[external/binutils.git] / gdb / doc / gdb.info-9

This is Info file ./gdb.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.68 from
the input file gdb.texinfo.

START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Gdb: (gdb).                     The GNU debugger.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
   This file documents the GNU debugger GDB.

   This is the Seventh Edition, February 1999, of `Debugging with GDB:
the GNU Source-Level Debugger' for GDB Version 4.18.

   Copyright (C) 1988-1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
of a permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Commands For Completion,  Next: Keyboard Macros,  Prev: Numeric Arguments,  Up: Bindable Readline Commands

Letting Readline Type For You
-----------------------------

`complete (TAB)'
     Attempt to do completion on the text before the cursor.  This is
     application-specific.  Generally, if you are typing a filename
     argument, you can do filename completion; if you are typing a
     command, you can do command completion; if you are typing in a
     symbol to GDB, you can do symbol name completion; if you are
     typing in a variable to Bash, you can do variable name completion,
     and so on.

`possible-completions (M-?)'
     List the possible completions of the text before the cursor.

`insert-completions (M-*)'
     Insert all completions of the text before point that would have
     been generated by `possible-completions'.

`menu-complete ()'
     Similar to `complete', but replaces the word to be completed with
     a single match from the list of possible completions.  Repeated
     execution of `menu-complete' steps through the list of possible
     completions, inserting each match in turn.  At the end of the list
     of completions, the bell is rung and the original text is restored.
     An argument of N moves N positions forward in the list of matches;
     a negative argument may be used to move backward through the list.
     This command is intended to be bound to `TAB', but is unbound by
     default.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Keyboard Macros,  Next: Miscellaneous Commands,  Prev: Commands For Completion,  Up: Bindable Readline Commands

Keyboard Macros
---------------

`start-kbd-macro (C-x ()'
     Begin saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro.

`end-kbd-macro (C-x ))'
     Stop saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro
     and save the definition.

`call-last-kbd-macro (C-x e)'
     Re-execute the last keyboard macro defined, by making the
     characters in the macro appear as if typed at the keyboard.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Miscellaneous Commands,  Prev: Keyboard Macros,  Up: Bindable Readline Commands

Some Miscellaneous Commands
---------------------------

`re-read-init-file (C-x C-r)'
     Read in the contents of the inputrc file, and incorporate any
     bindings or variable assignments found there.

`abort (C-g)'
     Abort the current editing command and ring the terminal's bell
     (subject to the setting of `bell-style').

`do-uppercase-version (M-a, M-b, M-X, ...)'
     If the metafied character X is lowercase, run the command that is
     bound to the corresponding uppercase character.

`prefix-meta (ESC)'
     Make the next character typed be metafied.  This is for keyboards
     without a meta key.  Typing `ESC f' is equivalent to typing `M-f'.

`undo (C-_, C-x C-u)'
     Incremental undo, separately remembered for each line.

`revert-line (M-r)'
     Undo all changes made to this line.  This is like executing the
     `undo' command enough times to get back to the beginning.

`tilde-expand (M-~)'
     Perform tilde expansion on the current word.

`set-mark (C-@)'
     Set the mark to the current point.  If a numeric argument is
     supplied, the mark is set to that position.

`exchange-point-and-mark (C-x C-x)'
     Swap the point with the mark.  The current cursor position is set
     to the saved position, and the old cursor position is saved as the
     mark.

`character-search (C-])'
     A character is read and point is moved to the next occurrence of
     that character.  A negative count searches for previous
     occurrences.

`character-search-backward (M-C-])'
     A character is read and point is moved to the previous occurrence
     of that character.  A negative count searches for subsequent
     occurrences.

`insert-comment (M-#)'
     The value of the `comment-begin' variable is inserted at the
     beginning of the current line, and the line is accepted as if a
     newline had been typed.

`dump-functions ()'
     Print all of the functions and their key bindings to the Readline
     output stream.  If a numeric argument is supplied, the output is
     formatted in such a way that it can be made part of an INPUTRC
     file.  This command is unbound by default.

`dump-variables ()'
     Print all of the settable variables and their values to the
     Readline output stream.  If a numeric argument is supplied, the
     output is formatted in such a way that it can be made part of an
     INPUTRC file.  This command is unbound by default.

`dump-macros ()'
     Print all of the Readline key sequences bound to macros and the
     strings they ouput.  If a numeric argument is supplied, the output
     is formatted in such a way that it can be made part of an INPUTRC
     file.  This command is unbound by default.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Readline vi Mode,  Prev: Bindable Readline Commands,  Up: Command Line Editing

Readline vi Mode
================

   While the Readline library does not have a full set of `vi' editing
functions, it does contain enough to allow simple editing of the line.
The Readline `vi' mode behaves as specified in the POSIX 1003.2
standard.

   In order to switch interactively between `emacs' and `vi' editing
modes, use the command M-C-j (toggle-editing-mode).  The Readline
default is `emacs' mode.

   When you enter a line in `vi' mode, you are already placed in
`insertion' mode, as if you had typed an `i'.  Pressing <ESC> switches
you into `command' mode, where you can edit the text of the line with
the standard `vi' movement keys, move to previous history lines with
`k' and subsequent lines with `j', and so forth.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Using History Interactively,  Next: Installing GDB,  Prev: Command Line Editing,  Up: Top

Using History Interactively
***************************

   This chapter describes how to use the GNU History Library
interactively, from a user's standpoint.

* Menu:

* History Interaction::         What it feels like using History as a user.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: History Interaction,  Up: Using History Interactively

History Interaction
===================

   The History library provides a history expansion feature similar to
the history expansion in `csh'.  The following text describes the
syntax you use to manipulate history information.

   History expansion takes two parts.  In the first part, determine
which line from the previous history will be used for substitution.
This line is called the "event".  In the second part, select portions
of that line for inclusion into the current line.  These portions are
called "words".  GDB breaks the line into words in the same way that
the Bash shell does, so that several English (or Unix) words surrounded
by quotes are considered one word.

* Menu:

* Event Designators::   How to specify which history line to use.
* Word Designators::    Specifying which words are of interest.
* Modifiers::           Modifying the results of susbstitution.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Event Designators,  Next: Word Designators,  Up: History Interaction

Event Designators
-----------------

   An "event designator" is a reference to a command line entry in the
history list.

`!'
     Start a history subsititution, except when followed by a space,
     tab, or the end of the line... <=> or <(>.

`!!'
     Refer to the previous command.  This is a synonym for `!-1'.

`!n'
     Refer to command line N.

`!-n'
     Refer to the command line N lines back.

`!string'
     Refer to the most recent command starting with STRING.

`!?string'[`?']
     Refer to the most recent command containing STRING.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Word Designators,  Next: Modifiers,  Prev: Event Designators,  Up: History Interaction

Word Designators
----------------

   A <:> separates the event designator from the "word designator".  It
can be omitted if the word designator begins with a <^>, <$>, <*> or
<%>.  Words are numbered from the beginning of the line, with the first
word being denoted by a 0 (zero).

`0 (zero)'
     The zero'th word.  For many applications, this is the command word.

`n'
     The N'th word.

`^'
     The first argument.  that is, word 1.

`$'
     The last argument.

`%'
     The word matched by the most recent `?string?' search.

`x-y'
     A range of words; `-Y' Abbreviates `0-Y'.

`*'
     All of the words, excepting the zero'th.  This is a synonym for
     `1-$'.  It is not an error to use <*> if there is just one word in
     the event.  The empty string is returned in that case.

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File: gdb.info,  Node: Modifiers,  Prev: Word Designators,  Up: History Interaction

Modifiers
---------

   After the optional word designator, you can add a sequence of one or
more of the following "modifiers", each preceded by a <:>.

`#'
     The entire command line typed so far.  This means the current
     command, not the previous command.

`h'
     Remove a trailing pathname component, leaving only the head.

`r'
     Remove a trailing suffix of the form `.'SUFFIX, leaving the
     basename.

`e'
     Remove all but the suffix.

`t'
     Remove all leading  pathname  components, leaving the tail.

`p'
     Print the new command but do not execute it.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Formatting Documentation,  Next: Command Line Editing,  Prev: GDB Bugs,  Up: Top

Formatting Documentation
************************

   The GDB 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the `gdb' subdirectory
of the main source directory(1).  If you can use PostScript or
Ghostscript with your printer, you can print the reference card
immediately with `refcard.ps'.

   The release also includes the source for the reference card.  You
can format it, using TeX, by typing:

     make refcard.dvi

   The GDB reference card is designed to print in "landscape" mode on
US "letter" size paper; that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
high.  You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
your DVI output program.

   All the documentation for GDB comes as part of the machine-readable
distribution.  The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
on-line information and a printed manual.  You can use one of the Info
formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
and TeX (or `texi2roff') to typeset the printed version.

   GDB includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info version
of this manual in the `gdb' subdirectory.  The main Info file is
`gdb-4.18/gdb/gdb.info', and it refers to subordinate files matching
`gdb.info*' in the same directory.  If necessary, you can print out
these files, or read them with any editor; but they are easier to read
using the `info' subsystem in GNU Emacs or the standalone `info'
program, available as part of the GNU Texinfo distribution.

   If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
Info formatting programs, such as `texinfo-format-buffer' or `makeinfo'.

   If you have `makeinfo' installed, and are in the top level GDB
source directory (`gdb-4.18', in the case of version 4.18), you can
make the Info file by typing:

     cd gdb
     make gdb.info

   If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need TeX,
a program to print its DVI output files, and `texinfo.tex', the Texinfo
definitions file.

   TeX is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
produces output files called DVI files.  To print a typeset document,
you need a program to print DVI files.  If your system has TeX
installed, chances are it has such a program.  The precise command to
use depends on your system; `lpr -d' is common; another (for PostScript
devices) is `dvips'.  The DVI print command may require a file name
without any extension or a `.dvi' extension.

   TeX also requires a macro definitions file called `texinfo.tex'.
This file tells TeX how to typeset a document written in Texinfo
format.  On its own, TeX cannot either read or typeset a Texinfo file.
`texinfo.tex' is distributed with GDB and is located in the
`gdb-VERSION-NUMBER/texinfo' directory.

   If you have TeX and a DVI printer program installed, you can typeset
and print this manual.  First switch to the the `gdb' subdirectory of
the main source directory (for example, to `gdb-4.18/gdb') and type:

     make gdb.dvi

   Then give `gdb.dvi' to your DVI printing program.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) In `gdb-4.18/gdb/refcard.ps' of the version 4.18 release.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Installing GDB,  Next: Index,  Prev: Using History Interactively,  Up: Top

Installing GDB
**************

   GDB comes with a `configure' script that automates the process of
preparing GDB for installation; you can then use `make' to build the
`gdb' program.

   The GDB distribution includes all the source code you need for GDB
in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by appending the
version number to `gdb'.

   For example, the GDB version 4.18 distribution is in the `gdb-4.18'
directory.  That directory contains:

`gdb-4.18/configure (and supporting files)'
     script for configuring GDB and all its supporting libraries

`gdb-4.18/gdb'
     the source specific to GDB itself

`gdb-4.18/bfd'
     source for the Binary File Descriptor library

`gdb-4.18/include'
     GNU include files

`gdb-4.18/libiberty'
     source for the `-liberty' free software library

`gdb-4.18/opcodes'
     source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers

`gdb-4.18/readline'
     source for the GNU command-line interface

`gdb-4.18/glob'
     source for the GNU filename pattern-matching subroutine

`gdb-4.18/mmalloc'
     source for the GNU memory-mapped malloc package

   The simplest way to configure and build GDB is to run `configure'
from the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory, which in this example
is the `gdb-4.18' directory.

   First switch to the `gdb-VERSION-NUMBER' source directory if you are
not already in it; then run `configure'.  Pass the identifier for the
platform on which GDB will run as an argument.

   For example:

     cd gdb-4.18
     ./configure HOST
     make

where HOST is an identifier such as `sun4' or `decstation', that
identifies the platform where GDB will run.  (You can often leave off
HOST; `configure' tries to guess the correct value by examining your
system.)

   Running `configure HOST' and then running `make' builds the `bfd',
`readline', `mmalloc', and `libiberty' libraries, then `gdb' itself.
The configured source files, and the binaries, are left in the
corresponding source directories.

   `configure' is a Bourne-shell (`/bin/sh') script; if your system
does not recognize this automatically when you run a different shell,
you may need to run `sh' on it explicitly:

     sh configure HOST

   If you run `configure' from a directory that contains source
directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the `gdb-4.18'
source directory for version 4.18, `configure' creates configuration
files for every directory level underneath (unless you tell it not to,
with the `--norecursion' option).

   You can run the `configure' script from any of the subordinate
directories in the GDB distribution if you only want to configure that
subdirectory, but be sure to specify a path to it.

   For example, with version 4.18, type the following to configure only
the `bfd' subdirectory:

     cd gdb-4.18/bfd
     ../configure HOST

   You can install `gdb' anywhere; it has no hardwired paths.  However,
you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by the `SHELL'
environment variable) is publicly readable.  Remember that GDB uses the
shell to start your program--some systems refuse to let GDB debug child
processes whose programs are not readable.

* Menu:

* Separate Objdir::             Compiling GDB in another directory
* Config Names::                Specifying names for hosts and targets
* Configure Options::           Summary of options for configure

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Separate Objdir,  Next: Config Names,  Prev: Installing GDB,  Up: Installing GDB

Compiling GDB in another directory
==================================

   If you want to run GDB versions for several host or target machines,
you need a different `gdb' compiled for each combination of host and
target.  `configure' is designed to make this easy by allowing you to
generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory, rather than in
the source directory.  If your `make' program handles the `VPATH'
feature (GNU `make' does), running `make' in each of these directories
builds the `gdb' program specified there.

   To build `gdb' in a separate directory, run `configure' with the
`--srcdir' option to specify where to find the source.  (You also need
to specify a path to find `configure' itself from your working
directory.  If the path to `configure' would be the same as the
argument to `--srcdir', you can leave out the `--srcdir' option; it is
assumed.)

   For example, with version 4.18, you can build GDB in a separate
directory for a Sun 4 like this:

     cd gdb-4.18
     mkdir ../gdb-sun4
     cd ../gdb-sun4
     ../gdb-4.18/configure sun4
     make

   When `configure' builds a configuration using a remote source
directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
(and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory.  In
the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library `libiberty.a' in the
directory `gdb-sun4/libiberty', and GDB itself in `gdb-sun4/gdb'.

   One popular reason to build several GDB configurations in separate
directories is to configure GDB for cross-compiling (where GDB runs on
one machine--the "host"--while debugging programs that run on another
machine--the "target").  You specify a cross-debugging target by giving
the `--target=TARGET' option to `configure'.

   When you run `make' to build a program or library, you must run it
in a configured directory--whatever directory you were in when you
called `configure' (or one of its subdirectories).

   The `Makefile' that `configure' generates in each source directory
also runs recursively.  If you type `make' in a source directory such
as `gdb-4.18' (or in a separate configured directory configured with
`--srcdir=DIRNAME/gdb-4.18'), you will build all the required
libraries, and then build GDB.

   When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
directories, you can run `make' on them in parallel (for example, if
they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
with each other.

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Config Names,  Next: Configure Options,  Prev: Separate Objdir,  Up: Installing GDB

Specifying names for hosts and targets
======================================

   The specifications used for hosts and targets in the `configure'
script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short
predefined aliases are also supported.  The full naming scheme encodes
three pieces of information in the following pattern:

     ARCHITECTURE-VENDOR-OS

   For example, you can use the alias `sun4' as a HOST argument, or as
the value for TARGET in a `--target=TARGET' option.  The equivalent
full name is `sparc-sun-sunos4'.

   The `configure' script accompanying GDB does not provide any query
facility to list all supported host and target names or aliases.
`configure' calls the Bourne shell script `config.sub' to map
abbreviations to full names; you can read the script, if you wish, or
you can use it to test your guesses on abbreviations--for example:

     % sh config.sub i386-linux
     i386-pc-linux-gnu
     % sh config.sub alpha-linux
     alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
     % sh config.sub hp9k700
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux
     % sh config.sub sun4
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
     % sh config.sub sun3
     m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
     % sh config.sub i986v
     Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized

`config.sub' is also distributed in the GDB source directory
(`gdb-4.18', for version 4.18).

\1f
File: gdb.info,  Node: Configure Options,  Prev: Config Names,  Up: Installing GDB

`configure' options
===================

   Here is a summary of the `configure' options and arguments that are
most often useful for building GDB.  `configure' also has several other
options not listed here.  *note (configure.info)What Configure Does::,
for a full explanation of `configure'.

     configure [--help]
               [--prefix=DIR]
               [--exec-prefix=DIR]
               [--srcdir=DIRNAME]
               [--norecursion] [--rm]
               [--target=TARGET]
               HOST

You may introduce options with a single `-' rather than `--' if you
prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use `--'.

`--help'
     Display a quick summary of how to invoke `configure'.

`--prefix=DIR'
     Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
     `DIR'.

`--exec-prefix=DIR'
     Configure the source to install programs under directory `DIR'.

`--srcdir=DIRNAME'
     *Warning: using this option requires GNU `make', or another `make'
     that implements the `VPATH' feature.*
     Use this option to make configurations in directories separate
     from the GDB source directories.  Among other things, you can use
     this to build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously,
     in separate directories.  `configure' writes configuration
     specific files in the current directory, but arranges for them to
     use the source in the directory DIRNAME.  `configure' creates
     directories under the working directory in parallel to the source
     directories below DIRNAME.

`--norecursion'
     Configure only the directory level where `configure' is executed;
     do not propagate configuration to subdirectories.

`--target=TARGET'
     Configure GDB for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
     TARGET.  Without this option, GDB is configured to debug programs
     that run on the same machine (HOST) as GDB itself.

     There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available
     targets.

`HOST ...'
     Configure GDB to run on the specified HOST.

     There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available
     hosts.

   There are many other options available as well, but they are
generally needed for special purposes only.