec-continue
22148 ^running
22149 (gdb)
22150 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@},
22151 value=@{old="-268439212",new="55"@},
22152 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
22153 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="5"@}
22154 (gdb)
22155 @end smallexample
22156
22157 Setting a watchpoint on a variable local to a function. @value{GDBN} will stop
22158 the program execution twice: first for the variable changing value, then
22159 for the watchpoint going out of scope.
22160
22161 @smallexample
22162 (gdb)
22163 -break-watch C
22164 ^done,wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@}
22165 (gdb)
22166 -exec-continue
22167 ^running
22168 (gdb)
22169 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",
22170 wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@},value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
22171 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
22172 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22173 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
22174 (gdb)
22175 -exec-continue
22176 ^running
22177 (gdb)
22178 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="5",
22179 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
22180 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
22181 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22182 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
22183 (gdb)
22184 @end smallexample
22185
22186 Listing breakpoints and watchpoints, at different points in the program
22187 execution. Note that once the watchpoint goes out of scope, it is
22188 deleted.
22189
22190 @smallexample
22191 (gdb)
22192 -break-watch C
22193 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@}
22194 (gdb)
22195 -break-list
22196 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
22197 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22198 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22199 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22200 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22201 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22202 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22203 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22204 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
22205 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22206 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c"line="8",times="1"@},
22207 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
22208 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="0"@}]@}
22209 (gdb)
22210 -exec-continue
22211 ^running
22212 (gdb)
22213 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@},
22214 value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
22215 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
22216 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22217 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
22218 (gdb)
22219 -break-list
22220 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
22221 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22222 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22223 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22224 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22225 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22226 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22227 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22228 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
22229 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22230 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",times="1"@},
22231 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
22232 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="-5"@}]@}
22233 (gdb)
22234 -exec-continue
22235 ^running
22236 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="2",
22237 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
22238 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
22239 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22240 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
22241 (gdb)
22242 -break-list
22243 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
22244 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
22245 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
22246 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
22247 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
22248 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
22249 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
22250 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
22251 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
22252 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22253 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
22254 times="1"@}]@}
22255 (gdb)
22256 @end smallexample
22257
22258 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
22259 @node GDB/MI Program Context
22260 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Context
22261
22262 @subheading The @code{-exec-arguments} Command
22263 @findex -exec-arguments
22264
22265
22266 @subsubheading Synopsis
22267
22268 @smallexample
22269 -exec-arguments @var{args}
22270 @end smallexample
22271
22272 Set the inferior program arguments, to be used in the next
22273 @samp{-exec-run}.
22274
22275 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22276
22277 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set args}.
22278
22279 @subsubheading Example
22280
22281 @smallexample
22282 (gdb)
22283 -exec-arguments -v word
22284 ^done
22285 (gdb)
22286 @end smallexample
22287
22288
22289 @ignore
22290 @subheading The @code{-exec-show-arguments} Command
22291 @findex -exec-show-arguments
22292
22293 @subsubheading Synopsis
22294
22295 @smallexample
22296 -exec-show-arguments
22297 @end smallexample
22298
22299 Print the arguments of the program.
22300
22301 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22302
22303 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show args}.
22304
22305 @subsubheading Example
22306 N.A.
22307 @end ignore
22308
22309
22310 @subheading The @code{-environment-cd} Command
22311 @findex -environment-cd
22312
22313 @subsubheading Synopsis
22314
22315 @smallexample
22316 -environment-cd @var{pathdir}
22317 @end smallexample
22318
22319 Set @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
22320
22321 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22322
22323 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{cd}.
22324
22325 @subsubheading Example
22326
22327 @smallexample
22328 (gdb)
22329 -environment-cd /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
22330 ^done
22331 (gdb)
22332 @end smallexample
22333
22334
22335 @subheading The @code{-environment-directory} Command
22336 @findex -environment-directory
22337
22338 @subsubheading Synopsis
22339
22340 @smallexample
22341 -environment-directory [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
22342 @end smallexample
22343
22344 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for source files.
22345 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the default
22346 search path. If directories @var{pathdir} are supplied in addition to the
22347 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
22348 occurs as normal.
22349 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
22350 multiple directories in a single command
22351 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
22352 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
22353 If blanks are needed as
22354 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
22355 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
22356 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
22357 character must not be used
22358 in any directory name.
22359 If no directories are specified, the current search path is displayed.
22360
22361 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22362
22363 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dir}.
22364
22365 @subsubheading Example
22366
22367 @smallexample
22368 (gdb)
22369 -environment-directory /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
22370 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
22371 (gdb)
22372 -environment-directory ""
22373 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
22374 (gdb)
22375 -environment-directory -r /home/jjohnstn/src/gdb /usr/src
22376 ^done,source-path="/home/jjohnstn/src/gdb:/usr/src:$cdir:$cwd"
22377 (gdb)
22378 -environment-directory -r
22379 ^done,source-path="$cdir:$cwd"
22380 (gdb)
22381 @end smallexample
22382
22383
22384 @subheading The @code{-environment-path} Command
22385 @findex -environment-path
22386
22387 @subsubheading Synopsis
22388
22389 @smallexample
22390 -environment-path [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
22391 @end smallexample
22392
22393 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for object files.
22394 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the original
22395 search path that existed at gdb start-up. If directories @var{pathdir} are
22396 supplied in addition to the
22397 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
22398 occurs as normal.
22399 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
22400 multiple directories in a single command
22401 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
22402 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
22403 If blanks are needed as
22404 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
22405 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
22406 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
22407 character must not be used
22408 in any directory name.
22409 If no directories are specified, the current path is displayed.
22410
22411
22412 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22413
22414 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{path}.
22415
22416 @subsubheading Example
22417
22418 @smallexample
22419 (gdb)
22420 -environment-path
22421 ^done,path="/usr/bin"
22422 (gdb)
22423 -environment-path /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb /bin
22424 ^done,path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb:/bin:/usr/bin"
22425 (gdb)
22426 -environment-path -r /usr/local/bin
22427 ^done,path="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
22428 (gdb)
22429 @end smallexample
22430
22431
22432 @subheading The @code{-environment-pwd} Command
22433 @findex -environment-pwd
22434
22435 @subsubheading Synopsis
22436
22437 @smallexample
22438 -environment-pwd
22439 @end smallexample
22440
22441 Show the current working directory.
22442
22443 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22444
22445 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{pwd}.
22446
22447 @subsubheading Example
22448
22449 @smallexample
22450 (gdb)
22451 -environment-pwd
22452 ^done,cwd="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb"
22453 (gdb)
22454 @end smallexample
22455
22456 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
22457 @node GDB/MI Thread Commands
22458 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Commands
22459
22460
22461 @subheading The @code{-thread-info} Command
22462 @findex -thread-info
22463
22464 @subsubheading Synopsis
22465
22466 @smallexample
22467 -thread-info [ @var{thread-id} ]
22468 @end smallexample
22469
22470 Reports information about either a specific thread, if
22471 the @var{thread-id} parameter is present, or about all
22472 threads. When printing information about all threads,
22473 also reports the current thread.
22474
22475 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22476
22477 The @samp{info thread} command prints the same information
22478 about all threads.
22479
22480 @subsubheading Example
22481
22482 @smallexample
22483 -thread-info
22484 ^done,threads=[
22485 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
22486 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",args=[]@},state="running"@},
22487 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
22488 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
22489 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},state="running"@}],
22490 current-thread-id="1"
22491 (gdb)
22492 @end smallexample
22493
22494 The @samp{state} field may have the following values:
22495
22496 @table @code
22497 @item stopped
22498 The thread is stopped. Frame information is available for stopped
22499 threads.
22500
22501 @item running
22502 The thread is running. There's no frame information for running
22503 threads.
22504
22505 @end table
22506
22507 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-ids} Command
22508 @findex -thread-list-ids
22509
22510 @subsubheading Synopsis
22511
22512 @smallexample
22513 -thread-list-ids
22514 @end smallexample
22515
22516 Produces a list of the currently known @value{GDBN} thread ids. At the
22517 end of the list it also prints the total number of such threads.
22518
22519 This command is retained for historical reasons, the
22520 @code{-thread-info} command should be used instead.
22521
22522 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22523
22524 Part of @samp{info threads} supplies the same information.
22525
22526 @subsubheading Example
22527
22528 @smallexample
22529 (gdb)
22530 -thread-list-ids
22531 ^done,thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
22532 current-thread-id="1",number-of-threads="3"
22533 (gdb)
22534 @end smallexample
22535
22536
22537 @subheading The @code{-thread-select} Command
22538 @findex -thread-select
22539
22540 @subsubheading Synopsis
22541
22542 @smallexample
22543 -thread-select @var{threadnum}
22544 @end smallexample
22545
22546 Make @var{threadnum} the current thread. It prints the number of the new
22547 current thread, and the topmost frame for that thread.
22548
22549 This command is deprecated in favor of explicitly using the
22550 @samp{--thread} option to each command.
22551
22552 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22553
22554 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{thread}.
22555
22556 @subsubheading Example
22557
22558 @smallexample
22559 (gdb)
22560 -exec-next
22561 ^running
22562 (gdb)
22563 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",thread-id="2",line="187",
22564 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/linux-dp.c"
22565 (gdb)
22566 -thread-list-ids
22567 ^done,
22568 thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
22569 number-of-threads="3"
22570 (gdb)
22571 -thread-select 3
22572 ^done,new-thread-id="3",
22573 frame=@{level="0",func="vprintf",
22574 args=[@{name="format",value="0x8048e9c \"%*s%c %d %c\\n\""@},
22575 @{name="arg",value="0x2"@}],file="vprintf.c",line="31"@}
22576 (gdb)
22577 @end smallexample
22578
22579 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
22580 @node GDB/MI Program Execution
22581 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Execution
22582
22583 These are the asynchronous commands which generate the out-of-band
22584 record @samp{*stopped}. Currently @value{GDBN} only really executes
22585 asynchronously with remote targets and this interaction is mimicked in
22586 other cases.
22587
22588 @subheading The @code{-exec-continue} Command
22589 @findex -exec-continue
22590
22591 @subsubheading Synopsis
22592
22593 @smallexample
22594 -exec-continue [--all|--thread-group N]
22595 @end smallexample
22596
22597 Resumes the execution of the inferior program until a breakpoint is
22598 encountered, or until the inferior exits. In all-stop mode
22599 (@pxref{All-Stop Mode}), may resume only one thread, or all threads,
22600 depending on the value of the @samp{scheduler-locking} variable. In
22601 non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}), if the @samp{--all} is not
22602 specified, only the thread specified with the @samp{--thread} option
22603 (or current thread, if no @samp{--thread} is provided) is resumed. If
22604 @samp{--all} is specified, all threads will be resumed. The
22605 @samp{--all} option is ignored in all-stop mode. If the
22606 @samp{--thread-group} options is specified, then all threads in that
22607 thread group are resumed.
22608
22609 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22610
22611 The corresponding @value{GDBN} corresponding is @samp{continue}.
22612
22613 @subsubheading Example
22614
22615 @smallexample
22616 -exec-continue
22617 ^running
22618 (gdb)
22619 @@Hello world
22620 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="2",frame=@{
22621 func="foo",args=[],file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",
22622 line="13"@}
22623 (gdb)
22624 @end smallexample
22625
22626
22627 @subheading The @code{-exec-finish} Command
22628 @findex -exec-finish
22629
22630 @subsubheading Synopsis
22631
22632 @smallexample
22633 -exec-finish
22634 @end smallexample
22635
22636 Resumes the execution of the inferior program until the current
22637 function is exited. Displays the results returned by the function.
22638
22639 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22640
22641 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{finish}.
22642
22643 @subsubheading Example
22644
22645 Function returning @code{void}.
22646
22647 @smallexample
22648 -exec-finish
22649 ^running
22650 (gdb)
22651 @@hello from foo
22652 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
22653 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="7"@}
22654 (gdb)
22655 @end smallexample
22656
22657 Function returning other than @code{void}. The name of the internal
22658 @value{GDBN} variable storing the result is printed, together with the
22659 value itself.
22660
22661 @smallexample
22662 -exec-finish
22663 ^running
22664 (gdb)
22665 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{addr="0x000107b0",func="foo",
22666 args=[@{name="a",value="1"],@{name="b",value="9"@}@},
22667 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
22668 gdb-result-var="$1",return-value="0"
22669 (gdb)
22670 @end smallexample
22671
22672
22673 @subheading The @code{-exec-interrupt} Command
22674 @findex -exec-interrupt
22675
22676 @subsubheading Synopsis
22677
22678 @smallexample
22679 -exec-interrupt [--all|--thread-group N]
22680 @end smallexample
22681
22682 Interrupts the background execution of the target. Note how the token
22683 associated with the stop message is the one for the execution command
22684 that has been interrupted. The token for the interrupt itself only
22685 appears in the @samp{^done} output. If the user is trying to
22686 interrupt a non-running program, an error message will be printed.
22687
22688 Note that when asynchronous execution is enabled, this command is
22689 asynchronous just like other execution commands. That is, first the
22690 @samp{^done} response will be printed, and the target stop will be
22691 reported after that using the @samp{*stopped} notification.
22692
22693 In non-stop mode, only the context thread is interrupted by default.
22694 All threads will be interrupted if the @samp{--all} option is
22695 specified. If the @samp{--thread-group} option is specified, all
22696 threads in that group will be interrupted.
22697
22698 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22699
22700 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interrupt}.
22701
22702 @subsubheading Example
22703
22704 @smallexample
22705 (gdb)
22706 111-exec-continue
22707 111^running
22708
22709 (gdb)
22710 222-exec-interrupt
22711 222^done
22712 (gdb)
22713 111*stopped,signal-name="SIGINT",signal-meaning="Interrupt",
22714 frame=@{addr="0x00010140",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
22715 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="13"@}
22716 (gdb)
22717
22718 (gdb)
22719 -exec-interrupt
22720 ^error,msg="mi_cmd_exec_interrupt: Inferior not executing."
22721 (gdb)
22722 @end smallexample
22723
22724 @subheading The @code{-exec-jump} Command
22725 @findex -exec-jump
22726
22727 @subsubheading Synopsis
22728
22729 @smallexample
22730 -exec-jump @var{location}
22731 @end smallexample
22732
22733 Resumes execution of the inferior program at the location specified by
22734 parameter. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
22735 different forms of @var{location}.
22736
22737 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22738
22739 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{jump}.
22740
22741 @subsubheading Example
22742
22743 @smallexample
22744 -exec-jump foo.c:10
22745 *running,thread-id="all"
22746 ^running
22747 @end smallexample
22748
22749
22750 @subheading The @code{-exec-next} Command
22751 @findex -exec-next
22752
22753 @subsubheading Synopsis
22754
22755 @smallexample
22756 -exec-next
22757 @end smallexample
22758
22759 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
22760 of the next source line is reached.
22761
22762 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22763
22764 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{next}.
22765
22766 @subsubheading Example
22767
22768 @smallexample
22769 -exec-next
22770 ^running
22771 (gdb)
22772 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="8",file="hello.c"
22773 (gdb)
22774 @end smallexample
22775
22776
22777 @subheading The @code{-exec-next-instruction} Command
22778 @findex -exec-next-instruction
22779
22780 @subsubheading Synopsis
22781
22782 @smallexample
22783 -exec-next-instruction
22784 @end smallexample
22785
22786 Executes one machine instruction. If the instruction is a function
22787 call, continues until the function returns. If the program stops at an
22788 instruction in the middle of a source line, the address will be
22789 printed as well.
22790
22791 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22792
22793 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{nexti}.
22794
22795 @subsubheading Example
22796
22797 @smallexample
22798 (gdb)
22799 -exec-next-instruction
22800 ^running
22801
22802 (gdb)
22803 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
22804 addr="0x000100d4",line="5",file="hello.c"
22805 (gdb)
22806 @end smallexample
22807
22808
22809 @subheading The @code{-exec-return} Command
22810 @findex -exec-return
22811
22812 @subsubheading Synopsis
22813
22814 @smallexample
22815 -exec-return
22816 @end smallexample
22817
22818 Makes current function return immediately. Doesn't execute the inferior.
22819 Displays the new current frame.
22820
22821 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22822
22823 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{return}.
22824
22825 @subsubheading Example
22826
22827 @smallexample
22828 (gdb)
22829 200-break-insert callee4
22830 200^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x00010734",
22831 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
22832 (gdb)
22833 000-exec-run
22834 000^running
22835 (gdb)
22836 000*stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
22837 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
22838 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22839 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
22840 (gdb)
22841 205-break-delete
22842 205^done
22843 (gdb)
22844 111-exec-return
22845 111^done,frame=@{level="0",func="callee3",
22846 args=[@{name="strarg",
22847 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
22848 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
22849 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
22850 (gdb)
22851 @end smallexample
22852
22853
22854 @subheading The @code{-exec-run} Command
22855 @findex -exec-run
22856
22857 @subsubheading Synopsis
22858
22859 @smallexample
22860 -exec-run
22861 @end smallexample
22862
22863 Starts execution of the inferior from the beginning. The inferior
22864 executes until either a breakpoint is encountered or the program
22865 exits. In the latter case the output will include an exit code, if
22866 the program has exited exceptionally.
22867
22868 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22869
22870 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{run}.
22871
22872 @subsubheading Examples
22873
22874 @smallexample
22875 (gdb)
22876 -break-insert main
22877 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",line="4"@}
22878 (gdb)
22879 -exec-run
22880 ^running
22881 (gdb)
22882 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
22883 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
22884 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}
22885 (gdb)
22886 @end smallexample
22887
22888 @noindent
22889 Program exited normally:
22890
22891 @smallexample
22892 (gdb)
22893 -exec-run
22894 ^running
22895 (gdb)
22896 x = 55
22897 *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
22898 (gdb)
22899 @end smallexample
22900
22901 @noindent
22902 Program exited exceptionally:
22903
22904 @smallexample
22905 (gdb)
22906 -exec-run
22907 ^running
22908 (gdb)
22909 x = 55
22910 *stopped,reason="exited",exit-code="01"
22911 (gdb)
22912 @end smallexample
22913
22914 Another way the program can terminate is if it receives a signal such as
22915 @code{SIGINT}. In this case, @sc{gdb/mi} displays this:
22916
22917 @smallexample
22918 (gdb)
22919 *stopped,reason="exited-signalled",signal-name="SIGINT",
22920 signal-meaning="Interrupt"
22921 @end smallexample
22922
22923
22924 @c @subheading -exec-signal
22925
22926
22927 @subheading The @code{-exec-step} Command
22928 @findex -exec-step
22929
22930 @subsubheading Synopsis
22931
22932 @smallexample
22933 -exec-step
22934 @end smallexample
22935
22936 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
22937 of the next source line is reached, if the next source line is not a
22938 function call. If it is, stop at the first instruction of the called
22939 function.
22940
22941 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22942
22943 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{step}.
22944
22945 @subsubheading Example
22946
22947 Stepping into a function:
22948
22949 @smallexample
22950 -exec-step
22951 ^running
22952 (gdb)
22953 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
22954 frame=@{func="foo",args=[@{name="a",value="10"@},
22955 @{name="b",value="0"@}],file="recursive2.c",
22956 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@}
22957 (gdb)
22958 @end smallexample
22959
22960 Regular stepping:
22961
22962 @smallexample
22963 -exec-step
22964 ^running
22965 (gdb)
22966 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="14",file="recursive2.c"
22967 (gdb)
22968 @end smallexample
22969
22970
22971 @subheading The @code{-exec-step-instruction} Command
22972 @findex -exec-step-instruction
22973
22974 @subsubheading Synopsis
22975
22976 @smallexample
22977 -exec-step-instruction
22978 @end smallexample
22979
22980 Resumes the inferior which executes one machine instruction. The
22981 output, once @value{GDBN} has stopped, will vary depending on whether
22982 we have stopped in the middle of a source line or not. In the former
22983 case, the address at which the program stopped will be printed as
22984 well.
22985
22986 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
22987
22988 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{stepi}.
22989
22990 @subsubheading Example
22991
22992 @smallexample
22993 (gdb)
22994 -exec-step-instruction
22995 ^running
22996
22997 (gdb)
22998 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
22999 frame=@{func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
23000 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
23001 (gdb)
23002 -exec-step-instruction
23003 ^running
23004
23005 (gdb)
23006 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
23007 frame=@{addr="0x000100f4",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
23008 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
23009 (gdb)
23010 @end smallexample
23011
23012
23013 @subheading The @code{-exec-until} Command
23014 @findex -exec-until
23015
23016 @subsubheading Synopsis
23017
23018 @smallexample
23019 -exec-until [ @var{location} ]
23020 @end smallexample
23021
23022 Executes the inferior until the @var{location} specified in the
23023 argument is reached. If there is no argument, the inferior executes
23024 until a source line greater than the current one is reached. The
23025 reason for stopping in this case will be @samp{location-reached}.
23026
23027 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23028
23029 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{until}.
23030
23031 @subsubheading Example
23032
23033 @smallexample
23034 (gdb)
23035 -exec-until recursive2.c:6
23036 ^running
23037 (gdb)
23038 x = 55
23039 *stopped,reason="location-reached",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
23040 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="6"@}
23041 (gdb)
23042 @end smallexample
23043
23044 @ignore
23045 @subheading -file-clear
23046 Is this going away????
23047 @end ignore
23048
23049 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
23050 @node GDB/MI Stack Manipulation
23051 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Stack Manipulation Commands
23052
23053
23054 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-frame} Command
23055 @findex -stack-info-frame
23056
23057 @subsubheading Synopsis
23058
23059 @smallexample
23060 -stack-info-frame
23061 @end smallexample
23062
23063 Get info on the selected frame.
23064
23065 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23066
23067 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info frame} or @samp{frame}
23068 (without arguments).
23069
23070 @subsubheading Example
23071
23072 @smallexample
23073 (gdb)
23074 -stack-info-frame
23075 ^done,frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
23076 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23077 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@}
23078 (gdb)
23079 @end smallexample
23080
23081 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-depth} Command
23082 @findex -stack-info-depth
23083
23084 @subsubheading Synopsis
23085
23086 @smallexample
23087 -stack-info-depth [ @var{max-depth} ]
23088 @end smallexample
23089
23090 Return the depth of the stack. If the integer argument @var{max-depth}
23091 is specified, do not count beyond @var{max-depth} frames.
23092
23093 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23094
23095 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
23096
23097 @subsubheading Example
23098
23099 For a stack with frame levels 0 through 11:
23100
23101 @smallexample
23102 (gdb)
23103 -stack-info-depth
23104 ^done,depth="12"
23105 (gdb)
23106 -stack-info-depth 4
23107 ^done,depth="4"
23108 (gdb)
23109 -stack-info-depth 12
23110 ^done,depth="12"
23111 (gdb)
23112 -stack-info-depth 11
23113 ^done,depth="11"
23114 (gdb)
23115 -stack-info-depth 13
23116 ^done,depth="12"
23117 (gdb)
23118 @end smallexample
23119
23120 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-arguments} Command
23121 @findex -stack-list-arguments
23122
23123 @subsubheading Synopsis
23124
23125 @smallexample
23126 -stack-list-arguments @var{show-values}
23127 [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
23128 @end smallexample
23129
23130 Display a list of the arguments for the frames between @var{low-frame}
23131 and @var{high-frame} (inclusive). If @var{low-frame} and
23132 @var{high-frame} are not provided, list the arguments for the whole
23133 call stack. If the two arguments are equal, show the single frame
23134 at the corresponding level. It is an error if @var{low-frame} is
23135 larger than the actual number of frames. On the other hand,
23136 @var{high-frame} may be larger than the actual number of frames, in
23137 which case only existing frames will be returned.
23138
23139 The @var{show-values} argument must have a value of 0 or 1. A value of
23140 0 means that only the names of the arguments are listed, a value of 1
23141 means that both names and values of the arguments are printed.
23142
23143 Use of this command to obtain arguments in a single frame is
23144 deprecated in favor of the @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
23145
23146 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23147
23148 @value{GDBN} does not have an equivalent command. @code{gdbtk} has a
23149 @samp{gdb_get_args} command which partially overlaps with the
23150 functionality of @samp{-stack-list-arguments}.
23151
23152 @subsubheading Example
23153
23154 @smallexample
23155 (gdb)
23156 -stack-list-frames
23157 ^done,
23158 stack=[
23159 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
23160 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23161 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@},
23162 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
23163 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23164 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@},
23165 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x0001078c",func="callee2",
23166 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23167 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="22"@},
23168 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107b4",func="callee1",
23169 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23170 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="27"@},
23171 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107e0",func="main",
23172 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
23173 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="32"@}]
23174 (gdb)
23175 -stack-list-arguments 0
23176 ^done,
23177 stack-args=[
23178 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
23179 frame=@{level="1",args=[name="strarg"]@},
23180 frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@},
23181 frame=@{level="3",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg",name="fltarg"]@},
23182 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
23183 (gdb)
23184 -stack-list-arguments 1
23185 ^done,
23186 stack-args=[
23187 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
23188 frame=@{level="1",
23189 args=[@{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
23190 frame=@{level="2",args=[
23191 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
23192 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
23193 @{frame=@{level="3",args=[
23194 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
23195 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@},
23196 @{name="fltarg",value="3.5"@}]@},
23197 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
23198 (gdb)
23199 -stack-list-arguments 0 2 2
23200 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@}]
23201 (gdb)
23202 -stack-list-arguments 1 2 2
23203 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",
23204 args=[@{name="intarg",value="2"@},
23205 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@}]
23206 (gdb)
23207 @end smallexample
23208
23209 @c @subheading -stack-list-exception-handlers
23210
23211
23212 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-frames} Command
23213 @findex -stack-list-frames
23214
23215 @subsubheading Synopsis
23216
23217 @smallexample
23218 -stack-list-frames [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
23219 @end smallexample
23220
23221 List the frames currently on the stack. For each frame it displays the
23222 following info:
23223
23224 @table @samp
23225 @item @var{level}
23226 The frame number, 0 being the topmost frame, i.e., the innermost function.
23227 @item @var{addr}
23228 The @code{$pc} value for that frame.
23229 @item @var{func}
23230 Function name.
23231 @item @var{file}
23232 File name of the source file where the function lives.
23233 @item @var{line}
23234 Line number corresponding to the @code{$pc}.
23235 @end table
23236
23237 If invoked without arguments, this command prints a backtrace for the
23238 whole stack. If given two integer arguments, it shows the frames whose
23239 levels are between the two arguments (inclusive). If the two arguments
23240 are equal, it shows the single frame at the corresponding level. It is
23241 an error if @var{low-frame} is larger than the actual number of
23242 frames. On the other hand, @var{high-frame} may be larger than the
23243 actual number of frames, in which case only existing frames will be returned.
23244
23245 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23246
23247 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{backtrace} and @samp{where}.
23248
23249 @subsubheading Example
23250
23251 Full stack backtrace:
23252
23253 @smallexample
23254 (gdb)
23255 -stack-list-frames
23256 ^done,stack=
23257 [frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0001076c",func="foo",
23258 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@},
23259 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23260 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23261 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23262 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23263 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23264 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23265 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23266 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23267 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23268 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23269 frame=@{level="6",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23270 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23271 frame=@{level="7",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23272 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23273 frame=@{level="8",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23274 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23275 frame=@{level="9",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23276 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23277 frame=@{level="10",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23278 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23279 frame=@{level="11",addr="0x00010738",func="main",
23280 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}]
23281 (gdb)
23282 @end smallexample
23283
23284 Show frames between @var{low_frame} and @var{high_frame}:
23285
23286 @smallexample
23287 (gdb)
23288 -stack-list-frames 3 5
23289 ^done,stack=
23290 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23291 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23292 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23293 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
23294 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23295 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
23296 (gdb)
23297 @end smallexample
23298
23299 Show a single frame:
23300
23301 @smallexample
23302 (gdb)
23303 -stack-list-frames 3 3
23304 ^done,stack=
23305 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
23306 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
23307 (gdb)
23308 @end smallexample
23309
23310
23311 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-locals} Command
23312 @findex -stack-list-locals
23313
23314 @subsubheading Synopsis
23315
23316 @smallexample
23317 -stack-list-locals @var{print-values}
23318 @end smallexample
23319
23320 Display the local variable names for the selected frame. If
23321 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
23322 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
23323 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
23324 type and value for simple data types and the name and type for arrays,
23325 structures and unions. In this last case, a frontend can immediately
23326 display the value of simple data types and create variable objects for
23327 other data types when the user wishes to explore their values in
23328 more detail.
23329
23330 This command is deprecated in favor of the
23331 @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
23332
23333 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23334
23335 @samp{info locals} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_get_locals} in @code{gdbtk}.
23336
23337 @subsubheading Example
23338
23339 @smallexample
23340 (gdb)
23341 -stack-list-locals 0
23342 ^done,locals=[name="A",name="B",name="C"]
23343 (gdb)
23344 -stack-list-locals --all-values
23345 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",value="1"@},@{name="B",value="2"@},
23346 @{name="C",value="@{1, 2, 3@}"@}]
23347 -stack-list-locals --simple-values
23348 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",type="int",value="1"@},
23349 @{name="B",type="int",value="2"@},@{name="C",type="int [3]"@}]
23350 (gdb)
23351 @end smallexample
23352
23353 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-variables} Command
23354 @findex -stack-list-variables
23355
23356 @subsubheading Synopsis
23357
23358 @smallexample
23359 -stack-list-variables @var{print-values}
23360 @end smallexample
23361
23362 Display the names of local variables and function arguments for the selected frame. If
23363 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
23364 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
23365 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
23366 type and value for simple data types and the name and type for arrays,
23367 structures and unions.
23368
23369 @subsubheading Example
23370
23371 @smallexample
23372 (gdb)
23373 -stack-list-variables --thread 1 --frame 0 --all-values
23374 ^done,variables=[@{name="x",value="11"@},@{name="s",value="@{a = 1, b = 2@}"@}]
23375 (gdb)
23376 @end smallexample
23377
23378
23379 @subheading The @code{-stack-select-frame} Command
23380 @findex -stack-select-frame
23381
23382 @subsubheading Synopsis
23383
23384 @smallexample
23385 -stack-select-frame @var{framenum}
23386 @end smallexample
23387
23388 Change the selected frame. Select a different frame @var{framenum} on
23389 the stack.
23390
23391 This command in deprecated in favor of passing the @samp{--frame}
23392 option to every command.
23393
23394 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
23395
23396 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{frame}, @samp{up},
23397 @samp{down}, @samp{select-frame}, @samp{up-silent}, and @samp{down-silent}.
23398
23399 @subsubheading Example
23400
23401 @smallexample
23402 (gdb)
23403 -stack-select-frame 2
23404 ^done
23405 (gdb)
23406 @end smallexample
23407
23408 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
23409 @node GDB/MI Variable Objects
23410 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Variable Objects
23411
23412 @ignore
23413
23414 @subheading Motivation for Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
23415
23416 For the implementation of a variable debugger window (locals, watched
23417 expressions, etc.), we are proposing the adaptation of the existing code
23418 used by @code{Insight}.
23419
23420 The two main reasons for that are:
23421
23422 @enumerate 1
23423 @item
23424 It has been proven in practice (it is already on its second generation).
23425
23426 @item
23427 It will shorten development time (needless to say how important it is
23428 now).
23429 @end enumerate
23430
23431 The original interface was designed to be used by Tcl code, so it was
23432 slightly changed so it could be used through @sc{gdb/mi}. This section
23433 describes the @sc{gdb/mi} operations that will be available and gives some
23434 hints about their use.
23435
23436 @emph{Note}: In addition to the set of operations described here, we
23437 expect the @sc{gui} implementation of a variable window to require, at
23438 least, the following operations:
23439
23440 @itemize @bullet
23441 @item @code{-gdb-show} @code{output-radix}
23442 @item @code{-stack-list-arguments}
23443 @item @code{-stack-list-locals}
23444 @item @code{-stack-select-frame}
23445 @end itemize
23446
23447 @end ignore
23448
23449 @subheading Introduction to Variable Objects
23450
23451 @cindex variable objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
23452
23453 Variable objects are "object-oriented" MI interface for examining and
23454 changing values of expressions. Unlike some other MI interfaces that
23455 work with expressions, variable objects are specifically designed for
23456 simple and efficient presentation in the frontend. A variable object
23457 is identified by string name. When a variable object is created, the
23458 frontend specifies the expression for that variable object. The
23459 expression can be a simple variable, or it can be an arbitrary complex
23460 expression, and can even involve CPU registers. After creating a
23461 variable object, the frontend can invoke other variable object
23462 operations---for example to obtain or change the value of a variable
23463 object, or to change display format.
23464
23465 Variable objects have hierarchical tree structure. Any variable object
23466 that corresponds to a composite type, such as structure in C, has
23467 a number of child variable objects, for example corresponding to each
23468 element of a structure. A child variable object can itself have
23469 children, recursively. Recursion ends when we reach
23470 leaf variable objects, which always have built-in types. Child variable
23471 objects are created only by explicit request, so if a frontend
23472 is not interested in the children of a particular variable object, no
23473 child will be created.
23474
23475 For a leaf variable object it is possible to obtain its value as a
23476 string, or set the value from a string. String value can be also
23477 obtained for a non-leaf variable object, but it's generally a string
23478 that only indicates the type of the object, and does not list its
23479 contents. Assignment to a non-leaf variable object is not allowed.
23480
23481 A frontend does not need to read the values of all variable objects each time
23482 the program stops. Instead, MI provides an update command that lists all
23483 variable objects whose values has changed since the last update
23484 operation. This considerably reduces the amount of data that must
23485 be transferred to the frontend. As noted above, children variable
23486 objects are created on demand, and only leaf variable objects have a
23487 real value. As result, gdb will read target memory only for leaf
23488 variables that frontend has created.
23489
23490 The automatic update is not always desirable. For example, a frontend
23491 might want to keep a value of some expression for future reference,
23492 and never update it. For another example, fetching memory is
23493 relatively slow for embedded targets, so a frontend might want
23494 to disable automatic update for the variables that are either not
23495 visible on the screen, or ``closed''. This is possible using so
23496 called ``frozen variable objects''. Such variable objects are never
23497 implicitly updated.
23498
23499 Variable objects can be either @dfn{fixed} or @dfn{floating}. For the
23500 fixed variable object, the expression is parsed when the variable
23501 object is created, including associating identifiers to specific
23502 variables. The meaning of expression never changes. For a floating
23503 variable object the values of variables whose names appear in the
23504 expressions are re-evaluated every time in the context of the current
23505 frame. Consider this example:
23506
23507 @smallexample
23508 void do_work(...)
23509 @{
23510 struct work_state state;
23511
23512 if (...)
23513 do_work(...);
23514 @}
23515 @end smallexample
23516
23517 If a fixed variable object for the @code{state} variable is created in
23518 this function, and we enter the recursive call, the the variable
23519 object will report the value of @code{state} in the top-level
23520 @code{do_work} invocation. On the other hand, a floating variable
23521 object will report the value of @code{state} in the current frame.
23522
23523 If an expression specified when creating a fixed variable object
23524 refers to a local variable, the variable object becomes bound to the
23525 thread and frame in which the variable object is created. When such
23526 variable object is updated, @value{GDBN} makes sure that the
23527 thread/frame combination the variable object is bound to still exists,
23528 and re-evaluates the variable object in context of that thread/frame.
23529
23530 The following is the complete set of @sc{gdb/mi} operations defined to
23531 access this functionality:
23532
23533 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
23534 @item @strong{Operation}
23535 @tab @strong{Description}
23536
23537 @item @code{-enable-pretty-printing}
23538 @tab enable Python-based pretty-printing
23539 @item @code{-var-create}
23540 @tab create a variable object
23541 @item @code{-var-delete}
23542 @tab delete the variable object and/or its children
23543 @item @code{-var-set-format}
23544 @tab set the display format of this variable
23545 @item @code{-var-show-format}
23546 @tab show the display format of this variable
23547 @item @code{-var-info-num-children}
23548 @tab tells how many children this object has
23549 @item @code{-var-list-children}
23550 @tab return a list of the object's children
23551 @item @code{-var-info-type}
23552 @tab show the type of this variable object
23553 @item @code{-var-info-expression}
23554 @tab print parent-relative expression that this variable object represents
23555 @item @code{-var-info-path-expression}
23556 @tab print full expression that this variable object represents
23557 @item @code{-var-show-attributes}
23558 @tab is this variable editable? does it exist here?
23559 @item @code{-var-evaluate-expression}
23560 @tab get the value of this variable
23561 @item @code{-var-assign}
23562 @tab set the value of this variable
23563 @item @code{-var-update}
23564 @tab update the variable and its children
23565 @item @code{-var-set-frozen}
23566 @tab set frozeness attribute
23567 @item @code{-var-set-update-range}
23568 @tab set range of children to display on update
23569 @end multitable
23570
23571 In the next subsection we describe each operation in detail and suggest
23572 how it can be used.
23573
23574 @subheading Description And Use of Operations on Variable Objects
23575
23576 @subheading The @code{-enable-pretty-printing} Command
23577 @findex -enable-pretty-printing
23578
23579 @smallexample
23580 -enable-pretty-printing
23581 @end smallexample
23582
23583 @value{GDBN} allows Python-based visualizers to affect the output of the
23584 MI variable object commands. However, because there was no way to
23585 implement this in a fully backward-compatible way, a front end must
23586 request that this functionality be enabled.
23587
23588 Once enabled, this feature cannot be disabled.
23589
23590 Note that if Python support has not been compiled into @value{GDBN},
23591 this command will still succeed (and do nothing).
23592
23593 This feature is currently (as of @value{GDBN} 7.0) experimental, and
23594 may work differently in future versions of @value{GDBN}.
23595
23596 @subheading The @code{-var-create} Command
23597 @findex -var-create
23598
23599 @subsubheading Synopsis
23600
23601 @smallexample
23602 -var-create @{@var{name} | "-"@}
23603 @{@var{frame-addr} | "*" | "@@"@} @var{expression}
23604 @end smallexample
23605
23606 This operation creates a variable object, which allows the monitoring of
23607 a variable, the result of an expression, a memory cell or a CPU
23608 register.
23609
23610 The @var{name} parameter is the string by which the object can be
23611 referenced. It must be unique. If @samp{-} is specified, the varobj
23612 system will generate a string ``varNNNNNN'' automatically. It will be
23613 unique provided that one does not specify @var{name} of that format.
23614 The command fails if a duplicate name is found.
23615
23616 The frame under which the expression should be evaluated can be
23617 specified by @var{frame-addr}. A @samp{*} indicates that the current
23618 frame should be used. A @samp{@@} indicates that a floating variable
23619 object must be created.
23620
23621 @var{expression} is any expression valid on the current language set (must not
23622 begin with a @samp{*}), or one of the following:
23623
23624 @itemize @bullet
23625 @item
23626 @samp{*@var{addr}}, where @var{addr} is the address of a memory cell
23627
23628 @item
23629 @samp{*@var{addr}-@var{addr}} --- a memory address range (TBD)
23630
23631 @item
23632 @samp{$@var{regname}} --- a CPU register name
23633 @end itemize
23634
23635 @cindex dynamic varobj
23636 A varobj's contents may be provided by a Python-based pretty-printer. In this
23637 case the varobj is known as a @dfn{dynamic varobj}. Dynamic varobjs
23638 have slightly different semantics in some cases. If the
23639 @code{-enable-pretty-printing} command is not sent, then @value{GDBN}
23640 will never create a dynamic varobj. This ensures backward
23641 compatibility for existing clients.
23642
23643 @subsubheading Result
23644
23645 This operation returns attributes of the newly-created varobj. These
23646 are:
23647
23648 @table @samp
23649 @item name
23650 The name of the varobj.
23651
23652 @item numchild
23653 The number of children of the varobj. This number is not necessarily
23654 reliable for a dynamic varobj. Instead, you must examine the
23655 @samp{has_more} attribute.
23656
23657 @item value
23658 The varobj's scalar value. For a varobj whose type is some sort of
23659 aggregate (e.g., a @code{struct}), or for a dynamic varobj, this value
23660 will not be interesting.
23661
23662 @item type
23663 The varobj's type. This is a string representation of the type, as
23664 would be printed by the @value{GDBN} CLI.
23665
23666 @item thread-id
23667 If a variable object is bound to a specific thread, then this is the
23668 thread's identifier.
23669
23670 @item has_more
23671 For a dynamic varobj, this indicates whether there appear to be any
23672 children available. For a non-dynamic varobj, this will be 0.
23673
23674 @item dynamic
23675 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
23676 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
23677 then this attribute will not be present.
23678
23679 @item displayhint
23680 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
23681 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
23682 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing}.
23683 @end table
23684
23685 Typical output will look like this:
23686
23687 @smallexample
23688 name="@var{name}",numchild="@var{N}",type="@var{type}",thread-id="@var{M}",
23689 has_more="@var{has_more}"
23690 @end smallexample
23691
23692
23693 @subheading The @code{-var-delete} Command
23694 @findex -var-delete
23695
23696 @subsubheading Synopsis
23697
23698 @smallexample
23699 -var-delete [ -c ] @var{name}
23700 @end smallexample
23701
23702 Deletes a previously created variable object and all of its children.
23703 With the @samp{-c} option, just deletes the children.
23704
23705 Returns an error if the object @var{name} is not found.
23706
23707
23708 @subheading The @code{-var-set-format} Command
23709 @findex -var-set-format
23710
23711 @subsubheading Synopsis
23712
23713 @smallexample
23714 -var-set-format @var{name} @var{format-spec}
23715 @end smallexample
23716
23717 Sets the output format for the value of the object @var{name} to be
23718 @var{format-spec}.
23719
23720 @anchor{-var-set-format}
23721 The syntax for the @var{format-spec} is as follows:
23722
23723 @smallexample
23724 @var{format-spec} @expansion{}
23725 @{binary | decimal | hexadecimal | octal | natural@}
23726 @end smallexample
23727
23728 The natural format is the default format choosen automatically
23729 based on the variable type (like decimal for an @code{int}, hex
23730 for pointers, etc.).
23731
23732 For a variable with children, the format is set only on the
23733 variable itself, and the children are not affected.
23734
23735 @subheading The @code{-var-show-format} Command
23736 @findex -var-show-format
23737
23738 @subsubheading Synopsis
23739
23740 @smallexample
23741 -var-show-format @var{name}
23742 @end smallexample
23743
23744 Returns the format used to display the value of the object @var{name}.
23745
23746 @smallexample
23747 @var{format} @expansion{}
23748 @var{format-spec}
23749 @end smallexample
23750
23751
23752 @subheading The @code{-var-info-num-children} Command
23753 @findex -var-info-num-children
23754
23755 @subsubheading Synopsis
23756
23757 @smallexample
23758 -var-info-num-children @var{name}
23759 @end smallexample
23760
23761 Returns the number of children of a variable object @var{name}:
23762
23763 @smallexample
23764 numchild=@var{n}
23765 @end smallexample
23766
23767 Note that this number is not completely reliable for a dynamic varobj.
23768 It will return the current number of children, but more children may
23769 be available.
23770
23771
23772 @subheading The @code{-var-list-children} Command
23773 @findex -var-list-children
23774
23775 @subsubheading Synopsis
23776
23777 @smallexample
23778 -var-list-children [@var{print-values}] @var{name} [@var{from} @var{to}]
23779 @end smallexample
23780 @anchor{-var-list-children}
23781
23782 Return a list of the children of the specified variable object and
23783 create variable objects for them, if they do not already exist. With
23784 a single argument or if @var{print-values} has a value for of 0 or
23785 @code{--no-values}, print only the names of the variables; if
23786 @var{print-values} is 1 or @code{--all-values}, also print their
23787 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values} print the name and
23788 value for simple data types and just the name for arrays, structures
23789 and unions.
23790
23791 @var{from} and @var{to}, if specified, indicate the range of children
23792 to report. If @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is
23793 reset and all children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting
23794 at @var{from} (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be
23795 reported.
23796
23797 If a child range is requested, it will only affect the current call to
23798 @code{-var-list-children}, but not future calls to @code{-var-update}.
23799 For this, you must instead use @code{-var-set-update-range}. The
23800 intent of this approach is to enable a front end to implement any
23801 update approach it likes; for example, scrolling a view may cause the
23802 front end to request more children with @code{-var-list-children}, and
23803 then the front end could call @code{-var-set-update-range} with a
23804 different range to ensure that future updates are restricted to just
23805 the visible items.
23806
23807 For each child the following results are returned:
23808
23809 @table @var
23810
23811 @item name
23812 Name of the variable object created for this child.
23813
23814 @item exp
23815 The expression to be shown to the user by the front end to designate this child.
23816 For example this may be the name of a structure member.
23817
23818 For a dynamic varobj, this value cannot be used to form an
23819 expression. There is no way to do this at all with a dynamic varobj.
23820
23821 For C/C@t{++} structures there are several pseudo children returned to
23822 designate access qualifiers. For these pseudo children @var{exp} is
23823 @samp{public}, @samp{private}, or @samp{protected}. In this case the
23824 type and value are not present.
23825
23826 A dynamic varobj will not report the access qualifying
23827 pseudo-children, regardless of the language. This information is not
23828 available at all with a dynamic varobj.
23829
23830 @item numchild
23831 Number of children this child has. For a dynamic varobj, this will be
23832 0.
23833
23834 @item type
23835 The type of the child.
23836
23837 @item value
23838 If values were requested, this is the value.
23839
23840 @item thread-id
23841 If this variable object is associated with a thread, this is the thread id.
23842 Otherwise this result is not present.
23843
23844 @item frozen
23845 If the variable object is frozen, this variable will be present with a value of 1.
23846 @end table
23847
23848 The result may have its own attributes:
23849
23850 @table @samp
23851 @item displayhint
23852 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
23853 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
23854 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing}.
23855
23856 @item has_more
23857 This is an integer attribute which is nonzero if there are children
23858 remaining after the end of the selected range.
23859 @end table
23860
23861 @subsubheading Example
23862
23863 @smallexample
23864 (gdb)
23865 -var-list-children n
23866 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
23867 numchild=@var{n},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
23868 (gdb)
23869 -var-list-children --all-values n
23870 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
23871 numchild=@var{n},value=@var{value},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
23872 @end smallexample
23873
23874
23875 @subheading The @code{-var-info-type} Command
23876 @findex -var-info-type
23877
23878 @subsubheading Synopsis
23879
23880 @smallexample
23881 -var-info-type @var{name}
23882 @end smallexample
23883
23884 Returns the type of the specified variable @var{name}. The type is
23885 returned as a string in the same format as it is output by the
23886 @value{GDBN} CLI:
23887
23888 @smallexample
23889 type=@var{typename}
23890 @end smallexample
23891
23892
23893 @subheading The @code{-var-info-expression} Command
23894 @findex -var-info-expression
23895
23896 @subsubheading Synopsis
23897
23898 @smallexample
23899 -var-info-expression @var{name}
23900 @end smallexample
23901
23902 Returns a string that is suitable for presenting this
23903 variable object in user interface. The string is generally
23904 not valid expression in the current language, and cannot be evaluated.
23905
23906 For example, if @code{a} is an array, and variable object
23907 @code{A} was created for @code{a}, then we'll get this output:
23908
23909 @smallexample
23910 (gdb) -var-info-expression A.1
23911 ^done,lang="C",exp="1"
23912 @end smallexample
23913
23914 @noindent
23915 Here, the values of @code{lang} can be @code{@{"C" | "C++" | "Java"@}}.
23916
23917 Note that the output of the @code{-var-list-children} command also
23918 includes those expressions, so the @code{-var-info-expression} command
23919 is of limited use.
23920
23921 @subheading The @code{-var-info-path-expression} Command
23922 @findex -var-info-path-expression
23923
23924 @subsubheading Synopsis
23925
23926 @smallexample
23927 -var-info-path-expression @var{name}
23928 @end smallexample
23929
23930 Returns an expression that can be evaluated in the current
23931 context and will yield the same value that a variable object has.
23932 Compare this with the @code{-var-info-expression} command, which
23933 result can be used only for UI presentation. Typical use of
23934 the @code{-var-info-path-expression} command is creating a
23935 watchpoint from a variable object.
23936
23937 This command is currently not valid for children of a dynamic varobj,
23938 and will give an error when invoked on one.
23939
23940 For example, suppose @code{C} is a C@t{++} class, derived from class
23941 @code{Base}, and that the @code{Base} class has a member called
23942 @code{m_size}. Assume a variable @code{c} is has the type of
23943 @code{C} and a variable object @code{C} was created for variable
23944 @code{c}. Then, we'll get this output:
23945 @smallexample
23946 (gdb) -var-info-path-expression C.Base.public.m_size
23947 ^done,path_expr=((Base)c).m_size)
23948 @end smallexample
23949
23950 @subheading The @code{-var-show-attributes} Command
23951 @findex -var-show-attributes
23952
23953 @subsubheading Synopsis
23954
23955 @smallexample
23956 -var-show-attributes @var{name}
23957 @end smallexample
23958
23959 List attributes of the specified variable object @var{name}:
23960
23961 @smallexample
23962 status=@var{attr} [ ( ,@var{attr} )* ]
23963 @end smallexample
23964
23965 @noindent
23966 where @var{attr} is @code{@{ @{ editable | noneditable @} | TBD @}}.
23967
23968 @subheading The @code{-var-evaluate-expression} Command
23969 @findex -var-evaluate-expression
23970
23971 @subsubheading Synopsis
23972
23973 @smallexample
23974 -var-evaluate-expression [-f @var{format-spec}] @var{name}
23975 @end smallexample
23976
23977 Evaluates the expression that is represented by the specified variable
23978 object and returns its value as a string. The format of the string
23979 can be specified with the @samp{-f} option. The possible values of
23980 this option are the same as for @code{-var-set-format}
23981 (@pxref{-var-set-format}). If the @samp{-f} option is not specified,
23982 the current display format will be used. The current display format
23983 can be changed using the @code{-var-set-format} command.
23984
23985 @smallexample
23986 value=@var{value}
23987 @end smallexample
23988
23989 Note that one must invoke @code{-var-list-children} for a variable
23990 before the value of a child variable can be evaluated.
23991
23992 @subheading The @code{-var-assign} Command
23993 @findex -var-assign
23994
23995 @subsubheading Synopsis
23996
23997 @smallexample
23998 -var-assign @var{name} @var{expression}
23999 @end smallexample
24000
24001 Assigns the value of @var{expression} to the variable object specified
24002 by @var{name}. The object must be @samp{editable}. If the variable's
24003 value is altered by the assign, the variable will show up in any
24004 subsequent @code{-var-update} list.
24005
24006 @subsubheading Example
24007
24008 @smallexample
24009 (gdb)
24010 -var-assign var1 3
24011 ^done,value="3"
24012 (gdb)
24013 -var-update *
24014 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",in_scope="true",type_changed="false"@}]
24015 (gdb)
24016 @end smallexample
24017
24018 @subheading The @code{-var-update} Command
24019 @findex -var-update
24020
24021 @subsubheading Synopsis
24022
24023 @smallexample
24024 -var-update [@var{print-values}] @{@var{name} | "*"@}
24025 @end smallexample
24026
24027 Reevaluate the expressions corresponding to the variable object
24028 @var{name} and all its direct and indirect children, and return the
24029 list of variable objects whose values have changed; @var{name} must
24030 be a root variable object. Here, ``changed'' means that the result of
24031 @code{-var-evaluate-expression} before and after the
24032 @code{-var-update} is different. If @samp{*} is used as the variable
24033 object names, all existing variable objects are updated, except
24034 for frozen ones (@pxref{-var-set-frozen}). The option
24035 @var{print-values} determines whether both names and values, or just
24036 names are printed. The possible values of this option are the same
24037 as for @code{-var-list-children} (@pxref{-var-list-children}). It is
24038 recommended to use the @samp{--all-values} option, to reduce the
24039 number of MI commands needed on each program stop.
24040
24041 With the @samp{*} parameter, if a variable object is bound to a
24042 currently running thread, it will not be updated, without any
24043 diagnostic.
24044
24045 If @code{-var-set-update-range} was previously used on a varobj, then
24046 only the selected range of children will be reported.
24047
24048 @code{-var-update} reports all the changed varobjs in a tuple named
24049 @samp{changelist}.
24050
24051 Each item in the change list is itself a tuple holding:
24052
24053 @table @samp
24054 @item name
24055 The name of the varobj.
24056
24057 @item value
24058 If values were requested for this update, then this field will be
24059 present and will hold the value of the varobj.
24060
24061 @item in_scope
24062 @anchor{-var-update}
24063 This field is a string which may take one of three values:
24064
24065 @table @code
24066 @item "true"
24067 The variable object's current value is valid.
24068
24069 @item "false"
24070 The variable object does not currently hold a valid value but it may
24071 hold one in the future if its associated expression comes back into
24072 scope.
24073
24074 @item "invalid"
24075 The variable object no longer holds a valid value.
24076 This can occur when the executable file being debugged has changed,
24077 either through recompilation or by using the @value{GDBN} @code{file}
24078 command. The front end should normally choose to delete these variable
24079 objects.
24080 @end table
24081
24082 In the future new values may be added to this list so the front should
24083 be prepared for this possibility. @xref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, ,@sc{GDB/MI} Development and Front Ends}.
24084
24085 @item type_changed
24086 This is only present if the varobj is still valid. If the type
24087 changed, then this will be the string @samp{true}; otherwise it will
24088 be @samp{false}.
24089
24090 @item new_type
24091 If the varobj's type changed, then this field will be present and will
24092 hold the new type.
24093
24094 @item new_num_children
24095 For a dynamic varobj, if the number of children changed, or if the
24096 type changed, this will be the new number of children.
24097
24098 The @samp{numchild} field in other varobj responses is generally not
24099 valid for a dynamic varobj -- it will show the number of children that
24100 @value{GDBN} knows about, but because dynamic varobjs lazily
24101 instantiate their children, this will not reflect the number of
24102 children which may be available.
24103
24104 The @samp{new_num_children} attribute only reports changes to the
24105 number of children known by @value{GDBN}. This is the only way to
24106 detect whether an update has removed children (which necessarily can
24107 only happen at the end of the update range).
24108
24109 @item displayhint
24110 The display hint, if any.
24111
24112 @item has_more
24113 This is an integer value, which will be 1 if there are more children
24114 available outside the varobj's update range.
24115
24116 @item dynamic
24117 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
24118 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
24119 then this attribute will not be present.
24120
24121 @item new_children
24122 If new children were added to a dynamic varobj within the selected
24123 update range (as set by @code{-var-set-update-range}), then they will
24124 be listed in this attribute.
24125 @end table
24126
24127 @subsubheading Example
24128
24129 @smallexample
24130 (gdb)
24131 -var-assign var1 3
24132 ^done,value="3"
24133 (gdb)
24134 -var-update --all-values var1
24135 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",value="3",in_scope="true",
24136 type_changed="false"@}]
24137 (gdb)
24138 @end smallexample
24139
24140 @subheading The @code{-var-set-frozen} Command
24141 @findex -var-set-frozen
24142 @anchor{-var-set-frozen}
24143
24144 @subsubheading Synopsis
24145
24146 @smallexample
24147 -var-set-frozen @var{name} @var{flag}
24148 @end smallexample
24149
24150 Set the frozenness flag on the variable object @var{name}. The
24151 @var{flag} parameter should be either @samp{1} to make the variable
24152 frozen or @samp{0} to make it unfrozen. If a variable object is
24153 frozen, then neither itself, nor any of its children, are
24154 implicitly updated by @code{-var-update} of
24155 a parent variable or by @code{-var-update *}. Only
24156 @code{-var-update} of the variable itself will update its value and
24157 values of its children. After a variable object is unfrozen, it is
24158 implicitly updated by all subsequent @code{-var-update} operations.
24159 Unfreezing a variable does not update it, only subsequent
24160 @code{-var-update} does.
24161
24162 @subsubheading Example
24163
24164 @smallexample
24165 (gdb)
24166 -var-set-frozen V 1
24167 ^done
24168 (gdb)
24169 @end smallexample
24170
24171 @subheading The @code{-var-set-update-range} command
24172 @findex -var-set-update-range
24173 @anchor{-var-set-update-range}
24174
24175 @subsubheading Synopsis
24176
24177 @smallexample
24178 -var-set-update-range @var{name} @var{from} @var{to}
24179 @end smallexample
24180
24181 Set the range of children to be returned by future invocations of
24182 @code{-var-update}.
24183
24184 @var{from} and @var{to} indicate the range of children to report. If
24185 @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is reset and all
24186 children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting at @var{from}
24187 (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be reported.
24188
24189 @subsubheading Example
24190
24191 @smallexample
24192 (gdb)
24193 -var-set-update-range V 1 2
24194 ^done
24195 @end smallexample
24196
24197 @subheading The @code{-var-set-visualizer} command
24198 @findex -var-set-visualizer
24199 @anchor{-var-set-visualizer}
24200
24201 @subsubheading Synopsis
24202
24203 @smallexample
24204 -var-set-visualizer @var{name} @var{visualizer}
24205 @end smallexample
24206
24207 Set a visualizer for the variable object @var{name}.
24208
24209 @var{visualizer} is the visualizer to use. The special value
24210 @samp{None} means to disable any visualizer in use.
24211
24212 If not @samp{None}, @var{visualizer} must be a Python expression.
24213 This expression must evaluate to a callable object which accepts a
24214 single argument. @value{GDBN} will call this object with the value of
24215 the varobj @var{name} as an argument (this is done so that the same
24216 Python pretty-printing code can be used for both the CLI and MI).
24217 When called, this object must return an object which conforms to the
24218 pretty-printing interface (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
24219
24220 The pre-defined function @code{gdb.default_visualizer} may be used to
24221 select a visualizer by following the built-in process
24222 (@pxref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}). This is done automatically when
24223 a varobj is created, and so ordinarily is not needed.
24224
24225 This feature is only available if Python support is enabled. The MI
24226 command @code{-list-features} (@pxref{GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands})
24227 can be used to check this.
24228
24229 @subsubheading Example
24230
24231 Resetting the visualizer:
24232
24233 @smallexample
24234 (gdb)
24235 -var-set-visualizer V None
24236 ^done
24237 @end smallexample
24238
24239 Reselecting the default (type-based) visualizer:
24240
24241 @smallexample
24242 (gdb)
24243 -var-set-visualizer V gdb.default_visualizer
24244 ^done
24245 @end smallexample
24246
24247 Suppose @code{SomeClass} is a visualizer class. A lambda expression
24248 can be used to instantiate this class for a varobj:
24249
24250 @smallexample
24251 (gdb)
24252 -var-set-visualizer V "lambda val: SomeClass()"
24253 ^done
24254 @end smallexample
24255
24256 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
24257 @node GDB/MI Data Manipulation
24258 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Data Manipulation
24259
24260 @cindex data manipulation, in @sc{gdb/mi}
24261 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, data manipulation
24262 This section describes the @sc{gdb/mi} commands that manipulate data:
24263 examine memory and registers, evaluate expressions, etc.
24264
24265 @c REMOVED FROM THE INTERFACE.
24266 @c @subheading -data-assign
24267 @c Change the value of a program variable. Plenty of side effects.
24268 @c @subsubheading GDB Command
24269 @c set variable
24270 @c @subsubheading Example
24271 @c N.A.
24272
24273 @subheading The @code{-data-disassemble} Command
24274 @findex -data-disassemble
24275
24276 @subsubheading Synopsis
24277
24278 @smallexample
24279 -data-disassemble
24280 [ -s @var{start-addr} -e @var{end-addr} ]
24281 | [ -f @var{filename} -l @var{linenum} [ -n @var{lines} ] ]
24282 -- @var{mode}
24283 @end smallexample
24284
24285 @noindent
24286 Where:
24287
24288 @table @samp
24289 @item @var{start-addr}
24290 is the beginning address (or @code{$pc})
24291 @item @var{end-addr}
24292 is the end address
24293 @item @var{filename}
24294 is the name of the file to disassemble
24295 @item @var{linenum}
24296 is the line number to disassemble around
24297 @item @var{lines}
24298 is the number of disassembly lines to be produced. If it is -1,
24299 the whole function will be disassembled, in case no @var{end-addr} is
24300 specified. If @var{end-addr} is specified as a non-zero value, and
24301 @var{lines} is lower than the number of disassembly lines between
24302 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only @var{lines} lines are
24303 displayed; if @var{lines} is higher than the number of lines between
24304 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only the lines up to @var{end-addr}
24305 are displayed.
24306 @item @var{mode}
24307 is either 0 (meaning only disassembly) or 1 (meaning mixed source and
24308 disassembly).
24309 @end table
24310
24311 @subsubheading Result
24312
24313 The output for each instruction is composed of four fields:
24314
24315 @itemize @bullet
24316 @item Address
24317 @item Func-name
24318 @item Offset
24319 @item Instruction
24320 @end itemize
24321
24322 Note that whatever included in the instruction field, is not manipulated
24323 directly by @sc{gdb/mi}, i.e., it is not possible to adjust its format.
24324
24325 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24326
24327 There's no direct mapping from this command to the CLI.
24328
24329 @subsubheading Example
24330
24331 Disassemble from the current value of @code{$pc} to @code{$pc + 20}:
24332
24333 @smallexample
24334 (gdb)
24335 -data-disassemble -s $pc -e "$pc + 20" -- 0
24336 ^done,
24337 asm_insns=[
24338 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
24339 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
24340 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
24341 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
24342 @{address="0x000107c8",func-name="main",offset="12",
24343 inst="or %o2, 0x140, %o1\t! 0x11940 <_lib_version+8>"@},
24344 @{address="0x000107cc",func-name="main",offset="16",
24345 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
24346 @{address="0x000107d0",func-name="main",offset="20",
24347 inst="or %o2, 0x168, %o4\t! 0x11968 <_lib_version+48>"@}]
24348 (gdb)
24349 @end smallexample
24350
24351 Disassemble the whole @code{main} function. Line 32 is part of
24352 @code{main}.
24353
24354 @smallexample
24355 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -- 0
24356 ^done,asm_insns=[
24357 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
24358 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
24359 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
24360 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
24361 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
24362 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
24363 [@dots{}]
24364 @{address="0x0001081c",func-name="main",offset="96",inst="ret "@},
24365 @{address="0x00010820",func-name="main",offset="100",inst="restore "@}]
24366 (gdb)
24367 @end smallexample
24368
24369 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main}:
24370
24371 @smallexample
24372 (gdb)
24373 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 0
24374 ^done,asm_insns=[
24375 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
24376 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
24377 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
24378 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
24379 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
24380 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]
24381 (gdb)
24382 @end smallexample
24383
24384 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main} in mixed mode:
24385
24386 @smallexample
24387 (gdb)
24388 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 1
24389 ^done,asm_insns=[
24390 src_and_asm_line=@{line="31",
24391 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
24392 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
24393 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
24394 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@}]@},
24395 src_and_asm_line=@{line="32",
24396 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
24397 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
24398 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
24399 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
24400 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
24401 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]@}]
24402 (gdb)
24403 @end smallexample
24404
24405
24406 @subheading The @code{-data-evaluate-expression} Command
24407 @findex -data-evaluate-expression
24408
24409 @subsubheading Synopsis
24410
24411 @smallexample
24412 -data-evaluate-expression @var{expr}
24413 @end smallexample
24414
24415 Evaluate @var{expr} as an expression. The expression could contain an
24416 inferior function call. The function call will execute synchronously.
24417 If the expression contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
24418
24419 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24420
24421 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{print}, @samp{output}, and
24422 @samp{call}. In @code{gdbtk} only, there's a corresponding
24423 @samp{gdb_eval} command.
24424
24425 @subsubheading Example
24426
24427 In the following example, the numbers that precede the commands are the
24428 @dfn{tokens} described in @ref{GDB/MI Command Syntax, ,@sc{gdb/mi}
24429 Command Syntax}. Notice how @sc{gdb/mi} returns the same tokens in its
24430 output.
24431
24432 @smallexample
24433 211-data-evaluate-expression A
24434 211^done,value="1"
24435 (gdb)
24436 311-data-evaluate-expression &A
24437 311^done,value="0xefffeb7c"
24438 (gdb)
24439 411-data-evaluate-expression A+3
24440 411^done,value="4"
24441 (gdb)
24442 511-data-evaluate-expression "A + 3"
24443 511^done,value="4"
24444 (gdb)
24445 @end smallexample
24446
24447
24448 @subheading The @code{-data-list-changed-registers} Command
24449 @findex -data-list-changed-registers
24450
24451 @subsubheading Synopsis
24452
24453 @smallexample
24454 -data-list-changed-registers
24455 @end smallexample
24456
24457 Display a list of the registers that have changed.
24458
24459 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24460
24461 @value{GDBN} doesn't have a direct analog for this command; @code{gdbtk}
24462 has the corresponding command @samp{gdb_changed_register_list}.
24463
24464 @subsubheading Example
24465
24466 On a PPC MBX board:
24467
24468 @smallexample
24469 (gdb)
24470 -exec-continue
24471 ^running
24472
24473 (gdb)
24474 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",frame=@{
24475 func="main",args=[],file="try.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",
24476 line="5"@}
24477 (gdb)
24478 -data-list-changed-registers
24479 ^done,changed-registers=["0","1","2","4","5","6","7","8","9",
24480 "10","11","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23",
24481 "24","25","26","27","28","30","31","64","65","66","67","69"]
24482 (gdb)
24483 @end smallexample
24484
24485
24486 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-names} Command
24487 @findex -data-list-register-names
24488
24489 @subsubheading Synopsis
24490
24491 @smallexample
24492 -data-list-register-names [ ( @var{regno} )+ ]
24493 @end smallexample
24494
24495 Show a list of register names for the current target. If no arguments
24496 are given, it shows a list of the names of all the registers. If
24497 integer numbers are given as arguments, it will print a list of the
24498 names of the registers corresponding to the arguments. To ensure
24499 consistency between a register name and its number, the output list may
24500 include empty register names.
24501
24502 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24503
24504 @value{GDBN} does not have a command which corresponds to
24505 @samp{-data-list-register-names}. In @code{gdbtk} there is a
24506 corresponding command @samp{gdb_regnames}.
24507
24508 @subsubheading Example
24509
24510 For the PPC MBX board:
24511 @smallexample
24512 (gdb)
24513 -data-list-register-names
24514 ^done,register-names=["r0","r1","r2","r3","r4","r5","r6","r7",
24515 "r8","r9","r10","r11","r12","r13","r14","r15","r16","r17","r18",
24516 "r19","r20","r21","r22","r23","r24","r25","r26","r27","r28","r29",
24517 "r30","r31","f0","f1","f2","f3","f4","f5","f6","f7","f8","f9",
24518 "f10","f11","f12","f13","f14","f15","f16","f17","f18","f19","f20",
24519 "f21","f22","f23","f24","f25","f26","f27","f28","f29","f30","f31",
24520 "", "pc","ps","cr","lr","ctr","xer"]
24521 (gdb)
24522 -data-list-register-names 1 2 3
24523 ^done,register-names=["r1","r2","r3"]
24524 (gdb)
24525 @end smallexample
24526
24527 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-values} Command
24528 @findex -data-list-register-values
24529
24530 @subsubheading Synopsis
24531
24532 @smallexample
24533 -data-list-register-values @var{fmt} [ ( @var{regno} )*]
24534 @end smallexample
24535
24536 Display the registers' contents. @var{fmt} is the format according to
24537 which the registers' contents are to be returned, followed by an optional
24538 list of numbers specifying the registers to display. A missing list of
24539 numbers indicates that the contents of all the registers must be returned.
24540
24541 Allowed formats for @var{fmt} are:
24542
24543 @table @code
24544 @item x
24545 Hexadecimal
24546 @item o
24547 Octal
24548 @item t
24549 Binary
24550 @item d
24551 Decimal
24552 @item r
24553 Raw
24554 @item N
24555 Natural
24556 @end table
24557
24558 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24559
24560 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{info reg}, @samp{info
24561 all-reg}, and (in @code{gdbtk}) @samp{gdb_fetch_registers}.
24562
24563 @subsubheading Example
24564
24565 For a PPC MBX board (note: line breaks are for readability only, they
24566 don't appear in the actual output):
24567
24568 @smallexample
24569 (gdb)
24570 -data-list-register-values r 64 65
24571 ^done,register-values=[@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
24572 @{number="65",value="0x00029002"@}]
24573 (gdb)
24574 -data-list-register-values x
24575 ^done,register-values=[@{number="0",value="0xfe0043c8"@},
24576 @{number="1",value="0x3fff88"@},@{number="2",value="0xfffffffe"@},
24577 @{number="3",value="0x0"@},@{number="4",value="0xa"@},
24578 @{number="5",value="0x3fff68"@},@{number="6",value="0x3fff58"@},
24579 @{number="7",value="0xfe011e98"@},@{number="8",value="0x2"@},
24580 @{number="9",value="0xfa202820"@},@{number="10",value="0xfa202808"@},
24581 @{number="11",value="0x1"@},@{number="12",value="0x0"@},
24582 @{number="13",value="0x4544"@},@{number="14",value="0xffdfffff"@},
24583 @{number="15",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="16",value="0xfffffeff"@},
24584 @{number="17",value="0xefffffed"@},@{number="18",value="0xfffffffe"@},
24585 @{number="19",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="20",value="0xffffffff"@},
24586 @{number="21",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="22",value="0xfffffff7"@},
24587 @{number="23",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="24",value="0xffffffff"@},
24588 @{number="25",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="26",value="0xfffffffb"@},
24589 @{number="27",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="28",value="0xf7bfffff"@},
24590 @{number="29",value="0x0"@},@{number="30",value="0xfe010000"@},
24591 @{number="31",value="0x0"@},@{number="32",value="0x0"@},
24592 @{number="33",value="0x0"@},@{number="34",value="0x0"@},
24593 @{number="35",value="0x0"@},@{number="36",value="0x0"@},
24594 @{number="37",value="0x0"@},@{number="38",value="0x0"@},
24595 @{number="39",value="0x0"@},@{number="40",value="0x0"@},
24596 @{number="41",value="0x0"@},@{number="42",value="0x0"@},
24597 @{number="43",value="0x0"@},@{number="44",value="0x0"@},
24598 @{number="45",value="0x0"@},@{number="46",value="0x0"@},
24599 @{number="47",value="0x0"@},@{number="48",value="0x0"@},
24600 @{number="49",value="0x0"@},@{number="50",value="0x0"@},
24601 @{number="51",value="0x0"@},@{number="52",value="0x0"@},
24602 @{number="53",value="0x0"@},@{number="54",value="0x0"@},
24603 @{number="55",value="0x0"@},@{number="56",value="0x0"@},
24604 @{number="57",value="0x0"@},@{number="58",value="0x0"@},
24605 @{number="59",value="0x0"@},@{number="60",value="0x0"@},
24606 @{number="61",value="0x0"@},@{number="62",value="0x0"@},
24607 @{number="63",value="0x0"@},@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
24608 @{number="65",value="0x29002"@},@{number="66",value="0x202f04b5"@},
24609 @{number="67",value="0xfe0043b0"@},@{number="68",value="0xfe00b3e4"@},
24610 @{number="69",value="0x20002b03"@}]
24611 (gdb)
24612 @end smallexample
24613
24614
24615 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory} Command
24616 @findex -data-read-memory
24617
24618 @subsubheading Synopsis
24619
24620 @smallexample
24621 -data-read-memory [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
24622 @var{address} @var{word-format} @var{word-size}
24623 @var{nr-rows} @var{nr-cols} [ @var{aschar} ]
24624 @end smallexample
24625
24626 @noindent
24627 where:
24628
24629 @table @samp
24630 @item @var{address}
24631 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
24632 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
24633 quoted using the C convention.
24634
24635 @item @var{word-format}
24636 The format to be used to print the memory words. The notation is the
24637 same as for @value{GDBN}'s @code{print} command (@pxref{Output Formats,
24638 ,Output Formats}).
24639
24640 @item @var{word-size}
24641 The size of each memory word in bytes.
24642
24643 @item @var{nr-rows}
24644 The number of rows in the output table.
24645
24646 @item @var{nr-cols}
24647 The number of columns in the output table.
24648
24649 @item @var{aschar}
24650 If present, indicates that each row should include an @sc{ascii} dump. The
24651 value of @var{aschar} is used as a padding character when a byte is not a
24652 member of the printable @sc{ascii} character set (printable @sc{ascii}
24653 characters are those whose code is between 32 and 126, inclusively).
24654
24655 @item @var{byte-offset}
24656 An offset to add to the @var{address} before fetching memory.
24657 @end table
24658
24659 This command displays memory contents as a table of @var{nr-rows} by
24660 @var{nr-cols} words, each word being @var{word-size} bytes. In total,
24661 @code{@var{nr-rows} * @var{nr-cols} * @var{word-size}} bytes are read
24662 (returned as @samp{total-bytes}). Should less than the requested number
24663 of bytes be returned by the target, the missing words are identified
24664 using @samp{N/A}. The number of bytes read from the target is returned
24665 in @samp{nr-bytes} and the starting address used to read memory in
24666 @samp{addr}.
24667
24668 The address of the next/previous row or page is available in
24669 @samp{next-row} and @samp{prev-row}, @samp{next-page} and
24670 @samp{prev-page}.
24671
24672 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24673
24674 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}. @code{gdbtk} has
24675 @samp{gdb_get_mem} memory read command.
24676
24677 @subsubheading Example
24678
24679 Read six bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+6} but then offset by
24680 @code{-6} bytes. Format as three rows of two columns. One byte per
24681 word. Display each word in hex.
24682
24683 @smallexample
24684 (gdb)
24685 9-data-read-memory -o -6 -- bytes+6 x 1 3 2
24686 9^done,addr="0x00001390",nr-bytes="6",total-bytes="6",
24687 next-row="0x00001396",prev-row="0x0000138e",next-page="0x00001396",
24688 prev-page="0x0000138a",memory=[
24689 @{addr="0x00001390",data=["0x00","0x01"]@},
24690 @{addr="0x00001392",data=["0x02","0x03"]@},
24691 @{addr="0x00001394",data=["0x04","0x05"]@}]
24692 (gdb)
24693 @end smallexample
24694
24695 Read two bytes of memory starting at address @code{shorts + 64} and
24696 display as a single word formatted in decimal.
24697
24698 @smallexample
24699 (gdb)
24700 5-data-read-memory shorts+64 d 2 1 1
24701 5^done,addr="0x00001510",nr-bytes="2",total-bytes="2",
24702 next-row="0x00001512",prev-row="0x0000150e",
24703 next-page="0x00001512",prev-page="0x0000150e",memory=[
24704 @{addr="0x00001510",data=["128"]@}]
24705 (gdb)
24706 @end smallexample
24707
24708 Read thirty two bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+16} and format
24709 as eight rows of four columns. Include a string encoding with @samp{x}
24710 used as the non-printable character.
24711
24712 @smallexample
24713 (gdb)
24714 4-data-read-memory bytes+16 x 1 8 4 x
24715 4^done,addr="0x000013a0",nr-bytes="32",total-bytes="32",
24716 next-row="0x000013c0",prev-row="0x0000139c",
24717 next-page="0x000013c0",prev-page="0x00001380",memory=[
24718 @{addr="0x000013a0",data=["0x10","0x11","0x12","0x13"],ascii="xxxx"@},
24719 @{addr="0x000013a4",data=["0x14","0x15","0x16","0x17"],ascii="xxxx"@},
24720 @{addr="0x000013a8",data=["0x18","0x19","0x1a","0x1b"],ascii="xxxx"@},
24721 @{addr="0x000013ac",data=["0x1c","0x1d","0x1e","0x1f"],ascii="xxxx"@},
24722 @{addr="0x000013b0",data=["0x20","0x21","0x22","0x23"],ascii=" !\"#"@},
24723 @{addr="0x000013b4",data=["0x24","0x25","0x26","0x27"],ascii="$%&'"@},
24724 @{addr="0x000013b8",data=["0x28","0x29","0x2a","0x2b"],ascii="()*+"@},
24725 @{addr="0x000013bc",data=["0x2c","0x2d","0x2e","0x2f"],ascii=",-./"@}]
24726 (gdb)
24727 @end smallexample
24728
24729 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
24730 @node GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands
24731 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Tracepoint Commands
24732
24733 The tracepoint commands are not yet implemented.
24734
24735 @c @subheading -trace-actions
24736
24737 @c @subheading -trace-delete
24738
24739 @c @subheading -trace-disable
24740
24741 @c @subheading -trace-dump
24742
24743 @c @subheading -trace-enable
24744
24745 @c @subheading -trace-exists
24746
24747 @c @subheading -trace-find
24748
24749 @c @subheading -trace-frame-number
24750
24751 @c @subheading -trace-info
24752
24753 @c @subheading -trace-insert
24754
24755 @c @subheading -trace-list
24756
24757 @c @subheading -trace-pass-count
24758
24759 @c @subheading -trace-save
24760
24761 @c @subheading -trace-start
24762
24763 @c @subheading -trace-stop
24764
24765
24766 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
24767 @node GDB/MI Symbol Query
24768 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Symbol Query Commands
24769
24770
24771 @ignore
24772 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-address} Command
24773 @findex -symbol-info-address
24774
24775 @subsubheading Synopsis
24776
24777 @smallexample
24778 -symbol-info-address @var{symbol}
24779 @end smallexample
24780
24781 Describe where @var{symbol} is stored.
24782
24783 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24784
24785 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info address}.
24786
24787 @subsubheading Example
24788 N.A.
24789
24790
24791 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-file} Command
24792 @findex -symbol-info-file
24793
24794 @subsubheading Synopsis
24795
24796 @smallexample
24797 -symbol-info-file
24798 @end smallexample
24799
24800 Show the file for the symbol.
24801
24802 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24803
24804 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @code{gdbtk} has
24805 @samp{gdb_find_file}.
24806
24807 @subsubheading Example
24808 N.A.
24809
24810
24811 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-function} Command
24812 @findex -symbol-info-function
24813
24814 @subsubheading Synopsis
24815
24816 @smallexample
24817 -symbol-info-function
24818 @end smallexample
24819
24820 Show which function the symbol lives in.
24821
24822 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24823
24824 @samp{gdb_get_function} in @code{gdbtk}.
24825
24826 @subsubheading Example
24827 N.A.
24828
24829
24830 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-line} Command
24831 @findex -symbol-info-line
24832
24833 @subsubheading Synopsis
24834
24835 @smallexample
24836 -symbol-info-line
24837 @end smallexample
24838
24839 Show the core addresses of the code for a source line.
24840
24841 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24842
24843 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info line}.
24844 @code{gdbtk} has the @samp{gdb_get_line} and @samp{gdb_get_file} commands.
24845
24846 @subsubheading Example
24847 N.A.
24848
24849
24850 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-symbol} Command
24851 @findex -symbol-info-symbol
24852
24853 @subsubheading Synopsis
24854
24855 @smallexample
24856 -symbol-info-symbol @var{addr}
24857 @end smallexample
24858
24859 Describe what symbol is at location @var{addr}.
24860
24861 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24862
24863 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info symbol}.
24864
24865 @subsubheading Example
24866 N.A.
24867
24868
24869 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-functions} Command
24870 @findex -symbol-list-functions
24871
24872 @subsubheading Synopsis
24873
24874 @smallexample
24875 -symbol-list-functions
24876 @end smallexample
24877
24878 List the functions in the executable.
24879
24880 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24881
24882 @samp{info functions} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_listfunc} and
24883 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
24884
24885 @subsubheading Example
24886 N.A.
24887 @end ignore
24888
24889
24890 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-lines} Command
24891 @findex -symbol-list-lines
24892
24893 @subsubheading Synopsis
24894
24895 @smallexample
24896 -symbol-list-lines @var{filename}
24897 @end smallexample
24898
24899 Print the list of lines that contain code and their associated program
24900 addresses for the given source filename. The entries are sorted in
24901 ascending PC order.
24902
24903 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24904
24905 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
24906
24907 @subsubheading Example
24908 @smallexample
24909 (gdb)
24910 -symbol-list-lines basics.c
24911 ^done,lines=[@{pc="0x08048554",line="7"@},@{pc="0x0804855a",line="8"@}]
24912 (gdb)
24913 @end smallexample
24914
24915
24916 @ignore
24917 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-types} Command
24918 @findex -symbol-list-types
24919
24920 @subsubheading Synopsis
24921
24922 @smallexample
24923 -symbol-list-types
24924 @end smallexample
24925
24926 List all the type names.
24927
24928 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24929
24930 The corresponding commands are @samp{info types} in @value{GDBN},
24931 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
24932
24933 @subsubheading Example
24934 N.A.
24935
24936
24937 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-variables} Command
24938 @findex -symbol-list-variables
24939
24940 @subsubheading Synopsis
24941
24942 @smallexample
24943 -symbol-list-variables
24944 @end smallexample
24945
24946 List all the global and static variable names.
24947
24948 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24949
24950 @samp{info variables} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
24951
24952 @subsubheading Example
24953 N.A.
24954
24955
24956 @subheading The @code{-symbol-locate} Command
24957 @findex -symbol-locate
24958
24959 @subsubheading Synopsis
24960
24961 @smallexample
24962 -symbol-locate
24963 @end smallexample
24964
24965 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24966
24967 @samp{gdb_loc} in @code{gdbtk}.
24968
24969 @subsubheading Example
24970 N.A.
24971
24972
24973 @subheading The @code{-symbol-type} Command
24974 @findex -symbol-type
24975
24976 @subsubheading Synopsis
24977
24978 @smallexample
24979 -symbol-type @var{variable}
24980 @end smallexample
24981
24982 Show type of @var{variable}.
24983
24984 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
24985
24986 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ptype}, @code{gdbtk} has
24987 @samp{gdb_obj_variable}.
24988
24989 @subsubheading Example
24990 N.A.
24991 @end ignore
24992
24993
24994 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
24995 @node GDB/MI File Commands
24996 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Commands
24997
24998 This section describes the GDB/MI commands to specify executable file names
24999 and to read in and obtain symbol table information.
25000
25001 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-and-symbols} Command
25002 @findex -file-exec-and-symbols
25003
25004 @subsubheading Synopsis
25005
25006 @smallexample
25007 -file-exec-and-symbols @var{file}
25008 @end smallexample
25009
25010 Specify the executable file to be debugged. This file is the one from
25011 which the symbol table is also read. If no file is specified, the
25012 command clears the executable and symbol information. If breakpoints
25013 are set when using this command with no arguments, @value{GDBN} will produce
25014 error messages. Otherwise, no output is produced, except a completion
25015 notification.
25016
25017 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25018
25019 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{file}.
25020
25021 @subsubheading Example
25022
25023 @smallexample
25024 (gdb)
25025 -file-exec-and-symbols /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
25026 ^done
25027 (gdb)
25028 @end smallexample
25029
25030
25031 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-file} Command
25032 @findex -file-exec-file
25033
25034 @subsubheading Synopsis
25035
25036 @smallexample
25037 -file-exec-file @var{file}
25038 @end smallexample
25039
25040 Specify the executable file to be debugged. Unlike
25041 @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols}, the symbol table is @emph{not} read
25042 from this file. If used without argument, @value{GDBN} clears the information
25043 about the executable file. No output is produced, except a completion
25044 notification.
25045
25046 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25047
25048 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{exec-file}.
25049
25050 @subsubheading Example
25051
25052 @smallexample
25053 (gdb)
25054 -file-exec-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
25055 ^done
25056 (gdb)
25057 @end smallexample
25058
25059
25060 @ignore
25061 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-sections} Command
25062 @findex -file-list-exec-sections
25063
25064 @subsubheading Synopsis
25065
25066 @smallexample
25067 -file-list-exec-sections
25068 @end smallexample
25069
25070 List the sections of the current executable file.
25071
25072 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25073
25074 The @value{GDBN} command @samp{info file} shows, among the rest, the same
25075 information as this command. @code{gdbtk} has a corresponding command
25076 @samp{gdb_load_info}.
25077
25078 @subsubheading Example
25079 N.A.
25080 @end ignore
25081
25082
25083 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-file} Command
25084 @findex -file-list-exec-source-file
25085
25086 @subsubheading Synopsis
25087
25088 @smallexample
25089 -file-list-exec-source-file
25090 @end smallexample
25091
25092 List the line number, the current source file, and the absolute path
25093 to the current source file for the current executable. The macro
25094 information field has a value of @samp{1} or @samp{0} depending on
25095 whether or not the file includes preprocessor macro information.
25096
25097 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25098
25099 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info source}
25100
25101 @subsubheading Example
25102
25103 @smallexample
25104 (gdb)
25105 123-file-list-exec-source-file
25106 123^done,line="1",file="foo.c",fullname="/home/bar/foo.c,macro-info="1"
25107 (gdb)
25108 @end smallexample
25109
25110
25111 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-files} Command
25112 @findex -file-list-exec-source-files
25113
25114 @subsubheading Synopsis
25115
25116 @smallexample
25117 -file-list-exec-source-files
25118 @end smallexample
25119
25120 List the source files for the current executable.
25121
25122 It will always output the filename, but only when @value{GDBN} can find
25123 the absolute file name of a source file, will it output the fullname.
25124
25125 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25126
25127 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info sources}.
25128 @code{gdbtk} has an analogous command @samp{gdb_listfiles}.
25129
25130 @subsubheading Example
25131 @smallexample
25132 (gdb)
25133 -file-list-exec-source-files
25134 ^done,files=[
25135 @{file=foo.c,fullname=/home/foo.c@},
25136 @{file=/home/bar.c,fullname=/home/bar.c@},
25137 @{file=gdb_could_not_find_fullpath.c@}]
25138 (gdb)
25139 @end smallexample
25140
25141 @ignore
25142 @subheading The @code{-file-list-shared-libraries} Command
25143 @findex -file-list-shared-libraries
25144
25145 @subsubheading Synopsis
25146
25147 @smallexample
25148 -file-list-shared-libraries
25149 @end smallexample
25150
25151 List the shared libraries in the program.
25152
25153 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25154
25155 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info shared}.
25156
25157 @subsubheading Example
25158 N.A.
25159
25160
25161 @subheading The @code{-file-list-symbol-files} Command
25162 @findex -file-list-symbol-files
25163
25164 @subsubheading Synopsis
25165
25166 @smallexample
25167 -file-list-symbol-files
25168 @end smallexample
25169
25170 List symbol files.
25171
25172 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25173
25174 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info file} (part of it).
25175
25176 @subsubheading Example
25177 N.A.
25178 @end ignore
25179
25180
25181 @subheading The @code{-file-symbol-file} Command
25182 @findex -file-symbol-file
25183
25184 @subsubheading Synopsis
25185
25186 @smallexample
25187 -file-symbol-file @var{file}
25188 @end smallexample
25189
25190 Read symbol table info from the specified @var{file} argument. When
25191 used without arguments, clears @value{GDBN}'s symbol table info. No output is
25192 produced, except for a completion notification.
25193
25194 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25195
25196 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{symbol-file}.
25197
25198 @subsubheading Example
25199
25200 @smallexample
25201 (gdb)
25202 -file-symbol-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
25203 ^done
25204 (gdb)
25205 @end smallexample
25206
25207 @ignore
25208 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
25209 @node GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands
25210 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Memory Overlay Commands
25211
25212 The memory overlay commands are not implemented.
25213
25214 @c @subheading -overlay-auto
25215
25216 @c @subheading -overlay-list-mapping-state
25217
25218 @c @subheading -overlay-list-overlays
25219
25220 @c @subheading -overlay-map
25221
25222 @c @subheading -overlay-off
25223
25224 @c @subheading -overlay-on
25225
25226 @c @subheading -overlay-unmap
25227
25228 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
25229 @node GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands
25230 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Signal Handling Commands
25231
25232 Signal handling commands are not implemented.
25233
25234 @c @subheading -signal-handle
25235
25236 @c @subheading -signal-list-handle-actions
25237
25238 @c @subheading -signal-list-signal-types
25239 @end ignore
25240
25241
25242 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
25243 @node GDB/MI Target Manipulation
25244 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Target Manipulation Commands
25245
25246
25247 @subheading The @code{-target-attach} Command
25248 @findex -target-attach
25249
25250 @subsubheading Synopsis
25251
25252 @smallexample
25253 -target-attach @var{pid} | @var{gid} | @var{file}
25254 @end smallexample
25255
25256 Attach to a process @var{pid} or a file @var{file} outside of
25257 @value{GDBN}, or a thread group @var{gid}. If attaching to a thread
25258 group, the id previously returned by
25259 @samp{-list-thread-groups --available} must be used.
25260
25261 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25262
25263 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{attach}.
25264
25265 @subsubheading Example
25266 @smallexample
25267 (gdb)
25268 -target-attach 34
25269 =thread-created,id="1"
25270 *stopped,thread-id="1",frame=@{addr="0xb7f7e410",func="bar",args=[]@}
25271 ^done
25272 (gdb)
25273 @end smallexample
25274
25275 @ignore
25276 @subheading The @code{-target-compare-sections} Command
25277 @findex -target-compare-sections
25278
25279 @subsubheading Synopsis
25280
25281 @smallexample
25282 -target-compare-sections [ @var{section} ]
25283 @end smallexample
25284
25285 Compare data of section @var{section} on target to the exec file.
25286 Without the argument, all sections are compared.
25287
25288 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25289
25290 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{compare-sections}.
25291
25292 @subsubheading Example
25293 N.A.
25294 @end ignore
25295
25296
25297 @subheading The @code{-target-detach} Command
25298 @findex -target-detach
25299
25300 @subsubheading Synopsis
25301
25302 @smallexample
25303 -target-detach [ @var{pid} | @var{gid} ]
25304 @end smallexample
25305
25306 Detach from the remote target which normally resumes its execution.
25307 If either @var{pid} or @var{gid} is specified, detaches from either
25308 the specified process, or specified thread group. There's no output.
25309
25310 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25311
25312 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{detach}.
25313
25314 @subsubheading Example
25315
25316 @smallexample
25317 (gdb)
25318 -target-detach
25319 ^done
25320 (gdb)
25321 @end smallexample
25322
25323
25324 @subheading The @code{-target-disconnect} Command
25325 @findex -target-disconnect
25326
25327 @subsubheading Synopsis
25328
25329 @smallexample
25330 -target-disconnect
25331 @end smallexample
25332
25333 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output and the target is
25334 generally not resumed.
25335
25336 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25337
25338 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disconnect}.
25339
25340 @subsubheading Example
25341
25342 @smallexample
25343 (gdb)
25344 -target-disconnect
25345 ^done
25346 (gdb)
25347 @end smallexample
25348
25349
25350 @subheading The @code{-target-download} Command
25351 @findex -target-download
25352
25353 @subsubheading Synopsis
25354
25355 @smallexample
25356 -target-download
25357 @end smallexample
25358
25359 Loads the executable onto the remote target.
25360 It prints out an update message every half second, which includes the fields:
25361
25362 @table @samp
25363 @item section
25364 The name of the section.
25365 @item section-sent
25366 The size of what has been sent so far for that section.
25367 @item section-size
25368 The size of the section.
25369 @item total-sent
25370 The total size of what was sent so far (the current and the previous sections).
25371 @item total-size
25372 The size of the overall executable to download.
25373 @end table
25374
25375 @noindent
25376 Each message is sent as status record (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, ,
25377 @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax}).
25378
25379 In addition, it prints the name and size of the sections, as they are
25380 downloaded. These messages include the following fields:
25381
25382 @table @samp
25383 @item section
25384 The name of the section.
25385 @item section-size
25386 The size of the section.
25387 @item total-size
25388 The size of the overall executable to download.
25389 @end table
25390
25391 @noindent
25392 At the end, a summary is printed.
25393
25394 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25395
25396 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{load}.
25397
25398 @subsubheading Example
25399
25400 Note: each status message appears on a single line. Here the messages
25401 have been broken down so that they can fit onto a page.
25402
25403 @smallexample
25404 (gdb)
25405 -target-download
25406 +download,@{section=".text",section-size="6668",total-size="9880"@}
25407 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="512",section-size="6668",
25408 total-sent="512",total-size="9880"@}
25409 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1024",section-size="6668",
25410 total-sent="1024",total-size="9880"@}
25411 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1536",section-size="6668",
25412 total-sent="1536",total-size="9880"@}
25413 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2048",section-size="6668",
25414 total-sent="2048",total-size="9880"@}
25415 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2560",section-size="6668",
25416 total-sent="2560",total-size="9880"@}
25417 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3072",section-size="6668",
25418 total-sent="3072",total-size="9880"@}
25419 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3584",section-size="6668",
25420 total-sent="3584",total-size="9880"@}
25421 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4096",section-size="6668",
25422 total-sent="4096",total-size="9880"@}
25423 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4608",section-size="6668",
25424 total-sent="4608",total-size="9880"@}
25425 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5120",section-size="6668",
25426 total-sent="5120",total-size="9880"@}
25427 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5632",section-size="6668",
25428 total-sent="5632",total-size="9880"@}
25429 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6144",section-size="6668",
25430 total-sent="6144",total-size="9880"@}
25431 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6656",section-size="6668",
25432 total-sent="6656",total-size="9880"@}
25433 +download,@{section=".init",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
25434 +download,@{section=".fini",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
25435 +download,@{section=".data",section-size="3156",total-size="9880"@}
25436 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="512",section-size="3156",
25437 total-sent="7236",total-size="9880"@}
25438 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1024",section-size="3156",
25439 total-sent="7748",total-size="9880"@}
25440 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1536",section-size="3156",
25441 total-sent="8260",total-size="9880"@}
25442 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2048",section-size="3156",
25443 total-sent="8772",total-size="9880"@}
25444 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2560",section-size="3156",
25445 total-sent="9284",total-size="9880"@}
25446 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="3072",section-size="3156",
25447 total-sent="9796",total-size="9880"@}
25448 ^done,address="0x10004",load-size="9880",transfer-rate="6586",
25449 write-rate="429"
25450 (gdb)
25451 @end smallexample
25452
25453
25454 @ignore
25455 @subheading The @code{-target-exec-status} Command
25456 @findex -target-exec-status
25457
25458 @subsubheading Synopsis
25459
25460 @smallexample
25461 -target-exec-status
25462 @end smallexample
25463
25464 Provide information on the state of the target (whether it is running or
25465 not, for instance).
25466
25467 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25468
25469 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
25470
25471 @subsubheading Example
25472 N.A.
25473
25474
25475 @subheading The @code{-target-list-available-targets} Command
25476 @findex -target-list-available-targets
25477
25478 @subsubheading Synopsis
25479
25480 @smallexample
25481 -target-list-available-targets
25482 @end smallexample
25483
25484 List the possible targets to connect to.
25485
25486 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25487
25488 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{help target}.
25489
25490 @subsubheading Example
25491 N.A.
25492
25493
25494 @subheading The @code{-target-list-current-targets} Command
25495 @findex -target-list-current-targets
25496
25497 @subsubheading Synopsis
25498
25499 @smallexample
25500 -target-list-current-targets
25501 @end smallexample
25502
25503 Describe the current target.
25504
25505 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25506
25507 The corresponding information is printed by @samp{info file} (among
25508 other things).
25509
25510 @subsubheading Example
25511 N.A.
25512
25513
25514 @subheading The @code{-target-list-parameters} Command
25515 @findex -target-list-parameters
25516
25517 @subsubheading Synopsis
25518
25519 @smallexample
25520 -target-list-parameters
25521 @end smallexample
25522
25523 @c ????
25524 @end ignore
25525
25526 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25527
25528 No equivalent.
25529
25530 @subsubheading Example
25531 N.A.
25532
25533
25534 @subheading The @code{-target-select} Command
25535 @findex -target-select
25536
25537 @subsubheading Synopsis
25538
25539 @smallexample
25540 -target-select @var{type} @var{parameters @dots{}}
25541 @end smallexample
25542
25543 Connect @value{GDBN} to the remote target. This command takes two args:
25544
25545 @table @samp
25546 @item @var{type}
25547 The type of target, for instance @samp{remote}, etc.
25548 @item @var{parameters}
25549 Device names, host names and the like. @xref{Target Commands, ,
25550 Commands for Managing Targets}, for more details.
25551 @end table
25552
25553 The output is a connection notification, followed by the address at
25554 which the target program is, in the following form:
25555
25556 @smallexample
25557 ^connected,addr="@var{address}",func="@var{function name}",
25558 args=[@var{arg list}]
25559 @end smallexample
25560
25561 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25562
25563 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{target}.
25564
25565 @subsubheading Example
25566
25567 @smallexample
25568 (gdb)
25569 -target-select remote /dev/ttya
25570 ^connected,addr="0xfe00a300",func="??",args=[]
25571 (gdb)
25572 @end smallexample
25573
25574 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
25575 @node GDB/MI File Transfer Commands
25576 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Transfer Commands
25577
25578
25579 @subheading The @code{-target-file-put} Command
25580 @findex -target-file-put
25581
25582 @subsubheading Synopsis
25583
25584 @smallexample
25585 -target-file-put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
25586 @end smallexample
25587
25588 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
25589 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
25590
25591 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25592
25593 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote put}.
25594
25595 @subsubheading Example
25596
25597 @smallexample
25598 (gdb)
25599 -target-file-put localfile remotefile
25600 ^done
25601 (gdb)
25602 @end smallexample
25603
25604
25605 @subheading The @code{-target-file-get} Command
25606 @findex -target-file-get
25607
25608 @subsubheading Synopsis
25609
25610 @smallexample
25611 -target-file-get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
25612 @end smallexample
25613
25614 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
25615 on the host system.
25616
25617 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25618
25619 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote get}.
25620
25621 @subsubheading Example
25622
25623 @smallexample
25624 (gdb)
25625 -target-file-get remotefile localfile
25626 ^done
25627 (gdb)
25628 @end smallexample
25629
25630
25631 @subheading The @code{-target-file-delete} Command
25632 @findex -target-file-delete
25633
25634 @subsubheading Synopsis
25635
25636 @smallexample
25637 -target-file-delete @var{targetfile}
25638 @end smallexample
25639
25640 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
25641
25642 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25643
25644 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote delete}.
25645
25646 @subsubheading Example
25647
25648 @smallexample
25649 (gdb)
25650 -target-file-delete remotefile
25651 ^done
25652 (gdb)
25653 @end smallexample
25654
25655
25656 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
25657 @node GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands
25658 @section Miscellaneous @sc{gdb/mi} Commands
25659
25660 @c @subheading -gdb-complete
25661
25662 @subheading The @code{-gdb-exit} Command
25663 @findex -gdb-exit
25664
25665 @subsubheading Synopsis
25666
25667 @smallexample
25668 -gdb-exit
25669 @end smallexample
25670
25671 Exit @value{GDBN} immediately.
25672
25673 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25674
25675 Approximately corresponds to @samp{quit}.
25676
25677 @subsubheading Example
25678
25679 @smallexample
25680 (gdb)
25681 -gdb-exit
25682 ^exit
25683 @end smallexample
25684
25685
25686 @ignore
25687 @subheading The @code{-exec-abort} Command
25688 @findex -exec-abort
25689
25690 @subsubheading Synopsis
25691
25692 @smallexample
25693 -exec-abort
25694 @end smallexample
25695
25696 Kill the inferior running program.
25697
25698 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25699
25700 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{kill}.
25701
25702 @subsubheading Example
25703 N.A.
25704 @end ignore
25705
25706
25707 @subheading The @code{-gdb-set} Command
25708 @findex -gdb-set
25709
25710 @subsubheading Synopsis
25711
25712 @smallexample
25713 -gdb-set
25714 @end smallexample
25715
25716 Set an internal @value{GDBN} variable.
25717 @c IS THIS A DOLLAR VARIABLE? OR SOMETHING LIKE ANNOTATE ?????
25718
25719 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25720
25721 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set}.
25722
25723 @subsubheading Example
25724
25725 @smallexample
25726 (gdb)
25727 -gdb-set $foo=3
25728 ^done
25729 (gdb)
25730 @end smallexample
25731
25732
25733 @subheading The @code{-gdb-show} Command
25734 @findex -gdb-show
25735
25736 @subsubheading Synopsis
25737
25738 @smallexample
25739 -gdb-show
25740 @end smallexample
25741
25742 Show the current value of a @value{GDBN} variable.
25743
25744 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25745
25746 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show}.
25747
25748 @subsubheading Example
25749
25750 @smallexample
25751 (gdb)
25752 -gdb-show annotate
25753 ^done,value="0"
25754 (gdb)
25755 @end smallexample
25756
25757 @c @subheading -gdb-source
25758
25759
25760 @subheading The @code{-gdb-version} Command
25761 @findex -gdb-version
25762
25763 @subsubheading Synopsis
25764
25765 @smallexample
25766 -gdb-version
25767 @end smallexample
25768
25769 Show version information for @value{GDBN}. Used mostly in testing.
25770
25771 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
25772
25773 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{show version}. @value{GDBN} by
25774 default shows this information when you start an interactive session.
25775
25776 @subsubheading Example
25777
25778 @c This example modifies the actual output from GDB to avoid overfull
25779 @c box in TeX.
25780 @smallexample
25781 (gdb)
25782 -gdb-version
25783 ~GNU gdb 5.2.1
25784 ~Copyright 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25785 ~GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and
25786 ~you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under
25787 ~ certain conditions.
25788 ~Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
25789 ~There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for
25790 ~ details.
25791 ~This GDB was configured as
25792 "--host=sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1 --target=ppc-eabi".
25793 ^done
25794 (gdb)
25795 @end smallexample
25796
25797 @subheading The @code{-list-features} Command
25798 @findex -list-features
25799
25800 Returns a list of particular features of the MI protocol that
25801 this version of gdb implements. A feature can be a command,
25802 or a new field in an output of some command, or even an
25803 important bugfix. While a frontend can sometimes detect presence
25804 of a feature at runtime, it is easier to perform detection at debugger
25805 startup.
25806
25807 The command returns a list of strings, with each string naming an
25808 available feature. Each returned string is just a name, it does not
25809 have any internal structure. The list of possible feature names
25810 is given below.
25811
25812 Example output:
25813
25814 @smallexample
25815 (gdb) -list-features
25816 ^done,result=["feature1","feature2"]
25817 @end smallexample
25818
25819 The current list of features is:
25820
25821 @table @samp
25822 @item frozen-varobjs
25823 Indicates presence of the @code{-var-set-frozen} command, as well
25824 as possible presense of the @code{frozen} field in the output
25825 of @code{-varobj-create}.
25826 @item pending-breakpoints
25827 Indicates presence of the @option{-f} option to the @code{-break-insert} command.
25828 @item python
25829 Indicates presence of Python scripting support, Python-based
25830 pretty-printing commands, and possible presence of the
25831 @samp{display_hint} field in the output of @code{-var-list-children}
25832 @item thread-info
25833 Indicates presence of the @code{-thread-info} command.
25834
25835 @end table
25836
25837 @subheading The @code{-list-target-features} Command
25838 @findex -list-target-features
25839
25840 Returns a list of particular features that are supported by the
25841 target. Those features affect the permitted MI commands, but
25842 unlike the features reported by the @code{-list-features} command, the
25843 features depend on which target GDB is using at the moment. Whenever
25844 a target can change, due to commands such as @code{-target-select},
25845 @code{-target-attach} or @code{-exec-run}, the list of target features
25846 may change, and the frontend should obtain it again.
25847 Example output:
25848
25849 @smallexample
25850 (gdb) -list-features
25851 ^done,result=["async"]
25852 @end smallexample
25853
25854 The current list of features is:
25855
25856 @table @samp
25857 @item async
25858 Indicates that the target is capable of asynchronous command
25859 execution, which means that @value{GDBN} will accept further commands
25860 while the target is running.
25861
25862 @end table
25863
25864 @subheading The @code{-list-thread-groups} Command
25865 @findex -list-thread-groups
25866
25867 @subheading Synopsis
25868
25869 @smallexample
25870 -list-thread-groups [ --available ] [ @var{group} ]
25871 @end smallexample
25872
25873 When used without the @var{group} parameter, lists top-level thread
25874 groups that are being debugged. When used with the @var{group}
25875 parameter, the children of the specified group are listed. The
25876 children can be either threads, or other groups. At present,
25877 @value{GDBN} will not report both threads and groups as children at
25878 the same time, but it may change in future.
25879
25880 With the @samp{--available} option, instead of reporting groups that
25881 are been debugged, GDB will report all thread groups available on the
25882 target. Using the @samp{--available} option together with @var{group}
25883 is not allowed.
25884
25885 @subheading Example
25886
25887 @smallexample
25888 @value{GDBP}
25889 -list-thread-groups
25890 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2"@}]
25891 -list-thread-groups 17
25892 ^done,threads=[@{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
25893 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",args=[]@},state="running"@},
25894 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
25895 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
25896 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158"@},state="running"@}]]
25897 @end smallexample
25898
25899 @subheading The @code{-interpreter-exec} Command
25900 @findex -interpreter-exec
25901
25902 @subheading Synopsis
25903
25904 @smallexample
25905 -interpreter-exec @var{interpreter} @var{command}
25906 @end smallexample
25907 @anchor{-interpreter-exec}
25908
25909 Execute the specified @var{command} in the given @var{interpreter}.
25910
25911 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
25912
25913 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interpreter-exec}.
25914
25915 @subheading Example
25916
25917 @smallexample
25918 (gdb)
25919 -interpreter-exec console "break main"
25920 &"During symbol reading, couldn't parse type; debugger out of date?.\n"
25921 &"During symbol reading, bad structure-type format.\n"
25922 ~"Breakpoint 1 at 0x8074fc6: file ../../src/gdb/main.c, line 743.\n"
25923 ^done
25924 (gdb)
25925 @end smallexample
25926
25927 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-set} Command
25928 @findex -inferior-tty-set
25929
25930 @subheading Synopsis
25931
25932 @smallexample
25933 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
25934 @end smallexample
25935
25936 Set terminal for future runs of the program being debugged.
25937
25938 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
25939
25940 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set inferior-tty} /dev/pts/1.
25941
25942 @subheading Example
25943
25944 @smallexample
25945 (gdb)
25946 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
25947 ^done
25948 (gdb)
25949 @end smallexample
25950
25951 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-show} Command
25952 @findex -inferior-tty-show
25953
25954 @subheading Synopsis
25955
25956 @smallexample
25957 -inferior-tty-show
25958 @end smallexample
25959
25960 Show terminal for future runs of program being debugged.
25961
25962 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
25963
25964 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show inferior-tty}.
25965
25966 @subheading Example
25967
25968 @smallexample
25969 (gdb)
25970 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
25971 ^done
25972 (gdb)
25973 -inferior-tty-show
25974 ^done,inferior_tty_terminal="/dev/pts/1"
25975 (gdb)
25976 @end smallexample
25977
25978 @subheading The @code{-enable-timings} Command
25979 @findex -enable-timings
25980
25981 @subheading Synopsis
25982
25983 @smallexample
25984 -enable-timings [yes | no]
25985 @end smallexample
25986
25987 Toggle the printing of the wallclock, user and system times for an MI
25988 command as a field in its output. This command is to help frontend
25989 developers optimize the performance of their code. No argument is
25990 equivalent to @samp{yes}.
25991
25992 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
25993
25994 No equivalent.
25995
25996 @subheading Example
25997
25998 @smallexample
25999 (gdb)
26000 -enable-timings
26001 ^done
26002 (gdb)
26003 -break-insert main
26004 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
26005 addr="0x080484ed",func="main",file="myprog.c",
26006 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73",times="0"@},
26007 time=@{wallclock="0.05185",user="0.00800",system="0.00000"@}
26008 (gdb)
26009 -enable-timings no
26010 ^done
26011 (gdb)
26012 -exec-run
26013 ^running
26014 (gdb)
26015 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
26016 frame=@{addr="0x080484ed",func="main",args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},
26017 @{name="argv",value="0xbfb60364"@}],file="myprog.c",
26018 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73"@}
26019 (gdb)
26020 @end smallexample
26021
26022 @node Annotations
26023 @chapter @value{GDBN} Annotations
26024
26025 This chapter describes annotations in @value{GDBN}. Annotations were
26026 designed to interface @value{GDBN} to graphical user interfaces or other
26027 similar programs which want to interact with @value{GDBN} at a
26028 relatively high level.
26029
26030 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
26031 (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
26032
26033 @ignore
26034 This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}.
26035 @end ignore
26036
26037 @menu
26038 * Annotations Overview:: What annotations are; the general syntax.
26039 * Server Prefix:: Issuing a command without affecting user state.
26040 * Prompting:: Annotations marking @value{GDBN}'s need for input.
26041 * Errors:: Annotations for error messages.
26042 * Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid.
26043 * Annotations for Running::
26044 Whether the program is running, how it stopped, etc.
26045 * Source Annotations:: Annotations describing source code.
26046 @end menu
26047
26048 @node Annotations Overview
26049 @section What is an Annotation?
26050 @cindex annotations
26051
26052 Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z}
26053 characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional
26054 information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation
26055 is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional
26056 information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the
26057 additional information, and a newline. The additional information
26058 cannot contain newline characters.
26059
26060 Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z}
26061 characters denotes literal output from @value{GDBN}. Currently there is
26062 no need for @value{GDBN} to output a newline followed by two
26063 @samp{control-z} characters, but if there was such a need, the
26064 annotations could be extended with an @samp{escape} annotation which
26065 means those three characters as output.
26066
26067 The annotation @var{level}, which is specified using the
26068 @option{--annotate} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}), controls
26069 how much information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt,
26070 values of expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0
26071 is for no annotations, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a
26072 subprocess of @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable
26073 for programs that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 annotations have
26074 been made obsolete (@pxref{Limitations, , Limitations of the Annotation
26075 Interface, annotate, GDB's Obsolete Annotations}).
26076
26077 @table @code
26078 @kindex set annotate
26079 @item set annotate @var{level}
26080 The @value{GDBN} command @code{set annotate} sets the level of
26081 annotations to the specified @var{level}.
26082
26083 @item show annotate
26084 @kindex show annotate
26085 Show the current annotation level.
26086 @end table
26087
26088 This chapter describes level 3 annotations.
26089
26090 A simple example of starting up @value{GDBN} with annotations is:
26091
26092 @smallexample
26093 $ @kbd{gdb --annotate=3}
26094 GNU gdb 6.0
26095 Copyright 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
26096 GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License,
26097 and you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it
26098 under certain conditions.
26099 Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
26100 There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty"
26101 for details.
26102 This GDB was configured as "i386-pc-linux-gnu"
26103
26104 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
26105 (@value{GDBP})
26106 ^Z^Zprompt
26107 @kbd{quit}
26108
26109 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
26110 $
26111 @end smallexample
26112
26113 Here @samp{quit} is input to @value{GDBN}; the rest is output from
26114 @value{GDBN}. The three lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z}
26115 denotes a @samp{control-z} character) are annotations; the rest is
26116 output from @value{GDBN}.
26117
26118 @node Server Prefix
26119 @section The Server Prefix
26120 @cindex server prefix
26121
26122 If you prefix a command with @samp{server } then it will not affect
26123 the command history, nor will it affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which
26124 command to repeat if @key{RET} is pressed on a line by itself. This
26125 means that commands can be run behind a user's back by a front-end in
26126 a transparent manner.
26127
26128 The @code{server } prefix does not affect the recording of values into
26129 the value history; to print a value without recording it into the
26130 value history, use the @code{output} command instead of the
26131 @code{print} command.
26132
26133 Using this prefix also disables confirmation requests
26134 (@pxref{confirmation requests}).
26135
26136 @node Prompting
26137 @section Annotation for @value{GDBN} Input
26138
26139 @cindex annotations for prompts
26140 When @value{GDBN} prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible
26141 to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is
26142 over, etc.
26143
26144 Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each
26145 input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which
26146 denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain
26147 annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-}
26148 annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be
26149 associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type
26150 features the following annotations:
26151
26152 @smallexample
26153 ^Z^Zpre-prompt
26154 ^Z^Zprompt
26155 ^Z^Zpost-prompt
26156 @end smallexample
26157
26158 The input types are
26159
26160 @table @code
26161 @findex pre-prompt annotation
26162 @findex prompt annotation
26163 @findex post-prompt annotation
26164 @item prompt
26165 When @value{GDBN} is prompting for a command (the main @value{GDBN} prompt).
26166
26167 @findex pre-commands annotation
26168 @findex commands annotation
26169 @findex post-commands annotation
26170 @item commands
26171 When @value{GDBN} prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands}
26172 command. The annotations are repeated for each command which is input.
26173
26174 @findex pre-overload-choice annotation
26175 @findex overload-choice annotation
26176 @findex post-overload-choice annotation
26177 @item overload-choice
26178 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to select between various overloaded functions.
26179
26180 @findex pre-query annotation
26181 @findex query annotation
26182 @findex post-query annotation
26183 @item query
26184 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation.
26185
26186 @findex pre-prompt-for-continue annotation
26187 @findex prompt-for-continue annotation
26188 @findex post-prompt-for-continue annotation
26189 @item prompt-for-continue
26190 When @value{GDBN} is asking the user to press return to continue. Note: Don't
26191 expect this to work well; instead use @code{set height 0} to disable
26192 prompting. This is because the counting of lines is buggy in the
26193 presence of annotations.
26194 @end table
26195
26196 @node Errors
26197 @section Errors
26198 @cindex annotations for errors, warnings and interrupts
26199
26200 @findex quit annotation
26201 @smallexample
26202 ^Z^Zquit
26203 @end smallexample
26204
26205 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an interrupt.
26206
26207 @findex error annotation
26208 @smallexample
26209 ^Z^Zerror
26210 @end smallexample
26211
26212 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an error.
26213
26214 Quit and error annotations indicate that any annotations which @value{GDBN} was
26215 in the middle of may end abruptly. For example, if a
26216 @code{value-history-begin} annotation is followed by a @code{error}, one
26217 cannot expect to receive the matching @code{value-history-end}. One
26218 cannot expect not to receive it either, however; an error annotation
26219 does not necessarily mean that @value{GDBN} is immediately returning all the way
26220 to the top level.
26221
26222 @findex error-begin annotation
26223 A quit or error annotation may be preceded by
26224
26225 @smallexample
26226 ^Z^Zerror-begin
26227 @end smallexample
26228
26229 Any output between that and the quit or error annotation is the error
26230 message.
26231
26232 Warning messages are not yet annotated.
26233 @c If we want to change that, need to fix warning(), type_error(),
26234 @c range_error(), and possibly other places.
26235
26236 @node Invalidation
26237 @section Invalidation Notices
26238
26239 @cindex annotations for invalidation messages
26240 The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have
26241 changed.
26242
26243 @table @code
26244 @findex frames-invalid annotation
26245 @item ^Z^Zframes-invalid
26246
26247 The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may
26248 have changed.
26249
26250 @findex breakpoints-invalid annotation
26251 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid
26252
26253 The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or
26254 deleted a breakpoint.
26255 @end table
26256
26257 @node Annotations for Running
26258 @section Running the Program
26259 @cindex annotations for running programs
26260
26261 @findex starting annotation
26262 @findex stopping annotation
26263 When the program starts executing due to a @value{GDBN} command such as
26264 @code{step} or @code{continue},
26265
26266 @smallexample
26267 ^Z^Zstarting
26268 @end smallexample
26269
26270 is output. When the program stops,
26271
26272 @smallexample
26273 ^Z^Zstopped
26274 @end smallexample
26275
26276 is output. Before the @code{stopped} annotation, a variety of
26277 annotations describe how the program stopped.
26278
26279 @table @code
26280 @findex exited annotation
26281 @item ^Z^Zexited @var{exit-status}
26282 The program exited, and @var{exit-status} is the exit status (zero for
26283 successful exit, otherwise nonzero).
26284
26285 @findex signalled annotation
26286 @findex signal-name annotation
26287 @findex signal-name-end annotation
26288 @findex signal-string annotation
26289 @findex signal-string-end annotation
26290 @item ^Z^Zsignalled
26291 The program exited with a signal. After the @code{^Z^Zsignalled}, the
26292 annotation continues:
26293
26294 @smallexample
26295 @var{intro-text}
26296 ^Z^Zsignal-name
26297 @var{name}
26298 ^Z^Zsignal-name-end
26299 @var{middle-text}
26300 ^Z^Zsignal-string
26301 @var{string}
26302 ^Z^Zsignal-string-end
26303 @var{end-text}
26304 @end smallexample
26305
26306 @noindent
26307 where @var{name} is the name of the signal, such as @code{SIGILL} or
26308 @code{SIGSEGV}, and @var{string} is the explanation of the signal, such
26309 as @code{Illegal Instruction} or @code{Segmentation fault}.
26310 @var{intro-text}, @var{middle-text}, and @var{end-text} are for the
26311 user's benefit and have no particular format.
26312
26313 @findex signal annotation
26314 @item ^Z^Zsignal
26315 The syntax of this annotation is just like @code{signalled}, but @value{GDBN} is
26316 just saying that the program received the signal, not that it was
26317 terminated with it.
26318
26319 @findex breakpoint annotation
26320 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoint @var{number}
26321 The program hit breakpoint number @var{number}.
26322
26323 @findex watchpoint annotation
26324 @item ^Z^Zwatchpoint @var{number}
26325 The program hit watchpoint number @var{number}.
26326 @end table
26327
26328 @node Source Annotations
26329 @section Displaying Source
26330 @cindex annotations for source display
26331
26332 @findex source annotation
26333 The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code:
26334
26335 @smallexample
26336 ^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr}
26337 @end smallexample
26338
26339 where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source
26340 file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the
26341 first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position
26342 within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most
26343 debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line),
26344 @var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the
26345 line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and
26346 @var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the
26347 source which is being displayed. @var{addr} is in the form @samp{0x}
26348 followed by one or more lowercase hex digits (note that this does not
26349 depend on the language).
26350
26351 @node JIT Interface
26352 @chapter JIT Compilation Interface
26353 @cindex just-in-time compilation
26354 @cindex JIT compilation interface
26355
26356 This chapter documents @value{GDBN}'s @dfn{just-in-time} (JIT) compilation
26357 interface. A JIT compiler is a program or library that generates native
26358 executable code at runtime and executes it, usually in order to achieve good
26359 performance while maintaining platform independence.
26360
26361 Programs that use JIT compilation are normally difficult to debug because
26362 portions of their code are generated at runtime, instead of being loaded from
26363 object files, which is where @value{GDBN} normally finds the program's symbols
26364 and debug information. In order to debug programs that use JIT compilation,
26365 @value{GDBN} has an interface that allows the program to register in-memory
26366 symbol files with @value{GDBN} at runtime.
26367
26368 If you are using @value{GDBN} to debug a program that uses this interface, then
26369 it should work transparently so long as you have not stripped the binary. If
26370 you are developing a JIT compiler, then the interface is documented in the rest
26371 of this chapter. At this time, the only known client of this interface is the
26372 LLVM JIT.
26373
26374 Broadly speaking, the JIT interface mirrors the dynamic loader interface. The
26375 JIT compiler communicates with @value{GDBN} by writing data into a global
26376 variable and calling a fuction at a well-known symbol. When @value{GDBN}
26377 attaches, it reads a linked list of symbol files from the global variable to
26378 find existing code, and puts a breakpoint in the function so that it can find
26379 out about additional code.
26380
26381 @menu
26382 * Declarations:: Relevant C struct declarations
26383 * Registering Code:: Steps to register code
26384 * Unregistering Code:: Steps to unregister code
26385 @end menu
26386
26387 @node Declarations
26388 @section JIT Declarations
26389
26390 These are the relevant struct declarations that a C program should include to
26391 implement the interface:
26392
26393 @smallexample
26394 typedef enum
26395 @{
26396 JIT_NOACTION = 0,
26397 JIT_REGISTER_FN,
26398 JIT_UNREGISTER_FN
26399 @} jit_actions_t;
26400
26401 struct jit_code_entry
26402 @{
26403 struct jit_code_entry *next_entry;
26404 struct jit_code_entry *prev_entry;
26405 const char *symfile_addr;
26406 uint64_t symfile_size;
26407 @};
26408
26409 struct jit_descriptor
26410 @{
26411 uint32_t version;
26412 /* This type should be jit_actions_t, but we use uint32_t
26413 to be explicit about the bitwidth. */
26414 uint32_t action_flag;
26415 struct jit_code_entry *relevant_entry;
26416 struct jit_code_entry *first_entry;
26417 @};
26418
26419 /* GDB puts a breakpoint in this function. */
26420 void __attribute__((noinline)) __jit_debug_register_code() @{ @};
26421
26422 /* Make sure to specify the version statically, because the
26423 debugger may check the version before we can set it. */
26424 struct jit_descriptor __jit_debug_descriptor = @{ 1, 0, 0, 0 @};
26425 @end smallexample
26426
26427 If the JIT is multi-threaded, then it is important that the JIT synchronize any
26428 modifications to this global data properly, which can easily be done by putting
26429 a global mutex around modifications to these structures.
26430
26431 @node Registering Code
26432 @section Registering Code
26433
26434 To register code with @value{GDBN}, the JIT should follow this protocol:
26435
26436 @itemize @bullet
26437 @item
26438 Generate an object file in memory with symbols and other desired debug
26439 information. The file must include the virtual addresses of the sections.
26440
26441 @item
26442 Create a code entry for the file, which gives the start and size of the symbol
26443 file.
26444
26445 @item
26446 Add it to the linked list in the JIT descriptor.
26447
26448 @item
26449 Point the relevant_entry field of the descriptor at the entry.
26450
26451 @item
26452 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_REGISTER} and call
26453 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
26454 @end itemize
26455
26456 When @value{GDBN} is attached and the breakpoint fires, @value{GDBN} uses the
26457 @code{relevant_entry} pointer so it doesn't have to walk the list looking for
26458 new code. However, the linked list must still be maintained in order to allow
26459 @value{GDBN} to attach to a running process and still find the symbol files.
26460
26461 @node Unregistering Code
26462 @section Unregistering Code
26463
26464 If code is freed, then the JIT should use the following protocol:
26465
26466 @itemize @bullet
26467 @item
26468 Remove the code entry corresponding to the code from the linked list.
26469
26470 @item
26471 Point the @code{relevant_entry} field of the descriptor at the code entry.
26472
26473 @item
26474 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_UNREGISTER} and call
26475 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
26476 @end itemize
26477
26478 If the JIT frees or recompiles code without unregistering it, then @value{GDBN}
26479 and the JIT will leak the memory used for the associated symbol files.
26480
26481 @node GDB Bugs
26482 @chapter Reporting Bugs in @value{GDBN}
26483 @cindex bugs in @value{GDBN}
26484 @cindex reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
26485
26486 Your bug reports play an essential role in making @value{GDBN} reliable.
26487
26488 Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or it
26489 may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is to help
26490 the entire community by making the next version of @value{GDBN} work better. Bug
26491 reports are your contribution to the maintenance of @value{GDBN}.
26492
26493 In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
26494 information that enables us to fix the bug.
26495
26496 @menu
26497 * Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
26498 * Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
26499 @end menu
26500
26501 @node Bug Criteria
26502 @section Have You Found a Bug?
26503 @cindex bug criteria
26504
26505 If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
26506
26507 @itemize @bullet
26508 @cindex fatal signal
26509 @cindex debugger crash
26510 @cindex crash of debugger
26511 @item
26512 If the debugger gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is a
26513 @value{GDBN} bug. Reliable debuggers never crash.
26514
26515 @cindex error on valid input
26516 @item
26517 If @value{GDBN} produces an error message for valid input, that is a
26518 bug. (Note that if you're cross debugging, the problem may also be
26519 somewhere in the connection to the target.)
26520
26521 @cindex invalid input
26522 @item
26523 If @value{GDBN} does not produce an error message for invalid input,
26524 that is a bug. However, you should note that your idea of
26525 ``invalid input'' might be our idea of ``an extension'' or ``support
26526 for traditional practice''.
26527
26528 @item
26529 If you are an experienced user of debugging tools, your suggestions
26530 for improvement of @value{GDBN} are welcome in any case.
26531 @end itemize
26532
26533 @node Bug Reporting
26534 @section How to Report Bugs
26535 @cindex bug reports
26536 @cindex @value{GDBN} bugs, reporting
26537
26538 A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu} products.
26539 If you obtained @value{GDBN} from a support organization, we recommend you
26540 contact that organization first.
26541
26542 You can find contact information for many support companies and
26543 individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
26544 distribution.
26545 @c should add a web page ref...
26546
26547 @ifset BUGURL
26548 @ifset BUGURL_DEFAULT
26549 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
26550 @value{GDBN}. The preferred method is to submit them directly using
26551 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/, @value{GDBN}'s Bugs web
26552 page}. Alternatively, the @email{bug-gdb@@gnu.org, e-mail gateway} can
26553 be used.
26554
26555 @strong{Do not send bug reports to @samp{info-gdb}, or to
26556 @samp{help-gdb}, or to any newsgroups.} Most users of @value{GDBN} do
26557 not want to receive bug reports. Those that do have arranged to receive
26558 @samp{bug-gdb}.
26559
26560 The mailing list @samp{bug-gdb} has a newsgroup @samp{gnu.gdb.bug} which
26561 serves as a repeater. The mailing list and the newsgroup carry exactly
26562 the same messages. Often people think of posting bug reports to the
26563 newsgroup instead of mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one
26564 problem which can be crucial: a newsgroup posting often lacks a mail
26565 path back to the sender. Thus, if we need to ask for more information,
26566 we may be unable to reach you. For this reason, it is better to send
26567 bug reports to the mailing list.
26568 @end ifset
26569 @ifclear BUGURL_DEFAULT
26570 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
26571 @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.
26572 @end ifclear
26573 @end ifset
26574
26575 The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
26576 @strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
26577 fact or leave it out, state it!
26578
26579 Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
26580 problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
26581 assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does not matter.
26582 Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is a
26583 stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where that
26584 name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name were different, the contents
26585 of that location would fool the debugger into doing the right thing despite
26586 the bug. Play it safe and give a specific, complete example. That is the
26587 easiest thing for you to do, and the most helpful.
26588
26589 Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the
26590 bug. It may be that the bug has been reported previously, but neither
26591 you nor we can know that unless your bug report is complete and
26592 self-contained.
26593
26594 Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
26595 bell?'' Those bug reports are useless, and we urge everyone to
26596 @emph{refuse to respond to them} except to chide the sender to report
26597 bugs properly.
26598
26599 To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
26600
26601 @itemize @bullet
26602 @item
26603 The version of @value{GDBN}. @value{GDBN} announces it if you start
26604 with no arguments; you can also print it at any time using @code{show
26605 version}.
26606
26607 Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
26608 the bug in the current version of @value{GDBN}.
26609
26610 @item
26611 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
26612 version number.
26613
26614 @item
26615 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile @value{GDBN}---e.g.@:
26616 ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1''.
26617
26618 @item
26619 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the program you are
26620 debugging---e.g.@: ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1'', or ``HP92453-01 A.10.32.03 HP
26621 C Compiler''. For @value{NGCC}, you can say @kbd{@value{GCC} --version}
26622 to get this information; for other compilers, see the documentation for
26623 those compilers.
26624
26625 @item
26626 The command arguments you gave the compiler to compile your example and
26627 observe the bug. For example, did you use @samp{-O}? To guarantee
26628 you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy of the
26629 Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
26630
26631 If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
26632 and then we might not encounter the bug.
26633
26634 @item
26635 A complete input script, and all necessary source files, that will
26636 reproduce the bug.
26637
26638 @item
26639 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
26640 incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
26641
26642 Of course, if the bug is that @value{GDBN} gets a fatal signal, then we
26643 will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
26644 not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
26645 a chance to make a mistake.
26646
26647 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
26648 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your
26649 copy of @value{GDBN} is out of synch, or you have encountered a bug in
26650 the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
26651 crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
26652 ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
26653 us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
26654 to draw any conclusion from our observations.
26655
26656 @pindex script
26657 @cindex recording a session script
26658 To collect all this information, you can use a session recording program
26659 such as @command{script}, which is available on many Unix systems.
26660 Just run your @value{GDBN} session inside @command{script} and then
26661 include the @file{typescript} file with your bug report.
26662
26663 Another way to record a @value{GDBN} session is to run @value{GDBN}
26664 inside Emacs and then save the entire buffer to a file.
26665
26666 @item
26667 If you wish to suggest changes to the @value{GDBN} source, send us context
26668 diffs. If you even discuss something in the @value{GDBN} source, refer to
26669 it by context, not by line number.
26670
26671 The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
26672 sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
26673
26674 @end itemize
26675
26676 Here are some things that are not necessary:
26677
26678 @itemize @bullet
26679 @item
26680 A description of the envelope of the bug.
26681
26682 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
26683 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
26684 changes will not affect it.
26685
26686 This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
26687 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
26688 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
26689 We recommend that you save your time for something else.
26690
26691 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
26692 of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
26693 output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
26694 less time, and so on.
26695
26696 However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
26697 report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
26698
26699 @item
26700 A patch for the bug.
26701
26702 A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
26703 the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
26704 a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
26705 to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
26706
26707 Sometimes with a program as complicated as @value{GDBN} it is very hard to
26708 construct an example that will make the program follow a certain path
26709 through the code. If you do not send us the example, we will not be able
26710 to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that the bug is fixed.
26711
26712 And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
26713 patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
26714 help us to understand.
26715
26716 @item
26717 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
26718
26719 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
26720 things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
26721 @end itemize
26722
26723 @c The readline documentation is distributed with the readline code
26724 @c and consists of the two following files:
26725 @c rluser.texinfo
26726 @c inc-hist.texinfo
26727 @c Use -I with makeinfo to point to the appropriate directory,
26728 @c environment var TEXINPUTS with TeX.
26729 @include rluser.texi
26730 @include inc-hist.texinfo
26731
26732
26733 @node Formatting Documentation
26734 @appendix Formatting Documentation
26735
26736 @cindex @value{GDBN} reference card
26737 @cindex reference card
26738 The @value{GDBN} 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
26739 for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the @file{gdb}
26740 subdirectory of the main source directory@footnote{In
26741 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/refcard.ps} of the version @value{GDBVN}
26742 release.}. If you can use PostScript or Ghostscript with your printer,
26743 you can print the reference card immediately with @file{refcard.ps}.
26744
26745 The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
26746 can format it, using @TeX{}, by typing:
26747
26748 @smallexample
26749 make refcard.dvi
26750 @end smallexample
26751
26752 The @value{GDBN} reference card is designed to print in @dfn{landscape}
26753 mode on US ``letter'' size paper;
26754 that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
26755 high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
26756 your @sc{dvi} output program.
26757
26758 @cindex documentation
26759
26760 All the documentation for @value{GDBN} comes as part of the machine-readable
26761 distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
26762 a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
26763 on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info
26764 formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
26765 and @TeX{} (or @code{texi2roff}) to typeset the printed version.
26766
26767 @value{GDBN} includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info
26768 version of this manual in the @file{gdb} subdirectory. The main Info
26769 file is @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/gdb.info}, and it refers to
26770 subordinate files matching @samp{gdb.info*} in the same directory. If
26771 necessary, you can print out these files, or read them with any editor;
26772 but they are easier to read using the @code{info} subsystem in @sc{gnu}
26773 Emacs or the standalone @code{info} program, available as part of the
26774 @sc{gnu} Texinfo distribution.
26775
26776 If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
26777 Info formatting programs, such as @code{texinfo-format-buffer} or
26778 @code{makeinfo}.
26779
26780 If you have @code{makeinfo} installed, and are in the top level
26781 @value{GDBN} source directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, in the case of
26782 version @value{GDBVN}), you can make the Info file by typing:
26783
26784 @smallexample
26785 cd gdb
26786 make gdb.info
26787 @end smallexample
26788
26789 If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need @TeX{},
26790 a program to print its @sc{dvi} output files, and @file{texinfo.tex}, the
26791 Texinfo definitions file.
26792
26793 @TeX{} is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
26794 produces output files called @sc{dvi} files. To print a typeset
26795 document, you need a program to print @sc{dvi} files. If your system
26796 has @TeX{} installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise
26797 command to use depends on your system; @kbd{lpr -d} is common; another
26798 (for PostScript devices) is @kbd{dvips}. The @sc{dvi} print command may
26799 require a file name without any extension or a @samp{.dvi} extension.
26800
26801 @TeX{} also requires a macro definitions file called
26802 @file{texinfo.tex}. This file tells @TeX{} how to typeset a document
26803 written in Texinfo format. On its own, @TeX{} cannot either read or
26804 typeset a Texinfo file. @file{texinfo.tex} is distributed with GDB
26805 and is located in the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}/texinfo}
26806 directory.
26807
26808 If you have @TeX{} and a @sc{dvi} printer program installed, you can
26809 typeset and print this manual. First switch to the @file{gdb}
26810 subdirectory of the main source directory (for example, to
26811 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb}) and type:
26812
26813 @smallexample
26814 make gdb.dvi
26815 @end smallexample
26816
26817 Then give @file{gdb.dvi} to your @sc{dvi} printing program.
26818
26819 @node Installing GDB
26820 @appendix Installing @value{GDBN}
26821 @cindex installation
26822
26823 @menu
26824 * Requirements:: Requirements for building @value{GDBN}
26825 * Running Configure:: Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} script
26826 * Separate Objdir:: Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
26827 * Config Names:: Specifying names for hosts and targets
26828 * Configure Options:: Summary of options for configure
26829 * System-wide configuration:: Having a system-wide init file
26830 @end menu
26831
26832 @node Requirements
26833 @section Requirements for Building @value{GDBN}
26834 @cindex building @value{GDBN}, requirements for
26835
26836 Building @value{GDBN} requires various tools and packages to be available.
26837 Other packages will be used only if they are found.
26838
26839 @heading Tools/Packages Necessary for Building @value{GDBN}
26840 @table @asis
26841 @item ISO C90 compiler
26842 @value{GDBN} is written in ISO C90. It should be buildable with any
26843 working C90 compiler, e.g.@: GCC.
26844
26845 @end table
26846
26847 @heading Tools/Packages Optional for Building @value{GDBN}
26848 @table @asis
26849 @item Expat
26850 @anchor{Expat}
26851 @value{GDBN} can use the Expat XML parsing library. This library may be
26852 included with your operating system distribution; if it is not, you
26853 can get the latest version from @url{http://expat.sourceforge.net}.
26854 The @file{configure} script will search for this library in several
26855 standard locations; if it is installed in an unusual path, you can
26856 use the @option{--with-libexpat-prefix} option to specify its location.
26857
26858 Expat is used for:
26859
26860 @itemize @bullet
26861 @item
26862 Remote protocol memory maps (@pxref{Memory Map Format})
26863 @item
26864 Target descriptions (@pxref{Target Descriptions})
26865 @item
26866 Remote shared library lists (@pxref{Library List Format})
26867 @item
26868 MS-Windows shared libraries (@pxref{Shared Libraries})
26869 @end itemize
26870
26871 @item zlib
26872 @cindex compressed debug sections
26873 @value{GDBN} will use the @samp{zlib} library, if available, to read
26874 compressed debug sections. Some linkers, such as GNU gold, are capable
26875 of producing binaries with compressed debug sections. If @value{GDBN}
26876 is compiled with @samp{zlib}, it will be able to read the debug
26877 information in such binaries.
26878
26879 The @samp{zlib} library is likely included with your operating system
26880 distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
26881 @url{http://zlib.net}.
26882
26883 @item iconv
26884 @value{GDBN}'s features related to character sets (@pxref{Character
26885 Sets}) require a functioning @code{iconv} implementation. If you are
26886 on a GNU system, then this is provided by the GNU C Library. Some
26887 other systems also provide a working @code{iconv}.
26888
26889 On systems with @code{iconv}, you can install GNU Libiconv. If you
26890 have previously installed Libiconv, you can use the
26891 @option{--with-libiconv-prefix} option to configure.
26892
26893 @value{GDBN}'s top-level @file{configure} and @file{Makefile} will
26894 arrange to build Libiconv if a directory named @file{libiconv} appears
26895 in the top-most source directory. If Libiconv is built this way, and
26896 if the operating system does not provide a suitable @code{iconv}
26897 implementation, then the just-built library will automatically be used
26898 by @value{GDBN}. One easy way to set this up is to download GNU
26899 Libiconv, unpack it, and then rename the directory holding the
26900 Libiconv source code to @samp{libiconv}.
26901 @end table
26902
26903 @node Running Configure
26904 @section Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} Script
26905 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}
26906 @value{GDBN} comes with a @file{configure} script that automates the process
26907 of preparing @value{GDBN} for installation; you can then use @code{make} to
26908 build the @code{gdb} program.
26909 @iftex
26910 @c irrelevant in info file; it's as current as the code it lives with.
26911 @footnote{If you have a more recent version of @value{GDBN} than @value{GDBVN},
26912 look at the @file{README} file in the sources; we may have improved the
26913 installation procedures since publishing this manual.}
26914 @end iftex
26915
26916 The @value{GDBN} distribution includes all the source code you need for
26917 @value{GDBN} in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by
26918 appending the version number to @samp{gdb}.
26919
26920 For example, the @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN} distribution is in the
26921 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory. That directory contains:
26922
26923 @table @code
26924 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure @r{(and supporting files)}
26925 script for configuring @value{GDBN} and all its supporting libraries
26926
26927 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb
26928 the source specific to @value{GDBN} itself
26929
26930 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/bfd
26931 source for the Binary File Descriptor library
26932
26933 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/include
26934 @sc{gnu} include files
26935
26936 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/libiberty
26937 source for the @samp{-liberty} free software library
26938
26939 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/opcodes
26940 source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
26941
26942 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/readline
26943 source for the @sc{gnu} command-line interface
26944
26945 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/glob
26946 source for the @sc{gnu} filename pattern-matching subroutine
26947
26948 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/mmalloc
26949 source for the @sc{gnu} memory-mapped malloc package
26950 @end table
26951
26952 The simplest way to configure and build @value{GDBN} is to run @file{configure}
26953 from the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory, which in
26954 this example is the @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory.
26955
26956 First switch to the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory
26957 if you are not already in it; then run @file{configure}. Pass the
26958 identifier for the platform on which @value{GDBN} will run as an
26959 argument.
26960
26961 For example:
26962
26963 @smallexample
26964 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
26965 ./configure @var{host}
26966 make
26967 @end smallexample
26968
26969 @noindent
26970 where @var{host} is an identifier such as @samp{sun4} or
26971 @samp{decstation}, that identifies the platform where @value{GDBN} will run.
26972 (You can often leave off @var{host}; @file{configure} tries to guess the
26973 correct value by examining your system.)
26974
26975 Running @samp{configure @var{host}} and then running @code{make} builds the
26976 @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, @file{mmalloc}, and @file{libiberty}
26977 libraries, then @code{gdb} itself. The configured source files, and the
26978 binaries, are left in the corresponding source directories.
26979
26980 @need 750
26981 @file{configure} is a Bourne-shell (@code{/bin/sh}) script; if your
26982 system does not recognize this automatically when you run a different
26983 shell, you may need to run @code{sh} on it explicitly:
26984
26985 @smallexample
26986 sh configure @var{host}
26987 @end smallexample
26988
26989 If you run @file{configure} from a directory that contains source
26990 directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the
26991 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} source directory for version @value{GDBVN},
26992 @file{configure}
26993 creates configuration files for every directory level underneath (unless
26994 you tell it not to, with the @samp{--norecursion} option).
26995
26996 You should run the @file{configure} script from the top directory in the
26997 source tree, the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory. If you run
26998 @file{configure} from one of the subdirectories, you will configure only
26999 that subdirectory. That is usually not what you want. In particular,
27000 if you run the first @file{configure} from the @file{gdb} subdirectory
27001 of the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory, you will omit the
27002 configuration of @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, and other sibling
27003 directories of the @file{gdb} subdirectory. This leads to build errors
27004 about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
27005
27006 You can install @code{@value{GDBP}} anywhere; it has no hardwired paths.
27007 However, you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by
27008 the @samp{SHELL} environment variable) is publicly readable. Remember
27009 that @value{GDBN} uses the shell to start your program---some systems refuse to
27010 let @value{GDBN} debug child processes whose programs are not readable.
27011
27012 @node Separate Objdir
27013 @section Compiling @value{GDBN} in Another Directory
27014
27015 If you want to run @value{GDBN} versions for several host or target machines,
27016 you need a different @code{gdb} compiled for each combination of
27017 host and target. @file{configure} is designed to make this easy by
27018 allowing you to generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory,
27019 rather than in the source directory. If your @code{make} program
27020 handles the @samp{VPATH} feature (@sc{gnu} @code{make} does), running
27021 @code{make} in each of these directories builds the @code{gdb}
27022 program specified there.
27023
27024 To build @code{gdb} in a separate directory, run @file{configure}
27025 with the @samp{--srcdir} option to specify where to find the source.
27026 (You also need to specify a path to find @file{configure}
27027 itself from your working directory. If the path to @file{configure}
27028 would be the same as the argument to @samp{--srcdir}, you can leave out
27029 the @samp{--srcdir} option; it is assumed.)
27030
27031 For example, with version @value{GDBVN}, you can build @value{GDBN} in a
27032 separate directory for a Sun 4 like this:
27033
27034 @smallexample
27035 @group
27036 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
27037 mkdir ../gdb-sun4
27038 cd ../gdb-sun4
27039 ../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure sun4
27040 make
27041 @end group
27042 @end smallexample
27043
27044 When @file{configure} builds a configuration using a remote source
27045 directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
27046 (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In
27047 the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library @file{libiberty.a} in the
27048 directory @file{gdb-sun4/libiberty}, and @value{GDBN} itself in
27049 @file{gdb-sun4/gdb}.
27050
27051 Make sure that your path to the @file{configure} script has just one
27052 instance of @file{gdb} in it. If your path to @file{configure} looks
27053 like @file{../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/configure}, you are configuring only
27054 one subdirectory of @value{GDBN}, not the whole package. This leads to
27055 build errors about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
27056
27057 One popular reason to build several @value{GDBN} configurations in separate
27058 directories is to configure @value{GDBN} for cross-compiling (where
27059 @value{GDBN} runs on one machine---the @dfn{host}---while debugging
27060 programs that run on another machine---the @dfn{target}).
27061 You specify a cross-debugging target by
27062 giving the @samp{--target=@var{target}} option to @file{configure}.
27063
27064 When you run @code{make} to build a program or library, you must run
27065 it in a configured directory---whatever directory you were in when you
27066 called @file{configure} (or one of its subdirectories).
27067
27068 The @code{Makefile} that @file{configure} generates in each source
27069 directory also runs recursively. If you type @code{make} in a source
27070 directory such as @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} (or in a separate configured
27071 directory configured with @samp{--srcdir=@var{dirname}/gdb-@value{GDBVN}}), you
27072 will build all the required libraries, and then build GDB.
27073
27074 When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
27075 directories, you can run @code{make} on them in parallel (for example,
27076 if they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
27077 with each other.
27078
27079 @node Config Names
27080 @section Specifying Names for Hosts and Targets
27081
27082 The specifications used for hosts and targets in the @file{configure}
27083 script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short predefined
27084 aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes three pieces
27085 of information in the following pattern:
27086
27087 @smallexample
27088 @var{architecture}-@var{vendor}-@var{os}
27089 @end smallexample
27090
27091 For example, you can use the alias @code{sun4} as a @var{host} argument,
27092 or as the value for @var{target} in a @code{--target=@var{target}}
27093 option. The equivalent full name is @samp{sparc-sun-sunos4}.
27094
27095 The @file{configure} script accompanying @value{GDBN} does not provide
27096 any query facility to list all supported host and target names or
27097 aliases. @file{configure} calls the Bourne shell script
27098 @code{config.sub} to map abbreviations to full names; you can read the
27099 script, if you wish, or you can use it to test your guesses on
27100 abbreviations---for example:
27101
27102 @smallexample
27103 % sh config.sub i386-linux
27104 i386-pc-linux-gnu
27105 % sh config.sub alpha-linux
27106 alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
27107 % sh config.sub hp9k700
27108 hppa1.1-hp-hpux
27109 % sh config.sub sun4
27110 sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
27111 % sh config.sub sun3
27112 m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
27113 % sh config.sub i986v
27114 Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized
27115 @end smallexample
27116
27117 @noindent
27118 @code{config.sub} is also distributed in the @value{GDBN} source
27119 directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, for version @value{GDBVN}).
27120
27121 @node Configure Options
27122 @section @file{configure} Options
27123
27124 Here is a summary of the @file{configure} options and arguments that
27125 are most often useful for building @value{GDBN}. @file{configure} also has
27126 several other options not listed here. @inforef{What Configure
27127 Does,,configure.info}, for a full explanation of @file{configure}.
27128
27129 @smallexample
27130 configure @r{[}--help@r{]}
27131 @r{[}--prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
27132 @r{[}--exec-prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
27133 @r{[}--srcdir=@var{dirname}@r{]}
27134 @r{[}--norecursion@r{]} @r{[}--rm@r{]}
27135 @r{[}--target=@var{target}@r{]}
27136 @var{host}
27137 @end smallexample
27138
27139 @noindent
27140 You may introduce options with a single @samp{-} rather than
27141 @samp{--} if you prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use
27142 @samp{--}.
27143
27144 @table @code
27145 @item --help
27146 Display a quick summary of how to invoke @file{configure}.
27147
27148 @item --prefix=@var{dir}
27149 Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
27150 @file{@var{dir}}.
27151
27152 @item --exec-prefix=@var{dir}
27153 Configure the source to install programs under directory
27154 @file{@var{dir}}.
27155
27156 @c avoid splitting the warning from the explanation:
27157 @need 2000
27158 @item --srcdir=@var{dirname}
27159 @strong{Warning: using this option requires @sc{gnu} @code{make}, or another
27160 @code{make} that implements the @code{VPATH} feature.}@*
27161 Use this option to make configurations in directories separate from the
27162 @value{GDBN} source directories. Among other things, you can use this to
27163 build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, in separate
27164 directories. @file{configure} writes configuration-specific files in
27165 the current directory, but arranges for them to use the source in the
27166 directory @var{dirname}. @file{configure} creates directories under
27167 the working directory in parallel to the source directories below
27168 @var{dirname}.
27169
27170 @item --norecursion
27171 Configure only the directory level where @file{configure} is executed; do not
27172 propagate configuration to subdirectories.
27173
27174 @item --target=@var{target}
27175 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
27176 @var{target}. Without this option, @value{GDBN} is configured to debug
27177 programs that run on the same machine (@var{host}) as @value{GDBN} itself.
27178
27179 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available targets.
27180
27181 @item @var{host} @dots{}
27182 Configure @value{GDBN} to run on the specified @var{host}.
27183
27184 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available hosts.
27185 @end table
27186
27187 There are many other options available as well, but they are generally
27188 needed for special purposes only.
27189
27190 @node System-wide configuration
27191 @section System-wide configuration and settings
27192 @cindex system-wide init file
27193
27194 @value{GDBN} can be configured to have a system-wide init file;
27195 this file will be read and executed at startup (@pxref{Startup, , What
27196 @value{GDBN} does during startup}).
27197
27198 Here is the corresponding configure option:
27199
27200 @table @code
27201 @item --with-system-gdbinit=@var{file}
27202 Specify that the default location of the system-wide init file is
27203 @var{file}.
27204 @end table
27205
27206 If @value{GDBN} has been configured with the option @option{--prefix=$prefix},
27207 it may be subject to relocation. Two possible cases:
27208
27209 @itemize @bullet
27210 @item
27211 If the default location of this init file contains @file{$prefix},
27212 it will be subject to relocation. Suppose that the configure options
27213 are @option{--prefix=$prefix --with-system-gdbinit=$prefix/etc/gdbinit};
27214 if @value{GDBN} is moved from @file{$prefix} to @file{$install}, the system
27215 init file is looked for as @file{$install/etc/gdbinit} instead of
27216 @file{$prefix/etc/gdbinit}.
27217
27218 @item
27219 By contrast, if the default location does not contain the prefix,
27220 it will not be relocated. E.g.@: if @value{GDBN} has been configured with
27221 @option{--prefix=/usr/local --with-system-gdbinit=/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
27222 then @value{GDBN} will always look for @file{/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
27223 wherever @value{GDBN} is installed.
27224 @end itemize
27225
27226 @node Maintenance Commands
27227 @appendix Maintenance Commands
27228 @cindex maintenance commands
27229 @cindex internal commands
27230
27231 In addition to commands intended for @value{GDBN} users, @value{GDBN}
27232 includes a number of commands intended for @value{GDBN} developers,
27233 that are not documented elsewhere in this manual. These commands are
27234 provided here for reference. (For commands that turn on debugging
27235 messages, see @ref{Debugging Output}.)
27236
27237 @table @code
27238 @kindex maint agent
27239 @kindex maint agent-eval
27240 @item maint agent @var{expression}
27241 @itemx maint agent-eval @var{expression}
27242 Translate the given @var{expression} into remote agent bytecodes.
27243 This command is useful for debugging the Agent Expression mechanism
27244 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}). The @samp{agent} version produces an
27245 expression useful for data collection, such as by tracepoints, while
27246 @samp{maint agent-eval} produces an expression that evaluates directly
27247 to a result. For instance, a collection expression for @code{globa +
27248 globb} will include bytecodes to record four bytes of memory at each
27249 of the addresses of @code{globa} and @code{globb}, while discarding
27250 the result of the addition, while an evaluation expression will do the
27251 addition and return the sum.
27252
27253 @kindex maint info breakpoints
27254 @item @anchor{maint info breakpoints}maint info breakpoints
27255 Using the same format as @samp{info breakpoints}, display both the
27256 breakpoints you've set explicitly, and those @value{GDBN} is using for
27257 internal purposes. Internal breakpoints are shown with negative
27258 breakpoint numbers. The type column identifies what kind of breakpoint
27259 is shown:
27260
27261 @table @code
27262 @item breakpoint
27263 Normal, explicitly set breakpoint.
27264
27265 @item watchpoint
27266 Normal, explicitly set watchpoint.
27267
27268 @item longjmp
27269 Internal breakpoint, used to handle correctly stepping through
27270 @code{longjmp} calls.
27271
27272 @item longjmp resume
27273 Internal breakpoint at the target of a @code{longjmp}.
27274
27275 @item until
27276 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{until} command.
27277
27278 @item finish
27279 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{finish} command.
27280
27281 @item shlib events
27282 Shared library events.
27283
27284 @end table
27285
27286 @kindex set displaced-stepping
27287 @kindex show displaced-stepping
27288 @cindex displaced stepping support
27289 @cindex out-of-line single-stepping
27290 @item set displaced-stepping
27291 @itemx show displaced-stepping
27292 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will do @dfn{displaced stepping}
27293 if the target supports it. Displaced stepping is a way to single-step
27294 over breakpoints without removing them from the inferior, by executing
27295 an out-of-line copy of the instruction that was originally at the
27296 breakpoint location. It is also known as out-of-line single-stepping.
27297
27298 @table @code
27299 @item set displaced-stepping on
27300 If the target architecture supports it, @value{GDBN} will use
27301 displaced stepping to step over breakpoints.
27302
27303 @item set displaced-stepping off
27304 @value{GDBN} will not use displaced stepping to step over breakpoints,
27305 even if such is supported by the target architecture.
27306
27307 @cindex non-stop mode, and @samp{set displaced-stepping}
27308 @item set displaced-stepping auto
27309 This is the default mode. @value{GDBN} will use displaced stepping
27310 only if non-stop mode is active (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) and the target
27311 architecture supports displaced stepping.
27312 @end table
27313
27314 @kindex maint check-symtabs
27315 @item maint check-symtabs
27316 Check the consistency of psymtabs and symtabs.
27317
27318 @kindex maint cplus first_component
27319 @item maint cplus first_component @var{name}
27320 Print the first C@t{++} class/namespace component of @var{name}.
27321
27322 @kindex maint cplus namespace
27323 @item maint cplus namespace
27324 Print the list of possible C@t{++} namespaces.
27325
27326 @kindex maint demangle
27327 @item maint demangle @var{name}
27328 Demangle a C@t{++} or Objective-C mangled @var{name}.
27329
27330 @kindex maint deprecate
27331 @kindex maint undeprecate
27332 @cindex deprecated commands
27333 @item maint deprecate @var{command} @r{[}@var{replacement}@r{]}
27334 @itemx maint undeprecate @var{command}
27335 Deprecate or undeprecate the named @var{command}. Deprecated commands
27336 cause @value{GDBN} to issue a warning when you use them. The optional
27337 argument @var{replacement} says which newer command should be used in
27338 favor of the deprecated one; if it is given, @value{GDBN} will mention
27339 the replacement as part of the warning.
27340
27341 @kindex maint dump-me
27342 @item maint dump-me
27343 @cindex @code{SIGQUIT} signal, dump core of @value{GDBN}
27344 Cause a fatal signal in the debugger and force it to dump its core.
27345 This is supported only on systems which support aborting a program
27346 with the @code{SIGQUIT} signal.
27347
27348 @kindex maint internal-error
27349 @kindex maint internal-warning
27350 @item maint internal-error @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
27351 @itemx maint internal-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
27352 Cause @value{GDBN} to call the internal function @code{internal_error}
27353 or @code{internal_warning} and hence behave as though an internal error
27354 or internal warning has been detected. In addition to reporting the
27355 internal problem, these functions give the user the opportunity to
27356 either quit @value{GDBN} or create a core file of the current
27357 @value{GDBN} session.
27358
27359 These commands take an optional parameter @var{message-text} that is
27360 used as the text of the error or warning message.
27361
27362 Here's an example of using @code{internal-error}:
27363
27364 @smallexample
27365 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint internal-error testing, 1, 2}
27366 @dots{}/maint.c:121: internal-error: testing, 1, 2
27367 A problem internal to GDB has been detected. Further
27368 debugging may prove unreliable.
27369 Quit this debugging session? (y or n) @kbd{n}
27370 Create a core file? (y or n) @kbd{n}
27371 (@value{GDBP})
27372 @end smallexample
27373
27374 @cindex @value{GDBN} internal error
27375 @cindex internal errors, control of @value{GDBN} behavior
27376
27377 @kindex maint set internal-error
27378 @kindex maint show internal-error
27379 @kindex maint set internal-warning
27380 @kindex maint show internal-warning
27381 @item maint set internal-error @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
27382 @itemx maint show internal-error @var{action}
27383 @itemx maint set internal-warning @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
27384 @itemx maint show internal-warning @var{action}
27385 When @value{GDBN} reports an internal problem (error or warning) it
27386 gives the user the opportunity to both quit @value{GDBN} and create a
27387 core file of the current @value{GDBN} session. These commands let you
27388 override the default behaviour for each particular @var{action},
27389 described in the table below.
27390
27391 @table @samp
27392 @item quit
27393 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
27394 quit. The default is to ask the user what to do.
27395
27396 @item corefile
27397 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
27398 create a core file. The default is to ask the user what to do.
27399 @end table
27400
27401 @kindex maint packet
27402 @item maint packet @var{text}
27403 If @value{GDBN} is talking to an inferior via the serial protocol,
27404 then this command sends the string @var{text} to the inferior, and
27405 displays the response packet. @value{GDBN} supplies the initial
27406 @samp{$} character, the terminating @samp{#} character, and the
27407 checksum.
27408
27409 @kindex maint print architecture
27410 @item maint print architecture @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27411 Print the entire architecture configuration. The optional argument
27412 @var{file} names the file where the output goes.
27413
27414 @kindex maint print c-tdesc
27415 @item maint print c-tdesc
27416 Print the current target description (@pxref{Target Descriptions}) as
27417 a C source file. The created source file can be used in @value{GDBN}
27418 when an XML parser is not available to parse the description.
27419
27420 @kindex maint print dummy-frames
27421 @item maint print dummy-frames
27422 Prints the contents of @value{GDBN}'s internal dummy-frame stack.
27423
27424 @smallexample
27425 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{b add}
27426 @dots{}
27427 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{print add(2,3)}
27428 Breakpoint 2, add (a=2, b=3) at @dots{}
27429 58 return (a + b);
27430 The program being debugged stopped while in a function called from GDB.
27431 @dots{}
27432 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print dummy-frames}
27433 0x1a57c80: pc=0x01014068 fp=0x0200bddc sp=0x0200bdd6
27434 top=0x0200bdd4 id=@{stack=0x200bddc,code=0x101405c@}
27435 call_lo=0x01014000 call_hi=0x01014001
27436 (@value{GDBP})
27437 @end smallexample
27438
27439 Takes an optional file parameter.
27440
27441 @kindex maint print registers
27442 @kindex maint print raw-registers
27443 @kindex maint print cooked-registers
27444 @kindex maint print register-groups
27445 @item maint print registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27446 @itemx maint print raw-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27447 @itemx maint print cooked-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27448 @itemx maint print register-groups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27449 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register data structures.
27450
27451 The command @code{maint print raw-registers} includes the contents of
27452 the raw register cache; the command @code{maint print cooked-registers}
27453 includes the (cooked) value of all registers; and the command
27454 @code{maint print register-groups} includes the groups that each
27455 register is a member of. @xref{Registers,, Registers, gdbint,
27456 @value{GDBN} Internals}.
27457
27458 These commands take an optional parameter, a file name to which to
27459 write the information.
27460
27461 @kindex maint print reggroups
27462 @item maint print reggroups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
27463 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register group data structures. The
27464 optional argument @var{file} tells to what file to write the
27465 information.
27466
27467 The register groups info looks like this:
27468
27469 @smallexample
27470 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print reggroups}
27471 Group Type
27472 general user
27473 float user
27474 all user
27475 vector user
27476 system user
27477 save internal
27478 restore internal
27479 @end smallexample
27480
27481 @kindex flushregs
27482 @item flushregs
27483 This command forces @value{GDBN} to flush its internal register cache.
27484
27485 @kindex maint print objfiles
27486 @cindex info for known object files
27487 @item maint print objfiles
27488 Print a dump of all known object files. For each object file, this
27489 command prints its name, address in memory, and all of its psymtabs
27490 and symtabs.
27491
27492 @kindex maint print statistics
27493 @cindex bcache statistics
27494 @item maint print statistics
27495 This command prints, for each object file in the program, various data
27496 about that object file followed by the byte cache (@dfn{bcache})
27497 statistics for the object file. The objfile data includes the number
27498 of minimal, partial, full, and stabs symbols, the number of types
27499 defined by the objfile, the number of as yet unexpanded psym tables,
27500 the number of line tables and string tables, and the amount of memory
27501 used by the various tables. The bcache statistics include the counts,
27502 sizes, and counts of duplicates of all and unique objects, max,
27503 average, and median entry size, total memory used and its overhead and
27504 savings, and various measures of the hash table size and chain
27505 lengths.
27506
27507 @kindex maint print target-stack
27508 @cindex target stack description
27509 @item maint print target-stack
27510 A @dfn{target} is an interface between the debugger and a particular
27511 kind of file or process. Targets can be stacked in @dfn{strata},
27512 so that more than one target can potentially respond to a request.
27513 In particular, memory accesses will walk down the stack of targets
27514 until they find a target that is interested in handling that particular
27515 address.
27516
27517 This command prints a short description of each layer that was pushed on
27518 the @dfn{target stack}, starting from the top layer down to the bottom one.
27519
27520 @kindex maint print type
27521 @cindex type chain of a data type
27522 @item maint print type @var{expr}
27523 Print the type chain for a type specified by @var{expr}. The argument
27524 can be either a type name or a symbol. If it is a symbol, the type of
27525 that symbol is described. The type chain produced by this command is
27526 a recursive definition of the data type as stored in @value{GDBN}'s
27527 data structures, including its flags and contained types.
27528
27529 @kindex maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
27530 @kindex maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
27531 @item maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
27532 @itemx maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
27533 Control the DWARF 2 compilation unit cache.
27534
27535 @cindex DWARF 2 compilation units cache
27536 In object files with inter-compilation-unit references, such as those
27537 produced by the GCC option @samp{-feliminate-dwarf2-dups}, the DWARF 2
27538 reader needs to frequently refer to previously read compilation units.
27539 This setting controls how long a compilation unit will remain in the
27540 cache if it is not referenced. A higher limit means that cached
27541 compilation units will be stored in memory longer, and more total
27542 memory will be used. Setting it to zero disables caching, which will
27543 slow down @value{GDBN} startup, but reduce memory consumption.
27544
27545 @kindex maint set profile
27546 @kindex maint show profile
27547 @cindex profiling GDB
27548 @item maint set profile
27549 @itemx maint show profile
27550 Control profiling of @value{GDBN}.
27551
27552 Profiling will be disabled until you use the @samp{maint set profile}
27553 command to enable it. When you enable profiling, the system will begin
27554 collecting timing and execution count data; when you disable profiling or
27555 exit @value{GDBN}, the results will be written to a log file. Remember that
27556 if you use profiling, @value{GDBN} will overwrite the profiling log file
27557 (often called @file{gmon.out}). If you have a record of important profiling
27558 data in a @file{gmon.out} file, be sure to move it to a safe location.
27559
27560 Configuring with @samp{--enable-profiling} arranges for @value{GDBN} to be
27561 compiled with the @samp{-pg} compiler option.
27562
27563 @kindex maint set show-debug-regs
27564 @kindex maint show show-debug-regs
27565 @cindex hardware debug registers
27566 @item maint set show-debug-regs
27567 @itemx maint show show-debug-regs
27568 Control whether to show variables that mirror the hardware debug
27569 registers. Use @code{ON} to enable, @code{OFF} to disable. If
27570 enabled, the debug registers values are shown when @value{GDBN} inserts or
27571 removes a hardware breakpoint or watchpoint, and when the inferior
27572 triggers a hardware-assisted breakpoint or watchpoint.
27573
27574 @kindex maint space
27575 @cindex memory used by commands
27576 @item maint space
27577 Control whether to display memory usage for each command. If set to a
27578 nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much memory each command
27579 took, following the command's own output. This can also be requested
27580 by invoking @value{GDBN} with the @option{--statistics} command-line
27581 switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
27582
27583 @kindex maint time
27584 @cindex time of command execution
27585 @item maint time
27586 Control whether to display the execution time for each command. If
27587 set to a nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much time it
27588 took to execute each command, following the command's own output.
27589 The time is not printed for the commands that run the target, since
27590 there's no mechanism currently to compute how much time was spend
27591 by @value{GDBN} and how much time was spend by the program been debugged.
27592 it's not possibly currently
27593 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
27594 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
27595
27596 @kindex maint translate-address
27597 @item maint translate-address @r{[}@var{section}@r{]} @var{addr}
27598 Find the symbol stored at the location specified by the address
27599 @var{addr} and an optional section name @var{section}. If found,
27600 @value{GDBN} prints the name of the closest symbol and an offset from
27601 the symbol's location to the specified address. This is similar to
27602 the @code{info address} command (@pxref{Symbols}), except that this
27603 command also allows to find symbols in other sections.
27604
27605 If section was not specified, the section in which the symbol was found
27606 is also printed. For dynamically linked executables, the name of
27607 executable or shared library containing the symbol is printed as well.
27608
27609 @end table
27610
27611 The following command is useful for non-interactive invocations of
27612 @value{GDBN}, such as in the test suite.
27613
27614 @table @code
27615 @item set watchdog @var{nsec}
27616 @kindex set watchdog
27617 @cindex watchdog timer
27618 @cindex timeout for commands
27619 Set the maximum number of seconds @value{GDBN} will wait for the
27620 target operation to finish. If this time expires, @value{GDBN}
27621 reports and error and the command is aborted.
27622
27623 @item show watchdog
27624 Show the current setting of the target wait timeout.
27625 @end table
27626
27627 @node Remote Protocol
27628 @appendix @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol
27629
27630 @menu
27631 * Overview::
27632 * Packets::
27633 * Stop Reply Packets::
27634 * General Query Packets::
27635 * Register Packet Format::
27636 * Tracepoint Packets::
27637 * Host I/O Packets::
27638 * Interrupts::
27639 * Notification Packets::
27640 * Remote Non-Stop::
27641 * Packet Acknowledgment::
27642 * Examples::
27643 * File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension::
27644 * Library List Format::
27645 * Memory Map Format::
27646 @end menu
27647
27648 @node Overview
27649 @section Overview
27650
27651 There may be occasions when you need to know something about the
27652 protocol---for example, if there is only one serial port to your target
27653 machine, you might want your program to do something special if it
27654 recognizes a packet meant for @value{GDBN}.
27655
27656 In the examples below, @samp{->} and @samp{<-} are used to indicate
27657 transmitted and received data, respectively.
27658
27659 @cindex protocol, @value{GDBN} remote serial
27660 @cindex serial protocol, @value{GDBN} remote
27661 @cindex remote serial protocol
27662 All @value{GDBN} commands and responses (other than acknowledgments
27663 and notifications, see @ref{Notification Packets}) are sent as a
27664 @var{packet}. A @var{packet} is introduced with the character
27665 @samp{$}, the actual @var{packet-data}, and the terminating character
27666 @samp{#} followed by a two-digit @var{checksum}:
27667
27668 @smallexample
27669 @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
27670 @end smallexample
27671 @noindent
27672
27673 @cindex checksum, for @value{GDBN} remote
27674 @noindent
27675 The two-digit @var{checksum} is computed as the modulo 256 sum of all
27676 characters between the leading @samp{$} and the trailing @samp{#} (an
27677 eight bit unsigned checksum).
27678
27679 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0 the protocol
27680 specification also included an optional two-digit @var{sequence-id}:
27681
27682 @smallexample
27683 @code{$}@var{sequence-id}@code{:}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
27684 @end smallexample
27685
27686 @cindex sequence-id, for @value{GDBN} remote
27687 @noindent
27688 That @var{sequence-id} was appended to the acknowledgment. @value{GDBN}
27689 has never output @var{sequence-id}s. Stubs that handle packets added
27690 since @value{GDBN} 5.0 must not accept @var{sequence-id}.
27691
27692 When either the host or the target machine receives a packet, the first
27693 response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
27694 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request
27695 retransmission):
27696
27697 @smallexample
27698 -> @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
27699 <- @code{+}
27700 @end smallexample
27701 @noindent
27702
27703 The @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments can be disabled
27704 once a connection is established.
27705 @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}, for details.
27706
27707 The host (@value{GDBN}) sends @var{command}s, and the target (the
27708 debugging stub incorporated in your program) sends a @var{response}. In
27709 the case of step and continue @var{command}s, the response is only sent
27710 when the operation has completed, and the target has again stopped all
27711 threads in all attached processes. This is the default all-stop mode
27712 behavior, but the remote protocol also supports @value{GDBN}'s non-stop
27713 execution mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}, for details.
27714
27715 @var{packet-data} consists of a sequence of characters with the
27716 exception of @samp{#} and @samp{$} (see @samp{X} packet for additional
27717 exceptions).
27718
27719 @cindex remote protocol, field separator
27720 Fields within the packet should be separated using @samp{,} @samp{;} or
27721 @samp{:}. Except where otherwise noted all numbers are represented in
27722 @sc{hex} with leading zeros suppressed.
27723
27724 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0, the character
27725 @samp{:} could not appear as the third character in a packet (as it
27726 would potentially conflict with the @var{sequence-id}).
27727
27728 @cindex remote protocol, binary data
27729 @anchor{Binary Data}
27730 Binary data in most packets is encoded either as two hexadecimal
27731 digits per byte of binary data. This allowed the traditional remote
27732 protocol to work over connections which were only seven-bit clean.
27733 Some packets designed more recently assume an eight-bit clean
27734 connection, and use a more efficient encoding to send and receive
27735 binary data.
27736
27737 The binary data representation uses @code{7d} (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}})
27738 as an escape character. Any escaped byte is transmitted as the escape
27739 character followed by the original character XORed with @code{0x20}.
27740 For example, the byte @code{0x7d} would be transmitted as the two
27741 bytes @code{0x7d 0x5d}. The bytes @code{0x23} (@sc{ascii} @samp{#}),
27742 @code{0x24} (@sc{ascii} @samp{$}), and @code{0x7d} (@sc{ascii}
27743 @samp{@}}) must always be escaped. Responses sent by the stub
27744 must also escape @code{0x2a} (@sc{ascii} @samp{*}), so that it
27745 is not interpreted as the start of a run-length encoded sequence
27746 (described next).
27747
27748 Response @var{data} can be run-length encoded to save space.
27749 Run-length encoding replaces runs of identical characters with one
27750 instance of the repeated character, followed by a @samp{*} and a
27751 repeat count. The repeat count is itself sent encoded, to avoid
27752 binary characters in @var{data}: a value of @var{n} is sent as
27753 @code{@var{n}+29}. For a repeat count greater or equal to 3, this
27754 produces a printable @sc{ascii} character, e.g.@: a space (@sc{ascii}
27755 code 32) for a repeat count of 3. (This is because run-length
27756 encoding starts to win for counts 3 or more.) Thus, for example,
27757 @samp{0* } is a run-length encoding of ``0000'': the space character
27758 after @samp{*} means repeat the leading @code{0} @w{@code{32 - 29 =
27759 3}} more times.
27760
27761 The printable characters @samp{#} and @samp{$} or with a numeric value
27762 greater than 126 must not be used. Runs of six repeats (@samp{#}) or
27763 seven repeats (@samp{$}) can be expanded using a repeat count of only
27764 five (@samp{"}). For example, @samp{00000000} can be encoded as
27765 @samp{0*"00}.
27766
27767 The error response returned for some packets includes a two character
27768 error number. That number is not well defined.
27769
27770 @cindex empty response, for unsupported packets
27771 For any @var{command} not supported by the stub, an empty response
27772 (@samp{$#00}) should be returned. That way it is possible to extend the
27773 protocol. A newer @value{GDBN} can tell if a packet is supported based
27774 on that response.
27775
27776 A stub is required to support the @samp{g}, @samp{G}, @samp{m}, @samp{M},
27777 @samp{c}, and @samp{s} @var{command}s. All other @var{command}s are
27778 optional.
27779
27780 @node Packets
27781 @section Packets
27782
27783 The following table provides a complete list of all currently defined
27784 @var{command}s and their corresponding response @var{data}.
27785 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for details about the File
27786 I/O extension of the remote protocol.
27787
27788 Each packet's description has a template showing the packet's overall
27789 syntax, followed by an explanation of the packet's meaning. We
27790 include spaces in some of the templates for clarity; these are not
27791 part of the packet's syntax. No @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to
27792 separate its components. For example, a template like @samp{foo
27793 @var{bar} @var{baz}} describes a packet beginning with the three ASCII
27794 bytes @samp{foo}, followed by a @var{bar}, followed directly by a
27795 @var{baz}. @value{GDBN} does not transmit a space character between the
27796 @samp{foo} and the @var{bar}, or between the @var{bar} and the
27797 @var{baz}.
27798
27799 @cindex @var{thread-id}, in remote protocol
27800 @anchor{thread-id syntax}
27801 Several packets and replies include a @var{thread-id} field to identify
27802 a thread. Normally these are positive numbers with a target-specific
27803 interpretation, formatted as big-endian hex strings. A @var{thread-id}
27804 can also be a literal @samp{-1} to indicate all threads, or @samp{0} to
27805 pick any thread.
27806
27807 In addition, the remote protocol supports a multiprocess feature in
27808 which the @var{thread-id} syntax is extended to optionally include both
27809 process and thread ID fields, as @samp{p@var{pid}.@var{tid}}.
27810 The @var{pid} (process) and @var{tid} (thread) components each have the
27811 format described above: a positive number with target-specific
27812 interpretation formatted as a big-endian hex string, literal @samp{-1}
27813 to indicate all processes or threads (respectively), or @samp{0} to
27814 indicate an arbitrary process or thread. Specifying just a process, as
27815 @samp{p@var{pid}}, is equivalent to @samp{p@var{pid}.-1}. It is an
27816 error to specify all processes but a specific thread, such as
27817 @samp{p-1.@var{tid}}. Note that the @samp{p} prefix is @emph{not} used
27818 for those packets and replies explicitly documented to include a process
27819 ID, rather than a @var{thread-id}.
27820
27821 The multiprocess @var{thread-id} syntax extensions are only used if both
27822 @value{GDBN} and the stub report support for the @samp{multiprocess}
27823 feature using @samp{qSupported}. @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for
27824 more information.
27825
27826 Note that all packet forms beginning with an upper- or lower-case
27827 letter, other than those described here, are reserved for future use.
27828
27829 Here are the packet descriptions.
27830
27831 @table @samp
27832
27833 @item !
27834 @cindex @samp{!} packet
27835 @anchor{extended mode}
27836 Enable extended mode. In extended mode, the remote server is made
27837 persistent. The @samp{R} packet is used to restart the program being
27838 debugged.
27839
27840 Reply:
27841 @table @samp
27842 @item OK
27843 The remote target both supports and has enabled extended mode.
27844 @end table
27845
27846 @item ?
27847 @cindex @samp{?} packet
27848 Indicate the reason the target halted. The reply is the same as for
27849 step and continue. This packet has a special interpretation when the
27850 target is in non-stop mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}.
27851
27852 Reply:
27853 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
27854
27855 @item A @var{arglen},@var{argnum},@var{arg},@dots{}
27856 @cindex @samp{A} packet
27857 Initialized @code{argv[]} array passed into program. @var{arglen}
27858 specifies the number of bytes in the hex encoded byte stream
27859 @var{arg}. See @code{gdbserver} for more details.
27860
27861 Reply:
27862 @table @samp
27863 @item OK
27864 The arguments were set.
27865 @item E @var{NN}
27866 An error occurred.
27867 @end table
27868
27869 @item b @var{baud}
27870 @cindex @samp{b} packet
27871 (Don't use this packet; its behavior is not well-defined.)
27872 Change the serial line speed to @var{baud}.
27873
27874 JTC: @emph{When does the transport layer state change? When it's
27875 received, or after the ACK is transmitted. In either case, there are
27876 problems if the command or the acknowledgment packet is dropped.}
27877
27878 Stan: @emph{If people really wanted to add something like this, and get
27879 it working for the first time, they ought to modify ser-unix.c to send
27880 some kind of out-of-band message to a specially-setup stub and have the
27881 switch happen "in between" packets, so that from remote protocol's point
27882 of view, nothing actually happened.}
27883
27884 @item B @var{addr},@var{mode}
27885 @cindex @samp{B} packet
27886 Set (@var{mode} is @samp{S}) or clear (@var{mode} is @samp{C}) a
27887 breakpoint at @var{addr}.
27888
27889 Don't use this packet. Use the @samp{Z} and @samp{z} packets instead
27890 (@pxref{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}).
27891
27892 @cindex @samp{bc} packet
27893 @anchor{bc}
27894 @item bc
27895 Backward continue. Execute the target system in reverse. No parameter.
27896 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
27897
27898 Reply:
27899 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
27900
27901 @cindex @samp{bs} packet
27902 @anchor{bs}
27903 @item bs
27904 Backward single step. Execute one instruction in reverse. No parameter.
27905 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
27906
27907 Reply:
27908 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
27909
27910 @item c @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
27911 @cindex @samp{c} packet
27912 Continue. @var{addr} is address to resume. If @var{addr} is omitted,
27913 resume at current address.
27914
27915 Reply:
27916 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
27917
27918 @item C @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
27919 @cindex @samp{C} packet
27920 Continue with signal @var{sig} (hex signal number). If
27921 @samp{;@var{addr}} is omitted, resume at same address.
27922
27923 Reply:
27924 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
27925
27926 @item d
27927 @cindex @samp{d} packet
27928 Toggle debug flag.
27929
27930 Don't use this packet; instead, define a general set packet
27931 (@pxref{General Query Packets}).
27932
27933 @item D
27934 @itemx D;@var{pid}
27935 @cindex @samp{D} packet
27936 The first form of the packet is used to detach @value{GDBN} from the
27937 remote system. It is sent to the remote target
27938 before @value{GDBN} disconnects via the @code{detach} command.
27939
27940 The second form, including a process ID, is used when multiprocess
27941 protocol extensions are enabled (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}), to
27942 detach only a specific process. The @var{pid} is specified as a
27943 big-endian hex string.
27944
27945 Reply:
27946 @table @samp
27947 @item OK
27948 for success
27949 @item E @var{NN}
27950 for an error
27951 @end table
27952
27953 @item F @var{RC},@var{EE},@var{CF};@var{XX}
27954 @cindex @samp{F} packet
27955 A reply from @value{GDBN} to an @samp{F} packet sent by the target.
27956 This is part of the File-I/O protocol extension. @xref{File-I/O
27957 Remote Protocol Extension}, for the specification.
27958
27959 @item g
27960 @anchor{read registers packet}
27961 @cindex @samp{g} packet
27962 Read general registers.
27963
27964 Reply:
27965 @table @samp
27966 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
27967 Each byte of register data is described by two hex digits. The bytes
27968 with the register are transmitted in target byte order. The size of
27969 each register and their position within the @samp{g} packet are
27970 determined by the @value{GDBN} internal gdbarch functions
27971 @code{DEPRECATED_REGISTER_RAW_SIZE} and @code{gdbarch_register_name}. The
27972 specification of several standard @samp{g} packets is specified below.
27973 @item E @var{NN}
27974 for an error.
27975 @end table
27976
27977 @item G @var{XX@dots{}}
27978 @cindex @samp{G} packet
27979 Write general registers. @xref{read registers packet}, for a
27980 description of the @var{XX@dots{}} data.
27981
27982 Reply:
27983 @table @samp
27984 @item OK
27985 for success
27986 @item E @var{NN}
27987 for an error
27988 @end table
27989
27990 @item H @var{c} @var{thread-id}
27991 @cindex @samp{H} packet
27992 Set thread for subsequent operations (@samp{m}, @samp{M}, @samp{g},
27993 @samp{G}, et.al.). @var{c} depends on the operation to be performed: it
27994 should be @samp{c} for step and continue operations, @samp{g} for other
27995 operations. The thread designator @var{thread-id} has the format and
27996 interpretation described in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
27997
27998 Reply:
27999 @table @samp
28000 @item OK
28001 for success
28002 @item E @var{NN}
28003 for an error
28004 @end table
28005
28006 @c FIXME: JTC:
28007 @c 'H': How restrictive (or permissive) is the thread model. If a
28008 @c thread is selected and stopped, are other threads allowed
28009 @c to continue to execute? As I mentioned above, I think the
28010 @c semantics of each command when a thread is selected must be
28011 @c described. For example:
28012 @c
28013 @c 'g': If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
28014 @c selected, returns the register block from that thread;
28015 @c otherwise returns current registers.
28016 @c
28017 @c 'G' If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
28018 @c selected, sets the registers of the register block of
28019 @c that thread; otherwise sets current registers.
28020
28021 @item i @r{[}@var{addr}@r{[},@var{nnn}@r{]]}
28022 @anchor{cycle step packet}
28023 @cindex @samp{i} packet
28024 Step the remote target by a single clock cycle. If @samp{,@var{nnn}} is
28025 present, cycle step @var{nnn} cycles. If @var{addr} is present, cycle
28026 step starting at that address.
28027
28028 @item I
28029 @cindex @samp{I} packet
28030 Signal, then cycle step. @xref{step with signal packet}. @xref{cycle
28031 step packet}.
28032
28033 @item k
28034 @cindex @samp{k} packet
28035 Kill request.
28036
28037 FIXME: @emph{There is no description of how to operate when a specific
28038 thread context has been selected (i.e.@: does 'k' kill only that
28039 thread?)}.
28040
28041 @item m @var{addr},@var{length}
28042 @cindex @samp{m} packet
28043 Read @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
28044 Note that @var{addr} may not be aligned to any particular boundary.
28045
28046 The stub need not use any particular size or alignment when gathering
28047 data from memory for the response; even if @var{addr} is word-aligned
28048 and @var{length} is a multiple of the word size, the stub is free to
28049 use byte accesses, or not. For this reason, this packet may not be
28050 suitable for accessing memory-mapped I/O devices.
28051 @cindex alignment of remote memory accesses
28052 @cindex size of remote memory accesses
28053 @cindex memory, alignment and size of remote accesses
28054
28055 Reply:
28056 @table @samp
28057 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
28058 Memory contents; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexadecimal
28059 number. The reply may contain fewer bytes than requested if the
28060 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
28061 @item E @var{NN}
28062 @var{NN} is errno
28063 @end table
28064
28065 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
28066 @cindex @samp{M} packet
28067 Write @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
28068 @var{XX@dots{}} is the data; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit
28069 hexadecimal number.
28070
28071 Reply:
28072 @table @samp
28073 @item OK
28074 for success
28075 @item E @var{NN}
28076 for an error (this includes the case where only part of the data was
28077 written).
28078 @end table
28079
28080 @item p @var{n}
28081 @cindex @samp{p} packet
28082 Read the value of register @var{n}; @var{n} is in hex.
28083 @xref{read registers packet}, for a description of how the returned
28084 register value is encoded.
28085
28086 Reply:
28087 @table @samp
28088 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
28089 the register's value
28090 @item E @var{NN}
28091 for an error
28092 @item
28093 Indicating an unrecognized @var{query}.
28094 @end table
28095
28096 @item P @var{n@dots{}}=@var{r@dots{}}
28097 @anchor{write register packet}
28098 @cindex @samp{P} packet
28099 Write register @var{n@dots{}} with value @var{r@dots{}}. The register
28100 number @var{n} is in hexadecimal, and @var{r@dots{}} contains two hex
28101 digits for each byte in the register (target byte order).
28102
28103 Reply:
28104 @table @samp
28105 @item OK
28106 for success
28107 @item E @var{NN}
28108 for an error
28109 @end table
28110
28111 @item q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
28112 @itemx Q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
28113 @cindex @samp{q} packet
28114 @cindex @samp{Q} packet
28115 General query (@samp{q}) and set (@samp{Q}). These packets are
28116 described fully in @ref{General Query Packets}.
28117
28118 @item r
28119 @cindex @samp{r} packet
28120 Reset the entire system.
28121
28122 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{R} packet instead.
28123
28124 @item R @var{XX}
28125 @cindex @samp{R} packet
28126 Restart the program being debugged. @var{XX}, while needed, is ignored.
28127 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
28128
28129 The @samp{R} packet has no reply.
28130
28131 @item s @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
28132 @cindex @samp{s} packet
28133 Single step. @var{addr} is the address at which to resume. If
28134 @var{addr} is omitted, resume at same address.
28135
28136 Reply:
28137 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
28138
28139 @item S @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
28140 @anchor{step with signal packet}
28141 @cindex @samp{S} packet
28142 Step with signal. This is analogous to the @samp{C} packet, but
28143 requests a single-step, rather than a normal resumption of execution.
28144
28145 Reply:
28146 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
28147
28148 @item t @var{addr}:@var{PP},@var{MM}
28149 @cindex @samp{t} packet
28150 Search backwards starting at address @var{addr} for a match with pattern
28151 @var{PP} and mask @var{MM}. @var{PP} and @var{MM} are 4 bytes.
28152 @var{addr} must be at least 3 digits.
28153
28154 @item T @var{thread-id}
28155 @cindex @samp{T} packet
28156 Find out if the thread @var{thread-id} is alive. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
28157
28158 Reply:
28159 @table @samp
28160 @item OK
28161 thread is still alive
28162 @item E @var{NN}
28163 thread is dead
28164 @end table
28165
28166 @item v
28167 Packets starting with @samp{v} are identified by a multi-letter name,
28168 up to the first @samp{;} or @samp{?} (or the end of the packet).
28169
28170 @item vAttach;@var{pid}
28171 @cindex @samp{vAttach} packet
28172 Attach to a new process with the specified process ID @var{pid}.
28173 The process ID is a
28174 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. In all-stop mode, all
28175 threads in the attached process are stopped; in non-stop mode, it may be
28176 attached without being stopped if that is supported by the target.
28177
28178 @c In non-stop mode, on a successful vAttach, the stub should set the
28179 @c current thread to a thread of the newly-attached process. After
28180 @c attaching, GDB queries for the attached process's thread ID with qC.
28181 @c Also note that, from a user perspective, whether or not the
28182 @c target is stopped on attach in non-stop mode depends on whether you
28183 @c use the foreground or background version of the attach command, not
28184 @c on what vAttach does; GDB does the right thing with respect to either
28185 @c stopping or restarting threads.
28186
28187 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
28188
28189 Reply:
28190 @table @samp
28191 @item E @var{nn}
28192 for an error
28193 @item @r{Any stop packet}
28194 for success in all-stop mode (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
28195 @item OK
28196 for success in non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop})
28197 @end table
28198
28199 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@r{[}:@var{thread-id}@r{]]}@dots{}
28200 @cindex @samp{vCont} packet
28201 Resume the inferior, specifying different actions for each thread.
28202 If an action is specified with no @var{thread-id}, then it is applied to any
28203 threads that don't have a specific action specified; if no default action is
28204 specified then other threads should remain stopped in all-stop mode and
28205 in their current state in non-stop mode.
28206 Specifying multiple
28207 default actions is an error; specifying no actions is also an error.
28208 Thread IDs are specified using the syntax described in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
28209
28210 Currently supported actions are:
28211
28212 @table @samp
28213 @item c
28214 Continue.
28215 @item C @var{sig}
28216 Continue with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
28217 @item s
28218 Step.
28219 @item S @var{sig}
28220 Step with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
28221 @item t
28222 Stop.
28223 @item T @var{sig}
28224 Stop with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
28225 @end table
28226
28227 The optional argument @var{addr} normally associated with the
28228 @samp{c}, @samp{C}, @samp{s}, and @samp{S} packets is
28229 not supported in @samp{vCont}.
28230
28231 The @samp{t} and @samp{T} actions are only relevant in non-stop mode
28232 (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}) and may be ignored by the stub otherwise.
28233 A stop reply should be generated for any affected thread not already stopped.
28234 When a thread is stopped by means of a @samp{t} action,
28235 the corresponding stop reply should indicate that the thread has stopped with
28236 signal @samp{0}, regardless of whether the target uses some other signal
28237 as an implementation detail.
28238
28239 Reply:
28240 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
28241
28242 @item vCont?
28243 @cindex @samp{vCont?} packet
28244 Request a list of actions supported by the @samp{vCont} packet.
28245
28246 Reply:
28247 @table @samp
28248 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@dots{}@r{]}
28249 The @samp{vCont} packet is supported. Each @var{action} is a supported
28250 command in the @samp{vCont} packet.
28251 @item
28252 The @samp{vCont} packet is not supported.
28253 @end table
28254
28255 @item vFile:@var{operation}:@var{parameter}@dots{}
28256 @cindex @samp{vFile} packet
28257 Perform a file operation on the target system. For details,
28258 see @ref{Host I/O Packets}.
28259
28260 @item vFlashErase:@var{addr},@var{length}
28261 @cindex @samp{vFlashErase} packet
28262 Direct the stub to erase @var{length} bytes of flash starting at
28263 @var{addr}. The region may enclose any number of flash blocks, but
28264 its start and end must fall on block boundaries, as indicated by the
28265 flash block size appearing in the memory map (@pxref{Memory Map
28266 Format}). @value{GDBN} groups flash memory programming operations
28267 together, and sends a @samp{vFlashDone} request after each group; the
28268 stub is allowed to delay erase operation until the @samp{vFlashDone}
28269 packet is received.
28270
28271 The stub must support @samp{vCont} if it reports support for
28272 multiprocess extensions (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}). Note that in
28273 this case @samp{vCont} actions can be specified to apply to all threads
28274 in a process by using the @samp{p@var{pid}.-1} form of the
28275 @var{thread-id}.
28276
28277 Reply:
28278 @table @samp
28279 @item OK
28280 for success
28281 @item E @var{NN}
28282 for an error
28283 @end table
28284
28285 @item vFlashWrite:@var{addr}:@var{XX@dots{}}
28286 @cindex @samp{vFlashWrite} packet
28287 Direct the stub to write data to flash address @var{addr}. The data
28288 is passed in binary form using the same encoding as for the @samp{X}
28289 packet (@pxref{Binary Data}). The memory ranges specified by
28290 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets preceding a @samp{vFlashDone} packet must
28291 not overlap, and must appear in order of increasing addresses
28292 (although @samp{vFlashErase} packets for higher addresses may already
28293 have been received; the ordering is guaranteed only between
28294 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets). If a packet writes to an address that was
28295 neither erased by a preceding @samp{vFlashErase} packet nor by some other
28296 target-specific method, the results are unpredictable.
28297
28298
28299 Reply:
28300 @table @samp
28301 @item OK
28302 for success
28303 @item E.memtype
28304 for vFlashWrite addressing non-flash memory
28305 @item E @var{NN}
28306 for an error
28307 @end table
28308
28309 @item vFlashDone
28310 @cindex @samp{vFlashDone} packet
28311 Indicate to the stub that flash programming operation is finished.
28312 The stub is permitted to delay or batch the effects of a group of
28313 @samp{vFlashErase} and @samp{vFlashWrite} packets until a
28314 @samp{vFlashDone} packet is received. The contents of the affected
28315 regions of flash memory are unpredictable until the @samp{vFlashDone}
28316 request is completed.
28317
28318 @item vKill;@var{pid}
28319 @cindex @samp{vKill} packet
28320 Kill the process with the specified process ID. @var{pid} is a
28321 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. This packet is used in
28322 preference to @samp{k} when multiprocess protocol extensions are
28323 supported; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
28324
28325 Reply:
28326 @table @samp
28327 @item E @var{nn}
28328 for an error
28329 @item OK
28330 for success
28331 @end table
28332
28333 @item vRun;@var{filename}@r{[};@var{argument}@r{]}@dots{}
28334 @cindex @samp{vRun} packet
28335 Run the program @var{filename}, passing it each @var{argument} on its
28336 command line. The file and arguments are hex-encoded strings. If
28337 @var{filename} is an empty string, the stub may use a default program
28338 (e.g.@: the last program run). The program is created in the stopped
28339 state.
28340
28341 @c FIXME: What about non-stop mode?
28342
28343 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
28344
28345 Reply:
28346 @table @samp
28347 @item E @var{nn}
28348 for an error
28349 @item @r{Any stop packet}
28350 for success (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
28351 @end table
28352
28353 @item vStopped
28354 @anchor{vStopped packet}
28355 @cindex @samp{vStopped} packet
28356
28357 In non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}), acknowledge a previous stop
28358 reply and prompt for the stub to report another one.
28359
28360 Reply:
28361 @table @samp
28362 @item @r{Any stop packet}
28363 if there is another unreported stop event (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
28364 @item OK
28365 if there are no unreported stop events
28366 @end table
28367
28368 @item X @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
28369 @anchor{X packet}
28370 @cindex @samp{X} packet
28371 Write data to memory, where the data is transmitted in binary.
28372 @var{addr} is address, @var{length} is number of bytes,
28373 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
28374
28375 Reply:
28376 @table @samp
28377 @item OK
28378 for success
28379 @item E @var{NN}
28380 for an error
28381 @end table
28382
28383 @item z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{length}
28384 @itemx Z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{length}
28385 @anchor{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}
28386 @cindex @samp{z} packet
28387 @cindex @samp{Z} packets
28388 Insert (@samp{Z}) or remove (@samp{z}) a @var{type} breakpoint or
28389 watchpoint starting at address @var{address} and covering the next
28390 @var{length} bytes.
28391
28392 Each breakpoint and watchpoint packet @var{type} is documented
28393 separately.
28394
28395 @emph{Implementation notes: A remote target shall return an empty string
28396 for an unrecognized breakpoint or watchpoint packet @var{type}. A
28397 remote target shall support either both or neither of a given
28398 @samp{Z@var{type}@dots{}} and @samp{z@var{type}@dots{}} packet pair. To
28399 avoid potential problems with duplicate packets, the operations should
28400 be implemented in an idempotent way.}
28401
28402 @item z0,@var{addr},@var{length}
28403 @itemx Z0,@var{addr},@var{length}
28404 @cindex @samp{z0} packet
28405 @cindex @samp{Z0} packet
28406 Insert (@samp{Z0}) or remove (@samp{z0}) a memory breakpoint at address
28407 @var{addr} of size @var{length}.
28408
28409 A memory breakpoint is implemented by replacing the instruction at
28410 @var{addr} with a software breakpoint or trap instruction. The
28411 @var{length} is used by targets that indicates the size of the
28412 breakpoint (in bytes) that should be inserted (e.g., the @sc{arm} and
28413 @sc{mips} can insert either a 2 or 4 byte breakpoint).
28414
28415 @emph{Implementation note: It is possible for a target to copy or move
28416 code that contains memory breakpoints (e.g., when implementing
28417 overlays). The behavior of this packet, in the presence of such a
28418 target, is not defined.}
28419
28420 Reply:
28421 @table @samp
28422 @item OK
28423 success
28424 @item
28425 not supported
28426 @item E @var{NN}
28427 for an error
28428 @end table
28429
28430 @item z1,@var{addr},@var{length}
28431 @itemx Z1,@var{addr},@var{length}
28432 @cindex @samp{z1} packet
28433 @cindex @samp{Z1} packet
28434 Insert (@samp{Z1}) or remove (@samp{z1}) a hardware breakpoint at
28435 address @var{addr} of size @var{length}.
28436
28437 A hardware breakpoint is implemented using a mechanism that is not
28438 dependant on being able to modify the target's memory.
28439
28440 @emph{Implementation note: A hardware breakpoint is not affected by code
28441 movement.}
28442
28443 Reply:
28444 @table @samp
28445 @item OK
28446 success
28447 @item
28448 not supported
28449 @item E @var{NN}
28450 for an error
28451 @end table
28452
28453 @item z2,@var{addr},@var{length}
28454 @itemx Z2,@var{addr},@var{length}
28455 @cindex @samp{z2} packet
28456 @cindex @samp{Z2} packet
28457 Insert (@samp{Z2}) or remove (@samp{z2}) a write watchpoint.
28458
28459 Reply:
28460 @table @samp
28461 @item OK
28462 success
28463 @item
28464 not supported
28465 @item E @var{NN}
28466 for an error
28467 @end table
28468
28469 @item z3,@var{addr},@var{length}
28470 @itemx Z3,@var{addr},@var{length}
28471 @cindex @samp{z3} packet
28472 @cindex @samp{Z3} packet
28473 Insert (@samp{Z3}) or remove (@samp{z3}) a read watchpoint.
28474
28475 Reply:
28476 @table @samp
28477 @item OK
28478 success
28479 @item
28480 not supported
28481 @item E @var{NN}
28482 for an error
28483 @end table
28484
28485 @item z4,@var{addr},@var{length}
28486 @itemx Z4,@var{addr},@var{length}
28487 @cindex @samp{z4} packet
28488 @cindex @samp{Z4} packet
28489 Insert (@samp{Z4}) or remove (@samp{z4}) an access watchpoint.
28490
28491 Reply:
28492 @table @samp
28493 @item OK
28494 success
28495 @item
28496 not supported
28497 @item E @var{NN}
28498 for an error
28499 @end table
28500
28501 @end table
28502
28503 @node Stop Reply Packets
28504 @section Stop Reply Packets
28505 @cindex stop reply packets
28506
28507 The @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}, @samp{s}, @samp{vCont},
28508 @samp{vAttach}, @samp{vRun}, @samp{vStopped}, and @samp{?} packets can
28509 receive any of the below as a reply. Except for @samp{?}
28510 and @samp{vStopped}, that reply is only returned
28511 when the target halts. In the below the exact meaning of @dfn{signal
28512 number} is defined by the header @file{include/gdb/signals.h} in the
28513 @value{GDBN} source code.
28514
28515 As in the description of request packets, we include spaces in the
28516 reply templates for clarity; these are not part of the reply packet's
28517 syntax. No @value{GDBN} stop reply packet uses spaces to separate its
28518 components.
28519
28520 @table @samp
28521
28522 @item S @var{AA}
28523 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
28524 number). This is equivalent to a @samp{T} response with no
28525 @var{n}:@var{r} pairs.
28526
28527 @item T @var{AA} @var{n1}:@var{r1};@var{n2}:@var{r2};@dots{}
28528 @cindex @samp{T} packet reply
28529 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
28530 number). This is equivalent to an @samp{S} response, except that the
28531 @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pairs can carry values of important registers
28532 and other information directly in the stop reply packet, reducing
28533 round-trip latency. Single-step and breakpoint traps are reported
28534 this way. Each @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair is interpreted as follows:
28535
28536 @itemize @bullet
28537 @item
28538 If @var{n} is a hexadecimal number, it is a register number, and the
28539 corresponding @var{r} gives that register's value. @var{r} is a
28540 series of bytes in target byte order, with each byte given by a
28541 two-digit hex number.
28542
28543 @item
28544 If @var{n} is @samp{thread}, then @var{r} is the @var{thread-id} of
28545 the stopped thread, as specified in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
28546
28547 @item
28548 If @var{n} is a recognized @dfn{stop reason}, it describes a more
28549 specific event that stopped the target. The currently defined stop
28550 reasons are listed below. @var{aa} should be @samp{05}, the trap
28551 signal. At most one stop reason should be present.
28552
28553 @item
28554 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} should ignore this @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair
28555 and go on to the next; this allows us to extend the protocol in the
28556 future.
28557 @end itemize
28558
28559 The currently defined stop reasons are:
28560
28561 @table @samp
28562 @item watch
28563 @itemx rwatch
28564 @itemx awatch
28565 The packet indicates a watchpoint hit, and @var{r} is the data address, in
28566 hex.
28567
28568 @cindex shared library events, remote reply
28569 @item library
28570 The packet indicates that the loaded libraries have changed.
28571 @value{GDBN} should use @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} to fetch a new
28572 list of loaded libraries. @var{r} is ignored.
28573
28574 @cindex replay log events, remote reply
28575 @item replaylog
28576 The packet indicates that the target cannot continue replaying
28577 logged execution events, because it has reached the end (or the
28578 beginning when executing backward) of the log. The value of @var{r}
28579 will be either @samp{begin} or @samp{end}. @xref{Reverse Execution},
28580 for more information.
28581
28582
28583 @end table
28584
28585 @item W @var{AA}
28586 @itemx W @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
28587 The process exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This is only
28588 applicable to certain targets.
28589
28590 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the exited
28591 process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported support for
28592 multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
28593 The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
28594
28595 @item X @var{AA}
28596 @itemx X @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
28597 The process terminated with signal @var{AA}.
28598
28599 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the
28600 terminated process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported
28601 support for multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess
28602 extensions}. The @var{pid} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
28603
28604 @item O @var{XX}@dots{}
28605 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data, to be
28606 written as the program's console output. This can happen at any time
28607 while the program is running and the debugger should continue to wait
28608 for @samp{W}, @samp{T}, etc. This reply is not permitted in non-stop mode.
28609
28610 @item F @var{call-id},@var{parameter}@dots{}
28611 @var{call-id} is the identifier which says which host system call should
28612 be called. This is just the name of the function. Translation into the
28613 correct system call is only applicable as it's defined in @value{GDBN}.
28614 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for a list of implemented
28615 system calls.
28616
28617 @samp{@var{parameter}@dots{}} is a list of parameters as defined for
28618 this very system call.
28619
28620 The target replies with this packet when it expects @value{GDBN} to
28621 call a host system call on behalf of the target. @value{GDBN} replies
28622 with an appropriate @samp{F} packet and keeps up waiting for the next
28623 reply packet from the target. The latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
28624 or @samp{s} action is expected to be continued. @xref{File-I/O Remote
28625 Protocol Extension}, for more details.
28626
28627 @end table
28628
28629 @node General Query Packets
28630 @section General Query Packets
28631 @cindex remote query requests
28632
28633 Packets starting with @samp{q} are @dfn{general query packets};
28634 packets starting with @samp{Q} are @dfn{general set packets}. General
28635 query and set packets are a semi-unified form for retrieving and
28636 sending information to and from the stub.
28637
28638 The initial letter of a query or set packet is followed by a name
28639 indicating what sort of thing the packet applies to. For example,
28640 @value{GDBN} may use a @samp{qSymbol} packet to exchange symbol
28641 definitions with the stub. These packet names follow some
28642 conventions:
28643
28644 @itemize @bullet
28645 @item
28646 The name must not contain commas, colons or semicolons.
28647 @item
28648 Most @value{GDBN} query and set packets have a leading upper case
28649 letter.
28650 @item
28651 The names of custom vendor packets should use a company prefix, in
28652 lower case, followed by a period. For example, packets designed at
28653 the Acme Corporation might begin with @samp{qacme.foo} (for querying
28654 foos) or @samp{Qacme.bar} (for setting bars).
28655 @end itemize
28656
28657 The name of a query or set packet should be separated from any
28658 parameters by a @samp{:}; the parameters themselves should be
28659 separated by @samp{,} or @samp{;}. Stubs must be careful to match the
28660 full packet name, and check for a separator or the end of the packet,
28661 in case two packet names share a common prefix. New packets should not begin
28662 with @samp{qC}, @samp{qP}, or @samp{qL}@footnote{The @samp{qP} and @samp{qL}
28663 packets predate these conventions, and have arguments without any terminator
28664 for the packet name; we suspect they are in widespread use in places that
28665 are difficult to upgrade. The @samp{qC} packet has no arguments, but some
28666 existing stubs (e.g.@: RedBoot) are known to not check for the end of the
28667 packet.}.
28668
28669 Like the descriptions of the other packets, each description here
28670 has a template showing the packet's overall syntax, followed by an
28671 explanation of the packet's meaning. We include spaces in some of the
28672 templates for clarity; these are not part of the packet's syntax. No
28673 @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to separate its components.
28674
28675 Here are the currently defined query and set packets:
28676
28677 @table @samp
28678
28679 @item qC
28680 @cindex current thread, remote request
28681 @cindex @samp{qC} packet
28682 Return the current thread ID.
28683
28684 Reply:
28685 @table @samp
28686 @item QC @var{thread-id}
28687 Where @var{thread-id} is a thread ID as documented in
28688 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
28689 @item @r{(anything else)}
28690 Any other reply implies the old thread ID.
28691 @end table
28692
28693 @item qCRC:@var{addr},@var{length}
28694 @cindex CRC of memory block, remote request
28695 @cindex @samp{qCRC} packet
28696 Compute the CRC checksum of a block of memory using CRC-32 defined in
28697 IEEE 802.3. The CRC is computed byte at a time, taking the most
28698 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern code
28699 @code{0xffffffff} is used to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC.
28700
28701 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC used in validating separate debug
28702 files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files, , Debugging Information in Separate
28703 Files}). However the algorithm is slightly different. When validating
28704 separate debug files, the CRC is computed taking the @emph{least}
28705 significant bit of each byte first, and the final result is inverted to
28706 detect trailing zeros.
28707
28708 Reply:
28709 @table @samp
28710 @item E @var{NN}
28711 An error (such as memory fault)
28712 @item C @var{crc32}
28713 The specified memory region's checksum is @var{crc32}.
28714 @end table
28715
28716 @item qfThreadInfo
28717 @itemx qsThreadInfo
28718 @cindex list active threads, remote request
28719 @cindex @samp{qfThreadInfo} packet
28720 @cindex @samp{qsThreadInfo} packet
28721 Obtain a list of all active thread IDs from the target (OS). Since there
28722 may be too many active threads to fit into one reply packet, this query
28723 works iteratively: it may require more than one query/reply sequence to
28724 obtain the entire list of threads. The first query of the sequence will
28725 be the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query; subsequent queries in the
28726 sequence will be the @samp{qsThreadInfo} query.
28727
28728 NOTE: This packet replaces the @samp{qL} query (see below).
28729
28730 Reply:
28731 @table @samp
28732 @item m @var{thread-id}
28733 A single thread ID
28734 @item m @var{thread-id},@var{thread-id}@dots{}
28735 a comma-separated list of thread IDs
28736 @item l
28737 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
28738 @end table
28739
28740 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
28741 more thread IDs, separated by commas.
28742 @value{GDBN} will respond to each reply with a request for more thread
28743 ids (using the @samp{qs} form of the query), until the target responds
28744 with @samp{l} (lower-case el, for @dfn{last}).
28745 Refer to @ref{thread-id syntax}, for the format of the @var{thread-id}
28746 fields.
28747
28748 @item qGetTLSAddr:@var{thread-id},@var{offset},@var{lm}
28749 @cindex get thread-local storage address, remote request
28750 @cindex @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet
28751 Fetch the address associated with thread local storage specified
28752 by @var{thread-id}, @var{offset}, and @var{lm}.
28753
28754 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the
28755 thread for which to fetch the TLS address. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
28756
28757 @var{offset} is the (big endian, hex encoded) offset associated with the
28758 thread local variable. (This offset is obtained from the debug
28759 information associated with the variable.)
28760
28761 @var{lm} is the (big endian, hex encoded) OS/ABI-specific encoding of the
28762 the load module associated with the thread local storage. For example,
28763 a @sc{gnu}/Linux system will pass the link map address of the shared
28764 object associated with the thread local storage under consideration.
28765 Other operating environments may choose to represent the load module
28766 differently, so the precise meaning of this parameter will vary.
28767
28768 Reply:
28769 @table @samp
28770 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
28771 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the address of the thread
28772 local storage requested.
28773
28774 @item E @var{nn}
28775 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
28776
28777 @item
28778 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTLSAddr} is not supported by the stub.
28779 @end table
28780
28781 @item qL @var{startflag} @var{threadcount} @var{nextthread}
28782 Obtain thread information from RTOS. Where: @var{startflag} (one hex
28783 digit) is one to indicate the first query and zero to indicate a
28784 subsequent query; @var{threadcount} (two hex digits) is the maximum
28785 number of threads the response packet can contain; and @var{nextthread}
28786 (eight hex digits), for subsequent queries (@var{startflag} is zero), is
28787 returned in the response as @var{argthread}.
28788
28789 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query instead (see above).
28790
28791 Reply:
28792 @table @samp
28793 @item qM @var{count} @var{done} @var{argthread} @var{thread}@dots{}
28794 Where: @var{count} (two hex digits) is the number of threads being
28795 returned; @var{done} (one hex digit) is zero to indicate more threads
28796 and one indicates no further threads; @var{argthreadid} (eight hex
28797 digits) is @var{nextthread} from the request packet; @var{thread}@dots{}
28798 is a sequence of thread IDs from the target. @var{threadid} (eight hex
28799 digits). See @code{remote.c:parse_threadlist_response()}.
28800 @end table
28801
28802 @item qOffsets
28803 @cindex section offsets, remote request
28804 @cindex @samp{qOffsets} packet
28805 Get section offsets that the target used when relocating the downloaded
28806 image.
28807
28808 Reply:
28809 @table @samp
28810 @item Text=@var{xxx};Data=@var{yyy}@r{[};Bss=@var{zzz}@r{]}
28811 Relocate the @code{Text} section by @var{xxx} from its original address.
28812 Relocate the @code{Data} section by @var{yyy} from its original address.
28813 If the object file format provides segment information (e.g.@: @sc{elf}
28814 @samp{PT_LOAD} program headers), @value{GDBN} will relocate entire
28815 segments by the supplied offsets.
28816
28817 @emph{Note: while a @code{Bss} offset may be included in the response,
28818 @value{GDBN} ignores this and instead applies the @code{Data} offset
28819 to the @code{Bss} section.}
28820
28821 @item TextSeg=@var{xxx}@r{[};DataSeg=@var{yyy}@r{]}
28822 Relocate the first segment of the object file, which conventionally
28823 contains program code, to a starting address of @var{xxx}. If
28824 @samp{DataSeg} is specified, relocate the second segment, which
28825 conventionally contains modifiable data, to a starting address of
28826 @var{yyy}. @value{GDBN} will report an error if the object file
28827 does not contain segment information, or does not contain at least
28828 as many segments as mentioned in the reply. Extra segments are
28829 kept at fixed offsets relative to the last relocated segment.
28830 @end table
28831
28832 @item qP @var{mode} @var{thread-id}
28833 @cindex thread information, remote request
28834 @cindex @samp{qP} packet
28835 Returns information on @var{thread-id}. Where: @var{mode} is a hex
28836 encoded 32 bit mode; @var{thread-id} is a thread ID
28837 (@pxref{thread-id syntax}).
28838
28839 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} query instead
28840 (see below).
28841
28842 Reply: see @code{remote.c:remote_unpack_thread_info_response()}.
28843
28844 @item QNonStop:1
28845 @item QNonStop:0
28846 @cindex non-stop mode, remote request
28847 @cindex @samp{QNonStop} packet
28848 @anchor{QNonStop}
28849 Enter non-stop (@samp{QNonStop:1}) or all-stop (@samp{QNonStop:0}) mode.
28850 @xref{Remote Non-Stop}, for more information.
28851
28852 Reply:
28853 @table @samp
28854 @item OK
28855 The request succeeded.
28856
28857 @item E @var{nn}
28858 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
28859
28860 @item
28861 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QNonStop} is not supported by
28862 the stub.
28863 @end table
28864
28865 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
28866 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
28867 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set non-stop} command;
28868 @pxref{Non-Stop Mode}.
28869
28870 @item QPassSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
28871 @cindex pass signals to inferior, remote request
28872 @cindex @samp{QPassSignals} packet
28873 @anchor{QPassSignals}
28874 Each listed @var{signal} should be passed directly to the inferior process.
28875 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
28876 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
28877 strictly greater than the previous item. These signals do not need to stop
28878 the inferior, or be reported to @value{GDBN}. All other signals should be
28879 reported to @value{GDBN}. Multiple @samp{QPassSignals} packets do not
28880 combine; any earlier @samp{QPassSignals} list is completely replaced by the
28881 new list. This packet improves performance when using @samp{handle
28882 @var{signal} nostop noprint pass}.
28883
28884 Reply:
28885 @table @samp
28886 @item OK
28887 The request succeeded.
28888
28889 @item E @var{nn}
28890 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
28891
28892 @item
28893 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QPassSignals} is not supported by
28894 the stub.
28895 @end table
28896
28897 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote pass-signals}
28898 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote pass-signals}).
28899 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
28900 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
28901
28902 @item qRcmd,@var{command}
28903 @cindex execute remote command, remote request
28904 @cindex @samp{qRcmd} packet
28905 @var{command} (hex encoded) is passed to the local interpreter for
28906 execution. Invalid commands should be reported using the output
28907 string. Before the final result packet, the target may also respond
28908 with a number of intermediate @samp{O@var{output}} console output
28909 packets. @emph{Implementors should note that providing access to a
28910 stubs's interpreter may have security implications}.
28911
28912 Reply:
28913 @table @samp
28914 @item OK
28915 A command response with no output.
28916 @item @var{OUTPUT}
28917 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
28918 @item E @var{NN}
28919 Indicate a badly formed request.
28920 @item
28921 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qRcmd} is not recognized.
28922 @end table
28923
28924 (Note that the @code{qRcmd} packet's name is separated from the
28925 command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
28926 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
28927 packets.)
28928
28929 @item qSearch:memory:@var{address};@var{length};@var{search-pattern}
28930 @cindex searching memory, in remote debugging
28931 @cindex @samp{qSearch:memory} packet
28932 @anchor{qSearch memory}
28933 Search @var{length} bytes at @var{address} for @var{search-pattern}.
28934 @var{address} and @var{length} are encoded in hex.
28935 @var{search-pattern} is a sequence of bytes, hex encoded.
28936
28937 Reply:
28938 @table @samp
28939 @item 0
28940 The pattern was not found.
28941 @item 1,address
28942 The pattern was found at @var{address}.
28943 @item E @var{NN}
28944 A badly formed request or an error was encountered while searching memory.
28945 @item
28946 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSearch:memory} is not recognized.
28947 @end table
28948
28949 @item QStartNoAckMode
28950 @cindex @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet
28951 @anchor{QStartNoAckMode}
28952 Request that the remote stub disable the normal @samp{+}/@samp{-}
28953 protocol acknowledgments (@pxref{Packet Acknowledgment}).
28954
28955 Reply:
28956 @table @samp
28957 @item OK
28958 The stub has switched to no-acknowledgment mode.
28959 @value{GDBN} acknowledges this reponse,
28960 but neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or expect further
28961 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments in the current connection.
28962 @item
28963 An empty reply indicates that the stub does not support no-acknowledgment mode.
28964 @end table
28965
28966 @item qSupported @r{[}:@var{gdbfeature} @r{[};@var{gdbfeature}@r{]}@dots{} @r{]}
28967 @cindex supported packets, remote query
28968 @cindex features of the remote protocol
28969 @cindex @samp{qSupported} packet
28970 @anchor{qSupported}
28971 Tell the remote stub about features supported by @value{GDBN}, and
28972 query the stub for features it supports. This packet allows
28973 @value{GDBN} and the remote stub to take advantage of each others'
28974 features. @samp{qSupported} also consolidates multiple feature probes
28975 at startup, to improve @value{GDBN} performance---a single larger
28976 packet performs better than multiple smaller probe packets on
28977 high-latency links. Some features may enable behavior which must not
28978 be on by default, e.g.@: because it would confuse older clients or
28979 stubs. Other features may describe packets which could be
28980 automatically probed for, but are not. These features must be
28981 reported before @value{GDBN} will use them. This ``default
28982 unsupported'' behavior is not appropriate for all packets, but it
28983 helps to keep the initial connection time under control with new
28984 versions of @value{GDBN} which support increasing numbers of packets.
28985
28986 Reply:
28987 @table @samp
28988 @item @var{stubfeature} @r{[};@var{stubfeature}@r{]}@dots{}
28989 The stub supports or does not support each returned @var{stubfeature},
28990 depending on the form of each @var{stubfeature} (see below for the
28991 possible forms).
28992 @item
28993 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSupported} is not recognized,
28994 or that no features needed to be reported to @value{GDBN}.
28995 @end table
28996
28997 The allowed forms for each feature (either a @var{gdbfeature} in the
28998 @samp{qSupported} packet, or a @var{stubfeature} in the response)
28999 are:
29000
29001 @table @samp
29002 @item @var{name}=@var{value}
29003 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and associated
29004 with the specified @var{value}. The format of @var{value} depends
29005 on the feature, but it must not include a semicolon.
29006 @item @var{name}+
29007 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and does not
29008 need an associated value.
29009 @item @var{name}-
29010 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is not supported.
29011 @item @var{name}?
29012 The remote protocol feature @var{name} may be supported, and
29013 @value{GDBN} should auto-detect support in some other way when it is
29014 needed. This form will not be used for @var{gdbfeature} notifications,
29015 but may be used for @var{stubfeature} responses.
29016 @end table
29017
29018 Whenever the stub receives a @samp{qSupported} request, the
29019 supplied set of @value{GDBN} features should override any previous
29020 request. This allows @value{GDBN} to put the stub in a known
29021 state, even if the stub had previously been communicating with
29022 a different version of @value{GDBN}.
29023
29024 The following values of @var{gdbfeature} (for the packet sent by @value{GDBN})
29025 are defined:
29026
29027 @table @samp
29028 @item multiprocess
29029 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports multiprocess
29030 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
29031 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
29032 including @samp{multiprocess+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
29033 @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for details.
29034 @end table
29035
29036 Stubs should ignore any unknown values for
29037 @var{gdbfeature}. Any @value{GDBN} which sends a @samp{qSupported}
29038 packet supports receiving packets of unlimited length (earlier
29039 versions of @value{GDBN} may reject overly long responses). Additional values
29040 for @var{gdbfeature} may be defined in the future to let the stub take
29041 advantage of new features in @value{GDBN}, e.g.@: incompatible
29042 improvements in the remote protocol---the @samp{multiprocess} feature is
29043 an example of such a feature. The stub's reply should be independent
29044 of the @var{gdbfeature} entries sent by @value{GDBN}; first @value{GDBN}
29045 describes all the features it supports, and then the stub replies with
29046 all the features it supports.
29047
29048 Similarly, @value{GDBN} will silently ignore unrecognized stub feature
29049 responses, as long as each response uses one of the standard forms.
29050
29051 Some features are flags. A stub which supports a flag feature
29052 should respond with a @samp{+} form response. Other features
29053 require values, and the stub should respond with an @samp{=}
29054 form response.
29055
29056 Each feature has a default value, which @value{GDBN} will use if
29057 @samp{qSupported} is not available or if the feature is not mentioned
29058 in the @samp{qSupported} response. The default values are fixed; a
29059 stub is free to omit any feature responses that match the defaults.
29060
29061 Not all features can be probed, but for those which can, the probing
29062 mechanism is useful: in some cases, a stub's internal
29063 architecture may not allow the protocol layer to know some information
29064 about the underlying target in advance. This is especially common in
29065 stubs which may be configured for multiple targets.
29066
29067 These are the currently defined stub features and their properties:
29068
29069 @multitable @columnfractions 0.35 0.2 0.12 0.2
29070 @c NOTE: The first row should be @headitem, but we do not yet require
29071 @c a new enough version of Texinfo (4.7) to use @headitem.
29072 @item Feature Name
29073 @tab Value Required
29074 @tab Default
29075 @tab Probe Allowed
29076
29077 @item @samp{PacketSize}
29078 @tab Yes
29079 @tab @samp{-}
29080 @tab No
29081
29082 @item @samp{qXfer:auxv:read}
29083 @tab No
29084 @tab @samp{-}
29085 @tab Yes
29086
29087 @item @samp{qXfer:features:read}
29088 @tab No
29089 @tab @samp{-}
29090 @tab Yes
29091
29092 @item @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
29093 @tab No
29094 @tab @samp{-}
29095 @tab Yes
29096
29097 @item @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
29098 @tab No
29099 @tab @samp{-}
29100 @tab Yes
29101
29102 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:read}
29103 @tab No
29104 @tab @samp{-}
29105 @tab Yes
29106
29107 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:write}
29108 @tab No
29109 @tab @samp{-}
29110 @tab Yes
29111
29112 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read}
29113 @tab No
29114 @tab @samp{-}
29115 @tab Yes
29116
29117 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write}
29118 @tab No
29119 @tab @samp{-}
29120 @tab Yes
29121
29122 @item @samp{QNonStop}
29123 @tab No
29124 @tab @samp{-}
29125 @tab Yes
29126
29127 @item @samp{QPassSignals}
29128 @tab No
29129 @tab @samp{-}
29130 @tab Yes
29131
29132 @item @samp{QStartNoAckMode}
29133 @tab No
29134 @tab @samp{-}
29135 @tab Yes
29136
29137 @item @samp{multiprocess}
29138 @tab No
29139 @tab @samp{-}
29140 @tab No
29141
29142 @item @samp{ConditionalTracepoints}
29143 @tab No
29144 @tab @samp{-}
29145 @tab No
29146
29147 @item @samp{ReverseContinue}
29148 @tab No
29149 @tab @samp{+}
29150 @tab No
29151
29152 @item @samp{ReverseStep}
29153 @tab No
29154 @tab @samp{+}
29155 @tab No
29156
29157 @end multitable
29158
29159 These are the currently defined stub features, in more detail:
29160
29161 @table @samp
29162 @cindex packet size, remote protocol
29163 @item PacketSize=@var{bytes}
29164 The remote stub can accept packets up to at least @var{bytes} in
29165 length. @value{GDBN} will send packets up to this size for bulk
29166 transfers, and will never send larger packets. This is a limit on the
29167 data characters in the packet, including the frame and checksum.
29168 There is no trailing NUL byte in a remote protocol packet; if the stub
29169 stores packets in a NUL-terminated format, it should allow an extra
29170 byte in its buffer for the NUL. If this stub feature is not supported,
29171 @value{GDBN} guesses based on the size of the @samp{g} packet response.
29172
29173 @item qXfer:auxv:read
29174 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet
29175 (@pxref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}).
29176
29177 @item qXfer:features:read
29178 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:features:read} packet
29179 (@pxref{qXfer target description read}).
29180
29181 @item qXfer:libraries:read
29182 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet
29183 (@pxref{qXfer library list read}).
29184
29185 @item qXfer:memory-map:read
29186 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read} packet
29187 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}).
29188
29189 @item qXfer:spu:read
29190 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:read} packet
29191 (@pxref{qXfer spu read}).
29192
29193 @item qXfer:spu:write
29194 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:write} packet
29195 (@pxref{qXfer spu write}).
29196
29197 @item qXfer:siginfo:read
29198 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read} packet
29199 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo read}).
29200
29201 @item qXfer:siginfo:write
29202 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write} packet
29203 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo write}).
29204
29205 @item QNonStop
29206 The remote stub understands the @samp{QNonStop} packet
29207 (@pxref{QNonStop}).
29208
29209 @item QPassSignals
29210 The remote stub understands the @samp{QPassSignals} packet
29211 (@pxref{QPassSignals}).
29212
29213 @item QStartNoAckMode
29214 The remote stub understands the @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet and
29215 prefers to operate in no-acknowledgment mode. @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}.
29216
29217 @item multiprocess
29218 @anchor{multiprocess extensions}
29219 @cindex multiprocess extensions, in remote protocol
29220 The remote stub understands the multiprocess extensions to the remote
29221 protocol syntax. The multiprocess extensions affect the syntax of
29222 thread IDs in both packets and replies (@pxref{thread-id syntax}), and
29223 add process IDs to the @samp{D} packet and @samp{W} and @samp{X}
29224 replies. Note that reporting this feature indicates support for the
29225 syntactic extensions only, not that the stub necessarily supports
29226 debugging of more than one process at a time. The stub must not use
29227 multiprocess extensions in packet replies unless @value{GDBN} has also
29228 indicated it supports them in its @samp{qSupported} request.
29229
29230 @item qXfer:osdata:read
29231 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet
29232 ((@pxref{qXfer osdata read}).
29233
29234 @item ConditionalTracepoints
29235 The remote stub accepts and implements conditional expressions defined
29236 for tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoint Conditions}).
29237
29238 @item ReverseContinue
29239 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse continue packet
29240 (@pxref{bc}).
29241
29242 @item ReverseStep
29243 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse step packet
29244 (@pxref{bs}).
29245
29246 @end table
29247
29248 @item qSymbol::
29249 @cindex symbol lookup, remote request
29250 @cindex @samp{qSymbol} packet
29251 Notify the target that @value{GDBN} is prepared to serve symbol lookup
29252 requests. Accept requests from the target for the values of symbols.
29253
29254 Reply:
29255 @table @samp
29256 @item OK
29257 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
29258 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
29259 The target requests the value of symbol @var{sym_name} (hex encoded).
29260 @value{GDBN} may provide the value by using the
29261 @samp{qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}} message, described
29262 below.
29263 @end table
29264
29265 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}
29266 Set the value of @var{sym_name} to @var{sym_value}.
29267
29268 @var{sym_name} (hex encoded) is the name of a symbol whose value the
29269 target has previously requested.
29270
29271 @var{sym_value} (hex) is the value for symbol @var{sym_name}. If
29272 @value{GDBN} cannot supply a value for @var{sym_name}, then this field
29273 will be empty.
29274
29275 Reply:
29276 @table @samp
29277 @item OK
29278 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
29279 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
29280 The target requests the value of a new symbol @var{sym_name} (hex
29281 encoded). @value{GDBN} will continue to supply the values of symbols
29282 (if available), until the target ceases to request them.
29283 @end table
29284
29285 @item QTDP
29286 @itemx QTFrame
29287 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
29288
29289 @item qThreadExtraInfo,@var{thread-id}
29290 @cindex thread attributes info, remote request
29291 @cindex @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} packet
29292 Obtain a printable string description of a thread's attributes from
29293 the target OS. @var{thread-id} is a thread ID;
29294 see @ref{thread-id syntax}. This
29295 string may contain anything that the target OS thinks is interesting
29296 for @value{GDBN} to tell the user about the thread. The string is
29297 displayed in @value{GDBN}'s @code{info threads} display. Some
29298 examples of possible thread extra info strings are @samp{Runnable}, or
29299 @samp{Blocked on Mutex}.
29300
29301 Reply:
29302 @table @samp
29303 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
29304 Where @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is a hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data,
29305 comprising the printable string containing the extra information about
29306 the thread's attributes.
29307 @end table
29308
29309 (Note that the @code{qThreadExtraInfo} packet's name is separated from
29310 the command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
29311 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
29312 packets.)
29313
29314 @item QTStart
29315 @itemx QTStop
29316 @itemx QTinit
29317 @itemx QTro
29318 @itemx qTStatus
29319 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
29320
29321 @item qXfer:@var{object}:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
29322 @cindex read special object, remote request
29323 @cindex @samp{qXfer} packet
29324 @anchor{qXfer read}
29325 Read uninterpreted bytes from the target's special data area
29326 identified by the keyword @var{object}. Request @var{length} bytes
29327 starting at @var{offset} bytes into the data. The content and
29328 encoding of @var{annex} is specific to @var{object}; it can supply
29329 additional details about what data to access.
29330
29331 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
29332 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:read:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
29333 formats, listed below.
29334
29335 @table @samp
29336 @item qXfer:auxv:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
29337 @anchor{qXfer auxiliary vector read}
29338 Access the target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}. @xref{OS Information,
29339 auxiliary vector}. Note @var{annex} must be empty.
29340
29341 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29342 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29343
29344 @item qXfer:features:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
29345 @anchor{qXfer target description read}
29346 Access the @dfn{target description}. @xref{Target Descriptions}. The
29347 annex specifies which XML document to access. The main description is
29348 always loaded from the @samp{target.xml} annex.
29349
29350 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29351 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29352
29353 @item qXfer:libraries:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
29354 @anchor{qXfer library list read}
29355 Access the target's list of loaded libraries. @xref{Library List Format}.
29356 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
29357 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
29358
29359 Targets which maintain a list of libraries in the program's memory do
29360 not need to implement this packet; it is designed for platforms where
29361 the operating system manages the list of loaded libraries.
29362
29363 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29364 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29365
29366 @item qXfer:memory-map:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
29367 @anchor{qXfer memory map read}
29368 Access the target's @dfn{memory-map}. @xref{Memory Map Format}. The
29369 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
29370 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
29371
29372 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29373 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29374
29375 @item qXfer:siginfo:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
29376 @anchor{qXfer siginfo read}
29377 Read contents of the extra signal information on the target
29378 system. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
29379 empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
29380
29381 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29382 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
29383 (@pxref{qSupported}).
29384
29385 @item qXfer:spu:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
29386 @anchor{qXfer spu read}
29387 Read contents of an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
29388 annex specifies which file to read; it must be of the form
29389 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
29390 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
29391 in that context to be accessed.
29392
29393 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29394 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
29395 (@pxref{qSupported}).
29396
29397 @item qXfer:osdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
29398 @anchor{qXfer osdata read}
29399 Access the target's @dfn{operating system information}.
29400 @xref{Operating System Information}.
29401
29402 @end table
29403
29404 Reply:
29405 @table @samp
29406 @item m @var{data}
29407 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the
29408 target. There may be more data at a higher address (although
29409 it is permitted to return @samp{m} even for the last valid
29410 block of data, as long as at least one byte of data was read).
29411 @var{data} may have fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the
29412 request.
29413
29414 @item l @var{data}
29415 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the target.
29416 There is no more data to be read. @var{data} may have fewer bytes
29417 than the @var{length} in the request.
29418
29419 @item l
29420 The @var{offset} in the request is at the end of the data.
29421 There is no more data to be read.
29422
29423 @item E00
29424 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
29425
29426 @item E @var{nn}
29427 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered reading the data.
29428 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
29429
29430 @item
29431 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not recognized by
29432 the stub, or that the object does not support reading.
29433 @end table
29434
29435 @item qXfer:@var{object}:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
29436 @cindex write data into object, remote request
29437 @anchor{qXfer write}
29438 Write uninterpreted bytes into the target's special data area
29439 identified by the keyword @var{object}, starting at @var{offset} bytes
29440 into the data. @var{data}@dots{} is the binary-encoded data
29441 (@pxref{Binary Data}) to be written. The content and encoding of @var{annex}
29442 is specific to @var{object}; it can supply additional details about what data
29443 to access.
29444
29445 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
29446 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:write:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
29447 formats, listed below.
29448
29449 @table @samp
29450 @item qXfer:siginfo:write::@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
29451 @anchor{qXfer siginfo write}
29452 Write @var{data} to the extra signal information on the target system.
29453 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
29454 empty (@pxref{qXfer write}).
29455
29456 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29457 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
29458 (@pxref{qSupported}).
29459
29460 @item qXfer:spu:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
29461 @anchor{qXfer spu write}
29462 Write @var{data} to an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
29463 annex specifies which file to write; it must be of the form
29464 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
29465 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
29466 in that context to be accessed.
29467
29468 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
29469 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29470 @end table
29471
29472 Reply:
29473 @table @samp
29474 @item @var{nn}
29475 @var{nn} (hex encoded) is the number of bytes written.
29476 This may be fewer bytes than supplied in the request.
29477
29478 @item E00
29479 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
29480
29481 @item E @var{nn}
29482 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered writing the data.
29483 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
29484
29485 @item
29486 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not
29487 recognized by the stub, or that the object does not support writing.
29488 @end table
29489
29490 @item qXfer:@var{object}:@var{operation}:@dots{}
29491 Requests of this form may be added in the future. When a stub does
29492 not recognize the @var{object} keyword, or its support for
29493 @var{object} does not recognize the @var{operation} keyword, the stub
29494 must respond with an empty packet.
29495
29496 @item qAttached:@var{pid}
29497 @cindex query attached, remote request
29498 @cindex @samp{qAttached} packet
29499 Return an indication of whether the remote server attached to an
29500 existing process or created a new process. When the multiprocess
29501 protocol extensions are supported (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}),
29502 @var{pid} is an integer in hexadecimal format identifying the target
29503 process. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} will omit the @var{pid} field and
29504 the query packet will be simplified as @samp{qAttached}.
29505
29506 This query is used, for example, to know whether the remote process
29507 should be detached or killed when a @value{GDBN} session is ended with
29508 the @code{quit} command.
29509
29510 Reply:
29511 @table @samp
29512 @item 1
29513 The remote server attached to an existing process.
29514 @item 0
29515 The remote server created a new process.
29516 @item E @var{NN}
29517 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
29518 @end table
29519
29520 @end table
29521
29522 @node Register Packet Format
29523 @section Register Packet Format
29524
29525 The following @code{g}/@code{G} packets have previously been defined.
29526 In the below, some thirty-two bit registers are transferred as
29527 sixty-four bits. Those registers should be zero/sign extended (which?)
29528 to fill the space allocated. Register bytes are transferred in target
29529 byte order. The two nibbles within a register byte are transferred
29530 most-significant - least-significant.
29531
29532 @table @r
29533
29534 @item MIPS32
29535
29536 All registers are transferred as thirty-two bit quantities in the order:
29537 32 general-purpose; sr; lo; hi; bad; cause; pc; 32 floating-point
29538 registers; fsr; fir; fp.
29539
29540 @item MIPS64
29541
29542 All registers are transferred as sixty-four bit quantities (including
29543 thirty-two bit registers such as @code{sr}). The ordering is the same
29544 as @code{MIPS32}.
29545
29546 @end table
29547
29548 @node Tracepoint Packets
29549 @section Tracepoint Packets
29550 @cindex tracepoint packets
29551 @cindex packets, tracepoint
29552
29553 Here we describe the packets @value{GDBN} uses to implement
29554 tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
29555
29556 @table @samp
29557
29558 @item QTDP:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{ena}:@var{step}:@var{pass}[:X@var{len},@var{bytes}]@r{[}-@r{]}
29559 Create a new tracepoint, number @var{n}, at @var{addr}. If @var{ena}
29560 is @samp{E}, then the tracepoint is enabled; if it is @samp{D}, then
29561 the tracepoint is disabled. @var{step} is the tracepoint's step
29562 count, and @var{pass} is its pass count. If an @samp{X} is present,
29563 it introduces a tracepoint condition, which consists of a hexadecimal
29564 length, followed by a comma and hex-encoded bytes, in a manner similar
29565 to action encodings as described below. If the trailing @samp{-} is
29566 present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow to specify this
29567 tracepoint's actions.
29568
29569 Replies:
29570 @table @samp
29571 @item OK
29572 The packet was understood and carried out.
29573 @item
29574 The packet was not recognized.
29575 @end table
29576
29577 @item QTDP:-@var{n}:@var{addr}:@r{[}S@r{]}@var{action}@dots{}@r{[}-@r{]}
29578 Define actions to be taken when a tracepoint is hit. @var{n} and
29579 @var{addr} must be the same as in the initial @samp{QTDP} packet for
29580 this tracepoint. This packet may only be sent immediately after
29581 another @samp{QTDP} packet that ended with a @samp{-}. If the
29582 trailing @samp{-} is present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow,
29583 specifying more actions for this tracepoint.
29584
29585 In the series of action packets for a given tracepoint, at most one
29586 can have an @samp{S} before its first @var{action}. If such a packet
29587 is sent, it and the following packets define ``while-stepping''
29588 actions. Any prior packets define ordinary actions --- that is, those
29589 taken when the tracepoint is first hit. If no action packet has an
29590 @samp{S}, then all the packets in the series specify ordinary
29591 tracepoint actions.
29592
29593 The @samp{@var{action}@dots{}} portion of the packet is a series of
29594 actions, concatenated without separators. Each action has one of the
29595 following forms:
29596
29597 @table @samp
29598
29599 @item R @var{mask}
29600 Collect the registers whose bits are set in @var{mask}. @var{mask} is
29601 a hexadecimal number whose @var{i}'th bit is set if register number
29602 @var{i} should be collected. (The least significant bit is numbered
29603 zero.) Note that @var{mask} may be any number of digits long; it may
29604 not fit in a 32-bit word.
29605
29606 @item M @var{basereg},@var{offset},@var{len}
29607 Collect @var{len} bytes of memory starting at the address in register
29608 number @var{basereg}, plus @var{offset}. If @var{basereg} is
29609 @samp{-1}, then the range has a fixed address: @var{offset} is the
29610 address of the lowest byte to collect. The @var{basereg},
29611 @var{offset}, and @var{len} parameters are all unsigned hexadecimal
29612 values (the @samp{-1} value for @var{basereg} is a special case).
29613
29614 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
29615 Evaluate @var{expr}, whose length is @var{len}, and collect memory as
29616 it directs. @var{expr} is an agent expression, as described in
29617 @ref{Agent Expressions}. Each byte of the expression is encoded as a
29618 two-digit hex number in the packet; @var{len} is the number of bytes
29619 in the expression (and thus one-half the number of hex digits in the
29620 packet).
29621
29622 @end table
29623
29624 Any number of actions may be packed together in a single @samp{QTDP}
29625 packet, as long as the packet does not exceed the maximum packet
29626 length (400 bytes, for many stubs). There may be only one @samp{R}
29627 action per tracepoint, and it must precede any @samp{M} or @samp{X}
29628 actions. Any registers referred to by @samp{M} and @samp{X} actions
29629 must be collected by a preceding @samp{R} action. (The
29630 ``while-stepping'' actions are treated as if they were attached to a
29631 separate tracepoint, as far as these restrictions are concerned.)
29632
29633 Replies:
29634 @table @samp
29635 @item OK
29636 The packet was understood and carried out.
29637 @item
29638 The packet was not recognized.
29639 @end table
29640
29641 @item QTFrame:@var{n}
29642 Select the @var{n}'th tracepoint frame from the buffer, and use the
29643 register and memory contents recorded there to answer subsequent
29644 request packets from @value{GDBN}.
29645
29646 A successful reply from the stub indicates that the stub has found the
29647 requested frame. The response is a series of parts, concatenated
29648 without separators, describing the frame we selected. Each part has
29649 one of the following forms:
29650
29651 @table @samp
29652 @item F @var{f}
29653 The selected frame is number @var{n} in the trace frame buffer;
29654 @var{f} is a hexadecimal number. If @var{f} is @samp{-1}, then there
29655 was no frame matching the criteria in the request packet.
29656
29657 @item T @var{t}
29658 The selected trace frame records a hit of tracepoint number @var{t};
29659 @var{t} is a hexadecimal number.
29660
29661 @end table
29662
29663 @item QTFrame:pc:@var{addr}
29664 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
29665 currently selected frame whose PC is @var{addr};
29666 @var{addr} is a hexadecimal number.
29667
29668 @item QTFrame:tdp:@var{t}
29669 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
29670 currently selected frame that is a hit of tracepoint @var{t}; @var{t}
29671 is a hexadecimal number.
29672
29673 @item QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}
29674 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
29675 currently selected frame whose PC is between @var{start} (inclusive)
29676 and @var{end} (exclusive); @var{start} and @var{end} are hexadecimal
29677 numbers.
29678
29679 @item QTFrame:outside:@var{start}:@var{end}
29680 Like @samp{QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}}, but select the first
29681 frame @emph{outside} the given range of addresses.
29682
29683 @item QTStart
29684 Begin the tracepoint experiment. Begin collecting data from tracepoint
29685 hits in the trace frame buffer.
29686
29687 @item QTStop
29688 End the tracepoint experiment. Stop collecting trace frames.
29689
29690 @item QTinit
29691 Clear the table of tracepoints, and empty the trace frame buffer.
29692
29693 @item QTro:@var{start1},@var{end1}:@var{start2},@var{end2}:@dots{}
29694 Establish the given ranges of memory as ``transparent''. The stub
29695 will answer requests for these ranges from memory's current contents,
29696 if they were not collected as part of the tracepoint hit.
29697
29698 @value{GDBN} uses this to mark read-only regions of memory, like those
29699 containing program code. Since these areas never change, they should
29700 still have the same contents they did when the tracepoint was hit, so
29701 there's no reason for the stub to refuse to provide their contents.
29702
29703 @item qTStatus
29704 Ask the stub if there is a trace experiment running right now.
29705
29706 Replies:
29707 @table @samp
29708 @item T0
29709 There is no trace experiment running.
29710 @item T1
29711 There is a trace experiment running.
29712 @end table
29713
29714 @end table
29715
29716
29717 @node Host I/O Packets
29718 @section Host I/O Packets
29719 @cindex Host I/O, remote protocol
29720 @cindex file transfer, remote protocol
29721
29722 The @dfn{Host I/O} packets allow @value{GDBN} to perform I/O
29723 operations on the far side of a remote link. For example, Host I/O is
29724 used to upload and download files to a remote target with its own
29725 filesystem. Host I/O uses the same constant values and data structure
29726 layout as the target-initiated File-I/O protocol. However, the
29727 Host I/O packets are structured differently. The target-initiated
29728 protocol relies on target memory to store parameters and buffers.
29729 Host I/O requests are initiated by @value{GDBN}, and the
29730 target's memory is not involved. @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol
29731 Extension}, for more details on the target-initiated protocol.
29732
29733 The Host I/O request packets all encode a single operation along with
29734 its arguments. They have this format:
29735
29736 @table @samp
29737
29738 @item vFile:@var{operation}: @var{parameter}@dots{}
29739 @var{operation} is the name of the particular request; the target
29740 should compare the entire packet name up to the second colon when checking
29741 for a supported operation. The format of @var{parameter} depends on
29742 the operation. Numbers are always passed in hexadecimal. Negative
29743 numbers have an explicit minus sign (i.e.@: two's complement is not
29744 used). Strings (e.g.@: filenames) are encoded as a series of
29745 hexadecimal bytes. The last argument to a system call may be a
29746 buffer of escaped binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
29747
29748 @end table
29749
29750 The valid responses to Host I/O packets are:
29751
29752 @table @samp
29753
29754 @item F @var{result} [, @var{errno}] [; @var{attachment}]
29755 @var{result} is the integer value returned by this operation, usually
29756 non-negative for success and -1 for errors. If an error has occured,
29757 @var{errno} will be included in the result. @var{errno} will have a
29758 value defined by the File-I/O protocol (@pxref{Errno Values}). For
29759 operations which return data, @var{attachment} supplies the data as a
29760 binary buffer. Binary buffers in response packets are escaped in the
29761 normal way (@pxref{Binary Data}). See the individual packet
29762 documentation for the interpretation of @var{result} and
29763 @var{attachment}.
29764
29765 @item
29766 An empty response indicates that this operation is not recognized.
29767
29768 @end table
29769
29770 These are the supported Host I/O operations:
29771
29772 @table @samp
29773 @item vFile:open: @var{pathname}, @var{flags}, @var{mode}
29774 Open a file at @var{pathname} and return a file descriptor for it, or
29775 return -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string,
29776 @var{flags} is an integer indicating a mask of open flags
29777 (@pxref{Open Flags}), and @var{mode} is an integer indicating a mask
29778 of mode bits to use if the file is created (@pxref{mode_t Values}).
29779 @xref{open}, for details of the open flags and mode values.
29780
29781 @item vFile:close: @var{fd}
29782 Close the open file corresponding to @var{fd} and return 0, or
29783 -1 if an error occurs.
29784
29785 @item vFile:pread: @var{fd}, @var{count}, @var{offset}
29786 Read data from the open file corresponding to @var{fd}. Up to
29787 @var{count} bytes will be read from the file, starting at @var{offset}
29788 relative to the start of the file. The target may read fewer bytes;
29789 common reasons include packet size limits and an end-of-file
29790 condition. The number of bytes read is returned. Zero should only be
29791 returned for a successful read at the end of the file, or if
29792 @var{count} was zero.
29793
29794 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
29795 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
29796 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
29797 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
29798 some characters were escaped.
29799
29800 @item vFile:pwrite: @var{fd}, @var{offset}, @var{data}
29801 Write @var{data} (a binary buffer) to the open file corresponding
29802 to @var{fd}. Start the write at @var{offset} from the start of the
29803 file. Unlike many @code{write} system calls, there is no
29804 separate @var{count} argument; the length of @var{data} in the
29805 packet is used. @samp{vFile:write} returns the number of bytes written,
29806 which may be shorter than the length of @var{data}, or -1 if an
29807 error occurred.
29808
29809 @item vFile:unlink: @var{pathname}
29810 Delete the file at @var{pathname} on the target. Return 0,
29811 or -1 if an error occurs. @var{pathname} is a string.
29812
29813 @end table
29814
29815 @node Interrupts
29816 @section Interrupts
29817 @cindex interrupts (remote protocol)
29818
29819 When a program on the remote target is running, @value{GDBN} may
29820 attempt to interrupt it by sending a @samp{Ctrl-C} or a @code{BREAK},
29821 control of which is specified via @value{GDBN}'s @samp{remotebreak}
29822 setting (@pxref{set remotebreak}).
29823
29824 The precise meaning of @code{BREAK} is defined by the transport
29825 mechanism and may, in fact, be undefined. @value{GDBN} does not
29826 currently define a @code{BREAK} mechanism for any of the network
29827 interfaces except for TCP, in which case @value{GDBN} sends the
29828 @code{telnet} BREAK sequence.
29829
29830 @samp{Ctrl-C}, on the other hand, is defined and implemented for all
29831 transport mechanisms. It is represented by sending the single byte
29832 @code{0x03} without any of the usual packet overhead described in
29833 the Overview section (@pxref{Overview}). When a @code{0x03} byte is
29834 transmitted as part of a packet, it is considered to be packet data
29835 and does @emph{not} represent an interrupt. E.g., an @samp{X} packet
29836 (@pxref{X packet}), used for binary downloads, may include an unescaped
29837 @code{0x03} as part of its packet.
29838
29839 Stubs are not required to recognize these interrupt mechanisms and the
29840 precise meaning associated with receipt of the interrupt is
29841 implementation defined. If the target supports debugging of multiple
29842 threads and/or processes, it should attempt to interrupt all
29843 currently-executing threads and processes.
29844 If the stub is successful at interrupting the
29845 running program, it should send one of the stop
29846 reply packets (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}) to @value{GDBN} as a result
29847 of successfully stopping the program in all-stop mode, and a stop reply
29848 for each stopped thread in non-stop mode.
29849 Interrupts received while the
29850 program is stopped are discarded.
29851
29852 @node Notification Packets
29853 @section Notification Packets
29854 @cindex notification packets
29855 @cindex packets, notification
29856
29857 The @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol includes @dfn{notifications},
29858 packets that require no acknowledgment. Both the GDB and the stub
29859 may send notifications (although the only notifications defined at
29860 present are sent by the stub). Notifications carry information
29861 without incurring the round-trip latency of an acknowledgment, and so
29862 are useful for low-impact communications where occasional packet loss
29863 is not a problem.
29864
29865 A notification packet has the form @samp{% @var{data} #
29866 @var{checksum}}, where @var{data} is the content of the notification,
29867 and @var{checksum} is a checksum of @var{data}, computed and formatted
29868 as for ordinary @value{GDBN} packets. A notification's @var{data}
29869 never contains @samp{$}, @samp{%} or @samp{#} characters. Upon
29870 receiving a notification, the recipient sends no @samp{+} or @samp{-}
29871 to acknowledge the notification's receipt or to report its corruption.
29872
29873 Every notification's @var{data} begins with a name, which contains no
29874 colon characters, followed by a colon character.
29875
29876 Recipients should silently ignore corrupted notifications and
29877 notifications they do not understand. Recipients should restart
29878 timeout periods on receipt of a well-formed notification, whether or
29879 not they understand it.
29880
29881 Senders should only send the notifications described here when this
29882 protocol description specifies that they are permitted. In the
29883 future, we may extend the protocol to permit existing notifications in
29884 new contexts; this rule helps older senders avoid confusing newer
29885 recipients.
29886
29887 (Older versions of @value{GDBN} ignore bytes received until they see
29888 the @samp{$} byte that begins an ordinary packet, so new stubs may
29889 transmit notifications without fear of confusing older clients. There
29890 are no notifications defined for @value{GDBN} to send at the moment, but we
29891 assume that most older stubs would ignore them, as well.)
29892
29893 The following notification packets from the stub to @value{GDBN} are
29894 defined:
29895
29896 @table @samp
29897 @item Stop: @var{reply}
29898 Report an asynchronous stop event in non-stop mode.
29899 The @var{reply} has the form of a stop reply, as
29900 described in @ref{Stop Reply Packets}. Refer to @ref{Remote Non-Stop},
29901 for information on how these notifications are acknowledged by
29902 @value{GDBN}.
29903 @end table
29904
29905 @node Remote Non-Stop
29906 @section Remote Protocol Support for Non-Stop Mode
29907
29908 @value{GDBN}'s remote protocol supports non-stop debugging of
29909 multi-threaded programs, as described in @ref{Non-Stop Mode}. If the stub
29910 supports non-stop mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN} by including
29911 @samp{QNonStop+} in its @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
29912
29913 @value{GDBN} typically sends a @samp{QNonStop} packet only when
29914 establishing a new connection with the stub. Entering non-stop mode
29915 does not alter the state of any currently-running threads, but targets
29916 must stop all threads in any already-attached processes when entering
29917 all-stop mode. @value{GDBN} uses the @samp{?} packet as necessary to
29918 probe the target state after a mode change.
29919
29920 In non-stop mode, when an attached process encounters an event that
29921 would otherwise be reported with a stop reply, it uses the
29922 asynchronous notification mechanism (@pxref{Notification Packets}) to
29923 inform @value{GDBN}. In contrast to all-stop mode, where all threads
29924 in all processes are stopped when a stop reply is sent, in non-stop
29925 mode only the thread reporting the stop event is stopped. That is,
29926 when reporting a @samp{S} or @samp{T} response to indicate completion
29927 of a step operation, hitting a breakpoint, or a fault, only the
29928 affected thread is stopped; any other still-running threads continue
29929 to run. When reporting a @samp{W} or @samp{X} response, all running
29930 threads belonging to other attached processes continue to run.
29931
29932 Only one stop reply notification at a time may be pending; if
29933 additional stop events occur before @value{GDBN} has acknowledged the
29934 previous notification, they must be queued by the stub for later
29935 synchronous transmission in response to @samp{vStopped} packets from
29936 @value{GDBN}. Because the notification mechanism is unreliable,
29937 the stub is permitted to resend a stop reply notification
29938 if it believes @value{GDBN} may not have received it. @value{GDBN}
29939 ignores additional stop reply notifications received before it has
29940 finished processing a previous notification and the stub has completed
29941 sending any queued stop events.
29942
29943 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} must be prepared to receive a stop reply
29944 notification at any time. Specifically, they may appear when
29945 @value{GDBN} is not otherwise reading input from the stub, or when
29946 @value{GDBN} is expecting to read a normal synchronous response or a
29947 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgment to a packet it has sent.
29948 Notification packets are distinct from any other communication from
29949 the stub so there is no ambiguity.
29950
29951 After receiving a stop reply notification, @value{GDBN} shall
29952 acknowledge it by sending a @samp{vStopped} packet (@pxref{vStopped packet})
29953 as a regular, synchronous request to the stub. Such acknowledgment
29954 is not required to happen immediately, as @value{GDBN} is permitted to
29955 send other, unrelated packets to the stub first, which the stub should
29956 process normally.
29957
29958 Upon receiving a @samp{vStopped} packet, if the stub has other queued
29959 stop events to report to @value{GDBN}, it shall respond by sending a
29960 normal stop reply response. @value{GDBN} shall then send another
29961 @samp{vStopped} packet to solicit further responses; again, it is
29962 permitted to send other, unrelated packets as well which the stub
29963 should process normally.
29964
29965 If the stub receives a @samp{vStopped} packet and there are no
29966 additional stop events to report, the stub shall return an @samp{OK}
29967 response. At this point, if further stop events occur, the stub shall
29968 send a new stop reply notification, @value{GDBN} shall accept the
29969 notification, and the process shall be repeated.
29970
29971 In non-stop mode, the target shall respond to the @samp{?} packet as
29972 follows. First, any incomplete stop reply notification/@samp{vStopped}
29973 sequence in progress is abandoned. The target must begin a new
29974 sequence reporting stop events for all stopped threads, whether or not
29975 it has previously reported those events to @value{GDBN}. The first
29976 stop reply is sent as a synchronous reply to the @samp{?} packet, and
29977 subsequent stop replies are sent as responses to @samp{vStopped} packets
29978 using the mechanism described above. The target must not send
29979 asynchronous stop reply notifications until the sequence is complete.
29980 If all threads are running when the target receives the @samp{?} packet,
29981 or if the target is not attached to any process, it shall respond
29982 @samp{OK}.
29983
29984 @node Packet Acknowledgment
29985 @section Packet Acknowledgment
29986
29987 @cindex acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
29988 @cindex packet acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
29989 By default, when either the host or the target machine receives a packet,
29990 the first response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
29991 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request retransmission).
29992 This mechanism allows the @value{GDBN} remote protocol to operate over
29993 unreliable transport mechanisms, such as a serial line.
29994
29995 In cases where the transport mechanism is itself reliable (such as a pipe or
29996 TCP connection), the @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are redundant.
29997 It may be desirable to disable them in that case to reduce communication
29998 overhead, or for other reasons. This can be accomplished by means of the
29999 @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet; @pxref{QStartNoAckMode}.
30000
30001 When in no-acknowledgment mode, neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or
30002 expect @samp{+}/@samp{-} protocol acknowledgments. The packet
30003 and response format still includes the normal checksum, as described in
30004 @ref{Overview}, but the checksum may be ignored by the receiver.
30005
30006 If the stub supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and prefers to operate in
30007 no-acknowledgment mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN}
30008 by including @samp{QStartNoAckMode+} in its response to @samp{qSupported};
30009 @pxref{qSupported}.
30010 If @value{GDBN} also supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and it has not been
30011 disabled via the @code{set remote noack-packet off} command
30012 (@pxref{Remote Configuration}),
30013 @value{GDBN} may then send a @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet to the stub.
30014 Only then may the stub actually turn off packet acknowledgments.
30015 @value{GDBN} sends a final @samp{+} acknowledgment of the stub's @samp{OK}
30016 response, which can be safely ignored by the stub.
30017
30018 Note that @code{set remote noack-packet} command only affects negotiation
30019 between @value{GDBN} and the stub when subsequent connections are made;
30020 it does not affect the protocol acknowledgment state for any current
30021 connection.
30022 Since @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are enabled by default when a
30023 new connection is established,
30024 there is also no protocol request to re-enable the acknowledgments
30025 for the current connection, once disabled.
30026
30027 @node Examples
30028 @section Examples
30029
30030 Example sequence of a target being re-started. Notice how the restart
30031 does not get any direct output:
30032
30033 @smallexample
30034 -> @code{R00}
30035 <- @code{+}
30036 @emph{target restarts}
30037 -> @code{?}
30038 <- @code{+}
30039 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
30040 -> @code{+}
30041 @end smallexample
30042
30043 Example sequence of a target being stepped by a single instruction:
30044
30045 @smallexample
30046 -> @code{G1445@dots{}}
30047 <- @code{+}
30048 -> @code{s}
30049 <- @code{+}
30050 @emph{time passes}
30051 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
30052 -> @code{+}
30053 -> @code{g}
30054 <- @code{+}
30055 <- @code{1455@dots{}}
30056 -> @code{+}
30057 @end smallexample
30058
30059 @node File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
30060 @section File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
30061 @cindex File-I/O remote protocol extension
30062
30063 @menu
30064 * File-I/O Overview::
30065 * Protocol Basics::
30066 * The F Request Packet::
30067 * The F Reply Packet::
30068 * The Ctrl-C Message::
30069 * Console I/O::
30070 * List of Supported Calls::
30071 * Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes::
30072 * Constants::
30073 * File-I/O Examples::
30074 @end menu
30075
30076 @node File-I/O Overview
30077 @subsection File-I/O Overview
30078 @cindex file-i/o overview
30079
30080 The @dfn{File I/O remote protocol extension} (short: File-I/O) allows the
30081 target to use the host's file system and console I/O to perform various
30082 system calls. System calls on the target system are translated into a
30083 remote protocol packet to the host system, which then performs the needed
30084 actions and returns a response packet to the target system.
30085 This simulates file system operations even on targets that lack file systems.
30086
30087 The protocol is defined to be independent of both the host and target systems.
30088 It uses its own internal representation of datatypes and values. Both
30089 @value{GDBN} and the target's @value{GDBN} stub are responsible for
30090 translating the system-dependent value representations into the internal
30091 protocol representations when data is transmitted.
30092
30093 The communication is synchronous. A system call is possible only when
30094 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
30095 or @samp{s} packets. While @value{GDBN} handles the request for a system call,
30096 the target is stopped to allow deterministic access to the target's
30097 memory. Therefore File-I/O is not interruptible by target signals. On
30098 the other hand, it is possible to interrupt File-I/O by a user interrupt
30099 (@samp{Ctrl-C}) within @value{GDBN}.
30100
30101 The target's request to perform a host system call does not finish
30102 the latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} action. That means,
30103 after finishing the system call, the target returns to continuing the
30104 previous activity (continue, step). No additional continue or step
30105 request from @value{GDBN} is required.
30106
30107 @smallexample
30108 (@value{GDBP}) continue
30109 <- target requests 'system call X'
30110 target is stopped, @value{GDBN} executes system call
30111 -> @value{GDBN} returns result
30112 ... target continues, @value{GDBN} returns to wait for the target
30113 <- target hits breakpoint and sends a Txx packet
30114 @end smallexample
30115
30116 The protocol only supports I/O on the console and to regular files on
30117 the host file system. Character or block special devices, pipes,
30118 named pipes, sockets or any other communication method on the host
30119 system are not supported by this protocol.
30120
30121 File I/O is not supported in non-stop mode.
30122
30123 @node Protocol Basics
30124 @subsection Protocol Basics
30125 @cindex protocol basics, file-i/o
30126
30127 The File-I/O protocol uses the @code{F} packet as the request as well
30128 as reply packet. Since a File-I/O system call can only occur when
30129 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the continuing or stepping target,
30130 the File-I/O request is a reply that @value{GDBN} has to expect as a result
30131 of a previous @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} packet.
30132 This @code{F} packet contains all information needed to allow @value{GDBN}
30133 to call the appropriate host system call:
30134
30135 @itemize @bullet
30136 @item
30137 A unique identifier for the requested system call.
30138
30139 @item
30140 All parameters to the system call. Pointers are given as addresses
30141 in the target memory address space. Pointers to strings are given as
30142 pointer/length pair. Numerical values are given as they are.
30143 Numerical control flags are given in a protocol-specific representation.
30144
30145 @end itemize
30146
30147 At this point, @value{GDBN} has to perform the following actions.
30148
30149 @itemize @bullet
30150 @item
30151 If the parameters include pointer values to data needed as input to a
30152 system call, @value{GDBN} requests this data from the target with a
30153 standard @code{m} packet request. This additional communication has to be
30154 expected by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{m}
30155 packet.
30156
30157 @item
30158 @value{GDBN} translates all value from protocol representation to host
30159 representation as needed. Datatypes are coerced into the host types.
30160
30161 @item
30162 @value{GDBN} calls the system call.
30163
30164 @item
30165 It then coerces datatypes back to protocol representation.
30166
30167 @item
30168 If the system call is expected to return data in buffer space specified
30169 by pointer parameters to the call, the data is transmitted to the
30170 target using a @code{M} or @code{X} packet. This packet has to be expected
30171 by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{M} or @code{X}
30172 packet.
30173
30174 @end itemize
30175
30176 Eventually @value{GDBN} replies with another @code{F} packet which contains all
30177 necessary information for the target to continue. This at least contains
30178
30179 @itemize @bullet
30180 @item
30181 Return value.
30182
30183 @item
30184 @code{errno}, if has been changed by the system call.
30185
30186 @item
30187 ``Ctrl-C'' flag.
30188
30189 @end itemize
30190
30191 After having done the needed type and value coercion, the target continues
30192 the latest continue or step action.
30193
30194 @node The F Request Packet
30195 @subsection The @code{F} Request Packet
30196 @cindex file-i/o request packet
30197 @cindex @code{F} request packet
30198
30199 The @code{F} request packet has the following format:
30200
30201 @table @samp
30202 @item F@var{call-id},@var{parameter@dots{}}
30203
30204 @var{call-id} is the identifier to indicate the host system call to be called.
30205 This is just the name of the function.
30206
30207 @var{parameter@dots{}} are the parameters to the system call.
30208 Parameters are hexadecimal integer values, either the actual values in case
30209 of scalar datatypes, pointers to target buffer space in case of compound
30210 datatypes and unspecified memory areas, or pointer/length pairs in case
30211 of string parameters. These are appended to the @var{call-id} as a
30212 comma-delimited list. All values are transmitted in ASCII
30213 string representation, pointer/length pairs separated by a slash.
30214
30215 @end table
30216
30217
30218
30219 @node The F Reply Packet
30220 @subsection The @code{F} Reply Packet
30221 @cindex file-i/o reply packet
30222 @cindex @code{F} reply packet
30223
30224 The @code{F} reply packet has the following format:
30225
30226 @table @samp
30227
30228 @item F@var{retcode},@var{errno},@var{Ctrl-C flag};@var{call-specific attachment}
30229
30230 @var{retcode} is the return code of the system call as hexadecimal value.
30231
30232 @var{errno} is the @code{errno} set by the call, in protocol-specific
30233 representation.
30234 This parameter can be omitted if the call was successful.
30235
30236 @var{Ctrl-C flag} is only sent if the user requested a break. In this
30237 case, @var{errno} must be sent as well, even if the call was successful.
30238 The @var{Ctrl-C flag} itself consists of the character @samp{C}:
30239
30240 @smallexample
30241 F0,0,C
30242 @end smallexample
30243
30244 @noindent
30245 or, if the call was interrupted before the host call has been performed:
30246
30247 @smallexample
30248 F-1,4,C
30249 @end smallexample
30250
30251 @noindent
30252 assuming 4 is the protocol-specific representation of @code{EINTR}.
30253
30254 @end table
30255
30256
30257 @node The Ctrl-C Message
30258 @subsection The @samp{Ctrl-C} Message
30259 @cindex ctrl-c message, in file-i/o protocol
30260
30261 If the @samp{Ctrl-C} flag is set in the @value{GDBN}
30262 reply packet (@pxref{The F Reply Packet}),
30263 the target should behave as if it had
30264 gotten a break message. The meaning for the target is ``system call
30265 interrupted by @code{SIGINT}''. Consequentially, the target should actually stop
30266 (as with a break message) and return to @value{GDBN} with a @code{T02}
30267 packet.
30268
30269 It's important for the target to know in which
30270 state the system call was interrupted. There are two possible cases:
30271
30272 @itemize @bullet
30273 @item
30274 The system call hasn't been performed on the host yet.
30275
30276 @item
30277 The system call on the host has been finished.
30278
30279 @end itemize
30280
30281 These two states can be distinguished by the target by the value of the
30282 returned @code{errno}. If it's the protocol representation of @code{EINTR}, the system
30283 call hasn't been performed. This is equivalent to the @code{EINTR} handling
30284 on POSIX systems. In any other case, the target may presume that the
30285 system call has been finished --- successfully or not --- and should behave
30286 as if the break message arrived right after the system call.
30287
30288 @value{GDBN} must behave reliably. If the system call has not been called
30289 yet, @value{GDBN} may send the @code{F} reply immediately, setting @code{EINTR} as
30290 @code{errno} in the packet. If the system call on the host has been finished
30291 before the user requests a break, the full action must be finished by
30292 @value{GDBN}. This requires sending @code{M} or @code{X} packets as necessary.
30293 The @code{F} packet may only be sent when either nothing has happened
30294 or the full action has been completed.
30295
30296 @node Console I/O
30297 @subsection Console I/O
30298 @cindex console i/o as part of file-i/o
30299
30300 By default and if not explicitly closed by the target system, the file
30301 descriptors 0, 1 and 2 are connected to the @value{GDBN} console. Output
30302 on the @value{GDBN} console is handled as any other file output operation
30303 (@code{write(1, @dots{})} or @code{write(2, @dots{})}). Console input is handled
30304 by @value{GDBN} so that after the target read request from file descriptor
30305 0 all following typing is buffered until either one of the following
30306 conditions is met:
30307
30308 @itemize @bullet
30309 @item
30310 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-c}. The behaviour is as explained above, and the
30311 @code{read}
30312 system call is treated as finished.
30313
30314 @item
30315 The user presses @key{RET}. This is treated as end of input with a trailing
30316 newline.
30317
30318 @item
30319 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-d}. This is treated as end of input. No trailing
30320 character (neither newline nor @samp{Ctrl-D}) is appended to the input.
30321
30322 @end itemize
30323
30324 If the user has typed more characters than fit in the buffer given to
30325 the @code{read} call, the trailing characters are buffered in @value{GDBN} until
30326 either another @code{read(0, @dots{})} is requested by the target, or debugging
30327 is stopped at the user's request.
30328
30329
30330 @node List of Supported Calls
30331 @subsection List of Supported Calls
30332 @cindex list of supported file-i/o calls
30333
30334 @menu
30335 * open::
30336 * close::
30337 * read::
30338 * write::
30339 * lseek::
30340 * rename::
30341 * unlink::
30342 * stat/fstat::
30343 * gettimeofday::
30344 * isatty::
30345 * system::
30346 @end menu
30347
30348 @node open
30349 @unnumberedsubsubsec open
30350 @cindex open, file-i/o system call
30351
30352 @table @asis
30353 @item Synopsis:
30354 @smallexample
30355 int open(const char *pathname, int flags);
30356 int open(const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
30357 @end smallexample
30358
30359 @item Request:
30360 @samp{Fopen,@var{pathptr}/@var{len},@var{flags},@var{mode}}
30361
30362 @noindent
30363 @var{flags} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
30364
30365 @table @code
30366 @item O_CREAT
30367 If the file does not exist it will be created. The host
30368 rules apply as far as file ownership and time stamps
30369 are concerned.
30370
30371 @item O_EXCL
30372 When used with @code{O_CREAT}, if the file already exists it is
30373 an error and open() fails.
30374
30375 @item O_TRUNC
30376 If the file already exists and the open mode allows
30377 writing (@code{O_RDWR} or @code{O_WRONLY} is given) it will be
30378 truncated to zero length.
30379
30380 @item O_APPEND
30381 The file is opened in append mode.
30382
30383 @item O_RDONLY
30384 The file is opened for reading only.
30385
30386 @item O_WRONLY
30387 The file is opened for writing only.
30388
30389 @item O_RDWR
30390 The file is opened for reading and writing.
30391 @end table
30392
30393 @noindent
30394 Other bits are silently ignored.
30395
30396
30397 @noindent
30398 @var{mode} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
30399
30400 @table @code
30401 @item S_IRUSR
30402 User has read permission.
30403
30404 @item S_IWUSR
30405 User has write permission.
30406
30407 @item S_IRGRP
30408 Group has read permission.
30409
30410 @item S_IWGRP
30411 Group has write permission.
30412
30413 @item S_IROTH
30414 Others have read permission.
30415
30416 @item S_IWOTH
30417 Others have write permission.
30418 @end table
30419
30420 @noindent
30421 Other bits are silently ignored.
30422
30423
30424 @item Return value:
30425 @code{open} returns the new file descriptor or -1 if an error
30426 occurred.
30427
30428 @item Errors:
30429
30430 @table @code
30431 @item EEXIST
30432 @var{pathname} already exists and @code{O_CREAT} and @code{O_EXCL} were used.
30433
30434 @item EISDIR
30435 @var{pathname} refers to a directory.
30436
30437 @item EACCES
30438 The requested access is not allowed.
30439
30440 @item ENAMETOOLONG
30441 @var{pathname} was too long.
30442
30443 @item ENOENT
30444 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
30445
30446 @item ENODEV
30447 @var{pathname} refers to a device, pipe, named pipe or socket.
30448
30449 @item EROFS
30450 @var{pathname} refers to a file on a read-only filesystem and
30451 write access was requested.
30452
30453 @item EFAULT
30454 @var{pathname} is an invalid pointer value.
30455
30456 @item ENOSPC
30457 No space on device to create the file.
30458
30459 @item EMFILE
30460 The process already has the maximum number of files open.
30461
30462 @item ENFILE
30463 The limit on the total number of files open on the system
30464 has been reached.
30465
30466 @item EINTR
30467 The call was interrupted by the user.
30468 @end table
30469
30470 @end table
30471
30472 @node close
30473 @unnumberedsubsubsec close
30474 @cindex close, file-i/o system call
30475
30476 @table @asis
30477 @item Synopsis:
30478 @smallexample
30479 int close(int fd);
30480 @end smallexample
30481
30482 @item Request:
30483 @samp{Fclose,@var{fd}}
30484
30485 @item Return value:
30486 @code{close} returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred.
30487
30488 @item Errors:
30489
30490 @table @code
30491 @item EBADF
30492 @var{fd} isn't a valid open file descriptor.
30493
30494 @item EINTR
30495 The call was interrupted by the user.
30496 @end table
30497
30498 @end table
30499
30500 @node read
30501 @unnumberedsubsubsec read
30502 @cindex read, file-i/o system call
30503
30504 @table @asis
30505 @item Synopsis:
30506 @smallexample
30507 int read(int fd, void *buf, unsigned int count);
30508 @end smallexample
30509
30510 @item Request:
30511 @samp{Fread,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
30512
30513 @item Return value:
30514 On success, the number of bytes read is returned.
30515 Zero indicates end of file. If count is zero, read
30516 returns zero as well. On error, -1 is returned.
30517
30518 @item Errors:
30519
30520 @table @code
30521 @item EBADF
30522 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
30523 reading.
30524
30525 @item EFAULT
30526 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
30527
30528 @item EINTR
30529 The call was interrupted by the user.
30530 @end table
30531
30532 @end table
30533
30534 @node write
30535 @unnumberedsubsubsec write
30536 @cindex write, file-i/o system call
30537
30538 @table @asis
30539 @item Synopsis:
30540 @smallexample
30541 int write(int fd, const void *buf, unsigned int count);
30542 @end smallexample
30543
30544 @item Request:
30545 @samp{Fwrite,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
30546
30547 @item Return value:
30548 On success, the number of bytes written are returned.
30549 Zero indicates nothing was written. On error, -1
30550 is returned.
30551
30552 @item Errors:
30553
30554 @table @code
30555 @item EBADF
30556 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
30557 writing.
30558
30559 @item EFAULT
30560 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
30561
30562 @item EFBIG
30563 An attempt was made to write a file that exceeds the
30564 host-specific maximum file size allowed.
30565
30566 @item ENOSPC
30567 No space on device to write the data.
30568
30569 @item EINTR
30570 The call was interrupted by the user.
30571 @end table
30572
30573 @end table
30574
30575 @node lseek
30576 @unnumberedsubsubsec lseek
30577 @cindex lseek, file-i/o system call
30578
30579 @table @asis
30580 @item Synopsis:
30581 @smallexample
30582 long lseek (int fd, long offset, int flag);
30583 @end smallexample
30584
30585 @item Request:
30586 @samp{Flseek,@var{fd},@var{offset},@var{flag}}
30587
30588 @var{flag} is one of:
30589
30590 @table @code
30591 @item SEEK_SET
30592 The offset is set to @var{offset} bytes.
30593
30594 @item SEEK_CUR
30595 The offset is set to its current location plus @var{offset}
30596 bytes.
30597
30598 @item SEEK_END
30599 The offset is set to the size of the file plus @var{offset}
30600 bytes.
30601 @end table
30602
30603 @item Return value:
30604 On success, the resulting unsigned offset in bytes from
30605 the beginning of the file is returned. Otherwise, a
30606 value of -1 is returned.
30607
30608 @item Errors:
30609
30610 @table @code
30611 @item EBADF
30612 @var{fd} is not a valid open file descriptor.
30613
30614 @item ESPIPE
30615 @var{fd} is associated with the @value{GDBN} console.
30616
30617 @item EINVAL
30618 @var{flag} is not a proper value.
30619
30620 @item EINTR
30621 The call was interrupted by the user.
30622 @end table
30623
30624 @end table
30625
30626 @node rename
30627 @unnumberedsubsubsec rename
30628 @cindex rename, file-i/o system call
30629
30630 @table @asis
30631 @item Synopsis:
30632 @smallexample
30633 int rename(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);
30634 @end smallexample
30635
30636 @item Request:
30637 @samp{Frename,@var{oldpathptr}/@var{len},@var{newpathptr}/@var{len}}
30638
30639 @item Return value:
30640 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
30641
30642 @item Errors:
30643
30644 @table @code
30645 @item EISDIR
30646 @var{newpath} is an existing directory, but @var{oldpath} is not a
30647 directory.
30648
30649 @item EEXIST
30650 @var{newpath} is a non-empty directory.
30651
30652 @item EBUSY
30653 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} is a directory that is in use by some
30654 process.
30655
30656 @item EINVAL
30657 An attempt was made to make a directory a subdirectory
30658 of itself.
30659
30660 @item ENOTDIR
30661 A component used as a directory in @var{oldpath} or new
30662 path is not a directory. Or @var{oldpath} is a directory
30663 and @var{newpath} exists but is not a directory.
30664
30665 @item EFAULT
30666 @var{oldpathptr} or @var{newpathptr} are invalid pointer values.
30667
30668 @item EACCES
30669 No access to the file or the path of the file.
30670
30671 @item ENAMETOOLONG
30672
30673 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} was too long.
30674
30675 @item ENOENT
30676 A directory component in @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} does not exist.
30677
30678 @item EROFS
30679 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
30680
30681 @item ENOSPC
30682 The device containing the file has no room for the new
30683 directory entry.
30684
30685 @item EINTR
30686 The call was interrupted by the user.
30687 @end table
30688
30689 @end table
30690
30691 @node unlink
30692 @unnumberedsubsubsec unlink
30693 @cindex unlink, file-i/o system call
30694
30695 @table @asis
30696 @item Synopsis:
30697 @smallexample
30698 int unlink(const char *pathname);
30699 @end smallexample
30700
30701 @item Request:
30702 @samp{Funlink,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len}}
30703
30704 @item Return value:
30705 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
30706
30707 @item Errors:
30708
30709 @table @code
30710 @item EACCES
30711 No access to the file or the path of the file.
30712
30713 @item EPERM
30714 The system does not allow unlinking of directories.
30715
30716 @item EBUSY
30717 The file @var{pathname} cannot be unlinked because it's
30718 being used by another process.
30719
30720 @item EFAULT
30721 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
30722
30723 @item ENAMETOOLONG
30724 @var{pathname} was too long.
30725
30726 @item ENOENT
30727 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
30728
30729 @item ENOTDIR
30730 A component of the path is not a directory.
30731
30732 @item EROFS
30733 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
30734
30735 @item EINTR
30736 The call was interrupted by the user.
30737 @end table
30738
30739 @end table
30740
30741 @node stat/fstat
30742 @unnumberedsubsubsec stat/fstat
30743 @cindex fstat, file-i/o system call
30744 @cindex stat, file-i/o system call
30745
30746 @table @asis
30747 @item Synopsis:
30748 @smallexample
30749 int stat(const char *pathname, struct stat *buf);
30750 int fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
30751 @end smallexample
30752
30753 @item Request:
30754 @samp{Fstat,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len},@var{bufptr}}@*
30755 @samp{Ffstat,@var{fd},@var{bufptr}}
30756
30757 @item Return value:
30758 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
30759
30760 @item Errors:
30761
30762 @table @code
30763 @item EBADF
30764 @var{fd} is not a valid open file.
30765
30766 @item ENOENT
30767 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist or the
30768 path is an empty string.
30769
30770 @item ENOTDIR
30771 A component of the path is not a directory.
30772
30773 @item EFAULT
30774 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
30775
30776 @item EACCES
30777 No access to the file or the path of the file.
30778
30779 @item ENAMETOOLONG
30780 @var{pathname} was too long.
30781
30782 @item EINTR
30783 The call was interrupted by the user.
30784 @end table
30785
30786 @end table
30787
30788 @node gettimeofday
30789 @unnumberedsubsubsec gettimeofday
30790 @cindex gettimeofday, file-i/o system call
30791
30792 @table @asis
30793 @item Synopsis:
30794 @smallexample
30795 int gettimeofday(struct timeval *tv, void *tz);
30796 @end smallexample
30797
30798 @item Request:
30799 @samp{Fgettimeofday,@var{tvptr},@var{tzptr}}
30800
30801 @item Return value:
30802 On success, 0 is returned, -1 otherwise.
30803
30804 @item Errors:
30805
30806 @table @code
30807 @item EINVAL
30808 @var{tz} is a non-NULL pointer.
30809
30810 @item EFAULT
30811 @var{tvptr} and/or @var{tzptr} is an invalid pointer value.
30812 @end table
30813
30814 @end table
30815
30816 @node isatty
30817 @unnumberedsubsubsec isatty
30818 @cindex isatty, file-i/o system call
30819
30820 @table @asis
30821 @item Synopsis:
30822 @smallexample
30823 int isatty(int fd);
30824 @end smallexample
30825
30826 @item Request:
30827 @samp{Fisatty,@var{fd}}
30828
30829 @item Return value:
30830 Returns 1 if @var{fd} refers to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise.
30831
30832 @item Errors:
30833
30834 @table @code
30835 @item EINTR
30836 The call was interrupted by the user.
30837 @end table
30838
30839 @end table
30840
30841 Note that the @code{isatty} call is treated as a special case: it returns
30842 1 to the target if the file descriptor is attached
30843 to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise. Implementing through system calls
30844 would require implementing @code{ioctl} and would be more complex than
30845 needed.
30846
30847
30848 @node system
30849 @unnumberedsubsubsec system
30850 @cindex system, file-i/o system call
30851
30852 @table @asis
30853 @item Synopsis:
30854 @smallexample
30855 int system(const char *command);
30856 @end smallexample
30857
30858 @item Request:
30859 @samp{Fsystem,@var{commandptr}/@var{len}}
30860
30861 @item Return value:
30862 If @var{len} is zero, the return value indicates whether a shell is
30863 available. A zero return value indicates a shell is not available.
30864 For non-zero @var{len}, the value returned is -1 on error and the
30865 return status of the command otherwise. Only the exit status of the
30866 command is returned, which is extracted from the host's @code{system}
30867 return value by calling @code{WEXITSTATUS(retval)}. In case
30868 @file{/bin/sh} could not be executed, 127 is returned.
30869
30870 @item Errors:
30871
30872 @table @code
30873 @item EINTR
30874 The call was interrupted by the user.
30875 @end table
30876
30877 @end table
30878
30879 @value{GDBN} takes over the full task of calling the necessary host calls
30880 to perform the @code{system} call. The return value of @code{system} on
30881 the host is simplified before it's returned
30882 to the target. Any termination signal information from the child process
30883 is discarded, and the return value consists
30884 entirely of the exit status of the called command.
30885
30886 Due to security concerns, the @code{system} call is by default refused
30887 by @value{GDBN}. The user has to allow this call explicitly with the
30888 @code{set remote system-call-allowed 1} command.
30889
30890 @table @code
30891 @item set remote system-call-allowed
30892 @kindex set remote system-call-allowed
30893 Control whether to allow the @code{system} calls in the File I/O
30894 protocol for the remote target. The default is zero (disabled).
30895
30896 @item show remote system-call-allowed
30897 @kindex show remote system-call-allowed
30898 Show whether the @code{system} calls are allowed in the File I/O
30899 protocol.
30900 @end table
30901
30902 @node Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
30903 @subsection Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
30904 @cindex protocol-specific representation of datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
30905
30906 @menu
30907 * Integral Datatypes::
30908 * Pointer Values::
30909 * Memory Transfer::
30910 * struct stat::
30911 * struct timeval::
30912 @end menu
30913
30914 @node Integral Datatypes
30915 @unnumberedsubsubsec Integral Datatypes
30916 @cindex integral datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
30917
30918 The integral datatypes used in the system calls are @code{int},
30919 @code{unsigned int}, @code{long}, @code{unsigned long},
30920 @code{mode_t}, and @code{time_t}.
30921
30922 @code{int}, @code{unsigned int}, @code{mode_t} and @code{time_t} are
30923 implemented as 32 bit values in this protocol.
30924
30925 @code{long} and @code{unsigned long} are implemented as 64 bit types.
30926
30927 @xref{Limits}, for corresponding MIN and MAX values (similar to those
30928 in @file{limits.h}) to allow range checking on host and target.
30929
30930 @code{time_t} datatypes are defined as seconds since the Epoch.
30931
30932 All integral datatypes transferred as part of a memory read or write of a
30933 structured datatype e.g.@: a @code{struct stat} have to be given in big endian
30934 byte order.
30935
30936 @node Pointer Values
30937 @unnumberedsubsubsec Pointer Values
30938 @cindex pointer values, in file-i/o protocol
30939
30940 Pointers to target data are transmitted as they are. An exception
30941 is made for pointers to buffers for which the length isn't
30942 transmitted as part of the function call, namely strings. Strings
30943 are transmitted as a pointer/length pair, both as hex values, e.g.@:
30944
30945 @smallexample
30946 @code{1aaf/12}
30947 @end smallexample
30948
30949 @noindent
30950 which is a pointer to data of length 18 bytes at position 0x1aaf.
30951 The length is defined as the full string length in bytes, including
30952 the trailing null byte. For example, the string @code{"hello world"}
30953 at address 0x123456 is transmitted as
30954
30955 @smallexample
30956 @code{123456/d}
30957 @end smallexample
30958
30959 @node Memory Transfer
30960 @unnumberedsubsubsec Memory Transfer
30961 @cindex memory transfer, in file-i/o protocol
30962
30963 Structured data which is transferred using a memory read or write (for
30964 example, a @code{struct stat}) is expected to be in a protocol-specific format
30965 with all scalar multibyte datatypes being big endian. Translation to
30966 this representation needs to be done both by the target before the @code{F}
30967 packet is sent, and by @value{GDBN} before
30968 it transfers memory to the target. Transferred pointers to structured
30969 data should point to the already-coerced data at any time.
30970
30971
30972 @node struct stat
30973 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct stat
30974 @cindex struct stat, in file-i/o protocol
30975
30976 The buffer of type @code{struct stat} used by the target and @value{GDBN}
30977 is defined as follows:
30978
30979 @smallexample
30980 struct stat @{
30981 unsigned int st_dev; /* device */
30982 unsigned int st_ino; /* inode */
30983 mode_t st_mode; /* protection */
30984 unsigned int st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
30985 unsigned int st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
30986 unsigned int st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
30987 unsigned int st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
30988 unsigned long st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
30989 unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
30990 unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
30991 time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
30992 time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
30993 time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
30994 @};
30995 @end smallexample
30996
30997 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
30998 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
30999 structure is of size 64 bytes.
31000
31001 The values of several fields have a restricted meaning and/or
31002 range of values.
31003
31004 @table @code
31005
31006 @item st_dev
31007 A value of 0 represents a file, 1 the console.
31008
31009 @item st_ino
31010 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
31011
31012 @item st_mode
31013 Valid mode bits are described in @ref{Constants}. Any other
31014 bits have currently no meaning for the target.
31015
31016 @item st_uid
31017 @itemx st_gid
31018 @itemx st_rdev
31019 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
31020
31021 @item st_atime
31022 @itemx st_mtime
31023 @itemx st_ctime
31024 These values have a host and file system dependent
31025 accuracy. Especially on Windows hosts, the file system may not
31026 support exact timing values.
31027 @end table
31028
31029 The target gets a @code{struct stat} of the above representation and is
31030 responsible for coercing it to the target representation before
31031 continuing.
31032
31033 Note that due to size differences between the host, target, and protocol
31034 representations of @code{struct stat} members, these members could eventually
31035 get truncated on the target.
31036
31037 @node struct timeval
31038 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct timeval
31039 @cindex struct timeval, in file-i/o protocol
31040
31041 The buffer of type @code{struct timeval} used by the File-I/O protocol
31042 is defined as follows:
31043
31044 @smallexample
31045 struct timeval @{
31046 time_t tv_sec; /* second */
31047 long tv_usec; /* microsecond */
31048 @};
31049 @end smallexample
31050
31051 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
31052 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
31053 structure is of size 8 bytes.
31054
31055 @node Constants
31056 @subsection Constants
31057 @cindex constants, in file-i/o protocol
31058
31059 The following values are used for the constants inside of the
31060 protocol. @value{GDBN} and target are responsible for translating these
31061 values before and after the call as needed.
31062
31063 @menu
31064 * Open Flags::
31065 * mode_t Values::
31066 * Errno Values::
31067 * Lseek Flags::
31068 * Limits::
31069 @end menu
31070
31071 @node Open Flags
31072 @unnumberedsubsubsec Open Flags
31073 @cindex open flags, in file-i/o protocol
31074
31075 All values are given in hexadecimal representation.
31076
31077 @smallexample
31078 O_RDONLY 0x0
31079 O_WRONLY 0x1
31080 O_RDWR 0x2
31081 O_APPEND 0x8
31082 O_CREAT 0x200
31083 O_TRUNC 0x400
31084 O_EXCL 0x800
31085 @end smallexample
31086
31087 @node mode_t Values
31088 @unnumberedsubsubsec mode_t Values
31089 @cindex mode_t values, in file-i/o protocol
31090
31091 All values are given in octal representation.
31092
31093 @smallexample
31094 S_IFREG 0100000
31095 S_IFDIR 040000
31096 S_IRUSR 0400
31097 S_IWUSR 0200
31098 S_IXUSR 0100
31099 S_IRGRP 040
31100 S_IWGRP 020
31101 S_IXGRP 010
31102 S_IROTH 04
31103 S_IWOTH 02
31104 S_IXOTH 01
31105 @end smallexample
31106
31107 @node Errno Values
31108 @unnumberedsubsubsec Errno Values
31109 @cindex errno values, in file-i/o protocol
31110
31111 All values are given in decimal representation.
31112
31113 @smallexample
31114 EPERM 1
31115 ENOENT 2
31116 EINTR 4
31117 EBADF 9
31118 EACCES 13
31119 EFAULT 14
31120 EBUSY 16
31121 EEXIST 17
31122 ENODEV 19
31123 ENOTDIR 20
31124 EISDIR 21
31125 EINVAL 22
31126 ENFILE 23
31127 EMFILE 24
31128 EFBIG 27
31129 ENOSPC 28
31130 ESPIPE 29
31131 EROFS 30
31132 ENAMETOOLONG 91
31133 EUNKNOWN 9999
31134 @end smallexample
31135
31136 @code{EUNKNOWN} is used as a fallback error value if a host system returns
31137 any error value not in the list of supported error numbers.
31138
31139 @node Lseek Flags
31140 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lseek Flags
31141 @cindex lseek flags, in file-i/o protocol
31142
31143 @smallexample
31144 SEEK_SET 0
31145 SEEK_CUR 1
31146 SEEK_END 2
31147 @end smallexample
31148
31149 @node Limits
31150 @unnumberedsubsubsec Limits
31151 @cindex limits, in file-i/o protocol
31152
31153 All values are given in decimal representation.
31154
31155 @smallexample
31156 INT_MIN -2147483648
31157 INT_MAX 2147483647
31158 UINT_MAX 4294967295
31159 LONG_MIN -9223372036854775808
31160 LONG_MAX 9223372036854775807
31161 ULONG_MAX 18446744073709551615
31162 @end smallexample
31163
31164 @node File-I/O Examples
31165 @subsection File-I/O Examples
31166 @cindex file-i/o examples
31167
31168 Example sequence of a write call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
31169 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be written:
31170
31171 @smallexample
31172 <- @code{Fwrite,3,1234,6}
31173 @emph{request memory read from target}
31174 -> @code{m1234,6}
31175 <- XXXXXX
31176 @emph{return "6 bytes written"}
31177 -> @code{F6}
31178 @end smallexample
31179
31180 Example sequence of a read call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
31181 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be read:
31182
31183 @smallexample
31184 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
31185 @emph{request memory write to target}
31186 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
31187 @emph{return "6 bytes read"}
31188 -> @code{F6}
31189 @end smallexample
31190
31191 Example sequence of a read call, call fails on the host due to invalid
31192 file descriptor (@code{EBADF}):
31193
31194 @smallexample
31195 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
31196 -> @code{F-1,9}
31197 @end smallexample
31198
31199 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} before syscall on
31200 host is called:
31201
31202 @smallexample
31203 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
31204 -> @code{F-1,4,C}
31205 <- @code{T02}
31206 @end smallexample
31207
31208 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} after syscall on
31209 host is called:
31210
31211 @smallexample
31212 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
31213 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
31214 <- @code{T02}
31215 @end smallexample
31216
31217 @node Library List Format
31218 @section Library List Format
31219 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
31220
31221 On some platforms, a dynamic loader (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) runs in the
31222 same process as your application to manage libraries. In this case,
31223 @value{GDBN} can use the loader's symbol table and normal memory
31224 operations to maintain a list of shared libraries. On other
31225 platforms, the operating system manages loaded libraries.
31226 @value{GDBN} can not retrieve the list of currently loaded libraries
31227 through memory operations, so it uses the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
31228 packet (@pxref{qXfer library list read}) instead. The remote stub
31229 queries the target's operating system and reports which libraries
31230 are loaded.
31231
31232 The @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet returns an XML document which
31233 lists loaded libraries and their offsets. Each library has an
31234 associated name and one or more segment or section base addresses,
31235 which report where the library was loaded in memory.
31236
31237 For the common case of libraries that are fully linked binaries, the
31238 library should have a list of segments. If the target supports
31239 dynamic linking of a relocatable object file, its library XML element
31240 should instead include a list of allocated sections. The segment or
31241 section bases are start addresses, not relocation offsets; they do not
31242 depend on the library's link-time base addresses.
31243
31244 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
31245 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
31246
31247 A simple memory map, with one loaded library relocated by a single
31248 offset, looks like this:
31249
31250 @smallexample
31251 <library-list>
31252 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6">
31253 <segment address="0x10000000"/>
31254 </library>
31255 </library-list>
31256 @end smallexample
31257
31258 Another simple memory map, with one loaded library with three
31259 allocated sections (.text, .data, .bss), looks like this:
31260
31261 @smallexample
31262 <library-list>
31263 <library name="sharedlib.o">
31264 <section address="0x10000000"/>
31265 <section address="0x20000000"/>
31266 <section address="0x30000000"/>
31267 </library>
31268 </library-list>
31269 @end smallexample
31270
31271 The format of a library list is described by this DTD:
31272
31273 @smallexample
31274 <!-- library-list: Root element with versioning -->
31275 <!ELEMENT library-list (library)*>
31276 <!ATTLIST library-list version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
31277 <!ELEMENT library (segment*, section*)>
31278 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
31279 <!ELEMENT segment EMPTY>
31280 <!ATTLIST segment address CDATA #REQUIRED>
31281 <!ELEMENT section EMPTY>
31282 <!ATTLIST section address CDATA #REQUIRED>
31283 @end smallexample
31284
31285 In addition, segments and section descriptors cannot be mixed within a
31286 single library element, and you must supply at least one segment or
31287 section for each library.
31288
31289 @node Memory Map Format
31290 @section Memory Map Format
31291 @cindex memory map format
31292
31293 To be able to write into flash memory, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain a
31294 memory map from the target. This section describes the format of the
31295 memory map.
31296
31297 The memory map is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
31298 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}) packet and is an XML document that
31299 lists memory regions.
31300
31301 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
31302 memory maps. @xref{Expat}.
31303
31304 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
31305
31306 @smallexample
31307 <?xml version="1.0"?>
31308 <!DOCTYPE memory-map
31309 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
31310 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-memory-map.dtd">
31311 <memory-map>
31312 region...
31313 </memory-map>
31314 @end smallexample
31315
31316 Each region can be either:
31317
31318 @itemize
31319
31320 @item
31321 A region of RAM starting at @var{addr} and extending for @var{length}
31322 bytes from there:
31323
31324 @smallexample
31325 <memory type="ram" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
31326 @end smallexample
31327
31328
31329 @item
31330 A region of read-only memory:
31331
31332 @smallexample
31333 <memory type="rom" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
31334 @end smallexample
31335
31336
31337 @item
31338 A region of flash memory, with erasure blocks @var{blocksize}
31339 bytes in length:
31340
31341 @smallexample
31342 <memory type="flash" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}">
31343 <property name="blocksize">@var{blocksize}</property>
31344 </memory>
31345 @end smallexample
31346
31347 @end itemize
31348
31349 Regions must not overlap. @value{GDBN} assumes that areas of memory not covered
31350 by the memory map are RAM, and uses the ordinary @samp{M} and @samp{X}
31351 packets to write to addresses in such ranges.
31352
31353 The formal DTD for memory map format is given below:
31354
31355 @smallexample
31356 <!-- ................................................... -->
31357 <!-- Memory Map XML DTD ................................ -->
31358 <!-- File: memory-map.dtd .............................. -->
31359 <!-- .................................... .............. -->
31360 <!-- memory-map.dtd -->
31361 <!-- memory-map: Root element with versioning -->
31362 <!ELEMENT memory-map (memory | property)>
31363 <!ATTLIST memory-map version CDATA #FIXED "1.0.0">
31364 <!ELEMENT memory (property)>
31365 <!-- memory: Specifies a memory region,
31366 and its type, or device. -->
31367 <!ATTLIST memory type CDATA #REQUIRED
31368 start CDATA #REQUIRED
31369 length CDATA #REQUIRED
31370 device CDATA #IMPLIED>
31371 <!-- property: Generic attribute tag -->
31372 <!ELEMENT property (#PCDATA | property)*>
31373 <!ATTLIST property name CDATA #REQUIRED>
31374 @end smallexample
31375
31376 @include agentexpr.texi
31377
31378 @node Target Descriptions
31379 @appendix Target Descriptions
31380 @cindex target descriptions
31381
31382 @strong{Warning:} target descriptions are still under active development,
31383 and the contents and format may change between @value{GDBN} releases.
31384 The format is expected to stabilize in the future.
31385
31386 One of the challenges of using @value{GDBN} to debug embedded systems
31387 is that there are so many minor variants of each processor
31388 architecture in use. It is common practice for vendors to start with
31389 a standard processor core --- ARM, PowerPC, or MIPS, for example ---
31390 and then make changes to adapt it to a particular market niche. Some
31391 architectures have hundreds of variants, available from dozens of
31392 vendors. This leads to a number of problems:
31393
31394 @itemize @bullet
31395 @item
31396 With so many different customized processors, it is difficult for
31397 the @value{GDBN} maintainers to keep up with the changes.
31398 @item
31399 Since individual variants may have short lifetimes or limited
31400 audiences, it may not be worthwhile to carry information about every
31401 variant in the @value{GDBN} source tree.
31402 @item
31403 When @value{GDBN} does support the architecture of the embedded system
31404 at hand, the task of finding the correct architecture name to give the
31405 @command{set architecture} command can be error-prone.
31406 @end itemize
31407
31408 To address these problems, the @value{GDBN} remote protocol allows a
31409 target system to not only identify itself to @value{GDBN}, but to
31410 actually describe its own features. This lets @value{GDBN} support
31411 processor variants it has never seen before --- to the extent that the
31412 descriptions are accurate, and that @value{GDBN} understands them.
31413
31414 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
31415 target descriptions. @xref{Expat}.
31416
31417 @menu
31418 * Retrieving Descriptions:: How descriptions are fetched from a target.
31419 * Target Description Format:: The contents of a target description.
31420 * Predefined Target Types:: Standard types available for target
31421 descriptions.
31422 * Standard Target Features:: Features @value{GDBN} knows about.
31423 @end menu
31424
31425 @node Retrieving Descriptions
31426 @section Retrieving Descriptions
31427
31428 Target descriptions can be read from the target automatically, or
31429 specified by the user manually. The default behavior is to read the
31430 description from the target. @value{GDBN} retrieves it via the remote
31431 protocol using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{General Query Packets,
31432 qXfer}). The @var{annex} in the @samp{qXfer} packet will be
31433 @samp{target.xml}. The contents of the @samp{target.xml} annex are an
31434 XML document, of the form described in @ref{Target Description
31435 Format}.
31436
31437 Alternatively, you can specify a file to read for the target description.
31438 If a file is set, the target will not be queried. The commands to
31439 specify a file are:
31440
31441 @table @code
31442 @cindex set tdesc filename
31443 @item set tdesc filename @var{path}
31444 Read the target description from @var{path}.
31445
31446 @cindex unset tdesc filename
31447 @item unset tdesc filename
31448 Do not read the XML target description from a file. @value{GDBN}
31449 will use the description supplied by the current target.
31450
31451 @cindex show tdesc filename
31452 @item show tdesc filename
31453 Show the filename to read for a target description, if any.
31454 @end table
31455
31456
31457 @node Target Description Format
31458 @section Target Description Format
31459 @cindex target descriptions, XML format
31460
31461 A target description annex is an @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/, XML}
31462 document which complies with the Document Type Definition provided in
31463 the @value{GDBN} sources in @file{gdb/features/gdb-target.dtd}. This
31464 means you can use generally available tools like @command{xmllint} to
31465 check that your feature descriptions are well-formed and valid.
31466 However, to help people unfamiliar with XML write descriptions for
31467 their targets, we also describe the grammar here.
31468
31469 Target descriptions can identify the architecture of the remote target
31470 and (for some architectures) provide information about custom register
31471 sets. They can also identify the OS ABI of the remote target.
31472 @value{GDBN} can use this information to autoconfigure for your
31473 target, or to warn you if you connect to an unsupported target.
31474
31475 Here is a simple target description:
31476
31477 @smallexample
31478 <target version="1.0">
31479 <architecture>i386:x86-64</architecture>
31480 </target>
31481 @end smallexample
31482
31483 @noindent
31484 This minimal description only says that the target uses
31485 the x86-64 architecture.
31486
31487 A target description has the following overall form, with [ ] marking
31488 optional elements and @dots{} marking repeatable elements. The elements
31489 are explained further below.
31490
31491 @smallexample
31492 <?xml version="1.0"?>
31493 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "gdb-target.dtd">
31494 <target version="1.0">
31495 @r{[}@var{architecture}@r{]}
31496 @r{[}@var{osabi}@r{]}
31497 @r{[}@var{compatible}@r{]}
31498 @r{[}@var{feature}@dots{}@r{]}
31499 </target>
31500 @end smallexample
31501
31502 @noindent
31503 The description is generally insensitive to whitespace and line
31504 breaks, under the usual common-sense rules. The XML version
31505 declaration and document type declaration can generally be omitted
31506 (@value{GDBN} does not require them), but specifying them may be
31507 useful for XML validation tools. The @samp{version} attribute for
31508 @samp{<target>} may also be omitted, but we recommend
31509 including it; if future versions of @value{GDBN} use an incompatible
31510 revision of @file{gdb-target.dtd}, they will detect and report
31511 the version mismatch.
31512
31513 @subsection Inclusion
31514 @cindex target descriptions, inclusion
31515 @cindex XInclude
31516 @ifnotinfo
31517 @cindex <xi:include>
31518 @end ifnotinfo
31519
31520 It can sometimes be valuable to split a target description up into
31521 several different annexes, either for organizational purposes, or to
31522 share files between different possible target descriptions. You can
31523 divide a description into multiple files by replacing any element of
31524 the target description with an inclusion directive of the form:
31525
31526 @smallexample
31527 <xi:include href="@var{document}"/>
31528 @end smallexample
31529
31530 @noindent
31531 When @value{GDBN} encounters an element of this form, it will retrieve
31532 the named XML @var{document}, and replace the inclusion directive with
31533 the contents of that document. If the current description was read
31534 using @samp{qXfer}, then so will be the included document;
31535 @var{document} will be interpreted as the name of an annex. If the
31536 current description was read from a file, @value{GDBN} will look for
31537 @var{document} as a file in the same directory where it found the
31538 original description.
31539
31540 @subsection Architecture
31541 @cindex <architecture>
31542
31543 An @samp{<architecture>} element has this form:
31544
31545 @smallexample
31546 <architecture>@var{arch}</architecture>
31547 @end smallexample
31548
31549 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
31550 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
31551
31552 @subsection OS ABI
31553 @cindex @code{<osabi>}
31554
31555 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
31556 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
31557
31558 An @samp{<osabi>} element has this form:
31559
31560 @smallexample
31561 <osabi>@var{abi-name}</osabi>
31562 @end smallexample
31563
31564 @var{abi-name} is an OS ABI name from the same selection accepted by
31565 @w{@code{set osabi}} (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
31566
31567 @subsection Compatible Architecture
31568 @cindex @code{<compatible>}
31569
31570 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
31571 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
31572
31573 A @samp{<compatible>} element has this form:
31574
31575 @smallexample
31576 <compatible>@var{arch}</compatible>
31577 @end smallexample
31578
31579 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
31580 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
31581
31582 A @samp{<compatible>} element is used to specify that the target
31583 is able to run binaries in some other than the main target architecture
31584 given by the @samp{<architecture>} element. For example, on the
31585 Cell Broadband Engine, the main architecture is @code{powerpc:common}
31586 or @code{powerpc:common64}, but the system is able to run binaries
31587 in the @code{spu} architecture as well. The way to describe this
31588 capability with @samp{<compatible>} is as follows:
31589
31590 @smallexample
31591 <architecture>powerpc:common</architecture>
31592 <compatible>spu</compatible>
31593 @end smallexample
31594
31595 @subsection Features
31596 @cindex <feature>
31597
31598 Each @samp{<feature>} describes some logical portion of the target
31599 system. Features are currently used to describe available CPU
31600 registers and the types of their contents. A @samp{<feature>} element
31601 has this form:
31602
31603 @smallexample
31604 <feature name="@var{name}">
31605 @r{[}@var{type}@dots{}@r{]}
31606 @var{reg}@dots{}
31607 </feature>
31608 @end smallexample
31609
31610 @noindent
31611 Each feature's name should be unique within the description. The name
31612 of a feature does not matter unless @value{GDBN} has some special
31613 knowledge of the contents of that feature; if it does, the feature
31614 should have its standard name. @xref{Standard Target Features}.
31615
31616 @subsection Types
31617
31618 Any register's value is a collection of bits which @value{GDBN} must
31619 interpret. The default interpretation is a two's complement integer,
31620 but other types can be requested by name in the register description.
31621 Some predefined types are provided by @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Predefined
31622 Target Types}), and the description can define additional composite types.
31623
31624 Each type element must have an @samp{id} attribute, which gives
31625 a unique (within the containing @samp{<feature>}) name to the type.
31626 Types must be defined before they are used.
31627
31628 @cindex <vector>
31629 Some targets offer vector registers, which can be treated as arrays
31630 of scalar elements. These types are written as @samp{<vector>} elements,
31631 specifying the array element type, @var{type}, and the number of elements,
31632 @var{count}:
31633
31634 @smallexample
31635 <vector id="@var{id}" type="@var{type}" count="@var{count}"/>
31636 @end smallexample
31637
31638 @cindex <union>
31639 If a register's value is usefully viewed in multiple ways, define it
31640 with a union type containing the useful representations. The
31641 @samp{<union>} element contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements,
31642 each of which has a @var{name} and a @var{type}:
31643
31644 @smallexample
31645 <union id="@var{id}">
31646 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
31647 @dots{}
31648 </union>
31649 @end smallexample
31650
31651 @subsection Registers
31652 @cindex <reg>
31653
31654 Each register is represented as an element with this form:
31655
31656 @smallexample
31657 <reg name="@var{name}"
31658 bitsize="@var{size}"
31659 @r{[}regnum="@var{num}"@r{]}
31660 @r{[}save-restore="@var{save-restore}"@r{]}
31661 @r{[}type="@var{type}"@r{]}
31662 @r{[}group="@var{group}"@r{]}/>
31663 @end smallexample
31664
31665 @noindent
31666 The components are as follows:
31667
31668 @table @var
31669
31670 @item name
31671 The register's name; it must be unique within the target description.
31672
31673 @item bitsize
31674 The register's size, in bits.
31675
31676 @item regnum
31677 The register's number. If omitted, a register's number is one greater
31678 than that of the previous register (either in the current feature or in
31679 a preceeding feature); the first register in the target description
31680 defaults to zero. This register number is used to read or write
31681 the register; e.g.@: it is used in the remote @code{p} and @code{P}
31682 packets, and registers appear in the @code{g} and @code{G} packets
31683 in order of increasing register number.
31684
31685 @item save-restore
31686 Whether the register should be preserved across inferior function
31687 calls; this must be either @code{yes} or @code{no}. The default is
31688 @code{yes}, which is appropriate for most registers except for
31689 some system control registers; this is not related to the target's
31690 ABI.
31691
31692 @item type
31693 The type of the register. @var{type} may be a predefined type, a type
31694 defined in the current feature, or one of the special types @code{int}
31695 and @code{float}. @code{int} is an integer type of the correct size
31696 for @var{bitsize}, and @code{float} is a floating point type (in the
31697 architecture's normal floating point format) of the correct size for
31698 @var{bitsize}. The default is @code{int}.
31699
31700 @item group
31701 The register group to which this register belongs. @var{group} must
31702 be either @code{general}, @code{float}, or @code{vector}. If no
31703 @var{group} is specified, @value{GDBN} will not display the register
31704 in @code{info registers}.
31705
31706 @end table
31707
31708 @node Predefined Target Types
31709 @section Predefined Target Types
31710 @cindex target descriptions, predefined types
31711
31712 Type definitions in the self-description can build up composite types
31713 from basic building blocks, but can not define fundamental types. Instead,
31714 standard identifiers are provided by @value{GDBN} for the fundamental
31715 types. The currently supported types are:
31716
31717 @table @code
31718
31719 @item int8
31720 @itemx int16
31721 @itemx int32
31722 @itemx int64
31723 @itemx int128
31724 Signed integer types holding the specified number of bits.
31725
31726 @item uint8
31727 @itemx uint16
31728 @itemx uint32
31729 @itemx uint64
31730 @itemx uint128
31731 Unsigned integer types holding the specified number of bits.
31732
31733 @item code_ptr
31734 @itemx data_ptr
31735 Pointers to unspecified code and data. The program counter and
31736 any dedicated return address register may be marked as code
31737 pointers; printing a code pointer converts it into a symbolic
31738 address. The stack pointer and any dedicated address registers
31739 may be marked as data pointers.
31740
31741 @item ieee_single
31742 Single precision IEEE floating point.
31743
31744 @item ieee_double
31745 Double precision IEEE floating point.
31746
31747 @item arm_fpa_ext
31748 The 12-byte extended precision format used by ARM FPA registers.
31749
31750 @end table
31751
31752 @node Standard Target Features
31753 @section Standard Target Features
31754 @cindex target descriptions, standard features
31755
31756 A target description must contain either no registers or all the
31757 target's registers. If the description contains no registers, then
31758 @value{GDBN} will assume a default register layout, selected based on
31759 the architecture. If the description contains any registers, the
31760 default layout will not be used; the standard registers must be
31761 described in the target description, in such a way that @value{GDBN}
31762 can recognize them.
31763
31764 This is accomplished by giving specific names to feature elements
31765 which contain standard registers. @value{GDBN} will look for features
31766 with those names and verify that they contain the expected registers;
31767 if any known feature is missing required registers, or if any required
31768 feature is missing, @value{GDBN} will reject the target
31769 description. You can add additional registers to any of the
31770 standard features --- @value{GDBN} will display them just as if
31771 they were added to an unrecognized feature.
31772
31773 This section lists the known features and their expected contents.
31774 Sample XML documents for these features are included in the
31775 @value{GDBN} source tree, in the directory @file{gdb/features}.
31776
31777 Names recognized by @value{GDBN} should include the name of the
31778 company or organization which selected the name, and the overall
31779 architecture to which the feature applies; so e.g.@: the feature
31780 containing ARM core registers is named @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}.
31781
31782 The names of registers are not case sensitive for the purpose
31783 of recognizing standard features, but @value{GDBN} will only display
31784 registers using the capitalization used in the description.
31785
31786 @menu
31787 * ARM Features::
31788 * MIPS Features::
31789 * M68K Features::
31790 * PowerPC Features::
31791 @end menu
31792
31793
31794 @node ARM Features
31795 @subsection ARM Features
31796 @cindex target descriptions, ARM features
31797
31798 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core} feature is required for ARM targets.
31799 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp},
31800 @samp{lr}, @samp{pc}, and @samp{cpsr}.
31801
31802 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.fpa} feature is optional. If present, it
31803 should contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f7} and @samp{fps}.
31804
31805 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.xscale.iwmmxt} feature is optional. If present,
31806 it should contain at least registers @samp{wR0} through @samp{wR15} and
31807 @samp{wCGR0} through @samp{wCGR3}. The @samp{wCID}, @samp{wCon},
31808 @samp{wCSSF}, and @samp{wCASF} registers are optional.
31809
31810 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} feature is optional. If present, it
31811 should contain at least registers @samp{d0} through @samp{d15}. If
31812 they are present, @samp{d16} through @samp{d31} should also be included.
31813 @value{GDBN} will synthesize the single-precision registers from
31814 halves of the double-precision registers.
31815
31816 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.neon} feature is optional. It does not
31817 need to contain registers; it instructs @value{GDBN} to display the
31818 VFP double-precision registers as vectors and to synthesize the
31819 quad-precision registers from pairs of double-precision registers.
31820 If this feature is present, @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} must also
31821 be present and include 32 double-precision registers.
31822
31823 @node MIPS Features
31824 @subsection MIPS Features
31825 @cindex target descriptions, MIPS features
31826
31827 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cpu} feature is required for MIPS targets.
31828 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31}, @samp{lo},
31829 @samp{hi}, and @samp{pc}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending
31830 on the target.
31831
31832 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cp0} feature is also required. It should
31833 contain at least the @samp{status}, @samp{badvaddr}, and @samp{cause}
31834 registers. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
31835
31836 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.fpu} feature is currently required, though
31837 it may be optional in a future version of @value{GDBN}. It should
31838 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31}, @samp{fcsr}, and
31839 @samp{fir}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
31840
31841 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.linux} feature is optional. It should
31842 contain a single register, @samp{restart}, which is used by the
31843 Linux kernel to control restartable syscalls.
31844
31845 @node M68K Features
31846 @subsection M68K Features
31847 @cindex target descriptions, M68K features
31848
31849 @table @code
31850 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.m68k.core}
31851 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.core}
31852 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.fido.core}
31853 One of those features must be always present.
31854 The feature that is present determines which flavor of m68k is
31855 used. The feature that is present should contain registers
31856 @samp{d0} through @samp{d7}, @samp{a0} through @samp{a5}, @samp{fp},
31857 @samp{sp}, @samp{ps} and @samp{pc}.
31858
31859 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.fp}
31860 This feature is optional. If present, it should contain registers
31861 @samp{fp0} through @samp{fp7}, @samp{fpcontrol}, @samp{fpstatus} and
31862 @samp{fpiaddr}.
31863 @end table
31864
31865 @node PowerPC Features
31866 @subsection PowerPC Features
31867 @cindex target descriptions, PowerPC features
31868
31869 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} feature is required for PowerPC
31870 targets. It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31},
31871 @samp{pc}, @samp{msr}, @samp{cr}, @samp{lr}, @samp{ctr}, and
31872 @samp{xer}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
31873
31874 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.fpu} feature is optional. It should
31875 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31} and @samp{fpscr}.
31876
31877 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.altivec} feature is optional. It should
31878 contain registers @samp{vr0} through @samp{vr31}, @samp{vscr},
31879 and @samp{vrsave}.
31880
31881 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.vsx} feature is optional. It should
31882 contain registers @samp{vs0h} through @samp{vs31h}. @value{GDBN}
31883 will combine these registers with the floating point registers
31884 (@samp{f0} through @samp{f31}) and the altivec registers (@samp{vr0}
31885 through @samp{vr31}) to present the 128-bit wide registers @samp{vs0}
31886 through @samp{vs63}, the set of vector registers for POWER7.
31887
31888 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.spe} feature is optional. It should
31889 contain registers @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}, @samp{acc}, and
31890 @samp{spefscr}. SPE targets should provide 32-bit registers in
31891 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} and provide the upper halves in
31892 @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}. @value{GDBN} will combine
31893 these to present registers @samp{ev0} through @samp{ev31} to the
31894 user.
31895
31896 @node Operating System Information
31897 @appendix Operating System Information
31898 @cindex operating system information
31899
31900 @menu
31901 * Process list::
31902 @end menu
31903
31904 Users of @value{GDBN} often wish to obtain information about the state of
31905 the operating system running on the target---for example the list of
31906 processes, or the list of open files. This section describes the
31907 mechanism that makes it possible. This mechanism is similar to the
31908 target features mechanism (@pxref{Target Descriptions}), but focuses
31909 on a different aspect of target.
31910
31911 Operating system information is retrived from the target via the
31912 remote protocol, using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{qXfer osdata
31913 read}). The object name in the request should be @samp{osdata}, and
31914 the @var{annex} identifies the data to be fetched.
31915
31916 @node Process list
31917 @appendixsection Process list
31918 @cindex operating system information, process list
31919
31920 When requesting the process list, the @var{annex} field in the
31921 @samp{qXfer} request should be @samp{processes}. The returned data is
31922 an XML document. The formal syntax of this document is defined in
31923 @file{gdb/features/osdata.dtd}.
31924
31925 An example document is:
31926
31927 @smallexample
31928 <?xml version="1.0"?>
31929 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "osdata.dtd">
31930 <osdata type="processes">
31931 <item>
31932 <column name="pid">1</column>
31933 <column name="user">root</column>
31934 <column name="command">/sbin/init</column>
31935 </item>
31936 </osdata>
31937 @end smallexample
31938
31939 Each item should include a column whose name is @samp{pid}. The value
31940 of that column should identify the process on the target. The
31941 @samp{user} and @samp{command} columns are optional, and will be
31942 displayed by @value{GDBN}. Target may provide additional columns,
31943 which @value{GDBN} currently ignores.
31944
31945 @include gpl.texi
31946
31947 @raisesections
31948 @include fdl.texi
31949 @lowersections
31950
31951 @node Index
31952 @unnumbered Index
31953
31954 @printindex cp
31955
31956 @tex
31957 % I think something like @colophon should be in texinfo. In the
31958 % meantime:
31959 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
31960 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
31961 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
31962 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
31963 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
31964 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/},}
31965 \centerline{{\bf\fontname\tenbf}, and}
31966 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
31967 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
31968 \page\colophon
31969 % Blame: doc@cygnus.com, 1991.
31970 @end tex
31971
31972 @bye
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